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Daily Record
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Nick Montgomery breaks silence on Hibs stint and the phantom VAR penalty that still has him baffled to this day
The former Easter Road boss opens up on his short tenure in the capital that lasted just eight months Nick Montgomery knows he went to Hibs at the wrong time. The current Tottenham assistant head coach decided to finally break his silence on his time at Easter Road in an exclusive interview with Record Sport. He had just come off the back of winning the A-League with Central Coast Mariners when he was headhunted by the capital club back in September 2023. The 43-year-old didn't even get a full season at Easter Road and it was fair to say not much went his way when he was in Leith. He inherited a squad that was bottom of the table, was bloated and a wage budget that had been well blown. 'Monty' had to slash the wage bill and when he did get Hibs going again he then lost some of his top star players to the Asia Cup and African Cup of Nations. A string of wrong decisions also went against Hibs, including the phantom goal against Hearts. The writing was on the wall when the Edinburgh side lost out in the top six in the final minutes before the split. Montgomery said: 'Going in, I saw it as an opportunity to go and rebuild the team and build my own team moving forward. But, I look back on it now, and so I went in after a pre-season, which was never easy. 'The team was bottom of the league in the relegation places in the SPL. The first remit was to go in and get the team off the bottom of the league, out of the relegation spots and try to get a start on rebuilding for the following season." There was next to no money to sign players because of poor recruitment, big wages and the fact Lee Johnson had spent a lot of money on so-called development players. Montgomery had to wheel and deal and come the January window he was able to bring in quality in the shape of Emiliano Marcondes, Myziane Maolida, Nectarios Triantis and Nathan Moriah-Welsh. He claimed: 'It's well documented but the recruitment over the last few years before I'd gone in there was, in the club's own words, wasn't fantastic. 'There were a lot of players out on loan. I worked with some good players, but yeah, it was a difficult season in terms of coming in after pre-season, like I mentioned.' Hibs were on the rise but the Asian Cup saw Hibs lose Australian pair Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller for several weeks, while Rocky Bushiri and Jojo Wollacott were away with DR Congo and Ghana, respectively, for the Africa Cup of Nations. That was on top of several other injuries in the Hibs' squad. Montgomery, who now assists Ange Postecoglou, added: 'After a good run, we were in the top four and then we lost a lot of players. 'Mid-season, there was an African Cup of Nations and the Asia Cup. We lost a few of the starting team for a couple of months. The former Scotland B cap got the feeling that he wasn't going to his day when Hearts were handed a phantom penalty that earned them a controversial point. The former Hibs boss recalled: 'The famous VAR, you know, documented that. The Hibs are the worst-treated team in the league. 'I look back on some of those decisions, especially the Hearts' phantom penalty that was given against us at Tynecastle in the derby. 'It should never have happened. Apologies came after it and an admission it had been a mistake. 'Obviously, things are not going to change.' Hibs still had the top six in their hands but lost out on the final day after losing after Motherwell levelled with second to go and Dundee went into the top half. That was to be the final nail in his managerial coffin at Hibs. Montgomery said: 'Yes, it's disappointing the way it ended. To miss out on the top split in the last minute of the game. 'From that moment, yeah, it was difficult. 'But I was still looking forward to rebuilding the team and that was a remit that I had from the ownership when I went in. So, yeah, again, football's football.' Montgomery is delighted to see Hibs move in the right direction under his former coach Daid Gray and reckons the Black Knights getting involved in the transfer front has been a game changer. 'I know that the club has been through some difficult times,' he confirmed. 'When I left, I didn't want to put any negativity on the club. 'I'm happy to see that they've had a really strong second half of the season and a lot of players that I worked with have continued to sort of develop. 'I've followed the team this season and obviously, they had a difficult start, but I'm glad that they stuck with David as the manager. 'I think it just shows when you sort of stick with managers and give them time to build, which they did. 'I'm happy for a lot of people at the club, and especially Kit Gordon, who's a wonderful person.'
Hamilton Spectator
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Ivory Coast's Elephants look forward to facing Canada, New Zealand in Toronto
TORONTO - Ask Ivory Coast soccer coach Emerse Fae about Canada and he is quick to praise — and reel off names. 'I like this team because the Canada team has very good players — good players like Jonathan David, like (Cyle) Larin, a good striker. Alphonso Davies, (Derek) Cornelius, (Moise) Bombito from Nice. (Ismael) Kone from Rennes,' Fae said from France. 'So it will be a good team with good organization, a good attacking team. A good challenge for Ivory Coast to play and to see how the team is one year before the World Cup.' Fae is bringing firepower of his own to the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament, where the 41st-ranked Ivorians face No. 86 New Zealand on Saturday after No. 30 Canada plays No. 25 Ukraine in the early game at Toronto's BMO Field. Ivory Coast and Canada, which will be without the injured Davies, then meet June 10 after New Zealand plays Ukraine. Canada has never faced Ivory Coast before and has played Ukraine just once, a 2-2 draw in Kyiv in an October 2010 friendly. The Ivory Coast roster draws on players from clubs in Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. Fae's squad includes winger Amad Diallo, who joined Manchester United in January 2021 at the age of 18 in a package worth 37.2 million pounds ($69 million) from Italy's Atalanta. Midfielder Franck Kessié, formerly of AC Milan and Barcelona, plays for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro league while defender Odilon Kossounou is currently with Atalanta, on loan from Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, and forward Nicolas Pépé, formerly with England's Arsenal, plays for Spain's Villarreal. Diallo made headlines recently after a photo showing him apparently making an obscene gesture to fans during a Manchester United tour to Asia. He later said he was reacting to 'insulting words directed at my mother.' At 5-0-1, the Ivorians lead their 2026 World Cup qualifying group by one point over Gabon (5-1-0). Group F also includes Burundi, Kenya, Gambia and the Seychelles. The group winner qualifies for the World Cup with the runner-up moving to the second round of qualifying. 'I'm happy with the way that we are winning,' said Fae. 'Even if I expect more quality from the team. Because we have many good players who play in the best clubs in Europe … Even when we didn't play well, we won. It's a good thing to be able to win the game, but we have to improve the way we play.' After Toronto, Ivory Coast plays its four remaining World Cup qualifiers — against No. 140 Burundi, No. 79 Gabon, the 203rd-ranked Seychelles and No. 111 Kenya — in September-October. The team then shifts its focus to defending its African Cup of Nations title in December in Morocco, where Ivory Coast has been drawn with No. 50 Cameroon, Gabon and No. 96 Mozambique in Group F. The Ivorians posted a pair of 1-0 wins in March, defeating No. 126 Gambia and Burundi in World Cup qualifying play. Ivory Coast appeared at the World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014, failing to advance to the knockout round after finishing third in its group each time. It missed out on the 2018 tournament in Russia and 2022 in Qatar. Fae expects Ivory Coast to build on it 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title by qualifying for the World Cup while also pointing to the expanded 48-team FIFA field. Nine African teams take part in the 2026 soccer showcase, with a shot at a 10th side via the FIFA Playoff Tournament. 'It would be a shame for our country not to be qualifying for the next World Cup,' said Fae. Football is huge back home, so there is pressure to succeed. Fae also knows that winning will help more Ivory Coast players earn contracts to further their development abroad. Ivory Coast is ranked fifth in Africa, behind No. 12 Morocco, No. 19 Senegal, No. 32 Egypt and No. 36 Algeria — after jumping five places in the latest FIFA numbers. It reached No. 12 in early 2013. Born in Nantes, Fae was a French youth international and won the Under-17 World Championship in 2001 — beating Nigeria in the final. He played for his hometown club before switching his international allegiance to Ivory Coast, the land of his parents, in 2005. He went on to play for Reading, then in England's Premier League, and Nice before he retiring in 2012. Fae coached Nice's youth teams and the reserve side of French Ligue 1 club Clermont before being appointed as Jean-Louis Gasset's assistant with Ivory Coast in May 2022. Gasset was fired midway through the 2023 Africa Cup, after a record 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, with Fae named interim head coach. The Ivorians advanced as the last of the four best third-placed teams and Fae rallied the team to wins over defending champion Senegal, Mali, DR Congo and Nigeria, in the final. That earned Fae Confederation of African Football (CAF) Coach of the Year honours in 2024. Fae was given the permanent coaching job in February 2024. The trip to World Cup co-host Canada marks his first visit to the country. —- Ivory Coast Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana, Angers (France); Mohamed Koné, Charleroi (Belgium); Badra Ali Sangaré, Sekhukhune United (South Africa). Defenders: Clément Akpa, Auxerre (France); Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, Zurich (Switzerland); Cédric Kipré, Rems (France); Ghislain Konan, Burgos CF (Spain); Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta, Italy, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Christopher Opéri, Başakşehir (Turkey); Wilfried Singo, Monaco (France); Luck Zogbé (Brest), France. Midfielders: Lazare Amani, Standard Liège (on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise, Belgium); Mohamed Diomande, Rangers (Scotland); Maho Dorgeles, FC Nordsjælland (Denmark); Franck Kessié, Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia); Parfait Guiagon; Charleroi (Belgium); Ibrahim Sangaré, Nottingham Forest (England). Forwards: Simon Adingra, Brighton & Hove Albion (England); Jérémie Boga, Nice (France); Amad Diallo, Manchester United (England); Evann Guessand, Nice (France); Sébastien Haller, Utrecht (the Netherlands); Nicolas Pépé, Villarreal (Spain). —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ivory Coast's Elephants look forward to facing Canada, New Zealand in Toronto
TORONTO – Ask Ivory Coast soccer coach Emerse Fae about Canada and he is quick to praise — and reel off names. 'I like this team because the Canada team has very good players — good players like Jonathan David, like (Cyle) Larin, a good striker. Alphonso Davies, (Derek) Cornelius, (Moise) Bombito from Nice. (Ismael) Kone from Rennes,' Fae said from France. 'So it will be a good team with good organization, a good attacking team. A good challenge for Ivory Coast to play and to see how the team is one year before the World Cup.' Fae is bringing firepower of his own to the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament, where the 41st-ranked Ivorians face No. 86 New Zealand on Saturday after No. 30 Canada plays No. 25 Ukraine in the early game at Toronto's BMO Field. Ivory Coast and Canada, which will be without the injured Davies, then meet June 10 after New Zealand plays Ukraine. Canada has never faced Ivory Coast before and has played Ukraine just once, a 2-2 draw in Kyiv in an October 2010 friendly. The Ivory Coast roster draws on players from clubs in Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. Fae's squad includes winger Amad Diallo, who joined Manchester United in January 2021 at the age of 18 in a package worth 37.2 million pounds ($69 million) from Italy's Atalanta. Midfielder Franck Kessié, formerly of AC Milan and Barcelona, plays for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro league while defender Odilon Kossounou is currently with Atalanta, on loan from Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, and forward Nicolas Pépé, formerly with England's Arsenal, plays for Spain's Villarreal. Diallo made headlines recently after a photo showing him apparently making an obscene gesture to fans during a Manchester United tour to Asia. He later said he was reacting to 'insulting words directed at my mother.' At 5-0-1, the Ivorians lead their 2026 World Cup qualifying group by one point over Gabon (5-1-0). Group F also includes Burundi, Kenya, Gambia and the Seychelles. The group winner qualifies for the World Cup with the runner-up moving to the second round of qualifying. 'I'm happy with the way that we are winning,' said Fae. 'Even if I expect more quality from the team. Because we have many good players who play in the best clubs in Europe … Even when we didn't play well, we won. It's a good thing to be able to win the game, but we have to improve the way we play.' After Toronto, Ivory Coast plays its four remaining World Cup qualifiers — against No. 140 Burundi, No. 79 Gabon, the 203rd-ranked Seychelles and No. 111 Kenya — in September-October. The team then shifts its focus to defending its African Cup of Nations title in December in Morocco, where Ivory Coast has been drawn with No. 50 Cameroon, Gabon and No. 96 Mozambique in Group F. The Ivorians posted a pair of 1-0 wins in March, defeating No. 126 Gambia and Burundi in World Cup qualifying play. Ivory Coast appeared at the World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014, failing to advance to the knockout round after finishing third in its group each time. It missed out on the 2018 tournament in Russia and 2022 in Qatar. Fae expects Ivory Coast to build on it 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title by qualifying for the World Cup while also pointing to the expanded 48-team FIFA field. Nine African teams take part in the 2026 soccer showcase, with a shot at a 10th side via the FIFA Playoff Tournament. 'It would be a shame for our country not to be qualifying for the next World Cup,' said Fae. Football is huge back home, so there is pressure to succeed. Fae also knows that winning will help more Ivory Coast players earn contracts to further their development abroad. Ivory Coast is ranked fifth in Africa, behind No. 12 Morocco, No. 19 Senegal, No. 32 Egypt and No. 36 Algeria — after jumping five places in the latest FIFA numbers. It reached No. 12 in early 2013. Born in Nantes, Fae was a French youth international and won the Under-17 World Championship in 2001 — beating Nigeria in the final. He played for his hometown club before switching his international allegiance to Ivory Coast, the land of his parents, in 2005. He went on to play for Reading, then in England's Premier League, and Nice before he retiring in 2012. Fae coached Nice's youth teams and the reserve side of French Ligue 1 club Clermont before being appointed as Jean-Louis Gasset's assistant with Ivory Coast in May 2022. Gasset was fired midway through the 2023 Africa Cup, after a record 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, with Fae named interim head coach. The Ivorians advanced as the last of the four best third-placed teams and Fae rallied the team to wins over defending champion Senegal, Mali, DR Congo and Nigeria, in the final. That earned Fae Confederation of African Football (CAF) Coach of the Year honours in 2024. Fae was given the permanent coaching job in February 2024. The trip to World Cup co-host Canada marks his first visit to the country. — Ivory Coast Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana, Angers (France); Mohamed Koné, Charleroi (Belgium); Badra Ali Sangaré, Sekhukhune United (South Africa). Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Defenders: Clément Akpa, Auxerre (France); Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, Zurich (Switzerland); Cédric Kipré, Rems (France); Ghislain Konan, Burgos CF (Spain); Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta, Italy, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Christopher Opéri, Başakşehir (Turkey); Wilfried Singo, Monaco (France); Luck Zogbé (Brest), France. Midfielders: Lazare Amani, Standard Liège (on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise, Belgium); Mohamed Diomande, Rangers (Scotland); Maho Dorgeles, FC Nordsjælland (Denmark); Franck Kessié, Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia); Parfait Guiagon; Charleroi (Belgium); Ibrahim Sangaré, Nottingham Forest (England). Forwards: Simon Adingra, Brighton & Hove Albion (England); Jérémie Boga, Nice (France); Amad Diallo, Manchester United (England); Evann Guessand, Nice (France); Sébastien Haller, Utrecht (the Netherlands); Nicolas Pépé, Villarreal (Spain). — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Ya Biladi
3 days ago
- Sport
- Ya Biladi
Moroccan midfielder Ilias Belmokhtar signs first professional contract with AS Monaco
AS Monaco announced Friday the signing of Moroccan attacking midfielder Ilias Belmokhtar's first professional contract. The 17-year-old, born May 12, 2008, in Ivry-sur-Seine, joined Monaco's Academy in 2023 after training at ES Vitry, AS Orly, and CREPS Reims. Belmokhtar spent most of this season with Monaco's U17 squad under Manu Dos Santos before moving to the U19 team. He scored fifteen goals, including multiple braces against Olympique Lyonnais, AS Saint-Étienne, and Stade Rennais. The midfielder's breakthrough came at March's U17 African Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he captained the national team to their first-ever title in the competition. Belmokhtar scored the decisive penalty in the final against Mali and earned a place in the tournament's team of the year. "I thank AS Monaco for the trust placed in me by signing this first professional contract," Belmokhtar stated. "It's a source of pride for my family and me. After the joy of the U17 AFCON, this is another important moment in my young career."
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Sport
- LeMonde
Paris erupts with flares and fireworks, the Eiffel Tower lit up in red and blue after PSG's Champions League title
Paris erupted with flares and fireworks, car horns and an Eiffel Tower glittering in blue and red to celebrate Paris Saint-Germain's first Champions League title on Saturday, May 31. Blowing away Inter Milan 5-0 in the final prompted flashpoints and some arrests during the game itself in Munich but watched all over Paris – including inside PSG's Parc des Princes stadium, which beamed the match on a giant screen. Outside the stadium, there was a brief altercation during the first half between celebrating PSG fans cracking off flares, and riot police who used tear gas to disperse them. At the top of the Champs-Elysées avenue, a water cannon was used to protect the Place de l'Étoile, near the landmark Arc de Triomphe. Police said a large crowd not watching the match tried to push through a barrier to make contact with police. By 10:45 pm, which was approaching the end of the match itself, a total of 81 arrests had been made, French police said. Mindful of any celebrations getting out of hand, as has often been the case in Paris during high-profile soccer matches, PSG forward Ousmane Dembélé urged fans after the final to show restraint amid their euphoria. "Let's celebrate but without breaking everything in Paris," he told broadcaster Canal Plus. It was hoped PSG's rout of seasoned campaigner Inter – a three-time Champions League winner – would grab the headlines. 'Thank you Paris' "I don't have words," said 19-year-old PSG forward Désiré Doué, who scored twice and set up one goal in a mesmerising performance. "But what I can say is 'Thank you Paris,' we did it." Security was tightened up in anticipation of potential post-match violence and 5,400 police officers were deployed on the Champs-Elysées, other key parts of Paris, and its nearby suburbs. Two hours before the 9 pm kickoff, the Champs-Élysées was already teeming with fans singing and letting off flares, while the 49,000-capacity Parc des Princes had a heavy police presence outside. At around 11:30 pm police said they were expecting a mass arrival of fans onto the the Champs-Élysées. There were outbreaks of violence around three weeks ago after PSG eliminated Arsenal to reach the final. One car rammed into supporters and was later set on fire, while shop windows were smashed. Riot police were still dispersing rowdy fans at 3 am and there were more than 40 arrests in the city. Five years ago, disgruntled fans clashed with riot police on the avenue after their team lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in Lisbon. When PSG won the French title in 2013 – ending a wait of 19 years – celebrations were cut short on Monday following violent scenes in which fans fought with riot police for several hours, leaving 30 people injured. There were also incidents on the Champs-Elysées following Algeria's African Cup of Nations win in 2019, and in 2021 following a match between Morocco and Algeria in the Arab Cup, and in 2022 after France and Morocco both qualified for the World Cup semifinals on the same day.
