Tuesday, 11 March 2014

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Tottenham to appeal against Younès Kaboul's red card against Chelsea

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 02:42 PM PDT

• Replays suggest Michael Oliver's punishment was harsh
• Michael Dawson to miss Arsenal match through injury

Tottenham will appeal against the red card that Younès Kaboul received during the 4-0 Premier League defeat at Chelsea on Saturday. Kaboul was adjudged to have tripped the striker Samuel Eto'o for the penalty which Eden Hazard converted to make it 2-0.

Replays indicated Michael Oliver's punishment, which carries a three-game suspension, was harsh. It is believed that Spurs intend to challenge the decision as they seek to maintain a challenge for European football next season.

Tottenham will be without their captain, Michael Dawson, for Sunday's home game against Arsenal after the defender sustained a hamstring injury at Chelsea.


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Adel Taarabt leaves his baggage in London to showcase talent at Milan

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 02:38 PM PDT

Enigmatic midfielder has performed with distinction since loan move from QPR and lines up against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday

There are myriad tales in Neil Warnock's autobiography that provide an insight into the challenge of Adel Taarabt. Here was a player whom Warnock, on arriving at Queens Park Rangers, instantly realised had the ability to win games single-handed. Yet the message to the manager from those already at the club was resounding.

"The staff I inherited told me: 'You can't play him, he'll get you the sack. He doesn't give a toss about the team, he just pleases himself,'" recounts Warnock, before detailing the various occasions when the midfielder's penchant for erratic behaviour left him at his wits' end.

There were the matches when Taarabt would barely break out of a jog, the half-time bust-ups with team-mates who were running his extra miles, the time, Warnock claims, that Taarabt went awol for days with barely an explanation and the occasion he allegedly dragged Warnock out to Morocco on a wild goose chase, promising to meet him at a specific hotel. After three nights alone, Warnock gave up.

In the end Taarabt played an integral role in QPR's 2010-11 promotion season, producing countless moments of quality that elevated the club to the Premier League for the first time in 15 years.

He is a player Harry Redknapp labelled "a fruitcake" and Martin Jol described as "a Maradona type of talent". Whichever of those epithets is closer to the truth, it is fair to say that three years ago there were few who would have predicted that Taarabt would be playing for Milan in the Champions League.

Yet on Tuesdayhe will line up for the Rossoneri at Vicente Calderón for the last-16 second leg against Atlético Madrid, having featured for 90 minutes of Milan's 1-0 home defeat by Diego Simeone's side.

The Moroccan, who is still registered as a QPR player, has experienced an unlikely rise over the past few months. Whether he will ever represent the London club again is doubtful, having tasted the rich fruits of elite European football while Rangers scrap it out in the play-off places of the Championship.

Taarabt's move to San Siro in January, on loan until the end of the season, was a major surprise. After a disappointing campaign at Fulham the previous year the 24-year-old's career appeared at a crossroads, yet he has adapted to life in Milan with admirable distinction.

Perhaps Taarabt can no longer behave like the big fish in an overflowing pond. QPR announced significant financial losses last week and a greater wage budget than Borussia Dortmund, while Milan are embarking on a new era under Clarence Seedorf, a man whose exploits as a player warrant immediate respect from the dressing room.

Milan's squad was already peppered with volatile and eccentric characters before Taarabt's arrival, and the Moroccan appears to have fitted in seamlessly alongside Mario Balotelli, Robinho, Stephan El Shaarawy and Nigel de Jong, producing some notable displays in Italy.

Taarabt has scored twice in five Serie A matches, against Napoli on his debut and during the 2-0 victory at Sampdoria when he was also man of the match. His effort at San Paolo was particularly impressive, carrying the ball half the length of the pitch just eight minutes into his debut before coolly netting from 25 yards.

It was a demonstration of the quality that most in the English game knew he possessed. But perhaps at Milan Taarabt has found a club that he feels is befitting of his talent. He has never lacked confidence – indeed only last week did he declare that he could "become the Messi of Milan" – yet at times the baggage has outweighed the brilliance.

Under Seedorf his performances on the pitch have been the talking point, rather than his behaviour off it. Taarabt is confident of a victory in Spain on Tuesday night, despite a disappointing 1-0 defeat by Udinese on Saturday that leaves Milan 10th in the table.

"At San Siro we should have won, the match could have ended 2-0 but we were unlucky," said Taarabt. "However, on Tuesday we won't have any fear to face Atlético. They are strong, they are at the top of La Liga but the Champions League is another kind of competition.

"At home we showed that we are able to dominate and I don't see why we cannot do it there as well. We must be 100% focused for the game on Tuesday, which will be the most important one of the season."

Diego Simeone, the Atletico manager, has claimed that Milan's attacking midfield, which is set to include Taarabt, must be stopped if his side are to advance to the quarter-finals. "The clash will depend on the intensity we produce in the midfield," he said. "An open game will better suit Milan. They are an attacking team given the characteristics of their players. We need to make the most of the space they give us."

If Taarabt can help overturn the 1-0 deficit and inspire the Rossoneri to a famous victory in the Spanish capital, Milan will claim his signing was a gamble that paid off. He has proved that he has the talent to stay at the top, but who knows what is round the corner.

James Riach

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Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness dodged €18.5m in tax, court hears

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 01:48 PM PDT

Former football hero put more than €33m in undeclared income in a Swiss bank account – Angela Merkel 'disappointed' in him

Uli Hoeness, president of European champions Bayern Munich, admitted on Monday to dodging millions of euros in taxes through an undeclared Swiss bank account. The revelations came at the opening of a trial that could lead to jail for one of the most powerful figures in German football.

Prosecutor Achim von Engel told the Munich state court that Hoeness had evaded €3.5m euros (£2.91m) in taxes by concealing €33m in income in the Swiss bank account.

Hoeness, 62, a former Germany international, reported himself to authorities last year and the court will have to determine whether he came forward because he had become aware there was an investigation against him. If found guilty he faces up to 10 years in prison.

No pleas are entered in the German system. But Hoeness, who also is part owner of a Nuremberg sausage factory, said he had hoped to avoid the case going to court by reporting himself to authorities. "I evaded taxes," he said. "I'm aware that reporting myself doesn't change this fact."

Hoeness's lawyer, Hanns Feigen, said his client had evaded far more than charged, stating that the total figure was €18.5m. Hoeness told the court he was glad that all the details were "transparently on the table".

"I deeply regret my wrongdoing," he said. "I will do everything necessary to ensure that this depressing chapter for me is closed."

The hearing continues. The Bayern boss said he had used the Swiss bank account to trade stocks, conducting tens of thousands of transactions between 2001 and 2010.

Hoeness noted that he had donated millions of euros to charities. "I'm no social parasite," he told the court.

German authorities have been aggressive with tax-evaders in recent years, and have recovered hundreds of millions of euros. Their widely publicised purchase of leaked account information on thousands of investors, as well as high-profile cases such as that against Hoeness and former Deutsche Post AG CEO Klaus Zumwinkel, has led to thousands of people turning themselves in.

News of the case against Hoeness, one of the most prominent figures in German football, emerged last April, prompting even Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman to weigh in and say the country's leader was disappointed in him.

As a player, Hoeness was a Bayern star who won the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup with West Germany and three straight European Cups – the predecessor of the Champions League – before retiring in 1979 with chronic knee problems.

Bayern has been enjoying unprecedented success under Hoeness's presidency. His friend Jupp Heynckes led the side to the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup wins last season, and Bayern is favored to repeat the treble under successor Pep Guardiola, who has been breaking records this season.

Things are looking good off the field, too. Last month the club announced that insurance giant Allianz had acquired a stake alongside sporting goods maker Adidas and car manufacturer Audi for €110 million ($150.44 million).

Each of the three partners holds an 8.33% stake as a result of the capital increase, with the remaining 75% being owned by club members.


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Wenger makes plea to referee as Arsenal aim for Bayern Munich

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 01:22 PM PDT

• Wenger unhappy with Arsenal's Champions League dismissals
• 'I hope we will get a fair chance to play with 11 against 11'

Arsène Wenger brought up perceived injustices from the past as he demanded "fair" conditions from the match officials in Arsenal's quest to make Champions League history against Bayern Munich here on Tuesday night.

Arsenal trail 2-0 from the last-16 first leg at the Emirates Stadium and no club have overturned anything greater than a one-goal deficit when playing away from home in Champions League knockout ties.

Wenger was bullish about Arsenal's chances as he drew on several factors, chief among them his team's performance here last season at the same stage of the competition. Having lost the first leg 3-1, they beat Bayern 2-0 – a tonic for morale, albeit one that did not avert an exit on away goals.

Wenger raised a slightly darker subject when he mentioned what he believes have been the trio of controversial red cards that have undermined Arsenal in the Champions League.

He was unhappy at the decision to dismiss the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny for a foul on Bayern's Arjen Robben in the first leg three weeks ago and he also brought up the sendings-off for the goalkeeper Jens Lehmann in the 2006 final against Barcelona and the striker Robin van Persie against the same opponents in the last-16 second leg in 2011. Van Persie received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, although he later claimed that he could not hear the whistle because of the crowd noise.

Uefa tends to frown on managers talking about the officials before a game but Wenger simply wants an error-free performance from the 35-year-old Norwegian referee Svein Oddvar Moen.

"We played now a few times with 10 men in Europe and under always very special circumstances," Wenger said, appearing to begin to say "suspicious" before checking himself to say "special". "In the Champions League final … now against Bayern and at Barcelona when we were in a position to qualify.

"It's the only time that I've seen that since I watched European football when Van Persie was sent off. So I hope we will get a fair chance to play with 11 against 11 until the end."

Wenger did not disagree that referees from the bigger European leagues, as opposed to Norway, might be better equipped to handle matches between the leading clubs.

"What you want is a good referee and I think the closer they are to the tough leagues, the more chances they have to detect the tricks that can decide a game," Wenger said. "But that's the same for Bayern. Sometimes when you come from a league that is less pacey ...

"I don't know the referee. Honestly, I never look before the game. I never have any preconceived ideas. Sometimes, when the referees have big experience, it helps them to get out of tricky situations. You do not want players to stay on the pitch who deserve to be sent off but you do not want the interest of the game to be killed for reasons that are a bit tricky."

Wenger reported that Kieran Gibbs was out with ankle trouble but that Laurent Koscielny was fit after a hamstring problem. Thomas Vermaelen is expected to deputise at left-back, with Nacho Monreal also injured. Wenger described the mission that confronts his players against possibly the best team in the world as a "possible task" and he refused to accept that the result was a foregone conclusion.

"We have won here before so we know we can do it," he said. "The statistics are against us but we have won 5-1 at Inter Milan [in 2003] and I would say we have won everywhere in Europe.

"One-nil to us makes the game or the result absolutely possible, so that is what we will try to do. We scored two goals in the last five minutes against Everton [on Saturday, in the FA Cup win] so we don't have to be nervous. We can be patient. Bayern have confidence because they are doing well but we have a great opportunity to do it. I am absolutely confident that, mentally, we will be ready to play at our best."

David Hytner

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Conor Coady boosts Anfield chances via Sheffield United's Wembley trip

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:25 AM PDT

• On-loan Liverpool midfielder integral to Blades' success
• 'No pressure' in FA Cup semi-final against Hull, says Coady

Liverpool are not going to Wembley this season but the club will have one representative in the FA Cup semi-finals next month.

Conor Coady, a 21-year-old defensive midfielder who has represented England at all age levels from under-16 to under-20, has been one of the stand-out performers in Sheffield United's beat-the-odds run to an April date with Hull City.

It is one that has reinvigorated an underwhelming campaign – Sunday's 2-0 defeat of Charlton was the ninth consecutive victory for Nigel Clough's team, a sequence that started when they were next to bottom in League One.

"It's down to team spirit. The lads here are very close. We want to work for each other. The gaffer has instilled that in us and he's been fantastic in terms of telling us how to play and what to do," said Coady, who joined United on a six-month loan in July. The League One club later extended his stay until the end of the season.

Not long after the final whistle at Bramall Lane on Sunday the congratulatory messages from former Liverpool youth team players began filtering through.

"I keep in contact with the young lads, like Raheem [Sterling] and a couple of the other lads out on loan. They've sent me a couple of texts," said Coady, whose only previous experiences of Wembley came as a Liverpool fan.

"They're made up for me, we're all mates. They've been fantastic and I'm just looking forward to the semi now. We'll go there with no pressure on us as underdogs, play the way we have been playing and hopefully come out with a result."

The long-term plan, having made his league debut against Fulham last season, is to break into Brendan Rodgers' plans at Anfield. "It's going to be tough but this season will help me massively," said Coady, who has played 36 times in his spell with United.

"I had a couple of seasons playing under-21 football and this was the season for me to go out and learn my trade. To come to a club like this has been fantastic. I couldn't ask for any more. When you go on a loan move, you want one like this."

Richard Gibson

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Hoeness, honesty and the Werder Bremen penalty that was, then wasn't | Raphael Honigstein

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:06 AM PDT

It's been a difficult weekend in the Bundesliga: not least for Aaron Hunt after he refused to accept a penalty in his favour. Although his side were leading Nürnberg 2-0 at the time …

The big story in Germany was all about a man falling from grace and ruefully admitting to the authorities that he had sought an unfair advantage. But let's not dwell on Uli Hoeness's trial for tax evasion here - there'll be ample time to digest the rights and wrongs after the judgement comes in on Thursday.

Over in Nürnberg on Saturday night, Aaron Hunt was in a remarkably similar situation to Bayern Munich's president, whose criminal case went to court on Monday. Similar, that is, if you forget about the €18.5m that Hoeness has, by his own admission, failed to declare in various tax returns over the years, and about the possible jail sentence etc etc. But the basic moral question was not too dissimilar.

Hunt, you see, had successfully tricked the referee, Manuel Gräfe, into awarding a penalty in the 75th minute. He'd done so by performing a well-know Werder trick originally invented by Andreas Herzog (allegedly) called "Einfädeln": the artful stumbling into an opponents' leg. Javier Pinola did stick out said leg and the Argentine did warrant much worse than a penalty for his haircut ("not really a haircut, more of a memorial to the hairdresser who died half-way through the job," as the inimitable Arnd Zeigler put it but Hunt recognised the error of his ways.

"I was looking for the contact but I realised it wasn't a pen. I struggled a bit with myself but I wanted to tell the truth. I didn't want to win the game like that". To Pinola's relief, Hunt did indeed tell Gräfe that he'd got it wrong and everything was right in the Bundesliga for a brief moment or two.

"This shows us that Financial Fair Play is still written in capital letters," proclaimed Rhein-Post. (All nouns are capitalised, in German, to be perfectly honest.) But this tale of untypical Germans, as Sir Alex Ferguson would have it, would of course have been even more life-affirming if Bremen hadn't already been 2-0 up at the time. Would Hunt have done the same if the score had been 0-0? "This question doesn't arise," Werder's coach, Robin Dutt, said unhelpfully. The player was honest enough to mumble something about that being "a difficult comparison". In capital letters, this spells NO.

Perhaps Gräfe should have still gone ahead and booked Hunt for simulation, as a few observers suggested. Apparently, the admission of guilt in this context does absolve the player from personal punishment but only if he comes clean early enough, naturally. Maybe Hunt was simply afraid that the media would find out what he had done after the event. Funnily enough, there's an interesting symmetry at play here. For Gräfe in Nürnberg, read judge Rupert Heindl in Munich: Hoeness's defence needs to convince him that his voluntary admission of tax evasion was indeed voluntary, not the consequence of an imminent magazine article about his Swiss bank account.

Fortunately for all neutrals and honest taxpayers who frequent this blog, the law of rather smaller numbers applies in the Bundesliga. On Sunday, Borussia Dortmund won 1-0 away to SC Freiburg to close the gap to leaders Bayern Munich to just 20 points. With only 10 games to go, Pep Guardiola's team will feel the Black and Yellows breathing down their neck. Bayern may still be unbeaten this season but that stat could well convey a false sense of security: they can't afford to slip up more than three times if Dortmund continue on their great run. This one could well go all the way to the wire - to the end of March. "Those who win these kind of games become champions," Jürgen Klopp said after the hard-fought result at the Mage Solar stadium. (He might have been joking. It was hard to tell.)

The game will be remembered for Sebastian Kehl's looping shot over the SC keeper Oliver Baumann but Christian Streich saw dark forces at work. "Every two weeks, we are the idiots," said the Freiburg coach. "At some stage, I'm fed up with watching that. It's a disaster how we get battered by some people. If they can't deal with me, they need to tell me. Then we can change that. Then there's less friction as far those people are concerned, and they won't treat the team like that anymore". Streich's quibble was with the referee, Peter Gagelmann, showing Sokratis Papastathopoulos a yellow card rather than a red one for a foul on Philipp Zulechner. Two weeks earlier, Streich had complained about his side missing out on a penalty in the 4-2 defeat by Augsburg. "Maybe it's about me?" wondered Streich. He can be a bit emotional on the touchline but if there really is a conspiracy, it's probably against little, inoffensive Freiburg rather than the highly-strung coach. He is box office, this year's Freiburg less so.

Talking of hot-heads, Matthias Sammer finally managed to prove all doubters wrong this week. Some of his detractors have often cynically wondered what the Bayern Munich sporting director has been doing all this time but his job profile seems clear enough: Sammer is tasked with picking needless, childish fights when nothing else is going on.

The 46-year-old opined that Bayern's slender lead in the table - a 6-1 win against a pretty decent Wolfsburg side just about kept them in the race - might be a result of opposing teams not "training as if there was no tomorrow"? This wasn't meant as a criticism, Sammer insisted, only "a matter of consistency". Klopp dutifully took the bait. "Matthias Sammer should thank god that Bayern picked him up, I can't imagine that they would have one point less without him," said the Dortmund boss. "Highly arrogant," was the verdict of Dirk Dufner, the Hannover 96 sporting director.

Sammer will be relieved to hear that at least his colleague Fredi Bobic (VfB Stuttgart) agreed with him, to an extent. The Swabian did want Thomas Schneider to take training like there was no tomorrow, which is to say: not one day more. His 15th-placed team had only managed a 2-2 draw with basement club Eintracht Braunschweig after eight defeats in a row. The veteran Huub Stevens was brought in to save Stuttgart's season.

"It's one minute to midnight," said the self-declared "tough dog" from Kerkrade at his first presser on Monday. "But Huub Stevens can't do it alone, Fredi Bobic can't do it alone, the president can't do it alone and players can't do it alone either. All of us, the cleaning woman and the president, have to pull together." Yes, it's one of those dirty, rather hopeless jobs that just cries out for Third Person Football Man™.

Results: Hamburg - Frankfurt 1-1, Wolfsburg - Bayern 1-6, Hannover - Leverkusen 1-1, Stuttgart - Braunschweig 2-2, Gladbach - Augsburg 1-2, Nürnberg - Bremen 0-2, Freiburg - Dortmund 0-1, Mainz - Hertha 1-1.

Raphael Honigstein

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USA women concede five goals for first time in loss to Denmark

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 10:44 AM PDT

USWNT lose second straight game for first time since 2001 in 5-3 defeat in Algarve Cup

Steve Busfield

Newcastle United's Dan Gosling admits FA charge relating to betting

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 10:33 AM PDT

• Gosling admits to 'multiple breaches' of betting regulations
• Newcastle midfielder asks FA for personal hearing

Newcastle United's midfielder Dan Gosling has admitted a Football Association misconduct charge relating to betting, the governing body said on Monday.

The FA said in a statement on its website that Gosling admitted "multiple breaches of Rule E8(b) for misconduct in relation to betting".

This rule prohibits footballers from betting on competitions they have played in that season or matches that they have any direct or indirect influence on.

"Gosling has requested a personal hearing, the date of which will be set in due course," the FA said.

The 24-year-old has made five appearances for Newcastle this season, having returned to the club from a loan spell at Blackpool earlier in the season.


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Nasri urges City to forget Cup exit

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 10:31 AM PDT

• 'Wigan defeat must be launchpad for Barça,' says midfielder
• City were handed the FA Cup on a plate, claims Nasri

Samir Nasri was frustrated by Manchester City's FA Cup elimination after seeing a semi-final draw that he felt handed them the Cup "on a plate", but backed his side to bounce back from the Wigan setback at Barcelona on Wednesday.

Nasri scored City goal in the 2-1 quarter-final home defeat, as the possibility of a domestic treble evaporated, and the France international admitted to feeling "hungover" after the defeat. That disappointment seems set to linger with his former club Arsenal the only top-four side left in Cup, with Hull City and Sheffield United playing in the other semi-final.

"It was a bad performance. We didn't play well," Nasri said. "We did exactly the same as the Capital One Cup final – we woke up after 65 minutes. Except this time we were 2-0 down and we cannot always score three goals. It is really difficult to accept.

"It is like, the FA Cup, they gave it to us on a plate and we refused to take it. When you see the semi-final it is really hard. I am really disappointed."

City wasted a host of chances as they chased the game after Nasri's goal but could not find the equaliser that would have earned a replay. "Sometimes you think it is not your day," Nasri said. "We fought but it was too late. We only woke up and played for 30 minutes. At this level you cannot do that because any team can beat you."

Nasri believes the Champions League last-16 second leg against Barcelona comes at the perfect time – despite City facing the daunting prospect of chasing a two-goal deficit.

"Thank God we play a big game on Wednesday. It is the best way to forget this game. Tonight maybe it is going to be difficult but from tomorrow at training we are going to think Barcelona and try to think positive and get a result there.

"A game like this you cannot not be focused from the start … We can do something fantastic if we change the result. But we have to be focused and take this game as a lesson."

Barcelona also suffered defeat over the weekend, and sit third in La Liga behind the two Madrid sides, Real and Atlético, which should give Manuel Pellegrini's team some hope as they attempt to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

"I think anything is possible in football," Nasri said. "I saw them this week against Valladolid [where Barcelona lost 1-0]. It just shows they are human."

Nasri played twice for Arsenal at the Camp Nou and both times was on the end of big defeats but he believes that the Barcelona side of today cannot match up to the vintage of 2010 and 2011.

"It is not a good memory," Nasri said of the 4-1 defeat in 2010, "but at the time I thought they were better than they are today. We played against Messi, who was unplayable. He scored four goals against us. I hope it is not the going to be the same.

"Camp Nou is always something special. It is a special feeling to play there. It is going to be difficult but I know if we play at our level we can do something. Let's have high hopes, forget about this game and we will see."

Although defeat to Championship opposition may not seem like ideal preparation but Nasri believes City's experience in the two cups over the last fortnight will hold them in good stead.

When asked how City should approach the match against Barcelona he said: "Exactly the same way we finished the [Wigan] game. We have nothing to lose. If you go there and you lose it is no more but if you get a result it will be fantastic. I think we have nothing to lose. Just attack them from the start and try to score an early goal."

Toby Moses

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Pardew awaits head-butt verdict

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 10:25 AM PDT

• Pardew to have personal hearing with independent commission
• Panel cannot order him to take anger management course

Alan Pardew will learn whether he will face a stadium ban for head-butting the Hull City midfielder David Meyler.

The Newcastle manager will have a personal hearing in front of a three-man independent regulatory commission which will decide on the sanction for the misconduct charge, which Pardew has already admitted.

The 52-year-old is expected to make a personal statement outlining his contrition at having committed the offence, and the steps he will undertake to improve his behaviour.

There have been reports that Pardew may take an anger management course but, if he does so, this will be entirely his own choice – the commission has no power to order him to do so. The Newcastle manager was given a two-match touchline ban and £20,000 fine in August 2012 for pushing an assistant referee and the commission is likely to take that offence into account when deciding on the sanction because it occurred within the last two seasons.

Pardew was also warned about his conduct in January this year following a heated exchange when he was caught on camera swearing at the Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini.

The prospect of a stadium ban, which means he would not be allowed to attend matches at all, rather than a touchline ban, is a very real one. Paul Ince was handed a five-match stadium ban in October when he was manager of Blackpool for a "violent push" on a match official.

The head-butting incident happened when the Magpies were leading 3-1 at the KC Stadium when he and Meyler came into contact as Hull's Irish midfielder chased a ball out of play close to the Newcastle manager's technical area.

The match referee Kevin Friend cautioned the player for his part in the incident and then sent Pardew to the stands, from where he watched the remainder of the game.

Pardew afterwards issued a full apology and Newcastle responded within hours, warning him that his behaviour had been unacceptable and fining him £100,000.

Meyler appeared to hark back to the incident in his goal celebration during Hull's 3-0 FA Cup win over Sunderland on Sunday by head-butting the corner flag after scoring.


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Football Weekly: Wigan on their way to Wembley - again

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 10:07 AM PDT

On today's Football Weekly, AC Jimbo has Barry Glendenning, James Horncastle and Owen Gibson in the pod to look back on the weekend in the FA Cup and Premier League and gaze forward to the midweek action in the Champions League.

We start with Wigan, conquerors once again of Manchester City and heading to Wembley where they'll face Arsenal in the semi-final. The other semi pits together Sheffield United and Hull, which will be every bit as sexy, especially if you're from Yorkshire, like our man John Ashdown.

Next, we hear from Sid Lowe about City's chances of turning around their first leg deficit in the Champions League against a Barcelona side who have now lost 3 in their 6 matches. El Crisis!

Finally, we have a laugh at the Tottenham defence after their 4-0 thumping to almost-Champions Chelsea.

Paolo Bandini will be joining us Thursday, so if you've got anything to ask him about Serie A, the MLS or Arsenal's impending defeat to Bayern Munich, this is the place to do it.

And sorry, gang - but we've now sold the extra seats for our live show in Dublin, so you'll have to content yourselves with this nice little video.

James Richardson
Ben Green
Barry Glendenning
Owen Gibson
John Ashdown
Sid Lowe

The Fiver | Defensive hoodies and plucky pullovers | Barry Glendenning

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 09:43 AM PDT

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

CITY DUDS

When the prime minister, David Cameron, urged the electorate to "hug a hoodie" way back in the day, he was probably unaware that one of those most in need of a warm comforting embrace several years down the line would be Manuel Pellegrini. The Manchester City manager was scathing in his criticism for his team's FA Cup quarter-final performance against Plucky Little Wigan yesterday, but received pelters from several quarters for his decision to eschew the traditional FA Cup ensemble of a suit and tie in favour of a jogging top that looked like it had been fished from the bottom of a hamper of dirty laundry. The general consensus? His choice of such casual attire exemplified his team's rather slack approach to a match they expected to win at a canter.

Now the Fiver's no psychologist and can't decide whether or not this is a load of cobblers, so it is to our prime minister we turn again, in search of an opinion we can steal and pass off as our own. "Hoodies are more defensive than offensive," he told a conference on social justice back in 2006, in comments that suggest Martín Demichelis should probably have worn one too. "For me, adult society's response to the hoodie shows how far we are from finding the long-term answers to put things right." So there you have it, it's those criticising Pellegrini's choice of attire who should be having a word with themselves, not the man whose £1bn team of superstars just got turfed out of the FA Cup for the second time in a row by their plucky poor relations with their famously small but devoted fan base and even more famously reclusive chairman.

Despite looking dapper in his best bib and tucker; duds that quite clearly propelled his team to victory, Plucky Little Wigan manager Uwe Rösler was eager to give his Championship players at least some of the credit for a rousing victory at the Etihad which they thoroughly deserved. "It has been a tremendous performance from our whole team, every single player and we have shown no fear," said the German, who admitted that he pretty much aped Roberto Martínez's tactics from last year's final, with a couple of tweaks: wearing a darker suit than the Spaniard's grey number and adding a smart pullover just to be on the safe side. Rösler went on to applaud his team's supporters, a much-maligned bunch who are subjected to derision by supporters of bigger clubs for the heinous crime of hailing from a northern rugby league town with a small population. "Our supporters were absolutely brilliant," said the German, of the travelling 4,000. "I am very proud of the way they supported us and I think they really appreciated the way my players played."

Plucky Little Wigan, who last won the FA Cup in May, will now face Arsenal, who last won any silverware more meaningful than the Emirates Cup in 2005, in the semi-final, with the winners going on to face either Hull City or Sheffield United in the final. With the FA Cup surely Arsenal's to lose, it will be interesting to see how exactly they go about doing so. In the meantime, expect Arsène Wenger to turn up at Wembley for the semi-final in a top hat, tails and spats.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"You know the kings of the penalties, you know where they are – and they're not here" – José Mourinho praises his ethical Chelsea players for not diving. All of them.

FIVER LETTERS

"Clearly Dale Marsden and his band of grammar warriors (Friday's letters) are mistaken: the Fiver didn't confuse 'they're' and 'their', but in fact its prepositions. After all, I don't see what Hull City's owners would gain from screaming and screaming and screaming until they're sick, but I can see at least two benefits from them screaming and screaming and screaming into their sick: 1) to muffle the sound of said screaming; and 2) to better spray said sick across 110 years of Hull's history" – Richard Robinson (and no others).

"In the midst of a tea-timely email built on running 'jokes', has the very existence of Phillipa Suárez (two consecutive Ls, two non-consecutive Ps, temporary punishment acute accent, not related to Luis, possible object of affection for at least 1057 people) become a joke? Is she in fact some convoluted art project? Or a Stanislaw-Lem-in-the-paranoid-mind-of-Philip-K-Dick-style compound person, whose contributions are written by committee? Or are we just not creative enough to find another subject to write in about?" – Matt Dony.

"Why did you post a link to a version of The Boys Of Summer with no video (Friday's Still Want M-O-Rs) and that sounded like it was recorded by holding a microphone up to the radio in a public toilet (those were the days eh, Weird Uncle Fiver?). This is the best version of Boys Of Summer on YouTube. Actually, Kate Tunstall is Scottish and has been around for about 10 years. Perhaps she could manage United" – Dan Johnson.

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BITS AND BOBS

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness raised eyebrows to Penfoldian levels in a German courtroom when he admitted dodging taxes of £15.4m and not £2.9m, as he was accused of.

Wolves have made a complaint to the FA and Walsall about alleged r@cist abuse directed at Carl Ikeme and George Elokobi by 'a small number of individuals' in Saturday's League One match.

Newcastle's Dan Gosling has admitted an FA charge over multiple breaches of rules relating to having a flutter.

John Heitinga is hoping The Almighty will patch up Fulham's defence and keep them up. "I still believe in the miracle," he hallelujahed.

And Rafa Benítez's pet goalkeeper Pepe Reina said his form at Liverpool dipped because a) He stopped being able to catch the ball; or b) He couldn't get used to Brendan Rodgers' methods.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING

Football Weekly? Live in Dublin? On St Patrick's Day? What could possibly go wrong?

STILL WANT MORE?

Where's your talking points? Clunk! There they are.

If the FA want England to play attractive football, why do they keep appointing coaches who like to see the ball blootered in the direction of the moon, ponders Daniel Taylor.

Flushgurglegurglegurgle … is the sound of Barcelona's title hopes going down the pan, writes Sid Lowe.

Napoli got a mention at the Oscars – and then stuck to the winning script against Roma, whoops Paolo Bandini.

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'AND NOW THE DANDY DONS ARE GOING TO BRING US HOME THE CUP'

Barry Glendenning

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Qatar World Cup labour costs to rise after revelation of construction deaths

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 09:30 AM PDT

IMF warns of danger to Qatari development model following publicity surrounding migrant construction worker deaths

Qatar is likely to face higher labour costs as a result of publicity about the deaths of migrant construction workers building the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup football tournament, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Guardian reported in September that dozens of Nepali workers died last summer in Qatar and that labourers were not given enough food and water.

Qatar, which has denied the Guardian's findings, has experienced a growing influx of foreigners, now estimated at 1.8 million, with its population rising 10% in 2013.

"Working conditions of some construction workers and domestic help has made global headlines and could affect the availability and cost of hiring new workers in the future," said the IMF after completing annual consultations with Qatar. "This would hinder growth, since the success of Qatar's current development model depends importantly on the ability to rapidly hire expatriate workers."

The gas-rich nation has planned to spend about $140bn (£84bn) on new infrastructure in the run-up to the World Cup, with projects including a metro, port and airport.

Such major public investments entail a possibility of overheating in the near term and low return and overcapacity in the medium term, the IMF warned. "In particular, the extent to which public investment will durably boost private sector productivity remains uncertain," it said.

Certain big-ticket projects such as the metro, port, and airport have been scaled down or divided into phases to reduce the overcapacity risk. The authorities are preparing a shortlist of critical projects, said the IMF. The relevant projects were not specified.

The large-scale nature of the programme has led to implementation delays and cost overruns, and Qatar will continue to face the risk of cost escalation given its commitment to a compressed timetable ahead of the World Cup, added the IMF.


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Bayern Munich's Toni Kroos keeps Manchester United transfer rumours alive – video

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 09:11 AM PDT

Bayern Munich forward Toni Kroos says he hasn't ruled out transferring to the Premier League, amid reports of interest from Manchester United

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness admits €18.5m tax fraud in court

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 08:26 AM PDT

• Hoeness admits to evading tax on an extra €15m
• Former West Germany star faces up to 10 years in jail

The Bayern Munich president, Uli Hoeness, told a tax trial that he hid millions of euros more than authorities thought but denied being a "social parasite".

His defence lawyer Hanns Feigen said that Hoeness cheated the taxman out of €18.5m (£15.4m) – €15m more than the €3.5m listed by the prosecution.

Vowing he wants to come clean on his fiscal wrong-doing, Hoeness told the Munich court that he stashed away the money in a secret Swiss bank account during years of obsessive stock "gambling".

"I am glad that everything is now transparent and on the table," the 62-year-old, who now faces a possible jail term, said on the first day of his trial.

"I deeply regret my misbehaviour. I will do everything to ensure that this distressing chapter closes."

"I have evaded taxes," a rueful Hoeness told the packed court. "I am aware that turning myself in to the authorities does not change that. I was hoping to escape criminal charges with a voluntary disclosure."

Prosecutors argue that his self-reporting of a Zurich account in January 2013 contained irregularities and is invalid because authorities already had Hoeness in their sights at the time.

The former footballer, who also runs a lucrative sausage company, said that during years of stocks trading from 2003 to 2009 that amounted to virtual "gambling", he had lost sight of his gains and losses.

He has earlier told German media that he received a €10.2m loan for trading in his Swiss bank account in 2001 from the late Robert Louis-Dreyfus, then chief of the club's supplier, and major shareholder, Adidas.

He told the court that overall he had ended up in the red after his trading years. He stressed that over the years he had donated a total of €5m , telling the court that "I'm not a social parasite".

Hoeness faces a possible jail term if found guilty by the court, which has scheduled a four-day trial with a verdict expected Thursday.

The maximum punishment for major tax fraud under German law is 10 years jail, but shorter terms, which can be suspended, are more commonly handed down.

He arrived in court Monday through a back entrance and gave photographers a pained smile at the start of the trial in a courtroom packed with media and other audience members.

Public interest in the case has been intense – the 49 allocated media spots to cover the trial were filled within 27 seconds, the court said.

Hoeness has spent more than four decades with the Bayern Munich – first as player, helping win West Germany the 1974 World Cup, then as team manager and, since 2009, as club president.

Despite widespread criticism of Hoeness, his initial offer to resign from Bayern Munich last May was rejected by the supervisory board of the European champions club.

Hoeness has stayed on so far as president, amid expressions of loyalty from fans and players, and support from corporate sponsors such as Adidas, Audi, VW and Deutsche Telekom.

"I can only hope that it turns out well for him and the court shows its human side," said honorary club president Franz Beckenbauer on Sky TV on Sunday.


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Sid Lowe on Barcelona's critics

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT

A third defeat in six games, at lowly Valladolid, has the vultures circling at Camp Nou as Real Madrid move four points clear

At the end of Barcelona's 1-0 defeat at Valladolid on Saturday afternoon, Víctor Valdés took refuge in the bathroom. Somewhere in the distance, along the passageway, the Serbian central defender Stefan Mitrovic was smashing his way through the door of the home dressing room in celebration. But here, in the visitors' bathroom, all was quiet. Valdés positioned his camera and filmed a video résumé of the game, a kind of selfie press conference with a wall of white tiles replacing the usual collage of sponsors. This was, he said looking at the camera, a "bad game." The video is 30 seconds long and towards the end there is a suspiciously familiar noise. It is the noise of someone flushing Barcelona's title challenge down the pan.

That, at least, is the way it was greeted, and not entirely without reason. Outside the stadium something was launched at Gerard Piqué; the following morning everything was launched at all of them. El Mundo Deportivo feared that Barcelona had left "half a league" behind in Valladolid. The only surprise was that they said "half." Others didn't; they insisted that the entire season had escaped. "The players threw away the league ... and we were ashamed of them," ran the headline in Sport, yellow lettering screaming out from a cover in funeral black. The following night, Real Madrid defeated Levante 3-0 at the Bernabéu. "Madrid break free," cheered AS.

Barcelona are only four points behind Real Madrid at the top, one behind Atlético Madrid in second, and there are still 11 matches to go. One of them is the clásico in a fortnight's time, the chance to take points off their rivals and close to within a solitary point. Afterwards, Tata Martino was talking about the maths; Barcelona would continue to fight for as long as the title is mathematically possible, he said. Which is fine but when you start talk about the maths it's never a good sign and the maths doesn't make happy reading. Here's one simple sum to start off with: Real Valladolid had won just four times this season before Saturday. Now it's five.

Deservedly so too. Valladolid took the lead a little after a quarter of an hour, through Fausto Rossi. Barcelona had time to react but, apart from a couple of runs from Leo Messi, they simply didn't. When Neymar missed, sending the ball wildly over the bar, they never looked like getting an equaliser, still less a winner. At the end of the game both sides had taken six shots. Barcelona had given the ball away 77 times, more than in any game this season. The few passes they completed were unconvinced and unconvincing, fearful and isolated, directionless. Sideways and backwards they went before hoofing it aimlessly, not so much passing the ball as passing up on it.

Xavi Hernández complained about the grass and while the pitch was not great – and anyone who has been to Valladolid in winter knows why - his comments about the surface have now reached a point of self-parody that, even when true, do little to support his case or to suggest that they will find, or even seek, a solution. And if the ball bobbled, Barcelona ambled. If the ball travelled slowly, and at times it was torturous, they travelled slower. There was no intensity and no intent, no aggression, no competitiveness, just a feeling of emptiness and impotence. Lionel Messi drifted out of the game, Neymar never got into it. Even Sergio Busquets has started to look lost lately. Over on the Barcelona bench, an argument brewed between the fitness coach and the assistant. Otherwise, there was passivity.

"You have to go back to the death throes of the Gaspart era to see something similar," ran the match report in AS. Ramón Besa in El País has become one of the most significant "voices" of Barcelona's recent narrative. His opening line ran: "No football, no stars, no pride..." Against Valladolid, he wrote, Barcelona had "definitively stopped being a team." "Ridicule," "collapse", "freefall", "adrift", "crumbling", "vulgar", "decadent", "shameful" ... in the media on Sunday morning the judgements flowed and they were vicious.

There were mitigating factors, such as Andrés Iniesta being absent after his wife's miscarriage, and perhaps this game should not be taken as the most faithful gauge. It is also true that their season may not be defined by the league title: they are in the Copa del Rey final, against Real Madrid, and have a 2-0 lead against Manchester City in the Champions League. The European Cup eclipses all else. And yet, while the impression may be false, that lead against City now feels vulnerable. And curiously, unlike Madrid, Barcelona have tended to need to be good at home to be good abroad: Since 1998, Real Madrid have won the European Cup three times; each time, they were a disaster domestically. Barcelona have won the European Cup four times; each time they won the league too.

Besides, this wasn't really a one-off. And the problems are deeper, running right through the club, where it has always felt like they are just a couple of bad results from a crisis. The team has recently propped up the institution, not the other way round. Since Sandro Rosell became president, there's been a creeping sense of decline and of divorce between some of those who led the club's contemporary rise and some of those who now lead the club. Víctor Valdés will leave at the end of the season when his contract expires; the last time his contract was up for renewal, in 2009, he didn't hesitate. In part, he admits, because Joan Laporta was like a "sporting father". Johan Cruyff was removed from the honorary presidency and Pep Guardiola departed.

Tito Vilanova suffered cancer. So too did Eric Abidal, who was not offered the chance to continue. Jordi Roura took over temporarily. Vilanova returned in time to see Barcelona win the league, but the 7-0 aggregate defeat against Bayern in last season's semi-final marked last season. Pre-season was poor. In the summer, Messi was pursued by the inland revenue. He got injured and from his rehabilitation in Argentina he described the club director Javier Faus as a man who "knows nothing about football". Barcelona were pursued by the inland revenue too, after they were reported by one of their own members over the Neymar transfer. They claimed they had done nothing wrong but paid €13m. The case is now before a judge. Rosell challenged the courts to call him; a few days later he announced his resignation.

Media reports hinted at personal interests and division into camps. At Barcelona they have always talked about the "entorno"; this year it has emerged again. "There are some things that don't seem to change ever and that is one of them," Piqué admitted in World Soccer. "A club that is divided cannot ever be good." Martino arrived swiftly late in the summer after doctors told Vilanova he could not continue. From the start, debates raged about the style, the identity, of Barcelona. Now, it is hard to avoid the sense that his ideas do not entirely tally with some of the squad. Results hid the shift and problems, some of which the players saw early on but are only apparent now. "The emperor's new clothes," as Santi Giménez put it in AS.

Where this goes next is hard to judge, too, and the uncertainty is considerable. Valdés had already announced that he was leaving; last week Carles Puyol did too. Rumours persists about Xavi departing. He is 34. The three are Barça's club captains. It is perhaps over simplistic, but this is a team that is not as young as it was. "The problem is that people get used to [success]" Piqué admitted. "The reality is that all these people have not cost a euro and there are loads of them - Andrés, Leo, Xavi, Víctor, Puyi, Pedro ... that's unique, that might not happen again."

The renewal process has been uneven. Neymar arrived too of course, but no centre-back did. The season before Alex Song came for €19m, presented as a defender. The experiment there lasted four games before it was abandoned. So much has happened over the last few years that it would have been a surprise that it did not affect the results and the play. It is hard to draw lines of causation but there are countless conditioning factors and recently, at least, results have been certainly affected. "For as long as it is mathematically possible ..."

Here are a few more sums: having had a six-point lead, Barcelona now trail Real Madrid by four -a 10-point swing explained by an abysmal 2014. On Saturday, Barcelona lost a second successive away game for the first time since 2008, and at least back then it was at Riazor and the Bernabéu. You have to go back to that season, Barcelona's big pre-Pep Guardiola collapse, for the last time they were third this late into a campaign. Even the respective run-ins appear to favour Madrid: although the next month sees them face Sevilla and Real Sociedad away and Barcelona at home, it's hard to imagine them not winning their final six games. Barcelona, meanwhile, have to travel to the Bernabéu, Espanyol and Villarreal, and have Athletic at home then the other title challengers, Atlético, on the final day. Atlético go to Athletic, Valencia and Barcelona. They're still there, but Madrid have opened up a gap now.

Before Saturday's game, one headline declared: "Objective: 12 wins." Now, for Barcelona it has to be "Objective: 11 wins" and even if they do win all 11 they may not win the league. It is no longer in their hands and Real Madrid are unbeaten in 29 in all competitions and three draws and 14 wins in the last 17 league games. It's hard to avoid the sensation that it could get worse for Barcelona too; right now, the clásico feels more like a threat than an opportunity. They have not opened the scoring away in four months and they have lost three of the last six. Having dropped just five points in the first 18 games, Barcelona have now dropped 13 in the nine games of 2014. It is about sensations not just stats but a nine-game 2014 league table reads: Real Madrid 23, Athletic Bilbao 18, Levante 16, Atlético 15, Barcelona and Celta Vigo 14. "The league is difficult," Sergio Busquets admitted.

Talking points

* "Mestalla explodes: 'Corruption in the Federation!'," shouts the front cover of the Valencia sports daily Super Deporte. According to the paper, Valencia see a "black hand" against them. "If the mistakes are a tendency, they stop being mistakes," coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said, albeit his tone was even and his words more nuanced than the phrase in black-and-white suggests. The complaints centre on the penalty that was given to Athletic Bilbao during the 1-1 draw. Funnily enough they do not focus on the offside goal that gave Valencia the lead. Or Philippe Senderos. Or, come to think of it, even on the penalty itself: if they did they might notice that at best Sofiane Feghouli's challenge was very clumsy and, at worst, that he might have hit Ander Herrera in the face.

Asked what he thought after the game Athletic's coach, Ernesto Valverde, nailed it. He said he had not yet seen a replay but admitted that live in the stadium, in the heat of the game, he is "just the same as everyone else: if it's in my area I don't think it's a penalty; if it's in theirs, I do."

* The word textbook gets used too much, becoming a horrible cliché. But Ronaldo's header to open the scoring against Levante really was. You could image a picture of him with all arrows and lines drawn over the top: the colossal, straight leap; the jack-knife shape of his body; the ball hitting the middle of his forehead; neck tense and nodding forward, hard; the ball going down into the turf and into the corner. It was the first of three goals and it might have been more but for the goalkeeper who has made more saves than anyone else this season ... Costa Rica's Keylor Navas.

* "All you need to play football is one ball and two bollocks," says Rayo's coach, Paco Jémez. Tonight, his side travel to San Sebastián. It's been quite a weekend at the bottom too after Valladolid and Betis both won. Betis beat Getafe, who have sacked their coach Luis García after 12 games without a win. And while the focus was inevitably on Barcelona, Valladolid were superb on Saturday afternoon.

* "I agree with the labour reform of this government," Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez, said on Sunday night. "We're more competitive with lower salaries." Wonder if he has told Ronaldo that?

* Just when you wondered if it might be all over for Atlético too, without Diego Costa and Diego Godín, they recovered from a poor first half to beat Celta 2-0. David Villa got both: he's on 13 for the season.

Results: Valladolid 1-0 Barcelona, Betis 2-0 Getafe, Celta Vigo 0-2 Atlético Madrid, Granada 2-0 Villarreal, Espanyol 3-1 Elche, Almería 1-3 Sevilla, Real Madrid 3-0 Levante, Valencia 1-1 Athletic Bilbao. Monday: Osasuna v Málaga and Real Sociedad v Rayo Vallecano

Latest La Liga table

Sid Lowe

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MLS replacement referees make mistakes but don't affect results … yet

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:49 AM PDT

MLS: Five things we learned in Week One: Replacement refs under close scrutiny in lockout; Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake grab late wins

Graham Parker
Richard Farley

Napoli get a rap at the Oscars and stick to winning script against Roma | Paolo Baldini

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:34 AM PDT

Rafael Benítez is still making friends and influencing people, with a Champions League place virtually certain and the Coppa Italia final to come

Napoli did not make much of a splash at the footballing Oscars last month. Christian Maggio and the now-departed Edinson Cavani were each named in the team of the year at Italy's annual awards bash, but otherwise the Partenopei were largely overlooked. The most prestigious gongs – best footballer and best manager – went to Juventus's Andrea Pirlo and Antonio Conte instead.

But Napoli's owner Aurelio De Laurentiis will not have been too upset. A movie producer in his day job, he was probably far more excited to hear his team get a tacit nod at the real Oscars, where Paolo Sorrentino, the Neapolitan director of La Grande Bellezza (or The Great Beauty, as it was to English-speaking audiences) celebrated the best foreign language film award by thanking "my sources of inspiration, Federico Fellini, the Talking Heads, Martin Scorsese and Diego Armando Maradona".

Most of Hollywood probably had no idea what he was on about. But, in Naples, those words were well received. At the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday, Sorrentino's affection was returned on Maradona's behalf by Napoli's supporters. "Honour to he who in his moment of greatest celebrity does not forget where he came from or his identity," read the banners unfurled ahead of the club's game against, Roma. "Thank you P Sorrentino."

Perhaps one day the director could be persuaded to make a film about the club that he loves. There is certainly plenty of material to be found in Napoli's rich history – from its foundation by English sailors back in the 1900s right through to the Maradona-inspired scudetti of 1987 and 1990. But, of course, De Laurentiis would prefer us to focus on the present. Just last month, he told us that manager Rafael Benítez deserved his own short feature.

"I always go down [to the changing room] at the end of the first half [of Napoli's games], because I am very interested to listen to the talks Benítez gives," noted the owner. "He is precise, a fury, a spectacle. I will film him one of these days."

De Laurentiis is not the only one to have fallen for the Spaniard's charms. Benítez's warmth and willingness to immerse himself in Neapolitan culture made him an instant hit in the city, to the point that he found himself getting mobbed in the street when he stepped out with his daughter for an ice cream. Pizzas and custom nativity scenes have been created in his honour.

Benítez has won over the local press, too, with his engaging press conferences. Earlier this month, he stepped out from behind his desk to walk around the room using reporters' positioning to illustrate a point about breaking down packed defences. On Saturday he handed out mimosas to each female journalist, in a gesture to recognise International Women's Day.

Not everyone, though, has been impressed with his results. Benítez's tenure began in style with five straight wins, including one over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and another against Milan at San Siro – the first time that Napoli had beaten the Rossoneri away from home in almost 30 years. But hopes that he could translate that fast start into a real title challenge have since collapsed. By the time they kicked off against Roma on Sunday night, Napoli were third – six points behind their opponents (who also held a game in hand) and 20 behind the league leaders Juventus.

There are layers here, of course. Juve are in the midst of what might well be a record-breaking campaign, on course to finish the season with more than 100 points. Napoli finished a comfortable second last year with 78 under Benítez's predecessor Walter Mazzarri, but that sum would likely not be enough to overhaul Roma this time round.

But it is also true that Benítez's team have dropped points far too cheaply at times. They drew 1-1 at home to Sassuolo just four days after the newly promoted side had been battered 7-0 by Inter. Since then Napoli have also been held by Cagliari (now 15th), Chievo (16th), Bologna (17th) and Livorno (18th). Benítez's rotation policy – switching as many as six members of his starting XI at a time – has come under scrutiny.

And yet, on the biggest occasions, his team have tended to come through – and especially at home. Along with Dortmund, Napoli had also beaten Arsenal, Inter, Milan and Roma (in the Coppa Italia semi-final) at the Stadio San Paolo before this weekend. Now they needed to repeat that last result in order to preserve their hopes of catching the Giallorossi in second place. Automatic qualification to the Champions League group stage is still not a prize to be sniffed at.

Roma arrived in Naples without two of their most important players. Daniele De Rossi's absence through suspension was damaging, but Francesco Totti's failure to recover in time from a muscle strain far more so. With their captain in the line-up this season, Roma had averaged 2.53 points and goals per game. Without him those numbers dropped to 2 and 1.1 respectively.

The picture became even bleaker for the visitors within minutes of kickoff, when Kevin Strootman collapsed to the turf. The midfielder, who had injured his right knee while playing for Holland during the week, had appeared to damage his left during a challenge with Blerim Dzemaili a few moments earlier.

Strootman was replaced by Rodrigo Taddei, leaving Roma without two of their starting three midfielders. Still, though, Napoli struggled to get a handle on the game. The Giallorossi began to assert themselves. Fine saves from Pepe Reina were required to keep out efforts from Michel Bastos and Maicon either side of half-time. Gervinho had been put through on goal at least twice before then, but fluffed his lines on each occasion.

Napoli, on the other hand, would take their chance when it arrived. With nine minutes left to play, Faouzi Ghoulam found room to cross on the left and swung a perfect ball over to an unmarked José Maria Callejón on the far side. The forward's header struck the juncture of post and crossbar before falling into the net. It was enough to win the game 1-0.

For Benítez, it was another little moment of vindication. It was he who insisted on Callejón's signing in the first place, despite the scepticism of his team's director of sport, Riccardo Bigon. Even at a modest reported fee of €9m, many people believed that Napoli had overpaid for a player on the fringes of Real Madrid's team. They scoffed when Benítez insisted the player could score 20 goals, but Callejón's against Roma was his 15th of the season in all competitions.

It still might not be enough for Napoli to catch Roma, who retain a three-point advantage, a game in hand, and the head-to-head tie-breaker if the two sides finish level in the standings. But if nothing else, the victory strengthened Napoli's hold on third, taking them 10 points clear of faltering Fiorentina. With a Coppa Italia final, and a Europa League last-16 tie still to come, there are opportunities yet to lift a trophy.

Those might not be enough to earn Benítez recognition at next year's footballing Oscars – not if Juventus maintain their current charge. But for now, at least, Naples is enjoying the show.

Talking points and results

• Even Rudi Garcia was prepared to anoint Juventus as champions after Roma's defeat. As recently as last week he had insisted that his team was still in the running, but on Sunday he struck a different note. "The Scudetto conversation is not mathematically closed," he said, "But in reality it is."

• Juventus beat Fiorentina 1-0 in Sunday's early game, Kwadwo Asamoah weaving his way through a packed area for the game's only goal . But this was only the first of three games in a fortnight for these two teams, who will meet again in Turin for the first leg of their Europa League last-16 game on Thursday. "Fiorentina good for lunch," tweeted Juventus's official club account after the game. "See you again in four days for dinner."

• The stands of the Stadio Olimpico were left mostly empty for Lazio's defeat to Atalanta, but for once it was not because of a stadium ban. The Biancocelesti's supporters are ratcheting up their campaign against owner Claudio Lotito, whom they accuse of running into the ground (notwithstanding the fact that it was he who rescued them from bankruptcy in 2004). "Lazio is ours, and we will leave it to our sons," read the banner left at the foot of a deserted Curva Nord. This was a direct response to the owner's recent insistence that he would not be forced out of the club, and would instead leave it one day to his own son Enrico.

• Another week, another win for Parma – who are long overdue a full column from me and whose unbeaten run now stands at 15 games. Roberto Donadoni's side are up to sixth, with a game in hand that could lift them over both Fiorentina and Inter (although it is against Roma). The star this weekend was Antonio Cassano, who pulled Verona's defence all over the place as a roaming false nine. Afterwards Donadoni was asked if his striker should go to the World Cup. "If he's playing like this, it's hard not to recognise it," said the manager. "I don't want to sponsor anyone, but he is playing at a high level and since January has found a maturity that it really helping."

Results: Bologna 0-0 Sassuolo, Catania 1-1 Cagliari, Chievo 2-1 Genoa, Inter 1-0 Torino, Juventus 1-0 Fiorentina, Lazio 0-1 Atalanta, Napoli 1-0 Roma, Parma 2-0 Verona, Sampdoria 4-2 Livorno, Udinese 1-0 Milan.

Paolo Bandini

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Holland's Kevin Strootman ruled out of World Cup with knee injury

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:19 AM PDT

• Midfielder injured during Roma's defeat at Napoli in Serie A
• Holland manager Louis van Gaal: 'His dreams have died'

The Holland midfielder Kevin Strootman will miss the World Cup finals in Brazil in June after tearing cartilage in his left knee.

"I can just imagine how disappointed he must be," the coach Louis van Gaal said after Strootman was injured in Roma's 1-0 Serie A defeat at Napoli on Sunday. "Kevin was in good form.

"For the national side it is a huge blow. Kevin made a huge contribution to our qualification for the World Cup, he never let us down and now his dreams have died."

Strootman is expected to be on the sidelines for at least six months. He tried to play on after sustaining the injury before being carried off on a stretcher.

The midfielder had been taken off before half-time in Wednesday's 2-0 friendly international defeat by France in Paris after hurting his right knee.

Last year Van Gaal said Strootman, the captain Robin van Persie and the winger Arjen Robben were three players guaranteed a place in his World Cup squad.

Holland have been drawn in Group B with the champions Spain, Australia and Chile.


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Wolves report 'racist abuse' at Walsall to FA

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:54 AM PDT

• Players Carl Ikeme and George Elokobi reported abuse
• 'Complaint relates to a small number of individuals,' say Wolves

Wolverhampton Wanderers have made a complaint to Walsall and the Football Association after Carl Ikeme and George Elokobi reported racial abuse from home fans at Saturday's League One match at Banks's Stadium, which Wolves won 3-0.

The goalkeeper Ikeme and the defender Elokobi reported the abuse, which allegedly occurred in two separate incidents, to Wolves' management staff.

A statement from Wolves read: "The complaint relates to a small number of individuals in the crowd and will not sour the good relationship that exists between the two clubs.

"Both Wolves and Walsall are fiercely committed to stamping out all types of discrimination within football and will vigorously investigate all allegations of racist abuse.

"Wolves will always strongly support its players who are the victims of discrimination, and Carl Ikeme and George Elokobi both displayed admirable restraint in the face of receiving the abuse on Saturday."


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Reina won't rule out Liverpool return

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:25 AM PDT

• Goalkeeper denies he has severed ties with Anfield
• 'I have two years left on my contract there'

Napoli's on-loan goalkeeper Pepe Reina remains at odds with the Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, over his future at Anfield.

Last month Rodgers, in response to comments from the goalkeeper about needing to return to Merseyside to make a decision, said he believed the player had already made up his mind.

"Pepe made it very clear when he went to Napoli he was looking to move as he penned a great big letter saying he was going to work with the best manager that he'd worked with and thanked everyone for his time for Liverpool," said Rodgers.

However, Reina, reunited with his former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez in Italy, denies he has already confirmed his departure.

"That is what the manager says apparently but I have two years left on my contract," Reina told BBC Sport. "Liverpool got another goalkeeper [Simon Mignolet] and they told me they were happy to loan me for a season.

"It was strange but I don't regret it. The only thing about the letter is that I just could say goodbye in a different way and I couldn't do it [in person]. There are always up and downs in a career and in the last two-and-a-half years at Liverpool there were different methods and perhaps I didn't do as good as I used to with Rafa."

Benítez remains circumspect on Reina's long-term future, with the 31-year-old strongly linked with a return to Barcelona to replace the outgoing Víctor Valdés. "He reads the game very well and is one of the best goalkeepers in the world," said the Napoli manager. "Will he stay at Napoli? He has a clause and we know it – meanwhile he should continue to do well until the end of the season."


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Hoffenheim unveils 'footbonaut' machine to help train players – video

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 05:54 AM PDT

An innovative machine has been introduced to help Hoffenheim players hone their reaction and ball-passing skills

Toni Kroos open to Manchester United move even without Champions League

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 04:28 AM PDT

• Bayern Munich midfielder keen on Premier League switch
• 'I will consider everything. If I should leave'

Toni Kroos says that he considers a move to the Premier League to be a "possibility", raising the hopes of Manchester United and his other suitors in England.

The Bayern Munich attacking midfielder, who is preparing for the Champions League last-16 second-leg tie against Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, is locked in a contractual stand-off with his employer.

His deal, which earns him around £70,000 a week, expires in the summer of next year and the German international maintains that he will assess his options at the end of the season, when he stands to become one of the most sought-after players on the market.

The United manager, David Moyes, has put the 24-year-old at the top of his wish-list, as he looks to strengthen after a terrible first season in charge at Old Trafford but Kroos, who is rated among the world's leading young players, can expect interest from every major club in the Premier League.

"It is no secret that the Premier League is a possibility for me," Kroos said. "But no one has come to any agreement with me and it will stay like this until the summer and, some time, a decision will be made. It is also no secret that the Premier League is not a bad league.

"I think I am a person where a lot is possible for me. But I have to think about this for myself to reach a complete decision. There will be a decision in the future but one without giving you [the media] any time frame."

Kroos was asked whether he would consider a move to a team who were not in the Champions League – with United in mind. "I will consider everything," he said. "If I should leave."

Kroos, who scored the opening goal in Bayern's 2-0 win over Arsenal in London, is in a position to demand a massive pay rise. Bayern's honorary president, Franz Beckenbauer, has warned him not to "overplay his hand". Beckenbauer said that no player is "indispensable" or "worth changing your entire wage structure for".

The Bayern manager, Pep Guardiola, has no intention of losing Kroos and he believes that he can improve further under him in the seasons ahead. "Toni is a great talent, a good player," Guardiola said. "He's young and he can be better and better. I've said to him: 'You have time to become an even better player.' I hope he maintains his form this season – and for more seasons at this club."

Bayern approach the return tie against Arsenal in irresistible form. They beat Wolfsburg 6-1 on Saturday to break a Bundesliga record with a 16th consecutive victory while the only defeats that they have suffered this season have felt inconsequential. They lost to Borussia Dortmund in Germany's equivalent of the Community Shield and to Manchester City in the final tie of their Champions League group, although they still advanced as the winners of the section.

Bayern are chasing history, in the form of Germany's first unbeaten Bundesliga season while they want to become the first club to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990.

Bayern swept to the treble last season but Guardiola has turned them into an even more daunting proposition, partly because of his obsessive attention to the finest of details.

Under Jupp Heynckes last time out, Bayern knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League at the same stage, having won the first leg 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium. They struggled for motivation in the return and lost 2-0 to advance only on away goals.

Guardiola is adamant that there will be no repeat of such sloppiness. "Winning 2-0 in London was a very good result for us but it is also dangerous," the former Barcelona manager said. "We have to really focus on the game, to bring our ideas across in the way we play and know what our strengths are. It is a huge game for us; it is not like a day-to-day game in the Bundesliga.

"We have to make sure that we have the ball against Arsenal and attack really well. They have a lot of quality so we have to make sure we have a lot of possession. We have to make sure they do not score a goal. We have to have that offensive idea and to play with the mentality to win. We will have a problem, otherwise."

The attacking midfielder, Thomas Müller, who scored Bayern's second goal at the Emirates three weeks ago, said: "We've won the last 16 games and every player wants to win. We're not careless or arrogant. We're dominant. Last season [against Arsenal] was a good warning for us. We can't be careless."

David Hytner

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Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini blames shock defeat to Wigan Athletic on bad luck - video

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:43 AM PDT

Manuel Pellegrini says his team was unlucky after Wigan Athletic walked away with a 2-1 victory against Manchester City in an FA Cup quarterfinal

Football Weekly: live in Dublin - video preview

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 02:45 AM PDT

Join James Richardson, Rafa Honigstein, James Horncastle and returning hometown hero Barry Glendenning for a special night of puns and punditry in Dublin on Wednesday 19 March

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