ReportWire

Tag: Manchester City FC

  • MATCHDAY: Manchester derby in FA Cup final, Messi’s last game for PSG

    MATCHDAY: Manchester derby in FA Cup final, Messi’s last game for PSG

    [ad_1]

    A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Saturday:

    ENGLAND

    Manchester City and Manchester United meet in a FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium with so much riding on it. City is looking to complete the second leg of a potential treble of trophies, having already won the Premier League and reached the final of the Champions League against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10. Only one team has won all of those trophies in one season — Man United in 1999. As well as preserving that unique achievement, United is bidding to win a second domestic trophy this season, having captured the League Cup in February.

    FRANCE

    Lionel Messi bids farewell to Paris Saint-Germain after two seasons in the capital that have left a taste of unfinished business. Messi was brought to PSG to help the club win the Champions League. Instead, PSG bowed out in the last 16 in both seasons with the World Cup winner in the squad. Messi’s numbers with PSG, however, are not too bad ahead of Saturday’s final match of Ligue 1 against Clermont at the Parc des Princes: 32 goals in 74 games, according to league statistics. Messi, the top provider in the league this season with 16 assists, has been regularly whistled and booed by PSG ultras in recent weeks and club officials hope it won’t happen again for his finale. PSG was crowned champion for a record 11th time last weekend, ahead of Lens and Marseille. With the top three spots settled, focus will be on Lille, Rennes and Monaco, who are battling for the two remaining European places. Also, eight-time champion Nantes hosts last-placed Angers and hoping to avoid relegation. Nantes is in a two-way fight with Auxerre to determine who goes down alongside already-relegated Troyes, Ajaccio and Angers.

    GERMANY

    Leipzig bids to retain the German Cup when it plays Eintracht Frankfurt in the final in Berlin. It could be the last Frankfurt game for in-demand French striker Randal Kolo Muani, and it will certainly be the last game for coach Oliver Glasner. Frankfurt’s Europa League title last season and solid performances in this season’s cup and Champions League burnished Glasner’s reputation but some poor results in the Bundesliga took their toll and Frankfurt said last month he would leave at the end of the season. A win for Leipzig would be a reward for coach Marco Rose, who took charge in September after a poor start to the season and guided the team to third in the league. Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku is expected to join Chelsea in the offseason.

    ITALY

    Torino needs to win at home against Champions League finalist Inter Milan in Serie A to retain a chance of qualifying for the Europa Conference League. A win would see Torino move back into eighth place and that could be enough if Juventus is excluded from European competition by UEFA. Having already secured a spot in the top four of Serie A, Inter could rest some players ahead of next weekend’s Champions League final against Manchester City. Lazio has also already qualified for next season’s Champions League and it visits Empoli in its final match of the season. Relegated Cremonese will be looking to sign off with a win when it hosts Salernitana.

    ___

    More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Police investigating reports of Liverpool bus attack after Manchester City match | CNN

    Police investigating reports of Liverpool bus attack after Manchester City match | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is investigating reports that Liverpool’s team bus was damaged after the club’s English Premier League match against Manchester City, the police force said in a statement.

    The incident is reported to have taken place close to the Etihad Stadium, where the match was held, on Saturday afternoon, GMP said.

    “There were no reports of any injuries and the Liverpool Club coaches were able to continue with their journey. An investigation has now been launched by Greater Manchester Police to identify and locate the offenders,” read the statement sent to CNN.

    Manchester City, who won the tie 4-1 to keep alive its hopes of winning a third successive league title, described the incident as “totally unacceptable” and said it would “fully support” the investigation.

    “We understand an object was thrown towards the coach in a residential area,” the statement said.

    “Incidents of this kind are totally unacceptable, and we strongly condemn the actions of the individual(s) responsible.”

    Manchester City also addressed the chanting aimed at Liverpool fans during the game. Some British media outlets reported that the chanting made reference to the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster which caused 97 Liverpool fans to lose their lives.

    “We regret any offence these chants may have caused and will continue to work with supporter groups and officials from both clubs to eradicate hateful chanting from this fixture,” City said.

    Liverpool has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.

    In a statement to CNN, the Premier League said: “The Premier League condemns the chanting heard during today’s match between Manchester City and Liverpool. The League is treating the issue of tragedy chanting as a priority and as a matter of urgency.”

    The rivalry between the two English teams has increased in recent seasons as both have vied for the league title. Last season, City finished one point ahead of Liverpool in the title race.

    In 2018, UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, fined Liverpool after fans threw objects at City’s team bus ahead of a Champions League quarterfinal at Anfield.

    Last October, City manager Pep Guardiola said coins were thrown towards him during a league game between the two teams, and after the same match Liverpool condemned the “vile chants relating to football stadium tragedies” heard in the away end of the stadium, adding that offensive graffiti was also found in the away section.

    Fans singing songs about stadium disasters or fatal accidents, which has been described as ‘tragedy chanting,’ has been put in the spotlight in England this season.

    Ahead of Manchester United’s league match against Liverpool last month, the respective managers of both clubs called for an end to such chanting in a joint statement.

    The Football Association, English football’s governing body, said it strongly condemned such chants.

    In a statement to CNN, a FA spokesperson said: “We are very concerned about the rise of abhorrent chants in stadiums that are related to the Hillsborough disaster and other football related tragedies.

    “These chants are highly offensive and are deeply upsetting for the families, friends and communities who have been impacted by these devastating events, and we strongly condemn this behaviour.

    “We support clubs and fans who try to stamp out this behaviour from our game. We also support the excellent work of the survivor groups who engage with stakeholders across football to help educate people about the damaging and lasting effects that these terrible chants can have.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Liverpool-Man City has become England’s ugliest rivalry

    Liverpool-Man City has become England’s ugliest rivalry

    [ad_1]

    LONDON — As the Manchester City team bus made its way out of Anfield, there came a parting shot.

    An object, supposedly thrown by home fans after the bad-tempered 1-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday, caused a small crack in the windshield.

    It’s a rivalry that has turned ugly, the bitterest in the Premier League.

    City manager Pep Guardiola had already successfully avoided coins being hurled in his direction during the match. Liverpool, meanwhile, condemned the behaviour of the away fans after offensive chants relating to Hillsborough — the tragedy in 1989 that resulted in the deaths of 97 of its fans.

    As fierce as the competition has been on the field during a four-year period when the teams have dominated English soccer, so has the feud been off it. A person with knowledge of the bus incident said City will make an official complaint to the English Football Association.

    The person spoke on condition of anonymity because City has yet to publicly comment on the events surrounding the match. The coin-throwing and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s pre-match comments will also be included in the complaint, the person said.

    “There are three clubs in world football who can do what they want financially,” Klopp said on Friday, an apparent reference to City, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle, who are backed by Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively.

    Tensions between the clubs have been building for some time — dating back to before their recent battle for supremacy at the top of the Premier League.

    Raheem Sterling’s transfer to City in 2015 pointed to a shift in the balance of power from one of European soccer’s traditional giants to its newly-enriched rival, which was bought by the Abu Dhabi royal family in 2008. As a result, the England forward was heavily-criticized for what was perceived as a financially motivated move.

    “Trophies don’t get handed out, you’ve got to earn them,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said at the time. “You’ve got to deliver in big games and he hasn’t done that yet.”

    Sterling went on to win four titles at the Etihad Stadium and 10 major trophies.

    But the rivalry really intensified when Klopp emerged as the greatest threat to Guardiola’s dominance.

    Liverpool beat City in three-straight games in the second half of the 2017-18 campaign, which saw Guardiola’s team crowned champion with a record 100 points.

    It was a notice of intent from Klopp, while Liverpool fans appeared determined to intimidate City, not only with the famously daunting atmosphere inside Anfield, but also by attacking the visiting team bus ahead of a Champions League quarterfinal match.

    The damage caused was so severe that a replacement bus was required to get the team back to Manchester.

    The small crack left on the windscreen on Sunday was not as dramatic, but it was the latest incident involving two teams that have set standards on the field that have not been matched by their fans off it.

    Liverpool said it wants to work with City to eradicate “vile chants.”

    “The concourse in the away section was also vandalized with graffiti of a similar nature,” Liverpool added in a statement after Sunday’s match.

    Meanwhile, Klopp, who was sent off for angrily charging out of his technical area to remonstrate with the referee’s assistant, apologized for the coin-throwing.

    “Horrible,” he said. “I am sorry. It never should happen.”

    How the FA unpicks a game that was overshadowed by flash points off the field is not straight-forward. It has limited jurisdiction over isolated incidents of objects being thrown from the crowd from individuals. And while it has condemned the chants from City fans, it would only normally act when discrimination is involved.

    Klopp’s fate is also uncertain.

    The Liverpool manager won’t face an automatic suspension for his red card, the FA said. The governing body will review the incident before deciding whether to offer him a ban and/or a fine. If his behaviour is deemed to be serious enough, he could face a hearing and potentially more severe punishment.

    If the fall-out from this latest engrossing clash between City and Liverpool has shown anything, it’s that this rivalry isn’t going away any time soon.

    ———

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

    ———

    James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

    [ad_2]

    Source link