Louis van Gaal says he will retire from football when his spell with Man. United comes to an end.
Van Gaal has enjoyed a stellar career that has taken him from Holland to Spain, Germany and now England, where he is contracted with United until 2017.
The 63-year-old is enjoying his spell as United manager, but plans to walk away from football once his tenure is over as he wants to spend time with his wife Truus in their holiday home on the Algarve.
“I am old. This is my last job. For sure,” the Dutchman said.
“I have to pay attention to my kids, my grandchildren but also to my wife. They deserve it. My wife wants to quit now already!”
Sky to hike prices
European pay-TV group Sky is to increase its prices for sports and family entertainment packages, just six weeks after it agreed to pay a record 4.2 billion pounds for the rights to show English Premier League matches.
Sky said yesterday the price of a sports TV package would rise by £1 to £47 a month, while the family bundle, which includes its best programming and box-sets of drama, would rise by £3 a month to £36.
Wenger against away goals rule
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said yesterday the away goals rule should be changed following his club’s defeat to Monaco in the Champions League under the rule after the teams finished level at 3-3 over the two legs.
Arsenal and Premier League rivals Chelsea, were both eliminated on away goals in the last 16 of the competition.
Wenger said: “It’s a rule that is outdated now and should be changed.
“Maybe the rule should count after extra time. This rule was created in the 1960s to favour teams to attack away from home but since then football has changed and the weight of the away goal is too big today.”
UEFA ban PSG’s Ibra for one match
Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was banned for one match by UEFA’s Control & Disciplinary Body yesterday after being sent off during a Champions League last 16 match at Chelsea last week.
UEFA also handed a three-match suspension to PSG’s Serge Aurier for insults he posted on social media about the referee after the bad-tempered second leg match at Stamford Bridge which ended in a 2-2 draw and gave Paris SG qualification on the away goals rule after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Ibrahimovic was sent off by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers in the first half after he went into a tackle with Chelsea midfielder Oscar provoking an orchestrated display of fury by the Chelsea team.
Blatter rejects FIFA debate invite
Sepp Blatter has rejected an invitation to take part in a live TV debate involving all four candidates for the FIFA presidency.
The other three candidates – FIFA vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Dutch FA president Michael van Praag and former Portugal international Luis Figo – had all agreed to take part in the debate but current FIFA president Blatter has refused to do so.
The debate was a joint BBC and Sky initiative and Football Association chairman Greg Dyke had offered to host it at Wembley.
Blatter’s refusal means it will not now take place.
The FIFA chief did not even respond in writing – he communicated his decision verbally via a FIFA official.
Pogba out for at least two months
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba will be out for at least eight weeks because of a hamstring injury, Sky Sports Italia reported last night.
The French international went off in the 26th minute of Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League last-16 second leg victory over Borussia Dortmund, a win that took Juve through 5-1 on aggregate.
Pogba’s injury could mean he misses the quarter-finals and, if the team qualify, the semis too.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri may decide to switch to a three-man defence in Pogba’s absence with Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo patrolling the midfield.
Juventus, who have a 14-point lead with 11 games to play, host seventh-placed Genoa on Sunday.
Parma bankrupt
Stricken Italian Serie A side Parma were officially declared bankrupt yesterday, a day after their chairman Giampietro Manenti was arrested in a money-laundering probe.
Parma’s players have not been paid all season and it took just 10 minutes for a court to declare the club, rooted to the bottom of the league, bankrupt.
They have twice been docked points this season and are more than 100 million euros in debt.
The court in Parma appointed accountants Angelo Anedda and Alberto Guiotto as receivers.
“I believe we’ll play on Sunday against Torino,” board member Osvaldo Riccobene said at the end of the hearing.
Parma are last in Serie A with nine points, 16 away from safety with 13 games to play.