The Camp Nou forward acknowledged that his side let the league campaign slip away with three key draws in recent weeks.

Photo by Getty Images

Luis Suarez has conceded La Liga to Real Madrid, admitting that it will be “almost impossible” for Barcelona to catch their fiercest rivals.

Real Madrid currently sit four points ahead of Barcelona with two games remaining in the season, with Zinedine Zidane’s side facing fifth-place Villarreal and 18th-place Leganes to close the campaign.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are set to close their season against Osasuna and Alaves, who sit 11th and 17th, respectively.

The Catalan side’s title hopes all but evaporated during an 11-day span in June, with Barca sputtering to draws with Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid.

Those opened the door for Real Madrid to surge into the lead, and Suarez says it was those results that all but ended Barca’s title hopes.

“If you have to be honest, the league is almost impossible,” Suarez told Sport. “It is clear that the game against Sevilla is a game that makes things very difficult for you. We had options to get ahead. That day was important but in Vigo it was key. We lost our great opportunity.

“If we had beaten Celta, we would have been better off against Atletico. The blow was in Vigo, the goal in the last minute from Aspas. It hurt. Now we have to finish well and go for the Champions League.”

Suarez added that Barcelona must take the blame for their failings, as the club will miss out on the Liga title for only the third time in eight years.

“In La Liga, you have to be self-critical: we let it escape ourselves,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “We are aware that we depended on ourselves and not look for any excuse.

“Now, for our pride and for the prestige of Barca, we have to win the two remaining games and then focus squarely on the only title we can fight for, which is the Champions League.

“If those of us on the team can perform at the level of why we are in this club, we can beat anyone. A failure in a match can be expensive That is why we have to be very vigilant and we need everyone to be able to get the Champions League.”

Reports have continued that Barca are pushing to sign a forward that will replace Suarez, with the club heavily linked with Lautaro Martinez.

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu recently stated that any push to sign the Argentine is on hold until season’s end, but, should that deal go through, Suarez would welcome the Inter star with open arms.

“He is a great player. He has been playing at a very high level at Inter,” Suarez said. “It is not easy to get to Italy from Argentina and demonstrate everything he has done in a complicated football league like Serie A. He is young and if he comes to Barca, we will trying to help him adapt and to help him feel comfortable.”

Source – Goal.com

There was one positive coronavirus result from 2,071 tests in the latest round of Premier League testing.

There have been 13 rounds of testing in the Premier League

The person, who has not been identified, will now self-isolate for seven days.

That positive result arrived in the 13th round of Premier League testing, conducted from 6-12 July.

Last week there were no positive results returned. In all, there have now been 20 cases of Covid-19 discovered by Premier League testing.

The Premier League returned to action on 17 June after an absence of 100 days because of the pandemic.

Source – BBC News

United conceded a costly late goal against Southampton at Old Trafford and failed to capitalise on losses suffered by Chelsea and Leicester.

Photo by Getty

On a day when Manchester United found out exactly what was needed for them to secure Champions League football next season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team fluffed their lines, conceding an injury-time equaliser from Southampton at Old Trafford.

Monday began with the news that Manchester City would win their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to have their two-year European ban imposed by UEFA overturned. That had the knock-on effect of ensuring that any team hoping to reach the promised land of the Champions League would have to finish inside the top four. Fifth would no longer be good enough.

That, though, is exactly where United find themselves tonight; level on points with a stuttering Leicester City but on the outside looking in.

With Chelsea and Leicester both on the end of significant defeats over the weekend, a win for United would have seen them jump up to third with just three more league games remaining. A goal from Michael Obafemi in the 96th minute, however, means the race for the top four could go now to a nail-biting, final day clash against Leicester.

Their recent form had been imperious. Since the draw at Tottenham, their first fixture after the restart, United had reeled off four consecutive wins. That run, aligned with the dodgy form of Leicester and Chelsea, had led the English record champions to become likely candidates to make the Champions League.

But now, following City’s win in the courts and this damaging blow, it’s back up for grabs.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side made life difficult for United all night long. Their strong defensive shape, high press and compact midfield meant the hosts struggled to make an impact from the get-go.

“Tight, tight, tight, keep it tight,” the Saints boss screamed from the touchline and it was Danny Ings doing just that, an action which led to Southampton deservedly taking the lead. Ings caught Paul Pogba in possession on the edge of the area, then fed the ball to Nathan Redmond.

Redmond delivered a good ball to the back post where Stuart Armstrong was there to finish in style – and the visitors were hungry for more, with Redmond on the charge again a minute later.

But United, unbeaten since January and playing an unchanged side for the fifth consecutive league game, had the confidence to get back into the game through the deadly strike force of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. Their majestic ability turned the game on its head in the space of two minutes and 31 seconds.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka navigated his way through a compact Saints backline with some excellent footwork but it was Martial who really impressed to bring United back on terms. Pogba played the ball into the area and Martial somehow managed to poke the ball to Rashford as he was falling to the ground under a challenge from Armstrong.

There were loud shouts for a penalty but United didn’t need one as Rashford showed his composure to level things up with his 16th goal of the season. Martial’s assist meant it was the sixth time the pair linked up for a goal in the current campaign. No duo have combined for more goals for United in a single season and, while their partnership is fruitful, they have a personal battle going on to become top scorer this term.

The pair were neck-and-neck going into this fixture and, minutes after assisting Rashford, the Frenchman was on the scoresheet himself. Bruno Fernandes provided another assist but it was a superb individual effort as Martial’s burst of pace left Kyle Walker-Peters in his wake.

He cut inside and rifled the ball past McCarthy to match Rashford on 21 for the season. It was his 50th league goal for the club.

The same pair combined perfectly in the second half with an exquisite piece of football linking up down the left. Somehow Rashford’s effort was kept out by a rushing Ryan Bertrand, who cleared his effort for a corner.

That was a big chance Solskjaer would come to rue. Pogba, who had an off day, hit an effort against the post and there was another great chance for Martial after he left the Saints defence for dead only to be denied by a brilliant block from Jack Stephens.

But, for all the conviction of United’s front line their defence have looked shaky at times since the restart and the visitors continued to cause problems, especially on the counter. Walker-Peters flashed a warning sign just after the hour mark as he put a brilliant ball across the face of goal but there was nobody there to finish.

United were having to do something they haven’t had to do in a while; perform under pressure and look to capitalise on dropped points from their rivals. This United side are not used to coming from behind and winning and, with so much at stake and pressure mounting, Solskjaer’s side sat back going into the final 10 minutes.

De Gea produced a fine save to deny Redmond in the 85th minute but the chances kept coming for the visitors.

Source – Goal.com

A 12-year-old boy has been arrested by police investigating racist messages sent to Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha on social media.

Wilfried Zaha received abusive messages on social media before Sunday’s match at Aston Villa

Zaha revealed he had received several abusive messages on social media before Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa, a game they lost 2-0.

His manager Roy Hodgson called the abuse “cowardly and despicable”.

The Premier League called the abuse of the 27-year-old Ivory Coast winger “completely unacceptable”.

West Midlands Police tweeted Zaha to say they would look into the abuse and hours later confirmed an arrest.

“We were alerted to a series of racist messages sent to a footballer today and after looking into them and conducting checks, we have arrested a boy,” read a WM Police tweet.

“The 12-year-old from Solihull has been taken to custody. Thanks to everyone who raised it. Racism won’t be tolerated.”

Speaking to Sky Sports before the arrest, Hodgson added: “It’s been highlighted at the moment anyway with the Black Lives Matter movement and everyone seems to be making such an effort to eradicate this behaviour.

“It is very sad that, on the day of a game, a player wakes up to this cowardly and despicable abuse. It’s right Wilf has made people aware of it and I don’t think this is something you should keep quiet about.

“He wants to put off one of our best players from playing well today, but to do it in the way he has chosen is totally inexcusable.”

The Premier League said: “This behaviour is completely unacceptable and the Premier League stands alongside Wilfried Zaha in opposing this, and discrimination in any form.

“We will continue to support players, managers, coaches and their family members who receive serious discriminatory online abuse.”

Players in England’s top flight have been kneeling in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before every match since the season restarted in June.

Source – BBC News

Pep Guardiola’s side on Monday heard the outcome of their appeal against a ban from UEFA competition for breaking Financial Fair Play rules.

Photo by Getty/Goal

Manchester City will be able to play in next season’s Champions League after their two-year ban from UEFA competitions was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The club will still have to pay a fine, which has been reduced from €30 million (£25m/$33m) to €10m (£9m/$11m).

City were initially punished by UEFA in February, when they were banned from competing in the Champions League or Europa League for two years and given a €30m fine for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

In its initial statement confirming City’s punishment, UEFA said that it found the Premier League club guilty of “overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.”

A statement from the CAS said City did not overstate their sponsorship contributions but did fail to cooperate with UEFA authorities.

“Manchester City FC did not disguise equity funding as sponsorship contributions but did fail to cooperate with the UEFA authorities,” read the heading to the CAS statement.

“The CAS award emphasized that most of the alleged breaches reported by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the CFCB were either not established or time-barred,” added CAS, which will publish its full written reasons over the coming days.

“As the charges with respect to any dishonest concealment of equity funding were clearly more significant violations than obstructing the CFCB’s investigations, it was not appropriate to impose a ban on participating in UEFA’s club competitions for MCFC’s failure to cooperate with the CFCB’s investigations alone.”

City responded to the verdict with a statement which read: “Whilst Manchester City and its legal advisors are yet to review the full ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the club welcomes the implications of today’s ruling as a validation of the club’s position and the body of evidence that it was able to present.

“The club wishes to thank the panel members for their diligence and the due process that they administered.”

The ruling also has an impact on the clubs currently below City in the Premier League table.

If the ban had been upheld, the team finishing in fifth place – currently occupied by Manchester United – would have qualified for the Champions League, with Europa League qualification extended to sixth and seventh.

Questions will now be asked over the long-term viability of UEFA’s FFP model after the outcome of what could come to be viewed as a landmark ruling.

However, the governing body said it remained “committed to its principles” in a statement reacting to the verdict.

“UEFA notes that the CAS panel found that there was insufficient conclusive evidence to uphold all of the CFCB’s conclusions in this specific case and that many of the alleged breaches were time-barred due to the five-year time period foreseen in the UEFA regulations,” a statement read.

“Over the last few years, Financial Fair Play has played a significant role in protecting clubs and helping them become financially sustainable and UEFA and ECA remain committed to its principles.”

UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations aim to maintain the financial health of European football clubs in order to avoid ruination of teams. This is effectively achieved by limiting the net losses a club is allowed to make over a specified time period.

City immediately denied the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB)’s findings and initiated an appeal against the decision at the first opportunity, with club CEO Ferran Soriano emphatically declaring: “The allegations are not true. They are simply not true.”

UEFA’s investigation into the matter was prompted by the publication of a number of allegations by German magazine  Der Spiegel, which drew on documents said to have been obtained by whistleblowers Football Leaks, in 2018.

Animosity has been bubbling between the Premier League giants and European football’s governing body for almost a decade now, and the latest clash has further strained the relationship.

Fans of City have made a habit of booing UEFA’s anthem when it is played ahead of Champions League games, something that has intensified since 2014, when the club first fell foul of Financial Fair Play.

Source – Goal.com

Football trials involving alleged wrongdoing can take place by videoconference from Monday, FIFA has confirmed.

IFA have announced football trials will be able to take place via videoconference

FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura has informed all 211 associations in the world that ethics hearings may be held by videoconference ‘on an exceptional basis’ from July 13.

The ruling FIFA Council approved the new measures on June 25 and Samoura notified associations, including the governing bodies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, on Friday.

An amendment to the FIFA Code of Ethics allows the adjudicatory chamber to decide to organise a hearing by videoconference, at their discretion, based on the circumstances of each case.

Samoura wrote: “It can be decided to organise hearings by videoconference before the Ethics Committee during the COVID-19 pandemic for as long as restrictions on international travel, or any measures at national/international level that have an impact on the activity of the members of the said committee, are imposed or in force.”

FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura has informed all 211 associations of the option

FIFA has had to amend a number of its laws to deal with the impact caused by coronavirus, including financial relief packages, relaxing the dates of transfer windows and player registrations.

Source – Sky Sports

Hakim Ziyech has started his Chelsea career after training at the club’s Cobham base for the first time since his £33.3m move from Ajax.

Hakim Ziyech trained at Cobham on Saturday. Picture credit: Chelsea FC

The Morocco international, who agreed a five-year deal with Chelsea in February, began his preparations for the 2020/21 season on Saturday afternoon, with his new team-mates absent as the Blues took on Sheffield United in a top-seven clash.

Ziyech, who took part in a light session, was greeted by former Chelsea goalkeeper and current technical and performance adviser Petr Cech.

The 27-year-old effectively began pre-season training for next season, as he has been out of action since March 7, following the curtailment of the Eredivisie season.

Ziyech was greeted by Petr Cech on his first day at the club. Picture credit: Chelsea FC

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard intends to integrate the former Ajax forward into group training over the coming weeks.

Despite being registered as a Chelsea player on July 1, Ziyech will not be able to play for the club until next season.

Chelsea have four Premier League matches remaining, starting with Saturday’s trip to Bramall Lane as well as the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United and the Champions League last-16, second leg with Bayern Munich on August 8.

Ziyech completed a light session with his new team-mates absent. Picture credit: Chelsea FC

The Morocco international will not play until the 2020/21 season. Picture credit: Chelsea FC

Ziyech was one of two players registered by Chelsea on July 1, a special 24-hour window to register new signings before the transfer window officially opens, along with German striker Timo Werner.

Source – Sky Sports

The Argentine superstar gave a timely reminder to the club’s hierarchy as to his continued importance to the side.

Photo by Getty

Lionel Messi became the first player in La Liga history to score 20 and assist 20 goals or more in the same season when he teed up Arturo Vidal for Barcelona’s opener against Real Valladolid on Saturday.

The Argentine superstar already had a career-high 19 La Liga assists to his name this season, but his slide-rule pass to set up Vidal ensured he wrote yet another page in the history books.

He is the first player to reach 20 assists in La Liga since former team-mate Xavi in 2008-09, with no player combining that feat with 20 or more goals in the Spanish top flight until now.

The 33-year-old is just the second player to achieve that feat in Europe’s top five leagues this century, after Thierry Henry scored 24 goals and contributed 20 assists for Arsenal during the 2002-03 Premier League season.

Messi currently stands on 22 goals at the top of the goalscoring charts, four clear of his nearest challenger Karim Benzema, highlighting his continued importance to the side despite his advancing years.

It is also yet another reminder to the club’s board of his immense talents, with speculation about his Barca future continuing to swirl around Camp Nou.

Earlier this month, a Cadena Ser report claimed Messi was ready to call time on his illustrious Barca career when his contract expires next summer.

Goal has learned  Messi does not want to leave Barcelona but has grown increasingly concerned with the leadership of the club off the field as well as the team’s struggles for consistency on it, prompting him to bring contract talks to a halt.

If the six-time Ballon d’Or winner were to hold out on agreeing fresh terms until the turn of the year, then he would be free to discuss pre-contract arrangements with any suitors.

It has been suggested that the contract impasse could potentially precipitate a premature end to Josep Maria Bartomeu’s presidency, with club elections set to take place in June 2021.

Bartomeu has insisted that Messi will end his career at the Catalan giants, while his rival presidential candidate Victor Font has also expressed his confidence that the forward will remain at the club.

Source – Goal.com

Video assistant referees must not show the “wrong kind of solidarity” with colleagues by failing to correct their mistakes, says Pierluigi Collina.

Video assistant referees must not show the “wrong kind of solidarity” with colleagues by failing to correct their mistakes, says Pierluigi Collina.

VAR oversaw three penalty decisions in Thursday’s Premier League games and all were later deemed to be incorrect.

Collina, Fifa’s referees’ chief, has called for consistency in the use of VAR all over the world.

“If you belong to a team, you always try to protect your team-mates,” said the 60-year-old Italian.

“If your team-mate made a mistake, you try to find everything to say ‘no, no, no, he was correct’.”

Fifa has taken over the implementation of VAR from the game’s law-making body the International Football Association Board.

Collina warned of a “sort of wrong idea of solidarity” and wants referees to use pitchside monitors to review decisions.

“It’s a sort of friendship I would say,” he told the World Football Summit.

“Referees must understand the solidarity and the friendship that they want to show is to tell their colleague, ‘Be careful, you might have made a mistake – it’s better that you have another chance watching the incident on a monitor, you have assessed probably wrongly,’ so that finally you can avoid a mistake.”

In Thursday’s Premier League games, Bruno Fernandes won a spot-kick which he scored in Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa, James Ward-Prowse hit the bar after a disputed penalty as Southampton drew 1-1 with Everton and Tottenham should have had a penalty for a Joshua King shove on Harry Kane in a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth.

Ex-Premier League official Dermot Gallagher advised that United and Southampton should not have been given penalties, but Tottenham should have been awarded one.

What do the managers say?

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta: “I never have any concerns about the intentions of the referees. Now everything is so professional, dedicated and they are under so much pressure and criticism.

“I know they try their best with the decisions they have to make. They are getting more and more complicated because of the speed of the game, how quickly they have to react and the pressure with the new system of VAR. We are here to support them. We need them.

“I’m sure they have the right intentions but at the end of the season there is something that has to go into debate and I agree certain principles are going to apply so at least every decision will have the same level of determination.”

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho: “I think you should have access to them [VAR officials]. I think you should have access to them to ask directly, ‘Why?’.

“It is very important. They are very important in the game. It would stop nothing, make things much more open, much more clear.

“It would give the ref the chance to say, ‘Yes, I made a mistake – I feel sorry for that’, or, ‘Yes, I had an incredible performance’.”

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, on the penalty awarded to Manchester United: “I can 100% see that [Aston Villa manager] Dean Smith is struggling to accept what happened last night.

“It should just be the right decision. What I don’t understand is overruling is so complicated that it must be a clear and obvious mistake. It’s difficult but I didn’t think last night was too difficult. It’s obviously not good.

“I really would like to think that three people watch it – a ref, the VAR and another VAR – and they should find the right decision in the end.”

Source – BBC News