La Liga
Courtois Rejects Real Move
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has distanced himself from reports he could join LaLiga giants Real Madrid at the end of the season.
Belgium international Courtois spent three seasons on loan with Madrid’s fierce rivals Atletico before establishing himself as Chelsea number one for the 2014-15 Premier League season.
Madrid are thought to be on the lookout for a goalkeeping upgrade on the back of their 2015 move for Manchester United’s David de Gea falling through and Keylor Navas’ dwindling form this term.
By contrast, Courtois has cut an assured figure in helping to steer Chelsea towards Premier League glory and foresees his long-term future being at Stamford Bridge.”I don’t see myself at Real Madrid,” he told La Cadena SER, a Spanish radio network.
“I see myself at Chelsea, the club that six years ago saw me playing in Belgium and gave me the opportunity to sign for them.
“They also allowed me to be three years at Atletico, which helped me to be the keeper that I am now.
“I feel that I’m key to the team, I’m very happy at Chelsea, and I don’t see myself anywhere else.”
Courtois’ current Chelsea deal expires in 2019 and, although talks over an extension are yet to take place, the factor of his family remaining based in Madrid appears unlikely to draw him away from the English capital.
“For the time being, we have not spoken about a contract extension. We are focusing on the league,” he said.
“We will see at the end of the season if they offer me something. For the time being, there has not been an offer
“I’m happy in London and I’m delighted with the success we are having this season
“I owe a lot to Spain and I go often there to visit the family, who are in Madrid. But I’m happy in London.”
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are in a dominant position in the Premier League, 10 points clear of nearest challengers Tottenham with as many games to play.
“We are working well with Conte,” Courtois added.
“I see that there is a long-term project to win trophies, not just domestically but also in Europe. There is a lot of ambition to play in the Champions League next season.”
It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through to the Copa del Rey final.
Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by his side and praised his players’ effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.
“We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.
“I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side.”
Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it “bad luck” by the Austrian defender, but urged his defence to play with better focus moving forward.
“It’s not good to concede four goals in a game,” Ancelotti said.
“Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.
“However, we can’t ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well.”
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.
Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday’s second-leg in Madrid.
-Reuters
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Real Madrid’s legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti will go on trial next week for allegedly failing to declare income to Spain’s tax office, the Madrid court which will hear the case has said.
Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of four years and nine months for the 65-year-old Italian, accusing him of having cost Spain’s treasury more than one million euros ($1.1 million) in undeclared earnings from image rights in 2014 and 2015.
The trial will begin on Wednesday and it is expected to last two days, a spokesman for the court said.
Ancelotti, who as a coach has won a record five Champions League trophies including three with Real, must be present for the hearings, he added.
Prosecutors accuse him of only declaring in his tax returns the personal remuneration received from Real Madrid during those two years even though he himself declared himself to be a tax resident in Spain and indicated his home was in Madrid.
They accuse Ancelotti of allegedly setting up a “confusing” and “complex” system of shell companies to hide his extra earnings from his image rights as well as from other sources such as real estate.
A Spanish court in 2023 ordered Ancelotti to stand trial over the affair, but did not set a date.
Ancelotti dismissed the affair last year as “an old story that I hope will be resolved soon” when he was asked about the case.
He took over at Real Madrid in 2013, leaving in May 2015, before being appointed at Bayern Munich the following year.
The former Italy international midfielder, who as a player won the European Cup twice with AC Milan, later managed Napoli and Everton before returning to Real Madrid in 2021.
Aside from his success in the Champions League he has won domestic league titles with Madrid and Milan, in England with Chelsea, in Germany with Bayern Munich and in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
-AFP
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Spain’s former soccer chief Luis Rubiales told Reuters on Thursday he would appeal a court ruling which found him guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent.-
-Reuters
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