Guardiola stressed the importance of focusing on the upcoming matches, including the FA Cup final against Manchester United and the Champions League final against Inter Milan. In terms of the Premier League, Manchester City could win the title if Arsenal loses to Nottingham Forest, or if they defeat Chelsea and Arsenal drops points. Guardiola’s comments suggest that his future plans may be influenced by the team’s success in securing the treble, and he remains focused on the upcoming games before discussing his feelings and thoughts about his tenure at Manchester City.

Source: sportsjoe, Author: Callum Boyle

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The 27-year-old will have to self-isolate for 14 days.

He will miss France’s Nations League game in Sweden on Saturday, 5 September and the home game against Croatia three days later.

However, Pogba could be eligible for selection for United’s Premier League opener against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on 19 September.

His club said: “Everybody at United wishes Paul a speedy recovery ahead of the new season.”

Pogba will be replaced in the France squad by 17-year-old Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

“I’ve completed, at the very last minute, a change in the list,” Deschamps said on Thursday.

“Paul Pogba, who was previously on the list, unfortunately for him he carried out a test yesterday which was returned as positive this morning.”

Source: bbc.com

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Real wrapped up the title with a game to spare as they edged past Villarreal at an empty Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.

Karim Benzema fired between the legs of Sergio Asenjo and added a controversial second from a retaken penalty.

In bizarre fashion, Sergio Ramos had rolled the first attempt for Benzema to smash in but the effort was disallowed.

Vicente Iborra pulled one back but it mattered little to Real as the club wrapped up their 34th Spanish title.

Zidane’s side have won all 10 of their matches since Spanish football restarted in June.

They head into the final day of the season with an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Barcelona.

“This is better than anything. It takes a tremendous effort to win La Liga,” said the Real Madrid boss.

“After 38 matches, you have more points than anyone else. After lockdown and everything, it’s astonishing.”

Recharged Real end Barca dominance

Behind closed doors in a 6,000-seat stadium at the club’s training complex is perhaps not the stage for the grand crowning Real would have imagined for their first title since 2017.

But that did not stop Zidane’s squad pulling on shirts with “Campeones 34” printed on the back before lifting the trophy in celebration as ticker tape fell over the pitch.

“Today is one of the best days for me as a professional,” said Zidane. “After everything that happened, the three-month break, it is fantastic what has been achieved.”

La Liga titles have been in shorter supply than Champions League triumphs for Real this decade, with this only their third in the past nine seasons.

They won three successive European Cups in Zidane’s first tenure but had recorded successive third-place finishes since their previous domestic title, as Barcelona were crowned champions.

Zidane was in charge the last time they won the league and made it his aim to reclaim the title after returning midway through the last campaign – less than a year after his departure.

It looked as if the Frenchman’s side would fail to deliver on that objective when football in Spain was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic in March, with Barcelona top of the table.

But Real have been in scintillating form since the restart and did not look like losing after Benzema’s opener on Thursday. His second from the spot put the game beyond Villarreal’s reach, despite a nervy final few minutes.

In the end, Barcelona’s defeat by Osasuna made the victory a little more comfortable but no less significant for Zidane, who was hoisted into the air by his players.

Scheming Ramos let off the hook

Real’s title-winning moment looked like set to be relatively straightforward. Step forward Sergio Ramos.

The defender was brought down as he entered the Villarreal box after a marauding run and, after a VAR check, put the ball down on the spot.

The Los Blancos captain has netted 10 times in La Liga this season but, rather than go for his 11th, dummied to strike the ball and instead rolled it to his right for the onrushing Benzema.

The forward fired past an unsuspecting Asenjo, only to for referee Alejandro Hernandez to blow his whistle for infringement – presumably by Benzema.

Real were given the option to take the penalty again and this time Benzema converted to make it 2-0.

Iborra then headed in seven minutes from time before substitute Marco Asensio thought he had re-established Real’s lead, but Benzema had handled in the build-up.

“It has been a strange season but our objective was very clear once the league restarted,” said Ramos afterwards.

“We wanted to win every game. This is the reward for all our hard work. 34 leagues, my fifth title.

“Zidane has been key, he is the captain of the ship and led us from the start of the season – we have always felt protected with Zizou. He is a unique coach.”

‘La Liga makes me happier’

Zidane’s focus will now switch to Champions League opponents Manchester City. The La Liga champions travel to Etihad Stadium on 7 August trailing 2-1 from the first leg.

But not until he has savoured the second league win of his managerial career.

“The Champions League is the Champions League but La Liga makes me happier, because La Liga is what it’s all about,” said Zidane.

“This is a tremendous feeling because what these players have done is incredible. I am lost for words because I am too emotional.

“The players are the ones who have fought for this. It’s true I’ve played my role but they are the ones who believe in what they are doing.”

Real have been playing at their reserve stadium while the Santiago Bernabeu is renovated and will not be doing their usual open-top bus parade to the Cibeles fountain in the centre of Madrid because of current safety concerns.

“It’s strange for everybody, we would have liked to have been with our fans at Cibeles but it’s not meant to be,” added Zidane.

“But I’m sure everyone is happy in their homes tonight. The fans always love to see the team win and we’ve done this for them.”

Source: bbc.com, Author: Alex Bysouth

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Nketiah, 21, was initially booked for a challenge on defender James Justin.

But it was changed to a red card after referee Chris Kavanagh consulted with the video assistant referee and viewed the incident on a pitch-side monitor.

Nketiah is banned for three games and it is understood a decision will be made before Arsenal’s next fixture, which is at Tottenham on 12 July.

The Gunners host newly crowned champions Liverpool in another Premier League match after that, and then face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals.

England Under-21 international Nketiah’s case will be heard by a Football Association regulatory commission, which could increase the punishment to up to double the standard ban if it is decided the appeal “had no prospect of success” or “amounts to an abuse of process”.

Source: bbc.com, Author: Mandeep Sanghera

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Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, it had appeared that the France midfielder was set to leave United this summer.

The 27-year-old World Cup winner has been linked with moves to both his former club Juventus and Real Madrid.

However, Pogba, now recovered from injury, has built up an impressive rapport with Bruno Fernandes as United close in on a Champions League spot.

Pogba’s current deal expires in 12 months’ time but United have the option to extend it by a further season.

And, after Nemanja Matic followed Scott McTominay in signing a long-term deal, Solskjaer also wants Pogba, who has been out injured for most of this campaign, to commit to the club.

“Of course we want to keep the best players around the club and hopefully we can do something,” said Solskjaer.

“We want to build a squad for the future. We have secured one at the start and another who is really experienced. But we also need players in the mid-range group.

“Since Paul has come back he’s looking better and better. He’s enjoying his football so let’s see where it takes us.”

Solskjaer is expected to make signings this summer, with Borussia Dortmund’s England international Jadon Sancho among the players he is keeping a close eye on.

However, Dortmund’s pre-coronavirus valuation in excess of £100m does not fit with Solskjaer’s view of the summer market.

“The whole world has changed both financially and the perception we’ve got on values,” the Norwegian added.

“Every time I put the case in front of Ed [Woodward – the club’s executive vice-chairman], I think it’s a sensible one and a realistic one. I’ve always got the club in the front of my mind.

“I don’t think short term, I always think long term and try to make good deals. I’m always quite careful with money.”

Source: bbc.com, Author: Simon Stone

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The men’s tournament had been set to take place in January next year.

Elsewhere, the African Nations Championship (Chan), which should have been played in April, will now take place in January 2021.

Cameroon is to host both competitions.

“Health is our number one priority. We must remain vigilant,” Caf president Ahmad Ahmad said in a news conference announcing the move.

The decision means the biannual tournament will now be in the same year as the 2022 World Cup – something that last happened in 2010.

It was moved to odd-numbered years in 2013 – that year’s tournament coming only a year after the previous one – to avoid such clashes, which risked disadvantaging African teams at the World Cup by giving them such an extended season of competition.

Traditionally held in January, the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, in 2019, was moved to the summer in an effort to avoid clashing with the major European league competitions.

This was meant to be the case for the Cameroon tournament as well, but that was then changed back to January owing to climate conditions in the country and a potential clash with the Club World Cup.

The move means that defending Premier League champions Liverpool will play all of next season without losing their key strike force of Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah to international duty.

“I think this is a wise decision because time is very short now and they could not postpone to the summer,” Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr told BBC Sport Africa.

“I can understand this decision – we have more time now to prepare our young boys. It is not all bad.

“There is a positive side in all this and we have time for some friendlies and also for the beginning of the World Cup qualifiers – normally we will begin in November with this, and I think we can follow the plan and still have time to the Afcon qualifiers starting in October, so it is a wise decision and it will be a big year in 2022.”

Meanwhile the cancellation of the women’s Africa Cup of Nations comes as little surprise given the tournament had no host, while not one qualifier had been played.

There was a boost for the women’s game however with the launch of a new Women’s Champions League for Africa in 2021.

With the uncertainty as to the pandemic situation in six months’ time, it always looked impossible for the Cup of Nations to take place in January and February next year.

That is especially the case when you consider that the final qualifying round is nowhere near to being completed, with four match days still left to play.

Postponing the tournament for 12 months was the wise option.

It’s a decision which, on the face of it, has the biggest impact on international football but many European clubs will be feeling relieved today.

For example, think about what this means for the Premier League title race next season; Liverpool would have lost Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita for six weeks in 2020-21 had the tournament gone ahead as planned. That surely would have handed an advantage to their rivals – but now those players will be available for the full campaign.

That may add weight to the argument that Jurgen Klopp doesn’t need a new forward player and that the decision against trying to sign Timo Werner isn’t a problem.

For Africa’s top players though, 2022 is set to be an exhausting year. Along with their club commitments, many will start the year with the Africa Cup of Nations and then end it with a World Cup in Qatar.

Source: bbc.com, Author: John Bennett

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Any deal for the Borussia Dortmund winger will be pricey, with his current club demanding £110million to sell the England international.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, United chiefs are uncomfortable shelling out that much on a player and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has told Solskjaer he will have to raise extra funds through sales.

Slashing the wage bill is a priority for the Manchester United manager, which makes Alexis Sanchez high on his list of players to offload.

Jesse Lingard is also set to leave the club, with fellow academy graduate Andreas Pereira also likely to head out of the exit door. English centre-backs Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are also up for sale, according to The Mirror.

Solskjaer would like to get rid of all of them, however, he accepts Sanchez’s £400,000-a-week wages may prove a sticking point. The Chile international has been on loan at Inter Milan this season and another loan deal may be easier to arrange. Lingard’s value has plummetted in recent times, with United coaches left surprised by the dramatic dip in his performances.

However, they still want £20m for the England international, while they are expecting to raise about £10m and £15m from the sales of Smalling and Jones respectively. They would also be cutting the wage bill to allow for Sancho’s £170,000-a-week wages.

Source: metro.co.uk

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Jurgen Klopp’s side needed one victory to seal the league but City’s failure to win means they cannot be caught.

It is Liverpool’s 19th top-flight title and their first since 1989-90.

Despite being urged to “stay home” by the city’s metro mayor because of coronavirus, thousands of fans gathered at Anfield to celebrate.

Many of the supporters who congregated at the club’s ground wore face masks and some lit flares.

A number of Reds players, including goalkeeper Alisson, defender Virgil van Dijk and midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, celebrated together after watching the Chelsea-City game.

Klopp, wearing a Liverpool shirt and clearly emotional, told Sky Sports: “I have no words, it’s unbelievable.

“It’s much more than I ever thought would be possible. Becoming champion with this club is absolutely incredible.

“I haven’t waited 30 years – I have been here for four and a half years – but it is quite an achievement, especially with the three-month break because nobody knew if we could go on.

“I know it is difficult for people in this moment but we could not hold back. We will enjoy this with our supporters when we can.”

As the global pandemic disrupted life in England and led to the suspension of the Premier League for three months, Liverpool supporters endured a nervous wait to see how the season would end, with some early suggestions it might have been declared null and void, thus wiping their remarkable efforts from the record books.

The Premier League’s return this month enabled them to cap their stunning success.

However, because of the measures put in place in response to the virus, Liverpool will not be able to celebrate their long-awaited success with their supporters immediately, at least not in the traditional sense.

As with Wednesday’s impressive 4-0 win over Crystal Palace, when they next play at Anfield – against Aston Villa on Sunday 5 July, and for their two other remaining home games – it will be behind closed doors.

It also seems unlikely they will be able to take part in any of the usual public events in Liverpool, such as an open-top bus parade around the city.

By a quirk of fate, though, the next time they take to the field will be at the side they have beaten to this season’s title and who pipped them so narrowly last campaign, Manchester City.

Following their defeat at Chelsea, City boss Pep Guardiola congratulated Liverpool on their title success.

A record-breaking season

Winning the title was always the main aim for a club which endured such a long wait to be crowned champions of England again, having earned that honour 11 times between 1973 and 1990.

Things could get better yet, with City’s 100-point total for a season one of numerous records Liverpool can still break.

Klopp’s side have produced one of the most memorable campaigns in Premier League history, amassing 86 points with 28 victories, two draws and a single defeat from 31 games.

Such has been their dominance, at one stage they led the table by 25 points – a record gap between a side in first and second in the English top flight.

Also still a possibility are the most wins in a season (the record is 32), most home wins (18), most away wins (16) and biggest winning margin (19 points).

Their title win this season is the earliest on record, at least with regard to games remaining, with the Reds having seven to play.

That it is not the earliest title win by date is only because of the halting of football in England between March and May as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: bbc.com

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It comes after Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all revealed they had coronavirus after playing at Djokovic’s Adria Tour competition.

Djokovic, 33, played fellow Serb Troicki in the first event in Belgrade.

The remaining Aria Tour events in Banja Luka and Sarajevo have now been cancelled, Djokovic’s brother Djordje has confirmed.

“Unfortunately, due to all the events that happened in the last few days, we have decided that the most important thing right now is to stabilise the epidemiological situation, as well as for everyone to recover,” said Djordje Djokovic, who is a director of the tournament.

Britain’s Andy Murray said the positive tests were a “lesson for us”, while Australian Nick Kyrgios called playing a “bone-headed decision”.

A statement on Djokovic’s website said: “Immediately upon his arrival in Belgrade [after the second event] Novak was tested along with all members of the family and the team with whom he was in Belgrade and Zadar. He is not showing any symptoms.”

There have been no ATP Tour events since February because of the global pandemic and the Adria Tour, which is not an ATP Tour event, was one of the first competitions to be staged since then.

The first leg in Serbia attracted 4,000 fans, and players were later pictured dancing close together in a Belgrade nightclub.

Bulgaria’s Dimitrov played Croatia’s Coric on Saturday in the second leg in Zadar, Croatia.

With Croatia easing lockdown measures, players were not obliged to observe social distancing rules and were seen embracing at the net at the end of their matches.

Pictures on the tournament’s social media site from Friday showed Dimitrov playing basketball with Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic, while he also put his arm around Coric before their match.

Zverev, Cilic and Andrey Rublev, who also played in the Adria Tour, have tested negative, but suggested they will all now self-isolate for up to 14 days.

The ATP Tour season is set to restart on 14 August and the US Open will be held without fans from 31 August to 13 September, despite some players voicing concerns about travelling to New York.

I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection – Djokovic’s statement

The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative.

Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament was meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.

The Tour has been designed to help both established and up and coming tennis players from south-eastern Europe to gain access to some competitive tennis while the various tours are on hold due to Covid-19.

It was born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded.

We organised the tournament when the virus had weakened, believing the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met.

Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality we are learning to cope and live with. I am hoping things will ease with time so we can all resume lives the way they were.

I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and everyone will be fine.

I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and repeat the test in five days.

Source: bbc.com

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The Brazil international claimed he was owed 43.6m euros in loyalty bonuses by Barcelona, who he left in August 2017.

A judge ruled in favour of the La Liga side but 28-year-old Neymar, who filed the lawsuit shortly after the transfer, can appeal against the decision.

Barcelona said they “welcomed” the judgement and would “continue to firmly defend its legitimate interests”.

The Brazil forward also made a complaint to world governing body Fifa after Barca refused to pay him following his 222m euros (£200m) move in 2017.

As well as not paying Neymar, Barcelona started legal proceedings against him to pay back £8m he received when he signed a new deal with them in 2016.

Fifa did not take any action, saying it would leave the case to the courts.

Source: bbc.com

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