SPORTS
FC Barcelona Fires Koeman
FC Barcelona have sacked coach Ronald Koeman following Wednesday’s 1-0 LaLiga loss to Rayo Vallecano, their third defeat in their last four league games.
Following Koeman’s exit, sources have told Reuters that the club will open talks with Xavi Hernandez on Friday regarding the vacancy, with the former team captain now the first choice.
However, the same sources add that FC Barcelona don’t expect to have a replacement in place until after the November international break.
An interim coach is set to take charge of the next three games against Alaves, Dynamo Kiev and Celta Vigo.
Koeman’s position had been seriously weakened after poor results prior to the October international break, with back-to-back defeats against Real Madrid and Rayo this week proving to be the tipping point.
The 58-year-old leaves FC Barcelona ninth place in the league and in danger of missing out on the Champions League knockout phase for the first time in 20 years.
Barca is yet to register an away win in any competition this season.
The club said in a statement: “FC Barcelona have relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach.
“The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano.
“Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva.
“FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.”
As for Xavi, the 41-year-old former midfield great won a slew of trophies with FC Barcelona in his 17 years as a senior player, including eight LaLiga titles and four Champions League medals.
He then joined Al Sadd in 2015, becoming head coach at the Qatari club after hanging up his boots in 2019. It is his only managerial experience so far.
Along with Xavi, sources had previously told Reuters that Belgium boss Roberto Martinez was among the candidates.
Laporta had first considered sacking Koeman in the summer and even told him he needed two weeks to try and find a new manager.
In the end, due to a lack of credible alternatives, Laporta decided to stick with Koeman.
However, sources said that former Netherlands boss Koeman was upset by Laporta’s actions and the relationship between the two has never been the same since.
Despite that, Laporta handed Koeman a stay of execution last month after the 3-0 Champions League defeat to Benfica in Lisbon.
Since then, though, FC Barcelona have lost to Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and now Rayo in the league.
“[Being ninth in LaLiga] is not good,” Koeman said after striker Radamel Falcao’s goal condemned FC Barcelona to defeat in Vallecas on Wednesday, with Memphis Depay missing a penalty.
“It shows the team’s level has dipped, in terms of the balance in the squad. We have lost players with a lot of effectiveness in the final third.
“I think in recent years the teams at the top have strengthened and we have not been able to. That counts.
“But not today, because despite missing players we played well, but you can’t say that when you don’t score, not in Spain.”
Asked if the result placed his job in danger, hours before he was fired, Koeman said “I don’t know.”
Koeman had been appointed by the previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu 13 months ago, replacing Quique Setien after FC Barcelona’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in August 2020.
He left his job with the Netherlands, paying the Dutch Football Association the compensation out of his own pocket, to take on what he had said was his “dream job”.
In his first and only full season in charge, he led FC Barcelona to the Copa del Rey and a third-place finish in LaLiga. Paris Saint-Germain eliminated them in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Koeman, who scored the winning goal in the 1992 European Cup final as a player for FC Barcelona, which earned him legendary status at the club, has seen his time on the Camp Nou bench beset by problems on and off the pitch.
Long-term injuries to Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Sergio Aguero, among others, have hampered his team selections.
While the club have also had to dramatically reduce the wage bill during his tenure to deal with their financial problems.
Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic all left after the 8-2 reverse against Bayern, with Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann following them out the exit door this summer.
Koeman also lamented the exit of star player Messi in recent weeks. He said the Argentina international had disguised many of the team’s flaws and was responsible for making the players around him even better.
In terms of replacing them, Koeman has had his hands tied due to the fact the club’s debt has reached around 1.4 billion euros.
All incomings this summer, such as Memphis and Aguero, were signed on free transfers.
Instead, Koeman had turned to youth. Ronald Araujo, Oscar Mingueza and Pedri all broke through last season, with Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Nico Gonzalez and Yusuf Demir all given chances so far this term.
Since retiring in 1997, Koeman has coached in the Netherlands, Portugal, England and Spain to varying levels of success.
He won two Dutch titles with Ajax Amsterdam and did a good job at Southampton, but he left Valencia and Everton after failing to live up to expectations. (NAN)
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Handball stakeholders in Kogi State have called for a comprehensive leadership reform within the state’s handball association to restore the sport’s prominence.
Addressing journalists after a visit to the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Monday Aridaojo Anyebe in his office in Lokoja on Tuesday, the stakeholders outlined the achievements and setbacks of Kogi State handball since its inception in 1991, pointing the need for immediate change to revive the state’s handball culture.
They noted that Kogi State’s handball history includes significant accomplishments from winning national underage tournaments in the 1990s to representing Nigeria in international competitions.
Kogi’s under-15 boys’ team won gold in Italy in 1995, while local teams performed well in various national championships uptile 2019.However, the stakeholders noted a decline in participation and development initiatives, which they attribute to issues within the association’s leadership.
They revealed that since 2020, Kogi’s Confluence Stars, the state’s premier league team, has struggled to participate in the league due to financial constraints and a lack of support.
This situation according to them has led some players to seek opportunities with teams in other states, undermining team cohesion and player morale.
Additionally, the once-thriving Confluence Queens female team, which participated in national tournaments until 2020, has since disbanded”
Stakeholders attribute much of the sport’s recent decline to the leadership of Jibril Saidu, the current chairman of Kogi State Handball Association. They allege that Saidu’s decision to withdraw sponsorship, along with personal conflicts, has prevented Kogi from participating in critical national events. This includes the under-12 and under-15 championships held in Sokoto over the past five years, where Kogi teams were notably absent.
In response to these challenges, the stakeholders called for the dissolution of the current board, citing a lack of effective leadership and commitment to the state’s handball development.
They propose the formation of a new board that will prioritize regional representation, involvement from former players, and individuals with strong sponsorship capabilities.
The stakeholders also endorsed Okpanachi Mark Ogah as the next chairman, describing him as a capable leader who they believe can restore Kogi State’s handball legacy within two years.
Speaking during the visit, His Royal Highness, Oba Luke Oludoyi from Isanlu who is one of the handball Stakeholders appealed to the Commissioner to give them necessary support in making handball sporting activities in the state a laudable venture for the overall growth of the State Sports Sector.
On his part, Hon. Mark Okpanachi Ogah said he is ready to further the ideals of the stakeholders and rebirth a new and active handball sport in Kogi State.
He assured that if given the mandate, the Kogi State handball team will take its rightful place again as champion.
Responding, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon Monday Anyebe, noted that Kogi State Government is committed to ensuring that the sports sector in the state continues to receive the necessary support towards enhancing sporting activities in the state.
The Commissioner said under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo all sporting activities will be given adequate attention and Support.
He called on members of the handball stakeholders in the state to be united and continue to promote the activities of the handball sport in the state.
Also Present during the visit includes the Permanent Secretary of the state ministry of sports, Jibo Haruna Muhammed, the Director Kogi State Sports Council, Onipe Obakachi and other Directors of the Ministry.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Board has slammed Libya with a 50,000 dollars and also awarded Nigeria, three points from the botched Matchday 4 encounter of the 2025 AFCON qualification series.
The match earlier scheduled to be played by Libya and Nigeria in Benina on Oct.
15 was cancelled.This was after Nigeria’s delegation to the qualifier slated to hold in Benghazi on Tuesday, were left stranded for over 20 hours on Sunday.
This was following the diversion of their plane from Benghazi to Al Abaq airport, a three-hour drive away from their original destination in Benghazi; where the team were held hostage without food, water or internet services.
A statement by CAF Disciplinary Board in its ruling on Saturday, signed by the chairman, Ousmane Kane, said the Disciplinary Board ruled met and decided as follows:
“The Libya Football Federation is found to have breached Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
“The match No. 87 Libya v. Nigeria of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on 15 October in Benghazi) declared lost by forfeit by Libya (by a score of 3-0).
“The Libya Football Federation is ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000.
“The fine is to be paid within 60 days of notification of the present decision.
“All other and further motions or prayers for relief are dismissed,” the statement said.
The implication is that Nigeria is now poised to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with two matches to spare.
With the decision, the Eagles now have 10 points from four matches, four points better than second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda have five points.
Bottom-placed Libya have only one point and are out of the running for qualification.
Victory or draw against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan on Nov. 14 (a Matchday 5 encounter) will land the Super Eagles a ticket to the finals in Morocco, December 2025/January 2026.(NAN)
Arsenal needed an own goal to seal a scrappy 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday as they made it two wins out of three in the Champions League.
The win is is coming after the blow of their first domestic league defeat of the season at the weekend.
The hosts missed a penalty in the second half and squandered a number of decent chances, but the reality was they never found top gear and had to withstand some late pressure from their Ukrainian opponents.
Arsenal, who were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, made a fast start with Brazilians Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus both having good opportunities before a fortunate opener in the 29th minute.
A low shot from Martinelli rebounded off the post and off the back of Shakhtar keeper Dmytro Riznyk for what turned out to be the only goal of the game.
Arsenal would have doubled their advantage before halftime were it not for Shakhtar captain Mykola Matviyenko who hooked the ball off the line to prevent a diving Kai Havertz nodding in.
Leandro Trossard also missed a second-half penalty awarded by VAR following a handball in the box.
“We had four big, big chances (in the first half). We should have converted them and put the game to bed,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters after the game.
The second half was difficult he added. “We looked tired and lacked sharpness with and without the ball.”
Shakhtar, who are yet to win in the Champions League this season, put more pressure on Arsenal after the interval.
The Ukrainian side went close to equalising, when substitute Pedrinho had a long-range effort superbly saved by Arsenal keeper David Raya in stoppage time.
“I think we deserved an equaliser” Shakhtar coach Marino Pusic told reporters. “We were chasing for an equaliser till the end of the game… we did our best”.
Victory lifts Arsenal provisionally into the top four of the new 36-team league phase before Wednesday’s fixtures with their next match away at Inter Milan.
Shakhtar will seek to bounce back in their next match at home to Swiss side Young Boys.(Reuters/NAN)
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