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Juventus goalkeeper Buffon given one-match blasphemy ban Milan (AFP) – Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was on Tuesday handed a one-match ban for blasphemy which would rule him out of next weekend’s Turin derby. The 43-year-old Italian World Cup winner had been fined 5,000 euros ($6,000) last month by the Italian Football Federation, but escaped a ban. However, the FIGC’s Court of Appeal upheld the Federal Prosecutor’s appeal and imposed a ban, meaning Buffon will be ruled out of Saturday’s game at Torino. Buffon was overheard using a “blasphemous expression” towards teammate Manolo Portanova during Juve’s 4-0 league win over Parma on December 19. Buffon, who holds the record for Serie A matches played with 654, was not caught on camera but there was an audio recording of the incident. Since 2010, the Italian FA have taken disciplinary action against several players and coaches heard disrespecting God or the sacred. But the penalties have increased this season with empty stadiums allowing the microphones and cameras to capture heated exchanges between players and coaches. AS Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante and Lazio’s Manuel Lazzari were both suspended for a match this season for “blasphemous” remarks.

Milan (AFP) – Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was on Tuesday handed a one-match ban for blasphemy which would rule him out of next weekend’s Turin derby. The 43-year-old Italian World Cup winner had been fined 5,000 euros ($6,000) last month by the Italian Football Federation, but escaped a ban. However, the FIGC’s Court of Appeal upheld the Federal Prosecutor’s appeal and imposed a ban, meaning Buffon will be ruled out of Saturday’s game at Torino. Buffon was overheard using a “blasphemous expression” towards teammate Manolo Portanova during Juve’s 4-0 league win over Parma on December 19. Buffon, who holds the record for Serie A matches played with 654, was not caught on camera but there was an audio recording of the incident. Since 2010, the Italian FA have taken disciplinary action against several players and coaches heard disrespecting God or the sacred. But the penalties have increased this season with empty stadiums allowing the microphones and cameras to capture hea...

UEFA postpones virus-hit Lyon v PSG women’s Champions League tie Paris (AFP) – UEFA on Tuesday accepted coronavirus-hit Lyon’s request to postpone their women’s Champion League quarter-final second leg with Paris Saint-Germain scheduled for Wednesday. On Monday, the defending champions asked European football’s governing body to delay the game. “We have six, maybe seven cases, and the whole women’s team are contact cases,” Aulas said. UEFA on Tuesday confirmed the fixture was “postponed” without elaborating. Seven-time winners Lyon are leading 1-0 after last week’s first leg and Aulas had a date in mind for the return match. “Maybe at the time we’re meant to play Le Havre on April 17,” Aulas said. PSG qualified for the last eight despite forfeiting the second leg of their last-16 tie against Sparta Prague following a coronavirus outbreak of their own. The Parisians had been placed under quarantine by French health authorities after a number of positive Covid tests. As a result, Sparta were awarded a 3-0 victory, but PSG still progressed having won the first leg 5-0 at home. Next month, France host England on April 9 and World Cup winners the US four days later. Aulas, 72, said he would prefer if his squad members, including defender Wendie Renard, chose against playing in the matches. “Those who are affected won’t join up with their national teams and we will hold talks about those who are contact cases,” he said. “It would be a shame to let them go, because they’re just friendlies for France.”

Paris (AFP) – UEFA on Tuesday accepted coronavirus-hit Lyon’s request to postpone their women’s Champion League quarter-final second leg with Paris Saint-Germain scheduled for Wednesday. On Monday, the defending champions asked European football’s governing body to delay the game. “We have six, maybe seven cases, and the whole women’s team are contact cases,” Aulas said. UEFA on Tuesday confirmed the fixture was “postponed” without elaborating. Seven-time winners Lyon are leading 1-0 after last week’s first leg and Aulas had a date in mind for the return match. “Maybe at the time we’re meant to play Le Havre on April 17,” Aulas said. PSG qualified for the last eight despite forfeiting the second leg of their last-16 tie against Sparta Prague following a coronavirus outbreak of their own. The Parisians had been placed under quarantine by French health authorities after a number of positive Covid tests. As a result, Sparta were awarded a 3-0 victory, but PSG still progressed hav...

Germany women cancel US tour for second straight year Berlin (AFP) – Germany’s women’s announced on Tuesday they were postponing a tour to the US for the second consecutive year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Germany had planned two internationals against the World Cup holders in June. “There were simply too many issues outstanding and we couldn’t ensure that we would actually be able to fly in June,” Germany team manager Maika Fischer told reporters. In 2020, a similar trip to the US was also cancelled because of the pandemic. “We had really supported the idea and have been met with a lot of understanding from the USA side,” said Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. “We have postponed the trip again because it is not the right time for it.” Germany, World Cup winners in 2003 and 2007, host two matches next month, against Australia on April 10 and Norway three days later.

Berlin (AFP) – Germany’s women’s announced on Tuesday they were postponing a tour to the US for the second consecutive year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Germany had planned two internationals against the World Cup holders in June. “There were simply too many issues outstanding and we couldn’t ensure that we would actually be able to fly in June,” Germany team manager Maika Fischer told reporters. In 2020, a similar trip to the US was also cancelled because of the pandemic. “We had really supported the idea and have been met with a lot of understanding from the USA side,” said Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. “We have postponed the trip again because it is not the right time for it.” Germany, World Cup winners in 2003 and 2007, host two matches next month, against Australia on April 10 and Norway three days later. from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3sHu6e0

Moriyasu hails Japan’s ruthless streak after record rout Chiba (Japan) (AFP) – Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu hailed his team’s ruthless streak after thrashing Mongolia 14-0 on Tuesday for their biggest-ever World Cup qualifying win. Japan, who are looking to reach their seventh World Cup in a row at Qatar in 2022, scored five first-half goals to take complete control of the game against the hapless Mongolians. But the Blue Samurai refused to take their foot off the gas, notching another nine after the break to set a new qualifying record and finish just one goal short of their all-time biggest win. “You could see from the score that the two teams were at a different level, but it wasn’t about our opponents — it was about how to keep our concentration going into the match,” said Moriyasu, whose team has won all five of its qualifiers so far, scoring 26 goals and conceding none. “We prepared well and we kept pushing ourselves and never let up,” he added. Japan had not played a World Cup qualifier since November 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic. But they showed no signs of rustiness as Southampton forward Takumi Minamino gave them the lead in the 13th minute, before goals from Yuya Osako, Daichi Kamada, Hidemasa Morita and a Mongolian own goal put Japan five ahead at half-time. Osako made it six 10 minutes after the restart, before substitute Sho Inagaki scored on his debut. Two goals from Junya Ito and one from Kyogo Furuhashi then sent Japan into double figures. Furuhashi scored again to break Japan’s previous biggest score in World Cup qualifying, before a late flurry of goals — including Osako’s third of the evening — put an emphatic full stop on the victory. “It’s good that lots of different players scored and that the players who should score, such as Osako, did score,” said Japan captain Maya Yoshida. “That was the biggest thing to take from tonight. We kept going to the end without letting up, and we scored quite a few in the dying minutes.” The game was played behind closed doors in Japan despite Mongolia being the home team, due to virus restrictions.

Chiba (Japan) (AFP) – Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu hailed his team’s ruthless streak after thrashing Mongolia 14-0 on Tuesday for their biggest-ever World Cup qualifying win. Japan, who are looking to reach their seventh World Cup in a row at Qatar in 2022, scored five first-half goals to take complete control of the game against the hapless Mongolians. But the Blue Samurai refused to take their foot off the gas, notching another nine after the break to set a new qualifying record and finish just one goal short of their all-time biggest win. “You could see from the score that the two teams were at a different level, but it wasn’t about our opponents — it was about how to keep our concentration going into the match,” said Moriyasu, whose team has won all five of its qualifiers so far, scoring 26 goals and conceding none. “We prepared well and we kept pushing ourselves and never let up,” he added. Japan had not played a World Cup qualifier since November 2019 because of the corona...

Germany rest Neuer, Gundogan set to take over captaincy Berlin (AFP) – Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will sit out Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia with Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan set to take over as captain. “Manuel Neuer will stay with the team even though he’s not playing. Ilkay Gundogan will be captain if he starts,” Germany head coach Joachim Loew said Tuesday. Germany have won their Group J qualifiers against Iceland and Romania with Loew targeting a hat-trick of wins in Duisburg. With Neuer rested, Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen will make his first Germany appearance since November 2019. Having named unchanged starting sides for the win over Iceland and Sunday’s 1-0 victory in Bucharest, Loew is looking at his options. Chelsea striker Timo Werner may start after two appearances off the bench while Moenchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus is pushing for a place in the starting side. North Macedonia lost 3-2 to Romania in their opening qualifier before thumping minnows Liechtenstein 5-0 on Saturday at home in Skopje. While Loew insists the Germans are not taking their opponents lighty, he wants to keep the visitors goalless as Germany seek three straight clean sheets for the first time in four years. Leverkusen teen Florian Wirtz, 17, could make his debut after two games on the bench. Loew admits Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia are “not the calibre” of teams Germany will face at the Euro 2020 finals. He knows the ‘Mannschaft’ have “not yet been challenged”, three months before the start of the European championship where they will meet world champions France and holders Portugal. Before their opening game at the Euro against France on June 15, Germany plan to face Denmark on June 2 and Latvia five days later in warm-up matches.

Berlin (AFP) – Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will sit out Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia with Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan set to take over as captain. “Manuel Neuer will stay with the team even though he’s not playing. Ilkay Gundogan will be captain if he starts,” Germany head coach Joachim Loew said Tuesday. Germany have won their Group J qualifiers against Iceland and Romania with Loew targeting a hat-trick of wins in Duisburg. With Neuer rested, Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen will make his first Germany appearance since November 2019. Having named unchanged starting sides for the win over Iceland and Sunday’s 1-0 victory in Bucharest, Loew is looking at his options. Chelsea striker Timo Werner may start after two appearances off the bench while Moenchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus is pushing for a place in the starting side. North Macedonia lost 3-2 to Romania in their opening qualifier before thumping minnows Liechtenstein 5...

UEFA set to approve new Champions League format at April meeting Lausanne (AFP) – An official announcement on planned radical changes to the format of the UEFA Champions League from 2024 onwards is set to be made on April 19, European football’s governing body said on Tuesday. Last week European Leagues, a body representing the interests of clubs and leagues in 30 countries across the continent, said UEFA would make a decision on the expected changes at a meeting this Wednesday. UEFA confirmed it will discuss plans at this week’s meeting of its executive committee but will wait for the next one before finalising the changes. “The future of club competitions post-2024 will be one of the topics discussed,” UEFA said in a statement. “However, any official decision in this respect will only be made at the next UEFA executive committee meeting on April 19, in order to finalise ongoing discussions.” The April 19 meeting is also set to see UEFA confirm how it will organise the delayed Euro 2020, which is due to go ahead in 12 cities spread across the continent but could be modified depending on what venues allow spectators to attend games during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the Champions League changes — which are expected to be radical — will dominate discussions. The changes are expected to increase the number of clubs involved in the group stage from the current 32 to 36. The existing group-stage format, consisting of eight groups of four teams, will be completely shaken up. In its place, UEFA is expected to introduce a single pool and a format known as the ‘Swiss system’, which will see teams playing 10 games instead of the current six. No team will face anyone else more than once in a system more commonly used in chess. The teams finishing in the top eight positions of the single pool will advance to the last 16, with the bottom 12 eliminated. Meanwhile, the sides finishing between ninth and 24th place will go on to play two-legged play-off ties to decide the final eight slots in the knockout phase. The knock-out stages will then proceed in the same manner as now, but the changes will mean a large increase in the number of matches played, with a team reaching the final playing a minimum of 17 matches compared to 13 in the present format. The consequences are a huge increase in the overall number of games played, from 125 to 225, with the total number of group-stage matches jumping from 96 to 180.

Lausanne (AFP) – An official announcement on planned radical changes to the format of the UEFA Champions League from 2024 onwards is set to be made on April 19, European football’s governing body said on Tuesday. Last week European Leagues, a body representing the interests of clubs and leagues in 30 countries across the continent, said UEFA would make a decision on the expected changes at a meeting this Wednesday. UEFA confirmed it will discuss plans at this week’s meeting of its executive committee but will wait for the next one before finalising the changes. “The future of club competitions post-2024 will be one of the topics discussed,” UEFA said in a statement. “However, any official decision in this respect will only be made at the next UEFA executive committee meeting on April 19, in order to finalise ongoing discussions.” The April 19 meeting is also set to see UEFA confirm how it will organise the delayed Euro 2020, which is due to go ahead in 12 cities spread across the...

Ronaldo’s castaway armband to be auctioned to help suffering baby Belgrade (AFP) – The captain’s armband that Cristiano Ronaldo flung to the ground in disgust after Portugal were controversially denied a late winner at the weekend in the World Cup qualifier against Serbia was put on auction on Tuesday in a bid to help a sick child. With the scores level at 2-2 in Belgrade, Ronaldo thought he had scored the crucial goal in stoppage time when the ball appeared to cross the goalline before Stefan Mitrovic cleared. But without technology in use, the goal was not awarded. A fuming Ronaldo was booked for his protests and at the final whistle, as he stormed from the pitch, he threw his captain’s armband to the ground. One of the stewards at the stadium picked it up and immediately contacted a regional sports channel with the idea of auctioning it for charity. The man, who requested anonymity, told AFP he suggested raising funds required to treat a six-month-old baby, Gavrilo Djurdjevic, who is suffering from a rare disease. “He (Ronaldo) threw the armband three metres away from me, and the idea immediately occured to me that this (sale) could be a good opportunity,” the man told AFP by phone. “I realised we had some attention and could do something nice for Gavrilo”, he added. After the sports channel Sportklub verified the item’s authenticity by checking post-match photos and videos, they teamed up with a charity organisation and put Ronaldo’s armband up for a bidding contest on auctioning website Limundo.com. “I hope we will be able to reach Ronaldo himself… so we could help Gavrilo as much as we can,” Branislav Jocic, social media manager of Sportklub told AFP. The infant is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which affects about one in 10,000 births, and results in death or the need for permanent ventilation by the age of two in 90 percent of cases. His hope is pinned on a one-time gene treatment Zolgensma, also known as the “world’s most expensive drug”, which would cost more than two million euros ($2.35 million). Fundraising campaigns to help children suffering from SMA have recently taken the poor Balkan country by storm, raising the required amounts for five babies last year alone. Only hours after being put on auction, early Tuesday afternoon, the armband had reached the price of 360,000 dinars (around 3,000 euros) — donations can also be made direct to the charity.

Belgrade (AFP) – The captain’s armband that Cristiano Ronaldo flung to the ground in disgust after Portugal were controversially denied a late winner at the weekend in the World Cup qualifier against Serbia was put on auction on Tuesday in a bid to help a sick child. With the scores level at 2-2 in Belgrade, Ronaldo thought he had scored the crucial goal in stoppage time when the ball appeared to cross the goalline before Stefan Mitrovic cleared. But without technology in use, the goal was not awarded. A fuming Ronaldo was booked for his protests and at the final whistle, as he stormed from the pitch, he threw his captain’s armband to the ground. One of the stewards at the stadium picked it up and immediately contacted a regional sports channel with the idea of auctioning it for charity. The man, who requested anonymity, told AFP he suggested raising funds required to treat a six-month-old baby, Gavrilo Djurdjevic, who is suffering from a rare disease. “He (Ronaldo) threw t...