أعلن اتحاد كرة السلة عدم السماح لأي فرد بدخول صالة نادي الاتحاد السكندري خلال إقامة تصفيات المنطقة الخامسة لبطولة إفريقيا لكرة السلة، إلا للفرق المشاركة وأجهزتها الفنية والقائمين على تنظيم المباريات.
ويستعد منتخب الفراعنة لتصفيات المنطقة الخامسة لبطولة إفريقيا، والتي تقام في الإسكندرية من 27 لـ 29 نوفمبر، والتي يتواجد فيها المنتخب المصري في مجموعة واحدة مع المغرب وأوغندا ومنتخب الرأس الأخضر.
اقرأ أيضًا.. اتحاد السلة يعتمد بندا جديدا لحماية حقوق مدربي الأندية
وجاء قرار اتحاد السلة بناءً على تعليمات أجهزة الدولة ووزارة الصحة وبروتوكول التعامل مع فيروس كورونا “كوفيد-19″، وحرصًا على سلامة وصحة المواطنين بالتزامن مع الموجة الثانية لفيروس كورونا.
وكان عمرو مصيلحي عضو مجلس ادارة الاتحاد المصري لكرة السلة، ورئيس اللجنة المنظمة للتصفيات، قد قام بصحبة رؤوساء اللجان على معاينة أرض الملعب مطلع الأسبوع الجاري، وأشاد بمدى الجدية في إنهاء كافة التجهيزات في المواعيد المحددة.
Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in disgust after Marcos Rojo revealed what he and Angel Di Maria got up to in their early days at the club.
Rojo told ESPN Argentina: “We went to English classes with Angel Di Maria and we killed each other with laughter.
One point separated City and Liverpool but twenty-five separated them from the rest! Fans discuss who could reduce the deficit next season in the video below?
“Afterwards we did not go to those classes anymore and they (United) started fining us because they were already paying.”
Unsurprisingly, Di Maria has since left the club after spending one failed season at Old Trafford, managing to score just four times following his £59.7m move from Real Madrid.
Rojo, however, signed a contract extension as recently as last year, but only made six appearances for the club in the campaign just gone.
A lot has been made of the poor attitude at Old Trafford right now, and it is seemingly a huge reason behind the club’s dismal season under Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer; the latter even threatened to sell some of his players due to their woeful attitudes.
Having heard how the two Argentina internationals treated the club and the lack of effort they put in to their English lessons, the United supporters on Twitter have reacted lividly and feel the pair have been disrespectful to the club…
QPR limped towards the finishing line in 2018/19 but were able to sign off for the season in style as they beat 12th-placed Sheffield Wednesday away – one of the highlights of a disappointing campaign.
Mark Warburton has come in with a refreshing attitude and promises to be a good appointment for the Hoops, who will be hoping for another day like 24th May 2014 in the coming years.
The Loftus Road outfit, captained by Clint Hill, lifted the play-off trophy at Wembley Stadium having beaten Derby County and secured promotion to the top flight.
Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!
The 40-year-old spent six years at W12 between 2010 and 2016 – a period of time he referred to on Twitter as the ‘good old days’ – making 169 appearances and scoring five goals.
As former players united to celebrate their achievement of five years ago, some QPR fans took the opportunity to send some warming messages to the Huyton-born retiree – you can check out the best of the reaction below…
أبدى نجم فريق توتنهام ومنتخب إنجلترا هاري كين، كامل حزنه لوفاة أسطورة كرة القدم الأرجنتينية دييجو مارادونا اليوم الأربعاء.
وكان الاتحاد الأرجنتيني لكرة القدم قد أعلن منذ قليل، وفاة مارادونا بعد صراع طويل مع المرض (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).
ونشر هاري كين، عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “تويتر” صورة تجمعه بـ مارادونا.
وكتب النجم الإنجليزي: “شرفت بلقائه، أخبار حزينة جدًا، ارقد في سلام مارادونا”.
والتقى مارادونا بـ كين قبل 3 أعوام خلال تواجد الأرجنتيني في مباراة توتنهام وليفربول في الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث اجتمع مع مواطنه ماوريسيو بوتشيتينو مدرب الديوك في ذلك الوقت.
وأثنى مارادونا على كين آنذاك، ونصحه بألا يسدد الكرة فقط في الزاوية البعيدة للمرمى، بل القريبة كذلك حتى يخدع حراس المرمى.
Privileged to have met him. Very sad news. RIP Diego Maradona. pic.twitter.com/x2LcIeQPqr
After 48 matches for Aston Villa and Derby this term, their seasons boil down to one remaining fixture.
On Bank Holiday Monday, the two teams meet today in the play-off final at Wembley. At stake? A place in the Premier League.
The financial implications make this one of the biggest games in football. The pressure couldn’t be higher as Dean Smith’s men take on Frank Lampard’s outfit in the capital.
Who will prevail is anyone’s guess.
What history tells us
Going into this tie most of the omens are on Aston Villa’s side. The Rams have only ever beaten them five times. In the process, they’ve rarely scored a goal either.
It’s a shambolic record for the Derbyshire club who will be hoping to erase those memories of times gone by.
The Villans have already put Derby to the sword on two occasions this term, defeating them 3-0 and 4-0 throughout 2018/19.
However, in terms of play-off finals, Lampard’s side may have the upper hand. They were victorious in the play-off final back in 2007 when a solitary goal from Matt Oakley was enough for them to see off West Brom.
Villa, on the other hand, tasted defeat at Wembley this time last year, losing to Fulham.
Key battle
Jack Grealish and Mason Mount have been two of the most exciting players to watch in the Championship this season and will therefore hold the key on Monday.
Much has been made about Grealish’s future with Villa after the 23-year-old attracted interest from the likes of Crystal Palace and Tottenham.
This may well be his last appearance in a Villa shirt. If it is he’ll be looking for a fitting send-off after already being named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.
As for Mount, he’s been exceptional since arriving on loan from Chelsea. The midfielder averages a very healthy 2.5 shots per game and his goal threat, as well as his ability to pick a pass, will be massive if Derby are to have any chance of breaking down Villa’s barricades.
Ref in focus
Paul Tierney comes into the play-off final having only refereed one Championship clash all campaign, a 2-0 win for Bristol City over Stoke.
This will be the first major final he’s taken charge of, having only refereed an FA Youth Cup final in his career to date.
Tierney has only shown one red card all season so the omens are good in that regard. However, he does average quite a high percentage of bookings per game so that could be something to look out for, particularly with the play-off final likely to be a feisty affair.
Team news
Villa have two injury concerns going into the play-off final with Orjan Nylan definitely ruled out. James Chester is a doubt but it was highly unlikely he’d start anyway.
The main selection dilemma for Smith will come at right wing. In wide positions this term his players have been particularly inconsistent. Anwar El Ghazi has been the stand out performer so it’s assumed he’ll keep his place. On the right, however, Andre Green and Albert Adomah will be fighting for a starting place, but we expect the latter will replace the former in the XI today.
Conor Hourihane is likely to play over Glenn Whelan too. The latter made a horrendous error in the play-off semi-final first leg, gifting the ball to Dwight Gayle who then went onto score.
For Derby, their main issue will be at left back after Scott Malone was sent off against Leeds last time out.
That means that Ashley Cole will have a monumental task on his hands. At the age of 38, he’s been away from games of this magnitude for some time so will have to rely on all of his experience to keep Villa at bay.
Jack Marriott, scorer of two goals when Derby played Leeds, is set for his first start since March.
According to a report in The Scottish Sun, Neil Lennon is keen to re-sign striker Gary Hooper for Celtic if he gets the job permanently this summer, and the link is exactly what he shouldn’t be handed the role.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Scottish Sun report that the 31-year-old, who is available on a free having been released by English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday, is on the former Hibernian boss’ transfer wish-list.
The Scottish Sun report that the centre-forward would be keen on a return to Parkhead, where he scored a remarkable 82 goals in 138 games during his previous spell with the Glasgow giants.
Of course, Lennon is still to find out whether he will be Brendan Rodgers’ long-term replacement, having steered the club to the Scottish Premiership title following the Northern Irishman’s mid-season decision to depart for Leicester City.
Exactly why he shouldn’t get the job
The fact that Lennon reportedly wants to bring Hooper back to the club is one of the reasons why the Bhoys should be looking elsewhere for their new manager.
Controversial. Uncompromising. Leader. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith talks the future of Celtic’s evergreen captain Scott Brown in the video below…
With Steven Gerrard and Rangers set to be stronger next season, and with the club needing to make big improvements in the Champions League, Lennon and Hooper are not the men to help them do that.
The latter has been plagued by injury issues during the latter part of his spell with the Owls, making just five appearances in all competitions this term.
Celtic need to look to the future instead of the past and add a younger and more exciting striker to their frontline for the 2019/20 campaign if they want to progress – re-signing Hooper would ultimately be a backwards step.
It’s time for Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell to show some ambition, and if they do then the 31-year-old won’t be lining up in a Hoops shirt for the second time in his career.
There is no doubt that some Chelsea supporters will be glad to see Maurizio Sarri leave the club this summer.
The Italian, who is expected to succeed Massimiliano Allegri as Juventus manager (Sky Sports), has failed to get all of the Stamford Bridge faithful to buy into his idea of football despite the fact that it has guided the Blues to the Europa League and third place in the Premier League. Well, that and Eden Hazard.
The Belgian, in what looked to be his last season at the west London club, was in incredible form and really carried his team at times.
Nevertheless, Sarri still deserves some credit for what Chelsea were able to achieve in the recently concluded season and looked to have them on the right path going into the next campaign.
Against Arsenal in the Europa League final, the Blues were brilliant, finally showing what can only be described as Sarri-ball.
“I am starting to feel like this Chelsea team is mine,” were the words of Sarri after the triumph in Baku (Daily Express).
Considering that, losing Sarri now would be disastrous for Chelsea. Likely to lose the foundation the 60-year-old started to build and the ideas he brought, it will be back to square one for the Blues, putting them another season behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
In Chelsea’s defence, it does seem like Sarri is pushing for an exit rather than being forced out. But with the club not exactly fighting to keep hold of their man in the dugout and clearly open to his departure, once again, they have essentially hit the reset button.
Chelsea fans, do you view Sarri’s expected departure as a blow? Let us know in the comment section below!
Replacing Aaron Ramsey is likely to be Unai Emery’s biggest task this summer in a long list of things needing to be done.
The Welshman’s absence will be felt next season when the club legend departs for Juventus, and fans will be banking on Emery to do his best to bring in a suitable replacement for Ramsey, and an option might already be at the club.
The final game of the Premier League campaign saw Emery hand a start to academy product Joe Willock, who has been one of the most impressive youth prospects this season, scoring three goals for the first-team and hitting nine in the development leagues.
The 19-year-old has been one of the most improved Arsenal youth players this season under Freddie Ljungberg and has taken his opportunities with the senior team well, and although he couldn’t score against Burnley, Willock still impressed against the Clarets.
With Emery having a limited budget for the summer and Willock already showing signs of being a potential first-team player, the Spaniard could take a gamble on the England youth midfielder and chose him with the task of replacing Ramsey at the club.
Not only will this add a homegrown player to the team as well as a local kid who the fans can get behind, but it also allows Emery to save millions he could use to invest in positions that need major improvements, such as the centre-back and wings.
Ramsey leaving is devastating for the fans and team, but in Willock, both parties will have a new star to be excited about and a youngster who can make a name for himself at Arsenal.
Arsenal fans, should Willock have a bigger role in the first-team next season? Let us know!
Leeds United were dumped out of the play-offs by Derby County on Wednesday night in a pulsating evening of football at Elland Road.
The result was tough to take for the Whites faithful as the curtain was drawn on the season in a dramatic fashion befitting of Marcelo Bielsa’s maiden campaign.
Supporters, journalists and pundits will now seek to dissect what has been a notable downturn in form in recent months both collectively and individually.
Pablo Hernandez, in particular, has seen his influence diminish and that in turn has had a knock on effect on the quality of Leeds’ attacking endeavours.
Another abject performance from the Spaniard was vehemently criticised on Twitter last night, with supporters claiming that his best form has been absent for a considerable length of time.
Perhaps his failure to summon his creative best form can be explained by the club’s reliance on the 34-year-old veteran. One cannot help but wonder if he has fallen victim to the gruelling nature of the Championship season at just the wrong time.
Supporters rather unanimously claimed that he was missing throughout proceedings and one disgruntled fan even suggested that he should be released this summer, despite the fact his contract isn’t due to expire until June 2020.
Here’s what the Leeds fans had to say about Hernandez last night…
So then, another season of the Premier League is done and dusted and it’s time for the 20 teams to start reviewing their campaigns and putting plans in place for the 2019/2020 term.
Little has changed at the top of the league with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City marching to back-to-back English top-flight titles, but this year, they had new runners-up.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool took over in second place from Manchester United by accumulating an incredible 97 points and finishing just a single point behind the Citizens.
Despite being knocked out of both the Carabao Cup and the Emirates FA Cup at the first opportunity, the Reds have had much more joy in one other competition, the UEFA Champions League. The Merseysiders will go for glory in the final for the second successive term, against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid at the end of May.
In light of all this, today we review the season so far of Liverpool, from their player of the season, to their goal of the season and who they should sign to improve before next term…
Player of the Season – Virgil van Dijk
The biggest factor that has allowed Klopp’s team to make the title race go right down to the wire in 2018/2019 has been their defence, something that’s let them down time and time again in recent seasons, and a huge part of that has been Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
The 27-year-old joined from Southampton for a world-record fee back in January 2018 and has flourished in his first full season at Anfield, the commanding defender being crucial to both the domestic and European success with 49 appearances across the Premier League and Champions League.
As a result, Van Dijk has picked up wide acclaim from all four corners of the footballing world, fans, pundits and even his fellow professionals, who voted him the PFA Player of the Year and a member of the PFA Team of the Year. The Netherlands international will be hoping to put the cherry on the cake at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Flop of the Season – Naby Keita
In contrast, the flop of the season in the Red Half of Merseyside has undoubtedly been summer 2018 signing from RB Leipzig, midfielder Naby Keita.
After the club paid a staggering fee of £54 million for the Guinea international, he’s struggled to adapt to the pace of English football as his performances all season long have fallen well below par in the centre of the park.
Keita does have more time to make it work in England and live up to his lofty price tag – it sometimes takes even the best players on the planet a little time to settle in. However, if the flop keeps this up, it won’t be long before the whole of Liverpool loses patience and the plug is pulled.
Unsung hero – Georginio Wijnaldum
Soccer Football – Champions League Semi Final Second Leg – Liverpool v FC Barcelona – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – May 7, 2019 Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum celebrates scoring their third goal with Jordan Henderson REUTERS/Phil Noble
Every team in every season needs its unsung hero, that one player who chips in at vital times, scoring pivotal goals or saving pivotal goals. But not quite getting the credit they deserve and the credit of some of their teammates.
That has, without doubt, in 2018/2019 been Dutch attacking midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum for the Reds, just as important as the likes of Alisson, Van Dijk and Sadio Mane at times – not nearly sung as much as them.
Wijnaldum has had the habit of popping up just at the right time for Klopp throughout the campaign, whether it be for the league winner away at Tottenham back in September or the decisive inspired brace in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona, for example. A true unsung hero.
Signing of the Season – Alisson
Soccer Football – Premier League – Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – May 12, 2019 Liverpool’s Alisson waves to the fans as he holds a trophy for winning the Premier League Golden Glove award after the match Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single clu
Before the start of the term, Klopp brought four new signings to Anfield, first was the aforementioned Keita, then his fellow midfielder Fabinho from Monaco, followed by Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri and rounded off by much-needed goalkeeper Alisson from Roma.
The latter has by far been the pick of them when we look back, taking the Premier League and Champions League by storm and paying back every penny of his £66.8 million price tag, then the highest fee ever paid for a shot-stopper.
The fact that Alisson won the English top-flight Golden Glove award for the most clean sheets by fighting off competition from Man City’s Ederson is one example of just how immense he’s been in his maiden English term. The 26-year-old has saved 79 per cent of his league shots, 79 per cent!
Biggest Shock – second place
There wasn’t much wrong with Liverpool’s season whatsoever, especially in the Premier League, 97 points from 38 matches. That’s why the biggest shock of the campaign was surely that they could only finish second.
The side that have incredibly never lifted the Premier League trophy lost just once in the league throughout the whole term, regrettably, for them, that defeat came against the Citizens and was ultimately the difference between the two teams.
What really damaged Klopp’s men was a run of four draws in the space of six games in February and March, making it seven overall for the season and costing them the trophy. Though they can take pride in pushing arguably the greatest English team ever all the way and know that if they can rack up the same total next season, it surely won’t be beaten.
Best result – Barcelona (H) – 4-0
When reviewing 2018/2019, there will be one result that sticks out in the mind that bit more for everyone associated with Liverpool, one of the greatest Anfield nights in history.
Trailing by three goals from the first leg, the Reds welcomed Spanish giants Barcelona to Merseyside for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. The hosts had a chance but needed to score early.
And that’s exactly what they did, taking the lead through Divock Origi on seven minutes. That advantage was doubled and then tripled by Wijnaldum in three crazy early-second-half minutes to turn the tie on its head, allowing Origi to complete his brace with just over 10 minutes to go and Liverpool to hold onto their place in the final. The undisputed best result of the season.
Worst result – Manchester City (A) – 2-1
The worst result of the campaign from a Liverpool perspective can be none other than the result that cost the Reds the title in so many different ways.
Travelling to the Etihad Stadium having held City to a 0-0 draw at Anfield earlier in the term, Klopp’s men met an inspired team that had them a goal down after 40 minutes. Although Roberto Firmino was able to reply after half-time, Leroy Sane netted a winner for the home side 18 minutes from time in the New Year contest.
This was not just a huge blow for the Merseysiders in terms of the league table, it was a huge blow psychologically and just gave their opponents that mental edge to be able to win their final 14 games and overturn what was at one stage, a seven-point lead at the top.
Goal of the Season – Daniel Sturridge vs Chelsea
Scoring over 130 goals in all competitions, it’s little surprise that the Reds netted some absolute beauties over the course of the season, Mo Salah’s scintillating strike at home to Chelsea, Mane’s skilful finish away at Bayern Munich in the Champions League and sexy flick in the Watford thrashing.
However, they were all trumped by a thorough worldie from an unlikely source, outcast striker Daniel Sturridge, in the dramatic league draw at Stamford Bridge.
With the Blues a goal to the good in the 89th minute, the former England centre-forward picked up the ball outside the box from Shaqiri, took it out of his stride and then beautifully stroked it into the far top corner to win his side a key point. The bittersweet aspect of September’s Premier League Goal of the Month being that Sturridge is an ex-Chelsea star.
Most controversial moment – West Ham United (A)
The Reds’ campaign, filled with its magical moments, was not without its fair share of controversy now and again, with one moment much more prevalent than all the others.
It came in the visit to London Stadium to face West Ham United and involved one of if not the worst linesman calls in recent Premier League history.
In the 22nd minute, Mane converted from close-range to give the visitors an early lead, although, in the build-up, a short pass from Adam Lallana was made to the blatantly offside James Milner right in front of the linesman and was not detected. Luckily, justice was done as Michail Antonio levelled shortly after and it finished 1-1. However, Origi missed a last-gasp chance for Klopp’s men from, you guessed it, an offside position.
Turning point – Manchester City defeat
For Liverpool to lead by seven points at the top of the Premier League table and end up one point behind in second by the end of matchday 38, there had to be a turning point at some stage.
The Reds’ was an obvious one, the aforementioned early-January defeat to eventual champions Man City at the Etihad – it was the turning point in so many different ways.
Pre-match, Klopp’s side had won their last nine in the Premier League and following City’s poor Christmas form, were ahead by eight. A loss cut that margin to four and really took the wind out of their sails after a busy festive period, the Merseysiders would draw four out of their next eight league encounters and the critical damage of the turning point was done.