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319 views100 pagesWorld Soccer - March 2022
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© © All Rights Reserved
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/ 100
ROUND-UP
GLOBAL FOOTBALL SINCE 1960
NGS OF
WAFRICA
Senegal won the
Hoa ‘Attica Cup
ee Wa
Crucial questions for all 16 teams
yon 7
°
r Plus, QGAs aay \ |
with Stephen a
O’Donnell i
sd G Nestor i
A 3 £1 Maestro y ) ¥
° %
vs
Is Sporting’s coach the J \ \
PLUS, next “Special One”? y
10 0
Co IMI
KEEImedio _ www.worldsoccer.co al
Life with
the Robins
and Beyond
o
f
ay
RUARY 2022
5 brand new titles from the
isher.
NEW FOR FEB
Check out some of 2022'
UK's leading independent sports publi
Read sample digital chapters from hundreds of top sport
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
s titles FREE.
a. w PitchPublishing
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‘SPORTS TITLES ONLINE ten
AND CHECK OUT MANY MORE TOP
Register for our newseterorceiv al the eet news on future releases and foF
sors and respected sports commentators
notifications of fortheoming vi auth
ideo reviews BY WorldSoccer
Global focballineligense inca 060
34 Coach profile
Ruben Amorim
38 Champions League
Knockout stage preview and talking pots
74 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
Special review ofthe tournament in Cameroon
‘March 2022
THE WORLD THIS MONTH
4 Inpictures
10. From the Assistant Editor
12 Onthe radar
18 Biggest January transfers
14 Keir Radnedge Focal, yptocurrency & NFIs
16 Jonathan Wilson Arica Cup of Nations
18 Ins & Outs
19. Obituaries Paco Gento tribute
HEADLINERS
20 Belgian league
21 Noa Lang
22 Lorenzo Insigne
23 Angel Di Maria
24 Mohamed-Ali Cho
ONES TO WATCH
Europa League
48 Europa Conference League
SPECIAL REPORT
50 Adifferent ball game
54 The grassis getting greener
FACE TO FACE
58. Stephen O'Donnell
60 ke Uabo
64_ Nestor EI Maestro
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
68 2022 Asian Cup
‘MY BIGGEST GAME
98 Yordan Letchkov
FOOTBALL 24-7 a
Fotow woisoccermag [fF] Us Wold Soccer Mapzine
Ser
B Half the world away
80 2022 World Cup qualifiers
Jeague preview
MLS preview
Giants thrown out of Champions League
88 Chinese Super League review
wom soccer 3 Be so
In Pictures:
BUS ee ee) Reo retd pra) ESR Ce iass ‘Cameroon. senegal supporter et
‘etna thi eom a AFCOM 2021 STAY INFORMED, STAY INSPIRED
WITHA —
RECEIVE A WORLD SOCCER
WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE
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O) RYE Cy Ay Pt)
pee aaa Pe mer cea
pee eee naa ne Pane ee aad
eae) R K eo Get 6 issues of World Soccer for only £24.99
— saving 30%, PLUS receive an exclusive
World Soccer T-shirt worth £15
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Q Subscribe online now eee at your
shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC322 or call ed
01959 543 747 quote code WSC322 Tncadeyto Widen PROM EE
ASSISTANT
EDITOR
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations really did have
everything.
There was the drama of tournament
debutants Gambia and Comoros progressing
to the knockout rounds, while pre-tournament
favourites Algeria finished rock bottom of their
group; there were farcical scenes, from a referee
blowing for full-time five minutes early to
Comoros fielding an outfielder in goal;
and tragedy, with the Olembe
Stadium disaster that claimed
the lives of at least eight
people.
At different times it was
entertaining, despairing and
heart breaking, but always it
was eventful. Mark Gleeson
and Jonathan Wilson were
both in Cameroon, and attempt to unpack
everything that happened in this issue.
Elsewhere, the knockout stages of the
Champions League, Europa League and
inaugural Europa Conference League have
rolled into view. As well as looking at the teams
and players that could be decisive in the final
rounds of the competitions, we've also taken
a closer look at a manager making a name for
himself as one of the continent’s brightest
coaching talents: Sporting’s Ruben Amorim.
Finally, we pay tribute to one of the most iconic
names in the history of
European football: Paco
Gento, the only player to
have won the European
Cup on six occasions.
Jamie Evans, Assistant Editor
At times it was
Conc Tniles
Enea od
Rane eat
ees aed
ES Sen
cin
D3) a ctB Lo euee
Pau) | al a
yi rH
Serie
een
CAMEROON
CAF facing
tough questions
over Olembe
Stadium disaster
Confederation of African Football presicent
Patrice Motsepe sad that “we have a duty to
find out exactly what happened” after eight
people were killed and dozens more inured
‘outside the Olembe Stacium in Yaounde
during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
A report by The Guardian found that ahead
ofthe hosts’ 2+ victory over Comoro inthe
last 16, thousands of fans attempted to access
the ground via one gate tothe south, causing
‘overcrowding and eventually a surge.
According to the report, the deaths were
‘caused by people faling and being trampled
by the crowd, The victims included at least
‘wo children,
Motsepe suggested thatthe problems were
caused in part by fans without tickets arriving
“Just to be part of the atmosphere’ and also
acknowledged that a gate “was closed for
inexplicable reasons”
Inialy the ground, which was built
at a reported cost of §222 milion, was
suspended from hosting ary more matches
{at AFCON 202, although ft cid go on to host
both the semi-final between Cameroon and
Egypt, andthe fal
"When people lose their lives, we all
should be angry’ added Motsepe. ‘We have
to demand explanations and guarantees
‘that it wll never happen again” “This was a sickening collision...yet again, the desire to win is
seen as being worth serious risks to players’ health...football
simply must take action to enforce and strengthen its protocols”
Luke Griggs, deputy chet executive of brain injury charity Headway, crises the handing of Salo Manes hea Injury at AFCON
mira,
International loan
rules overhauled
Clubs willbe limite in how many players they can
send out on loan under new FIFA rules designed
{o prevent clubs from hoarding payer.
From July international loans between clubs
willbe capped at eight, going doun to seven in
2023-24 and si the year after, with FIFA ging
‘domestic associations three years to implement
their om systems that fll “in line” with the new
international rules
“The notion of so-called “feeder clus’, such
a Chelseas previous relationship wth Dutch
side Vitesse, may also come to an end, with
Clubs ited to a maximum of three loans
toa single club at one time
In addition, a writen agreement defring the
terms of the deal must be submitted to FIFA,
‘outining the financial conditions ofthe loan, as
wel as the duration It must be from at least one
transfer window tothe next, up to a maximum
‘of one year Players aged 21 and under will
not be counted as an international loan
“The rules initially to be introduced in July
2020 as part of a wider review of the goal
transfer market, were delayed by the pandemic.
EF Sit
pas
aie)
s
‘SALIMA
MUKANSANGA
The ondan
referee mace istry
tithe AFCON ina
by becoming the
ftswora take
Charge ote maich
inthe competion
Der overseeing
Zmabwes 24
Sanson SSS mae
fer Gunes
‘Mukansanga told Sky Sports News: “I'm really
pro of se mea Pappy because ts
Sig acevement and honour tsa piege
nce got that chance and got iat,
oportniytroug Let me show thet
te ope the doo the et ofthe woe”
JAMES RODRIGUEZ.
‘Wher Ousmane Coulbaly collapsed during a
(Qatar Stars League match in January, the quick
thinking of opponent James Rodriguez helped
‘save ise, After the former Mal international
sulfeed a heart attack, Colombian mifelder
James adjusted his head to make sure that
he could breathe propery while Coulbalys
‘Al Wakrah team-mates ushered on the
medical team. "Thanks to God ard the work
‘ofthese heroes | was saved! the 32-year-old
‘defender sad aftr recovering in hospital
ADAMA TRAORE
Before leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers
to return ths frst cub Barcelona on loan,
Traore became the latest player to cormit one
er cent of hs salary to Common Goal, the
‘organistion set up by Juan Mata for footballers
to donate to various causes. Traore’ donation
i specially forthe ant-racism projec, which
‘aims to end racism in football by ‘providing
anti-racism traning acess the professional
‘and grassroots football industry.
DEVIN PLANK
‘The Excelsior youngster was welcomed
back onto a football pitch with a quad of
hhanour after playing his fst gare since being
‘dagnosed vith cancer last year The 20-year-
‘i, who is stil receving chemotherapy, made
his comeback in his sides Dutch Gup defeat
‘Ajax coming on in the 89th minute, wth all
22 players ining upto applaud hs return
e
VILLAINS
RAITH ROVERS
The Scotsh Championship cub were forced
tomake a U-turn on its decision to sign David
Goodie after coming under fie both from
their fans and the media. An offcal statement
from chairman John Sim read: “sty wart
tw apologise wholeheartedly to our fas,
sponsor, players and the wider Rath Rovers
‘community forthe anguish and anger caused
over the past few days. We got tong .we
focused far too much on football matters and
nat enough on what this decision would mean
for our club and the community asa whole
GIANNI INFANTINO
The FIFA president’ attempts to convince
ape to get behind Fis unpopular vision for a
biennial World Cup took aparticualy tasteless
tur when he clammed the plans could help
prevent Atican migrants from “death in the
Sea’ He said: “We need to give hope to Africans
50 they dort need to cross the Mediterranean
in order to find, maybe, a better ie but, more
probably desth in the sea’ He later claimed
his remarks had been misinterpreted
FC FLORESTI
The Moldoran top-fight club have been found
gully of matching and will be relegated at
the end ofthe season. An investigation bythe
Moldavan Football Federation ethics committee
found ireguartes eating to several matches
between February and July 2021. The cua
have the right to appeal the sanction.
CAF
Asif CAF wasrit harsh enough on Comoros by
forcing ther to field left-back Chaker Alhadhur
in goa for their AFCON knockout clash vith
Cameroon ~ despite one of their goalkeepers
testing negative for
CCOVID = they also
handed them a
$5,000 fe for
“allure to respect
the jersey numbers”
The Comoros were
aso fined a further
$512,000 for non-
compliance with
COVID protocols
and for causing a
Gelay during their
2 defeat.
wom soccer 11 ay
Italy coach Roberto Mancini defends his decision to recall Mario Balotelli
Mario
BALOTELLI
(Adana Demirspor)
‘An inspired reunion or an act of
desperation? That was the debate
in tay atthe end of January, as Mario
Balotelll returned tothe Azzurri set-up
for a traning camp ahead of March's
‘crucial World Cup play-ots
Iti the latest chapter inthe stnkers
tempestuous relationship with manager
Roberto Mancini, who has acted as a
father figure on some occasions and
‘a despairing discipinaian at others.
Yet with Ciro immobile, Mose Kean
‘and Andrea Belott scoring jst ve
‘goals between ther i taly’s bid to
reach Qatar, the manager s ready
1 take another gamble on Balotel
His place in Mancin’s squad for
March isn't necessarily assure yet, but
vt eight goals in his frst 19 Turkish
League games for new club Adana
Demitspor Baotalhas earned one
more shot at being an Azzurr hero,
2 wor soceen
Marko LAZETIC
‘adian)
A giant ofa striker at 6 install the
18-year-old target man was snapped up
in January ater a breakthrough season
at hometown club Red Star Belgrade,
ENDRICK Felipe
(Palmeiras)
‘The 15-year-old vonderkid is being
described as Brazs next big thing ater
scoring over 100 goals in youth footbal,
including six ata recent Under-20
tournament. A number of European
clubs are queuing up to sign him.
Justin CHE
(Hoffenhem)
‘A.USA Under-20 international, the
18-year-old rght-back has followed
Ricardo Pepi from FC Dallas to Germany
for the rest ofthe season on loan,
«Hatem BEN ARFA
(Lite)
Jocelyn Gourvenne isthe latest coach
to attempt to coax some consistency out
of the undoubtedly talented yet troubled
‘winger, who will turn 35 in March,
«Paul WANNER
(Bayern Munich)
Bayern’ endless conveyor belt of top
talent continues. InJanuary 16-year-old
Wanner became their youngest-ever
Bundesiga player (and second youngest
in the league's history), before signing
a long-term contract withthe club
« Kaide GORDON
(Liverpoo!)
Indaruary the teenager became
Liverpoo’s youngest-ever scorer inthe
FA Cup against Shrewsbury then made
his Premier League debut a week later “If I were Haaland and I wanted to win the Ballon
d’Or, I wouldn't go to the same team as Mbappe”
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique dishes out some transfer advice for Borussia Dortmund’ in-demand striker
MOST EXPENSIVE
DEALS IN JANUARY
TRANSFER WINDOW
862:5m Dusan VLAHOVIC (Porentina to,twentus)
£46.3m Ferran TORRES: (Manchester Cty to Barcelona)
£250.3m_ Luis DIAZ (Porto to Lverpoa))
£32.3m Bruno GUIMARAES (tyan to Neweastie United)
25m Chris WOOD (Burney to Newcastle United)
23m Lucas DIGNE (Boertan to Aston Via)
217.6m_ Vitaliy MYKOLENKO (Dynamo Kiev o Everton)
©16.7m Yuri ALBERTO Unteracional to Zenit St-Petershurg)
£15.9m Rodrigo BENTANCUR (Guventus to Tottenham Hotspur)
15m Julian ALVAREZ. (ver Plate to Manchester Cty)"
514.8m Ricardo PEPI (FC Datas to Augsburg)
Sim HWANG Hee-chan _(R8 Lez fo Wolverhampton Wanderers)”
13m Jonathan IKONE {ile to Fiorentina)
£12.5m Romain FAIVRE (Brest to Lyon)
125m Dan BURN (Brighton to Newcastle Unted)
12m Kieran TRIPPIER (Atietico Madd to Newcastle United)
12m Wout WEGHORST (Wofsburg to Burney)
12m Nathan PATTERSON (Rangers to Everton)
S11.6m Arthur CABRAL (Basel to Fiorentina)
10m David NERES (Ajo to Spokttar Donets)
10m Jonas WIND (Copenhagen to Wofsbura)
10m Jean-Philippe MATETA (Mainz to Crystal Palace”
93m VANDERSON (Gremio to Monaco)
9m Jakub KAMINSKI (ech Poznan to Woisourg)"*
£83m Jens CAJUSTE (Méatyland 10 Rems)
88m Kacper KOZLOWSKI (Pogon Szczecin to Brighton)”
7.5m Wenderson GALENO (Braga to Porto)
£7.04m Daryl DIKE (Orlando Cty to West Bromwich Albion)
s7m Federico GATTI (Frosinone todwventus)”
287m Shamar NICHOLSON (Charleroi to Spartak Moscow)
6.7m Marcus EDWARDS (eoria Gumaroes to Sporting)
6m Deniz UNDAV (Union Sane-Gilase to Brighton)”
86m Kelvin YEBOAH (Sturm Graz t Genoa)
$5.84m Tajon BUCHANAN (New England Revolution to Cub Brugge)
5.5m Edon ZHEGROVA (Basel to Lie)
5.8m Andreas SKOV OLSEN (Bologna to Cub Brugge)
£5.80 Billal BRAHIML (Angers 0 Nice)
25.8 Matias AREZO (River Plate Montevieo to Granada)
552m Kevin PAREDES (DC United to Woyfsourg)
55.im Maduka OKOYE (Sparta Rotterdam to Watford)”
5m Joey VEERMAN (Heerenveen t0 PSY)
5m EDERSON (Corinthians to Salemitana)
85m Marvin FRIEDRICH _(Uian Berin to Borussia Monchengiaabach)
42m Silvan HEFT (bung Boys 10 Genoa)
4.2m Denis ZAKARIA (Borussia Monchengladbach to Juventus)
41m Sardar AZMOUN (Zenit St-Petersbury fo Bayer Leverkusen)
54m Edo KAYEMBE (Eypen to Watford)
4m Patrick BERG (Boda‘Gi to Lens)
4m Hassane KAMARA (Neto Watford)
Loan move turned permanent
‘Payer wil rman at current club on loan
Dusan VLAHOVIC
Perhaps the mast wanted player
in Sere A a the start of January,
Vlatovic had long kst of suitors
both in aly and abroad tnamely
‘Arsenal 50 sing him isa huge
boost fr Juventus, The Serbian
Joined Juve with the team ying
in fth place, rine points behind
Serie A leaders Inter with thee
attackers ~ Alvaro Morata, Moise
Kean, Federico Chiesa, Fernando
‘Bemnardeschi and Paolo Dybala ~
having scored 18 goals between
them ~ just one more than
Viehovic managed by hime
His arrival could turn ther
season around.
David NERES
Regular readers
of transfer gossip
might be ght
surprised to see
Neres moving to Ukraine rather
than the Premier League, where he
has frequently been inked Injuries,
plus competion from summer
‘gning Steven Berghuis and fellow
Brazitan Antony, resiricted Neres
to just three Eredivisie starts this
season, but in Shakhtar Donetsk
he has found the perfect home for
‘aspiraional Brazilan. Perform well
for the Miners and he could follow
the likes of Wilian, Fernandinho,
Fred and Douglas Costa in securing
‘2 mave ta one of Europes big boys.
‘Arthur CABRAL
Fiorentina fans
sismayed by
Dusan Viahovic's
€75m departure
to Juventus may
be consoled by
his replacement artiang fora
‘comparative steal. Since arriving
in Europe in 2019, nally on loan
‘rom Sao Paulo giants Palmers,
‘the Brazilian stker has been a
reliable goalscorer for Basel, but
this season his form has really taken
‘of He scored 14 goals in 18 league
‘games, and sucka further 13 times
‘during the Suiss sides march tothe
last 16 ofthe Europa Conference
League. Cabral may need this
season to adjust to Serie A but at
the age of 23, time son his side
Marcus
EDWARDS
‘The man once
‘compared to
Lonel Mess
by his Tottenham
manager, Mauricio Pochettno, has
another shot atthe bigtime after
Jpining Portuguese champions
Sporting rom Vitoria Guimaraes. A
rirble, left-footed winger, Edwards
was pat of England Under-195
European Championshia-winning
side in 2077, but never quite made
itn the Premier League's hustle
‘and bustle. Portugal has proven a
perfect home fo him, claiming 17
‘goals and eit assis in two and
a half seasons, and he will hope to
play apart in Sportings Champions
League last-16 tie wth Manchester
Cy. The good news for Spurs is
that they have reportedly pocketed
around half ofthe transfer fee
Denis ZAKARIA
Amidst all of
Jhe’smidtiets
wheeling and
dealing Zakaria
arrival may pve
toe the best bit of business
Under normal circumstances, the
25-year-old would be worth much
‘mere than $4.2 millon but with
{st six month remaining on his
Gladbach contact, the lalans
were able to pick up a bargain.
They saw off competiton from
several reported Premier League
suo, including Manchester
United and Arsenal to land the
Switzerland midfielder, who has
been a consstent Bundesiga
performer over the last five years.
worn soccer 13 pila ty aU ibace
Football, cryptocurrency and NFTs
‘Supporters whose eyes wander away
from the direct action an the pitch
may have been mystified by the
electronic advertisements for a
sponsor by the name af eToro. Was
this @ Chinese washing-machine
mangtacturer? A Korean smartphone?
Or maybe a brand-new arial in
the sportswear market?
Nane of the above. Infact
the Israeli company is what used
to be known as a stockbroker, @
go-between trader in shares. The
aitlerence is that they trade in the
ew world of cryptocurrencies
and their derivatives.
Arash of crypto traders have
pounced on high-value football clubs
in westem Europe as a promotional
shortcut to the millions of fans who
may be enticed to throw “real”
money into the financial outer
space of “electronic money’.
According to sports business
specialist SprtCal, more than half
of the 20 Premier League clubs have
signed up with crypto sponsors to
the tune of more than £20 milion.
Across western Europe more than
100 such partnerships have been
concluded with companies such
as eTo1o, Crypio.com, Socios and
Sorare. Watford and Southampton
have crypto companies as shirt
sponsors in deals with Stake-corn
and Sportsbetio respectively,
The attraction is obvious. The
COVID-19 pandemic hit sportin
(genera, and professional football
in partculas, very hard. The top 20
Cubs in Europe’ rich st, compiled by
accountants Delotte, saw revenues
inthe last accounting year fall by
a total of €8 bilion, or 12 per cent.
Professional footall has a history
of over-spencing on players’ wages
¥4 wor soceen
snd ens ands therore——_Cteopa-
perpetually in search of the next ‘Seutharapton
Footballs "for sale’ signs are
always out there. So along comes
the next promising cash cow: the
rapidly expanding crypto market
wit ts vague promise of profits in
on-tangjble cash out beyond the
Controls ~ and protections ~ of the
standard high street banking sytem.
‘A growing numberof clubs offer
to pay players and satin digital
currencies while more will soon be
accepting cyptocurtencies fr tickets
‘or merchandise in the club shop.
These systems are powered by fan
tokens, typically priced around §2
(or the equivalent, which may entice
supporters with opportunities to vote
‘on minor policy issues. The genius of
the concepts that this keeps fans
both at home and abroad wound
ito ongoing support.
This revolution isnot limited only to
‘lubs. Bath the Spanish and Mexican
federations have signed off deals
but around their national teams.
But not all the tales are happy
or reassuring
Manchester City inital dabble
in the market lasted just one week
In mid-November City were: “excited
to partner with 3key Technologes
in their journey to simply the
deceniyalised finance (DeFi trading
‘analysis user experience through the
ower of football to engage with our
fans’ The excitement did not last
Just days later City suspended the
partnership, reportedly because of
3key's lack of oniine presence
This was far from the only
case ofa football market crypto ‘operator having no footprint,
gia or otherwise, More negatvity
surrounding a Monaco-based crypto
‘company called Igonig, which proved
‘anything but conic. Its liquidation
upset a string of sports entities
including Real Sociedad, Crystal
Palace and Merselle as well as La
Liga, EuraLeague Basketball, the
European Handball Federation and
the McLaren Formula One team,
No wonder supporters
‘organisations are wary. Malcolm
Clarke, chair ofthe Football
Supporters’ Association, which
represents fans in England and
‘Wales, has cautioned about clubs
“trying to squeeze extra money
‘out of supporters by making up
inconsequential engagement
‘online polls.not a good look’
Concerns are not imited
only to fens. The UK's Advertising
Standards Agency ticked off Arsenal
in December that adverts for its fan
{okens on the club website and on
Facebook were ‘misleading’ The ads
id not explan the crypto trading nsks,
potential tax implications or absence
(of tokens market regulations
‘An ASA spokesperson said:
“Cryptoassets are ared-alert
priority issue for us. [These adverts}
were iresponsible because they
took advantage of consumers
inexperience or credulity and
trvalsed imestment in eyptoassets?
‘Arsenal had tld the ASA that fan
tokens were designed to boost
supporter participation and therefore
were “materially diferent” to other
‘ryptocurrencies used as a
means of payment.
In mid-January the UK‘s financial
regulator decided to restrict the
‘advertising of crypto products
to high net worth individuals
The most successful club i this
market are Pars Saint-Germain.
Their fan token capitalisation was
recenty valued at $49. This nas
‘uelled significantly by the signing
last surmmer of Lone! Messi. In fact
tokens were even included in Messis
reported €30m signing-on fee
PSG reported trading volumes of
$12bn in the week before his signing
‘The clubs Chiet Partnerships Officer
Marc Armstrong said: "We have been
able to engage with anew global
audience, creating a sigfcant
digital revenue steam
‘Clearly
Fan tokens are not the only
manifestation of the crypto-tech
‘explsion. Also erupting on the
marketplace have been non-fungible
tokens, generally known as NFTs.
These are so-called “digital assets
suchas any images inckuding digtal
artworks and videos but also
music text and even Tweets
‘Sharp buying and seling has
created erypto-rich investors who
have then Invested further in NFTS
On an individual level t appears that
social status is one ofthe attractions
(of NFIS. The value to football has.
yet to emerge through the mists of
market excitement. Dealing may be
{un for millon-contract superstars
‘and managers but way beyond the
‘world of the average fan on the
terrace
This sa super-explosve step up
{rom the old cigarette cards. Last
‘August, returning to Messi, a icensed
FT collecton called "Messiverse”
1898 put up for auction. The reserve
price was set at $50,000 but bidding
soared to a staggering $112m. Other
IFT card valuations recorded have
included Manchester United forward
Cristiano Ronaldo at $265,000 and
Manchester City midfielder Kevin
De Bruyne at $167000.
(On the other side ofthe btcoin,
010 speak, former Chelsea defender
John Terry recently became subject
to legal scrutiny from the Premier
League after the trophy appeared in
his NFT imagery It was later removed,
Spending sly money to own NFTS
appears pointless when the images
can easily be donnioaded for free
Imvestors it seems, are essentially
paying fr the receipt that says
they ov the image rather
than the image itselt,
‘Also ke cryptocurrencies, NFTS
are unregulated and vuinerabe to
Scams i not speci criminality
England manager Gareth
Southgate has sought legal advice
ater his name was used in an email
scam to encourage people to buy
‘yplocurrencies. A spokesman for
Southgate said “The detas about
Mr Southgate inthis story are
completely untrue and his name
has been used without permission’
With NFTS, as with fan tokens,
as with boring olé-ashioned stocks
and shares: even eager supporters
Gesperate to demonstrate loyalty
to their favourite clubs and players
should bear in mind the sage advice
that investments can go down
as well a5 up in value.
Remember what happened
to the dotcom bubble?
ad
ped
won soccer 15 THEWORLD aU ibace
») Jonathan
§ WILSON
A TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Poor pitches, dismal refs and negative
football: the problems with AFCON 2021
‘The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
In Cameroon was nota riot of fun
Only 100 goals were scored inthe
'52 games ofthe tournament, an
average of just 192 per match. Only
four tournaments in Arica Cup of
Nations history have averaged fewer
nals, al of which were much smaller
‘tournaments, While that certaniy
ves le to the lazy stereotypes
of naive African detending it also
raises an important question: why?
In part it’ the pitches. The surface
atthe Japoma Stadium in Douala
‘was dreadful, cutting up from the
very start It as directly responsible
for Sierra Leone's bizarre, stoppage-
time equaliser against lory Coast,
{as the goalkeeper Baca All Sangare,
‘diving to ty to prevent the ball going
‘out fora cornes landed badly, his
knee lodging in the tut causing the
ball to be dislodged from his rsp.
8y and large, though a poor considered standard, This is Drea the ‘aren't many goals because there
surface hinders passing and thus __ant-faotbal in its purest form: paragsuraceat ig as muctfotbal played 26
attacking The last16 te between _terally playing as litle football Sova Janome in other tournaments. And what
Inory Coast and Eqypt on that pitch as possible. football that is played tends to
\vas ruined, and the quarter-final Only Bakery Gassama among the be bitty and scrappy.
and semi-final ended up being referees was prepared to stand up to Then thee is the approach taken
by the coaches. This was evident
in the World Cups and European
Championships for a time, although
‘thanklully seems the very best
European teams have moved on
moved tothe Stade Ahmadou it and the resut was that, after he i from the drudgery of France 2016.
Aho in Yaounde. Even the pitch had taken charge of Nigeria's win matte, international coaches don't have
at Olembe, the main stadium, was over Eqyptin the group stage, Eaypt Quarezissenteft_ their payers together for very long
‘lon, and attempts to sickenit by __ladged an oficial protest against his
watering only made it heave appointment to their semi-final vith
That undoubtedly helped the hosts Cameroon. Generally,
Egypt, who were part of a wider though, the refereeing was dismal
‘and ongoing trend that seems to _players penalised for over~iteral
be getting worse. They set out it Interpretations of the laws, but
seemed, certainly in every knockout sustained cheating allowed to pass
‘game, to spol Their time-asting, unchecked. n the fina, the South
‘through feigning injury, complaining African Victor Gomes was helpless,
to referees and davding over set- almost as though he had decided
plays was outrageous. The ball was early on that he wasnt going to
in ply fr just 40 minutes and 26 send somebody of, Unforgivably,
seconds of normal time in the final he added just two minutes in the
‘against Senegal, dawn between 20. first half and three in the second.
‘and 25 per cent of what might be So, on avery basic level, there Necessarily what they do must
be fatty basic. And so its hardly
surprising if alot of international
Coaches prefer to get the defence
‘organised rather than trying to build
the coherent patterns of attack that
predominate at club level
The result is that international
defences operate at a higher level
than attacks, that players such as.
Mohamed Salah or Riyad Mahrez,
who usually operate in extremely
sophisticated structures at club level,
suddenly find themselves asked to
improvise a the front ofa side that
{does lite to support them in the
final thi. That leads to siow and
stodgy football, whichis relatively
ey to defend against. The situation
‘was worsened by the lack of time
many national sides had to prepare,
with the Premier League not
releasing players until after the
January 2 foqures, a week before
the tournament began. That, perhaps,
is a warring for the World Cup, the
‘opening game of which comes just
nine days after the final Premier
League game belore the winter break
‘And then there isthe issue of the
players, a point made by Diomansy
Kamara. Although there are plenty
of gited forwards ~ te likes of
Sacio Mane, Salah and Mahrez ~
there is a major dearth of creators
who pay slightly deeper It fels as
‘though there are no heirs to the ikes
of Ahmed Hassan, Sunday Oliseh
{and Theophile Abega Footbal i's
true, has changed, but the majority
‘of midfelds at ths tournament (and
mast sides played a 4-3-3) were
physically moosing and wel
“organised rather than offering
much in the way of creativity
Thats a problem for African
football. The Cup of Nations is
already a tournament that fee's 2s
though ithas to arque forts place
in the global calendar. t shouldnt
have to justify sel, but it would help
if t were a spectacle more people
wanted to watch. As itis, far too
many games are grinding exercises
in spoling. The footballs terbl,
{and theres not enough of
REPORTS WE COULDN'T MAKE UP
Saleritana. That fact apparently
came as news to Robinson de
Castro, chairman of Brazilian side
Ceara, “They called me yesteciay
and offered me the chance to sign
Riberyhe told Globo Esporte. “|
didn't eren know he was sil playing”
Unsurprisingly the Frenchman
dirt move to Brel, remaining
‘th the struggling Italian side
ATWEETT00 Fan
QQ certs detoeaxows
themselves looking for anew
ANEW LOW Weaopedup... shirt sponsor after parting company
[ites BERS tannga senso
USA took on Honduras in ‘tweets for the anne betting fem
‘one of the coldest football matches
‘on record. During the Werld Cup
‘ualfern Minnesota, temperatures
plummeted to -16C, wth many
Players wearing balaclaias during
the match, and two ofthe vistors
forced off at halftime. Honduras’
Colombian coach Henan Dano
Gomer said ahead of the qualifier:
“The game hasnt started but |canit
eit for itt end, because t's not for
‘eioving it’ for suffer! although
US coach Gregg Bethalter pointed
‘ot that they arent the only team
to play in ficult conltons, "When
we go down to those countries and
it 90 degrees and its unbearable
humidity and guys ae geting
‘ehycrated and cramping up and
‘getting heat exhaustion = that’s
the nature of our competion?
Star OFTHE YEAR
Drevin ee
rosin bogging at
tn stuon goes our aad
soy no peed oo ter
that Roy Hoon eh ran
inmanae Word ste hy at
2 Pmt engi en set
Foy he et ened at
Nate er fstioqe mach
Une hefner ganda
‘mocking the club. Te French side
have spent the season struaging
at the foot of Ligue 1 ~ afact that
‘Winarax have Been al toa ready
{to point out Indeed. when the news
of ther spit from Bordeaux was
announced, they tweeted: “We've
been laoking for a good defence
for one hous but like the Grondins,
ve cat find it Winamax previously
Sponsored Spanish side Granada,
who were also left fuming ater a
similar tweet mocked the sides
performance ~ suogesting that
‘the betting frm’ marketing
strategy may der from the
Cubs they ally themsehes with
DOUBLE DISALLOWED
‘Spare athought for Andy
Carrol wo had not one but
‘wo world-class goals cisalowed
during Reading’s Championshia
defeat to Fulham. Fist, the former
England strker expertly converted
across with an acrobatic bigydle
kick, before later thumping in a
let-footed volley from the edge of
the penalty box after controling the
ball on his chest Not thatthe goals
would have afected the outcome of
‘the mah: the Royals lost 7-0 in what
oe proved tobe Carrols penultimate
drawing 0-Owith Burnley their Sage game for the club before joing
West Bromwich Albion
frst shut-out snce February 2020, ek
‘That vas a 3-0 win over Liverpool
which came under Nigel Pearson,
who has subsequently been replaced
by Hayden Mulins (as caretaker),
\Viadir vi, Xisco Munoz, Calo
Penieri and now Hodgson,
FRANCK ForcorTEN
3 Former Fane and Bay ;
Mach tr Fact Ry Paar at
Tayrotbe ore of he best ngs H
ineope anys are
Daye aged 3 fr See Ade
won soccer 17 pi) [et Sere aes
beautiful love affair.
“Sometimes it only takes one person from outside to destroy a
what has happened and some things that
were said about me in the last month have made me very sad”
Lucas Digne appears to take a parting shot at former Everton manager Rafa Benitez after joining Aston Vila
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
ce
wh ew Everton manager Frank tampa
EUROPE
(MDELE ALLI joined Everton from
Tottenham Hotspur wth the deal
Potentially rising to £40m depending
‘on appearances. CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN
returned tothe Premier League with
Brentford ater leaving Internazionale
due to his heart condition, Aston Villa
paid a reported £2m to sign defender
‘CALUM CHAMBERS from Arsenal and
Wolverhampton Wanderers snapped up
CCHIQUINHO from Estoril for 529m,
JANUARY 2022
Nadiem Amiri (Bayer Leverkusen to Genoa)
Jeremie Boga (Sassuolo to Atalanta)
Brian Brobbey (RB Leizig to Ajax)
Jovane Cabral (Sporting to Lazio)
Felipe Caicedo (Genoa fo Internazionale)
Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona to Aston Vita)
‘Amad Diallo (Manchester United to Rangers)
‘Anwar El Ghazi (Aston Vila to Everton)
Bryan Gil (Tottenham Hotspur to Valencia)
Robin Gosens (Atalanta to Internazionale)
Mohamed thattaren (vents to Ajax)
Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus to Tottenham Hotspur)
Giovani Lo Celso (Zottenham Hotspur to Vilarrea!)
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal to Roma)
Pablo Mari (Arsenal to Udinese)
‘Anthony Martial (Manchester Unite to Sevila)
Tanguy Ndombele /ottenham Hotspur to Lyon)
Sergio Oliveira (Porto to Roma)
Krzysztof Piatek (Hertha Berin to Forentina)
Rafinha (Paris Saint-Germain to Real Sociedad)
‘Aaron Ramsey (Juventus to Rangers)
Matt Targett (Aston Vila to Newcaste United)
‘Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers to Barcelona)
‘Axel Tuanzebe (Manchester United to Napol)
Donny van de Beek (Manchester Unite to Everton)
{@ Barcelona signed PIERRE-EMERICK
‘AUBAMEYANG on free transfer from
‘Arsenal and Celta Vigo signed ORBELIN
PINEDA from Cruz Azul, wile hs fellow
Mexico international JESUS CORONA
Joined Sela from Porto. Meanwhile,
Atletico Madrid captured Mozambique
left-back REINILDO MAMDAVA
{rom Lille and Danish midtelder
DANIEL WASS from Valencia
{@ Woitsburg re-signed former forward
(MAX KRUSE from Union Beri, while
Sporting aso re-signed one o their
former strikers, agreeing a move for
Algerian ISLAM SLIMANI folowing
bis contract termination at Lyon.
@ Venezia announced the signing of
former Portugal international NANI
following his release by Orlando City
while North Macedonia legend GORAN
PANDEY joined Parma trom Genoa,
8 Marseille signed SEAD KOLASINAC
from Arsenal and French defender
‘SAMUEL GIGOT from Spartak Moscow
‘before loaning the latter back to the
Russian side for te res of the season,
(@ FOLARIN BALOGUN anc AARON
CONNOLLY joined Middlesbrough on
Joan from Arsenal and Brighton & Hove
‘Albion respectively, while Lverpool sent
'NECO WILLIAMS anc NATHANIEL
PHILLIPS on loan spels at Funan and
Bournemouth respectively. The Cherries
‘also completed loan deals for TODD
CANTWELL (Norwich City), FREDDIE
WOODMAN (Newcastle United) and
[ETHAN LAIRD (Manctester United).
Former England striker JERMAIN
DEFOE returned to League One
‘Sunderland after leaving Rangers.
(@ FRANK LAMPARD replaced
Rata Benitez as Everton manager,
while ROY HODGSON became
Watford third manager of the
season, replacing Claudio Raner
@ inthe Football League, SHOTA
ARVELADZE replaced Grant McCann
2s Hull City manager, NEIL HARRIS
taok charge of Gingham after the
doparture of Steve Evans, and STEVE
BRUCE replaced Valerie Ismael at
West Bromwich Albion. Elsewhere, JOHN
SHERIDAN took permanent charve of
Dicham Athletic forthe fourth time
(@ ALEXANDER BLESSIN was
appointed Genes coach, replacing
[Andriy Shevchenko who was fed ater
just 11 games. In Spain, Cadiz hired
SERGIO to replace Alvaro Cervera,
@ Greek side Atromitos appointed
‘ormer Wales boss CHRIS COLEMAN
as manager, while Olympiakos signed
20-year-old French midfielder
ABDOULAYE DABO from Nantes.
(1 Froe agents BAFETIMBI GOMIS and
WILFRIED BONY joined Galataseray
and NEC Nimegen respectively, wile
JORDON IBE maved to Adanaspox
CONCACAF
@ Orlando City signed promising
Uruguayan forward FACUNDO TORRES
‘rom Penarol and Austin FC captured
JHOJAN VALENCIA from Deportivo
Cal, wile Inter Miami signed Jamaica
international DAMION LOWE from A
Itinad and United States right-back
DEANDRE YEDLIN from Galatasaray.
@ Mexico defender CARLOS SALCEDO
completed his move from Tiges to
Toronto FC, with Venezuela forward
YEFERSON SOTELDO coing in the
opposite direction Elsewhere in Mexico,
Club America signed DIEGO VALDES
‘rom Santos Laguna and sold vanger
SEBASTIAN CORDOVA to Tisres, who
aso bougit JESUS ANGULO from Aas.
SOUTH AMERICA
(@ PAULINHO returned to Corinthians
after leaving Sauci Arabian side Al AN
in September Elsewhere, RICARDO
GOULART moved to Santos from
Guangzhou, Aston Vila forward WESLEY
Joined Internacional on joan, THIAGO
MAIA completed his permanent move to
Flamengo fom Lile ater an 18-ronth
loan spel, and Red Bul Bragantn signed
Brazilan full-back JUAN CANDID
from sster club RB Leipaig “One of only four men in the world it’s worth
listening to when they talk about soccer”
‘The late Johan Cruyff on former Dutch team-mate Wim Jansen
@ River Plate re-signed Colombia
riclielder JUA FERNANDO QUINTERO.
‘rom Shenzhen, EZEQUIEL BARCO on
loan from Attanta United and TOMAS
POCHETTINO on loan from Austin FC.
Meanwhile Boca Juniors re-signed DARIO
BENEDETTO fom Mersile fr 3m, and
DIEGO VALERI joines Lanus after nine
seasons in MLS at Portland Timbers.
ASIA
@ Nigeria striker ODION IGHALO left
Saudi outfit Al Shabab for city and title
fvals Al Hial, while Uruguay international
JONATHAN RODRIGUEZ left Mexican
‘ants Cruz Azul to join Al Nass
@ Former Arsenal defender CARL
JENKINSON competed a loan move to
Melbourne City from Notingham Forest.
Appointments, sackings and loans
EUROPE
WEFL side Sunderland fired manager
LEE JOHNSON, while in lly ROBERTO
DIAVERSA was sacked by Samadoria.
1B Former Stoke City defender RYAN
SHAWCROSS retied, while former
Arsenal and Belgium defender THOMAS
\VERMAELEN also hung up his boots.
AFRICA
‘Bin the wake of the Africa Cup of
Nations finals, manager MILOVAN
RAJEVAC left Gena and MONDHER
KEBAIER vas fred as coach of Tunsa,
SOUTH AMERICA
A host of players lft the Braztlan
top fight. Saud se Al Hilal sioned
MICHAEL from Flamengo, Krasnodar
bought JUNIOR ALONSO {rom Atletico
Mineo, LUIZ ADRIANO quit Palmeiras.
for Antalyaspor, and Shakhtar captured
VINICIUS TOBIAS from Internacional
Meanwhile, DIEGO COSTA terminated
Fis contract with Atletico Mineiro.
OBITUARIES
Paco GENTO (1933-2022)
In the history ofthe European Cup, only
‘wo teams (never mind piayers) have
lied the trophy on more occasions than
Francisco Paco" Gento, As the only man
to take part in all of Real Macias fst
six successes in the competition, he
leaves an increcible legacy atthe cub
where he spent all but one of his 19
years asa profesional footballer
Beginning his career at Racing
‘Santander, he was so impressive in a
performance against Los Blancos that
they signed him just three days later
During the 1950s, he was the local
Macht in the international front-ine
starring Aledo Di Stefano, Hector Rial,
Ferenc Puskas and Raymond Kopa: by
his inal European triumph in 1966, he
was the elder statesman ina line-up
‘comprised entrely of Spanish payers.
As a player Gento was a classic winger
with a primary role of providing crosses,
{and ves particularly noted for his pace
His directness blended perfectly with
the deft touches of those players around
him, and his team-mates appreciated
him too. After a slow stat to life at
the club, Di Stefano sad of his new
team-mate 10 club president Santiago
Bernabeu: “He has speed and hits
the bal fie a cannon. You don't
learn that. we can teach the rest
He ended his career in 1971 with
12 La Liga titles a record that stil
stands. In 2014, he was named
Real Madrids honorary president.
Francois CARRARD (1938-2022)
The former director-general of the
International Olympic Committee and
hhead ofthe FIFA reform taskforce.
‘Ahmet CALIK (1994-2022)
‘An ex-Turkey international, the Konyaspor
defender tragically died ina car crash
Paul HINSHELWOOD (1956-2022)
Right-back who played 319 games for
Crystal Palace and won their Player of
the Year award in 1979-80 and 1980-81
‘Andrew JENNINGS (1943-2022)
‘A tral-blazing investigative sports
Journals who was crucial in exposing the
murky practices atthe top ofthe game.
Jamie VINCENT (1975-2022)
‘left-back in the Football League who
played over 500 games for various clubs,
including Bournemouth and Swindon.
Peter ROBINSON (1935-2022)
‘A crucial igure in Liverpools rise to
dominance in the 20th century The Reds
‘won 28 major trophies during his time
3 cub secretary and chief executive
Eduardo FLORES (1944-2022)
Atacking midfielder in the Estudiantes.
side that won three successive Copa
Libertadores from 1968 to 1970.
‘Antonio Lima PEREIRA (1952-2022)
Long-serving Porto centre-back who
won the European Cup in 1987
Maurizio ZAMPARINI (1941-2022)
Oversaw Venezia rise from Serie C ta
Serie A, then bought Seri B Palermo in
2002 and took them tothe tp fight too,
Jochenfritz MEINKE (1930-2022)
‘A Hamburg legend who won the 1960
league ile and made aver 300 Oberiga
Nord appearances ~ the highest leve!
‘of German football in the north before
the formation of the Bundesliga,
Hans-Jurgen DORNER (1951-2022)
East Germary/s second-most capped
player with 96 caps, "Die" spent his
ene club career with Dynamo Dresden,
‘Won East Germany’ Player of the Year
a oint-record three times, and in 1999
nas voted Dynamos greatest-ever player
‘Wim JANSEN (1946-2022)
‘Avital player in the Dutch Total Football
machine ofthe 1970s, Jansen stated in
bth World Cup finals after winning four
Eredivisie tiles and the 1970 European
Cup with Feyenoord, Later he became
Celtic’ first foreign manager where
he won the league te, the Scotish
League Cup and signed Henrik Larsson AS
vs Belgian league
#4 The ups and downs of one of Europe's most intriguing top flights
an Union Saint-
Giloise script
a Leicester City
fay tale? In 2016,
the Fares shocked
the world by iting
the Premier League
tile ater barely being expected 10
‘achieve survival now the Belgian
underdogs are attempting to da
something simi.
‘Simply returning tothe top fight
after a 48-year absence was cause
{or celebration for Union yet after
22 games ofthe season the club
found themselves top ofthe league
with 50 points.
The team from the Dudenpark are
something of a cult club with their
pre-war recor, at-deco stadium
‘and deep roots in the capital Brussels,
Their popularity was enhanced during
‘the fist half ofthe season, asthe team.
coached by Felice Mazzu swe9t past
the opposition.
They played with bravado,
applying a flamboyant attacking
style, spearheaded by the striking
partnership of Deniz Undav and Dante
\anzeit On the opening day of the
‘season, Union defeated ross-tavn
rivals Anderlecht 3+, setting the tone
{or months of barnstorming football
‘Thee form didnt drop of as the season
rogressed and there sit to suggest
that a collapse i imminent.
Their success has been facitated
by underwhelming performances
{rom the estabished powerhouses.
‘At Anderlecht, Vincent Kompary
has dropped the Pep Guardiola
philosophy he no longer expects
his team to play footbal based on an
‘expansive moc of passing, positioning
‘and pressing, but has setied for 2
more down-to-earth approach instead
Even without the departed midfielder
‘Albert Sambi Lokonga (Arsenal) and
striker Lukas Nmecha (Wolfsburg), that
Strategy has brought a measure of
stabilly atthe tempestuous Brussels
‘lub, where coaches tend not to last
beyond the third season. Kompany
isin hs second and the jry is stil
‘out on how good he is.
‘A the start of the season, Club
Brugge were threatening to become
Belgums dominant side, seeking
‘their third tide ina row and fifth
in seven years under coach Philippe
‘Clement. They stil have high hopes
(of retaining the trophy, but not with
‘Clement atthe helm: he took charge
of Ligue 1 Monaco in January after an
inconsistent season in his homeland.
The defending champions replaced
im with 49-year-old Dutch coach
‘Alfted Schreudes an assistant to 2
Jong lst of notable coaches, including
Ronald Koeran,Juian Nagelsmann
and Erk ten Hag, Brugge ae the third
‘lub he has taken charge of, following
spells at FC Twente inthe Eredhisie
In 2014-15, and Hotfeniem in the
Bundesiga in 2019-20,
‘At Brugge, Schreuder vill need time
to implement his own philosophy, but
he has a talented squad at his disposal
Midfielder Hans Vanaken has become
‘more prominent with the national
team, the ski ofthe capricious Noa
Lang (opposite) are undisputed, and
bis flow Dutchman Bas Dost remains
afin striker Yet all of them play
‘second fiddle to Charles De Ketelaore’s
inteligence, versatity, suave touch and
‘maturity Soon, the new poster boy of
the domestic game will move abroad Cmte,
‘and become a siatwart for Beigum. ada
The fourth horse in the race for «tle nation
the tite is Antwerp. The four-time
‘champions, whose last success came
back in 1956-57 have become a frm
fixture near the top ofthe table, but
100 often internal politics and instability
thwart the club in taking the ulimate
step towards the Belgian crown,
Further dawn the table, Sint
Trudense WV staged a real coup
by landing the 32-year-old Shin)
Kgava. The veteran midfielder of both
Borussia Dortmund and Manchester
United wants 10 rejuvenate his carees,
{and should be rit at home with STV,
who have Japanese owners, as well
2 sx other Japanese players already
‘on their books ~ Ko Matsubara, Daiki
Hashioka, Daihi Hayashi, Tachi Hera,
Tatsuya Ito and Dariel Schmidt
Wile these interesting and
iterweaving storyines form a rich
tapestry ofthe local scene, they
are undermined by controversial
Offa concerns,
‘The winter months were toxic
as racism and violence resurfaced
in the top fight. After defending
champions Club Brugge hosted
‘Anderlecht, Kompany complained:
‘We were called brow monkeys
during the entre match” Yet the
Pro League
failed to
‘lamp down
‘on any
of those
problems
‘And there
Is an even bigger crisis to come. As
reported by Flemish daily newspaper
‘De Standard, 57 suspects have been
named by the federal prosecutor
in operation “Clean Hands" ~ an
Investigation into allegations of forgery,
corruption and match-fixing =
including Club Brugge president
Bart Vernaeghe, KAA Gent's Miche!
Lowvagee, Standard Liege Bruno
Venanzi, Charleroi Mehdi Bayat
and Steven Martens former
CEO of the Beigan FA,
Not since the 1980s, when then-champions Standard Liege
‘were implicated in the infamous
“Waterschet" match-fong afta,
has Belgian football been rocked
by sucha scandal
In October 2078, Belgian
‘authorities raided 44 Belgian clubs
‘and residences across the country
i an investigation ito allegations of
match-fixing and corruption, while
‘a further 13 searches reportedly took
place in France, Luxembourg, Cyprus,
Montenegeo, Serbia and Macedonia
Dejan Velkovic, an agent
‘and suspect in the case, opted to
Collaborate with the prosecutor ~ and,
‘according to Flemish newspaper Het
Lootste Newws, has made numerous
statements against key figures at
several top-fight clubs,
At the time of writing the
investigations continue, but the
scandal has snowballed, “Clean Hands"
has lited the lid onthe underbelly
(of Belgan football Above al, the
investigation shows the need for an
independent regulator in the game,
or at least a stringent legal framework.
Neither seems likely ~ not in Belgium
nor for that matter elsewhere.
‘Samindra Kun
Noa Lang
A precocious young Dutch talent with
a history of falling out with his coaches
ew players evoke such
2 strong response 2s
Noa Lang to most
observers, you ether
lo him or hate him.
The 22-year-old
Dutch winger of
Bolan side Club Brugge doesn't
seem to mind though. Despite his
provocations and often ill-considered
Statements and actions, he made his
debut for the Netherlands in October
With Lang, controversy has never
been faraway. He was bom in 1999,
in the Rotterdam suburb of Capelle
‘an den Iissel, where talented players
Usually end up at Feyenoord. So was
the case with Lang son of a Surinamese
father and a Dutch mother who later
‘married and divorced former Ajax
winger and Moroccan international
NNourdin Soukhar
Teall started when Lang, an Ajax
fan, switched to the Amsterdam side
25 a teenager From that moment on he
was the target of frustrated Feyenoord
supporters often abused during youth
‘matches or on the strets, and even
once forced to flee a stadium
His actions inthe capital dit
endear himself to the Ajax fans ether
‘Numerous incidents ultimately led to
him being loaned out to FC Twente
‘and his contract in Amsterdam not
being renewed ~ much to his obvious
frustration: “Most ofthe people loved
me, except those who pick the team,
Tey judge me on other things than
football quaies” Captain Dusan Tadic
‘and coach Erik ten Hag were among
those reported to be dspleased by
Lang’ behaviour Remarks lite “my
cateer comes fist wouldnt have
helped his cause either
His move to Belgium in 2020, then,
\was welcomed by all concerned. In his.
first season he finished as the teams
top goalscorer and was named the
league's best newcomer
Yet despite his excellent displays,
discipine has remained an issue: he
was booked seven times in the league
last season, a tally that he matched
by the middle of January with only one
player ahead of him in the booking
charts, One of them (his second of
the game) came during the derby
wth nvals Cercle Brugge, when he
ripped a poster from the wal
While these actions could be merely
seen as juvenile misconduct, far more
serious was an incident after the match
against Anderlecht. Along with some
fans he was spotted singing alleged
antisemitic songs to the Anderlecht
supporters. Lang was ordered by
the Belgian FA fo vist the national
holocaust museum in Mechelen,
Despite the scandal, Lang was,
called up for his international debut,
in October. True to form, within fe
minutes he had defed the notoriously
authoritarian Lous van Gaal, switching
flanks with Cody Gakpo of his oun
accord to play on his favoured let side,
“Lust say he has gus’, said Van Gel
atternards. “But | was quick to switch it
back. wanted to see him on te right?
Mercia ale.
[eg eva
fer ering for
‘hip ripge
With the Oranje short of options
fn the right fank, Lang could offer
a solution, Yet itremains tobe seen
if the winger wil be selected forthe
World Cup, particularly with Van Gaal
hinting that he may switch to a 5-3-2
formation in Qatar as he did in 2014
And besies, the coach couldn't be
blamed for wondering if Lang isnt
too much ofa eisturbance.
‘Qne thing for sue, though: he
can'texpect Langs attitude 1 change.
As he says himself “i's kind of who |
am. would be boring if everybody
was the seme"
Kas-Jan Droppert
wom. socces 21 Headliners
pia
as
1 Sunday January
23, Nepali captain
Lorenzo Insigne
came on as 2 halt
time substitute in
Napol’s easy 4-1
home win over
bottom-of-the-table and seemingly
relegation-bound Salernitana. Within
‘wo minutes of the restart. Napoli had
put the lid on a predictably one-sided
‘game, scoring their third goal through
Kosovo national eam captain,
defender Amir Brahman
‘A this point, you might have
‘expected Napali to pullin their oars,
stop rowing and just cruise. Insione,
however, had no such intentions,
Within five minutes, ne was off on
typical left-lank run into the
Penalty area, winning himself
2 penalty inthe process.
He prompty scored the penalty
himset to take his Napoli goal tally to
1, thu jining the legendary Diego
‘Acmando Maradona in this pace on
the club's record goalscorers’ ranking.
Insigne then celebrated his goal with
particular vehemence, running over
tothe touchine to shout into the TV
‘camera: “Tiamo et! amero sempre
(love you and | ill avays love you")
Tere was no secret about Insigne’s
enthusiastic celebration ofa goa that
inthe context of a 4-1 home win,
was relatively
meaningless. The
celebration was
forthe Napok
fons. went back (AE
eas: SUPE PLB EU
wecksearier | RateReeatete
in Canada nad
‘caught the world by surprise with
the announcement that they had just
‘concluded a four-year deal with him,
worth a reported €8 milion per year
to sign him into Major League Soccer
next July. The message to the fans was
simple: might be leaving at the end
(ofthe season but, in the meantime,
lam on your side,
‘The surprise nature of his transfer
\was twofold. In italy people asked
if Napol mere really wing to kiss
‘goodbye to their conic 30-year-old
local hero and team captain, right at
the very moment that ne has finaly
22 wor soccer
Lorenzo Insigne
The Napoli legend's surprise move to MLS side Toronto FC
‘seemed to realise all his undoubted
‘Potentia?? Around the world, eople
were amazed to discover that MLS
could attract the services ofa great
European champion atthe very top of
bis game, rather than an ageing great
ntiis offer
ate eeas
attracted by the git, the glamour
‘and, of course, the dollars.
So why did Napo let him go?
Sources close to the club confirm that
Napol owner, cinema magnate Aurelio
De Laurentis, was happy to let Insigne
leave. For a start he saves onthe €36m
net salary he was paying Insigne. For
‘a second, he spell out lous and clear
to the entire squad that when he tks
‘cutbacks in these COVID times, he
‘means what he says.
[And then, fora third, there was
Insigne’ role in that infamous Mutiny
Qn The Bounty moment back in
Nopot supporters
Patna een noe Cree
pe Coa eee tag
RR Ree eter)
Reet
Traian.
sebacton Gos
November 2019, when the Napol!
players defied De Laurentis. In the
wake of disappointing results, he
had called for them to be sent into a
“nro ~ a locke avay training camp
‘ter Napoli had disappointingly
drawn 1-1 at home to Red Bul Salzburg
in a Champions League group game,
De Laurent ordered thatthe players
{0 back to the Napal training centre
(of Caste Volturno. Allegedly led by
Insigne, and folloning a blazing row
vith club deputy president, Edo De
Laurentis (son of Aurelio, the players
refused, Rather than climb back
‘onto the team bus, they got into
thei cars and went home
Allin al Insigne was not Aurelio
De Laurent’ favourite player Wah his contract expiring in June, Insigne
‘and his agent Vincenuo Pisacane had
‘opened talks about a renewal lst
‘auturmn. Pisacane has claimed that
rather than offer a salary increase to
‘one ofthe heroes of last summer's
famous Euro 2020 win, De Laurentis
offered to reduce insione’s wages by
50 per cent
It quickly became clear to Insigne
‘and his agent that they were never
{going to come to an agreement
with Napol. So they went looking
elsewhere; anyuhere but tay thats,
since Neapolitan-barn Insigne had
long since decided that he would
never play for another Italian club
to find himself ining out against
Napoli one day.
Insigne was probably thinking
the Premier League, La Liga or the
Bundesliga. The problem was that,
in these COVID times, none of the
big fish were biting. In the end, the
surprise offer came from Canada,
[atthe age of 30, Insine simply
ould not refuse a four-year deal
‘that guaranteed him more than
double his current salary
The fact thatthe Toronto area
is home to more than half a milion
people of ltaian descent no dout
helped too. Likewise Insigne will have
taken account ofthe recent precedent
sent by Sebastian Gvinco. The former
Juventus forward enjoyed four very
Successful seasons at Toronto FC from
2015 to 2018, winning the Golden
Boot and MVP in his fist season,
and the MLS Cup in 2017,
Giovinco also won the last of his
23 international caps in October 2015,
‘overlooked for both Euro 2016 and
hal’ faled bid to reach the 2018
‘World Cup. Insigne wil stl feature in
Roberto Mancinis plans forthe Qatar
‘World Cup (assuming italy get there),
but his future in the team beyond
2022 wil surely be quesitoned.
Italian football may also be
wondering just how one of is newly
‘crowned European champions has
‘opted to leave Italy for what Insigne’s
former agent, Antonio Ottaiano,
indicatvely but somewhat unkindly,
called “exhibition football, not a
proper competion’ Maybe, but
it sue isa proper salary.
Paddy Agnew
ey man.
PEOPLE AND PLACES IN THE NEWS.
Angel Di Maria =
In a team of huge egos, the selfless
Argentina winger is the key man
hen Achraf fought for me not to leave..what
Hakimi happened happened, but Im always
\wassent _gateful for those who backed me”
(off against Current luo-mate Mess wil
Marseille likely be the most thankful of the lt,
back in though, following ast summers Copa
October, America win ~ Argentina’ fst since
‘Angel Di Maria was the man sacrificed 1993. Di Maria sil has the eternal
so that Thilo Kehrer could help Paris glory of scoring the winner inthe final
Saint-Germain see out 20-0 drew —_against Bazi, lofting a delicate finsh
This seemed lke an easy choice over Ederson’s head
for head coach Mauricio Pachettino, Having ended Messis long wal for 2
as the alternative was to bring off ogy with the national team, Di Maria
lone of PSG's biggest names: Kylan is now tasked with helping PSG to
"Mbappe, Lone! Messi or Neymac finally win Europe's biggest club
However when Les Parisens found competion following 3 pursutt that
themselves a goal down against Lile has been equally as desperate
in the very next game, it was Di Maria After all, he may not be their
who took charge. After Messi had been biggest name, but the Argentine was
substituted at half-time, the winger PSG's key man when they reached
ited into the box before teeing her maden Champions League final
Lup Marquinhos for
the equaliser with
a beautully SCM EN e Ree Sele rant Tae
dinked cross. but the Argentine was PSG's key
MiSteGu@e man when they reached their
ies aieaees maiden Champions League final
one-two vith
Neymar end masterly placed the During the 3-0 ser-fnal victory
ball out of ho Grics reach to score against RB Lelpgin 2020, ne foated
re winner two minutes trom time. inthe fee-kck for Marquinhos opener,
‘That these incidents came one _calmly converted the second and
game apart is perfectyindeatve of delved a pinpoint cross for Iden
2 carer that has 50 often seen him Bemat to rund ofthe scoring
Iie inthe shadows of bigger names, 5G look wel on thei way to
as was also the case at Manchester’ rearing the Ligue | coum they have
Unites and particulary Real Madrid, gran so accustomed to possessing
i Maria has aways been hugely in ecent years, but the Champions
‘appreciated by the giants ofthe game League ithe prize many associated
he has called team-mates, ashe hinted with Les Poise are truly afte.
atwhen discussing his Madrid departure Since Di Mara joined i the summer
with TyC Sports: “Crstiano (Ronaldo), of 2015, Zatantbrahimowtc, Edinson
[Sergio] Ramos, ker [Casils).they Cavan, Dani Alves, Blase Matuid
Thiago Sina and
many others have
departed Pars
without lting the
European crown.
Ifthe Argentine
‘can bring Champions
League glory to the
Parc des Princes his
name wil go dawn
in the PSG fistory
books recardiess
of those he lines
up alongsice.
Danny Lens
worn soccen 23 1 just 18 years
‘ld, Mohamed
Al Choisa
superstar in the
making. After
becoming
Angers
youngest-ever Ligue 1 goalscorer
ina 2-0 vietory over Rennes back
in August 2021, Cho was called up to
Sylvain Ripalls France Under-21 team
a month later, despite having already
represented England at UI6 level
thas been a bistering start o his
