July 5, 2022
The brief form today:
Richarlison suspension
Brazilian forward, Richarlison, has received a one-match ban for the beginning of the 2022/23 Premier League season. He recently completed a £60million transfer from Everton to Tottenham, and it was an incident that took place at his former club which landed him the suspension. During a match last season between Everton and Chelsea, a flare was thrown onto the pitch by Everton supporters while celebrating Richarlison’s goal, and the player—reveling in the moment—threw the flare back into the stands. The odd thing about this suspension is the timing of it. When the match against Chelsea took place, Everton were in a relegation battle, and the 1-0 win, while helpful in their fight for safety, still didn’t secure their Premier League status for the next season. There were still five matches remaining, and both Burnley and Leeds were scrapping with Everton to stay in the top flight. With Richarlison being a such key player to the Everton cause, the issue became whether the authorities would sanction him at such a critical moment. They didn’t, and instead they deferred it to what was declared in today’s announcement. The ruling stated that his conduct was improper and was a breach of Rule E3, a rule that obviously existed last season as well. Whatever the case may be, the 25-year-old will now miss Tottenham’s first match in the upcoming season, and has also been fined £25,000.
Costly celebration
Goal difference
Two recent matches in Sierra Leone’s second division were the source of some astounding results. Eastern region sides: Kahunla and Gulf FC went into their final round of matches level on points, and were trying to outdo each other in their respective matches to gain a place in the Super 10 League—the last qualifying round for the Premier League. At halftime, Kahunla was leading 2-0, while Gulf FC was winning their match 7-1, and it was clear that goal difference was going to be the deciding factor. The second half of each match, however, was far from what anyone was expecting. Kahunla would go on to finish their match with a 95-0 victory, and Gulf FC would also win 91-1. Unsurprisingly, the Sierra Leone FA has now stepped in to investigate both games. The FA’s president, Thomas Daddy Brima, said, “We can’t stand by and see an embarrassing situation like this go unpunished. We’re going to launch an immediate investigation and bring to book all those responsible for this mediocrity. All those found guilty will be dealt with in accordance with the SLFA laws, and will also be handed over to the country’s anti-corruption commission.” Leadership from both sides are both claiming they will “never be part of match manipulation” and have also called for investigations.
Saudi Arabia, and Newcastle, catch heat
Newcastle are scheduled to play Bundesliga side, Mainz, on July 18 as part of preseason preparations. The German side’s supporters are far from pleased with this because of the Newcastle ownership. The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s investment arm, currently owns the majority of Newcastle, and Mainz’s fans were quick to voice their discontent with the human rights record of the Middle Eastern nation. Despite calls for the game to be cancelled, Mainz plans to proceed with the match saying they can’t back out because of the contract, but they are willing to meet with the fans and have a conversation about their various complaints. Last week, Watford fans protested against a scheduled match against Qatar for similar reasons, and the match was duly canceled. Seems like Mainz’s supporters were expecting a similar outcome, but the club views things differently.
