The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reversed the two-year ban on Manchester City which barred it from playing at the UEFA Champions League. The ban was handed out for violation of UEFA’s financial fair play rules. The court has also reduced the fine imposed on the club from $33 million to $11 million.
UEFA accused that City was guilty of committing “serious breaches” of its FFP rules between 2012 and 2016.
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In its ruling, the CAS said that these allegations were “unproven”, and/or “time barred” as UEFA’s rule puts a five-year cap on all cases that can be prosecuted.
The three-panel lawyers by CAS found that City did not cooperate with the investigations launched by UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) that is in charge of FFP compliance.
At UEFA's Congress in Amsterdam in March, President Aleksander Ceferin had said a change in the system is likely to take place .
“It's too early to say how it will look in the future but we are thinking about it and will probably have to adapt,” he told reporters.
Neuer Sings Right-Wing Song
A video has been posted on social media of the Germany and Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer singing a Croatian song that has right-wing nationalist links.
In the video, the 34-year-old was seen singing the song- "Lijepa li si" (You are beautiful) by controversial Croatian singer Marko Perkovic, who is also known as 'Thompson' near a beachside bar when he was surrounded by a group of people.
Marko Perkovic, known for siding with Croatia's World War II pro-Nazi regime, earned the nickname 'Thompson', a brand of weapon which was carried during the Croatian war of independence in the early 1990s.
The goalkeeper has not made any comments on this situation but as per his personal manager, he does not know how to speak Croatian.
‘Players Need Attitude Like Rapinoe’
Senior India Women’s team head coach Maymol Rocky asked for her players to 'develop an attitude' towards the game like the 2019 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Boot Award winner Megan Rapinoe of the US.
Rocky, in an Instagram live session with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), said she was thoroughly impressed by the American skipper when they met in France last year.
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“I had a small chat with Megan,” Rocky said. “Her attitude was simply amazing. She is one of the best players in the game but she is not arrogant or egoistic at all. But she had all the attitude around her. She has put in all the hard work to get to where she is today.
“I tell my players that we should also have that same kind of attitude. She’s an absolute role model for young girls out there,” Rocky added.
The coach also said she will be a spectator of the FIFA U-17 World Cup from the sidelines next year since India will host the World Cup.
Brother Of Tottenham's Aurier Shot Dead
French police and a local newspaper on Monday reported the death of Tottenham Hotspur's Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier's younger brother.
According to La Depeche, a local media outlet, Aurier’s brother, Christopher Aurier was fatally shot at a nightclub early Monday morning at the southern French city of Toulouse. The police source informed that the suspected shooter has absconded and the police are currently in pursuit.
Serge is a former player of Toulouse and joined Tottenham in the summer of 2017 from Paris Saint-Germain. Tottenham conveyed its condolences and said in statement, "The club is deeply saddened to confirm media reports that Serge Aurier's brother passed away in the early hours of this morning.
"We are supporting Serge at this difficult time and we ask that the privacy of the player and his family is respected. Everybody at the club sends their sincerest condolences to Serge and his family. Our thoughts are with them all," added the statement.
Women's U-17 World Cup Update
The general secretary of the AIFF, Kushal Das, said that the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup could take place behind closed doors only if push comes to shove.
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Das stated: “In the worst case scenario, we will have to do it behind closed doors and that will be a pity (especially after the grand success of the men’s U-17 World Cup in 2017), but human lives are of course most important.”
The tournament has been already postponed once and is now scheduled from February 17 to March 7 next year.
U-17 Women’s Camp is expected to begin in August and Jharkhand is set to appear as frontrunner to be the host.
“It’s a very tricky issue. We discussed with the Goa government in terms of camps but we are also in talks with other governments. For example, Jharkhand, where the CM himself is interested because there are 8-10 girls in the squad from the state,” said Das.
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