Ferguson made the admission before the release on 27 May of a new film, Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In.
In the film, directed by his son Jason, Ferguson recounts his life stories on and off the pitch.
It covers his playing days in Scotland and his trophy-laden management career with Aberdeen and Manchester United.
“Losing my memory was my biggest fear when I suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2018,” said Ferguson, 79.
“In the making of this film, I was able to revisit the most important moments of my life, good and bad. Having my son Jason direct this film has ensured an honest and intimate account.”
Ferguson, who retired from management in 2013, had emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage on 5 May 2018 and was in intensive care for several days at Salford Royal Hospital.
The film, which will be shown in cinema and on Amazon Prime, includes previously unseen archive footage as well as testimonies from his wife Cathy and three sons.
His former players Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs and Gordon Strachan feature in the film, as does Archie Knox – who worked as his assistant manager at both Aberdeen and Manchester United.
Ferguson won three Scottish Premier Division titles and the European Cup Winners’ Cup, among other trophies, during eight years with Aberdeen.
He then went on to become the longest-serving manager in Manchester United’s history, winning 38 trophies in 26-and-a-half years, including 13 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice.
Zinedine Zidane has earned himself yet another accolade — this time in the world of social media.
According to a report from Espansión, the Coach Reputation Ranking has selected Zidane as the most valuable football manager on Instagram.
The report is organized by consulting firm Comunicar Es Ganar who “studied the performance on the social network” of the managers that currently remain in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League.
Having been active on the platform since September 2014, the current Real Madrid manager leads the way with a hefty 27.8 million followers.
After calculating the publication impact, interaction rate and mentions in the media, the report estimates that Zidane could potentially earn 200,000 euros per sponsored post with such a large outreach.
“The formula to monetize the activity of a trainer in social networks is to generate and nurture a community connected over time with the public figure,” said Yuri Morejón, founder of Comunicar Es Ganar.
“With current data, a commercial brand would pay from about 15,000 euros for a sponsored post on Instagram by Pochettino to about 200,000 euros for one from Zidane.”
Additionally, the Coach Reputation Ranking also analyzed the type of content being published and the image they project on both the manager and the club they represent.
Zidane’s posts are “frequently featuring his advertising commitments, personal projects and family reunions,” which “transcend beyond Real Madrid and the social networks themselves.”
After the Frenchman, the next highest manager is Juventus’ Andrea Pirlo (8.4 million followers) and Atlético Madrid’s Diego Simeone (1.7 million followers) is third.
Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino then round out the top six.
José Luis Sánchez reported that “Hazard is recovering fast and should be back in the team soon, he’s very committed. He is already running with the ball 12 days after his injury and he has lost 4 KG in weight”. With his injury history with Madrid so far it’s easy to give up on the player but lets have a little faith and keep our fingers crossed that he can play a big role in the business end of the season.
The club put out a video showing the progress of work on the roof of our hallowed ground. I think I speak for all Madridistas when I say that I can’t wait to see the team in action in the New Bernabeu. Take a look at the video below.
David Alaba has confirmed that he will leave Bayern Munich this summer.
Alaba will walk away from Allianz Arena upon the expiration of his current contract on June 30, bringing to an end his 13-year stay in Bavaria.
The 28-year-old was offered the chance to extend his stay at Bayern, but has instead opted to seek a new challenge away from Germany.
Alaba told reporters on Tuesday: “It was not an easy decision. I have been here for 13 years and the association is really close to my heart. I am very grateful to the association for many things.
“I took my time because it’s not an easy decision to make overnight. I decided to do something new – a new challenge. I haven’t made the decision yet (on my new club), that remains to be seen.
“I decided to try new things next season and say good-bye to Bayern Munich. It was a difficult decision. I am not going to say anything about my next club, my agents are talking to them and everything will be decided in the future,” said Alaba.
“It’s no secret that my management is in contact with several clubs. But a lot is being read into it and I want to concentrate fully on my task here.
“Money has not been a factor in my decision.”
Speaking at his press conference, Alaba said, when asked about his command of Spanish: “My Spanish is not good, but good enough for the pitch.”
Other clubs like Chelsea or Liverpool are trying to sign Alaba and therefore competing with Real Madrid for the soon-to-be free agent, but it seems that Los Blancos have the edge but are waiting on Ramos’ potential contract extension to announce anything.
Assistant coach William Servat has become the third member of France’s management to test positive for Covid-19, the French Rugby Federation says.
Head coach Fabien Galthie and another non-playing staff member both tested positive on Tuesday.
The trio will now isolate for seven days, with France due to host Scotland on 28 February.
All players tested negative, though they have been advised to self-isolate at home for the rest of the week.
The FFR says none of those who have tested positive have shown any symptoms.
The players will be tested at home on Friday and again on Sunday when they gather at the National Centre of Rugby in Marcoussis to prepare for their match against Scotland.
France will announce their 31-man squad for that match later on Wednesday.
France are top of the Six Nations table after two wins from two, having beaten Ireland in Dublin on Sunday.
Ireland said no positive results were found when all members of their squad and backroom staff were tested on Monday.
Karolina Muchova fought back to stun world number one Ashleigh Barty at the Australian Open and reach her maiden Grand Slam semi-final.
The Czech 25th seed struggled with dizziness in the Melbourne Park heat but refocused after a medical time-out to beat the home favourite 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Barty led by a set and a break but was unable to stop Muchova’s comeback.
Muchova will play American Jennifer Brady, who beat compatriot Jessica Pegula, for a place in the final.
“It was very tough and I was a bit lost on the court and my head was spinning so I took a break,” the Muchova said.
“It helped me. I tried to get back, played a bit faster rallies so we don’t play the long ones as in the first set and it worked well.”
US Open semi-finalist Brady beat Pegula 4-6 6-2 6-1.
Karolina Muchova said her head was spinning as she struggled on court
Barty, playing in her first Grand Slam for over a year after choosing not to travel, had not dropped a set on her way to the quarter-finals.
She took advantage of the 24-year-old’s wayward hitting to take the first set in 25 minutes, and broke her opponent at the first opportunity in the second.
A visibly struggling Muchova then called for the doctor, who took her off court to take her blood pressure and receive a full time-out.
On returning to the court, Muchova broke back and won five of the final six games to force a deciding set.
Barty had her opportunities in the third set, garnering two break points after losing her own serve, and a further three as Muchova served for the match.
But the world number 27 held firm to reach her first Slam semi-final.
Barty refused to blame Muchova’s medical time-out as the reason for her defeat, stating: “It’s not my place to comment whether she had an injury or not.
“If she wasn’t within the rules, the physios and the doctors would have said so. That’s the laws of our game, is that we have those medical timeouts for cases that are needed.”
Jennifer Brady’s breakthrough came at the Australian Open in 2017, where she reached the fourth round as a qualifier
Brady was one of the 72 players who was unable to leave her hotel room for 14 days on arriving in Australia.
She served for the first set against her good friend Pegula but a double fault belied her nerves.
However Brady hit back, with the 22th seed winning nine of the final 10 games to reach her second career Slam semi-final.
A strong server, Brady hit seven aces and 22 winners, upping her level as Pegula faded to finish the match with 39 unforced errors.
“We’re such good friends. I know we will have many more tough battles,” Brady said of Pegula.
“I felt the pressure from her. She’s such an aggressive player.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the Premier League should be worried about a potential rise in coronavirus cases because of next month’s international break.
City are away to Everton on Wednesday in a game that was postponed on 28 December, four hours before kick-off.
It came during a period when City, Newcastle, Fulham and Aston Villa were forced to call matches off and shut their training grounds after a surge in positive tests, which sparked fears the season would have to be paused.
The situation has eased massively, with the latest Premier League figures released on 14 February showing just two positives out of the 2,915 players and club staff tested over the previous seven days.
But Guardiola feels a problem is looming in the form of next month’s international games.
World Cup qualifiers are due to take place in South America, Asia, North and Central America, and Europe, while in Africa, the final group matches of the Cup of Nations qualifiers have been arranged.
“The Premier League should be concerned about this,” said Guardiola.
“The only way to be protected from this virus is to stay at home and social distance. No contact, don’t travel, don’t move. Now the players are going to their national teams and it is difficult afterwards to control it. So, unfortunately, something is going to rise.
“I would love to say it is not going to happen but from experience, it happened in two or three waves already. If you move, you take a risk to be contaminated.”
The number of positive tests occurring between the October and November international breaks was actually lower than the week immediately before the first break.
However, numbers did start to rise after the November break, going from 10 to 14 before reaching a peak of 36 in the period from 4-10 January, which was around the time when Villa and Fulham were particularly badly affected.
World governing body Fifa has said clubs do not have to release their Portuguese and South American players, although it is yet to be seen whether that will be enforced, particularly if players express their own determination to represent their countries.
English travel regulations require passengers travelling back from a ‘red list’ country – including Portugal and Brazil – to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days on their arrival.
“Now, in Britain, when I look at the BBC and see the stats about how many cases and the number of vaccines, I am really impressed,” said Guardiola.
“It’s getting much better but it is still there. When we relax a little bit it will come back again. That’s why, until spring or summer, we have to be careful.”
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane struck in the space of five minutes near the start of the second half in an away leg played in Budapest’s Puskas Arena because of Covid-19 restrictions.
It came after the Reds had fallen to three straight defeats in the Premier League – results that have led Klopp to concede defeat in their defence of the English top-flight title.
But Tuesday’s display was far more like the dominant side of last season, with their greater experience and quality ultimately telling against an error-prone German side.
“A lot of people probably expected us to slip again because of the situation, and the boys didn’t and I’m really happy about that,” Klopp told BT Sport.
“It was the game we wanted, the game we needed. Leipzig can be a real monster – they overrun teams, they are really physical and tonight we controlled them in an exceptional way.
“For two years we’ve been really good and this year we have some problems. It’s normal that the talks start – I have no problem with that. But the boys showed what they can do.”
Liverpool had largely dominated possession and created the better chances before the break but two defensive errors and two neat finishes swung the game and the tie their way.
Salah showed superb awareness to quickly latch on to a loose back-pass before finishing neatly.
Mane was then equally alert to take advantage of a fluffed attempted clearance from Nordi Mukiele to charge through and side-foot past Peter Gulacsi.
However, they had been fortunate not to fall behind inside five minutes when Dani Olmo’s header from an Angelino cross struck the base of the post.
Having managed the game well after going 2-0 up, Klopp’s side will defend their advantage at Anfield on 10 March, when they will be firm favourites to go one round further than they managed last season.
In the gap between their final group game and this, Liverpool’s season has imploded somewhat. Their long unbeaten domestic home record has come to an end, as has their challenge for this season’s FA Cup, and their last three league matches have ended in defeat – leading Klopp to wave the white flag on their title defence.
Tuesday night, though, was a much-needed reminder of the qualities that drove them to that league win and the Champions League trophy the season before it.
Having survived Olmo’s early header, they grew into the game, wresting control away from Leipzig before shellshocking opponents who reached the semi-finals of this competition last year, saw off Manchester United in this season’s group stage and currently sit second in the Bundesliga.
The game was billed as master versus apprentice, one of Germany’s finest managerial exports of the modern era in Klopp up against the country’s – possibly the continent’s – brightest young thing in Julian Nagelsmann.
It showcased a shared DNA between two sides intent on playing on the front foot in enemy territory. Players charged forward when they had the ball and harried in a high press when they did not. Fire fought with fire.
It made for a frenetic and fascinating spectacle, which tested even the most lauded of defenders and forced them into errors, chief among them Bayern Munich-bound Dayot Upamecano, who repeatedly gave the ball away as Mane and Salah buzzed around him.
Despite having the better of the first half, applying the more consistent pressure and producing the greater number of chances, Klopp’s side were unable to get their noses in front.
In the space of 30 seconds, Salah saw an effort blocked by Gulacsi after he had darted in behind the Leipzig defence before Roberto Firmino fired into the side-netting from an angle.
Mane headed over another opportunity, Robertson was inches away from the beating the back-peddling Gulacsi with an effort from near halfway and Firmino had the ball in the net but only after the ball had gone out of play before being hooked back into the middle.
However, these were all forgotten before the hour mark was reached as the German side snapped and Salah and Mane took advantage.
Leipzig never fully recovered, their only real chance of salvaging anything to take to Merseyside being a shot from an angle that substitute Hwang Hee-chan pulled wide in added time.
It represents a big foot forward towards the quarter-finals for the Reds and a first step on the road to potentially reigniting their flagging season.
Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning hat-trick as Paris St-Germain ripped Barcelona apart in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Nou Camp.
The night did not start well for last year’s runners-up when they fell behind to Lionel Messi’s 27th-minute penalty.
Messi, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, was then upstaged on his own turf by France World Cup winner Mbappe as PSG ruthlessly exposed the hosts.
Mbappe danced past Clement Lenglet and smashed in the equaliser before stroking home from 10 yards to turn the game around.
On-loan Everton striker Moise Kean continued his resurgence by heading in unchallenged at the far post to put the Ligue 1 champions in control of the tie.
With Barca looking to pull a goal back, they were caught on the counter-attack and Mbappe curled in the goal of the night with his third.
The second leg takes place on 20 March in Paris, by which time PSG hope to have Neymar back from a thigh injury to face his former side.
Mbappe’s Success
Champions League meetings between European heavyweights can often be tense, nervy encounters but this was a thrilling end-to-end clash which will live long in the memory as Mbappe took home the match ball.
The 22-year-old fell agonisingly short last season when they were beaten in the final by Bayern Munich, and the Ligue 1 champions will take some stopping again under Mauricio Pochettino.
Sacked by Tottenham in November 2019, just five months after reaching the final of this competition, Pochettino looks to be moulding a side that will be considered strong contenders led by the brilliant Mbappe.
He had netted just one goal in nine knockout games for PSG before this game, but reversed that statistic in cold-blooded fashion.
The former Monaco forward became only the third player, after Faustino Asprilla and Andrei Shevchenko, to score a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona.
He took his first majestically, trapping Marco Verratti’s delightful flick before ghosting past compatriot Lenglet and firing an unstoppable finish past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
The second was a poacher’s finish from 10 yards after the Barca goalkeeper parried the ball back into the danger area but he saved his best until last, curling in a first-time finish to stun the home side.
They should have had more but for Ter Stegen, who made superb saves to deny Layvin Kurzawa and Kean twice, but the Italian striker did find the net with a header on 70 minutes.
Though in command, PSG will know the tie is not over having been on the wrong end of a Barcelona comeback when the sides met at this stage in 2016-17, Luis Enrique’s men turning around a 4-0 deficit to win the return leg 6-1 with three late goals.
Riddled with debt and uncertainty surrounding the future of star man Messi, as well as presidential elections coming up next month, Barcelona were well beaten by their more sprightly and effervescent opponents.
Messi gave them the perfect start by converting a penalty after Frenkie de Jong was tripped in the box but it was all downhill thereafter.
They will look to a bad miss from Ousmane Dembele at 1-0, striking a weak effort straight at Keylor Navas from 10 yards out, as the turning point in the game.
Had that gone in it may well have been a tighter scoreline, and with Antoine Griezmann also missing from close range and shooting wide from the edge of the box, Ronald Koeman’s men were heavily punished at the other end.
Serena Williams is only interested in winning the Australian Open and not obsessed with equalling the record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
This was according to her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who went on to say he does not think Willams need the validation.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner is set to face Simona Halep in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park, as she fights on to win her first major title since childbirth.
Serena last won a Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2017 while she was pregnant. Since her return, she has reached four major finals but has failed to win.
“Clearly she came back to tennis to win some other Grand Slams, so that’s for sure the goal,” said coach Mouratoglou.
Now, she’s not as obsessed with the 24 than most of the people in the tennis world, but definitely she wants to win Grand Slams.
“There is tennis before the Open era and tennis after the Open era. We all know it’s two different sports. It’s an amateur sport and a professional sport. It doesn’t really make sense to compare.”
Margaret Court holds the record of most major wins – 24 – setting the record that straddled the amateur and Open eras, with 13 of her triumphs coming in the pre-professional age before 1968.
Williams lost to Halep in the final of Wimbledon in 2019. They go head-to-head again on Tuesday for a spot in the semifinals.
Manchester City powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as Ilkay Gundogan’s double inspired a 3-0 win that piled pressure on Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, while Liverpool’s problems mounted after a dismal 3-1 defeat at Leicester on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side stretched their English top-flight record run to 16 successive victories in all competitions. They are unbeaten in their last 23 matches and look odds on to win the title for the third time in the last four seasons.
Manchester United can close the gap to five points if they beat lowly West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, but City will still hold a game in hand to strengthen their grip on top spot. Tottenham were no match for the red-hot leaders on a freezing evening at the Etihad Stadium. The latest clash between old rivals Guardiola and Mourinho was a mismatch from the moment Rodri put City ahead. Gundogan has been the main man during City’s winning streak and he finished off Tottenham with two ruthless strikes. Since City last lost — at Tottenham in November — they have climbed from 13th place and overturned an eight-point gap to Mourinho’s men, who were top at the time.
In stark contrast, Tottenham have now lost five of their previous six matches in all competitions. Amid Mourinho’s awkward rifts with Gareth Bale, who came on as a late substitute, and Dele Alli, there is a growing feeling Tottenham’s season is spiralling out of control. They are languishing in eighth place, four points adrift of the top four.
Tottenham nearly took the lead in the 15th minute when Harry Kane hit the post with a superb free-kick that curled round the City wall from 25 yards. But it was City who went ahead in the 23rd minute after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg tripped Gundogan with a trailing leg. After Gundogan made it three penalty misses for City this season in their thrashing of Liverpool last weekend, Guardiola had hinted Ederson might take their next one.
City’s keeper did start moving towards the Tottenham area for a moment after the challenge on Gundogan, but he was sent back and instead Rodri stepped up to drive the spot-kick past Hugo Lloris. Their killer second goal duly arrived with a flourish five minutes after half-time. Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden combined in a blur of quick passes to carve open the Tottenham defence.
Gundogan applied the finishing touch as his close-range finish eluded Lloris’s weak attempted save. The in-form German midfielder wasn’t finished yet and in the 66th minute he sprinted onto Ederson’s long kick, gave Davinson Sanchez a subtle nudge and swivelled away from the stumbling defender before firing past Lloris. Gundogan’s 11th goal in his last 12 league games came with a frustrating coda however as he limped off injured soon after.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp admitted his side’s slim chances of retaining their English Premier League (EPL) title are over after they were beaten 1-3 at Leicester City on Saturday.
Three goals in seven minutes from James Maddison, Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes overturned Mo Salah’s opener; as Liverpool suffered their third straight defeat. The result put Leicester up to second, four points behind Manchester City, who beat Tottenham later on Saturday to stretch their lead to seven points with a game in hand. Liverpool are fourth, 13 points off the pace and short on confidence.
“I can’t believe (the question), but yes,”Klopp said, when asked if the title chase was over. “I don’t think we can close that gap this year. “We are not worrying or whatever about the title, we are not silly. We have on Tuesday a tough game (away to RB Leipzig in the Champions League)… Then on Saturday again, a derby.
‘‘So, these are the things we are thinking about. We want to have still a good season in the end, we have to win.” Liverpool gave Ozan Kabak a debut at centre-back and they were much improved for the first hour, with a number of chances to score.
And when Salah placed a superb shot into the far corner on 67 minutes after nifty footwork from Roberto Firmino, it looked like they would win it. But after Thiago gave away a free-kick on the edge of the area; eventually confirmed by video review (VAR) —- Maddison fired the free-kick into the net.
The goal was given by VAR after it was initially ruled out for offside against Daniel Amartey. For the second match in succession; Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson then made a massive mistake in a mix-up with Kabak; allowing Vardy to run in on an empty goal. Barnes finished things off with a clinical third goal, leaving Liverpool with a third straight Premier League defeat.
Liverpool full back Andy Robertson said the result was “a huge blow”. “We played with a lot of confidence for large parts of the game —— played the ball really well,” he said. “Then I don’t know what happened in the last 10 to 15 minutes. It can’t happen in a game like this. We really need to look at that. Every game is massive for us now. We need to put an end to it.”
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the win over his former club. “It was a very good win. They players deserved it. “We didn’t sink when we went a goal behind. We stayed calm and the players were brilliant in that period —- a real collective team performance. “You can see the improvement in the team’s mindset. Our reaction was superb,” he said.
In another 2020/2021 EPL match, Burnley moved up two places to 15th; thanks to a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace, with Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Jay Rodriguez and Matthew Lowton scoring.
The Super Falcons will land in Antalya on Monday to participate in the fifth edition of the Turkish Women’s Cup taking place 15th – 24th February.
It will be the first outing for the African champions after the Round of 16 exit at the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France in the summer of 2019, since being shockingly edged out of the race for the Tokyo Olympics by Cote d’Ivoire penultimate autumn.
It is also the first call of new Head Coach, American Randy Waldrum, with the squad he is expected to mould into credible competitors for honours at global level.
Ukraine, Serbia, India, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan and Equatorial Guinea are among teams confirmed so far for the 10-day tourney, though Tokyo Olympics-bound Zambia have pulled out for undisclosed reasons.
Nine-time African champions Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea’s Nzalang Nacional have been lumped into the same pool alongside Uzbekistan, with the Guineans handed an opportunity to address a 6-0 spanking by the Nigerians in the group phase of the 2018 Women Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ghana.
Also known as the Alanya Gold City Cup, the tournament ranks as one of the most notable events on the women’s football calendar worldwide.
The Falcons will aim to become the first African side to triumph at the tournament, following the third pplace finish by Ghana’s Black Queens last year. Chile won the trophy with Hungary as runner-up.
Poland (2017) and France (2018 and 2019) are the other previous winners of the Alanya Gold City Cup.
Nigeria’s Head Coach Waldrum has invited 23 players, mostly from the group that reached the Round of 16 at the World Cup in France.
Manchester City broke the English football record for consecutive wins by a top-flight club by beating Swansea 3-1 on Wednesday to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals. Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling, and Gabriel Jesus were on target for the visitors, who extended their winning run in all competitions to 15 games. Victory was also Pep Guardiola’s 200th in 268 games as City boss, with the Premier League leaders still on course for a historic quadruple of trophies. Guardiola’s men hold a five-point lead with a game in hand at the top of the Premier League, face Tottenham in the League Cup final in April and resume their challenge to win a first Champions League in the last 16 against Borussia Monchengladbach later this month. “It is amazing for ourselves, we cannot deny how pleased and proud we are to break this record,” said Guardiola. “Records are there to be broken, but they have to do well (to beat it). “It is not easy in the modern era to make 15 wins in a row.” Despite the congested schedule, Guardiola characteristically named a strong side for the trip to south Wales with Sterling, Rodrigo, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan retaining their places from Sunday’s 4-1 win away to Liverpool. Walker has lost his place as first choice right-back due to Joao Cancelo’s excellent form.
The England defender took his chance to impress with a rare goal to open the scoring on 30 minutes when his tantalising cross avoided everyone in the middle and nestled in the bottom corner. City quickly turned their complete control of the game into a commanding lead inside the first five minutes of the second half. Firstly, Rodrigo released Sterling to slot home his 11th goal of the season with a calm finish.
Jesus then controlled and slammed home Silva’s header back across goal, allowing Guardiola to replace Sterling, Silva and Gundogan early with an eye to Tottenham’s visit to the Etihad on Saturday. But Rodrigo hobbled off with an ankle injury 20 minutes from time that will concern the City boss. Morgan Whittaker pulled a goal back for the Swans 13 minutes from time, but Steve Cooper’s men can now fully concentrate on their quest to gain promotion to the Premier League for the rest of the season.
Getafe’s Spanish defender Marc Cucurella (L) challenges Real Madrid’s midfielder Marvin Park during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Getafe CF at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Valdebebas, on the outskirts of Madrid on February 9, 2021.
Real Madrid’s Marvin Olawale Akinlabi Park – who is of Nigerian origin – was on Tuesday handed his first senior start for the club as the Los Blancos defeated Getafe 2-0 in a Spanish La Liga match. Coach Zinedine Zidane named the 20-year-old born to a Nigerian father and a South Korean mother in the lineup as the multiple European champions moved within five points of league leaders, Atletico Madrid.
The fleet-footed right-winger had before now impressed for the team’s youth sides and did not disappoint in his first start for the club. He made his debut for the Spanish giants in their 2020/21 league opener against Real Sociedad, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute.
“An attacking-minded midfielder who is a danger when he joins the attack, his ability in one-on-one situations also makes him a threat,” Real Madrid wrote about the youngster who joined them in 2016 after a spell with English side, Tranmere Rovers. “He took his first steps in the game in his native Balearic Islands and possesses a very direct style, which fully exploits his pace and power. He also has a fine ability with both feet.” The midfielder caught the former French legend’s eyes in a friendly against Getafe in September 2020.
He was, however, away from the first team before making a return to the senior side for last weekend’s game against Huesca. The youngster had replaced Ferland Mendy, playing in the right-wing in his second senior match for the Madrid-based club. Marvin played a key role in the club’s UEFA Youth League, bagging two assists in the semi-finals and one more in the final last season.
Footballer, Jerome Boateng has left Bayern Munich’s Club World Cup camp in Qatar following the tragic news about his ex-girlfriend model, Kasia Lenhardt.
The 25-year-old Polish model was found dead at a luxury apartment thought to belong to Boateng in Berlin’s upmarket Charlottenborg neighbourhood on Tuesday night by police who say the death is not being treated as suspicious.
A Berlin police spokesman said: ‘Yesterday at around 8.30 p.m. there was a police operation in Charlottenburg on suspicion of suicide. A lifeless person was found in the home. There are no indications of third-party involvement.
The sad event occurred on her son’s sixth birthday and a week after the couple had only split last week.
After the news of Kasia’s death broke on Wednesday morning it was confirmed in the afternoon that Boateng would be returning to Germany.
German champions, Bayern are due to play Mexican club Tigres UANL in Thursday’s Club World Cup final but Boateng asked to leave the team for personal reasons.
‘We were all really taken with it,’ Bayern boss Hansi Flick told a virtual news conference on Wednesday.
‘Jerome was in my room and asked me to go home. From the club side, we also fulfilled his wish.
‘After the corona test, which he also needs to enter Germany, he will travel home and will not be available to us until further notice.’
‘Jerome came to me and asked me to return home. After a negative (COVID-19) test he will return home and not be available until further notice.’
Speaking about Lenhardt’s death, a friend told MailOnline: ‘Yesterday was her son Noah’s birthday. Kasia was at home on her own. A member of her family called the police because they could not get hold of her and they were worried.
‘She died a week after Jerome gave an interview in which he said their relationship was over. He said some really nasty things about Kasia. She was very upset by it.’
Her death was confirmed by fellow model Sara Kulka who wrote a tribute post on Instagram, cryptically saying: ‘I hope the truth comes out now, I know how much you wished it would’
Sharing a photo of both of them, Sara wrote: ‘Rest in peace. You wonderful person, I miss you and would have loved to say goodbye.
‘I hope you find your peace now and I hope the truth comes out now, I know how much you wished it would.
‘I will never forget you, I don’t know anyone who could laugh like you. I send a lot of strength to the family.’
Lenhardt had been dating 32-year-old Boateng for 15 months before their relationship crashed on February 2 amid bitter accusations of blackmail and infidelity.
German news outlet Bild exclusively revealed that Kasia had been involved in a car accident in the footballer’s Mini on January 5, resulting in the vehicle being a write-off.
After crashing into a street lamp, Kasia was taken to hospital where she was found to have 0.6 per thousand alcohol in her blood.
Shortly after the crash, Boateng publicly ended his relationship with Kasia on Instagram.
He wrote: “As is known from the media, I ended the relationship with Kasia Lenhardt.
“We will go our separate ways from now on. That is regrettable, but for my family and for me it is the only right one.
“I had to take this step and draw a line. I apologise to everyone I’ve hurt especially with my ex-girlfriend Rebecca and our children.
“I am disappointed in myself too. A man has to take responsibility and act in the interests of his family and I’m doing it now.
“I wish Kasia all the best. Jerome Boateng.”
Kasia responded by saying she had ended the relationship because of the World Cup winner’s “lies and constant infidelity”.
She also branded Boateng ‘the devil’ and vowed to ‘speak up’ and ‘fight back’ once she had recovered from the break-up.
‘I will definitely speak up, but I have to collect myself. Please give me time. I will fight back! Because I’ve never been so deceived, used, and lied to. Give me a moment,’ she wrote.
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka both advanced to the second round of the Australian Open after cruising past their opponents in Monday’s round one.
It was however not so for three-time Grand Slam champion, Angelique Kerber, who was beaten 6-0 6-4 by American Bernarda Pera.
Kerber becomes the first seeded player to crash out of the tournament, with the German 23rd seed saying the two-week quarantine in Australia had affected her form.
Williams had an easy win as she opened her Grand Slam journey with a 56-minute demolition of Laura Siegemund.
Serena thrashed her German opponent 6-1 6-1 at the Rod Laver Arena, as she pursues a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.
US Open champion Osaka also made a convincing start with a 6-1 6-2 win over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
French Open champion Iga Swiatek also raced into the second round with a 6-1 6-3 win over Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Sports has expressed optimism over the return of the national Principals’ Cup as it hopes to discover young talents across the country.
The Principals’ Cup is a football competition amongst secondary schools, aimed at fostering national unity, and also identifying local football talents at the grassroots level.
The competition, which has produced many ex-internationals, was very popular in the 80’s and 90’s but was abandoned until its recent revival by the Minister, Sunday Dare.
According to a statement by Dare’s special adviser (media), John Joshua-Akanji, the Principals’ Cup will not only be about football, but will include other sporting activities.
”The National Principals’ Cup is back, one of the bedrock of grassroots sports development,” he told newsmen in Abuja.
“The likes of Segun Odegbami, Henry Nwosu, Late Stephen Keshi, Daniel Amokachi, Victor Ikpeba , Joseph Dosu, Tajudeen Disu, Ganiyu Ajide , among others were all products of the Principals’ cup and they all donned the green white green national jersey.
“The fact that we can discover young talents from secondary schools and nurture them to stardom made us focus on reviving the competition.
“The Principals’ cup is kicking off soon across the federation because talents abound everywhere.
“The competition is not restricted to only football but other sports like Boxing, Badminton, table tennis and athletics.
“This is to ensure that the competition stands the test of time with sustainable improvements,” he added.
Singing or chanting will be discouraged at the re-arranged Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in a bid to safeguard against the spread of coronavirus.
Instead, those attending the Olympics – due to begin on 23 July – and Paralympics – set to start on 24 August – will be encouraged to clap in order to show support.
The suggestion is one of a number of rules detailed in a ‘Playbook’ published by organisers.
The first Playbook is aimed at members of international federations and technical officials but further versions due to be published will be aimed at athletes and media.
The move to highlight the processes in place to ensure a safe Games comes as organisers stress they are committed to a “successful and safe delivery” of the Games, despite Tokyo currently being in a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Under a page titled “think hygiene” the Playbook says individuals should “support athletes by clapping and not singing or chanting”.
In addition attendees will have to complete a “14-day activity plan” detailing “all your planned activities”, including travel and accommodation plans.
While the first Playbook is not aimed at athletes, it would also appear competitors may not be allowed to attend other sporting events at the Games.
It states “you must not visit Games venues as a spectator” and “you must not visit tourist areas, shops, restaurants or bars and gyms” for the first 14 days from arrival.
“You must only leave your accommodation to go to Official Games Venues and limited additional locations,” the Playbook adds.
‘Attend at your own risk’
Rules state face masks should be worn at all times “unless outside or two metres away from others”
The first Playbook, published jointly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, says the aim is to keep participants and the people of Japan safe.
The plans stress, however, that risk cannot be “fully eliminated” and that attendees do so “at your own risk”.
A vaccination will not be compulsory for those attending the Games, although a negative Covid-19 test in the four weeks leading up to the event will be, while athletes will be be tested a minimum of every four days during the Games.
Attendees must adhere to the rules outlined in their Playbook or risk having their accreditation or right to be at the Games withdrawn.
Further guidelines include avoiding enclosed spaces and physical contact “including hugs and handshakes”, and that public transport should not be used unless permission is given.
IOC president Thomas Bach has repeatedly stressed that the Games will go ahead despite speculation to the contrary.
IOC executive director Christophe Dubi said: “We each have our part to play. That’s why these Playbooks have been created – with the rules that will make each and every one of us a sound, safe and active contributor to the Games.
“We know these Olympic Games will be different in a number of ways. For all Games participants, there will be some conditions and constraints that will require flexibility and understanding.
“You will see that we have asked for an activity plan, why? Not because we want to restrict the freedom, but because we want to make sure that all activities are taking place safely and in case there is an issue everybody can be informed properly and traced back, people can be contacted when needed.
“By committing to following the Playbooks we will be stronger together. In return, the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be remembered as a historic moment for humanity, the Olympic Movement and all those contributing to their success.”
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