After the game manager Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti told Sky In Italy that the next time such an incident occurs he will instruct his team to walk off the pitch.
“The next time we will stop playing and leave the pitch, even if we have to lose the match.”
Carlo Ancelotti on Sky In Italy
Ancelotti had asked the referee and his officiating crew on three separate occasions to stop the game after his central defender was subjected to alleged racial chanting from the stands.
Announcements were made over the San Siro tannoy system with a warning to fans over the alleged abuse, however no further action was taken when it persisted, much to the ire of Ancelotti.
“I’m unhappy because three times we asked for the match to be suspended due to the racist chanting against Koulibaly. The boy was on edge.
“He’s an educated footballer who was targeted”
Carlo Ancelotti on Sky In Italy
The Senegal international was later sent off in the game when he was booked for a challenge on Matteo Politano in the 81st minute before applauding the referee’s decision.
Napoli would go on to concede an injury-time goal when Lautaro Martinez netted for Inter.
Koulibaly later took to Twitter to hit back at those who abused him.
“I’m sorry about the defeat and especially to have left my brothers! But I am proud of the colour of my skin. Of being French, Senegalese and Neapolitan: a man.”
Kalidou Koulibaly
Mi dispiace la sconfitta e sopratutto avere lasciato i miei fratelli!
Però sono orgoglioso del colore della mia pelle. Di essere francese, senegalese, napoletano: uomo.
#InterNapoli 1-0
?? #KK26 #famiglia
? #ForzaNapoliSempre
?? #DifendoLaCittà pic.twitter.com/f9q0KYggcw— Koulibaly Kalidou (@kkoulibaly26) December 26, 2018
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After a break of a couple of weeks for European action, it was the return of the Gallagher Premiership for Week 10.
Worcester Warriors and Northampton Saints locked horns at Sixways on Friday evening with Northampton coming out victorious 32-6.
Both these sides went into this clash separated only by points difference, but by the end of 80 minutes it was Northampton who were streets ahead come the final whistle.
Chris Boyd’s men were comfortable winners, thanks mainly to half-backs Cobus Reinach and Dan Biggar, who ended the game with a 20-point haul.
The opening try of the contest fell to Reinach with an intercepted pass in the 57th minute. Luther Burrell added a second try late on as all Worcester could manage were two penalties from Duncan Weir.
Exeter Chiefs ended Saracens 22-match unbeaten run that stretched back to last April thanks to three second half tries in a 31-13 victory at Sandy Park on Saturday.
After Harlequins had become the first side to defeat Exeter in the Gallagher Premiership a couple of weeks ago, Saracens went into the game boasting the only one hundred per cent record in the league.
Sandy Park’s full house had plenty to cheer when Luke Cowan-Dickie went over for the opening try of the game after Owen Farrell had slotted over two penalties inside the opening ten minutes. After a tight opening forty minutes the hosts dominated the second half with tries from Harry Williams, Matt Kvesic and a penalty try which took the game away from Sarries as Chiefs picked up a try bonus point victory, which moved them back to the top of the table.
At Welford Road on Saturday Head Coach Geordan Murphy- who earlier on in the week was given the new permanent position- celebrated as Leicester Tigers halted their worst losing run for 43 years of eight games in a 35-24 victory against Harlequins.
Tigers dominated the opening half by going into the break with a 23-9 lead thanks to a couple of tries from winger Jonah Holmes. Manu Tuilagi crossed after the break before youngster Cadan Murley went over for Harlequins first try in the 63rd minute, only for Jonny May to canter over the line for Tigers bonus try. There was still time for the visitors Alex Dombrandt to bull doze over for a late consolation try for Quins.
This was quiet a performance from Leicester who had been hit by bugs for most of the week with virtually the whole squad struggling with tonsillitis, colds and flu.
In the final match played on Saturday, Sale Sharks defeated the visiting Bristol Bears 27-10 at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Sharks held a comfortable 14-3 lead at half-time, with 11 points coming from the boot of Rob du Preez. Sharks continued on the front foot for the second half with a further eight points from du Preez and a try from Will Cliff to seal victory for Sharks which kept them three points ahead of bottom club Newcastle Falcons.
On Sunday the second-highest attendance for a regular Premiership match of 31,626 braved the elements at the Ricoh Arena to watch Bath defeat Wasps 24-14.
Bath, came into the game with just one victory in their previous 12 games. After their loss to Bath, it now means Wasps have a poor record of just one victory in their last 12.
In a first half dominated by Bath’s Freddie Burns- who scored all the hosts 14 points, including a try- the visitors went into the break with a healthy 14-9 advantage. The fly-half added a further five points after the break for a 19 point haul- his highest return in a Premiership match. Will Chudley crossed in his first match as Bath Captain to seal the points and move the West Country side up to sixth in the table.
Gloucester recorded their fourth win in six visits to Kingston Park, after coming from behind to record a 20-17 win over Newcastle.
Ed Slater crashed over for the visitors for the only try of the half to give Gloucester a narrow 10-6 lead at the break, with the main talking point of the opening forty minutes being a mass melee just before the break which saw Gloucester fly-half Owen Williams appearing to gouge Gary Graham’s eye. No actions were taken by the officials, who looked to have missed the incident.
With twenty minutes to go Newcastle had a seven point cushion, but Ben Morgan eventually forced his way over and with Billy Tweltrees converting the visitors drew level. Twelvetrees won the game for the visitors when he slotted over a late penalty. For Falcons, they at least had the reward of a losing bonus point, which means they remain bottom, but move to within a point of Worcester.
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The Cherries are currently 11th in the table with 23 points whilst the Seagulls of Brighton lie in 13th with 21 points.
With both teams set to face north London opposition in the form of Tottenham and Arsenal on Boxing Day coupled with Manchester United and Everton over the New Year, the game represents what could be a rare chance of three points.
Bournemouth will also be hoping to snap a two-game losing run whilst Chris Hughton searches for his first win against Bournemouth as a manager having been unsuccessful in four attempts previously (one draw, three defeats).
Team News:
Callum Wilson should be able to play following his return to playing in midweek whilst Tyrone Mings is predicted to overcome a hip problem. Yet again, Simon Francis is seen as a doubt once more.
Wilson has scored in his last two league appearances against Brighton and the striker forms one half of the deadliest duo in the league this season. The recently capped England international and tricky Scottish winger Ryan Fraser have combined for six goals so far this season, more than any other duo in the league.
”Our squad is strong. We saw that in the changes we made in the Chelsea game. We’re in a good position and looking forward to our busy schedule.
Eddie Howe speaking ahead of AFC Bournemouth’s game with Brighton:
“All of our focus right now is on Brighton. We know it’s a really big game for us and we’re excited by the challenge ahead of us.
Brighton look set to continue without Shane Duffy, Jose Izquierdo and Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
Duffy’s loss might be felt on the attacking side as much as the defensive end as four of Brighton’s away Premier League goals have been scored by defenders. Duffy and his regular centre back partner Lewis Dunk both netting twice.E
“Eddie Howe has got them playing in the way he wants to, very high tempo, a lot of pace in the team.
“They have a way of playing and it always smacks me in the face that they are a team where everybody knows their roles and jobs.
“We expect a very difficult game, particularly at Bournemouth.”
Chris Hughton speaking ahead of Brighton’s game with AFC Bournemouth:
Prediction: Both teams will be desperate for a win with tough fixtures ahead but Bournemouth may just edge this one due to their home advantage.
Bournemouth 2 Brighton 1
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]]>It’s sometimes hard to imagine what the sporting world was like before the internet. We didn’t choose as freely what or who we followed. Television was still king. In the 1970s and 80s, two sports, previously considered pub games, exploded on to our screens in glorious colour.
Darts was made for the television. The sporting action is confined to a small space, the crowds showed their emotions in full and the players themselves were colourful and mainly extroverted in their demeanour.
Bobby George wore glitter on his shirt. Jocky Wilson wore his emotions on his sleeves and Eric Bristow wore down the opposition with scintillating displays of darts that saw him dominate very skilled contemporaries like Wilson, Leighton Rees, Dennis ‘the Menace’ Priestley, ‘Big’ Cliff Lazarenko, Dave Whitcombe, Mike Gregory and most of all arch rival John Lowe.
Bristow gave the sport the entire fibre of his being. Trading on the name “The Craft Cockney”, he actually left London and owed much of his success to a life in the Potteries.
Born in 1957 in North East London rather than the Cockney heartland of the East, his father was a plasterer and his mother worked as a telephone operator. In 1971, at the age of 14, he ceased his formal education.
1976 was perhaps his defining year.
Firstly, he obtained the nickname that defined him throughout his career. In California of all places, he visited an ex-pat pub called the Crafty Cockney in Santa Monica for an exhibition. They gave him a shirt with the name on the back and it stuck.
The same year and perhaps more importantly, he left London and moved to Leek about ten miles from Stoke, which he was to call home the rest of his life.
He made the region a centre for darts in England and the area produced more great players including Ted Hankey, Adrian Lewis and of course the man who eventually exceeded his achievements, Bristow’s protege, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor
In 1980, he won the first of his five World Championships; Every throw of every arrow and every grimace, groan or grin was televised. He reached five more finals. Between 1980 and 1992 he appeared in ten of the twelve finals. Of the five he lost, they were all to different opponents. No one man truly got the better of him on the prime of his career.
Compared to his more staid contemporary in snooker, Steve Davis, Bristow was effervescent and television friendly. Like Davis, everybody loved or hated him, though in Bristow’s case, far more loved him than the famously boring Davis.
Bristow’s five World Championships was thought to be an impossible level of consistency until Taylor broke the mold. Bristow mentored him and gave him £10,000 to develop his career. Bristow never asked for the money back as Taylor went on to become a darts millionaire.
His dominance of the darts in his era was only matched by his public arrogance and he gave his detractors plenty of ammunition. But his popularity endured and he appeared on Jim Bowen’s darts quiz show around 30 times.
Eric Bristow died on 5 April 2018, after a heart attack while attending a Premier League Darts event in Liverpool at the age of 60. The oche will be a poorer place without him.
2018: The ones I’ll miss most: Cyrille Regis, who answered Man United racist boos with a starring role in the “Game of the Century”E
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The visitors come into this off a 2-0 defeat at Wolves on Saturday whilst lying in a comfortable 11th place. Had they won on Saturday, they could’ve gone into 6th place.
The two sides have been at this stage before and in fact 12 months ago when the Blues saw off the Cherries 2-1 with a Morata winner helping Antonio Conte’s side from having to go through extra-time.
Alvaro Morata is likely to not feature for the hosts as is the case with Eden Hazard who has only missed one league game so far this season. Both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas could return to the home squad tonight.
Simon Francis, Callum Wilson and Tyrone Mings are all doubts for the game tonight whilst Lewis Cook, Adam Smith and Dan Gosling definitely won’t feature either tonight.
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Zinedine Zidane:
After steering Real Madrid to an unprecedented third successive UEFA Champions League triumph, “Zizou” decided to step down and take a sabbatical from the pressures of day to day management. However, since then, there has been rumblings of the Frenchmen being keen to work in the Premier League. With an overall win record of nearly 70% at Real, no doubt should remain on Zinedine Zidane’s managerial credentials.
With nine major honours to his name and an illustrious playing career, he has the reputation and personality to cope with the big ego’s in the United dressing room.
Laurent Blanc:
Since departing Paris Saint-Germain two years ago, Laurent Blanc appears eager to return to the dugout. With the fifty-three year old a former player at Manchester United, it was inevitable he was going to be linked with the job.
Picking up the nickname “Le Président” which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills, Laurent Blanc may have the capabilities to replace Jose Mourinho.
Massimiliano Allegri:
After Arsene Wenger left Arsenal, Massimiliano Allegri was the sure favourite to take over at the Emirates. However, with Arsenal plucking for Unai Emery instead, the Italian remained at Juventus. Leading “The Old Lady” to three consecutive Serie A titles, the first team ever to do so, it may act as no shock to hear other clubs vying for his services.
Perhaps after achieving all he can domestically with Juventus, the time might be right to start a new chapter in his managerial career. If Manchester United came calling, Massimiliano Allegri could be tempted to work in the Premier League.
Arsene Wenger:
Surely not? After ending his twenty-two year tenure at Arsenal in the summer, Arsene Wenger has been out of a job since. Admitting he still wants to manage “a top club in Europe,” Manchester United may be the perfect fit. Knowing the Premier League inside out, Arsene Wenger could be able to turn around United’s fortunes and recover a so far despairing season.
Once rivals of the Red Devils, could a club the stature of Manchester United tempt him back to England?
Mauricio Pochettino:
Touted with the United job for over a year now, Mauricio Pochettino currently acts as the clear favourite to succeed Jose Mourinho. Having trust in young players as well as having a clear identity to build a fearless, attacking side long term, the Argentinian ticks the boxes of what the past greats have done at United. Revealing he has always wanted to manage at the highest level, could a move to Manchester help him achieve that?
The key question is though, would he leave Spurs, who are about to embark on their first season at their new stadium? After working so diligently to build a sustainable squad at Tottenham over the last four years, where he has overseen a transitional period and a huge player turnover, could he resist the allure of Manchester United and finish what he started in North London?
Whoever is chosen as the next manager of arguably England’s biggest club will be tasked with changing the current fortunes of the Red Devils. Mourinho’s permanent successor will be hoping whoever Ed Woodward, United’s executive vice-chairman, chooses to steer United through till the end of the season is successful in order to allow the new coach to hit the ground running in the summer.
United are expected to announce their caretaker manager to lead them through until the end of season within the next 48 hours.
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United had their worst start to a league campaign in 26 years this season which saw them losing two out of their opening three games including a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham while they exited the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle to Frank Lampard’s Derby County.
Mourinho steered United to an EFL Cup victory over Southampton at Wembley and the Europa League in 2017 overcoming a youthful Ajax side. He also won the Community Shield in 2016.
Mourinho’s record at the Theatre Of Dreams stands as follows:
Played: 144
Won: 84
Drawn: 32
Lost: 28
Winning Percentage: 58.3%
“A caretaker-manager will be appointed until the end of the season while the club conducts a thorough recruitment process for a new, full-time manager,”
“The club would like to thank Jose for his work during his time at Manchester United and to wish him success in the future,”
– Manchester United statement
The news comes less than 24 hours after the Premier League giants were drawn to play against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Last 16.
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Freddie Sears’ fifth goal of the season proved enough to separate the two sides on a blowy afternoon in Suffolk after the Latics had dominated the second half.
Reece James came close to levelling the scores late on with a curling freekick, but it was too little too late as the Latics allowed Ipswich to register their first home win of the season.
“I think it was a tough day for football,” said the 51-year-old. “I don’t think we were ever in danger of losing the game for sure, second half credit to Ipswich. It was a spirited performance, but we weren’t under pressure in the game at all.
“In my opinion, could we go on to win the game, unfortunately we couldn’t. We have a pattern of away results now that is disappointing but it’s a tough League.
“You don’t get given anything. It was two good teams having a go at each other on a really poor day for football. The game was never going to be a good game.
“I feel as though we’ve come off the back of a game with a result we didn’t deserve.”
The Latics are now without an away win in nine games and while admitting the away form is a concern, Cook said he could not ask for any more from his players.
“We’re an almost team. We’ve lost so many away games by an odd goal, in games that we have not deserved to lose.
“We never deserved to lose today but credit to Ipswich, they’ve had a lot of suffering this season and great credit to them. Paul thoroughly deserves to enjoy that with his players.”
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]]>Mauricio Pochettino’s men go into this game knowing a victory will cement their 3rd place spot with the potential gap between Arsenal and Chelsea being opened up to five points if both lose this weekend.
For Sean Dyche’s Burnley, three points would take them from 17th to 14th depending on if other results go their way. They come into this off a crucial 1-0 victory over Brighton last weekend at Turf Moor.
Burnley’s last away win was back in September when they saw off Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium on 30th September. However, their last point on the road was over a month ago when they drew 0-0 with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on November 10th.
Its been 8 years since Burnley last won against Tottenham with that being a 4-2 victory at Turf Moor in May 2010 which was coincidentally their only win in their past Premier League encounters against them whilst Tottenham are unbeaten in eight encounters against the Clarets having won five of them.
“It’s such an important game, it’s going to be a tough game because every three days to play is always tough but we need to try to find the way to approach the game in the best condition and be sure we’re going to fight to be ready to win.
“We have a very tough opponent in front of us, but the most important thing is the way we approach the game.”
Mauricio Pochettino’s comments ahead of Tottenham’s game against Burnley.
“Tottenham are having a fine start to the season and they had a great result the other night. I really like the way they go about their business.
“Their manager plays direct football but in a passing style, if they can get out quickly then they do. They’re effective. They don’t keep the ball for the sake of it.
“We go down there with a bit more freedom, the expectation changes. Last week against Brighton, there was really heavy expectation for us to get a result.”
Sean Dyche’s comments ahead of Burnley’s game with Tottenham
Team News:
Spurs will assess the fitness of several players which includes defenders Serge Aurier, Kieran Trippier, Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth whilst Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama won’t feature. Jan Vertonghen can return to the squad following his suspension from league action.
Steven Defour and Johann Berg Gudmundsson are both doubts to Sean Dyche’s side tomorrow.
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Television cameras showed Sterling receiving a volley of abuse from four Chelsea fans as he went to take a corner in City’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea moved quickly to suspend the fans and it was reported today that those suspensions might remain even if the four fans’ conduct does not reach the level necessary for a police prosecution.
According to the London Evening Standard, the West London club have passed on the names of all four men to the police who will employ lip readers to try to determine exactly what was said, and whether racism was a factor in the abuse.
Meanwhile Chelsea player Loftus-Cheek spoke up for Sterling who he has played alongside at England level
“I think he was right to say what he said.
“I don’t think [racism] should be in the game or anywhere, so him speaking [out] was the right thing to do. If it happened to me, I’d do the same thing.Ruben Loftus-Cheek
“I think we’ve made some steps [since the 1980s], but it obviously still goes on today. From Chelsea’s point of view, I know there’s an investigation going on and I know they [will] take the hardest response if it is racial abuse.”
Earlier in the week, he had also commented:
“If it happened to me, I’d do the same thing.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Chelsea meanwhile are giving the impression that they have just about had enough of neanderthal fans dragging their club into the gutter.
Manager Maurizio Sarri told the media earlier this week:
“It was disgusting. I want to say that I condemn any form of discrimination, of course. I think that I have to stop here. Because there is an investigation so I think it’s better not to say something more. Of course my opinion is that I condemn every sort of discrimination.
Maurizio Sarri
The club already run a scheme to fly any fans who want to know more about the Holocaust to Auschwitz. Anti-semitic chants are sadly feature of many clubs’ games against Tottenham Hotspur, but the strength of the rivalry between the two clubs intensifies it when the two clubs meet.
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