July 6, 2022
The brief from today:
Ghana adding strength from diaspora
The Ghana Football Association has been appealing to European players with Ghanaian heritage to consider playing for them over the past few years. Current coach, Otto Addo, who himself was born and raised in Germany to Ghanaian parents, has been part of the charm offensive. He has been credited with convincing a number of German based players like: Stephen Ambrosius, Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer, and Patric Pfeiffer to opt for Ghana at the senior international level. It seems like the FA’s efforts are gaining further momentum as yesterday, Spanish born Inaki Williams, who has represented Spain once at senior level in 2015, announced his allegiance to Ghana going forward. Today, another name was added with Tariq Lamptey, who has played for England up to the Under-21 level, joining the Ghanaian ranks. Players are able to switch allegiance provided they only played less than three competitive matches at senior level for the previous country before turning 21. Taking part at a major international competition like the World Cup, or another continental tournament (Euros, AFCON etc.), however, would block any potential switch in national teams. With the World Cup taking place this year, some of these player decisions are hardly surprising. Ghanaian fans are split on the Ghana FA’s approach, but the latter will be hoping to build the strongest side they can before heading to Qatar in November.
PSG pays off another coach
Yesterday, PSG announced their new coach for the upcoming season, Christophe Galtier. The former Saint-Etienne, Lille, and Nice manager became the capital club’s seventh person to hold that position since Qatar Sports Investments (QSi) bought the side in 2011. To bring in Galtier, PSG relieved previous coach, Mauricio Pochettino, of his duties with one year still remaining on his contract. As a result of his early dismissal, the Argentinian was paid a severance of €10million. These payoffs are not new, however, as they’ve almost been normalized in the past five years. Laurent Blanc, who was the manager in 2017, was sacked two years before his contract, and his settlement was roughly €20million. His replacement Unai Emery bucked the trend by deciding to leave so no payout was required. Thomas Tuchel, who came in after Emery, however, was also sacked in 2020 before his contract expired resulting in a €7million payoff. A total close to €40million being paid to terminated coaches over the past five years is no small figure, and it further displays the financial realm PSG operate in compared to most clubs.
Laurent Blanc (above) has received the highest severance from PSG thus far: €20million
Flamengo target a big name
Rio based, Flamengo, host a Copa Libertadores Round of 16 match tonight against Tolima. According to Brazilian media, one of the spectators expected at the Maracana is Chilean midfielder, Arturo Vidal. He won’t be attending just for the spectacle, however, as he’s scheduled to undergo his medical with the club prior to a transfer from Inter being finalized later this month. Only recently, it seemed like Vidal was on his way to Argentinian side Boca Juniors, but Flamengo stepped in and made a more convincing offer to the 35-year-old. The deal, once confirmed, will see him tied to the club for 18 months earning €4million in that timeframe. Flamengo are currently eighth in the Brazilian Serie A, eight points behind league leaders Palmeiras, and as mentioned earlier, are in the knockout round of the Copa Libertadores. They will need Vidal’s experience to further their ambitions in both competitions once he officially makes his way to Rio.
Arturo Vidal looks to be on his way to Flamengo