Iran coach leaves national team after defeat; Chelsea banned from transfers for 2 years?

On the afternoon of January 28, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien met and presented a gift from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to coach Park Hang Seo.

Coach Park Hang Seo received a gift from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc from Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Photo: VFF

Talking with Coach Park Hang Seo, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien congratulated Coach Park Hang Seo on successfully completing the assigned tasks in more than a year in office. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien thanked and highly appreciated the great contributions of Head Coach Park Hang Seo to the achievements of Vietnamese football in the regional and continental arenas.

More specifically, the achievements of Coach Park Hang Seo and his students have gone beyond the scope of a mere sport, becoming a source of inspiration for the whole society, national pride, spreading common joy and connecting tens of millions of Vietnamese hearts.

That same evening, Mr. Park and his wife returned to Korea to rest and celebrate Tet.

Carlos Queiroz leaves Iran after 8 years

Coach Carlos Queiroz confirmed that he will part ways with the Iran national team after the defeat to Japan in the 2019 Asian Cup. He posted a letter on his personal page to thank his players and staff for 8 years of working together.

“There are no words to express my gratitude to the Iranian players, for everything they have done over the years, from their efforts, their support to their dedication,” wrote Carlos Queiroz.

“Congratulations to Japan, the best team tonight, but kudos to Iran, for what they have given to their fans, to football and for the legacy they bring to the future.”

“This is one of the best teams I have ever coached in my career. I wish my players all the best. Now my journey will end. I have given my best, with the support of my staff. Thank you! And to all the Iranian fans.”

Korean midfielder joins Chinese club after Asian Cup

Kim Min-jae will play for Beijing Guoan FC, after returning from the 2019 Asian Cup. Speaking to the newspaperYonhap"I will go to Beijing," Kim said on January 28. "They have been talking to me since November last year."

Regarding the rumours of interest from Premier League club Watford, the 22-year-old Korean centre-back replied: "I don't know if there is a real offer from Watford. Even if there is an offer, I will have to solve the problem of work permits (in England)."

Kim was a star at the Asian Cup, where South Korea reached the quarterfinals before losing to Qatar. The centre-back nicknamed “The Beast” scored in both group stage games against Kyrgyzstan and China.

Kim won two Korean championships with the club Jeonbuk Huyndai (2017, 2018). In addition to winning the Young Player of the Year award in 2017, the 1.90m tall defensive star was also included in the best team for two consecutive years.

Kim won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games with the Korean Olympic team. This is the tournament where Korea beat Vietnam in the semi-finals and Japan in the final.

Another legend was fired without mercy

Coach Filippo Inzaghi, a former Italian football star, has been fired by Serie A club Bologna following the team's poor performance since the beginning of the season.

Inzaghi has been in charge of Bologna since June 13, 2018, replacing Roberto Donadoni. However, under the guidance of the 45-year-old strategist, Bologna has been playing very poorly. Last weekend, Bologna, despite playing at home, lost 0-4 in the reverse final against Frosinone. This defeat caused the team to fall to 19th place in the rankings and that was the last straw, when the team's management was forced to fire Inzaghi.

In announcing Inzaghi's sacking, Bologna president Joey Saputo thanked the Italian for "the work carried out with passion and high professionalism since his arrival at the club".

PSG confirmed losing two key players in the match against MU

The Champions League will return on February 13 with the highlight being the clash between MU and PSG. Currently, the "Red Devils" under Solskjaer are in very good form, having won 7 consecutive victories in all competitions.

Meanwhile, PSG is facing a bit of a disadvantage when key players are constantly injured. Recently, coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that Neymar and Verratti will be absent in the upcoming match against MU.

“PSG are having a lot of trouble losing Verratti and now Neymar. They are both important players, with great influence on the team. Finding a solution to fill the absence of Verratti and Neymar is really a challenge,” coach Tuchel shared. “I don’t have a player with a similar playing style to Neymar or Verratti. So it will be impossible to find a completely suitable replacement.”

Chelsea faces 2-year transfer ban

A FIFA investigation is underway into Chelsea's transfer dealings involving "more than 100 cases of young players". The FIFA investigation committee is looking into whether Chelsea should be banned from the transfer market for two years.

According to Mediapart (France), FIFA has spent 3 years examining many of Chelsea's and Premier League teams' young player transactions. "This is a major investigation involving several teams. The investigation will touch most of the major teams in Europe and the Premier League," a source close to the FIFA investigation agency told Telegraph Sport.

The inquiry initially thought Chelsea's transfers involved just 25 players, but The Guardian reports that figure is now believed to be more than 100. The investigation is not just looking at players who were transferred, but also at those registered at Chelsea's academy.

According to Mediapart, Chelsea was recommended to be fined 45,000 pounds and banned from participating in transfer activities for 2 years, equivalent to 4 transfer periods. At the moment, the Disciplinary Committee is in the process of concluding the investigation to soon issue a penalty. This means that Chelsea will have to provide evidence to escape the penalty.

Morata to make Atletico debut in Madrid derby

According to Marca, Alvaro Morata will have his official debut for Atletico Madrid fans on February 9 against his old club Real Madrid.

Alvaro Morata has officially joined Atletico Madrid on an 18-month loan deal from Chelsea with an option to buy. According to the schedule, Morata can participate in the match against Real Betis on February 3. But that match will be Atletico's away match at Benito Villamarín.

Atletico fans will have to wait until February 9 to see Morata play his first match at Wanda Metropolitano. It will be a special match for Morata if he is selected to play against Real Madrid that day.