David Moyes is not stepping down as Sunderland boss despite the club’s fans chanting for his ouster during Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough that pushed the basement side closer to relegation.
Sunderland have only one win in their last 15 league fixtures and are glued to the bottom, 12 points adrift of safety with five games left.
Sunderland’s relegation will be confirmed if they lose to Bournemouth tomorrow and Hull City get a point at Southampton.
Fans chanted “we want Moyes out” during the Boro game.
“I’m here. I’m the manager. I’ll take it on the chin,” Moyes said.
“There’s nobody who wants to win more than me. I’m used to winning, I’m not used to losing, and I don’t want to get used to it either.”
Copa America set to expand
The Copa America is likely to be expanded to 16 teams when it next takes place in Brazil in 2019, South American soccer’s governing body said.
“The board has agreed that it will take place in Brazil and the ideal number of teams will be 16,” said Alejandro Dominguez, the head of CONMEBOL, at the organisation’s annual conference in Chile.
A centenary edition was played in the United States last year with 16 teams. Traditionally the tournament is played with CONMEBOL’s 10 teams plus two invited teams from North or Central America.
Talk was also “maturing” with UEFA about meshing their calendars to allow the winner of the Copa America to play a match against the winner of the European Championships.
Taylor banned for two games
Wales defender Neil Taylor has been banned for two international matches after his wild tackle left Republic of Ireland’s Seamus Coleman with a double leg fracture in last month’s World Cup qualifier.
Ireland full-back Coleman left the field on a stretcher, with an oxygen mask on his face, after Taylor recklessly clattered into him on 68 minutes of the encounter. Taylor, who was immediately sent off, will miss Wales’ next two World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Austria.
Everton’s Coleman, who underwent surgery on the injury, could be out of action for up to a year.
Koscielny a doubt for the derby
Arsenal could be without defensive kingpin Laurent Koscielny for Sunday’s Premier League trip to North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, after the centre-back injured his knee in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Leicester City.
Koscielny jarred his knee in the closing stages of the game but played on till the end after receiving treatment.
“Koscielny has a knee problem but I don’t know how bad yet. I have to check,” manager Arsene Wenger said.
With defender Shkodran Mustafi also doubtful due to a thigh injury, an extended absence for Koscielny would hurt Arsenal’s chances of finishing in the Champions League places for the 20th successive season.
Gerrard to take Liverpool youths
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard intends to toughen up academy youngsters and remove them from their comfort zone when he officially takes over as the club’s under-18s manager.
The 36-year-old has had a roving role at the Kirkby training complex since joining the staff in February but having aligned himself closely with the under-18s, under advice from first-team manager Jurgen Klopp, he has now been given the job on a permanent basis.
Current under-18s boss Neil Critchley will move up to the under-23s to fill a void left by Michael Beale’s departure to become Sao Paulo’s assistant manager at the turn of the year.
Bayern to sign Kingsley Coman
Bayern Munich have signed Kingsley Coman on a permanent deal from Juventus and handed the forward a contract until 2020.
Coman was nearing the end of a two-year loan deal from the Italian champions, and Bayern have exercised an option in the deal to make the move permanent.
“Kingsley Coman is an important building block for the future of our team, so we decided to take the option,” Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on the club’s website.
Kingsley is a hopeful player with great potential. We are convinced that he will help us in the coming years.”