MUNICH: New Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged Saturday he faces a challenging start to his new job after his surprise hiring Friday to replace Julian Nagelsmann.
Tuchel goes straight into crucial games, starting with German title rival — and Tuchel’s former club — Borussia Dortmund on April 1.
“The challenge can’t be any greater,” Tuchel said.
Ten days later, Bayern play Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
There will be little time to rest or practice new tactics, with many Bayern players currently away with their national teams and then seven games in the first 22 days of April.
“I was relatively naive in the first conversation (with Bayern). In the first 30 seconds I didn’t know what we were discussing or what it was about,” Tuchel said.
Once it became clear Bayern wanted him to take charge immediately, “it occurred to me that it actually begins right away with Dortmund with an international break beforehand.”
Bayern against Dortmund is “the” game in German soccer, he added.
Tuchel said the move came as a surprise and that as recently as Tuesday he had no contact with Bayern. He imagined his next job would be outside of Germany, he added, but that he had been following Bayern’s season with interest.
Tuchel hasn’t worked in Germany since 2017. When he left, the only major trophy he’d won was the German Cup with Dortmund. He returns having won two French titles at Paris Saint-Germain and the Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea.
Bayern can still win three titles this season — the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League.
Consistency is a concern after Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn highlighted that as a reason for getting rid of Nagelsmann.
Bayern are likely to be looking for Tuchel to get the best out of players like Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry, whose form has dropped off this season, and Sadio Mané, who has rarely been at his best in an injury-disrupted season since joining from Liverpool.
Sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić said the club backed Nagelsmann as concerns grew over the team’s performance but decided on a change at a meeting Monday, a day after a loss to Bayer Leverkusen cost Bayern the Bundesliga lead.
“When you see that this curve of performance is going down, you’re forced to react,” he said, asked if Bayern had reacted to the possibility Tuchel might take a job elsewhere. “Fortunately, there was a top option on the market and it happened quickly.”
Tuchel ready for tough start at Bayern after surprise move
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Tuchel ready for tough start at Bayern after surprise move
- Tuchel goes straight into crucial games, starting with German title rival — and Tuchel’s former club — Borussia Dortmund on April 1
- Ten days later, Bayern play Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Champions League
Spanish govt to ‘oversee’ scandal-hit football federation
- The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities“
- Former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission
MADRID: The Spanish government decided Thursday to create a commission to “oversee” the country’s scandal-hit football federation (RFEF) and try to pull it out of crisis.
“The Spanish government adopted this decision to redress the serious situation of the RFEF so that the organization could enter a stage of renewal in a stable climate,” the National Sports Council (CSD), an agency dependent on the Ministry of Sports, announced.
Spain are set to host the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal and Morocco, but in recent months the RFEF has lurched from one embarrassment to another.
The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities” which will “oversee the RFEF during the coming months in response to the federation’s crisis and in defense of Spain’s general interests.”
According to the Spanish press, former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission.
However, world and European football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA issued a statement expressing “great concern” at the situation around the RFEF.
“FIFA and UEFA will seek additional information to assess the extent to which the CSD’s appointment (of the committee)... may affect the RFEF’s obligation to manage its affairs independently and without undue government interference,” they said.
FIFA suspended Zimbabwe and Kenya’s memberships over government interference in 2022, subsequently lifting the bans.
Former RFEF president Luis Rubiales resigned in disgrace last September after his forcible kiss on the lips of Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso and is now being investigated in a separate corruption probe.
The only candidate to replace Rubiales, Pedro Rocha, is also being investigated, while a report from the country’s leading sports court said the RFEF had taken decisions “beyond its remit.”
One such decision was the renewal of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s contract in February.
It was the sport court’s report that led to Thursday’s CSD decision to oversee the federation.
Elections for the RFEF presidency are currently scheduled for May 6.
The Secretary of State for Sport and CSD president, Jose Manuel Uribes, on Thursday urged the RFEF “to limit its functions to the mere ordinary administration of the entity, as required by law.”
The CSD will meet again next Tuesday to analyze the situation and make a ruling, if necessary, on the corruption case opened by the sports court against Rocha, who took over from Rubiales on an interim basis.
In a year when the RFEF will be responsible for Spain’s teams at the European Championship and the Olympic Games, the Spanish government is aiming “to restore the reputation, the good name and the image of Spanish football and complete the electoral process with a renewed assembly for the 2024-2028 period,” said Uribes in the CSD statement.
“We have to look after what we have in the future, the immediate future, which is the planning of the World Cup,” Uribes said in an appearance at Spain’s Congress of Deputies.
He pledged that the government will do everything to sort out the “unacceptable situation” at the RFEF.
Uribes also said he was “in constant communication with FIFA” regarding the RFEF.
“The CSD is going to guarantee that Spanish football maintains its excellence at the sporting level and also stands out as exemplary at the institutional level,” Uribes insisted on Thursday.
Steven Gerrard discusses football, family, future aspirations
- Young boss advises aspiring players to ‘dream big and work hard every single day’
- Former Liverpool legend holds Zinedine Zidane in high regard, labels him as his hero and ‘best midfielder in the world’
RIYADH: Roshn Saudi League side Al-Ettifaq’s manager Steven Gerrard has called on young players dreaming of a football career to “dream big, picture a dream and then work as hard as you can every day to improve.”
The ex-Liverpool legend, in an exclusive interview with the RSL, advised young footballers to “listen to the right people and every day be extremely motivated and dedicated to reach your dream.”
Gerrard, 43, shared his views on Thursday on various aspects of his life and career, giving his opinions on alternative careers, advice for young players, family life, and his views on leadership.
Opening up about other potential career paths outside football management, the former Liverpool captain said: “I’m very much into sport so I would have tried to have stayed in some sport in some capacity and tried to get a job related to football, or maybe related to a different sport. Growing up, all I wanted to do was watch sport on TV, do sport at school, so I’m very sport orientated.
“I think football is about dreams and memories and experiences, so my advice to (youngsters) is set a dream, set a target and then every single day maximize the opportunities to get better, to learn and to grow and to improve your skills, and reach for the stars.”
Gerrard also spoke about his family life, and said: “When I am not at work or at football, I am very much family orientated.
“I have three daughters and one son, so I am always taking them to different places; always playing football in the garden with my son or taking him to football.
“I am probably a taxi or an Uber driver a lot of the time, taking them to school and picking them up from school. I also help with doing homework and if I get a small bit of time to myself, I like to spend it with my friends.”
Having spent his life in football, Gerrard has had the perfect opportunity to see the top world stars firsthand, and he recalls his favorite three players with ease.
He said: “I would pick Zinedine Zidane (as top player) because he was my hero growing up. In my generation, he was the best midfielder in the world, so I’d pick Zidane and also the two others in my generation were Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. They would be the three I’d pick.”
And how would Gerrard himself like to be remembered? He said: “I want to be remembered as someone who gave everything in terms of 100 percent every single day.
“I was loyal, I was a fighter. I wanted to give all my energy and my efforts for the team that I represented and I was a team player, so I want to be remembered for those values.”
Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq currently sit in seventh place in the RSL and face Al-Raed in their next fixture on April 27.
Aramco, FIFA announce global partnership
- Company becomes major worldwide partner in energy category
- Deal includes sponsorship rights across events including FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027
RIYADH: Aramco on Thursday signed a four-year global partnership with football’s governing body, FIFA, becoming a major worldwide partner in the energy category.
One of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, Aramco will receive sponsorship rights for multiple events including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, according to the agreement, which runs until the end of 2027.
The deal also builds on a shared commitment to innovation and development, and will combine football’s global reach with Aramco’s history of championing innovation and community engagement.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the body is “delighted” to welcome Aramco to its family of global partners.
“The partnership will assist FIFA to deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years and, as is the case with all our commercial agreements, enabling us to provide enhanced support to our 211 FIFA member associations across the globe,” he added.
Aramco has a strong record of supporting world-class events, but also developing grassroots sports initiatives, according to Infantino, who added that FIFA looks forward to collaborating with Aramco on a variety of schemes over the coming years.
“Through this partnership with FIFA, we aim to contribute to football development and harness the power of sport to make an impact around the globe,” said Amin Nasser, Aramco’s president and CEO.
The partnership reflects Aramco’s ambition to enable vibrant communities and extends the company’s backing of sport as a platform for growth, he added.
Through the partnership, Aramco and FIFA will leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world.
Aramco will also work with FIFA to drive innovation, identifying opportunities to deploy its expertise and technologies in the delivery of football events globally.
President, fan support key in decision to stay: Barca coach Xavi
- This week, after a meeting with president Joan Laporta and the board, Xavi pulled off a dramatic U-turn and decided to stay
- “It was a not a simple decision, in January I said (I would leave) because I thought it was best for the club,” Xavi told a news conference
BARCELONA: Xavi Hernandez said Thursday he has decided to stay on as Barcelona coach for a “cocktail of reasons,” including support from key figures at the club and supporters.
In January, with Barcelona on a miserable run of form, Xavi said he would walk away from his post in the summer despite having a year left on his contract.
However, this week, after a meeting with president Joan Laporta and the board, Xavi pulled off a dramatic U-turn and decided to stay, despite the club poised to end the season trophyless.
Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain last week and lost against Real Madrid in the Clasico, trailing their rivals by 11 points in La Liga.
“It was a not a simple decision, in January I said (I would leave) because I thought it was best for the club,” Xavi told a news conference.
“I am full of hope, these three months have made me change, the players believe in it, and wise people are willing to rectify, here I am.
“It’s not about ego, or money, I have energy, I see the fans are happy and proud — it’s a cocktail of reasons, above all the confidence of the president and (sporting director) Deco.”
Xavi said although the team he took to La Liga glory last season have failed to achieve their objectives, they have now proved they can equal Europe’s best sides.
“Above all I said yesterday to Deco, the president... that the team has improved a lot,” explained Xavi.
“Two years ago we went to Bayern (Munich) and I had the feeling that we weren’t up to it. Now I think we’re in shape to compete with the biggest teams in Europe.
“I have the feeling that this year (the Champions League) escaped us by just a couple of small things, we will try again, I’m excited to — now it’s in our hands.”
Xavi said reports he was only staying because of money were designed to “hurt” him.
In January he claimed coaching Barcelona was “unpleasant” and “cruel,” and Xavi said he did not expect that to change.
“Coaching here is very hard, but I see myself with the energy to keep leading the project,” he added.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said he was glad Xavi was staying and that it was good for the stability of the club.
“It’s great news that Xavi is staying,” said Laporta.
“The team we have, that is (still) consolidating, with very young players, needs that stability.
“Xavi is a reference for young players and we can see that — today I’m especially pleased, and the board have unanimously supported this decision.”
Atalanta beat 10-man Fiorentina 4-1 to reach Italian Cup final vs. Juventus
- The decisive goal by Ademola Lookman in stoppage time was initially ruled offside. Then the goal was awarded following a VAR review
- The final is scheduled for May 15 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome
BERGAMO, Italy: Atalanta advanced to the Italian Cup final with a 4-1 win over 10-man Fiorentina on Wednesday to set up a meeting with Juventus for the trophy.
The decisive goal by Ademola Lookman in stoppage time was initially ruled offside. Then the goal was awarded following a VAR review.
Teun Koopmeiners, Gianluca Scamacca and Mario Pasalic also scored for Atalanta, while Lucas Martinez Quarta scored for Fiorentina, whO had Nikola Milenkovic sent off early in the second half for a foul on Scamacca.
Atalanta advanced on 4-2 aggregate after Fiorentina won the opening leg 1-0.
Juventus eliminated Lazio on Tuesday.
The final is scheduled for May 15 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Atalanta also face Marseille in the Europa League semifinals as coach Gian Piero Gasperini — who was suspended Wednesday — chases the first trophy of his career. Atalanta eliminated Liverpool in the quarterfinals.
Atalanta’s only top-level trophy was the Italian Cup in 1963.
The aggregate was level at 2-2 when Lookman was whistled for offside after finishing off a counterattack. The crowd at the Gewiss Stadium went wild when the referee pointed to the center circle to award the goal after a video review.
Then Pasalic sealed it for Atalanta.
Earlier, Scamacca scored with an acrobatic overhead goal.
Fiorentina face Club Brugge in the Europa Conference League semifinals.
