Football News: Review Of The Day 3rd June 2019

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Review of the Day

Contracts

Morton full-back Reghan Tumilty has been given a one-year deal.

Livingston winger Stevie Lawless has agreed a new one-year deal.

Transfers

Sunderland centre back Lamine Kone has joined Racing Strasbourg.

Sevilla have spent over £13m to sign Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos from Nantes.

Young Greek centre-back Dimitrios Nikolau has moved to Empoli from Olympiakos for just over £3m.

Aston Villa have released Alan Hutton, Albert Adomah, Mile Jedinak, Glenn Whelan, Tommy Elphick, Micah Richards, Mark Bunn and Ritchie De Laet.

Former Fulham and Wigan Athletic forward Hugo Rodallega has been released by Trabzonspor.

Peterborough United have signed Mo Eisa from Bristol City for an undisclosed club record fee.

Freiburg have sold Florian Niederlechner to Augsburg for just over £2m.

SPFL Attendances Rise Again

For the 4th season in a row attendances have risen in the SPFL with nearly 4.5m in total this season.
Scottish Premiership cumulative attendances
Total home crowd Average home crowd
Celtic 1,095,229 57,644
Rangers 941,720 49,564
Hibernian 337,724 17,775
Hearts 333,724 17,564
Aberdeen 283,567 14,925
Kilmarnock 130,999 6,895
Dundee 114,509 6,027
Motherwell 103,512 5,448
St Mirren 101,680 5,352
St Johnstone 73,937 3,891
Livingston 69,616 3,664
Hamilton Acad 53,760 2,829

Samassa Denies Coach's Claims

Mali goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa has denied claims he turned down a place in the Mali squad for the AFCON because he was not guaranteed a starting place. Samassa said on social media: "I read and heard a lot of comments about my non-participation in Afcon, and through this message I wanted to clarify things. The acting coach Magassouba has not kept his promises to me. The lack of clarity and decision from the coach with respect to our last discussion a few weeks before the start of the competition led me with much regret and sadness to decline the invitation for Afcon 2019. When I returned to the Malian team in March 2018, Coach Magassouba clearly told me that he was counting on me for the upcoming matches and that I will have an important role to play. From then on, I made myself available to the national team. Although I did not play 2019 qualifying matches with the exception of the last match against Sudan, I have always been present, supportive and exemplary, without ever claiming anything. I have had several exchanges with the coach over the last few weeks to know what was his position regarding the goalkeeper position which is a very specific position and which requires a lot of confidence and serenity to perform in a competition as demanding as the Afcon. But he could not give me an answer. He has not kept to his promise. I wish good luck and a lot of success to the Malian selection of which I will be the first supporter."

African Champions League Ends In Farce

A row over VAR has seen the African Champions League final abandoned. Play was halted for over an hour when Wydad Casablanca refused to play after VAR, which had been set up on the side of the pitch, was not working to judge an equaliser for the Moroccan side, which the referee had disallowed. VAR had been used in the first leg and set up for the second but was not working. Players had not been informed that it would not be available, although the officials knew. After a long delay Esperance, their opponents, were awarded the win.

Cisse Out Of AFCON

Ivory Coast goalkeeper Abdoul Karim Cisse has pulled out of the Ivory Coast squad due to an anterior cruciate ligament rupture of the right knee. An Ivorian FA letter to his club ASEC Mimosas said: "Abdoul Karim, selected for the preparation of the Afcon 2019, arrived in Chantilly on 30 May from Abidjan. However, following the injury he contracted at his club on April 28th during the semi-finals of the Ivorian Cup, the national team's medical staff deemed it necessary to carry out the usual medical check before the start of the training camp. The MRI performed for this purpose on May 31, 2019 .... revealed the following; the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee. The rupture of the posterior horn of the external meniscus. Degenerative lesions in fissure of the posterior horn of the internal meniscus. To this end, he was found unfit to practice competitively because of the injuries."

Written by Tris Burke June 03 2019 06:31:45