Missing in action

Antonio Tajani is not at the meeting with the Commission of the African Union.

Antonio Tajani, Italy’s European commissioner, is a notable absentee from the European Commission’s delegation to meet the Commission of the African Union today and tomorrow (25-26 April). There are seven commissioners making up the delegation to Addis Ababa, which is headed by Commission President José Manuel Barroso, but Tajani is not among them. It cannot be that his portfolio is not deemed relevant, given his legislative proposals on extractive industries, which could have a massive effect on Africa’s large mining and energy concerns. It is unlikely to be reluctance on the part of an Italian to visit the former Abyssinia. Perhaps it is just that Italian politics is too exciting to miss at the moment. Tajani is spending the next few days in Italy, culminating this Sunday in a meeting with journalists in Perugia. Unmissable.

The Norwegian has netted 12 goals in his first 10 games for Dortmund since joining from Red Bull Salzburg in January

Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland says despite the fine start he has made to life at his new club the best is yet to come as he chases Bundesliga glory.

Haaland scored twice against Dortmund’s Champions League opponents Paris Saint Germain when the sides met in the first leg in Germany three weeks ago.

The Norwegian has netted 12 goals in his first 10 games for Dortmund since joining from Red Bull Salzburg in January.

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He has helped the team climb to second in the Bundesliga, just four points behind champions Bayern Munich, and will be looking to play another key role when Lucien Favre’s team face PSG at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

“Yes, ok, I scored two goals, but I also made a lot of mistakes during this match,” Haaland told France Football of his match-winning performance against the French champions. “So let’s say it could have been much better than that.”

PSG sit 12 points clear of second-place Marseille in Ligue 1 with a game in hand after their match with Strasbourg was postponed at the weekend over coronavirus fears.

Haaland and Dortmund will come up against France international Kylian Mbappe in Paris, who himself is the Ligue 1 champions’ runaway top scorer this season with 30 goals in all competitions.

“[Mbappe] is a fantastic player,” Haaland said. “It was the first time I played against him in the first leg. He has so much talent, and even more.

“He is an extraordinary player. Everything he did at his age and when you look at his record, it’s completely crazy. He’s a great player. ”

Haaland was hotly tipped to be about to join Manchester United during the January transfer window before the Old Trafford side reportedly cooled their interest, enabling Dortmund to steal in.

He is targeting the German top-flight golden boot but insists individual records are not as important as team achievements.

“I came to Dortmund as a normal football player, and I am still a normal football player. It doesn’t change. But it’s nice to hear good, it means I’m doing good things,” Haaland said.

“I want to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga. But I’m not someone who always thinks about records. It’s not my thing. I think about my team and help them as best I can. Nothing else.”

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Pisani-Ferry heads for Paris

Head of think-tank to work for French prime minister’s office.

Jean Pisani-Ferry, who for the last eight years has been the head of Bruegel, an economics think-tank in Brussels, has been appointed director of the French prime minister’s economic policy planning staff.

Pisani-Ferry is leaving Bruegel eight months early, before the end of his third three-year term as Bruegel director. The think-tank’s statutes do not permit a fourth term.

Aged 61, Pisani-Ferry served a previous French government as head of its centre for economic analysis, and worked as an economic adviser to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was then finance minister. His father, Edgard Pisani, was a European commissioner between May 1981 and December 1984.

Pisani-Ferry’s economic line is more market-friendly than some in the current French government. His policy advice could prove very important, particularly in influencing the delicate relations between the French government and the European Union institutions. As part of the changes in economic governance of the eurozone, the European Commission has recently acquired new powers to demand economic reform of national governments.

In an article published two months ago, on the eve of the Commission’s publication of country reports, Pisani-Ferry wrote: “The Commission should request from Paris a serious plan for public spending cuts in the years to come. The French 2013 adjustment was mostly based on tax increases. The government has announced that further consolidations would be expenditure-based and it has pencilled €60bn in cuts. This is however a rather weak commitment because President Hollande has not spelled out precise priorities, let alone targets.

“So the Commission should condition flexibility for 2013 on a decision by Paris on the targets, timetable and process for a comprehensive public spending review. It is not enough to say that some government spending will be cut. France must say which and when.”

Guntram Wolff, Bruegel’s deputy director, has been appointed acting director while the search for a successor continues.

The Giallorossi’s meeting with the La Liga outfit is now likely to be called off due to the COVID-19 outbreak

Roma will not travel from Italy to Sevilla for a round of 16 Europa League clash on Thursday, after their plane was denied authorisation to land in Spain due to measures being put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The two sides were due to meet in a first leg-clash at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, which now looks set to be postponed due to decision.

Roma have released an official statement on social media confirming the news, which reads: “AS Roma will not go to Spain for the Europa League match against Sevilla due to lack of authorization from local authorities. More details will be announced by UEFA.”

Italy is currently in lockdown over the coronavirus outbreak, with significant travel restrictions in place across the country.

There have been over 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Italy, where 631 people have died.

Spain is also one of the worst-affected countries in Europe as there have been over 2,000 confirmed cases and 47 deaths.

Several airlines have already stopped flying to Italy during the outbreak.

More to follow.

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The former Man Utd midfielder and Tottenham forward are doing their part to help those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in their homeland

Former Manchester United star Park Ji-sung and Tottenham attacker Son Heung-min have each donated £65,000 to victims of the coronavirus in South Korea.

Over 7,300 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in South Korea, with more than 50 deaths recorded to date, making it one of the worst-affected countries outside mainland China, where the outbreak is believed to have originated.

Two of the best South Korean players to have graced the Premier League have made sizeable donations, with Park donating to Childfund Korea and Son to non-profit organisation Good Neighbours International, with the humanitarian group currently on the frontlines of the crisis in Asia.

Ex-United midfielder Park said after contributing to an ongoing relief project: “Although I’m staying in the UK, I’d like to help children who are suffering from the current situation in South Korea due to the severe coronavirus outbreak.”

Son returned home to Seoul last month to undergo surgery on a fractured arm, and is not expected to recover in time to return to action for Tottenham before the end of the season.

Upon his arrival back in the United Kingdom, the 27-year-old went into self-isolation at his home in London as a precautionary measure to contain any possible spread of the coronavirus.

Son has matched Park’s donation to South Korean victims, with a combined total of £130,000 going towards providing extra “protection” for those at risk of infection.

“I wish that this could help that the virus won’t spread further, and especially to help to the people in a vulnerable situation to get help and protection,” said Son.

The coronavirus crisis has caused major disruptions to the football calendar in Europe, with the completion of the 2019-20 campaign set to be delayed in several countries.

Serie A has already postponed until early April, while La Liga, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 are all scheduled to play behind closed doors, with UEFA also confirming that a number of last-16 Champions League ties will be played behind closed doors.

Valencia’s second-leg showdown against Atalanta was staged at an empty Mestalla on Tuesday, with the Italian outfit progressing to the quarter-finals 8-4 on aggregate after winning 4-3 on the night.

Supporters have also been banned from attending Paris Saint-Germain’s meeting with Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes on Wednesday, with Barcelona vs Napoli and Bayern vs Chelsea set to follow the same protocols next week.

The arrivals of Bruno Fernandes, Odion Ighalo, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James have had a big impact at Manchester United

As Manchester United recorded their third victory over Manchester City in all competitions this season, at Old Trafford on Sunday, there were plenty of positives for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to take away.

Joining Jurgen Klopp in an illustrious group of only two managers to have outsmarted the Catalan three times in one campaign, the smile could not be wiped from the Norwegian’s face. And who could blame him?

It wasn’t that long ago fans were calling for the treble winner to be sacked as United struggled in the league but now, after a 10-game unbeaten run which has seen them close the gap on fourth-placed Chelsea to just three points, things are looking up in M16 and the euphoria from Sunday afternoon’s 2-0 win will linger.

The tactical awareness displayed by Solskjaer yet again silenced his critics but one of the biggest positives from the derby victory, and the recent run of good results, is that it is further vindication the club’s change in transfer strategy in the last 18 months is paying off.

Since the former forward took permanent charge at Old Trafford United have made five signings and they’ve helped to turn the club’s fortunes around. There has been plenty of finger pointing over who is to blame for United’s failure to win a league title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and quite understandably questions were raised over the club’s spending.

Hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent and yet they have struggled to mount a serious title challenge in years. But the last two windows have offered more than a glimpse of hope that the rebuild Solskjaer has so often spoken about is starting to go along the right track.

“Player signings are very systematic,” Solskjaer told Norwegian outlet TV2 this week. “It takes many hours, and there are many people and many hours of player analysis that underlie a list that is presented to me.

“And then I follow football myself, so I have wishes myself. But I have an impression on what kind of football player I want and what kind of person I want to join the club.”

That impression of young, ambitious, exciting players has helped in part lead to the acquisition of Daniel James, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and more recently Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo.

Fernandes has undoubtedly made the biggest impact out of the five. The 25-year-old has given the team a spark that was lacking. He was named Player of the Month in his first month at the club and was instrumental in the derby win at the weekend. The clever balls and intricacies which have been missing in United’s play too many times this season have returned and they no longer look like a side missing Paul Pogba.

Even Odion Ighalo, whose deadline day loan move from Shanghai Shenhua was widely criticised, is looking like an astute signing. His hold up play and clever flick led to Scott McTominay’s derby goal on Sunday and the ex-Nigeria international has had a positive impact both on and off the pitch.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s imperious display meanwhile underlined his impact this season. He won over 85 per cent of his duels, pocketed Raheem Sterling and was one of the best players on the pitch. The former Crystal Palace full-back has been a strong addition to a team that had been lacking defensively as well as offensively before the arrival of Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire.

There are plenty of positive signs as the club continue with their preparations for the summer transfer window. Clearly the recruitment strategy isn’t solely down to Solskjaer. It is still executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward who signs off the deals and Matt Judge, head of corporate development, who negotiates. But the Norwegian does have a say and an influence over how he is moulding his team.

And his first five signings have shown it is moving in the right direction. He wants at least three signings in the next window and the priority targets have already been outlined.

Talents such as Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Jude Bellingham are all of interest and if the club can have a window as successful as the one that has just passed then their rebuild could finally start to gather some momentum.    

MLS teams generally have a built-in excuse in continental play, but the hosts can only point to themselves following Tuesday’s defeat

Generally, when an MLS team loses in the Concacaf Champions League, it’s easy to see why. It’s easy to point to fitness concerns, as these matches come so early in the season. It’s easy to point to the superiority of Mexican teams, who have better rosters and much bigger budgets. It’s even easy to point to all the reasons that fit under the umbrella term “Concacaf’d”, one which anyone who has watched this competition has uttered at least a few times.

On Tuesday night, though, the Montreal Impact couldn’t blame those things. There were some questionable decisions, sure, and this was a difficult match against a very game opponent. But, on this night, the Impact can blame no one but themselves.

In Tuesday’s quarter-final clash with Honduran cinderellas Olimpia, the Impact were undone by their own mistakes in a 2-1 first leg defeat. The loss was Thierry Henry’s first as a head coach, and a harsh lesson in just how backbreaking those missteps can be. As a result, Olimpia will take a massive advantage back to San Pedro Sula, and the Impact will take home plenty of regrets from a match where they proved their own undoing.

At the start, it looked like the Impact had Olimpia on the ropes. Olimpia goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar was forced out with an apparent leg injury, forcing the visitors to turn to 22-year-old backup Alex Guity for what was just his second professional match.

Seconds later, the ball was in the back of the Impact’s net. It was a simple long ball, a headed flick on and a finish by former New England Revolution forward Jerry Bengston. The Impact had fallen asleep just moments after seemingly seizing the advantage, and Olimpia had an away goal because of it.

The second away goal? Equally inexcusable. Once again, long-ball, flick on, Bengston goal. It was as if the Impact learned nothing from their first mistake. What’s the old saying? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

To their credit, the Impact did learn from that point forward, and they saved their chances of turning this tie around because of it. Saphir Taider’s wonder-strike kept the Impact’s hopes alive in style, firing a long-range missile past Guity and into the back of the net to reignite the Olympic Stadium It was a goal worthy of the occasion and, from there, the Impact pushed for more.

And, with a few moments remaining, it appeared they got it. In the 82nd minute, the Impact were awarded a penalty for an apparent handball in the box. By the 83rd minute, it was wiped away. After consulting with the linesman, referee Adonai Escobedo waved the penalty off. Thierry Henry was irate, perhaps rightfully so, but there was nothing the former Arsenal star could do to change the referee’s decision.

There were a lot of things the Impact could have done to change the game on Tuesday, though. They could have stayed tight in those moments of weakness. They could have been smoother in the attacking end. They could have put more than three of their 20 shots on target and they could have found a way to convert their 75 percent possession into one or two more goals.

But they didn’t. The Impact weren’t undone by lack of fitness or quality. Despite Henry’s protests, they weren’t Concacaf’d. They made their own mistakes on Tuesday, and now they’ll face a difficult test in the second leg because of it. 

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The Atalanta boss hopes their memorable Champions League run will provide some comfort to fans during a difficult time for the region

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini dedicated his side’s Champions League last-16 victory against Valencia to those affected by coronavirus outbreak.

Josip Ilicic scored four goals as the Italian side won 4-3 on the night to secure an 8-4 aggregate win that sends them through to the quarter-finals in what is the club’s first appearance in the competition.

The Slovenian forward also wrote himself into the record books by becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick away from home in the Champions League and just the fourth player to score four or more in a knockout tie in the competition.

Despite being a thrilling encounter, no fans were able to see it as the game was played behind closed at the Mestalla, with authorities across Europe scrambling to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Domestic and European matches across the continent, including La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga, are to be played behind doors in the next few weeks as officials seek to limit large gatherings of people.

Italy is one of the countries to be worst-affected by the virus, particularly Bergamo in the northern Lombardy region where Atalanta are based.

People in the region have been in lockdown since last weekend, with public gatherings banned and all movement other than for work and emergency services restricted.​

That was extended to a country-wide lockdown on Monday, resulting in all sport, including Serie A, being suspended indefinitely.

It means Atalanta are unlikely to play another Serie A fixture until at least the start of next month, with the fate of their Champions League quarter-final also uncertain.

At the final whistle on Tuesday all the players held up a shirt to the cameras which had the message: “Bergamo, this is for you. Never give up!”

Gasperini hopes that the victory will provide some joy for those currently affected by the outbreak and pledged to celebrate the team’s achievements properly when the situation has eased.

“We are very happy for what this result represents for a territory that is suffering so much,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“We know that many people followed us at home, who cannot go out to celebrate. But we will have time to do it in June at the end of the championship.

“We will have a big party for everything, also for this danger that we will defeat.”

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The Premier League club revealed their stress about the global health scare with their upcoming continental match

Wolves wanted their Europa League last-16 match against Olympiacos postponed because of concerns with the spread of coronavirus.

The first leg match is set to go ahead without spectators at Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece on Thursday as the country’s government attempts to manage their coronavirus issue.

The English club revealed they issued a formal request for UEFA to postpone the match, but were left disappointed by the decision for the contest to go ahead.

They believe their stakeholders are being put at risk by the governing body’s call and cited the fact that Olympiacos’ owner Evangelos Marinakis has contracted the virus as one of the challenges.

“Our position is that the trip poses an unnecessary risks to our players, staff, supporters and the families of all who travel, at such critical and uncertain times,” a Wolves statement on their website read .

“Our concern is also for our opponents, whose players and staff have today been tested, and will now be expected to play their part in an important fixture, under the difficult and challenging circumstances of their owner suffering with the virus.

“There is also disappointment that the match will be played without home and away supporters, as that is part of what makes European competition so special, as well as the fact our fans have already contended with similar obstacles on our Europa League journey already this season.

“We believe that there are some things that are more important than football, and that the good health of our pack and the general public is one of them. However, we respect the decision of UEFA and the integrity of the competition, and we will travel tomorrow to Greece to play the fixture.

“We hope that our request to UEFA, and our acceptance of their decision, can act as the catalyst for them to consider alternative options moving forwards, as this will not be the last fixture to be affected by coronavirus.”

Many football leagues and competitions have been disrupted worldwide by the global health scare with matches being played behind closed doors in many countries as public gatherings are limited.

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Italy’s Serie A has been postponed indefinitely with the country in total lockdown until at least April 3.

Cette fois, il est mis en examen. est accusé d’avoir eu des relations tarifées avec une mineure. Le juge estime qu’il ne pouvait ignorer son âge au moment des faits. La presse se déchaîne.

Ribéry, star du Bayern de Munich n’est pas épargné par la presse allemande. Tous les quotidiens se penchent sur l’affaire Zahia, dans le cadre de laquelle le milieu de terrain a été mis en examen hier à l’issue de sa garde-à-vue. D’emblée, le Die Welt évoque la peine encourue de trois ans de prison pour relations sexuelles tarifées avec une mineure. Le Bild titre quant à lui sur le «scandale». En France, les journalistes sont un peu plus soft. On compatis presque pour le pauvre footballeur victime de la «tourmente médiatique», selon Le Parisien.

Pour Ribéry, tout va mal. Héritier de

, il avait tout de suite été adopté par le public français et son triomphe outre-Rhin en avait fait un joueur incontournable du football français. Mais les révélations de Zahia à la police, faisant part de ses «orgies» avec Ribéry et son frère ont changé la donne. Pour Le Point, «son image de gentil potache a été passablement ternie par l’affaire Zahia et son rôle dans le fiasco du Mondial 2010.»

Pour son entourage, et son avocate, Ribéry est un bouc-émissaire. Et il paie l’échec du Mondial. Quant à Karim Benzema, très vite qualifié de «caïd», il maintient qu’il n’a «rien à se reprocher». Les deux footballeurs dont la saison laisse à désirer sont maintenant menacés d’être exclus de l’Equipe de France jusqu’à ce qu’ils ne soient plus mis en examen. La planète football est en crise, et cela ne fait que commencer.

C.C.

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Mercredi 21 juillet 2010

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