Real Madrid centre-back Sergio Ramos could be banned for the Champions League semi-final first leg after the suspended Spaniard was spotted pitch-side during the latter stages of Wednesday’s tense victory over Juventus.
Ramos was suspended for the quarter-final decider at the Santiago Bernabeu for yellow-card accumulation. He broke UEFA rules by leaving the stands before approaching Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri on the touchline amid a frenzied period in the match that saw Real awarded a penalty and Gianluigi Buffon sent off.
UEFA regulations concerning misconduct by players and officials stipulate that players cannot take part in a match for which they are deemed ineligible, according to Sky Sports.
Related: Ronaldo’s injury-time penalty cancels out Juventus’ inspired comeback
Ramos’ standing for the semi-final first leg depends on referee Michael Oliver’s match report, and whether or not the English official mentions the incident. If Oliver did note Ramos’ actions, the Spaniard could be suspended.
Oliver’s report is due Thursday.
As Sky Sports notes, there is precedent for a one-match ban for similar circumstances. During the 2014 Champions League final, suspended Xabi Alonso hurdled a barrier to celebrate Gareth Bale’s match-winner. Alonso was subsequently banned for the first European fixture of the following campaign.
FRISCO, Texas — Speaking for the first time since the release of Dez Bryant last Friday, Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said the move was made with careful consideration of a number of factors, from the wide receiver’s production to his cost.
Von Miller says he didn’t do anything wrong when on a recent shark fishing excursion in Florida that’s drawn the interest of conservation officials.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he needs “to trust the process” when it comes to the team’s personnel decisions.
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Bryant went three straight seasons without 1,000 yards and was set to count $16.5 million against the cap in 2018. After much internal deliberation, Garrett said the decision was made to part ways with the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown catches.
“Dez Bryant has been a great player for this franchise during his time here,” Garrett said Tuesday at the Albertsons Companies All-Star Gala in which Pat and Emmitt Smith were presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for their charity work. “Certainly a playmaker, a difference-maker. A guy that we all love. Love him as a player, as a person and that will never change.
“It’s a challenging situation. A lot of different factors go into these kinds of decisions and again the guidepost for all of this is: What’s in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys? And that’s why we made this decision. Wish Dez nothing but the best going forward. He’s a special guy. I love him. I will always love him and the impact that he’s made on this franchise has been significant.”
In an interview with NFL Network after his release, Bryant referred to “Garrett guys” and players who wear the “C,” as captains, as playing a part in the team’s decision. Dak Prescott, Jason Witten and Sean Lee were three of the Cowboys’ six captains in 2017.
“For me, I mean being a quarterback, being a captain, I take the blame,” Prescott said. “I take all the blame. When you lose, things like this happen. So Dez knows how I feel. We’ve shared messages and he knows my stance on everything so I wish him well.”
Bryant and Witten became close over the years, especially since Bryant moved into the same neighborhood as the Pro Bowl tight end. Witten said last Friday “was an emotional day for all of us,” but defended the captains.
“I don’t know what all that’s about,” Witten said. “I know when you go through these processes there’s a lot of things that probably go into it. I know I enjoyed my time with Dez and I think that I appreciated everything that we were able to do. Certainly invested a lot in him and he has helped me become a better player, too. So I appreciate that time together. Look, being a captain is a huge honor for me and the other guys and I know what those guys’ character is all about. There’s really nothing there.”
Lee said the Cowboys’ locker room is as close as any he has been a part of since coming in with Bryant in 2010.
“All I know is that I loved playing with him, and like anything any type of breakup can be tough,” Lee said. “But I know he’s going to be dominant and play the way he can. We can’t get into that (talk). We’ve got to move forward.”
Bryant has let it be known that he would like to play against the Cowboys once — if not twice — in 2018.
“Oh, it would be torture to play against a guy like that, who plays hard like he does, who makes all those plays,” Lee said. “As a linebacker I always felt like it was tackling a running back (with) how hard he ran, how tough he was. So that would be extremely tough for us.”
The Champions League semi-final draw took place Friday in Nyon, Switzerland and revealed a pair of enticing encounters in the penultimate round of the continental competition.
Real Madrid’s path to competing for a third consecutive Champions League title is far from easy after being drawn with Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich.
Semi-final 1: Bayern v Real Madrid. #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/8A2vdgijqg
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 13, 2018
The clubs, who have won a combined 17 Champions League titles between them, will extend their record for the most common fixture in the competition when they meet for the 25th and 26th time in a European competition.
Bayern Munich will be the third consecutive league leader Real Madrid will face in the knockout round after progressing past Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
5 – Real Madrid have won the last five #UCL meetings against Bayern München, the best run for a Spanish team against the Bavarians. Classic pic.twitter.com/Vi7eryTnmG
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 13, 2018
Meanwhile, after bouncing Manchester City out of the Champions League, Liverpool managed to avoid the only two teams left in the tournament with a richer history in the competition and was drawn with a tricky Roma team that produced an even bigger upset in the quarter-finals by knocking out Barcelona.
Semi-final 2: Liverpool v Roma. #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/GaKSr4OlGW
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 13, 2018
The clash will be a reunion of sorts for Mohamed Salah, who spent the last two seasons at Roma before moving to Anfield last summer and evolving into an elite attacker for Liverpool.
Dates for the semi-final fixtures haven’t been announced.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — So much is different about the Los Angeles Rams these days. They’re coming off their first playoff appearance in 13 years, with a star-studded roster that now rivals any in the NFL, and the expectations are greater than they have been in more than a decade. The city is buzzing, the players are excited.
But one key similarity remains: Aaron Donald is absent.
Donald didn’t attend the start of the Rams’ offseason program on Monday. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year was absent for most of last year’s program and is still in search of a new contract, one that would make him one of the game’s highest-paid players. Donald is headed into the final year of his rookie contract, with no interest in showing up without a more lucrative deal.
After his team’s first workout, Rams coach Sean McVay said they are “proactive towards finding a solution to make sure that everybody feels good about that.”
Aaron Donald is set to make $6.89 million in the fifth year of his rookie contract. George Gojkovich/Getty Images
“What I think we feel good about is the dialogue that has existed,” McVay added. “We totally understand some of the other things that are going on with regards to wanting to get that deal. With respect to Aaron, we feel really good about where we’re at with that dialogue. This is a voluntary offseason program. You know he’s a guy that’s going to work hard on his off time, and that’s kind of where we’re at. We feel good about everything that’s going on with that.”
Donald, who remains in Pittsburgh, is set to make $6.89 million in what constitutes the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. The Rams can then keep him for up to three additional years with the franchise tag, but they have expressed a desire to sign Donald long term dating back to last year’s scouting combine.
Signing Donald to a long-term deal might actually give the Rams more space under this year’s salary cap, because the signing bonus is prorated for the life of the contract and would allow them to lower his 2018 base salary.
The Rams and Donald might be at a better place now, which could be evidenced by their exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to Donald’s hometown for their “Behind The Grind” documentary series. Donald likes playing for McVay and is excited about the direction of the team. The Rams, meanwhile, would be more willing to pay Donald now because he’s closer to free agency.
“I think the best thing that you have going is now there’s been a year of working together,” McVay said. “There’s a rapport; there’s a relationship that’s been established, and we’re in constant dialogue and communication. When this happened last year, we weren’t really involved in much communication between myself and Aaron. I think you feel good about at least knowing where he’s at.”
Locking Donald up may require at least $80 million guaranteed and an average yearly salary of more than $20 million.
Donald, Cooks and safety Lamarcus Joyner, who signed his franchise tag prior to Monday’s workout, can all be unrestricted free agents next offseason. The Rams would ideally sign all of them to long-term deals, though they face a July 16 deadline with Joyner.
Next year, their star running back, Todd Gurley, will be on the last year of his rookie contract, and the Rams might have to seriously consider a long-term deal for him, too. Gurley, represented by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, is now in the same situation Donald was in last year. But he didn’t give much thought to staying away from the team.
Asked if he would like to start contract negotiations now, Gurley smiled wide.
“I think anyone would love to talk about contract situations.”
Offseason workouts are voluntary under the collective bargaining agreement. Players can be fined only for skipping the mandatory veteran minicamp, which for the Rams takes place June 12-14. Donald showed up to last year’s minicamp, but didn’t participate in any of the team activities. He then skipped all of training camp and the preseason schedule, staying away from the team until the day before the season opener.
“I mean, we’ve dealt with it before, and we also know that it’s a business,” Brockers said. “You have the best defensive tackle in the league right now going through contract situations. I’ll kind of just leave it at that. I don’t really want to talk about if he’s here, if he’s not here. We obviously know that he’s putting in the work to get back in shape.”
