Dandiwal had allegedly passed off a T20 game played in Mohali as one hosted in Sri Lanka

Press Trust of India07-Jul-2020Punjab Police arrested alleged bookmaker Ravinder Dandiwal on Monday in connection with a recent T20 match played in Mohali but streamed online as a game hosted in Sri Lanka. The game, held in June, had caught the attention of BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), the police and Sri Lanka Cricket.”Ravinder Dandiwal, who has emerged kingpin in the entire racket, was arrested on Monday,” Pal Singh, deputy superintendent of police in Kharar, confirmed to PTI. “He has been arrested in connection with ongoing investigations into the T20 match that was played, in which already two arrests have been made.”His role into the entire racket is being further probed,” Singh added about Dandiwal, from whom police have seized some laptops, mobile phones and documents. Preliminary investigations revealed that Dandiwal had organised fraudulent tournaments in the past as well, Singh said.The BCCI ACU will be in Chandigarh on Tuesday to share and gather information on Dandiwal, who had been on the BCCI’s radar for the past four years.”Whatever information we have we will pass it on to Punjab Police, if it helps them in their investigation or whatever we can gather from them, we will gather it. Our team will be from Delhi,” BCCI ACU chief Ajit Singh told PTI. “He has been arrested in connection to the T20 game (that was portrayed as a T20 game in Sri Lanka but was actually happening in Sawara village). We would like to have access to him also but that depends on Punjab Police. We are hopeful we will get it.”Police had got vital clues about Dandiwal from the two other accused, Pankaj and Raju, arrested on Thursday.The had reported on Friday that the game played on June 29 took place in Sawara village, close to Chandigarh, but was streamed as an ‘Uva T20 League’ match in Sri Lanka”s Badulla, home of the Uva Province Cricket Association (UPCA). Both UPCA and Sri Lanka Cricket denied their involvement in the league shortly afterwards.

Rangers are believed to be eyeing a move for a striker in red-hot form this summer, according to a report from his homeland.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers have enjoyed a positive season overall, with Philippe Clement impressively picking up the mess left by Michael Beale and masterminding a Scottish Premiership title charge. Granted, his side fell short of Celtic in the end, but there is still the Scottish Cup final to come, with victory at Hampden Park handing the boss his second trophy before even embarking on his first full season.

In terms of new signings who can come in and make Rangers even more of a force moving forward, a host of names have been thrown into the mix in recent weeks. Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland has been linked with a move to Ibrox, with Michael Stewart urging them to sign him, and the fact that he is a boyhood supporter could aid them in their quest to snap him up.

Planning for the future is also important for the Gers, and it looks as though they are looking at young talents as well as established players. Souleymane Sidibe has been backed to seal a switch to the Scottish giants at some point in the summer, with the 17-year-old midfielder currently at Stoke City, not to mention being a two-time capped England Under-17 international.

On the flip side, there are players who could leave Rangers at the end of the campaign, with John Lundstram eyeing a return to to England on a free transfer, ahead of his contract expiring this year.

Rangers want to sign prolific striker

According to Kosovan Football on X, Rangers are interested in signing Rapid Bucuresti striker Albion Rrahmani this summer, and the situation is developing even though a move is still some way away from being completed:

"Rangers from Scottish Premiership are in for Albion Rrahmani (23). Club is keen to bring him in Glasgow and the situation is under development. Nothing official yet."

Rrahmani may not exactly be a household name for Rangers supporters, certainly in comparison to someone like Shankland, who has stood out as one of Scottish football's star players this season, scoring 31 times in all competitions.

That's not to say that Rrahmani wouldn't be an exciting signing, however, and his goalscoring record in his club career to date shows how prolific he is. The 23-year-old has netted 51 goals in 94 appearances at all of his clubs combined – more than a goal every two matches. He has been red hot with 17 strikes in just 25 appearances for Bucuresti, along with five assists on top of that.

The four-cap Kosovo international is also five years younger than Shankland, meaning Rangers could enjoy more of his good years for a longer period of time, and he could also be a cheaper option, with Hearts likely to demand big money for their star striker this summer.

Related Rangers told to sign £3,000-a-week ace who's "far better than Dessers"

What an addition this would be for the Gers.

Posts ByHenry Jackson May 19, 2024

Rrahmani has two years remaining on his current deal, meaning Bucuresti will be starting to consider not losing him on the cheap, and he could be an effective and long-term addition to Clement's attack ahead of the 2024/25 season.

The new USMNT head coach made the most of his first impressions, with big goals and big swagger

NEW YORK – Mauricio Pochettino got it right immediately. In answering the first question asked at his introductory news conference after being unveailed as the new coach of the U.S. men's national team Friday, the Argentine head coach called it soccer.

“I’m impressed that you remembered to call it soccer,” USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone added with a laugh.

And it wasn’t the only chuckle of the hour-long event. Tucked away on the 24th floor of Hudson Yards in New York City, before the bright lights of a deceptively large auditorium, the United States Soccer Federation curated a jovial atmosphere.

The media, officials, and, of course, Pochettino, gathered for good vibes and at times shameless platitudes. But after nearly two years of negativity around the USMNT, one thing shone through: hope.

"We will run"

Pochettino was thoroughly charming throughout. He seemed filled with confidence and swagger, and had the room – full of the most prominent soccer publications in the United States – smirking and giggling. The occasional slip in English was met by an agreeable laugh. When allowed to switch to Spanish, he remarked that he was “happy to have a rest.”

No questions were dodged. Sure, there was coach-speak to be found: “We will play good soccer." "We will run." "We have to believe that we can win.”

But the coach, who has managed four top flight European clubs in a 15 year career, never avoided an answer. The queries he didn’t understand were met with clarifications and translations.

Amidst it all, optimism ran abound. The federation brought out legendary announcer Andres Cantor, native to Pochettino’s Argentina, to introduce the whole thing. He spoke for five minutes to open the event, saying that with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the U.S. is “two years away from the biggest sporting event in history.” He asserted that the “entire soccer landscape in America is healthy and thriving.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSaying all the right things

That was followed by a hype video so compelling it overshadowed – well, almost – the memories of the U.S. squad's disappointing group stage Copa America exit.

There they were: the USMNT. Yunus Musah flew into tackles, Chris Richards rose for headers, and Christian Pulisic found the back of the net. Despite the British rap music accompanying the footage, one could otherwise taste the patriotism in the room.

By the time the video rolled to a close, with the USMNT crest in the middle as the screen faded to black, the room was full of applause – even from those from some of the supposedly impartial media. And then Pochettino spoke. He then entertained questions for 45 minutes, sharing a stage with Parlow Cone and fellow U.S. Soccer executives Matt Crocker and JT Batson. The other three were mostly spectators as Pochettino spoke, Crocker cutting an almost smug figure as he watched his appointee run rings around an expectant media corps.

At the end of it all, the room was filled with applause, and smiles from those who weren’t. Who could blame them? After so many years of false promises and golden generations, here was perhaps the right man to lead it all, wearing a suit, smiling, saying all of the right things.

Getty ImagesLooking forward

Everyone had converged, too. The media were greeted by MLS officials. Commissioner Don Garber sat in the front row. Pochettino’s reported $6 million salary is being partially funded by billionaire Ken Griffin. This was a celebration, a show of strength, the unflappable coach given the power to control a broken side.

It marked a contrast from the final coaching days of Gregg Berhalter. The former Columbus Crew boss spent the whole of Copa America being peppered with questions about his job security. More broadly, an American head coach hasn't sat comfortably through a news conference in more than a year.

Eventually, the questions ended. Pochettino covered it all, ranging from the current state of the squad, to the expectations for the future. He talked about his future home – set for Atlanta – and the promise of good Barbecue that lies in the American South.

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Getty Images Sport"On an amazing path"

There were drinks and smiles after, views over New York City to accompany them. Pochettino had been whisked away, Crocker gone with him. He has already done his sightseeing in New York. A journey to Chicago to meet everyone at U.S. Soccer in the coming weeks is on the cards. A new house comes next, and is family are supposedly delighted about the opportunity to move to the States.

And after all of the quotes, platitudes, and good vibes, it was Cantor’s assertion, made two minutes in, that remained:

“This sport is on an amazing path, and today is an incredible moment which we will remember for years to come.”

Aston Villa’s European dream could well be over after a 4-2 defeat to Olympiacos in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final.

Unai Emery will need to give his team a solid team talk ahead of their clash against Brighton and Hove Albion this afternoon as they seek to return to winning ways in the Premier League.

Several of his players failed to deliver against the Greek champions in midweek, proving unable to shine when it mattered most.

Morgan Rogers was one of the main underperformers during the first leg, and he could be dropped against Brighton.

Morgan Rogers game in numbers vs Olympiacos

The winger was unleashed in the starting XI for the Midlands side but struggled to really get involved.

During his 74 minutes on the pitch, he took only 36 touches along with completing just 17 of his 22 attempted passes. Rogers also failed to deliver a single accurate cross or create a big chance, but he did attempt five dribbles, succeeding with two.

Morgan Rogers’ game in numbers vs Olympiacos
Goals	0
Assists	0
Key passes	1
Total shots	3
Possession lost	9
Via Sofascore

From a defensive viewpoint, the youngster was also poor, winning just five of his ten contested duels while losing possession nine times as Villa succumbed to defeat.

His display could see him dropped to the bench for the clash against the Seagulls this afternoon, which means Emery may make a change of formation to a 4-4-2 in order to unleash Jhon Duran, who enjoyed a solid cameo against Olympiacos.

Jhon Duran’s statistics this season

The Colombian striker came on for Rogers with just over 15 minutes remaining, subsequently succeeding with 100% of both his attempted passes and ground duels contested.

He also managed two shots during his brief time on the pitch while also winning the penalty from which Douglas Luiz missed, but it was a lively performance from the youngster.

Duran has scored six goals across all competitions this term, yet has started only nine times, having to play second fiddle to Ollie Watkins.

If Emery does move to a 4-4-2 system, it could see Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby operating on either flank, with Duran partnering the Englishman up top.

The £30k-per-week gem was lauded for having a “weapon” of a left foot by talent scout Jacek Kulig earlier this season, with Emery in need of more magic from his promising starlet.

Despite starting only two league games, the 20-year-old has succeeded with 40% of his dribble attempts, scored three goals, taken 0.8 shots per game and has a goal conversion rate of 20%, which proves that if he was given more time on the pitch, then these stats could certainly improve.

Could the clash against Brighton present the player with an opportunity from the starting XI given how impressive he was against Olympiacos?

Only time will tell, but if he doesn’t start receiving more game time, the Colombian could well be keen to move on to pastures new in the summer.

Aston Villa plotting to repeat Tielemans masterclass with "prolific" target

Aston Villa appear to be eyeing a move for a striker who has plenty of Premier League experience

By
Ross Kilvington

May 4, 2024

Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy are said to have already moved for one club's "vital" £34 million player, and it is believed they have a financial advantage over numerous other sides in the race for his signature.

Spurs targeting new centre-back for Postecoglou this summer

Despite already boasting three star senior central defenders in the form of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is after a fourth as he plots to overhaul the current squad.

Ange outlines Tottenham star as weak link as he eyes "perfect" £55.6m heir

The Australian has decided to sell him.

ByEmilio Galantini May 21, 2024

Postecoglou has strongly hinted that Spurs are set for a real makeover when the transfer window reopens on June 14, with the Australian set to reinforce the heart of his backline further. He green-lit a £25 million deal for Dragusin just four months ago, but has publicly stated since then that Tottenham will be in the market for another centre-back.

“If you’re saying, ‘Is it an area we can strengthen?’, yes it’s an area we will probably look at”, said Postecoglou on signing another centre-back at Spurs.

“With all these things, it’s about trying to strengthen the group as much as anything else. If you think about when I first arrived, we had maybe six or seven centre-backs at the club. So it’s not just numbers. It’s more about the ability of those players to play the football we want and to fit in to what we’re trying to build here.

“I think it is an area of the park we will look to strengthen, but I think we’ll look to strengthen all areas of the park come the end of the season. That is planning that’s already underway, and other people are in charge of it at the moment.”

Tottenham have been linked with Fulham's Tosin Adarabioyo, and more marquee options like Everton starlet Jarrad Branthwaite, to bolster their defence. However, a fruitful pool of talent for the club is over in Italy, where Fabio Paratici's network of contacts has come in handy over the last few years.

Spurs are rumoured to be in the chase for Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori, who has really impressed under Thiago Motta in Serie A and could come at a fairly affordable price. Elsewhere in the division, another attractive Italian centre-half may well be Torino's Alessandro Buongiorno.

Genoa 0-0 Torino

8.49

Lecce 0-1 Torino

8.47

Torino 3-0 Napoli

8.37

Salernitana 0-3 Torino

7.68

Torino 3-0 Atalanta

7.65

The Italian has been exceptional over the last eight months, and even finished 23/24 as Torino's best-performing player per 90 on average according to WhoScored.

Tottenham move already made for Buongiorno amid financial advantage

According to newspaper Tuttosport, Tottenham have "already moved" for Buongiorno pre-summer. While it isn't specified what Tutto mean by this, it presumably suggests some sort of approach or contact has been made to find out the costs of a potential deal.

It's also stated that Spurs' "spending power" will be key, and could hand them a financial advantage over the 24-year-old's plethora of other suitors abroad. Inter Milan, Napoli, Juventus and AC Milan are all interested in the centre-back, but they could have more trouble meeting his £34 million asking price.

Other reports have described Buongiorno as "vital" to the Torino cause, and his numbers suggest that he'd be worth a valuation of that amount.

Kevin O’Brien knows that no matter what he does in this week’s ODI series against England, he will ultimately be remember for one thing. His name is inextricably linked with his 50-ball hundred in the 2011 World Cup, which sealed a famous Ireland victory against their oldest rivals in Bangalore, and he is all too aware that there is no escaping that fact.”It’s coming on 10 years now,” he laughs. “It’s a little bit frustrating. It’s obviously a very proud thing, and to talk and think about it does give me goosebumps. But I’d like to think I’ve had some performances since then to not just go back to one game.”Whether my scores show it or not, I think I’m a better cricketer now: more rounded, with more experience under my belt. I’m certainly in a better space now; a more comfortable space with where I am mentally and physically.”While England’s team from that night at the Chinnaswamy bears no resemblance to the one that has led the way in ODI cricket over the past five years, O’Brien is one of six men from that Ireland XI currently at the Ageas Bowl ahead of Thursday’s series opener. If that is a reflection in part of the teams’ respective talent pools, it speaks too of the importance of O’Brien’s generation to Irish cricket.ALSO READ: Ireland name Tector, Campher in 14-man squad for series openerBut when the selectors named their 14-man squad for the first ODI, two of those six – George Dockrell and Gary Wilson – were only among the reserves. Nine years on from that win, a new batch is emerging in Irish cricket, with a group of young players coming through simultaneously for the first time in a long while.”There’s four or five players all around a similar age,” O’Brien says, “and for them it’s a great opportunity to write their own legacy and write Irish cricket’s next chapter. The hunger’s certainly there with the young guys to get better, train hard, and be the best players that they can be.”Ultimately it’s up to them to bring Cricket Ireland forward when myself and a few of the older boys hang up the boots. We’ve brought it as far as we can, and it’s up to the younger guys to bring it even further.”It’s certainly something that I’ve taken notice of over the last 14 or 15 weeks, over lockdown – a few areas that I need to improve on to stay a step ahead of the younger guys. That’s great to have for me as an individual, and from the team’s point of view if we’re all trying to be better than each other, ultimately the team should be in a better place going forward.”The competition for places is crucial and it’s important that we have as much depth as we can. People are only going to experience that by being thrown in at the deep end and playing games like this and learning on their feet.”In particular, there are positive signs with two young batsmen: Gareth Delany and Harry Tector. Delany’s ultra-aggressive style, with high hands and impressive power, have catapulted him from club and provincial cricket into the national set-up, and he looks set to open the batting with Paul Stirling in this series.”He hits the ball as clean as anyone that I’ve ever seen in an Irish jersey,” O’Brien says. “Fifty-over cricket’s a different game and a little bit more structured, and he’s still learning. Being a young guy he’s only going to get better. Plus he’s a useful legspin bowler and a good fielder, so he’s a three-in-one cricketer: that’s something that we’re crying out for, people who can do all three.”Tector, meanwhile, is in line for an ODI debut in the middle-order after impressing in T20Is. “He was all the way through, all the underage teams and was captain of the U-19s a few years ago,” O’Brien says. “He’s been earmarked. Harry’s a very technically correct batsman: he can score quickly, and he’s got most if not all the shots in the book.”O’Brien made 126 not out in Ireland’s intra-squad warm-up•Getty Images for ECB

Despite that talent, O’Brien is under no illusions about the scale of the task facing Ireland. He hit a quickfire hundred in the intra-squad warm-up game, after feeling in “good nick” since returning to training last month, but if there was any suggestion that the absence of some key players would hurt England, that was shot down by the practice match against the Lions on Sunday.”I didn’t need any reminders of how England would play against us,” he says. “The depth in their squad is probably the strongest in world cricket, with the talent on display the other night.”We always have a chance. We’ve got match-winners in our squad with both bat and ball as we’ve since in the last six or seven months. When we play well, we’re a good team – we’ve just got to put in a performance for 100 overs, or as many of those 100 overs as we can. We know if we’re not on the ball against England they’re going to capitalise. We’ve got to be positive with everything we do and take them on. That’s the only way we’re going to compete with them.”Cricket Ireland has come a long way since 2011. Test status and being a full member brings other responsibilities. On the field, we’re just trying to get better every time we train and every time we play.”Playing this type of game against arguably the best team in the world is going to make us better cricketers and a better team as a unit. We’ve just got to focus on what we do best and any obstacles we can overcome over the next three games.”

PCB chairman, who is also a senior ICC Board member, says event likely to be deferred by a year

Umar Farooq and Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jun-2020

Ehsan Mani is currently the ICC’s head of finance and commercial affairs•Harry How/Getty Images

PCB chairman Ehsan Mani believes it is not “feasible” to host the men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020, and that the tournament is likely to be “deferred” by a year. A final decision on the matter is likely in the next “three-four” weeks.Mani becomes the second senior member sitting on the ICC Board in as many days this week to say that the T20 World Cup, scheduled between October 18 and November 16 in Australia, is unlikely to go ahead this year because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Tuesday Earl Eddings, Cricket Australia chairman, said that it would be “unrealistic” and “very, very difficult” to expect the event to go ahead as planned, considering the number of infections were still “spiking” in some of the 16 participating countries.”The biggest challenge in Australia – although Australia and New Zealand they have controlled Covid-19 – their governments are very cautious,” Mani said at a virtual media briefing on Wednesday. “If it is played this year they will likely insist it happens in a bio-bubble. Like with the Pakistan team in England, teams come, stay in a hotel, with no crowds. This is okay for one or two teams but when 12-16 teams play in a T20 tournament, it becomes an impossible thing. I don’t think it is feasible today that there is any ICC event in 2020.”Apart from the ICC Board, Mani and Eddings also sit on the global cricket body’s second-most influential wing, the Finance & Commercial Affairs committee. Mani is the F&CA president while Eddings is one of six members on the panel, which also has ICC chairman Shashank Manohar and chief executive Manu Sawhney as ex-officio members.The F&CA committee decides and allocates budgets for each of the world events for both men’s and women’s cricket and also looks after the distribution of money that members get annually from world events,. That has been one of the main concerns for the ICC and has contributed to the body continuing to delay officially postponing the men’s T20 World Cup this year.With members needing clarity on the event in order to work on their own calendars, the ICC Board has already met virtually a few times over the last two months to discuss contingency planning for key world events which also includes the women’s ODI World Cup, scheduled in New Zealand for February-March next year. The Board met last week and is scheduled to do so again on June 25.The ICC is keen to utlise 2022 – in which no ICC event is currently scheduled – within the current events cycle that stretches until the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup. India is scheduled to host that event as well as the 2021 men’s Twenty20 World Cup.However, CA is keen to host the 2021 edition of the event, something Eddings noted in his communication to the F&CA, contents of which were reported in the Times of India. Eddings said that it would be “detrimental to cricket” in case Australia failed to host the T20 World Cup in October-November 2021. He also suggested India would be fit to host the event during the same period in 2022, since it was likely the country would have fully recovered from the pandemic by then.The BCCI is yet to make any public comment on the matter, although it is understood the Indian board is concerned about hosting two back-to-back world events in the space of six months if it were to host the men’s T20 World Cup in October-November 2022, followed by the ODI World Cup, in February-March, 2023.”In my opinion I think [this year’s event] will probably be deferred for a year,” Mani said. “The ICC has time because ICC events were supposed to happen in 2020, 2021 and 2023. The gap in the middle can be filled and this will be deferred. That is where the talk is headed towards. What event will happen first and where, those talks are happening.”It is a big risk that God forbid, in the middle of a big tournament, if a player gets an infection, the panic from that will be too much so we can’t take that risk.”A number of stakeholders, Mani said, need to be on board, which is why a decision hasn’t been taken in haste. “Cricket boards are one stakeholder,” he said. “Another stakeholder is the broadcaster – Star is the broadcaster, they will see their position, what is better for them. Other than Full Members, associates also get money from ICC events so discussions are on with as to what their priorities are.”But you’ll see that in the next three-four weeks a decision will be taken on this. There is a conference call next week. We’ve had four-five con calls on this in the last month. Obviously a decision will have to be made about where the first event will be. Right now it was to be Australia, then India and then a gap of one year and then India for the World Cup. Now we have to see whether it will be Australia first, or India, to see who will host in 2022.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O torcedor do Corinthians ficou em êxtase na última quinta-feira ao ver o tão esperado anúncio da contratação de Renato Augusto, que retorna ao clube após cinco anos e meio. Mas engana-se quem pensa que a concretização da transferência se deu da noite para o dia, o processo foi lento e se iniciou apenas como um sonho, mas depois de cumpridas as etapas, virou realidade.

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> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

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>Veja quase 30 bons jogadores sul-americanos sem contrato

Assim, nos tópicos seguintes, o LANCE! conta um pouco do passo a passo e dos bastidores dessa negociação, que teve desfecho positivo para todas as partes envolvidas, aliando desejo do jogador, dos agentes, dos torcedores e do clube.

Sonho improvável

Desde que deixou o Timão, na virada de 2015 para 2016, Renato manteve amizade com os dirigentes corintianos e, principalmente, o carinho pelo clube. Duilio Monteiro Alves, Roberto de Andrade e Alessandro trabalharam com o meia na primeira passagem e conduziram as negociações agora, em 2021. Ambos os lados nunca esconderam o desejo pela volta, mas os valores eram impeditivos para que qualquer conversa avançasse para uma negociação.

Corte na folha salarial corintiana e pandemia

Endividado até o pescoço e bastante afetado pelas consequências da pandemia de coronavírus, o Corinthians precisou exercer uma filosofia de contenção de gastos em 2021 e, com saídas e empréstimos, conseguiu enxugar cerca de R$ 4,5 milhões da folha salarial do clube. Ao mesmo tempo, Renato Augusto não pôde voltar para a China no início deste ano por conta de políticas sanitárias, ficando no Brasil. Enquanto isso, não recebeu salários por seis meses.

Concorrência e consulta inicial

Diante disso, o Corinthians passou a consultar de forma mais concreta a situação de Renato em relação ao clube chinês, ao mesmo tempo em que o Flamengo, com a saída de Gerson, passava a ser um forte concorrente para contratar o meia. As conversas com o clube carioca não evoluíram, enquanto o relacionamento com o Timão passou a fluir, abrindo espaço para negociação e com a possibilidade de rescisão contratual com o Beijing Guoan.

Desejo mútuo de retorno e “namoro” fica sério

A junção de bom relacionamento, preferência do jogador, possibilidade de rescisão e entendimentos financeiros culminou em uma negociação concreta, em que Renato, seus agentes e dirigentes corintianos alinharam valores e apalavraram um acordo para que o meia vestisse novamente a camisa alvinegra. Isso se, obviamente, o desligamento na China fosse efetuado. Algo que sempre foi considerado “sem pressa” e como algo iminente.

Desligamento na Fifa e despedida na China

Em São Paulo procurando imóvel para morar e se estabelecer novamente na capital paulista, Renato Augusto esperava seus agentes conseguirem a liberação de seu contrato na Fifa, tomando como base os seis meses sem receber salários do Beijing Guoan. A entidade máxima deu sinal positivo para o meia, que antes de assinar com o Corinthians quis evitar sair pela “porta dos fundos” e, após acertarem as arestas, o jogador se despediu do clube chinês.

Caminho livre e o tão esperado anúncio

Com acerto financeiro com o Timão, a liberação na Fifa e as arestas aparadas na China, o “só falta assinar” era a realidade da situação. A despedida via rede social, tanto de Renato quanto do Beijing, foi o ato final dessa “novela”. Assim, a assinatura pôde finalmente ser realizada pelas partes, abrindo o caminho para o tão aguardado anúncio da contratação, na manhã da última quinta-feira, realizando o desejo do clube, da diretoria, do jogador e da Fiel torcida.

E agora?

Para ver Renato Augusto novamente em campo, os torcedores do Corinthians precisarão esperar um pouco mais, já que a janela para contratações de jogadores que atuam fora do país abrirá apenas em 1º de agosto. Até lá o meia fará uma espécie de pré-temporada, uma vez que não atua desde meados de dezembro do ano passado e precisará de um tempo maior de adaptação, apesar de ter se mantido em forma com um preparador físico particular.

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Michael Owen says it "pains" him to see Wrexham flourishing under Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

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• Co-owners have taken Wrexham to League One
• Ultimate ambition is the Premier League
• Owen explains 'pain' of Wrexham success

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Owen was born in Chester and supports his local side, who count Wrexham among their rivals. So the sight of the Red Dragons' shining under Reynolds and McElhenney, earning back-to-back promotions and receiving worldwide attention thanks to their Welcome to Wrexham documentary, hurts the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Reynolds and McElhenney have put Wrexham on the map since taking over the club in 2021. Fans have flocked from around the world to see the Welsh side, to the point that it's put a real strain on traffic around the SToK Racecourse. Phil Parkinson's side are now in League One after rising from the National League, and they already have the Championship in their sights after marching to the top of the table.

• WHAT OWEN SAID

  Owen told Genting Casino: "Well I'm a Chester fan of course, my dad played for Chester in the glory years when they got to the League Cup semi-final and got promotion. My dad speaks so fondly of his time at Chester and I was born in the city, lived in the city and my home sits just outside the city now so Chester is in my heart and soul. So it pains me in a way to say it, but I think it's great to see what is happening at Wrexham. The two owners are doing wonders for football in this part of the world.

  "There are so many fans out in America that wouldn't have been football fans, wouldn't have followed football without them. The buzz in the area is quite incredible. I live 15 miles from Wrexham and you can feel the buzz down the road. It's quite painful as a Chester fan, looking over your fence and seeing success down there, but also I would like to think that gives the motivation for Chester Football Club and the fans to want better and to want more. We'll see what happens there in the future.

  "I've got no problems with what Wrexham are doing. They're spending money, they're investing money into football. The crowds are growing, the stadium is getting bigger and better. I think it's an incredible story."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Reynolds and McElhenney will be keen to get one over retired NFL superstar Tom Brady when Wrexham take on Birmingham on Monday evening.

قدّم آرني سلوت مدرب ليفربول تحديثات بشأن لاعبيه المصابين، في حديثه عقب الفوز أمام مانشستر سيتي.

وقد تغلب ليفربول على مانشستر سيتي بهدفين دون رد مساء الأحد، في منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.

وتعرض الثنائي إبراهيما كوناتي وكونور برادلي لإصابات خلال الفوز 2-0 على ريال مدريد ليلة الأربعاء، وغابا عن فوز الأحد على مانشستر سيتي في آنفيلد.

ولا يتوقع سلوت أن يتمكن من الاعتماد عليهم في المستقبل القريب، بينما أكد أيضًا أن كوستاس تسيميكاس من المقرر أن يغيب عن جدول المباريات القادمة.

اقرأ أيضًا | سلوت بعد الفوز على مانشستر سيتي: لم يتوقع أحد بدايتي مع ليفربول.. والتغلب علينا صعب

وقال سلوت في تصريحات لموقع ليفربول الرسمي: “سيغيب كلاهما لبضعة أسابيع، لقد قلت مرات عديدة من قبل، من الصعب دائمًا الحكم على عدد الأسابيع بالضبط لأنك قد تعتقد في البداية أنها ستكون على هذا النحو ثم يمكن أن تختلف المرحلة النهائية من عملية الإصابة دائمًا قليلاً”.

وأضاف: “لن يكونا في الفريق هذا الأسبوع، بالتأكيد، كلاهما (كوناتي وبرادلي) وفي الواقع لا أعتقد أن كوستاس سيكون معنا في الأسبوع المقبل أيضًا”.

وأردف: “هؤلاء اللاعبون المتاحون لدينا الآن، من المهم لهم الآن، أكثر من المعتاد، أن يظلوا لائقين، هذا هو السبب أيضًا في أنني أخرجت ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد بعد 70 دقيقة”.

وأشار: “لقد كان قادرًا على اللعب لفترة أطول، ولعب مباراة جيدة جدًا، ودافع بشكل جيد حقًا مرة أخرى وكان يشكل تهديدًا كبيرًا في الهجوم، أعتقد أنه كان هو من مرر الكرة إلى محمد صلاح والتي أدت إلى الهدف الأول”.

وأكد: “لكن، مع العلم أننا سنلعب ضد نيوكاسل يوم الأربعاء والسبت في ديربي ميرسيسايد مع خمسة لاعبين فقط متاحين، يتعين علينا الاعتناء بهم”.

وأتم: “لهذا السبب كان من دواعي سروري أن أرى اللاعبين الذين شاركوا كبدلاء جو جوميز وجاريل كوانساه، يقدمون أداءً جيدًا، حتى مع وجود جاريل في موقف غير مألوف بالنسبة له”.