Lionel Messi Sentenced to 21 Months in Jail For Tax Fraud

 
Barcelona and Argentina football star Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after being found guilty of three counts of tax fraud, according to a statement from the Spanish court.

Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, has also been found guilty for the same three counts of tax fraud, defrauding Spain of €4.1m between 2007 and 2009.

Both are also subjected to hefty fines amounting to several millions in Euros for the use of tax havens, particularly in Belize and Uruguay, to conceal earnings.

Despite the sentence, both are expected to avoid jail as prison sentences under two years in Spanish law can be served under probation.

The sentence may be appealed through the Spanish supreme court.

Jamie Vardy Rejects Arsenal To Remain With Leicester City

Jamie Vardy has made his intentions to stay at Leicester City loud and clear by extending his contract for four more years at the club, worth £100,000-a-week.

The news comes amid Arsenal’s bid for the England International which triggered his £20million release clause. The release clause has now been removed on the new contract between Vardy and Leicester.

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Premier League 2016/17 Fixtures: Who Does Your Team Face on Opening Day?

The full list of fixtures for the upcoming 2016/17 season has been released, with champions Leicester City facing Hull City as they begin their title defence.

Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United will travel to Bournemouth for their first fixture of the season while Antonio Conte’s begins life as Chelsea’s manager in a London derby against West Ham.

The most notable opening fixture however is at the Emirates where the Gunners host Liverpool.

Beyond the opening weekend, notable dates include 10 September where Mourinho faces long-time rival Pep Guardiola with their new clubs Manchester United and Manchester City. The game will be played at Old Trafford.

Liverpool and Manchester United are set to clash on 15 October at a newly-renovated Anfield, while Arsenal play Tottenham at the Emirates on 5 November. The Christmas season looks pretty hectic as well with Liverpool hosting Manchester City on New Year’s Eve.

Premier League 2016/17
Opening Weekend Fixtures:

Arsenal v Liverpool

Bournemouth v Manchester United

Burnley v Swansea City

Chelsea v West Ham United

Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion

Everton v Tottenham Hotspur

Hull City v Leicester City

Manchester City v Sunderland

Middlesbrough v Stoke City

Southampton v Watford

Premier League 2016/17 begins on August 13

Daniel Agger Retires: Relive His Best Moments At Liverpool

Former Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger announced his retirement from professional football earlier today at the age of 31.

The ex-Liverpool man spent eight years at Anfield, establishing himself as one of the Kop’s fan favourites, evident by the resounding agony at the news of his departure two years ago.

Paying tribute to his career, here are some of his best moments at the club:

1) His Glorious First Goal For Liverpool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvfNyXHAsRg
Any Liverpool fan can tell you about the left foot that Daniel Agger possesses and this was the goal that started it off. Trailing 1-0 to West Ham after a Zamora goal, Agger’s wondrous strike from range levelled the game which ended in a 2-1 victory to The Reds.

What a hit, son. What a hit.

2)When He Did This To A Goalkeeper

You wouldn’t normally associate Agger with mischief but this goal poaching attempt was a sight to behold. The No. 5 earned a yellow card and the goal was disallowed, but I think even Daniel would say it was well worth a go.

3) When He Gave Torres An Elbow To The Face

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhLNAIeG-ts
After Fernando Torres left Liverpool for a shock move to Chelsea, no one wanted to see the sunny Spaniard get off unscathed. Agger heeded the call and gave Torres a good elbow in the face. Serves him right.

4) The Day He Got Y.N.W.A. Tattooed

‘Nuff Said

5) Another Glorious Goal Against Blackburn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mox4DAIpBlE
That left foot we spoke about earlier? The Great Dane replicated his thunderous strike against West Ham with an equally devastating left foot strike against Blackburn. The result is mouthwatering.

6) That Goal Against Chelsea

https://youtu.be/_yhU3kKBDM0?t=24s
After suffering a 1-0 first leg defeat at Anfield against bitter rivals Chelsea, Agger’s early goal against the Blues brought the game to penalties which eventually saw The Reds to another Champions League final.

7) Scoring Against United

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuXHx7aZMXo
The best way to seal your status as a Liverpool fan favourite is of course by scoring against lifelong rivals Manchester United. This header was his only goal against the Red Devils, but given that he was a centre-back, Liverpool fans won’t hold that against him.

So Liverpool fans, what were some of your favourite Daniel Agger moments and which ones did we miss? Let us know in the comments below!

Jamie Vardy named Premier League’s Player of the Season

The party doesn’t seem to end when it comes to Jamie Vardy and his remarkable season so far.

Having already been named Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association and winning the Premier League with Leicester with two games in hand, the fairytale year for Vardy isn’t going to fizzle out anytime soon.

The striker beat fellow teammates Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante, Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan for the award.

Other players who were shortlisted include Mesut Ozil, Harry Kane, Dimitri Payet, Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld.

The 29-year-old has scored 24 goals so far and is still in the running for the Golden Boot Award with one goal behind top scorer Harry Kane.

Vardy has been all but confirmed to be in Roy Hodgson’s England side for the European Championship (EURO) 2016.

 

 

UEFA Champions League and Europa League Finals To Be Streamed On YouTube For Free!

You heard that right. The UEFA Champions League and Europa League finals will be streamed on YouTube for free by broadcaster BT Sport, according to the BBC.

While the stream is supposedly available only for viewers in the United Kingdom, most savvy football fans would be familiar with the usage of VPN tools to find a way around the geographical restrictions.


Image courtesy of BT Sport.

The Champions League final takes place on 28 May (2.45am on 29 May GST+8) in Milan with Spanish sides Real Madrid taking on derby rivals Atletico Madrid.

Prior to this, Europa League holders Sevilla will be defending their title against Liverpool on 18 May (2.45 am on 19 May GST+8) in Basel.

The stream will be hosted on BT’s YouTube channel (

Zlatan Ibrahimovic set to leave PSG

Paris St-Germain’s living legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic has just confirmed on Twitter that he will be leaving PSG at the end of the season.

On his official account, Ibrahimovic posted: “My last game tomorrow at Parc des Princes. I came like a king, left like a legend.”

The 34-year-old joined PSG from AC Milan in 2012 and scored 152 goals for the Ligue 1 champions.

Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move to LA Galaxy.

Djibril Cisse’s New Job Is Going To Surprise You

While most careers typically span over 40 years, the shelf-life of a footballer lasts merely a fraction of that. We’ve witnessed some of our favourite football stars make their transition from player to manager, while others settle for more vocal roles as television pundits and commentators.

Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse however has never been one for convention. Having sported a range of over-the-top hairdos to pioneering the practice of wearing boots that don’t match, Cisse has established himself as simply one of those players you love to hate and hate to love.

Well, it appears our friend Djibril has taken the first two letters of his first name quite literally and has pursued a career in DJing. His most recent milestone was opening for Mariah Carey at her Paris concert.

https://twitter.com/DjibrilCisse/status/722760700632895491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

He tweeted before the concert: “I have the honour and joy to announce that I’ll be opening for the great Mariah Carey tomorrow evening.”

We’re glad Cisse has landed on his feet after his run of bad injuries in his former clubs. From what we gather on the man’s Twitter account, he’s open for bookings at [email protected].

Petr Cech Is Beyonce And He Knows It

It’s always a wildcard using footballers in adverts. There have been clear winners, from Beckham’s Pepsi ads in the early 2000s, to the Beats World Cup rally in mid-2014. There also have been some clear losers.

This ad however, could really go either way.

In this bizarre ad for Europcar, Arsenal superstars Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Petr Cech find themselves in a rental car asking each other quizzes from an OK! Magazine.

What follows can either be the funniest thing you’ve seen all day or the reason for cringing all week long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZpK9WLVB98

 

New Chelsea Boss Facing Suspension And Possible Jail Term

Following the news of incoming Chelsea manager Antonio Conte’s appointment, an Italian prosecutor is calling for his arrest over his alleged role in a match-fixing case.

The trial is still on-going, with the defence making its final statement on April 11. The verdict will be announced mid-May.

(Feature image credit: Chelsea News)