11042019 - INSECURITY: Senate condemns killings; insists on State Police

46— Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019
•Pogba
Man Utd stars face 25% pay cut if...
Manchester United’s stars Real would therefore be missing out on Champions wage reductions at United
could see their pay drop by encouraged to make a move League football.
— they are mentioned in
as much as 25 per cent if if they do not qualify, having That comes in contrast to annual results.
they miss out on Champions League made Pogba a key summer other top teams in the Premier And United have
qualification.
target after Zinedine Zidane League. Arsenal and previously revealed that
That could help Real Madrid as they made it clear he wanted to Manchester City instead add their kit deal with adidas
look to bring midfielder Paul Pogba to work with his compatriot. to pay packets after reaching goes down by 30 per cent if
the Santiago Bernabeu during the The 26-year-old has two the Champions League. they do not play in the
summer transfer window.
years left on his United There is an openness about Champions League for two
Contracts at Old Trafford are contract, which currently nets
straight seasons.
structured so that up to a quarter of him £300,000 a week.
wages are taken away if they do not Reductions in
earn a place in Europe’s elite club wages are intended to
competition.
protect United from
United are currently sixth in the the drop in revenue
Premier League.
that comes with
•Mourinho
Mourinho ready
to coach a
Bundesliga side
ose Mourinho has
Jrevealed his interest in
potentially resuming his
managerial career in the
Bundesliga.
Mourinho, who was linked
with a return to Real Madrid
prior to the reappointment of
Zinedine Zidane, has
already indicated plans to
return to the game in the
summer ahead of the 2019/
20 campaign.
“The Bundesliga provides
an exciting competition for
me, especially by the teams
in mid-table, which are
constantly improving and
thus create an overall nice
competition,” Mourinho told
G e r m a n
magazine SPORTbild.
“Full stadiums, great
organisation, good tactical
approaches in many teams -
I think the Bundesliga is
really interesting.”
But when asked about the
possibility of taking over
Bayern Munich, the
Portuguese insisted he hoped
current boss Niko Kovac
would be given time to
succeed.
Bayern currently sit top of
the Bundesliga, a point ahead
of Borussia Dortmund, with
six matches remaining.
He added: “Of course,
Bayern is a giant. I assure you
honestly that I hope Niko will
keep his job because he has
worked very hard to reach
that level. “
Chelsea will not budge on
£100m Eden Hazard valuation
Canything less than £100m.
helsea will refuse to sell Eden Hazard to Real Madrid for
The Belgian forward’s expected switch to the Bernabeu
appears to have hit a snag as Madrid are supposedly
unwilling to match Chelsea’s asking price.
Hazard is pushing for a move to the Spanish capital,
though, hinting again this week that he will see
out the next month at Stamford Bridge and then
finalise his “dream” switch to Los Blancos.
However, the Daily Star claims that the Blues
have no intention of backing down from their
nine-figure valuation, which they believe still
represents good value for Madrid, despite the
28-year-old having just a year left to run on his
deal.
Monday’s double against West Ham United,
including a goal-of-the-season contender to
open the scoring in Chelsea’s 2-0 win, leaves
Hazard with a combined 28 goals and assists
in the Premier League this season - officially
his best-ever season in front of goal.
Maurizio Sarri admitted this week that
his side cannot afford to lose Hazard,
but Chelsea will reluctantly sell
should Madrid agree to pay up.
Maradona sends words of support to Pelé
A
•Maradona and Pele
I made Barca
win under
Guardiola,
not Messi
— Eto’o
S
amuel Eto’o has
aimed a dig at
Lionel Messi and Pep
Guardiola over their role
in Barcelona’s stunning
side between 2008 and 2012.
With Guardiola at the helm,
the Catalan club were considered
arguably the greatest club side of the
modern era, winning three La Liga titles,
two Champions Leagues and countless
other honours.
But Cameroonian striker Eto’o feels his
own role in their stunning run is
underestimated and has declared himself
the man who “made Barcelona win”.
In an astonishing swipe at his former
boss, the ex-Chelsea man blasted
Guardiola for not understanding his
squad and said Messi was far from the
player he is today.
“Pep Guardiola has lived his whole life
in Barcelona, but in the years I spent there
he didn’t understand the squad. He didn’t
live the life of our group,” Eto’o told beIN
Sports.
“I said to Guardiola: ‘you’ll apologise
to me because it’s me that will make
•Hazard
Barcelona
win - not
Lionel
Messi’.
“It was the
situation back then. Messi
would come later.
“You can ask Xavi, Andres Iniesta and
all the others - that was my era. It was
me that made Barcelona win and
Guardiola would ask me for forgiveness.”
Eto’o, 38, is still playing professional
for Qatar SC as he reaches the closing
stages of his glittering career.
He is one of the most prolific
goalscorers in Barcelona history having
hit the back of the net 152 times in 234
games for the Catalan club.
But Messi was also a star during
Guardiola’s first season, winning his first
Ballon d’Or and scoring 38 goals in 51
games to usher in his era of dominance.
rgentine Diego Armando Maradona and Brazilian
Pelé have had their run-ins in the past but both former
players have enjoyed a more cordial relationship in recent
times. The Brazilian legend was admitted to the Albert
Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo upon his return to Brazil after
contracting a urinary infection which also saw him spend
time in hospital in Paris recently. Maradona, anxious to add
his support to Pelé’s situation, posted a picture of both men
together on his Instagramaccount.
The picture features Pelé playing guitar and it marked the
first time both legends of the game met for the first time: ”This
photo is 40 years old this day. It was taken in Río de Janeiro
when we met for the first time. Look how young we are...I wish
you a speedy recovery and strength King Pelé!!”.
Maradona is just one of the many players to add their
support for Pelé’s delicate medical situation with PSG
striker Neymar personally visiting Pelé during his recent
stay in a Parisian hospital.
•Johnson
Johnson resigns from LA Lakers
os Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson has resigned from
Lhis job as the team’s president of basketball operations.
The Lakers have failed to reach the play-offs for the sixth year in
a row.
Johnson, who played a key role in bringing LeBron James to the
team last year, broke the news before the 104-101 defeat by the
Portland Trail Blazers.
“I had more fun when I was able to be the big brother and the
ambassador to everybody,” the 59-year-old said at an impromptu
news conference on Tuesday.
Johnson said he had not warned president Jeanie Buss of his
decision to bring his two-year reign to an end.
“She doesn’t know I’m standing here because I know I would be
crying like a baby in front of her, even though I’m about to cry now,”
added Johnson.
“But it’s the right thing to do, the right move to make.”
Johnson, who said he had grown tired of the “the back-stabbing
and the whispering” this season, also suggested he did not want to
have to make a decision over the future of coach Luke Walton.
“Tomorrow I would have to affect someone’s livelihood and their
life,” he said, without referring to Walton directly.
“I want to go back to having fun. I want to go back to who I was
before taking on this job.”
48 nations World Cup not cast in stone,
FIFA president explains
he chances of FIFA
Tincreasing the number of
teams at the 2022 World Cup in
Qatar from 32 to 48 is 50/50, the
president of soccer’s governing
body Gianni Infantino said on
Wednesday.
Infantino, who is in Brazil for
a meeting of the South
American
Football
Confederation, told delegates he
was working to ensure the increase
for the Qatar tournament, which
would mean a guaranteed two extra
places for South American sides.
•Infantino
“We are working to see if we can get 48 teams in the 2022 World
Cup because more participation means more development and more
passion for everyone,” he said.
“We’ll see by June whether it is possible or not. (It’s) 50/50. What
is 100 percent is that the 2022 World Cup is going to be spectacular
and a total success.”
A final decision on the number of teams for the next finals will be
taken at the FIFA Congress in Paris on June 5.
FIFA chose to host the 2022 World Cup for 32 teams in Qatar,
although Infantino has sounded out neighbours over their
willingness to host some matches in an expanded tournament.
Kane ‘gutted’ amid fears he could
miss rest season
•Kane
arry Kane says he is “gutted”
Hamid fears he could miss the
rest of the season after suffering
another ankle injury during
Tottenham’s win over Manchester
City on Tuesday.
Kane, who exited the stadium on
crutches, left the field immediately
after suffering the injury and had to
be helped down the tunnel by
members of Spurs’ medical team.
He tweeted from his official Twitter
account yesterday: “Gutted to go off
injured but every setback is a chance
to come back stronger than ever. Big
finish from the boys to go on and win!
#COYS #UCL”
Kane, who hurt the same ankle
against Manchester United on
January 13, an injury that kept him
out for over a month, will be assessed
in the coming days.