TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 SPORTS

Turkish referee ‘shown red card’ in stormy top-flight clash

ISTANBUL: Turkish football faced new “Tonight, Salih Dursun showed the red region of Kocaeli lodged a criminal com- questions over the credibility of the card to Turkish football. This is not a sym- plaint against the referee for “abuse of game yesterday after an anarchic clash bol of rebellion. It is a symbol of rebirth,” power” and “inciting hatred”. between Galatasaray and Trabzonspor he added. Galatasaray chairman Dursun The head of Turkey’s Central Referee’s ended with just seven footballers from Ozbek admitted Monday that the refer- Commission, Kuddusi Muftuoglu, told the Black Sea side on the pitch and one eeing had not been up to scratch, the reporters that Bitnel had made several of its players showing the referee the red Dogan news agency reported. “There mistakes and his performance was upset- card. The Sunday night Super Lig clash were decisions that were favourable for ting. between Galatasaray of Istanbul and both sides, there were decisions that “We share the disappointment of Trabzonspor of Trabzon-one of the most went against them.” Trabzonspor. We reward successful refer- venemous rivalries in the Turkish game- ees and take measures against unsuc- was marked by a litany of penalties, ill ‘SHARE THE DISAPPOINTMENT’ cessful ones,” he said, raising the discipline and poor refereeing. “A card that was 100 percent right,” prospect Bitnel could now be “rested”. Trabzonspor had already had two players headlined the Fanatik sports daily above Turkish football has seen a huge influx sent off by referee Deniz Ates Bitnel a picture of Dursun showing the red card of foreign talent in the last years and the when Belgian defender Luis Cavanda was and listing six major errors the referee game saw Netherlands star Wesley deemed to have brought down Umut made in the game. Sneijder and Germany’s Lukas Podolski Bulut in the penalty box in the 86th Far from sanctioning their player, turning out for Galatasaray. minute and was himself dismissed. Trabzonspor announced the club started But the sport in Turkey remains shad- Trabzonspor players remonstrated with printing T-shirts showing Dursun make owed by the sometimes appalling refer- the referee and in the fracas Trabzonspor the already iconic gesture for sale in the eeing, low attendances, the shadow of a defender Salih Dursun pinched the refer- official shop. 2011 match-fixing scandal and the failure ee’s red card and brandished it in front of Hundreds of Trabzonspor’s famously to make any impact in the Champions Bitnel. fanatical supporters marched through League. Bitnel then recovered the card, using the centre of the city Monday, all bran- Turkish media meanwhile noted ISTANBUL: Trabzonspor’s player Salih Dursun (R) shows a red card to referee it to send Dursun off and Selcuk Inan dishing red cards in support of the play- Dursun’s action had a precedent back in Deniz Ates Bitnel (L) during Turkish Super Lig football match between stepped up to score the penalty, winning er, television pictures showed. 1995 when English legend Paul Galatasaray and Trabzonspor on Feburary 21, 2016 at the TT Arena Stadium in the game 2-1 to Galatasaray. “There are Local officials in the Macka district of Gascoigne, playing for Rangers, showed a Istanbul. Turkish football faced new questions over the credibility of the game messages from all over Turkey, saying ‘we Trabzon mulled erecting a statue in hon- yellow card to referee Dougie Smith, in a after an anarchic clash between Galatasaray and Trabzonspor ended with just are ashamed’” Trabzonspor chairman our of the player’s gesture while Scottish Premiership clash with seven footballers from the Black Sea side on the pitch and one of its players Muharrem Usta said after the game. Trabzonspor supporters in the western Hibernian.—AFP showing the referee the red card. — AFP Nine-man Lyon slump to defeat at Lille

PARIS: Nine-man Lyon missed the chance to move into the third and final Champions League place in France as they lost 1-0 at Lille on Sunday, while Michy Batshuayi rescued a 1-1 draw for Marseille against Saint-Etienne. Sofiane Boufal scored the only goal of the game at Lille in the 28th minute, as a desperate- ly poor Lyon saw their run of three consecutive wins come to an end. After Saint-Etienne’s draw, Lyon knew three points would move them into the coveted third place, but they failed to take their chance. Boufal has been the only stand-out performer in a lifeless Lille attack this season, and he opened the scoring at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy with his eighth goal this term. His free-kick from the left wing evaded HOUSTON: Members of the United States pose on the field after they beat Canada 2- everyone in the middle, including a leaden- 0 during the Championship final of the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic footed Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, as it Qualifying at BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday in Houston, Texas. — AFP bounced into the net. After scoring 10 goals in a run of three comprehensive victories, Bruno Genesio’s Lyon would have been confident going into this encounter. But they created very Totti at crossroads as little in a drab first half display and shortly after the restart they were lucky to see Lille striker Yassine Benzia drag a shot hopelessly wide Spalletti wins spat when in on goal. On the hour mark any fading hopes the visi- MILAN: Roma legend Francesco Totti play. My injury is over, I’m doing fine and tors had of moving into the Champions League was yesterday left at a career crossroads if I’m not playing it’s the coach’s decision.” spots were all but ended, when right-back after a highly-publicised spat with coach It was a risky move by the historic club Christophe Jallet saw a second yellow card for Luciano Spalletti that divided Italian captain. Now in his second spell at the holding back Eric Bautheac. Lille have the sec- football and cast a shadow over his club, Spalletti has done witout Totti and ond-worst attack in the division but the second- remarkable career. turned fortunes around since replacing best defence, so perhaps it was no surprise that Now in his 23rd season with the Serie sacked Frenchman Rudi Garcia last Lyon struggled to create chances. A miserable VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ: Lille’s French forward Yassine Benzia (R) vies with Lyon’s French mid- A side, the 39-year-old Totti is expected month. outing for Lyon was ended as Clement Grenier’s fielder Clement Grenier (L) during the French L1 football match Lille versus Lyon Sunday, at to wind his career down at the end of But as might be expected, Spalletti elbow into the face of Florent Balmont left them Lille Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, northern France. — AFP this season or next. copped most of the flak on Sunday. with only nine men. At the Velodrome OM’s But his decision was hastened by Totti’s old coach Carlo Mazzone, told Belgian forward Batshuayi had come off the like against Lille (a 1-1 draw), we fought to the sure continues to build, they are now lower in events on Sunday when Spalletti dramat- Romaforever.it: “What he’s done has bench 15 minutes from the end and headed end and there was a lot of courage,” said the table than they were a month ago when ically excluded Totti from his squad after destroyed the reputation of an excep- home a Romain Alessandrini free-kick in the Marseille coach Michel. The draw barely helps they sacked former manager Philippe the player demanded more “respect and tional person - both in football and fifth minute of injury-time. either side as St Etienne stay behind Nice on Montanier and brought in Rolland Courbis. clarity” in a scathing television interview. human terms. “Any coach with good goal difference, while Marseille are 10th and still There was one positive for Courbis as mid- COURAGE While a barely half-full Stadio sense and character wouldn’t have done five points behind in the tight race to qualify for fielder made his first start since That was a 13th league goal of the season for Olimpico resonated with songs dedicat- something like this. I’m very bitter and Europe’s premier club competition. Asked if he rejoining the club in the summer, being with- Batshuayi, putting him behind only Zlatan feared for his job, Michel said: “I don’t think drawn in the 59th minute. ed to the long-serving ‘Re di Roma’ (King disappointed.” Ibrahimovic in the goalscoring charts. It about that, never. I think about doing my job On Saturday, Paris Saint-Germain main- of Rome) as he sat in the stands on was only five minutes from time that St Etienne and going forwards.” Caen ended a three-match tained their 24-point lead with a 4-1 victory Sunday night, Spalletti put the contro- DUST BEGINNING TO SETTLE thought they had scored the potentially win- losing streak, as a first goal in French football for over lowly Reims as Ibrahimovic scored a versy to one side to see Roma dismantle The controversy dominated most of ning goal that would have sent them above Burundian midfielder Saidi Ntibazonkiza saw off brace. They now need only three more wins league rivals Palermo. Sunday’s sports coverage and the Italian Nice into third place in Ligue 1. Rennes. The 28-year-old has broken into the and a draw from their final 11 matches to win A 5-0 rout saw the ‘Giallorossi’ boost sports press on Monday appeared divid- Kevin Monnet-Paquet shot home left-footed first team in recent weeks and took his chance the Ligue 1 title. Monaco remain second after a their Champions League hopes for next ed. A headline in Rome-based Corriere from Romain Hamouma’s pass. “Nothing we with a fine second half finish, moving Caen 3-1 win over rock-bottom Troyes sent them season, and gave Totti a stark reminder dello Sport called Totti’s exclusion an saw was new-we created chances, we were above their opponents and to within two points eight points clear of Nice, who drew 0-0 at the team, despite a rollercoaster season “Insult to History”, while the front page close to scoring, we got back into the match just of the top three. For Rennes though the pres- Bordeaux on Friday. —AFP so far, can and will do without him. headline on the pink-paged, Milan-based Grilled for hours by the media after- Gazzetta dello Sport screamed “The Exile wards, Spalletti emerged with a small of the King of Rome”. victory that simultaneously reinforced The fact Totti visited the team dress- Argentina, Chile face rematch after Copa draw his position and left Totti looking petu- ing room after the game, and his partici- NEW YORK: Lionel Messi and Argentina were this is what a Copa America is about,” US coach Haiti and Peru forming their opposition in Group lant, insecure and expecting “special pation at training yesterday, suggests the given a chance for revenge on Sunday after Jurgen Klinsmann told Univision television. B. Brazil will open their campaign against treatment”. “The club appointed me to dust is beginning to settle. being drawn against reigning Copa America “You want to measure yourself with the best Ecuador at the Pasadena Rose Bowl scene of restore order in this squad, and I have to But Totti now has to decide whether champions Chile in the group stage for this sum- teams from South America and also our region. their 1994 World Cup final triumph-on June 4. make decisions that are for the good of to play on, or take up a coaching role mer’s special centenary edition of the tourna- So we can’t wait to get it started.” Reigning CONCACAF Gold Cup champions the club,” Spalletti told La Domenica that, reports say, he has already secured. ment. Argentina suffered an agonizing defeat to Five-time world champions Brazil, however, Mexico and Luis Suarez’s Uruguay will be Sportiva programme. “I have to coach Spalletti said Sunday he had offered Chile in the climax of last June’s tournament in were given what looked like a straightforward favored to proceed to the last eight from Group this squad and treat everyone the same. Totti various positions at the club, but it Santiago as their major championship drought passage into the knockout rounds, with Ecuador, C ahead of Jamaica and Venezuela.— AFP Totti is the captain but that doesn’t mean was now time to decide. continued. However, Messi and his teammates he gets special treatment. “I have already spoken to Totti about have the opportunity to strike back at Chile after “I don’t accept any of my players possible roles but it’s up to him to being drawn alongside their South American speaking out like that on the eve of a decide, not me,” said Spalletti. rivals in Group D here Sunday. crucial game for us, especially when Totti was offered an assistant manag- The Copa America Centenario is taking place we’re on a four-game winning run. er’s position like Manchester United outside South America for the first time this year to mark 100 years of the world’s oldest interna- great Ryan Giggs, as well as a more exec- tional football tournament. Ten cities across the BIGGEST PLAYER utive position like the one held by Pavel United States will host games from June 3-26 in “He’s Roma’s biggest ever player, but Nedved at Juventus. the 16-team tournament, which features 10 sides it’s my duty to make sure there is a bal- “I asked him, do you want to be like from South America and six from the CONCACAF ance in the dressing room.” Despite win- Giggs? Do you want to be like Nedved?” region. Argentina’s clash with Chile was the ning only one league title with Roma, in But the 56-year-old added: “Do you want standout fixture from Sunday’s draw at New 2001, Totti has been a virtual ‘untouch- to stay a footballer? Okay fine, but you York’s Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan. able’ at the club where he has spent his have to know you won’t get any favours Panama and Bolivia complete Group D. Host entire career. from me! —AFP United States will kick off the tournament against But having fallen down the pecking Colombia in the opening match on June 3 at order due to a troublesome injury that Super Bowl venue Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, has restricted him to just five appear- California. The match may carry a good omen for ances so far this season, his influence is Matches on TV the United States, who beat Colombia in the on the wane. Yet the drama, on paper, 1994 World Cup group stages, a game made infa- looked avoidable. (Local Timings) mous by the own goal from Colombian defender Totti had recently made a full recovery Andres Escobar, who was later murdered in his and Spalletti said Friday he could start on UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE homeland in an apparent reprisal. Sunday, only for Totti’s interview-which aired on Saturday-to upset the apple KIND DRAW FOR BRAZIL? NEW YORK: (L-R) The national team coaches, Jurgen Klinsmann of the US; Paraguay’s Ramon Juventus v Bayern Munich 22:45 cart. “After everything I’ve given to the The Americans’ Group A is full of demanding Diaz; Colombia’s Jose Pekerman; and Costa Rica’s Oscar Ramirez pose at the end of the official challenges, with 2014 World Cup quarter-final- club all these years I would hoped to be beIN SPORTS 2 HD draw of the Copa America Centenario 2016 championship at the Hammerstein Ballroom in ists Colombia and Costa Rica as well as 2015 Arsenal v Barcelona 22:45 New York on February 21, 2016. The Copa America Centenario, a once-in-a-lifetime soccer treated with more respect,” slammed Copa America semi-finalists Paraguay. Totti. summer event, which honors 100 years of the Copa America tournament, will take place in the beIN SPORTS 1 HD “It’s a very difficult group, but it’s doable, and US from June 3-26, 2016. — AFP “I’m still a footballer and I want to