sign in sign up
<<
Home , Guus Hiddink, Thomas Tuchel

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016 SPORTS

Napoli fans to defy racists with Koulibaly mask plan

MILAN: Thousands of Napoli fans are set restore order was roundly applauded, Koulibaly. not been informed of the players’ plans- Italy, sparking a ‘No al razzimo!’ (No To to show their support for racism victim including by Koulibaly-who showed his “We are all with you, Kalidou. Our invi- sat on the bench astounded. Racism) day in 1992. Former and Kalidou Koulibaly by donning masks of disdain for the racists by offering his tation to Napoli fans is to print a photo For what is now regarded as the first Arsenal was the defender when the Serie A title chal- Napoli shirt to a young Lazio-supporting of the defender and put it on your face real stand against racist supporters in insulted by Lazio fans when he played at lengers host Carpi today. France-born ball boy. when the teams come on the pitch.” The Italian football, Treviso’s players were fet- Inter Milan, as was former England player Senegal international Koulibaly was the A supporters’ group, ‘Quelli del gesture is reminiscent of the stance tak- ed in the national press-although they Paul Ince when he played with the victim of monkey chants during Napoli’s Sangue Azzurro’ (The Blue Blooded en by Treviso players in 2001 to show famously refused to blacken their faces Nerazzurri between 1995-1997. Mario 2-0 win at Lazio on Wednesday when the Ones), are now encouraging Napoli fans their support for 18-year-old Nigerian for a subsequent photo call. Balotelli, the Liverpool striker who is on referee, in accordance with league regu- to show they stand fully behind player Schengun Omolade. He fell vic- “Our gesture has been made, and we loan at AC Milan, has suffered from racist lations, halted the match to demand a Koulibaly by wearing the masks during tim to the racism of Treviso’s ‘Blue Army’ don’t want to be seen to be benefiting taunts on and off during his years of stop to the abuse. Lazio were later hand- today’s home game at the San Paolo sta- supporters’ group-notorious for abusing from it,” said then Treviso senior player playing in Italy’s top flight. ed a 50,000 euros fine and will see the dium. Napoli are commonly known as black players from other teams-when Fabio Viviani. Italy’s problem with racist In January 2013, AC Milan player Curva Nord (North End) of the Stadio the Azzurri (The Blues). they turned on him and sang: “We don’t supporters is well documented, with sev- Kevin-Prince Boateng sparked a walk-off Olimpico closed to fans for their next A statement from the group said: want blacks in our team.” eral high profile players falling victim to by the team after he and several of the two league games. “Everyone in Naples is offended by what At their next game, Treviso’s starting abuse over the years. Black Dutch play- team’s black players were victim to mon- Referee Massimiliano Irrati’s decision happened to our young star. Because of team ran out on to the pitch with their ers and Aaron Winter com- key chances in a friendly with lower to stop the game for three minutes to this, we want to show our full support to faces blackened as Omolade-who had plained of racist abuse in their time in league side Pro Patria. —AFP PSG looking to extend unbeaten run at Marseille PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain will be looking ‘MUST WIN MATCH’ to extend their unbeaten streak at Marseille will be without newly-signed bitter rivals Marseille today as the hosts bid winger Florian Thauvin after he received a to end their own record winless run at red card against Montpellier, but Scotland home. ’s champions striker Steven Fletcher, also a transfer win- stretched their unbeaten run to a record 33 dow signing, should give the southern matches with a 3-1 win over Lorient mid- giants fresh legs. “It’s a match we have to week and next tackle Marseille who have win, for the club, for the fans and above all not won at their Velodrome Stadium since for us,” said Marseille midfielder Remy September. PSG-with 66 points from 24 Cabella. games-have an impressive 24-point lead “If we got a result against Paris it would with their fourth consecutive and sixth give us a boost.” Striker Georges-KÈvin overall league title beckoning. The Nkoudou added: “I know that there is Parisians have won their past eight always pressure between Paris and ‘Classique’ clashes with Marseille, and Marseille, but it remains a classic, and it’s up another would give them a new record of to us to rise to the occasion.” consecutive wins against their rivals. Second-placed Monaco, 24 points “To win we have to stick to our philoso- behind PSG, host Nice, three points behind phy. We can’t change it during a Classique,” in third, in a classic Riviera derby on said Brazilian defender Maxwell, who has Saturday. never been on the losing side in 10 previ- The clash is crucial for qualification for ous meetings with Marseille. elite European football next , with “We’re in a good place. We have to be Monaco’s billionaire Russian owner Dmitry confident, and have the same desire we’ve Rybolovlev making a rare appearance at shown up until now. That makes the differ- training to motivate the troops. ence in these matches.” Marseille, who “He said some words to motivate us, to claimed the last of their ten Ligue 1 titles wake us up and to take this match serious- back in 2010, are eighth in the league — 32 ly,” said Morocco midfielder Nabil Dirar. points behind PSG. A 1-0 victory at Lyon, back into the top half, above 11th- Montpellier Tuesday pushed Marseille’s place Bordeaux on goal difference, are six unbeaten league run to 11 matches, with points adrift of the Champions League their last away loss a 2-1 defeat to PSG at spots. Coach Bruno Genesio is hopeful the Parc de Princes on October 4. their 3-0 win over Bordeaux will boost his But that impressive statistic conceals side. “It’s good for morale,” said Genesio. “I misery at their Velodrome stronghold hope it will be the spark that will open the where they have not won since September way to some good results.” BERLIN: Dortmund’s defender (L) and Hertha Berlin’s Japanese midfielder Genki Haraguchi vie for the ball during the German 13. Lyon travel to Angers, sitting fourth with first division football match, Hertha Berlin v , at the Olympic stadium in Berlin yesterday. — AFP Blanc’s side will be looking to further 37 points, and looking to get back to win- flex their muscles with a Champions ning ways after losing 2-1 at Reims, while League last 16 tie against Chelsea on Bordeaux host fifth-placed Saint-Etienne. February 16. But counterpart Michel can Nantes will be looking to extend their Aubameyang fails to fire as count on the support of their loyal fans unbeaten streak to 11 matches at Toulouse with PSG’s supporters banned from travel- as Lille host Rennes, Guingamp travel to ling to Marseille because of security con- Corsica side Gazelec Ajaccio and Reims visit Mourinho sees Dortmund draw cerns. Caen. —AFP BERLIN: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the decide the game.” Mourinho made a surprise as both sides finished with 10 Bundesliga’s top-scorer, failed to fire yesterday as appearance in Berlin after being invited to the men. Stuttgart raced into a 2-0 lead as Christian Borussia Dortmund were held to a goalless draw Olympic Stadium by Dortmund’s CEO Hans- Gentner, then Daniel Didavi scored for the visi- Hazard reveals at Hertha Berlin with Jose Mourinho watching in Joachim Watzke. tors before but the latter was shown a red card the stands. The visit came just 24 hours after Mourinho’s after picking up a second booking on 67 min- Aubameyang, who has scored 20 league representatives reportedly held talks with utes. Mourinho apology goals this season, had a rare off day at Berlin’s Manchester United about replacing Louis van Frankfurt captain Alex Meier pulled it back to Olympic Stadium, managing just 11 touches, Gaal as manager of the club. 2-1 with 40 minutes left before Stuttgart pulled LONDON: sent a text mes- “I felt a little bit guilty because I’d with no shots on goal, in his 71 minutes. The The 53-year-old has been linked with the Old away with goals by defender Georg Niedermeier sage to Jose Mourinho after his sacking been player of the year,” added Hazard, Gabon forward-Africa’s player of the year-was Trafford post since being sacked by Chelsea in and Filip Kostic. to apologise for his poor form, the who is yet to score in the league this sea- eventually hauled off by Dortmund coach December. Dortmund’s result means leaders Eintracht defender Carlos Zambrano also saw Chelsea winger revealed in a British son. and was left scowling on the Bayern Munich can go 10 points clear if they win red after being sent off 15 minutes from time for newspaper interview published today. “I’d been one of the most decisive bench. at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday night. his second booking. Frankfurt’s Szabolcs Huszti “I sent him the message to say I was players, and this year I’d performed less It was only the sixth time this season that Less than a fortnight before their Champions then made it 4-2 by scoring in the 90th minute. sorry he had gone and ... well ... just that well. I hadn’t been at the same level. So I ‘Auba’ has failed to score in one of Dortmund’s League last 16, first-leg clash at Ghent, Hanover 96 remain rooted to the bottom of I was sorry,” Hazard told . sent that text to Jose and he came back league games. Berlin’s Ivory Coast striker Wolfsburg crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Schalke to the table after their 1-0 defeat at home to Mainz “We’d enjoyed all that success together to me, wishing me all the best for the went close for Hertha, while remain winless in their last five games. as Spanish midfielder Jairo scored the first-half last season, but this time round we future. Vedad Ibisevic was denied a second-half penalty. ’s Wolves had few answers as winner. Ingolstadt won the Bavaria derby with a hadn’t.” “For a team of champions to go The game failed to deliver as second-placed Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Johannes Geis and new- 2-1 win at home to Augsburg thanks to Moritz Hazard, 25, swept the board in last through what we have this year, even I Dortmund remained ten points clear of Hertha. signing Alessandro Schoepf netted for Schalke. Hartmann’s winning penalty five minutes from season’s player of the year awards after can’t explain. Things have been better “It took a while for us to get into the game and The result pushed the Royal Blues up to time. On Friday, Borussia Moenchengladbach Chelsea won a Premier League and recently, but we’re still not winning come to terms with the conditions,” said Tuchel, fourth as Wolfsburg drop to eighth. got back to winning ways with a 5-1 thrashing of League Cup double. games quite as we used to. who criticised the Berlin pitch. Stuttgart are now up to 11th, five points from strugglers Werder Bremen as teenage Danish But his form has nose-dived this sea- “No one can put his finger on what’s “We dominated the second half, but the bot- the bottom three, with their fourth straight defender , on loan from son, mirroring the fortunes of the team, happened at Chelsea.” Chelsea, with tom line is that we didn’t have the form to league win in a bad-tempered 4-2 victory at Chelsea, netted twice. —AFP whose record of nine defeats in their interim manager now at opening 16 league game saw Mourinho the helm, host Manchester United in the sacked as manager in December. league today. — AFP Van Gaal circled by Chelsea managers past and present

LONDON: Manchester United’s tentative But United remain a puzzling team and Van fifth round, ahead of their Champions League resurgence will be tested today when Louis Gaal continues to be dogged by speculation last 16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain. van Gaal pits his side against a Chelsea team about his future, with reports emerging on But although the champions are unbeaten slowly finding their feet under his country- Friday that the club’s hierarchy have made an in nine games under Hiddink, they have won man Guus Hiddink. approach to Jose Mourinho, who was sacked just two of the seven league matches he has It is only two weeks since United were by Chelsea in December. overseen, and he sees Sunday’s game at booed off at Old Trafford after a 1-0 home The excitement sparked by the announce- Stamford Bridge as an opportunity to make a defeat by Southampton, but consecutive wins ment of ’s impending arrival as breakthrough. — 3-1 at Derby County in the FA Cup and 3-0 Manchester City manager has only served to “This is a big match,” Hiddink told his pre- at home to Stoke City in the league-have con- underline the sense of uncertainty hovering game media conference. “Big clubs through vinced Van Gaal that his side can still win the over the dug-outs at both United and the years, both Manchester United and us like title. Chelsea. to compete for the title. They have underper- United go into the weekend 10 points Mourinho’s shadow looms large above Van formed and we are getting back on track a lit- below leaders Leicester City in fifth place and Gaal’s head, while Hiddink knows that he is tle bit. five points below the Champions League only keeping the seat warm for whomever “Of course I would like some more victories berths. Chelsea decide to appoint as the long-term instead of the unbeaten draws, but the team “We don’t have to exaggerate, but I have successor to the Portuguese. is step by step more stable and now we hope the feeling if we shall beat Chelsea-although to go to in a beautiful spring time.” that is very difficult, because under Guus ‘BEAUTIFUL SPRING’ Eden Hazard is expected to return for Hiddink they don’t lose-then I think our Guardiola, 45, will join a posse of highly Chelsea, having made a positive impression league is starting again,” Van Gaal said. regarded forty-something coaches in England off the bench in the mid-week 0-0 draw at “Michael Carrick said to me and I have the that already includes Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp Watford, and fellow winger Pedro Rodriguez is same feeling, the competition is not yet fin- and Tottenham Hotspur’s Mauricio fit after a groin injury. ished, not for Manchester United or the other Pochettino, and at 64 and 69 respectively, Van Loic Remy (calf) and teams. “We have the feeling, and that’s Gaal and Hiddink could be forgiven for feeling (thigh) remain out and loan signing Alexandre because we are winning twice in a row and like yesterday’s men. Pato is not yet match-fit, while skipper John with sparkling football.” Hiddink can at least console himself that Terry could line up against United for the final United played with scarcely seen enter- unlike his compatriot, he is not deemed to be time in a Chelsea shirt. prise against Stoke, rejuvenated captain sitting on an ejector seat. United, who have not beaten Chelsea in BOLOGNA: Bologna’s forward from Italy Emanuele Giaccherini (L) fights for the ball Wayne Rooney scoring his seventh goal in The objectives of his mission were clearly nine encounters, could welcome back Phil with Fiorentina’s midfielder from Chile Matias Ariel Fernandez during the Serie A seven games and Anthony Martial capping a defined from the start and for the moment he Jones (ankle), but remain without Bastian football match Bologna vs Fiorentina at “Renato Dall’Ara” Stadium in Bologna yester- flowing move by curling in a goal that left the is fulfilling them, having stabilised Chelsea in Schweinsteiger, Ashley Young, Marcos Rojo, day. — AFP pundits purring. the league and steered them into the FA Cup Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw.— AFP