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Leo Beenhakker, Winning Soccer Coach Without Borders, Dies at 82
Among many other accomplishments, he led tiny Trinidad and Tobago to the World Cup and Poland to its first appearance in the European championships.Leo Beenhakker, a globe-trotting soccer coach who managed his native Netherlands during the 1990 World Cup, won three Spanish League titles with Real Madrid in the 1980s and, perhaps most impressively and improbably, guided Trinidad and Tobago to the 2006 World Cup as the smallest nation at the time ever to compete in soccer’s global championship, died on April 10. He was 82.His death was announced by the Dutch soccer federation and by Ajax, the powerful Amsterdam club that Beenhakker coached to two Dutch League titles. The announcement did not cite a cause or say where he died.His own playing career, as a winger, did not carry him beyond the amateur level. But neither did it prevent him from achieving national and international success as a coach.In that role, Beenhakker displayed wit and charm as well as the ability to engage with and inspire his players and to immerse himself in various cultures in the soccer diaspora. One of his accomplishments was to coach Poland to its first appearance in the European championships, in 2008.He dismissed the idea that to coach at a high level, one needed to have played at a high level. “You can be a very good milkman,” he once said, “without having ever been a cow.”Beenhakker (pronounced bin-HACK-er) never possessed the authority or standing of Johan Cruyff, who captained the Netherlands to second place at the 1974 World Cup and is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Nor did he have the tactical skill of Guus Hiddink, who in 1988 coached PSV Eindhoven to both the Dutch League title and the European Cup, the forerunner of the European Champions League title.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More
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Real Madrid and Bayern Munich locked in transfer war over FIVE players with Man Utd target caught in the middle
EUROPEAN heavyweights Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are reportedly set to battle it out for several players next summer.The futures of five different stars are currently up in the air.Alphonso Davies’ contract is set to expire in JuneCredit: GettyJoshua Kimmich is also nearing the end of his contractCredit: GettyReal Madrid are allegedly interested in Jamal MusialaCredit: GettyIt could result in some of them swapping Germany for Spain.Bayern full-back Alphonso Davies has just seven months left on his current deal.As things stand, he is yet to agree terms for a new contract.Real Madrid are waiting to pounce if he does become a free agent at the end of the campaign.Read More in FootballBut they could face competition from Man Utd for his signature.Similarly, German full-back Joshua Kimmich is also edging towards the conclusion of his deal at the Allianz Arena.The future of young superstar Jamal Musiala is arguably Bayern’s most significant cause for concern.Musiala has just 19 months left on his contract with the Bundesliga giants.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSFlorian Wirtz is wanted by both clubsCredit: GettyJonathan Tah has also attracted interest from several clubsCredit: GettyReal Madrid are also waiting for the right moment to launch an offer for the Germany ace.With Davies, Musiala and Kimmich potentially set to leave Munich in the near future, the Bavarians could reportedly attempt to sign Bayer Leverkusen stars Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah.Arda Guler shows his talent at Real Madrid training However, Los Blancos could prove to be a thorn in their side once again.Earlier this year it was revealed that Real Madrid chiefs wanted to add Wirtz to their ever-growing list of Galacticos.The 21-year-old is expected to cost around £125million next summer.Arsenal and Manchester City are among the other clubs understood to be interested.Meanwhile, Bayern pushed to sign Tah this summer alongside Man Utd but failed to seal a deal.This time around, however, the German giants will also have to compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona if they want to attempt another swoop. More
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Former Premier League chief now owns ‘Spanish Accrington Stanley’ with 6,000-capacity stadium
FORMER Burnley chief Mike Garlick has swapped Lancashire for Andalusia to become owner of Spanish third tier side Antequera.After stepping down from his role at Turf Moor in 2020 following ALK Capital’s takeover, the businessman set his sights on a new challenge.Former Burnley chairman Mike Garlick has embarked on a new ventureCredit: News Group Newspapers LtdThe 61-year-old has become owner of AntequeraCredit: PA:Press AssociationGarlick left Burnley in 2020Credit: Getty Images – GettyAnd when the opportunity arose to become Antequera boss at the start of this year, he grabbed it with both hands.”I didn’t want to buy a big club,” he told The Times.”The most enjoyable thing about Burnley wasn’t the day you won something or got promotion but the actual journey — and I wanted a journey.”I looked at Antequera and thought, ‘We could go on a journey here.’Read More in Football”I knew I’d miss the buzz of football and I got offered a lot of different clubs in England but I’m a Burnley fan so I wasn’t that keen.”We already had a house in Spain, near Marbella, and my wife speaks Spanish so why not here? I can get on a plane to Malaga, jump in a car and be here really quickly.”On top of that, they’d been promoted in three of the past five years so they are clearly on an upward trend.”Antequera currently sit second in Primera Federación Group 2 – only behind Betis Deportivo Balompie, the reserve team of Real Betis.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSIf they win the group, the Spanish side will earn promotion to the second tier.Otherwise, they may have to do so via the play-offs at the end of the campaign.Bungling Burnley academy manager quits after sending bombshell message slamming ‘mad’ and ‘lazy’ players to WRONG groupGarlick has ambitions of leading the team all the way up to LaLiga.If Antequera achieve the feat, they would represent one of the smallest towns in the division.The 61-year-old continued: “I’ve compared it to Accrington as the population’s just over 40,000 so if we did get into La Liga one day, we’d be one of the smallest-ever towns in there.”Burnley was the smallest town in the Premier League — you’ve got 78,000 people there. It’s a dream but why not try for it?”Who are these famous footballers? More
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Spanish newspaper’s XI of best U18 starlets in 2016 goes viral with forgotten English prodigy and ‘9 of them top tier’
A 2016 best XI of wonderkids has gone viral on social media – and nine of them have hit the heights.But one English-born ace has fallen off the radar and now plies his trade with an unfashionable German outfit.Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was among the most promising talents at the timeCredit: GettyArsenal’s Kieran Tierney was also part of the list during his success at CelticCredit: GettyMarca predicted Europe’s best Under-18 talents in 2016Spanish newspaper Marca put together the best XI of Under-18 talents in Europe back eight years ago.Among them was an unknown Monaco kid called Kylian Mbappe, who is now considered by many as the best in the world.In the 2016 version, the now-Real Madrid superstar was joined by Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.Donnarumma had just taken football by storm with AC Milan before moving to PSG – where he played with Mbappe – in 2021.Read More on FootballRomanian Cristian Manea was at right-back with Arsenal ace Kieran Tierney on the other side, with Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and forgotten England prospect Reece Oxford at centre-back.Rapid Bucharest’s Manea was playing for Belgian outfit Mouscron, on loan from Apollon Limassol, but got lost in the shuffle as did Oxford, who was a revelation at West Ham before joining Augsburg.Gomez is a utility defender for the Reds, while Tierney’s success at Celtic has yet to be replicated at the Emirates due to a raft of injury set-backs.Renato Sanches, Youri Tielemans and Ruben Neves formed the midfield.Most read in FootballSanches was considered the next big thing during his successful stint at Benfica but failed to live up to expectations and even endured a painful loan stint at Swansea.BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThe midfielder is currently on PSG’s books but returned to Benfica on loan in his bid to rediscover his old form.Tielemans played for Anderlecht at the time and went on to enjoy success with Leicester – where he won the FA Cup – and current club Aston Villa, who are standing out in the Champions League.Meet Ayden Heaven: Arsenal’s next William SalibaNeves burst onto the scene with Porto and became a star at Wolves but has dropped from the spotlight after moving to Saudi Arabia for Al-Hilal.Mbappe was joined by Martin Odegaard and Dominic Solanke up-front.Odegaard was struggling for minutes at Real after his major move from Norwegian outfit Stromsgodset, where he emerged as one of the world’s most promising wonderkids.But the playmaker found his groove at Arsenal and quickly earned the captain’s armband.Solanke played for Vitesse at the time on loan from Chelsea, where he failed to earn a permanent spot and endured a disappointing stint at Liverpool.But the striker showed exactly why there was so much hype around his name with a stunning spell at Bournemouth, which led to a big move to Tottenham last summer.Mixed fan reactionMbappe dominated at Monaco and earned a big move to PSG where he quickly developed into one of the world’s biggest stars and ultimately completed a highly-anticipated move to Real.Fans were left in awe by that nostalgic post, which received some mixed reaction.One fan posted: “Pretty good tbf.”Another commented: “I miss Kieran Tierney.”A third wrote: “As a West Ham fan, Reece Oxford not fulfilling his potential was so sad.”READ MORE SUN STORIESThis fan wrote: “9 out of the 11 are top tier.”And that one stated: “Not a bad return to be fair.” More
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Luis Rubiales, Ex-Soccer Chief, to Be Tried in Spain for Unwanted Kiss
Luis Rubiales, the former head of Spanish soccer, is charged with two different counts in connection with the unsolicited kiss of a star player.Luis Rubiales, Spain’s former soccer chief, will stand trial on a count of sexual assault for grabbing the head of Jennifer Hermoso, a star player, and forcibly kissing her on the mouth at the Women’s World Cup medal ceremony in August.The decision on Wednesday evening by Spain’s National Court came after a judge concluded in January that Mr. Rubiales should be held to account for the kiss, which the judge said “was nonconsensual” and within the bounds of the “intimacy of sexual relations.”Public prosecutors and Ms. Hermoso’s lawyers are seeking a total of two and a half years of prison time for Mr. Rubiales: one year for the sexual assault charge and an additional 18 months in connection with a coercion charge. Mr. Rubiales is accused of pressuring Ms. Hermoso to show support for him after the kiss.Three other former soccer officials, including Jorge Vilda, the former women’s team’s coach, are also accused of coercion. They could each face 18 months in prison.The confirmation that Mr. Rubiales will face a count of sexual assault is the latest development in a high-profile case that has disrupted soccer in Spain and fueled a public reckoning about sexism and power imbalances.Mr. Rubiales initially resisted calls to resign as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and as a vice president of UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, but he stepped down after a court issued a restraining order against him. FIFA, soccer’s governing body, barred him from the sport for three years.Mr. Rubiales was briefly arrested in April as part of a wide-ranging investigation into corruption and money laundering linked to taking Spain’s Super Cup tournament to Saudi Arabia. He is also under investigation on allegations of hiring detectives to spy on the head of Spain’s players’ union; misusing federation funds to pay for personal expenses; and hosting a sex party, paid for with federation funds, in Granada in 2020 — all claims that emerged after official complaints were made to prosecutors.Mr. Rubiales has denied any wrongdoing.The court set his bail at 65,000 euros (about $70,000) on the sexual assault charge and another €65,000 to be posted jointly with the three other former officials who are also accused of coercion. More
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Luis Rubiales, Ex-Chief of Spanish Soccer, to Face Trial Over World Cup Kiss
The ruling by a National Court judge concludes a pretrial inquiry into an unsolicited kiss that set off a widespread debate about sexism in Spanish women’s soccer.A judge with Spain’s National Court recommended on Thursday that the country’s onetime soccer boss, Luis Rubiales, be tried on a sexual assault charge over his non-consensual kiss of a star player during the Women’s World Cup medal ceremony in Sydney, Australia, last summer.If found guilty of sexual assault in the case, which upended Spanish women’s soccer and set off a debate about the legacy of sexism in the sport in Spain, Mr. Rubiales would face a prison sentence of one to four years.The judge also recommended that Mr. Rubiales and three officials with the Royal Spanish Football Federation, soccer’s governing body in the country — including Jorge Vilda, who was fired as the women’s team coach in the wake of the incident — be tried on charges of coercion for exerting pressure on the player, Jennifer Hermoso, to show support for Mr. Rubiales in the immediate aftermath of the kiss.The judge concluded that the kiss by Mr. Rubiales “was non-consensual and was a unilateral and surprise act.”Public prosecutors and Ms. Hermoso now have 10 days to formalize their accusations, and then a trial will take place.The ruling was the culmination of a pretrial inquiry, presided over by the judge, Francisco de Jorge, in which witnesses including Ms. Hermoso, officials and other players gave evidence regarding sexual assault accusations against Mr. Rubiales in a closed-door hearing that ended on Jan. 2. The judge also examined videos of the kiss from numerous angles and a video recorded on a bus after the medal ceremony, in which Ms. Hermoso initially seemed to make light of the incident.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? More
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Spanish Soccer Star Testifies About Unwanted Kiss
Jennifer Hermoso, who was kissed on the mouth by Spain’s former soccer boss, Luis Rubiales, gave evidence at a hearing to determine whether Mr. Rubiales will be charged.Jennifer Hermoso, the Spanish soccer star who received an unsolicited kiss on the mouth after her team won the World Cup, gave evidence in Spain’s National Court Tuesday morning against Luis Rubiales, the former Spanish former soccer boss who is being investigated over allegations of sexual assault and coercion in connection with the episode.Ms. Hermoso’s testimony concludes the high-profile criminal inquiry of Mr. Rubiales, which was opened days after the World Cup, which took place in Sydney, Australia, in August.A judge, Francisco de Jorge, must now decide whether to charge Mr. Rubiales or to close the case. If Judge de Jorge concludes there is evidence of wrongdoing, Mr. Rubiales will face trial on a sexual assault charge — punishable with between one and four years in prison. Mr. Rubiales and three executives at the soccer federation, including the former coach, Jorge Vilda, may also face charges of coercion after they were accused of exerting pressure on Ms. Hermoso to show support for Mr. Rubiales.Mr. Rubiales has denied the charges, saying that it was nothing more than a “peck.”On Tuesday morning, Ms. Hermoso was the last in a string of Spanish sporting celebrities to give evidence. The list of witnesses summoned by Judge de Jorge reads like the “Who’s Who” of Spanish soccer, with stars such as Alexia Putellas, the current Best FIFA Women’s Player; Misa Rodríguez, the goalkeeper for Real Madrid; and Irene Paredes, Barcelona’s star defender. Several football association executives have also given their versions of events, as have Mr. Vilda, Ms. Hermoso’s brother and Mr. Rubiales himself.Ms. Hermoso spoke to the press outside Spain’s National Court after her appearance. “All is in the hands of justice,” she said, seemingly at ease.What exactly she or the other witnesses disclosed to Judge de Jorge has not been made public officially as the hearings have been held behind closed doors. But shortly after Ms. Hermoso left court this morning, the Spanish prosecutor’s office issued a statement confirming that she had testified that “the kiss was unexpected and at no point consented.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? More
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Spain Women’s Team Will Play After Talks in Wake of World Cup Kiss
Players’ participation had been in doubt after many signed a letter demanding an overhaul of the Spanish soccer federation in the wake of sexism scandals.Nearly a month after Spain’s World Cup-winning women’s national soccer team was thrown into turmoil over a forcible kiss, the players have agreed to come back and play their scheduled high-profile matches in the coming days.The players’ participation had been in doubt after many of them demanded an overhaul of Spain’s soccer federation to guarantee a “safe place where women are respected.” In addition to the furor over the kiss, by Spain’s top soccer official, Luis Rubiales, after the team’s World Cup victory in Australia on Aug. 20, the players had voiced longstanding complaints of sexism and of unequal treatment compared with their male counterparts.Mr. Rubiales has since stepped down over the episode, and the team’s coach, Jorge Vilda, was fired amid complaints of outdated training methods and controlling behavior. But the players continue to push for more changes within the federation as well as demands like equal pay and better-quality sports facilities.On Wednesday morning, after a meeting of players, government officials and soccer federation bosses that went on through the night, the president of the state-run National Sports Council said that 21 of the 23 players on the roster for U.E.F.A.’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland over the coming week had agreed to play.The Nations League matches are particularly important because they determine which three European countries can compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.“Twenty-one players are going to Sweden,” said the National Sports Council president, Víctor Francos, adding that “there are two players who don’t feel they have the spirit or the strength” to take the field.Under Spanish law, players can face fines of up to 30,000 euros, about $32,100, or suspensions of up to five years for refusing to take the field for the national team without a valid reason. Mr. Francos had warned this week that any players who defied the roster could be penalized.But on Wednesday morning he offered assurances at a news conference that “neither the federation nor the sports council” would initiate “a sanctioning process” against players who decided not to represent their country.Amanda Gutiérrez, the president of the women’s soccer union, FUTPRO, applauded the government’s commitment to addressing discrimination in the sport and the “reconciliation of positions” between the players and the federation.Speaking on behalf of the players, who must now focus on preparing for their match against Sweden on Friday, Ms. Gutiérrez said that a commission would be set up involving the government, the federation and the players to monitor the agreement reached on Wednesday.“It is the beginning of a long road,” she said, with consequences for “future generations.”The two players who did not agree to play in the matches — Mapi León, a defender, and Patri Guijarro, a midfielder — were among the 15 players involved in a rebellion last year against Mr. Vilda’s behavior. A dozen of them subsequently said they wanted to rejoin the team, and three were invited back, but neither Ms. Leon nor Ms. Guijarro asked to return.Ms. Leon said on Wednesday, “We are happy because changes are being made.” But Ms. Guijarro said, “We’re not mentally prepared to be here.”The emergency meeting that led to the agreement took place at the Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Hotel in Valencia, where the players had been summoned on Tuesday by the team’s new coach, Montse Tomé — the first woman to be chosen for the post — to prepare for the match against Sweden.Earlier in the week, Ms. Tomé had drawn up a roster for the match, even though the federation had not met the players’ demands.The roster did not include Jennifer Hermoso, the player whom Mr. Rubiales forcibly kissed on camera after the team captured the World Cup title. She filed a sexual-assault complaint against him this month, which cleared the way for prosecutors to open a case against him over the kiss.At the news conference, Rafa del Amo, the president of women’s soccer within the national federation, said of Ms. Hermoso, “I think that she has to be protected from pressure.”Many players had been upset over being included on the roster before their demands were met.When Misa Rodríguez, a goalkeeper, turned up for duty on Tuesday morning, reporters asked her whether she was happy with the roster.“No,” she replied.Most of her teammates declined to give remarks upon arriving at the venue.At the news conference on Wednesday morning, Mr. Franco offered assurances that the federation would immediately take steps to appease its players.“I’ve debated many things, many decisions that you will see shortly,” Mr. del Amo said.Both he and Mr. Franco said that the team’s new coach, Ms. Tomé, would remain in her role, a situation that had been in doubt because of lack of dialogue with players before the roster announcement and over support that she expressed for Mr. Rubiales on Aug. 25, when he said that he would not resign and railed against “false feminism.”Miquel Iceta, the minister for culture and sports, welcomed the agreement reached between the players and the soccer federation. “We want a principle of trust between the players and the Royal Spanish Football Federation to be re-established,” he said at a midmorning news conference.To that end, the government’s National Sports Council said that legislation would be drafted including gender-equality policies, pay equity and quality sports facilities for women’s soccer. 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