SHORT CORNER
Vinicius Jr reveals why he chose Real Madrid over Barcelona
Agencies
Brazil winger Vinicius Jr grabbed headlines by saying that he chose Real Madrid rather than rivals Barcelona because, although the latter offered to pay more, the Santiago Bernabeu offered the 'best project'.
The 18-year-old signed for the La Liga in 2017 before officially making the move from Flamengo in July last year. And he revealed that Barca had offered him more money, but his decision was based on what he felt was a better move.
"When I was 16 and 17, I was playing for the South American U-17s. My father never told me of interest [of other clubs] until Barcelona and Real Madrid came," Vinicuis said on Cadena SER. "We then visited both clubs to choose the best project.
"Barcelona's offer came first, and they wanted to pay more. Marcelo came to play when he was 18, Asensio was playing here... this helped us decide on Madrid."
The teenager must wait to feature under Zinedine Zidane, back at the helm after replacing Santiago Solari, and Vinicius said he could already see the differences between the two coaches.
"Casemiro told me that when Zidane spoke, he would get a bit nervous," he said. "It is quite different how Zidane speaks compared to Lopetegui. He is a legend, he won everything and he is special. To me, he said to be calm about the injury in order to return stronger."
PSG win appeal against UEFA reopening FFP case
AFP
Paris Saint-Germain won a major victory Tuesday when the world's top sports court backed the French champions against European football's governing body UEFA over club finances.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld PSG's appeal against a UEFA decision to reopen a probe into the club's compliance with Financial Fair Play regulations.
It added that the ruling was "final and binding". The probe was opened to determine whether PSG respected FFP. The court ruled that the decision to reopen the case missed UEFA's own deadline of 10 days to review its previous decision to drop the case.
Valencia slam DC Comics for lawsuit over use of bat symbol
Agencies
I am vengeance, I am the night, I am Batman… and also the subject of an ongoing row between DC Comics and Valencia.
Valencia's crest has, since 1919, carried a symbol of a black bat. DC's interests centre around it's resemblance to the Batman logo, albeit created in 1939.
While the club's additional 20 years of usage, plus the fact that the bat has been long associated with the regions of Valencia, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands since the 13th century, would appear to stand them in good stead, the debate is believed to centre on a new design released this month.
It is this centenary design which appears to have disgruntled DC Comics. The US company is understood to have submitted a complaint to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
A spokesperson for Valencia responded in a bullish manner, telling newspaper El Confidencial: “We are not going to stop using the bat because DC Comics says it, there is no commercial brand that has a worldwide exclusive on bats."
"When this club played with a bat in the chest, in the United States they were chasing bison."
Salah should use Mane as inspiration, believes Klopp
AFP
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Mohamed Salah should use Sadio Mane as inspiration as the Egypt star looks to hit peak form after an inconsistent season.
Salah scored 44 times in his debut season with Liverpool, but his second campaign has not been so smooth although he has 20 goals. His goalless run of seven matches is the longest he has experienced since a 10-game streak for Roma in 2015-16.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Senegal winger Mane is in fine form and has moved level on 20 goals with Salah, after netting 11 in as many games.
"Sadio played pretty much always like this but now he is always in the right spot in the right moment. In football it's sometimes like this," Klopp told Liverpool's website.
"He is in a really good moment, of course. The only thing he did when he was not always in the right spot was work and work and work.
"That's exactly what Mo has to do, exactly the same, just work, do the right things and it will come again.
"He's just rather unlucky, where Sadio is lucky in the moment -- he is in brilliant shape, that's true.
"But then, he is in the right shape and maybe a yard away from him is Mo, but somebody else scored. That's how it is, all good.
We have more time for our wives, Mueller says after Germany snub
AFP
Former Germany star Thomas Mueller has said that he is looking to the future after his exclusion from the national team under coach Joachim Loew.
Mueller and his Bayern Munich teammates Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels were all ruled out of Loew's future plans in a shock announcement earlier this month.
The coach's decision to get rid of the three World Cup winners has attracted widespread criticism, but Mueller says he is putting the disappointment behind him as he prepares for life after Loew.
"It obviously came as a negative surprise," Mueller told Sport Bild on Wednesday.
"But it's important to look forwards, not just in sport, but in life in general."
"The three of us now have more time for our wives and families," he added.
Hostage taker demands Rodgers' return to Celtic
Agencies
Armed police and a specialist negotiator raced to a siege situation at a block of flats in Paisley where a man was allegedly demanding that Brendan Rodgers return to Celtic.
A 31-year-old, armed with a weapon, barricaded himself inside a flat on Springbank Road, Paisley, before cops arrived at 11.15pm on Monday evening.
During a stand-off he allegedly shouted a list of demands at police saying: "I want a bag of cans, I want Brendan Rodgers back, I want a job."
Neighbours watched in horror as armed cops stood guard outside the flat as white paint was tossed out of a window onto the street.
No one was injured in the seige. The man was detained at midnight and eventually arrested and charged.
Evra denies allegations of homophobia after spat during PSG-MU match
AFP
Patrice Evra has hit back at accusations of homophobia after Paris Saint-Germain blasted the former France captain for calling the Ligue 1 club "a bunch of queers" in the aftermath of their Champions League exit to Manchester United.
Earlier, PSG condemned "Patrice Evra's homophobic insults aimed at us... on social media" after a bizarre spat in which Evra used the French word "pede", a derogatory term for homosexuals, to describe the Parisians.
Nonetheless, the 37-year-old claimed his comments had been twisted by the French media.
"I made a video, as a joke as a friend, and the French media, they take it because I used the word 'pede', so they translated as I am against the gay people," Evra said on Twitter. "I am not homophobic. I love everybody. So if I offend someone or I hurt someone, I already apologised.
"You have to be free for whatever you want to do in life, I will never judge anyone. Only God can judge me."