26/01/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | JAN 26, 2026

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City success ‘despite’ refereeing calls: Guardiola

PEP GUARDIOLA said his success at Manchester City has come in spite of refereeing decisions going against his side in a tirade following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Wolves. City were denied a penalty in the first half when referee Farai Hallam, who was taking charge of his first Premier League game, refused to overturn his initial decision not to give a handball against Yerson Mosquera despite being called to review the incident by VAR. Guardiola was also angered that Diogo Dalot escaped a red card in the opening stages of last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Manchester United despite catching Jeremy Doku on the knee with his studs. Guardiola has won six Premier League titles in his nine full seasons in England but City were badly hit by injuries last year as Liverpool romped to the

the scoring. Antoine Semenyo then struck his third goal since joining City from Bournemouth earlier this month. Marc Guehi also made his City debut at centreback after sealing his move from Crystal Palace. Guardiola believes Guehi and Semenyo will make a major impact in the second half of the season, with City still involved in four competitions. “They are set-up players,” added Guardiola. “Last season (the January signings) was young players, except Omar. “Antoine came with incredible energy and

strikers are about numbers. Since he arrived he has been unbelievable. “Marc, I don’t need to tell you who he is. He knows everything. I remember it is similar to when Ruben (Dias) arrived and he had incredible focus for every action. “With the ball he has incredible composure. We didn’t train anything yet but I have the feeling in the middle (of defence) we did a little better. “He’s the perfect age and he’s the perfect signing for many, many years. “He’s a guy you can rely on. I see it in two sessions. How he sees, how he moves, how he talks, how he reads the situations.” – AFP

title and trail Arsenal by four points at the top of the table this season. “These (last) two seasons I had the feeling, why don’t I have the players? That is my only regret,”said Guardiola. “I would love to have the players to fight against that (the refereeing decisions). They (City) won despite them. “The referee made a huge debut. Now everybody will know him. I think it’s the first time they go to the TV and disallow (a penalty).” Guardiola’s decision to hand a rare rest to Erling Haaland paid off as Omar Marmoush took his chance to deputise for the Norwegian by opening

Frank in dire straits Spurs gaffer’s future in fresh doubt after the Lilywhites stumble T HOMAS FRANK faced fresh calls for his dismissal from angry Tottenham fans after a dispiriting 2-2 draw at Premier League strugglers Burnley yesterday as Bournemouth ended Liverpool’s long unbeaten run. enough to placate frustrated fans. Tottenham had taken the lead courtesy of Micky van de Ven’s strike before goals from Axel Tuanzebe and substitute Lyle Foster turned the match on its head.

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A large section of the travelling support made it clear they had run out of patience with Frank, who insisted the team were working “very hard”. Tottenham’s winless league run in 2026 is now five matches and they sit 14th in the table, eight points above the relegation zone. “I’m sure they can recognise and acknowl edge, especially in the first half, the improve ment there,” said former Brentford boss Frank. “We could and should have been out of sight. “But also they acknowledge the willpower and character of the team that keep running, keep fighting to the end. “We just need to keep going. We do so many things right, but there’s no doubt, it’s not dropping so easy for us.” Earlier, Fulham came back from a goal down to beat Brighton 2-1 at

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Draw Date: 25/01/26 (Sun)

Draw No: 6027/26 Venue: WISMA GENTING, KL

Spurs boss Frank is under intense pressure just seven months into his reign at the London club, seemingly powerless to halt a slide down the table. The Dane breathed a sigh of relief after a 2 0 midweek win against Borussia Dortmund kept his team flying high in the Champions League but they are flounder ing domestically. Captain Cristian

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Romero’s flying 90th-min ute header salvaged a point for the visi tors at Turf Moor but it was not

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Craven Cottage, with Harry Wilson grabbing a winner in stoppage time. West Ham blew Sunderland away 3-1 to make it two wins out of two and climb to within two points of Premier League safety. – AFP

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Spurs’ Micky van de Ven (bottom left) celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during yesterday’s Premier League match against Burnley at Turf Moor. – REUTERPIC

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China title drought continues

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CHINA COACH Antonio Vicente called for a balanced response to his team’s 4-0 defeat by Japan in the under-23 Asian Cup final on Saturday as the nation missed out on a first continental title at any level for more than two decades. China’s hopes of breaking a drought that extends back to the 2004 under-17 Asian Cup were crushed in Jeddah when Go Oiwa’s team retained the trophy they won in Qatar two years earlier. “I’m not happy because when you lose a final it’s impossible to be happy, but for me the most important thing is I am very proud of this team and my players,” said Vicente, whose side had reached the final without

conceding a goal. “We have to be balanced. We have to understand the difference between football in Japan and China.” Chinese football has lived in the shadow of its more successful neighbour throughout the 24 years since the nation made its World Cup debut in 2002. While Japan will be appearing at an eighth consecutive World Cup in June and July, China’s list of achievements during that period is limited. And football has endured a major slump in the country despite a five-year spell of investment prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. – Reuters

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