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NICKY BUTT TO LEAVE MANCHESTER UNITED ROLE

Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt is to step down as the club’s head of first-team development to pursue “a new professional challenge”.

Butt has spent nine years in coaching and player development positions at the club’s academy, playing a key role in overseeing the progress of the likes of Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, Axel Tuanzebe, Dean Henderson and Mason Greenwood into the first team.

“Having come through the academy myself to play almost 400 games for Manchester United, it has been an absolute privilege to come back and work with a new generation of talent making that same journey,” Butt told manutd.com.

“I’m proud of the role everyone on the staff plays in giving our young footballers the best possible chance of fulfilling their potential, and the results are clear to see in the increased number of homegrown players reaching the first team.

“I already know from my playing days how difficult it is to leave Manchester United, but it feels like the right moment for a new professional challenge and I look forward to exploring opportunities that build on the great experiences I’ve had here over the past nine years.”

Butt’s former United team-mate and current first-team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer paid tribute to the work of the 46-year-old.

“Nicky will always be a legend of Manchester United as a six-time Premier League winner and, of course, an integral part of our treble-winning team,” he said.

“That pedigree has made him a great source of guidance and inspiration to our academy players since he returned to the club.

“We are all going to miss him around the Aon Training Complex but Nicky knows he will always be welcome back.”

Earlier this month United revamped their backroom set-up with John Murtough appointed to a new role of football director with former midfielder Darren Fletcher promoted to technical director.

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EX-FIFA PRESIDENT SEPP BLATTER BANNED FROM FOOTBALL UNTIL 2028

FIFA has slapped ex-president Sepp Blatter with an extended ban from football until 2028.

Disgraced Blatter has been hit with a new suspension of six years and eight months, while former FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has received a similar ban, along with a fine of £780,000.

The punishments were for “various violations” of FIFA’s code of ethics.

The new bans start when the current suspensions of Blatter, 80 and 60-year-old Valcke end in October 2021 and October 2025 respectively.

A FIFA statement said: “The investigations into Messrs Blatter and Valcke covered various charges, in particular concerning bonus payments in relation to FIFA competitions that were paid to top FIFA management officials, various amendments and extensions of employment contracts, as well as reimbursement by FIFA of private legal costs in the case of Mr Valcke.”

Blatter was originally banned by FIFA for eight years, later reduced to six, over ethics breaches when he was found to have made a £1.3m “disloyal payment” to ex-UEFA boss Michel Platini.

Valcke, whose initial ban was reduced from 12 to 10 years, lost an appeal to CAS in July 2018 over his decade-long ban from football.

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ALPHONSO DAVIES BECOMES UNHCR AMBASSADOR

Alphonso Davies, the nascent Bayern Munich and Canada left-back, has become the first footballer ever to be a Global Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Davies has shot to prominence as one of the best young players in world football, the 20-year-old voted into last year’s UEFA Champions League squad of the season having made Bayern’s left-back spot his own on the way to the club’s second continental treble.

It wasn’t always such plain sailing for Davies, though, whose family left Liberia for Ghana as refugees before emigrating to Canada when the player was five years old.

“I’m proud to join the UN Refugee Agency as a Goodwill Ambassador,” Davies told unhcr.org. “My own experiences make me want to speak up for refugees, to share their stories and to help make a difference.

“Whilst the refugee camp provided a safe place for my family when they fled war, I often wonder where I would have been if I had stayed there and not benefited from the opportunities I got thanks to resettlement. I don’t think I would have made it to where I am today.”

Davies has featured in 27 games in all competitions for Bayern this season, but has been similarly busy away from the field, helping Canadian Government launch their Together for Learning campaign in February before connecting with three young refugees in Liberia, Canada and Germany – in a video launched by UNHCR in collaboration with 433 – in March.

“I want people to know about the importance of helping refugees, wherever they are, in camps or cities, in neighboring countries or countries of resettlement such as Canada,” Davies said.

“Refugees need our support to survive, but also access to education and sports, so they can fulfill their potential and truly thrive.”

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XABI ALONSO TO BE NAMED NEXT BORRUSIA MONCHENGLADBACH MANAGER

Former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Spain superstar, Xabi Alonso, is set to be named as the new manager of German team, Borussia Monchengladbach, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Alonso is currently in charge of Real Sociedad’s B team but will return to Germany in June.

He enjoyed a brilliant career as a player, winning with Liverpool the FA Cup and Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey with Real Madrid and 3 league titles and the German Cup with Munich.

He also was a main stay of the Spanish side for over ten years and won the European Championships twice and the World Cup.

Pep Guardiola signed him from Real Madrid in 2014 and he ended his trophy laden career in Bavaria three seasons later.

If he has half a good career as a manager as he did a player, then this might be the first step on a journey that could go right to the very top.

Alonso will replace Marco Rose, who recently signed a deal to become the next Borussia Dortmund manager.

Gladbach were challenging for the Champions League places at the end of last year, but have tumbled down the table since the start of the new year and currently sit in 10th place following a run of poor results.

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TOKYO OLYMPICS AND PARALYMICS: ORGANISERS CONFIRM NO OVERSEAS SPECTATORS WILL BE ALLOWED AT THE EVENT.

No overseas spectators will be permitted to attend this summer’s rearranged Olympic or Paralympic Games in Tokyo, officials have confirmed.

An announcement was made following a meeting of representatives of the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Tokyo 2020 organising committee and the government of Japan on Saturday.

The decision comes due to continuing uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement from the five parties involved in the meeting read: “Currently, the Covid-19 situation in Japan and many other countries around the world is still very challenging and a number of variant strains have emerged, whilst international travel remains severely restricted globally.

“Based on the present situation of the pandemic, it is highly unlikely that entry into Japan will be guaranteed this summer for people from overseas.

“In order to give clarity to ticket-holders living overseas and to enable them to adjust their travel plans at this stage, the parties on the Japanese side have come to the conclusion that they will not be able to enter into Japan at the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“This conclusion will further contribute to ensure safe and secure Games for all participants and the Japanese public.”

The Olympic Games, which were postponed last year due to the pandemic, begin on July 23 and end on August 8.

The Paralympics, which are also affected by the decision, take place from August 24-September 5.

The statement added that tickets purchased overseas through the organising committee will be refunded.

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LAST GASP HAALAND STRIKE GIVES DORTMUND DRAW AT COLOGNE

Erling Haaland scored a late equaliser to earn Borussia Dortmund a 2-2 draw against Cologne in the Bundesliga before furiously heading straight down the tunnel at the final whistle on Saturday.

The result saw fifth-placed Dortmund lose further ground in the hunt for a top-four finish and Champions League football next season. They have 43 points from 26 games, four less than Eintracht Frankfurt in fourth who celebrated a 5-2 home win over Union Berlin

Haaland posted a message on Twitter an hour after the final whistle. He said: “Not a great result. We will use this as motivation to be back stronger! Thanks to all the @BVB fans for your continued support. We’ll be back soon!”

Dortmund goalkeeper Marwin Hitz was disappointed with the outcome as the visitors allowed Cologne to turn the match on its head after Haaland struck a superb third-minute opener.

“We started really well and scored a nice first goal but then we disappeared,” Hitz said.

“We sat back and lost possession too many times so it was definitely not a good afternoon for us. It’s inexplicable that we made so many mistakes as we really needed to win this game.”

Left-back Nico Shultz added: “We got too passive after taking the lead and we let Cologne back into the game. We needed to move the ball a lot better and we also weren’t active enough defensively.”

Haaland gave Dortmund a third-minute lead with a sublime finish as he took a long Emre Can ball in his stride and held off Jorge Mere’s challenge before he steered a low shot through the legs of goalkeeper Timo Horn.

Ondrej Duda levelled with a 35th-minute penalty as Noah Katterbach’s shot hit Jude Bellingham in the arm, with the spot kick given after a delayed VAR check.

With Dortmund rattled, Ismail Jacobs turned the tide as he capped a fast break with an unstoppable shot from 15 metres in the 65th minute before Haaland hit the post at the other end.

Just when it seemed Cologne would complete the league double over Dortmund having beaten them 2-1 in the reverse fixture, Haaland popped up in front of goal to bundle in a 90th-minute assist by Ansgar Knauff.

Cologne stayed 14th on 23 points, two above the relegation spots.

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LUIS SUAREZ, JAN OBLAK STAR AS ATLETICO GETS HARD VICTORY AGAINST ALAVES

Luis Suárez scored early in the second half and Jan Oblak saved a late penalty as leader Atlético Madrid avoided another setback in the Spanish league on Sunday by beating Alavés 1-0.

The win, only its third in the last seven league games, left Atlético six points in front of Real Madrid and seven ahead of Barcelona, which visits fifth-place Real Sociedad later Sunday. Madrid won 3-1 at Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Suárez, who had scored only twice in the last nine matches in all competitions, put Atlético ahead with a diving header in the 54th minute after a cross by Kieran Trippier.

Oblak preserved the victory by diving to his right to make a superb one-hand save in an 86th-minute penalty taken by Joselu.

Diego Simeone’s team held a comfortable Spanish league lead until recently but had been gradually losing ground as Barcelona and Madrid charged to the top.

Atlético was coming off elimination against Chelsea in the round of 16 of the Champions League and had been held 0-0 at Getafe in its previous Spanish league match.

Aláves has lost five of its last six league games. It sits second-to-last in the 20-team standings with 23 points, two from safety.

Atlético next visits fourth-place Sevilla and Barcelona hosts relegation-threatened Valladolid.

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IHEANACHO STARS AS LEICESTER OUTCLASS MANCHESTER UNITED TO REACH FA CUP SEMI FINAL

Kelechi Iheanacho’s double fired Leicester to a 3-1 win over Manchester United and a first FA Cup semi-final in 39 years.

The in-form striker now has nine goals in his last nine games and booked a last four showdown with Southampton at Wembley next month.

Youri Tielemans also netted to put the Foxes – four-time runners-up – a game away from their first FA Cup final since 1969.

Mason Greenwood did haul United level in the first half – after Fred’s mistake presented Iheanacho with the opener.

It was just Leicester’s second win over United in 23 years but a deserved one as they outplayed and outfought the visitors.

The Europa League is now United’s only realistic chance of a trophy this season with Manchester City unlikely to be caught in the Premier League.

Fred set the tone for his own erratic display early when he lost the ball to allow Iheanacho and Ayoze Perez to break, Jamie Vardy’s initial cross was blocked but returned to the striker and Dean Henderson parried his low effort.

Vardy wasted a fine opening soon after when his shot was blocked by Harry Maguire with Iheanacho free but Leicester were sharper than United.

They were more controlled and composed and were gifted the lead by Fred after 24 minutes.

United tried to pass their way out from the back and, when Maguire played Fred into trouble, the midfielder sold Henderson woefully short.

It allowed Iheanacho to nip in, round the goalkeeper and tap into an empty net for his 12th goal in 18 FA Cup appearances.

The Foxes continued to press but were pegged back when United burst into life seven minutes before the break.

Paul Pogba found space on the left and his cross was dummied by Donny Van de Beek for Greenwood to sweep in from eight yards.

Perez came close to restoring Leicester’s lead ahead of half-time only for his 18-yard effort to go wide and the Foxes were missing the creativity of injured duo James Maddison and Harvey Barnes.

Yet, six minutes after the break, Tielemans – who is the Foxes’ chief creator without the pair – restored their lead.

The midfielder swapped passes with Iheanacho to drive towards goal and, as Fred struggled to keep up, United’s defence parted to allow the Belgium international to find the bottom corner from 18 yards.

Alex Telles drilled wide as United looked for an instant response before Vardy should have ended the tie after 58 minutes.

Again Iheanacho was involved as he found the striker who skipped past a static Maguire but, with just Henderson to beat, dragged wide of the near post.

It prompted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer into a quadruple change with Luke Shaw, Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay and Edinson Cavani brought on, which did little to change United’s fortunes.

And former Manchester City striker Iheanacho – who scored a hat-trick against Sheffield United last week – sealed Leicester’s progress with 12 minutes left when he was left unmarked to head in Marc Albrighton’s free kick from two yards.

Kasper Schmeichel turned Fernandes’ late free-kick over but there was no way back for United.

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IBRAHIMOVIC MAKES HISTORY AS AC MILAN EDGE FIORENTINA TO KEEP TITLE HOPES ALIVE

Zlatan Ibrahimovic made Serie A history as he helped AC Milan beat Fiorentina and close the gap on leaders Inter Milan to six points.
The Swede needed only nine minutes to fire home the opener after springing the offside trap in his first league appearance since picking up a muscle injury against AS Roma on February 28.


The strike made him the oldest player to score 15 goals in a Serie A season, at 39 years and 169 days, and sounded the starting gun to a frantic encounter in Florence.

Erick Pulgar and Franck Ribery struck either side of the break to put the hosts in front, but goals from Brahim Diaz and Hakan Calhanoglu swung the contest back in Milan’s favour.
“The more time passes, the younger I feel,” Ibrahimovic told Sky Italia.

“After a defeat and going out of the Europa League, the league title is what remains. We wanted to win at all costs, we showed character and need to continue like this.”


Milan moved up to 59 points in second place, six behind Inter, but the league leaders have a game in hand after their match against Sassuolo was postponed following a cluster of positive tests for Covid-19.


Fiorentina remain 14th with 29 points, seven clear of the relegation zone.
Milan manager Stefano Pioli challenged his side to win their remaining 11 league games after they were eliminated from the Europa League by Manchester United on Thursday.

They got off to the perfect start when Ibrahimovic latched on to a ball over the top of the defence to fire in, but the Viola were soon level through a curling Pulgar free kick.


Fiorentina captain German Pezzella came close to a sensational goal when his backheel volley rebounded off the bar, before Ibrahimovic’s dinked finish also struck the woodwork.
The hosts went ahead early in the second half when Ribery fired home, but Diaz levelled six minutes later when he latched on to a knock-down from a corner to finish from close range.


Calhanoglu completed the comeback with a well-placed finish into the bottom corner, and Milan held out for their 12th away win of the season in Serie A, a joint record for the club despite still having five more away games to come.

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MAN CITY TO FACE CHELSEA IN FA CUP SEMIS, LEICESTER DRAW SOUTHAMPTON

Manchester City have been drawn to face Chelsea while Leicester or Manchester United will take on Southampton in next month’s FA Cup semi-finals.

Pep Guardiola’s side maintained their bid for an unprecedented quadruple as they won 2-0 at Everton to reach this stage of the competition for a third successive season, while Chelsea beat Sheffield United by the same scoreline.

Southampton, meanwhile, eased to a 3-0 victory over neighbours Bournemouth to book their spot at Wembley and their reward is a fixture against Leicester City who defgeated Ole Gunner Solksjaer’s Manchester United by 3 goals to 1.

The draw was made at half-time in the game at the King Power Stadium, with the sides level at 1-1.

The all Premier League semi-finals will take place at Wembley on the weekend of April 17th and 18th.