Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha says he does not feel “100% safe” in the USA.

Widespread protests have taken place across 75 US cities

Onuoha plays for Utah-based Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer after spending six years at QPR.

“I am always very wary of how I behave and how it could be viewed by people who have power,” Onuoha, 33, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“For me personally, overall I don’t like to say it but I have a fear and distrust towards police.”

Widespread protests have taken place across 75 US cities since George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after being pinned down by a white police officer.

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, has been charged with his murder. He and three other police officers have been sacked.

Sports stars have added their voices on social media with a ‘blackout’ – uploading a black image alongside a message of support.

Onuoha backed the protestors by saying: “It is emotional; it is something that is overdue to be honest. There has been a big wave of energy towards this, there has been a lot of talk about George Floyd – these issues have been around for decades.

“People have been trying to make noise. I have been trying to say things but it gets pushed away for too long. Enough is enough; what gives me strength is that it’s not just black people who are protesting now.

“The change will come but within that, there are so many nuanced things within the protest – for example, a lot of black people are scared to do what some of the white people are doing to the police.

“It’s crazy to see but it is very necessary. I am not going to say to them that they shouldn’t do anything because they haven’t been heard for this long so let them be heard now.”

‘If police read me wrong, they could take my life’

President Donald Trump has threatened to send in the military to quell growing civil unrest in the US, as dozens of people have been injured with authorities using tear gas and force to disperse protests.

Four officers were shot and injured on Monday night during unrest in St Louis, Missouri.

Onuoha added that the gun laws in the USA added to his sense of unease.

He said: “I have loved living in this country but there is [another] side of it.

“In the UK, I am more comfortable because if something happens it probably will not be deadly – but over here because of their rights it is more common that altercations become deadly. I am always very aware of that whenever I go around anywhere.

“I am comfortable but when it comes to any kind of brutality, if it’s from the police, if they read me the wrong way then my life could be taken. I feel that every single day. It is not just me but everybody else as well.

“I am not trying to be overly critical to the police, there are plenty of good police officers out there, but sometimes I feel like people put police on a pedestal and make them seem superhuman.

“But the fact is over here they are just people from society with a badge and a gun and a lot more power.

“If you worry about the man next door, why would you not worry about the person patrolling the streets who now has more power, more guns but the same views?

“I never go out and feel 100% safe.”

Source – BBC News

The Liga season will resume on June 14 and the French manager has masterminded a joyful mood in training, according to his top striker.

Photo by Getty Images

Karim Benzema is convinced Real Madrid will hit the ground running when they resume their La Liga campaign, highlighting Zinedine Zidane’s emphasis on “enjoyment” following the coronavirus-enforced hiatus.

After a three-month suspension to the season due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Madrid will return to the pitch on June 14 when they host Eibar.

La Liga has been allowed to recommence behind closed doors thanks to the threat of the virus decreasing, and Madrid look set to push Barcelona all the way in the title race.

Barca resume the season two points clear of their bitter rivals, but Benzema is certain Los Blancos are ready for the challenge and they have relished being back in full training, with Zidane putting focus on ensuring the players are enjoying their work.

Benzema told Real Madrid TV: “Zidane’s message is enjoyment. Enjoy playing football. We have had more contact with the ball than last week.

“We did more fitness last week and now, as we are closer to the restart of La Liga, we have been using the ball more.

“The adaptation has been very good, step by step. It is much better here with our team-mates and with the ball, because it is more difficult to do so at home. It is more about the gym and fitness.

“Two months without a ball makes things tougher when you are back, but we are fine now, and we will keep working together with the ball. For instance, we have played a game today [Tuesday] and it’s been very good for everyone.

“We can’t wait to restart the competition and it’s very important to win games. The first game against Eibar at home will be very important. So, we will give our best until the end.”

The absence of supporters will be more peculiar for Madrid – who are used to playing in front of up to 80,000 people in the capital – than most, particularly as they are set to play home games at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium, the 6,000-seat home of the Castilla side, to allow construction work to proceed on the Santiago Bernabeu.

Benzema, though, believes the team will still feel the love from those watching at home.

“It will be different, for sure,” said the striker. “We always need our supporters.

“However, we will have our fans here and hopefully all of them will be in front of a TV supporting us, that’s all. We know we have to win the games because they are very important for us and for the club and we will be at our best.”

Source – Goal.com

Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho was not booked for his protest against the death of American George Floyd by a policeman but because he removed his shirt during the game, the German Football Association (DFB) clarified on Monday.

Thuram, Sancho & Hakimi/Image credit: Eurosport

Sancho removed his shirt during a goal celebration to reveal an undershirt with a message “Justice for George Floyd” — an American black man who died in Minneapolis after a white policeman knelt on his neck.

While Sancho was booked by the referee, his team mate Achraf Hakimi was not and the DFB said it was because the Moroccan did not remove his shirt and only lifted it to show the handwritten slogan.

Law 12 written by soccer’s rule-making body IFAB states that players will be cautioned for “removing the shirt or covering the head with the shirt”.

“This is clearly defined as illegal conduct as per Law 12 and does not have anything to do with any political message,” Lutz Michael Froehlich, the sporting director of elite referees at the DFB, said in a statement.

“It is hardly possible for referees to register political, religious or personal slogans, messages or images during a game.”

However, the DFB said it was reviewing Sancho and Hakimi’s case as well as Schalke’s Weston McKennie, who wore an armband with the slogan “Justice for George”.

IFAB laws state equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.

“Part of these examinations is to ascertain whether during matches and on the pitch are the right place for these actions,” DFB vice president Rainer Koch said, adding that he respected and understood the players’ actions.

“The game itself should remain free of political statements or messages of any kind… There are of course opportunities before and after the match for these kinds of things.

“We’ll have to wait and see whether sanctions are required in these instances.”

Borussia Moenchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram took a knee to honour Floyd after scoring but the DFB said it was “open to interpretation” and was not against the rules.

Source – Eurosport.com

The head of Italy’s football federation (FIGC) says he hopes that some fans can be allowed back into stadiums to watch Serie A matches before the end of the current season.

Juventus players returned to group training last week

Sanjay Bhandari wants full teams to show solidarity against racism by following the example of Marcus Thuram.

Photo by Getty

The chairman of Kick It Out has called on every Premier League player to take a knee in support of Black Lives Matter amid the global response to the killing of George Floyd.

Sanjay Bhandari also called on the German Football Association (DFB) not to sanction the Bundesliga quartet of Jadon Sancho, Achraf Hakimi, Marcus Thuram and Weston McKennie for their protests over the weekend.

Thuram knelt in solidarity with those protesting in the U.S. and beyond, while McKennie wore a supportive armband and Sancho and Hakimi revealed undershirts demanding ‘Justice for George Floyd’.

The DFB are investigating each incident, due to International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules which forbid “undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo.”

On Monday, Liverpool released an image of their first-team squad kneeling around the centre circle at Anfield with the words ‘Unity is Strength’.

“I hope there will be a degree of leniency shown by the German authorities,” Bhandari said.

“I’m not sure how you can sanction Marcus Thuram. I don’t think he’s done anything wrong. He’s just taken a knee.

“I wonder if that’s the thing I would encourage if players want to protest. If you score a goal and take a knee could everyone do that? Not just the black players. The white players too – everyone.

“Every player should do it. It should be teams doing it. You saw the Erling Haaland celebration after the first game back where all the Borussia Dortmund players did the social-distancing celebration. They could all take a knee.

“Racism’s not about black players or brown fans. It’s about all of us. Racism corrodes society and we’re all hurt by it. Everyone should want to demonstrate their solidarity and disgust.”

If players do take action, authorities will have to decide whether they are contravening regulations in doing so.

Bhandari does not believe there is any problem with players taking a knee – the form of protest popularised by NFL player Colin Kaepernick in 2016.

“I would like to encourage the players to protest if they want to but I would also like to encourage them to do it in a way that doesn’t expose them to unnecessary sanction,” Bhandari said.

“If they could do that by taking a knee, if every player did that, it would be quite a powerful message.

“I would be interested to hear what the authorities thought of that, whether it would constitute a breach of the rules. To me, that is about demonstrating solidarity.”

Source – Goal.com

The legendary Brazilian frontman considers a Barcelona icon to be the best player on the planet, with Neymar and Eden Hazard in the group behind him.

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Former Barcelona star Ronaldo considers Lionel Messi to be the undisputed “number one” in modern football, with Cristiano Ronaldo overlooked in the Brazilian’s top five as Mohamed Salah, Eden Hazard, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe get the nod.

The two-time World Cup winner has never shied away from the fact that he considers a mercurial Argentine on the books at Camp Nou to be one of the finest to have ever played the game.

He has reiterated that stance when naming those who capture his imagination in the present and it comes as no surprise to see six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi top that chart, but the omission of Portuguese superstar Ronaldo will see eyebrows raised.

Ronaldo told AS of his choices, with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain stars lining up behind a Barca icon: “Messi, of course, he is number one, he is a talent that means it will take 20 or 30 years to see something similar.

“I also like Salah, Hazard, Neymar, I love watching him play, of course Mbappe.”

PSG striker Mbappe has been likened to Ronaldo, and the ex-Inter and Real Madrid frontman can see why the France international has sparked such talk.

He added on the exciting 21-year-old: “Many people say that he looks like me.

“He has a lot of speed, he finishes well, he has great movement, he shoots really well with both feet, he has an incredible stride.

“We have similar attributes, but I never liked the comparisons, especially between players of different generations, because the situations are different.”

While talking up the qualities of a star turn in France, and recognising the efforts of Liverpool forward Salah in England, Ronaldo – who now owns a majority stake in Real Valladolid – considers La Liga to be the best league in the world.

He said: “It is not clear that the Premier League is better than our league.

“Perhaps in television income the clubs receive more, but the best players are in Spain, or at least, most of them.”

La Liga is currently readying itself for a return amid the coronavirus pandemic, with competitive football set to be added to the sporting calendar once more from June 11.

Source – Goal.com

Brescia owner Massimo Cellino says he regrets signing former Manchester City and Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli.

Mario Balotelli (right) has only scored two goals in eight appearances this season

Balotelli, 29, scored five times for his hometown club after signing last summer.

But Cellino said he can leave the club, who are bottom of Serie A – nine points from safety.

“He doesn’t show up to training, he doesn’t look very committed let’s say, for the future of the club,” he said. “That’s the problem.”

Speaking to the World Football Show on BBC World Service, Cellino added: “Balotelli’s got a contract in Serie A, but he doesn’t have a contract in Serie B. So if we’re relegated, Balotelli won’t have a contract any more.

“Balotelli apparently doesn’t like to stay in Italy any more because he’s not acting that way.

“I think we both made a mistake. I thought that coming to Brescia, which is his town, would commit him very much. At the same time, I think he was handled the wrong way by my previous coach [Eugenio Corini].”

Balotelli has suffered racist abuse on two occasions this season in Serie A, with Lazio fined 20,000 euros in January for abuse by their fans.

Source – BBC News

The Italian top flight has been given the green light to start up again, with the Coppa Italia semi-finals taking place on June 13.

Photo by Getty Images

The Serie A season is set to resume from June 20, Italy‘s sports minister has confirmed.

Italy’s top flight was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, but clubs were permitted to return to contact training this month.

Sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora announced earlier this week that the league was closing in on a return, while Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC) president Damiano Tommasi said players are happy to return to action as long as it is safe.

Following a meeting with prime minister Giuseppe Conte, Spadafora announced on Thursday that the intention is for the 2019-20 campaign to kick-off again next month.

Coppa Italia semi-final games are to be held on June 13, with Serie A to get back underway the following week.

“Football was going to restart when we had the right safety conditions and when the CTS would give the go-ahead to the protocols,” Spadafora said.

“The league resumes on June 20 – I have already consulted with prime minister Conte. I hope we can complete the Coppa Italia in the week from June 13 to 20. It would be a signal to the benefit of all Italians, given it’s the competition shown on public service [television].

“My wish is coming true for the whole world of sport to start again at the same time. We deny the story that I had any reservations about the world of football.”

Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina said: “Football’s return represents a message of hope for the whole country. I am happy and satisfied, it is a success that I share with the sports minister and with all the federal members.

“Ours is a project of great responsibility because it invests everything the professional world of Serie A, B, C and also the women’s Serie A “

Juventus were a point clear of Lazio at the top of the table with 12 games remaining when the league season was suspended.

They were due to face AC Milan in the second leg of the Coppa semi-final in Turin on March 4, with the first leg having finished 1-1.

The other semi-final was also finely poised, with Napoli 1-0 up against Inter ahead of their second leg at the San Paolo.

The news comes after the Premier League announced plans to resume 2019-20 from June 17, having also suspended matches in March.

The Bundesliga returned earlier this month and La Liga intends to get back underway in June, with only Ligue 1 from among Europe’s top-five leagues to declare the season over.

Source – Goal.com

Following Thursday’s meeting regarding ‘Project Restart’, a date has now been agreed for England’s top flight to get back underway.

Photo by Getty/Goal

The Premier League season will resume on June 17 with Manchester City‘s meeting with Arsenal one of the first matches to be played – and all 92 remaining matches will be broadcast live.

As the Telegraph first reported and Goal later confirmed, Aston Villa‘s home clash with Sheffield United is another that will mark the return of the English top flight, with both those matches the two games in hand that were left unplayed prior to the coronavirus pandemic halting football.

A full fixture list will then be played on the weekend of June 19 to 21, with the agreement coming after Premier League clubs met on Thursday to continue discussions over ‘Project Restart’.

A Premier League statement read: “Premier League Shareholders today agreed to a new provisional restart date for the 2019-20 season of Wednesday June 17, provided that all safety requirements are in place.

“Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal, postponed due to the EFL Cup final, will now take place on June 17, followed by a full match round beginning on Friday 19 June.

“Due to Covid-19, matches will take place behind closed doors.”

They also confirmed all the remaining games of the season will be shown in the UK on the channels currently with rights to broadcast the league – Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC and Amazon Prime.

This will mean some games are free to air, with the BBC – which usually just broadcasts Premier League highlights – will be showing live games for the first time since the current top-flight was inaugurated in 1992.

The last time the BBC broadcast top division English league games live was in the 1987-88 season – 32 years ago.

The full list of kick-off times were revealed, with weekend games to be played at 10 different time slots from Friday to Monday, as well as Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings – giving fans the prospect of football every night of the week until the end of the season.

Kick-off slots are at 8pm on Friday; 12.30pm, 3pm, 5.30pm and 8pm on Saturdays; noon, 2pm, 4.30pm and 7pm on Sundays; 8pm Mondays, and 6pm and 8pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said all plans and dates are still provisional, as long as they can ensure the health and safety of everyone involved.

He said: “Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches.

“The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home.

“We will continue to work step-by-step and in consultation with all our stakeholders as we move towards resuming the 2019-20 season.”

The Premier League are hoping to have the 2019-20 campaign wrapped up by August 2, with the FA Cup final then scheduled to take place a week later on the weekend of August 8-9.

The decision was made to temporarily suspend the season back on March 13 after both Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi had tested positive for Covid-19.

There was initial hope that the Premier League would be able to get back underway in April, although the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainties over the safety and welfare of players, staff and fans  led to an indefinite delay.

England‘s top-flight league has since been formulating a plan to resume the 2019-20 season – where all but four teams have nine matches left to play – with ‘Project Restart’ seeing various meetings and discussions taking place over how best to safely reintroduce the Premier League.

The most recent developments have seen three rounds of coronavirus testing completed, with the latest results, for tests conducted between May 25 and May 26, seeing four positive Covid-19 cases reported.

Players have also been given the green light to resume contact training as the Premier League gets ready to welcome back football in England, with there still no formal announcement having been made.

Liverpool remain just two wins away from sealing the Premier League title, while should Villa beat Sheffield United in their game in hand, they will move out of the bottom three.

There is also an intriguing battle to finish in the top four, with Leicester City and Chelsea currently occupying third and fourth respectively, ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United who are in fifth.

The return of the Bundesliga in Germany has helped pave the way for other top-flight European leagues to follow suit, with La Liga due to resume on June 8.

There has been no announcement of the resumption of the Champions League or Europa League at this stage, although Lyon president  Jean-Michel Aulas has previously suggested his side’s tie with Juventus had been pencilled in for August 7.

While the majority are seemingly in favour of the Premier League returning, there are those that remain uncomfortable with the situation, with the likes of Danny Rose, Sergio Aguero, Antonio Rudiger and Troy Deeney having voiced their concerns over the restart.

Source – Goal.com