THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2018 15

Ronaldo denies assault accusation Pogba not allowed to talk AFP | Las Vegas ristiano Ronaldo yes- AFP | Manchester Cterday denied accusa- Man Utd set for UEFA tions by a former American aul Pogba said he was not sanctions model that he raped her in Pallowed to talk after Man- a Las Vegas hotel in 2009 chester United failed to arrest AFP | Paris and said his conscience is c their recent slump with a drab lear. 0-0 Champions League draw EFA has opened disci - “I firmly deny the accu- against Valencia. Uplinary proceedings sations being issued against Jose Mourinho’s United against Manchester United me,” the Portuguese super- have made their worst start to after their late arrival at Old star tweeted in Portuguese a league campaign in 29 years Trafford forced a late kick-off and English. after an embarrassing 3-1 loss at in their Champions League “Rape is an abominable West Ham and are already out match against Valencia. crime that goes against of the League Cup. The club now faces UEFA everything that I am and Tuesday’s stalemate at Old sanctions after their “late believe in,” said the 33-year- Trafford was their fourth con- team arrival” infringed com- old Juventus forward. secutive match without a win. petition regulations and the “Keen as I may be to clear Many players avoided the ensuing “late kick-off” went my name I refuse to feed the post-match mixed zone inter- against disciplinary regula- media spectacle created by view area after the game to avoid tions, according to a brief people seeking to promote awkward questions. statement issued by Europe- themselves at my expense,” Pogba was among those to go an football’s ruling body. Ronaldo said. through but told reporters “I’ve The case will be dealt with “My clear conscious (sic) been told I’m not allowed (to by the UEFA Control, Ethics will thereby allow me to talk).” and Disciplinary Body on 18 await with tranquillity the The French World Cup win- Manchester United’s Paul Pogba battles for the ball with Valencia’s Michy Batshuayi October. results of any and all inves- ner, who was last week told he tigations,” he added on his would not captain the side again, Twitter feed @Cristiano, appeared to get under Mourin- club. inho has made watching us a ture,” the right-back wrote on the Ecuadoran added. “We which has nearly 75 million ho’s skin after their recent draw Valencia insisted he is “fully punishment” and “it’s time for Twitter. are 100 per cent behind the followers. with Wolves by saying United supportive” of Mourinho after Mourinho to go”. “These are not my views and manager.” Kathryn Mayorga, 34, of should attack more. appearing to back calls for the But he attempted to explain I apologise for this. I am fully The players attempted to Las Vegas, accused Ronaldo, Captain Antonio Valencia and under-fire manager to leave. and apologise yesterday. supportive of the manager and show a united front before kick- in a 32-page complaint filed midfielder Marouane Fellaini The 33-year-old ‘liked’ an In- “Yesterday, I liked a post on my teammates.” off by breaking with tradition last month with a district have both backed the manager stagram post from a fan account Instagram without reading the “Everything will calm down and taking part in a pre-match court in Nevada, of raping despite the growing crisis at the which said that “recently Mour- text that accompanied the pic- when we get some wins,” huddle. her on June 13, 2009.

Jose Mourinho odds-on to be sacked for the first Bayern need basic approach to time this season rediscover form - Kovacs Reuters | Munich

ayern Munich must keep it Bsimple if they are to regain their dominant early season form after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by an inexpe- rienced Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League on Tuesday, coach Niko Kovacs said. “We must go back to the ba- sics, get stuck into the duels, play fewer bad passes and let the Jose Mourinho ball flow,” the Croat demanded, pointing to Ajax as an example Reuters | London near the even-money mark to follow. (where one pound sterling “Our opponent showed us nder-fire Manchester placed would earn a pound how to do it. Now we have to UUnited boss Jose Mour- back in addition to the one- look to display our face again, inho has been priced odds-on pound stake), however the which saw us to wins in the first to be the first Premier League draw against Valencia and the seven games of the season.” manager to leave his job this subsequent fallout has seen his The draw means the usually season. odds of being the first manager consistent and dominant Ger- Noussair Mazraoui celebrates after his equaliser for Ajax, who held on to draw at Bayern Bookmakers William Hill to go plummet further,” said man champions have gone three reckon the Portuguese coach William Hill spokesman Joe games without a win after being told reporters as he criticised up and so lose the ball and then paign with a 2-0 away win over an 8/11 bet, with Southamp- Crilly. held by Augsburg and beaten by the performance. confidence.” Benfica and share top spot with ton’s Mark Hughes and Car- Zinedine Zidane is the 8/11 Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga. “We played negatively, our Kovacs said the draw must ul- Ajax on four points, but their diff City’s Neil Warnock the favourite to be the next Man- “It’s not what we imagined, opponent was first to every timately be regarded as a “win- immediate concern is finding second-favourites to part ways chester United manager, with that’s not what I personally im- second ball, we just played too ning point”. form when they host Borussia with their employers at 7/1. Antonio Conte at 8/1 and Ar- agined, and this was certainly many bad passes, we wanted Bayern began their Cham- Moenchengladbach in the Bun- “Mourinho was hovering sene Wenger 10/1. not a good match for us,” Kovac too much, too fast in the build- pions League Group E cam - desliga on Saturday. Ronaldo-less Real Madrid hit 12-year negative record

Soccerladuma | Madrid back of the net, a negative re- to leave Real Madrid,” he said cord they last experienced after the game, as quoted by any thought Real Madrid between December 2006 and Marca. Mwould not struggle after January 2007, according to “We, the players, cannot do Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, Marca. anything about that. It’s his deci- but Los Blancos have now hit The Spanish giants never went sion to make and we can only re- a negative record they never three consecutive games with- spect it and thank him for what achieved while the superstar out scoring when Ronaldo was he has done for us. was around. around, and Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat “But we can’t live in the past Julen Lopetegui’s side was their first UCL match in 29 or think what this team would somewhat surprisingly lost games that they had failed to be with him.” 1-0 to CSKA Moscow in the register a strike in. Real lost 3-0 to Sevilla a week UEFA Champions League on Los Blancos defender Nacho ago, then drew 0-0 in the Ma- Tuesday. has since insisted the team needs drid derby on the weekend, The defeat marked the third to forget about the club’s record and on Tuesday lost 1-0 to CSKA successive game in which Real goalscorer and move on. despite hitting the woodwork have gone without finding the Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Toni Kroos react as CSKA Moscow’s players celebrate the victory “Cristiano (Ronaldo) decided three times.