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      Former Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink believed 2009 Champions League semi-final vs Barcelona could have been ‘fixed’

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      GUUS HIDDINK thought Chelsea’s 2009 Champions League semi-final defeat to Barcelona might have been fixed – even though the referee owned up to making mistakes.The Blues were denied a spot in the final after the official Tom Henning Ovrebo made a series of blunders.
      Guus Hiddink had to hold back a furious Didier Drogba after the 2009 tieCredit: AP:Associated Press
      Hiddink, manager of Chelsea at the time, branded the officiating as ‘the worst refereeing I have ever seen’.
      He told Ziggo Sport in 2020: “The referee performance surprised me, because in the past he’d had perfect performances.
      “Is it the worst refereeing I’ve ever seen? I think so.”
      The Dutchman alleged: “This is the only time I thought a match could’ve been fixed.”
      Barca went on to beat Manchester United in the final with the Blues waiting until 2012 to claim their maiden crown – a tally they doubled in 2021.
      Hiddink claims football chiefs would not have wanted a repeat of the all-English final between Chelsea and United the year before, won by the Red Devils on spot-kicks.
      But in an interview with SunSport in February 2018, Norwegian whistler Ovrebo admitted to making genuine mistakes during the match.
      Ovrebo, who works as a psychologist in Oslo now, turned down FOUR Blues’ penalty claims before Chelsea were cruelly eliminated by Andres Iniesta’s 94th-minute strike for Barca which put them through on away goals.
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      Death threats were made after the game, while straight after the match Blues striker Didier Drogba verbally attacked the ref, and later received a five-match ban.
      Ovrebo said: “I was happy with 95 per cent of my decisions. But there were some decisions that were not dealt with in the correct manner.
      “One handball earlier in the game should have been a penalty. People will always have different opinions about the game.
      “But everyone agrees the refereeing that night was not optimal. And I am the first to agree with them.”
      At the time Uefa dismissed the conspiracy theories around the game.
      Uefa general secretary David Taylor said: “If anything it’s a media conspiracy against Uefa.
      “It does make me angry. It really annoys me because it’s a load of rubbish.” More

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      Five-time Champions League winner celebrates birthday unemployed despite being just 31 and in peak condition

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      REAL MADRID star Isco celebrated his 31st birthday as an unemployed player.The former Spanish international won a fifth Champions League with Los Blancos last season, despite not featuring in any of their European matches.
      Isco, pictured with wife Sara Salamo, has been a free agent since being released by Sevilla in JanuaryCredit: Instagram / @iscoalarcon
      He won five Champions Leagues during his nine-year stint at Real MadridCredit: Reuters
      His nine-year spell at the Bernabeu eventually ended in the summer, before he joined fellow LaLiga side Sevilla.
      But Isco’s contract was ripped up after just four months, with club chief Monchi stating it had been “a mistake” to sign him and “it would have been a further mistake to continue with the error”.
      On Friday, the forward turned 31 as the Royal Spanish Football Federation tweeted a post dedicated to him.
      They said: “🥳 We hope you have a great day and many more to come.”
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      It remains to be seen where Isco – who is keeping in shape by employing a personal trainer – will end up following offers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Spain.
      He looked set to join Union Berlin in the January window, before the deal collapsed.
      It is quite a fall from grace for the ex-Malaga protege, who joined Real in 2013 as Carlo Ancelotti’s first signing.
      The playmaker hit the ground running and went on to win four Champions League titles, while his performances earned interest from Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City and Barcelona.
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      That led to a new deal in 2017, which included a release clause worth a whopping £619million.
      However, Isco quickly fell out of favour as Real stopped playing him.
      It all started when Santiago Solari took over from Julen Lopetegui in 2018.
      Solari preferred to use young players like Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde instead of stars with big contracts, such as Isco.
      The Spaniard had a public fallout with Solari, who then excluded him from his plans.
      Things didn’t improve upon Zinedine Zidane’s return and the situation remained the same when Ancelotti came back.
      Real tried to get his high salary off the payroll with a move to AC Milan in 2021, but the player wasn’t happy with the wage cut.
      That led him to Sevilla under Lopetegui, who urged the club to sign him despite transfer guru Monchi’s disapproval.
      However, the Spanish tactician was sacked and joined Wolves, while his successor Jorge Sampaoli quickly realised Isco didn’t fit the team, leading to his deal being terminated.
      Former Spain international Isco turned 31 on FridayCredit: Instagram / @iscoalarcon More

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      Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea fate revealed as flops face huge wage cuts with Boehly set to split dressing room

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      RAHEEM STERLING is one of the Chelsea players who will NOT lose a penny in Todd Boehly’s cost-cutting plans.SunSport revealed yesterday the Blues face problems in the dressing room as the co-owner slashes wages following the club’s Champions League exit.
      Raheem Sterling will not be affected by wage cutsCredit: Getty
      Todd Boehly is hoping to shave £100m from the yearly salaryCredit: AFP
      But the move does not apply to everyone in the squad.
      Sterling signed for Chelsea last July but BEFORE American Boehly insisted on all new contracts containing a 30 per cent penalty clause.
      The measure was later put in place by the club to ease the pain of failing to qualify for the lucrative competition.
      But Sterling and at least one other new player — believed to be defender Kalidou Koulibaly — will avoid taking a heavy financial hit as a result of the Blues’ poor season.
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      Chelsea lost their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on Tuesday and are 17 points adrift of the top four in the Prem, necessary to play in next season’s tournament.
      They look set to play their first season with no European football since 2016, triggering a huge drop in revenue.
      The incoming pay cuts are causing significant unrest in the dressing room — with some paying the price for failure in Europe and others not.
      Sterling’s contract only underlines the current confusion at Stamford Bridge, while Boehly battles to build a sustainable long-term business model.
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      The England winger was the first major signing under the new regime which took over from Russian Roman Abramovich last May.Sterling joined on July 14 for £47.5million from Manchester City as a marquee transfer on a five-year deal.
      Koulibaly came a day later on a four-year contract for £35m. Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka were signed later.
      Boehly then brought in a further six senior first-team players in January during a record spend that added up to around £600m for the season.
      The wage bill is £300m per year. Boehly is hoping to shave £100m off that with his salary sacrifice plans.
      And the American is also looking to offload a raft of players this summer to reshape the massive squad and to stay within the rules on Financial Fair Play.
      Now the likes of Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech,  Aubameyang, Mason Mount, keepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy and even Kai Havertz could be sold to help balance the books.
      Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount are two players that could be sold to cut costsCredit: Reuters More

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      I’ve knocked Man Utd out of Europe twice, ended up on the front pages over a sex act and was ran over by my own car

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      EVER BANEGA is one of the most successful players in the Europa League having won the competition three times.During his career has been able to knock out Manchester United of European football on two different occasions.
      Ever Banega has had an interesting life since moving to EuropeCredit: Getty – Contributor
      He has won the Europa League three timesCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS
      The Argentine midfielder haunted the Red Devils in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2018 and in the Europa League semi-finals in 2020.
      Banega, 34, will be hoping to make it a hat-trick as Sevilla take on Man United in the Europa League quarter-finals second leg tonight at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
      The first leg ended 2-2 at Old Trafford as United threw away a two-goal lead in the last ten minutes of the game.
      However, Banega’s life has not just been full of football highs as he has hit headlines for antics off the pitch.
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      In 2008 after moving to Valencia from Boca Juniors he was caught on webcam performing a sexual act on himself, which led to him hitting the Spanish newspapers.
      He was able to move on from the incident with his form on the pitch despite the side struggling under manager Ronald Koeman.
      However, it did not take long for him to hit the headlines for the wrong reasons again after he was pulled over by police in March that year.
      The club statement at the time did not hold back on blame for the midfielder.
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      It read: “Banega committed a traffic offence last night and as a result was given an alcohol test where he gave a positive [test].
      “Until the details of the incident become clear, Valencia will not make any comment.”
      The player was then allegedly involved training ground incidents with alcohol issues which lead to him being loaned to Atletico Madrid.
      After this spell away from the club, Banega came back to a very different Valencia team that boasted the likes of Juan Mata, David Villa and David Silva.
      This allowed Banega to benefit and show his true abilities with the ball.
      He hit the headlines for his antics off the pitchCredit: AFP
      He is one of the stars of Sevilla’s teamCredit: Getty
      However, problems arose again as in 2012 he was run over by his own car.
      The incident happened at a petrol station as his car reportedly rolled back after a handbrake failure and crushed his leg leaving him needing ankle surgery and a long stint on the sidelines.
      Things never picked back up for Banega at Valencia and in 2014 he moved Sevilla and quickly found his best form.
      He won the Europa League back to back in his first two seasons, including beating Liverpool in the final in 2016.
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      After a year at Inter Milan, Banega returned to the LaLiga club and won the competition again in 2020, beating the Italian side in the final.
      It was during this run that they knocked out the Red Devils in the semis 2-1 on aggregate.
      Banega will be aiming for a fourth Europa League medal this seasonCredit: Getty More

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      Bayern Munich chief Oliver Kahn fires brutal shot at Choupo-Moting after crashing out of Champions League to Man City

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      OLIVER KAHN brutally attacked Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s performance against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter final.The Bavarians were beaten 4-1 on aggregate, only managing to score through a consolation Joshua Kimmich penalty in the 83rd minute of the second leg.
      CEO Oliver Kahn shared his thoughts on Bayern Munich’s lacklustre 1-1 drawCredit: Getty
      And he had harsh words for Eric Maxim Choupo-MotingCredit: Getty
      Germany legend and Bayern CEO Kahn ruthlessly summed up the Cameroon forward’s abilities, saying: “We saw one striker yesterday, but unfortunately he wasn’t playing for us”.
      He added, “There aren’t many #9’s like Lewandowski”, in reference to their old star striker.
      Kahn also seemed to be comparing Choupo-Moting to City goal machine Erling Haaland.
      The former Stoke City and PSG striker registered just one shot on target, with an attempted back heel from close range blocked by Ruben Dias just before half-time.
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      Bayern needed a miracle to go through after losing the first leg 3-0 – and they squandered plenty of opportunities to get back into the game.
      Yet, Haaland – who also scored in the first-leg – made them pay as he lashed home a shot into the top corner to cap off a swift counter-attack in the second half.
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      Kahn himself is reportedly set to be sacked following the disappointing quarter final exit.
      Bayern dismissed Julian Naglesmann, who was unbeaten in the Champions League this season, last month. The club has also been knocked out of the domestic cup by Freiburg.
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      As well as their cup exits, the German champions are at risk of losing out on the Bundesliga title, with Borussia Dortmund closing the gap with six games remaining.
      It was also under his leadership, that the club sold the talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski, and failed to replace him with an equivalent goal-scorer.
      The fact that Jamal Musiala is the leading scorer with eleven goals highlights the lack of strike power.
      The German giants will be in the market for a new striker in the summer, with Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen linked. More

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      How Man City could afford Jude Bellingham transfer bid by winning Champions League as prize money is broken down

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      MANCHESTER CITY could bank a staggering £117million from their Champions League run – to virtually cover the transfer cost of Jude Bellingham.Pep Guardiola’s men have already banked just short of £100m for reaching the semis.
      Jude Bellingham is a key Manchester City target this summerCredit: Getty
      Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals this weekCredit: Getty
      And a semi-final win over Real Madrid followed by becoming champions of Europe for the first time would add another huge windfall to the Etihad coffers.
      But while City are eyeing history as well as the massive earnings, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs were left staring at the black hole facing them without Champions League football next term.
      Chelsea’s last eight run was worth £73.3m before gate receipts from five matches at Stamford Bridge.
      That was significantly due to the £27m Chelsea earned from Uefa’s “historical coefficient” payment before a ball was kicked.
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      Liverpool earned £72.69m from their last 16 run, while Spurs, who had the lowest historical coefficient and “market pool” TV share, earned £57.5m.
      By contrast, Manchester United can earn a maximum of less than £35m for winning the Europa League while West Ham’s Conference League campaign will be worth less than £20m.
      City’s group stage efforts, including the coefficient and initial prize money, were worth £69.6m, with Guardiola’s team, as champions, taking a 40 per cent share of the initial £28.8m market pool fund.
      Their knock-out wins have been worth a further £20.37m.
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      Reaching the final would see City taking £9.6m of the remaining half of the market pool – as they would have played 13 of the total 39 matches involving English teams.
      And winning in Istanbul would mean a further £17.63m, taking their potential total earnings to £117.2m.
      With Borussia Dortmund wanting around £130m for England star Bellingham, it means City’s European exploits alone would almost cover the total fee – with payments actually likely to be split over the duration of any contract the midfielder signed.
      And that would see the former Birmingham midfielder reunited with Erling Haaland at the Etihad. More

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      Supercomputer predicts Champions League winner as each team’s chances of European glory is revealed

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      MANCHESTER CITY are overwhelming favourites to win the Champions League this season, according to our supercomputer.Pep Guardiola’s side are aiming to finally win the famous competition for the first time after a string of near misses.

      Man City booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday nightCredit: Getty
      City booked their place in the semi-finals on Wednesday night by completing an impressive 4-1 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich.
      And our supercomputer reckons it’s their time to win it all.
      The boffins over at Bettingexpert have built BETSiE – a supercomputer tasked with determining probabilities in football.
      BETSiE takes into account factors like results, xG and pre-season expectations while running a simulator 20,000 times.
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      Having worked its magic, BETSiE gives City a 65.75 per cent chance of reaching the final and a 50.25 per cent likelihood that they go on and win it.
      Real Madrid are distant second favourites, despite their amazing pedigree in the competition, given just a 22.57 per cent chance of winning the final and 34.25 per cent shot at beating City in the semis.
      BETSiE reckons that Inter will beat Milan in the other semi-final, giving them a 54.22 per cent chance – compared to 45.78 per cent for their rivals – of reaching the final.
      Neither Italian side are given much of a shot at beating City or Madrid, however, with Inter at 14.65 per cent and Milan at 12.53 per cent.
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      Real Madrid beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday nightCredit: Alamy
      AC Milan knocked out Serie A leaders NapoliCredit: Rex
      Both semi-finals will take place next month, before the final in Istanbul on June 10.
      City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted that his side are feeling the fatigue as they continue to fight on three fronts.
      Ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United, he said: “We are exhausted.
      “I don’t know how we recover to play against Sheffield United. Now is a tough moment for the game on Saturday.
      “Three years in a row in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
      “We struggled in the first half. (Dayot) Upamecano broke all the lines down our left side and we struggled with (Kingsley) Coman.
      “We were fortunate before the penalty miss, they had one or two chances and anything could happen but we defended really well.
      “The finishing from Erling (Haaland) was really, really good. He is so young. The experience that we have in this competition, the players feel it a lot, they want to do it really well. The second half was much, much better since minute one.”
      Inter Milan celebrate their quarter-final triumph over BenficaCredit: Alamy More

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      Fans concerned for Erling Haaland as striker suffers brief ‘software glitch’ during Man City clash at Bayern

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      FOOTBALL fans hilariously claimed Erling Haaland suffered a “software glitch” as Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals.Pep Guardiola’s side drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening, clinching a 4-1 aggregate victory.
      Erling Haaland turned to his Manchester City team-mates in an intimidatory mannerCredit: Twitter@FootballReprt
      He then quickly punched his first in a somewhat bizarre celebration while shaking his headCredit: Twitter@FootballReprt
      And Haaland, who missed a first-half penalty, helped himself to his 48th goal of the season after the break following Dayot Upamecano’s crucial slip.
      But the pair were involved in an incident earlier on in the game when Haaland was brought down by the French defender as he went through on goal.
      Upamecano was shown a red card by Clement Turpin for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
      However, the offside flag then went up – a decision which was confirmed by VAR.
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      And Turpin then wiped out Upamecano’s dismissal as his blushes were temporarily spared.
      But before the red card had been rescinded, the cameras caught Haaland celebrating in a rather bizarre manner.
      He swiftly pumped his fist in an aggressive way while rapidly turning his head.
      And fans jokingly claimed Haaland – who has often been compared to a robot for his freakish goalscoring ability – had suffered a “glitch”.
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      Reacting on social media, one person said: “Software update required.”
      Another added: “What if it’s hardware glitch.”
      A third replied: “Error 404. Update required 😂😭.”
      And a fourth responded: “Hahaha downloaded software updates mid-game.”
      Haaland’s 48 goals in 41 games could fire Man City to a treble this season.
      They sit four points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table, but have a game in hand and face the Gunners at the Etihad on Wednesday.
      In the Champions League, they will face holders Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
      But before that they take on Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday. More