Thomas Tuchel has explained why he subbed 44-goal Harry Kane moments before Bayern Munich’s dramatic Champions League collapse at Real Madrid.
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German giants held narrow one-goal leadEngland international replaced late onJoselu turned the tie on its headWHAT HAPPENED?
The German giants appeared to be on course for a final date with domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on June 1, with Canada international Alphonso Davies firing them in front at Santiago Bernabeu with a spectacular strike.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
In the 85th minute, Tuchel made the surprising decision to replace prolific England striker Kane with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, despite there still being the possibility of extra-time and penalties. Three minutes later, Real substitute Joselu was gifted an equaliser by Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer – before going on to snatch a 91st-minute winner that was awarded following a VAR offside review.
WHAT TUCHEL SAID
Quizzed afterwards on why Kane was taken off in a game with so much riding on it, Tuchel said: “He couldn't keep going. He played with back pain and he couldn't keep going, his back froze up. We started with a front four and all four had to go out with injury or cramp. The front four all said they had to go. It hurts. It’ll take a while to recover, but on the one hand it’s a loss where we left it all out on the pitch. Of course, it’s tough to accept. It’s part of reality. No regrets. But on the other, there were too many injuries, a few too many substitutions, too many cramps.”
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Former Bayern midfielder Owen Hargreaves told of the decision to replace a proven goalscorer: “I'll tell you what was unexpected, Harry Kane going off the pitch. That's one of the biggest subs I've ever seen in a game of football of that magnitude. To take off a guy that's scored 44 goals, who is the most durable player pretty much anywhere and you bring on another striker in Choupo-Moting. Maybe he wanted height for corners, I don't know. You cannot take him off. There's five minutes left in the game, there's 10 minutes of extra-time, 15 minutes.”
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers looks to be putting his transfer plans into motion at Parkhead and is keen to strengthen three separate positions in January, according to latest reports.
Celtic gear up to spend in January…
Celtic had a busy summer transfer window, but you could argue that only one of their multiple signings, Honduran winger Luis Palma, has established himself as a regular starter at the Scottish Premiership champions.
On-loan midfielder Paulo Bernardo has started the Hoops' last two league matches and has been an impressive figure in the heart of midfield; however, arrivals such as Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki have failed to establish themselves in Rodgers' side despite involvement earlier in the campaign.
Celtic "advance" in talks with "prospect" after summer scouting missions
Celtic are in the market for quality in the January window…
BySean Markus Clifford Dec 27, 2023
Making his feelings known, Rodgers has repeated calls to add extra quality to his side, with an interview from late November placing a special emphasis on strengthening in the forward areas, with the Northern Irishman saying:
"We want to bring in quality, especially at the top end of the field. That’s hopefully something that we can hope to resolve in the next couple of windows."
"We need to add quality. That’s the glaring thing that stands out within the squad. If we can have players available and add to that then we can go again and push forward."
The Hoops are essentially neck-and-neck with Glasgow rivals Rangers factoring in games in hand heading into the New Year and the January window could well be crucial in their endeavours to win the Scottish Premiership title once again come May. Now, one reporter has identified the positions that Rodgers could look to strengthen in the mid-season window to give him an edge in the battle to claim the Scottish top-flight crown.
Brendan Rodgers keen to strengthen three Celtic positions…
Football Insider reporter Pete O'Rourke provided an exciting transfer update, claiming Celtic will look to sign a striker, central midfielder and left-sided winger in the January transfer window. A forward is believed to be the top priority at Parkhead, with Kyogo Furuhashi expected to be involved with Japan at the Asian Cup and Oh Hyeon-gyu already selected to compete with South Korea.
Focus has also been placed on recruiting a prolific midfielder who can add goals from the engine room and another wide option to provide strength in depth. Finding a long-term replacement between the sticks for Joe Hart is also on the agenda; however, signing a goalkeeper is not deemed to be essential in January.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.
Some names have come to light in the last few weeks regarding potential Celtic targets, including Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Fabio Silva, Hacken midfielder Romeo Amane and Gwangju midfielder Jung. Nonetheless, there isn't an element of certainty over the Hoops will look to sign once the window opens, meaning we will need to wait and see on that front.
Clayton Lambert speaks exclusively to Wisden Cricinfo
25-Feb-2019I haven’t seen much top-level cricket lately, not even the current West Indies tour, because where I live in Atlanta, there aren’t many satellite dishes available. I’ve been living in USA permanently since 1999, when I retired from international cricket after the South Africa tour.I’m looking forward to the Champions Trophy, but I guess I don’t have as much of a buzz as the other guys, because I’ve done it all before with West Indies. Still, there’s no doubt that representative cricket lifts the spirits, and it’s sure to be one of my biggest challenges. I’m looking forward to giving something back to a game that’s been very good to me.Cricket in the USA is mostly played at league level, and occasionally there’s the chance to play regional cricket, which is the highest form of the game over here. So all in all, it’s a bit less of a challenge, and it’s nice to get out and do some serious stuff from time to time.During my international career, I earned a reputation as a hard hitter of a cricket ball, although I was also capable of nice long innings as well. Admittedly, in our three-day Intercontinental Cup games, I’ve fared pretty badly, although that’s largely been down to the indifferent wickets – they haven’t been up to the standard that I’m used to.The bowlers have dominated in the Intercontinental Cup, but in the one-day game I’ve done better. American audiences are used to more hustle and bustle in their sports – if a fan wants to see a baseball game, he’ll give over one afternoon to do so – but three-day cricket is too time-consuming for this audience.I was a bit stunned that USA missed out on hosting any matches in the World Cup – if cricket hopes to make inroads over here, it has to stick its neck out and have a feel of the market. There’s not even any real need for the game to compete with the established sports, such as baseball and football, because there’s a place for everything in America. There are a lot of dollars over here.Besides, cricket is a very Commonwealth-orientated sport, so there is a huge immigrant population in the USA who are all yearning for the sport. League cricket is really exploding at the moment – last year in Atlanta, seven or eight new teams were formed, and you’d be astonished just how popular the game is in New York at present. All the more reason why the World Cup should be coming here.There was a good atmosphere down in Florida for our Intercontinental Cup match against Canada last month, although sadly the pitch left a bit to be desired, and it wasn’t a fair assessment of our skills. The Champions Trophy next month will a more relevant assessment of where we have reached as a team.Basically, we are just a bunch of league players – amateurs taking on professionals – so we are going to be up against it in the competition. But we are sure to learn a hell of a lot while we are here. And next year, we’ll be competing in a World-Cup qualifying tournament in Ireland, where the conditions are likely to be similar. So for us it is a win-win situation.
تحدث المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، آرني سلوت، عن فوز فريقه أمام برينتفورد في منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
وفاز ليفربول أمام نظيره برينتفورد بنتيجة 2/0، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز على ملعب “أنفيلد”.
اقرأ ايضاً.. فيديو.. ماذا قدم محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وبرينتفورد بـ الدوري الإنجليزي؟
وقال آرني سلوت في تصريحات لشبكة “سكاي سبورتس”: “الشيء الجيد هو أننا دافعنا كمجموعة، وبسبب ذلك سجلنا هدفا”.
وعن أرنولد: “ترينت لديه الكثير، الكثير من الجودة، واحدة منها العرضيات، إذا قمنا بتوظيفه في خط الوسط فسيكون قادرًا على التمرير فقط، أريده في مواقع خطرة”.
وعن رد فعله عقب الخروج من المباراة أكد سلوت: “علينا أن نعتني به لأننا نحتاجه طوال الموسم وليس فقط في أول مباراتين، لقد لعب مباراة جيدة”.
وأردف: “أتفهم رغبة كل لاعب في اللعب لمدة 90 دقيقة. لكن اللاعبين الذين جلسوا على مقاعد البدلاء منذ البداية لم يكونوا راضين حقًا عن اختياراتي، يتعين علينا الاعتناء بـ أرنولد لأننا في حاجة إليه طوال الموسم”.
وأشار سلوت: “أعتقد أن جماهير ليفربول شاهدت هذا الأداء تحت قيادة كلوب مرات عديدة، من الرائع أن ترث فريقًا يتضمن لاعبين رائعين”.
وأفاد قائلاُ: “الشيء الجيد هو أننا دافعنا بشكل جيد للغاية في الكرات الثابتة وبسبب ذلك سجلنا هدفًا”.
وواصل سلوت حديثه: “معظم اللاعبين معتادون على ما نريده، أغلب ما نريده هو نفس ما فعله يورجن في الماضي. ترى مدى الجهد الذي يبذلونه لاستعادة الكرة، لقد جعل إيبسويتش وبرينتفورد الأمور صعبة علينا. علينا أن نتحسن كثيرًا”.
وبين قائلاُ: “فوزان رائعان ضد خصمين صعبين، لا يزال هناك الكثير لإثباته بالنسبة لنا”.
عن كورتيس جونز: “سيكون قريبًا من الجاهزية، أعلم أنه سيفعل كل شيء ليكون جاهزًا ضد اليونايتد”.
Após ter o rebaixamento para a segunda divisão decretado, o Botafogo segue fazendo mudanças em todas as escalas do clube. Depois de anunciar as saídas de Eduardo Barroca e Túlio Lustosa, o clube de General Severiano afirmou, na noite do último sábado, que fará uma reformulação no Departamento Médico para a próxima temporada.
Christiano Cinelli, coordenador médico, Ricardo Bastos, médico, e Salvio Lúcio, médico, deixarão o clube assim que o Campeonato Brasileiro acabar. A decisão foi tomada em comum acordo entre Durcesio Mello, presidente do Alvinegro, e Vinícius Assumpção, VP Geral.
Os dirigentes já começaram a busca por novos profissionais. Como o período de férias entre uma temporada e outra é de apenas uma semana, a prioridade é já ter os nomes certos para o elenco não ficar sem uma equipe médica por perto.
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NOTA DO BOTAFOGO: “O Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas anuncia mudanças no corpo médico do Núcleo de Saúde e Performance. O Clube agradece aos profissionais Dr. Christiano Cinelli (Coordenador Médico), Dr. Ricardo Bastos (Médico) e Dr. Salvio Lúcio (Médico). O Clube deseja sucesso em seus desafios futuros.”
New Zealand faced their first challenge since Bangladesh’s arrival on their shores about three weeks ago in the Hamilton Test. They still won by an innings and 52 runs with a day to spare, but the fact that the visitors pushed back for much of the fourth day was a sign their celebrated bowling attack can be challenged.New Zealand are No. 2 in the Test rankings, but were put under pressure in their own backyard while employing their tried-and-tested tactics at Seddon Park. Although Trent Boult finished with a five-for in the second innings, he would be a little peeved at conceding runs at 4.39 over 28 overs. Tim Southee was similarly treated by the Bangladesh batsmen, while Neil Wagner’s bouncer barrage didn’t reap the expected rewards.Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah batted well for long periods in Bangladesh’s second innings, particularly the latter two, whose fifth-wicket stand lasted 54.3 overs in which they scored at a clip of 4.31 per over.New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who was adjudged Man of the Match for the second double-century of his Test career, agreed that the visitors had done quite well against their short-ball plan, mainly from Neil Wagner who at times went overboard with his intensity when unable to pick a wicket.”I think it was a massive challenge for all the bowlers today,” Williamson said. “We were hopeful of wickets late in the evening yesterday, which was nice. But coming back today with Bangladesh having more freshness, we knew it was going to be a big workload for the bowlers. They were just trying to stick with plans for a long period, and perhaps force an error.”[Wagner] is a little bit freakish with his engine because he can bowl for long periods of time. I don’t think any plan is sustainable forever. Bangladesh were brilliant [with] how they adapted with that tactic. It didn’t work very well for us today so we did had to go back to stop their quick scoring.”As for their lone frontline spinner, Todd Astle, he went wicketless in his 20 overs in the game. Williamson said that given the limited opportunity he got, Astle hadn’t done badly, as he looked to threaten the left-handers when pitching the ball in the rough.”He had limited opportunity in this game but when he did come on to bowl, I thought he was threatening particularly out of the rough to the left-handers,” Williamson said.”We were not far away from the second new ball, which was important for the seamers. He was always next in line to roll his arm over whenever we got a breakthrough. He is a great team man and played a role with the ball today as well.”Williamson said that he expected to have it tougher in the next contest in Wellington, seeing how Bangladesh fought back in the second innings in Hamilton. “I thought the fight today was as tough as Test cricket gets,” he said. “Yes, it was nice to be a long way ahead of the game but today was really tough Test cricket. It is what we expect and we know Wellington is going to be another tough match.”
The South Africa legspinner will still be available for T20Is, at least until the 2020 T20 World Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2019
Imran Tahir bagged his 150th wicket in his 89th ODI•Getty Images
South Africa’s Imran Tahir has decided to retire from ODIs after the 2019 World Cup. The legspinner, who made the announcement following his match-winning 3 for 26 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, has stated that he would still be available for T20Is, at least until the 2020 T20 World Cup.Tahir, who will turn 40 later this month and is contracted to Cricket South Africa only until July 31, said that the decision was taken with a “mutual understanding” between the board and him. He was not handed a contract for the 2019-20 season, which put a question mark over his long-term future in international cricket.”I have always wanted to play in the World Cup,” Tahir said in a statement released by CSA. “It would be a great achievement for me to play for this great team. I have a mutual understanding with Cricket South Africa and going forward I decided that I would finish at the World Cup, that is why I am contracted until then.”After that, Cricket South Africa has allowed me to go and play around the world in various leagues but I would also love to play T20 cricket for South Africa. I think I have the ability and can play a role in T20 cricket for South Africa. I am grateful for the opportunity.”Tahir has represented South Africa in 95 ODIs, taking 156 wickets at 24.56. He became the joint-fastest South African – Allan Donald and Morne Morkel being the others – to 150 ODI wickets during the match against Australia in Perth last year, achieving the feat in 89 matches.It was during the 2011 World Cup that Tahir had made his ODI debut, in South Africa’s opening match against West Indies in Delhi. He made a major impact in the tournament, finishing as South Africa’s second-highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 3.79.He added that this move would also open up spots for other spinners, who according to him “need the opportunity”.”If you look at 50-over cricket there’s guys like (Tabraiz) Shamsi, (Aaron) Phangiso, Shaun von Berg, Dane Piedt… there are a lot of guys who need opportunity,” Tahir said.”I don’t want to lose my spot. I have to work twice as hard, they are younger than me. I just want to be honest, I don’t want to leave, but that’s how it is. There is a stage in your life where you have to make big decisions, this is one of those big decisions, it is definitely the biggest decision of my life. I also feel there are a couple of good spinners in the country who need the opportunity. We are fighting for the same spot, but looking to the future, they will have more opportunities to play for South Africa.”Tahir has played 20 Tests and 37 T20Is for South Africa, besides being a regular presence in franchise leagues all around the world. He showed some of his best form against Sri Lanka on Sunday prompting his captain Faf du Plessis to gush: “That was the Immy of old, the Immy that has won us games single-handedly in the past. He’s my go-to man in the middle. We need him to be on top of his game at the World Cup, so it was really good to see that (performance).”
It has been five years since the introduction of Video Assistant Referees in the Premier League, and while they have certainly helped officials with some tricky situations during that time and generally stopped decisions being made on hunches, it has also led to a lot of, shall we say, discussion.
VAR has always been a topic that splits opinion, but it has become more and more of a talking point in the last couple of years, and this season, it seems there has been a talking point around it every weekend.
So, how are teams being affected by it this year? Are there really some teams getting more decisions against them than others?
Football FanCast plans to answer that by looking at how many potential VAR overturns each club have been subject to and whether they have gone for or against them, with the help of data from ESPN.
The list is ordered by the number of calls regarding possible overturns going in a team's favour. We have also highlighted some of the more scandalous calls for some of the more hard-done-by clubs in more detail, venturing into Europe on occasion, which has not escaped the wrath of VAR nay-sayers.
Additionally, West Ham United have not had any calls overturned by VAR at the time of writing, so they are yet to feature on this list.
Team
VAR Net Decisions For
Fulham
+4
Nottingham Forest
+4
Brentford
+3
Manchester City
+2
Chelsea
+1
Luton Town
+1
Bournemouth
0
Everton
0
Newcastle United
0
Tottenham Hotspur
0
Arsenal
-1
Manchester United
-1
Sheffield United
-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers
-1
Aston Villa
-2
Burnley
-2
Crystal Palace
-2
Liverpool
-2
Brighton & Hove Albion
-3
19
Fulham (+4)
4 for, 0 against
Fulham have had four VAR calls go their way and none against them this season.
Interestingly, all of the Cottagers' luck has come since November, with the first call against Manchester United when Scott McTominay's 8th-minute strike was overturned for an offside against Harry Maguire.
Just a week later in their game with Aston Villa, they had a penalty against Timothy Castagne overturned as it was deemed that he did not handle the ball.
They were also awarded a 90th-minute penalty against Wolverhampton Wanderers recently – which they scored – after it was deemed that Joao Gomes had fouled Harry Wilson.
And at Anfield in early December, Marco Silva's side saw Kenny Tete's goal stand after originally being ruled offside.
Worst Fulham decision: Fulham have had a fair few VAR calls go for them in recent times, but one that will no doubt still make the fans' blood boil will be the Nathan Ake incident, where the Manchester City player clearly obstructs the goalkeeper's view.
18
Nottingham Forest (+4)
4 for, 0 against
Anthony Elanga.
Nottingham Forest are the other team to have benefited most from VAR so far this season, with four separate calls going their way and none going against them.
Two of these came in the game against Burnley on 18th September when the Clarets had what could have been an equaliser from Lyle Foster ruled out for offside in the 76th minute before he was sent off in the 94th for violent conduct.
Against Liverpool, they saw Cody Gakpo's 93rd-minute goal disallowed for offside. Then, a month later, they had a penalty awarded against Brighton & Hove Albion for a foul from Morgan Gibbs-White on Callum Hudson Odoi.
Worst Nottingham Forest decision: One that stands out immediately against Forest, as it directly impacted the game and caused them to lose, was Marcus Rashford's dive at Old Trafford which won his side a penalty. Upon replay, it appears to be a dive with minimal contact, if any, which angered many pundits.
17
Brentford (+3)
3 for, 0 against
Heading back to west London, Thomas Frank's Brentford have had a positive experience with VAR this season, with three calls going their way and none against them so far.
They were awarded a penalty in their first game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur when Son Heung-min fouled Mathias Jensen. A month later, they had a penalty against them cancelled when it was ruled that Bryan Mbeumo did not handle the ball against Newcastle.
Finally, they recently saw Leandro Trossard's 42nd-minute header ruled out against Arsenal for offside.
Worst Brentford decision: One that is a little bit more subjective but will no doubt still anger Brentford fans is the penalty decision which came courtesy of Anthony Gordon's potential dive at St James' Park. The Newcastle attacker beat the goalkeeper to the ball but appeared to make a right meal of it with the ball going out of play anyway, with Gordon's track record of diving not helping the situation.
16
Manchester City (+2)
2 for, 0 against
As if Pep Guardiola's Manchester City juggernaut needed any more help, they have had some of the best fortunes when it comes to VAR, with two decisions going their way this season.
The first came against Burnley on the opening day when Anass Zaroury was sent off in the 94th minute for 'serious foul play' on Kyle Walker, albeit with the result in the bag at the time.
The second incident came in the Manchester derby when they were awarded a penalty after the VAR decided that Rasmus Hojlund had fouled Rodri in the 22nd minute.
Worst Manchester City decision: Well, with Manchester City getting the vast majority of VAR calls going their way, we had to pick out an incident that will be fresh in the minds of fans. The decision that led to Erling Haaland going off on an explosive rant, where Simon Hooper failed to play advantage in the clash between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, with Jack Grealish seemingly through on goal.
15
Chelsea (+1)
5 for, 4 against
Chelsea's recent VAR record is also a positive one, if not slightly more chaotic.
The Blues have had an equal number of calls go for and against them so far this season, with two coming in their opening game against Liverpool – one disallowing Mohamed Salah's 29th-minute goal for offside and another that disallowed Ben Chilwell's 39th-minute strike for the same reason.
They also saw Malo Gusto sent off against Aston Villa for serious foul play but then received a penalty against Arsenal for a William Saliba handball in the 11th minute.
Against Spurs, they saw a Raheem Sterling goal disallowed but then saw Cristian Romero sent off a few minutes later.
Chelsea were then served an early double Christmas present from VAR, which awarded and overturned two penalty calls in their favour as they saw off Brighton in early December.
And although Robert Sanchez would end up saving Bruno Fernandes' penalty at Old Trafford, it was a VAR decision that led to it after Enzo Fernandez was deemed to have fouled Antony.
Worst Chelsea decision: One scandal that potentially cost Chelsea three points this season was the incident between Marc Cucurella and Erling Haaland, in which the latter was awarded a penalty for an apparent foul, despite both players fouling each other.
This was something that enraged Jamie Carragher especially, with the Norwegian arguably fouling Cucurella just as much.
14
Luton Town (+1)
1 for, 0 against
There aren't too many teams with positive records when it comes to VAR decisions, but new boys Luton remain one of them (for now).
The Hatters have had one call go their way so far this season, and it was against Crystal Palace just recently when Odsonne Edouard's 66th-minute goal was ruled out for handball.
At least they didn't rule out Michael Olise's spectacular effort from the same game.
13
Bournemouth (0)
1 for, 1 against
Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke.
Bournemouth hadn't been involved in a critical VAR call until December, but have yet now had decisions in successive weeks. Their first came in their draw against Aston Villa when Diego Carlos' goal was ruled out for an offside, while they were more recently denied a fourth goal at Old Trafford, with Dango Ouattara penalised for handball.
All in all, it's been a quiet season on the south coast…
12
Everton (0)
2 for, 2 against
Everton are never far from the headlines these days, and their experiences with VAR this season have been suitably scattergun, with two calls going for them and two against them.
The first came against Arsenal when Gabriel Martinelli's 19th-minute strike was ruled out for an offside against Eddie Nketiah, but a month later, VAR awarded Liverpool a penalty in the Merseyside derby for a handball by Michael Keane in the 72nd minute.
Lewis Dunk saw his goal against the Toffees ruled out for offside, while they most recently saw Manchester United awarded a penalty following a foul from Ashley Young in the second half.
Worst Everton decision: One decision that will have no doubt angered Everton fans was the incident involving Ibrahima Konate in the Merseyside derby, where the Frenchman was already on a yellow card and cynically took out an Everton player, but received nothing for the challenge, despite the referee sending off Ashley Young for an arguably softer second yellow foul in the first half.
11
Newcastle United (0)
1 for, 1 against
Anthony Gordon.
Another team to have broken even on VAR calls is Newcastle United, who have seen one call go for them and one against them.
They had a penalty decision overturned against Brentford when VAR ruled that Bryan Mbeumo did not handle the ball, but a month later, VAR intervened when Jacob Murphy's fourth-minute strike was incorrectly called offside against Crystal Palace.
Worst Newcastle decision: We're going to be cheeky and transition into the Champions League here, with an incident that will no doubt still leave a sour taste in the mouths of Newcastle fans as it arguably proved to be the downfall of their Champions League campaign.
Tino Livramento was deemed to have handled the ball late on in Paris, though a penalty wasn't originally given by the referee. Upon the replay, it clearly shows the ball rebound off the body of the Newcastle player and onto his arm from such close range, which by law should be deemed accidental.
One-time league leaders Tottenham Hotspur have been affected by six major VAR decisions so far this season, though three of them have gone their way.
They received their first beneficial call against Liverpool when Curtis Jones was sent off, although there might have been some other events that day that stole the headlines.
The most eventful game was against Chelsea, as Raheem Sterling's disallowed goal went their way in the 21st minute before Christian Romero was sent off just six minutes later with the help of the technology.
Also going against them this term was the penalty that Brentford were awarded in their opening game of the season for Son Heung-min's foul on Mathias Jensen, while the second ruling was even worse as Arsenal were awarded a 50th-minute penalty in the North London derby due to a Cristian Romero handball.
However, the Lilywhites' most recent VAR incident did go their way, as Ollie Watkins saw his first effort ruled out for offside in their defeat to Aston Villa.
Ranking the Premier League's worst VAR decisions
Which refereeing decision lives rent-free in your head to this day?
أعلن ألفين أيمن، لاعب فريق ولفرهامبتون للشباب، انضمامه إلى ليفربول خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.
وتعاقد ليفربول مع لاعب واحد فقط في ميركاتو الصيف، وهو فيديريكو كييزا، قبل أن يتم غلق سوق الانتقالات الأول لـ آرني سلوت مع الريدز.
وكان ليفربول قد توصل لاتفاق مع ألفين أيمن صاحب الـ16 عامًا، ويحمل الجنسية الإنجليزية، وذو أصول مصرية، منذ وقت طويل.
لم يعلن النادي الإنجليزي عبر موقعه الرسمي، لكن اللاعب من خلال حسابه على إنستجرام، أعلن قائلًا: “بداية جديدة مع ليفربول. أود أن أشكر جميع الموظفين على المساهمة في تطوري خلال العامين الماضيين مع ولفرهامبتون”.
فابريزيو رومانو الصحفي الإيطالي الموثوق بسوق الانتقالات، أكد أن ليفربول أتم صفقة ألفين أيمن من نادي ولفرهامبتون، ووقع على عقد مدته 5 سنوات، وتكلف الصفقة 2 مليون جنيه إسترليني.
طالع أيضًا.. محمد صلاح يكشف كيف تأثرت عائلته بعد انتقاله إلى ليفربول
أيمن سيبدأ كجزء من فريق تحت 18 عامًا تحت قيادة مارك بريدج ويلكنسون، على أن يتم تصعيده لاحقًا إلى فريق تحت 21 عامًا تحت قيادة باري لوتاس.
صاحب الـ16 عامًا، انضم إلى ولفرهامبتون في صيف 2023، ولكن بعد موسم واحد مع فريق الشباب، سرعان ما لفت أنظار ليفربول الذي كان يعمل على ضمه لفريق الأكاديمية أيضًا خلال الفترة الماضية.
حقق اللاعب صاحب الأصول المصرية تقدمًا كبيرًا مع المدرب جاري أونيل، خاصة أنه يلعب في مركز المدافع ووسط الملعب، ويقدم مستوى مميزًا.
أيمن كان يريد الانضمام إلى ليفربول ويرى أنها فرصة له من أجل التطور أكثر والنمو في سن مبكر، حتى لو كان سيلعب مع فريق الشباب، لكن ستكون فرصة الظهور مع الفريق الأول مثلما حدث في الموسم الماضي، سانحة مع الريدز الذي دائمًا ما يعتمد على براعم النادي.
تشيلسي كان من الأندية التي تهتم باللاعب ذو الأصول المصرية، لكن رغبة أيمن حسمت انتقاله إلى ليفربول بسبب سجل النادي الأحمر في منح الفرصة للاعبين الشباب.
There are signs of recovery on and off the pitch from the scandal that rocked the game, but there remain unanswered questions
Andrew McGlashan23-Mar-20194:42
Smith and Warner’s year in cricket wilderness
The build-upAustralia arrived in South Africa on the back of a 4-0 Ashes victory, but there were already questions about their confrontational style of play and the manner in which the game was being run off the field. Not unexpectedly, given the history between the two teams, it was a heated series from the outset: David Warner exploded when running out AB de Villiers; Nathan Lyon was fined for dropping the ball near de Villiers; Warner and Quinton de Kock nearly came to blows in the Durban stairwell; Kagiso Rabada touched Steven Smith’s shoulder, was banned, then had the ban overturned. At the end of all that, the series was level at 1-1 as the teams arrived in Cape Town.The incidentOn the third day at Newlands, with the series on a knife-edge, Australia conceded a lead of 56. Not defining, but it left them needing early inroads. They managed one, when Dean Elgar fell to Pat Cummins, before South Africa steadily built on their lead through Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla and de Villiers.Cameron Bancroft cuts a sombre figure•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesThe first sight that something significant was developing came at the end of the 43rd over when the umpires, Richard Illingworth and Nigel Llong, came together. This is how ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary recorded the moment:
Tea came five overs later, by which time the TV footage was becoming ever clearer with Australia’s 12th man, Peter Handscomb, delivering a message to Bancroft that his attempts to stuff the object (later proved to be sandpaper) down his pants had been broadcast on the big screen.
Cameron Bancroft shows a black piece of cloth to the umpires•Gallo Images/StringerThe play during the final session of the day became almost an afterthought as TV pictures were scrutinised and Australia’s dressing room knew they had been sprung. When bad light brought an early close, the controversy continued to escalate as Bancroft and Smith fronted the media. The truth was not forthcoming to begin with, though.Bancroft said he had used tape on the ball. “I saw an opportunity to use some tape, get some granules from the rough patches on the wickets and change the condition, it didn’t work, the umpires didn’t change the ball. I was sighted on the screen and that resulted in me shoving it down my trousers.”Smith admitted he had seen the plans being hatched earlier in the day but had done nothing about it. “I won’t consider stepping down,” he said. “I still think I am the right person for the job.”The aftermathAustralia had largely been asleep during the unfolding chaos and when the country – and the cricket board – awoke, the situation had developed, and escalated, rapidly. Smith and Warner were stood down by CA as captain and vice-captain Tim Paine took over as captain for the remainder of the Newlands Test and the next one in Johannesburg Smith was banned for one Test by ICC, Bancroft fined 75% of his match fee Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, had his sayAustralia subsided to a 322-run defeat on the fourth day in Cape Town.Steven Smith gave an emotional press conference on returning to Australia from South Africa•AFPThe falloutCA’s investigation was launched and James Sutherland, the CEO, flew to South Africa. Four days after the initial incident, it was confirmed that sandpaper had been used on the ball. Smith and Warner were handed one-year bans and Bancroft a nine-month suspension. Warner, who emerged as the ringleader in the plan, was barred from any leadership role for the remainder of his career and Smith for a further 12 months after the completion of his ban.Smith, Warner and Bancroft flew home, each giving emotional press conferences on their return to Australia. Smith and Warner lost their IPL deals for the upcoming season and Bancroft was dumped by Somerset. Darren Lehmann, who denied knowing anything about the plans and had said he would stay on, soon stood down as coach. Australia were thrashed in the final Test in Johannesburg.After suggestions that the severity of the bans would be challenged, the trio accepted their sanctions and began their time away from Australian professional cricket, although they were still eligible for overseas leagues and grade cricket. Smith and Warner would both end up playing in Canada, the Caribbean and Bangladesh plus also facing each other in a grade game, before undergoing elbow surgeries.Paine took on the captaincy full time, initially with the one-day side when they toured England and then with the Test team – handing over the one-day role to Aaron Finch. Justin Langer was named the new coach.The events in Cape Town led to a full cultural review of Australian cricket, with hard-hitting outcomes that exposed a toxic environment and win-at-all-costs mentality, leading to multiple resignations and sackings at board and management level: Sutherland stood down after 17 years as CEO (although it was said to be not related to the ball-tampering incident) David Peever quit as chairman after initially trying to cling on Mark Taylor resigned from the board Pat Howard left early as high performance chiefSteven Smith and David Warner shake hands at the end of a club match•Getty ImagesThe presentThe bans for Smith and Warner expire on March 29 – they recently met with the Australia squad – and they are expected to make their international returns at the World Cup. Bancroft returned to playing at the end of December and is pushing his claims for a spot on the Ashes tour. However, questions remain unanswered as to who else knew about the plans and whether tampering had happened before despite repeated denials.On the field, Australia are emerging from a tough run of results since the scandal with a notable comeback against India in the recent one-day series. Off the field, there have been a significant number of new appointments, headed by new chief executive Kevin Roberts, as the board tries to rebuild its image. The next 12 months will give a clearer indication of whether there remains significant long-term damage from the last 12 months.