FOOTBALL: Messi undergoes tests for kidney problems

Messi undergoes tests for kidney problems

Reuters

Barcelona striker Lionel Messi is expected to play in Wednesday's King's Cup semi-final against Valencia despite missing training on Monday to have tests on his kidneys, the La Liga club said.

"Barcelona striker Lionel Messi will undergo several tests on Monday and Tuesday to assess the evolution of the kidney problems he suffered last December," Barcelona said in a statement on their website (www.fcbarcelona.com)

"Messi will return to his normal duties with the first team on Wednesday."

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Chelsea's Zouma faces six months out after knee surgery

Reuters

Chelsea's French defender Kurt Zouma will be out for six months after surgery on a knee injury suffered at the weekend, the Premier League champions said on Monday.

The prognosis means the 21-year-old is ruled out for the rest of the season and will also miss the European championship finals in his home country, which open with France playing Romania in Paris on June 10.

The injury came just as Chelsea, whose hopes of retaining their domestic title are effectively over after a poor campaign, prepare to play Paris St Germain next week in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Chelsea said the centre back, who has made a big impression this season, injured his anterior cruciate ligament when he fell awkwardly in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

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Derrick and Montagliani launch bids for CONCACAF top job

Simon Evans, Reuters

Caribbean Football Union president Gordon Derrick and Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani both announced on Monday that they will be candidates for president of the troubled regional confederation CONCACAF.

CONCACAF, which governs soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, has had its last three presidents all indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of their wide-ranging investigation of FIFA that has seen 41 individuals and entities indicted.

CONCACAF has been without a leader since December and will vote for a new president in May.

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Allegri urged to fill Mourinho's Chelsea shoes

Justin DAVIS, Agence France-Presse
Massimiliano Allegri has been urged to "walk to Chelsea" and take up the "fantastic offer" that has been tabled for the Juventus coach by the Premier league giants.

Both Allegri and his predecessor at Juventus, Italy coach Antonio Conte, have been linked with the Chelsea manager's job currently being filled on a caretaker basis by Dutchman Guus Hiddink following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

Allegri's contract in Turin expires in 2017 and he says he is "happy where I am".

But Giovanni Galeone, who coached Allegri at several clubs during his playing career and is described as his mentor, believes the Juve boss will capitulate and quit the Turin giants to take over at Chelsea in time for next season.

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Russia says Blatter, Platini to be invited to World Cup

Reuters

Disgraced world soccer president Sepp Blatter and the sport's European head, Michel Platini, will be invited to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Monday.

Blatter and Platini, the two men at the top of the world's most popular sport, were banned by soccer governing body FIFA for eight years in December over a spate of corruption scandals on their watch that, among other things, raised questions about Russia's right to host the tournament.

Mutko told Russia's R-Sport news agency on Sunday that Blatter and Platini were appealing against their bans and still permitted to attend soccer events.

"Formally, the suspension prohibits them from any position in football. But on the other hand, how is that an outstanding player like Michel Platini can't go to the football?" Mutko was quoted as saying. "We will invite them, I see no problems with the events we are hosting."

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Ronaldo committed to seeing out Real contract

Agence France-Presse

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at Real Madrid for at least another two years, the forward said on Monday.

The 31-year-old three-time Ballon d'Or winner was picking up an award as top scorer in Spain for last season from Spanish daily Marca when he made the comments.

In a light-hearted interview he dampened incessant transfer rumours linking him with a switch to either big-spending Paris Saint-Germain or former club Manchester United.

"I'm still under contract for another two years. After that, we'll see," said Ronaldo.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

SOCCER: Leicester stun City, Barca stay top

LONDON - Unheralded Leicester City remained on course for their first top-flight title with a shock victory at Manchester City while Barcelona won to stay ahead of the pack and Bayern Munich drew but are still eight points clear.

ENGLAND

Surprise package Leicester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points with a stunning 3-1 victory at Manchester City, who dropped two places to fourth.

Foxes defender Robert Huth scored twice and league-leading scorer Jamie Vardy rounded off a great day for the Midlands club by signing a new four-year contract.

Tottenham Hotspur went into second place for the first time this term by beating visiting Watford 1-0 and local rivals Arsenal stayed level on points with them by winning 2-0 at Bournemouth.

Manchester United were denied a victory at Chelsea when Diego Costa scored in added time to earn a 1-1 draw. That left United six points behind neighbours City.

SPAIN

Barcelona won 2-0 at Levante, equalling a club record 28 matches unbeaten, to regain a three-point lead at the top of La Liga after Atletico Madrid joined them for less than 24 hours.

Atletico won 3-1 at Eibar with substitute Fernando Torres scoring his 100th goal for the club with an added-time strike.

Real Madrid remained four points off the pace with a laboured 2-1 win at Granada, Luka Modric's brilliant first goal of the season securing victory five minutes from time.

Valencia lost 1-0 at Real Betis, going a 12th league match without winning and ninth under coach Gary Neville.

GERMANY

Lacklustre Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich struggled to a 0-0 draw at Bayer Leverkusen but maintained an eight-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund, who where also held to a goalless draw at third-placed Hertha Berlin.

The Bavarians looked distracted as the club deals with the fallout from coach Pep Guardiola's decision to join Manchester City next season while also struggling with injuries to central defenders.

Schalke 04 jumped into fourth spot, two points behind Hertha, after crushing out-of-form VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 with goals from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Johannes Geis and substitute Alessandro Schoepf.

The Wolves, last season's runners-up who are still competing in the Champions League, have dropped to eighth after failing to win in their last seven matches.

ITALY

Napoli stayed top of Serie A by beating 10-man visitors Carpi 1-0 for a club-record eighth consecutive league win, while Juventus defeated Frosinone 2-0 to extend their own record winning streak to 14 matches.

Inter Milan recovered to salvage a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw at bottom club Hellas Verona while AS Roma downed visiting Sampdoria 2-1 and 10-man Fiorentina were held 1-1 at Bologna.

After 24 matches, Napoli are top on 56 points with Juve two points behind in second. Fiore are in third on 46 points, Inter have 45 in fourth and Roma are fifth on 44.

FRANCE

PSG continued their march towards the French title when Angel Di Maria's second-half goal gave them a 2-1 win at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the first goal and set up Argentina forward Di Maria for the second to put PSG on 69 points from 25 games.

They lead second-placed AS Monaco, who beat Nice 1-0, by 24 points. Nice are third on 39 points, level with St Etienne after Les Verts thrashed Girondins de Bordeaux 4-1 away.

NETHERLANDS

PSV Eindhoven won 2-0 at Utrecht to stay a point ahead of Ajax Amsterdam as the Dutch championship turned into a two-horse race.

PSV's Colombian defender Santiago Arias and new signing Marco van Ginkel scored in the first 20 minutes to take their team to 53 points.

Ajax put Feyenoord all but out of contention for the title with a 2-1 home win that left their opponents in fourth place, 17 points off the pace. Heracles Almelo are up to third after a 2-0 win over PEC Zwolle but are still 15 points behind PSV.

(Editing by Ken Ferris)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

KING'S CUP: Suarez scores four as Barca rout Valencia 7-0

BARCELONA - Luis Suarez scored four goals and Lionel Messi grabbed a hat-trick as Barcelona all but wrapped up their King's Cup semi-final by crushing Valencia 7-0 in the first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

Barely seven minutes had elapsed when Neymar stole the ball from a careless Andre Gomes in midfield, raced forward and passed to Suarez who rifled a shot across goal past Matthew Ryan.

Barca went two up when Sergio Busquets sent a long ball down the right which Aleix Vidal pulled back for Suarez to blast past Ryan.

"Great result which puts us closer to the objective," Suarez told Movistar. "There'd have to be a catastrophe to not play the final."

Valencia struggled to contain a Barca side with Neymar, Messi and Suarez creating danger almost at will.

Gary Neville's side rarely got near goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen as Barcelona produced one of their best performances of the season with Andres Iniesta and Messi playing in their ninth King's Cup semi-final in 10 seasons.

Messi scored the third after a neat backheel from Neymar.

On the stroke of halftime Barcelona were awarded a penalty when Shkodran Mustafi brought Messi down and was sent off but Neymar hit the post to leave the score 3-0 at the interval.

Russian Denis Cheryshev came on as a substitute for his Valencia debut just before Messi scored Barca's fourth in the 59th minute, taking a backheel from Suarez and weaving past two defenders.

Valencia had the ball in the net in the 69th minute after Cheryshev laid on for Rodrigo but it was ruled out for offside and Messi soon completed his hat-trick.

"I couldn't imagine a debut like this. I know it's Barcelona but we can't give such an image (of ourselves)," Cheryshev, on loan from Real Madrid, said. "Like this we won't go anywhere."

Suarez scored twice in the last seven minutes, a header from Adriano's cross and a shot from Arda Turan's square ball taking the Uruguayan's tally to nine goals in five matches and 35 for the season.

The second leg, in which Barcelona can afford to rest leading players, should be a mere formality in Valencia next Wednesday.

(Writing by Rex Gowar, editing by Ed Osmond and Pritha Sarkar)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com