Barcelona hired Hansi Flick as their new manager. He brought Bayern Munich to a treble in 2019-20, including being undefeated in the Champions League, and also won the Club World Cup in 2020. He left Bayern to coach the German National Team to indifferent results, only winning 12 of 25 matches before being sacked last September.
2021-22-23-24 News Thread
- Thread starter jeffbear
- Start date
Weird choice. I thought his stint with Germany exposed Flick as a guy fairly devoid of any real ideas.
Everton’s deal with 777 Partners is dead. Mostly. Their exclusive negotiating window closed yesterday. And 777 has their own financial problems, with Australian airline Bonza going into administration, selling their stake in Canadian airline Flair and late payments at Belgian club Standard Liege and Ligue 2 club Red Star in Paris. They’ve also engaged a firm that specializes in turning around or liquidating companies. And they’re being sued by London-based investment Leadenhall, which basically accuses 777 of running Ponzi scheme. Leadenhall is owed $600 million. Everton’s balance sheet is a mess, with more than £1 billion in debt. Current owner Farhad Moshiri has provided about £450 million, there is about £400 million in secured debt to other parties and about £200 million to 777, which has been largely used to fund the new stadium construction. About £100 million more is needed to finish that. They also owe £70 million in transfer installments. It’s possible that they enter administration, which would wipe out the unsecured debt held by Moshiri and probably what is owed to 777, which although secured is subordinate to the other secured debt. Administration would be an automatic 9 point deduction. They finished with 40 points, 14 points clear of relegation this season, but the 3 relegated clubs were awful and Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton will almost certainly be better. If they have to sell players to raise cash, 40 points isn’t guaranteed and, even if it was, 31 points usually sees relegation. But administration might be the only way to clear the balance sheet.
The Athletic is behind a paywall, but a NY Times subscription works on the site.
www.nytimes.com
The Athletic is behind a paywall, but a NY Times subscription works on the site.
Everton's 777 takeover has fallen through - so what happens next?
The Premier League club’s proposed takeover by 777 has missed its deadline. These are the options for what could lie ahead…
www.nytimes.com
VinatieriDefinesClutch
Active member
But FFP was supposed to prevent things like this from happening!!!! This all just really sucks for Everton fans, I have a hard time seeing them escaping relegation next season.
Yeah, I don’t think there is any other way for them to climb out of the hole. The article talks about a negotiation with the primary creditors, but the creditors could have already acted and chose not to.
If they do enter administration, I hope it’s more like like Derby County and less like Portsmouth. It took Portsmouth 12 years to get back to the Championship by Derby was only in League One for 2 years.
Well, provided they end up with a way to finish paying for the thing, that new stadium should be enough of an economic engine to keep Everton from dropping too far. Even in Villa's darkest post relegation days when their shady Chinese owner couldn't fund the reception staff out of his own pocket, Villa Park kept pumping enough fresh cash into the coffers to let them survive long enough to get new, stable ownership in place.
New USWNT coach Emma Hayes got a W in her debut, with a 4-0 thumping of South Korea in the first of a two game set of friendlies. Alum Heather O'Reilly made a good point I heard clipped from some random podcast ... US fans are gonna have a hard time with this transition since they will have their go-to complaints rendered irrelevant under Hayes. This coach cannot objectively be called an idiot or presumed to be clueless about how to win soccer games.
It took a while for them to solve the Koreans, but you could see it building. They finally broke through in the 34th minute on a sublime through ball from Sophia Smith to Mal Swanson. Tierna Davidson headed home her 2nd career goal off a 4 minutes later. She added her 3rd off another corner later and Swanson finished her brace too. Crystal Dunn came on as a sub on the wing instead of fullback, Sam Coffey ran the midfield and Rose Lavelle was Rose Lavelle in her 30 minutes.. Catarina Macario had her first start in 781 days.
It's got to be noted that while Vlatko made a lot of ham-fisted decisions, he also never really got to play with any real options as a No. 10. And Hayes now has three in Macario, Lavelle (now healthy-ish) and Shaw. That makes a HUGE difference when you're trying to break a tight low block.
Horan was always miscast as a 10. As was Carli Lloyd.
That pass from Smith to Swanson? *chef’s kiss*
VinatieriDefinesClutch
Active member
Over under at eight months?
To be fair, in her prime Carli Lloyd could play anywhere other than CB on a world class level. She just hadn't been in her prime since like 2018 or so. And yeah, that pass from Smith was pure velvet. As was the corner that Swanson dropped on Davidson's head. The Colorado girls really showed out for the home crowd.
For me, Hayes just needs to either figure out how to get the best out of Smith at the 9 or otherwise find the best option there going forward. She's smart, she'll figure it out ... and Mia Fishel is going to be back eventually. Unlike her predecessors she won't waste a bunch of time and energy trying to pound square pegs into round holes.
VinatieriDefinesClutch
Active member
Can't remember if we've talked about the Paqueta betting situation on here or not, but more details are coming out and it's almost a little sad, but his career is almost certainly finished. It seems likely that he did it to help people from his home town and the bets are all relatively small.
:
West Ham’s Brazil midfielder was charged with four counts of spot-fixing last month after being accused of deliberately getting booked in Premier League matches.
Paqueta insists he is innocent — but SunSport has learned the FA charge sheet includes a recommendation that he be banned for life if found guilty.
Stratford Town defender Kynan Isaac was given a ten-year suspension for betting on himself to be booked in an FA Cup tie in 2021.
While Lincoln City defender Bradley Wood copped a six-year exile for deliberately getting a yellow card on two occasions in another FA Cup betting scam three years earlier.
However, FA prosecutors argue 26-year-old Paqueta’s alleged offences are even more serious.
SunSport can reveal the full extraordinary details of the alleged betting scam for the first time – with one of bets placed on the Brazilian to be given a yellow card worth as little as £7.
Paqueta is accused of deliberately getting booked in four Prem games — against Leicester in 2022, plus Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth, all in 2023 — to make money for friends.
It is understood around SIXTY people placed bets on Paqueta to be booked in one or all of those matches, with the stakes ranging from just £7 to £400, leading to combined winnings of £100,000.
And in an ironic twist, the first gaming company to sound the alarm over suspicious betting patterns was Betway — the Hammers’ main shirt sponsor.
The series of small bets were placed on Paqueta Island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, sparking an investigation which resulted in the FA’s charges of spot-fixing.
Their probe has already KO’d his £80million move to Manchester City but Paqueta’s lawyers will argue evidence against him is purely circumstantial.
The FA’s investigation began last summer after they received an integrity alert from gambling companies due to the unusual number of bets placed on him to be booked traced to the island where he was born.
SunSport also revealed yesterday Paqueta asked not to play in the fateful game that triggered the FA’s spot-fixing investigation — West Ham’s opening game of this season at the Cherries — as he was on the verge of his move to City.
Paqueta’s lawyers were yesterday granted more time to formally respond to the charges. The case is not expected to proceed to a hearing for several months.
Over six months elapsed between the FA charging Ivan Toney with betting offences before he was found guilty last summer.
And given that Paqueta’s career is at stake, this case is likely to take even longer.
There are also issues of jurisdiction to resolve, with the FA still in the process of collecting betting data from Brazil.
Paqueta has been left devastated by the charges, with West Ham having serious concerns over his mental wellbeing.
He has returned to Brazil and hopes to play in the Copa America this summer.
The FA, Paqueta’s legal representatives and West Ham were all approached for comment."
:
West Ham’s Brazil midfielder was charged with four counts of spot-fixing last month after being accused of deliberately getting booked in Premier League matches.
Paqueta insists he is innocent — but SunSport has learned the FA charge sheet includes a recommendation that he be banned for life if found guilty.
Stratford Town defender Kynan Isaac was given a ten-year suspension for betting on himself to be booked in an FA Cup tie in 2021.
While Lincoln City defender Bradley Wood copped a six-year exile for deliberately getting a yellow card on two occasions in another FA Cup betting scam three years earlier.
However, FA prosecutors argue 26-year-old Paqueta’s alleged offences are even more serious.
SunSport can reveal the full extraordinary details of the alleged betting scam for the first time – with one of bets placed on the Brazilian to be given a yellow card worth as little as £7.
Paqueta is accused of deliberately getting booked in four Prem games — against Leicester in 2022, plus Aston Villa, Leeds United and Bournemouth, all in 2023 — to make money for friends.
It is understood around SIXTY people placed bets on Paqueta to be booked in one or all of those matches, with the stakes ranging from just £7 to £400, leading to combined winnings of £100,000.
And in an ironic twist, the first gaming company to sound the alarm over suspicious betting patterns was Betway — the Hammers’ main shirt sponsor.
The series of small bets were placed on Paqueta Island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, sparking an investigation which resulted in the FA’s charges of spot-fixing.
Their probe has already KO’d his £80million move to Manchester City but Paqueta’s lawyers will argue evidence against him is purely circumstantial.
The FA’s investigation began last summer after they received an integrity alert from gambling companies due to the unusual number of bets placed on him to be booked traced to the island where he was born.
SunSport also revealed yesterday Paqueta asked not to play in the fateful game that triggered the FA’s spot-fixing investigation — West Ham’s opening game of this season at the Cherries — as he was on the verge of his move to City.
Paqueta’s lawyers were yesterday granted more time to formally respond to the charges. The case is not expected to proceed to a hearing for several months.
Over six months elapsed between the FA charging Ivan Toney with betting offences before he was found guilty last summer.
And given that Paqueta’s career is at stake, this case is likely to take even longer.
There are also issues of jurisdiction to resolve, with the FA still in the process of collecting betting data from Brazil.
Paqueta has been left devastated by the charges, with West Ham having serious concerns over his mental wellbeing.
He has returned to Brazil and hopes to play in the Copa America this summer.
The FA, Paqueta’s legal representatives and West Ham were all approached for comment."
So ... Man City are suing the Premiere League over financial expenditure restrictions, specifically the Associate Party Transactions limitations. Fun
www.nytimes.com
Why this latest Manchester City legal row feels different
This week has been an insight into the off-pitch battles City have been fighting over the past few years, and how they fight them
www.nytimes.com
Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic resigned effective immediately. That comes amid reports that he had a violent confrontation with Mats Hummel before the Champions League final.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic leaves the club
The news comes in the wake of reports that Terzic was allegedly involved in a heated confrontation with Mats Hummels ahead of the Champions League final.
AC Milan hired Paulo Fonseca as their new manager, replacing Stefano Pioli who was fired last month. He spent the last 2 seasons at Ligue 1 Lille, binging them into European competitions both years. It’s not his first time in Serie A, he spent 2 seasons at Roma from 2019-21. He had also been a candidate for jobs at Spurs, Newcastle and Aston Villa after leaving Roma.