Month: October 2019

Reds U-23 coach Neil Critchley says he is delighted that the highly-rated striker has signed a professional contract at Anfield

He’s a young striker with a big future – but for now Rhian Brewster must be content with “doing people’s heads in” down at Melwood.

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The Liverpool teenager is currently working his way back to fitness after a serious knee and ankle injury sustained playing for the Reds’ U-23 side in January. Brewster spent most of the summer working with the club’s rehabilitation coaches alongside the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Gomez, and hopes to resume light training in the next month.

And Neil Critchley, the U-23 manager, says the 18-year-old will be desperate to get back playing and showing people what he can do.

“I’m sure he’ll be doing a few people’s heads in down at Melwood, chomping at the bit and ready to return!” Critchley joked. “He’ll be quite restless.

“He’s a young boy who loves playing football and wants to play football, so he’ll hugely frustrated at the moment.”

Brewster ended speculation about his future at Anfield by penning a first professional contract last month, snubbing serious interest from clubs such as Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig in the process.

Having already featured on the bench for Jurgen Klopp’s senior side, the England U-17 World Cup winner told Goal in June that he was desperate to prove himself at first-team level sooner rather than later.

And Critchley believes his new Reds deal is great news for all concerned.

“It was a real pick-me-up for him and for us,” he said. “I was delighted.

“I always thought he would sign. I never thought there would be any danger of him leaving. I know how much he loves being at Liverpool. I know what the people and the club mean to him. I’m absolutely delighted that he’s decided to stay and sees his future at the football club.”

Without the injury, Brewster may well have been part of Critchley’s U-23 squad as they got their Premier League 2 campaign underway with a goalless draw at Brighton last week. On Friday, they entertain Spurs at Anfield, with the likes of Sheyi Ojo and Pedro Chirivella in line to feature. Youngsters Curtis Jones, Rafa Camacho and Nat Phillips, who spent the summer with the senior side, could also drop back down.

Critchley says he is enthused by what he has seen from his young charges in pre-season, and believes the return of Pep Lijnders to the first-team coaching staff will help his Academy stars’ prospects of catching Klopp’s eye in the future.

“Pep was only away for a short period of time, and for us as an academy, it’s great that he’s back,” he said.

“He’s a big believer in youth and developing young players. He’s obviously a good ally for us to talk to and speak to. I’m delighted that he’s back in the first-team fold.

“We’re very fortunate because we have good lines of communication, so we have access to training and watch the training, and obviously we can speak to Pep.

“We’re fortunate that we’ve got an ‘in’, so to speak, at Melwood with the first team. And that’s really important because if we’re going to give them players, we don’t want them to fail when they have an audition.

“So, any training, if they go from a completely different style of play down here or [different] types of training sessions and they go to Melwood and it’s the first time they’ve ever been in a session they’ve never done before, they could easily be like a fish up a tree and might only last a week.

“It’s not exactly the same but we try and replicate some of the sessions and how the [first] team plays because when they get up there we want it to be familiar to them.”

Liverpool will be without defender Conor Masterson against Tottenham, as he recovers from a meniscus injury sustained at the back end of last season. The Republic of Ireland U-19 international is, however, back in training and could return to action soon.

Liverpool take on Tottenham at Anfield in their Premier League 2 clash on Friday evening, kick off 7pm. Tickets are available for the game, priced £3 for adults and £1 concessions, but must be purchased in advance, before 5pm on Friday.

The Venezuelan appears poised to shatter the mark with more than two months remaining in the regular season

Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez has tied the MLS single-season scoring record with his 27th tally of the 2018 season. 

The Venezuelan struck in the 31st minute of Sunday’s match against the Columbus Crew, taking advantage of a turnover near midfield. 

Julian Gressel intercepted a wayward pass and fed Martinez, who cut the ball to his left foot and buried a shot inside the near post. 

Martinez has tied a mark set by Roy Lassiter (1996), Chris Wondolowski (2012) and Bradley Wright-Phillips (2014), but has done so at an incredibly rapid rate. 

The 25-year-old has reached the 27-goal mark in just 25 games. With nine games left after Sunday’s match, Martinez appears set to shatter the mark. 

Since joining Atlanta from Torino prior to the 2017 season Martinez has netted 46 goals in 45 games, maintaining a remarkable rate of more than one tally per game. 

With his goal on Sunday Martinez also broke the MLS record for most goals in a two-season span, besting the previous mark of 45 set by David Villa in 2016 and 2017. 

Additionally, Martinez has now scored in eight consecutive matches and is one game away from tying Diego Valeri’s record of nine set in 2017. 

Atlanta United would go on to win Sunday’s match 3-1, with Martinez also providing a late assist to Miguel Almiron.

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The Red Devils boss spent much of the summer seeking to bolster his definitive ranks, with previous additions having struggled to prove their worth

Manchester United’s recruitment under Jose Mourinho has been questioned by Paul Ince, with a centre-half storm raging on the back of previous deals for Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof.

The Red Devils bolstered their defensive ranks in 2016 and 2017, with big-money transfers pushed through for international performers.

Neither Bailly nor Lindelof have entirely convinced at Old Trafford, though, with the pair enduring a forgettable afternoon alongside one another during a 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Sunday.

Mourinho had been hoping to have more options at his disposal, having pursued the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire over the summer, but Ince feels he needs to shoulder more responsibility for additions that have already been made.

The former United midfielder told Match of the Day 2: “He spoke about not getting the centre-halves. Has he got the players he wanted to get in?

“He bought the two centre-halves and I don’t think he got them right.

“[Chris] Smalling didn’t play [against Brighton], [Phil] Jones is injured. I’m not sure he’s got the right partnership.”

While defensive frailties were highlighted against the Seagulls, United struggled as a collective to find fluency – with Paul Pogba questioning their attitude and preparation afterwards .

Ince admits these are concerning times at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils failing to deliver on expectations.

He added: “This is Manchester United. We expect better.

“You’re not always going to play well as a team.

“I’ve watched that game and I’m trying to work out what the tactics were.

“I didn’t know how Manchester United were setting up, what their game plan was. I saw it with Brighton.

“There was no cohesion, no pattern of play. What are they trying to do? What is their identity?”

United will need to have answers to those questions by the time they welcome fellow top-four hopefuls Tottenham to Old Trafford next Monday .

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The former Red Devils defender is expecting the Chilean forward to prove his class, while challenging the England star to unlock his full potential

Alexis Sanchez remains “a fantastic player” and is no Manchester United flop, says Wes Brown, with it up to the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial to do more to dislodge the Chilean.

Having invested heavily in a January addition from Arsenal, the Red Devils have kept faith with their high-profile signing through a testing start to life at Old Trafford.

Sanchez struggled to deliver during his debut campaign, netting three times in 18 appearances to see questions asked of his value to Jose Mourinho’s system.

Brown, though, believes class will shine through for a proven performer and that he will prove his worth in time.

The former United defender told the Daily Star: “I don’t think it’s not working.

“We all have faith in him, he was a fantastic player at Arsenal, he got bought in January.

“It takes a while to settle in and after one game I don’t think you can really say that. But you know he’s a fantastic talent and I’m sure he’ll be getting better all the time.”

Sanchez’s arrival during the winter window impacted on a number of those already at Old Trafford, with game time having to be shared around.

Martial is among those to have missed out more than most, leading to the Frenchman being heavily linked with a move elsewhere.

Brown said of the 22-year-old forward: “I like Martial, I really do. I know he didn’t get much game time last season but he’s a player that if I was playing against he’s just a pure threat with his speed.

“He’s a player that United have who definitely can change a game and hopefully he can get in the team.

“Players will be fighting for positions and in that area there’s a good battle going on. They’ve got fantastic players.”

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England international Rashford is another of those competing for starting berths, with the 20-year-old being challenged to prove to Mourinho that he can be indispensable.

Brown added: “I like Rashford, complete threat I would call it. I’d hate to play against him.

“I think he’s going to get better every year now, same with [Jesse] Lingard.

“They’re all sort of the same position and that’s what I mean, they’ve got to prove it, they’ve got to prove it in training, prove it to the manager and then do it in the games.

“And I’m guessing that that’s what it’ll come down to at the end of the day.”

United, who opened their 2018-19 campaign with a 2-1 victory over Leicester, are back in Premier League action on Sunday away at Brighton.

The legendary striker wanted his son to remain at Ajax for another season but is happy to see him make a bright first impression in Italy

Justin Kluivert made the right choice in joining Roma instead of making the switch to Manchester United or Barcelona this year, his father Patrick says.

The 19-year-old’s excellent performances for Ajax over the last two seasons saw him attract attention from Europe’s top sides, with reports the likes of United and Barca heavily linked.

The winger instead opted to move to Serie A to team up with Roma and made an immediate impact by setting up Edin Dzeko for the winning goal as they started their season with a 1-0 win over Torino.

Although former Barcelona and Netherlands hero Kluivert wanted his son to remain at Ajax, he is sure he will be better off in the Italian capital than he would have been in England.

“I’m very satisfied with what he is doing,” Kluivert told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “He doesn’t speak much, but he is someone who knows how to listen and is motivated, I would have liked to stay in Ajax for another year, but he chose for himself. I think Roma is a good solution.

“A jump to the Premier League would have been difficult… I think United would have been too big a jump. Roma is an important club, but the pressures are lower.

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“Roma must not win by force and it is a club that is used to good football. It is the ideal place for Justin right now. Then, who doesn’t dream of Barcelona? But Italian football is catching up and Justin can take advantage of it.”

After finishing third in the league and 18 points behind champions Juventus last season, Eusebio Di Francesco’s team are aiming for the title this time around, and Kluivert, who recently took over as Clarence Seedorf’s assistant manager at Cameroon, thinks they have a good chance.

“I hope he can win the Scudetto. Juve are the strongest, but you never know,” he added. “I would like to go to Italy soon. I’m busy with the new job, but for Justin I always have time. I want to see him win with Roma. And I want to see him happy.”

The 30-year-old believes that the club should have been more pro-active at defending him from his critics towards the end of last term

Robert Lewandowski has taken a shot at the directors of Bayern Munich, claiming they failed to protect him when he was being heavily criticised.

Although the Poland striker has scored 155 goals in 197 matches for the Bavarian side, he was the subject of scrutiny last spring, despite finishing as the Bundesliga’s top marksman with 29 goals. 

After the board seemingly failed to shield him from the critics, he grew unhappy, made clear his willingness to depart and was linked with clubs such as Real Madrid, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain .

Bayern, however, took a strong line and said they would not sell him, even if they were offered huge money.

The Pole, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Tuesday, has remained at the Allianz Arena, but that did not stop him from taking aim at the club’s leaders in Sport Bild .

“In April and May everyone criticised me. And I felt no protection from the club, I felt alone,” he admitted.

“I scored no goals in two or three important games and suddenly everyone was saying: ‘Open fire against Lewandowski!’ I did not see anyone who supported me at the time. Neither of the club bosses defended me. I did not feel good in Munich at that moment. Being at Bayern did not fit for me at that time.”

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The U-turn was prompted by the support that the forward got from the stands and now the former Borussia Dortmund striker is not thinking about a move.

“I noticed that in Munich the fans support me. I realised that they still want me here. I will never strike, never mess with the club. I’m not wasting any thought on another club now.”

Lewandowski has made a formidable start to the 2018-19 season, bagging a hat-trick in the DFL Super Cup victory over Eintracht Frankfurt then getting the only goal of the game as FCB saw off SV Drochtersen 1-0 in the DFB Pokal last weekend.

On Friday, Bayern’s defence of their Bundesliga crown begins with a home encounter against Hoffenheim, and Lewandowski is fully expected to spearhead their attack in that clash.

He already has six Bundesliga titles to his name, winning two with Dortmund before claiming the last four with FCB. 

The Blues will be hoping to carry on from their opening win but they face a proverbial wounded animal in the form of the Gunners

Chelsea welcome London rivals Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Saturday and they will be aiming to continue their strong start to the 2018-19 Premier League campaign.

Maurizio Sarri’s reign in west London got off to a splendid start last Saturday as the Blues defeated Huddersfield Town 3-0 thanks to goals from N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Pedro.

However, they will face a much sterner proposition in the form of the Gunners, who are also adapting to life under a new boss this season.

Unlike Chelsea, though, Unai Emery’s men suffered a 2-0 home loss against reigning champions Manchester City on the opening weekend and they will be keen to bounce back with a win.

Game	Chelsea vs Arsenal
Date	Saturday, August 18
Time	5:30pm BST / 12:30pm ET

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In the United States (US) the game will be shown on television on a number of channels, including NBC, UNIVERSO and Telemundo Deportes. It can also be streamed live using the NBC Sports online service.

US TV channel	Online stream
NBC / UNIVERSO / Telemundo Deportes	NBC Sports online / UNIVERSO Now

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game is being broadcast live on television on BT Sport 1 and can be streamed live using the BT Sport app.

UK TV channel	Online stream
BT Sport 1	BT Sport app

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Position	Chelsea squad
Goalkeepers	Kepa, Caballero, Green, Bulka
Defenders	Rudiger, Alonso, Moses, Zappacosta, Cahill, Christensen, Luiz, Azpilicueta, Ampadu, Emerson
Midfielders	Fabregas, Jorginho, Kante, Barkley, Drinkwater, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Pedro, Hazard, Willian, Hudson-Odoi
Forwards	Giroud, Abraham, Morata

Cesc Fabregas is still sidelined for the Blues after sustaining a knee problem during pre-season, while Eden Hazard remains on the bench as he works his way up to full match sharpness on the back of World Cup duty.

Tiemoue Bakayoko has left the club to join AC Milan on loan, but loan signing Mateo Kovacic will be pushing for some level of involvement as a substitute.

Chelsea XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Willian, Barkley, Pedro, Morata.

Subs: Caballero, Christensen, Zappacosta Moses, Hazard, Kovacic, Giroud.

Position	Arsenal squad
Goalkeepers	Cech, Leno, Martinez
Defenders	Bellerin, Sokratis, Koscielny, Lichtsteiner, Mustafi, Holding, Monreal, Jenkinson, Mavropanos, Kolasinac
Midfielders	Elneny, Mkhitaryan, Ramsey, Torreira, Maitland-Niles, Ozil, Iwobi, Guendouzi, Xhaka
Forwards	Lacazette, Aubameyang, Welbeck

Arsenal will be without Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who suffered a leg fracture, meaning that there is a change at left-back as Nacho Monreal provides cover.

Sead Kolasinac is also unavailable for the upcoming weeks as he recovers from a knee injury, while Laurent Koscielny remains a long-term absentee.

Arsenal XI: Cech, Bellerin, Sokratis, Mustafi, Monreal, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Iwobi, Aubameyang.

Subs: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Elneny, Torreira, Ramsey, Welbeck, Lacazette.

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Chelsea are 4/5 favourites to win the game according the bet365 , with Arsenal priced at 7/2. A draw between the sides is a 3/1 bet.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more .

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Chelsea and Arsenal are both navigating their way through a period of transition, with Sarri and Emery attempting to imprint their philosophies on their respective team, so there is a degree of uncertainty attached to both sides at this early stage of the season.

The opening weekend saw contrasting fortunes for either side; the Blues got their campaign off to the perfect start by making light work of Huddersfield, but the Gunners were presented with a much more difficult task against Man City and they struggled to match Pep Guardiola’s champions, despite boasting home advantage.

Of course, Chelsea and Arsenal have already met this season too, playing out a 1-1 draw in Dublin as part of the International Champions Cup during their pre-season schedule and, while Emery’s men ultimately claimed victory on penalties, there was very little to separate the teams during 90 minutes.

With three points and bragging rights at stake on Saturday, the game at Stamford Bridge will have a totally different feel to it and the Blues come into the match with the added boost of having Hazard available, so they will be feeling particularly confident. 

Arsenal, meanwhile, will be desperate to avoid a second defeat in succession, which would already see them playing catch up with their rivals in the hunt for a top-four finish, which will surely be their minimum expectation after missing out last term.

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The former France international, who is currently part of Roberto Martinez’s coaching team with Belgium, is looking to get into management

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is being considered by Bordeaux to replace Gus Poyet, with Goal of the understanding that the Frenchman has enquired about the project.

The iconic frontman, who also represented Juventus and Barcelona during his playing days, is currently part of Roberto Martinez’s coaching team with Belgium.

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That role saw the 1998 World Cup winner return to a global showpiece over the summer in Russia.

He helped Belgium to a third-place finish before deciding to quit his punditry posts for 2018-19 in order to focus on coaching.

The 40-year-old is eager to get into management and could be offered a first post back in his homeland having previously been linked with Aston Villa during pre-season.

Bordeaux are set to find themselves with a void to fill after suspending Poyet in the wake of comments from the Uruguayan criticising the club.

Henry is intrigued by the role and has asked questions about it.

It is understood that he is the preferred option for incoming owners General American Capital Partners (GACP).

American businessman Joseph DaGrosa and his GACP partners are set to take control of the Ligue 1 outfit in September.

The billionaire investor already has financial interests in MLS, where Henry brought down the curtain on his playing career with the New York Red Bulls.

DaGrosa has floated the idea of bringing the former striker on board, with Bordeaux now weighing up their options ahead of a trip to Toulouse on Sunday.

Alex Ferguson’s influence still endures for the former United star as the Portugal international begins his new chapter at Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo fell foul of Alex Ferguson during his early years at Manchester United for doing too many stepovers.

Ronaldo made his name at United, moving to Old Trafford from Sporting CP as a teenager and winning three Premier League titles along with the first of five Ballons d’Or.

The honours and plaudits continued during his record-breaking stint at Real Madrid but, even as he begins a fresh chapter at Juventus, Ferguson’s influence endures.

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“Of course, in the beginning of my career he was so important to me because I moved from Sporting to Manchester and had that Portuguese mentality – too many stepovers, decision making was not the best,” the 33-year-old told DAZN.

“So he taught me how to do it. In the Premier League they don’t fall over so easy, they are tough.

“As I’ve said many times, he taught me everything. He was like a father to me. He helped me a lot at Manchester United.”

Ronaldo spent six seasons at United following his move from boyhood club Sporting, winning three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the 2007-08 Champions League.

The Portugal international developed a close relationship with Ferguson during his time at Old Trafford and has been open with his admiration for his former manager on numerous occasions.

Upon news that Ferguson underwent emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage in May, Ronaldo was quick to offer his support to the United icon, wishing him his best in his recovery.

Ronaldo said on his Instagram: “My thoughts and prayers are with you, my dear friend. Be strong, Boss!”

Philip Reeker, the acting assistant secretary of state for Europe, leaves the Capitol in Washington after a closed-door interview Saturday about President Trump’s ouster of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Philip Reeker, a U.S. diplomat who oversees European affairs, told House members he had plans of defending Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, in the face of a smear campaign against her, but Reeker was overruled by top State Department officials, according to a person familiar with Reeker’s testimony.

In a rare Saturday hearing, Reeker sat for more than eight hours of questions from lawmakers running the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Reeker appeared under a subpoena issued by House lawmakers, despite being ordered not to cooperate by Trump.

Reeker, a career foreign servicer officer, was named the acting assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of European and Eurasian affairs in March, a few months before Yovanovitch became a political target and was removed from her post.

Just before her ouster, however, Reeker wanted to draft a strongly-worded statement from State Department officials to strike back at the attacks she was enduring in conservative media and by allies of Trump. But that letter was scotched by David Hale, the No. 3 official in the State Department, according to the person familar with Reeker’s testimony.

Yovanovitch was seen by Trump allies as an obstacle to conducting a back-channel foreign policy with Ukraine, including the freezing of nearly $400 million in military aid until Ukraine agreed to investigate Trump’s political rival Joe Biden and his son. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the impeachment inquiry a scam.

Reeker testified he was aware of a plan to freeze the military aid to Ukraine, but he did not know why it was being held up, having no direct knowledge of the alleged quid-pro-quo scheme, the person close to Reeker said.

Ukrainian policy was mostly overseen by Kurt Volker, Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union. Reeker, who had an extensive travel schedule and is the top State Department official for more than 50 countries, was not intimately involved with Ukraine at the time of the controversial call that sparked the impeachment inquiry, the individual with knowledge of Reeker’s testimony said.

Reeker, who joined the State Department in 1992, is celebrated by colleagues as an apolitical professional whose reputation is admired.

“He’s regarded as a straight-arrow professional, not a showboat,” Dan Fried, a former diplomat who retired in the beginning of the Trump administration, told NPR in an interview. “I’ve known him for a long time, and I have no idea what his politics are. He’s completely non-partisan.”

As has been the case with most of the witnesses in the impeachment inquiry, Democrats and Republicans had vastly different take-aways.

Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts said Reeker’s questioning lasted much longer than anticipated because it was “a much richer reservoir of information than we originally expected,” but he would not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina said Reeker’s weekend deposition did nothing to advance the probe.

“Is there an impeachable offense here? Was there some quid pro quo? And now you have another high-ranking State Department official who didn’t provide any support for that allegation,” Meadows said.

Backers of the impeachment inquiry say there are already plenty of witnesses whose testimony creates a sturdy foundation for impeachable offenses.

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On Tuesday, Ambassador Bill Taylor delivered explosive testimony to lawmakers in which he described a back-channel foreign policy with Ukraine, being led by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, where there was allegedly an attempt to tie military assistance to the country to Ukrainian authorities opening an investigation of the Bidens.

Like other State Department officials who have delivered testimony as part of the impeachment inquiry, Reeker was summoned after the House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed him following an attempt by the White House to block his appearance.

A whistleblower complaint, centered on a July 25 call Trump conducted with the president of Ukraine, set in motion the impeachment inquiry being pursued by three House committees. The White House released a partial transcript of the call, where Trump expressly asked the Ukranian president to look into his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter, who sat on the board of a Ukranian energy company. Trump also reminded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the U.S. sends military funds to the country.

White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney admitted to there being an apparent quid pro quo in a whirlwind press briefing this month, telling reporters that political influence in foreign policy is not unusual. “Get over it,” said Mulvaney, who later tried to mop up the comments, which Democrats said were damaging.

Fried, the former longtime diplomat, said he watched independent institutions and civil servants be sabotaged in communist countries over his career including Yugoslavia in the late-1980s, but “to see it in my own country is horrific,” he said. “I commend those like Reeker standing up against it. It shows their fidelity to their oath of office.”

Clarification Oct. 27, 2019

An earlier version of the story and an earlier headline referred to Marie Yovanovitch as the former Ukrainian ambassador. She is actually the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.