Crotone: Davide Nicola will lead Crotone into their first ever Serie A campaign after being named head coach of the promoted club. The Calabrians finished second behind Cagliari in Serie B, with their Croatian boss Ivan Juric attracting attention from the likes of Leeds by upsetting the odds in the second tier. Juric is now free to join Genoa, who have been linked with his services.
Galatasaray: The Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS) has re-jected Turkish club Galatasaray’s appeal to overturn a one-season European ban imposed on them by UEFA for their failure to meet Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The club had lost about €164 million over the last three seasons, thus breaching the guidelines set by UEFA. Galatasaray qualified for the Europa League by winning the Turkish Cup last season.
Olympiakos: Marco Silva resigned as coach of Greek champions Olympiakos yesterday with the club immediately announcing Spaniard Victor Sanchez as his successor. The 38-year-old Portuguese Silva, who led Oly-mpiakos to a record 43rd league title last season, cited personal reasons for his sudden and unexpected departure.
Everton: New Everton manager Ronald Koeman’s pre-season preparations are taking shape with a trip to Barnsley arranged for July 23. The game is currently the Toffees’ first friendly on their schedule as they get ready for the new campaign. Everton also have further domestic games at MK Dons (July 26) and Manchester United for Wayne Rooney’s testimonial (August 3).
Russia Fans: The head of Russia’s football supporters’ association yesterday said Russian fans were the victims of “politicised” treatment at Euro 2016 and blamed French authorities for violence. Alexander Shprygin said the All-Russian Supporters Association was looking at how to bring home three supporters who were jailed in France for taking part in violence in Marseille on June 11 as England played Russia.
Rennes: Rennes have signed former Paris St Germain midfielder Clement Chantome from Bordeaux. The 28-year-old, who had reportedly attracted interest from Premier League club Sunderland, has signed a three-year contract at Roazhon Park. Chantome said: “I was convinced by what (head coach) Christian Gourcuff had to say. I’m looking forward to working with him.”