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      Gerard Pique slapped with four-game ban for furious tunnel row.. despite ex-Barcelona star having already retired

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      GERARD PIQUE has been slapped with a four-game ban… despite already retiring. The legendary Barcelona defender was shown a red card in his final match for the club last week.
      Gerard Pique was sent off as a substitute in his final Barcelona game before retiring
      The defender got in trouble for remonstrating with the referee at half-timeCredit: Twitter
      Pique, 35, started the game against Osasuna on the bench and was an unused substitute by half-time when he launched an expletive-filled tirade at referee Jesus Gil Manzano in the tunnel.
      The ex-Manchester United man was furious at the decision to send Robert Lewandowski off and is alleged to have said: “Did you see the corner you gave against us?
      “You are the referee that has f***ed us over the most by a distance.
      “It is a f***ing disgrace. “F*** your mother.”
      READ MORE ON GERARD PIQUE
      That prompted Manzamo to brandish another red card – depriving Pique of the chance to make his farewell appearance.
      Now the Spanish football federation (RFEF) have confirmed Pique is suspended for four games for the insults.
      But he will not have to serve his punishment because he has already hung up his boots.
      However, Xavi will be without Lewandowski for the first three matches.
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      Barcelona’s next league game after the World Cup break is against rivals Espanyol before facing Atletico Madrid and then Getafe.
      Despite being shown two yellow cards, the second for jumping into a header with his elbow, the Polish striker received a three-match ban.
      The RFED officiating committee said his suspension was due to his gesture to the referee that was of “contemptuous attitude”.
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      It was only the second red card of Lewandowski’s career, almost ten years after he was dismissed in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund against Hamburg in February 2013.
      Xavi’s men currently sit top of LaLiga, two points clear of Real Madrid after 14 matches.
      Robert Lewandowski was sent off in the first half for two yellow cardsCredit: Reuters
      His reaction to the referee earned him a three-match suspensionCredit: Reuters More

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      How Atletico Madrid could line up under Tuchel with Aubameyang and Mount and hijacking Chelsea’s Nkunku transfer

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      THOMAS TUCHEL is favourite to replace under pressure Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone and he could look to bring a number of Chelsea stars with him.Pressure is mounting on the Spaniards’ legendary long-term boss after the humiliating exit from European football.
      Tuchel is favourite to replace under pressure Atletico boss SimeoneCredit: Alamy
      Simeone is an Atletico legendCredit: Getty
      The 52-year-old, the world’s highest-paid manager, has been in charge at Atletico since 2011 and has won both LaLiga and the Europa League twice in taking Atletico out of the shadows of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
      But this season’s Champions League calamity, while also trailing league leaders Barcelona by 13 points, could see Atletico part ways with Simeone.
       Fichajes are claiming that Tuchel is the favourite to take over should Simeone leave and he could transform how the Spanish side look.
      A number of stars Tuchel managed at Chelsea could make the switch, as well as some transfer targets that were identified during his 20-month reign at Stamford Bridge.
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      One of those stars could be Mason Mount, who is at a contract renewal stalemate with Chelsea.
      Mount’s contract expires in 2024 and Chelsea would like to tie the academy product down to a new deal.
      The England international played some of his best football under the German.
      Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Chelsea in the summer and was excited to work under Tuchel, who managed him at Borussia Dortmund.
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      The pair could reunite for the third time at Atletico with Aubameyang leading the line.
      Joao Felix is also reportedly heading for the exit door, leaving a potential opening.
      Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is said to be considering his future at Stamford Bridge after falling behind Kepa Arrizabalaga in the pecking order.
      Mendy was Tuchel’s No1 in the 2021 Champions League win.
      And RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku could also become a target.
      The Frenchman was identified as a transfer option for Chelsea while Tuchel was in charge.
      In a sweet bit of revenge, Tuchel could look to scupper Blues owner Todd Boehly and Co’s plans to sign the attacking sensation.
      Mount, Nkunku and Aubameyang could form a deadly front three at Atletico More

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      Ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel favourite to become new Atletico Madrid boss with Diego Simeone under pressure

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      THOMAS TUCHEL is reportedly in line to take over should Atletico Madrid sack Diego Simeone.Pressure is mounting on the Spaniards’ legendary long-term boss after the humiliating exit from European football.
      Pressure is mounting on Atletico Madrid boss Diego SimeoneCredit: AFP
      Thomas Tuchel is reportedly the favourite to replace himCredit: EPA
      The 52-year-old, the world’s highest-paid manager, has been in charge at Atletico since 2011 and has won both LaLiga and the Europa League twice in taking Atletico out of the shadows of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
      But this season’s Champions League calamity saw them exit Europe entirely before Christmas for the first time since he took over.
      And with his side also trailing league leaders Barcelona by 13 points already, speculation is rife that Atletico could decide to axe him.
      Now, Spanish outlet Fichajes are claiming that Tuchel is the favourite to take over should Simeone leave.
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      The German has been a free agent since being unceremoniously sacked by Chelsea in September – the club he led to Champions League glory in 2021.
      Tuchel, 49, has also been linked with the England job as a potential successor to Gareth Southgate and he admitted that he does see the allure of the international game.
      Since his Chelsea axing, Tuchel has travelled to India for three weeks of Ayurvedic rejuvenation – a type of therapy that aims to balance the mind, body and spirit.
      He was hit hard by his Stamford Bridge departure, as he recently opened up about.
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      Tuchel said: “I loved every day at Chelsea.
      “It came to an end too early for me, but it was out of my hands. This is also what you sign up for.”
      On his favourites for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, he said: “Brazil, France, Argentina, Germany and England.
      “Belgium and Senegal. And don’t forget Spain. At the World Cup, I am looking forward to watching the players I trained.” More

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      Liverpool ready to land cut-price January transfer for £35m Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente

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      LIVERPOOL can sign Atletico Madrid star Marcos Llorente on a cut-price deal in January, according to reports.The Spanish side are said to be open to selling the 27-year-old with Liverpool keen to improve their midfield options.
      Marcos Llorente could be allowed to leave Atletico Madrid with Liverpool keenCredit: Getty
      And Mundo Deportivo claim Llorente could be available for just £35million.
      They add that while Atletico boss Diego Simeone is not desperate to sell the player who is contracted to 2027, the LaLiga giants will listen to any offers.
      Jurgen Klopp remains keen to rejuvenate his midfield options amid doubts over the futures of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
      The likes of Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson have also suffered with fitness issues.
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      And the summer’s late loan signing Arthur Melo has failed to make any impact.
      Llorente has played 12 times for Atleti this season, scoring once.
      And he has struggled to recapture the form of 2020 where he netted twice against Liverpool to knock them out the Champions League.
      But the Reds supposedly remain keen and after Simeone’s men crashed out of Europe this year in the group stage the club may look to cash in.
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      Llorente is one of a number of players Atletico could offload with rumours suggesting Thomas Lemar, Yannick Carrasco, Rodrigo De Paul and Joao Felix could all depart.
      The World Cup could prove a chance for them to impress any potential suitors with Llorente being named in the Spain squad.
      Liverpool’s long-term midfield target remains Jude Bellingham who will not be available until the summer at the earliest.
      Manchester City and Manchester United also remain keen on the teenager and it could take a bid of £130million to buy him. More

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      Barcelona legend Gerard Pique wants football matches to be made shorter to target younger audience

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      BARCELONA legend Gerard Pique has bizarrely agreed with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s claim that football matches are too long.Los Blancos chief Perez made the strange suggestion last year when the European Super League was being proposed.
      Pique has made the rather bizarre claim that football matches are too longCredit: Reuters
      The 75-year-old said the sport should “shorten the length of matches” to try and engage younger audiences.
      And while Pique, 35, has insisted the European Super League is not a viable way of improving football, he has surprisingly agreed with reducing the length of games.
      Speaking to Ibai Llanos on Twitch, he said: “The presentation of the Super League was a big f*** up, above all coming from Florentino.
      “But I agree with him about needing to captivate younger audiences, even if I don’t agree with the Super League.
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      “We have to have shorter, more seductive products. To me, 90 minutes seems a long time.”
      Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are keen to keep ploughing on with the European Super League plan.
      And last month, the new chief of the failed ESL caused uproar by predicting that it will relaunch in 2024.
      A22 Sports Management, the company that represents the three clubs still keen on a Super League, are planning to revive the competition after appointing Bernd Reichart as their new chief executive.
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      He told the Financial Times: “We want to reach out to stakeholders in the European football community and broaden this vision.
      “Even fans will have a lot of sympathy for the idea. It is a blank slate. Format will never be an obstacle.”
      The original proposal for the 12 clubs would have guaranteed them involvement regardless of their domestic performances – and that “closed shop” approach is something Reichart admits needs changing.
      He added: “There is a reassessment. There is a clearly stated move towards an open format and that permanent membership is off the table.
      “We want to see whether or not there is broader consensus about the problems facing European football.”
      Meanwhile, Pique retired from football earlier this week, finishing his career by getting sent off despite being an unused substitute.
      Read More on The Sun
      Clearly unhappy at some of the decisions referee Jesus Gil Manzano had made, Mundo Deportivo claimed he said: “Did you see the corner you gave against us?
      “You are the referee that has f***ed us over the most by a distance. It is a f***ing disgrace. “F*** your mother.” More

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      Steve McManaman spills beans on Real Madrid Galacticos WhatsApp chat and ‘lonely’ legend in dressing room

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      STEVE MCMANAMAN has revealed that he is part of a WhatsApp group where Real Madrid’s legendary Galacticos still chat.The former England attacker, 50, left boyhood club Liverpool for the Bernabeu on a Bosman back in 1999 and went on to enjoy huge success in Spain.
      Steve McManaman won the Champions League twice at Real MadridCredit: Reuters
      He revealed that he is still in a Whatsapp group with old team-mates such as Zinedine ZidaneCredit: Reuters
      His four years at Madrid coincided with president Florentino Perez’s Galacticos era as he embarked on a spree of signing football’s most-glamourous names.
      That led to McManaman sharing the pitch with iconic names such as Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, as well as Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo.
      They lifted both LaLiga and the Champions League twice during McManaman’s time there – and he still keeps in touch with his old team-mates to this day.
      Speaking on the “Quickly Kevin, Will He Score? The 90s Football Show podcast”, he said: “There is a WhatsApp group, yeah. [With] everyone really.
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      “And a lot of the players I didn’t play with – a lot of the old players, if that makes sense.
      “I still play in the old boys, the veterans games, the legends games, whatever you want to call it. I still go over to play.
      “I still go over to Madrid a lot. I’m a LaLiga ambassador so I go over and see a lot of my ex-teammates.”
      He continued: “I was speaking to Luis (Figo) the other day – I still speak to him a lot, he still lives in Madrid so when I’m in Madrid I catch up with a lot of people. But yeah, there’s a lot of players in the WhatsApp group.”
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      When asked who were the jokers in the group, McManaman replied: “They were all great, to be very honest. The more professional these players are, the more relaxed they are, I always feel, because they’re so confident in what they do.
      “People used to say to me, ‘Oh, what’s he like? Were there any egos? What was he like?’ And I used to just go, ‘They were brilliant’.
      “Luis was fantastic, Zizou (Zidane) was amazing – he was quiet because when he entered the dressing room he only spoke French and Italian, so he was sort of the lonely person trying to seek solace in a French speaking player.
      “When Ronaldo came in he was, of course, a bundle of energy, a breath of fresh air, always with a smile on his face. He’s a fantastic character. But the most important thing, there were no egos. Everyone got on really well.
      “And they all knew that we’ll have a laugh and a joke but as soon as we cross over the white line, it’s business, and that was the attitude that they all had.”
      McManaman left Madrid in 2003 to return to England with Manchester City but retired two years later.
      Fellow Englishman Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate would later join Madrid during that era – but it was David Beckham’s stint there that made the most headlines.
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      Golden Balls, who won the title in his four seasons in Spain, was previously hailed as the only Englishman who could have played for Brazil by former Madrid pal Ronaldo Nazario.
      Beckham also left Spanish-speaking members of the Madrid squad jealous thanks to being part of the Brazilian clique at the club, according to Robinho. More

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      Gerard Pique SENT OFF in last ever Barcelona game without making it onto the pitch – as Lewandowski gets red for elbow

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      GERARD PIQUE was sent off in his final Barcelona game… despite not even making it onto the pitch.The Spaniard penned an emotional farewell to Barcelona fans after announcing his retirement last week.
      Gerard Pique was seen remonstrating with the referee at half-timeCredit: Twitter
      Gerard Pique was sent off in his final game for BarcelonaCredit: Getty
      Robert Lewandowski was given his marching ordersCredit: Reuters
      But his time at the club has ended in controversy after he got sent off in the tunnel at half-time of Barcelona’s game against Osasuna.
      Pique, who was named among the substitutes, was furious with a decision to send off Robert Lewandowski during the first half and had a heated conversation with the ref which continued into the tunnel.
      He was then sent off for his remonstrating – denying him the chance to make his last ever Barcelona appearance.
      According to referee Jesus Gil Manzano’s report, Pique said: ”You are the referee who has most screwed Barcelona by some distance.
      READ MORE ON PIQUE
      “You are a f***ing disgrace.”
      The match official has previously sent off Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in his career.
      Team-mate Lewandowski was shown a red card after 31 minutes following a shocking elbow as he challenged for a header.
      The Pole was motoring forward to challenge Osasuna’s David Garcia in an aerial duel.
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      But amazingly, having already been yellow carded, Lewandowski kept his eyes on the player and not the ball as he leapt high into the air.
      He then received his marching orders just after the half hour mark.
      Barcelona went into the break a goal down thanks to Garcia’s 11th minute strike for Osasuna.
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      But despite being down to 10-men and not having Pique to call upon, Barcelona managed to win the game 2-1 thanks to goals from Pedri and Raphinha.
      Pique and Xavi were in tears as the former Manchester United star received an incredible ovation in his last ever game at the Nou Camp at the weekend.
      He played 85 minutes of the game and walked onto the pitch with his sons Milan and Sasha who were mascots for their dad’s big day. More

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      Shakira & Gerard Pique speak out in joint statement after custody deal paves way for her move to Miami with sons, 9 & 7

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      SHAKIRA and Gerard Pique have confirmed they have signed a child custody agreement that will avoid them warring in court.The 45-year-old Colombian pop star will relocate to Florida with sons Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven, early in the New Year after reaching a deal with the recently retired footballer.
      Shakira and Gerard Pique with their sons Milan and SashaCredit: Instagram
      Pique played his final game for Barcelona on Saturday as he said an emotional goodbye to fansCredit: Rex
      Shakira released a new song last month which some fans have seen as a reference to PiqueCredit: AFP
      Pique broke down in tears on Saturday at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium during an emotional farewell speech after retiring from football.
      The couple released a statement – signed ‘Shakira and Gerard’ – yesterday afternoon following a marathon 12-hour meeting with their lawyers which ended in the early hours.
      “We have signed an agreement that guarantees the welfare of our children and that will be ratified in court as part of a mere formal procedure,” they said.
      “Our sole objective is to provide them with the upmost security and protection, and we trust that their privacy will be respected.
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      “We appreciate the interest shown and hope that the children can continue with their lives with the necessary privacy in a safe and calm environment.”
      Shakira’s wish to move to the city where she used to live and part of her family are based is understood to have been the principal sticking point in the couple’s previous failure to strike an out-of-court settlement. 
      The summit meeting ended with a deal lifting the main stumbling block in the couple’s ongoing attempts to reach an out-of-court settlement.
      The talks happened on Monday afternoon at their former family home in Esplugues de Llobregat on the outskirts of Barcelona. 
      It didn’t finish until the early hours of Tuesday morning according to local press.
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      The negotiations were described as “intense” by respected Catalan daily El Periodico.
      Rival La Vanguardia, which also reported on the agreement “after 12 hours of negotiation” added: “Milan and Sasha will go with Shakira to Miami.
      “The children will spend Christmas in Barcelona but as soon as 2023 begins, the footballer will say goodbye and assume a painful sacrifice so that the youngsters don’t experience an even more traumatic separation between their parents.
      “He will be able to cross the Atlantic Ocean to see them whenever he wants. The costs will be borne by both of them.”
      The pair announced they had split in May following unconfirmed claims Pique was cheating on his long-term partner with a younger woman.
      Shakira’s split from Pique after a relationship lasting 11 years had become the soap opera of the summer in Spain and elsewhere as their chosen careers took a back seat to lurid reports about their private life.
      On Saturday Pique was filmed kissing and cuddling his new girlfriend Clara Chia in the stands at Barcelona’s stadium after his emotional farewell tribute.
      Read More on The Sun
      The pair hugged each other and locked lips as they chatted with friends.
      Shakira appeared to hit out at her ex in a new song she released last month called Monotonia with references to the “narcissism” and “cold as Christmas” attitude of a man she is breaking up with. More