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Compliance ensures that CSA will retain its status and funding for now

Firdose Moonda16-Nov-2020

CSA’s members’ council have u-turned on their decision not to recognise the nine-member interim board imposed by the country’s sports minister, Nathi Mthethwa, and have agreed to ratify the temporary body. That means CSA will avoid a sanction from Mthethwa, which could have resulted in it being stripped of status as the governing body of cricket in South Africa, and having its funding withdrawn.In the immediate term, it ensures the national men’s series against England, which starts on November 27, is safe. England are due to arrive in South Africa on Tuesday to begin a 10-day quarantine period. Though the tour was green-lit by government, uncertainty over CSA’s status meant that there were some concerns the administrative bungling could have on-field effects.ALSO READ: Buttler targets momentum in England’s T20 World Cup build-upAs long as the interim board is formally recognised (which should happen in the coming days in accordance with the Companies’ Act) and Mthethwa is not needed to intervene again, series against Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan will also be able to go ahead as planned, while the women’s team’s schedule is also expected soon.While CSA has escaped ministerial interference, the board may not be out of the international spotlight. The members’ council, or any other department of CSA, could yet lodge a complaint with the ICC, citing government interference over the interim board, which could result in further action. Mthethwa has kept the ICC abreast of all his communication with CSA and interim board chair Zak Yacoob, who remains in his position, has made plain that the sports minister’s action does not constitute a breach of ICC code of conduct as it aimed not at running cricket, but stabilising it. It is not clear what caused the members’ council’s change of heart apart from the obvious: that they had no choice but to work with the interim board or face the wrath of government and a massive backlash from the most important stakeholders, the players and fans. The South African Cricketers’ Association made known its “despair” that the members’ council had initially stymied the interim board, and over the weekend, two current cricketers, Farhaan Behardien and Henry Davids implored them to “look after the future generation of players”.For that to happen, the work of the interim board needs to progress swiftly. The board was given an initial three-month period, which will run through to the end of January, to look into a wide-range of issues including a proposed domestic restructure and the forensic report which CSA used to fire former CEO Thabang Moroe, and to design a roadmap for CSA to elect a new, permanent board after its yet-to-scheduled AGM.The magnitude of their task means the interim board require ease of access to information from CSA but they have been obstructed over the last two weeks, which could result in their stay being extended. Reliable sources confirming that the CSA executive have not been willing to supply information to the interim board . Yacoob himself said that “those members of the administration who we have interacted with have been uncooperative, difficult, unresponsive, arrogant and sometimes rude”. Crucially, the members’ council also believed the interim board should report to them, something which Yacoob clarified is not the case. “This is not the type of board that can be placed under anyone’s thumb,” Yacoob said, stressing the independence of the interim board.

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Se pudesse escrever o próprio roteiro para comemorar um aniversário, Gabigol, provavelmente, repetiria o que causou e lhe foi proporcionado nos últimos dias. Nesta segunda-feira, o atacante comemora 25 anos de idade logo depois de marcar três gols diante do Santos, na Vila Belmiro, a sua primeira casa e onde admitiu que sente uma sensação maravilhosa. O recente hat-trick sublinhou o augede suas marcas pessoais pelo Flamengo, aliás.

RelacionadasFlamengoCom Andreas Pereira, Flamengo já tem 20 jogadores que fizeram gols na temporada; veja a artilhariaFlamengo29/08/2021FlamengoRenato Gaúcho chega a quase 90% de aproveitamento e a oito goleadas pelo FlamengoFlamengo29/08/2021Fora de CampoGabigol aproveita três gols e pede música com participação própria no ‘Fantástico’Fora de Campo28/08/2021

Avassalador já no primeiro ano, em 2019, quando foi artilheiro do Brasileiro, da Libertadores e herói do título continental, Gabriel Barbosa nunca participou de tantos gols como tem sido a essa altura da temporada. São 27 gols em 27 partidas, além de cinco assistências, o que totaliza32 contribuições diretas em bolas na rede – 1.18 por partida e 29% dos 110 gols do Rubro-Negro até aqui.

Por falar no brilhantismo na Libertadores retrasada, na edição atual, Gabi é o principal marcador da competição novamente, desta vez com dez gols (em dez jogos), ou seja, já é um número superior relação ao do ano de título rubro-negro, quando fez nove (em 12 jogos).

A contagem regressiva para a marca centenária está aberta. Isso porque, no total pelo Fla, Gabi acumula 97 gols, além de 29 assistências, em 129 jogos.

ESTREIA NO MUNDO DA MÚSICA

Para celebrar a data de hoje, Gabigolestreia a sua trajetória musical usando nome artístico “Lil Gabi”, com o lançamento do single “Sei Lá”, faixa composta por ele e Choji e que tem produção do rapper Papatinho, nesta segunda-feira.

> Gabigol pede música com participação própria no ‘Fantástico’

– Eu já estava com essa ideia na cabeça, de criar uma música, de poder participar de uma gravação. É algo que me chama muita atenção, gosto muito deste processo criativo e acredito que será um som muito fera, a galera vai se amarrar – falou Gabi, ouLil Gabi, sobre a nova empreitada em meio à melhor fase – em números – nos gramados.

> Confira a tabela completa do Brasileirão

E Gabigol, agora, estará a serviço da Seleção Brasileira. Já o próximo jogo do Flamengo será só no dia 12 de setembro, diante do Palmeiras, no Allianz Parque e pela 20ª rodada do Brasileiro (veja três fatores que podem beneficiar o clube durante a pausaaqui).

Tudo que eu faço, claro que é foda
Por isso que os bico se incomoda 🥷🏾 pic.twitter.com/Y5mid4w4G6

— Gabi 🇧🇷 (@gabigol) August 16, 2021

أدرك فريق ريال مدريد التعادل بهدف ثانٍ أمام رايو فاليكانو، خلال مباراة الفريقين ببطولة الدوري الإسباني “الليجا”.

ويلتقي ريال مدريد ورايو فاليكانو، في إطار منافسات الجولة السابعة عشر من الدوري الإسباني، وذلك على ملعب “تيريزا ريفيرو”.

وسجل جود بيلينجهام هدف ريال مدريد الثاني في الدقيقة 45 قبل نهاية شوط المباراة الأول، بعد تمريرة وصلت له من رودريجو وقابلها الإنجليزي برأسية سكنت الشباك. هدف بيلينجهام في مباراة ريال مدريد ورايو فاليكانو

وكان أوناي لوبيز سجل الهدف الأول لصالح رايو فاليكانو، في الدقيقة 4، ثم أضاف عبدول مؤمن الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 36.

وبحلول الدقيقة 39 أحرز فيدي فالفيردي هدف ريال مدريد الأول، ويمكنك متابعة التغطية المباشرة لمباراة ريال مدريد ورايو فاليكانو لحظة بلحظة بالفيديو من خلال الرابط.

Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 29 teams across Major League Soccer

The 2024 MLS field is more open than ever. There's a clear hierarchy atop both the Eastern and Western Conferences, but outside the top teams, it's open season for playoff qualification.

On Matchday 32, Lionel Messi made his triumphant return to the pitch for Inter Miami, scoring twice and notching an assist as well. The Herons hold a seven-point lead at the top in the race for the MLS Supporters' Shield after the Argentine's weekend heroics.

Meanwhile, it was rivalry weekend elsewhere. The LA Galaxy defeated rivals LAFC 4-2 in another edition of , while in the Midwest, the derby failed to live up to the hype. FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew played to a stalemate, as No. 2 and No. 3 in the West left it scoreless.

Elsewhere, the Colorado Rapids are soaring, Minnesota United have turned a new leaf and the Houston Dynamo are quickly becoming a sneaky dark horse in the West.

With the MLS campaign nearing a close, which club leads the pack, and who is falling short of expectations? GOAL presents the latest MLS Power Rankings.

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• Imagn
  

  29San Jose Earthquakes ⬇️

  Officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

  Looking ahead to a next year, once again.

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  28St. Louis City SC ⬆️

  St. Louis had their spirits crushed in front of their home fans, conceding three unanswered to lose to MNUFC 3-1. Without a permanent head coach, they've flatlined. Playoffs are a fever dream for this group.

• 27New England Revolution ⬇️

  The Revs were pummeled into the ground by Orlando City at the weekend, being shutout 3-0 on the road. It was a rude wakeup call for Caleb Porter's side, who are nearly facing playoff elimination now.

  Bottom of the East, six points out of a play-in game. It's not going well.

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• 26Nashville SC ⬆️

  BJ Callaghan got his first win as Nashville's coach but the playoffs are still out of grasp for this club. Yet, a win on the road against Atlanta is nothing to glance over. Job well done.

Tottenham have made an early move to land one of their transfer targets this summer, according to reports.

Werner's Spurs future in doubt

Tottenham are keen to add some more firepower to their attack this summer, and one easy way to achieve that would be to sign Timo Werner to a permanent deal.

The German is on loan at the north London club from RB Leipzig, and is proving something of a success on the left-hand side for Ange Postecoglou's side. In his 13 Premier League appearances since arriving in January, the 28-year-old has found the net twice and grabbed three assists.

And it would be an easy deal to make permanent too, with there being a pre-existing option to buy the player in the loan deal.

The option, believed to be in the region of £17m, has to be activated before EURO 2024 kicks off in Germany, giving Tottenham just six weeks to decide whether or not to retain the former Chelsea man and hand him a long-term deal in north London.

"In terms of his future, like most players, the decisions will be made at the appropriate time," Ange Postecoglou explained when quizzed on the situation earlier in the season. "I think he's been a great signing. He's been a really important part of our structure and I think he can also improve."

But at 28-years-old, there may be concerns about handing him a long term deal, especially in the wider context of Tottenham's new-look transfer policy that largely targets players with their prime years firmly ahead of them. With that in mind, an alternative option is seemingly being worked on.

England youngster looks North London bound

Now, reports in Italy have revealed some insight into Tottenham's transfer plans. That comes courtesy of Tutto Juve [Via Sport Witness], who report that Tottenham have "come forward" for Juventus talent Samuel Iling-Junior as Daniel Levy and Johan Lange kick-start their first move of the summer for Ange.

Spurs have been linked with a move for the 20-year-old previously, and with just 12 months left on his contract in Turin a departure this summer looks likely.

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By
Ben Browning

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A regular scorer across England's youth teams, the winger has started just two Serie A games under Max Allegri this season and is seemingly surplus to requirements.

Now, he is being linked with a move back to the Premier League, with Spurs and Brighton both hot on his trail. Though a winger by trade, Iling-Junior has also operated at wing-back and could well provide an excellent alternative to Destiny Udogie, who did similar during his final season with Udinese.

He is valued at just 15m euros (£12.9m) by Juventus, which would make him a cheaper and younger alternative than Werner, who could potentially provide a much greater upside and versatility in the future than the German.

Now reportedly "closer to farewell" than ever with the Old Lady, could he be the perfect summer addition for Tottenham?

Millie Bright hailed Chelsea's pre-season tour to the United States as "trip to remember" after a perfect end with a derby win over Arsenal.

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Chelsea won both their matches in the USA Capped off their trip by beating the GunnersBright loved her experience across the AtlanticWHAT HAPPENED?

The reigning Women's Super League champions were an unstoppable force in the United States as they won both their matches in the pre-season. After thrashing Gotham FC 3-1, the Blues edged out familiar rivals Arsenal in the next game, courtesy of a 54th-minute strike from Sandy Baltimore.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Bright was handed a start by manager, Sonia Bompastor, against Arsenal and the skipper did not disappoint. After the victory, the Lionesses star was in a light mood and did not forget to take a dig at the Gunners after painting Washington blue.

WHAT BRIGHT SAID

Before heading back to London, Bright shared a carousel of pictures on her Instagram profile along with a heartfelt caption, to sum up her wonderful experiences in the USA. She wrote: "A trip to remember🤝🏼🇺🇸 Met some amazing people, connected with our fans, did some cool stuff with my girlies and won 2 games💙."

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USA TODAY SportsWHAT NEXT FOR BRIGHT?

Upon returning to England, Bright and Co. will play another friendly against Feyenoord on September 7 before starting their WSL title defence against Aston Villa on September 20.

After breezing past Ajax with ease in the previous round, Aston Villa welcomed Ligue 1 side Lille to Villa Park on Thursday night.

Unai Emery’s side set out with one mission in mind: to go to France with a lead, and they certainly achieved that, defeating the visitors 2-1.

The Villans could not have gotten off to a better start, opening the scoring in the 13th minute, and just before the hour mark, they had a two-goal advantage.

It looked set to be the perfect night, however, a late Lille goal did spoil the party slightly, making it all to play for in the second leg.

But in truth, the outcome could have been much worse if it weren’t for one star who was even better than John McGinn and Ollie Watkins.

McGinn and Watkins’ performances vs Lille

As usual, Villa lined up in the Spaniard’s 4-4-1-1 formation, with the attack being led by none other than Watkins, with the support of McGinn just behind him.

Both players combined brilliantly for the first goal of the game, with the England attacker meeting the Scot’s inch-perfect corner kick to power the ball home via his head, scoring his 25th goal of the campaign.

After the break, Villa’s second goal once again heavily involved McGinn, as the provider turned goal-scorer, placing the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box with a controlled first-time finish.

To add further context to just how influential the dangerous duo were on the night, the number 11 was handed an 8/10 match rating by Birmingham World, while the 29-year-old was given an impressive 9/10, but they still weren’t the most important on the field.

Emi Martinez statistics against Lille

The Villa faithful may already believe that Emiliano Martinez is the best goalkeeper in the world, hence their common chant, but he truly showed his quality yesterday.

The Argentine is an extremely important player to Emery’s side, not just because of his ability to keep the ball out of the back of the net but also because of his elite mentality, which will prove to be vital throughout the rest of the tournament.

In Birmingham World’s player ratings article, Martinez was handed a joint-highest 9/10 rating, stating, “absolutely outstanding to get his team out of trouble so often,” and although he was eventually unable to keep a clean sheet, the World Cup winner pulled off similar heroics to the ones he displayed in Qatar against France, coming out on top in crucial moments.

Throughout the tie, Martinez looked confident, comfortable, and relaxed, as shown by his pass accuracy of 90% and his 40 touches in the table below, which enabled Villa to not give possession away cheaply.

Saves

6

Saves inside the box

6

Goals prevented

1.67

High claims

2

Pass accuracy

90%

Touches

40

However, it's clear that it was his shot-stopping ability that deservedly got him the plaudits, as he made six saves in the tie, all of them from attempts inside the penalty area.

Most impressively, the 31-year-old had a goal prevented of 1.67, which is a brilliant indicator of just how good the chances were that he was denying, and shows that Villa could have drawn or lost the game without his heroics.

Overall, without Martinez in between the sticks, there’s no way that Villa would be going to Lille with the advantage, and although the goal-scorers tend to take the headlines, the Villa fanbase will certainly know who their real hero was with his colossal display in goal.

It may have taken a few rocky years and some sizable investments, but Arsenal are once again one of the best teams in Europe.

Mikel Arteta's side are top of the Premier League and have a real chance of winning the Champions League this year – should they finally get on over Bayern Munich, that is.

The Gunners have a team full of superstars, although it's one of the summer signings who could claim to be the most important, Declan Rice.

Declan Rice's valuation in 2024

Rice completed his long-awaited move to north London from West Ham United last July after what must've felt like a lifetime of back-and-forth negotiations for all involved.

There was a lot of pressure on the Englishman's shoulders to be the player to take the Gunners from last year's nearly men to this year's champions, and so far, it'd be fair to say he's hit those expectations if not exceeded them.

He's made 39 appearances for the side so far this season – and started 100% of league games – in which he has scored six goals and provided seven assists, becoming a key contributor in both defence and attack.

His brilliant form in red and white led to him captaining England for the first time on Tuesday night, and unsurprisingly, his valuation has steadily grown since his transfer.

According to Football Transfers' Expected Value Model, the 6 foot 1 titan was worth just €71m – £61m – in August 2023 but is now worth around €92m, which is about £79m, and while that's lower than the fee the Gunners paid for him in the summer, most fans were well aware that there was always going to be a premium upon his head should he leave the London Stadium.

However, his valuation is still significantly lower than the price that a former club great was sold for in the past, when converted to today's money.

Cesc Fàbregas' valuation in 2024

The player in question is former Spain international Cesc Fàbregas. While calling him a great of the club could be controversial given his move to Chelsea, there is no denying that when he wore the famous red and white of Arsenal, he was magnificent.

The Arenys de Mar-born phenom joined the Gunners from Barcelona as a child and became the youngest first-team player in the club's history when he made his debut in a League Cup clash in October 2003 at just 16 years and 177 days.

Over the next eight years, the "astonishing talent," as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, made 303 appearances under Arsène Wenger, in which he scored 57 goals and provided 95 assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.99 games, which, given his age, was remarkable.

However, while he was dearly loved by the club and its fans, the call to return to Barcelona was too strong.

In the summer of 2011, he finally rejoined the Catalan side for a fee that, thanks to the clever people at Totally Money, can be converted into today's money.

So, how much does it come to? Well, the £30m Arsenal received for the Spaniard in August 2011 would be a whopping £81m today, or around £2m more than Rice's current valuation.

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Jack Salveson Holmes

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Ultimately, while the club would surely have preferred to keep Fabregas at the club forever, the fee they received for him certainly looks generous by today's standards.

West Ham are preparing for a big name club to seal the signing of a "wonderful" Irons "talent" for around £12.3 million this summer, according to reports this week.

West Ham exits expected this summer

Alongside manager David Moyes as thing stand, with his contract looking set to expire at the end of this season, there are other figures at West Ham who could also depart east London.

Related West Ham already have Rice replacement in "stylish" teen

The Hammers might have another prodigy on their hands.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Mar 25, 2024

Both Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma have been regularly linked with moves away to Saudi Arabia, while star midfielder Lucas Paqueta is rumoured to be back on Man City's radar ahead of a potential summer swoop.

There is also the small matter of expiring player contracts alongside Moyes, with a fair few currently heading into their final months as a West Ham player.

West Ham contracts expiring in 2024 (via Transfermarkt)

Vladimir Coufal (option for a further year)

Michail Antonio (option for a further year)

Divin Mubama (option for a further year)

Ben Johnson

Aaron Cresswell

Joseph Anang

Angelo Ogbonna

The likes of Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell appear set to bid farewell to the Hammers soon, while young defender Ben Johnson is apparently nearing a Bosman move to Crystal Palace.

“Talks with Johnson have proven unsuccessful,” stated ExWHUemployee on The West Ham Way Podcast last week.

“He’s been linked now with an exit and Crystal Palace are leading the way. Ledley King though, who is a relative of Johnson’s, is trying to engineer a move to Spurs.

“At this stage though it appears an agreement between the player and the south London club is at quite an advanced stage, which could sadly see Johnson head south of the river this summer, after 17 years at West Ham.”

Another player who is firmly up for an exit nominee is winger Said Benrahma. The Algerian ace is currently out on loan at Ligue 1 giants Lyon, after a real bit of January deadline day drama over his move to France.

West Ham expecting Lyon to seal £12.3 million Benrahma deal

According to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, West Ham fully expect Lyon to sign Benrahma permanently for £12.3 million – as is the buy-option clause in his contract.

The 28-year-old is enjoying his time at Lyon and is settled after returning to France, with "sources" telling FI that Moyes' side are preparing for Lyon to trigger his buy-option after a promising start to life across the channel.

Benrahma has attracted mixed opinion during his time at West Ham, as the tricky forward could turn it on in flashes but arguably wasn't given consistent enough opportunities by Moyes. However, the former Brentford star did earn a few real admirers at Rush Green.

“At the time I thought it was stupid because there was a young player everyone was raving about in the exact same position, and they sold him and brought in Benrahma and I’m thinking really," said Frank McAvennie to West Ham Zone last October.

“But he proved me wrong, he’s a great talent, a wonderful, wonderful talent. So it just shows you David Moyes knows what he’s doing.”

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona believes Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group can bring the glory days back at Old Trafford.

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Cantona backs Ratcliffe to restore glory daysINEOS upgrading Man Utd squad this summerRed Devils set to visit the US for pre-seasonWHAT HAPPENED?

The former United captain drew comparisons between his time at the club to the time under the Glazers when they saw an epic downfall. He pointed out that the feeling of being part of one big family played an important role in the success that Sir Alex Ferguson's sides achieved in over two decades.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group took charge of the club as minority stakeholders, they have brought several changes to the day-to-day functioning of the organisation. One such reform was ending the work-from-home culture that prevailed at the club since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns. As per Cantona, employees coming back to the club will help establish the old family feeling that was lacking till now.

WHAT ERIC CANTONA SAID

Speaking to The Athletic, the 58-year-old said: "I believe in energy moving between people and they want to take that back at Manchester United, which is very important. When you meet the people, you see someone, you meet another woman and you say: ‘Hello, good morning’. It’s like family. I remember my time (at the club), we say hello to everybody. It was a big family, and the energy was all between us. Not only the players, not only the manager, not only the chairman but all the people who work at the club.

"Things changed since the Glazers arrived. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left. And it’s important to take that back. To have this energy. To have this feeling of: ‘We are part of the family, and we are here, I can speak to you, look in your eyes, I can shake your hand, looking in your eyes, I can feel you, I can get a sense of why you don’t really feel good, or why you did this or why you feel great today’. It’s important. It’s very important."

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

After playing two pre-season friendlies in Norway and Scotland, the Red Devils are all set to visit the United States where they will play three friendly matches against Arsenal, Liverpool and Real Betis.