“There is negativity but we are the best team in the world...Bayern
will be confident but they know they are not just playing against an
ordinary team in the Bundesliga, they’re playing against Barca”
Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal’s pre-match optimism came back to haunt him following Bayern’s 8-2 demolition jobFA announce Phil
Neville’s successor
As well as losing their men’s head coach, the
Dutch FA (KNVB) were dealt a further blow with
the news that the manager of their women’s
team,Sarina Wiegman,will leaveher postto
takeover Englandwomen inSeptember 2 02 1.
Wiegman, who guided the Netherlands
to the 2017 European Championship, beating
England in the semi-finals, will remain in charge
until the conclusion of next summer’s Olympic
Games in Tokyo.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said:
“Sarina was the outstanding candidate from
a very strong field. She is a proven winner and
we are confident she can take England to the
next level.”
The KNVB are likely to focus on appointing
Koeman’s replacement before turning their
attention to the women’s next coach.ENGLANDGLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
AU YEUNG WAI KAY
Reportshaveemerged that the businessman
enquired about putting Wigan Athletic into
administration before he had even completed
his takeover of the club. The subsequent
12-point deduction cost the Latics their place
in the English Championship, and they have
been forced to sell many of their best players,
with manager Paul Cook resigning in August.ALEKSANDAR ANTONOV
The winner of the 2019-20 Fantasy Premier
League was stripped of his title, following
alleged offensive comments made about
Raheem Sterling. Antonov, from Bulgaria, said
on Twitter: “I am not racist...I would never say
anything like that to a player with the intent to
offend them. It’s a small chat with friends, in
a different language and different culture.”RUBEN SEMEDO
The former Villarreal defender was given
a five-year suspended prison sentence and
banned from visiting Spain for eight years after
being found guilty of several crimes during his
time in La Liga. The Portuguese centre-back,
who is set to join champions Porto, was charged
with offences including robbery, kidnapping,
assault and possession of a firearm.BOLI BOLINGOLI
The Celtic defender has been widely-criticised
for a serious breach of Scotland’s lockdown
rules. Bolingoli took a secret day trip to Spain,
failed to quarantine, then trained with the squad
before playing against Kilmarnock, resulting in
the postponement of two Scottish Premiership
fixtures. Eight Aberdeen players were also fined
after visiting a bar together, leading to two
of them testing positive for COVID-19.JULEN LOPETEGUI
In 2018, Lopetegui was sacked from two of the
most prestigious jobs in the world within the
space of five months – first Spain, and then
Real Madrid. By guiding Sevilla to their sixth
Europa League, he has reminded Europe of
the coaching ability that made him so sought
after two years ago.BODO/GLIMT
The Norwegian side made an explosive start
to the 2020 season, winning12 of their first
matches and drawing the other two, averaging
over three goals a game in the process. Glimt
are chasing their first-ever top-flight league
title after finishing second for the fourth time
in 2019. No Norwegian team has ever finished
runners-up as often without winning the
Eliteserien, Norway’s top flight.MAROUANE FELLAINI
The former Belgium, Manchester United and
Everton midfielder netted a stunning hat-trick
for Chinese side Shandong Luneng. With his
team trailing1-0 to Dalian Pro in the 79th
minute, Fellaini rose to the challenge, scoring
three headers in just eight minutes to fire
the title-chasers to victory.ATALANTA FANS
After Atalanta reimbursed the fans who had
bought tickets for their Champions League
clash with Valencia in March, club’s ultras
arranged for the money to be given to a local
hospital in Bergamo instead. In total, around
1,200 supporters donated€60,000 to the
Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital, while ultras also
sold T-shirts to pay for a new ambulance.HEROES VILLAINS
Redemption...Lopetegui lifts the trophyDisgraced...Boli BolingoliRunner-up...
Sarina Wiegman
applauds the fans
after losing last
year’s World Cup
final to the USA