Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been given a unique watch worth $1.3 million as part of his collaboration with luxury designers Jacob & Co.
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All-time great lives luxurious lifestyle
Now boasts his own watch collection
Limited editions with only 999 made
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The relationship between Ronaldo and Jacob & Co founder, Jacob Arabo, has grown over the course of a 20-year partnership. They have now worked together to deliver a high-end collection that features two special designs – the Flight of CR7 and the Heart of CR7.
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THE GOSSIP
The models include images of Ronaldo in iconic poses from his remarkable career, with his legendary No.7 printed in gold on the sapphire crystal case back. The Al-Nassr striker has also seen his signature worked into the design.
WHAT RONALDO SAID
Ronaldo, who is famed for his glamorous lifestyle, has said of collaborating with leaders in the luxury jewellery industry: “I've always dreamed of having my own watch collection. The @jacobandco Flight of CR7 & the Heart of CR7 takes inspiration from some of my most iconic moments on the field. I hope you like them as much as I do.”
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DID YOU KNOW?
Only 999 pieces of the limited edition range have been made, making them even more appealing to watch collectors and Ronaldo fans around the world. They do not come cheap, however – with prices ranging from $29,000 to $160,000.
There is a hope that pitches will start to provide more encouragement in first-class cricket
Daniel Brettig08-Oct-2020
Ashton Agar has had a taste of Test cricket•Getty Images
Drew Ginn, Cricket Australia’s high-performance chief, concedes that not all states are mindful enough of nurturing spin bowling in domestic cricket, and has empowered the pathways manager Graham Manou to take a more focused approach to developing Australian spin bowlers as one of the key blind spots of the national team’s armoury for overseas tours in particular.Speaking ahead of the start of the Sheffield Shield in Adelaide from Saturday, Ginn acknowledged that some states were more amenable to developing spin bowlers than others, in concert with the types of pitch conditions prepared at their home venues. As a consequence, he said that CA needed to be doing all it could to prepare players for coping with challenges they were likely to face overseas, particularly in terms of bowling spin and batting effectively against it.Australia have won just one series in Asia since 2006, on the 2011 tour of Sri Lanka, losing or drawing eight others in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the UAE in that time. While the Test match exploits of Nathan Lyon have been triumphs of persistence and faith, the retirement of Steve O’Keefe earlier this year again left the reserve cupboard nearly bare, save for the encouraging progress of the Queensland wrist spinner Mitchell Swepson, who told ESPNcricinfo he had needed to learn to play “second fiddle” to the pacemen in Brisbane.ALSO READ: Sheffield Shield preview: Squads, players to watch, new signings and fixturesCA is yet to re-hire the noted spin-bowling coach Craig Howard, a mentor to Swepson and others such as Ashton Agar, but Ginn said that the governing body needed to provide opportunities for spin bowlers to develop outside the state system when Shield pitches and match scenarios did not afford them enough of a chance to grow. Manou, as manager of the talent ID path from junior ranks through club and representative games up to national selection, is pivotal in this area.”Spin bowling’s something we need to keep fostering and driving forward,” Ginn said. “If the states, the environments they’re playing in, aren’t really catering to that, certainly one of the aspects of what we can do in the national system is making sure that centrally, we’re providing opportunities to ensure that players are international ready.”We’re always discussing about the next wave of young kids that are coming through and the skill sets we need for the national team. We’ve got a model called series planning, where we’re looking 18 months to two or three years down the track to major events and we’re looking at where our gaps and opportunities are.Getty Images
“One of the skill sets is spin bowling, playing spin and delivering spin. The view for us is let’s not try to get everyone in the system doing the same thing all at the same time. Let’s make sure we understand what’s happening in the different state environments [and] internationally let’s look at what we’ve got to get ready for, and then make sure we’re really providing the opportunities for players that are coming through.”Howard has noted that while Lyon has proven to be extremely durable, the next rank needed to be encouraged and placed under the pressure of match scenarios in which they were required to bowl sides out in the fourth innings on deteriorating surfaces: a set of circumstances that has grown increasingly rare in the Shield and has advocated changes to pitch preparation to rebalance things. Pre-coronavirus, conversations had turned to whether spin bowlers might be granted chances to play in overseas first-class tournaments in addition to Australia A tours, though this option now looks far less viable.ALSO READ: Cricket Australia spin chief: Sheffield Shield pitches, not the ball, need to change “This year’s going to be difficult from that point of view, but maybe when things do open up a little bit, getting our spinners to work in other first-class systems around the world so they can have that feeling of having to be the man and having to be the person to bowl that team out on the last day,” Howard said. “Or looking at options within our first-class system as far as scarification of wickets in their areas.”Gaz obviously isn’t getting any younger, although he’s incredibly fit and he’s not going anywhere any time soon, if something was to happen to him, we want to make sure there’s plenty of back-up options, not just the one or two that are playing Shield cricket. Ideally it’d be great to have six or eight options to pick the best one available at the time. Also when we head outside of Australia, there’s going to be a real need for two, sometimes three spin options in some of these areas so we want to make sure we’ve got six or eight to pick the best three.”Getty Images
Ginn, who works in a parallel role with CA’s head of national teams, Ben Oliver, said that it was important for venues to accurately reflect their characteristics in Test matches, rather than providing grassier or more “sporting” pitches for Shield games.”There’s been some good conversations during the winter months,” he said. “We’ve got to keep making sure that every part of the game is fostered and developed, and the spin bowling stats are something that people do cite. I know there’s discussions always among curators as to how they make their venues play so that’s really critical to us.”But also how do you make sure that the venue characteristics that do allow for spin bowling are really utilised. So there’s good changes that have been occurring the last few years to make sure every major venue plays as the major venue characteristics are, and I think for spin bowling, hopefully in the next one to two seasons we start to see a change there.”
تحدث خالد جلال مدرب الزمالك السابق والتحدي الليبي الحالي، عن مواجهة الفارس الأبيض أمام المصري، المقرر لها اليوم ضمن منافسات بطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية، معلقاً على رحيل جوزيه جوميز.
ويلتقي الزمالك مع المصري، على استاد برج العرب بالإسكندرية، في الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات لبطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.
وقال خالد جلال في تصريحات عبر قناة “صدى البلد” عن توقعه لمباراة الزمالك والمصري: “أتمنى التوفيق للأبيض، الزمالك دائمًا في ظروف صعبة من حيث الغيابات، لكن صعوبة اللقاء هي رحيل جوميز فجأة وفي توقيت حرج، لكن صعوبة المباراة في أن المصري حقق الفوز في مباراتهما الأخيرة، ومع عدم وجود مدرب هذا الأمر سيضغط اللاعبين، لكن الزمالك يبقى الزمالك رغم الغيابات وعدم وجود جوميز، لأن جوميز عندما كان موجودًا خسر أمام نفس الفريق”.
طالع أيضاً.. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الزمالك والمصري اليوم في الكونفدرالية.. والمعلق
وتابع: “مشكلتنا في مصر أننا نختلق الأعذار للمدرب الأجنبي، عكس المصري، جوميز من المدربين الجيدين ويتعامل بشكل جيد في المباريات المصيرية وباحترافية، لكن في الدوري الزمالك أنهى بفارق 29 نقطة عن الأهلي، ومجلس الإدارة مشكورًا صبر على المدرب، لكن لو هذا مدرب مصري لن يصبر عليه أحد، دائمًا نمنح الفرص للأجنبي ونختلق له الأعذار”.
وأكمل: “خلال المرحلة الأولى التي توليت فيها تدريب الزمالك بعد رحيل إيهاب جلال، حصلنا على الكأس وفزنا على الأهلي في الدوري بعد 11 سنة، والمرة الثانية جئت في ظروف صعبة بعد رحيل جروس، وكانت تتبقى 3 مباريات فقط على حسم الدوري، وتعادلت مباراة واحدة أمام الجونة وخسرنا الدوري، وتمت محاسبتي على هذا اللقاء، لو مدرب أجنبي كان تم الصبر عليه واختلقوا له الأعذار، وقالوا إنه ما زال لا يعرف الفريق، دائمًا يحدث ظُلم للمدرب المصري ويكون في (وش المدفع ويتهموه بالفشل)”.
الأنسب مصري أم أجنبي؟ أجاب: “التوقيت صعب، هناك مدربون زمالكاوية مميزين جدًا، لكن جميعهم يقودون أندية حاليًا، أرى أن الأنسب أجنبي”.
وأوضح: “كان الله في عون مجلس الإدارة، لأنهم يريدون تفصيل مدرب أجنبي، الزمالك نادي بطولات، ولابد أن يكون المدرب مناسب للمرحلة وللإمكانيات ويُحقق بطولة، الموقف صعب، لكن أعتقد أن هناك مدربين يحبون عرض أنفسهم من خلال الزمالك، هناك مدربين كثيرين صنعوا اسمهم من خلال الزمالك، حتى جوميز”.
واختتم: “المدرب الأجنبي لديه ذكاء في أنه يلعب على مباريات البطولة، يفوز على الأهلي في السوبر يفوز بالكونفدرالية، دائمًا يكونون أذكياء مع الدعم المتوفر لهم، لكن المدرب المصري يعلم أنه لو كرة جاءت في العارضة قد يرحل”.
Replacing Jurgen Klopp is an almost impossible task, but it's one that Liverpool have reportedly taken a step closer to completing, with reports indicating that talks are progressing well with Ruben Amorim.
Liverpool manager latest
It looked for some time as though it could have been Xabi Alonso, who has enjoyed incredible success at Bayer Leverkusen, taking the German club to the Bundesliga title and on course to complete an unbeaten campaign across all competitions. Simply put, the Spaniard may have been top of any club's list this summer. But in the end, he chose another year at Leverkusen instead, taking Liverpool back to square one.
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Instantly, the likes of Roberto De Zerbi were mentioned after his success at fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. That deal looks unlikely, however, with the Reds instead turning their attention to Sporting CP's Amorim, who decided to remain defiantly coy despite the links in a recent press conference.
That hasn't put an end to the reports, however. Now, according to Rudy Galetti, talks between Liverpool and Amorim are progressing well and are at a key stage, as those at Anfield look to secure their replacement for Klopp without any issues.
As the weeks go by and Klopp's time at Anfield comes to an end, the rumours regarding Amorim are only likely to intensify, before perhaps culminating in his appointment this summer.
"Incredible" Amorim could make Alexander-Arnold even better
Although Trent Alexander-Arnold has spent every moment of his club career under Klopp, Amorim's system could play a part in unlocking an even better version of the England international. Given that his system uses wing-backs instead of traditional full-backs, Alexander-Arnold has the chance to focus even more on the attacking side of his game, potentially unlocking someone who could become Amorim's most important player.
Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold applauds supporters.
The formation could put Alexander-Arnold's transition into midfield on hold though, in a move that may leave those at Anfield frustrated. With talks progressing well, questions could continue over just what Amorim's plan would be with the current Liverpool squad. Full of so much talent, yet one that is yet to reach its full potential in certain areas, the squad may face quite a transition next season.
Described by Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig as "incredible" at the start of his managerial career, Amorim could now take his biggest step in management yet.
Which coaches will be delighted with their club's business and which players will be devastated by how things panned out?
The European transfer window slammed shut on Friday night, with a number of the continent's top clubs leaving it right until the last minute to try wrap up deals, with Raheem Sterling joining Arsenal from Chelsea and being promptly replaced at Stamford Bridge by Jadon Sancho.
Overall, spending was down this year, for a variety of reasons. England's elite remain wary of falling foul of the Premier League's Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR), while many Saudi Pro League sides were either unable or unwilling to splash anything like the same cash as last summer, which resulted in less money flooding into Europe – a major issue for those leagues struggling to make any money out of the sale of TV rights.
However, there were still plenty of major moves, which delighted some supporters and upset others. So, who were the big winners and losers of the window? GOAL breaks it all down below…
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WINNER: Manchester City
Say what you will about Manchester City and how they've got to this point, but they've become masters of the transfer market. After winning a treble last year and a historic fourth-consecutive Premier League title in May, there was a risk that some of their senior stars might decide to move on, having won everything that's worth winning during their time at the Etihad.
However, City managed to convince Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson to spurn Saudi Arabian interest in their services, while at the same time taking £21m ($27.5m) off the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in exchange for outcast Joao Cancelo.
The English champions also got treble-winning captain Ilkay Gundogan back off Barcelona for nothing and signed Savinho from Troyes for the same money they sold Cancelo, thus perfectly illustrating the benefits of being part of a multi-club ownership group.
To top it all off, Atletico Madrid were willing to commit to an £81.5m ($107m) deal for Julian Alvarez. Pep Guardiola would have liked to have held onto such a valuable utility forward, but it was an offer simply too good to refuse from City's perspective – particularly when one considers that it means the club has made a massive profit this summer without weakening their squad. Remarkable.
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LOSER: Barcelona
This summer was meant to be different for Barcelona. President Joan Laporta insisted the club was very close to getting back on an even keel after years of instability caused by his predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu, who resigned in 2020 with the club on the verge of bankruptcy.
However, even in spite of all of Laporta's lever-pulling, Barca still found themselves scrambling around in the final week of the transfer window, trying to cobble together enough cash to register their one significant signing of the summer, Dani Olmo.
Most shockingly of all, even after selling academy products and allowing serial winner Ilkay Gundogan to leave for nothing just to get last-season's top assist-maker off the wage bill, Barca were only able to register Olmo because of a conveniently-timed injury to centre-back Andres Christensen, as La Liga's financial rules allow clubs to exceed their salary cap limit if a player is ruled out for an extended period of time.
It is incredible to see Barca in such a perilous financial position, but they obviously only have themselves to blame because while Bartomeu created this mess, it's now become clear that Laporta & Co. aren't doing a particularly good job cleaning it up.
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WINNER: Paris Saint-Germain
Might Paris Saint-Germain be better off without Kylian Mbappe? It may sound strange, but the French champions could benefit from the departure of their former poster boy, at least in the long run. Obviously losing him for nothing was devastating and replacing his goals is going to be a seriously tough task, but Mbappe was PSG's problem child. He'd embarrassed them on more than one occasion and Parc des Princes should be a far more stable environment without one of the most petulant characters in the game today.
His departure has also created space for other top talents to flourish at PSG, such as Bradley Barcola, who has made a very strong start to his second season in the French capital, and new signing Desire Doue, the latest potential superstar to come out of the Rennes talent factory.
Elsewhere, Willian Pacho is already looking like an excellent partner for Marquinhos in the centre of defence, while Portugal teenager Joao Neves has wasted little time showing why so many of us believe him to be a generational talent.
PSG probably could have done with signing a striker during the summer, especially as Goncalo Ramos is facing a spell on the sidelines, but the change of recruitment strategy we're seeing under sporting director Luis Campos and coach Luis Enrique could pay off handsomely. Mbappe may be gone, but it will be worth keeping an eye on the new project in Paris.
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WINNER: Kylian Mbappe
Talk about player power! Mbappe made both PSG and Real Madrid jump through hoops for him for the past two years before eventually leaving the former to join the latter very much on his own highly-lucrative terms.
Madrid, remember, were astounded when Mbappe decided against moving to Santiago Bernabeu in 2022. They thought the deal was done, but the France forward decided to stay at PSG, who had to deny claims that they'd made him their de facto sporting director in order to convince him to extend his stay at the Parc des Princes.
He was always going to end up at Madrid, though, and there were no hard feelings on show as Florentino Perez proudly presented Mbappe to an adoring 80,000 fans at the Bernabeu on July 16. Did they really need another forward? Not at all, but Perez doesn't give up on Galacticos. He simply has to sign them.
As for Mbappe, the transfer really does represent "a dream come true". The boy from Bondy that had Cristiano Ronaldo posters on his bedroom wall growing up, is Madrid's most celebrated signing since the Portuguese phenomenon.
The only problem now, of course, is that Mbappe has to prove that himself worth the wait – and the money…
While the focus at Arsenal is very much centred around their ongoing Premier League and Champions League ambitions, attention will soon turn to the upcoming summer transfer window, with Mikel Arteta no doubt seeking further reinforcement to help maintain his side's upward trajectory.
A notable area of concern may well be the midfield ranks, with the Gunners perhaps still seeking to fill the void left behind by one-time skipper Granit Xhaka, despite having bolstered their ranks with the £105m addition of Declan Rice last summer.
With Odegaard pulling the strings in a creative role ahead of the Englishman, the only issue remains just who is the long-term fit to complete that triumvirate, with both Jorginho and Thomas Partey into their 30s and Kai Havertz – who has scored ten goals this season – now typically operating in a more advanced berth.
Granit Xhaka's Bundesliga season in numbers – Bayer Leverkusen
28 games (28 starts)
1 goal
4 'big chances' created
1.5 key passes per game
92% pass accuracy rate
1.5 tackles & interceptions per game
7.2 balls recovered per game
52% total duels won
10.9x possession lost per game
1.5 fouls won per game
Stats via Sofascore
As such, it is no surprise to see reports that the north Londoners are seeking to acquire a new addition in the centre of the park who could potentially take on that Xhaka role for the foreseeable future…
Arsenal's search for a midfielder
According to a report from Portuguese outlet O Dia – via Sport Witness – earlier this week, the Emirates outfit are potentially set to 'make an offer' for Wolverhampton Wanderers starlet, Joao Gomes, with the Brazilian having enjoyed a promising first 18 months at Molineux.
As per the piece, the former Flamengo man – who made the move to England back in January 2023 on a £15m deal – is also under consideration for rivals Manchester United, with Arsenal set to have competition in their pursuit this summer.
Any deal is also complicated by the 23-year-old's current contract which runs until 2028, ensuring any suitor may have to pay in excess of £40m ahead of next season.
How Joao Gomes could fit in at Arsenal
While Arteta's men have certainly thrived without Xhaka in tow this season – as their place in the title race can attest to – there's no denying the impact that the Swiss star made last term, scoring seven goals and providing a further seven assists in the Premier League.
That ability to impact proceedings from his left-eight role in the midfield made the 31-year-old a particularly effective presence in attack, having been lauded as a "revelation" in that advanced berth by club legend, Nigel Winterburn.
Seeking someone to perhaps take on that role in the near future, Arteta and Edu could do worse than look the way of Gomes, with the £30k-per-week machine a real "all-action" asset and a genuine "box crasher" who is a menace in the final third – as per data analyst, Ben Mattinson.
That can be seen in the fact that the in-demand talent has scored twice and chalked up one assist so far this term for Gary O'Neil's men, with both of those efforts coming against Arsenal's bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in north London back in February.
Much like Xhaka was a real "fighter" during his time at the Emirates – as per pundit Alan Hutton – Gomes has also proven himself to be willing to put in the hard yards defensively, having been hailed as a "dog of a ball winner" by Mattinson.
Ahead of this weekend, the two-cap Brazil international ranked in the top 1% for tackles made among his peers across Europe's top five leagues, as per FBref, having notably averaged 3.9 tackles per game in the league this season – ahead of even that man Rice (1.6 tackles per game).
Joao Gomes for Wolves
All in all, if Arsenal can strike a deal for anywhere close to the £40m mark, it could represent a truly astute deal to help finally replace Xhaka in north London.
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Manchester United are trying to see the positive side of Leny Yoro's three-month injury lay off, it has been revealed.
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French teenager ruled out for three months
United hope he can settle more easily
PSG were wary of defender's frailty
WHAT HAPPENED?
The French teenager signed for United in an eye-catching £52m ($66m) move from Lille but disaster struck in only his second game for the Red Devils. He broke his metatarsal in the pre-season friendly defeat by Arsenal in Los Angeles, ruling him out for three months.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
While the injury to the club's biggest signing of the summer is far from ideal, insiders are hoping the time out of action will help him settle in Manchester and adapt to life at United, according to . There is also hope that he will be 'fully up to speed' when he returns in November and gets ready to make his Premier League debut.
DID YOU KNOW?
Yoro is thought to have injured his foot in an innocuous tangle with Gabriel Jesus. The club are not citing the condition of the SoFi stadium pitch as a factor for the injury. However, it has been revealed that Paris Saint-Germain had concerns about Yoro's vulnerability to injury and that was why they pulled out of a potential move for the defender.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?
United finish their USA tour against Liverpool on Saturday in South Carolina. In the mean time, the club are hoping to sign two more defenders before the season starts. The Red Devils have reportedly made opening bids for Bayern Munich duo Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
South Africa’s new head coach talks up key lessons about diversity as he prepares to take on England
Firdose Moonda21-Dec-2019Some call it bullish, while others call it bullying. Mark Boucher had been labelled both during his playing career. On the field, he was the man up for a fight. Off it, he was one of the toughest fines’ masters around: if he ordered it, you drank it. He was the ultimate boytjie. And then came that day in July 2012.When Boucher’s career was ended by that freak eye injury, three Tests before he planned it would, he was forced to turn his focus inwards. Initially, it took him completely away from cricket and into nature conservation, and then it brought him back as a coach. At the Titans, Boucher was open to running his dressing room differently to the ones he had played in. He let go of the schoolboy-style ideas of hierarchy and embraced modern methods of man-management which are less dictatorial and more focused on individualism.Under Boucher, the Titans won five trophies, produced Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi and Heinrich Klaasen for the national side, gave Dean Elgar and Theunis de Bruyn a franchise to find and re-find form and harnessed the talents of players such as Farhaan Behardien and Junior Dala to form a competitive unit. Just read those names and you can see differences of culture, background and experience. That Boucher was able to impact them all speaks of the biggest lesson he has learnt as a coach, and presents a softer and more considered side to a man we all thought we knew as uncompromisingly hard.”My way is not always the right way,” Boucher said at the South African training camp in Pretoria. “There were times in my career where I used to go out there and be quite aggressive and try and impose myself on team-mates and this is what I have learnt about diversity within a set-up. Sometimes you won’t get the best out of the players if you are trying to get them to be like you. My biggest lesson is to let people be who they are and let them be natural. I played at my best when I was natural but my natural wasn’t the same as AB’s [de Villiers’] natural or JK’s [Jacques Kallis’] natural. That’s a big lesson I have learnt with regards to leading individuals.”
Sometimes you won’t get the best out of the players if you are trying to get them to be like you. My biggest lesson is to let people be who they areMark Boucher on his coaching philosophy
Boucher’s observations about difference are essential at a time when the South African team risks appearing as if it is returning to the monotone days of the past. Although seven of the national side’s support staff were not part of the famed “clique”, as Herschelle Gibbs dubbed it, four most definitely were, and two of them are in the most influential positions. Graeme Smith is the acting director of cricket and Boucher is the head coach until 2023.In addition, Jacques Kallis is the batting consultant for this summer and Paul Harris’ role as spin consultant is ad-hoc but, considering Boucher was appointed above Enoch Nkwe, who is now his assistant, and taking into account the racial dynamics in South Africa, there are already accusations of a whitewash. While Gibbs has congratulated Boucher, he has also hinted that there is a concentration of power in certain peoples’ hands and so Boucher’s message of inclusivity and humility is even more important.”If you look at every team, they’ve got different characters and I want those different characters to come out because I think they add value to team unity,” Boucher said. “The other thing is understanding that we don’t know everything and there’s certain players in there that have played a lot of Test cricket. Sometimes you’ve just got to be a man manager to them. Other individuals coming in maybe need a little bit more coaching and knowledge passed on to them to try and speed up the learning process.”To apply that approach, not only does Boucher have to be perceptive enough to know which players need him more than others, he also has to able to get his own personality out of the way. And that already seems to have happened.”It’s important that you don’t have guys with egos,” Faf du Plessis, the captain, said. “That’s the most important thing when it comes to leadership groups, especially if there’s a few names thrown into the mix. For someone like Mark Boucher who has been coaching for the last three or four years with the Titans, seeing what it is like on the other side, because coaching and playing are two different roles, and you can see his development from a personality point of view.ALSO READ: Explainer: How and why Cricket South Africa’s crisis unfolded”He also understands that it’s give-and-take. He will come in sometimes and I’ll pull away and vice versa and I think that only comes when you are mature enough to understand what a leadership group looks like and are secure in your own position. If you are insecure, then you are going to feel like you need to talk all the time because there is another big voice in the team but I don’t feel like that at all.”Boucher still talks tough and is quick to remind anyone who asks that South Africa have recovered from tough times before, citing the 2-1 win in an ODI series against Australia after the Hansie Cronje scandal as his example. He needn’t go that far back, though. South Africa pulled themselves together after losing Boucher in the first warm-up match in 2012, which could have put their plans in disarray that summer, to beat England 2-0 and claim the ICC Test mace.So perhaps it’s only fitting that now, seven years later, with another crisis at their door, Boucher is back to try and fix things. But this time, it’s both the same and a different Boucher. It’s still a Boucher that is willing to roll his sleeves up and do the “dirty work” of preparation, and a Boucher that is willing to push others to their limits, but it also a Boucher that is content to sit back and watch what happens rather than bulldoze his way through.”Our role as coaches is about trying to create an environment for these guys to go out there and play their best cricket,” he said. “It’s been hard work on the coaches, we have thrown a lot and my shoulder is a bit sore but we want to get the dirty work done. And the dirty work is sometimes a bit uncomfortable for the players in the nets but we spoke about being adaptable and open to change and to try and break the ceiling a bit and see how far we can push ourselves as individuals and as a team.”
Foram poucas horas de negociação e conversas até que o Botafogo dissesse “sim” e aceitasse o pedido da CBF em ceder o Estádio Nilton Santos para ser uma das sedes da Copa América, que será realizada no Brasil. Mesmo que o Alvinegro tenha que buscar um novo estádio para jogar – São Januário é o plano A -, a diretoria resolveu aceitar.
O primeiro fator levado em consideração foi a visibilidade. Como a presença de público ainda é pouco provável – e, se acontecer, será em menor escala -, o estádio, que é todo caracterizado nas cores do Botafogo, estará visível a todo momento nas partidas, treinamentos e dias de duelos.
Isto sem contar com a óbvia promoção “apenas” em participar do torneio. O Estádio Nilton Santos terá contato com o quinto campeonato de cunho internacional desde a sua inauguração. Antes, a arena sediou Jogos Militares, Jogos Olímpicos, Jogos Paraolímpicos e Pan-Americano.
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A parte financeira também pesou. A CBF, que entrou em contato com o Botafogo pedindo a “participação” do Nilton Santos, arcará com todos os tipos de despesa, manutenção e remodelação do estádio. O Alvinegro também ganhará dinheiro pelo aluguel nos jogos – vale lembrar que estão previstas duas partidas no local.
O gramado do Estádio Nilton Santos, atualmente desgastado pelo excesso de partidas, passará por uma mudança visando a disputa da Copa América. O plantio será melhorado para que sejam apresentadas melhores condições de jogos. O Botafogo enxerga isto com bons olhos, já que aproveitará a estrutura deixada após a competição de seleções.
Como o Glorioso terá que mudar, pelo menos, duas partidas da Série B como mandante de lugar, também será de responsabilidade da CBF cuidar disto. A entidade custeará locomoção e aluguéis para a equipe dona da arena em que o Alvinegro jogar. São Januário é o Plano A da diretoria do clube de General Severiano.