Is It Win or Bust for Zinedine Zidane in Champions League Finale?
Unai Emery in line for Real Madrid reign, Zlatan knows his destiny, Mourinho and Man Utd scrap over coffee mugs and more in Sports Burst.
By Tim Stannard
1) Florentino planning for worst ahead of Madrid Demolition Derby
Just when the build-up to the Champions League was all looking very sedate with Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid set to carry on regardless next season irrespective of Saturday’s result, Sky Italia has plopped a dung bomb of controversy on the affair.
The story broken on Thursday morning is that Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, may have already grown tired of Zinedine Zidane and his looking for a replacement should the Rojiblancos rumble Real Madrid in San Siro.
The report suggests that Florentino has already reached out to Sevilla boss – and three times Europa League winner – Unai Emery, telling the Spaniard not to make any career decisions until after the Champions League final. Tune into the XTRA at 10PM ET for the latest on this story – which may be hokum - and all the Champions League build-up.
2) Zlatan knows where he is going. But he’s not telling
ZLATAN NEWS! Zlatan has spoken. And Zlatan has said that He knows exactly where He is going to play next season, now that His contract with PSG has ran out. But He is not telling due to the fun to be had in keeping everyone guessing. “I enjoy reading what the media write. It's fun," wheezed Zlatan has He prepares for the European Championships with Sweden. However, the football media world, who are normally quite wrong on such matters, are pointing in the direction of a move to Manchester United for a huge stack of cash, around a quarter of a million dollars a week by some accounts.
The question of whether or not King Zlatan will be reunited with Jose Mourinho is still up in the air, although it looks like some kind of deal will be done between the former Chelsea manager and the Old Trafford club before the end of the week. The current stumbling block is a very ‘modern’ problem – image rights. And who takes a cut for some of the delightful bits and bobs on sale here.
3) Masche to Juve rumors cool down but Dani Alves heats up
Stand down on all that Javier Mascherano business, says Juventus chief executive, Giuseppe Marotta, who suggests too much media speculation surrounding a possible move to Serie A. Speculation that was largely generated by Juve, themselves, to be fair. But rise and salute the story of Dani Alves heading to Juve instead. “Dani Alves is not our player but he's an important player,” confirmed the Juve bigwig to reporters.
Adding to the Barca backline departure lounge talk is ‘Marca’ which speculates that Claudio Bravo might be looking for pastures new, despite being first choice at the Camp Nou.
Some great news for Liverpool fans, Mario Balotelli looks set to return to Anfield after his stunning loan deal with AC Milan produced one goal in 20 Serie A appearances.
4) Dynamo powers down Coach Coyle as Cantona suggests racist rejection of Benzema
Some overnight news from MLS. Houston Dynamo and coach, Owen Coyle, have parted company by mutual consent. The Texan outfit currently sit bottom of the Western Conference with just three wins from 12.
Somewhat controversial fare from former Manchester United and France player, Eric Cantona. The former forward has suggested that Didier Deschamps leaving Karim Benzema and Ben Arfa out of the French squad for Euro 2016 may have been a decision born out of racial discrimination rather than football.
“Benzema and Ben Arfa are two of the best players in France and will not play the European Championship. And for sure, Benzema and Ben Arfa, their origins are north African. So, the debate is open,” says Cantona.
Group A is wrapping up on Thursday in the Toulon tournament. The winners will go straight through to the final with the second-placed side featuring in the third-placed playoffs. Those spots are currently occupied by France and the Czech Republic and the two teams play each other in their final clashes. A draw for the hosts is enough to move through to Sunday’s final. You can catch that game live on beIN SPORTS form 1.20PM ET.
5) Family takes legal action after Jules Bianchi death as American interlopers invade UK leg of Superbikes
The family of Jules Bianchi, the F1 driver who lost his life in July 2015 when the Frenchman’s car collided with a mobile crane the previous October in Japan, have announced that they will be taking legal action, arguing that his death was avoidable and due to a series of errors.
The World Superbike riders are gathering in the UK for Round 7. Amongst the familiar names and faces of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes will be the reigning Moto America champion, Cameron Beaubier, who is filling in on a vacant ride for the Yamaha team.
Stage 18 of the Giro d’Italia is already underway as the race reaches its finale in Turin on Sunday. Steven Kruijswijk is looking to seal the deal at the top of the race leaderboard with a three-minute lead over the rest of the competitors.
What is Sports Burst?
The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. SB is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.