Category: Sports news

Defending champions Algeria knocked out of AfCON by Côte d’Ivoire

Riyad Mahrez and Algeria have failed in their African Cup of Nations Title defence after their 3-0 loss to Côte d’Ivoire which saw them finish last in Group E, in which they scored only one goal.

The Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire stamped all over the Desert Foxes in a commanding performance that made Algeria’s form coming into the tournament look like a very lengthy fluke. Before the start of the tournament, Mahrez and co had racked up 34 games without a defeat, just three short of Italy’s world record of 37.

Three games undefeated out of three in Group E would have seen them match the record and possibly surpass it in the coming rounds to etch an African team into FIFA world records. However, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone proved too much to handle for Algeria and they were only able to get one draw in the Group – against Sierra Leone who are also out of the tournament – to take their run to 35, and two losses to effectively end their run.

Franck Kessie and Ibrahim Sangare scored in the first half for the Elephants in Douala, while Nicholas Pepe added a third in the second half. Sebastien Haller scored a fourth but it was chalked off as the Elephants finished top of their group to face Mohammed Salah’s Egypt in the round of 16.

Cote d’Ivoire had already qualified to the next round but Algeria had the chance to continue their title defence with a win against Pepe and co. However, that never looked like a possibility as the game progressed.

Algeria is the fifth team to exit the AfCON tournament in the last six editions as the defending champions, however, they will go down in history as the worst title defenders in recent memory. They are also the 12th team to exit the competition in the first round as defending champions.

Equatorial Guinea through to the next round ahead of Algeria

Minnows Equatorial Guinea had a group stage to remember after beating Algeria in a game that many thought the Desert Foxes would find their form in. They finished the group in second place after defeating fellow minnows Sierra Leone – who also had a tournament to remember after holding Algeria to a famous 0-0 draw – by a lone goal. 

Equatorial Guinea qualified for the tournament for the first time ever. This is their third participation in the continental showpiece, however, with the first two times being as hosts where they qualified automatically. However, they will look back on this tournament with pride, having handled themselves well in the qualifiers and now in the tournament proper.

They will be facing Mali in the round of 16 and will be looking forward to bettering their fourth-place finish from 2015.

Robinho sentenced to nine years in prison

Former Real Madrid and Manchester City forward Robinho has lost his four-year appeal on his rape conviction and will serve nine years in prison, according to reports.

Robinho dazzled football fans for more than a decade all across Europe and Brazil with his silky touches, skills, and incredible footballing style. He was an epitome of “joga bonito”, the Brazilian flair that the world could not get enough of. Like quite a few of his peers, he enjoyed the fast life and as a result scandal followed him everywhere.

The incident that led to his conviction happened in 2013 while Robinho was on the books at AC Milan. He, along with five other Brazilians, were accused of the gang rape of an Albanian woman who was 22 years old at the time. In 2017, he was found guilty and appealed the judgment immediately, leading to a four-year process that exhausted the player’s time, career and resources. Early this week, the Supreme Court in Rome, Italy, rejected his appeal and upheld his conviction, sentencing him to nine years in prison.

His sentence is to begin immediately, but with Brazilian laws surrounding the extradition of Brazilian nationals for crimes committed outside Brazil a little cumbersome, the Italian judiciary will instead request that the former Santos forward serve his sentence in a Brazilian jail.

Real Madrid face difficulty in offloading Hazard in January

Eden Hazard is likely to remain a Real Madrid player until the end of the 2021/22 season as the club has not received any offers for the player.

Hazard moved to Madrid three years ago but has failed to provide any returns on the £100 million paid for him. He has had even less of a role under Carlo Ancelotti this season as the Italian charges towards a 35th La Liga title for Los Blancos.

Madrid have been ready to cut their losses on the Belgian for a while now and have already listed him for transfer this season. However, reports from Spanish outlet Marca state that no offers have been made for Hazard. Marca also reported that Hazard is not willing to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this season, as he hopes to get one last shot at playing for the team of his dreams.

However, with just 722 minutes in total this season, Hazard ranks 17th for minutes under Carlo Ancelotti this season. He is yet to score a goal and has provided two assists so far in what is looking like another disappointing campaign since he moved to Spain from England.

Ancelotti: No issues with Hazard

Ancelotti is in his second stint as Madrid manager and is charging to the LaLiga title that eluded him in his first stint where he won the famous “La Decima” UEFA Champions League title and the club’s most famous Copa Del Rey title in recent years due to a wonder goal from Gareth Bale.

He has given all players an equal opportunity to shine at Madrid in his second stint this season, even giving a run to Hazard in November/December where the former Chelsea man showed glimpses of his quality. Hazard has since fallen down the pecking order again after failing to take full advantage of the opportunities he was given.

Ancelotti has now made clear in Madrid’s press conference before the Copa Del Rey tie against Elche that he has not had any issues between himself and Hazard who has also struggled for fitness this season alongside his poor form.

“Nothing has happened [with Hazard],” Ancelotti said during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

“The only [thing is] that there is competition in the team and I have to choose the best [players] in each game. This affects many players, I can’t deny it. Nothing has happened, [Hazard] is training and waiting for the coach’s call. I think he will be ready when he plays.

“At the moment he is still a Real Madrid player. He is training and he is focused. We have nothing else to think about.”

Gareth Bale has also fallen out of favour at Madrid and more so under Ancelotti, who was manager when the Welshman signed for an almost world record fee. He has had even less opportunities than Hazard this season but the Italian still maintains that he has no problem with either of them.

“Nothing strange has happened [with Bale and Hazard], it’s just that there is competition and the coach, which is me, who has to choose the best [line-up] for each game.

“I try to be fair and choose the best. Sometimes you are very good and you don’t play. I’m also talking about Nacho [Fernandez], Marcelo, [Dani] Ceballos, Isco, [Luka] Jovic.”

Aubameyang loan offer received by Arsenal from Saudi Arabia

Arsenal have received a loan offer from Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr with an obligation to buy for £7 million for ostracised ex-captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang which could help the club save £25 million in wages.

The 32-year-old striker has not played for Arsenal since early November when he was left out of the team for what the club described as indiscipline, which was later revealed to be the player returning a day later than scheduled from visiting his sick mother in France.

He got his opportunity to play senior football after almost a month away with his country at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cameroon, only for him to contract Covid-19 and suffer some minor cardiac problems leading to him returning to North London and ending his AfCON journey prematurely.

His return to Arsenal, however, has not guaranteed his reintegration into the squad and he has now been offered a way back into active football by Al Nassr. Reports claim that the Gunners hierarchy are currently considering the proposal, due to the financial benefits of the move.

The £7 million obligation-to-buy fee is a lot lesser than the club’s valuation of Aubameyang, but the loan offer will see Arsenal take off Aubameyang’s £250,000-a-week wage from their books for the rest of the season. The Gabonese striker, whose country have successfully made it to the next round of the African Cup of Nations, has 18 months left on his current Arsenal contract and an exit now would save the North London club around £25 million.

Arteta unsure of why Aubameyang returned from AfCON

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has claimed he never expected Aubameyang to be back from Cameroon, hosts of the 2021 African Cup of Nations, at this time.

Earlier in the week, Gabon national team manager Patrice Neveu claimed that he was pressured to release Aubameyang back to Arsenal, also citing their inability to carry out the necessary tests to determine his ability to continue at the tournament as a reason.

The 32-year-old striker, now back in North London, will undergo further tests to determine his fitness level but Arteta has claimed that he is unsure why the striker is back.

“He’s in London. Now he’s going through some examinations because we haven’t had any clarity from the Gabon national team about the reasons why he’s come back,” Arteta told journalists.

“It’s our obligation to make sure he’s in a good condition and there’s no issues related to that.

“He is in good condition. So far, historically, with everything we have done with the player he has never had an issue. Hopefully that is the case.

“He contracted COVID-19 and then the national team decided to bring him back here and this is where we are.

“Let’s go step by step and do the right examinations and make sure the players’ health is in the best possible condition. Then we’ll see what happens.”

Gabon coach breaks silence over Aubameyang’s return to Arsenal following COVID-19 complications

Gabon’s national team coach, Patrice Neveu has broken his silence on the issues surrounding national team captain and star striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s return to Arsenal while Gabon competes for the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Aubameyang, who is currently having a hard time with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta leading to him being ostracised from the squad for four games prior to the AfCON tournament, has been forced to depart his country’s AfCON camp and return to north London.

The 32-year-old, together with former Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina, contracted COVID-19 at his national team’s dinner hosted in Dubai to celebrate their participation in the 33rd AfCON tournament before they travelled to Cameroon to battle the rest of Africa for the title.

Since then, he has been out of action, missing two games and suffering a small heart issue which led to Arsenal’s doctors asking him to return.

This decision has not gone down well with the Gabonese national team and manager Patrice Neveu has come out to speak on it.

Neveu said he was put under pressure to release Aubameyang to return to Arsenal, as well as Lemina who was also called back to his club.

“What I know is that they’ve been Covid free for the last 72 hours,” Neveu said in a press conference. “We couldn’t arrange an MRI for them, and as a result they couldn’t train.

“It was really annoying for them to stay in their rooms. We made the decision yesterday with the President and under pressure from the clubs too, because they’re worried so that [Aubameyang] should go back to Arsenal and Mario [Lemina] back to Nice.”

Aubameyang dismisses talks of indiscipline with Gabon

The embattled striker has faced serious backlash since his issues at Arsenal began. The AfCON tournament was supposed to be a retreat for him and a means to get back into active football.

Rumours have continued to hover around him, and some more rumours spring up after he contracted COVID-19 about his indiscipline. Both he and Lemina were rumoured to have been sent home for other reasons but the former Arsenal captain dismissed those rumours on Twitter.

He tweeted: “We have problems that are already complicated to solve, then on top of that there are rumours.

“In short, we have health to take care of first and foremost, I won’t go back on these false rumours and I sincerely hope that our team will go as far as possible.”

Lemina, on his Instagram stories, wrote: “I don’t want to feed the lies which seek to harm. I have nothing to do with it.

“I am in pain for my national team who are surrounded by liars in search of a buzz. Good luck to you to for the rest of the competition and for national team squads in the future. Far from my eyes but close to my heart.”

Neveu did concede, however, that both Arsenal and OGC Nice, who Lemina currently plays for, we’re doing what was in their best interests.

“As you know, he’s a key player for Arsenal, although he’s going through a tough period at the moment. We still have to report to clubs,” Neveu added.

“And when a player’s health is affected and as you know they are paid by the club, we have to be reasonable at some point.”

Arsenal transfer update: Arthur loan bid hits roadblock; new midfield target emerges

Arsenal have been a give in the January transfer window but have yet to pull off any signings. The club currently are lacking in the central and defensive midfield department and need to sign some talent. Technical director Edu Gaspar has been holding meetings and scouting players but nothing seems to be working.

With the January window just over weeks away from its end, Arsenal fans will be agitated for new signings as their club enters a busy round of fixtures, one of which led to the club’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur being postponed.

Here are the latest news surrounding Arsenal and their midfielder search in the January transfer window.

Arthur loan present two new obstacles for Arsenal to overcome

According to reports, Arsenal have two obstacles in their way as they pursue a loan deal for Juventus midfielder, Arthur Melo.

The former Barcelona man is ready to make the switch from Turin to North London but TuttoMercato claims that Arsenal only wants to take Arthur on loan and pay his full wages without paying a loan fee to Juventus’, who have only started the Brazilian four times in 20 games this season.

Juventus is also reported to be looking for a replacement for Arthur before letting him leave, meaning that the Brazilian will continue to be on their books for the rest of the season if they do not find a replacement.

Arsenal’s January bid for Vlahovic in danger of collapse

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has come out to claim that the Gunners are less likely to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina this winter window, even though Fiorentina is ready to sell.

Arsenal is not the only club bidding for the Serbian, but are said to be leading the race to sign him. Romano claims that Vlahovic has made his mind up to stay the rest of the season at Fiorentina, leaving both the Italian club and Arsenal at a crossroads on what to do.

“Arsenal are the club pushing for the January transfer window,” Romano told CBS Sports.

“They are pushing and they have a good relationship with Fiorentina. So club by club, it’s not a problem.

“They are ready to make a big proposal, to include also Lucas Torreira into the deal. So there are many possibilities between clubs.

“But the real problem for Arsenal is to change Dusan Vlahovic’s mind because the player wants to stay at Fiorentina until the end of the season and then leave in the summer.

“He wants to take Fiorentina back to European football but he also wants a lot of money, him and his agents.

“And this is why at the moment Arsenal have still not made any progress in convincing Dusan Vlahovic.

“So I think it’s going to be super difficult to change the situation in the coming two weeks.”

Arsenal identify Frenkie De Jong as potential January signing

El Nacional has claimed that Arsenal could swoop in and steal Frenkie De Jong from under the nose of Chelsea, who have reportedly approached Barcelona with a £33 million transfer bid for the Dutchman.

It is believed that Chelsea’s recent successes may count for little if De Jong were to leave Barcelona in January, as the midfielder has expressed a deep admiration for Arsenal in the past.

Speaking to Voetbal International back in 2019 before his move to Barcelona, he said: “I actually thought Arsenal was pretty beautiful in the past.

“In my mind, I have had the following list for a long time: Ajax-Arsenal-Barcelona, call it the Marc Overmars route. But yes, if you can go directly to Barcelona, then you are also right where you want to be. Faster than you ever dared to dream.”

Chelsea News: Thomas Tuchel calls for patience with Lukaku; Chelsea major winners at FIFA awards

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has urged struggling striker Romelu Lukaku to find “peace on the pitch” in order to regain his scoring form, while also claiming that the club are going to do everything to help him.

The 28-year-old Belgium international was brought back to the club after a successful spell away from the Premier League to spearhead a title challenge for the Blues this season. Chelsea spent a whopping €115 million to secure his services from Inter Milan but the striker has not provided returns for that amount, scoring only five goals in 13 Premier League appearances.

Lukaku made matters worse after granting an interview to a Sky Sports Italy programme where he talked fondly about his time at Inter Milan, his distaste for the way Chelsea is currently set up, and his dream of returning to Italy. He also urged his former strike partner Lautaro Martinez to stay put at Inter Milan, which aggravated Chelsea’s fan base a lot.

Thomas Tuchel was asked about the striker’s performances after the Blues’ defeat at Manchester City, where he was a passenger in the side that turned out for the Blues.

“We do everything to help him. I think this is absolutely the wrong question because it is focusing on one player,” Tuchel replied.

“There will not be more pressure than he puts on himself and we need to find a mix between all the expectations, all the pressure and still to be relaxed enough to play your best game.

“It is not only about pushing, squeezing, not only about demands, but it is also about feeling peace and relaxed on the pitch. Things will fall in their place when we keep on working hard.”

Chelsea scoop awards at FIFA’s The Best awards ceremony

Elsewhere, Chelsea were the most represented team in FIFA’s The Best awards on Monday night. This time, however, the club had three award winners in Thomas Tuchel who bagged the award for The Best Men’s coach, Emma Hayes who bagged the award for The Best women’s coach, and Édouard Mendy who finally was recognised on the global scale with the award for The Best goalkeeper.

Four players across the club’s men’s and women’s teams also made it into the FIFPro World XI teams for both categories.

Unlike the Ballon d’Or ceremony, the awards for FIFA The Best are voted for by a journalist, club captains, fellow players, coaches and fans.

Jorginho and N’Golo Kante made it onto the FIFPro men’s team in recognition of their excellent 2021 while Magdalena Eriksson and Millie Bright made it into the Women’s 11, as voted by their fellow professionals.

Jorginho and Kanye were both key in Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League run as well as their national teams’ runs to the Euro 2020 title and UEFA Nations League title respectively.

Meanwhile, Emma Hayes’ Chelsea Women side were dependent on captain Eriksson and vice-captain Bright who led the team on the pitch to three domestic trophies and the UEFA Women’s Champions League final where they lost to Barcelona Femeni, whose captain Alexia Putellas bagged the award for The Best Women’s Player of 2021.

Arsenal transfer update: Gunners prepare formal bid for Vlahovic and Brazilian midfielder

Latest reports claim that Arsenal have prepared a formal offer for Dusan Vlahovic. The Gunners have also prepared offers for Juventus‘ midfielder Arthur Melo and Palmeiras midfielder Danilo.

Arsenal are yet to sign anyone more than two weeks into the January transfer window but have let two players leave the Emirates on loan.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Folarin Balogun have botje been shipped off on loan to AS Roma in Italy and Middlesbrough in the second tier of English football respectively by the club who wants both players to have playing time.

This, coupled with the absence of Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mohamed Elneny who are all at the ongoing African Cup of Nations has halved the Gunners squad’s strength, leaving manager Mikel Arteta with a selection headache in a very busy period of football.

This has already started to tell on the side as Arsenal recently had their Premier League fixture against North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur postponed due to an insufficient squad which has been depleted by Covid-19, injuries and player departures.

With a little over two weeks left for the Gunners, to strengthen their squad, it will please Arsenal fans to learn that moves are finally being made towards this aim.

Fiorentina line up Vlahovic replacement

Arsenal can be encouraged by news coming out of Italy that Fiorentina have already identified a replacement for star striker Dusan Vlahovic, who the Gunners have prepared a €60 million bid for.

Fiorentina have identified River Plate’s Julian Alvarez as the Serbian’s replacement, and are hoping to secure the signature of the River Plate man as soon as possible.

This means they are willing to let Vlahovic go this January, and Arsenal’s €60 million bid could find this transfer. Fiorentina, however, will have an uphill task to convince Vlahovic to leave.

Arsenal ready to enter negotiations with Palmeiras; Arthur close to Emirates move

Elsewhere, reports claim that Arsenal are ready to make a £21 million bid for Brazilian starlet Danilo.

The 20-year-old is being eyed as primarily as a long term replacement for Granit Xhaka who could be leaving the Emirates at the end of his contract in the next two years.

However, the Gunners would want to sign him now as they are short of midfield talent to play their games.

Palmeiras, however, are determined to keep the player in their ranks ahead of the Club World Cup in February. The club is also one of the richest in the Brazilian league, and can hold off on the deal for as long as they want.

Reports, however claim, that Palmeiras could listen to offers for Danilo in the summer.

Furthermore, Arthur Melo could become an Arsenal player in the coming days as Daily Star reports that the Brazilian is ready to fly in to north London to complete his switch from Juventus to Arsenal.

Arsenal have managed to convince Juventus, according to reports, by offering to cover his wages in full in the duration of his loan.

It remains to be seen which of these moves can be completed in the coming weeks and how many more moves the Gunners can complete as the transfer window winds down.

Erling Haaland hits out at Borussia Dortmund following transfer speculations

Erling Haaland has hit out at his current employers Borussia Dortmund for ‘pressuring’ him to make a decision on his future 

The Norwegian is football’s hottest property right now and is wanted by the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Dortmund, however, are hoping they can fight off all these big clubs and keep the striker who has been in incredible form for them this season. As a result, the club has demanded that the 21-year-old make a decision about his future in order to help them plan ahead.

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told German sports outlet Ruhr Nachrichten: “He [Haaland] is a spontaneous person, a young lad. He’s allowed to do that [make his decision].

“There is no problem with Erling.

“But he must also have some understanding for our situation. We can’t wait until the end of May.”

Haaland, however, wants to concentrate on his football this season and on achieving something with Dortmund. But the statements from Watzke seem to have gotten to him, leading to him declaring that “things will happen now”.

Respect for club kept me silent, Haaland says

Speaking to journalists after scoring twice on Friday night in Dortmund’s 5-1 win over SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga, the Norwegian ace said: “All I want to do is to play football, but Dortmund press me to make a decision now about my future…so that means I have to make a decision soon.

“They have started to put a lot of pressure on me and I have to accept that.

“I have chosen not to say anything out of respect for the club and the fans.

“But now that a lot of pressure is coming from the club, so it is the time to get things started. It means things will happen now.

“I have said from the beginning I want to focus on football because that’s when I am at my best. Not when other things come into my mind.”

Haaland further stated that he is still focused on football and winning with Dortmund this season.

Clubs have already started contacting Haaland’s representatives, Mino Raiola and Alf-Inge Haaland and some reports claim that some of these clubs are looking at sealing a transfer as early as the current winter window. However, Dortmund CEO Watzke made it clear that the 21-year-old will finish the season at Dortmund.

Watzke said to German outlet Der Spiegel on the issue: “Who would give one of the best strikers in Europe away in the winter market if they didn’t have to? 

“He will not leave in January. Dortmund is still in three competitions and we want to compete with the best teams.

“Of course it’ll be difficult to retain him. However, we want to and we’ll try. Haaland will not leave in January, but in summer it will be difficult to keep him.”

Manchester City plot wild bid for Vinicius Jr amidst possibility of missing out on Haaland

Reports have surfaced of Manchester City planning a surprise bid for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr following the serious competition for Erling Haaland’s signature.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly identified Vinicius, who is currently enjoying the best form of his Real Madrid career, as a potential alternative to Haaland.

The Brazilian winger is one of Carlo Ancelotti’s most trusted players this season, contributing to 25 of the goals scored by Los Blancos this season (15 goals and ten assists).

Spanish outlet AS reports that Haaland has his heart set on playing for Real Madrid where he could link up with Vinicius. This knowledge is what led Guardiola, according to another Spanish outlet El Nacional, to turn to Vinicius Jr.

The former Red Bull Salzburg striker has scored 21 goals and provided ten assists this season for Borussia Dortmund in only 19 games for the German side, having sat out quite a few matches due to injuries at different times.

Manchester City realise that the upcoming battle for Haaland’s signature as well as the reports that the striker would rather make the move from Germany to Spain than to England, has forced them to seek alternatives.

Vinicius is also being considered as a replacement for Raheem Sterling, whose contract extension talks are not going as planned.

Madrid plot mega Haaland and Mbappe deals

Manchester City may be wise to cast their net elsewhere as reports have also emerged of Real Madrid plotting the bid to end all bids for both Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’ Kylian Mbappe.

Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke was in the news earlier giving an ultimatum to Haaland to make a decision on his future. The striker, incensed at the pressure he is being put under by the club, declared boldly that he will be making a decision soon.

His reported statement where he claimed to want to play for Madrid will give the Spanish giants a boost in their preparation for the summer. With Mbappe, however, Madrid will only have to worry about PSG’s efforts to convince him to stay.

The Parisiens are looking to hire Zinedine Zidane at the end of the season which could throw a spanner in Madrid’s plans as the 23-year-old is a big fan of the former Madrid coach and wants to work with him.

Commentator comes under fire for backhanded comment in City’s win over Chelsea

As the behind the scenes action gets hotter for City, their actions on the pitch have also gone up a notch.

In their 1-0 win over Chelsea to widen the gap at the top to 14 points, commentator Jim Beglin called the Citizens stadium by a name used by rival fans as a jab towards Manchester City.

“You can hear the annoyance around the Emptyhad,” Beglin was heard saying during his commentary of the game.

Manchester City fans expressed displeasure, and Beglin went on Twitter to apologise for his words.

“I have the greatest respect for Manchester City Football Club,” he tweeted.

“In no way was my verbal error today intended to cause City fans any offence.”