Belgium will decide next week whether Eden Hazard is fit enough to play in their Euro 2020 qualifiers away in San Marino and Scotland, coach Roberto Martinez said yesterday.
Playmaker Hazard, who has been included in Martinez’s squad for the two games, has yet to make his La Liga debut for new club Real Madrid after suffering a thigh injury in training.
“We will assess him on Tuesday and every day after that will be important to see whether he can play. We only play Scotland on Sept 9 and before that San Marino on Sept 6, so we can make some adjustments,” Martinez told a news conference yesterday after naming his squad for the Group I matches.
Martinez also included Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi in the squad, despite him not playing for his club since returning from a loan spell at Crystal Palace. With Vincent Kompany and Axel Witsel out through injury, Martinez included the uncapped Bundesliga-based Benito Raman and Anderlecht midfielder Yari Verschaeren for the first time. Belgium have already won their opening four qualifiers and lead the group by three points from Russia.
Mancini drops Kean and
Zaniolo for ill-discipline
Roberto Mancini has dropped Moise Kean and Nicolo Zaniolo from his Italy squad picked to face Armenia and Finland in Euro 2020 qualifying, punishing the starlets for their behaviour during the Under-21 European Championships.
Roma’s exciting midfielder Zaniolo, 20, and Everton’s new 19-year-old signing Kean were selected by Mancini last season after bursting onto the scene with a series of impressive of displays in Serie A.
However they were dropped for Italy’s last group game during the summer’s Under-21 tournament, held in their home country, after arriving late for a video session and, as predicted by Italian media, Mancini has decided to extend the punishment to the upcoming senior matches.
The ‘Azzurri’, three points clear at top of Group J after winning all four of their matches so far, travel to Armenia on Thursday before taking on second-placed Finland away three days later.
FIFA gives Iran’s Ghoddos four-month ban
Saman Ghoddos, a Swedish-born Iranian international, has been suspended for four months by FIFA for failing to honour an agreement to join Huesca, his French club Amiens said. The case centred on the attacking midfielder’s move in August 2018 from Ostersunds to Amiens in Ligue 1 for 4mn euros ($4.4mn).
Huesca, who had just been promoted to La Liga, claimed that they already had a deal to buy Ghoddos from his Swedish club and that the player had signed a contract. FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber found that the Spanish club had a case.
The 25-year-old played two games for Sweden before deciding to represent Iran. Amiens released a statement pointing out that the hearing had cleared them of any wrongdoing but adding: “The club deplores the heavy sanctions imposed on Saman and intends to support him morally in this delicate period.”
UEFA cap CL ticket prices at 70 euros for away fans
Tickets for away fans in this season’s Champions League will be capped at 70 euros ($77), UEFA announced following complaints from supporters in recent years. Tickets will also be capped at 45 euros for away fans in the Europa League, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin saying: “Fans are the lifeblood of the game and those who follow their teams to away matches must have access to tickets at a reasonable price, bearing in mind the cost they have already had to incur for their trip.”
The move comes after both Manchester United and Liverpool were angered by Barcelona charging 119 euros for away tickets in the Champions League last season. In response, the English sides raised their own prices for visiting Barca fans and used the additional revenue to subsidise their supporters’ costs. United also did this for Sevilla when the sides met in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2018.
Bakayoko set for Monaco return on loan from Chelsea
Tiemoue Bakayoko is closing in on a return to Monaco on loan from Chelsea after the Ligue 1 club’s vice-president Oleg Petrov said that the France international’s arrival would not be a “big surprise”.
The Russian added Monaco was hammering out the final details on a “loan deal”, which is believed to be until the end of this season. Bakayoko came to global prominence at Monaco, where in the 2016-2017 season he was crucial as the Principality side won the Ligue 1 title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League alongside France star Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.
He was sold to Chelsea the following season but failed to impress during his time in England and was loaned to AC Milan after just a year in London. However that move also failed to work out, with Bakayoko playing 42 times in all competitions but falling out with coach Gennaro Gattuso as the seven-time European champions finished fifth and missed out on Champions League football.
North Korea’s Han set for Juventus loan deal: report
North Korea international striker Han Kwang-song is set for a loan move to Serie A champions Juventus from league rivals Cagliari. The 21-year-old — the first North Korean to play in Serie A — has spent the past two seasons on loan from Cagliari to Serie B side Perugia.
New Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri has long been a fan of Han, who scored four goals in 19 games for Perugia last season, Gazzetta Dello Sport reported. Awaiting Sarri’s return to the bench after suffering pneumonia, Han will train with Juventus’s first team but play for the Under-23 side, Gazzetta reported.
The forward spent some of his youth career at a football academy in Barcelona, before joining Cagliari in 2017. He has been valued at 20mn euros ($24.6mn) by the Sardinian outfit where he is under contract until until 2022.
Newcastle suffer
Ritchie injury blow
Scotland international Matt Ritchie is expected to be out for up two months due to an ankle injury in a major blow to struggling Premier League side Newcastle. The 29-year-old midfielder suffered ligament damage and cuts, which required stitches, following a tackle by Leicester’s Hamza Choudhury in the League Cup clash on Wednesday. Ritchie’s injury could not come at a worse time for Newcastle who are struggling in the league with just three points but scored a surprise win over Tottenham last weekend.
Eden Hazard is yet to make his La Liga debut for new club Real Madrid after suffering a thigh injury in training.
