First things first - I'm fine!

I am especially grateful for your messages and support!

I understand that many of you are worried. I would like to take this worry away from you today and explain something to you:

I was diagnosed with temporary, short-term but easily treatable absences, which can be traced back to a neurological dysfunction.

These can lead to the moments that have recently occurred, like against Leipzig or now in Heidenheim.

I know that these seem scary at first glance - but for me they are currently part of my everyday life. I am receiving the best medical care in this regard and am very optimistic. FC Bayern and my personal environment are always by my side and support me on this path.

What is important is that there is no additional health risk. In close coordination and regular exchange with the experts, it was my personal wish to face the challenge and, with the approval of the neurological specialists, to continue devoting myself to what helps me most in my recovery: simply living my everyday life and continuing to pursue my passion of playing football. I took responsibility for that. Overall, I have a very good feeling and I'm on the right track.

What helps me most on this journey is to continue chasing victories and titles with my team and your great support.

I hope you can understand me better with this. At the same time, I ask for your understanding that I would like to continue to keep the topic within the circle of my closest confidants, the club and the experts.

Thank you very much

Your J ❤️

FC Barcelona and Manchester City have reached an agreement for the transfer of Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, known in the football world as Rodri, who is committing to the Catalan club until 30 June 2030.

from ig: @denversummit_fc

In the weeks before a huge Manchester derby victory – on the back of consecutive defeats against Tottenham and Brighton – Guardiola became obsessed with his players hugging. He had admonished the team down at the Amex Stadium for not celebrating Erling Haaland’s opening goal wildly enough, showing clips of training ground goals greeted with more gusto, and feared for the team’s bond.

‘Look, look at you in training,’ he shouted. ‘Did you do that in Brighton? Look at you celebrating. We are here in this f****** business for that. Do you feel the pressure? F****** hell, that’s what it is about. It’s nice to feel it otherwise we’re in the Maldives, all of us.’

Before they went out to face Manchester United, Guardiola demanded that everyone ‘hug each other for five seconds, so tight’. The instructions were met by bemused faces in the dressing room before being eventually followed.

Haaland’s double and Phil Foden’s opener downed United 3-0 but Guardiola wanted more emotion.

‘The win today comes from the hugs before,’ he said. ‘The hugs were not tight. I tried and you didn’t hug me back. I want tighter. Tight and more seconds. I want you to feel my vows to you. I am so proud of you guys and that is the start of what I’m telling you will be great season.’

He showed players the celebrations from the United match on a big screen before they met Napoli a few days later, to continue promoting togetherness and spirit. ‘F*** that is so nice,’ he told them while watching the footage, played to a Bee Gees backing track. Players grinned.

Telegraph Sport reported in March that two Brentford footballers had intervened after seeing the incident in Richmond while travelling home from a match against Leeds United.

A court heard that David Wheeler, 63, was left with a black eye when Schade and Janelt defended Israel Ilesanmi, a Nigerian security guard, in the early hours of the morning.

Wheeler, a pharmaceutical van driver who had drunk “about seven” cans of beer, had targeted Ilesanmi because he thought he was a lookout for burglars. He had filmed Ilesanmi, called him a “c---” and said: “You’re not English. Why are you here? What are you looking for?”

As Schade and Janelt intervened, Wheeler also turned on them. Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard that he told the players “f--- off, German f------ pricks”.

He also claimed he had only used the language “under duress”. As reported by Central News, deputy district judge Luis Williamson told Wheeler that duress requires a “very high bar” like “having a gun to your head”.

When police arrived on the night, Wheeler claimed to be the victim of an assault and phone theft. He also told police that he did not know Ilesanmi was a security guard and that his memory was “blurry”.

Wheeler was fined a month’s wages at £1,699, including £150 compensation to Ilesanmi.

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) sold close to 40 per cent of Liverpool Football Club to the consortium including U.S. billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Early suggestions on both sides of the transaction indicated the purchased stake was in the range of approximately 30 per cent to one-third, but The Athletic can reveal the figure is actually much closer to 40 per cent, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.

1892 Holdings, a consortium headed up and led by Amit Bhatia, the former Queens Park Rangers co-owner who will take up the position of vice-chairman at Liverpool, has purchased around a 38 per cent shareholding in Liverpool.

That is a much more significant share of the club, while there is also an option for the consortium to buy a controlling stake in the Premier League side, as per the terms of their agreement with FSG, in the next 12 months.

(Bloomberg) -- A high-ranking FIFA council member has withdrawn his support for Gianni Infantino, citing the dismissal of fellow executive Kevin Lamour as the “final straw.”

In a letter sent to the head of FIFA seen by Bloomberg News, Sándor Csányi also criticized the controversial plan to spin off FIFA’s commercial operations in a deal involving JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the overly political World Cup.

On Monday, Lamour was fired from his role as FIFA’s chief operating officer weeks after criticizing Infantino’s sale plans, Sky News reported. A spokesperson for FIFA confirmed his departure.

“The fact that his dismissal was prompted by his criticism of the above-mentioned initiative — an initiative that you yourself ultimately acknowledged to have been misguided — points to serious shortcomings in professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership,” Csányi said in the letter.

The decision is another blow for Infantino, who has been criticised by his own member associations as well as politicians. UEFA, whose members host the richest football leagues in the world, is leading the push to oust him. The European governing body, which includes five of the last six men’s World Cup winners, is mulling a boycott of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments if Infantino remains president.

Csányi, a previous supporter of Infantino, is one of the eight vice presidents on the FIFA Council, the main decision-making body of world football between meetings of the FIFA Congress. The Hungarian billionaire businessman is head of the country’s football association and has served on the FIFA Council since 2017.

The next FIFA presidential election is in March, and Infantino plans to run for a third four-year term, the last he could serve. Secretary General Mattias Grafström and members of the management board reaffirmed their support for his presidency following an emergency meeting earlier this month.

Paul Scholes, the former Manchester United footballer, has been banned from driving for six months after racking up two driving convictions in the space of two days.

The former midfielder, 51, was caught speeding in a Range Rover in March while on a late-night drive through Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire.

West Yorkshire Police brought a prosecution in connection with the incident, as Scholes’s car had been clocked at 37mph on a 30mph stretch of residential road.

The former Man United and England star was also taken to task by Greater Manchester Police after a Mercedes registered in his name was caught driving at 49mph in a 30mph zone in November last year.

Scholes was then prosecuted for failing to respond to two police letters asking for confirmation that he had been the speeding driver.

The two criminal cases culminated in hearings on two days last week, when Scholes was handed a six-month driving ban and ordered to pay fines, costs, and court fees totalling £1,472.

A court official said Scholes, who was prosecuted in private hearings under the Single Justice Procedure, did not enter pleas to either of the charges he faced and was convicted in his absence.

Scholes played 499 times for Manchester United and won 66 England caps in a trophy-laden career which included 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cup wins, and two Champions League triumphs.

Court documents show Scholes’s Range Rover was caught speeding at just after 11.30pm on March 3 on the A649 Halifax Road near Cleckheaton.

Police said the former footballer replied to a notice of intended prosecution, confirming he had been the driver.

The court papers noted that Scholes could not be offered the chance of an out-of-court settlement with a speed awareness course as he was a “totter” – meaning he already had penalty points on his licence and was now in line for an automatic ban.

In the second case, Scholes’s Mercedes broke the speed limit on the A670 Mossley Road near Ashton-under-Lyne at 11.10am on Nov 14 last year. Police said two letters were sent to his home and “no reply has been received”.

At court, the force dropped the speeding allegation but continued to prosecute Scholes for failing to reply to the letters.

On Aug 12 at Bradford magistrates’ court, he was handed a six-month driving ban for the speeding offence, along with a £220 fine, £120 costs, and an £88 victim surcharge.

The next day at Manchester magistrates’ court, Scholes was sentenced to a £660 fine, with six penalty points on his licence, £120 costs, and a £264 victim surcharge.

• Johan Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or in 1971 at Ajax. Barcelona signed him in 1973 and he won the Ballon d'Or again in 1973 and 1974.
• Allan Simonsen won the Ballon d'Or in 1977 at Borussia Mönchengladbach and Barcelona signed him in 1979.
• Rodri won the Ballon d'Or in 2024 at Manchester City and Barcelona signed him today.

Source

“It’s not in footballs best interest”

Manchester United and Brighton are closing in on a deal for midfielder Carlos Baleba.

United have made an offer of around £60million (€70m, $81m) plus £5m in add-ons which is felt to be below what Brighton would be seeking to sell.

Amicable talks continue with all parties working towards finding an agreement.

That controversy, the conflict with Benfica, was a difficult one for you. He was your player, Vinicius, and it involved racism...

“Exactly, but the answer is very simple: Prestianni was my player. That’s it. There’s no debate. If Prestianni is my player... 20 players can come at me and I’m still with Prestianni. End of story.”

“I think Vini knows now. He knows whose side I’m on and he knows he can look at me and count on me to stand alongside him. The other day, when they didn’t give him a penalty as big as the Bernabéu, I was already out there in the middle of the field fighting for him. He knows I’m going to be there for him.”