Football news update 6/3 afternoon: Lucas Paqueta is about to face court for allegedly fixing 4 Premier League matches.
Lucas Paqueta could be banned from playing for life this month
Sky Sports reports that a court will rule on the betting case involving midfielder Lucas Paqueta this March. The West Ham player is suspected of deliberately getting booked to win money in four Premier League matches between 2022 and 2024, and the FA has recommended a permanent ban for the Brazilian. The upcoming trial is expected to last three weeks.
Newcastle out for Sven Botman long-term
The bad news for Newcastle is that centre-back Sven Botman will have to undergo knee surgery and will be out for a long time. Botman will therefore miss the League Cup final on March 16, the latest blow for Newcastle after Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall were also ruled out of the match. Botman only returned from a hamstring injury in January, after 10 months out.
Deco opens the door to Neymar’s return to Barca
Barcelona sporting director Deco told TNT Sports that Barca are willing to consider the possibility of bringing Neymar back, as the Brazilian star wants to reunite with his former club in preparation for the 2026 World Cup.
“I don’t think there will be any financial problems. We all love Neymar and he is still a great player. We don’t have any plans for next season, but it’s not the moment to say for sure whether Neymar will return or not,” Deco said.
Lautaro Martinez hopes to stay at Inter for life
Striker Lautaro Martinez said after the 2-0 win over Feyenoord that he would be happy to play for Inter Milan for the rest of his career. “I am very proud and I didn’t imagine that I would achieve what I have here. I would be happy to play for Inter for the rest of my career, although of course there are other factors. I renewed in the summer and my family is very happy here, every day I can’t wait to go out to train and prepare for the next game,” he said.
Philippe Coutinho starred in Vasco da Gama’s 3-0 win over Nova Iguacu in the Brazilian Cup. The former Liverpool & Barcelona star made it 2-0 from the penalty spot, before sealing the victory in the 39th minute with a superb long-range strike into the top corner. Coutinho has yet to make his mark at Vasco but has scored four goals this season.
HCMC Women’s Club Introduces American Foreign Player
Lyon coach banned for 9 months for headbutting referee
Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca has been banned from coaching until November 30 (i.e. 9 months) after headbutting the referee in the 2-1 win over Brest in round 24 of Ligue 1. Notably, during this time, the Portuguese strategist was even banned from entering the dressing room before the match or during halftime until September 15. Currently, it is still unclear whether Lyon continues to trust coach Fonseca or sack him.
Real – MU compete for £50 million Bournemouth star
According to talkSPORT, Real Madrid have included young Bournemouth center-back Dean Huijsen in the list of top targets for the next summer transfer window. The 19-year-old has made 19 Premier League appearances this season, helping Bournemouth’s defence concede just 29 goals, fewer than any other side apart from leaders Liverpool and Arsenal.
Real Madrid will face fierce competition from Manchester United, who are also said to be considering a move for Huijsen. Notably, the young Spanish talent’s release clause is only £50 million.
Barcelona’s goalkeeper problem
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona will decide at the end of March whether Marc Andre Ter Stegen should return this season or wait until next season. This will certainly be a headache for coach Hansi Flick, as Wojciech Szczesny is currently playing consistently. Since the Polish goalkeeper started, Barcelona have not lost a match.
Tottenham suffers a loss of players
Coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Dejan Kulusevski will not be able to play in Tottenham’s trip to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16. The Swedish winger has been seen wearing protective boots ahead of the match in the Netherlands.
Although Postecoglou believes Kulusevski’s injury is not too serious, the Swedish winger is likely to miss the return leg next week as well as the Premier League clash with Bournemouth this weekend.
Isak delivers good news for Newcastle
Alexander Isak has brought good news to Newcastle fans as he took part in media activities in preparation for the upcoming League Cup final against Liverpool. On March 5, the Swedish striker filmed and posed for media work for the tournament, a sign that he could play at Wembley. Isak has a knack for scoring against Liverpool, scoring three goals in five meetings with the “Reds” in England.
Club World Cup prize money is many times bigger than the World Cup
AFP revealed that FIFA will pay a total of $1 billion in prize money to teams participating in the 2025 Club World Cup, which will take place in the US from June 14 to July 13. For comparison, the total prize money for the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar is $440 million, while the 2023 women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia is $110 million.
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