THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 SPORTS United break with tradition in Moyes sacking LONDON: By sacking David Moyes as ever, the board decided that it could no in November 1986, Moyes’s job was to The emphasis now will be on finding “I think there is a way of decency manager after less than a season in longer stand by and watch Ferguson’s take command of the juggernaut that a manager with a proven track-record at with dealing with people,” he said. charge, Manchester United contravened empire crumble, regardless of the his predecessor had built. the highest level of the European game “Football managers now just get tossed the principles explicitly laid out by his instructions he had left behind. Ferguson hoped the structures he capable of undoing the damage that around, chucked about, disregarded, illustrious predecessor Alex Ferguson. Had Moyes seen out his six-year con- had put in place would allow Moyes- Moyes has inflicted. While Ryan Giggs rubbished. Decent men, good men, just Ferguson was granted a three-and-a- tract, he would have become United’s who failed to win a trophy in his 11 will take charge of the first team in the get thrown away. And that’s not just half-year grace period before winning third longest-serving post-war manager, years at Everton-to slot seamlessly into interim, the names being linked with David Moyes, that’s all the way through the first of his 38 trophies as United behind only Ferguson and United’s oth- place, thereby enabling United to main- the job on a permanent basis-Louis van football.” manager, in 1990, and he expected his er great Scottish figurehead, Matt tain a tradition of appointing promising, Gaal, Diego Simeone, Jurgen Klopp- The move also met with disapproval successor, who he hand-picked himself, Busby. hungry, British managers. make it likely that United will appoint a from some United fans, with phrases to be shown the same patience. Instead, he became the club’s third manager hailing from outside the such as “disgraceful decision” and “knee- His instruction to United’s fans to shortest-serving manager, after Walter ‘GOOD MEN THROWN AWAY’ British Isles for the very first time. jerk reaction” dotting the BBC’s online “get behind our new manager” on a Crickmer (1931-32) and Lal Hilditch It was for these reasons that United The fear, for United’s fans, is that by message boards. rain-lashed day at Old Trafford last May (1926-27), overseeing only 51 matches, opted for Moyes, rather than a brash not showing Moyes the patience that But whether United have betrayed was intended as a rallying cry, but of which he won just 27. upstart such as Jose Mourinho, but the Ferguson had called for, the club risks their traditions or not, the Moyes experi- instead it became a millstone around The club’s decision to dismiss him former Everton manager’s subsequent falling into a pattern of hiring and firing ment at least means that the club’s next the club’s neck. As Moyes lurched from reflected the huge differences between failure laid bare the shortcomings in more typically associated with hated manager will not have to step directly disaster to disaster, seemingly incapable the football landscape that provided their recruitment process. As one jour- rivals Chelsea. into Ferguson’s shoes. of preventing the club from sinking into the backdrop for Ferguson’s appoint- nalist observed on Twitter: “No club Gary Neville, the former United cap- As former England striker Gary crisis, the one constant in his favour was ment and the terrain that greeted brings more/better data to tain turned media pundit, alluded to Lineker remarked on Twitter: “Always the consensus that sacking managers Moyes on his arrival last year. Whereas financial/commercial business. Yet those specific concerns when he thought the manager’s job to have at was ‘not the United way’. United had not lifted the English title for appoints manager on handshake and a lamented United’s decision to part ways Manchester United was the one after After initially showing support, how- 18 years when Ferguson was appointed nod.” with Moyes. the one after Sir Alex.”—AFP FIFA suspends Barcelona 14-month transfer ban ZURICH: FIFA yesterday suspended a ban on Barcelona signing players while the club makes an appeal against a 14-month transfer ban. World football’s governing body, which imposed the sanction this month for breaching rules on the registration of minors, announced in a statement that the ban would be temporarily suspended allowing Barca to sign players during the summer transfer window which opens on July 1. The club welcomed the move. “FC Barcelona sees the decision announced today by the FIFA Appeal Committee to provisionally allow the cautionary measures requested in the club’s Real’s coach Carlo Ancelotti appeal against the sanction imposed by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee as a positive step,” the club said in a statement. Ancelotti in frame for The Spanish champions are in desperate need of an overhaul in the summer transfer win- dow after a difficult season which is likely to see United job — reports them miss out on a major trophy for the first LONDON: Manchester United began their United manager Alex Ferguson will play an time in six years. search for a new manager yesterday, with active role in the search for a new head Replacements are primarily needed for goal- newspaper reports claiming that Real coach, despite having been chiefly respon- keeper Victor Valdes and club captain Carles Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has emerged sible for the decision to appoint Moyes. Puyol who have both announced their intention to leave the club at the end of the current cam- as a candidate to succeed David Moyes. Ferguson, who is now a United director, per- SPAIN: Barcelona’s coach Gerardo Tata Martinio, from Argentina, looks on in this file photo. —AP Several British newspapers said that sonally recommended Moyes to the club’s paign. Ancelotti was being considered for the board after announcing his retirement in Barcelona has appealed against what would Court of Arbitration for Sport would still be tion of 10 minor players. vacancy, along with Netherlands coach May last year. Moyes, 50, was sacked after a be a dramatic restriction on its operations and decided before the beginning of the next regis- Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu Louis van Gaal, who emerged as the early wretched debut campaign that saw defend- asked for the sanction to be suspended, the FIFA tration period,” said FIFA. described the ban as a “grave injustice” and favourite for the post following Moyes’s ing champions United slump to seventh statement said. Mussenden “assures that proper and ade- insisted the club intend to make moves in the sacking on Tuesday. However, whereas place in the Premier League table, denying FIFA Appeal Committee chairman Larry quate appeal proceedings will take place and, at transfer market this summer. Ancelotti, the former Chelsea manager, is them a place in next season’s Champions Mussenden agreed that the appeal meant the the same time, that all rights of the club will be There are two transfer windows in the 14 less than a year into a three-year contract at League. Long-serving midfielder Ryan ban should be suspended. Mussenden “took into respected.” month ban, one starting in July and running to Madrid, Van Gaal is scheduled to step down Giggs has been placed in interim charge of consideration the sanctions imposed against the FIFA’s disciplinary committee imposed the the start of the new Spanish season. The second from his position with Holland after this first-team affairs “until a permanent club, the complexity of the matter, the start date transfer ban on April 2 after finding Barcelona would be in January 2015. In 2010, FIFA imposed year’s World Cup. appointment can be made”, United said. of the next registration period - 1 July 2014 - and guilty of “serious” breaches of rules on under-age a similar transfer window ban against Chelsea Van Gaal, 62, has expressed an interest in The 40-year-old Welshman, who became the fact that the FIFA Appeal Committee does players. over the signing of French youngster Gael working in England and former Holland for- a member of Moyes’s coaching staff at the not seem in a position to take a decision on the It also fined the Spanish Football Association Kakuta. It was overturned after Chelsea reached ward Bryan Roy, who worked under him at beginning of the season, is expected to main issue early enough so that an eventual (RFEF) for allowing the deals. The Spanish cham- an agreement with the player’s former club Ajax, believes that he would be a perfect fit address the media for the first time since appeal of the club against its decision before the pions were given 90 days to regularise the situa- Lens.—AFP at United. “He has definitely still got the taking up his new role on Friday. hunger,” Roy, now a coach at Ajax, told the Giggs will be assisted by Phil Neville and Daily Mirror. “He will never turn down Chris Woods, both of whom kept their jobs Manchester United, believe me. I think it’s on United’s back-room staff despite having Atletico need Costa inspiration the job he really wants. And he will be a rev- been brought in by Moyes, as well as youth- elation at Manchester United.” Speaking team coach and former team-mate Nicky shortly after news of Moyes’s dismissal Butt.