Other Leagues
Wayne Rooney’s Derby relegated, Bournemouth close in on Premier League return
Wayne Rooney said he wants to rebuild Derby County but a takeover has to happen soon to keep him at Pride Park after the club was relegated from the Championship on Monday (April 18).
The Rams’ valiant attempt to stay up despite a 21-point deduction came to an end with a 1-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers.
Reading’s recovery from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 at home to Swansea sealed Derby’s fate and left Barnsley and Peterborough also on the verge of going down.
Derby delayed Fulham’s promotion party with a stunning 2-1 win over the league leaders on Friday, but needed a miracle to haul themselves out of a dire situation caused by financial problems.
The club remain in administration, although US businessman Chris Kirchner has been named as the preferred bidder ahead of a potential takeover.
“I want to rebuild this club. But the takeover has to happen. If it doesn’t, I’m really unsure of my future and the club’s future. This takeover has to happen quick,” said Rooney.
Derby would have been comfortably in mid-table without the points deduction for entering administration and breaching financial sustainability rules in previous seasons.
Luke Amos’ late goal secured a vital three points for QPR’s bid to climb into the playoff places and left Derby 10 points off safety with just three games to play.
“I am disappointed, sad, angry, upset, but ultimately proud of the players, staff and fans, who have been excellent,” added the former Manchester United and England captain.
“We know we’d be safe without the penalties we’ve had. This is where we’ve been left by the previous owner and we’ve been trying to pick up the pieces from that and trying to pull off something really special. We’ve got close and haven’t managed to do it.”
Peterbrough stayed alive with a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Barnsley, but are seven points adrift of Reading.
The Royals produced a remarkable fightback in the game of the day as eight goals were shared with Swansea with Tom McIntyre snatching a point deep into stoppage time.
At the other end of the table, Bournemouth have a four-point cushion over third-placed Huddersfield and two games in hand after a convincing 3-0 win at Coventry.
Dominic Solanke struck twice after Jamal Lowe had opened the scoring to move Scott Parker’s men to the brink of promotion.
Nottingham Forest ensured Fulham, who are in action on Tuesday at home to Preston, had to wait at least another day to seal promotion with a 4-0 win over 10-man West Brom.
Huddersfield all but secured their place in the play-offs as goals from Naby Sarr and Jordan Rhodes earned a 2-0 win at Middlesbrough.
Fourth-placed Luton are also in contention for a third promotion in five years as they won 1-0 at Cardiff.
Sheffield United remain in the final play-off spot after a 1-1 draw at Bristol City, but are now just one point clear of Millwall, who were 2-1 winners over Hull.
-AFP
A goal scored under soccer’s experimental “daylight” offside rule was allowed for the first time in a professional match on Saturday, with Pacific FC forward Alejandro Diaz on target in a 2-2 draw with Halifax Wanderers in the Canadian Premier League.
The strike would have been ruled out under the standard International Football Association Board Laws of the Game, but stood under the CPL’s ongoing trial conducted in cooperation with FIFA.
The Canadian league is testing the rule this season as part of efforts to reduce marginal offside decisions and encourage attacking play.
Under the system, an attacker is only deemed offside if there is clear “daylight” between them and the second-last defender, rather than being penalised for narrowly being ahead.
The concept, long advocated by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in his role as FIFA’s head of global football development, is being assessed in Canada as a potential change to the offside law.
Diaz’s goal marked the first in-game application of the interpretation, which resulted directly in a goal, offering a glimpse of how the rule could alter attacking patterns and defensive positioning.
The CPL, which launched the trial earlier this month, has provided FIFA with a professional testing ground for the proposal as soccer’s world governing body evaluates whether to expand its use more broadly.
Reuters
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Al-Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy was handed a four-match ban after striking a referee on the head following a 1-1 draw with Ceramica Cleopatra, the Egyptian Pro League said on Thursday.
The Egypt international, who was on the bench for Tuesday’s game, was incensed after Al-Ahly’s appeal for a penalty following a handball in stoppage time was denied.
“He handed a four‑match ban and fined 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($942) for assaulting the referee by pushing or pulling (use of the hand without violence),” the league said in a statement.
The ban means El-Shenawy, who is expected to be Egypt’s starting goalkeeper at the World Cup in North America, will be sidelined until the final week of the league play-offs.
Al-Ahly are third on 41 points, five points behind leaders Zamalek.
-Reuters
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Galatasaray have strengthened their squad with another Napoli player, announcing on Friday that Dutch winger Noa Lang has joined the Turkish champions on loan for the remainder of the season, linking up with former Napoli player, Victor Osimhen in Istanbul.
The Super Lig giants confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Napoli for the temporary transfer of the 15-cap Netherlands international, with the deal including a non-mandatory purchase option that Galatasaray may activate at the end of the season.
Under the terms of the agreement, Galatasaray will pay €2 million as a loan fee to Napoli, while Lang will earn a seasonal salary of €1.75 million, according to a statement released by the club.
Lang joined Napoli last year from PSV Eindhoven but struggled to fully establish himself in Italy. He featured in 27 matches across all competitions, scoring once during his time with the Serie A side.
His arrival adds attacking depth to Galatasaray and further strengthens the Napoli connection at the club, with Osimhen already a central figure in their squad as they continue to push for domestic success and progress in European competition.
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