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      Legia Warsaw unveil X-rated tifo after Uefa shut down ultras section of stadium as shocked fans say ‘take a bow, lads’

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      LEGIA WARSAW fans unveiled an X-rated tifo ahead of their Europa Conference League clash with Molde.The Polish side have had plenty of run-ins with Uefa this season.
      Legia Warsaw’s Zyleta stand usually populated by ultras featured a message to Uefa
      Legia advanced from a group that also included Premier League outfit Aston Villa.
      During the group phase, Dutch police claimed that Legia fans attacked cops ahead of a clash with AZ Alkmaar, even knocking one unconscious.
      The following month, 30 supporters were arrested after trouble with police ahead of Legia’s 2-1 defeat at Villa Park.
      Following the incident against AZ Alkmaar, Legia were fined by Uefa.
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      European football’s governing body also banned supporters over the age of 14 from sitting in their Zyleta end, the stand frequented by the club’s ultras, for tonight’s clash with Molde.
      Ahead of the game, a banner could be seen reading “This time you won, Uefa” across the Zyleta stand.
      But as kick-off fast approached, a huge tifo was revealed in the main stand, featuring an X-rated message.
      Amid a green, white and red background depicting the club’s colours, a Lego man could be seen wearing sunglasses.
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      Beneath the Lego man was the message: “Surprise, Motherf***ers!”
      Legia fans have already been banned from the club’s next five European away games.
      Scotland fans unveil ‘biggest’ Hampden tifo panning across THREE STANDS as Tartan Army show incredible support
      And the club could find themselves in further hot water for their fans’ latest tifo.
      Legia won’t have any more European games this season regardless, having been knocked out by Molde.
      The Ekstraklasa side went into tonight’s second leg trailing the Norwegians 3-2 from last week’s first match.
      They were eliminated without much of a fight, with Fredrik Gulbrandsen giving the visitors the lead inside the first two minutes.
      Eirik Hestad made it 2-0 on the night on 20 minutes, before Gulbrandsen added his second in the 67th to round off Molde’s 6-2 aggregate win.
      Legia’s main stand unveiled a huge X-rated dig at Uefa ahead of kick-off
      The message was revealed as players lined up ahead of the gameCredit: Reuters
      Deflated Legia players clap their fans after their defeatCredit: Reuters More

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      I beat Mourinho to Europa League title after KOing Man Utd… now I’m taking shock new job after 4 months unemployed

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      EUROPA LEAGUE winner Jose Luis Mendilibar is set to take over as Olympiacos’ new manager.Mendilibar helped steer Sevilla away from relegation when he was appointed late last season in March as Jorge Sampaoli’s replacement.
      Ex-Sevilla boss Jose Luis Mendilibar is taking over at OlympiacosCredit: Rex
      Mendilibar eliminated Man Utd and beat Jose Mourinho in the Europa League FinalCredit: Getty
      Mendilibar will sign a €1.5m contract until the end of the season with the option to extend for another yearCredit: Getty
      And the Basque tactician led the Spanish giants to a record seventh Europa League title, earning qualification to this season’s Champions League.
      This poses as a huge appointment for Olympiacos amid a turbulent campaign that has seen the Piraeus outfit plummet to fourth place.
      SunSport understand Mendilibar will sign a contract until the end of the season with the option to extend for another year.
      Sources also report the ex-Athletic Bilbao manager’s deal is worth €1.5million (£1.3m).
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      The Spaniard is arriving in Greece today and will attend his new team’s Superleague clash against OFI in Piraeus this evening.
      Mendilibar is then set for baptism by fire as he will make his debut on Thursday’s crunch Europa Conference League play-off clash at home against Ferencvaros.
      The experienced coach stunned Europe last season as he eliminated Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-finals and then offloaded Juventus in the semi-finals.
      He then beat Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the final on penalties after a 1-1 draw despite Sevilla’s many struggles.
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      Sevilla then almost upset Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Super Cup at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece, which is the home of his new team.
      Youssef En-Nesyri opened the scoring before Cole Palmer’s equaliser took the game to a penalty shootout where City prevailed after Nemanja Gudelj missed his spot-kick.
      Youssef En-Nesyri scores incredible overhead kick in Sevilla training
      Mendilibar was sacked in October as Sevilla’s struggles continued with a poor run of five losses and just two wins in 13 matches across all competitions.
      Olympiacos have a long history of appointing managers with immense European success.
      That includes the likes of ex-Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, Monaco hero Leonardo Jardim and current Fulham boss Marco Silva. More

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      Jose Mourinho’s ‘parting dig’ at Roma revealed after former Chelsea boss felt ‘betrayed’ by sacking

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      JOSE MOURINHO left his Europa Conference League ring behind after leaving Roma.The ring had been gifted to him by the squad after he guided the club to their first European trophy for 61 years in 2022.
      Jose Mourinho left his Europa Conference League ring behind after his Roma sackingCredit: AP
      However, he was reportedly left feeling betrayed by his players after his sacking last month.
      According to Il Messaggero, via Tutto Mercato, Mourinho was unhappy after the squad immediately backed the choice of Daniele De Rossi as his replacement.
      The report adds that he left his ring behind at the club’s training ground, placing it inside the locked of captain Lorenzo Pellegrini.
      Mourinho has a history of giving away items commemorating his success by throwing medals into the crowd after winning honours with his previous clubs.
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      He was sacked by Roma following the 3-1 loss to AC Milan on January 14 after two-and-a-half years in charge.
      Chelsea fans have since called for Mourinho to return to the club for a third spell.
      Meanwhile, he has also been linked with both Manchester United and Barcelona.
      As for De Rossi, the former Roma captain was appointed as manager until the end of the season.
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      He has since won both of his matches in charge, with a pair of 2-1 victories over Hellas Verona and Salernitana.
      Roma have risen from ninth to sixth with those wins ahead of facing Cagliari at home on Monday night.
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      Man Utd flop Van de Beek’s Eintracht Frankfurt loan nightmare hits brand new low after shock omission

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      DONNY VAN DE BEEK has been left out of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa Conference League squad as his loan spell takes a major blow.The Manchester United midfielder, 26, joined the Bundesliga side last month as he looks to resurrect his career.
      Donny van de Beek will not play in this season’s Europa Conference LeagueCredit: Getty
      Van de Beek has struggled since arriving at Frankfurt
      But he will not feature for Frankfurt in Europe as they have omitted him from their list of players registered for the Conference League.
      It comes just one week after he was hauled off at half-time in a 1-0 win over Mainz.
      He was then an unused substitute in their 2-0 defeat to Koln on Saturday.
      Van de Beek is yet to register a goal or assist in three appearances for Frankfurt.
      He has also created just one chance for his team-mates since arriving in Germany.
      He still has 18 months remaining on his contract at Old Trafford but had featured for just 21 minutes this term, with his last outing coming as sub against Crystal Palace on September 30.
      He completed a loan to Frankfurt within the first 12 hours of the January transfer window and the Bundesliga side also have an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.
      It is believed that fee would be around £9.5m – with add-ons potentially seeing it rise to £12m.
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      However, the prospect of the German club taking up that option looks increasingly unlikely as Van de Beek struggles in his new surroundings.
      He has been substituted in every one of his Frankfurt games to date.
      His poor form means he could yet return to Man Utd – where he has started just 23 games since arriving for £40m in 2020. More

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      Forgotten ex-England star SENT OFF after kicking out in vicious tangle but fans fume ‘shocking red.. game’s gone’

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      ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN was sent off for kicking out in a feisty tangle that sparked a mass brawl.But fans fumed it was a “shocking red” and claimed the “game’s gone”.
      Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got sent off for kicking out at his opponentCredit: INSTAGRAM @tntsports
      Lugano winger Renato Steffen reacted furiouslyCredit: INSTAGRAM @tntsports

      Oxlade-Chamberlain, 30, joined Besiktas in the summer following his release from Liverpool after six years.
      The 35-cap England international midfielder has made an instant impact in Turkey with four goals and an assist in 13 Super Lig appearances.
      But he made a very different kind of mark on Renato Steffen last night.
      The former Arsenal star booted the Lugano winger as they tussled in the 90th minute of the Europa Conference League Group D match.
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      The pair scrapped for the ball before clashing with each other as Oxlade-Chamberlain took a naughty kick out at the back of his opponent’s leg before wrestling him to the ground.
      The Swiss wideman reacted furiously and appeared to retaliate with a kick of his own as players and subs from both sides piled in for a massive shoving match and tempers boiled over.
      The referee immediately brandished red cards for both players.
      But fans on social media felt they did not deserve their marching orders.
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      Tubes of Soccer AM fame asked: “For what exactly?”
      One said: “Never a red.”
      Another wrote: “Shocking red, game’s gone.”
      A fourth added: “Watched it ten times and still can’t work out what he did.”
      A fifth user commented: “This is the most ridiculous outcome I’ve seen in a long time no way was that a straight red.”
      Meanwhile, one Besiktas supporter demanded: “Oxlade-Chamberlain… make this man a captain.”
      Oxlade-Chamberlain, though, enjoyed the last laugh as Besiktas ran out 2-0 winners in Switzerland to leapfrog Lugano into third spot in the group.
      Goals from ex-Everton striker Cenk Tosun and Serkan Emrecan Terzi sealed the victory.
      However, it was not enough to catch either Club Brugge or Bodo/Glimt who progressed into the knockout stages.
      Oxlade-Chamberlain got into a scrap at the end of their Europa Conference League clashCredit: INSTAGRAM @tntsports
      Both players got sent off but fans were baffledCredit: INSTAGRAM @tntsports
      The Englishman joined Besiktas on a free transfer in the summerCredit: Getty More

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      Watch moment hundreds of banned Eintracht Frankfurt fans gather on freezing HILL to watch their heroes lose to Aberdeen

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      EINTRACHT FRANKFURT are renowned for having some of the most fanatical followers on the continent. You will remember the incredible scenes as their supporters – clad in white – clinched the Europa League title against Rangers two seasons back.
      Angus MacDonald and Slobodan Rubezic celebrate as the Dons racked up a big winCredit: Getty
      Hundreds of fans were spotted chanting on the hill
      And now hundreds of their followers have proved their devotion to the cause again.
      European football’s governing body Uefa had banned the German outfit from selling away tickets to their Europa Conference League Group G game against Aberdeen on Thursday.
      The Dons had been set to welcome 1,750 Eintracht Frankfurt fans until the ban.
      But the Bundesliga club had the book thrown at them by Uefa after their fans used pyrotechnics and threw objects in their 1-0 away win at Finland’s HJK Helsinki on November 9.

      They were also fined 30,000 Euros.
      But that all came too late for some of the club’s hardiest followers – who had already booked their travel to Scotland and were determined to follow through with the trip.
      And remarkable footage shared on social media last night by photographer Christian Machowski shows a couple of hundred fans gathered on a HILL near Pittodrie as the match got underway.
      The German fans sang and chanted as they stood on the Granite City’s Broad Hill, with only a small police presence keeping an eye on proceedings.
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      Things didn’t turn out the way that Frankfurt might have hoped, as they crashed to a 2-0 defeat to Barry Robson’s men.
      One fan wrote: “If I had booked flights and hotel I would have done same and had a party.”
      Machowski replied: “Not sure I would stood on top of that mountain in the cold wind.”
      Another Dons fan chipped in with some local knowledge, writing: “Wasn’t bad tonight, mild for this time of year.”
      Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page  More

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      How race for 5th Champions League spot looks with Premier League at risk of missing out after Man Utd and Newcastle woes

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      THE Champions League is set for a major revamp that will see two major European nations be handed an extra spot in the competition from next season.As it stands, the Premier League would miss out on gaining a fifth place.
      Manchester United finished bottom of their Champions League groupCredit: Alamy
      Newcastle crashed out of Europe by losing to AC MilanCredit: Getty
      The Champions League has long featured 32 teams split into eight groups of four, with the top two advancing out of each.
      From next year it will be moving to the Swiss Model.
      This will instead see 36 teams admitted into one big league table with the top eight qualifying automatically for the round of 16 and positions 9-24 contesting a play-off.
      To determine fixtures teams will be split into four pots of nine.
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      Each club will be drawn to face two teams from each pot, including their own.
      No teams will drop into the Europa League following the conclusion of the group stage.
      With the number of teams admitted into the Champions League growing from 32 to 36, four extra spots will be up for grabs.
      Two of these spots will go to the leagues whose clubs perform best in European competitions, including the Europa League and Europa Conference League, this season.
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      While the further two will go to the team that comes third in the Uefa nation ranked fifth in coefficient, and the other going to the champions’ qualifying path.
      The best performing leagues will be determined by the average coefficient of clubs participating in Europe.
      Every win by a club from a nation is worth two points, a draw one and a defeat none.
      Bonus points are then accrued by progressing through various stages of each competition.
      Playing in the Champions League group stage is worth four points, with five dished out for qualifying for the round of 16 and one each for the quarter-finals, semis and final.
      Winning a Europa League group, as Liverpool already have done, is worth four points, while two are given to runners up.
      Bonus points are then handed out for reaching the round of 16, quarters, semis and final.
      Winning your group in the Europa Conference League, as Aston Villa could, is worth two points, while qualifying as runner-up is worth one.
      Bonus points are given for reaching the semis or final.
      All points earned by clubs from each country are added up before being divided by the number of teams from that nation in Europe, eight in the Premier League’s case.
      Manchester United and Newcastle’s failure to progress, even into the Europa League, has seen the Premier League’s coefficient drop to third as it stands.
      The English top flight would have been awarded the extra Champions League spot in four of the last five seasons, the exception being 2019-20.
      Currently its coefficient number, 12.13, is behind those of Germany, 13.36, and Italy, 13.14.
      With Man Utd and Newcastle both out already, the Prem will be heavily reliant on its other clubs to have deep runs in order to accumulate enough points to climb into the top two.
      Holders Manchester City have won their Champions League group, while Arsenal have too.
      Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham have all progressed in the Europa League, and Aston Villa have qualified for the Europa Conference League knockout rounds.
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      As it stands, the Bundesliga and Serie A would be handed the extra Champions League places.
      Should a team from one of the two nations with the highest coefficient win the Europa League without finishing in the top five of their own division, that country could have six teams in the Champions League.
      The Bundesliga are leading the coefficient raceCredit: Getty
      Serie A would grab the second bonus spot as it standsCredit: Rex More

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      Why Dream Team will change dramatically once the European group stages finish

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      DREAM TEAM gaffers will be hopeful of plentiful points from their European players this week.Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle and Manchester City will fulfil their final Champions League group fixtures across Tuesday and Wednesday before West Ham, Brighton and Liverpool dot the i’s and cross t’s in the Europa League on Thursday.
      Aston Villa will also complete their Europa Conference League group stage campaign against Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday.
      But once this week’s European fixtures are over, the landscape of Dream Team will change dramatically.

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      Broaden your horizons this festive periodCredit: Dream Team
      The knockout stages of the three continental competitions are schedule to begin in mid-February.
      During this two month hiatus, gaffers should be more open to successful players who represent clubs without European commitments this season.
      A quick look at the rankings highlights the importance of the European games in the world of Dream Team to date.
      At the time of writing, Son Heung-min (£4.4m) is the only player in the top 20 who hasn’t been active in either the Champions League, Europa League or the Europa Conference League this term.
      More playing time equals it’s more points – the logic is simple.
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      However, with the European competitions essentially paused for two months, there’s nothing to perturb Dream Team bosses from shopping around the other 12 Premier League clubs.
      Tottenham’s captain is a prime example.
      Son averages 7.3 points-per-game this season compared to Ollie Watkins (£4.7m) and Julian Alvarez’s (£4.2m) shared average of 6.2 points-per-game.
      The only reason the South Korean superstar is below those two strikers in the overall rankings is because of Aston Villa and Man City’s European commitments.
      With that factor removed, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Son surged up the rankings – at least until he departs for the Asian Cup.
      124 points and countingCredit: Reuters
      Dream Team managers should now prioritise domestic form above all else, bringing teams like Everton and Bournemouth firmly into the conversation.
      Liverpool are the only team to have earned more points than the Toffees across their last six league games.
      In fact, Sean Dyche’s side have won three games on the bounce this month without conceding a goal.
      As for the Cherries, no team has generated more xG in the top flight across the last five games, with Dominic Solanke (£3.6m) leading the way for non-penalty xG among individuals in the same period.
      Bournemouth’s No9 has banked 39 points across the last four Gameweeks via four goals with Andoni Iraola’s men having suddenly clicked.
      Not to be underestimatedCredit: Getty
      Then there’s players like Hwang Hee-chan (£3.2m), who has scored more goals than the aforementioned Alvarez and Darwin Nunez (£4.3m) this season.
      There are value-for-money gems everywhere you look!

      The domestic cups will still create a certain degree of schedule variance but, historically, this hasn’t had as much impact on Dream Team as the European competitions.
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      This is because most Premier League managers opt to rotate their squad in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
      Gaffers won’t want to be caught out by the return of the European competitions in February and so they will need to plan ahead at some stage but for the next few Gameweeks at least, domestic form is everything.

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