David De Gea has thrown his support behind Victor Lindelof after the Swedish defender was taken off during Manchester United’s win against Norwich on Saturday after complaining of chest pains and breathing difficulties.
Lindelof was taken off with 15 minutes remaining as Ralf Ragnick maintained his undefeated run as United interim boss at Carrow Road, after the former Benfica man appeared in obvious discomfort and held his hand to his chest, prompting immediate concern from his teammates and the Manchester United medical staff.
Reports indicate that the 27-year-old center back complained to medics that he was suffering from chest pains and a racing pulse after what appeared to have been a mild collision with an opponent during the Red Devil’s 1-0 win.
Lindelof removes himself from the pitch, seemingly complaining about ‘chest pains’ pic.twitter.com/la4bhL0tlh
United boss Ragnick, who succeeded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the Old Trafford hot seat at the end of November, confirmed to the media afterwards that Lindelof had complained that he was suffering from various maladies, including a shortness of breath.
“Victor had problems to breathe and his heart rate was higher than normal. He was a little shocked,” the German said after the game.
“He can’t remember how it happened but he had a collision with another player. After the game we checked him.
“It seems everything is OK but we will have to see tomorrow. Hopefully he will be fit for Tuesday against Brentford.”
“The game doesn't matter.”
David de Gea gives an update on Victor Lindelof saying his health is more important than the game pic.twitter.com/QXrSQ3ogy1
Rangnick on Lindelof: “He was struggling to breathe and felt pain on his chest. They did all the tests on him and everything seems to be okay ” [@footballdaily]
Adding his concern was United goalkeeper De Gea, who was again pivotal in helping his side to victory in what was a below par performance against the relegation-threatened Norwich, and said that recent incidents involving Christian Eriksen and Sergio Aguero had initially left him fearing the worst.
“As soon as it was like difficult breathing and feeling strange, the game doesn’t matter,” said De Gea afterwards. “First of all is life. Football doesn’t matter.
“We saw some players who are feeling a bit of problems with their breathing. We saw Eriksen and Aguero.
“It is difficult to see your players acting like this and I hope he is fine. As soon I saw it was difficulty with breathing, it does not matter about the game – the main thing is to be safe.”
A Cristiano Ronaldo strike from the penalty spot was enough to hand his side all three points, but attention will now turn to Lindelof’s health status ahead of Tuesday’s visit to Brentford – and with Raphael Varane another injury absentee, it could mean that Ragnick’s rearguard could be further stretched amid an intense December calendar of domestic action for his side.
Double Olympic swimming champion Yannick Agnel has been arrested in connection with the alleged rape and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.
Agnel won gold medals in the 200-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter freestyle relay for France at the London 2012 summer Games.
As reported by the AFP, he was arrested in Paris on Thursday and taken into police custody in Mulhouse, which is five hours southeast of the capital close to the borders with Germany and Switzerland.
Prosecutor Edwige Roux-Morizot said that a complaint was filed for incidents that allegedly occurred “around 2016”, and included “rape and sexual assault on a 15-year-old minor”.
The victim is also a swimmer and trained with Agnel at the swimming club in Mulhouse from 2014 and 2016.
According to L’Equipe, several swimming colleagues were interviewed by police over the past few weeks before an arrest was made. Furthermore, the swimming club has monetary disputes with some of them who have left the institution.
Agnel, who has already been in court to collect €60,000 ($68,000) for the final year of his contract with an appeal against the ruling his favor set for March, is among their number.
MON, which is famous for once being the home of French Minister of Sports and 2000 Olympic backstroke silver medalist Roxana Maracineanu, is also being investigated for “attempted fraud” in events dating back to 2016.
Agnel was apprehended at his Paris home on Thursday, with his custody extended Friday morning.
According to Le Parisien, he has a “Garde à Vue” status of pre-trial detention which lasts up to 24 hours, but this can be extended to up to 48 hours by prosecutors.
After this time is up, Agnel can be released without any charges, released and given a court date, or, in the most serious cases, remain behind bars until a trial as seen in the UK with his compatriot Benjamin Mendy.
Before his arrest, Agnel had been working as a columnist and podcaster on E-Sports at France Info, who have suspended his contract.
Agnel announced his retirement from swimming after failing to defend his 200m freestyle title at Rio 2016 and advance through the heats.
In addition to winning gold twice at the Olympics, he is a 2010 gold medalist in the 400-meter event at the European championships, and won two golds again in the 200-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle at the 2013 world championships.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won a dramatic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by overtaking Lewis Hamilton on the last lap to clinch the F1 world title in a remarkable conclusion to the season.
Hamilton had seemed on course for victory and an eighth world title in total, but a late safety car allowed Verstappen to pit for fresh tires as he snatched the lead from the Mercedes man on the last lap.
Verstappen, 24, wins the world title for the first time while Hamilton remains on seven championships alongside German legend Michael Schumacher.
After a season of twists and turns, Hamilton and Verstappen had headed into the conclusion at the Yas Marina circuit level on points, meaning it was winner-takes-all on Sunday.
However, after Verstappen’s victory Hamilton fans will be left asking questions over the contentious circumstances at the end of the race.
Mercedes will surely demand answers over a messy denouement when the safety car was deployed following a crash by Williams driver Nicholas Latifi with five laps to go.
Verstappen pitted and the field bunched up. Crucially, race director Michael Masi made a late call to permit some drivers to overtake the safety car, having previously said they couldn’t.
That put Verstappen directly behind Hamilton on fresh soft tires rather than with stragglers to overtake, and he took full advantage by sweeping past his rival on turn five of the final lap.
Mercedes were left raging as boss Toto Wolff fumed on the radio that the situation was “not right”.
But when the dust had settled, it was Verstappen who had broken Hamilton’s streak of four successive F1 titles, also ending Mercedes’ run of seven successive wins.
“It’s unbelievable,” said the Dutchman, who is the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen.
“I don’t know what to say, my team deserve it, they are unbelievable.”
Verstappen and Hamilton were locked on 369.5 points heading into the season finale in the UAE, and the tone for yet another controversial showdown was set as early as the first lap.
Starting from second on the grid, Hamilton had made a blistering start by beating pole-starter Verstappen to the first corner, but the Red Bull driver attempted to recapture his position at turn seven, leading to the Brit heading off the track.
Hamilton rejoined in first place but a review was launched into whether Verstappen had been in the wrong by braking too late and “pushing” the Mercedes man off the track, or whether the Brit was beaten fair and square to the corner.
But race stewards decided not to investigate, meaning the places stayed as they were.
That drew fury from Red Bull and Verstappen, who described the decision as “incredible.”
DRAMA!
Hamilton and Verstappen jockey for the lead as there is controversy between the championship protagonists on the opening lap!
Following the controversial opening Hamilton soon opened up a healthy lead as Verstappen struggled on his soft tires before swapping to hards.
Hamilton followed into the pits to swap his mediums for hard tires, and emerged behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, whose team were hoping he could somehow hold up the Brit to get Verstappen back into contention.
Perez duly obliged by tussling with Hamilton, cutting his lead over Verstappen from five seconds to around two before the Mercedes driver finally found a way past.
Perez then made way for Verstappen to pass as the race returned to a straight shootout between the two championship rivals.
Hamilton again opened up a big lead but Red Bull seemed to be offered another glimmer of hope when the virtual safety car was deployed on lap 37 of 58 when Antonio Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo came to halt trackside.
Red Bull used the chance to bring Verstappen in again while Mercedes and Hamilton opted to stay out.
LAP 37/58
And Red Bull do call Max Verstappen in for a fresh set of tyres, under the Virtual Safety Car
Lewis Hamilton is now 17 seconds clear of his title rival – but is on much older tyres
By that stage the Brit’s lead was touching 18 seconds, although the fresher tires meant Verstappen could attempt an unlikely a last-ditch charge for the title.
Hamilton still seemed set to hold on in relative comfort, but there was one last twist on the cards when Williams driver Latifi crashed with five laps to go.
The yellow flag came out which gave the chance for Verstappen to pit yet again in one last roll of the dice.
When the safety car was removed the Dutchman pounced, speeding past Hamilton to take the checkered flag just over 2.5 seconds ahead of his rival, with Carlos Sainz Jr of Ferrari finishing third.
Hamilton, 36, was initially stunned at missing out on a record title but was gracious to Verstappen and Red Bull despite tensions often simmering over during a fiercely contested season.
“Firstly, congratulations to Max and his team,” said Hamilton.
“I think we did an amazing job this year. The team, everyone back at the factory, all the men and women we have, worked so hard all year in a difficult season.
“I am so proud of them, and so grateful to be part of the journey with them. We gave it everything this last part of the season and never gave up, that’s the most important thing.”
Mercedes at least had some consolation in the form of the Constructors’ Title, which they won for the eighth time in a row.
But for the first time since 2013, it was a Red Bull racer who ended the season as F1 world champion.
Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich has relented in his opposition to the Covid-19 vaccine as he pledged to take the jab as soon as possible after experiencing lung problems following a positive test for the virus.
Kimmich was one of several high-profile holdouts within German football and had initially announced his hesitancy in taking one of the several available vaccines against Covid-19, claiming concerns about the lack of long-term studies into potential side effects of the shots – but had stressed that he didn’t consider himself a so-called anti-vaxxer.
However, speaking to German outlet ZDF in an interview scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday, the 26-year-old now says he is willing to receive a vaccine, and reportedly indicated that he wishes that he had done so sooner.
“In general, it was just difficult for me to deal with my fears and concerns, that’s why I was undecided for so long,” the German international said.
His change of mind comes after Kimmich’s positive test for the virus in November, after which he experienced debilitating symptoms, including damage to his lungs, which are expected to keep him out of football until next year.
That came after Kimmich was one of several unvaccinated Bayern players to have their wages docked after being forced into isolation after coming into contact with a confirmed positive case.
That was in line with German law, which stipulates that an employer, in this case Bayern Munich, can withhold payments to unvaccinated employees who are forced into quarantine.
The other Bayern Munich players reported to have fallen foul of these rules were Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Michael Cuisance.
It was reported recently that Choupo-Moting had also experienced severe symptoms when he contracted Covid-19.
“I’m happy my self-isolation caused by the coronavirus has ended,” Kimmich told Bayern’s website after his period of self-isolation came to a close.
“I’m doing very well, but I’m not yet able to train fully due to slight infiltrations in my lungs.
“I’ll therefore do some rehabilitative training and can’t wait to be fully back in action in January.”
Germany’s Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger has praised Kimmich for announcing his intention to receive the vaccine.
“It’s a good decision,” she wrote on Twitter. “As a professional footballer and national player, he is a role model for many people. More vaccinations are the way out of the pandemic.”
Roughly 70% of the German population are currently vaccinated against Covid-19. Statistics indicate that Germany has recorded in excess of 6.5 million Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, along with 106,00 fatalities.
It was one of the most dramatic finishes to a Formula 1 season ever but Max Verstappen’s astonishing last-lap victory against reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi has left a bad taste in the mouths of some fans.
One of the most fractious seasons in recent F1 history got the type of box office climax it deserved when Verstappen took full advantage of the late introduction of the safety car to zoom past multiple-time world champion Hamilton on a dramatic final lap, clinching a maiden world title and breaking the hearts of Mercedes and British racing fans in the process.
The conclusion promises to be poured over by fans and officials alike, particularly after Mercedes lodged an official protest with the FIA over the decisions surrounding the safety car which ultimately cost Hamilton the title.
BREAKING: Mercedes have protested “against the classification established at the end of the Competition”, relating to alleged breaches of Articles 48.8 and 48.12 of the FIA Sporting Regulations#AbuDhabiGP#F1pic.twitter.com/bO6BLN8lv5
But it isn’t just the higher-ups in the Mercedes camp that are angered by the race’s conclusion, as more than a few angry F1 fans have taken to social media to vent their frustrations at what many are seeing as a ‘robbery’ against Hamilton authored by Formula 1 themselves.
The online allegations include suggestions that the F1 hierarchy engineered the chaotic last lap sequence in a bid to provide a glitzy, Hollywood-style finish to the most contentious campaign in years – and that Hamilton was the unfortunate victim of a conspiracy.
Others, though, just maintain that racing fans witnessed a good, old-fashioned ‘robbery’.
Either way, Twitter seems to be in agreement that all wasn’t quite right in the final stages of the thrilling race in Abu Dhabi.
Max is an absolutely fantastic driver who has had an incredible season and I have nothing but huge respect for him, but what just happened is absolutely unacceptable. I cannot believe what we’ve just seen.
That was incredible. Doesn't seem fair. @LewisHamilton will feel robbed, so far ahead, then penalised due to the safety car and seemingly arbitrary decisions (feels a bit like politics right now) Unbelievable. #formule1
“THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!” Formula 1 driver George Russell wrote on Twitter soon after the conclusion of the race.
“Max is an absolutely fantastic driver who has had an incredible season and I have nothing but huge respect for him, but what just happened is absolutely unacceptable. I cannot believe what we’ve just seen.”
In the end, it went right down to the *very* end
Max Verstappen passes Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the final race of 2021, to claim the title
“I don’t know what I’ve just watched but it can’t be right. Hamilton’s been robbed, surely?” added controversial British talking head Piers Morgan.
“That was incredible,” added another. “Doesn’t seem fair. Lewis Hamilton will feel robbed, so far ahead, then penalised due to the safety car and seemingly arbitrary decisions (feels a bit like politics right now) Unbelievable.”
A hint of the constructed reality with Michael Masi's rule bend to ensure a Hollywood finish to the season. Netflix will be pleased…
But either way Verstappen a true champion and Red Bull smart in how they threw the kitchen sink at it, and got the reward from the gods.
The FIA's decision was abnormal and I'd be fuming if I was Hamilton but I absolutely cannot be arsed with the conspiracy theories that the sport wanted Max to win. Masi and co would've done the same thing if the positions were reversed, they just wanted an exciting finish.
“A hint of the constructed reality with Michael Masi’s rule bend to ensure a Hollywood finish to the season. Netflix will be pleased,” came the thoughts of another fan, referring to the popular F1 series ‘Drive to Survive’ on the subscription platform.
“But either way Verstappen a true champion and Red Bull smart in how they threw the kitchen sink at it, and got the reward from the gods.”
“The FIA’s decision was abnormal and I’d be fuming if I was Hamilton but I absolutely cannot be arsed with the conspiracy theories that the sport wanted Max to win. [FIA race director Michael] Masi and co would’ve done the same thing if the positions were reversed, they just wanted an exciting finish,” said another.
Some, though, weren’t quite so upset at the conclusion.
Does this mean I won't have to listen to Lewis Hamilton getting of a private jet and telling me about climate change this winter? I think we are all winners in that case. The horror on Sky is so good
My personal favourite was Hamiltons comments about racing in Saudi Arabia, if you honestly believe that much in what your saying then why didn't he boycott it,it far more powerful than words
“Does this mean I won’t have to listen to Lewis Hamilton getting of a private jet and telling me about climate change this winter? I think we are all winners in that case. The horror on Sky is so good,” wrote sports writer Ewan MacKenna, obviously reveling in the result.
“My personal favorite was Hamilton’s comments about racing in Saudi Arabia, if you honestly believe that much in what you’re saying then why didn’t he boycott it, it far more powerful than words,” agreed another.
Another summed it up much more plainly: “The Hamilton fan meltdown is fantastic.”
