Month: August 2020

UEFA have confirmed that the Champions League tie between Linfield and KF Drita has been cancelled following a positive coronavirus test.

The preliminary round tie between the Northern Ireland side and the Kosovan counterparts was due to take place on August 11 in Nyon, Switzerland.

It comes after a Kvita player tested positive on Monday, having previously produced a negative Cover-19 test on August 7.

The whole Drita squad also tested negative prior to their arrival in Switzerland.

However, a UEFA statement confirmed: “On Friday, in a separate case, a player from KF Drita returned a positive result for COVID-19 following testing on the eve of their match against Inter Club d’Escaldes (AND) in accordance with the UEFA’s above-mentioned protocol.

“This player was put into quarantine, together with one teammate after tracing found he had come into close contact with the affected player.

This second positive test of a player who was in contact with other members of the delegation over the last days has prompted the Swiss authorities to put the whole Kosovan team into quarantine.

Accordingly, the upcoming fixture cannot be played.

“The matter will now be submitted to the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body, for a decision to be taken in accordance with Annex I of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League regulations, which was approved by the UEFA Executive Committee last week.”

Kvita could be booted out of the competition, with Linfield potentially advancing to the next round.

Daniel Sturridge wants to play in the Premier League again with the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker believing he has ‘unfinished business’ in England.

The ex-England international has been without a club since leaving Turkish side Trabzonspor in March after being handed a four-month ban for breaching betting rules.

Sturridge, 30, has since been based in Los Angeles keeping up his fitness as he awaits the right offer.

And though he says there has been interest from clubs all over the world, a return to Premier League football would be his preference.

‘We have options around the world but I’m an English player and I’ve always loved playing in the Premier League,’ Sturridge told Sky Sports.

‘I believe I’ve got a lot to give to the Premier League and I would say that’s my first choice. I do feel I have unfinished business so I would like to go back and play there.

‘I’m open to playing in other leagues, it’s not just the Premier League I’m going to consider, but to come back to England and give my best would be a huge option for me.

‘I’m very excited, I’m hungrier than ever and I’m totally focused on the next chapter.’

Sturridge started his career at Manchester City before signing for Chelsea in 2009.

Four years at Stamford Bridge saw the striker scored 24 goals in 96 appearances before he was sold to Liverpool for £12m in 2013.

Sturridge played and scored regularly in the 2013-14 season, when Liverpool came close to winning the Premier League title, but less frequently under Jurgen Klopp.

Nonetheless, he was part of the Liverpool squad that won the Champions League in 2019.

In July 2019, Sturridge was banned from football for six weeks, four of which were suspended, for breaching betting rules by telling his brother to bet on him signing for Sevilla.

However, the Football Association appealed this punishment by an independent regulatory commission and it was upgraded to a four-month worldwide ban from football in March this year.

Sturridge’s fine of £75,000 was also doubled as a result.

This led to the mutual termination of his contract with Trabzonspor and Sturridge, having served the ban, is now looking for a new club.

‘I’m a free agent and I’ve played for a lot of top clubs around the world,’ he added.

‘I’m just ready to help a team be successful and to be a big part of their plans

Liverpool made their first senior signing of the summer yesterday as Kostas Tsimikas was confirmed a Red.

Joining from Olympiacos, the 24-year-old defender has penned a long-term contract with Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Greece international had his medical on Merseyside on Monday before being officially unveiled as a Liverpool player – and has now outlined his ambitions for his time at Anfield.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Tsimikas declared his hopes for next season and it seems he is eyeing up a double.

When asked ‘What are you ambitions for your time at Liverpool – both for the season coming up and beyond?’

He said: “To achieve [our] goals. T o win the league again and also to win the Champions League.”

Tsimikas was signed as backup and competition for the left back position, currently held firmly by Andy Robertson.

In all the talk over Liverpool’s transfer business this summer, there have been questions on whether players coming in are happy to be fighting so hard to try and break into the first team and the possibility of having to spend some time on the bench.

When asked about having to compete with one of the best left backs in Europe for a place in the team, Tsimikas was full of praise for his new teammate – while explaining he would the situation as motivation for himself.

Johanna Konta says she felt “lightheaded” after suffering from heart palpitations during her straight-set defeat at the Lexington Open.

Konta, seeded third on her WTA Tour return, was beaten 6-4 6-4 by world number 48 Marie Bouzkova in Kentucky.

The Briton needed medical attention early on but, after consultation with a doctor, was able to return to court.

“My heart rate shoots up for no reason,” Konta, 29, said. “I wasn’t gassing in any way in my lungs.”

She continued: “It actually goes up and stays there so it makes me a bit lightheaded – I just needed to see the doctor and the physio.

“It was very high when they came out. I was having all the checks. I am as fit as a fiddle but it can happen. It took a while to settle down but then it did and I was able to concentrate on the tennis.”

Konta had also lost to the Czech Republic’s Bouzkova in Mexico in March in her final match before the tour was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

After play was delayed by four hours because of a rain storm and after surviving a break-point scare in the opening game of the match, which was played in extreme humidity, Konta appeared to be struggling with the conditions.

She has suffered similar issues in the past, notably at the 2016 US Open and at the Fed Cup last year. She recovered to win both matches.

“We don’t know why it happens: it’s been under stressful situations, in no-stress situations. We just don’t know. It’s been sporadic,” Konta said.

“It’s not ideal. I am going to have another ECG and see what protocols we can take. It’s probably not going to happen again for another year or something. I’m not too worried, no.”

British compatriot Heather Watson also made a losing return to the WTA Tour in Kentucky, beaten 6-2 6-1 by American Jennifer Brady.

RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann says he is fully focused on their Champions League quarter-final despite two detected cases of coronavirus in the squad of Thursday’s opponents Atletico Madrid.

Atletico’s Angel Correa and Sime Vrsaljko, who tested positive for COVID-19 at the weekend, have been isolated and left at home but the match in Lisbon is due to go ahead as planned.

Atletico breathed a sigh of relief on Monday as their players and staff all returned negative results in a further round of testing before the team flew to Portugal.

“We know that there are clear UEFA protocols for such cases. If it remains two cases, it won’t have much effect,” said Nagelsmann.

“We are concentrating entirely on our preparation and won’t let it get to us.”

RB Leipzig, who were only founded in 2009, had never got to the knockout stages in Europe’s top club competition before this season, and having beaten Tottenham in the last 16, they are eager to claim another big-name scalp.

Nagelsmann’s biggest concern is trying to replace the firepower of Timo Werner, who netted 34 times this term, including four goals in the Champions League, before the Germany striker joined Chelsea last month.

Denmark striker Yussuf Poulsen is set to partner Czech Republic forward Patrik Schick, who is on loan from Roma, up front on Thursday.

“Once you’re there, you must have the determination to go all the way to the final and the title,” Poulsen told newsmen.

The German side are fully aware of what to expect against Diego Simeone’s Atletico, who have plenty of experience at this stage of the competition.

“Atletico are a strong team, they show it every year in the Champions League,” said Leipzig’s Dani Olmo, with Atletico finishing runners-up in both 2014 and 2016.

“We have trained very well and we are ready for this big task,” he added.

David Beckham’s Inter Miami are set to announce the signing of French midfielder Blaise Matuidi from Juventus, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

A deal has been agreed between the two clubs, with just the player’s medical remaining to conclude the transfer. He is expected to sign a three-year contract with the MLS team.

Matuidi will become Inter Miami’s first high profile signing from Europe, with the current squad mostly comprised of American players and a few south Americans who qualify through the designated player rule.

Throughout his time at Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, Matuidi won seven league titles and a World Cup with France to boot.

The dynamic midfielder will bring experience to a side whose first ever game was played this year, but unlike many previous MLS arrivals, he has plenty left in the tank.

Atlético Madrid said Monday that players Ángel Correa and Sime Vrsaljko have tested positive for the coronavirus but the rest of the squad has been cleared to make the trip to Portugal for the Champions League quarterfinals.

The new negative results came as a relief for the Spanish club and UEFA just two days before the start of the final stage of Europe’s top club competition. An outbreak within one of the clubs in the final eight could have hurt UEFA’s hopes of successfully finishing the tournament amid the pandemic.

Atlético announced the two positive tests in its group on Sunday but had not identified who was infected.

It said the entire squad was re-tested and on Monday the results came back negative for everyone else set to travel to Lisbon.

Correa was a regular starter for Atlético and led the team in assists this season, while Vrsaljko had not been playing recently as he recovered from injury. Neither player showed symptoms for COVID-19 and both would remain isolated at their homes in Spain.

Atlético said earlier tests had showed that Vrsaljko had already previously developed antibodies for the new virus and that health authorities considered his case solved.

Atlético said 21 first-team players and four from its youth squads would make the trip for Thursday’s match against Leipzig. The team will travel on Tuesday, a day after previously scheduled.

The last eight is set to begin in Lisbon on Wednesday amid tight health safety protocols to prevent a coronavirus outbreak from derailing the competition’s finale. The semifinals and Aug. 23 final will also be played in Lisbon.

Other clubs involved in the quarterfinals have not reported any positive tests among their players recently.

The other one-game series feature Atalanta vs. Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich on Friday and Manchester City vs. Lyon on Saturday.

Atlético is seeking its first title in Europe’s most lucrative club competition. It lost the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals to city rival Real Madrid. It was also runner-up in 1974, losing to Bayern Munich. Diego Simeone’s team was eliminated by Juventus in the round of 16 last season.