IFFHS NEWS AND STATISTICS OF THE WEEK 34
RONALD KOEMAN SET TO BECOME THE NEW BARCELONA MANAGER
Barcelona are set to announce Ronald Koeman as their new manager after Quique Setién was sacked on Monday evening, having lasted just six months in the job.
“The board of directors have agreed that Quique Setién is no longer the first-team coach,” an official statement said. “This is the first decision within a wider restructuring of the first team which will be agreed between the current technical secretary and the new coach, who will be announced in the coming days.”
That coach is set to be Koeman, who is expected to leave his role as Netherlands coach and take over as Barcelona manager later this week. The decision was taken to turn to the Dutchman during a three-hour board meeting at the Camp Nou on Monday, before Setién’s departure was announced.
Koeman has a release clause that allows him to leave the Dutch national team for Barcelona. The 57-year-old has made no secret of his ambition to take charge but he must decide if he wants to do so in far from ideal circumstances exacerbated by the humiliation of their 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.
The former Southampton and Everton manager was approached by Barcelona in January but did not want to walk away from the Netherlands five months before Euro 2020.
Koeman is understood to have been offered a two-year contract but there will be presidential elections in March after the club announced they had been brought forward. His continuity would be in the hands of whoever succeeds Josep Maria Bartomeu as president and the leading opposition figure and the favorite to win, Víctor Font, has made it clear that if he is elected his manager would be Xavi Hernández.
2019/2020 EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL
Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku, the Goalscorers of Inter Milan.
Two of the most successful sides in the competition's history will go head to head in the 2020 final on Friday, August 21st 2020 in Cologne, Germany when three-time winners Inter Milan meet five-time champions Sevilla.
CAMEROON FEDERATION DEMOTES FORMER CHAMPION, UMS LOUM.
The 2-time Cameroon Professional League Champions, and once Cup of Cameroon winners, Union des Mouvements Sportifs(UMS) of Loum still have a slim chance of appealing and over-turning the decision of the country’s football federation to demote them to the second tier league which is a landmark event in its own right.
The genesis of the matter dates back to November, 2016 when the club contracted former Indomitable Lion, Bonaventure Djonkep to steer the technical staff of the then Cameroon CAF Cup representatives. But then, some six months on, the club fired Djonkep who had on the other hand, been decrying meddling with his job by the club’s all-powerful President, Pierre Kwemo. Deemed to be a breach of contract, the legal team for the fired coach launched a legal assault which closed two years on with the federation litigation commission ordering the club to pay the alienated technician some 12000 euros in damages.
The Homologation and Disciplinary Committee has stepped in to demote UMS to the country’s second tier league for the next football season for failure to comply with the September, 2018 decision; and further fined the club to pay the equivalent of some 300 euros for failing to respect the decision.
GERMAN GIANT ARRIVES IN INDIA
German football giants Borussia Dortmund (BVB) and Hero Indian Super League Club Hyderabad FC (HFC) have announced a historic two-year club partnership with an option to extend for additional years with an extended scope until 2025.
The partnership brings in good news for football supporters in India, as it shows a long term commitment of one of the biggest German football brands to the Indian football ecosystem.
With this agreement HFC will become the Official Club Partner of BVB in India. A first for such a cooperation for HFC and the fourth one for BVB with its currently ongoing club partnerships with Thai Premier League Club Buriram United, Australia’s NPL Club Marconi FC and Iwate Grulla Morioka in Japan.
The grand launch of this historic partnership will take place during BVB’s Virtual Asia Tour on 20th August and will be streamed live on Hyderabad FC’s social media channels.
INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE NEWS
The Hero Indian Super League is set to be staged in Goa for the season 2020-21, starting November.
ISL 2020-21 promises to be one of the most intriguing seasons headlined by the introduction of Kolkata powerhouse ATK Mohun Bagan FC along with a rejuvenated City Football Group-led Mumbai City FC.
The ISL, in its seventh edition will be played behind closed doors at three venues - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda; GMC Athletic Stadium, Bambolim; and Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco.
Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Football Sports Development Limited, said:
“I am delighted to bring the ISL Season 7 to the state of Goa, from where we had left the action last season. Congratulations to the beautiful state of Goa and their passionate fans of football, as they once again become the epicenter of the beautiful game in India!
“Over the last six years, ISL has played a key role in helping Indian football find its rightful place in the global arena. In this short period, we have crossed several remarkable milestones – ISL’s recent membership of the World League Forum, City Football Group’s investment in Mumbai City FC, ATK’s merger with Mohun Bagan, and ISL’s emergence as the fourth most popular league on social media with 38 million fan interactions, are all indicators of the phenomenal rise of Indian football.
“Sport is one of the greatest expressions of solidarity and a source of happiness for people around the world. My gratitude to all our clubs, players, and staff for their fortitude and resilience during these unprecedented times. I look forward to the upcoming season of ISL as we showcase, through football, the triumph of human spirit in fighting the pandemic with hope and courage.”
Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) will be working closely with the Sports Authority Of Goa, Goa Football Association and the State administration to ensure a safe and secure season. FSDL recently concluded a recce of the available infrastructure in Goa and has drawn up an extensive plan to undertake upgradation from pitch and drainage refurbishment/maintenance, floodlights and competition area uplift including players dressing rooms at each of the three stadiums.
FSDL wishes to provide an individual training pitch to each of the clubs. Ten such training pitches have been identified in the state of Goa, which will see upgrades over the next month before handing it over to the respective clubs.
The league believes that the infrastructure upgrade at the three main venues and training pitches will go a long way to further establish Goa’s emphasis in promoting football as the main sport in the State, and provide viable options to host key national footballing events in future.
TRANSFERS
Thiago Alcantara has chosen to join FC Liverpool after FC Barcelona (2008-2013) and FC Bayern München (2013-2020). A third great club in a third great football country !
Rose Lavelle joins FC Manchester City one week after her US teammate Samantha Mewis.