Month: August 2020

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UEFA APPOINTS DANIELE ORSATO TO OFFICIATE PSG VS BAYERN UCL FINAL.

The UEFA Referees Committee has announced that Daniele Orsato will referee the 2020 UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Bayern München.

The match will be played at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon on Sunday 23 August at 8:00pm

The 44-year-old Italian, an international referee since 2010, will be taking charge of his first major UEFA final, having been entrusted with officiating at eight matches in the UEFA Champions League this season, including Real Madrid’s round of 16 first leg against Manchester City in February.

Orsato has also refereed a quarter-final match at the current UEFA Europa League final tournament which is being played in Germany, while last season he was the fourth official for the UEFA Europa League final between Chelsea and Arsenal.

At the final in Lisbon, Orsato will be assisted by countrymen Lorenzo Manganelli and Alessandro Giallatini. The fourth official will be Ovidiu Hațegan from Romania. The video assistant referee (VAR) role has been assigned to Massimiliano Irrati and he will be helped by fellow Italian Marco Guida. Spaniards Roberto Diaz Pérez del Palomar and Alejandro Hernández Hernández complete the VAR line-up.

2020 UEFA Champions League final refereeing team

Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy)
Assistants: Lorenzo Manganelli, Alessandro Giallatini (both from Italy)
4th official: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (Italy)
VAR Assistant: Marco Guida (Italy)
Offside VAR: Roberto Diaz Pérez del Palomar (Spain)
VAR Support: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain)

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CHELSEA CONFIRM SIGNING OF BARCELONA YOUNGSTER XAVIER MBUYAMBA.

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of youth prospect Zavier Mbuyamba from Barcelona, with the 18-year-old signing a three-year deal.

The central defender was without a club after the end of his contract at the Nou Camp, and will initially join the club’s development squad as part of his development at the club.

Chelsea were said to be interested in the transfer last summer, but were prevented from making a move for the defender due to the transfer ban imposed on the club.

The teenager instead joined Barcelona, where he played for the club’s U19 side, making four appearances in the UEFA Youth League for the Spanish giants.

He started his career in his native Netherlands with MW Maastricht Youth.

Mbuyamba has also made one appearance for the U19 Netherlands team, playing the full 90 minutes of the 3-3 draw with Mexico back in November.

The defender has been referred to as the ‘new Van Dijk’, standing at 6 foot 5in with a composed style similar to that of the Liverpool star.

In a statement on their official website, Chelsea confirmed the signing.

“Chelsea Football Club can also confirm the signing of Xavier Mbuyamba from Barcelona. The 18-year-old signed a professional contract at Cobham earlier this week and will join our development squad ahead of preparations for the new campaign,” they wrote.

“A Dutch Under-19 international, Mbuyamba is a tall right-footed central defender who enjoys playing with the ball at his feet and is equally as strong in the air. He joined his local team MVV Maastrict as an Under-9 and progressed through the age groups before signing at the Nou Camp last summer.

“After being watched closely by the Blues, the Dutchman has made the switch to west London, committing himself to the club until at least 2023.”

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KOEMAN WANTS LIVERPOOL’S GINI WIJNALDUM AS HIS FIRST BARCA SIGNING.

New Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is set to prioritise the signing of Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum this summer, reports say.

The 57-year-old Dutchman was named as Quique Setien’s replacement on a two-year deal on Wednesday. He has left his role as Holland boss and was unveiled at a press conference at the Nou Camp.

Koeman has been drafted in following Setien’s swift exit in the wake of last Friday night’s humiliating 8-2 Champions League drubbing by Bayern Munich.

He is the third man to take charge this calendar year, with Setien having only succeeded Ernesto Valverde in January.

Koeman will inherit a side which finished five points behind LaLiga champions Real Madrid and failed to win a major trophy this season for the first time since 2013-14.

And the former Southampton and Everton boss will be tasked with revamping the squad this summer, while getting the best out of a host of talented footballers already at the club.

But a report from a Dutch publication, AD claims that Koeman sees Wijnaldum ‘as a building block for Barca’s resurrection’ and features ‘very high’ on his ‘wish list’.

The Netherlands international only has a year left on his contract at Anfield despite being integral to the Reds’ march to the Premier League title this campaign.

His contract status ‘makes it affordable’ for Barcelona with sources ‘in the area around’ Wijnaldum telling AD that ‘there are serious whispers that Koeman recently urged the player not to sign in Liverpool’.

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KAI HAVERTZ REPORTEDLY AGREES PERSONAL TERMS WITH CHELSEA AS THE BLUES NEAR ANOTHER MAJOR SIGNING.

Chelsea appear to be one step closer to signing Kai Havertz after agreeing a five-year contract worth around £346,000-a-week with the Bayer Leverkusen star, according to reports today.

Frank Lampard has already snapped-up winger Hakim Ziyech and striker Timo Werner this summer but the Chelsea boss is keen to further strengthen his squad as he looks to build a side capable of competing for major honours next season.

Havertz has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge all summer with widespread reports over the past few weeks suggesting that Chelsea have been locked in negotiations with Leverkusen trying to thrash out a deal.

It looks like Chelsea are now one step closer to signing Havertz as the Guardian claims that the 21-year-old attacking midfielder has agreed terms over a five-year contract with the Blues.

The report suggests that Havertz will earn around £346,000-a-week at Chelsea which works out at £90m over the course of the five-year contract.

All that remains if for a fee to be agreed between the two clubs but the Guardian says Chelsea will have to increase their offer after seeing an opening bid worth £58.6m plus £13.25m in add-ons rejected by Leverkusen who are demanding £90m.

Popular reports claim that Havertz has made it clear to Leverkusen that he wants to join Chelsea as soon as possible so he can get settled in England ahead of the new season amid reports the German side want things settled before August 28th.

We’ll have to wait and see how negotiations progress over the coming days but it looks increasingly likely that Havertz will become Chelsea’s third major signing of the summer transfer window.

The German international would be a hugely exciting addition to Lampard’s squad as he’s developed into one of the best young players in world football since breaking into the Leverkusen first team in 2016.

Havertz has already provided 45 goals and 31 assists in his 148 appearances for Leverkusen and is expected to go on to become one of the leading attackers in world football so it would be a major coup if Chelsea can get this proposed deal over the line.

Lampard already has talented young attacking midfielders such as Christian Pulisic, Ziyech, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley in his ranks but Havertz would arguably be the most exciting of the lot.

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FIFA ETHICS COMMITTEE CLEARS INFANTINO OF BREACHING REGULATIONS.

FIFA’s ethics committee has cleared president Gianni Infantino of breaching the governing body’s regulations after a preliminary investigation.

Infantino is the subject of a criminal investigation after the Swiss special federal public prosecutor opened proceedings last week over meetings Infantino held with the country’s attorney general Michael Lauber in 2016 and 2017.

In a letter to national association bosses, Infantino said the meetings were broadly to discuss the fact that Lauber’s office was investigating a series of criminal allegations in which FIFA was a damaged party.

Neither Lauber nor Infantino have been able to recollect the specific details but both deny any wrongdoing.

Fifa said the documents shared by the Swiss courts were examined and that “no aspect of the conduct analysed constitutes a violation”.

A FIFA statement read: “After examining the relevant documentation and evidence, the chairperson of the investigatory chamber has decided to file the complaint and close the case due to the evident lack of a prima facie case regarding any alleged breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

“Based on the information available to date, no aspect of the conduct analysed constitutes a violation of the FIFA regulations some aspects do not even fall within the provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics, or justify the adoption of any kind of measure, including that of a provisional suspension.”

The committee said some parts of the complaints did not “even fall within the provisions of the FIFA code of ethics, or justify the adoption of any kind of measure, including that of a provisional suspension”.

Infantino was elected in 2016 to replace Sepp Blatter, who himself was the subject of criminal proceedings in 2015 and was banned from all FIFA activities by the ethics committee.

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Battle of the Champions as Premier League fixtures are Released

Champions Liverpool will face Championship winners Leeds United in the standout opening weekend game of the 2020-21 Premier League season.

Championship play-off winners Fulham will host Arsenal, while West Bromwich Albion, the third promoted side, are at home to Leicester City.

The opening round of fixtures will take place on the weekend of 12 September.

However, Manchester City v Aston Villa and Burnley v Manchester United will be rearranged.

Those two games will not be played on the opening weekend to give City and United 30 days since their defeats in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Europa League respectively.

Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ opening matches are both scheduled for Monday, 14 September after their slightly earlier European exits.

The Blues are at Brighton, while Wolves go to Sheffield United.

The other opening weekend fixtures are Crystal Palace v Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur v Everton and West Ham United v Newcastle United.

Exact dates and kick-off times will be confirmed when the television selections are made. Matches will be played behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The English Football League fixtures are expected to be announced on Friday.

Premier League fixtures opening weekend (exact dates to change)
Crystal Palace v Southampton (12 Sep)
Fulham v Arsenal (12 Sep)
Liverpool v Leeds United (12 Sep)
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (12 Sep)
West Bromwich Albion v Leicester City (12 Sep)
West Ham United v Newcastle United (12 Sep)
Brighton v Chelsea (14 Sep)
Sheffield United v Wolves (14 Sep)
Burnley v Manchester United (later date)
Manchester City v Aston Villa (later date)
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MANCHESTER CITY MAKES CARSON THIRD SUMMER SIGNING.

Scott Carson has signed for Manchester City on loan for another season, the club have confirmed.

Carson, 34, spent the 2019/20 season on loan from Derby County, acting as the third choice keeper to allow Aro Muric to depart on loan.

The former England international did not make an appearance, but did feature on the first team bench on a 17 occasions while Ederson or Claudio Bravo were unavailable.

Now, Carson will spend another year on loan at the Etihad, filling an important homegrown spot in City’s Premier League squad. His contract at Derby expires next summer.

Claudio Bravo has left the club, with loanee Zack Steffen set to return from his spell at Fortuna Dusseldorf to act as number two.

Announcing the signing, City said: “The 34-year-old has spent the past 12 months providing valuable back-up to Ederson and the now-departed Claudio Bravo in the first team goalkeeping department.

Everyone at Manchester City wishes Scott the best of luck throughout the next 12 months at the Club.

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LEEDS UNITED UNVEIL NEW MARCELO BIELSA INSPIRED ADIDAS KITS.

Leeds United ’s new Adidas kit has been officially unveiled ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Following 16 years outside the top flight, the Yorkshire club are back in England’s top division.

And to celebrate the season ahead, Adidas have teamed up with Leeds to drop their latest famous white home strip.

The jersey has blue stripes across the shoulders but is predominantly white, as per the club’s traditional colour.

White shorts and socks accompany the home strip for Adidas’ first kit at Elland Road.

Replicas will be available for fans online from 8am on Thursday morning, an hour before the Premier League fixtures are due to be released.

A statement on Leeds United’s website read: “Made from moisture-absorbing fabric to keep you cool when Bielsa Ball is in full flow, an embroidered crest and crew neck-collar look solid on show.

“Three stripes line the shoulders in royal blue, whilst AEROREADY technology helps the players reach their peak and the kit is complete with traditional white shorts and socks.

So from the streets to the stands, no matter where the game takes you, show your support for this one club city.”

Supporters are also expecting further exciting news in the form of a new contract for their manager.

Argentine boss Marcelo Bielsa is reported to have signed a new deal at Elland Road.

And the contract ties him down until the end of the 2020/21 season, meaning he has extended his stay by a further 12 months.

Bielsa has been a huge hit with Leeds fans since arriving at the club in 2018 and leading them back to the Premier League.

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SERGE GNABRY BRACE HELP BAYERN EASE PAST LYON AS GERMAN CHAMPIONS SET UP UCL FINAL WITH PSG

Serge Gnabry led Bayern Munich into a first Champions League final in seven years, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory over Lyon on Wednesday.

After losing four semifinals since lifting the European Cup for the fifth time in 2013, the German champions will now play first-time finalist Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday in Lisbon.

While Lyon was wasteful with its chances, Gnabry’s first-half double extended his hot scoring streak to nine goals across nine games in this season’s pandemic-disrupted competition.

But only Robert Lewandowski has scored in nine consecutive games, after heading in Bayern’s third in the 88th minute to make it 55 goals in total this season for the striker.

The loss for Lyon, in its first Champions League semifinal in a decade, means the French side will not feature in any European competition next season after only finishing seventh in the curtailed Ligue 1 season.

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Newcastle sign Jeff Hendrick

Republic of Ireland midfielder Jeff Hendrick is close to joining Newcastle United after leaving Burnley.

The 28-year-old, who has 54 caps for his country, left the Clarets in June and is a free agent.

He was signed by Burnley manager Sean Dyche for a then club record fee of £10.5m in 2016 but was unable to agree a new contract.

Hendrick would represent Newcastle’s first signing since the collapse of the proposed takeover in July.

Manager Steve Bruce has said previously that he hopes to bring in a couple of signings before the transfer window closes on 5 October.