Paulinho: ‘Everyone Said: “ His Career Is Over.” Now I’m at Barça. That’s Football’

 Paulinho has established himself in Barcelona’s starting XI since his €40m move from Guangzhou Evergrande. Photograph: Manel Chico
Paulinho has established himself in Barcelona’s starting XI since his €40m move from Guangzhou Evergrande. Photograph: Manel Chico
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Paulinho: ‘Everyone Said: “ His Career Is Over.” Now I’m at Barça. That’s Football’

 Paulinho has established himself in Barcelona’s starting XI since his €40m move from Guangzhou Evergrande. Photograph: Manel Chico
Paulinho has established himself in Barcelona’s starting XI since his €40m move from Guangzhou Evergrande. Photograph: Manel Chico

“I told him I didn’t want to play any more. He was phoning and phoning but I said: ‘I’m not going to play.’” The calls came, the president on the line, but José Paulo Bezerra Maciel Júnior – better known as Paulinho, hardly known at all then – had made up his mind. He had headed home to São Paulo, yet rather than returning to his boyhood club he was giving up on the game. He had had enough, aged 19. “In Lithuania they had racially abused me, in Poland they hadn’t paid me, and I thought: ‘I don’t need this,’” he says. “I said to my family: ‘I’m not playing football again.’”

Which was when his then-wife intervened, telling him to think about his parents – a council worker and a supermarket manager who had supported him since he started playing at the age of five. Ditching it all would, she said, show a lack of respect to them. Paulinho and his wife had just had a baby daughter too and, besides, she asked: ‘What else can you do?’ It is a good question. What would he have done? Paulinho smiles. “I really don’t know,” he says. “She said: ‘The only thing you know how to do is play football.’” And so that is what he did.

About a month later, Paulinho rejoined Pão de Açúcar in the fourth division, effectively an amateur. Almost a decade on, he is preparing for the world’s biggest club game, a starter for Barcelona in Saturday’s clásico. The highest-scoring midfielder in Spain, his team are six points clear at the top and 11 ahead of their rivals, and this summer he will be in the heart of the Brazil team who are favourites in Russia. “If someone had said then that I would be preparing to play in the World Cup and at Barcelona, I would have said: ‘Never!’” he grins. “Never, ever.”

However the “then” Paulinho is talking about is not 2008, it is 2015. It is not that he gave up once a long time ago; it is that others routinely gave up on him. He tells his story steadily, dating every decision. “It’s been a rollercoaster,” he says. He has played in six countries in three continents, been a Copa Libertadores champion and relegated too, suffered the greatest humiliation in Brazil’s history and been abused, unpaid, written off. And now look.

Paulinho’s professional career began when, aged 16, he left home for Lithuania; it ended aged 26 when he left London for China. Or at least it was supposed to, Guangzhou his particular graveyard. “When I went, everyone said that was it: my career was over,” Paulinho says. The question is simple: why go? The answer is simple, stark too: there was a prospect worse – staying at Tottenham.

After a year at Vilnius, Paulinho left for Lodz, returning to Brazil in the summer of 2008. He won promotion with Pão de Açúcar before joining Bragantino in the second division. From there he headed to Corinthians, where he won the Brazilian title, the Libertadores and the Club World Cup. Having turned down Internazionale, he joined Tottenham the following year for a club-record £17m. The Premier League should have suited him, he admits, but within two years he was desperate to go. “I wouldn’t say it was a relief to leave Spurs but it was clear I had to,” he says. “It was a difficult time.

“[André] Villas-Boas bought me in July 2013 and in December Villas-Boas goes. He’d wanted me, we’d spoken a lot, and then six months later Tim Sherwood was in charge. There was no problem with him – he was very young, a good coach – but the team wasn’t doing well and he came under pressure to change things. He did things a little differently but I still played the last eight or nine games that season. Then came the change from Sherwood to Mauricio Pochettino.”

Something else came too. As Paulinho sets the scene, Belo Horizonte comes into view. He was brought on at half-time in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup with the hosts 5-0 down to Germany and, as he discusses his return to Spurs afterwards, it is clear how much of an impact Brazil’s 7-1 defeat had. “The problem was that this came after the World Cup, with me trying to get back to some normality. I was the last back and to have gone out of the World Cup that way with Brazil at home …” he says pausing, his train of thought lost a little.

“I’ve never talked much about that game: maybe once or twice, that’s it. There’s no point. You can lose a game by two or three and say: ‘Oh we made this mistake, we made that mistake, we lost.’ But if you lose 7-1 what can you say? It is something that can’t happen. But it happened. And after that, I had to go back to my club. You have a full season ahead of you when [you hope] you can recover from losing a World Cup semi-final 7-1 at home.”

It did not work out that way. Paulinho had started 28 league games in his first season in north London; in his second it was three. “My first game [under Pochettino] is in my position but after that I played in every position apart from my own,” Paulinho says, marking out roles with his fingers. “If we play in a three, I’m here. If we play in a two, I’m here. “He had a different system, and if you’re not in your position in a football as competitive as England it’s difficult.

“I was playing on the left wing: the míster put me there and I had to play there, because I wanted to play. I had no problem with Pochettino. I told him: ‘This position is not mine but if you want I can play there.’ But in the long term you’re not going to be at your best and over the last six months I wasn’t playing regularly.

“I thought the moment had come to leave. Where? I didn’t know. But I wanted to leave. The coach wasn’t trusting in me so there’s no reason to stay. It was April, May 2015, a month left. I’d spoken to the president [chairman Daniel Levy] and asked him if he could help. He was a buenísimo person and he said: ‘Let’s wait and see if you have anything.’”

What he had was China. And that was pretty much that. “There were two more offers in Europe but they were loans and I didn’t want that,” Paulinho says. Luiz Felipe Scolari wanted him at Guangzhou so he left London behind, not returning until the international friendly at Wembley last month. He says he went without bitterness. “I’m not going to say bad things about England just because I had a bad time; it was a pleasure to play the Spurs players recently. I speak to Kyle Walker sometimes and it was nice to see Danny Rose and Eric Dier.”

Going to China is where the story is supposed to end. Although Paulinho insists he has not got a bad word for Guangzhou, a city of more than 13 million people that he describes as “perfect”, he knew there was a risk, as if his career no longer counted. Was the football there too easy? Did the players actually care? It is tempting to see players as complicit in their own demise but his case contradicts that. China turned out to be a restart.

“It’s not the same,” he concedes. “The level didn’t compare with Spain, Italy, England, Germany; it’s totally different. But in 2016 more players arrived: Gervinho, [Ezequiel] Lavezzi, Jackson Martínez – then Oscar and Hulk arrived and the league grew. There are new laws making it more difficult to buy players and another one obliging teams to have three under-23s, so I imagine it will drop again a little, but the standard rose after 2015.

“It’s not top, top, top but there are games that are very physical and teams like Guangzhou and Shanghai who have very good Chinese players and foreign signings. We had eight or nine Chinese national team players. And as a player, the motivation is the same because it comes from [within] you, whether you’re in front of 4,000, 5,000 or 100,000. I also had the national team to play for.”

Six titles followed, including the Asian Champions League. Tite, the national coach, managed him at Corinthians and believed in him but still: he was in China. And yet Brazil did call – and so, unexpectedly, did Barcelona. Paulinho was preparing to take a free-kick when Brazil were facing Argentina and Lionel Messi sidled up. “Are you coming to Barcelona?” he asked. “If you’re taking me, I’m going,” Paulinho replied before telling Willian to take the free kick: his head had gone.

“My representative called. My attitude was: ‘When you have something concrete, let’s sit down and decide, [but] I don’t need anything crazy in my career right now.’ I had three or four years’ contract left. I was clear: either I go to Barcelona, or I stay, nothing else. We were in the knockout phase of the Asian Champions League and Scolari wanted to keep me but he knew it was a unique opportunity. I’m 29, it’s Barcelona. I kept saying that to him: ‘This is Barcelona. We’re not talking about any club here: this one, that one, the other. No, we’re talking about Barcelona.’”

Guangzhou resisted and Barcelona had to pay his full buyout clause on the final day of the Chinese market. Supporters were furious – not so much in Guangzhou as in Catalonia. In the wake of Neymar’s departure, Barcelona were in the midst of a crisis, the catalogue of mistakes and problems growing, and some saw Paulinho’s signing as the culmination – definitive ‘proof’ the club was adrift and the board incompetent.

Few came to his presentation and much was made of a miscontrol as he performed the obligatory kick-ups. It was as if he symbolised everything that was wrong. €40m. For a 29-year-old. From China. Who failed at Spurs. And who did not fit the Barcelona model.

That, though, was part of the point, while he also admits that he has talked often with team-mates about the way Barcelona play – especially with Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez. “We didn’t have a player of his profile,” the coach, Ernesto Valverde, said. “He has important technical and physical qualities. He arrives in the area from deep; we needed someone who breaks through lines.” Paulinho says: “I’ve always been this kind of player: since youth level I’ve been a midfielder who can arrive and finish. I’ve almost never played in Busquets’ position. My way of playing is similar to Lampard.”

Under Valverde, Barcelona remain unbeaten in 24 matches across all competitions and Paulinho has played his part. After his first start, in which he scored one and provided an assist, the Brazilian Football Federation joked: “Is he bad?”; Dani Alves suggested Paulinho would end up proving “cheap”. He has six goals and two assists in the league. His name has been chanted at the Camp Nou. “I’m happy I’m playing well and helping,” he says. “I didn’t expect things to go so well.

“I’ve heard it said that I’m silencing the critics so many times but it’s not that: I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. I don’t play for the critics, I play for my team-mates. For three, four years I haven’t listened to anything,” he says, sounding rather like he might have done. “People always talk and always will. ‘He’s good now because he’s at Barça’, ‘He was only good then because he was in China’, blah, blah, blah. When I was at Bragantino and I went to Corinthians it was the same; it was the same at Tottenham and in China. I’ve had that since the beginning.”

Paulinho once again reflects on the beginning of his career. “It was hard leaving everything behind at only 17 but I went. And then after the problems with racism, having to fight to be paid, I didn’t want to carry on. I was fighting for things that should have been my right. I wasn’t asking for a lot, for something I wanted – just to be respected and paid.

“My family didn’t have a lot but we were OK, we could live, so I thought: ‘I don’t need this.’ It wasn’t that I didn’t like football but I didn’t want to play any more. After a while they persuaded me. We laugh about it now: ‘You see! Imagine if you’d stopped back then.’ I’ve had a lot of experiences and I wouldn’t change a thing. I went from there to Spurs and from Spurs to China, because I wanted to play. 2014 was a very difficult year; 2015 was hard too, with everyone talking: ‘Bah, Paulinho’s career is over.’ Everyone said that was it; they said the level was no good, but I won six trophies and within a year I was back in the Brazil team. Now this. That’s football. It was a rollercoaster; no one gave me a chance, but here I am.”

The Guardian Sport



Alonso Riding Wave of Enthusiasm for Long-denied Win at Spanish GP

Aston Martin's Spanish Fernando Alonso attends a press conference at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Thursday, June 1, 2023. The Formula One race will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Aston Martin's Spanish Fernando Alonso attends a press conference at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Thursday, June 1, 2023. The Formula One race will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
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Alonso Riding Wave of Enthusiasm for Long-denied Win at Spanish GP

Aston Martin's Spanish Fernando Alonso attends a press conference at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Thursday, June 1, 2023. The Formula One race will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Aston Martin's Spanish Fernando Alonso attends a press conference at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, Spain, Thursday, June 1, 2023. The Formula One race will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)

Back when Fernando Alonso was king of Formula One nearly two decades ago, Spaniards flocked to see their idol at their home race.

With Alonso now back near the top of the standings, his supporters are expected to cram the stands and grassy knolls of the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit this weekend with some 120,000 people estimated to turn out for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Alonso was greeted by several hundred fans chanting “33! 33! 33!” in reference to a long-denied 33rd race victory as he emerged from his team’s garage to soak up their adulation on Thursday following his arrival. Alonso’s fan club from his native Asturias region organized buses to make the 8-hour trip from his hometown of Oviedo and other cities in Spain’s north to come to the race, The Associated Press reported.

The 41-year-old Alonso took his 32nd victory right here in Montmeló a full decade ago back in May 2013 with Ferrari. After that came years of frustration and a stint away from F1 driving in other competitions, including the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. But after finishing on the podium in five of six races this season with the new Aston Martin team, hopes are high among his faithful that Alonso can end the long wait for a win.

After finishing second both in qualifying and the race to defending champion Max Verstappen at Monaco last weekend, Alonso knows it is impossible to curb the enthusiasm of his faithful.

“It would be like trying to build a wall in the sea: at the end you will be overwhelmed,” Alonso said about the euphoria he has unleashed.

Alonso, one of Spain’s top sports figures right up there with tennis great Rafael Nadal and its best soccer players, is more than used to handling the attention. Back in his winning days he happily picked up a full leg of cured Spanish ham that a supporter had hurled over a barbed-wire fence to celebrate a win.

“My fans are pushing this forward on their own and you can only embrace it,” he said.

“The number 33 is being talked about a lot, but I am keeping calm. We have a good car that will give us chances this year. Red Bull is dominating with an iron fist, but we have seen in previous seasons that even when there is a dominant car...there will be opportunities at some point.”

PREPARATIONS FOR ALONSO-MANIA

Track officials estimate the turnout to be as good as last year, when 121,000 sold out the first race to be free of coronavirus restrictions. That will still be below the all-time track record from 2007 when 140,000 people came following Alonso's titles in 2005 and 2006 with Renault. The track’s capacity has been reduced since that heyday of F1 in Spain.

Transport authorities have boosted the commuter train services for the entire three-day event after last year's higher-than-expected turnout led to lines of several hours at the Montmeló commuter rail station. In 2022, some 277,000 people filled the track over the three days.

Spain’s train authorities have boosted rail service to transport an extra 40,000 people, for a total of 180,000 seats, to help ease congestion at the track that is located 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Barcelona.

SAINZ ALSO

Spain also has Carlos Sainz Jr. to cheer for. The Ferrari driver is seeking his first podium of the season after scoring a season-best fourth in the opening race in Bahrain.

“I am just in a better mood when I race at home,” he said. “You just know that the fans are there cheering for you. I don’t know how much that is worth, but being in Spain must mean something because it where I have gotten the most points in my career.”

Sainz Jr. will have his fan club concentrated in the stands at Turn 2 as usual.

Verstappen also has fond memories of the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit where in 2016 he became F1’s youngest winner at age 18.

He also won here last season and is on course for a third straight title: Verstappen leads teammate Sergio Pérez by 39 points and Alonso by 51.


Fritz Gets a Taste of How Brutal French Open Crowd Can Be

US Taylor Fritz gestures after winning against France's Arthur Rinderknech at the end of their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris on June 1, 2023. (AFP)
US Taylor Fritz gestures after winning against France's Arthur Rinderknech at the end of their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris on June 1, 2023. (AFP)
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Fritz Gets a Taste of How Brutal French Open Crowd Can Be

US Taylor Fritz gestures after winning against France's Arthur Rinderknech at the end of their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris on June 1, 2023. (AFP)
US Taylor Fritz gestures after winning against France's Arthur Rinderknech at the end of their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris on June 1, 2023. (AFP)

Taylor Fritz got a reminder of how brutal the Roland Garros crowd can be when he was booed for minutes after ending the run of the last local man standing at the French Open on Thursday.

Sustained boos and whistles rained down from the Court Philippe Chatrier stands after the American shushed the fans repeatedly, having beaten Arthur Rinderknech in four sets under the lights.

As he was preparing to do his post-match interview, Fritz kept his cool as he came under fire, barely able to exchange words with court-side interviewer Marion Bartoli.

"I'm sorry I actually can't hear you," he told the former Wimbledon champion.

"The crowd was so great honestly ... that I had to let it fire me up. They cheered so well for me I wanted to make sure I won," he added, having ended the French presence in the singles draws at Roland Garros by beating the last home favorite.

The crowd is fickle, corporate seats are often empty at lunchtime but when a French player needs support spectators turn the usually quiet courts into a wild arena and the claycourt Grand Slam provides an atmosphere unmatched at other majors.

This is exactly what Fritz experienced in his match against Rinderknech, like others before him.

When the crowd pick on a player, it can become exceptionally unsettling, as Martina Hingis notoriously experienced in the 1999 final against Steffi Graf.

Booed and jeered by the fans after disputing a line call while 6-4 2-0 up, the Swiss lost her composure and the contest before being booed again after match point.


Ruud, Swiatek Gain Momentum at French Open as Sinner Punished 

Norway's Casper Ruud celebrates his victory over Italy's Giulio Zeppieri during their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 1, 2023. (AFP)
Norway's Casper Ruud celebrates his victory over Italy's Giulio Zeppieri during their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 1, 2023. (AFP)
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Ruud, Swiatek Gain Momentum at French Open as Sinner Punished 

Norway's Casper Ruud celebrates his victory over Italy's Giulio Zeppieri during their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 1, 2023. (AFP)
Norway's Casper Ruud celebrates his victory over Italy's Giulio Zeppieri during their men's singles match on day five of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 1, 2023. (AFP)

Fourth seed Casper Ruud and holder Iga Swiatek stayed on course to reach consecutive finals at the French Open while a couple of unheralded names in the women's draw continued to show their immense potential on a sunny Thursday at Roland Garros.

Elena Rybakina also booked a third round spot with a 6-3 6-3 victory over rising Czech teenager Linda Noskova with the fourth seed and Wimbledon champion dazzling again on Parisian clay as one of the top contenders for the Grand Slam title.

Ruud, who lost to Rafa Nadal in last year's final, is aiming to capitalize on the 14-time champion's absence through injury this year and looked rock solid for much of his 6-3 6-2 4-6 7-5 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri.

"It was a tough match," Ruud said. "I started well, got a break early and served well myself. That's the beauty of best-of-five sets. In a normal match I would have won 6-3 6-2, but here you have the chance to fight like he did.

"He played much better in the third set and the fourth set, and it became very tough."

Ruud will next play Chinese trailblazer Zhang Zhizhen who beat Argentine qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante 7-6(3) 6-3 6-4 to become the first man from his country since 1937 to reach round three.

Swiatek, who is looking to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup for the third time in four years, briefly struggled against American Claire Liu but returned to her rampant best with another bagel in her 6-4 6-0 victory.

Russian qualifier Mirra Andreeva continued to enjoy a dream Grand Slam debut as the 16-year-old stormed into the third round with a 6-1 6-2 win over Frenchwoman Diane Parry, though she admitted to having butterflies in her stomach.

"I'm happy that you don't see that I'm nervous," said the world number 143, who became the youngest player to reach the third round in Paris since a 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva stormed into the last eight in 2005.

"I hide it pretty well."

Up next for Andreeva is 19-year-old Coco Gauff - a player who knows all about negotiating instant stardom, with last year's runner-up having subdued Julia Grabher 6-2 6-3 to set up the third-round showdown.

American Kayla Day made no secret of her success after a stunning 6-2 4-6 6-4 win over compatriot Madison Keys, thanking her Czech roots for enhancing her tennis skills.

"My mum, she was born and raised in Prague, and I speak fluent Czech. That's the only reason why I'm good at tennis, because I'm half Czech."

Sinner falters

Jannik Sinner later squandered two match points in his 6-7(0) 7-6(7) 1-6 7-6(4) 7-5 loss to German Daniel Altmaier in an epic battle lasting more than five hours.

"Playing every point you can with the best effort, that's what keeps you in reality," Altmaier said about his escapes on match point.

"I was just thinking that and the competition says it all. We've had historic matches with so many match points ... I don't know if you can call this a 'historical' match, but I think it was one to remember."

Another German, Alexander Zverev, eased into round three by making light work of Slovakian Alex Molcan 6-4 6-2 6-1, looking increasingly closer to the form that took him to the semi-finals in Paris last year when he retired with a serious ankle injury.

Next for the 22nd seed is American 12th seed Frances Tiafoe, who beat Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-2.

Croatian Borna Coric was made to work hard by Pedro Cachin before the 15th seed prevailed 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 but it was a day to forget for Australian 18th seed Alex de Minaur who fell to a 6-3 7-6(2) 6-3 defeat by Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Tunisian world number seven Ons Jabeur came through a tricky test against risk-taking Oceane Dodin with a 6-2 6-3 victory to ensure that no French player will make the third round of the women's competition for the third time in five years.

French presence in the singles' draws was ended altogether in the last match of the day when Arthur Rinderknech was knocked out by American ninth seed Taylor Fritz 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-4.


Stuttgart Beat Hamburg 3-0 to Grab Advantage in Relegation Playoff

01 June 2023, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart: Stuttgart's Josha Vagnoman (2nd R) celebrates scoring his side's second goal with teammates during the German Bundesliga Relegation first leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV at Mercedes-Benz Arena. (dpa)
01 June 2023, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart: Stuttgart's Josha Vagnoman (2nd R) celebrates scoring his side's second goal with teammates during the German Bundesliga Relegation first leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV at Mercedes-Benz Arena. (dpa)
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Stuttgart Beat Hamburg 3-0 to Grab Advantage in Relegation Playoff

01 June 2023, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart: Stuttgart's Josha Vagnoman (2nd R) celebrates scoring his side's second goal with teammates during the German Bundesliga Relegation first leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV at Mercedes-Benz Arena. (dpa)
01 June 2023, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart: Stuttgart's Josha Vagnoman (2nd R) celebrates scoring his side's second goal with teammates during the German Bundesliga Relegation first leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV at Mercedes-Benz Arena. (dpa)

VfB Stuttgart boosted their chances of staying in the Bundesliga as they secured a 3-0 home victory against Hamburg SV in the first leg of the relegation playoff on Thursday.

The hosts got off to a flying start as Konstantinos Mavropanos headed the opener after 44 seconds.

Stuttgart could have doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark but Serhou Guirassy missed a penalty.

However, they scored again through Josha Vagnoman six minutes after the break and three minutes later Guirassy made amends for his earlier miss when he headed the third goal.

The night got worse for Hamburg, who host the second leg on Monday, when midfielder Anssi Suhonen got a red card for a dangerous tackle on Vagnoman in the 69th minute.

Stuttgart finished 16th in the Bundesliga table while Hamburg were third in the second tier standings.


Haaland Holds No Fear for Man Utd, Says Varane

Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - May 28, 2023 Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates with the golden boot after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - May 28, 2023 Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates with the golden boot after the match. (Reuters)
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Haaland Holds No Fear for Man Utd, Says Varane

Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - May 28, 2023 Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates with the golden boot after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - May 28, 2023 Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates with the golden boot after the match. (Reuters)

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane said they do not fear Erling Haaland ahead of their FA Cup final showdown against Manchester City but acknowledged that their rivals pose a threat from every area of the pitch.

United go into Saturday's final looking to end the Premier League champions' bid for a second trophy this season, with Pep Guardiola's side in the hunt for a rare treble with a Champions League final against Inter Milan to come on June 10.

The only team to have won the English tile, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season are United, who achieved the feat in 1999.

Haaland has scored 52 goals in his debut season in England, winning the Premier League Golden Boot with a record 36 strikes en route to multiple Player of the Year awards.

Varane said there was more to City than the Norwegian hitman.

"Fear? No way ... Why?" he told The Telegraph. "Yes, he is a very good player, we all know that. But the danger from City is everywhere, they are very complete."

Varane said nullifying playmaker Kevin De Bruyne would be key to stopping Haaland. De Bruyne finished the league season with 16 assists, half of which were for Haaland.

"They can score from set-plays, from a possession game and from a transition game. As a defender, the connection (Haaland has) especially with De Bruyne - that kind of pass is complicated to defend, so we try to cut that connection.

"We know we can beat them. We have to be consistent for 90 minutes because we know that everything can change in a few seconds."

Erik ten Hag's side are looking to end their season on a high note having won the League Cup and Varane - who spent 10 trophy-laden years at Real Madrid - said United are developing a winning mentality again.

"We have to be positive, we're in a good way. But the most important thing is to believe."


Saudi Arabia’s SFA Joins International Functional Fitness Federation

The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) logo
The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) logo
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Saudi Arabia’s SFA Joins International Functional Fitness Federation

The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) logo
The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) logo

The International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) announced that the Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) has become an official member of iF3, representing fitness in the Kingdom.

This membership reflects the vital role played by SFA, which since its establishment in 2018 has aimed to build a healthy society by raising awareness of the importance of physical activities.

It will be the organizing body for community sports, entrusted with increasing the amount of physical activity among the population and achieving the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.


Russia Fines WhatsApp for First Time for Not Deleting Banned Content

The WhatsApp messaging application is seen on a phone screen August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo
The WhatsApp messaging application is seen on a phone screen August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo
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Russia Fines WhatsApp for First Time for Not Deleting Banned Content

The WhatsApp messaging application is seen on a phone screen August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo
The WhatsApp messaging application is seen on a phone screen August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo

A Russian court on Thursday fined messenger service WhatsApp 3 million rubles ($37,080) for not deleting banned content, its first fine in Russia for that offense.

Although WhatsApp's parent company Meta Platforms Inc was last year banned in Russia as an "extremist" organization, the messenger app - which is widely popular in Russia - has not previously faced penalties for failing to remove prohibited information.

Other Meta services, Facebook and Instagram - now banned in Russia - have been fined over content, as have the likes of Twitter and Alphabet's Google.

WhatsApp, however, has previously been fined for its alleged refusal to comply with Russian data law and store Russian users' data on servers in the country.

The RIA news agency reported that Thursday's fine was due to WhatsApp's refusal to remove information about the drug Lyrica, whose sale and manufacture are prohibited in Russia.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside US business hours.

Moscow has for years clashed with Big Tech over content, censorship, data and local representation in disputes that escalated after Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.


United Looking to Stop Treble-chasing City in First All-Manchester FA Cup Final

Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag addresses to his players at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag addresses to his players at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
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United Looking to Stop Treble-chasing City in First All-Manchester FA Cup Final

Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag addresses to his players at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester United's head coach Erik ten Hag addresses to his players at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

The roars grew louder inside Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag addressed Manchester United fans from the middle of the field, reminding them of the role they have in protecting the club’s greatest ever achievement.

There was one game to go this season, the United manager told the baying crowd, and his players standing right in front of him were ready to give their all to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

“We count on you as well,” he said, pointing to the supporters, who by now were punching the air in defiance. “They will give everything when you are at our backs, and I’m sure we’ve a really good chance to take the cup back to Old Trafford.”

As rallying cries go, it was pretty much pitch perfect from Ten Hag, who knows exactly what’s at stake on Saturday in a local derby with widespread repercussions.

For United, this is about much more than capturing a second trophy of the season — after the English League Cup in February that ended the club's six-year title drought — to cap an encouraging first season under Ten Hag. It’s also about preserving United’s proud status as the only English team to have won the league-FA Cup-European Cup treble in the same season.

City, after all, is two wins from emulating that feat, having already clinched the Premier League title and booked its place in the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.

That United can ruin City’s treble bid adds more spice to the first cup final between the rivals, which is taking place about 170 miles (270 kilometers) south of Manchester.

City starts as the undoubted favorite on the back of its stunning form since February that reeled in long-time leader Arsenal in the Premier League race and saw Bayern Munich and Real Madrid swept aside in the Champions League knockout stage.

Before a much-weakened team — featuring a bunch of youth players — lost at Brentford 1-0 in a league match with little riding on it last Sunday, City went on a 25-match unbeaten run in all competitions and won 20 of them. Along the way, Madrid was beaten 4-0, Bayern 3-0 and Arsenal 4-1. Back in October, City thrashed United 6-3.

All those games were at home, though, and City hasn't been quite so machine-like on the road. And that's not the only source of hope for United, which is seeking its 13th FA Cup title — with only Arsenal (14) having more.

City manager Pep Guardiola talks often of his players having “rhythm” but that might have been lost after he chose to rotate his lineups for the final two league games, with the title wrapped up. Before the loss at Brentford, City was possibly fortunate to come away from Brighton with a 1-1 draw.

Erling Haaland has 52 goals in all competitions in a stunning first season at City but it's just one goal in his last six games for the Norway striker.

Meanwhile, United won its final four matches in the league, conceding just two goals in that period. And in the last meeting between the teams, United won at Old Trafford 2-1 in January — albeit after a debatable equalizing goal from Marcus Rashford.

City is a different proposition four-and-a-half months on, though, and has more experience of these big, defining games than United in recent years. Guardiola certainly does — he is looking to claim the 34th trophy of his managerial career, and the 13th in his seven years at City.

That, of course, would set up City for a shot at standing shoulder to shoulder with United's class of '99.

“I will start to think about the treble,” Guardiola said, "when I go to Istanbul with two titles in my pocket.”

INJURIES

United striker Anthony Martial will miss the final after sustaining a hamstring injury in the team's final league game of the season, the 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford is expected to start up front, with Jadon Sancho set to be on the left wing and possibly Bruno Fernandes on the right to allow United to field a sturdier central-midfield three, likely comprising of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and either Fred or Scott McTominay.

Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish missed City's final two league games because of minor injury issues, though Guardiola said he hoped the midfielders would be fit for the final.

City has no other injuries, with Nathan Ake playing 63 minutes against Brentford on his return from a hamstring problem.

PLANNING AHEAD

The engraver got a head start.

The word “Manchester” has already been engraved on the trophy to highlight the unique nature of this final, the 142nd in the world’s oldest knockout competition.

TRAVEL TROUBLE

There's set to be travel chaos around the final because of rail strikes that mean there will be no train services running between Manchester and London on Saturday.

The Football Association is providing 120 buses — 60 per team — to help transport fans of City and United to and from the match.


Roma Coach Mourinho Vague About his Future after his 1st Loss in a European Final

Soccer Football - Europa League - Final - Sevilla v AS Roma - Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary - June 1, 2023  As Roma coach Jose Mourinho takes off his runners-up medal REUTERS/John Sibley
Soccer Football - Europa League - Final - Sevilla v AS Roma - Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary - June 1, 2023 As Roma coach Jose Mourinho takes off his runners-up medal REUTERS/John Sibley
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Roma Coach Mourinho Vague About his Future after his 1st Loss in a European Final

Soccer Football - Europa League - Final - Sevilla v AS Roma - Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary - June 1, 2023  As Roma coach Jose Mourinho takes off his runners-up medal REUTERS/John Sibley
Soccer Football - Europa League - Final - Sevilla v AS Roma - Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary - June 1, 2023 As Roma coach Jose Mourinho takes off his runners-up medal REUTERS/John Sibley

Almost as soon as he was awarded it, Jose Mourinho took off the silver medal that had just been hung around his neck by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, walked toward the stands and handed it to a young fan in the front row.

“I only keep the gold ones,” Mourinho said later, still livid after his Roma squad was beaten by Sevilla in a penalty shootout to decide the Europa League final.

After coaching his team to the trophy in five consecutive European finals over two decades, it was Mourinho’s first defeat at this stage and the 60-year-old Portuguese coach was quick to blame the referee for not awarding a penalty kick to Roma for a perceived handball during the second half — as well as a bunch of other decisions that he thought English referee Anthony Taylor mishandled.

“The referee seemed like he was Spanish,” The Associated Press quoted Mourinho as saying. “The result was not fair and there are a lot of instances to re-examine.”

Mourinho was also seen insulting Taylor in the garage of the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, as his team prepared to depart the stadium.

Having also received a yellow card during the match, Mourinho could be hit with a multi-match ban from future European games by UEFA.

But whether those games come with Roma or another club is an open question.

Mourinho has one more season remaining on his three-year contract with Roma but has been vague about his plans.

“On Monday I’m going on vacation and vacation is vacation. But until then we have time to meet and to talk,” Mourinho said. “Right now I can’t say objectively that I’ll stay. But I would like to. I want to stay at Roma. But my players deserve more and I deserve more, too.”

Having led Roma to the Europa Conference League title in his first season with the Giallorossi, Mourinho is widely revered in the Italian capital. It’s been a career revival after dressing-room apathy and growing disillusionment at his tactics cost him his job at Tottenham slightly more than two years ago after 17 months at the London club.

Mourinho’s defensive tactics don’t make him such an attractive candidate for jobs at the world’s biggest clubs anymore.

“When I’ve been contacted, I’ve said so. Now nobody has called me,” he conceded.

Winning the final was the only route Roma had left to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

“It seems paradoxical but we’re better off not playing in the Champions League next season, because we’re not ready,” Mourinho said.

Roma enters a match against relegation-threatened Spezia in the final round of Serie A on Sunday in sixth place, one point behind Atalanta and one point ahead of Juventus.

Fifth place qualifies for the Europa League spot and sixth place for the Conference League.

With Inter Milan to play in the Champions League final against Manchester City and Fiorentina in the Conference League final against West Ham, those teams could gain automatic spots in Europe and alter Roma’s position.

The final, which Sevilla won 4-1 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 after extra time, lasted 146 minutes — including added time.

“We’re dead. Dead from exhaustion and disappointment,” Mourinho said. “But I’m proud of my boys. We gave everything. ... We lost, but with dignity. Roma was up to the task.”

If he does stay, Mourinho will likely ask for a slew of new players in the transfer market.

He got his wish in the last offseason when Paulo Dybala was signed on a free transfer from Juventus, Nemanja Matic rejoined Mourinho after spells under the coach at Chelsea and Manchester United, and Georginio Wijnaldum was loaned from Paris Saint-Germain. But Dybala and Wijnaldum struggled with injury for much of the season.

Still, Dybala’s first-half goal against Sevilla gave Roma hope of a second consecutive European title. Then Sevilla’s substitutions made a bigger impact as the game wore on.

“You played a great match in front of Europe,” Mourinho told his team. “We win and we lose together.”


Retired F1 Champ Vettel to Help Lead New German Team in Ellison's SailGP

FILED - 26 July 2019, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hockenheim: Sebastian Vettel of Germany's Scuderia Ferrari team stands in his pit box after the second free practice session during Formula 1 German Grand Prix. Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa
FILED - 26 July 2019, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hockenheim: Sebastian Vettel of Germany's Scuderia Ferrari team stands in his pit box after the second free practice session during Formula 1 German Grand Prix. Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa
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Retired F1 Champ Vettel to Help Lead New German Team in Ellison's SailGP

FILED - 26 July 2019, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hockenheim: Sebastian Vettel of Germany's Scuderia Ferrari team stands in his pit box after the second free practice session during Formula 1 German Grand Prix. Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa
FILED - 26 July 2019, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hockenheim: Sebastian Vettel of Germany's Scuderia Ferrari team stands in his pit box after the second free practice session during Formula 1 German Grand Prix. Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa

Retired four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel and double Olympic sailing bronze medalist Erik Heil will help lead the new Germany SailGP Team in tech tycoon Larry Ellison's global league.

Vettel will be a co-investor alongside team owner Thomas Reidel and both will take an active role in the management and performance of the team. Heil will steer the team's 50-foot foiling catamaran.

Germany becomes the 10th team in SailGP, which begins its fourth season on June 16-17 with the Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix at Navy Pier in Chicago.

“I see a lot of potential as SailGP starts its fourth season and for the first time with a German team,” Vettel said. “Parallels between sailors and Formula 1 have long existed. The boats are fascinating and the speeds on the water are incredibly high. The races are exciting and I am happy to be close to them with a motivated group of young sailors. In addition, the series not only uses wind power but also strives to set new standards in sustainability in sports.”

According to The Associated Press, Tom Slingsby, skipper of three-time defending SailGP champion Team Australia, said having Vettel join the league as an investor "is an amazing thing for our sport. He probably wasn't a sailor, he probably didn't know anything about the sport of sailing a couple of years ago. SailGP was a start-up three years ago and the fact that we're now getting some of the biggest sportsmen in the world is unbelievable and I think it's a sign of where SailGP is going."

Riedel's communications company provides the on-site wireless communications and TV production infrastructure for the league as a technology supplier.

“As a company, we have always been able to not only understand formats but evolve them through technology and innovation. I see great potential in all directions with the Germany SailGP Team: sports, business and media," Riedel said.