Looking for Soccer News?

Istanbul Basaksehir striker Demba Ba was impressed with Allan Saint-Maximin’s display for Newcastle United against Liverpool and has revealed he would jump at the chance to play with the former France youth international.

In Saturday’s encounter between the Reds and the Magpies at Anfield, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Mohamed Salah had given the hosts a third-minute lead before substitute Joseph Willock ensured that the match ended on a no winner, no vanquished note.

Although Steve Bruce’s men have now played out nine draws in the 2020-21 campaign, the 24-year-old was one of the standout performers as he was a thorn in the flesh of Jurgen Klopp’s men.

For his contributions, he accounted for 58 touches, eight dribbles, 23 passes and a passing accuracy of 73.9%.

That caught the fancy of the veteran Senegalese forward and at 35 years old, the former Chelsea and West Ham United man admitted that sharing a locker room with Saint-Maximin would be a welcome addition to his footballing bucket list.

“How much I would've love to play with Saint-Maximin. What a baller he is!” Ba tweeted.

Thanks to this result, Newcastle are almost safe in their quest to avoid relegation. With 36 points from 33 league matches, they are now nine points ahead of Fulham in the final relegation spot.

Unbeaten in their last four Premier League outings, they face Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal next time out on May 2.

After spells at Rouen, Mouscron, 1899 Hoffenheim and West Ham, former Senegal international Ba teamed up with the St James' Park giants on a three-year deal in 2011, making his debut on August 13 in the 0-0 draw against Arsenal.

Three seasons later, he joined Chelsea for an undisclosed fee. Before his move to his Basaksehir-based outfit in January 2019, he had represented Besiktas, Shanghai Shenhua and Goztepe.

In the ongoing campaign, he has scored five goals in 26 Turkish Super Lig matches for Ayut Kocaman's team. The Gray Owls welcome Alanyaspor to the Fatih Terim Stadium.

They currently occupy the 17th spot in the Super Lig log having accrued just 36 points from 34 outings - a point away from the relegation zone.

Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Liverpool are not deserving of Champions League qualification as things stand, with a dramatic 1-1 draw with Newcastle leaving them sixth in the Premier League.

The Reds appeared to be heading back into the top four as the clock ticked down in a meeting with the Magpies at Anfield, with a record-setting goal from Mohamed Salah edging them in front.

A dramatic late twist was, however, to see Callum Wilson have an effort controversially chalked off before substitute Joe Willock snatched a stoppage-time leveller.

What has been said?

Klopp was quizzed afterwards on Liverpool's bid to earn a ticket for European football's top table in 2021-22, with the German telling BT Sport: "If you deserve, you deserve it. 

"I didn't see us deserve it today playing Champions League next year."

What has happened to Liverpool?

The Reds swept to title glory last season, with a domestic crown added to continental and global prizes.

A humbling fall from grace has been suffered in 2020-21, with unfortunate injuries and struggles for collective form conspiring against a title-holding outfit.

Liverpool's display against Newcastle summed up their campaign, as they toiled for long periods and failed to kill off opponents that they dominated.

The Reds fired in 22 shots on goal, but only a third-minute strike from Salah hit the net and Steve Bruce's visitors were always in the tie.

Klopp added on the issues being endured by his team: "We scored a wonderful goal, didn't finish the game off. Didn't play enough. 

"A counter attack can happen but we had to just keep going, keep the ball and make them run. We kept them alive and they deserved the goal. They scored the one before, unlucky for Wilson but it is handball. We don't even take this present. Really tough to take.

"Why it happened, I don't know. 

"We had to keep the ball. In a specific way we don't fight enough. Keep ourselves in a position where we dominant the game. We had 70% of the ball, we should have 80%. We created a lot of chances, didn't score with them, so we have to create more. That is how it is. We don't do that well at the moment.

"They fought for it and we got nothing pretty much, but a point. It feels like a defeat."

The bigger picture

Liverpool have five games remaining in which to try and force their way into the top four, but are a point off the pace at present and could be further back by the time the latest round of fixtures is concluded.

Things are not about to get any easier for Klopp's side either, with their next Premier League outing set to see them face arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Further reading

West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has revealed that the chief executives of the six breakaway Premier League clubs were labelled "worse than snakes" at a fiery meeting.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham were part of the breakaway Super League that collapsed this week after a widespread backlash.

The other 14 Premier League clubs held an emergency meeting on Tuesday prior to the collapse of the Super League, and Brady has revealed condemnation of the six was unanimous and vehement.

What was said?

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin  described some of the bosses of the breakaway clubs as "snakes", and Brady has said the language at the Premier League meeting was a notch above that tone.

"I watched four of the six give apologies to their fans and players for being part of the money cartel and wondered where the apology was to their colleagues in the Premier League, as well as all our managers, players and fans," Brady wrote in the Sun.

"The crime was great. All six clubs pretended to be working for the best interests of the Premier League they were plotting to destroy. No wonder UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin called them snakes.

"At last Tuesday's meeting of the other 14 clubs, I can assure you they were called worse.”

Trust eroded

Brady continued by saying the six clubs broke the bond of the Premier League and does not feel they can be trusted to represent English football again.

"Trust has been vanquished," Brady said. "In future, how could my board ever ask one of them to represent the best interests of the PL and West Ham on a committee or working group?"

A spicy London derby

West Ham play host to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday and after protests at Stamford Bridge, Tottenham and Arsenal in recent days, it will be interesting to see what reception greets the Blues in east London.

Covid-19 restrictions will limit the number of officials at the London Stadium, so awkward conversations may be avoided between the clubs’ top brass for now.

Further reading

Wolves forward Rafa Mir plans to hold talks with the club over his future as he continues to make a positive impression in La Liga with Huesca this season.

Despite having been loaned to one of the Spanish top flight's smallest clubs, the 23-year-old has scored 15 goals in 33 games in all competitions, leading to calls for him to make Spain's European Championship squad.

With his loan deal set to end soon - and his Wolves contract expiring in June 2022 - Mir spoke about his future amid reports that he could be set to return to Valencia.

What's been said?

"Maybe I have improved a lot," Mir when asked by Goal. "I think that at Huesca I found people that trust and believe in me. That's something that has been really good for me and everyone needs. For the future, I don't know.

"I am focused on my daily work; I am working at 100 per cent for the coach and my fellow players. At the end of the year, we will all sit down and see what's best for my future.

"But it is not something I am worried about at the moment. I am focusing on playing for Huesca and we will see what's best for me, the club and everyone. Now, we are trying to stay in the first division and that's what we are working on."

Could Mir make the Spain squad?

Spain Under-21 international Mir earned a reputation as a top young talent during his time at Valencia before he made the switch to Premier League side Wolves.

He has been on a series of loan moves since then but has now proven himself as a top-level striker in his second year at Huesca having helped the club earn promotion last season.

After Villarreal's Gerard Moreno, Mir is the second top Spanish scorer in La Liga this season and there have been suggestions that he could make Spain's squad for the European Championship.

A more realistic target might be the Olympics in Tokyo, where Spain have been drawn in a tough group alongside Egypt, Argentina and Australia. Mir, though, insists he is only focusing on finishing the season strongly with Huesca.

"We have the national team and then the Olympic Games but that will be up to the coach to do the call ups," he added.

"I would be delighted to be called up but that's not something I am focusing on. We have important games. After the season, I will see what happens."

Further reading

BUL FC midfielder Ibrahim Mugulusi is confident his team will complete the double over his former side Busoga United in the Ugandan Premier League.

The two top-tier sides will be meeting on Saturday for the second time this season. In the initial meeting, the Jinja-based charges claimed a 3-1 win; Joseph Ssemujju scored a hattrick in that particular game. He opened the scoring after 44 minutes from the penalty spot.

The Ugandan doubled the advantage 20 minutes later before completing his hat-trick in the 71st minute. Jerome Kirya scored a consolation for his team in the stoppages. It is for this reason, Mugulusi believes his team has what it takes to claim another win at Kyabazinga Stadium.

"We have a crucial game against Busoga United; currently, they are on a good run but we are ready to face them," the experienced midfielder told the club's official portal. 

"We are very confident because we won against them in the first leg at their own turf. Now they are coming at ours. We have the home [ground] advantage and we are sure we can beat them."

The midfielder will be playing a team he ditched last season and will also be playing against his younger brother Ismail. He is keen to help his side finish the job and bag crucial maximum points.

"They are my former club yes but that was last year, now, I am in BUL FC," Mugulusi continued.

"I have good friends there but when it comes to football, friends are put aside and then do the job as required of you." 

BUL are currently placed ninth on the table with 24 points. They have played 19 games from which they have won seven games, drawn three, and lost nine. They have scored 25 goals in the process and conceded 31, placing their goal difference at negative six.

Their opponents are in13th position with four points less from the same number of matches. They have collected five wins, as many draws, and nine losses.

Busoga have scored 16 goals and conceded 31 and their goal difference stands at negative 15. 

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has maintained the Super League is not dead, insisting that its members remain in place despite many having signalled their intention to leave.

The Spanish champions were one of 12 clubs to announce the launch of the Super League last weekend, only to see it collapse amid a furious fan backlash.

Clubs from the Premier League were the first to walk away, with Perez claiming one of them "infected" the others, but the Madrid chief does not believe that the plans for the new competition are now in tatters.

What has been said?

Despite being disappointed by the failure of the Super League, Perez maintains the competition is not dead, warning that contracts are binding and that it will be revived.

"I'm not going to explain now what a binding contract is," Perez told AS. "But the clubs cannot leave.

"Some of them, because of pressure, have had to say that they're leaving. But this project or one like it will go forward, and I hope it's soon.

"The Super League still exists, and the members are still in it. Now we have given ourselves some weeks to think, while we face the violence that some people, who don't want to lose their privileges, have used to manipulate our project."

Perez on Champions League reforms

Amid the Super League furore, UEFA announced changes to the Champions League - with an expanded format set to come into play in the 2024-25 campaign.

Perez claims UEFA’s proposals do not address the issues facing football at the moment and warned that clubs face bankruptcy if changes aren't made soon.

"The Super League does not go against domestic competitions and its objective is to ensure that more money is available for all sections of football," he said.

"The concept is to generate more interest for the games. Nor do I think that the changes which UEFA have made are a real solution to the problem because what has been proposed isn't even an improvement on the current model. 

"Also, we cannot wait until 2024. But in any case, we must have done something badly. We are going to try to turn this around and develop more ideas. Maybe the solution is for the top four teams in every league to play.

"The truth is, no. Not the format, that nobody understands, not the time period, because by 2024… either we fix this before or all the clubs go bankrupt."

Further reading

Manchester City defender Ruben Dias says he is flattered to be considered among the favourites for the Player of the Year awards but insists his focus is on winning trophies.

The Portugal international completed a £62 million ($79m) move from Benfica in September 2020 and has made an instant impact with City’s defence the meanest in the Premier League.

Dias is yet to win a trophy with the club but has the chance to claim his first medal on Sunday when City face Tottenham in the final of the Carabao Cup.

What's been said?

“To be spoken of in those terms is a tremendous privilege for me,” Dias said of being among the favourites for the Player of the Year awards. “It is something that makes me feel good, makes me feel that my work is being well done.

“But essentially, what it tells me, is that the team is having success. For me, to be on that shortlist, especially as a defender, it can only mean the team won and had success. That, for me, is the biggest thing.

“If you said to me that in your first year in the Premier League you can win the Player of the Year, it would be amazing. But, what I really want in my first year is to win the Premier League. That would be my biggest achievement.”

Why is Dias among the favourites?

The 23-year-old instantly brought leadership and organisation to the defence which had been missing since former captain Vincent Kompany left the club in 2019.

He has struck up a strong understanding with John Stones at the heart of the back four but Dias puts the club's success down to a togetherness within the squad.

“People can talk about me and John, but as well talk about every other relationship we have on the field between two, three, all of the 11 players playing on the field," he added.

"It is going to war and thinking ‘okay, you’re in trouble, I will help you out and be there for you. Whenever you make a mistake I will be there for you. Whenever you are not in the best mood or the best moment, I will be there for you'. We have just grown that culture since the beginning."

Who are his rivals for the award?

Dias will face plenty of competition for personal honours from inside the City dressing room after an impressive season that has seen the club move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League and into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Ilkay Gundogan has had a standout season with 16 goals in all competitions while Kevin De Bruyne and Joao Cancelo have both made a huge contribution to City’s success.

Harry Kane would appear to be his biggest rival, topping both the Premier League goalscoring and assists tables, closely followed by Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United.

How often do defenders win awards?

When Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk won the PFA Player of the Year award in 2019, it was only the second time a defender had won the honour in 36 years - Chelsea’s John Terry being the other.

The last defender to win the Football Writers’ Award was ex-Liverpool full-back Steve Nicol in 1989.

Club legend Kompany, meanwhile, is the only City player to win the Premier League Player of the Year when he collected it in 2012.

Further reading:

Harambee Stars head coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee has undergone surgery in India for an unconfirmed problem.

Mulee confirmed the surgical procedure on his Instagram page but did not reveal when he underwent it and for what cause.

"We thank God for a successful procedure. Well taken care of!" the Cecafa Club Championship winner posted.

Mulee, one of the most experienced coaches in the country, returned to take charge of Harambee Stars in October 2020 just after Nick Mwendwa had won the Football Kenya Federation presidential re-election.

He took over from Francis Kimanzi who had overseen a number of matches including two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Togo and Egypt.

Mulee came and led Kenya during a home game against Comoros where they were held to a 1-1 draw in Nairobi. His second game was the qualifier in Moroni, where Harambee Stars were beaten 2-1 and saw their chances of qualifying for the 2022 Afcon finals become slim.

Kenya faced South Sudan and Tanzania in mid-March for friendlies ahead of continental duties and drew against the former before beating Taifa Stars 2-1 in Nairobi.

A draw against African giants Egypt in Nairobi and a 2-1 win over Togo in Lome were part of his tenure. In the games against the Pharaohs and the Sparrowhawks, the former Tusker coach preferred to use mostly local players like Danson Chetambe, Abdallah Hassan, Kenneth Muguna, and Samuel Olwande at the expense of foreign-based stars.

Victor Wanyama, Eric Johana, Johanna Omollo and Ayub Timbe were the notable stars who were dropped from the team that engaged impressively in the last two qualifiers.

After failing to earn back-to-back Afcon slots, Mulee and his players will be back in camp in mid-2021 in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers.

Kenya are in Group E with Cecafa rivals Uganda and Rwanda as well as Mali. The suspension of sports by the state is set to present a challenge for Mulee given that the players will face fitness questions before playing the rivals.

Recently, Mwendwa confirmed FKF was mooting a plan that would see Harambee Stars camp and play the first qualifier outside the country, should the government fail to permit the same within the country.

Harambee Stars head coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee has undergone surgery in India for an unconfirmed ailment.

Gor Mahia goalkeeper Caleb Omondi has cited family challenges in his pursuit to fulfill his football dream.

Omondi has been part of the Football Kenya Federation Premier League giants for two seasons now and he admits how difficult it has been to convince family members who are reluctant to accept the career path he chose to take.

“The biggest challenges I face in my career is that I grew up in a family that doesn’t understand football and so, it’s been a tough one for me to put up my case or convince them that football can be my main thing,” Omondi said as was quoted by the club’s website.

Omondi has been unable to break into the senior team especially with competition from goalkeepers who are more experienced than him. Currently, Boniface Oluoch and Gad Mathews have been used regularly while Samuel Njau has had intermittent appearances.

The presence of the three goalkeepers means Omondi has been relegated further down in the pecking order. Last season, the presence of David Mapigano also meant the Tanzanian and Oluoch were the most preferred goalkeepers at the expense of the youngster.

“Competition is very high and this is because I am surrounded by experienced goalkeepers,” he added. “And that motivates me to work harder. It’s also good for the team as it makes every player offer his best to get a chance to play.

“Competition also gets everyone active and yearning for opportunities.”

Omondi, who regards Oluoch and Gor Mahia legend Jerim Onyango as his role models, hopes that he will play a vital role in helping K’Ogalo achieve more when he will be granted playtime.

“My aim in the team is to help the club achieve more in every competition and the day I will be given a chance, I will show my worth,” he concluded. “[Boniface] Oluoch and [Jerim] Onyango are my role models. I learned a lot from them.”

Omondi, just like the FKF Premier League players, is training individually at home since the competition was suspended owing to the increased coronavirus infections. Gor Mahia are expected to face a tough title defence as they are seventh with Tusker, KCB and AFC Leopards enjoying the top three positions.

Spotify founder Daniel Ek has expressed his interest in buying Arsenal.

Current owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment have come under fire for the failed Super League project, with Gunners fans making their feelings known at a protest on Friday.

Josh Kroenke has said his family has no plans to sell, but a potential buyer is in the frame in the shape of Ek.

What has been said?

"As a kid growing up, I've cheered for Arsenal as long as I can remember," Ek wrote on Twitter.

"If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I'd be happy to throw my hat in the ring."

The Kroenke position

Arsenal were one of six Premier League clubs - the others being Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham - to sign up to the Super League, only for it to collapse amid a wave of protests.

Josh Kroenke attended a fans’ forum on Thursday and was given a severe grilling, but he maintained that the position of the family was to remain in charge and move forward.

The protests continued ahead of Arsenal’s loss to Everton on Friday, and with the Gunners struggling on the field that mood is unlikely to shift.

Who is Daniel Ek?

Swedish entrepreneur Daniel Ek is worth an estimated £3.38bn (€4.7bn/$5.68bn), according to Forbes, with his fortune built on the back of the music streaming service Spotify.

The 38-year-old founded that venture back in 2006 and it has grown to amass over 350 million subscribers.

Not everyone has, however, taken kindly to Ek's remarks about potentially taking over at Arsenal.

The front man for English rock band The Charlatans, Tim Burgess, wrote on Twitter: "Could we ask that you get things sorted out with musicians before jumping in with footballers??"

The animosity relates to the fees that artists are paid for each play of their works, which is comparatively low.

Indeed, Graeme Souness joked on Sky Sports that Ek would need to spend more than £4bn to sort out the Gunners, who find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League table.

Further reading

Express FC coach Wasswa Bbosa has lauded his charges for a persistent display that earned them a crucial 1-0 win against Vipers SC in a Ugandan Premier League match on Friday.

The Red Eagles went into the match seeking to end a bad run of results that has seen them go for three matches without a win and it was no surprise when they scored through midfielder John Byamukama to silence the Venoms in their backyard.

The win also ended Vipers's unbeaten run at home which had stretched to last season and coach Bbosa has praised his team for playing as a unit to carry the day and remain in contention to win the title this season.

“We’re happy for the win, we have been struggling with injuries but the boys worked hard, they persisted and worked as a team to win,” Bbosa said as quoted by the club’s official website.

“We now shift focus to the next game, the most important thing is we are still in the title race, the focus was up there and we didn’t want to lose the game.”

On his part, goalscorer, Byamukama, who was later named the man of the match at St Mary’s Kitende, termed the win as very important for his side as they try to close the gap with the leading pack on the log.

“First of all I am very happy to score my second goal for the club,” Byamukama told the same portal. “This goal though is very important because we managed a win.

“Today’s [Friday’s] win is very important for us because we are trying to close the gap on the top of the table.”

Express started out slowly, playing safe, just two minutes into the game, Martin Kiiza crossed the ball into the box three minutes later but Charles Musiige failed to link up very well but it was Godfrey Lwesibawa’s drive into the box that could have counted only for him to run the ball a bit more, making it easy for goalkeeper Bashir Ssekgya to collect.

The hosts could have taken the lead through Disan Galiwango’s corner in the 26th minute but Paul Mucurezi’s header went slightly over the bar and the Red Eagles responded as Erick Kambale could have given them the lead but his misguided header in the 42nd minute was way off target.

After the break, both sides played safe but it was Byamukama who made everyone (home fans too) stand on their feet with his screamer.

Standing slightly out of the 18-yard area, Kizza cut in from the left and passed to him, he timed his shot perfectly and it went past a helpless Ssekgya into the top right corner of the net.

The win took the Red Eagles to third position on the 16-team table with 40 points from 20 matches, three fewer than table-toppers Vipers, while URA are third on 43 points.

FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando lamented the injuries in his squad after the 4-0 defeat to Iran's Persepolis in a 2021 AFC Champions League (ACL) Group E clash on Friday night.

After picking goalless draws against Al-Rayyan and Al Wahda in the opening fixtures, the Gaurs lost back-to-back games against Persepolis. Ferrando feels that there is nothing much his side could do to avoid the defeat.

What Ferrando said

"It was a very difficult match. Firstly, because they are a very good team and secondly because a lot of (FC Goa) players in the last two days were exhausted. It's difficult when you have one day to prepare the game and the squad is short. It's not an excuse because we made mistakes in crosses, transition," he pointed.

"In the end, the score is normal because Persepolis is four or five steps ahead of Goa. Of course, I'm totally disappointed and sad today but the players tried to work 100 per cent. It's not possible to explain more about the players' effort."

Eight changes

Ferrando made as many as eight changes from the side that lost 2-1 against Persepolis on Tuesday. While three of the four goals were due to individual errors, the Goa coach felt that the psychology of the players took a hit after they conceded the second goal on Friday.

"Seriton (Fernandes) couldn't train. He is very tired. James (Donachie) and Ivan (Gonzalez) were in the 11 and maybe Ivan is injured. Sanson (Pereira) continued but with a low battery. The midfielders, Glan (Martins) and Brandon (Fernandes) were exhausted. The same with Jorge Ortiz. In this case, it's only recovery for most of the time.

"In my opinion, after the second goal, it's difficult for the psychology of the players. The players are tired and you know this is the last week. In the end, the problem is that we don't have two or three days to prepare. But it's the same for Persepolis, Al-Rayyan and Al Wahda."

What now?

FC Goa play their last two games in the group against Al-Rayyan and Al Wahda on Monday, April 26, and Thursday, April 29, respectively. Goa's only chance of progression is to be among the three best second-placed teams in the group from the West Zone.

"My point of view is to change the mentality of the team. Our most important target today (against Persepolis) was to have no injuries but for sure at least two players had problems. We'll see tomorrow. It's difficult," Ferrando signed out.

Chelsea have expressed their "deep regret" over joining the Super League, while insisting that the decision was made in the club's best interests. 

The Blues joined Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and the two Manchester clubs, City and United, in lending their support to the initiative, which was announced on Sunday. 

But just two days later Chelsea backed out alongside the rest of the Premier League contingent, leaving the proposal in limbo amid mass fan outcry.

What was said? 

"The Owner and Board of Chelsea Football Club would like to address Chelsea supporters about the events which have taken place over the past few days. We have taken time since withdrawing from the ESL to speak directly to various supporter groups and listen to their views and concerns," Chelsea signalled in a statement published on the club's official website on Friday. 

"Our ambition with Chelsea Football Club has always been to make it the best club in the world, both on the pitch and in how we work with, and give back to the community off it.

"The joint decision to join the ESL was driven by this same ambition. When it became clear that a new league might be formed, we did not want Chelsea FC to miss out on the opportunity to play in such a potentially prominent league, nor did we want to risk the Club falling behind our closest English and European rivals in competitive terms.

"As a Club, we are committed to an open and regular dialogue with our fans and other stakeholders, but, on this occasion, regrettably, due to time constraints and confidentiality restraints, this was not achieved.

"As concerns were raised following the announcement, the Club took a step back to listen and speak to supporters. Following those conversations and taking into account the extremely strong views against the proposal, we reassessed our initial decision and decided we did not want to be part of this league.

"We also recognise the sentiment that had been expressed about whether the ESL relied strongly enough on sporting merit. This is something we had strong concerns about from the start and were confident would have been addressed during a further consultation process with various stakeholders, along with other concepts in the proposal about which we had reservations. We firmly believe that we must protect a structure which allows all clubs, players and supporters to dream of, and achieve, success.

"We recognise we should have addressed these issues in advance of joining the group. The Owner and Board understand that involving the Club in such a proposal was a decision we should not have taken. It is a decision we deeply regret."

Tuchel's thoughts

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel also gave his opinion on the events of the past week, admitting Super League talk has been a huge distraction for his squad as they prepare for their upcoming Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid and also seek to maintain their place inside the Premier League top four. 

Tuchel was especially affected on Tuesday, when Chelsea faced Brighton amid chaotic fan protests on a day that would eventually see all six Premier League teams leave the Super League.

"We had several talks [with the players] about it between Sunday and Tuesday, honestly, which I don't know if it helped or if it did not help in the end but I arrived in the stadium in a strange mix of feelings," he said to Sky Sports.

"I was a bit annoyed, I was a bit angry, I was impatient, I was absolutely not focused like I normally am on match days.

"It was a strange mix and I couldn't really get rid of it during the match and after the match, so my medicine was to turn things off. I did not watch any TV, I did not watch any news, any football, which is very unusual for me."

Further reading 

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has threatened to ban the four clubs who haven't yet left the Super League from the Champions League. 

There were 12 clubs in the Super League when it was announced on Sunday, only for the plan to spectacularly collapse over a 48-hour period as eight clubs pulled out.

However, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan have not yet officially left the competition.

What was said?

"It's crystal clear that the clubs will have to decide if they are Super League or they are a European club," Ceferin told The Associated Press.

"If they say we are a Super League, then they don't play Champions League, of course ... and if they are ready to do that, they can play in their own competition.

"For me, it's a very different situation between the clubs that admitted their mistake and said, 'We will leave the project.'

"The others mainly know I would say that this project is dead, but they don't want to believe it, probably."

What are UEFA's next steps?

Europe's governing body met on Friday to discuss the possibility of punishing the club officials involved in the Super League planning. 

Ceferin said that UEFA is planning on connecting with national federations and domestic leagues next week to discuss possible sanctions.

In the meantime, UEFA is pushing forward with its plan for a reformatted Champions League starting in 2024.

The tournament will expand from 32 teams to 36, with group-stage games increasing from six to 10.

The Champions League change has also proven unpopular, with Man City star Ilkay Gundogan calling it "the lesser of the two evils" when compared to the Super League.

Further reading