Barcelona beat Bilbao amid more refereeing controversy

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Barcelona's Raphinha, second right, scores his side's opening goal during the Spanish La Liga football match between Athletica Bilbao and Barcelona in Bilbao, Spain, on March 12, 2023. (AP Photo)
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Updated 13 March 2023
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Barcelona beat Bilbao amid more refereeing controversy

  • Madrid had moved to six points off the lead with a 3-1 win at Espanyol at home on Saturday
  • Archrivals Barcelona and Madrid play the final league “clasico” next week at Camp Nou stadium

MADRID: Still mired in controversy over its payments to the company of a former refereeing committee official, Barcelona restored its lead over Real Madrid to nine points in the Spanish league on Sunday after a late VAR decision went its way.
Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 after video review disallowed an 87th-minute goal by Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams for a handball in the buildup. VAR also was used to confirm Barcelona’s winning goal by Raphinha after it was initially disallowed for offside.
“I thought they were looking at offsides, but then I saw it on the video board, and I think it was a handball,” Barcelona coach Xavi said.
Williams laughed at the decision on Twitter after the game.
“We are upset,” Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde said. “Nobody on the field had seen anything, not even the referee or the fourth official or the other assistants.”
The review of Williams’ goal took nearly three minutes. When the decision was announced, it drew loud jeers from the home fans at San Mamés Stadium.
Madrid had moved to six points off the lead with a 3-1 win at Espanyol at home on Saturday. Barcelona and Madrid play the final league “clasico” next week at Camp Nou stadium.
The controversy came hours after Madrid had announced it would side against Barcelona in the legal proceedings that the rival is facing over its payments of millions of euros over several years to a company that belonged to the former vice president of Spain’s soccer refereeing committee.
Prosecutors on Friday formally accused Barcelona of alleged corruption in sports, fraudulent management and falsification of mercantile documentation. An investigating judge will decide whether the accusations should lead to charges. The Catalan club has denied wrongdoing.
Xavi said the team has not been talking about what may happen because of the legal proceedings.
“We are focused on playing soccer,” he said. “People are reaching conclusions ahead of time. It’s sad.”
Raphinha scored the winner in first-half stoppage time with a shot from inside the area after a superb pass by Sergio Busquets. The lineman raised his flag but video review determined the Brazil forward was in a legal position.
There didn’t immediately appear to be anything wrong with the goal by Williams, but the referee was asked to look at Iker Muniain’s touch of the ball with his arm earlier in the buildup, and it was deemed to have been enough to disallow the goal.
Bilbao, which stayed in ninth place, hit the woodwork a couple of times and was also stopped by great saves from Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
Bilbao has not won any of its last seven games against Barcelona in the league, with one draw and six losses since a 1-0 victory in 2009. The Basque Country club has not scored in its last three games against the Catalan club in the competition.
Robert Lewandowski returned for Barcelona after the striker missed a couple of matches because of an injury.
Frustrating draw
Real Betis and Villarreal dropped points in their bid for Champions League places after a 1-1 draw.
Borja Iglesias opened the scoring for Betis in the 38th minute and the hosts equalized through Yéremy Pino in the 55th.
The result kept Betis in fifth place, three points behind Real Sociedad in the final qualification spot for the Champions League. Villarreal stayed sixth, four points behind Betis.
It was the second league draw in a row for Betis after three straight victories. Villarreal had won two consecutive games in the league.
Third-place Atletico Madrid, level on points with Sociedad, visits midtable Girona on Monday.
Sociedad winless again
Carlos Fernández scored three minutes into the match but fourth-place Sociedad couldn’t manage more than a 1-1 draw at Mallorca to see its winless streak reach five consecutive matches.
Sociedad has only one win — at Espanyol in the league in February — in its last nine matches in all competitions. It has four draws and four defeats during that run.
South Korea midfielder Lee Kang-in equalized early in the second half for 10th-place Mallorca, which is winless in three consecutive games.
Sevilla's momentum
Sevilla came from behind to beat Almeria 2-1 at home with goals from Lucas Ocampos in the first half and Erik Lamela in the second.
It was the second win in a row after three consecutive losses in all competitions for Sevilla, which moved to 13th place, two points clear of the relegation zone.
It was the fifth loss in six matches for Almeria, which opened the scoring with Sergio Akieme in the second minute.
Almeria dropped to second-to-last-place.
 


Bayer Leverkusen sign highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin

Updated 01 May 2025
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Bayer Leverkusen sign highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin

  • The 19-year-old Maza, an attacking midfielder, signed a contract through June 2030
  • “Maza is currently one of the most interesting young attacking players,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said

BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen have snapped up highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from second-division club Hertha Berlin in their first signing for next season.
The 19-year-old Maza, an attacking midfielder, signed a contract through June 2030, the 2024 Bundesliga champion said on Thursday.
Kicker magazine reported the clubs agreed on a transfer fee of around 12 million euros ($13.6 million) for the player.
It promises to be the start of a busy summer at Leverkusen with key players including Jonathan Tan set to leave, uncertainty over the future of star Florian Wirtz, and coach Xabi Alonso expected to leave amid links to former club Real Madrid.
Former Barcelona coach Xavi and Erik ten Hag, who was previously in charge of Manchester United, are reportedly candidates to succeed Alonso, who led unbeaten Leverkusen to a league and cup double last season.
The Berlin-born Maza became Hertha’s most promising youth player after joining the capital club’s junior ranks from local club Reinickendorfer Füchse in 2016.
Hertha were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2023 — Maza scored in the club’s last game in the division — and he became one of the team’s key attacking threats in the second division where the 1.8-meter right-footed player scored five goals and set up five more this season.
“Maza is currently one of the most interesting young attacking players,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said. “Ibrahim suits us and our style of football. He has outstanding technical skills, can dribble past defenders, and he has an eye for his teammates, which he knows how to use brilliantly.”
Maza played for Germany Under-18s through Under-20s before opting to represent Algeria. He turned down previous offers to leave Hertha and extended his contract with the club in August last year to 2027, but Hertha’s financial difficulties meant he was bound to leave sooner rather than later.
“As a Berliner, the greatest thing for me was to become a professional player at Hertha BSC and to be able to wear the (Hertha) flag on my chest in Olympiastadion,” Maza said in a Hertha statement. “I’m grateful now that the club are giving me the chance to take the next step at the highest level in Leverkusen.”
Hertha said they will give Maza “a fitting farewell” before he leaves. There are still three rounds of the second division remaining and Hertha have two games at home.


Fatigued Barca look to extend lead over Real ahead of Clasico

Updated 01 May 2025
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Fatigued Barca look to extend lead over Real ahead of Clasico

  • “We conceded a lot of goals at home again and it’s unacceptable,” Barca forward Raphinha said
  • Flick told reporters: “When you play every three days, it is not easy to work on certain things”

BARCELONA: After Barcelona salvaged their treble hopes in a thrilling Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, Hansi Flick’s side will turn their attention back to LaLiga where a victory would put them in a strong position before another Clasico.
The LaLiga leaders came from behind twice to earn a 3-3 draw with Inter in the first leg on Wednesday but continued to show defensive frailty.
“We conceded a lot of goals at home again and it’s unacceptable,” Barca forward Raphinha said.
Flick’s side have scored over 150 goals in all competitions this season but a hectic schedule has taken its toll on the home stretch and Barca have kept only one clean sheet in their last five games.
“Of course, every team has its strengths and weaknesses,” Flick told reporters.
“When you play every three days, it is not easy to work on certain things. But at the moment the situation is this: these are things that happen.”
Barcelona have less than 72 hours to rest before they play Real Valladolid on Saturday, an easy fixture on paper since LaLiga’s bottom side were relegated from the top flight last week.
Barca thrashed Valladolid 7-0 in August as the team with just four wins and the worst defensive record (81 goals conceded in 33 games) welcome the leaders with nothing to lose but their pride.

KOUNDE BLOW
Barcelona were dealt another injury blow after Jules Kounde went down with a calf injury against Inter and had to be replaced.
No Barca player has played more minutes in LaLiga and the Champions League this season and the Frenchman had played more than 100 successive games for club and country since November, 2023.
Victory would give Barca a seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, whose defensive problems are far worse as they prepare to play Celta Vigo a day later.
Real have nothing left to play for apart from the league title after they lost to Barca in the Copa del Rey final and were knocked out by Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Their recent form has rung alarm bells at the Bernabeu and Spanish media have reported that manager Carlo Ancelotti is on his way out of the club at the end of the season, with Brazil keen on securing his services.
Real must find a way to close the gap or risk handing Barcelona the LaLiga title when they face each other on May 11.
The Spanish giants have faced off three times this season in domestic competitions and Barcelona have come out on top each time, scoring 12 goals.
Third-placed Atletico Madrid kick off the weekend’s action at Deportivo Alaves and although challenging Barcelona for the title is next to impossible with a 10-point gap, they could reel in their city rivals.
Athletic Bilbao are safe in fourth spot for the time being as they focus on the Europa League semifinal first leg against Manchester United on Thursday before a trip to Real Sociedad on Sunday.


Qatar replaces Garcia as national coach with Lopetegui

Updated 01 May 2025
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Qatar replaces Garcia as national coach with Lopetegui

  • Former Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui signs contract until the 2027 Asian Cup
  • Lopetegui’s last two jobs were in the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham

DOHA: Qatar appointed former Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui as the national coach on Thursday.
Lopetegui, 58, has signed a contract until the 2027 Asian Cup, where Qatar will go for a third consecutive title. His first game in charge is on June 5 at home to Iran, and then in Uzbekistan five days later.
“Ready for a new chapter. Welcome Lopetegui,” the Qatar Football Association wrote on social media. “We’re excited to embark on this journey together.”
Lopetegui replaces fellow Spaniard Luis Garcia, who took the job only last December and whose departure was also announced on Thursday.
“The QFA extends its deepest appreciation to Mr. Garcia for his professionalism and dedication throughout his time with the team,” the QFA wrote on social media.
After poor results in World Cup qualifying, Qatar is fourth in Asia Group A and already out of the running to finish in the top two spots that guarantee a place at the 2026 tournament. But there is still a chance for the 2022 host to qualify for the first time through a playoff route.
Lopetegui’s last two jobs were in the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham, where he was fired in January.


Hussein Ammouta U-turn leaves Iraq still without a coach as big games loom

Updated 01 May 2025
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Hussein Ammouta U-turn leaves Iraq still without a coach as big games loom

  • 7 candidates in the running to be in charge when World Cup qualifiers resume in 5 weeks

AMSTERDAM: No coaching carousel spins faster than those in West Asia.

Since World Cup qualification began in October 2023 all 12 Arab nations in the Asian Football Confederation have changed managers.

The latest tactician to be given his marching orders was Jesus Casas who recently left the Iraq post after two years and five months at the helm.

It was widely tipped that the Iraq Football Association would bring in a big name to replace Casas and lead the team to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1986.

A leading candidate quickly emerged — Al-Jazira manager Hussein Ammouta who earned plaudits by leading Jordan to the 2023 Asian Cup final.

The Moroccan has strong links to the country’s top brass.

The IFA’s President Adnan Dirjal coached Ammouta at Al-Sadd in the late 1990s. And when Ammouta became manager of the club a decade-and-a-half later he recruited the IFA’s Vice President Younis Mahmoud to lead the line for the Qatari powerhouse.

Everything was set to unveil the 55-year-old this week, according to the Iraqi media and Twitterati. Then it was off, leaving the Lions of Mesopotamia without a manager with less than five weeks before their next World Cup qualifier.

Addressing the media in the aftermath, Mahmoud said there were seven candidates, amongst them three foreigners. He was coy about the details and played up the virtues of having an Iraqi in the role.

“We are still in negotiations and we will announce in the coming days. It could be Ammouta. I don’t know anything about what has been said, I leave these details to (president) Adnan (Dirjal) as he is a former manager and knows more than me.”

It was not supposed to be like this for Iraq. A new board at the IFA led by Dirjal had wanted to put in place a process and foster stability. They had turned to former Spain assistant Casas to overhaul the team.

In spite of his early departure, Casas has the third-longest tenure as Iraqi manager, with only Ammo Baba and Srecko Katenac lasting longer. This indicates why this football-mad nation has underachieved since lifting the 2007 AFC Asian Cup title.

Early success brought the Andalucian time. Winning the Gulf Cup on home soil and ending a 35-year drought won the fans over. A year later, when Iraq was eliminated at the hands of Jordan at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, Casas was spared criticism due to the controversial decision by referee Alireza Faghani to send off Aymen Hussein in the final quarter of the match.

The Spaniard also won plaudits due to the team’s expansive style which generated a famous win against Japan at the tournament.

Ten goals in four games at the continental showpiece papered over the fact that The Lions of Mesopotamia did not keep a single clean sheet and conceded an average of two goals a game.

That lack of control precipitated a change of thinking on the bench. Casas’ Iraq reemerged in qualification intent to assert control even if it meant boring supporters to death.

It was effective.

Iraq kept a clean sheet in eight of the 10 World Cup qualifiers contested in 2024. They breezed into round three, collecting 16 of 18 points on offer in a group comprising Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

When round three started, the results kept coming in the form of binary scorelines, with only a 3-2 loss away to Korea Republic breaking up the string of 0-0 draws, and 1-0 wins against Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and Palestine.

Iraq sat in sole possession of second place, and an automatic World Cup berth, at the conclusion of Matchday Six in November.

That is when Iraq’s momentum came to a screeching halt. A pitiful defense of their Gulf Cup title in December was a harbinger of things to come.

Team selections became ever more unpredictable, as if Casas was trying to address critics vis-a-vis his lineups. In goal, sometimes Ahmed Bassil would start and others would be excluded from the squad altogether.

Equally bizarre was the chopping and changing of center-backs and midfielders.

Ahmed Yasin and Saad Abdulameer returned from extended international exile to captain the side against Oman and Jordan only to be dropped once again. In defense, Rebin Sulaka has started with seven different center-backs in the space of 12 months.

In a desperate attempt to solve the riddle of who should anchor his defense and pull the strings in attack, Casas changed his formation in what would prove to be his last match at the helm.

Hussein’s 34th minute goal gave Iraq a lead and a switch to a 3-4-3 seemed to be vindicated. Iraq’s defensive frailty however could not be masked like it was in the three other 1-0 wins they had registered in round three.

Palestine pushed and when the equalizer came in the 88th minute so did a mental collapse similar to the one suffered at the hands of Jordan in the Asian Cup Round of 16 encounter.

Following the 2-1 loss, Casas blamed the defeat on a “lack of character” and an inability to see out a result. Whether or not a coaching change will remedy those problems for Iraq is very much an open question.

Casas might have a point about the mental aspect of Iraq’s game. The players, administrators, and media have been engaged in a battle against a perceived conspiracy against them.

Hussein’s first words to the media following the loss to Palestine were used to complain about Amman as a neutral venue and the number of fans in the stands.

Perhaps the favorite tag proved too much for the team and a full embrace of the underdog role while eschewing victimhood is needed.

Iraq can draw on the 2007 Asian Cup win for inspiration when a team led by an interim coach shocked the world.


How Matthias Jaissle weathered a storm to take Al-Ahli to the AFC Champions League Elite final

Matthias Jaissle celebrates leading Al-Ahli to the final of the AFC Champions League Elite (X/@ALAHLI_FCEN)
Updated 01 May 2025
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How Matthias Jaissle weathered a storm to take Al-Ahli to the AFC Champions League Elite final

  • The German coach looked on his way out in January when famous journalist touted Massimiliano Allegri for his job
  • Al-Ahli stunned rival Al-Hilal with a 3-1 win to reach their third final of Asia’s top club competition

AUSTRALIA: Fabrizio Romano is rarely wrong.

The gold standard on reporting on football’s off-field wheeling and dealing, when Romano says something is happening it is usually just a matter of when, not if.

So when, on Jan. 17, he posted that Al-Ahli had agreed “in principle” to appoint Massimiliano Allegri, and Gabriele Cioffi as interim coach until June, it seemed certain that incumbent Matthias Jaissle would go.

This came on the back of a disappointing start to the season in which they won just three of their first nine games, to all but end their title hopes before the season had even reached the one-third mark.

But at the point of Romano’s postings, Al-Ahli managed to turn their form around, going on to win seven out of nine and surging up the table.

But it seemed like it was too little, too late for the 37-year-old German.

This story, however, has another twist. The Al-Ahli faithful were having none of it. For them, the failings were with those above Jaissle.

So when word came out he was to be moved on, they mobilized to support him. Diehard fans picketed outside Al-Ahli’s training ground, with one banner directed at senior management reading: “Enough failure … LEAVE!”

Within two days of Romano’s tweet, Al-Ahli confirmed that Jaissle would remain as head coach “with full support from the management to achieve the club’s aspirations and future ambitions.”

It was quite an about-face, but one that showed the positive power fans can have when they mobilize in the right way.

Just over three months on from that saga, it is hard to imagine this Al-Ahli side without the German at the helm.

He has guided them to the final of the AFC Champions League Elite courtesy of a demolition of Al-Hilal, the standard bearers of Asian club football, in the semifinal on Tuesday night.

The scoreline was 3-1 but make no mistake this was a demolition and a vindication for the fans and Jaissle.

When he demanded the club sign a left-winger in the summer to replace Allan Saint-Maximin, the club instead signed a striker, in this case Ivan Toney.

Jaissle made his frustrations known through the media, and reiterated his desires ahead of the winter window in January

Twelve days after his position was assured, the club signed Brazilian winger Galeno from FC Porto, which has transformed their season.

Prior to Galeno’s arrival, Al-Ahli had scored 32 goals in 18 games at about 1.78 per game on average. Since the Brazilian’s arrival, they have netted 28 in just 11 games at 2.55 a game.

Galeno gave the squad more balance and structure, and transformed their attacking threat. It is no coincidence that Toney has scored 12 of his 19 goals this season since Galeno’s arrival.

It is what the German knew would happen all along, but his demands to those above him were falling on deaf ears.

Their performance at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Tuesday night was about as close to perfection as Jaissle could have imagined.

Right from the opening whistle, spurred on by the very fans who had saved his job months earlier, Al-Ahli took control.

Their forward pressure was relentless, which was not a surprise coming from a coach schooled in the Red Bull philosophy. Riyad Mahrez pulled the strings as always, and Galeno buzzed about creating havoc.

And Roberto Firmino, consigned to playing in just the ACL Elite after not being registered for the league after Galeno’s arrival, looked every bit the motivational leader wearing the captain’s armband.

At the back, meanwhile, Merih Demiral and Ibanez were ferocious in defense and closed down the spaces in which Al-Hilal’s attacking threats normally like to operate.

While it finished 3-1, it could easily have been more after Al-Ahli hit the woodwork three times, had two goals disallowed and saw a penalty save, all in the second half.

This was a humbling for Al-Hilal who only days earlier had dished out a similar lesson to Gwangju FC in the quarterfinal.

“It was a fantastic evening. I’m so, so proud,” Jaissle told reporters after the game.

“The performance from each player, the team, and the unit — and by unit I also mean the fans in the stadium — it was a totally deserved win.

“These games are usually decided by details. There are some strengths and weaknesses in each team. We tried to identify the best ways to exploit them and they worked perfectly.

“We handled it marvelously and everybody did it in a brilliant way and we managed to achieve a great result. I’m really happy with the way the goals were scored.

“Now we focus on the final. Now we are there and we have to make the final step successful as well.”

As Jaissle and the Al-Ahli faithful celebrated wildly after the game, the dramas of January felt like another lifetime.