Sports
‘Why Madrid Rejected Mourinho’
Ramon Calderon claims that “dressing room leaders” at Real Madrid rejected Jose Mourinho’s return to the Bernabeu in favour of Zinedine Zidane.
The France World Cup winner has returned to the club to replace the sacked Santiago Solari – just nine months after leaving, having led the Spanish giants to three successive Champions League titles.
However, former Real president Calderon had previously stated that Mourinho was the club’s top target after he parted ways with Manchester United back in December.
But Calderon now claims that key dressing room leaders rejected that proposal.
Mourinho, who left Real back in 2013, also appeared to be a popular choice among fans, who were chanting his name after the 4-1 Champions League drubbing by Ajax.
But speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, Calderon said, “The dressing room leaders pushed to reject the possibility of Jose Mourinho.
“He left (Real Madrid) a lot of problems and I think he would have been another problem to the ones we already have if he had come.
“I think Jose Mourinho would have been a step backwards, there was a lot of problems and controversy when he was here.
“He is a good coach with a lot of trophies but many of the leaders in the dressing room didn’t like him and I think that was important in the decision-making.”
On Zidane’s return to Real on a three-and-a-half year deal, Calderon added, “The players loved him and he was able to change the ideas of coaches like Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho who managed with a strong hand.
“And of course he is an idol with the fans – playing for the club as well as managing them to three Champions League trophies in a row.”
Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, has been named the CAF Footballer of the Year for the past year.
Lookman was announced as the winner at an elaborate event in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday night.
The Atalanta star won the prize ahead of Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
It has been an incredible year for Lookman, who became the first player to score a hat-trick in the Europa League/UEFA Cup final since 1975, netting the three goals within 26 minutes against Bayer Leverkusen.
Lookman was included in the Team of the Year for the Europa League, and ended the season having had a direct hand in 18 top flight goals for La Dea.
The 27-year-old was ranked the 14th best player during the Ballon d’Or gala on October 28.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority announced today that the inquiry into rape allegations against French footballer Kylian Mbappé has been closed due to a lack of sufficient evidence to proceed.
This is according to multiple reports on Thursday morning.
The allegations had drawn international attention, casting a shadow over the football star’s career.
Mbappé, who had consistently denied the allegations, has yet to make an official statement regarding the decision
His legal team had previously emphasised his commitment to due process.
Mbappe was “linked to rape investigation in Sweden” and that he intended to reserve any explanations for the Swedish justice system “if necessary,” according to his lawyer, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard.
“He prioritises providing his explanations, if required, to the Swedish judiciary,” Canu-Bernard told AFP, while strongly condemning “media allegations suggesting that Kylian Mbappé had commented on the events of his trip to Stockholm.”
The case, which began earlier this year, involved accusations stemming from an alleged incident in Stockholm. The prosecutor’s decision not to press charges marks the end of months of scrutiny and speculation.
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