The Lisbon accommodation has denied that it has been transformed into a location to help the sick.

Photo by Getty

Reports that Cristiano Ronaldo’s hotel was poised to turn into a makeshift infirmary for those with coronavirus are off the mark, according to the Lisbon institution.

Spanish publication Marca claimed that the former Real Madrid star was ready to have one of his two hotels turned into hospitals to help combat the pandemic, which has infected over 160,000 people across the globe and has now killed over 6,000.

The infection is in its early stages in the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s homeland of Portugal, where cases jumped by 76 up to 245 in the last day.

Staff at Ronaldo’s hotel in Lisbon, however, say they know nothing of plans to transform its use on a temporary basis.

“We are a hotel. We are not going to be a hospital. It is a day like everyone else, we are and will remain a hotel. We are being phoned by the press. I wish you a nice day,” a spokesperson for the institution told Dutch outlet RTL Nieuws.

The Juventus attacker has not offered a comment on the situation with his hotels but is back in his homeland, away from northern Italy, which is currently one of the world’s greatest hotspots for the virus.

His club-mate Daniele Rugani was one of the first high-profile cases of the virus in the world of sport and the 35-year-old was quick to send a message of support to fans amid the chaos.

“The world is going through a very difficult moment which demands the utmost care and attention from all of us,” Ronaldo wrote in a post on social media.

“I speak to you today not as a football player, but as a son, father, a human being concerned with the latest developments that is affecting the whole world.

“It is important we all follow the advice of WHO (World Health Organization) and the governing bodies on how we handle this current situation. Protecting human life must come above any other interests.

“I would like to send my thoughts to everyone who has lost someone close to them, my solidarity to those who are fighting the virus, like my team-mate Daniele Rugani, and my continued support to the amazing health professionals putting their own lives at risk to save others.”

Source – Goal.com

The Premier League and EFL have postponed all fixtures until April 4 and 3 respectively at the earliest due to the threat of the coronavirus.

The Football Association has also postponed England’s international friendly matches against Italy and Denmark, scheduled for March 27 and 31 respectively, while the FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship fixtures have also been postponed.

The measure to postpone Premier League football was agreed at an “emergency club meeting” on Friday and in light of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Chelsea midfielder Callum Hodson-Odoi confirming they had tested positive for the virus.

The news was confirmed in a collective statement: “The FA, Premier League, EFL and Barclays FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England until 3 April at the earliest.

“This action, which will be kept under constant review, has been taken due to the increasing numbers of Clubs taking steps to isolate their players and staff because of the COVID-19 virus.

“The postponements include all matches in the Championship, League One and League Two, as well as all Academy and youth team fixtures.

“In addition, clubs are being advised to suspend indefinitely all non-essential activities which include, but are not limited to, player appearances, training ground visits and fan meetings.

“Whilst the EFL board has continued to take the advice and guidance offered by the Government and its health advisors, emerging developments mean now is the time to implement football’s contingency plans in response to the crisis.

“A further update on these plans will be given post an EFL board meeting next week.

“This decision has not been taken lightly, but the EFL must prioritise the health and well-being of players, staff and supporters while also acknowledging the Government’s national efforts in tackling this outbreak.”

Arsenal head coach Arteta will self-isolate

in line with government health guidelines and it is expected the first-team squad – along with coaching staff – will do the same; Arsenal’s game against Brighton on Saturday had already been postponed as a result.

An Everton player has been placed in isolation after he reported coronavirus symptoms and Watford have cancelled training this week with several players informing Nigel Pearson they feel unwell.

Five members of staff at Bournemouth, including goalkeeper Artur Boruc, are self-isolating because they are displaying symptoms consistent with Covid-19. Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Thursday three of his players are being kept away from the rest of the squad after displaying coronavirus symptoms.

The Premier League has now postponed its entire fixture list until April 4, becoming the latest sporting body to take action to combat the threat of coronavirus.

Many sporting events across Europe have already been postponed or played behind closed doors but several have still gone ahead in the United Kingdom, with the Cheltenham horse racing festival attracting capacity crowds across all four days.

UEFA likely to postpone Euro 2020 until next summer

UEFA members will meet on Tuesday to discuss how best to proceed with domestic and European club competitions amid the coronavirus pandemic – with Euro 2020 likely to be postponed until next summer.

The meeting, which will be held via video conference, will see the 55 member associations discuss the issue and how it might affect Euro 2020, which is scheduled to begin on June 12.

Source – BBC News

The Blues are considering a move for a top-class goalkeeper in the summer despite the return to form of Kepa Arrizabalaga in recent weeks.

Photo by Getty/Goal

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana is set to be at the centre of a summer transfer scramble with Chelsea, Barcelona and Tottenham all in the frame for his signature.

The 23-year-old Cameroon international is widely expected to depart Amsterdam at the end of the season and has shown a preference for a Premier League transfer.

Onana is a close friend of Hakim Ziyech, who will join the Blues at the end of the season having agreed a deal to move to Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window. The Morocco international playmaker is known to be keen to see Onana follow him to London.

Chelsea have been struggling in the goalkeeping department all season long with Kepa Arrizabalaga dropped by coach Frank Lampard earlier this year. Kepa, signed for a world record fee from Athletic Bilbao, is among the least impressive goalkeepers in the Premier League this season when it comes to save percentage at 56 per cent.

Replacement Willy Caballero, 38, is not of the requisite standard to be Chelsea’s first choice going forward into the long term.

Kepa has forced his way back into the starting line-up and played well in his two games against Liverpool and Everton after five games on the bench. Even if Kepa stays, Onana would be willing to join a top club even if he had to compete with a goalkeeper for a number one spot in the belief that he could win the battle.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have identified Onana as a potential goalkeeping target as contract renewal talks with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen drag on. Germany international Ter Stegen is looking for a wage rise to around €15 million (£13m/$17m) per season, behind only Lionel Messi in the Barca pay scale, but so far the Catalans are unwilling to offer that much.

Nonetheless, the Spanish league title holders remain keen to hold onto their current No.1. Onana could return to Barcelona – where he came through the academy – in order to provide competition for Ter Stegen. Onana could be interested in a return to Barcelona even with Ter Stegen still at the club in the hope that he could compete with him to take the spot.

However, Barcelona’s presidential elections – which are likely to be conducted in June – threaten to slow their transfer activity this summer, giving rivals a possible edge.

Tottenham are also looking at Onana, with the form of Hugo Lloris causing trouble for Jose Mourinho’s side and back-up Paulo Gazzaniga failing to impress when called upon.

Lloris has not been up to scratch in recent weeks – with mistakes against Burnley and RB Leipzig in recent matches – and the Spurs squad widely expected to undergo major reconstruction this summer.

Manchester United have also shown an interest in Onana but any move is unlikely with the club hopeful that both David de Gea and Sheffield United loanee Dean Henderson have long-term futures at Old Trafford.

Onana’s current contract expires in June 2022 and Ajax are unlikely to put up a fight to keep their goalkeeper due to a gentleman’s agreement that certain players can leave if an offer reflecting their value comes in the off-season.

Source – Goal.com

Uefa has called an emergency meeting for Tuesday in which the possibility of postponing Euro 2020 by one year is an option being discussed.

The Euro 2020 final is due to be held at Wembley on 12 July

European football’s governing body will hold video conference meetings to discuss its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Those discussions will cover all domestic and European competitions, including Euro 2020.

Euro 2020 is due to take place from 12 June-12 July at venues across Europe.

Uefa has invited representatives of its 55 member associations, plus the boards of the European Club Association, the European leagues and a representative of world players’ union Fifpro.

The Women’s Euros are due to take place in England from 11 July-1 August 2021.

Why is it up for discussion?

On Thursday, La Liga became the latest European league to be suspended because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Spanish top-flight has been suspended for “at least the next two rounds of matches”.

In addition, the Danish Football Association has cancelled all football activities in the country for two weeks while the Netherlands’ Eredivisie has been suspended until 31 March.

In Italy, Serie A is suspended until 3 April, with the country in lockdown and two players – Juventus’ Daniele Rugani and Sampdoria’s Manolo Gabbiadini – having tested positive.

Matches in the top two leagues in France are being played behind closed doors while two Europa League last-16 first-leg fixtures scheduled for Thursday have been postponed and a number will be played behind closed doors, including Manchester United’s trip to Austria to face LASK.

Manchester City’s Champions League last-16 second leg fixture against Real Madrid, due to take place on Tuesday, has been postponed.

As it stands, the Premier League is to continue as usual despite three Leicester first-team players having self-isolated after showing symptoms.

In addition to moving the Euros, BBC Sport understands another option is playing the tournament but using the slots reserved for pre-tournament friendlies to decide the play-offs. Or it could go ahead without play-off teams as a 20-team tournament.

Four nations were due to qualify for the tournament from the play-offs in matches starting later this month. Both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are in the play-offs

It is understood the preference would be to complete the Champions League and Europa League.

Source – BBC News

France has suspended professional football as it seeks to contain the spread of coronavirus, the French Football Federation has announced.

Photo by Getty Images

It throws the completion of Ligue 1 into jeopardy as the country joins Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and others in cancelling matches.

Paris Saint Germain played their Champions League last-16 game against Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors on Wednesday with the government having already limited public gatherings to no more than a thousand people.

The 2020 Major League Soccer season in the US – which started less than two weeks ago – has also been suspended for 30 days.

Source – Eurosport.com

News that Mikel Arteta has been diagnosed with the illness could prompt governing body to reverse their decision.

Photoby Getty

The Premier League has scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday barely an hour after confirming that weekend fixtures would go ahead as planned.

The spread of the disease has caused several games to be postponed across Europe, while Wednesday’s the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal was called off hours before kick-off.

Some Arsenal players had gone into quarantine after coming into contact with the president of Olympiacos, their recent Europa League opponents, who announced he tested positive for the disease.

Then on Thursday, the Gunners announced that coach Mikel Arteta has also contracted it.

That revelation caused the Premier League to call a meeting with clubs in order to determine whether the weekend’s action can be played as scheduled.

“In light of Arsenal’s announcement tonight confirming that their first-team coach Mikel Arteta has tested positive for COVID-19, the Premier League will convene an emergency club meeting tomorrow morning regarding future fixtures. The Premier League will make no further comment until after that meeting,” the body explained.

A source has told Goal that a Manchester City player, understood to be Benjamin Mendy, is self-isolating after a relative of his was taken to hospital with fears of having caught Covid-19.

Also, three Leicester players have been isolated from the squad after displaying flu-like symptoms.

Despite the increase in the number of cases, it had been announced earlier on Thursday that the English top-flight will not be suspended and this weekend’s games will be played as normal.

“Following the latest update from Government issued this afternoon, all Premier League matches will go ahead as scheduled this weekend,” a statement on the Premier League website read.

“While the Prime Minister advised that all sporting events should take place as normal for now, he also indicated that Government is considering banning major public events, like sporting fixtures.

“We are therefore continuing to work closely with our clubs, Government, The FA, EFL and other relevant stakeholders to ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place as and when circumstances change.

“The welfare of players, staff and supporters is of paramount importance and we will continue to follow Public Health England guidelines thoroughly.”

Meanwhile, Ligue 1 has been suspended for the time being, as the French Football Federation confirmed on Thursday that it has cancelled all competitions indefinitely.

President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that from Monday France will close all nurseries, schools and universities to try to slow the spread of the disease.

UEFA have decided to postpone Manchester City’s Champions League match against Real Madrid, while Juventus‘ meeting with Lyon has also been called off.

Italy is the European country that has been most heavily affected by Covid-19, as more than 1,000 people have died as a result of the disease.

Serie A has been suspended indefinitely, while public gatherings have been banned. Spain‘s La Liga is also on hiatus for at least the next two weekends.

This week, it was revealed that Juventus defender Daniele Rugani has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Source – Goal.com

The youngster is the first player from England’s top flight to return a positive test result for the illness which has swept the globe.

Photo by Getty Images

Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi has tested positive for coronavirus, leading the Blues to enact a partial closure of their training facilities.

Hudson-Odoi, 19, is the first Premier League player to be confirmed to suffer from the virus, which has caused league closures in Spain, Italy and France as it was elevated to a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

The Premier League in contrast declared earlier on Thursday that the weekend’s fixtures would go ahead as planned, although a meeting was subsequently called with clubs for the next day following the news that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had been diagnosed with the illness.

Brighton have already moved to suspend their clash against the Gunners ahead of the league’s decision and Chelsea’s visit to Aston Villa must also be in serious jeopardy after the club confirmed the news.

Parma’s Serie A tie against SPAL kicked off 75 minutes late after Italy’s sports minister requested the league was suspended with immediate effect because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The match is taking place behind closed doors

The match was due to kick off at 12:30 local time (11:30 GMT) but players were told to return to the dressing room from the tunnel.

It eventually got under way at 13:45 local time, with SPAL winning 1-0.

On Sunday, up to 16 million people were placed in quarantine in Italy.

Italy has seen the largest number of coronavirus cases in Europe and reported a steep rise in infections on Saturday.

The death toll in Italy has passed 230, with officials reporting more than 36 deaths in 24 hours. The number of confirmed cases jumped by more than 1,200 to 5,883 on Saturday.

Last week, Italy’s government said all sport in the country would be played behind closed doors until 3 April.

On Saturday Damiano Tommasi, the president of Italy’s players’ union (AIC), called for football to be suspended in the country.

In a statement, he said: “There is a risk for players and we must take all precautions for the security of those who play: on the pitch you certainly can’t stay at a distance of one metre away.

“But every measure must be taken to guarantee the safety of everyone at the stadium, including staff and personnel, to reduce the risks.

“There are those among the players who are happy to continue, others who express their concerns.

“There are many foreign players too and it’s obvious their families will be worried watching what’s happening in Italy.”

Four other Serie A matches are due to take place on Sunday, including Juventus versus Inter Milan (19:45 GMT), while Sassuolo’s match against Brescia on Monday (17:30 GMT) is also due to go ahead.

Source – BBC News

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his Manchester United players milked the moment after completing a 2-0 derby win over Manchester City at Old Trafford. It wasn’t a complete lap of honour, but three out of four stands wasn’t bad, and nobody in a red shirt was rushing off the pitch. Why would they?

Man United are unbeaten in 10 games and look to be making some real progress under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Getty

Man United are unbeaten in 10 games and look to be making some real progress under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Getty

It is way too early to suggest that United’s victory signalled a shifting in the balance of power in Manchester from blue to red — United are still fifth, 12 points behind second-placed City — but Solskjaer and his players celebrated on the pitch at the end because they knew that this victory was a significant moment for the club.

“We feel we are improving as a squad and a team,” Solskjaer said. “It shows we are on track and we are improving, and that we are Manchester United.

“We are closing in on the teams in front of us, but we are still fifth. We need points to catch Chelsea and Leicester, so [we] need to keep plugging away.

“But the desire, attitude, commitment, connection between fans and players pleased me most.”

When City beat United in the FA Cup semifinals at Wembley in 2011, it was a pivotal moment that injected Roberto Mancini’s team with the confidence and self-belief that they could win major honours and emerge from United’s shadow.

In years to come, United’s victory in this game could have a similar resonance for Solskjaer and his players because there was, finally, a sense of everything coming together for the red side of Manchester against the team — City — that has dominated for the best part of a decade.

United were resolute and organised at the back, where Luke Shaw continued his renaissance and Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire once again showed themselves to be smart buys last summer. In midfield, Fred was the player everyone hoped he would be when he arrived almost two years ago — the busy, tenacious star of a tough Shakhtar Donetsk team — while Nemanja Matic made a mockery of his absence from the team for the majority of the first half of this season.

Then there was Bruno Fernandes, United’s new talisman, who extended his unbeaten run to eight games since his £67 million January arrival from Sporting Lisbon. Fernandes made Martial’s opener with a clever lob from a well-worked free kick and also dominated his area of the pitch, showing himself to be United’s creative force. Thanks to Fernandes, the still unfit Paul Pogba has become a forgotten man who will struggle to get anywhere near this team when, or if, he plays again this season.

Up front, United are still a work in progress, especially with Marcus Rashford sidelined with a back injury, but the pace of Martial and Daniel James troubled City all day long and was key to the home side’s win. But while United were impressive, vibrant and hungry, some perspective is required.

City were without their best player, Kevin De Bruyne, due to injury and Pep Guardiola’s team have inevitably lost impetus in the league with leaders Liverpool 25 points clear and the gap to fifth-place a sizable 12 points. Motivation cannot be easy with such a gulf between top and fifth and it showed in the performances of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Ederson, who was directly at fault for both goals.

“The reality is that the pressure is not on the Premier League,” City midfielder Bernardo Silva said. “We know the position isn’t going to change a lot, so maybe that is a thing.

“But it’s an important game for the fans, we know that, and it is not acceptable to play like we did today.”

City are still on course in the Champions League and FA Cup, having already won the Carabao Cup against Aston Villa last week, so perhaps their focus has shifted to the knockout competitions now that there is little or nothing to play for in the Premier League.

Still, United have suffered from a mental block against City in recent seasons, especially since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, so beating them in this fixture was a huge result, regardless of City’s mentality and desire. More importantly, the win has also put United firmly back in the hunt for Champions League qualification.

The Red Devils now sit three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and just five adrift of third-placed Leicester, who have lost four of their past seven league games. United still travel to Leicester in a potential decider on the final game of the season.

Qualifying for the Champions League would help United and Solskjaer to accelerate their resurgence and increase the prospect of a challenge for major honours next season. They are still some distance from being in that bracket, but this victory against City has given them a platform, maybe even a launchpad, for bigger and better things sooner rather than later.

Source – ESPN