La Liga
LUIS SUAREZ’S BARCELONA FAREWELL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The 33-year old Luis Suarez could not hold back tears as he said goodbye to his colleagues and fans of FC Barcelona.
Everything got emotional. Some of his colleagues were around. So also was the embattled president of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu. At the end, the now former Barcelona striker faced the press in a question and answer session:
Has everything gone better than you expected at your presentation?
Arriving and fulfilling the dream of playing for Barça is a dream come true. I never imagined reaching these numbers. At Barça you have to constantly be performing at your best and I am proud to have endured so much.
Did you imagine that your exit was going to be like this; is there anyone you feel has done things untowardly?
Now I have to feel proud. There are going to be people who want to agree and those who don’t. Now what I have to do is change things up and be grateful to Barça for giving me unforgettable moments.
It’s been a crazy month which is ending with two brothers (you and Messi) separating. Who was responsible for your separation?
I agree it was a crazy month. Many things have been said. Things have been made up; things have been leaked that are not true. Sometimes you are outraged by that, but you have to try to not get involved. When you arrive at Barcelona, they said be careful with Leo, the strikers … And now it turns out that the striker is bad for Leo. We are aware that we try to do our best.
Do you think you still have something to give at Barça?
I’ve already thought that, but now that is in the past. Obviously I feel good enough to continue competing in La Liga. I’m looking forward to it, more so after the injury, which leaves me with a bittersweet taste. I leave the way I’m leaving, as a competitor – with a new dream and desire to show that I can continue competing.
How would you like to be remembered by the fans?
With the feeling that I have lived up to expectations. Surpassing players like the ones I surpassed, I never imagined it. I am happy to leave a nice mark.
How, when and with whom did the option of signing for Atlético come up?
It sounds ironic but when Barça told me that they would no longer need me, there were many calls. I felt qualified to compete for two teams like Madrid and Atlético.
Have you ever imagined playing against Barça?
No. I still haven’t digested that this is goodbye. I am looking forward because I am attracted to this new challenge. I already told someone that they know me and I also know them. It will be nice.
What do you think about the Barça attack that you leave behind now?
From what you see in training, it is like at the beginning of every year. There are many young players that contribute. I think there are more options to rotate than before. I think it will be a good year for Barça and that the youngsters will achieve important things.
It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through to the Copa del Rey final.
Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by his side and praised his players’ effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.
“We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.
“I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side.”
Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it “bad luck” by the Austrian defender, but urged his defence to play with better focus moving forward.
“It’s not good to concede four goals in a game,” Ancelotti said.
“Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.
“However, we can’t ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well.”
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.
Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday’s second-leg in Madrid.
-Reuters
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Real Madrid’s legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti will go on trial next week for allegedly failing to declare income to Spain’s tax office, the Madrid court which will hear the case has said.
Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian, accusing him of having cost Spain’s treasury more than one million euros ($1.1 million) in undeclared earnings from image rights in 2014 and 2015.
The trial will begin on Wednesday and it is expected to last two days, a spokesman for the court said.
Ancelotti, who as a coach has won a record five Champions League trophies including three with Real, must be present for the hearings, he added.
Prosecutors accuse him of only declaring in his tax returns the personal remuneration received from Real Madrid during those two years even though he himself declared himself to be a tax resident in Spain and indicated his home was in Madrid.
They accuse Ancelotti of allegedly setting up a “confusing” and “complex” system of shell companies to hide his extra earnings from his image rights as well as from other sources such as real estate.
A Spanish court in 2023 ordered Ancelotti to stand trial over the affair, but did not set a date.
Ancelotti dismissed the affair last year as “an old story that I hope will be resolved soon” when he was asked about the case.
He took over at Real Madrid in 2013, leaving in May 2015, before being appointed at Bayern Munich the following year.
The former Italy international midfielder, who as a player won the European Cup twice with AC Milan, later managed Napoli and Everton before returning to Real Madrid in 2021.
Aside from his success in the Champions League he has won domestic league titles with Madrid and Milan, in England with Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich and in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
-AFP
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Spain’s former soccer chief Luis Rubiales told Reuters on Thursday he would appeal a court ruling which found him guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent.-
-Reuters
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