La Liga
POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS TO DEPARTING ZINEDINE ZIDANE AT REAL MADRID

Zinedine Zidane is edging towards the Real Madrid exit door with his contract due to expire leaving Florentino Perez on the lookout for a new head coach
Real Madrid look set to appoint a new man in the dugout this summer with Zinedine Zidane poised for the exit door.
Los Blancos boss has had to deal with speculation regarding his future for months with his contract winding down.
Zidane has told his players that he will be moving on at the end of the year meaning Florentino Perez will be seeking a new head coach.
The Spanish giants are not the force of old with several players moving on and others coming into the latter stages of their career.
The next man through the door will need to oversee something of a rebuild, which could excite but also put certain individuals off taking the job.
Here are five men who could be under consideration for the top job in Madrid.
Max Allegri

The Italian is currently among the favourites to takeover from Zidane, who could yet take up a role with Allegri’s former employers Juventus.
During the 53-year-old’s time in Turin he won Serie A five times and added the Coppa Italia on four occasions.
As a free agent he remains an attractive proposition with no compensation to be paid coupled with his proven track record.
Allegri’s somewhat pragmatic style may not be to Perez’s liking, but with Los Blancos in a transitional phase an adaptive manager may be just what they need.
The tactician has yet to taste Champions League success though, coming up short twice in the final, with Europe a major measuring point at Madrid.
Raul

The Madrid legend once held the record as the club’s all-time top goalscorer before one Cristiano Ronaldo arrived. He scored against Nigeria in Spain’s 2-3 loss at France ’98 World Cup.
But Raul’s long standing relationship with the club could stand him in good stead.
He spent almost two decades at the Bernabeu before leaving in 2010 but is now back coaching the club’s B team and youth ranks.
Perez has shown his willingness to promote from within having hired Zidane when he was B team coach and may again feel that a club legend who understands their traditions is the answer.
Joachim Low

He will leave his post as Germany’s head coach after 15 years in charge following this summer’s European Championships.
Low’s crowning achievement came in 2014 when he won the World Cup, although his stock has slightly fallen since that triumphant night.
Nevertheless he remains a high profile name, something Perez seems to value.
What may count against him though is his lack of recent work as a day-to-day manager with his last club job coming at Austrian Wien in 2004.
It remains unclear as to whether Low is looking to take some time away from the game before considering whether or not to return.
Antonio Conte

Another Italian manager who could be considered for the Madrid post. Conte has just won a league title with a third different club after his success with Inter Milan.
The 51-year-old has enjoyed triumphs with Juventus and Chelsea previously and has again underlined his quality.
Conte’s future at the San Siro is far from certain with Inter struggling financially amid reports some of their top players could leave.
That could lead to the departure of their coach, who is set for showdown talks, leaving him free to look elsewhere.
The Italian though is not shy in speaking his mind so a relationship with Perez would certainly be an interesting watch.
Carlo Ancelotti

He was axed as Los Blancos boss a year after winning the Champions League when he was shown the door in 2015.
But Ancelotti could again be in the frame for a return to the Bernabeu with Perez having nothing against re-hiring managers.
The Italian is currently trying to lead Everton into Europe but could no doubt be lured back to Madrid if things fell into place.
Ancelotti is still highly regarded by those in the Spanish capital would certainly be welcomed back.
La Liga
Mission accomplished as Real Madrid reach cup final, Ancelotti says

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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La Liga
Prosecutors seek jail term for Real Madrid coach Ancelotti over alleged tax fraud

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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La Liga
Spain’s former soccer chief Rubiales says he will appeal court ruling

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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