If Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother has her way, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will play in Portugal next season.
Dolores Aveiro said Wednesday that she will try to convince Ronaldo to leave Juventus and return to boyhood club Sporting CP in the summer. The 36-year-old began his career at Sporting, making his debut at 17 before joining Manchester United in 2003.
“I’ll talk to him to bring him back,” Ronaldo’s 66-year-old mother, an avid Sporting supporter, said, according to Reuters. “Next year, he will play in Alvalade (Sporting’s stadium).”
Aveiro was speaking to Sporting fans from her balcony as they celebrated the club’s first domestic title in 19 years.
Ronaldo still has one year left on his contract but could leave Juventus if the club misses out on the Champions League for the first time in a decade. The Bianconeri are currently in fifth place, one point behind fourth-placed Napoli with just two games remaining.
Juventus are also struggling financially due to the effects of the pandemic. The former Serie A champions – dethroned by rivals Inter Milan after a nine-year title run – recorded a loss of €113 million from July 2020 to December 2020, with further losses expected at the end of the fiscal year.
Ronaldo, who reportedly earns €30 million after taxes, scored his 100th goal for the club in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Sassuolo.
Teams involved in the European Super League that refuse to distance themselves from the failed project could face a two-year ban from the Champions League or Europa League, Gabriele Marcotti of ESPN reports.
The reported potential punishment represents the most severe sanction at UEFA’s disposal.
Seven of the 12 clubs involved in the project – Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur – have engaged in discussions and reached an understanding with UEFA, sources told Marcotti.
Those seven teams are reportedly attempting to agree to lesser punishments and have also pledged they will not attempt to reignite efforts to form the Super League.
It’s understood Inter Milan are also close to reaching a similar agreement.
The other four teams – AC Milan, Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid – are still committed to the formation of a Super League, Marcotti reports. The quartet apparently believes the original documents filed during the creation of the competition protect the sides from severe sanctions.
UEFA could seek to sanction teams for violating Article 51 of its statutes, which reads: “No combinations or alliances between … clubs affiliated, directly or indirectly, to different UEFA Member Associations may be formed without the permission of UEFA.”
UEFA has yet to formally begin disciplinary proceedings, Marcotti adds, as doing so would constitute a violation of an injunction granted in a court ruling in Madrid.
The sport’s governing body is reportedly hopeful it will reach an agreement with one or two more teams; the Super League’s original statutes reportedly dictate that the league will be formally disbanded if nine of the 12 clubs drop out.
Those teams that pull out of the project could reportedly be set for a legal battle with the four remaining clubs for violating the terms of the initial Super League agreement.
The British government has until Tuesday to produce the travel waivers that UEFA requires in order to move the Champions League final from Istanbul to London’s Wembley Stadium, according to Rob Harris of The Associated Press.
If UEFA’s demands aren’t satisfied, Harris reports the final between English clubs Chelsea and Manchester City could be played in Portugal instead.
UEFA set the deadline after failing to find a resolution during talks with the British government on Monday. The European football governing body reportedly wants guarantees that Champions League sponsors, guests, and media are exempted from quarantine rules when they arrive in England.
It’s not just about sponsors – it’s about UEFA wanting to meet contractual requirements including particularly broadcasters being allowed to fly in for the Champions League final at Wembley.
They ultimately provide the revenue the clubs benefit fromhttps://t.co/vtdV3rlEH8
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) May 10, 2021
London is thought to be UEFA’s preferred relocation, but Porto is among alternatives if issues aren’t resolved.
The Champions League final is scheduled to take place in the Turkish capital on May 29, but concerns about travel restrictions have emerged due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.
Turkey is on England’s “red list” of high-risk nations, while Portugal is on the “green list,” which is comprised of 12 low-risk countries where travelers would not be required to quarantine upon their return.
British Prime minister Boris Johnson spoke about the prospect of England hosting the final over the weekend, saying, according to Reuters, “It would be a great shame if fans were unable to attend.”
Britain will begin to ease lockdown restrictions next Monday – it’s understood 10,000 fans could be allowed at Wembley Stadium, according to Paul MacInnes of The Guardian.
However, the British government may have to consider allowing 25,000 fans – the same number that UEFA expected at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul – in order to ensure the match is played in London, per MacInnes.
Another potential obstacle surrounding a London relocation is that the Championship playoff final is currently scheduled to be played at Wembley on the same day. The English Football League will expect to be allowed a similar crowd of 25,000 at Wembley if it has to reschedule the Championship playoff final, MacInnes adds.
Before the all-English final was confirmed, UEFA insisted it was not considering relocating the showpiece match despite growing COVID-19 concerns in Turkey at the end of April.
