Cristiano Ronaldo's sister has launched an angry tirade at Virgil van Dijk after the Liverpool defender joked about the Portuguese superstar not being a genuine contender for the Ballon d'Or.

Van Dijk finished second - one place and 203 votes ahead of Ronaldo - at the prestigious awards ceremony in Paris on Monday night, with Lionel Messi picking up his sixth gong.

Both Van Dijk and Messi were in attendance in Paris, but the Juventus forward, who has won the Ballon d'Or five times during his career, chose to stay away and instead attended the Serie A awards in Milan.

Asked about Ronaldo's absence, the Dutchman jokingly replied: "Why? Was he a candidate?," which sparked a furious response from Ronaldo's sister, Katia Aveiro.

Failing to see the funny side of Van Dijk's remark, she took to Instagram on Monday night to question Van Dijk's achievements and point out just how successful her brother has been in the English Premier League, at Real Madrid and in Europe.

She wrote, alongside a picture of Ronaldo scoring his famous overhead-kick against for Real against Juventus:

I think there are people living completely frustrated!!! And unrealistic... such humility!

Now, dear Virgil, where you are going, Cristiano Ronaldo has gone and has come a thousand times.

You see, my dear Virgil, that Cristiano Ronaldo was a tri-champion in the country where you have been playing for years and you still haven't got your hand on the trophy.

Cristiano Ronaldo was even the best player and best scorer in the country where you play Virgil. By the way, he was even younger than you.

Then, dear Virgil, Cristiano Ronaldo went to other places and became the greatest player in the history of a club, Real Madrid. Tell you something Virgil? Maybe so, because this club, with this Cristiano guy, even beat you in the Champions League final.

Of these, Ronaldo already has 5, Virgil. And that fellow Ronaldo and team-mates, with the corners on his chest, crushed your "orange" in a final (Nations League final between Portugal and Holland).

Was it hard, Virgil? We have pity. And, dear Virgil, in one of the least successful times of his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has won even more titles than you. Awesome, isn't it?

Now Virgil will win titles from those who really count and then we'll talk. When you have a handful of them, the really important ones, you might be able to sit at the table with Cristiano. Or as they say in our land, it grows and appears!

It's for me @cristiano you are and you will always be the best player in the world!!!

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/12/ronaldos-sister-launches-angry.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Cc: lalasticlala dominique Mynd44

Jose Mourinho gave a passionate opening address to his new players after taking over as Tottenham manager.

The 56-year-old was appointed on Wednesday on a deal until the end of the 2022-23 season and he is looking to hit the ground running at West Ham on Saturday with the club slumped 14th in the English Premier League.

Portuguese outlet Record provided insight into Mourinho's speech to his players, where he vowed to 'be their father, friend, girlfriend, whatever they want,' in a bid to turn their poor form around.

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/11/i-will-be-your-father-friend-girlfriend.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Jose Mourinho has been appointed as Tottenham’s new manager following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino.

Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho has signed a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, announcing Mourinho’s arrival, said:

In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football. He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician. He has won honours at every club he has coached.

We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.


Mourinho said:

I am excited to be joining a Club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters. The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me.


A Spurs statement read:

Jose is one of the world’s most accomplished managers having won 25 senior trophies....

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/11/tottenham-appoint-jose-mourinho-as-new.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Mauricio Pochettino has been sacked from his role as Tottenham coach, it has been confirmed.
Pochettino joined Spurs in 2014 and took the team to heights when he guided them to a second-place finish in the Premier League in 2016-17.

They became a regular Champions League fixture on his watch and were beaten finalists in Europe's top competition last season, losing 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid.

But the Argentine came under pressure amid his side's underwhelming start to the current season.

Earlier on Tuesday, bookmakers made Pochettino the favourite to become the next top-flight manager to leave his job, something which ultimately materialised later in the day.

They sit 14th in the English Premier League table and 20 points behind leaders Liverpool and are 11 points adrift of the top four after 12 games.

The London outfit have failed to win any of their last five games in the English top-flight.

And chairman Daniel Levy has confirmed that the club have decided to make a change, as Pochettino and his coaching staff, Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino and Antoni Jimenez, have been let go.

He told the club's website:

We were extremely reluctant to make this change and it is not a decision the board has taken lightly, nor in haste.

Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.

It falls to the Board to make the difficult decisions - this one made more so given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff - but we do so in the Club's best interests.


Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/11/tottenham-sack-mauricio-pochettino.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

The Spanish Football Federation have confirmed that Luis Enrique will return as national team coach ahead of next year’s European Championships.
The former Roma and Barcelona man left his position as La Roja boss in March this year to look after his terminally ill daughter who sadly died from bone cancer in August.

Roberto Moreno then took charge of the team for their remaining qualifiers and has since guided the two-time winners to the pan-European tournament.

But RFEF president Luis Rubiales has now confirmed that Luis Enrique will return to his position as head coach but that Moreno will not be a part of the coaching set-up.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Rubiales said:

We want to thank Robert Moreno for his work, he did very well, and we are very happy with what he did.

But I repeat that Robert Moreno told us he'd spoken with Luis Enrique, who had told him he wanted to return.

We found out through Moreno that Luis Enrique wanted to be back.

Luis Enrique can choose his own staff. Personal issues between Robert Moreno and Luis Enrique are not for me or the federation to get into.

Luis Enrique will continue to the Qatar World Cup (in 2022).

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/11/spain-confirm-luis-enriques-return.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Real Madrid and Belgium playmaker Eden Hazard claims to be in “good condition” despite seeing his weight questioned by Arsene Wenger.

The former Chelsea star saw his fitness thrust under the microscope over the summer as he made a big-money move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ex-Arsenal boss Wenger was among those to suggest that Hazard arrived in Spain for a fresh start “too heavy”.

The Frencham told beIN Sports of the early struggles for form suffered by the 28-year-old in Madrid:

I think it was more down to physical reasons. He became too heavy and what you read in the papers.

If you want to make a horse lose a race, you put two kilos on a horse of 500kgs and it's enough.


Hazard has refuted any suggestion that he was overweight when linking up with the Blancos.

He believes it merely took him a few weeks to find his feet in new surroundings, having linked up with Real nursing a knock.

Signs of encouragement have been offered in recent outings, with Hazard of the opinion that he is now back in peak condition.

He told Sky Sports:

For the last month I've been in good condition with no injuries.

I'm in good shape. When I'm on the pitch I will always try to do my best, with Real Madrid or Belgium. I just want to keep this momentum.

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/11/hazard-in-good-condition-despite-weight.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Tite has dismissed Lionel Messi's credentials as the greatest footballer of all time after insisting comparisons between him and "phenomenal" Brazil legend Pele have "no credibility."

The Brazil coach and Messi exchanged words in Friday's game against Argentina, with Tite claiming the Barcelona forward told him to shut up during the friendly defeat in Riyadh.

Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of Brazil legend Pele scoring his 1,000th goal and, speaking ahead of his side's clash against South Korea in Abu Dhabi the same day, Tite says three-time World Cup winner Pele remains out in front when it comes to the question of whether he or Messi is the best player to ever play the game.

He said:

Pele is incomparable. Anybody who wants to compare Pele to any other athlete...do you know what I do? I hear but I don`t listen.

It's as if this person doesn't know the history of this man's quality... this guy was phenomenal. Once I said that Messi is extraordinary.

I meant he's extraordinary to the present time and among humans, with his creativity. Pele is out of normal patterns and I'm not saying this because I'm a Brazilian. You can't find a defect.

If somebody comes to me and starts to make comparisons, for me it has no credibility.



Read more here: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/11/tite-says-you-cant-compare-messi-to-pele.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Chelsea's first-team players are fined a minimum £20,000 (N9million) if they arrive late to training, £1,000 (N463,749) if their phone rings during a team meal or meeting and £5,000 (N2m) if they do not appear at corporate or charity events, according to an image leaked online of Frank Lampard's rules for his squad.

Players can also be docked £10,000 (N4.6m) if they fail to report an injury or illness before a day off or 90 minutes prior to a training session, while every minute they are late for a team meeting costs £500 (N231,822).

On top of the £20,000 (N9m) punishment for arriving late to a session, the fine increases £2,500 (N1m) for every 15 minutes that a player is late.

The head coach is also strict regarding his players staying in shape with those who fail to adhere to body composition targets fined an unspecified amount.

Any fine that is not paid within a fortnight is doubled, with other punishments ranging from £2,500 (N1m)) for turning up late to medical treatment and £5,000 (N2m) for failing to provide more than 48 hours notice if a player is not travelling on the team coach after a game.

Players who fail to report dressed in the wrong clothing are fined £1,000 (N463,749), while agents are not allowed at the training ground unless prior notice has given and are there in an official capacity.

All money goes to team activities or associated charities.

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/11/franks-fines-for-chelsea-players-leaked.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi has named Ronaldo Nazario de Lima as his best striker in the history of the game.

Ronaldo had won the hearts of many fans across world with his dribbling skills, as well as power and precision in front of goal.

Highlights of his illustrious football career include winning the 2002 World Cup with Brazil in Japan.

Asked who he thinks is the best striker of all time, Messi snubbed his closest rival Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammate Luis Suarez.

Messi told TyC Sports:

Ronaldo [Nazario] was a phenomenon, Of all the strikers I ever saw, he was the best. He was impressive.

Image result for Ronaldo Nazario de Lima

Speaking on his best strike partner for Barcelona, Messi said:

Ronaldinho helped me a lot. I came into the dressing room at 16-17 years of age, seeing all those footballing giants made it tough.

But he mentored me and made me feel comfortable, and I loosened up. Afterwards on the pitch, I always looked for him but we didn’t have many years to enjoy together. Besides, we didn’t play as much at that time. I would have liked to play more with Ronaldinho.

I have played five years with Luis Suárez. Playing every 3 days, you get used to each other and play by heart. We have children of the same age, spend our lives together every day, and the relationship is growing ever stronger.


https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/lionel-messi-finally-names-ronaldo-as.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Two Liverpool fans endured every supporter's nightmare on Wednesday evening.


What's the first rule of going on an European away day: make sure you know what city it is that you're travelling to.

Unfortunately for two Liverpool fans, they forgot to do their research before making the trip to Belgium, and ended up 95 miles away from where they were supposed to be!

They had made the journey across the channel to watch Liverpool play Genk in their Champions League group game.

But instead of going to Genk, Rob, from London, and Lee, from Leicester travelled to Ghent, over a two-hour drive away from the Luminus Arena - where the game was being played.
The worst thing about it... they didn't realise their error until they had spent hours trying to find the stadium, and by then kick-off was only 30 minutes away.

The pair had to resign themselves to watching the match in a cafe in Ghent.

Although they were able to see the funny side - making a joke at their own expense by posting a picture on Facebook - what they saw on the TV screen would have only rubbed salt in the wounds.

Rob told PA:

We are really embarrassed. We were hoping our mistake would fly under the radar but we were pulling into Calais just now and a friend sent me a link to the story, which has started going viral.

My wife didn't know, but I expect she is going to find out soon.'

We took a taxi from the airport and drove past the stadium and said to the taxi driver, "We are going there tonight to watch Liverpool", but he didn't say much.

In hindsight that should have made us realise.

When we were checking into the hotel, the person working looked at us a bit quizzically but it was only when we went out to a restaurant, the waiter was a Ghent fan, and he told us our mistake.

We were absolutely gutted. By then it was too late - even if we had left immediately we wouldn't have made the match.

Me and Lee have a bit of a track record for this. Last time we tried to watch Liverpool we got on the wrong train - instead of taking the fast train, we ended up on the slow train which took six hours.

I think next time we will let someone else book the travel.

Keep Reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/liverpool-fans-miss-champions-league.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Tammy Abraham will reportedly sign a new contract with Chelsea that would see him earn £100,000 (N46.9million) a week.

The Englishman has emerged as an indispensable figure under Frank Lampard this season, scoring eight goals in nine Premier League fixtures.

His performances at club level, along with fellow youngster Fikayo Tomori, earned him a place in the England senior squad for internationals this month.

According to Sky Sports Italia, Abraham is on the cusp of penning a new £100,000 (N46.9m)-a-week deal at Stamford Bridge.

The 22-year-old has come off the back of an impressive loan spell at Aston Villa last season during which he netted 26 goals as the club was promoted through the playoffs.

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/chelsea-to-hand-tammy-abraham-new-deal.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Former professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people of the same age range in the general population, according to new research.

Experts at Glasgow University have been investigating fears that heading the ball could be linked to brain injuries.

The study began after claims that former West Brom striker Jeff Astle died because of repeated head trauma.

It compared deaths of 7,676 former players to 23,000 from the general population.

The sample was taken from men who played professional football in Scotland between 1900 and 1976.

The long-awaited study was commissioned by the English Football Association and the Professional Footballers' Association after delays in initial research had angered Astle's family.

It began in January last year and was led by consultant neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart, who said that "risk ranged from a five-fold increase in Alzheimer's disease, through an approximately four-fold increase in motor neurone disease, to a two-fold Parkinson's disease in former professional footballers compared to population controls".

Although footballers had higher risk of death from neurodegenerative disease, they were less likely to die of other common diseases, such as heart disease and some cancers, including lung cancer.

Dr Stewart said:

This is the largest study to date looking in this detail at the incidence of neurodegenerative disease in any sport, not just professional footballers.

Our data show that while former footballers had higher dementia rates, they had lower rates of death due to other major diseases.

As such, while every effort must be made to identify the factors contributing to the increased risk of neurodegenerative disease to allow this risk to be reduced, there are also wider potential health benefits of playing football to be considered.

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/ex-players-three-and-half-times-more.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly prepared to resign as Manchester United manager if he cannot overturn the club's recent poor form.

While Solskjaer was handed a three-year contract earlier this year, the Norwegian is under pressure at Old Trafford with United sitting in the bottom half of the standings.

Ahead of Sunday's showdown with Liverpool, there have been conflicting reports regarding how long Solskjaer will be given by chief executive Ed Woodward.

However, according to Metro, the 46-year-old is not against walking away if he feels that it will benefit the club.

Much could depend on how United fare in their upcoming matches, with trips to Partizan Belgrade, Norwich City and Chelsea all coming in different competitions before the end of the month.

United's only success in their last five outings has been a penalty-shootout victory over Rochdale in the EFL Cup.

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/man-united-boss-ole-gunnar-solskjaer.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Manchester United face an anxious wait to discover the extent of the injury suffered by David De Gea while playing for Spain on Tuesday night.

The goalkeeper was forced off by a suspected hamstring injury in the Euro 2020 qualifier against Sweden.

De Gea appeared to suffer the injury while taking a goal kick just after the hour mark.

A serious injury for United's No 1 would be a massive blow for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as his struggling side face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

De Gea left the field injured on the hour mark of Spain's Euro 2020 qualifier with Sweden on Tuesday, shortly after the home side's opening goal.

De Gea had been superb until Marcus Berg nodded home the opener from close range in the 51st minute.

Shortly afterwards the 28-year-old goalkeeper sat down on the pitch before being replaced by Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga.

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/man-united-worry-ahead-of-liverpool.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Liverpool defender Joel Matip has resumed training after shaking off a knock sustained last month while goalkeeper Alisson Becker is closing in on a return to action from a calf problem, the English Premier League leaders said on Tuesday.

Cameroon centre back Matip was injured in Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Sheffield United on September 28 and missed their 4-3 Champions League win over Salzburg and the 2-1 Premier League win over Leicester City this month.

The 28-year-old, who has started six league matches so far, is likely to take his place alongside Dutchman Virgil van Dijk when they visit Manchester United on Sunday.

Matip was replaced by fellow defenders Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren in the last two matches.

Brazilian Alisson trained with Liverpool's goalkeepers on Tuesday and will hope to play his first game since sustaining a calf muscle injury in their league opener against Norwich City in August.

Early pace-setters Liverpool have won all eight of their league matches so far to build an eight-point lead over defending champions Manchester City.

Manchester United are 12th in the standings with nine points, two points above the relegation zone, after their worst start to a league campaign in 30 years.

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/matip-and-alisson-back-in-training.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Frank Lampard has suffered a series of injury blows after four of his Chelsea stars picked up knocks while away on international duty.
Andreas Christensen, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Reece James all picked up injuries while away with their countries, leaving Lampard with a selection headache.

The news couldn't have come at a worse time for the Blues manager as he heads into a congested fixture list over the next 21 days.

The Stamford Bridge outfit face Newcastle this Saturday before playing four more games in the space of a fortnight.

Lampard may be without Christensen for this weekend's home game against the Magpies after the centre-back limped off with a groin problem in Denmark's win over Switzerland.

The 23-year-old played 87 minutes of the encounter before picking up the injury in the win.

Christensen has started in seven of Lampard's first eight matches as Chelsea boss, who is also likely to be without Antonio Rudiger.

In midfield, Chelsea may be without Kante after he felt his hamstring twinge while warming up for France and failed to make an appearance against Iceland on Friday.

While the decision to not start Kante for the match was a 'precautionary' decision from France coach Didier Deschamps, the former Leicester midfielder is still waiting on the full diagnosis regarding his knock.

Mateo Kovacic was also withdrawn at half-time during Croatia's 1-1 draw with Wales following a challenge from Tottenham's Ben Davies in the first 45 minutes.

To make matters worse, Chelsea will be sweating on the fitness of Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah after the pair withdrew from England Under 21 action last week.

James has just returned from an ankle injury that he picked up while on international duty with Aidy Boothroyd's men earlier in the summer.

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed he encouraged Roman Abramovich to buy Chelsea instead of Tottenham in 2003, after mistaking the Russian for a driver at their first meeting.

Eriksson told the Russian billionaire he would be more successful in west London as he would 'have to change the whole team' in order to win trophies with Spurs.

However, the Swede almost ruined his chances of befriending Abramovich after mistaking him for a chauffeur in 2003, just months before he became Blues owner.

Recalling their first encounter, Eriksson told The Times:

We met at Les Ambassadeurs (a casino in London).

There were three men standing there. One is properly dressed, the other is so-so and the third, I thought he was the driver. Of course that was Roman.

He wanted to buy a club in Moscow so we went to Moscow for three days. We saw all the clubs and I said buy Dinamo. They had the best facilities.

I went on holiday and his right-hand man phoned. Roman changed his mind. He wants to buy a club in London.

Tottenham or Chelsea? I said, "What does he want to do?" He said he wants to win.

I said, "So buy Chelsea. You have to change half the team. Tottenham you have to change the whole team."


The pair remain friends and Chelsea have won 16 major trophies, including five Premier League titles, in the 16 years following Abramovich's takeover.

Meanwhile, Tottenham have won one trophy in that time, lifting the League Cup in 2008.

Read more: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/sven-goran-eriksson-reveals-he.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Arsenal's highest-paid player Mesut Ozil could be set to leave in January, with Fenerbache reportedly interested.

Ozil, who moved to the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid back in 2013, has been frozen out of manager Unai Emery's plans this season.

The Arsenal boss has preferred young prospects Reiss Nelson, Dani Ceballos and Joe Willock and now the Gunners could be set to cut their losses in sanctioning a loan deal for Ozil come the January transfer window.

According to Turkish news outlet Takvim, Fenerbache are interested in taking the World Cup winner on loan in January.

Arsenal are reportedly willing to pay some of Ozil's £350,000 (N154million)-a-week wages, such is their willingness to a deal.

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/report-fenerbache-open-talks-with.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Lionel Messi has spectacularly revealed that he wanted to QUIT Barcelona during his £2.95million (N1billion) tax row with the Spanish government - and it was only a lack of offers from elsewhere that kept him at the club.

Messi has played for Barca for his entire professional career, and has often spoken about his desire to be a one-club man, but it could have all been very different had an offer come about in the summer of 2017.

Speaking in an interview with RAC1, the Argentine said:

At that time, with the mess of the treasury, I wanted to leave, not for wanting to leave Barca but wanting to leave Spain.

I felt that I was being very mistreated and I didn't want to stay here. I never had an official offer because because everyone knew my idea to stay here.

When pushed further on his tax fraud case, which ended with him having to pay a £223,000 (N98.6million) fine, he added:

It was very difficult for me and my family because people don't know much about what's going on.

The truth is that it was hard for everything that happened but it is better that my children were small and did not know.

See the video: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/video-messi-admits-for-first-time-that.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Disgraced Lamine Diaby-Fadiga has cited 'jealousy' as his reasons for taking Nice striker Kasper Dolberg's watch last month.

Dolberg had a £62,000 (N27.6million) watch stolen from his team's dressing room on September 16 and took his complaint to the police.

It emerged that Diaby was in fact the thief with the 18-year-old subsequently sacked by the Ligue 1 club on Tuesday.

Later that day, Diaby took to Twitter to publicly apologise for his actions as he looks to restore his young footballing career.

Translated by the Daily Mail, the tweet reads:

After several days of an unprecedented media storm for me, I have decided to give myself a voice via communication. I would like to first of all apologise to the fans and those who love Le Gym.

A lot of them supported me and showed me kindness since I made my professional debut, as a youngster from the local region who joined the club when I was 14. Their reactions embody the level of disappointment that they feel towards me and I owe them an explanation.

I proudly wore the club of my childhood's shirt last season in Ligue 1. I was unfortunately injured for several months and my return to competitive action was further delayed following a red card I picked up whilst playing for the U19s.

That affected me mentally and my difficult situation contrasted starkly the success and aura of Kasper, my team-mate. I took it out on him without having any reason to do so, maybe a bit because of jealousy. Instead of trying to battle on the pitch to provide him with competition for places, I reacted stupidly towards him.

My actions were not taken out of an appetite to gain something from it, but out of disappointment, frustration and feeling discredited. Of course, I am only 18, but my age excuses nothing.

I therefore owned up to what I had done to Kasper, Mr Fournier, the Director General of the club, Patrick Vieira, my coach and Dante, my captain. One by one, I apologised to each one of them.

I also took on the responsibility of reimbursing my team-mate fully, which I have now done. I wish him a lot of success at OGC Nice and in his career. Maybe one day we will come across each other on a pitch and this affair will be merely a bad memory.

Now, I am leaving the club where I had always wanted to succeed and enjoy myself, which for me is the greatest possible punishment.

I thank all those who believed in me. I hope to be able to prove one day that they were right and that I am worth more than what has happened.

Redemption for me will come on the football pitch and I now want to concentrate on my passion, football.

Complete the gist here: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/sacked-lamine-diaby-fadiga-reveals-he.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Paul Pogba has been ruled out of Manchester United's Europa League trip to AZ Alkmaar due to a recurrence of a foot injury he picked up in August.

The Frenchman sustained the knock in the draw at Southampton at the start of the season and is yet to fully recover.

He played 90 minutes in both the Carabao Cup win over Rochdale and the Premier League draw with Arsenal in the past week but will not travel to Holland for Thursday's game.

A United statement said:

Following a specialist's opinion, Paul Pogba requires a period of further rest & conservative treatment for the foot injury he sustained in the game against Southampton in August.


Pogba joins team-mates Anthony Martial, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in missing the game due to various problems.

United captain Ashley Young was also not in the squad announced by the club on Wednesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could face further injury woe with his squad set to play on an artificial pitch when they face AZ Alkmaar.

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/pogba-ruled-out-of-man-uniteds-europa.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url] Pogba Ruled Out Of Man United's Europa League Trip To AZ Alkmaar

Bernardo Silva has been charged by the English FA regarding his social media post to teammate Benjamin Mendy.


Silva caused controversy by tweeting a picture of a black cartoon character alongside Mendy as a youngster.

He wrote to the English FA to apologise for any offence caused but faces a potential six-match ban after the charge.

An FA statement read:

Bernardo Silva has been charged with misconduct for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a social media post on 22 September 2019.

It is alleged that the Manchester City player’s activity breaches FA Rule E3(1) as it was insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.

It is further alleged that the activity constitutes an “Aggravated Breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as it included reference, whether expressed or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin.

The midfielder has until 9 October 2019 to provide a response.

Despite coming in for criticism, Silva has been given support by boss Pep Guardiola and teammate Raheem Sterling.

Read more: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/10/man-citys-bernardo-silva-charged-with.html

Source: [url]QUEENSMAIL.COM[/url]

Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo faces the wrath of the Spanish giants again after he enjoyed another night out with Brazil team-mate Neymar.

Barca boss Ernesto Valverde played down the issue during his press conference ahead of Saturday's game against Getafe but Spanish outlet Marca reported that club officials were less than impressed with his decision to go out with Neymar on Thursday night.

Arthur had to apologise last season after he was the only Barcelona player to attend the former Blaugrana man's birthday party in Paris just 48 hours before the club's Copa del Rey clash against Real Madrid.

Neymar flew to Barcelona due to a court hearing over an unpaid €26m loyalty bonus

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar posted a photo on Instagram with Melo and former Espanyol forward Leo Baptistao, who now plays in China for Wuhan Zall, on Thursday night, just hours before he was due to appear at Barcelona's Social Court in his dispute over an unpaid loyalty bonus worth €26million (N10billion/£22.77m).

Neymar did not appear in court on Friday and instead flew back to Paris as the two parties' legal teams tried to reach an agreement.

Neymar is expected to be in the PSG squad to face Bordeaux on Saturday evening.

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/barca-furious-with-midfielder-arthur.html

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Neymar has touched down in Barcelona ahead of appearing in court to settle a bonus dispute with his former club.

The Brazilian was seen arriving at Barcelona airport on Thursday and was accompanied by his father.

Neymar is due to appear at the court in Barcelona's City of Justice at 9.45am on Friday morning.

The 27-year-old maintains he is owed £10.5million (N4.8billion) in loyalty bonuses from Barcelona.

Neymar received £12.5m (N5billion) from Barcelona before he joined PSG in a world-record £200m (N89bn) move back in the summer of 2017.

The PSG forward now wants to be paid the rest of the £23m (N10bn) loyalty bonus that was inserted into his Barcelona contract.

The La Liga champions, however, are refusing to pay Neymar and believe he was only owed the full amount if he remained at the club until 2022.

They are asking to have the initial £10.5m (N4.8bn) payment reimbursed.

A settlement agreement is not expected to be reached before the case begins on Friday.

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/neymar-touches-down-in-barcelona-ahead.html

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Former Chelsea favourite Branislav Ivanovic thinks the Blues need owner Roman Abramovich back at Stamford Bridge if they are to return to the top of the game.

The 35-year-old, now playing in Russia with Zenit St Petersburg, won three Premier League titles and the Champions League among numerous other honours in a nine-year spell in west London.

Formerly a fixture in the Blues’ hospitality box, Abramovich has been conspicuous by his absence in recent months due to an ongoing visa row with the UK government.

Ivanovic told FourFourTwo:

This is a new Chelsea team. The club didn’t have the perfect season last year, but still finished third.

Chelsea need Roman Abramovich back. That’s the most important thing for all the fans. We want to see him at Stamford Bridge, then Chelsea will be among the best teams in Europe once again.

He’s been one of the most important people in my career, and I appreciate everything he’s done for me. Whenever I had a difficult moment at Chelsea, he always believed in me. I owe him a lot.

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/chelsea-need-abramovich-back-at.html

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FIFA has explained why some votes for Mohamed Salah to win The Best FIFA Men's Player award were not counted.

Liverpool star Salah did not finish in the top three of the ballot, with his nominations from Egypt's captain and coach not included.

Salah appeared to be upset when FIFA's full list of voting was released without his country's selections.


FIFA moved to clarify why those particular votes for Salah were not counted in a statement released to Omnisport on Thursday.
The governing body said:

During the monitoring of the votes submitted by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) on August 15, it was remarked that the signatures on the voting forms were in capital letters and thus seemed not valid (not authentic). The voting forms were also not signed by the general secretary which is mandatory.

FIFA added the President's Office of the EFA, which has undergone recent structural changes, was contacted about the issue, with no response received in time for the votes to count.

Further questions have been asked of FIFA about the voting process for The Best awards.

Nicaragua captain Juan Barrera claimed on Twitter he did not vote although his name is listed on FIFA's official document, which says he chose Lionel Messi, Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo as his top three.

FIFA said:

We have checked the voting documents submitted by the Nicaraguan FA and all documents are signed and confirmed with the official stamp of the Nicaraguan FA.

Having compared with the vote sheets submitted by the federation and the ones we have published on FIFA.com... we confirm that we have the right votes signed by the player.

We are asking the Nicaraguan Football Federations to inquire on this matter.


Messi was named as the men's winner, ahead of the likes of Salah, Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk, and long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/fifa-reveals-bizarre-reason-why-egypts.html

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Nice striker Kasper Dolberg had a £62,000 (N27.6million) watch stolen from his team's dressing room and 18-year-old team-mate Lamine Diaby is suspected as the thief, according to reports in France.

Dolberg was furious when his luxury timepiece went missing on September 16 and took his complaint to the police.

The 21-year-old, who joined the French club from Ajax for £18million (N8billion) this summer, has still not recovered the item and the fallout has been deeply embarrassing for the club.

According to L'Equipe, Diaby is the man suspected of taking the watch and if found guilty could be sacked - with the player set be interviewed over the allegations.

The publication reports 'according to our information, the club [Nice] suspects Lamine Diaby to be the alleged thief. He has been summoned to an interview prior to a sanction, which could go as far as dismissal.'

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/kasper-dolberg-62k-watch-stolen-in.html

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FIFA's prestigious The Best awards have been struck by a vote rigging storm amid claims indicating the ballot was rigged — with the governing body suggesting Egypt's votes were left out after the signatures were written in capital letters.

Lionel Messi walked away with the best men's player accolade at the glitzy ceremony in Milan on Monday, pipping Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk to the award.

Given Van Dijk's remarkable season at Liverpool, where he led the club to their sixth Champions League title, and Ronaldo's excellent campaign at Juventus - Messi's winning award was met with a degree of surprise.

There was also a belief that Mohamed Salah would be a strong contender for the prize.

And now the Barcelona superstar's claim to the honour has been thrown into serious doubt following questions over the legitimacy of the voting.

The Egyptian football association, Sudan's coach Zdravko Logarusic and Nicaragua's captain Juan Barrera have raised concerns over the authenticity of the ballots - citing uncounted or misallocated votes.

Egypt's association called on FIFA to explain why the votes of its national coach Shawki Ghareeb and captain Ahmed were not taken into account. Ghareeb and El-Mohammadi are not mentioned in FIFA's publication of official votes.

FIFA have now indicated that they were not included because signatures on Egypt's ballots 'were in capital letters and thus seemed not valid (not authentic).'

They added that 'voting forms were also not signed by the (federation) general secretary which is mandatory.'

The Egyptian Football Federation claim they officially sent Egypt's vote to FIFA on August 15, four days before the deadline.

Their statement had earlier asked 'FIFA why the Egyptian vote was not accepted' and goes on to confirm the EFA have opened an 'investigation' into the circumstances of this failure.

The Egyptian federation was in turmoil in July and August after its leadership resigned due to the national team's Round of 16 exit at the African Cup of Nations it hosted.

Later in August, FIFA sent an emergency management team to run the Egypt federation. Additionally, Sudan's coach Lugarisic and Nicaragua's Juan Barrera took to social media to indicate that the votes published by FIFA, in their names, did not reflect their actual choices.

Lugarisic says his first choice was Egypt's Salah but FIFA's voting document showed Messi as his first selection.

Barrera is also adamant that he did not vote for Messi, as claimed by FIFA.

Keep reading: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/fifa-vote-rigging-storm-captains.html

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Real Madrid and injuries are seemingly one and the same this summer.

Los Blancos have been losing players left and right due to various different fitness problems and currently six are unavailable. But there is some good news for Zinedine Zidane and his Galactico troops.

Marca recently came out with a report that some of the injured players might make a comeback in Real Madrid’s next La Liga game after the international break, which will be against Levante on September 14th.

But they also stated that Isco and Marco Asensio most likely won’t make it as their recoveries are still not as advanced. And the news about the 27-year-old Isco really seemed to cheer up many Real Madrid fans.

They were quick to state how happy they are that he won’t be playing in the next clash and some were stating how Real are, in fact, better off without him.

You can see some of their reactions and replies in the collection of tweets by clicking the link below:

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/real-madrid-fans-happy-with-isco-injury.html

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Cc: lalasticlala dominique Mynd44

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has called off the planned friendly international against South Africa in Lusaka on Saturday in protest of the ongoing xenophobic attacks and violence in the country.

Nigerians and other foreign nationals have had their stores raided and also found themselves on the receiving end of physical abuse over the last couple of weeks in the Rainbow Nation.

Five people (probably Nigerians) have been killed in riots across Gauteng, and the clashes have caused a diplomatic incident between South Africa, Nigeria and other African countries whose citizens are being put in harm’s way.

The move from FAZ to cancel the fixture in protest is a good one and this is likely the first time a sporting event involving South Africa has been called off for political reasons since apartheid.

The association said in a statement:

The Football Association of Zambia regrets to inform members of the public that the international friendly match between Zambia and South Africa that was scheduled for National Heroes Stadium on Saturday, 7 September 2019 has been called off in view of the prevailing security concerns in South Africa.

FAZ General Secretary Adrian Kashala has relayed the message to the South African Football Association (SAFA) about the decision.

Read more: https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/xenophobic-zambia-cancel-friendly-with.html

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Arsenal have made little progress since making a change in the dugout, claims Paul Merson, with it suggested that “Unai Wenger is running things at the moment”.

The Gunners took the decision to head in a different direction during the summer of 2018.

Wenger, after 22 years at the helm, was ushered through the exits and Emery was appointed in his place.

The general consensus is that the former Paris Saint-Germain boss has overseen an improvement at Emirates Stadium, with a productive summer transfer window delivering greater options in a star-studded squad.

Merson, though, is not convinced and claims familiar struggles in a 2-2 draw with arch-rivals Tottenham prove his point that the current coaching regime is no different to the last.

The former Gunners star told Sky Sports:

The north London derby was a great spectacle, a proper game, and Arsenal would have taken a draw when they were two goals down. But has anything changed at Arsenal? I don't think so.

Arsenal were commended for not collapsing at Liverpool the week before, credit where credit's due, but nothing has changed. It's like Unai Wenger is running things at the moment.

Every time Tottenham broke they looked like they were going to score, Arsenal were that open. The midfield issues were serious.

You've got Granit Xhaka who goes around kicking people and getting booked. Yes, Matteo Guendouzi found a great pass for the equaliser, but you cannot rely on him or Lucas Torreira to thread the ball through the eye of a needle on a consistent basis.

In Xhaka, Guendouzi and Torreira, Arsenal have three players who are not creative. They are three holding players, but every time Tottenham broke, they had the freedom of the Emirates. I couldn't believe what I was watching. It was reminiscent of when Arsene Wenger was managing.

Click the link below to complete the gist:

https://www.queensmail.com/2019/09/merson-says-unai-wenger-is-running.html

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Juventus have surpassed Manchester United to become the third most popular football club on Instagram, behind Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Work on increasing brand recognition and signing big names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Matthijs de Ligt paid off, as their Instagram followers have sky-rocketed.

The Bianconeri had around 10m followers in July 2018, but have just hit 31m, largely thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 131m fans.

It allowed Juve to overtake Manchester United and become the third most followed football club on Instagram in the world.
Real Madrid still lead the way as the most popular football club on Instagram
Juve have rocketed from 10 million to 31 million following Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival

The Spanish giants remain at the top, as Real Madrid have 76.6m and Barcelona 76.1m.

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