Di Maria adds fuel to rumours of move

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Man United boss Louis van Gaal “does not know why” Angel Di Maria has not joined the club's pre-season tour of the US.

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London - Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal “does not know why” Angel Di Maria has not joined the Premier League club's pre-season tour of the US following media reports the winger is close to signing for Paris St-Germain.

The 27-year-old Argentina international, who joined United for a British record transfer fee of 59.7 million pounds ($92.59 million) last year, was expected to travel to the U.S after being given extended leave following the Copa America.

However, British media have reported that Di Maria was a target for French champions PSG and that a deal was close for the former Real Madrid winger.

“He was not on the plane,” Van Gaal told reporters after United's 3-1 win over Barcelona in Santa Clara on Saturday.

“(Fellow Argentine) Marcos Rojo was also not on the plane. He has had a passport issue - for Angel Di Maria, I don't know why. I cannot say anything.”

PSG coach Laurent Blanc did little to dismiss speculation with a move for Di Maria after his side were beaten in a friendly by Premier League champions Chelsea following a penalty shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“There is a good possibility (he could sign) but there is nothing official,” Blanc told reporters.

“There is an anticipation he is going to come to the U.S but as to which jersey he is going to wear, we don't know yet.

“If he does make a change hopefully it will be for Paris St-Germain.”

Reuters



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PICS: ManU beat Barcelona in friendly

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Manchester United kept up the positive momentum of their pre-season tour with a win over Barcelona in California.

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California - Manchester United kept up the positive momentum of their pre-season tour with a 3-1 victory over Barcelona in the International Champions Cup on Saturday in Santa Clara, California.

Wayne Rooney put the English club on top early by heading home a goal in the 10th minute before Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj each added second-half goals.

Manchester United, who beat Champions League winners Barcelona in the title game of 2009 and 2011, have enjoyed a successful U.S. tour with victories over Club America of Mexico and Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes.

Barcelona, playing without standouts Lionel Messi and Neymar, along with Claudio Bravo, Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves, made it an exciting match but failed to cash in on a few prime scoring chances.

Luis Suarez twice hit the post on first-half shots for Barcelona and had another goal overturned by an offside call in the second half.

Manchester United seized a 2-0 lead in the second half when Lingard scored in the 65th minute.

Barcelona struck back in the 89th minute with a goal by Rafinha, but United answered with their third moments later, courtesy of Jacuzzi.

Barcelona were coming off a win against MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy on Tuesday and have one more match in the United States before they return to Europe.

Reuters



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‘Falcao can get back to his best’

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Chelsea loan signing Radamel Falcao can get back to his free-scoring best under Jose Mourinho, Diego Costa said.

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London - Chelsea loan signing Radamel Falcao can get back to his free-scoring best under Jose Mourinho and the Premier League champions will benefit from the Colombian's indifferent loan spell at Manchester United, strike partner Diego Costa has said.

The 29-year-old Falcao developed a reputation as one the most feared strikers in Europe, netting 72 goals for Porto in two campaigns and 70 goals in two seasons for Atletico Madrid before joining AS Monaco in 2013 for almost $80 million.

However, following an anterior cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out of the 2014 World Cup, Falcao joined Manchester United on loan last season but scored four goals in 29 games.

“Radamel knows the sort of manager Mourinho is: one who is liked by players because he trusts and backs them,” Costa told reporters.

“He doesn't sign a player just for the sake of it, it's because he has confidence in him and wants him to feature regularly.

“It's good for us that he didn't have the best of seasons as that's why he's now with us.”

Falcao, who has joined Chelsea on a season-long loan from Monaco with an option to make the deal permanent, played alongside Costa at Atletico and the duo tormented Real Madrid in the 2013 King's Cup triumph.

“I spent a couple of seasons with Falcao and things went fairly well,” Costa said.

“He did a lot for me and he's a great striker. Whether the manager chooses to play us alongside each other, that's up to him, but he is very talented.”

Costa scored 20 goals for Chelsea in his debut season at Stamford Bridge after joining from Atletico for 32 million pounds ($49.63 million).

However, the fiery Brazilian-born Spanish striker had his temperament called into question when he was banned for three matches for a stamp on Liverpool's Emre Can.

“I won't change my style,” Costa said. “I haven't done anything malicious.

“I've always played this way for all the sides I've been with and I've scored a lot of goals in this style.

“The key for me is to score goals and win trophies, if I change in any way, I'm not going to be the same player.

“The aim is to win the Champions League. We have a squad here capable of winning it.”

Reuters



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Poor turnout at Cape Town Cup

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Depressed ticket sales and a spell of bad weather put a dampener on the Cape Town Cup at the Cape Town Stadium.

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Cape Town - Depressed ticket sales and a spell of bad weather put a dampener on the Cape Town Cup at the Cape Town Stadium on Friday night.

Garreth Bloor, mayoral committee member for tourism, events and economic development, said 10 600 tickets were sold for Friday’s matches, which saw Supersport United take on English team Crystal Palace, and local team Ajax Cape Town facing Sporting Lisbon from Portugal.

But when the the first game started at 5.45pm, large parts of the stadium were empty.

Bloor said the city had hoped to attract 35 000 fans to the stadium.

“Unfortunately, the weather is not playing ball. We do remain optimistic that numbers will increase once the teams playing in the finals are revealed and the weather plays along,” he said.

For Sunday, when the winners of Friday’s matches will compete in the tournament final, 18 200 tickets have been sold. The stadium has a capacity of 55 000.

The city dropped its ticket prices on Wednesday for the pre-season tournament, after lower-than-expected sales.

“A number of fans have expressed a view that the prices were too high. Our intention has not been to exclude die-hard soccer followers,” Bloor said.

Prices for tickets, which originally cost between R200 and R400, were reduced to between R60 and R100. Fans who bought tickets at the original prices were entitled to refunds for the difference.

Cosatu in the Western Cape has criticised the hosting of the tournament, saying the event was “clearly not a success” and was a “waste of public funds that could have been put to better use”.

Weekend Argus



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Pirates must put their scoring boots on

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Pirates will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they clash with CS Sfaxien in the Caf Confederation Cup.

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Cape Town - After having their unbeaten run in the Caf Confederation Cup broken, Orlando Pirates will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they clash with CS Sfaxien in their third game of the group stage at Stade Taieb Mhiri in Sfax, Tunisia, on Sunday.

The Buccaneers lost their first group game in the continental competition 2-1 to Egyptian giants Zamalek at Mbombela Stadium, with the loss placing Eric Tinkler’s team second in Group B’s mini-league table with three points.

The Egyptians top the group with six points, followed by AC Leopards and Sfaxien, with one point each, lying third and fourth respectively.

The Buccaneers will have to put on their scoring boots if they wish to claim the three points on offer.

This especially after fumbling in their match against Zamalek, which they dominated, more especially in the first half, only to let the White Knights come back from a goal down to win it in the second period.

Although there is so much flair at Pirates, however, converting goal-scoring chances seems to be a perennial problem.

Tinkler will consider starting with Lehlohonolo Majoro and Thamsanqa Gabuza for this encounter after the pair impressed at Mbombela.

Gabuza has been in blistering form lately, scoring for Bafana Bafana and his club team, while Majoro came off the bench to give Pirates the lead in the Zamalek game.

Majoro must be raring for more game time so he can get the ball in the back of the net.

With Sifiso Myeni and Thabo Rakhale mesmerising on both flanks, while captain Oupa Manyisa takes control of the midfield at Sfax as he did at Mbombela, we will see more chances created.

Sfaxien, on the other hand, are no pushovers.

The north African team are three-time Confederation Cup champions and have a lot of experience when it comes to playing in competitions of this magnitude. However, they are yet to get maximum points since the group stages started. They lost their first game 1-0 to Zamalek and drew 1-1 with Leopards.

And Sunday’s match is probably one of the most important matches for them if they are to make an impact in the competition. The two sides have good knowledge of each other having met in the 2006 Caf Champions League, where Sfaxien won 1-0 at home, after holding Pirates to a goalless draw in the first leg.

The Buccaneers flew to Tunisia on Thursday.

This is one encounter that promises to be electrifying, with both teams desperate for maximum points.

Weekend Argus



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Palace bury SuperSport United

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Crystal Palace romped to a 4-0 victory over SuperSport United in their pre-season Cape Town Cup friendly.

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Cape Town – Crystal Palace romped to a 4-0 victory over SuperSport United in their pre-season Cape Town Cup friendly in the Mother City on Friday.

In a particularly poor first-half where SuperSport conceded the four goals, there was a bewildered look to the South African representatives who were struggling to find their feet.

Crystal Palace were by far the more polished outfit, and Mile Jedina opened the scoring as early as the third minute from his team’s first attacking set-piece as SuperSport United failed to clear the initial shot at goal.

Goalkeeper Rowan Williams stood amazed as the ball went past the gap that was left between himself and the defender at the near post.

For Williams, that was but the start of what turned out to be a very long evening in goal.

In the 16th minute he would watch as another series of lacklustre defending allowed Lee Chung-Yong to double the score.

The striker also had an earlier opportunity to score from a poor goal clearance by Williams, but on that occasion the striker was unable to get the pass away.

United eventually managed to string a few passes together, but never really managed to threaten the Palace goal.

Instead, after another 10 minute interval, Jordon Mutch netted the third of the evening in what could have been one of the easier goals he has scored in his career.

For the fourth first-half goal palace needed only six-minutes to beat Williams.

This time Fraizer Campbell sneaked in front of Bongani Khumalo to tap in what looked like a goal one would score in training.

Down 4-0 at the break Gordon Igesund’s men looked far more focused during the opening passage of play in the second half.

Subsequently they enjoyed their first real chance four minutes into the second 40, but Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey had it covered.

Hennessey was again tested in the 55th minute in what turned out to be United’s best passage of attacking play, but he did well to stop Jeremy Brockie’s left-footed blast from just outside the six-yard box.

Apart front the greater sense of urgency the local side showed on attack, their defence also looked far more organised with Khumalo finally making use of his international experience with some telling tackles.

With most of the damage done in the first half, both sides used the remainder of the friendly match to test out a few combinations.

The inclusion of Grant Kekana in defence during the second-half made a world of difference to the organisation United lacked in the first half.

This improved structure would have been what Palace wanted from their pre-season training match although they are unlikely to complain about the first half target practice.

United would create a few more chances during the closing exchanges, but nothing that Hennesey could not handle.

ANA



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City outclassed by Real, Ronaldo

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Real Madrid proved a different class to Manchester City winning 4-1 before a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

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Cristiano Ronaldo was at his dazzling best as Real Madrid proved a different class to Manchester City winning 4-1 before a record crowd in the International Champions Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

World footballer of the year Ronaldo showed his sublime skills and was among the goalscorers as Real demolished the 2014 English Premier League champions in a blistering first half performance before more than 99 000 fans at the vast stadium.

It was the MCG's biggest ever crowd for a football-only event.

The 10-time European champions revelled in the atmosphere, opening up Man City with dazzling touches, flicks and clinical finishing for three goals in the first half.

French striker Karim Benzema put the Spaniards ahead with a spectacular finish in the 21st minute.

Benzema hooked in Gareth Bale's cross over his left shoulder in a brilliant piece of finishing after a fine run down the right wing by Daniel Carvajal.

Ronaldo pounced four minutes later, getting a sublime first touch to bring down German Toni Kroos's long pass before poking home.

England goalkeeper Joe Hart was unable to keep the ball from crossing the line for a double Real sucker punch after piecemeal City defending as Ronaldo thrilled the crowd his trademark goal celebration.

It got worse for City when central defender Pepe scored Real's third with an unmarked thumping header off Isco's corner just minutes before half-time.

Deep in first-half stoppage time City got a penalty for a Sergio Ramos hand-ball as he jostled with Sterling.

Manchester United target Ramos remonstrated with Japanese referee Hiroyuki Kimura that Sterling had handled the ball first.

Yaya Toure slotted home the spot kick for City to trail 3-1 at the break.

Russian Denis Cherychev made in four when he stabbed home an Isco cross with 17 minutes left.

City's night was further soured when new signing Fabian Delph injured his left hamstring and was carried off after just 18 minutes and was replaced by Jesus Navas.

Manager Rafael Benitez made four changes at halftime bringing off Benzema, Luka Modric, Carvajal and Pepe, while Manuel Pellegrini left his Man City team unchanged.

Ronaldo, the world football's highest paid player, turned on his party tricks for the appreciative MCG crowd, with his cheeky stepovers and flicks and was narrowly wide when he was released by Gareth Bale only to put an audacious attempt just wide.

Edin Dzeko, the subject of transfer speculation, got his first run of the tournament for City, coming on in the 64th minute as Toure, Ronaldo and Ramos came off at the same time.

City's record signing Raheem Sterling had a quiet night and was well contained by Ramos before he was substituted midway through the second half. – AFP



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Stoke thrashing still pains Henderson

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Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has said his side's 6-1 thrashing by Stoke at the end of last season is something that pains him even now.

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Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has said the “embarrassment” of his side's 6-1 thrashing by Stoke at the end of last season is something that pains him even now.

What should have been a celebration of the final match of Anfield great Steven Gerrard's Liverpool career became a nightmare match, with the Reds already 5-0 down at half-time at Stoke's Britannia Stadium ground on May 24.

It was a desperate way for Liverpool to finish the season, but the Merseysiders will have a chance to atone when they begin the new Premier League campaign at the sane ground next month.

Henderson, who has succeeded Gerrard as Liverpool captain, said he was still haunted by the result.

“It will be a day that many of us will never forget,” he told several national newspapers in comments published Friday.

“The way we played, the result, the goals we conceded, everything, it went from bad to worse.

“At half-time in the dressing room, a few of us tried to say some things to get everyone going and get something back. But then full-time came and it was awful. It was a sickening feeling, really.

“It was embarrassing to go there as a Liverpool player and get beaten like that.”

Hours after the defeat, the Liverpool squad were on a plane for Dubai as part of a celebration to say farewell to Gerrard

But the nature of the Stoke defeat meant that many Liverpool players were in no mood to have a party.

“A lot of us didn't want to go to be honest,” said Henderson.

“It had been organised for a number of months and it was especially for Stevie,” he added.

“He has been such a huge role model for everyone who has been here and we'd wanted to make sure that we said goodbye to him properly off the field on a more personal level for him.

“If it was just a holiday, we wouldn't have gone. That is natural when that happens. It stays with you but then there comes a point when you have to move on.

“I won't forget that day in a hurry. That game will stick in my mind for a long time.” – AFP



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Bafana players must sort out their issues

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Players like Ithumeleng Khune and Dean Furman will have to sort out their futures ahead of Bafana's World Cup qualifying campaign.

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Though Shakes Mashaba was cock-a-hoop ahead of tomorrow’s 2018 World Cup preliminary draw in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Bafana Bafana could face a potential banana skin should the draw not be kind to them.

By virtue of being ranked 16th, South Africa will get a bye for the first round of the qualifiers which will see Africa’s 26 bottom-ranked sides squaring up in a two-legged knockout ties between October 5-13.

Thereafter the 13 countries will advance to the second round where the other 27 countries await. The top ranked 20 sides will be pitted against the bottom 20 to play-off for spots in the group stages and it is here that Mashaba and all of South Africa will be crossing fingers that they get one of the weaker countries.

A draw against Benin, Mozambique or Libya would probably be most welcome than a tie against Angola or Togo.

But the potential of a draw from hell exists in the form of north African giants Morocco who will be among those in the bottom 20. The Atlas Lions, boasting a squad that has numerous stars who ply their trade in Europe will provide stiff opposition for Bafana.

Captain Mehdi Ben Atia plays for Bayern Munich and will have little problem snuffing out attacks from the likes of Tokelo Rantie and Bongani Ndulula. And there can be no denying that a twin strike force boasting Crystal Palace’s Marouane Chamakh and Youssef El Arabi who scored a lot of goals for Grenada in la Liga last season has the potential of dismantling the Bafana rearguard.

Bafana will, however, hope history comes into play should they get drawn against north Africans. South Africa have never lost a competitive match against Morooco, Bafana beating the Atlas Lions twice at the Africa Cup of Nations finals – 2-1 in the 1998 quarter-finals and in the final group match

With his squad teeming with unsettled players like Itumeleng Khune and Dean Furman as well as Mandla Masango, Mashaba will hope these key players sort their issues out before the qualifiers.

HOW THE AFRICA DRAW WORKS

First round (two legs between Oct 5-13, 2015)

Seeded: Niger, Ethiopia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Kenya, Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burundi, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau, Swaziland

Unseeded: Tanzania, Gambia, Liberia, Central African Republic, Chad, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Sao Tome e Principe, South Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti

Disqualified: Zimbabwe (failing to pay a former coach)

l 13 overall winners advance to:

Second round (two legs between Nov 9-17)

Seeded: Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Cape Verde, Egypt, Nigeria, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, South Africa, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Rwanda

Unseeded: Togo, Morocco, Sudan, Angola, Mozambique, Benin, Libya and 13 first-round winners

l 20 second-round winners will be split into five four-team groups in a separate draw with the winners qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. - The Star



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Arsenal glad they didn’t sign Sterling

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Arsenal director Lord Harris says he is glad they did not sign Raheem Sterling following his Liverpool antics.

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It is now 11 years since Arsenal won the Premier League, but it will not be lack of money stopping Arsene Wenger’s side challenging for the title this season.

Arsenal director Lord Harris admits the move to the Emirates nine years ago meant money was tight for a while, but now the club have the finances in place to sign a big-name striker and challenge for major trophies.

‘Money was tight when we moved to the Emirates but it’s a lot freer now,’ said the 72-year-old carpet tycoon at his office in Orpington, Kent.

‘We could go into the market and probably buy any player in the world. In the accounts, there’s more than £200million in the bank.

‘We would back Arsene to break the club’s transfer record. If he wanted the man, he could have him. Apart from Lionel Messi and Ronaldo, he could have any player. We will probably have to break the club record to get the man he wants.

‘He wanted a top goalkeeper, so we went out and got him. John Terry said that Petr Cech will gain us 15 points a year, which would have won us the league last season. Since Jens Lehmann or David Seaman, we’ve not had a world-class goalie.’

Cech will shore up Arsenal’s defence but questions still linger over Wenger’s attacking options. The club looked at Raheem Sterling, but Lord Harris has no regrets about missing out to Manchester City.

He said: ‘Sterling is a very, very good player but I’m pleased Arsenal didn’t sign him. He’s got a lot to learn. The way he treated Liverpool wasn’t good. Arsene does a lot of work on the players before they get to us and he doesn’t take any nonsense.’

Wenger is 65 and has two years left on his contract but the board are keen for him to stay beyond that. Lord Harris said:

‘I see no reason why Arsene shouldn’t stay beyond his contract, if he wants to. I’m sure we will want him to stay because he’s a good manager and the players respect him. Two or three years ago, when the crowd came after him, you could tell he was concerned but I wouldn’t say he came close to leaving.

‘He’s exactly the same as you see in the media — bright, determined and very conscientious about his players. He’s so fit and motivated that we hope he stays longer.’

While Wenger is left to his own devices with footballing decisions, Lord Harris has an active role behind the scenes involving business matters such as sponsorship and ticketing.

He also has a strong grasp of local rivalries. With Tottenham planning to develop White Hart Lane into a 61,000 stadium, there have been suggestions of a temporary ground-share with Arsenal.

But Lord Harris feels such proposals would struggle to get off the ground. ‘With the supporters being so different, I think it would be impossible to share a ground,’ he said. ‘I don’t think it could work.

‘Tottenham are probably five years behind us now with their development. I don’t think we’re five years behind Real Madrid.’

Lord Harris also used Tottenham’s post-Gareth Bale spending as an example of how money does not guarantee success.

He said: ‘Tottenham sold a player for £80m, spent £110m and ended up worse off. Arsene doesn’t think you should bring in more than three first-team players in one season because it takes too long for them to link up.

‘He knows how to produce players, too. We’ve got four or five very good youngsters coming through. With a bit of luck with injuries, I think we can challenge strongly for the Premier League and Champions League.’ – Daily Mail



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Wenger has big kitty to buy a striker

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been told he can break the club’s £42million transfer record to sign a world-class striker.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been told he can break the club’s £42million transfer record to sign a world-class striker.

Director Lord Harris has revealed the club have more than £200m in the bank and that Wenger has targeted the man he wants, with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema (right) top of his wish list.

Lord Harris said: ‘We would back Arsene to break the club’s transfer record (Mesut Ozil). If he wanted the man, he could have him. Apart from Lionel Messi and Ronaldo, he could have any player. We will probably have to break the club record to get the man he wants.’

The carpet tycoon revealed that Wenger’s top target is keen to move to the Premier League. ‘We get a list of the players that Wenger wants,’ he said. ‘On the list is a centre forward. I think he wants to come but it’s down to whether the other team can find a superstar to replace him.’

Sportsmail understands Arsenal have had an initial enquiry for 27-year-old Benzema rebuffed by Real but will make another approach soon. – Daily Mail



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Beckham to star in Richie film

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David Beckham is getting a new tattoo, and a starring role in Guy Richie’s ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E’

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David Beckham has paid tribute to his wife Victoria with a new tattoo.

The 40-year-old retired soccer star got the number 99 inked on his little finger and shared a picture of the tattoo on Instagram with the caption: “99 was a good year for me.”

David married fashion designer Victoria on July 4, 1999, and the couple have four children together, Brooklyn, 16, Romeo, 12, Cruz, 10, and Harper, four.

However, the tattoo also refers to David's professional life as 1999 saw him win the treble - Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League - with his then-club Manchester United.

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that David is to star in Guy Richie's 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E'.

He will appear in the action adventure movie, directed by his pal Guy and starring Henry Cavill, about secret agents working to stop criminals using nuclear weapons.

A source said: “He was very grateful to Guy for getting him a small role and it was a great experience.”

David plays the part of a projectionist who reveals the mission for the main characters in the film, set for release on August 1.

The insider told The Sun newspaper: “Becks gets the plot going and sets the scene for the rest of the movie.

“He only needed a day on set to film it so it didn't take too much time out of his schedule.

“Guy thinks it's great Becks is involved. It would make great viewing seeing him pop up as random characters in future.”

 

Bang Showbiz



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Has Ronaldo fallen out with Rafa?

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New Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez already appears to be struggling to win over Cristiano Ronaldo.

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New Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez already appears to be struggling to win over Cristiano Ronaldo — a development that is sure to alert Manchester United.

Ronaldo appeared to criticise Benitez’s training sessions on Wednesday as Real fine-tuned for this morning’s friendly against Manchester City in Melbourne. Spanish television recorded Ronaldo complaining: ‘Only the fouls by the Portuguese are seen,’ in Wednesday’s training session and he was also seen moaning about the final exercise of the session.

Diario AS claimed that during a long-distance crossbar challenge, Ronaldo could be heard making the point that the idea was to get the ball under the bar... ‘not this sh*t’. After the session Benitez was asked about their relationship and said: ‘My relationship with him is as it is with the other players. I speak a lot with all of them. It’s absolutely normal.’ When he was pushed on why Ronaldo seemed unhappy, he added: ‘He is very competitive and that is a virtue not a defect.’

Any friction between Benitez and Ronaldo will interest United, who would be happy to bring him back to Old Trafford.

Ronaldo was one of previous Real coach Carlo Ancelotti’s most vocal supporters and his tweet about a ‘great coach and amazing person... hope we work together next season,’ was not well received by president Florentino Perez, who sacked Ancelotti shortly afterwards.

The relationship between Ronaldo and Benitez is also strained by the former Liverpool manager being under pressure to increase the influence Gareth Bale has on the team. But moving Bale to play as a No 10 behind the main striker could potentially limit Ronaldo’s freedom of movement.

Benitez surprised reporters last week when asked if Ronaldo was the best in the world. The stock answer from Real Madrid coaches is ‘yes’. But Benitez said: ‘He is one of the best in the world. It’s difficult to pick the best. I think Cristiano, Bale, (Karim) Benzema or James Rodriguez are all there.’

He was given a chance to modify his answer ahead of the City game and said: ‘When you work with Ronaldo you realise how competitive he is. And that is why he is the best player in the world.’

When Ronaldo faces City all eyes will be on his position in the side. Benitez is still unsure of his No 9 for next season and Ronaldo has been used in that position in training this week, despite the fact he doesn’t want to play there. – Daily Mail



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Van Gaal gets firm with De Gea

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Louis van Gaal has told unsettled goalkeeper David de Gea he wants him to prepare for the new Barclays Premier League season.

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Louis van Gaal has told unsettled goalkeeper David de Gea he wants him to play against Barcelona and prepare for the new Barclays Premier League season.

A back problem kept De Gea out of Manchester United’s first two pre-season games in America but when Van Gaal sent him for a scan at a California hospital this week, nothing of note showed up.

Now, with the start of the season edging closer and De Gea’s proposed switch to Real Madrid still no nearer, the United manager wants the Spain keeper to focus on his current club.

De Gea was asked to join in the warm-up before United’s game against San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday but did not do any serious work. Now Van Gaal is hoping that he can play some part on Saturday against Barcelona in Santa Clara.

Van Gaal said: ‘I have good hope he can play against Barcelona. He was injured (earlier in the week) so I said “Go stand in the goal so we have a point of direction for my attackers, but don’t do anything to risk your injury”.

‘That is because we have to build him up. I think he can play against Barcelona and I hope he can play.’

Van Gaal said before the squad left for America that De Gea was behaving professionally amid the rampant speculation about his future.

De Gea had hoped to be a Madrid player by now but with United refusing to consider a cash deal and Madrid continuing to show no interest in a straight swap for defender Sergio Ramos, it remains highly possible the United No 1 will still be at the club for the first league match Tottenham on August 8.

Van Gaal hates picking players for competitive games if he feels they are underprepared so he needs De Gea to get some game time between now and the team returning home next Thursday, after which United have no more friendlies.– Daily Mail



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Fifa pressured by sponsors

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Visa joins Coca-Cola in calling for an independent commission to reform the way Fifa is run.

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New York - Visa joined fellow Fifa sponsor Coca-Cola on Thursday in calling for an independent commission to reform the way that soccer's governing body is run.

The credit card company's chief executive said on its quarterly earnings call that Fifa's responses to corruption allegations were “wholly inadequate” and showed a lack of awareness of the need for change.

“We view the stewardship of our company, our brand and our clients with the utmost importance and try to hold ourselves to the highest standards,” CEO Charlie Scharf said on the call. “We seek to partner with those who think and act like us. I don't believe that Fifa is living up to these standards.”

Fifa has been the subject of a series of allegations in the media and in books for many years. That came to a head in May when US prosecutors indicted nine soccer officials, most of whom had Fifa positions, and five marketing and broadcasting company executives for a range of bribery-related offences, including fraud, money-laundering and racketeering.

Last week, two other sponsors, Coke and McDonald's, ratcheted up pressure on Fifa and made clear that they wanted change. A Coke spokeswoman said the soda maker had written to Fifa and asked it to support an independent commission for reforms.

Visa reiterated that call: “First, an independent, third-party commission led by one or more impartial leaders is critical to formulate reforms,” Scharf said. “Second, we believe no meaningful reform can be made under Fifa's existing leadership.”

Reuters



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