La Liga finds no evidence of racial abuse of Diakhaby

Latest headlines: 

* La Liga finds no evidence of racist abuse of Diakhaby

* RB Leipzig extend Orban's contract

* Wenger: Automated offside calls by Qatar 2022

April 9

La Liga: No evidence of racial abuse of Diakhaby 

La Liga has said it had found no evidence that Cadiz player Juan Cala directed racist language at Valencia's Mouctar Diakhaby during a game last Sunday. 

Spain's football league said it had analyzed audiovisual material available from the game, as well as hiring a lip-reading expert to investigate the accusations. 

"Following an analysis of the elements available to La Liga, it can be concluded that no evidence has been found of Juan Cala using the denounced language towards Mouctar Diakhaby," a Liga statement read. 

Diakhaby reacted furiously after an altercation with Cala in the 28th minute of the game, claimng the defender has used derogatory language related to the color of the Black player's skin. 

The match was stopped for 25 minutes before re-starting and French defender Diakhaby was substituted by coach Javi Gracia for the restart. Cadiz went on to win the game 2-1. 

In reponse to the La Liga statement, Valencia issued their own statement saying "the club have by no means changed our opinion on what occurred in the game, and maintain our full support for Diakhaby."

Cala has maintained his innocence throughout and Cadiz have stressed that they believe their player's version of events. 

The Spanish football association's (RFEF) own investigation into the matter remains ongoing. 

RB Leipzig extend Orban's contract

RB Leipzig have extended the contract of their former captain Willi Orban to 2025 and agreed to employ the defender after he retires as a footballer. 

"Willi has been a big part of our successful path over many years and also proven this season how important he is for our team," said sporting director Markus Kroesche in a statement.  

Orban, 28, joined the then-second division side in 2015 from Kaiserslautern and helped the team earn promotion to the top-flight before becoming a challenger in the Bundesliga and Champions League. 

The German-born Hungarian international was RB Leipzig's captain until last season when he passed the armband to Marcel Sabitzer following an injury-hit campaign. 

April 8

Wenger: semi-automated offside calls by Qatar 2022

Arsene Wenger has said that introducing an automated system for making offside calls could be in place by the World Cup in Qatar. 

"The automated offside I think will be ready for 2022," the 71-year-old Wenger, a former longtime Arsenal manager and now chief of  global football development at FIFA, told the "Living Football Television" program. 

"Automated means it goes directly from the signal to the linesman and the linesman has on his watch a red light that tells him offside or not offside," Wenger said.

Goals scored are currently reviewed by video with calibrated lines being studied to see if a player was in an illegal position. 

"On average, the time we have to wait is around 70 seconds, sometimes one minute 20 seconds, sometimes a little bit longer when the situation is very difficult to appreciated."

The game's rule maker, IFAB, said last month it was continuing to review the offside law and planned to test technology that would allow for 'semi-automatic' decisions to limit the need for long waits for VAR reviews. 

Schalke board member to quit over threats 

A member of the Schalke board has decided to quit at the end of the season in response to "anonymous hostility and even threats made towards him and his family for some time," the Bundesliga bottom club said Thursday. 

Alexander Jobst, director for marketing, sales and organization, is to step down on June 30 in a decision Schalke said its supervisory board accepted "with regret, but understanding." 

The 47-year-old Jobst has been on the Schalke board since 2011 and said he was leaving with a "very, very heavy heart and it took me a long time to come to this decision." 

"Schalke are losing a well-known expert, whose successes speak for themselves," said board chairman Jens Buchta in the club's statement. 

Werder Bremen advance to German Cup semifinals

Japan striker Yuya Osako fired Werder Bremen into the German Cup semifinals scoring their lone goal in their 1-0 quarterfinal victory over second-division outfit Jahn Regensburg on Wednesday. Bremen are to host RB Leipzig on April 30 for a place in the final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on May 13. 

The quarterfinal had been postponed from early March when Regensburg were quarantined after a Covid-19 outbreak. 

"It wasn't a top performance from us, but we just wanted to get to the semifinals," Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt told German broadcaster Sky. "I think everyone in Bremen will sleep well tonight." 

French Open delayed by a week

Organizers of the French Open have announced that the second Grand Slam of this year's tennis season is to be delayed by one week due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament is now scheduled to take place from May 30 to June 13, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) said.  

FFT President Gilles Moretton, said the decision "will give the health situation more time to improve and should optimise our chances of welcoming spectators at Roland-Garros." 

Wimbledon, the next Grand Slam tournament on the tennis calendar, said in a statement that the decision had no impact on its planned start date of June 28. 

April 7

FIFA suspends Pakistan, Chad

FIFA suspended the national soccer federations of Pakistan and Chad on Wednesday amid disputes about how they should be run.

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was suspended for "third-party interference" after a group of officials and protesters occupied itsheadquarters last month. The protesters oppose a "normalization committee" appointed by FIFA to run the sport in Pakistan after years of infighting by groups of officials.  "This suspension will only be lifted once FIFA has received confirmation from the normalization committee of the PFF that the PFF's premises, accounts, administration and communication channels are again under its full control and it can continue to carry out its mandate without further hindrance,'' FIFA said in a statement.

Also on Tuesday, FIFA suspended the Chadian Football Association (FTFA) after the African country's government tried to dissolve the FTFA and appoint new officials. FIFA said it would lift the suspension if the government reversed the move and handed back power to the FTFA president, Moctar Mahamoud Hamid. Chad was disqualified from African Cup of Nations qualifying last month when the Confederation of African Football ordered it to forfeit two games as a result of the dispute. 

April 6

Gnabry tests positive for COVID-19

Bayern Munich and Germany forward Serge Gnabry will miss the next couple of weeks after testing positive for COVID-19, his club have confirmed.

Bayern coach Hansi Flick had said Gnabry was unlikely to be included for Wednesday's Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain due to a sore throat, but the club later revealed the 25-year-old German had tested positive and was quarantining at home. 

Denver set for MLB showcase after Georgia rumpus

Major League Baseball has announced Denver as the new venue for the prestigious All-Star Game, US media report, after Atlanta was dropped as host due to Georgia's controversial new voting laws.

Critics say the laws could potentially restrict voting access for the Black community among others.

“I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft," commissioner Rob Manfred said of the July 11-13 events.

Marozsan to miss Germany games due to Lyon isolation

Dzsenifer Marozsan will miss Germany's games against Australia on April 10 and Norway three days later because her club side Olympique Lyon must observe coronavirus quarantine, the DFB has announced.

The whole Lyon squad is in isolation after a positive coronavirus cases and Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has decided to leave the midfielder out of her plans even when the quarantine period elapses. 

Media report say Boateng to leave Bayern in June

Defender Jerome Boateng will leave Bayern Munich in June,  influential German football magazine Kicker says, after the club's board officially rubber-stamped the decision not to extend his contract.

The 32-year-old has been at Bayern for 10 years, winning two trebles. Bayern have already recruited RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano for next term but with David Alaba also leaving, other reinforcements may be necessary.

Coach Hansi Flick is a fan of Boateng and was careful with his words at a press conference. "Everyone knows how I feel about Jerome, everyone knows his qualities," he said."I have said everything and don't want to say any more."

April 5

Youssoufa Moukoko out for the rest of the season

Borussia Dortmund's 16-year-old wunderkind Youssoufa Moukoko will miss the rest of the season after suffering a ligament injury in his foot while training with the German under-21 national team.

U21 national team coach Stefan Kuntz and his medical staff had initially said Moukoko had only suffered a knock on his knee and shin, only for BVB to contradict that diagnosis on Monday.

Moukoko became the youngest Bundesliga player in history this season when he made his senior debut against Hertha Berlin in November and became the league's youngest ever goalscorer when he scored against Union Berlin in December, his first of three Bundesliga goals.

Antonio Rüdiger in Chelsea training row

German international Antonio Rüdiger was involved in a training ground dispute with Chelsea teammate Kepa Arrizabalaga on Sunday and was ordered to end the session early by coach Thomas Tuchel.

Less than 24 hours after Chelsea's shock 5-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Sunday, Rüdiger reportedly went in late on goalkeeper Arrizabalaga, leading to a pushing match between the two.

Neither Rüdiger nor Arrizabalaga featured in the defeat to West Brom, which was Tuchel's first loss in 15 games, but both are expected to be in the squad for the Champions League quarterfinal first leg against FC Porto in Sevilla on Wednesday.