Month: April 2020

It has been suggested that the Gunners could look to raid Parkhead if they lose a prolific striker in the next window, but caution has been urged

Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard “would not be the answer” for Arsenal if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ends up leaving the club in the next transfer window, says Charlie Nicholas.

Speculation regarding a move elsewhere for the Gunners’ club captain continues to build, with no extension agreed to a contract due to expire in the summer of 2021.

With uncertainty shrouding Aubameyang’s future, potential replacements for the prolific Gabonese are being lined up.

Former Paris Saint-Germain forward Edouard, who has hit 62 goals across 126 appearances for Celtic, is said to be an option that Arsenal would be willing to explore.

Nicholas, though, is not convinced that a 22-year-old with no Premier League experience would be the best fit at Emirates Stadium, especially as he is of a similar mould to fellow Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette and would require an outlay of around £40 million ($49m).

The ex-Hoops and Gunners forward told Sky Sports: “There’s been a lot of talk of Aubameyang being sold, but Edouard would not be the answer.

“He plays differently, more like Lacazette. Aubameyang is about pace and movement. Although he likes to play the No.9 role, he does not play it as what Edouard could. Similarly, Edouard could not play in the position that Aubameyang does, out wide on the left.

“He wants to be the key figurehead of the team as the link man through the middle. For that reason, I do not see Arsenal targeting him as a replacement for Aubameyang.

“Arsenal are in a horrible position when it comes to sorting out Aubameyang’s contract offer. Barcelona and Real Madrid have been mentioned and they have the funds to buy him.

“Edouard is too similar to Lacazette, and if he was to move, it paints a different picture. Edouard would then fit into the Arsenal team as the No.9. You would still need to give him time as he’s not been playing every week against Premier League quality.

“His attitude has improved sufficiently enough to tell me he will become a top player but I am not quite convinced teams will yet be looking at him as a £40m player. But the current market, with the coronavirus likely to impact the value of players, this will play a crucial part.”

Arsenal’s preference would be to get Aubameyang tied down on a new deal, with Nicholas reiterating his calls for the Gunners to do all they can in those talks – freeing others to lead the chase for Edouard.

He added: “I just do not think Arsenal can afford to let Aubameyang’s contract run out, so they will have to renew it. Despite that, I do not see the Edouard to Arsenal link materialising, but I could certainly see him moving to the Premier League.

“He could be more suitable to Everton if they build their team in the right way. I have watched them quite a bit this season.

“Dominic Calvert-Lewin has had a purple patch but Edouard is a better technical player. He’s got more about him than Calvert-Lewin and there’s no doubt in my mind he would be a very good buy for someone.”

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The former Manchester United striker reveals a surprising name as his greatest strike partner, an unheralded name who he barely spoke to off the pitch

Dimitar Berbatov may have lined up alongside Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez at Manchester United – and Robbie Keane at Tottenham – but none of those Premier League legends make the cut as his favourite strike partner.

The Bulgarian hitman came to the English game after a successful five-year spell at Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen, where he notably reached the 2002 Champions League final only to be defeated by a Zinedine Zidane-inspired Real Madrid side.

The following season he was joined by his perfect strike partner as França was signed from Brazilian side Sao Paulo to replace club icon Ulf Kirsten. In his second season at the club, Franca scored 14 and got a league-best 13 assists, a season which saw Berbatov net 16 league goals overall.

Although Berbatov achieved more success at Manchester United with Rooney and Tevez, his perfect partner was a player who only had a fleeting career in European football.

“The likes of Rooney and Keane, we complemented each other, and that’s even if you don’t speak a lot outside the pitch,” Betfair Ambassador Berbatov told Goal. “You respect each other for what you do on the pitch.

“You see what each other can do and how you help each other get better. In turn, you help the team. Everyone wins. At Leverkusen, I had a great partnership with a guy called França. We scored so many goals. We destroyed Bayern Munich 4-1 one season.

“We both got two goals each. He didn’t speak English or German so outside the pitch we didn’t say a word. Literally nothing. Honestly, nothing. I saw how he trained and played on the pitch and the other way around.

“When we stepped on the pitch, man, it was like we were sleeping together! I was enjoying playing with that guy. Unbelievable. Not selfish. I was in a better position and he would give me the ball. When I gave him the ball, he scored.

“It was like Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke. It was unbelievable how we played together. Playing with him helped me develop. I appreciate that when I play with players better or on my level. You can always learn something.”

The 2001-02 season predated França’s time at the club but was the peak of Leverkusen’s achievements in Berbatov’s time. The club ended up completing a treble of runners-up finishes in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the Champions League.

In the 45th minute of the Champions League final in Glasgow’s Hampden Park, Zidane wrote history with a stunning volley that remains one of the competition’s all-time greatest goals. Berbatov had just come on for the injured Thomas Brdaric six minutes earlier and recalled the pain of watching the ball fly into the net.

“I didn’t expect we would get to the final. In fact, I didn’t even know or appreciate what it was,” Berbatov added. “I was just a young boy sitting on the bench. If you don’t realise the importance of a moment, then you can stop thinking what if I make a mistake?

“You want to play and enjoy. In that way, I didn’t think at all. The one thing that scared me wasn’t that it was the final of the Champions League, it was facing Raul, Zidane, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos. You sit there as a fanboy.

“This was the first time it happened to me. I came into the game in the 39th minute; you show respect for the players and you are scared to touch them, let alone tackle them. You see him going past you with the ball; you are saying Berba, f*cking tackle him. Just tackle him.

“But you cannot allow yourself to do it because you respect them. I am f*cking facing Zidane. I can’t believe it. We changed nothing for the final, played our way. We were this close to doing something.

“Zidane’s goal was one of the most beautiful ones, the first one from Raul was the ugliest ever. The second was the most beautiful. I was standing directly in the line of Zidane’s volley on the halfway line. I was watching and following the attack, Roberto Carlos’ cross and Zidane karate kick.

“You are thinking, no, no. You can’t save that. You expect it to be a goal. I was thinking please no. Someone do something to stop him. You want to see goals like this. Zidane scores goals on stages like this. That’s why he is Zidane.”

Berbatov has recently completed his UEFA A Licence and he hopes to get into coaching. He looks back proudly on his career with two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup all to his name.

It is the striker’s casual playing style that most defines that legacy. Berbatov may have been pictured with cigars and cigarettes during his playing career but he says that his refusal to smoke represents the mentality that allowed him to succeed.

“When I was a young boy in Bulgaria, everyone my age was smoking. They said: ‘Berba take a cigarette’. ‘No!’ They said: ‘Are you not a man?’ ‘Are you afraid?’ ‘You are not a man if you don’t smoke.’ I was like: ‘I will show you [I am a man], don’t worry about it, I will go my own way’.”

“You can’t tell me how to behave. I chose the way I wanted to be. I never smoked or drank like crazy. My father used to be a footballer and from time to time, he told me stories of good players who made nothing of themselves because of bad choices. It stuck in my head.

“You don’t want to be like that. You will make some bad ones but at least try to learn from mistakes. From CSKA Sofia came interest from Leverkusen. I was playing well and in the national team, I was starting to play. I was not at Mbappe or Rashford’s level, but I was in the national team.

“I left on my own, just me with my suitcase. I was protected all the time with my national team. When you are on your own, you have a language barrier; German is f*cking difficult. New language, new surroundings, different people and everything was new.

“I learned it in the end, not perfect but I can speak it if I need to. Everything was scary and strange but necessary if I wanted to develop. This is the place where I grew as a man and a footballer.”

For more from Betfair Ambassador Dimitar Berbatov head to www.betfair.com/berbatov and to find out more about the new Betfair Exchange ‘How to Hub’ head to www.betfair.com/howtoexchange .

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The head of the players’ association hit out at a proposal to slash wages in Serie A due to Covid-19

The Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC) rejected a proposal from Serie A clubs to cut player wages by up to a third amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, Serie A clubs voted in favour of temporarily reducing player wages in an attempt to ease the financial strain caused by the Covid-19 crisis.

Italy’s top flight was suspended indefinitely last month due to the spread of the virus , and authorities have insisted they will not even consider resuming action until it is safe to do so .

With Serie A’s hiatus impacting clubs financially, league-wide pay cuts for players and coaching staff had been mooted, however the AIC slammed the proposal.

“The AIC Board of Directors, meeting today for their usual weekly meeting, which was followed by a meeting with the representatives of the Serie A teams, deemed the proposal put forward by Lega Serie A and B to be inadmissible,” the statement read.

“The behaviour of the leagues is incomprehensible at a time like this. The desire, not so much implied, of wanting to dump on the players, putting them in a bad light, the economic damage resulting from the crisis situation, is a fact that makes you reconsider the entrepreneurial credibility of those who should be ferrying the football system at this difficult time.

“To think that a resolution from an assembly meeting must be used to decide not to pay players any longer leaves us speechless.

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“The same Presidents who would like a suspension of salaries sent their teams out to play until March 9, made them train until mid-March and still monitor and control individual training carried out according to the directives of their coaches.

“The discussion of the past few weeks focused on the contestation of remaining payments to be suspended or postponed, but it never went beyond short telephone calls.

“Now we understand why no agreement was sought on the technical changes to the Collective Agreement. The real intention [of clubs] is not to pay. It leaves us stunned, given that several teams are already sitting with their players, to discuss how to help each other at a time like this.”

AIC president Damiano Tommasi said: “If the Serie A clubs have to meet at an assembly meeting to say they won’t pay wages when in reality, face to face with the players, individual clubs are looking for common-sense agreements, it’s very worrying.

“I can’t understand the business logic behind this behaviour: putting the players, the main protagonists, in a bad light, when almost everyone else is already discussing with clubs how to get out of this crisis together. It seems crazy to me.”

Vice-president Umberto Calcagno added: “It is a shameful and inadmissible proposal. It is clear the indication that we want to pay only the players for any damage caused by the crisis. 

“The only relevant part of the League press release is the wording that it is said that the teams will have to negotiate contractual changes with individual players.”

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc globally, with at least 1,340,270 confirmed cases and more than 74,600 deaths.

Italy has the highest death count with over 16,500 deaths, while cases have exceeded 132,500.

The Gerrard slip, 97 points, coronavirus – are Liverpool’s Premier League misfortunes simply bad luck, or something more sinister?

It was supposed to be Liverpool’s year. They had established a 22-point lead above Manchester City by February. There has never been a larger gap between first and second place in the Premier League (25 points). There was talk of Liverpool lifting the title against Everton in March, potentially setting the record of the earliest league win. They were on course to demolish the record points total of Pep Guardiola’s legendary “Centurion” side.

They were about to be crowned English champions for the first time in 30 years. They were two games away from cinching their first Premier League trophy.

And then Covid-19 happened.

Liverpool have never won a Premier League title, but they have come painfully close. They had a decent chance with Rafael Benitez in 2008-09, but frustrating draws were their downfall. Their next best opportunity came in 2013-14, but a freak, infamous Steven Gerrard slip against Chelsea and the subsequent defeat denied them the title. Then came their 97 points finish last season, one excruciating point behind eventual winners Manchester City. 97 points would have won them the Premier League in every single season prior to 2017-18.

And now, a global pandemic has temporarily suspended the Reds’ dash for a first league title. So are Liverpool simply cursed?

Despite sitting 25 points above Manchester City, there are fears that they might not even be crowned winners due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Premier League’s return date was postponed twice before the FA announced its indefinite suspension. This season was Liverpool’s best chance to finally lift that coveted Premier League trophy – but they might not get the opportunity.

Liverpool’s last league win came in 1990, before the English top-flight was rebranded as the Premier League in 1992. Manchester United have won 13 Premier League titles. Chelsea have won five. Man City, four.

The Reds have two Champions League titles and a handful of Cup trophies to their name since 1992, but the Premier League continues to elude them. Their first solid go at the title came under Rafael Benitez in 2008-09, with talents such as Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso at his disposal. They managed to do the double over Manchester United, but several frustrating draws saw Man Utd eventually finish four points above them.

Second place was Benitez’s highest finish with Liverpool, but it came at a price. Real Madrid sought the services of Alonso that summer, and Torres was never able to return to heights he enjoyed in his first two seasons at Anfield. It became a trend for Liverpool to lose momentum after a Premier League charge and to fall apart. They would come harrowingly close to a first title, only for crucial players to then leave in the summer.

Then came Brendan Rodgers’ 2013-14 season, a shock title charge led by the likes of Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Gerrard once again. Save for certain players, the majority of that Liverpool side were average at best, a team that punched acres above their weight and overachieved during one glorious spring.

Their strong attacking game earned praise, with Suarez the standout player, but they still shipped a whopping 50 goals. Games would be high-scoring, oftentimes simultaneously tumultuous and thrilling – there was the 5-1 against Arsenal, but also the 5-3 over Stoke, 4-3 against Swansea, the 6-3 vs Cardiff City.

And then came the home game against Chelsea. Liverpool didn’t need to win the game at that point. This was a game where, ironically, the Reds needed to simply draw, and would have benefitted from then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho’s infamous “parking the bus” tactic.

This was where Rodgers’ inexperience in leading a Premier League title charge showed. Rodgers deployed his regular attacking side when it was wholly unnecessary to, and paid the price. Gerrard – so often Liverpool’s saviour, the player to save the side from the scruff to the neck – slipped, failing to receive a pass.

Demba Ba leaped at the chance. Scored. 1-0 Chelsea. Gerrard would spend the rest of the game desperately trying to right the wrong, unsuccessfully footing long-distance strikes in an attempt to even the scoreline. It didn’t work, and Chelsea scored another in the final minutes of the game.

The fallout of the game was bad. Liverpool could still finish above Manchester City with superior goal difference, but the notorious Crystanbul match – in which the Reds squandered a 3-0 lead at half-time with the game finishing 3-3 – only made things worse. They finished two points behind champions Man City, but the true cost of their inability to win the league came in the summer, when Suarez left for Barcelona. Rodgers insisted that his side would be able to challenge for the title again the following season, but a failure to replace the Uruguay star – Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli were not convincing forwards – saw the Reds finish in eighth place.

Then came Liverpool’s 2018-19 season, when just one defeat to eventual champions Man City – and a controversial goal-line technology decision – cost them the title. Jurgen Klopp had steadied Liverpool’s ship massively since his arrival in 2015, overseeing their rebuild. He has improved the team with every season, taking the Reds from fourth place to appearing in two consecutive Champions League finals and challenging for the title.

Man City lost more games than Liverpool did in 2018-19 (three), but it was not meant to be. A whopping 97 points – which would have crowned them Premier League champions 25 times in previous years – was not enough. Man Utd’s highest points total of 92 won them the league in 1993-94. The lowest Premier League-winning points total, achieved by Man Utd, is 75 points (1996-97).

The Reds’ astonishing form this season was entirely down to the fact that, for the first time, they were able to capitalise from the previous season’s form. Unlike past years, none of Liverpool’s star players left, which caused the side to fall apart. Instead, the team rallied together and used last season’s push (coupled with a Champions League win) to surge themselves onward.

Liverpool successfully dealt with missing out on the league by a painful point, but should they be denied their crown this year due to Covid-19 after amassing a 25-point gap above Man City, it would no doubt be hard to bounce back and try yet again – mentally, physically, emotionally.

The Gerrard slip. 97 points. A global public health pandemic. Liverpool’s supposed curse, then, continues, for at least another day.

In addition to high-ranking football officials, two former Fox employees have been indicted as part of the investigation into corruption

Russia and Qatar offered and paid bribes to secure votes in the process that saw them awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups,  an indictment in the United States alleges .

The document, brought by federal prosecutors in New York as part of the long-running investigation into corruption surrounding football’s governing body, claims several former members of FIFA’s executive committee were offered or indeed received bribes relating to their votes.

It is alleged that Ricardo Teixeira, the former president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, the now-deceased ex-COMNEBOL president Nicolas Leoz and a co-conspirator were offered and received bribes to ensure their votes for Qatar to stage the 2022 World Cup.

Former FIFA vice-president and ex-president of CONCACAF Jack Warner stands accused of being promised and receiving payments totalling $5 million (£4m) to vote for Russia to host the 2018 tournament.

Rafael Salguero, the former head of Guatemalan football who admitted to accepting a bribe in return for his vote in the process for the 2018 World Cup, is alleged to have been promised a $1m bribe to vote for Russia.

In addition, a pair of former executives at 21st Century Fox have been indicted by the U.S Department of Justice on charges accusing them of paying bribes in an effort to obtain confidential bidding information during FIFA’s sale of American television rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The charges were unsealed on Monday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn as former Fox executives Hernan Lopez and Carlos Martinez are alleged to have made payments to officials of the South American federation CONMEBOL. Also charged are former Imagina Media Audiovisual CEO Gerard Romy and the Uruguayan sports marketing company Full Play Group SA.

In the indictment, which was handed up by a grand jury on March 18, Lopez and Martinez are accused of joining with Full Play to pay millions of dollars in bribes to CONMEBOL officials in exchange for rights to the Copa Libertadores.

Romy, meanwhile, is accused with joining his alleged co-conspirators to pay a $3 million bribe to former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb for rights to home World Cup qualifiers in the Caribbean for the 2018 and 2022 cycles. Webb pleaded guilty to several corruption charges in November 2015.

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According to the Justice Department, the indictment includes charges of wire fraud and money laundering while charges against Romy and Full Play allege racketeering conspiracy.

“The profiteering and bribery in international soccer have been deep-seated and commonly known practices for decades,” said William F. Sweeney Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, in a statement. 

“Over a period of many years, the defendants and their co-conspirators corrupted the governance and business of international soccer with bribes and kickbacks, and engaged in criminal fraudulent schemes that caused significant harm to the sport of soccer. 

“Their schemes included the use of shell companies, sham consulting contracts and other concealment methods to disguise the bribes and kickback payments and make them appear legitimate.”

Fox outbid ESPN for rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in 2011 and, following FIFA’s decision to move the 2022 tournament from summer to winter, Fox were given rights to the 2026 tournament without a bidding process.

The 2026 World Cup is expected to be a massive event in the U.S., who will host the tournament alongside Mexico and Canada as the competition comes to North America for the first time since 1994.

ESPN had previously held the U.S. English-language television rights to the World Cup from 1994-2014.

“It’s shocking that the government would bring such a thin case,” Lopez’s lawyer, Matthew D. Umhofer, said in an email to the AP.

“The indictment contains nothing more than single paragraph about Mr. Lopez that alleges nothing remotely improper. Mr. Lopez can’t wait to defend himself at trial.”

Steven J. McCool, Martinez’s attorney, said in an email: “We are certain a jury will swiftly exonerate Carlos, as the charges against him are nothing more than stale fiction.”

The former Liverpool and England defender doesn’t think clubs will find a solution which works for everybody

Premier League footballers deserve their incredible wages, according to Jamie Carragher – but he thinks players should take pay cuts to help clubs through the coronavirus crisis.

The issue of players’ wages has been a topic of discussion since British Health Secretary Matt Hancock called on players to donate wages to the cause – with his statement panned by Carragher’s fellow pundit Gary Neville.

Clubs have been unable to reach an agreement so far, with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) arguing a blanket pay cut would hurt the National Health Service (NHS) due to the money that would be lost through taxes.

“It seems to have come out of this PFA meeting that the players are upset that they would have to lose some of the money and the money would go, in essence, back to the clubs,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

“I don’t agree with that. I think the money should in some ways go back there.

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“You’ve got to think, how do players get paid? There are three ways players get paid – it would be through the TV money, the money through the turnstile, and probably advertising money.

“All of those revenue streams have stopped coming into football clubs. The wages players are getting now, some of them are getting £200-300,000 a week.

“Good luck to them, they deserve everything they get.

“But I don’t believe that football clubs and football owners actually make hundreds of millions each season.

“We see that in their accounts. A lot of them break even, a lot of them lose money every year. There’s only Tottenham and Liverpool in the last year or two, because they got the Champions League final.

“So I don’t think it’s too much to ask that players maybe do defer some wages to a later time, are asked to contribute a little bit to the clubs.”

Carragher doesn’t believe a single solution will be found, and thinks clubs have to do what is right for themselves on an individual basis.

“There’s no way the Premier League as one are going to come together and everyone is going to agree on it,” he said.

“Every club is different, in a different situation. There is no way owners at the bottom of the division can afford, I don’t think, to just be handing out hundreds of thousands of pounds a week to certain players.

“I’m not saying it has to be 30 per cent but I think every club’s situation is different and they as a club have to get together.

“Forget these conference calls and captains of each clubs [discussing the matter] – that’s never going to work.”

The Brazil defender spent three successful years at San Siro before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2012

Thiago Silva could return to AC Milan at some point in the future, according to the defender’s agent.

The 35-year-old spent three seasons at San Siro before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, and was part of the last Milan side to win Serie A in 2010-11.

With his contract at PSG coming to its end, it isn’t clear where Silva’s immediate future lies – and agent Paulo Tonietto isn’t ruling anything out.

“In football everything is possible, but we have to wait to see what will happen because of the pandemic,” Tonietto told MilanNews.

“He has a great admiration for Milan, the years he spent there marked his career. He knows about the great affection the fans have for him.”

Whether Silva will leave PSG or renew his deal with the French champions remains to be seen.

Back in November, he said he was keen to extend his terms with the club.

“I hope so. We will discuss it soon,” he told France Football.

“The idea is to stay at PSG and continue to grow the club. The eight years I have already spent can weigh in the balance. I think I have played a part in the development of the club.

“Today, after eight years here, with the passport in my pocket, I feel French. I’m proud of it.

“Paris is a part of my life. Paris is in my story. Nobody can take it away. I feel French, beyond the passport.

“Today, I’m Brazilian, born in Rio de Janeiro, but my second home is Paris. Nobody can change that. I’ll be Parisian for life.”

However, two months after that, agent Tonietto confirmed that no contract offer had yet been made by PSG.

“No, at the moment there are no negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain,” he told GloboEsporte.

“He has already received offers [from outside the club], but I will not talk about other clubs because Thiago’s priority is to stay at PSG.

“Football is very dynamic. But at the moment the priority is PSG. We will wait for PSG.

“If they don’t approach us with an offer, though, it’s clear that we will listen to proposals [from other teams].”

NEWARK, NJ — Police arrested five people during a protest at the MTV Video Music Awards in Newark on Monday evening, authorities said.

According to the Newark Department of Public Safety, several protesters tried to breach secure areas during the annual awards ceremony, which took place in New Jersey for the first time in its history.

Earlier in the day, the Newark Water Coalition – a group of local activists and residents who have been trying to raise awareness about the city’s ongoing lead water crisis – announced plans to have a rally during the award ceremony in support of “clean water for Newark.”

Organizers advised protesters to “remind them of our demands,” but not to argue with police, news media or other groups, even if provoked. Several people carried signs with slogans such as “Get The Lead Out” and “Clean Water For Newark Now.” (See videos below)

City officials have estimated that about 18,000 local homes may have private lead service lines, one of the suspected causes of Newark’s ongoing water contamination issues.

The city recently began handing out free bottled water for affected residents in the Pequannock service area after the U.S. EPA said home water filters – a key element of officials’ plan to fight the contamination – may not be working as expected.

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said the arrestees were “out-of-towners,” and that police allowed them to gather in a specific area, “in support of their Constitutional rights.”

“Apparently, some were not satisfied with that arrangement,” Ambrose said.

“We had a few – and I mean a very few – who tried jumping police barricades,” Ambrose said. “When that happens, it becomes a public safety issue.”

Aside from the five arrests, the night went well, Ambrose continued.

“The VMA set was beautiful and it spoke to Newark being a major league city,” he said.

Police previously said about 300 uniformed officers would be patrolling the event zone and surrounding areas, plus VMA event security. A “significant number” of plainclothes officers were expected to be in the crowd, as well as Newark SWAT teams and Emergency Services Units around the arena. A police helicopter was also expected to be deployed for the event, authorities said.

Prior to the award ceremony, police warned of a “blizzard” of traffic in the area. In addition, NJ Transit officials warned that riders may experience large crowds at New York Penn Station, Secaucus Junction and Newark Penn Station during the VMAs.

Story continues below

‘OUR EXPECTATION IS YOU’LL HAVE OUR BACKS’

After Gov. Murphy said he didn’t plan to declare a state of emergency in Newark last week, the Newark Water Coalition sent him a scathing letter of rebuke.

“It is our understanding that government at the local and state level is responsible for protecting and promoting public health and safety. It is also our understanding that clean water is a human right. But we do not have clean water for everyone in Newark. We have been facing this public health crisis for many years. The misinformation, mismanagement and indecent conduct by local officials has intensified this public health crisis. The residents of Newark are not at ease because our quality of life has been unfairly impacted. If clean water is a human right, it is not fair for us to stand in line like a herd of sheep, during high temperature weather ranging from 80 to 94 degrees for a less than adequate supply of water. Some of us have been turned away from receiving water without a clear explanation. Someone has to be held accountable. Otherwise, public trust and confidence in our government will corrode to the point of no return. There will be no corrosion control to reverse the public perception of a government that does not work for the people.

“Even though the severity of this public health crisis has been downplayed by others, we have been trying to get Congressman Donald Payne Jr. and Senator Cory Booker involved for some time. We believe officials are finally weighing in because of the current media attention. Our local officials. Mayor Ras Baraka and [city councilmembers] have ignored our voices for quite some time, too. We’ve been going to city council meetings to speak about this public health crisis, we’ve conducted teach-ins and community forums about the lead in our water, we’ve gone door to door to share information about the lead in our water, we’ve collaborated with Dr. Mona from Flint, Michigan and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), we’ve tested our neighbors’ water for lead and we’ve distributed water filters and now were distributing bottled water. We are not just an advocacy group asking you to do something for nothing. We are Newark residents who have children, pay taxes and water bills. We don’t have the necessary resources to keep filling in for local officials’ failed strategic planning and botched implementations.

“We are willing to have honest and transparent public discussions with any elected official, including those who have not responded to us in the past. We will not accept empty promises and hallowed ideas. We expect solutions that must come with funding, timelines, and are socially sustainable or we don’t want to hear it. While Newark residents were voiceless and thrown under the table throughout this public health crisis. Assemblyman Jamel Holley stepped up to extend compassion and provided bottled water to Newark residents. Also, he gave us a voice with a proposed plan. We believe for you to declare a State of Emergency is promoting a legitimate purpose, which is our public health and safety. Newark residents need immediate relief. We need you to choose our public health over politics. Our expectation is that you will have our backs and not leave us hanging in there. Please declare a State of Emergency.”

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Send local news tips and correction requests to [email protected]. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.

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EAST LOS ANGELES, CA — A pair of robbery suspects plowed through oncoming traffic, hopped fences, and jumped from rooftop to rooftop in an effort to escape police Wednesday. But their desperate flight was in vain. In the end, the couple hugged at gunpoint before Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies slapped cuffs on them.

The man and woman, wanted in a pair of attempted armed robberies, led police on a dangerous 40-minute car chase through East Los Angeles during rush hour Wednesday. The chase began about 4:40 p.m. in the area of Union Pacific and Indiana avenues near the border of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. The woman appeared to be the getaway driver, narrowly missing other cars as while speeding against opposing traffic.

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Eventually, the pair ditched the car and tried to escape on foot in Bell Gardens. As news helicopters followed overhead, the woman could be seen hopping fences and jumping from rooftops until she reconnected with the other suspect in a backyard.

The two shared a hug before deputies with guns drawn closed in and took the pair into custody.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.

Tom Brady had a lot to say when asked about Antonio Brown’s release during the quarterback’s Monday morning WEEI interview. In classic Brady fashion, though, it still isn’t clear what his feelings on Brown are.

Brady answered with a fairly deep, through rather indirect answer that lasted almost as long as Brown’s tenure with the Patriots. (Read Brady’s full response at the bottom of this story.)

The Patriots released Brown Friday after he was accused of sexually assaulting two women and sending threatening messages to one. Brown played in the Patriots’ 43-0 win over Miami Sept. 15 and caught a touchdown pass from Brady.

“There’s a lot of human elements,” Brady said. “As a player, as a person, I care deeply about my teammates. I want everyone to be the best they can possibly be.”

Brady talked about investing his head, heart and soul with the teammates he’s had over his 20 years in the league.

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“So I think in the end, the endearing trait about sports for me is the relationships I get to build, because they’re very meaningful. That’s at the heart, I think, philosophically, my life”

Brady reportedly offered for Brown to stay with him as he got acclimated to New England. But Brown was hit with a civil lawsuit alleging rape the day after he signed with the team; more allegations ranging from stiffing workers to sexual harassment came out in the following days.

Brown caught four passes, including a touchdown, from Brady in their one game together.

“Again, it’s a tough life,” Brady said. “Life is not easy. Football is not easy. Evolving and growing as people is not an easy thing. I’m very different now at 22 than I am at 42. So I have a lot more perspective. Life is challenging for all of us … we all go through different aspects of our life and we try to do the best can do.

“We develop friendships and relationships, people that support us, and sports has a great way of bringing a lot of people together. I believe the more you care for people, the more you love people, the more you find joy in your life, the better our society is. The better our communities are. The better our teams are. The better our families are.

“That’s how I feel.”

Brady said a lot more than Bill Belichick did. The Patriots coach cut two press conferences short after terse exchanges with reporters eager to know more about Brown.

Brown took shots Sunday at Patriots owner Robert Kraft in now-deleted tweets, one of which said he was done with the NFL.