Agence France-Presse

33m ago

SERGIO PEREZ / Reuters

Berlin – Hakan Calhanoglu says his father will never again be involved in his career as the Turkey international and Bayer Leverkusen star begins his four-month ban for breach of contract.

The 22-year-old, Leverkusen’s joint top-scorer with six league goals, is effectively banned for all bar the last few weeks of the season after Thursday’s decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Leverkusen, ninth in Germany’s top flight, will be without its goal-scoring winger for the season’s key phase – starting with Friday’s German league match at Hamburg.

The club faces Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League in three weeks time and must finish in the top four to qualify for Europe’s top competition.

On Thursday, CAS, which is based in Lausanne, upheld a previous ruling by FIFA from Jan. 2016 which found Calhanoglu guilty of breach of contract.

In 2011, while still a teenager, the German-born forward signed a preliminary contract with Turkish side Trabzonspor, even though he had just signed an extension deal with Karlsruher.

As well as the suspension Calhanoglu was ordered to pay Trabzonspor €100,000 in compensation.

In its ruling, CAS rejected the player’s appeal against both the ban, which was suspended pending the outcome of the appeal, and the fine.

In an interview with Cologne newspaper Express, Calhanoglu explained the background.

“In our culture, the father has the say. I was 17 years old and not aware of the scope (of his actions),” he told the newspaper having stayed at home for the verdict from Switzerland.

“I heard by accident from a friend that my father had met a representative from Trabzonspor at a restaurant in Darmstadt.

“My father came home and said ‘Hakan, you must sign the contract’.

“He knows that he made a bad mistake and it makes him sad.

“He is my father and remains my father, but he will never be involved in my career again.”

After a two-year spell with Karlsruher, the attacking midfielder moved to topflight Bundesliga side Hamburg for a season before joining Leverkusen in 2014.

With Calhanoglu now unavailable, Leverkusen need star striker Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez fit again after suffering a groin injury.

New signing Leon Bailey, 19, has yet to make his debut after signing from Belgium’s Genk for €12 million on Tuesday.

Real Madrid’s training ground featured a number of familiar faces Thursday, as Marcelo and Luka Modric returned to practice.

The pair took part in regular training with their Real teammates for the first time since suffering knocks during a victory over Malaga on Jan. 21.

Modric has been dealing with a right abductor strain, as Marcelo works his way back from a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Gareth Bale and Dani Carvajal managed to boost their recovery efforts by taking part in a reduced session for the first time since going down with hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively.

The positive news comes two days after Pepe and James Rodriguez returned to training after calf knocks sidelined the two.

Real will look to maintain its four-point edge over Barcelona and Sevilla when Zinedine Zidane’s men take on Celta Vigo.

Hakan Calhanoglu’s season is over after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a four-month ban issued by FIFA regarding his dispute with Turkish club Trabzonspor FC.

The Bayer Leverkusen player has also been ordered to pay €100,000 to Trabzonspor as part of his punishment for allegedly terminating his contract with the Turkish club “without just cause” in 2011 when he was a member of Karlsruhe SC.

At the time of the infringement, the 22-year-old had reached an agreement to join Trabzonspor from Karlsruhe SC. Instead, Calhanoglu decided against the transfer in favour of signing a new contract with Karlsruhe and went on to join Bundesliga outfit Hamburg in 2013.

Trabzonspor filed a complaint with FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (FIFA DRC) in 2013. The arbitration and dispute deciding body sided with the Turkish team and issued a decision in Jan. 2016 to ban Calhanoglu.

Two months later, Calhanoglu, who joined Leverkusen in 2014, and Trabzonspor filed appeals, with the player asking to postpone the ban, while the team sought a payment of €100,000 – the amount issued to the winger when he agreed to join. Although Trabzonspor’s appeal was only partially upheld – with the exception of the team’s request to be compensated €1 million – Calhanoglu’s appeal was dismissed.

A statement from Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller read: “Of course, we regret this decision which is completely incomprehensible for us.

“It’s a heavy blow for Hakan but also for us. We’re also being heavily punished although Bayer 04 Leverkusen had nothing to do with the events in 2011. We are now missing a very important player in a crucial phase of the season.”

Calhanoglu has been a staple in the starting XI – starting 14 of 18 Bundesliga matches – at Leverkusen

The team’s attempt to finish in a Champions League spot in the table for a fifth consecutive season could now be in jeopardy, with Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade bemoaning the negative impact that the ruling will have on his team.

“In addition to the player, it also affects the club that played absolutely no part in the events of the time. Unfortunately we are left with no alternative but to accept the decision,” Schade said.

The ban will also force Calhanoglu to miss Turkey’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Finland on March 24.

Agence France-Presse

1h ago

John Sibley / Reuters

Yaya Toure capped his return to the Manchester City fold as he and new signing Gabriel Jesus were included in its squad for the Champions League knockout stages.

Toure was left out of City’s 25-man list for the group stages, sparking a row between boss Pep Guardiola and the Ivory Coast midfielder’s agent that led to him being frozen out of the side.

But since that dispute was resolved in November, Toure has reclaimed a place in the team and has been in fine form, with his latest dominant display coming in City’s 4-0 win at West Ham on Wednesday.

Toure’s inclusion in the Champions League squad comes as no surprise, with fellow midfielder Ilkay Gundogan likely to miss the rest of the season through injury.

Recent signing Jesus, who scored his first league goal since his move from Palmeiras in the West Ham win, comes into the European squad in place of Kelechi Iheanacho.

“I’m very happy for the goal, very happy for the performance and especially for the win,” Jesus told City TV.

“This is the spirit I think we have to have and if we keep that spirit we will be able to achieve our goals.

“The reception from the club has been great, my team-mates are helping a lot and the process of adaptation is going great.

“I honestly thought it would be more difficult but thanks to my family, my friends and my team-mates it’s going really well.”

Having now been registered at the club for two years, Iheanacho can be removed from the main squad quota but remain eligible as a player named on the “B” list.

City faces Monaco in the Champions League last 16 as it aims to win the competition for the first time.