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Pipopipo — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 22:05:31 +0800

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Chelsea Fc for sale

Pipopipo — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 19:01:34 +0800

Roman Abramovich is willing to listen to offers for Chelsea as pressure grows over his ownership amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, sources have told ESPN.

The 55-year-old attempted to separate the club from a possible personal sanction from the UK government by passing "stewardship and care" of Chelsea on to its trustees on Saturday.

However, sources have told ESPN that the trustees are seeking legal advice before responding to Abramovich's instruction due to concerns a charitable foundation is not a suitable entity to run a football club.

In the meantime, Abramovich is understood to be seriously considering selling Chelsea with the UK government under mounting pressure to freeze the assets of high net-worth Russians in England with any alleged links to Vladimir Putin.

Abramovich has always strenuously denied any ties to the Putin regime, and Chelsea have repeatedly previously insisted the club is not for sale.

The club did not respond to a request to clarify this position when contacted by ESPN on Wednesday.

However, if the UK government were to act and punish Abramovich, as one of his assets, Chelsea would be frozen which means he could not sell the club or inject any funds into the club -- something which would have huge repercussions for the club.

Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140 million. The club's latest accounts show he is owed £1.514 billion in loans through parent company Fordstam Limited, which he controls.

When Chelsea announced their latest accounts -- a £145.6m loss after tax for the year ending June 30, 2021 despite winning the Champions League -- the club admitted at the time it was "reliant on Fordstam Limited for its continued financial support."

Swiss business tycoon Hansjoerg Wyss has claimed Abramovich contacted interested parties on Tuesday to sound out potential interest.

"Abramovich is currently trying to sell all his villas in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly now. I, along with three other people, received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich," Swiss newspaper Blick quoted Wyss as saying in an interview published on Wednesday.

Sources have told ESPN that Abramovich has told potential buyers in the past that he valued the club at around £3bn.

Wyss added: "Abramovich is asking for far too much at the moment. You know: Chelsea owes him £2bn. But Chelsea has no money. Meaning: those who buy Chelsea should compensate Abramovich."

American businessman Todd Boehly was interested in buying a London Premier League club before the coronavirus pandemic, sounding out both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur only to have his interest rebuffed.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain's richest man according to a Forbes study from 2021, previously held preliminary talks with Abramovich over a possible purchase.

Ratcliffe's brother Bob, who runs the football division of his company INEOS, told BBC Radio 5live last month that "we were a significant way apart on valuations."

Another complicating factor for another buyer is the difficulty in renovating Stamford Bridge. Complicated plans to redevelop the 41,800-seater stadium -- which involved knocking the existing structure down and rebuilding a 61,000-capacity venue -- were shelved by Abramovich in 2018 at around the time his UK investor visa expired. The site's freehold is held by Chelsea Pitch Owners and would not therefore be included in any sale of the club.

Chelsea given to trustees

Pipopipo — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 08:52:39 +0800

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich suddenly handed over the "stewardship and care" of the Premier League club to its charitable foundation trustees Saturday.

The move came after a member of the British Parliament called for the Russian billionaire to hand over the club in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, made no mention of the war in Ukraine in his statement and, significantly, is not relinquishing ownership of the club and can still provide funds, presuming he is not sanctioned by the U.K. government. Sources have told ESPN that Abramovich has no intention of calling in his loans to the club.

"During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities," he said.

"I have always taken decisions with the Club's best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea's charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC.

"I believe that currently they are in the best position to look after the interests of the club, players, staff, and fans."
Conflict in Ukraine entered a third day Saturday following Russia's invasion of its neighbour country, drawing widespread condemnation and sanctions from world leaders.

Abramovich was not involved in the detailed day-to-day running of the club in any case, with that role performed by his close confidante and club director, Marina Granovskaia, in conjunction with technical and performance adviser Petr Cech.

He did, however, have the final say on key decisions, including player transfers and the future of respective head coaches, something he will now step back from, sources have told ESPN.

The foundation trustees are chairman Bruce Buck, Chelsea women's head coach Emma Hayes, lawyer John Devine, executive director of anti-discrimination group FARE Piara Powar, Chelsea director of finance Paul Ramos, vice chair of the British Olympic Association Sir Hugh Robertson and Sebastien Coe, former Olympic gold medalist and president of World Athletics.

Sources have told ESPN that Abramovich is not looking to sell Chelsea at this stage and rejected the assertion that the move is designed to evade possible sanctions, with Labour MP Chris Bryant among those openly questioning whether Abramovich should have his assets seized.

Chelsea have won five Premier League titles since Abramovich's arrival as well as two Champions League trophies, in 2012 and 2021. The club have also won five FA Cups during that time.

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN FC correspondent James Olley contributed to this report.

Nadal won Australia Open

Pipopipo — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 22:22:50 +0800

Australian Open 2022
Rafael Nadal beats Medvedev in epic Australian Open final to claim 21st slam and second Australia Open.
-Spaniard fights back to win epic battle 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5
-Nadal one clear of Djokovic and Federer in all-time standings

Epic final.

Frank Lampard sacked

Pipopipo — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 19:53:40 +0800

Chelsea confirm Frank Lampard sacking with Thomas Tuchel set to replace him.
Lampard dismissed with team ninth in Premier League

Chelsea have sacked Frank Lampard, with the former Borussia Dortmund and PSG manager Thomas Tuchel set to replace the former Chelsea player at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard was appointed as manager in July 2019 and spent more than £200m last summer on players including Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. His spell, however, came to an end after a disappointing run of results left them off the pace in the fight to qualify for the Champions League.

Chelsea said in a statement: “This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the board have taken lightly. We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as head coach of the club. However, recent results and performances have not met the club’s expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.
“There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the club time to improve performances and results this season.”

A 14-game unbeaten run across two months from early October prompted talk of a title challenge but Chelsea’s fortunes have dipped markedly and a 2-0 defeat at Leicester on Tuesday was fresh evidence of their inability to beat the Premier League’s most accomplished sides.

Chelsea beat Luton 3-1 in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday but it was not enough to save Lampard’s job with qualification for the Champions League a key priority. Chelsea are ninth in the league, five points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. Defeats by Arsenal on Boxing Day and Manchester City on 3 January led to serious doubts over Lampard’s future and the owner, Roman Abramovich, has now decided to act.

The Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, said: “This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him. He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.

“On behalf of everyone at the club, the board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as head coach and wish him every success in the future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”

Tuchel, meanwhile, was sacked by PSG on 24 December after two-and-a-half seasons in charge, winning the league twice and taking the team to the 2020 Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich. Before that he managed Borussia Dortmund for two seasons, winning the Germany Cup in 2017, three days before being sacked after falling out with the board.

Champions League Round of 16 draw

Pipopipo — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 21:43:55 +0800

Barcelona were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the standout tie of the Champions League round of 16 on Monday morning.

The clash means that, if fit, Neymar will return to Camp Nou. The last time these teams met in the competition produced one of the most memorable matches in Champions League history as Barca -- inspired by Neymar -- won the round-of-16 second-leg clash 6-1 to recover from a 4-0 first-leg defeat. Neymar left in the summer of 2017, and this will be his first return.

Cristiano Ronaldo will make a return to Portugal as Juventus were drawn with Porto -- a side he has mixed memories of playing against in the competition.

In 2004, his Manchester United side were eliminated by Porto after a draw at Old Trafford, which sparked Jose Mourinho's famous run down the Old Trafford touchline. However, five years later, Ronaldo scored a stunning goal that decided their quarterfinal clash, and he was awarded the Puskas Award for it.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard will face Diego Simeone as his side were paired with Atletico Madrid in a repeat of the 2014 semifinal.

Holders Bayern Munich were drawn against Lazio, who were unbeaten in the group phase and qualified for the knockout stages for the first time in 20 years, while Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp returns to Germany to face RB Leipzig.

Manchester City were drawn against Borussia Monchengladbach, while Real Madrid will face Atalanta. Europa League winners Sevilla were paired against Borussia Dortmund. The two-legged ties will be played starting Feb. 16.

Full draw
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City

Lazio vs. Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea

RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool

Porto vs. Juventus

Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Sevilla vs. Borussia Dortmund

Atalanta vs. Real Madrid

Malaysia seizes record haul of meth

Pipopipo — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 16:57:09 +0800

Reuters
SUN DEC 13, 2020 / 3:11 AM EST
Malaysia seizes record haul of crystal meth worth $26.2 million

(Reuters) - Malaysia's maritime agency said on Sunday it had seized more than two tonnes of crystal methamphetamine worth 105.9 million ringgit ($26.2 million) from a boat off the country's west coast, its largest-ever haul of the drug.

Malaysia has made several record busts of crystal meth in recent years. Authorities have said the intercepted shipments were part of a multibillion-dollar illicit drug trade that stretches across Australia, Southeast Asia and China.

The latest discovery came on Wednesday when a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) patrol encountered a recreational boat moving suspiciously off Penang island, MMEA Director-General Mohamad Zubil Mat Som said in a statement.

A chase ensued when the boat's lone occupant, a 26-year-old Malaysian man, refused orders to stop.

He then attempted to escape by jumping into the water but was later arrested, Mohamad Zubil said.

Officials inspecting the boat found 130 sacks containing 2,118 kg (2.12 tonnes) of crystal methamphetamine disguised as packets of Chinese tea.

The origin and destination of the drugs are still under investigation. The tea packaging, though, was similar to that found in previous shipments suspected to have come from Myanmar, Mohamad Zubil told Reuters.

"This is the biggest seizure in MMEA's 15-year history," he said.

Crystal methamphetamine is a highly addictive synthetic drug also known as speed, shabu and yaba.

"As big as two-plus tonnes is - and it's massive - the syndicates that run the drug trade in Asia can easily replace shipments like this," said Jeremy Douglas, Southeast Asian regional representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

"The region needs a forward looking strategy that addresses root causes if they ever hope to get ahead of the situation."

($1 = 4.0500 ringgit)
SOS :
https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters...p/idUKKBN28N06L

Elon Musk over takes Bill Gates

Pipopipo — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 20:52:41 +0800

Elon Musk has toppled Bill Gates as the world’s person, only a week after the Tesla co-founder overtook Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to become the third-richest.

Driven by a further surge in Tesla’s share price, the 49-year-old entrepreneur’s net worth rose by $7.2bn (£5.4bn) to $127.9bn. It has soared by more than $100bn this year – outranking everyone else on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which lists the world’s 500 richest people. In January, Musk was in 35th place.

The maverick chief executive of the electric car company is now ranked immediately behind the Amazon boss, Jeff Bezos.

Tesla’s shares have surged since the company was selected to join the S&P 500 index of leading US companies a week ago, driving its market value close to $500bn. Three-quarters of Musk’s net worth comes from Tesla shares.

If Tesla’s share price growth continues, Musk could net a bonus deal worth a record $55.8bn. To trigger the maximum payout he has to build Tesla into a $650bn company by 2028.

Tesla has the highest market value of any car company in the world, even though it makes far fewer vehicles than others. It is expected to deliver up to 500,000 electric vehicles this year, compared with Japanese carmaker Toyota’s annual production of about 10m.

Musk is also involved in spacecraft through his company SpaceX, which last week sent four astronauts to the International Space Station on its Falcon rocket and Dragon capsule under a commercial contract with Nasa. SpaceX is about to launch 60 broadband internet satellites into orbit, after suffering delays due to poor weather conditions.
Gates, who co-founded Microsoft, was the world’s richest person for years before being knocked off the top slot by Bezos in 2017. Gates’s fortune is worth $127.7bn but would be higher had he not donated large sums to charity over the years. He has given more than $50bn to help fight diseases and tackle poverty, mainly through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has also backed the development of Covid-19 vaccines.

Despite the pandemic, which has resulted in business closures and job losses, this year has been a good one for those listed on the Bloomberg index, who have collectively gained $1.3tn since January.

A week ago, Musk overtook Zuckerberg and advanced into third place. The 36-year-old Facebook founder has fallen back into fourth spot this week, behind the French businessman Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company.

SOS :
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020...price-microsoft

JDT forced out of ACL

Pipopipo — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 02:30:31 +0800

Johor Darul Ta'zim forced out of Asian Champions League after Malaysia refuses to lift travel restrictions

HONG KONG -- Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) will not travel to Qatar for the resumption of the Asian Champions League after the team was refused permission to leave the country by government officials.

Border closures implemented by Malaysia in March to limit the spread of the coronavirus will not be lifted to permit the club to complete their commitments in the continental championship, which restarts next week in Doha.

"Our policy remains the same. The borders are still closed," Malaysia's defence minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was quoted as saying by local media when asked about JDT's hopes of travelling to Qatar.

Teams from across the east of the continent are due to travel to the Gulf state to play in a centralised tournament after the competition was paused in March when international travel came to a halt.

JDT, who were set to feature alongside Japan's Vissel Kobe as well as two-times champions Guangzhou Evergrande and Suwon Bluewings in the group phase of the competition, confirmed they would not challenge the government's stance, which will also affect the domestic Malaysia Cup tournament.

"While JDT are extremely disappointed in not being able to participate in Asia's highest club competition and the Malaysia Cup, we respect the decision by the Malaysian Government and understand that such safety measures need to be enforced due to the rising cases of the Covid-19 pandemic," Alistair Edwards, the club's technical director, said in a statement issued on social media.

Sos : https://global.espn.com/football/johor-daru...el-restrictions

Cristiano Ronaldo tests positive for coronavirus

Pipopipo — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 09:24:36 +0800

Juventus and Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Portuguese football federation announced on Tuesday.

Ronaldo pun kena liao.

SOS : https://global.espn.com/football/portugal-p...-portugal-squad

Sarawak new stimulus

Pipopipo — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 17:47:18 +0800

Pembiayaan Tekun Nasional

Pipopipo — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 09:44:54 +0800

I had already email them and asked, but they reply and said only for bumiputera and indian.
😅😅😅

PM-8 position is now secure

Pipopipo — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 18:14:40 +0800

Looking at the reactions after the announcement of the stimulus, do u agree that our PM-8 position is now secure??
Part stimulus, part politicial plan. Who would have thought of it??

Where's our Finance Minister

Pipopipo — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 15:13:25 +0800

Wonder what is our current Finance Minister doing right now??
Totally no news no update or anything from him or his ministry.

UK govt to pay 80% of wages

Pipopipo — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 10:47:06 +0800

The government is to pay the wages of millions of workers across Britain to keep them in jobs as the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak escalates.

In an unprecedented step for the British government, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said the state would pay grants covering up to 80% of the salary of workers if companies kept them on their payroll, rather than lay them off as the economy crashes. The extraordinary payments will be worth up to a maximum of £2,500 per month, just above the median income.

Coming just days after the government announced a business bailout package worth £350bn to help firms cope with the lockdown of large parts of the British economy as the disease spreads, the chancellor described his revamped plan as one of the most comprehensive in the world and “unprecedented in British history”. City economists said the new plan would cost an additional £78bn.

Sunak said: “We are starting a great national effort to protect jobs. We want to look back on this time and remember how in the face of a generation-defining moment we undertook a collective national effort and we stood together. It’s on all of us.”

The chancellor said his commitments were “unprecedented measures for unprecedented times” as he appealed to the public to support each other.

“Now more than at any time in our history we will be judged by our capacity for compassion. Our ability to come through this won’t just be down to what government or businesses do but the individual acts of kindness that we show each other.”

He said there would be no limit on the funding available to pay people’s wages. The payments will be backdated to the start of March, will be up and running within weeks, open initially for at least three months, and could be extended if necessary.

Speaking directly to employers as growing numbers of British firms teeter on the brink of collapse, leaving millions of jobs hanging in the balance, Sunak said: “The government is doing its best to stand behind you. And I’m asking you to do your best to stand behind our workers.”

The government is also deferring the next quarter of VAT payments, which is the equivalent of injecting another £30bn into the economy and is designed to help companies stay afloat, he added.

Sunak was speaking alongside Boris Johnson at the daily Downing Street press conference hours after schools shut to most children until further notice and just after the prime minister announced the enforced closure of pubs, restaurants, theatres and other social venues. The shutdowns will have dramatic repercussions for the economy, and Johnson said the package of financial aid was intended to be temporary, and part of a “joint objective” between people and the government to beat the disease.

“We will do everything in our power to help. Supporting you directly in a way that government has never done before, in addition to the package we have already set out for business,” Johnson said.

The government has come under mounting pressure in recent days to do more to support ordinary people after taking unprecedented steps to help firms as the crisis worsens. Other countries have taken steps to support workers as the global pandemic intensives, including in the US, where the White House is looking at making direct cash payments to American citizens, and Denmark, where the state will pay 75% of workers’ wages.

French workers who are temporarily laid off by their employers due to the coronavirus crisis are entitled to claim “partial unemployment benefit” equal to 84% of their wages, and employers are obliged to keep their jobs open for them.

Sunak did not provide estimates for the cost of the government paying workers’ wages, as the price tag will depend on the extent of firms taking up the offer. There are around 33 million workers in the British labour force, with just over a 10th of them self-employed. While unemployment is currently the lowest since the mid 1970s, it is expected to rise dramatically.

The consultancy Capital Economics said the latest measures could cost around £78bn and save hundreds of thousands of jobs. Without the wage subsidy, unemployment could have doubled to 8% with more than 1.5 million people tumbling out of work, they said.

Instead, the jobless rate is now expected to climb to 6% with about 700,000 people losing their jobs.

The chancellor also announced measures to strengthen the benefits safety net for people out of work, increasing the value of universal credit and tax credits by £1,000 a year to help more than 4m vulnerable households across the country, in a package worth £7bn. He also earmarked £1bn of extra support for renters, ramping up housing benefit and universal credit so the local housing allowance will cover at least 30% of market rents in a local area.

The government has been forced to revise its approach to tackling the Covid-19 outbreak on a daily basis as the increasing severity of the health pandemic and damage to the economy unfolds.

Economists at Deutsche Bank forecast the British economy could suffer the worst recession for a century – outstripping the 2008 financial crisis – with millions of workers losing their jobs and the unemployment rate doubling.

Sunak had initially earmarked £12bn in last week’s budget to soften the impact of the Covid-19 health pandemic, although the chancellor was rapidly forced to come back with fresh measures, while promising to do “whatever it takes” to see the UK through the crisis.

Sos : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/ma...rus-rishi-sunak

No Magnum, Toto, DMC

Pipopipo — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 13:44:28 +0800

Earlier tot mau buy 1831 n 3118. Mana tau bookie cakap esok xde.

Breaking : Arsenal boss tested positive

Pipopipo — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 08:06:37 +0800

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive for the coronavirus, the club announced on Thursday in a statement on their website.

In light of the news, their Saturday match with Brighton and Hove Albion will be postponed, while the Gunners said that a number of Arsenal personnel, including the full first-team squad would self isolate.

The statement read: "Our London Colney training centre has been closed after head coach Mikel Arteta received a positive COVID-19 result this evening.

"Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution.

"We expect those who did not have close contact with Mikel to return to work in the coming days. In the meantime our Colney and Hale End training centres will undergo a deep clean and our other club sites are operating as normal.

Managing director Vinai Venkatesham said: "We will work with Public Health England on the next steps in regard to our facilities and staff, and with the Premier League, Football Association and relevant clubs around our forthcoming matches in the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup."

Following the announcement from Arsenal about Arteta, Brighton released a statement saying that their match on Saturday against Arsenal had been postponed.

"In light of the news that broke earlier on Thursday evening concerning Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and his first-team squad, we can confirm that Saturday's match against Arsenal has now been postponed," read the Brighton statement.

The news also prompted the Premier League, who had initially said on Thursday that weekend matches would take place as planned, to call an emergency meeting on Friday to reconsider the plan for the upcoming fixtures on Saturday and Sunday.

The Premier League statement read: "In light of Arsenal's announcement tonight confirming that their first-team coach Mikel Arteta has tested positive for COVID-19, the Premier League will convene an emergency club meeting tomorrow morning regarding future fixtures," the league said in a statement on Thursday night.

"The Premier League will make no further comment until after that meeting."

Arsenal's match against Manchester City on Wednesday was cancelled after the club announced that several players and staff had come in contact with Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who had also tested positive for the coronavirus, following a Europa League match at the Emirates at the end of February.

Earlier on Thursday, ESPN sources said that Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy was in self-isolation after undergoing a test for the coronavirus.

Sos : https://global.espn.com/football/arsenal/st...to-self-isolate

Arsenal - Man City match postponed

Pipopipo — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:11:34 +0800

Arsenal's Premier League match against Manchester City on Wednesday has been postponed after a number of the squad made "close contact" with Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis two weeks ago.

Marinakis, who is also the owner of Championship side Nottingham Forest, announced on Instagram on Tuesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus -- 13 days after being present at the Emirates as his side eliminated Arsenal from the Europa League.

The London-based club confirmed in a statement on Tuesday night that the players' risk of contracting the coronavirus was "extremely low" but the Premier League decided the game should be postponed as a precautionary measure.

"Following yesterday's news that Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis has recently contracted Covid-19, we have been taking medical advice and tracing any individuals who had what the guidelines define as close contact with him at the game 13 days ago," Arsenal said in a statement.

"As a result of this exercise we identified that a number of players met the Olympiacos owner immediately following the game.

"The medical advice we have received puts the risk of them developing Covid-19 at extremely low. However, we are strictly following the Government guidelines which recommend that anyone coming into close contact with someone with the virus should self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact.

"As a result, the players are unavailable for tonight's match against Manchester City and the Premier League has decided the game should be postponed."

Earlier on Tuesday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he would rather suspend fixtures than play behind closed doors in response to the coronavirus because it would make "no sense" to carry on without fans.

Sos : https://global.espn.com/football/english-pr...gelos-marinakis

Footballer kena coronavirus

Pipopipo — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 07:48:53 +0800

Coronavirus: Player at Italian third tier is first European footballer diagnosed

A player for Italian third division club US Pianese has tested positive for coronavirus, marking what is believed to be the first case of a footballer in Europe.

The Tuscan region confirmed on Thursday that the 22-year-old felt unwell on Saturday at a hotel in the Piedmont region city of Alessandria ahead of his team's league game at Juventus under-23s.

The player, who has not been named, did not play on Sunday and was sent home, where he underwent tests that confirmed the positive case on Wednesday. He is recovering in a hospital in Siena.

A statement from the Tuscany region read: "Two new suspected positive cases of Coronavirus in Tuscany. Both are awaiting confirmation by the Higher Institute of Health.

"One is a 22-year-old man in the Siena province, a Pianese player, who last Saturday had symptoms in a hotel in Alessandria, where he was training with the team ahead of Sunday's game [at Juventus U23s.]

"He did not play the game as that morning, he had a high fever. The team returned to Piancastagnaio, while he went home. Wednesday morning, he was tested in his home and the results came back as positive in the evening.

"Since early this morning, he is at a hospital in Siena, in isolation. He is in good, healthy condition. Another player of the team felt the same symptoms, which the club is tracking."

Meanwhile, a journalist from Valencia has also contracted the disease following the clash between the Spanish club and Atalanta in the Champions League, the city's health ministry has confirmed.

Sos : https://global.espn.com/football/italian-se...anese-diagnosed

Even journalist from Spain also kena already.

Manchester City banned

Pipopipo — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 04:49:53 +0800

Manchester City have been banned from the Champions League for the next two seasons by Uefa and fined €30m (£25m) after they were found to have seriously misled European football’s governing body and broken financial fair play rules.

The severity of the ban from both of Uefa’s elite club competitions, and the scale of the fine, reflects how seriously Uefa’s FFP compliance bodies consider the club to have breached the rules and code of conduct.

City were found guilty by Uefa’s club financial control body (CFCB) of having falsely inflated their sponsorship revenues, when they made submissions for the FFP compliance process. The guilty finding follows an investigation sparked by the publication of “leaked” emails and documents by the German magazine Der Spiegel in November 2018.

The “leaked” emails and documents appeared to show that City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, was mostly funding the huge, £67.5m annual sponsorship of the City shirt, stadium and academy by his country’s airline, Etihad. One of the leaked emails suggested that only £8m of that sponsorship in 2015-16 was funded directly by Etihad, and the rest was coming from Mansour’s own company vehicle for the ownership of City, the Abu Dhabi United Group.

Manchester City alleged in a statement that the outcome had been prejudged from the beginning, and that the process was “flawed and consistently leaked,” saying the club was “disappointed but not surprised” by the decision. City said they will appeal the ban and fine “at the earliest opportunity” at the court of arbitration for sport (CAS). “The club has always anticipated the ultimate need to seek out an independent body and process to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence in support of its position,” the statement read.

“Simply put, this is a case initiated by Uefa, prosecuted by Uefa and judged by Uefa. With this prejudicial process now over, the club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible and will therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity.”

Uefa said in its statement: “The Adjudicatory Chamber, having considered all the evidence, has found that Manchester City committed serious breaches of the Uefa Financial Fair Play Regulations by overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to Uefa between 2012 and 2016.

“The Adjudicatory Chamber has also found that in breach of the regulations the club failed to cooperate in the investigation of this case by the CFCB.”

FFP, introduced in 2011 with the aim of encouraging football clubs across Europe not to overspend on players’ wages, restricts the amount club owners can put in to cover losses. Sponsorships boost revenues and therefore the amount that clubs have to spend under FFP, so the perception that Mansour himself was in fact funding the Etihad deal led to the serious allegation that City had deceived Uefa’s CFCB, which is responsible for ensuring compliance with FFP.

City have vehemently denied wrongdoing throughout, and denounced the Spiegel coverage as based on “hacked or stolen” materials taken out of context. Spiegel anonymised their source as “John”, who was quoted saying that he had not hacked computers to obtain the emails.

Shortly after their publication, he was identified as a Portuguese national, Rui Pinto, who has now been charged in Portugal with 147 criminal offences, including hacking and other cybercrimes, which he denies. The charges relate only to Portuguese football clubs and other organisations, not to the “leaks” of City’s or Uefa’s emails.

When City were charged last May, the club vehemently denied any wrongdoing, saying that they had been subjected to a “hostile” process which ignored “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence”.

Sos : https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/f...easons-ffp-uefa