THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 SPORTS

Germany, Turkey the only bidders to host Euro 2024

ZURICH: Germany and Turkey are the ters in Nyon to make their declarations and 1988 European Championship and a team competition, and it will be a tough His opposite number Yildirim only bidders for the right to host soccer’s official,” UEFA added. re-united Germany staged the 2006 decision to make,” said UEFA general sec- Demiroren was hoping it would be 2024 European Championship finals, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and World Cup. retary Theodore Theodoridis. “UEFA is fourth time lucky for his country. “Over continental governing body UEFA Finland had explored a joint bid but did Turkey unsuccessfully bid to host committed to a transparent bidding the last few years, around 32 new stadi- announced yesterday. not to proceed. The potential hosts will Euro 2008 jointly with Greece and the process.” ums have been built or are currently The football federations of the two now have to produce a full bid dossier 2012 finals on its own. It had also intend- Germany federation (DFB) president being constructed around the country,” countries were the only ones to submit a by April next year with UEFA choosing ed to bid for Euro 2020 before UEFA Reinhard Grindel said that “with our vast he said. declaration of interest before the March the winner the following September. decided to spread the tournament experience, our current stadium infra- “With this level of investment, Turkey 3 deadline, UEFA said in a statement. Turkey has never hosted a major sen- around 13 cities across Europe. structure and the basic conditions in is proving that it is one of the world’s “The respective national associations ior soccer tournament while West “It’s clear that there will be two Germany, we can stage an economic, leaders in its commitment to football were both present at UEFA’s headquar- Germany hosted the 1974 World Cup strong bids for UEFA’s showcase national first-class tournament.” infrastructure.” — Reuters Newcastle draw lets Brighton cut gap

LONDON: Newcastle United’s lead at the below Huddersfield, after a stoppage-time top of England’s second-tier Championship Tom Cairney goal saw them held to a 1-1 was cut to three points after they could draw at Fulham. Tim Ream’s own goal had only draw 0-0 at Reading on Tuesday. given Leeds the lead at Craven Cottage, but Second-place Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Kalvin Phillips’s dismissal gave bounced back from successive defeats with the home side the initiative and they lev- a 2-0 win at bottom club Rotherham elled through Cairney at the death. United, while third-place Huddersfield Sheffield Wednesday remain sixth, two Town beat Aston Villa 1-0. points behind Reading, following a 1-1 Huddersfield trail Newcastle by nine draw at home to Burton Albion, who points and Brighton by six, but have a earned a share of the points through game in hand, with the top two teams Jackson Irvine’s sweet volley. guaranteed automatic promotion. “The Ross Wallace had put Wednesday in main thing for us is we have to be happy to front from long range effort in the 16th take seven points from the past three away minute. Second-bottom Wigan Athletic games,” Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez boosted their survival hopes with a 1-0 win told the BBC. “Today was a pity as I think in at Birmingham City that left them two the first half we had so many clear chances points from safety. Third-bottom Bristol that there could’ve been three points City fought back to draw 1-1 with Norwich there.” Newcastle striker Daryl Murphy saw City, while Blackburn Rovers claimed a 1-1 a header cleared off the line at the draw at home to Cardiff City courtesy of Madejski Stadium, but Garath McCleary Derrick Williams’ last-minute equaliser. almost snatched an injury-time winner for Wolverhampton Wanderers continue to Reading with a shot that grazed the bar. sit one place above the drop zone after a Brighton went in front early in the sec- goalless draw at Ipswich Town, but they ond half through Anthony Knockaert at retain two games in hand on most of the Rotherham, with substitute Solly March teams around them. Lasse Vibe scored adding a second goal 11 minutes from the twice as Brentford edged Nottingham end. Huddersfield kept up the pressure on Forest 3-2, Queens Park Rangers beat the leading pair thanks to defender Tommy Barnsley 2-1 and Tom Barkhuizen’s injury- Smith’s 69th-minute goal at home to Villa. time strike earned Preston North End a 1-1 Leeds United remain fourth, three points draw at Derby County. — AFP ROSTOV: Manchester United’s players take part in a training session on the eve of the UEFA Europe League round of 16, first legmatch between FC Rostov and Manchester United in Rostov yesterday. — AFP Pressure mounts as Wenger SOCCER mulls Arsenal future

LONDON: Arsene Wenger is under difficult situation at the moment,” said the No Rooney, no goals as United unprecedented pressure to end his storied Frenchman. 21-year tenure as Arsenal manager follow- ing their humiliating 10-2 aggregate defeat SMIRKING SANCHEZ seek European salvation in Russia by Bayern Munich in the Champions The signs of stasis, however, have League. Tuesday’s abject 5-1 defeat in the become impossible to ignore. Arsenal have ROSTOV-ON-DON: With no Wayne Rooney first domestic match after the long winter sal responsibility. Hopefully, we will come into second leg was preceded by a fan protest gone out of the Champions League in the and a squad looking for confidence, break. But head coach Daniliants said he and this match on top, both physically and men- and ended in front of swathes of empty red last 16 for the past seven seasons running Manchester United head for the uneven his men realised that Manchester United will tally. The match is sold out and we’re set to seats at the Emirates Stadium. Yesterday’s and it is now 13 years since they last lifted Olimp-2 stadium surface to take on Rostov be a completely different story. “Man United give our fans a classy performance.” sports headlines spoke of “humiliation” and the Premier League trophy. today and keep alive hopes of becoming one are a top-class team and to oppose them is an Rostov will likely be at full-strength except an “all-time low”, while the players who The signings of Mesut Ozil and Alexis of the few teams to have won all three honourable and a pleasant task,” he told the for doubts over injured first-choice goalkeep- helped Wenger turn Arsenal into the super- Sanchez, coupled with back-to-back FA European cups. press. “It demands full mobilisation and colos- er Soslan Dzhanayev. — AFP club they are today said the time for Cup successes in 2014 and 2015, hinted at United fans have been told not to wear change had finally come. a return to former glories, but the two play- their team’s red colours in the Russian city to “He looks like a lost man,” Ian Wright, ers have come to symbolise the current avoid re-igniting hooligan violence and and Mings gets five-game ban Arsenal’s second-highest goal-scorer, said malaise. Ozil has become a ghost-like fig- Rostov coach Ivan Daniliants promised a on BT Sport. “It just seems to be mounting ure, seemingly incapable of rising to the “classy performance” against the illustrious up. You’ve got the fans, the protests. It’s big occasion, and while Sanchez continues English side. for Ibrahimovic stamp imploding.” Though noisy, the pre-match to produce the goods on the pitch, he is United won the European Cup in 1968, the protest was a low-key affair, attended by becoming problematic off it. Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991 and Champions LONDON: Bournemouth defender Tyrone described as ‘proven’ when there is absolutely only around 200 fans, but the banners held The Chile forward was reported to have League in 1999 and 2008. But they have never Mings has been given a five-match ban for no evidence to prove the incident was inten- and slogans chanted revealed the extent of clashed with team-mates in training last won the Europa League nor the old UEFA Cup. stamping on the head of Manchester United tional. “It is our strongly held belief-backed up the divisions within Arsenal’s fan base over week-reports Wenger denied-and was pic- If successful this year, United would join striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Football by our relationship with the player and knowl- Wenger. The protestors’ banners bore mes- tured supposedly smirking on the bench Association said yesterday. Bournemouth said edge of his background and character-that it Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, sages including “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”, after being taken off against Bayern. they were “extremely disappointed” with the was an accidental collision. “Tyrone twice apol- “STUBBORN. STALE. CLUELESS” and, in refer- Both he and Ozil are stalling over new who have already lifted all three European decision, which they described as “extraordi- ogised to Ibrahimovic during the match for ence to the two-year deal for Wenger that contracts. Publicly, the players continue to club trophies. Having won their first trophy nary”. Mings, 23, trod on Ibrahimovic’s head the accidental collision and also reiterated that is reportedly on the table, “NO NEW CON- put on a united front, with right-back under Jose Mourinho with a 3-2 win over during the first half of Bournemouth’s 1-1 there was no intent straight after the final TRACT”. Some fans even chanted: “Arsene Hector Bellerin declaring “the whole team Southampton in the League Cup final, United draw at United in the Premier League last whistle in a series of television interviews.” Wenger, you’re killing our club!” Wenger, 67, is behind the manager”. But Britain’s foot- need a strong performance in the first leg in Saturday. Ibrahimovic retaliated by elbowing Match referee Kevin Friend did not spot has said he will make an announcement ball writers believe the Bayern embarrass- Rostov to open the road to the quarter-finals. Mings in the head, for which he accepted a either incident involving Mings and about his future either this month or next. ment represented a thrashing too far in the That would take them into the draw with the three-game ban on Tuesday. Ibrahimovic. As a result, they were referred to He is not thought to be under any pres- story of Arsenal and Arsene. “Arsene winners from key ties such as Lyon v Roma, “AFC Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings will a panel of three former elite referees, who sure from above, with American majority Wenger must go” was The Sun’s stark ver- the all-German Schalke v Borussia serve a five-match suspension, following an unanimously concluded that both offences shareholder Stan Kroenke said to be happy dict, while the Daily Mirror’s chief football Monchengladbach, Copenhagen v Ajax and Independent Regulatory Commission hearing merited red cards. Mings denied deliberately with Wenger given his repeated success in writer John Cross, who published a biogra- Olympiakos v Besiktas. today,” the FA said in a Twitter post. stamping on Ibrahimovic, saying: “That’s not in qualifying Arsenal for the Champions phy of Wenger in 2015, said the Bayern rout Mourinho never lost in Russia with his pre- “Mings was charged with violent conduct my game. Hard and fair is how I like to tackle, League. The retiring Kroenke, known as “must represent the endgame”. With vious clubs (Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real in relation to an incident in or around the 44th but off-the-ball stuff like that isn’t part of my ‘Silent Stan’, was also the target of protests Arsenal having slipped out of the top four Madrid), but he is not happy going to Rostov, minute of the game against Manchester game.” He will miss Bournemouth’s league during the rout by Bayern, angry support- in the Premier League, and amid competi- last season’s Russian league runners-up, to United.” A Bournemouth statement said: “We games against West Ham United, Swansea ers urging him to “get out of our club”. tion for places that is fiercer than ever, qual- play on the bumpy pitch. will study the detailed reasons of the commis- City, Southampton, Liverpool and Chelsea and But as Arsenal’s most successful manag- ifying for the Champions League for a 19th sion once they become available, but find it will not be available until the trip to er, Wenger will be allowed to determine the successive season will be a battle. In the ROSTOV WARNING extraordinary that the charges can be Tottenham Hotspur on April 15. —AFP timing and nature of his departure. While meantime, Arsenal return to the Emirates he refused to be drawn on his future in on Saturday for an FA Cup quarter-final “It’s a bad draw in every aspect. It’s far and Tuesday’s post-match press conference, he against non-league Lincoln City. Wenger is it’s difficult,” Mourinho told Man United official gave an upbeat assessment of the club’s chasing a record seventh triumph in the site. “It’s far and comes in a very bad period for current health. “I think this club is in great competition and, it seems increasingly like- us, difficult because they’re a very difficult shape, but we’re just going through a very ly, a glorious farewell. —AFP team.” United won their first trophy under Mourinho when they took the English League Cup final 3-2 against Southampton. But Mourinho admitted they were lucky and at the weekend saw his side held 1-1 by unfan- cied Bournemouth. United are far from the Champions League qualifying places and Mourinho has expressed his disappointment at United’s low scoring rate. “We need to score goals - other teams with less chances score goals,” Mourinho told his club’s official site. “Against Southampton in the League Cup final, we had five chances and scored three but, against Bournemouth with more than 10 chances, we scored one goal.” Today the Reds will be without Eric Bailly, who was sent off in their round of 32 1-0 win at Saint-Etienne. United midfielder Juan Mata said it would be “a long trip that is going to test the strength of the team in every sense. The Russian side is particularly strong at home: this season they have defeated Bayern Munich and Ajax, for instance. That gives you an idea of how tough they are.” Mourinho left Rooney and leftback Luke Shaw at home along with Bastian Schweinsteiger. Armenian forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan returns to the 20- man squad after recovering from an injury incurred just after scoring the St Etienne win- ANGERS: French former football player Dominique Colonna (C) speaks to the press as he arrives to attend a funeral ceremony of French football legend Raymond Kopa yesterday at the ner. Rostov sent a clear warning to the Red FARO: Netherlands’ players celebrate after scoring a goal during the Algarve Cup Saint-Maurice cathedral of Angers, western France. Kopa, winner of three European Cups with football match between Japan and Netherlands at Algarve stadium in Faro yes- Devils when they routed Tomsk 6-0 on Friday. Real Madrid (1957, 1958, 1959) and laureate of the best player of the year award in 1958, died terday. — AFP Rostov showed no signs of rustiness in their on March 3, 2017 at the age of 85. — AFP