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Lucas Paqueta reportedly wanted to "sit out" the game for West Ham where he got booked.

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Wanted to sit out the match vs BournemouthCharged with getting deliberately bookedCould get a ten-year ban if convictedWHAT HAPPENED?

The Brazilian international stands accused by the Football Association (FA) of deliberately getting booked in four Premier League matches. This scandal first came to light following West Ham's season opener against Bournemouth, where Paqueta was booked in the 93rd minute, raising suspicions and triggering an FA investigation.

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According to Paqueta asked West Ham manager David Moyes to leave him out of the game to avoid any potential injury that could jeopardise his transfer to Manchester City. Despite his request, he eventually agreed to play after discussions with Moyes and other senior figures at the club. During the game, Paqueta was visibly anxious, frequently glancing towards the touchline from the 70th minute onwards, seemingly looking to be substituted.

Moyes had reportedly planned to substitute Paqueta in the second half to minimise the risk of injury. However, Paqueta remained on the pitch until deep into added time, when he received the controversial booking for handball, a moment that has become the cornerstone of the FA's investigation.

DID YOU KNOW?

Paqueta’s legal team is preparing a robust defence, aiming to challenge the FA's claims. They argue that the timing of Paqueta’s yellow card in added time is inconsistent with a deliberate attempt to manipulate betting outcomes. Furthermore, Paqueta’s initial reluctance to play in the match is being highlighted as evidence of his lack of intent to participate in any betting scheme. If found guilty, Paqueta could face a ban of up to ten years, a punishment that would effectively end his professional football career.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PAQUETA?

It is understood that Paqueta’s case will be heard by a three-person independent commission later this summer. The outcome of this hearing will determine not only his future in football but also set a precedent for how such cases are handled in the sport. Despite the allegations, Paqueta remains steadfast in his defence, hoping that the truth will ultimately exonerate him.

Chelsea continue to hold their interest in Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran despite Mauricio Pochettino's departure.

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Chelsea still keen on Duran Wanted to sign him in January Villa open to negotiations WHAT HAPPENED?

The 20-year-old Colombian forward has been a subject of speculation for several months, with Chelsea's interest showing no signs of waning despite the recent managerial change at Stamford Bridge. The Blues wanted to bring him on loan in January but had to pull out of the race as Duran suffered an injury while playing against Everton during the same month.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DURAN'S AGENT SAID

Jonathan Herrera, who represents Duran, stated in an interview with El VBar Caracol that Chelsea's interest in the young striker is long-term and genuine.

"The interest has always existed," he stated. "The fact that Pochettino continues or leaves the club (should not affect), the one who wants him in the end is the club. He is a player who, whether they change coaches or not, is something we will see what happens, but there has always been an interest. Let's see how we can handle it and make sure Aston Villa is ready."

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Chelsea are well aware that luring away Duran from Villa will not be an easy task. He was signed from MLS outfit Chicago Fire in a deal reportedly worth up to £18 million ($22m) in January 2023 and has a contract with the club until 2028. Hence, Villa would make sure they earn a hefty profit from the deal, especially after his heroics against Liverpool where he scored a brace to hold the Reds to a 3-3 draw.

"He is a player who has a contract with Aston Villa," Herrera said. "He ended up doing things very well and the coach is counting on him. It is a club that has gotten into the Champions League. It is a great opportunity, but we know that he wants to play, he wants to go out and play, let's see. Now the market is opening, the club is looking at some options and so are we.”

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR DURAN?

One of Duran's primary motivations is his desire for more playing time. Last season, he started only three Premier League matches for Villa, often finding himself on the bench. This limited role has been a source of frustration for the young striker, who is eager to prove himself on a bigger stage. If Chelsea can promise him minutes then the player should have no qualms about moving to Stamford Bridge – provided the Blues agree on a transfer fee with Villa.

ESPNcricinfo’s Live Report for Australia’s game against Pakistan in Taunton

Danyal Rasool12-Jun-2019

Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has opened up on the impact Cristiano Ronaldo had on him while he was at Old Trafford.

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Dalot and Ronaldo played together at UnitedRonaldo's routine rubs off on DalotUnited defender reflects on experienceWHAT HAPPENED?

Dalot, 25, has claimed that working with someone who is 'obsessed' with his craft like Ronaldo at United has positively impacted his commitment behind closed doors.

The defender stated that some of Ronaldo's habits 'passed on' to him during their time together at the club and he now has a strict routine that he follows each day. This includes recovery, physical exercise and nutrition.

The Portuguese pair played together from 2021 to 2022, before Ronaldo left to join his current club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DALOT SAID

Speaking to the official Manchester United media team, Dalot said: "I had the life experience to work with someone who was completely obsessed about it. By being with him so much of the time, that passed on to me.

"Now it’s just something that’s just part of me. I think I created this routine where I have to take some time every single day to recover, to work on my mental part as well, my physical part. It’s all a routine now.

"It’s just trying to work on recovery, nutrition, all kinds of stuff that will make my body feel ready to play. Ultimately, our bodies are our tools; they're what we use to play football. I try to recover as fast as we can when the games are coming really fast.

"Mentally, obviously, it’s been a tough season. And when things are not going well, at this club, everything is bigger. Whether you’re winning or losing, everything is bigger, so you need to be really, really prepared mentally, to take all this pressure.

"To try to come to Carrington every single day to match the standards of the club, which are really high."

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Despite a relatively disappointing campaign for United again during 2023/24, Dalot has been a stand-out performer for the club throughout the season.

The Portuguese international has featured in 35 of the 37 Premier League fixtures so far this season, where he has scored one goal and added three assists.

The upturn in his performances could be attributed to Ronaldo's influence on him after he admitted he now prepares mentally to deal with the pressure of playing at United.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR DALOT?

Dalot and his United team-mates will now look to finish as high as they can this season. The Red Devils currently sit in eighth place, level on points with Newcastle United in seventh, and could leap-frog the Magpies with a win against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.

Elsewhere, the squad will also have one eye on the FA Cup final against local rivals Manchester City, which is scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium on May 25.

Paceman returns to scene of Champions Trophy glory with hopes of emerging from lean 50-over form

Osman Samiuddin07-May-2019Mohammad Amir’s last-ditch audition for a role in Pakistan’s World Cup campaign could begin at the very ground where he was one of the architects of their memorable Champions Trophy triumph of 2017.Amir was not picked in Pakistan’s preliminary squad for the tournament but has been included in the 17-man squad for this England series, which begins tomorrow at The Oval. If he does start, it will be with the understanding that performances here could squeeze him into the final World Cup 15.So far on this tour Amir has appeared in just one of the four games Pakistan have played – a warm-up 50-over game against Northamptonshire in which he picked up 1 for 45.But it is understood that he will be part of Pakistan’s match-day 12 and depending on what the weather and surface look like in the morning stands a good chance to start.”As far as fast bowling goes, we will be flexible in this series, we will try and give Amir a full opportunity,” captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said. “The good thing is we have this opportunity to try out what we need to try out before the World Cup. We have till May 2 so we’d like to give Amir a full opportunity to stake his claim in the side.”If he does make it into the squad, it will hold some extra personal significance for Amir, being his first World Cup. He missed the 2011 and 2015 tournaments because of his five-year ban for spot-fixing.The word around Amir’s non-inclusion is that it is the kick he has long needed to put things right in the 50-over game. But given how lean a drought he has endured since that Champions Trophy final, he will still need to show some solid wicket-taking form to get back in.In the 14 ODIs since the final, he’s taken just five wickets, going wicketless in an innings as many as nine times. It’s been a strange run in which, though he’s rarely looked like taking a wicket, he’s also not looked awful. His economy rate in that period is 4.58, though if you take out games against Zimbabwe and Hong Kong that goes up to 5.28.But Pakistan already have two left-arm pacemen in the World Cup squad; the emerging Shaheen Shah Afridi, against whose dazzling and swift rise Amir’s own form has paled; and Junaid Khan, an exact contemporary of Amir’s through their earliest years, who without ever attracting the same attention has picked up far more wickets since the Champions Trophy.The arrival of Mohammad Hasnain has also made it harder for Amir. Hasnain has the one thing Pakistan’s squad has missed: genuine pace. It is something that Mickey Arthur in particular is very excited about, enough to overlook his extreme rawness. Hasnain has only played four List A games in his career, of which three were ODIs.If Amir were to perform in these ODIs, however, Hasnain or to a lesser degree Junaid might be most at risk of losing a spot.

Aston Villa power couple Douglas Luiz and Alisha Lehmann were all smiles after taking a trip to see a personal shopper and stylist.

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Lehmann and Luiz datingVilla duo go shopping togetherVisit personal shopper and stylistWHAT HAPPENED?

With the Women's Super League and men's Premier League season drawing to a close, many would be forgiven for treating themselves with the finish line in sight. And that is what Lehmann and Luiz appeared to do after going clothes shopping on Thursday with a stylist who has worked with Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham in the past.

Advertisement'GOOD VIBES ONLY'

The duo met with Instagram user, sunny_kg, who labels herself as a personal shopper and stylist. She then posted an Instagram story with the three of them posing in front of a mirror, with the captions: "Good vibes only," and "Thanks for stopping by @dgoficial & @alishalehmann7."

THE GOSSIP

Lehmann and Luiz were together at the time when the Villa midfielder found out he was selected for Brazil's Copa America squad this week. Shortly after his team qualified for the Champions League, the 25-year-old has this tournament to look forward to. Following the announcement, Lehmann said she "couldn't be more proud" of him.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Lehmann's Villa side round off their WSL season on Saturday at home to title hopefuls Manchester City, whereas Luiz's Villans are away to in-form Crystal Palace on Sunday on the last day of the Premier League campaign.

Pair of 22-year-olds dominate second day at Old Trafford while Keaton Jennings falls just shy of a century

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford15-May-2019
Nearly thirty years ago that fine writer Neville Scott collaborated with Geoff Cook on a book entitled . Subtitled “An Anatomy of Professional Cricket” it examined, among other things, the tests a player had to survive if he was to prosper in the county game. Despite the various revolutions and fandangos cricket has experienced since its publication Scott and Cook’s book retains its value. One has only to watch Rob Jones bat or Luke Wood bowl to be reminded of its wisdom and insight.Both Jones and Wood are finding their way in the game yet these 22-year-olds dominated much of this second day at Emirates Old Trafford. Jones’ 152-stand with Keaton Jennings had given Lancashire the opportunity to establish unassailable dominance until Wood, who had removed Joe Burns some five hours earlier, produced a couple of inswingers to account for Liam Livingstone, bowled for a third-ball duck, and Jones, who was leg before on the front foot for 67.But the wickets of Jones and Livingstone were no more than the filling in an unpalatable post-tea sandwich for Lancashire’s batsmen, four of whom fell to the second new ball. Their side’s collapse from 188 for 2 to 209 for 6 had begun Ben Sanderson produced a fine lifting delivery which brushed the shoulder of Jennings’ bat on the way to Ricardo Vasconcelos. Jennings had made 97 in over five hours and had shown typically firm resolve on a pitch which permits few liberties. Ten overs after his departure, Vasconcelos was called into action again when Steven Croft edged Jamie Overton wide to the keeper’s right.The flurry of wickets ceased when Tom Bailey joined Dane Vilas and this pair had shared an unbroken stand of 67 by the close. That gave Lancashire a first-innings lead of 46 with power to add on the third morning. But as spectators made their way home from Old Trafford this evening it would not be surprising if a few of them were reflecting on the technical excellence of Jones and Wood, two cricketers born three months apart who share a green and white dream.This is Jones’s 15th first-class match. He has been in and out of Lancashire’s team since making a brave century against Middlesex in only his third appearance in 2016. He won a regular place in the eleven about halfway through last summer but his place on the team-sheet is now secure. There is no case against selecting a player who makes a century and a 67 in successive games.Wood, who has a contract at Nottinghamshire, has played over twice as many top-level matches as Jones but has recently been loaned to both Worcestershire and Northamptonshire. His ability to swing the new ball testifies both to his ability and to the strength of seam bowling at Trent Bridge, whose coaches have given him the chance to play elsewhere. The ball which had Burns caught behind in the third over of the day was pushed across the Australian opener whereas that which bowled Livingstone curved in deliciously before plucking out the off pole.Jones also has the attributes of a formidable cricketer. His forward defensive is cricket’s equivalent of a government bond and his driving through the off side possesses the same technical accuracy as his less flashy strokes. Wood could have testified to the latter a few hours before he took his wicket. But this was a day on which batsmen had to wait for their opportunities against an accurate attack. Both Jennings and Jones did so during their 63-over stand and it was a particular shame that Jennings fell three runs short of his century. On the other hand, he would have been dismissed for five runs fewer had Sanderson accepted a simple chance at short fine leg off Rob Keogh just before tea.Jones still has much to learn. The coaches at Old Trafford will tell him as much and he will take it in. He was dropped on 47 when he failed to cover Overton’s bounce and Temba Bavuma grassed a two-handed slip chance many good club cricketers would describe as easy. Four overs later he reached his fifty off the same bowler with a scurried single which was immediately upgraded to a three by a couple of buzzers. And one wondered at tea whether Jones might make the most of his escape to score his second century in three championship innings.Wood put an end to such notions but the exploits of both these young players were a reminder there are times when we should set aside the easy allegiances of birth, upbringing or partiality. It is Maytime in England. Rob Jones and Luke Wood are attempting to cross the narrow line. The heart dances at the thought they might succeed.

Mason Greenwood walked out in Getafe colours with his mum Melanie, to mark Mother's day, during a La Liga fixture against Athletic Club on Friday.

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Getafe celebrated Mother's Day with a mascot gesturePlayers walked onto the pitch accompanied by their mumsGreenwood emerged last from the tunnel with his motherWHAT HAPPENED?

Prior to their high-stakes encounter against the Basque side at the Estadio Coliseum, the entire team, including Greenwood, took to the field accompanied by their mothers, symbolising the profound impact of maternal support and encouragement in their lives. The English forward was the last player to emerge from the tunnel, holding hands with Melanie, and later posed for a team photograph with all the mothers in the frame.

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Ghanaian striker Inaki Williams emerged as the hero, propelling his team to a resounding 2-0 victory with a stunning brace over Greenwood's Getafe. It was an evening to forget for the English forward as Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon saved his penalty to preserve their clean sheet and secure the three points.

Bilbao's dominance was further underscored by the dismissal of two players, Yeray Alvarez and Aitor Paredes, reducing them to nine men in the latter stages of the match. Despite the numerical advantage, Greenwood's missed opportunity from the penalty spot denied Getafe the chance to mount a late comeback, leaving them empty-handed at the final whistle.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Getafe, who are currently occupying the 10th position in the league standings, will now shift their focus to the upcoming fixture against Cadiz on Sunday. The match presents another opportunity for Greenwood to add to his tally of 10 goals this season and contribute to his team's pursuit of success.

The team was en route to the Al Noor mosque for Friday prayers at the time of the attack but escaped to the nearby Hagley Oval

Mohammad Isam in Christchurch15-Mar-2019Bangladesh’s tour of New Zealand has been called off following a terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques, in which at least 40 people have been killed. The players and other members of the touring party are safe, in lockdown at their hotel; some of them were on their way to one of the mosques for Friday prayers at the time of the attack but escaped to the nearby Hagley Oval.Timeline of the Christchurch attack

1.40pm (local time): A man enters a Christchurch city mosque and opens fire on the people inside. Witnesses hear multiple gunshots.
1.52pm: Senior Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal calls travelling ESPNcricinfo journalist Mohammad Isam for help. He asks Isam to call the police and inform them about the “shooting” at the mosque they were about to enter.
2.45pm: The team, after consultation with NZC and BCB, heads to the hotel on Cathedral Street.
2.54pm: New Zealand police commissioner Mike Bush says the situation involves an “active shooter”.
4.15pm: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks publicly, calling it “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.” Later, calls it a “terrorist attack”.
5pm: The third and the final Test of the tour is called off by NZC, after consultation with the BCB and ICC.

New Zealand police commissioner Mike Bush said police had made four arrests in connection with the attack, which included multiple improvised explosive devices attached to vehicles.Prime minister Jacinda Ardern called it a terrorist attack. “There is no place in New Zealand for such acts of extreme and unprecedented violence, which it is clear this act was,” Arden said. “This is and will be one of New Zealand’s darkest days. I would describe it as an unprecedented act of violence, an act that has absolutely no place in New Zealand. This is not who we are.”The attack took place just after 1.30 pm local time. The players and some support staffers were on their way to the Al Noor Mosque, less than a mile from Hagley Oval, when they saw signs of the unfolding carnage. They initially stayed in the bus and made phone calls, including one to this reporter, who was at the ground. Several journalists then came over to where the bus was and accompanied the players to the ground.ALSO READ: ‘There’s shooting here, please save us’Much of the coaching staff were back in the team hotel while the head coach Steve Rhodes was at the ground. Later, the players went back to their hotel.Team manager Khaled Mashud said the players had had a lucky escape. “We must have been about 50 yards from the mosque. I would say we were really lucky. Had we reached even three or four minutes earlier, we probably would have been inside the mosque. This could then have been a massive incident.”He said arrangements were being made to fly the team back to Bangladesh as soon as possible.Within a couple of hours the two boards had decided on the fate of the tour. “We are shocked and appalled as I am sure all New Zealanders are,” NZC CEO David White said. “We are offering support to all those within the teams affected by the situation and are continuing to take advice from authorities on the ground.”The Bangladesh team will take off from Christchurch at midday on Saturday and arrive in Dhaka in the evening.

A drive hit the paceman flush on the forehead on his follow through during a Bengal training session

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2019It could have been worse, but Ashok Dinda, the former India paceman, has been cleared of anything too ‘alarming’ following scans after he copped a blow to his forehead while trying to take a catch off his own bowling during a Bengal T20 team training session in Kolkata on Monday.The incident took place when a drilled drive from Birendra Vivek Singh burst through Dinda’s hands and struck him flush on the forehead. Dinda, Bengal’s highest wicket-taker in the last Ranji Trophy season, collapsed on his follow through.

#WATCH:Pacer Ashok Dinda got injured after he was hit on forehead at Eden Gardens in Kolkata today during Bengal's T20 practice match for Mushtaq Ali championship.A medical team treated Dinda&he completed over after that.Doctors conducted his CT Scan&said there is nothing serious pic.twitter.com/XpT6FOTAFJ

— ANI (@ANI) February 11, 2019

He lay on the ground, but got up a while later and bowled a few more balls before leaving the field.According to a report on PTI, Dinda’s scans returned clear after he was taken to the hospital. “Dinda looked fine as he completed the over before returning to the dressing room,” a CAB official was quoted as saying. “As a precautionary measure, he was taken for scans. There is nothing alarming but he has been advised two days of rest.”Bengal, placed in Group D in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, begin their campaign against Mizoram in Cuttack on February 21.