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      West Ham fans accused of confronting families of AZ Alkmaar manager and players leaving them ‘shocked’

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      A GROUP of West Ham fans have been accused of confronting the families of AZ Alkmaar players and staff.The Hammers hosted the Dutch side in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday night.
      The families of AZ Alkmaar general manager Robert Eenhoorn, left, and manager Pascal Jansen, right, were allegedly confronted by West Ham fansCredit: Rex
      The relatives of AZ’s players, manager, coaches and board members were seated in the home main stand of the London Stadium – and not with their team’s fans in the away section.
      It is reported by De Telegraaf that the guests included the wife of the club’s general manager Robert Eenhoorn, the girlfriend and two children of manager Pascal Jansen as well as a number of family members of the players.
      However, Eenhoorn alleges some West Ham supporters were unhappy they were seated in the section for the Hammers and allegedly confronted them, apparently leaving the visitors frightened for their safety.
      It is understood the altercation was triggered by AZ Alkmaar’s goal, which put them 1-0 up on 41 minutes.
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      The general manager adds the families had to be rescued and moved to a different area of the stadium.
      Eenhoorn claimed to have seen the alleged shocking scenes unfold and rushed to provide aid.
      He said: “They were then taken to another place, high in the stadium. 
      “But there were the most dangerous supporters of West Ham about. 
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      “As a result, I hardly got anything from the match, I was only concerned with the safety of our people.”
      Eenhoorn told manager Jansen what had happened when they met after full-time.
      Jansen added: “He reassured me because my children and girlfriend were in the business. 
      “I just spoke to them, but everything is fine now. There was some consternation after our goal. 
      “They were shocked, but they are now safe and in good condition on the bus.”
      West Ham are aware of the situation but declined to comment when contacted by SunSport.
      On the pitch, Said Benrahma’s penalty midway through the second half cancelled out Tijjani Reijnders’ long-range opener – which had seen one witty AZ fan celebrate wildly in a Millwall shirt.
      Michail Antonio then gave West Ham the advantage going into next week’s second leg, though.
      The Jamaican bundled in with 15 minutes to go to complete the turnaround and secure a 2-1 win in East London.
      The reported altercation took place after AZ Alkmaar took the leadCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

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      Adrien Rabiot’s leg bloodied and bruised by nasty tackle that ref ignored despite it being ‘clear penalty’ for Juventus

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      ADRIEN RABIOT was left furious that he wasn’t awarded a penalty during Juventus’ Europa League semi-final with Sevilla despite his leg being noticeably injured.The 28-year-old went down in the box after Loic Bade left a flailing boot out in an attempt to clear away a cross whilst Sevilla led the game 1-0.

      Adrien Rabiot collided with Loic Balde whilst he was trying to get a shot away
      Rabiot’s leg looked like it had been badly damaged following the incident
      Rabiot was left writhing in pain following the challenge
      Rabiot was injured in the process, but the referee didn’t view the incident as a penalty and waved play on.
      The former PSG man could be seen to have blood and bruising on his shin as a result of the incident.
      There was no interference by VAR either and Juventus were left wondering why they didn’t have an opportunity to level the scoring from 12-yards out.
      The Old Lady were eventually able to grab a late equaliser when Federico Gatti scored in the 97th minute of the game.
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      Rabiot spoke to Sky Sports Italia following the match and made it clear he thought that the incident should have been a penalty, making reference to his leg.
      He said: “It was a nasty foul, in my view a clear penalty, but VAR didn’t say anything.
      “You can see clearly, he doesn’t get the ball, he gets my leg. I showed the referee my leg, but he didn’t react and I don’t know why the VAR didn’t call him back.”
      Fans were in agreement with the French midfielder and took to social media to voice their opinions on the matter.
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      One wrote: “Should have gone to VAR and been given…”
      Whilst another took aim at Uefa for the decision, they wrote: “This was a red card too, or at least a second yellow. Uefa hates us.”
      The game ended as a 1-1 draw leaving it perfectly poised for the second leg clash between the two sides.
      Juventus will travel to Spain next week to take on Sevilla as both sides battle it out to book themselves a place in the Europa League final.
      Rabiot played the full 90 minutes, but was unable to help Juventus make the most of their home advantage More

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      All hell breaks loose as riot police launch tear gas at warring fans after controversial refereeing at Olympiacos vs AEK

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      THE DERBY between Olympiacos and AEK Athens descended into chaos following a dramatic encounter marred by controversial refereeing.AEK won 3-1 at Georgios Karaiskakis in the Greek Superleague’s play-off round and effectively dethroned the reigning Greek champions, who are now third in the table and nine points away from the top.
      The derby between Olympiacos and AEK Athens descended into chaosCredit: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/12x7o4f/the_aftermath_of_olympiakos_aek_last_night_in/
      Fans invaded the pitch and were dispersed by riot police who used tear gasCredit: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/12x7o4f/the_aftermath_of_olympiakos_aek_last_night_in/
      All hell broke loose following Davide Massa’s final whistle as fans invaded the pitch and faced off with riot police, who launched tear gas to disperse the warring crowd.
      The incident took place at the same ground that could see Manchester City competing at on August 16.
      That is when the UEFA Super Cup takes place between the Champions League and Europa League winners.
      The dramatic scenes ensued following a tensed encounter between the rival clubs that saw Olympiacos protesting four of Massa’s calls.
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      The hosts were denied penalty in the first half when Domagoj Vida pushed Cedric Bakambu from behind inside the box shortly after AEK opened the scoring with Mijat Gacinovic after just seven minutes.
      Damian Szymanski then escaped a direct red card when he stepped on Mathieu Valbuena’s ankle from behind.
      The visitors were awarded a soft penalty in the second half when Vida fell under pressure from Oleg Reabciuk 26 minutes after Bakambu equalised for the Greek giants.
      Levi Garcia defeated Alexandros Paschalakis from the spot eight minutes before full-time.
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      AEK sealed the win in the first minute of stoppage time with Petros Mantalos’ beautiful finish.
      But Nordin Amrabat, who is the brother of Fiorentina and Morocco star Sofyan, fouled Reabciuk before delivering the assist.
      Olympiacos, who are owned by Nottingham Forest supremo Evangelos Marinakis, issued a fiery statement after full-time.
      The Piraeus outfit lashed out as they described the Greek football governing body EPO as “hoodlums”, the refereeing as “disgusting” and the Greek government as “incompetent”.
      Olympiacos’ statement read: “Today, even the blind saw what is happening in Greek football.
      “[Football’s] Fraudsters, hoodlums and outlaws have shown that they have no qualms. We told you that our fans’ patience is running out! They were very patient.
      “They deemed a penalty in a challenge that had no contact. They didn’t even check with VAR when there was a clear foul before AEK’s goal.
      “The whole of Greece was left disgusted. The hoodlums from EPO and the government’s incompetence to deal with them killed football!”
      AEK defeated Olympiacos 3-1 in a match marred by controversial refereeingCredit: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/12x7o4f/the_aftermath_of_olympiakos_aek_last_night_in/ More

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      Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag admits unleashing hairdryer treatment on flops after ‘unacceptable’ Sevilla shambles

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      RAGING Erik ten Hag went “really mad” with the hairdryer treatment to reignite Manchester United.Boss Ten Hag had his biggest blow-up since taking over after their Europa League shambles in Seville.
      Erik ten Hag admits giving Man Utd the hairdryer treatment after their Europa League exitCredit: Getty
      United were dismal as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to SevillaCredit: Reuters
      The United gaffer said: “After Sevilla, I was really mad. For me it was so unacceptable because if you play a quarter-final in the Europa League you give everything  and we didn’t.
      “You can make a mistake but you have to carry on.”
      Ten Hag had previously torn into his players after the woeful 4-0 defeat at Brentford in August and the humiliating 7-0 trouncing at Liverpool last month.
      Asked about his own hairdryer treatment, he said: “I can go strong in certain situations.
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      “But it’s about the timing of when to use it.
      “As a coach, communication style, you can pick many styles and this is one of them.
      “For any club, for any team, for me that is unacceptable.
      “As a manager I can’t accept that my team is not giving its best. The team, individuals . . . I will never accept it.”
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      Ten Hag took a leaf out of Fergie’s book — their legendary former boss used the tactic and has two Champions Leagues, 13 Premier Leagues and five FA Cups with United to his name.
      And the current players have not exactly been a cut above the rest with David de Gea and captain Harry Maguire culpable of committing huge errors in Thursday’s nightmare in Spain.
      Ten Hag added: “I made the players aware what my analysis was, what my feeling about the game was and what the effects of the game were.
      “They didn’t match the standards of who I manage, a team in professional football.”
      And Ten Hag could find himself facing a defensive dilemma with Luke Shaw picking up a knock in his return  in Sevilla following a spell on the sidelines.
      Casemiro is likely to be called on to solve the crisis at centre-back — which creates a separate dilemma in midfield.
      ALL TO PLAY FOR
      They are, however, boosted by the return of Bruno Fernandes, who was suspended for the game in Spain.
      Ten Hag, whose team are chasing a Double after their Carabao Cup win, insisted: “I’ve said before that one of the things we haven’t had is the opportunity so often to play the same team.
      “In the midfield department but also other lines, the front line for instance — it hasn’t often played the same, because of injuries and suspensions.
      “When you play a semi-final, you only have one opportunity to win, so you’re looking for the best team in that moment.

      “This season is crazy with the World Cup in between — and many of our players were present there. Then we played an extra round in the Europa League, so we have maybe played the most games of all teams across Europe.
      “But we have to acknowledge that especially in the front line we had problems during the whole season because we didn’t always have the numbers there, so then you are forced to make decisions because you have to win games.” More

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      Shocking stat shows why Man Utd must not give De Gea a new contract after calamitous performance vs Sevilla

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      MANCHESTER UNITED star David de Gea has committed the most errors leading to a goal across all competitions since the start of last season.This comes after United were knocked out of the Europa League after losing to Sevilla in the quarter-finals.
      David de Gea’s Manchester United contract runs out in JuneCredit: Getty
      Manchester United star De Gea’s has committed a raft of errors leading to goalsCredit: Getty
      De Gea was at fault for all three goals on Thursday at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
      For the first goal, the goalkeeper and Harry Maguire got into a mix-up, which allowed Youssef En-Nesyri to open the scoring after just eight minutes.
      The Spain international was then beaten by a looping header from Loic Bade just after the second half started, in which TV pundit Robbie Savage claimed he could have done better.
      The 32-year-old then followed this up with some bad control allowing En-Nesyri to net his second of the game in the 92nd minute.
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      This comes amid ongoing contract talks between De Gea and United, with the Spaniard’s deal running out in June.
      Reports suggest the two parties have agreed on a new four-year deal that includes a major pay cut.
      But there’s also a catch in the agreement as it involves highly-incentivised terms for the keeper.
      However, shocking stats reveal no Premier League player has made more mistakes leading to a goal across all competitions than De Gea.
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      The ex-Atletico Madrid star leads the way with a total of five errors since the 2021-2022 season.
      However, De Gea leads the way in the Prem’s clean sheet category this term with a total of 14 under his name.
      The shot-stopper also ranks seventh in the English top flight in terms of goals conceded as he has let in 1.23 goals per 90 minutes this season. More

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      Footage emerges of what Mourinho shouted after ‘chasing rival manager down tunnel’ following criticism of Roma tactics

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      FOOTAGE has emerged of Jose Mourinho chasing Feyenoord’s Arne Slot and berating him in the tunnel after Roma’s midweek Europa League win.He led Roma to the continent’s third-tier crown, the Europa Conference League, in its inaugural season a year ago by beating Feyenoord 1-0 in the final.
      Footage has emerged of Jose Mourinho chasing Feyenoord’s boss down the tunnelCredit: KIJK via Twitter
      The Special One berated his rival following Arne Slot’s pre-match remarksCredit: KIJK via Twitter
      Mourinho continued with the verbals up the stairs and back into the changing-roomCredit: KIJK via Twitter
      “Their style of football achieves results, but prefer to watch Manchester City and Napoli. I’m very honest on that,” Arne Slot said of Roma last week.Mourinho chased Slot into the tunnel, shouting: “Respect” and “Go to watch Napoli, watch Napoli now.”pic.twitter.com/FkyqXrwHHM— Football Report (@FootballReprt) April 21, 2023

      The Dutch side thought they had got their own back by winning the first leg or their Europa quarter-final clash last week.
      But Mourinho warned a journalist they had won nothing yet before the second leg, and, after Roma turned the tie around with a 4-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico last night, the Special One made sure to celebrate in emphatic fashion.
      He high-fived his players and hugged staff before the final whistle and began to pump his fists, calling on the crowd to be vocal.
      He then, in his post-match press conference, he cheekily gifted the same journalist a key chain with the Europa Conference League trophy insignia on it before answering questions.
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      It was a fiery night in total, which was ignited by Slot’s pre-match comments about Mourinho and Roma’s style of play.
      He said: “Their style of football achieves results, but I prefer to watch Manchester City and Napoli. I’m very honest on that.”
      And those remarks appeared to have enraged Mourinho, who it has now been revealed chased after Slot shouting: “You watch Napoli but you should watch us. You should watch us, not Napoli, not Napoli.”
      One of Mourinho’s assistants is then heard adding: “If this is how you play, you should go home quickly.”
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      Mourinho then shouts: “Respect, respect.”
      The Special One commented on the incident afterwards, saying: “I was just telling him that instead of watching Napoli and Man City he should watch Roma because he didn’t study Roma well enough.”
      Roma assistant manager Salvatore Foti was sent off earlier in the night for HITTING Feyenoord player Santiago Gimenez in their Europa League quarter-final tie.
      Foti ended up striking the Mexican forward as he tried to stop him from getting the ball after it went out of play.
      The 34-year-old accidentally hit Gimenez with his left hand as he tried to pull him away from the ball.
      Gimenez went down in a heap and referee Anthony Taylor didn’t hesitate to give Foti his marching orders. More

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      Raging Man Utd boss Erik Ten Hag warns his players that they are ‘fighting for their futures’ after horror Sevilla show

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      ERIK TEN HAG told his Manchester United ­players they are fighting for their futures in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Brighton.Asked if his team understand the expectation of playing for the club, following their shambolic Europa League KO to Sevilla, United’s boss said: “If not, it’s  time to be aware of it.
      Erik ten Hag looked unusually nervous when he spoke ahead of the Brighton tieCredit: Getty
      Marcel Sabitzer and Co show the pain of Man Utd’s Europa League humiliationCredit: PA
      “You need to be prepared for the battle. We are always playing for our futures. You have to earn the right to wear the shirt. You have to prove yourself every game from the start.”
      Ten Hag looked  a bag of nerves ahead of his FA Cup press conference ­yesterday.
      The normally straight-face boss broke a microphone and flapped about trying to fix it before talking about the huge tie.
      You cannot blame him given how United’s players had fumbled the club’s treble dreams only the night before with an embarrassing European exit to Sevilla.
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      Goalkeeper David de Gea and captain Harry Maguire were at the heart of another defensive horror show  as United lost the quarter-final second leg 3-0 to go out 5-2 on aggregate.
      Ten Hag has, at least, lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley  this term.But he warned that tomorrow’s date under the Arch could be s*** or bust for a number of players.
      Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay and Fred feature on a list of at least 15 whose futures are under threat.
      When asked if his team understands the expectation that comes with representing the club, Ten Hag said: “It’s great to be part of United, a global football club but the flipside is you have to prove yourself every game from the start.
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      “You have to step up and the good thing is Sunday is a great opportunity. This group of players has to prove it.
      “We know we didn’t meet the standards. The expectations on the team, the players and on the manager of United are higher. We have to do better on Sunday.”
      It was telling that Ten Hag did not get stuck into Maguire, despite the defender’s nightmare performance in Seville.
      He is suspended tomorrow but the United boss chose only to compliment his broken captain, knowing all too well he will be under the microscope for the rest of the season.
      Ten Hag said: “He has an important role in the fact that he is the captain, he leads, he communicates with the manager.
      “He motivates the team and is an example on the training pitch. He always has good sessions.”
      Other players Ten Hag is considering allowing to leave include Donny van de Beek, Anthony Elanga, Dean Henderson and Brandon Williams.
      What this team does well is bounce back inbetween games. But what they do less, is bounce back during a game.Erik ten Hag
      Alex Telles, Hannibal Mejbri and Eric Bailly, who are out on loan, are almost certain to depart and the out-of-contract Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe are definitely on their way.
      The amount Ten Hag is able to spend will be shaped by whether there is a takeover or a cash injection from groups working alongside the Glazers.
      When the Dutch boss was asked if he has faith he will be backed by the club’s board in the summer, he replied: “Yes I have. But I am here to get the best out of this group of players before Brighton and that’s why I’m here.
      “We have to acknowledge it’s a mental thing. We have to learn that you keep going, you carry on.
      “What this team does well is bounce back inbetween games. But what they do less, is bounce back during a game when there is a setback.

      “That is what we have to improve.”
       MAN UTD (likely): De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Malacia, Casemiro, Eriksen, Antony, Fernandes, Rashford, Martial. More

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      Man Utd boss hails Harry Maguire as ‘the example’ despite England man’s horror show in Sevilla defeat

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      ERIK TEN HAG has hailed Harry Maguire as a leading “example” of commitment in his struggling side.The Manchester United skipper was once again the target of scrutiny following the Red Devils’ Europa League exit at the hands of Sevilla on Thursday night.
      Harry Maguire had a night to forget in Manchester United’s Europa League exit to SevillaCredit: MEGA
      But manager Erik ten Hag still reckons he’s a shining ‘example’Credit: REUTERS
      Maguire was at fault for the first goal of the 3-0 defeat, calling for the ball and playing a lazy pass which was intercepted by the Spaniards.
      The England international will not get a chance to redeem himself in United’s FA Cup semi-final with Brighton on Sunday as he’s suspended.
      Despite his continued woes on the pitch, it seems that Ten Hag has some faith in the under-fire centre-back.
      The Dutchman said of Maguire: “He has an important role, he is the captain.
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      “He leads and he communicates with the manager, motivates the team, he’s the example in the training space.”
      Ten Hag is expected to have a major clearout of the deadwood at Old Trafford as he continues to implement his own ethos on the club.
      And he recently warned his misfiring troops that they’re all playing for their futures.
      He said: “I think we always playing for our future as professional players.
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      “Every game is a test, every season is a test, you have to earn the right to wear the shirt.
      “It’s for me as a manager. We are in the same boat.
      “During the season we make huge progress. We have the experience but we have a way to go.
      “A good thing is Sunday is a huge opportunity, semi-final of the FA Cup, a better event you can’t imagine.
      “After that [we have] a lot of great games to go, we have to prove it and this group of players has to prove it,’ he added.
      “He has an important role, he is the captain, he leads and he communicates with the manager, motivates the team, he’s the example in the training space.” More