For better or for worse, football has entered the era of the Video Assisted Referee (VAR) and for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, the introduction of this new refereeing technology has him wondering what could have been.
Wenger is a man who has never shied away from looking back at his and his club’s past mistakes. And when asked by Arsenal Player to name a few failures VAR would have prevented, Wenger highlighted a few moments in Arsenal’s history that could have gone differently if video replay was implemented at the time.
“I would choose Barcelona’s equaliser (by Samuel Eto’o) in the 2006 Champions League final because it was offside, and we were 1-0 up with 30 minutes to go. That’s the trophy I miss here, you know, so that is for me the most important one.
“The second one I would choose is the second yellow card for Robin Van Persie at Barcelona in 2011, because this was the moment we were qualified against a very strong team, and it was a very difficult decision to accept – it basically killed our chances.
“After that maybe I go to a more recent decision – against Bayern Munich when Laurent Koscielny was sent off for a penalty when (Robert) Lewandowski was offside. That just comes to my mind now but maybe I forget many, many, many, many more.”
RB Leipzig and FC Salzburg, which are both owned by the energy drinks company Red Bull, have received clearance from UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) to play in next season’s Champions League.
In a brief statement released Tuesday on the governing body’s website, UEFA said the two teams made “important” structural changes to ensure that Red Bull does not have “decisive” control or influence over more than one club.
No two clubs in a UEFA competition can share the same majority owner or have one individual holding a position of influence.
“Following a thorough investigation, and further to several important governance and structural changes made by the clubs (regarding corporate matters, financing, personnel, sponsorship arrangements, etc.), the CFCB deemed that no individual or legal entity had anymore a decisive influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition,” the statement read.
The Bundesliga’s 50-plus-1 rule – which requires members of German clubs to have a controlling stake and majority vote in affairs – may have set Leipzig apart from sister club Salzburg.
But Red Bull has also distanced itself from Salzburg, according to Reuters, as it has relinquished a majority stake in favour of a sponsorship.
Had UEFA ruled that only one Red Bull-associated outfit could feature in the Champions League, Austrian champion Salzburg would have qualified ahead of Bundesliga runner-up Leipzig because it finished higher in its league.
In fact, Leipzig would have disqualified for Europe altogether because of the possibility of Salzburg falling into the second-tier Europa League.
The two sides could now theoretically face each other in the group stage of the continent’s premier tournament, raising questions about a potential conflict of interest. Both play in stadiums named Red Bull Arena and wear shirts with the company’s famous logo.
Salzburg will enter the second round of qualifying in July, while Leipzig will begin action in the Champions League proper.
Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool’s not prepared to sell off its greatest assets, and therefore spurned a reported approach from Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho.
The Catalonian giant’s impending bid for Coutinho was one of football’s worst-kept secrets over the previous 24 hours, and the Reds were apparently unmoved when it arrived, although the Guardian’s Andy Hunter reports the offer was worth €80 million (£72 million).
“Yes, that’s what we can say,” Klopp replied Friday when asked if Coutinho wasn’t for sale. “But that’s not since this morning or yesterday, I’m not sure if it was different at any time. So, yes.
“I’m not surprised that any club is interested in players, if it is like this. A few people obviously see that Liverpool has a few good players. That’s how it is.
“But a very important message, maybe – we are not a selling club.”
Coutinho, 25, features highly on a list of players to potentially succeed 33-year-old midfield wizard Andres Iniesta at Barcelona. The Brazilian’s adeptness at slotting into a deeper position in the lineup was evident in one of his standout performances of last term: May’s 4-0 win at West Ham United.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Some personalities behind the scenes at the Camp Nou could be egging on the club brass to table lucrative offers for Coutinho. The Rio de Janeiro native regularly partners friend Neymar in Brazil’s attack, and also counts Luis Suarez – with whom he played with at Liverpool for two seasons before the Uruguayan moved to the Mediterranean coast – as a close ally.
But Klopp isn’t keen on having one of his standout ranks pilfered before Liverpool ends a two-year exile from Champions League football, and tries to establish itself as a force in the domestic title race.
“We believe in working together, we believe in development together,” the German manager continued. “We believe in using the basis. We want to work together, we want to make the next step together and for this we need to stay together. That’s how it is.”
Referring to the 10 matches Coutinho missed last season due to injury, Klopp added: “Phil is a very, very important player but we need to react better when he’s not on the pitch, that’s how it is.”
The former Borussia Dortmund boss was addressing the media in Hong Kong before taking on Leicester City on Saturday. Liverpool won the first match of its East Asian programme 2-0 against Crystal Palace, with goals coming from new boy Dominic Solanke and Divock Origi.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu attempted to swat away rumours that Neymar will leave to become top dog at Paris Saint-Germain, allegedly telling BBC Sport that he’s going nowhere.
Bartomeu’s insistence followed reports that PSG had met the Brazilian’s €222-million release clause at the Camp Nou, which could incredibly be a cut-price fee. The amount that clubs will have to stump up to pry Neymar from Barca is set to rise with each of year of his contract that expires in 2021.
Bartomeu’s warning to PSG backed the words of his colleague at Barcelona, vice-president Jordi Mestre, who insisted Neymar is “200 percent” staying with the Blaugrana on Tuesday.
Although a transfer for such an exorbitant amount – comfortably over double the cost of the world’s most expensive player, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba – would seem unlikely to materialise, there are several aspects that make it feasible.
PSG is desperate to re-establish itself as France’s great force after Monaco took its Ligue 1 crown and reached the semi-final of the Champions League last campaign. Backed by Qatari owners, no player is beyond Les Parisiens’ financial means, as evidenced by the acquisitions of Javier Pastore, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, David Luiz, Angel Di Maria, and Julian Draxler in each of the past six seasons. This term has yet to see its expensive marquee purchase.
Then there’s Neymar’s status in Catalonia. He could’ve been unsettled by the Spanish investigation related to financial irregularities surrounding his 2013 transfer from Santos, but there are also on-field matters. He’s blessed to be part of one of the most frightening attacking triumvirates in club history – the 25-year-old regularly partners Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez – but it’s perhaps Barca’s embarrassment of riches up top that prevents him from winning the greatest individual prizes.
“You can’t be FIFA World Player of the Year if you’re not even the outstanding player in your own team,” South American football expert Tim Vickery told BBC Sport.
“I think it’s absolutely no coincidence that this speculation has emerged shortly after the news that Messi has signed a new contract with Barcelona.”
Neymar himself was quoted Tuesday declaring he’s content at Barca and claiming that last season – when he scored his lowest amount of league goals (13) since the 2013-14 term – was his most fruitful.
“The last one was my best season in Barcelona. I am very adapted to the city, the club and I am happy here. That is reflected on the performance of an athlete,” Neymar told Goal in response to a question initially sent to him the previous week.
“It was the season where I felt more comfortable, even though we did not win the titles we would have wanted. We played great games and lived incredible moments. Now, we need to work for the 2017-18 season so it will be even more positive individually and as a group.”
In a transfer window that’s closely followed the futures of Antoine Griezmann, Alexis Sanchez, and many other huge names, it’s the potential next step of Neymar’s career that appears likely to dominate the back pages for some time yet.
