Nottingham Forest fined over FA charges after Liverpool clash

Nottingham Forest have been fined £75,000 after failing to control players and staff following the final whistle of their narrow Premier League defeat to Liverpool on 2 March.

Forest coach Steven Reid, who was shown a red card after the game had finished for abusive language towards a match official, has been fined £5,000 and issued a two-game touchline ban.

The game finished in controversial fashion when Darwin Nunez scored the only goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time, beyond the initial eight indicated by the officials. Forest were incensed when possession was returned to Liverpool after a pause for a head injury, just moments before the decisive goal went in. Forest had the ball prior to the game being stopped.

The club accepted the FA charge regarding the behaviour of players and staff, with independent regulatory commission settling on a £75,000 fine based on a history of seven similar incidents between 2017 and 2023. Fines have been increased each time from an initial £5,000.

Reid, part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s backroom staff, admitted that his language towards referee Paul Tierney was abusive and insulting and the reason for his red card. He denied that he continued to act in an improper manner and/or use abusive language continued afterwards. However, the independent regulatory commission found that charge to be proven.

Forest coach Steven Reid was sent off after the game had finishedForest coach Steven Reid was sent off after the game had finished

Forest coach Steven Reid was sent off after the game had finished / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages

Tierney gave his version of events in an incident report.

“Following the final whistle I was surrounded by members of Nottingham Forrest’s substitutes and backroom staff on the field of play,” the official explained.

“One of those who approached me was Steven Reid (a coach of Nottingham Forest) who was not listed on the teamsheet. He asked me about a decision and I said to him that I will speak to him inside and not outside on the field of play.

“He then continued to question me and I repeated that I would speak to him inside. He then said, ‘it’s the same every week, you c***.’ I showed him the red card and then he said ‘I worked with you f***ing lot every f***ing week last season. It’s the same every f***ing week you c***’. He then continued to use the word f*** and called me a c*** on at least one more occasion (making that a minimum of 3 in total) as we were making our way off the field of play.”

In response, Reid had said in his own witness statement, “I did not repeat those words as we were making our way from the field of play.”

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Real Madrid learn extent of Eduardo Camavinga injury on international duty

Real Madrid are relieved to learn that Eduardo Camavinga suffered only a minor injury when the midfielder was forced off in the first half of France’s 3-2 win over Chile on Tuesday.

Camavinga was in visible discomfort when he limped out of the game in the 44th minute, replaced by Matteo Guendouzi. With the tough tackling 21-year-old a starter for Madrid and the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City on the horizon early next month, there had been concerns over his condition and if it might rule him out of upcoming games.

But after early reports of a sprained ankle and more tests required, those fears have now been allayed. After the player reported back to Valdebebas on Wednesday, AS writes that it can be considered only a “simple sprain” and is not expected to result in Camavinga missing any games.

Eduardo CamavingaEduardo Camavinga

Camavinga should be available for Real Madrid’s next match / Xavier Laine/GettyImages

He is set to do special recovery work with the physios and medical staff on Thursday and, all being well, should rejoin the rest of the squad for full training on Friday. As a result, Camavinga is tipped to be involved when Madrid host Athletic Club in La Liga on Sunday night, with no problems predicted ahead of the City game at the Bernabeu nine days after that.

Camavinga is the long-term future of Madrid’s midfield alongside Jude Bellingham, 20, Aurelien Tchouameni, 24, and Arda Guler, 19. But the latest on 34-year-old Toni Kroos is that he intends to stay for at least one more season amid reports he will extend his contract until 2025.

There were murmurings that Kroos, who reversed his international retirement to play his first games for Germany in three years this month, could hang up his boots after playing at Euro 2024 on home soil. But the veteran’s decision to continue his career is a huge boost to Madrid.

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Barcelona dealt transfer blow in race for Girona star – report

Barcelona have been dealt a significant blow in their transfer pursuit of Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia, with Premier League and Bundesliga sides set to rival the cash-strapped Catalans.

Signed by Manchester City aged 18 almost a decade ago, Garcia has been building his reputation with Girona since joining the club in Spain’s second tier in 2021.

This has been a watershed season for the midfielder as part of an unexpected La Liga title challenge, which is only just starting to falter, bringing him to the attention of a number of interested suitors.

Barcelona are targeting midfielders in the summer and Catalan-born Garcia appears on a shortlist of options alongside Joshua Kimmich, Amadou Onana and Mats Wieffer. SPORT has reported that Barca, having failed in an attempt for Garcia in January over financial constraints that would have prevented the player from being registered, will try again come June. However, there is no concrete proposal at this time and there cannot be until it is clear whether the budget will allow it.

Aleix GarciaAleix Garcia

Garcia was once a teenager on Man City’s books / Rafa Babot/GettyImages

It is said that the initial contact made has been “frozen for weeks”, which is not good for Barca when there are un-named sides in both England and Germany who pose a threat to their plans. The player himself is said to be aware of the additional interest, although his preference remains Barca.

Garcia is under contract with Girona until 2026, with his release clause reported to be €20m (£17m). SPORT notes that Barca could offer players in exchange in order to lower their potential cash outlay.

Garcia, now 26, might be considered an upgrade on 32-year-old Oriol Romeu, signed from Girona as a stop-gap to provide cheap midfield depth for less than €4m last summer.

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Football transfer rumours: Man Utd open door to Toney; Barcelona’s Haaland plan

90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world…

Manchester United may consider entering the race to sign Ivan Toney in their search for a new striker. Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with the Brentford talisman, who scored his first goal for England on Tuesday night. (Fabrizio Romano)

Arsenal have cooled their interest in Toney and are now focusing on Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, who only joined from Coventry last summer. (TalkSPORT)

During trips to watch Gyokeres, Arsenal were also impressed by the performances of centre-back Ousmane Diomande. (The Sun)

Bayern Munich are willing to pay a world-record €100m fee for a defender to sign Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo. (MARCA – Spain)

Ronald AraujoRonald Araujo

Araujo has been linked with an exit / Diego Souto/GettyImages

The father of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz has teased his son could move to Spain at some point in his career. (Cadena SER – Spain)

Barcelona retain an interest in Erling Haaland and the Spanish giants want to make another play for the Manchester City striker in 2025. (Mundo Deportivo – Spain)

Chelsea have opened talks with RB Leipzig over a deal for Spain playmaker Dani Olmo, who is seen as someone who could fill holes left by Conor Gallagher and Raheem Sterling should they depart this summer. (Football Transfers)

Manchester City lead Real Madrid and Barcelona in the race to secure Joshua Kimmich, whose Bayern Munich contract expires in 2025. (Fichajes – Spain)

Tottenham are weighing up a move for Al Ittihad winger Jota, who played under Ange Postecoglou at Celtic. (HITC)

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England’s best and worst players in spirited draw with Belgium

England showed their grit and determination on Tuesday evening, twice fighting from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with Belgium at Wembley.

It may have only been an international friendly, but Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time equaliser stopped Garteh Southgate’s side from falling to successive defeats on home soil following the weekend loss to Brazil.

It was a largely impressive performance from England as they looked far more dangerous in the final third than on Saturday, but the Three Lions could have come away with a victory if it hadn’t been for some disappointing individual errors at the back.

Here are England’s best and worst performers from the draw with Belgium.

Kobbie Mainoo – 8/10

Kobbie Mainoo, Zeno DebastKobbie Mainoo, Zeno Debast

Mainoo’s first start was impressive / Julian Finney/GettyImages

It’s bordering on boring to say at this point, but are we sure that Kobbie Mainoo is 18 years old?

The Manchester United midfielder seized the opportunity to impress on his first England start, exhibiting his maturity and defensive resilience up against the likes of Leandro Trossard and Jeremy Doku.

However, it was Mainoo’s attacking performance that was so impressive at Wembley. The teenager played a huge part in England’s first-half equaliser with a quick turn of pace and incisive pass into Bellingham, and he continually drove forward with the ball from deep positions. If it wasn’t for a smart stop from Matz Sels after the break, he could have opened his England account as well.

The youngster is a special talent and may well have already guaranteed himself a spot on the plane for Euro 2024 after just two appearances.

Honourable mention

Jude Bellingham – 8/10

Scoring a 95th-minute equaliser should be enough to secure you player of the match, but Bellingham will have to settle for honourable mention. To be honest, it was a toss of the coin between the two young midfielders, with the Real Madrid man also mightily impressive at Wembley.

He showed great composure to secure England a draw and his perfectly weighted pass helped force a first-half penalty. He was at the heart of England’s best moments in the attacking third and he is the difference-maker for Southgate.

Jordan Pickford – 4/10

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Pickford’s mistake put England on the back foot / ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages

Jordan Pickford has been much improved when it comes to costly individual errors and rarely puts a foot wrong in an England shirt. However, his inaccurate pass was pounced upon by Belgium just 11 minutes into the match, with the Everton stopper’s attempts to keep out Youri Tielemans’ subsequent 20-yard effort far from inspiring.

Pickford was almost a spectator for the remainder of the game, but those are the mistakes that will prove decisive in major tournaments. A night to forget for Southgate’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Dishonourable mention

Lewis Dunk – 4/10

A few of England’s defensive players struggled against Belgium, despite not coming under too much pressure. Joe Gomez was poor in a rare international outing and couldn’t handle Doku, but Lewis Dunk, similalry to Pickford, was guilty of handing the visitors a goal.

The Brighton defender, whose passing was also a bit wayward at times, failed to deal with a routine ball in behind, stumbling and allowing Romelu Lukaku to attack the penalty area. The Roma striker, who capitalised on an eerily similar Dunk error in the Europa League several weeks ago, set up Tielemans with a magnificent cross as England went into the break behind.

Centre-back remains a problem area for England with John Stones the only elite option Southgate currently possesses, and Dunk will have done himself no favours with a nervy display on Tuesday.

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