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The UAE League is undergoing a refereeing crisis after Ali Hamad, the head of the referees committee of the UAE Football Association stepped down from his post. Saleh Al Marzouki, a member of the committee also resigned after several clubs wrote to the FA against poor refereeing standards in the league during the current season. 

Ali Hamad took over the presidency of the Referees Committee last March.

During the match against Al-Nasr and Al Ittihad Kalba held on Tuesday at Al Maktoum Stadium, there was controversy in the 65th minute when Al-Nasr successfully hit a penalty kick, but after returning to the VAR, the referee decided to cancel the penalty and indicated an indirect free kick. The referee reasoned that since one of their players entered the penalty box before the ball was shot, an indirect free-kick needs to be taken. 

Following this incident, Mid Al-Sharaa one of the members of the board of directors of Ittihad Kalba Club demanded a replay of the match through his Twitter account. 

"After the penalty kick was cancelled and an indirect free hit was counted due to the entry of the players entering the area and not re-executing the penalty kick, it became an illegal match for the referee's violation of the rules of the game and therefore the match must be repeated There is a precedent for the match between Uzbekistan and Bahrain, which was repeated by FIFA," he wrote. 

Al-Nasr won the match 2-1. 

Fujairah also submitted an official complaint against the referees after their match against Al Wasl which ended in a draw. 

Former football referees have opined that creating undue pressure on referees both on and off the pitch by clubs and media is not fruitful. Instead of criticising, every stakeholder should support them morally to bring out their best during officiating. 

Former international referee Muhammad Al-Junaibi commented, “The pressures have clearly increased recently on the referees, and they are required to return to their normal levels especially since the performance of the arbitration is not at the satisfactory or convincing level. Pressures mount on the referees from all sides, especially since every week there are one or more clubs that reserve reservations about the referees’ performance.

“There are teams competing to win the league title, others to survive and avoid relegation, and teams seeking to win an Asian seat, and all of this constitutes double pressure on the referee.” 

However, former international referee Abdullah Al-Ajeel opined differently from Junaibi as he believes that officials should be able to cope with the pressure instead of bucking down. 

“As long as there is a place in which a person wants to succeed,  he must face pressures and he must deal with it. The football referees are supposed to be accustomed to such pressures, and they must deal with it naturally so as not to negatively affect their performance in matches.” 

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel singled out N'Golo Kante for special praise following his side's Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid, suggesting that the midfielder gives the Blues an almost unfair advantage thanks to his tireless play. 

Goals from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson sealed a 2-0 win over Diego Simeone's side at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, sending Chelsea into the quarter-finals with a 3-0 aggregate win. 

But while Kante may not have been among the scorers, Tuchel is well aware of his contribution to the team effort. 

What was said? 

"I never know the age of my players just from performance. If you play with him, you play with half a man more because he gives intensity and volume that is outstanding and is unique," Tuchel said of the France midfielder, who remains among football's hardest-working players as he approaches his 30th birthday. 

"It is a pleasure to coach him, a big gift for me, such a big helper on the pitch; and don't underestimate his quality in using [the ball], escaping the pressure.

"He can improve with the ball, but it is fantastic to have him. Kova [Mateo Kovacic] and him needed to step up today and the two knew they could be relied upon, they took all the weight on their shoulders and did a fantastic job."

The bigger picture 

Wednesday's comfortable win maintained Tuchel's unbeaten start to his Chelsea tenure, which now stands at 13 games. 

As well as a berth in the Champions League last eight the Blues have climbed back up the Premier League standings, currently sitting in fourth place. 

"From the very first moment, I felt part of a family and a well structured club that thinks every three days about what is needed to win games," Tuchel added. 

"Everybody in this club thinks about football and from the first day the support was amazing. I feel part of it. A true part. I feel like part of the team also."

Further reading

Diego Simeone said he understood Luis Suarez's anger after the Atletico Madrid forward was visibly frustrated upon his substitution in the 59th minute of Wednesday's defeat at Chelsea. 

Atletico fell 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League last-16 second leg, sealing a 3-0 aggregate defeat. 

Suarez has been in red-hot form in La Liga this season, scoring 18 goals in 24 games, but exits the Champions League having failed to score in six outings this season.

What was said?

At his post-game press conference, Simeone said of Suarez: “It’s normal that he got angry when he was taken off, players want to stay on.

"We wanted a new way to attack them so we made changes.”

Though Suarez struggled, Simeone said he was happy with the performance of two other Atletico players.

"Tonight was Joao Felix’s best game for the club, this is the player we want," the manager added. "Saul played well too.

"When your rival is better than you, accept it and learn from it.”

Suarez's barren Champions League run goes on

Suarez has now failed to score in his last 25 away matches in the Champions League, a run that stretches all the way back to September 2015.

The Champions League has proven to be a difficult competition recently for the former Barcelona striker, as he has tallied just seven goals in 33 appearances over the last four seasons combined. 

What's next for Atletico?

Having now been eliminated from the Copa del Rey and Champions League, Atletico will have the rest of the season to focus solely on their La Liga title push. 

Simeone's side currently lead the league by four points over Barcelona, with Real Madrid a further two points behind. 

Atletico will be back in action on Sunday with a match against Alaves, before returning from the international break with a game against Sevilla on April 4. 

Further reading

Hakim Ziyech has expressed his delight to score an ‘important’ goal for Chelsea against Atletico Madrid in Wednesday’s Champions League game.

The Morocco international has struggled for game time since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard as manager of the Blues.

The forward was afforded his seventh appearance in the European competition this season and made the most of the opportunity to score his first goal for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Ziyech combined well with Timo Werner to open the scoring in the encounter before Emerson sealed the victory moments before the end of the game.

The 27-year-old is pleased with his performance and his side’s progress to the quarter-finals of the European competition.

"Some difficult moments in the game but for most of the time, we had it under control. It was an important goal and I had to wait a long time for it,” Ziyech told BT Sport.

"It is always good when you go 1-0 up, especially when you make it by yourself. Timo's delivery was good as well.

"It was a bit like seeing how the game would go for 10 minutes and after that we had control. We did well.

"They didn't create a lot. We can be happy about the performance. Hopefully, it will be a good opponent for the last eight."

Tuchel has also taken time to praise the contribution of the Morocco international who played for 77 minutes against Atletico Madrid.

“He played for that, because he did this at Ajax. We choose him for this, good experience in the round of 16, knows how it feels to arrive in the knockout round to go through to the last 8,” Tuchel said.

“First reason because he deserves, this was the 2nd reason, and 3rd reason today we miss Mason Mount and wanted to replace work rate and intensity with Hakim.”

Ziyech teamed up with the Stamford Bridge outfit last summer from Dutch club Ajax, where he spent four years and delivered spectacular performances in the Champions League before his departure from the side. 

The forward has scored three goals and provided four assists in 25 appearances across all competitions this campaign for Chelsea.

The winger will hope to feature prominently for the Blues in the quarter-finals of the Champions League before that, however, he will be expected to play a part when Chelsea take on Sheffield United in their next Premier League game on March 21.

Hansi Flick has yet to lose or draw a Champions League knockout game while in charge of Bayern Munich, with his streak extending to seven matches on Wednesday via a 2-1 second-leg win over Lazio that sent the club to the last-eight.

Despite a late consolation finish from the visitors, the tie was never in doubt after Robert Lewandowski converted from the spot in the 33rd minute and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting widened the Bavarians' lead midway through the second half.

Flick is off to an unparalleled start in Europe, and based on Bayern Munich's comfort in dispatching their Italian foes 6-2 on aggregate, his perfect knockout record stands a reasonable chance of continuing in the quarter-finals.

What history have Bayern made?

There are several firsts Bayern Munich accomplished by smashing through Lazio.

They have now qualified for the quarter-finals 19 times - more than any other team in Champions League history. Flick, meanwhile, is the first manager to win each of his first seven knockout stage games in the competition.

The Bavarians have also tied their best unbeaten Champions League streak including group stage matches, avoiding defeat in 19 straight games.

Who has Flick beaten in knockout stage matches?

Further reading

Yakou Meite found the back of the net while Michael Olise provided an assist in Reading’s 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City in Thursday’s championship game.

Ivory Coast international, Meite, was afforded his 11th league start and utilized the opportunity to add to his tally, combining well with Olise in the encounter.

Reading started the game unimpressively allowing Birmingham City to open the scoring through Lukas Jutkiewicz in the fourth minute of the game.

Nigerian forward Olise then set up Meite with a fine pass to level proceedings for the Madejski Stadium outfit in the 35th minute.

Harlee Dean scored what turned out to be the matchwinning goal in the 72nd minute for Birmingham City.

Meite featured for 70 minutes before he was replaced by George Puscas, struck three shots and made 17 touches on the ball.

The centre-forward has now scored seven goals and provided one assist in 16 Championship appearances this season.

Olise was on parade for the entirety of the game while his compatriot Ovie Ejaria was introduced into the match in the 71st minute for Josh Laurent

Olise had 84 touches on the ball, made two key passes and struck two shots as part of his contribution in the encounter.

The 19-year-old Nigerian forward has registered five goals and provided 10 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions.

The defeat saw Reading dropped to the sixth spot on the Championship table after gathering 61 points from 37 games.

Meite and Olise will hope to help the Royals return to winning ways when they slug it out against Queens Park Rangers in their next league game on Saturday.

Olise was promoted to Reading’s first team in 2019 and has been delivering eye-catching performances for the side.

The forward also previously featured for Manchester City and Chelsea’s youth setup before teaming up with the Royals in 2016.

Olise is eligible to play for the Nigeria national team through his father and also qualified to play for France and England.

Mikel Arteta has hit out at the upcoming international break, labelling the scheduling as ‘really dangerous’.

The Arsenal boss is set to lose several players after Sunday’s game at West Ham, with nations such as Englnad squeezing in three World Cup qualifiers in just six days.

It’s a situation Arteta believes is far from acceptable, although he admits that there is little Arsenal or other clubs can do apart from hope their players return unscathed.

What’s been said?

When asked about the upcoming international break and the fact some nations will play three games in six days, the Arsenal boss said: “I think it’s a bit too much in a normal year, so this year I think it becomes something really dangerous with the amount of minutes these boys have played in such a short time with no preparation.

“I don’t think it’s right but we’re not going to change it. The decisions have been made and the games are going to be played, so it’s just about how we protect our players in the best possible way.

“I always want to trust [the international federations].

“We will communicate with them and tell them the state of our players and try to maintain an open discussion to try to manage the load the best possible way and don’t change too much the things they are used to doing.”

Will Saka be fit for England?

Arteta is unsure whether Bukayo Saka will be able to link up with the England squad for their qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland next week.

The teenager has been suffering with a hamstring problem and Arsenal have games against Olympiacos and West Ham before players are due to link up with their national teams.

"I don’t know," said Arteta, when asked about Saka's chances of being available for England. "We have two games to play before then and if he participates in them then there is always a risk.

"So ask me that question after West Ham."

Will any players be stopped from travelling?

Arsenal are restricting players from taking part in games that are due to be held in countries on the UK’s Covid-19 red list.

That is because anyone travelling to those countries would then have to follow the strict quarantine roles that have been put in place when they return.

So Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thomas Partey are only expected to play one match each for Gabon and Ghana respectively during the international break.

Aubameyang will be able to feature when Gabon host Congo on March 25, but will have to miss the match in Angola on March 29.

Partey meanwhile will not be able to play in Ghana’s game in South Africa on March 25, but will be able to feature when Ghana welcome Sao Tome and Principe three days later.

Arteta said: “The ones that are going to be in red zone countries, they won’t be able to play those fixtures, the rest we have to allow them to go if they are fit and we will stick to the protocols and all the guidance we have to try to allow our players to go when they are safe.

“Some might be able to play one game and not the next game so it’s a lot still to figure out. The doctor is in constant communication with the Premier League and the federations but it’s not too simple.”

Further reading

Saka hands Arsenal major injury boost ahead of crucial Olympiacos clash

Aubameyang issue 'resolved' but forward must earn place back in Arsenal team, says Arteta

'Bad atmosphere' at Arsenal has been lifted but top-four finish still 'very difficult', says Leno

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) have confirmed French clubs’ decision to restrict players from travelling for any international games outside of Europe.

The decision was reached during a meeting between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs on Wednesday with respect to players’ safety against coronavirus.

Majority of African countries have their top stars plying their trade in France and Wednesday's memo comes as a disappointment ahead of the final qualifying fixtures for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

They will need to compete without their key players including Zimbabwe striker Tino Kadewere (Lyon), Nigeria winger Moses Simon (Nantes), Cameroon striker Karl Toko Ekambi (Lyon), Benin goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbe (Dijon), Senegal forward Boulaye Dia (Reims), DR Congo's Gael Kakuta (Lens) and a host of others.

“At the initiative of the presidents of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 colleges, a consultation was carried out on Wednesday March 17 with all club presidents concerning players outside the France A team likely to participate in a match outside of France, the EU/EEA zone during the next international period in March," the statement read.

"In the absence of a 'septaine' exemption for foreign international players made available to their national team and in view of the response times imposed by international regulations, the clubs of Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT have decided to unanimously this Wednesday March 17, apply the FIFA circular of February 5, 2021 taking into account the many travel restrictions in the world.

"In this context, the clubs will not make available for selection the foreign players summoned for matches outside the EU/EEA zone during the next international period in March.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Nigeria replaced Nantes winger Moses Simon by Genk strike Paul Onuachu due to the restriction while injured Bordeaux forward Samuel Kalu was changed for Galatasaray's Henry Onyekuru.

Thomas Tuchel has set a record for the longest ever unbeaten start by a Chelsea manager as he reached 13 straight matches without defeat to open his Blues tenure on Wednesday.

Chelsea defeated Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the Champions League last-16 second leg, reaching the quarter-final with a 3-0 aggregate victory. 

Hakim Ziyech and Emerson scored at Stamford Bridge as Tuchel continued his impressive start to life as Blues boss. 

The bigger picture

Chelsea were struggling in January when the club sacked Frank Lampard after a season and a half at the helm. 

Tuchel was hired after he was let go by PSG the previous month, having achieved success with the Parisiens, as well as Mainz and Borussia Dortmund previously in his native Germany. 

The 47-year-old has transformed Chelsea in his two months in charge, winning nine and drawing four of his first 13 games.

That run has eclipsed previous Chelsea record-holder Luiz Felipe Scolari, who went 12 games unbeaten in 2008 to start his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

Defence has been key for Chelsea, who have yet to concede a goal in six home games under Tuchel in all competitions, and have kept 11 clean sheets in 13 games under the German.

What's next for Chelsea?

Chelsea will take on Sheffield United on Sunday in an FA Cup quarter-final, before they face West Brom after the international break. 

They will find out their Champions League quarter-final opponent on Friday when UEFA conducts the draw.

Further reading

Youssef En-Nesyri is now on level terms with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno in the Spanish top flight’s goal scorer’s chart.

The Morocco international was on target for Sevilla in Wednesday’s 2-0 triumph over Elche in a LaLiga encounter.

With that, he now boasts of 15 goals in the 2020-21 campaign alongside the France and Spain internationals to occupy the joint-third position in the race for the Golden Boot.

Atletico Madrid's Luis Suarez inhabits the second position with 18 goals and two assists, while Barcelona's Lionel Messi leads the table with 21 goals plus seven assists.

Going into the encounter against the Green-striped ones, the former Leganes man had found the net thrice in his last two games in all competitions.

With the first half heading for a goalless draw, En-Nesyri put Los Nervionenses ahead in the 43rd minute thanks to an assist from forward Suso. Left unmarked in the visitors’ goal area, the Atlas Lion headed a cross from the Spaniard past Edgar Badia.

A minute before full time, Franco Vazquez guaranteed all points for Julen Lopetegui’s men thanks to an assist from Oliver Torres.

After an impressive shift at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he was replaced in the 87th minute by Luuk de Jong.

His compatriot Munir El Haddadi was introduced in the 62nd minute for midfielder Oscar Rodriguez. The third Moroccan in Sevilla's team Yassine Bounou was in goal from start to finish.

Speaking to the club website after the game, manager Lopetegui expressed his disenchantment by the arrangement that saw his team play Elche 72 hours after taking on Real Betis.

"It's time to say something that may not be politically correct, but no one has explained to me why LaLiga doesn't play the game on Sunday,” he said.

“There is no argument, no reason, which is a free damage to Seville and Sevillism and so I say. We could play on Sunday quietly after the beating we carry, we have been given long changed and arguments without foundation.

“It's not fair that we're going to play again with less than 72 hours, they're not going to convince me because there's no argument."

Thanks to this result, Sevilla remain in the fourth position in the Spanish elite division log after accruing 54 points from 27 outings so far this season.

Schalke 04 have confirmed that Nabil Bentaleb and Hamza Mendyl will be out of Bundesliga action for an indefinite period.

The African duo did not feature in the Royal Blues' 5-0 Bundesliga defeat at Wolfsburg on Saturday as Mendy watched on as an unused substitute.

The Morocco international was said to have picked up an ankle injury during a training session which will make him unavailable for the unknown period.

Bentaleb, on the other hand, went under the knife to treat his groin and he is expected to continue his rehabilitation in two weeks.

The 26-year-old who has played in nine Bundesliga matches this season, has been projected to return to action by the end of the 2020-21 season.

“The Algerian international is to resume his rehabilitation in Gelsenkirchen in two weeks’ time. The aim is for the midfielder to be fit again by the end of the season,” the club statement read.

“Meanwhile Hamza Mendyl will also be sidelined with injury for the foreseeable future. The defender suffered an injury to the anterior syndesmosis ligament in his ankle during training and will be out for an indefinite period.”

Bentaleb and Mendyl’s injuries compounded Schalke 04’s injury woes with Senegal’s Salif Sane and Morocco’s Nassim Boujellab alongside seven other players on the treatment table.

The Royal Blues are struggling in the German top-flight this season with just a win after 25 matches and they sit at the bottom of the bottom with 10 points - 12 points adrift of safety.

Next up for Schalke 04 is a league match against Borussia Monchengladbach and Morocco's Amine Harit is in contention to play a part at the Veltins-Arena on Saturday.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho insists that his Europa League plans against Dinamo Zagreb have not changed, despite the Croatian club's head coach stepping down after being sentenced to a prison term. 

Zoran Mamic and his brother Zdravko were found guilty on corruption charges in 2018, and on Monday were ordered to spend four years behind bars. 

Mamic's assistant Damir Krznar has been appointed in his stead, but Mourinho will maintain the same approach to Thursday's second leg. 

What was said? 

"I don't want to comment. I don't want to comment," the Spurs manager stated when asked about the unusual build-up to the game.

"An unusual situation? Ok. But what do you want me to do?

"I don’t remember [experiencing something like this], I don’t remember. Same players, same team, the assistant coach becomes the coach now, the ideas are the same there, the philosophy is the same.

"They're not going to change anything in two days. When someone is the assistant shares the ideas of the head coach, I don't feel anything is going to be different."

The bigger picture

Spurs go into the last-16 decider as hot favourites to advance into the Europa League's quarter-final stage. 

Harry Kane netted a double in the first leg to put the Londoners in firm control of the tie with a 2-0 away win, and Mamic's resignation adds further disruption into Dinamo's plans. 

The coach continued to declare his innocence even after being sentenced, affirming in a statement: "Although I don't feel guilty, I resign as I said before I would do if the sentence was confirmed." 

Mamic had been appointed for a second spell on Dinamo's bench in July 2020, relinquishing his role as sporting director, having led the Croatians to three straight league titles during his previous stint in charge. 

Under his watch Dinamo won the 2019-20 First League title, their third consecutive national crown; while they currently sit top of the league, leading closest challengers Osijek by two points.

Further reading 

Chidera Ejuke provided an assist in CSKA Moscow’s 3-2 defeat to Zenit St. Petersburg in Wednesday’s Russian Premier League game.

The winger was handed his 11th league start of the season and made the most of the opportunity, delivering an impressive performance in the encounter.

The Nigeria international ignited the surge of goals in the 28th minute when he set up Jose Salomon Rondon to open the scoring.

Artem Dzyuba levelled the proceedings for Zenit St. Petersburg in the 33rd minute after benefitting from Daler Kuzyaev’s assist.

Dzyuba then missed a glorious opportunity to put the Blue-White-Sky Blues in front moments before the half-time break, when he failed to convert his penalty kick.

Dzyuba made amends for his missed chance when he set up Wendel to give Zenit the lead in the 50th minute and completed his brace in the 77th minute.

Nikola Vlasic then scored from the penalty spot at the death to reduce the deficit for CSKA Moscow but the Blue-White-Sky Blues managed to hold on to their lead to secure all three points in the encounter.

Ejuke featured for the duration of the game in his 24th appearance for the Red and Blues across all competitions.

CSKA Moscow are now winless in their last two games after also losing to Arsenal Tula last time out.

The unimpressive performances have seen them drop to the third spot on the Premier League table with 40 points from 23 games.

Ejuke teamed up with CSKA Moscow from Dutch side Heerenveen and has scored two goals and provided two assists since his arrival.

The forward will hope to continue with his impactful contributions for CSKA Moscow when they take on Tambov in their next league game on April 4.

Ejuke has not been included in Nigeria’s squad for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Republic of Benin and Lesotho later this month.

The 23-year-old forward will hope to make a return to the West African side in their next outing.