UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024

UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024
Premier League referee David Coote was suspended on Nov. 11, 2024, after a video was posted on social media appearing to show him making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. (AFP)
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Updated 14 November 2024
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UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024

UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024
  • “A UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to evaluate a potential violation of the UEFA disciplinary regulations by the referee, Mr. David Coote,” UEFA said
  • The report said the incident was filmed one day after Coote’s last match duty, the quarterfinal between France and Portugal

NYON: UEFA started another investigation into English match official David Coote on Thursday after a video allegedly showed him using cocaine during the European Championship.
“A UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to evaluate a potential violation of the UEFA disciplinary regulations by the referee, Mr. David Coote,” UEFA said in a statement.
Coote worked as a video review specialist at Euro 2024, where match officials stayed at a hotel near Frankfurt. He was an assistant supporting the lead VAR official at eight games.
British daily The Sun published a video late Wednesday appearing to show Coote snorting the drug using an American banknote.
The report said the incident was filmed one day after Coote’s last match duty, the quarterfinal between France and Portugal. France won a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
Coote was suspended on Monday by the English match referees body after a different cellphone video circulated of him making offensive comments with friends about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. That body and the English FA started investigations.
UEFA already withdrew Coote from match duty for national team games this week after the first video was published.
The games he worked at Euro 2024 included host Germany’s 2-0 win over Denmark in the round of 16 that included a controversial penalty award for handball. The lead VAR official at that game, Stuart Attwell, was involved in some of the tournament’s most debated decisions.


Guardiola needs Man City stars to return as crisis mounts

Guardiola needs Man City stars to return as crisis mounts
Updated 13 sec ago
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Guardiola needs Man City stars to return as crisis mounts

Guardiola needs Man City stars to return as crisis mounts
Guardiola’s fourth-placed side head into Sunday’s derby against Manchester United reeling after a dismal run of one win in 10 games in all competitions
A 2-0 defeat at Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday left City in danger of failing to make the last 16

LONDON: Pep Guardiola admits troubled Manchester City will not recapture their peak form until his injury-plagued side are finally whole again.
Guardiola’s fourth-placed side head into Sunday’s derby against Manchester United reeling after a dismal run of one win in 10 games in all competitions.
A 2-0 defeat at Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday left City in danger of failing to make the last 16, while they are languishing eight points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
After winning an unprecedented four successive Premier League titles and six in the last seven seasons, City have looked more vulnerable than ever before in the Guardiola era.
The City boss attributes their stunning decline on injuries to key players, mostly notably Spain midfielder Rodri, who won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award earlier this year.
Rodri, who helped Spain win Euro 2024, is not expected back from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee for several months, although he has hinted he could feature at some point this season.
“What I want is my players back. The complete squad we had at the beginning of the season. My regret is that we don’t have these and not needing new ones,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
“We have known it from the beginning but Rodri is a Ballon d’Or player. We are playing without the best player in England last season. That is the problem.
“Not one other team plays with a central midfielder who has a Ballon d’Or. It is difficult. The moment he comes back, we will be strong again. We will be a good team.
“Of course, we still have to try and play the same way and to win. Sooner or later we are going to be back.”
With City mired in such a woeful period, the champions have been linked with new signings in the January transfer window.
On the day City announced record Premier League revenues of £715 million ($903 million). Guardiola didn’t rule out the possibility when it was put to him that reinforcements were needed to save their season.
“If we need players then we go to the transfer market but I don’t know who is around,” he said.
“Massive congratulations on the accounts because the club must be sustainable. That doesn’t mean we have big resources to buy whatever we want, especially with how expensive the transfer market is.”
Beating United at the Etihad Stadium this weekend would be a significant boost to Guardiola’s hopes of ending City’s spiral.
The Spaniard, who recently signed a new two-year contract, vowed to solve City’s crisis eventually and claimed he was not feeling under pressure.
“In our jobs we will always do our best and when the best doesn’t happen you are more uncomfortable than when the situation is going well. As a manager you are in scrutiny for every step of the team,” he said.
“But I am fine. I have more thoughts at this moment but what I feel right now is the same as what I’ve said for the last few weeks or month.
“We have to shoot more and cut out the mistakes. But we have been in the games.
“We have not been consistent for the 90 minutes but I know the reason why. We just have to keep working and moving forward.”
Adding to Guardiola’s mounting problems, Swiss defender Manuel Akanji has been ruled out of the Manchester derby with a pelvic injury.

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires from international cricket

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires from international cricket
Updated 21 min 54 sec ago
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Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires from international cricket

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires from international cricket
  • Wasim played 75 T20 internationals after making debut against Zimbabwe in 2015
  • He scored 554 runs in T20s and also took 73 wickets with his left-arm spin bowling

ISLAMABAD: Imad Wasim has announced his retirement from international cricket, six months after the Pakistan all-rounder made a comeback and played at the T20 World Cup.
“After much thought and reflection, I have decided to retire from international cricket,” Wasim wrote on X on Friday. “Representing Pakistan on the world stage has been the greatest honor of my life, and every moment wearing the green jersey has been unforgettable.”


The 35-year-old Wasim played 75 T20 internationals after making his debut against Zimbabwe in 2015. He scored 554 runs in T20s and also took 73 wickets with his left-arm spin bowling. Wasim also played 55 ODIs for Pakistan and took 44 wickets while scoring 986 runs.
Wasim quit international cricket in November 2023 after selectors ignored the all-rounder because of his fitness issues. Wasim changed his mind and made himself available for June’s T20 World Cup where Pakistan made an early exit after losing to archrival India and United States in group matches.
Wasim struggled to make a mark and finished the tournament with only three wickets in three games and could score only 19 runs.
The all-rounder said he will continue to play in domestic cricket and franchise cricket around the world.
“While this chapter comes to an end, I look forward to continuing my journey in cricket through domestic and franchise cricket, and I hope to keep entertaining you all in new ways. Thank you for everything. Pakistan,” he said.


PSG and Lyon meet in end-of-year summit in France

PSG and Lyon meet in end-of-year summit in France
Updated 44 min 27 sec ago
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PSG and Lyon meet in end-of-year summit in France

PSG and Lyon meet in end-of-year summit in France
  • PSG head into the final round of Ligue 1 games this calendar year unbeaten domestically and with a five-point lead from nearest challengers Marseille and Monaco at the top of the table.
  • They have struggled to convince recently and have been held to draws in their last two domestic outings

PARIS: Sunday’s Ligue 1 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, the two clubs who have taken turns dominating French football so far this century, pits the stuttering reigning champions against opponents who have hit a rich vein of form.
PSG head into the final round of Ligue 1 games this calendar year unbeaten domestically and with a five-point lead from nearest challengers Marseille and Monaco at the top of the table.
However, they have struggled to convince recently and have been held to draws in their last two domestic outings, against Nantes and Auxerre.
At least they breathed life into their faltering Champions League campaign in midweek, a 3-0 win at Red Bull Salzburg calming fears that they might not make the knockout phase of Europe’s elite club competition.
Even then, coach Luis Enrique suggested his team had played better in earlier games against PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid, neither of which they won.
“To be honest we didn’t play better than we did against PSV or Atletico. We were worse, but that’s football,” said the Spaniard.
All is far from rosy at the Parc des Princes, amid recent reports in the French media of a rift growing between the coach and certain players.
Their best performer this season has been young winger Bradley Barcola, who has scored 10 goals, but he has gone off the boil lately and will hope to find form again as he comes up against the club he left last year.
Lyon, who won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles in the first decade of this century, have often been a thorn in PSG’s side even if they have won just one of the last eight meetings of the clubs.
After stumbling in the early weeks of this campaign, they look in superb shape just now, on a run of nine games unbeaten and just one loss in 15 altogether.
They have won their last four matches and scored at least three goals in each of them, including an entertaining 3-2 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday.
That game, in which Rayan Cherki was outstanding, saw Lyon secure a place in the knockout phase play-offs of the Europa League at least.
Domestically, meanwhile, they are currently fifth and would be just six points behind PSG with a victory in the capital. They cannot be written off right now.
The 21-year-old was a transfer target for PSG during the last close season but ended up staying at Lyon where he is now playing the best football of his career.
The gifted winger or attacking midfielder may yet leave Lyon in January due to his current club’s need to raise funds in the transfer market.
That would be a blow for Lyon coach Pierre Sage, who has seen Cherki score two goals and set up three in two games over the last week. Sage feels his player deserves to be in the next France squad.
“I think today Rayan is being watched and is under consideration,” he said of a player who featured sparingly in the France side that won Olympic silver.
“His experience at the Olympics was not very positive but now he has other arguments in his favor and, if he gets a call-up, he will deserve it.”

8 — Brest are enjoying a heroic campaign in the Champions League but have lost eight times in Ligue 1 this season — that is one more defeat than in all of the last campaign.
15 — Also doing well in the Champions League, Lille are unbeaten in 15 games before Saturday’s clash with Marseille.
6 — PSG have lost six times to Lyon in Ligue 1 since the transformative takeover of the club by Qatar in 2011. Only Rennes (7) have recorded more wins against Paris in that time.

Fixtures (times GMT)
Friday
Toulouse v Saint-Etienne (1945)
Saturday
Marseille v Lille (1600), Auxerre v Lens (1800), Reims v Monaco (2000)
Sunday
Montpellier v Nice (1400), Brest v Nantes, Le Havre v Strasbourg, Rennes v Angers (all 1600), Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon (1945)


Manchester City report record revenues, but profits are down

Manchester City report record revenues, but profits are down
Updated 13 December 2024
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Manchester City report record revenues, but profits are down

Manchester City report record revenues, but profits are down
  • City won a record fourth straight Premier League title last year and has been crowned English champion in six of the last seven years

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester City on Friday reported record revenues of $903 million (£715m) for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Revenues were up by $2.78m (£2.2m) on the previous year, but profits were down slightly — $93.2m (£73.8m pounds) compared to $101.5m (£80.4m).
“The club’s three primary income sources — commercial, broadcast and matchday — all remained strong, reflecting the continued differentiation and impact of the club’s multi-decade strategic approach,” City said in a statement.
City was taken over by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in 2008 and has gone on to dominate English football after spending billions of pounds on some of the world’s best players and hiring Pep Guardiola as manager in 2016.
City won a record fourth straight Premier League title last year and has been crowned English champion in six of the last seven years.
But it is currently struggling on the pitch both domestically and in the Champions League, and City’s financial report comes against the backdrop of a hearing on alleged financial breaches. The four-time defending champion is facing more than 100 charges by the Premier League ranging over a nine-year period when it was trying to establish itself as the biggest force in English football.
City was accused by the league of providing misleading information about its finances from 2009-18. A hearing by an independent commission began in September and a verdict is not expected until next year.
City denies the charges.


Harry Kane set to return for Bayern Munich next week after injury

Harry Kane set to return for Bayern Munich next week after injury
Updated 13 December 2024
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Harry Kane set to return for Bayern Munich next week after injury

Harry Kane set to return for Bayern Munich next week after injury
  • Kane’s missed three games since then and Kompany says Kane won’t be available for Saturday’s Bundesliga game at Mainz

MUNICH: Harry Kane is set to make his return for Bayern Munich next week following a muscle injury, coach Vincent Kompany said Friday.
The England captain hasn’t played since he went off in Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Nov. 30 after receiving treatment on his right thigh.
Kane’s missed three games since then and Kompany said Kane wouldn’t be available for Saturday’s Bundesliga game at Mainz, either, but could return next week ahead of playing Leipzig on Dec. 20.
“It’s actually gone really quickly and well for Harry. It was tight for this game, but it looks good for Leipzig,” Kompany said.
“I’m obviously only focused on Mainz now but regarding Harry, it’s great. It’s not the case that we’ve had a setback or something. It looks good.”
Kane has scored 20 goals in 19 games for Bayern in all competitions this season.