Man City’s Rodri returns to individual training after ACL injury

Man City’s Rodri returns to individual training after ACL injury
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Ballon d’ Or winner Rodri has returned to individual training with Manchester City, boosting his prospects of playing again this season after suffering an ACL injury in September.

The Spain midfielder was initially expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering the knee injury in City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sept. 22. However, he was seen back at City’s training ground being put through drills in a video City put out on their social feeds, featuring the caption “on the road to recovery.”

The absence of Rodri, who was awarded the Ballon d’or for 2024 after helping Man City win the Premier League title and Spain lift the Euro 2024 crown, has been keenly felt by Pep Guardiola’s side.

Without his commanding presence, City have fallen 20 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid earlier this month.

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Rodri has said he is targeting a return in time to feature at the Club World Cup, which begins for City on June 18. Guardiola, though, has previously urged caution with the 28-year-old’s recovery.

“He’s positive but I don’t know to be honest. An ACL is an ACL,” the City manager said last month. “Always I believe in long injuries there’s a time you must respect because of the human body.

“The ACL is the ACL for every football player and every athlete so there is a time.

“[The] Most important [thing] for Rodri now is to recover well.”

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Mourinho, Fenerbahce sue Galatasaray for racism accusation
Associated Press
Feb 28, 2025, 05:42 PM
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Turkey Süper Lig club Fenerbahce said on Friday they have filed a lawsuit against rival Galatasaray for an “attack on the personal rights” of coach Jose Mourinho.

Galatasaray accused Mourinho of making racist comments after Monday’s Istanbul derby, saying in a statement that he had used “unequivocally inhumane rhetoric” after he referred to the opposition bench “jumping around like monkeys.”

Fenerbahce rejected the accusation and said the comments were “deliberately taken entirely out of context and distorted in a misleading manner.”

Jose Mourinho moved to Turkey from Roma last year. Photo by Ali Atmaca/Anadolu via Getty Images
On Friday, they went further and said they had initiated legal action to recoup around $52,000 in damages.

“We would like to announce to the public that a lawsuit for moral damages of 1 million 907 thousand Turkish liras has been filed against Galatasaray Sports Club by Fenerbahçe Sports Club lawyers due to the attack on the personal rights of our Technical Director Jose Mourinho,” Fenerbahce said in a statement.

The figure appeared to be a reference to Fenerbahce having been founded in 1907, a number that is on the club’s crest.

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Galatasaray said this week that Mourinho had “persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people” and intended to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the “racist statements” made by the Portuguese coach.

The Turkish Football Federation on Thursday handed Mourinho a four-match ban and fined him 1.6 million Turkish lira ($44,000) for comments made after about Turkish referees after the Galatasaray match.

In his post-match news conference Mourinho welcomed the decision to bring in a foreign referee — Slovenian Slavko Vincic — for the game and also praised the official for a “top performance.”

Mourinho said he’d gone to see the referee and thank him following the game.

When he saw the fourth official, a Turkish referee, Mourinho said he told him: “If you are the referee … would be a disaster.”

Mourinho moved to Turkey from Roma last year after stints at high-profile clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

He was fined and suspended earlier in the season for a tirade against local match officials and the league.

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David Coote: English referee banned by UEFA until 2026
Associated Press
Feb 28, 2025, 12:55 PM
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English referee David Coote has been banned by UEFA until June 30, 2026, European football’s governing body said on Friday.

Coote was fired by English football’s refereeing body in December after a video was posted online of him making offensive comments to friends about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.

UEFA also launched an investigation into Coote following another video appearing to show him snorting white powder in an incident that allegedly happened during Euro 2024.

In the latest decisions published by UEFA’s control, ethics and disciplinary body, it said Coote was banned from any UEFA refereeing activity for violating the “basic rules of decent conduct” and bringing “the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute.”

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Pep Guardiola: Man City need older players to stay at the club
ESPN
Feb 28, 2025, 01:38 PM
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Pep Guardiola has said he wants the older players of his squad to remain at Manchester City next season despite the influx of younger talent in the January transfer window.

After a torrid first half to the season, City spent £180m ($223m) last month to replenish their squad with the signings of Omar Marmoush (26), Vitor Reis (19) Abdukodir Khusanov (20) and Nicolás González (23).

Guardiola appears set to usher in a new era at the club built around younger talent, as was evidenced in their recent Premier League game against Liverpool. City’s lineup at the Etihad on Sunday was the joint-youngest the Spaniard has fielded in a Premier League match.

The new direction the club is moving in has put the futures of its older players — Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Éderson and Ilkay Gündogan — in doubt. Kyle Walker left the club in January to join AC Milan on loan and Kevin De Bruyne is out of contract in the summer.

However, Guardiola insisted that this older brigade, who have been central to City’s success over the past decade, still have roles to play at the club.

“There are players here that their age is over 30 but they are part of the future of this club. Except Kevin, and Kevin and the club will decide on his future everyone who has a contract for next season I expect him to be here,” he told a news conference on Friday.

“They are going to help us. Next season will be a lot of games. We cannot do it just with our new ones. They will be able to help and be part of our season.”

Pep Guardiola has set about building a new team at Manchester City. James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Meanwhile, LaLiga president Javier Tebas revealed on Thursday that he reported City to the European Commission for financial mismanagement in 2023.

The probe is the latest in a slew of investigations the club have faced in recent years. They are presently fighting a case against the Premier League for allegedly breaking over 100 league rules and have previously warded off UEFA’s attempts to ban them from the Champions League for inflating their sponsorship revenues.

When asked why City is such a target for people, Guardiola said: “I don’t know. It happened in the past with Uefa and in a few weeks it’ll happen in the Premier League, the sentence, right? We wait, and after we talk.”

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The FA Cup presents City’s only chance of winning silverware this season and the club face Plymouth in the 5th round on Saturday.

Despite their Championship status Guardiola isn’t underestimating the side who have knocked out Brentford and Premier League leaders Liverpool in the previous rounds.

“They are solid and, of course, since the manager took over the results are there. They only lost a few games in their last 10 or 11 so yes, I expect a difficult game,” he said.

“We play at home — that is a little advantage compared with away. But these types of games we know they are tricky because these types of teams, what they do, they do really well.”

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Man United’s Ruben Amorim backs Bruno Fernandes amid Roy Keane dig
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Rob Dawson
Feb 28, 2025, 03:03 PM
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Ruben Amorim has hit back at Roy Keane’s criticism of Bruno Fernandes by telling the former Manchester United midfielder that it’s the opinion of the head coach which matters most.

Speaking on the Overlap podcast, Keane said that “Bruno’s a talented player, but talent isn’t enough” and “Bruno is not a fighter.” During a heated debate with former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, Keane also labelled the entire United team as “imposters.”

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When asked at a news conference on Friday about Keane’s criticism of his captain, Amorim said: “I heard about that. I have a different opinion. Bruno is really important for us in the club, especially for me. He’s playing well in a difficult context. He always wants the responsibility.

“I know sometimes he does things as a captain with his arms and criticising the teammates. Most of all it’s a lot of frustration for this year, the last year and the others. He wants to win and sometimes it’s really hard to deal with that frustration.

“Everybody has an opinion. Roy Keane has big standards from him in his time, it is normal to have an opinion. I have an opposite opinion.

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“I think my opinion is more important than Roy Keane’s because I am the coach and I think he [Fernandes] is doing things quite well.”

As well as Fernandes, goalkeeper André Onana has come in for criticism after a number of recent mistakes. He has struggled in games against Everton and Ipswich Town, but with No. 2 Altay Bayindir injured, the Cameroon international is set to keep his place against Fulham on Sunday.

“I think he passed in the last year, for sure, some difficult moments but this season he made some great saves that saved our team,” Amorim said.

“Sometimes [he] has some problems but that is normal. If you look at our team you can find a lot of players with that issue. Sometimes some players have problems. People talk a lot about the second goal of Ipswich. He is waiting for the touch of [Liam] Delap and then the ball continues to the goal. That can happen.”

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Alejandro Garnacho to pay for Man United team dinner – Ruben Amorim
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Amorim: Garnacho will pay for team dinner after substitution reaction
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has revealed that Alejandro Garnacho will pay for a team dinner following his decision to walk straight to the dressing room in response to being substituted during the first half of the victory over Ipswich Town.

Amorim said he would “talk” with Garnacho following the incident at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The United manager said the 20-year-old instigated a meeting at Carrington on Thursday and that after he pays for dinner for his teammates — an informal punishment — the matter will be closed.

“He came to me,” Amorim told a news conference on Friday. “It was funny because the next day he came to my office. I did some investigation, he went to the dressing room to change his clothes because he was wet. He watched the game, not on the bench, and at the end of the game he was there and went home.
Alejandro Garnacho has scored three goals for Manchester United this season. (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
“So it’s not an issue. But at a big club like Manchester United everything is important and perception is important. He is going to pay for a dinner for all the team and that is it.”

Garnacho was substituted early as part of Amorim’s reshuffle to deal with Patrick Dorgu’s red card.

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The United boss said the Argentinian will be available for selection for the FA Cup fifth round tie against Fulham on Sunday, although he will first have to fight off an injury he picked up against Ipswich.

“He has a knock,” Amorim said. “When he went to shoot he was blocked inside the box. I expect him to be ready but we will see. He is a young kid that will learn. The important thing is that the next morning he was speaking with me. We need to see the small things in walking out to the pitch. The players have to understand the perception here was really important.

“I think he understands. They read everything, all the small things. I know the players quite well. I understand they are frustrated. He was subbed, he was playing well. I am just trying to help them to be better players.”

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Chelsea’s Todd Boehly dismisses fan protests as ‘par for course’
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ESPN
Feb 28, 2025, 10:15 AM
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Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has responded to fan criticism over his stewardship of the club, dismissing concerns as “par for the course.”

Chelsea supporters marched with banners criticising Boehly ahead of Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Southampton. Chief among their concerns was the lack of silverware since Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over in May 2022, as well as his investment in Vivid Seats, a U.S.-site that sells sports tickets at a major mark-up.

Speaking at the Financial Times’ annual “Business of Football” summit, Boehly said that owners should expect fan resentment, adding that he is not able to keep every supporter happy.

“It’s par for the course. The reality is the sooner you learn you’re not going to keep all people happy all the time, freedom shows up,” Boehly said.

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“You’re trying to get on a plan, execute a plan, realise things aren’t linear and if you’re in the right direction you feel better. The trend is in the right direction and that’s the thing that really matters. In June it’ll be three years, that’s not a lot of time. Especially in an industry where there’s so little downtime.”

Chelsea are enjoying their best season since Boehly took over, albeit Enzo Maresca’s side are in fifth place in the Premier League, one point shy of Champions League qualification.

The Chelsea co-owner also addressed the club’s failure to sign a striker in January.

“Strikers are hard to find, right? You don’t go into the grocery store and come in and get a striker with an amazing skill set. Then you also have to have a fantastic mentality,” he said.

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