Philippines national team player loses job when participating in ASEAN Cup 2024; Man City sells 6 key stars for Pep Guardiola to build a new empire

Philippine player loses job when participating in ASEAN Cup 2024

Center back Christian Rontini had his contract terminated by Madura United of Indonesia while playing at ASEAN Cup 2024.

Rontini is part of the Philippines squad for the 2024 ASEAN Cup. In the group stage, the Italian-Filipino player mainly played as a substitute. He was often brought on in the second half and played quite well, especially in the 1-0 victory over Indonesia in the final match of Group B. This achievement helped the Philippines qualify for the semi-finals, while Indonesia was eliminated from the tournament.

Indonesian media reported that just one day after Rontini and his teammates qualified for the next round, the midfielder's contract was terminated by his home team Madura United. The Indonesian club gave the reason that "Rontini has made little contribution in the past time".

Annis Zhafarina, Madura United's sporting director, said: "The contract between Rontini and us will end. Hopefully Rontini can find a new club that will give him more playing opportunities."

Rontini has not yet commented on the incident. He is currently with the Philippines team focusing on the two semi-final matches of the ASEAN Cup 2024 against Thailand. This is the first time in 6 years that the team has been in the top 4 strongest teams in the ASEAN Cup. The Philippines' achievements are praised when they did not have the strongest squad when participating in the tournament.

Singapore media fears Xuan Son

“The Vietnamese team has a formidable weapon named Nguyen Xuan Son,” the Straits Times wrote, emphasizing, “The Brazilian-born striker of the Vietnamese team is the main threat to the ‘Lions’ in the ASEAN Cup semi-finals.”

The player that Singapore’s leading newspaper fears was born in 1997 in Pirapemas, Maranhao in northeastern Brazil with the name Rafaelson. He became a Vietnamese citizen in September with the name Nguyen Xuan Son.

"Good players are worth waiting for," the Straits Times continued: "That's why Vietnam put Xuan Son on the tournament list, even though they knew he wouldn't be able to play the first three matches."

Describing the new recruit of the Vietnam team, the Singapore newspaper wrote: Xuan Son brings the samba style of Brazilian football, and at the same time proves the decision to call him up.Coach Kim Sang-sikis correct".

The Singapore newspaper also recalled that Sofascore gave the rookie a perfect score of 10.Vietnam teamafter the victory over Myanmar.

"In line with the changing mindset in the football world, Vietnam is considering Xuan Son's participation in the ASEAN Cup as a pilot case for assimilating naturalized talents," the Straits Times added.

The first leg of the semi-final will take place in Singapore at 8pm on December 26, and the second leg will be at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho 3 days later.

Man City sells 6 key stars so Pep Guardiola can build a new empire

Pep Guardiola's side have lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions, their worst run of form under the Spaniard since he arrived in 2016.

Man City are currently 7th in the Premier League and 12 points behind leaders Liverpool, while Arne Slot's team have played a game less, showing how difficult it is to continue the feat after winning the tournament four times in a row.

Before his unprecedented decline, Pep Guardiola extended his contract with Man City until 2027. He was considered untouchable, but things could turn around if Man City's situation does not improve.

According to Spanish football expert, Guillem Balague, in order to revive Man City by building a new empire, Pep Guardiola may be forced to be "cruel" and purge a series of key stars.

“Man City want to restore the nature and appearance of the team. They will remove 5 or 6 of Man City's main players and bring in the same number of new players, opening a new era. That is what Man City will do in the near future.”

Although not specifically mentioning the names of key stars who may have to leave Etihad, it is possible to 'narrow down' some such as Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne, 34 and 33 years old respectively, with their contracts expiring at the end of the season, while Kyle Walker is also 34 years old.../.