Football News: Villa Fans Walkout, Man Utd Injury Crisis Goes On, Austin Injured While Cazorla Denies Reports Of Injury Set Back And More

1. Villa fans stage a walkout
With Aston Villa perilously close to the drop, fans have attempted to make their feelings clear to the owner Randy Lerner with a 74th minute walkout, timed to signify their foundation in 1874. The ones that left missed the one bright moment of the 90 minutes, as the 78th minute saw Rudy Gestede pull one back to make the result 3-1. Villa are now 8 points adrift at the bottom of the league with no signs of fight in their team.

2. Ferguson sacked by Ballymena
Manager Glenn Ferguson has been sacked by Ballymena United after four years in charge following five straight league defeats for the Braid Men. They have dropped down the table to sit in ninth and in fear of a relegation battle. Ferguson was appointed in December 2011 and has won the County Antrim Shield and reached the Irish Cup final in 2014 and League Cup final in 2015. A club statement read: "The club felt a change was needed to freshen up the team after getting dangerously close to the relegation zone. The board of directors felt it was time for a change because success in the knockout competitions hasn't been replicated in the Danske Bank Premiership. We thank Glenn for his service to the club and for what he achieved and we wish him well for the future."

 

3. A 35yard beauty from Susic

4. Galatasaray banned from European competitions
Turkish champions Galatasaray have been banned from European competitions for one year as a result of their breach of Financial Fair Play rules. Gala were fined 200,000 Euros in 2014 after breaking the FFP rules. Currently Gala are outside of the European qualification places, in 5th in the Turkish top flight, but UEFA have the power to hold the bans over until they do manage to qualify for them.

 

5. Is it really 14 years since this piece of magic?
On this day in 2002 Arsenal maestro Dennis Bergkamp scored one of the greatest goals in Premier League history against Newcastle United

6. Man Utd hit by yet another injury blow
Manchester United have been beset by injuries this season, with recalled forward Will Keane being added to the injury list on just his second appearance of the season, when he came on as a substitute against Shrewsbury Town on 22nd February in the FA Cup victory over the League Two side. Keane overstretched himself trying to reach a long ball, having been recalled from a loan spell with Preston North End to provide cover for the injury beset club. Worse news has been released by the Red Devils today, as they have confirmed that the 23 year old striker will need surgery on the groin injury.

 

7. Austin sidelined
Southampton have been rocked by news that January signing Charlie Austin will be on the sidelines for several weeks with a hamstring injury. The 26 year old striker, who joined from Championship side QPR, had to be taken off in the 60th minute of the South Coast derby defeat to Bournemouth. Worse was to come for Saints manager Ronald Koeman as, in the 70th minute, he lost another striker to injury, as Shane Long was also forced off the field and had to be replaced. "For sure Charlie is a hamstring injury, [that's] what I heard from the doctor," Koeman said on the club's official website. "Shane was a kick on his knee and I think that's not so bad, but I think Charlie will be out for several weeks."

8. Cazorla denies press reports
Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla, who has become the creative heart of central midfield in recent seasons, has denied media reports of an injury setback. It has been reported across the media that he is set to miss the rest of the season through injury but he has moved to deny the claims. Cazorla posted on Twitter that he will back on 1st April:

Surprised by the piece of news appeared in press, deadlines are going as planned. I will be ready on 1st April. #workinghard

— Santi Cazorla (@19SCazorla) 2 March 2016

 

9. Arsenal rule out joining a breakaway Euro league
British media reports have claimed that American billionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins NFL franchise, Stephen Ross, has held talks with five English Premier League clubs regarding a European Super League. The reports have claimed that Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool were the clubs involved in the discussions. Ross and his Relevent Sports company organise the off-season International Champions Cup friendly tournament, which features top European clubs and is played in the United States, China and Australia. That is what the talks are said to be about by those involved, in direct opposition to the claims in the media tabloids. Now Arsenal has set itself in direct opposition to any breakaway league: "We are firmly opposed to any kind of breakaway," an Arsenal spokesman said. "We entirely support the current structure, the Premier League as it is and the Champions League as it is."

10. Platini takes appeal to CAS
Having had his ban from all football-related activity upheld, though reduced, by the FIFA Appeal Committee, former UEFA president Michel Platini has decided to appeal his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). "In appealing to the CAS, Michel Platini seeks to annul the decisions taken by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee and by the FIFA Appeal Committee which lead to him being declared ineligible to take part in football-related activity at national and international level for six years," a CAS statement said.

Written by Tris Burke March 02 2016 14:48:28