Rangers kick out Diomande offer
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jose Mourinho pays tribute as former Porto captain Jorge Costa dies aged 53
Former Porto captain Jorge Costa died on Tuesday at the age of 53 after suffering a cardiac arrest at the club's training centre, the Portuguese side said. The former defender, who was in his second season as Porto's Director of Professional Football, was rushed to hospital but could not be saved. 'Throughout his life, both on and off the pitch, Jorge Costa embodied the values that define FC Porto: dedication, leadership, passion and an unshakeable spirit of conquest,' the club said in a statement. 'He left his mark on generations of fans and became a symbol of Portismo.' Over his career, Costa played 530 games in all competitions, making 383 appearances for Porto and earning 50 caps for Portugal's national team. The centre-back helped the national side make the semi-finals of Euro 2000 and scored two goals for Portugal. The Portuguese Football Federation said: 'The Portuguese Football Federation deeply regrets the death of Jorge Costa. Footballer, coach, manager, and current director of professional football at FC Porto, Jorge Costa was one of the most remarkable players of a generation fundamental to the establishment of Portuguese football.' As captain, he led Porto to UEFA Cup glory in 2003 and a Champions League triumph in 2004 under manager Jose Mourinho. The defender was one of six players to win five consecutive Portuguese league championships with Porto, alongside Aloisio, Drulovic, Paulinho Santos, Rui Barros and Folha. He earned the nickname 'Bicho', translating to 'animal', from teammate Fernando Couto during their partnership in central defence. Mourinho posted a picture of the pair on Instagram, writing, 'I know what you would say now if you could, 'mister stop crying, tomorrow you have a match and your boys need you ready and strong'. I promise you Bicho, I am going to do it. RIP, because your legacy stay[s] with us.' UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin also paid tribute, saying: 'It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the sudden passing of Jorge Costa. 'A legend of Portuguese football, Jorge was more than a football player – he was a leader and a true warrior who inspired generations. He embodied grit, resilience and loyalty. His unforgettable moment lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2004 remains a legendary tribute to his unwavering dedication and spirit. 'On behalf of UEFA and the European football family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, team-mates, and all who are grieving his loss.' The Portuguese prime minister, Luis Montenegro, released a statement expressing his condolences and described Costa as 'an example of dedication and commitment to the teams he was part of and to our national team'. Costa returned to Porto in April 2024 as director under new president Andre Villas-Boas. 'Jorge Costa's legacy will always remain alive in the memory of all Porto fans. You will never be forgotten, Captain,' the club added.
Scotsman
23 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rangers match provisionally rescheduled - but Celtic decide not to take up option
SPFL issue update on gameweek three fixtures amid European permutations Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers' round three Premiership match against St Mirren has been rescheduled to Sunday, August 24 with a noon kick-off live on Sky Sports - but will be postponed if the Ibrox side progress past Viktoria Plzen to the Champions League play-off round. The SPFL has confirmed that Rangers have put in request to postpone the match at the SMiSA Stadium in Paisley if the beat the Czechs over two legs to set-up a Champions League main-phase shoot-out with either Club Brugge from Belgium or Austrian side Salzburg over the midweeks of August 20 and 27. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A new new policy, which allows clubs involved in UEFA play-off matches to postpone their round three fixtures, was approved by the SPFL Board in April to support clubs aiming to reach the league phase of UEFA competitions. St Mirren and Rangers are due to meet on August 24. | SNS Group However, Celtic have decided not to call off their match at home to Livingston on Saturday, August 23, at 3pm - which falls in between their own Champions League play-off tie against either Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava or Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan. It has already been announced that Dundee United v Aberdeen on Saturday, August 23 has been postponed following a request by Aberdeen, who will be participating in the Europa League play-offs against either FCSB of Romania or Drita from Kosovo. Falkirk v Hibs has been selected by Premier Sports for live broadcast on Saturday August, 23, kick-off 5.45pm, but, as earlier announced, following a request from Hibs will also be postponed if they overcome FK Partizan to reach the Conference League play-off round against either AEK Larnaca of Cyprus or Polish side Legia Warsaw. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The other matches across round three remain unaffected. Hearts v Motherwell meet at Tynecastle on Saturday, August 23 at 3pm, as do Kilmarnock v Dundee at Rugby Park on the same date and time.
Daily Record
23 minutes ago
- Daily Record
I fired Rangers to the Premiership title just months after turning down Celtic – and here's why I did it
Kemar Roofe says the Hoops were on his case about coming to Parkhead shortly before he joined Gers Kemar Roofe has revealed that he only joined Rangers just weeks after turning down an approach from Celtic. The Jamaica international was snapped up by Steven Gerrard from Anderlecht in a £4.5million deal in the summer of 2020 after a frustrating year in Belgium where he appeared just 13 times, scoring six goals. Roofe went onto play a starring role in Gers' Premiership triumph in the following season, finishing as their top scorer in the league with 14 goals as Gerrard's side ended Celtic's pursuit of a 10th successive title by going the whole 38-game long campaign unbeaten. But Roofe, 32, - who is now without a club after leaving Rangers for Derby County last summer - has lifted the lid on the sequence of events that saw him knock back the chance to talk to Celtic before ultimately making the move across to the other side of Glasgow. Speaking to Open Goal, he said: "It was Celtic first. Celtic asked my agent about it but I said no because my focus was just on playing for Anderlecht. "I went there for a reason to play. COVID cut it short so I didn't feel like I had done enough there. It was like 'what's the point in going out to Belgium, moving my whole family and then after a few months move back'. It didn't make sense. "Also, a week before that I had spoken with (Anderlecht boss) Vincent Kompany and he was like 'yeah we still want you here and we are building this and that..' "In my head, I was going to play the full season again at Anderlecht. And then literally a week later I got a phone call from Vincent Kompany saying 'Rangers have put in a bid and the club have accepted it'. "Celtic didn't put a bid in, they just spoke to my agent and said 'there is interest there would you fancy it?'. "The difference was Rangers put in a bid and as soon as that bid went in, the club (Anderlecht) was in a financial situation because of COVID, so they said yes straight away. "It was then up to me to either say 'I'll go to Rangers or stay at Anderlecht'. Roofe also says Gerrard's standing in the game helped him make the decision to head to Ibrox. He added: "Yes, I was happy to go to Rangers because of Steven Gerrard. For me a lot of it is respect, I have grown up watching these sort of players and what they have done in the game. "So as soon as they want me, I'm like 'yeah let's do this'. (The first thing) he said to me was 'come in, be our number nine and we'll win the league.' "
