FOOTBALL - The African Mirror

Mar

12

2024

Talking points from European soccer

FOOTBALL

Talking points from the weekend in European soccer leagues: FRANCE NICE IN A RUT Nice's promising start to the season feels like a distant memory as they extended their winless streak to six league matches with a 2-1 loss to Montpellier on Friday. Manager Francesco Farioli admitted it was a difficult time for the club, which seemed unstoppable just four months ago. "The efforts the players put in to keep the team at the top of the table for six months required a lot of physical and mental energy," he said. With Nice in sixth place and 16 points behind…

Mar

08

2024

By The African Mirror

Liverpool’s Klopp urges caution as Salah returns to training after injury

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LIVERPOOL boss Juergen Klopp said they wanted to be careful with Mohamed Salah after the forward returned to training following a hamstring injury ahead of Thursday's Europa League tie against Sparta Prague. Salah's return provides a timely boost for Klopp's Premier League leaders ahead of their last-16, first-leg clash in Prague and Sunday's meeting with league champions Manchester City at Anfield. "Mo Salah has travelled with us, he's trained for two days and is full of energy," the German manager told reporters. "We want to be careful, but this is a super intense period of the season. We want to…

Mar

08

2024

By The African Mirror

Real Madrid boss Ancelotti ‘calm’ about tax fraud accusations

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REAL Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said he was calm about accusations he avoided 1 million euros ($1.09 million) in taxes on image rights revenues while he was at the club in 2014 and 2015. A Spanish prosecutor is seeking a prison term of four years and nine months for Ancelotti. In a statement on Wednesday, the prosecutor said that although the Italian coach was a resident in Spain for tax purposes at the time and filed his tax returns there, he had omitted the income earned through his image rights - 4.2 million euros ($4.58 million) in total. "It's an old…

Mar

07

2024

By The African Mirror

Mbappe, Cameroon-born French superstar has no problem with coach

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KYLIAN Mbappe said he has "no problems" with manager Luis Enrique after playing the full 90 minutes for Paris St Germain for the first time since February 14, the forward scoring both goals in their 2-1 Champions League win at Real Sociedad. The France captain, who scored either side of half-time to help PSG reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2021, informed the Ligue 1 club last month that he would leave them as a free agent at the end of the season. Mbappe came off the bench in a 2-0 win over Nantes last month and was substituted in…

Mar

05

2024

By The African Mirror

Former German FA bosses go on trial over 2006 World Cup payment

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FORMER German Football Association (DFB) presidents Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach went on trial along with a former secretary general on Monday, accused of tax evasion in connection with the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany. At the heart of this case which has dragged on through the legal system for years and has also included several other separate investigations, including a DFB-commissioned one, is a payment of 6.7 million euros ($7.27 million) linked to a 2006 World Cup-related event that never took place. Niersbach, who resigned as DFB president in 2015 as a result of the affair, his predecessor…

Mar

03

2024

By The African Mirror

Nigeria coach Peseiro leaves at end of contract

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NIGERIA'S Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro said that he had left the job only weeks after taking the team to the Africa Cup of Nations final. He announced on X, formerly Twitter, confirming the end of his contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). “Yesterday, we concluded our contract with the NFF. It was a pride and honour to coach the Super Eagles. It has been 22 months of immense dedication, sacrifice, emotion, and enormous enthusiasm. We feel a sense of fulfilment,” he wrote. Peseiro took Nigeria to the Cup of Nations final for the first time since 2013 but they…

Mar

03

2024

By The African Mirror

Late Okafor strike earns Milan 1-0 win at eight-man Lazio

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A late goal by forward Noah Okafor earned AC Milan a 1-0 win at Lazio in Serie A on Friday after a chaotic end to the game in which the hosts were reduced to eight men in stoppage time. Milan, who ended their winless run of three games across all competitions, sit third in the league standings on 56 points. They are one point adrift of second-placed Juventus who travel to Napoli on Sunday and 13 behind leaders Inter Milan, who host Genoa on Monday. "In the last away matches we had conceded too many goals, being punished at the…

Mar

01

2024

By The African Mirror

Arsenal’s Partey back for Sheffield United visit, Arteta says

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THOMAS Partey is set to return to the Arsenal squad after a four-month absence when they visit bottom side Sheffield United, manager Mikel Arteta said. The Ghana international has had multiple injury problems this season and hasn't played since October, with just four Premier League appearances this campaign. "Thomas had a session before the last game and now he's done two consecutive sessions and he should be part of the squad," Arteta told reporters on Thursday. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu, both out with calf issues, are close to recovery but not certain for Monday, Arteta said. "It's possible but…

Mar

01

2024

By AADI NAIR

Juventus clash may have come at the right time for upbeat Napoli

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NAPOLI'S record against the traditional powerhouses of Italian football has been woeful this season but their home Serie A clash against struggling Juventus could be coming at just the right time for the champions. Napoli's shambolic title defence has seen them fail to win any of their four league matches against Juve, Inter Milan or AC Milan this season and they have dropped to ninth in the league standings, 29 points behind leaders Inter. For much of this campaign, few would have fancied Napoli's chances against Juventus, but the stars have aligned to give the champions an excellent chance to…

Mar

01

2024

By ROHITH NAIR and ELVIRA POLLINA

‘Heartbroken’ Pogba to appeal four-year doping ban at CAS

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JUVENTUS midfielder Paul Pogba's career hung in the balance after he was handed a four-year doping ban but the France international said he would try to clear his name by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The France international was provisionally suspended by a tribunal of Italy's national anti-doping organisation (NADO Italia) in September after testing positive for DHEA - a banned substance which naturally raises levels of testosterone. Juventus did not comment on the ban but a source confirmed they had been notified about the decision and would assess the next steps. The 30-year-old Pogba, who has a contract…