THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 SPORTS FIFA president Infantino says time to reform transfer rat race GENEVA: FIFA president Gianni which are somewhere in the air but teams could strengthen their squads euro move from Barcelona to Paris St movement into a negative light. From Infantino appealed to European foot- which have never been addressed... in a after a poor start to the season, he Germain, plus 18-year-old French for- a perception point of view, it doesn’t ball bosses yesterday to help reform the significant way.” added: “When you run a marathon, you ward Kylian Mbappe’s move to the feel right.” sport’s transfer system and described Later, Infantino told reporters from don’t run for 10 kilometres and then same Ligue 1 club. The Swiss, who previously told the current set-up as a “rat race” which international news agencies of his ideas take a bike.” He also said that the transfer market Reuters in an interview last November had cast football in a negative light. for new regulations governing the roles Infantino, who was elected FIFA “doesn’t necessarily reflect very well” on that he wanted to reform the transfer “It is the responsibility of all of us to of agents, limits on the sizes of club president in February of last year, said the sport, although he still believed it system, said that leagues and clubs felt tackle the transfer system,” Infantino squads and the co-ordination of trans- that spending on international transfers played an important role in redistribut- the same way. “I see it from the discus- said in a speech at the extraordinary fer windows so they closed before had totalled around 4.6 billion euros ing resources. sions I had with players, clubs, leagues, congress of European soccer body major championships start. ($5.5 billion) during the northern hemi- “What is worrying is the inflation associations,” he said. UEFA. “We have to come up with some “We have to make sure that transfers sphere summer compared to 3.6 billion that these transfers trigger and the rat “I have never felt it is as strongly as I positive solutions for agents, transfer don’t affect the integrity of the compe- euros for the same period the year race that this entails with all the other do now. It’s not limited only to Europe regulations, for loans and transfer win- titions, they should indeed stop before before. These included Brazilian forward clubs,” he said. “All these negative and we need to have a framework at dows, (salary) caps and all these items the start,” he said. Referring to the way Neymar’s record-shattering 222 million headlines bring the whole football worldwide level.” — Reuters Klopp angry as Liverpool eliminated from League Cup LONDON: Liverpool failed to finish off a fringe players for what is regarded as the slew of chances and conceded a sloppy inferior cup competition on the English cal- goal in a 2-0 loss at Leicester in the English endar, compared to the FA Cup. League Cup, arousing the ire of its frustrat- ed manager Juergen Klopp on Tuesday. It is SPURS EDGE THROUGH becoming a familiar narrative for the Reds In another unconvincing domestic dis- in a disappointing month when they play at its temporary home of Wembley haven’t won any of their four matches. Stadium, Tottenham beat second-tier Questions are now being asked the team’s Barnsley 1-0 thanks to Dele Alli’s close- efficiency at both ends of the field. range goal in the 65th minute. Liverpool over-ran Leicester in a domi- Tottenham hasn’t won any of its three nant first-half display, with Philippe Premier League games at Wembley this Coutinho orchestrating the attacks from season, but has beaten Borussia Dortmund midfield. But the visitors struggled after the in the Champions League. Brazil playmaker was substituted at half- time of the third-round match in a pre- HODGSON’S FIRST WIN planned move from Klopp. Crystal Palace scored its first goal since In another game-changing substitution, Aug. 22 to earn a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Shinji Okazaki came on in the 53rd minute and a first victory under new manager Roy for Leicester, scored 12 minutes later with a Hodgson. Bakary Sako was the scorer from deflected shot after Liverpool’s defense a corner. was beaten to two headers, and then laid Palace has started the Premier League the ball on for Islam Slimani to drive home season with five straight losses and no a stunning second goal at King Power sta- goals, the first time that has happened in dium. “Second ball from a corner and a goal the history of England’s top flight. Hodgson from a throw-in - I’m sick of goals like this, replaced the fired Frank de Boer last week. to be honest. Unbelievable,” Klopp said. Defender Pape Souare came on as a substi- Referring to the first goal, Klopp added: tute for Palace for his first appearance since “We didn’t push up together - I say it one breaking his jaw and thigh, and picking up time, I say it a thousand times. It’s not nice other injuries, in a car crash a year ago. to concede these goals.” Since beating Arsenal 4-0 in the Premier STOKE, BURNLEY ELIMINATED League before the international break, Stoke lost 2-0 at Bristol City and Burnley BARCELONA: FC Barcelona’s Denis Suarez, right, duels for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Eibar at Liverpool has been thrashed 5-0 by was eliminated on penalties by Leeds after the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday. — AP Manchester City and drawn 1-1 at home to a 2-2 draw, as two second-tier League Burnley in the league, conceded late to Championship teams got the better of SOCCER draw 2-2 with Sevilla in the Champions Premier League sides. Bristol City also League, and has now been eliminated from knocked out a Premier League team in the League Cup. Watford in the second round. Klopp is easing Coutinho back to full Bournemouth, West Ham and Swansea Messi nets four goals to keep match sharpness after the midfielder were Premier League teams to advance to missed Liverpool’s first six games of the Round 4. — AP season - officially because of injury and ill- Barcelona with perfect record ness - while he was the subject of three transfer bids from Barcelona. MADRID: Lionel Messi added to his impres- Leicester couldn’t handle Coutinho’s Matches on TV sive start to the season by scoring four goals passing and movement in the first half, and James stars for Bayern Munich (Local Timings) and helping Barcelona rout Eibar 6-1 to only came into the game when he was off extend its perfect record in the Spanish the field. “They’ve got a world-class player SPANISH LEAGUE league on Tuesday. Messi converted a penalty in Bundesliga win at Schalke in Coutinho,” Leicester manager Craig in the first half and scored three more goals in Shakespeare said. Villarreal v Espanyol 21:00 the second to give Barcelona its fifth straight BERLIN: James Rodriguez starred on his first and Robert Lewandowski duly converted from “I was very relieved when he went off.” beIN SPORTS HD 3 victory in the league. Bundesliga start for Bayern Munich, scoring the spot. It got worse for the home side four one goal and playing a role in the others for a minutes later, when Bayern scored after a Liverpool finished the game having had 21 Celta de Vigo v Getafe 22:00 The Argentina playmaker took his tally to 3-0 win at Schalke on Tuesday. James, who Schalke throw-in. Thomas Mueller, shots, but only three on target. Against beIN SPORTS HD 2 12 goals in eight matches this season, includ- Burnley on Saturday, the Reds only scored switched from Real Madrid in the offseason, Lewandowski and Corentin Tolisso worked the Levante v Real Sociedad 23:00 ing nine in the five league games. Messi had earned a penalty and then scored in the first ball to the unmarked James, who wrong-foot- once from 35 shots. Tottenham was among already scored a hat trick in Barcelona’s 5-0 half, before brilliantly setting up Arturo Vidal ed Ralf Faehrmann to score his first Bundesliga the other Premier League teams to win on beIN SPORTS HD 3 rout of Espanyol in the Catalan derby two to wrap up the win in the second. goal. Mueller hit the post with a header from a a night when top-flight sides mostly fielded rounds ago. “James played very well, very much for the cross by James after the break, before substi- The result gave Barcelona a five-point lead team with good combination-play, but physi- tute Yevhen Konoplyanka went close at the over Sevilla, which hosts Las Palmas today. cally he is not yet at 100 percent,” Bayern other end. Schalke coach Domenico Tedesco Real Sociedad, six points back, is at Levante coach Carlo Ancelotti said. While the brought on Swiss forward Breel Embolo for Real dominate FIFPro today. Defending champion Real Madrid, sev- Colombian midfielder made his first league McKennie with just over half an hour remain- en points behind Barcelona, hosts Real Betis. start for Bayern, American teenager Weston ing. Any hopes of an equalizer ended when award nominations It has been a rather unexpectedly good start McKennie did likewise for the home team. James eluded two defenders and delivered a to the season for Barcelona, which began the Despite the efforts of the 19-year-old Texan perfect ball for Vidal to strike with a volley to MADRID: Real Madrid is the best repre- Giorgio Chiellini (Italy/Juventus), Diego league amid turmoil after seeing Neymar midfielder - who covered more ground than the top corner.