LONDON: Liverpool insisted on Friday that Philippe Coutinho would not be sold at any price amid reports Spanish giants Barcelona had increased their bid for the Brazil forward to £90 million ($117 million).
A statement issued by Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool’s US-based owners, said: “We wish to offer clarity as regards our position on a possible transfer of Philippe Coutinho.
“The club’s definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer (transfer) window closes.”
FSG’s statement was an endorsement of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s previous comments that Coutinho was not going anywhere.
And the German boss, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool’s 2017/18 Premier League season opener away to Watford on Saturday, said: “I think if somebody, in this case FSG, is saying something like this it is the statement.
“I think I have said it already a few times, but maybe that’s not 100 percent clear.”
But Klopp was far more reserved when asked to comment on the nature of any talks he had held with Coutinho, adding: “I don’t think I ever told you anything about what I spoke to players (about). I turned 50 in the summer, so maybe I forget things like this. I have nothing to say about this.”
Coutinho, who joined Liverpool from Inter Milan for £8.5 million in 2013, signed a new five-year contract with the northwest side in January that did not include a buy-out clause.
Barcelona, already one of world football’s biggest clubs, want Coutinho to replace Neymar following his compatriot’s world record €222 million ($262 million) transfer to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
They had two previous bids rejected by the Premier League side but could yet come back with an offer in excess of £100 million.
Barca believe Coutinho can step in for Neymar alongside Lionel Messi and former Liverpool favorite Luis Suarez in a star-studded front three, and could also provide cover for 33-year-old Andres Iniesta in midfield.
Although five-time European champions, most recently in 2005, Liverpool are no longer one of the continent’s heavyweights and the last of their 18 English league titles came in 1990 — before the start of the Premier League era.
Klopp, however, is determined to show he is serious about bringing back the glory days to Anfield by retaining Coutinho, Liverpool’s top scorer with 14 goals in all competitions last season when the Merseysiders finished fourth.
But Coutinho will be missing from the Watford match with a back problem that could also rule him out of the first leg of a Champions League qualifying play-off away to German club Hoffenheim on Tuesday.
Asked if Coutinho would play at Vicarage Road on Saturday, Klopp replied: “No, he has back problems. He was not in training since last Friday. No he is not available, he is also a doubt for Tuesday, unfortunately.”
Questioned on whether his job now was to keep Coutinho happy, Klopp added: “I can’t keep players happy. That’s how life is.
“It’s not about this, Phil is not available for us, that’s the biggest issue that he’s not available to play.”
Coutinho going nowhere, says Liverpool
Coutinho going nowhere, says Liverpool
‘Real Madrid are ready for Mallorca’, says Ancelloti ahead of Spanish Super Cup clash
- Ancelotti stated that his players are well-prepared and looking forward to winning
- Vazquez: ‘Tomorrow’s match is our way to the final’
JEDDAH: Ahead of Real Madrid’s Spanish Super Cup clash with Mallorca in the semifinals on Thursday in Jeddah, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told media on Wednesday that he and his squad are happy to play again in Saudi Arabia.
He said: “Having the competition here is good for Spanish football. Firstly, for the teams that play here because they have the opportunity to receive the support of all the fans they have here.”
Asked about Real Madrid’s position if Dani Olmo and Pau Victor take part with Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, he said: “You can ask about the games only but not this issue.”
He was also asked about Vinicius Junior’s behavior, to which he responded: “The Brazilian player has been insulted so many times. We don’t care what everyone thinks. He is a super player, and we are delighted to have him in all aspects.”
Speaking of tomorrow’s match against Mallorca, Ancelotti stated that his players are well-prepared and looking forward to winning. He said: “We have a lot of respect for their quality and the work of the coach. We have to respect them to the maximum.”
Lucas Vazquez met the press on Wednesday and said: “The Spanish Super Cup is a very good opportunity to win a title.
“We are determined to keep winning. Tomorrow is the first step toward winning the Spanish Super Cup, which is our objective.
“It’s a very good opportunity to win a title. We’re really looking forward to it and tomorrow we want to beat Mallorca to play in the final. We have a year with many challenges and we’re going to take them on with a lot of ambition.”
Asked if he is staying with Real Madrid for next season, the defender said: “It’s too early to know what’s going to happen. I’m happy here, enjoying this season. We’ll see what happens next season. I can’t say anything more.”
Defending LaLiga champion Real Madrid and 2023-24 Copa del Rey runner-up Mallorca face off Thursday at “The Jewel,” King Abdullah Sports City, in Jeddah at 10 p.m. Saudi time.
Afghanistan hire Younis Khan as mentor for Champions Trophy in Pakistan
- Younis Khan, 47, played 118 Tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20Is for Pakistan before retiring in 2017
- Afghanistan is in Champions Trophy Group B with England, Australia and South Africa
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan has hired former Pakistan captain Younis Khan as a mentor for its men’s cricket team at next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said in a statement on Wednesday that the 47-year-old batting great will join the team in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy and will stay with Afghanistan at the tournament.
Younis, who played 118 tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20s for Pakistan, retired from international cricket in 2017 and briefly worked with the national team as batting coach in 2021 before quitting after differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Afghanistan is in Group B with England, Australia and South Africa. It will play its first match against South Africa at Karachi on Feb. 21.
More than 160 UK politicians have urged England to refuse to play against Afghanistan. The politicians wrote asking the England and Wales Cricket Board to take a stand against the Taliban regime’s assault on women’s rights.
It will be a second stint for Younis with Afghanistan, having previously worked with the team at a training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2022.
It will be the third straight major ICC tournament where Afghanistan has utilized local expertise by appointing a mentor, after former India international Ajay Jadeja for the 2023 World Cup in India, and Dwayne Bravo as bowling consultant at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and US
“Since the Champions Trophy is being held in Pakistan, it was required to assign a talented and experienced player as mentor from the hosting country,” ACB chief executive Naseeb Khan said.
Afghanistan finished sixth at the World Cup in India after beating England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to seal its Champions Trophy place. At the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan advanced to the semifinals.
The Champions Trophy will begin Feb. 19 in Karachi.
India, which is in Group A with Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh, will play all its games in Dubai.
Lebanese football star awakes from coma she went into after Israeli airstrike
- Celine Haidar’s father says she ‘wants to go back to football once her medical situation allows her’
- Coach Samer Barbary tells Arab News: ‘When I asked if she still wants to play football, she pressed on my hand and moved her right leg’
BEIRUT: Lebanese football star Celine Haidar has awakened from a coma nearly two months after suffering a critical head injury during an Israeli airstrike, her father and coach told Arab News on Wednesday.
“By the grace of Allah she has awakened from coma but she remains in ICU as she cannot speak and still requires a ventilator to help her breathe properly,” said Abbas Haidar, the father of the 19-year-old international footballer.
In mid-November, Haidar, who is a youth international and captains her club, Beirut Football Academy, was injured while fleeing her home in Al-Chiyyah in Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli warning of an imminent attack on their building.
Speaking from Saint Georges Hospital where his daughter is being treated, her father confirmed that Celine awoke a few days ago (without giving a date), saying “she still cannot talk easily, and remains under extensive treatment.”
He expressed his joy “because she has recognized us (her family members),” adding that whenever they want to chat with her, she writes down her replies.
Her coach at BFA, Samer Barbary, revealed to Arab News that he visited her two days ago. “She is still on a ventilator, however, she extended her right arm to shake hands with me … when I asked if she still wants to play football, she pressed on my hand and moved her right leg in an obvious sign of wanting to do so,” Barbary said.
Abbas explained that his daughter’s situation still requires further medical assessment and follow-up. He hopes that she improves soon and starts rehabilitation.
“She still realizes that she is a footballer and wants to go back to football once her medical situation allows her.”
Meanwhile, her coach said: “Her medical treatment and follow-up still requires time and effort … and based on how her medical situation progresses, we hope that she could be back on the green pitch.”
Barbary told Arab News previously: “She is Lebanon’s Sergio Busquets and has got remarkable skills in her position as a central midfielder.”
Her father said in November that their neighborhood had been subject to ongoing threats and bombardment before the family moved to a safer location outside Beirut.
“Celine is a very vibrant and sociable person. She found us the house in Baakline.”
Haidar stayed in Baakline for two days and returned to Al-Chiyyah to attend school and her football training. Her father was notified by phone that she had been injured and admitted to hospital.
Rising star Haidar represented her country as a member of the under-19 women’s national team who won the 2022 West Asia Cup, hosted by Lebanon, and had been selected to play for the senior national team before her injury.
“Celine is one of the best football midfielders in Lebanon … she is consistent, stable and a leader. She played a major role in us winning the 2024 league unbeaten,” Barbary said.
Before joining BFA in 2021, she played for Safa Club and with them won the Lebanese National League.
PCB moves tri-series to Lahore and Karachi to indicate readiness for Champions Trophy
- Pakistan is scheduled to play tri-nation ODI series at home against South Africa, New Zealand in February
- Series moved from Multan due to advanced stage of preparations at Lahore and Karachi stadiums, says PCB
BENGALURU: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has relocated February’s tri-nation One-Day International (ODI) series with New Zealand and South Africa from Multan to Lahore and Karachi, two cities set to host the Champions Trophy later in the month.
The PCB said the move was due to the advanced stage of preparations at Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium and Karachi’s National Stadium, which will host six of the 12 Champions Trophy group stage matches.
Lahore will also host one semifinal as well as the final provided India, who are playing all their matches in Dubai following an agreement that neither India nor Pakistan will visit each other’s countries for ICC tournament matches, do not qualify.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will also host three matches of the eight-team tournament.
The PCB is upgrading the facilities at all three venues in the country as Pakistan prepares to host an ICC tournament for the first time since 1996, when they co-hosted the ODI World Cup.
The tri-series will be played from Feb. 8-14, while the Champions Trophy will kick off on Feb. 19 in Karachi, with defending champions Pakistan playing New Zealand.
Fakhar Zaman eyes international return as he prepares for DP World ILT20 start with Desert Vipers
- 100% he will play for Pakistan again, says 34-year-old top-order powerhouse
DUBAI: Pakistan top-order powerhouse Fakhar Zaman is getting ready for the DP World ILT20 with the Desert Vipers, but he believes he still has plenty to offer Pakistan.
The 34-year-old has not played for his country since the ICC T20 World Cup in June of 2024, but he told the Vipers Voices podcast he has not turned the page on his international career.
“Hundred percent I will play for Pakistan (again),” he said. “Actually, many people do not know about that, but after the T20 World Cup I got sick and because of the medical condition I was not fit, so I was not a part of the team.
“But now I recovered a 100 percent, and you will see me in the next international series which Pakistan plays.”
The next major white-ball tournament for Pakistan is the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, hosted by Pakistan, and it is an event that in 2017 saw Zaman announce himself on the world stage, with a match-winning 100 against India in the final at The Oval in London.
“My plan has been around the Champions Trophy (in 2025),” he said. “I did not play in the Australia tour or in the South Africa tour, so my whole plan was just to play in the Champions Trophy to make myself available and to be fully fit for the tournament.
“That was in the back of my mind, and I am thankful, and I am lucky to be fit right now. I started from the Champions Trophy 2017 and that went really well for me and now I am very excited for the next edition also.”
Incumbent Pakistan opener Saim Ayub was recently injured during Pakistan’s tour to South Africa, potentially opening up a spot for Zaman. But the Pakistani batter said he expected to stay with the Desert Vipers for the whole tournament while wishing for Ayub’s speedy recovery.
“I hope and I believe that he will recover quickly, and I was thinking yesterday to call Saim just to talk to him about this injury,” he said. “Believe me, he is such a great player that if he continues to play for the next four to five years, he will be at the top and he will be amongst the top three players in the world.”
Zaman was a top target for the Desert Vipers’ Director of Cricket Tom Moody for this year’s tournament in the UAE, with the Australia ICC Cricket World Cup winner calling the left-hander “a true match-winner.”
From Zaman’s perspective, the opportunity to link up with the Desert Vipers required little thought.
“There are many Pakistani players who have played for the Desert Vipers including Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir. And they talk really highly about this team, the environment, the management, the way they play the cricket and the way their mindset is,” he said.
“So, when I got the offer, without any discussion with anyone, I said ‘yes, I would love to play for this team.’
“I was really excited and, to be honest, I was supporting this team even before I was a part of this, so I am really excited to be here and I am very happy.”
Zaman has more than 5,000 international runs and over 7,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket, but although he is best known as an opener, he has batted from one to six for Pakistan in the shortest international format.
And although he wants to open, he is willing to slot in anywhere. “Of course, my preference is always to open for any team, like if I play in the T20 matches or 50-over games, but you know it also depends on the team requirement,” he said.
“In Pakistan we have three of the best players in the world in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place in the team as an opener.
“If the team has faith in me and they want me to bat at number four or five, so that totally makes sense, because for me the team is always first and I play wherever the team wants me to play, but I always prefer to open.”
Looking ahead to the DP World ILT20, Zaman said that while he was relishing playing with every single member of the Vipers squad, there was one player in particular that he could not wait to line up alongside.
“I know he does not know about it, but I am very excited to play with Sherfane Rutherford because he is one of the best cricketers in the T20 format and I really enjoy seeing him batting,” he said.
“I am very excited to be part of this team, and I want to share the crease with him. He is one of the best players, so I am very excited to play with that guy.”
And as for the prospects for the team in the upcoming tournament, Zaman said he was confident the group would be successful.
“If you see our team, the team is very balanced,” he said. “We have a good mix of young players and experienced players. We have good players, and we have strength in both our bowling and batting.
“So, if we play as a team — and you know in cricket you need luck also —then hopefully, if luck favors us, you will see us in the finals.”
The Desert Vipers’ first match of the 2025 DP World ILT20 is on day two of the tournament, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
