FOOTBALL: Luis Enrique does not fear possible Suarez Clasico suspension

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique does not fear Luis Suarez could miss next month's La Liga encounter with Real Madrid due to suspension.

The Uruguay international has been booked four times this campaign heading into Sunday's trip to Villarreal and faces a one-game ban if he picks up another yellow card at El Madrigal.

However, Luis Enrique sees no reason to keep Suarez out of his starting XI against Villarreal, with Madrid next up for the leaders. 

"Suarez must approach the game against Villarreal like any other game," the Barcelona coach said at a news conference, before warning a tough test awaits on Sunday.

"Ideally, I would always like to have all of my players available, but that's not the way things work.

"Villarreal are one of the best teams around in La Liga. They are a very strong team and can dominate defensively."

Barcelona will possibly have to make do without the services of Andres Iniesta on Sunday due to injury, but Rafinha is ready to make his comeback after a six-month spell on the sidelines due to a knee problem.

"Iniesta is feeling some discomfort. We will see how he feels and if he can play," Luis Enrique added.

"We are not going to risk him. His injury is nothing serious, but we will see how he feels in training.

"Rafinha's injury was a real blow for us. But we are very happy that he is back and that we can count on him in the decisive stages of the season."

Sunday's match will be a special encounter for Denis Suarez, who left Barcelona for Villarreal at the start of the season.

The Catalans have an option to buy back the attacking midfielder, but Luis Enrique is adamant they will not make a decision based on his performance this weekend.

"The future of Denis does not depend on Sunday's game," he stressed.

"We will evaluate his entire season with Villarreal."

SOURCE: GOAL.COM

FOOTBALL: Welbeck would walk into this Manchester United side, says Scholes

Paul Scholes has hit out at Manchester United’s decision to sell Danny Welbeck to Arsenal, claiming that the striker would now be a huge asset to Louis van Gaal’s side.
The Old Trafford outfit were dumped out of the Europa League by Liverpool on Thursday, and their former midfielder launched another attack on those running the club for their short-sighted approach that has diverged from the traditional values of the side.
"He [Welbeck] would walk into this team, without a shadow of a doubt and he’s just been allowed to go," the Red Devils legend told BT Sport.
"Every time I watch United I keep thinking of the players that have been allowed to leave the club. You’re scratching your head. I think Welbeck is the biggest example of that, he should have never, ever been allowed to leave this club.
"He’s a big example of what Manchester United are, he was here from nine years of age and came right through to the first team. He’s quick, he’s strong, can score a goal, can make a goal, can play left wing, can play right wing.

"Whether that’s come from the manager or beyond I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it probably did come from the manager. It should never ever have been allowed to happen."
The 25-year-old striker has played only eight times for the Gunners this season due to injury, scoring three times.

SOURCE: GOAL.COM

DONALD TRUMP HACKED: ‘You should have expected us’: Anonymous leak Trump’s public ‘private data’ in #OpWhiteRose

Hacker squad Anonymous has leaked Donald Trump’s already public “private” phones, addresses and social security number in what they called a new phase of their “total war” against the GOP frontrunner, vowing it would get way worse.

Members of the hacktivist collective have data-dumped what they claimed to be some of Trump’s most sensitive information, which includes his private cell phone number, SSN and address of his Palm Beach resident in Florida. Moreover, the “doxxing” has targeted Trump’s personal agent and legal representatives, whose phone numbers have now “gained publicity.”

“These are provided for informational purposes only,” Anonymous said in a YouTube video. “… That might be able to assist you all in independently investigating this would-be dictator.”

While the latest “leak” was advertised as a Phase-II in the operation against Trump, some in the hacktivist collective pointed out that the released information was already publicly available or no longer accurate.

In fact Donald Trump himself shared the “private” cell phone number back in August of last year on Twitter.

Anonymous is calling this anti-Trump operation #OpWhiteRose, after a non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. Hackers announced the operation on March 16, saying that its major goal was “to unite to fight fascism”.

“The White Rose Society has risen again in the United States. They are at Anti-Trump protests, and rallies in support of their Muslim and Latino neighbors,” the hacktivist collective said.

Just two days ago Anonymous declared “total war” on Trump, calling on fellow hacktivists to unite with them in an attack against all of his websites on April Fool’s Day. Dubbed #OpTrump, the operation is aiming to “dismantle” Trump’s presidential campaign and “sabotage his brand.”

presidential campaign and “sabotage his brand.”

Earlier in March, Anonymous already leaked some of Trump’s voicemail messages from 2012, which unsurfaced American liberal media’s support for the billionaire.

The hacktivist group first threatened Trump with war in December, when he said he would look to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.

Since then, they’ve taken down Trump Tower website and launched a petition, calling to ban Trump from entering the UK which gained more than half a million signatures.

SOURCE: rt.com

RUSSIAN: KREMLIN: Pipe leak creates stir in Moscow (VIDEO)

“The Kremlin is burning!” “Explosion in the center of Moscow!” “Tram lines on fire!” “Trolleybus explosion!” – social media users were quite alarmed as massive clouds of “smoke” engulfed an embankment near the Kremlin.

In reality, a hot water pipeline broke on Sofiyskaya Embankment right Thursday night with floods of boiling-hot water flushing the street and clouds of vapor hazing neighboring areas.

The clouds were actually so dense that the Kremlin could not be seen from the nearby Patriarch’s bridge, witnesses told Russian media.

The break caused huge traffic jams in the center of the Russian capital as it took place right during the rush hour.

In the meantime, the image of the Kremlin surrounded by what seemed to be clouds of heavy smoke illuminated by red flashes from fire or explosion provoked a wave of panic in social networks.

“Kremlin is burning!” wrote one user in twitter commenting on the image showing dense clouds of vapor against the background of the Kremlin buildings.

Some twitter users assumed that a huge fire broke out in the center of Moscow with others claiming that the smoke was caused by explosion.

Later some users suggested that a tram line could be on fire or the incident may be caused by a trolleybus explosion.

The Kremlin itself did not appear affected by the break or its consequences. The incident did not disrupt the work of different services on the territory, one source told RIA Novosti.

SOURCE: https://www.rt.com

FOOTBALL: Van Gaal's shameful submission eases Man Utd out of Europe again

It was always going to be difficult for Manchester United to make it to the Europa League quarter-finals after conceding a two-goal lead to Liverpool in the first leg a fortnight ago. But Louis van Gaal’s decision-making will again come under the spotlight after the 1-1 Old Trafford draw which confirmed their exit.

Van Gaal spoke in his pre-match press conference like a man who knew full well his team was incapable of scoring four goals. He briefly mentioned their 5-1 win over Midtjylland in the previous round but for the most part he remained adamant that a 2-0 victory was his primary target.

“We have to beat them 2-0, not 3-0, because you can also do it in extra time,” insisted the Dutchman. “First, 2-0. And you know we have scored goals within two or three mins this season so it is possible… We don’t think of conceding goals.”

On Thursday night his approach suggested a single Liverpool goal was all it was ever going to take to turn his attentions towards the Manchester derby on Sunday and United’s quest to remain relevant in the Champions League race. Philippe Coutinho’s wonderful strike on the verge of half-time made a beaten man of the United boss.

He had tried to switch things up to begin with, going with a front three when in possession, but even that was somewhat mystifying given the employment of Juan Mata on the right of attack rather than Jesse Lingard when the Warrington-born wide man would have been more capable of pinning back makeshift left-back James Milner.

The continuation with Marouane Fellaini was another dubious call, but it was as much in his substitutions that he most clearly proved his acceptance of defeat long before the end. With his side needing three goals to progress to the quarter-finals and nothing to lose, Van Gaal used his three changes to bring on two full-backs and a defensive midfielder in a trio of like-for-like swaps.

Even David Moyes managed to produce a rallying European performance in his single season with United in 2013-14, but it was simply beyond Van Gaal. Given the way he has his teams play their football, this was always going to be a near-impossible task thanks to the 2-0 deficit they brought back from Anfield with them.

What United needed was a tactical change that would keep Liverpool guessing and would attempt to stem the flow of Scouse attacks. Instead they just caved in. Van Gaal’s work with this United squad over the past two years has been such that he had very few options available to him, and one of the few he did – substitute Memphis Depay – was ignored.

A full 21 years on from his one and only European title, Van Gaal has led United to two ignominious continental exits in one season. Both of them have come in games which they needed to win, started well and simply over-stretched themselves. At least in Wolfsburg in December they kept trying until the end, but on this night at Old Trafford, Van Gaal simply threw in the towel.

He cannot do the same with United’s season. The reduction in fixtures as a result of their Europa League elimination at least gives them a fresher look as players return ahead of the Premier League run-in and the FA Cup assault they could yet build with a number of mid-table types their only obstacles.

But when it comes to reviewing the 2015-16 campaign, there will be a hell of a lot of recrimination regarding Van Gaal’s role in the various failures so far. And this tie will be a prime example of his inability to find the right way to play a situation. A Europa League exit is not the end of the world, but a tame submission to Liverpool is very close to it.

source: goal.com

RUSSIAN: Russian forces could make Syria comeback 'if necessary'

Russian President Vladimir Putin says troops could relocate to wartorn country "within a few hours" if needed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to continue supporting the Syrian government in its fight against armed groups - even as some of his forces withdraw from the country. 

Speaking at the Kremlin on Thursday, three days after he ordered Russian forces to partially pull out from Syria, Putin said the move had been agreed with President Bashar al-Assad. 

He added, however, that Moscow could relocate its military contingent back to the country "within a few hours", if needed.

"If necessary, literally within a few hours, Russia can build up its contingent in the region to a size proportionate to the situation developing there and use the entire arsenal of capabilities at our disposal," Putin said, repeating that Moscow would keep a contingent at its air and naval bases in Syria.

The Russian leader also said Moscow would continue to carry out air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS),  al-Nusra Front and other "terrorist" groups.

His remarks came after a leading Russian general told local media that Moscow would complete the withdrawal of most of its forces in Syria before the end of the week.

In an interview with Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda, Viktor Bondarev, the commander of the country's air force, said the withdrawal "will be over very quickly".

He added: "Within the timeframe determined by (the president) and the defence minister. Today or tomorrow ... within two to three days we will complete the task." 

The interview was published in the newspaper on Thursday, but was put online late on Wednesday. It was not clear precisely when the general made his remarks.

The first group of Russian warplanes that left Syria arrived in Russia on Tuesday, while the second group of jets left the Khmeimim airbase in Syria on Wednesday.

The number of Russian soldiers in Syria has never been revealed, but US estimates suggest it varies from 3,000 to 6,000 military personnel on the ground.

SOURCE: RT.COM

FOOTBALL: I don't know how I scored that goal - Suarez

Luis Suarez was as stunned as many inside Camp Nou when reflecting on his acrobatic volley in Barcelona's Champions League triumph over Arsenal.

Heading into the last-16 match with a 2-0 aggregate lead, Neymar extended the advantage for Luis Enrique's men but Arsenal were not discouraged.

Mohamed Elneny hit his first goal for the club as Arsene Wenger's team created the bulk of the chances immediately before and after half-time.

But the hosts' nerves were extinguished in the truly spectacular style and Suarez leapt and contorted himself to spear Dani Alves' cross into the top corner.

Lionel Messi added a typically stylish third with an 88th-minute chip and Suarez was keen to credit the collective as attention focused on his individual brilliance.

"We played a complete game, they complicated the match by getting to 1-1," he told beIN Sport.

"I don't know how I hit that ball, but I scored.

"We needed to control the game when it was 2-1 because we knew about their physical condition and because they had the result going against them, we knew they were going to go and take the game to us.

"In the end we proved we are strong here and made home advantage count."

On the prospect of repeating last season's phenomenal treble, with Barca clear at the top of La Liga and into the final of the Copa del Rey, Suarez sounded a note of caution.

SOURCE: GOAL.COM

Kurdish woman shot dead at a wedding in Germany after she refused to enter an arranged marriage with her cousin

A Kurdish father identified as Ghazi H, whose 21-year-old daughter, Shilan was shot dead at a wedding in Germany has posted a picture of her in a pool of blood, the Sun reports.

The 50-year-old is demanding justice over the brutal killing of Shilan. Posting the graphic image on Facebook, he claimed his daughter had been murdered by relatives after rejecting an arranged marriage.

The devastated father said that his Kurdish family had fled Iraq and headed to Germany when his daughter was just three years old. Shilan had grown up to be a self-confident young woman with German citizenship, studying property management at college in Hanover.

"It is with the deepest sense of loss and pain that I announce the loss of my daughter. She died in a pool of her own blood, as a victim of a treacherous tradition," he posted on Facebook.

Ghazi claimed that two of his own brothers, Numan and Hassan, had tried to arrange a forced marriage for the young woman to her cousin Sefin, 22, (pictured) but she had refused. Shilan told her father that she did not love Sefin and rejected the arranged marriage.

"She begged me to do something and so I cancelled the engagement. But Numan and his son Sefin, the killer, refused to accept it. They were determined to take revenge to ensure honour was preserved, Ghazi said.

Ghazi said Sefin later shot Shilan with three bullets to the head. Police are allegedly still hunting him but the gun has been found.

"What they did was a terrible crime, against an innocent victim. They seem to forget that we are living here in Europe," Ghazi said.

FOOTBALL: Bayern Munich set TWO new Champions League records after Juventus revival

Bayern Munich completed a stunning revival to sink Juventus and reach the Champions League quarter-finals - and Pep Guardiola’s men set two new records in the process.
The German champions looked to be heading out of the competition after Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado had put Juve two ahead by half-time, but Bayern battled back to seal a 4-2 victory in extra time with goals from Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Thiago and Kingsley Coman.


Bayern have made it into Friday’s quarter-final draw and it’s the 15th time that the German club have made it to that stage of the competition - no other club has matched that.

Guardiola’s side have also scored three goals in their last seven home games in the Champions League - again, not even Barcelona can match that.

SOURCE: GOAL.COM

FOOTBALL: RUMOURS: Mourinho agrees first Man Utd deal

Jose Mourinho has agreed a sensational £85 million deal deal to sign Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain for Manchester United this summer, according to the Daily Express. 
The Portuguese has personally met with Higuain's brother, who is also the forward's agent, as he plots an overhaul at Old Trafford.
Mourinho is set to replace Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford this summer, and has provisionally agreed to the striker's contract demands; Higuain wants a five-year deal worth £8m-per-season. 
As such, the striker, who has scored 29 goals thus far this season, is set to earn £153,000-per-week at Old Trafford. 

SOURCE: GOAL.COM