Greece, Italy promise Turkey aid after earthquake

Greece has offered aid following strong earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday morning.

Greece’s head of government, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said the country would help immediately despite tension between his country and Turkey.

Mr Mitsotakis said Greece had rescue teams with extensive experience in earthquake-hit regions.

The two NATO members had helped each other during major earthquakes in Turkey and Greece in 1999.

The “earthquake diplomacy” ushered in a phase of détente at the time.Italy’s civil defence also offered help, according to the government.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is following the situation in the disaster area, expressing sympathy to those affected.

The tremor hit south-eastern Turkey and north-eastern Syria on Monday morning.

Both countries reported hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injuries.

Italy ‘blocks’ vaccine shipment to Australia

The Italian government has blocked the export of an Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shipment to Australia.

The decision affects 250,000 doses of the vaccine produced at an AstraZeneca facility in Italy.

Italy is the first EU country to use the bloc’s new regulations allowing exports to be stopped if the company providing the vaccines has failed to meet its obligations to the EU.

The move has been backed by the European Commission, reports say.

AstraZeneca is on track to provide only 40% of the agreed supply to member states in the first three months of the year. It has cited production problems for the shortfall.

In January, then Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte described delays in vaccine supplies by both AstraZeneca and Pfizer as “unacceptable” and accused the companies of violating their contracts.

The EU has been widely criticised for the slow pace of its vaccination programme.

Under the EU vaccine scheme, which was established in June last year, the bloc has negotiated the purchase of vaccines on behalf of member states.

There has been no official comment on the Italian move by Australia, the EU or AstraZeneca.

Australian Labor MP Peta Murphy gets vaccinated - 23 February
image captionVaccinations began in Australia last week using the Pfizer jab

Australia began its vaccination programme last week using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. It was due to start inoculations with the AstraZeneca jab on Friday.

A bigger impact in Italy than Ronaldo? Milan ‘GOD’ Ibrahimovic performing miracles with Pioli

The Swede continues to rub some people up the wrong way with his egotistical public persona, but the 39-year-old’s performances command respect

After Romelu Lukaku sealed a 4-2 victory for Inter in February’s Milan derby, the Belgian striker declared: “There’s a new king in town.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic bided his time before finally finding himself in in the perfect position to reply last Saturday week.

“Milano never had a king,” the Swede argued after netting both goals in AC Milan‘s 2-1 win over Inter at San Siro, “they have a GOD.”

It was a bombastic statement entirely in keeping with Ibrahimovic’s public persona – but it is easy to understand why the forward has a ‘Messiah Complex’.

He cast himself as a saviour when he returned to San Siro in January, and has been performing miracles ever since. At 39 years of age, he has emerged as the most influential character in Serie A.

“In Italy, he has shifted the balance more than Cristiano Ronaldo,” former Milan and Juventus coach Alberto Zaccheroni told Il Giornale earlier this week.

“It is no coincidence that many young players have grown exponentially since his arrival.”

And Zaccheroni is right. It is hardly Ronaldo’s fault that he has not had as big a sporting impact on Juventus, of course. He joined a team that had already won seven successive Serie A titles; two more Scudetti were considered a formality.

Ibra has yet to win a trophy in his second stint at Milan but has had a transformative effect on an entire club; one that has not participated in the Champions League since 2014.

And while his numbers are impressive (12 goals and five assists in Serie A in 2020), it is his influence on the dressing that has been truly incredible.

Milan have the youngest squad in Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues – Ibrahimovic’s experience has, thus, proven invaluable. Team-mates have been lining up to praise the striker for the way in which he leads by example in each and every training session.

Fabio Capello, though, is not in the least bit surprised that Ibrahimovic is still playing at 100 per cent.

“Zlatan is a particular player,” the former Milan and Juve coach told Gazzetta dello Sport last week. “He unites an elevated level of professionalism with a larger-than-life personality.

“He manages to be decisive even at 39 because he doesn’t play to participate; he plays to win. A champion like him is a driving force for the entire group.

“The youngest players at Milan see Ibra working at the maximum in training and they think: if someone like him works so hard during the week, we cannot hold back.”

Still, to solely credit Ibrahimovic with responsibility for the Rossoneri’s resurgence would do a great disservice to countless others at a club where everyone is pulling in the same direction for the first time in years.

When Marco Giampaolo was sacked last October, Milan were a mess, 13th in the Serie A standings, with their entire project in serious danger of total collapse – again.  

CEO Ivan Gazidis began thinking about entrusting almost sole control of the sporting side of the club to Ralf Rangnick, the mastermind behind Red Bull’s footballing empire.

Stefano Pioli was, thus, considered nothing more than a stop-gap solution; a safe pair of hands tasked only with restoring stability before the German’s belated arrival for the start of the 2020-21 season.

A journeyman coach with a quiet, unassuming demeanour and a modest record, Pioli was christened ‘The Normal One’. But as the Gazzetta asked after the derby win, “Are we really sure that he’s the Normal One?”

Not really, not anymore.

Pioli may be a genuinely nice guy, humble, dignified and down to earth, but what he is doing is truly special. Ahead of Monday’s game against Roma, Milan are the only side left in this season’s ‘Big Five’ leagues with a 100 per cent record.

But the Rossoneri’s remarkable run stretches far further back than September. Their form since the coronavirus-enforced suspension of play in March is astounding. Since the Serie A restart, Milan have played 16 games, winning 13 and drawing the other three. No team in the ‘Big Five’ is on a longer undefeated streak.

In addition, Milan have now scored in 24 Serie A matches in a row for the first time since 1973, while it has been 56 years since they last scored two or more goals in 10 successive games.

Ibrahimovic has been crucial, of course, adding a whole new dimension to the attack. As coaching icon Arrigo Sacchi pointed out, when Milan were under pressure against Inter, they were able to just launch the ball forward to their centre-forward, knowing full well that he had the measure of every single Nerazzurri defender.

However, Pioli’s masterful decision to redeploy Hakan Calhanoglu as a trequartista in a 4-2-3-1 formation has turned a previously inconsistent talent into one of the most effective attackers in Europe over the past four months.

The Turkey international is not the only player to have benefitted enormously from Pioli’s appointment either; Franck Kessie is finally fulfilling his enormous potential, having formed a formidable midfield partnership with the classy Ismael Bennacer.

The pair are playing so well, in fact, that summer signing Sandro Tonali – one of the most exciting young talents in Italian football – is having to regularly make do with a seat on the bench, which also serves to underline the strength of this Milan side.

Indeed, they are presently defending as well as they attack, conceding just once in four games so far this season. Captain Alessio Romagnoli has been a colossus at the back, but Simon Kjaer’s contribution cannot be overstated.

The well-travelled Dane arrived alongside Ibrahimovic during the winter window – the kind of inspired low-cost signings that sporting director Paolo Maldini is starting to specialise in – and immediately helped shore up the defence.

“I think it all changed in January,” Pioli admitted after the derby, “when we brought in players who were more suited to our style of football and filled the gaps that we had in the squad.”

He makes it sound so simple, so straightforward, so easy. But it is anything but. What Ibra is doing with this supporting cast is extraordinary. What Pioli is doing with this squad just as remarkable.

A top-four finish is now a realistic target. Ibrahimovic is even engaging in title talk, which is hardly surprising, of course: he says they would have won last season’s Scudetto if he has arrived at the start of the campaign rather than halfway through it.

Pioli, though, is wisely playing down their title prospects at such an early stage of the season, arguing, “There are currently four or five teams in Serie A that are stronger than us on paper.”

On the pitch, though, there are few teams in better form in Europe – let alone Italy.

Ibrahimovic may not really be a God, but he and Pioli are proving a match made in heaven at Milan.

POWERFUL STORM HITS FRANCE AND ITALY

More than two people have died and up to 20 are still missing after a powerful storm hit south-eastern France and north-western Italy.

The storm brought fierce winds and torrential rain.

A number of villages north of Nice in France suffered serious damage from floods and landslides, with roads, bridges and homes destroyed.

What’s the latest in France?

French Prime Minister Jean Castex has deployed the army and released emergency funds to tackle the worst floods for decades in south-eastern France.

Up to 20 people are either missing or have not checked in with relatives.

“There are very many people of whom we have no news,” Mr Castex said.

Flood damage in Saint-Martin-Vesubie, south-eastern France

Bernard Gonzalez, prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes region, said: “Just because their loved ones haven’t been able to get in touch doesn’t mean that they have been taken by the storm.”He said the prospect of more rain was “a worry”.

Meteorological agency Météo-France said 450mm (17.7in) of rain fell in some areas over 24 hours – the equivalent of nearly four months at this time of year, reports Reuters news agency.

The southern Alps region appeared the worst hit, with serious damage in the Roya, Tinée, Esteron and Vésubie valleys.

The villages of Saint-Martin-Vésubie and Rimplas were cut off, with roads inaccessible.

A collapsed bridge on the Vésubie river due to heavy rains from Storm Alex in Roquebillière, France, on 3 October 2020
A collapsed bridge after heavy rains hit the village of Roquebillière in southern France
People walk on a collapsed road along the Vésubie river that was partially washed away because of heavy rains brought by Storm Alex in Roquebillière, France, on 3 October 2020
A road in Roquebillière was partially washed away during the storm

One 29-year-old resident of Roquebillière told Agence France-Presse: “I lost everything but we are alive. There must be one room left in my house.”

Two elderly people were swept away as their house collapsed in the village and their fate is unknown.

On Friday, the storm also buffeted France’s western Atlantic coast, causing tens of thousands of homes to lose power.

Winds of more than 180km/h (112mph) were recorded in Brittany on Thursday and Friday.

LATEST IN ITALY

In north-western Italy, flooding was described as “historic”. A section of a bridge over the Sesia river collapsed

The two fatalities were a 53-year-old firefighter in the Aosta Valley who died during a rescue operation, and a 36-year-old man whose car was swept into a river in the Piedmont region. His brother managed to get out of the car.

A section of a key bridge over the Sesia river in Piedmont’s Vercelli province collapsed shortly after it had been reopened on Saturday afternoon.

Damaged caused to a road near Cuneo in Italy's Piedmont region
Damaged caused to a road near Cuneo in Italy’s Piedmont region

In the rest of Piedmont, several villages were cut off after the rains made roads impassable. The situation there was described as “extremely critical” by officials.

Piedmont President Alberto Cirio told La Stampa that 630mm of rain had fallen in 24 hours, an amount “unheard of since 1954”.

Hundreds of aid workers have been sent to help rescue efforts in the cut-off villages.

The storm also affected the north-western regions of Lombardy and Liguria. The Roja river in Ventimiglia has also flooded.

Flood alerts remain for sections of the Po river which have swollen by 3m in 24 hours.

One good piece of news was the rescue of about 20 people reported missing by Italian authorities just over the border in France.

Venice's newly built Mose system went into operation
Venice’s newly built Mose flooding system

The city of Venice, which had been braced for high waters after suffering violent storms in August, was successfully protected by a flood barrier system recently declared fully operational.

Juventus re-sign €10.7m midfielder Mandragora from Udinese

Jurgen Klopp insists his Liverpool players have the hunger and desire to challenge for another league title.

The 23-year-old Italy international returns for a second spell at the club, though he will remain in Udine on loan for a season

Juventus confirmed the signing of Rolando Mandragora for €10.7million (£10m/$13m), but the midfielder will remain at Udinese on loan.

The one-time Italy international left Juve on a permanent deal in 2018 and has since become a regular at Udinese.

But the Serie A champions confirmed the signing of Mandragora on Saturday, although the 23-year-old will stay in Udine.

The fee will be paid across two seasons, with Mandragora – who has signed a contract with Juve until 2025 – staying on loan at Udinese for 2020-21.

Udinese also hold an option to extend that loan through 2021-22.

While the loan is free, Juventus said Udinese may receive bonuses up to €6m (£5m/$7m).

Mandragora has been sidelined since June after suffering a knee injury, missing the run-in as Udinese eventually finished 13th.

Born in Naples, Mandragora began his senior career at Genoa, making his Serie A debut against Juve in 2014.

He impressed while on loan at Pescara in 2015-16 and signed for Juve the following summer, but made only one league appearnace before being sent on loan to Crotone and eventually sold to Udinese.

Mandragora represented Italy at five youth levels and was a regular for his country’s under-21 side, but he is yet to add to his solitary senior cap. The midfielder made his bow for Roberto Mancini’s side in a friendly defeat to France in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup.

Mandragora arrives as Juve’s fourth major signing of the summer.

Arthur arrived in a big-money move from Barcelona early in the window, with Alvaro Morata signed from Atletico Madrid and Weston McKennie brought in from Schalke.

On Saturday, defender Daniele Rugani completed a loan move to Rennes , who are preparing for their debut season in the Champions League.

“I am happy to be in Rennes,” Rugani said. “I discovered a beautiful environment. I can’t wait to start playing with my new teammates and help them as best as possible to have a great season,” Rugani said. 

“I arrive in an important championship. The Champions League is obviously a very high level but I think the club and I will have the opportunities to show good things in this competition. My goal is to make a fresh start.”