25/02/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | FEB 25, 2026

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Van Dijk lauds Reds resilience Ű BY RICHARD JOLLY

Cops investigating racist abuse of EPL quartet POLICE said yesterday they are inves tigating “abhorrent” racist abuse directed online at four Premier League footballers last weekend. Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland midfielder Romaine Mundle were the latest players to be targeted on Sunday. Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri suffered similar abuse on Saturday following a 1-1 draw between their clubs. Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the head of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), said Monday: “There is abso lutely no place for racial abuse, either online or in person, and anyone who believes they can hide behind their Slot believes Mac Allister is rediscovering best form LIVERPOOL boss Arne Slot believes Alexis Mac Allister is getting back to his best after his late goal snatched a last-gasp win at Nottingham Forest. Mac Allister struck at the death at the City Ground as Liverpool survived what Slot felt was their worst performance of the season. The Argentina international pounced on a loose ball from close range, minutes after he saw a goal ruled out by VAR. Slot said: “I think what he needed is what he showed in the last six, seven or eight games – a run of games where he’s get ting back to his usual level that he showed so many times last season. “And he had that level also in the first half of the season but it went a bit with ups and downs, as the team went in terms of performances with ups and downs. “But I see much more consis tency recently – not only in Macca’s performance but in the team performance and many individual performances. But I think it’s always nice for a player to score, especially if it’s in extra time of extra time. “So, we needed this goal, we needed that win to be on the right side of things once in a while because we’ve been so, so unlucky this season. “And for the first time, at least it felt to me for the first time, we’ve been a bit lucky this sea son.” Liverpool were outplayed by a Forest side who are enjoying a bounce under new boss Vitor Pereira. Although they lost the game, they were the better team and all that was missing was a goal. Pereira believes his side have the capabilities to beat the drop. “Of course, of course, (I am) very confident, very confident,” he said. “Frustrated, but very confi dent for us, because if we keep this mentality, if we keep this ambition and the organisation, will get points for sure.” – the Independent SHORTS

opinion, but we were a little on the lucky side today with the goal at the end but that is football as well.” Van Dijk also thought Liverpool showed their mental strength in their response to seeing a goal by Mac Allister ruled out, just before the game went into injury time, and going to score a decider, again through the Argentinian. “When the goal is disallowed, the momentum shifts and the (Forest) fans are fully behind it, they may believe this is the opportunity to bounce back after a little bit of disappointment they had,” he added. “But I think we did well, we created the chaos with the throw-ins we had and we managed to score the winner.” – The Independent

at the City Ground. He said: “I think the resilience has definitely been questioned at times this season but I think today and the last couple of games especially, we have shown a consistency in everything we do, apart from the first half today. “I think this just confirms that football is not played over 45 minutes where we were very poor in the first half. “In the second half we completely turned it around, I think we were much more comfortable on the ball and made the right decisions with and without the ball. “We won the ball a lot higher up the pitch and defending in our box was very good today, in my

VIRGIL VAN DIJK believes Liverpool have provided an answer to everyone who has questioned their resilience this year. The captain admitted his side were very poor in the opening 45 minutes of Sunday’s game at Nottingham Forest, but their eventual win, courtesy of Alexis Mac Allister’s 97th-minute goal, means they have only lost twice in their last 20 matches in all competitions. And Van Dijk feels Liverpool have shown their toughness as, in their last two League matches, they have ended Sunderland’s unbeaten home record and then beaten Forest in Vitor Pereira’s first match in charge

opposition goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi. Milan said that the accident “resulted in a fracture of the alveolar process of the jaw” and that the 30-year-old went under the knife yesterday. “The operation to reduce and stabi lise the fracture was completely success ful. Ruben is doing well and has already been discharged,”added Milan.“The esti mated recovery time is around eight weeks.” Loftus-Cheek has scored three goals and set up another in 26 appearances this season for Milan, who sit second in Serie A but trail league leaders Inter Milan by 10 points. Griezmann in talks to join MLS Orlando City FRENCH World Cup-winning striker Antoine Griezmann is in talks to join Major League Soccer’s Orlando City, a J OSE MOURINHO has not set foot in the Santiago Bernabeu since leaving Real Madrid in 2013, but his Champions League home coming with Benfica tomorrow (4am malaysian time) will be far more com plicated than initially anticipated. Mourinho cannot sit in the dug out for the playoff second leg after being sent off during his team’s 1-0 first-leg defeat in Lisbon last week. The 63-year-old also came under fire for his controversial comments in the aftermath of alleged racial abuse aimed at Madrid star Vinicius Junior by Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni. The Argentine will miss the second leg after Uefa provisionally suspended him for one game amid an investiga tion into the incident. Mourinho, who won a La Liga title with Los Blancos during three years at the helm, made a big impact on the Spanish giants during a period of par ticularly bitter rivalry with Barcelona and a dressing room divided for and against him. Madrid president Florentino Perez is known to be a big fan of the Portuguese coach and rumours per sist that Mourinho could be hired next season to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, if the current campaign ends badly. The Spaniard, one of Mourinho’s disciples during his spell at the helm of the 15-time European champions, faces his biggest test yet since replac ing Xabi Alonso in January as Benfica visit the Spanish capital. Mourinho was dismissed in the first leg for vociferous complaints from the touchline. The coach said referee Francois Letexier was avoiding booking Madrid players who were at risk of suspension for the second leg. “I’ve had my butt on the bench for 1,400 games and (I could see that) he knew perfectly well who he could book and who he couldn’t,” com plained Mourinho bitterly.

source close to the talks told AFP yes terday. Griezmann currently plays for Atletico Madrid, where he is the Spanish club’s all-time leading scorer, and also scored 44 goals in an illustrious career for his international side. The 34-year-old’s potential move stateside has been rumored for years, with the player known to be an admirer of other American leagues such as the NBA and NFL. Griezmann’s transfer would be a further boost to the rapidly growing US soccer league. Orlando owns Griezmann’s “discov ery rights” – an MLS mechanism giving one team the priority to negotiate a player’s transfer – the source said, con firming a report by The Athletic . Though Griezmann is no longer a guaranteed starter for Atletico Madrid, he has already scored 12 goals in 35 appearances this season. The second leg will be played under its shadow as Madrid seek to avoid a humiliating early exit at the hands of Mourinho and qualify for the last 16. – AFP “I (won’t be) sitting on the bench, I can’t go to the dressing room, I can’t communicate with the team,” he added. “It’s hard for me, but my team mates and my assistants are there, they’ll do their job.” The first leg was tarnished by Prestianni’s alleged racial slur aimed at Vinicius. Uefa’s decision to suspend the Benfica player for one game has eased some tension ahead of the second leg, and he could miss at least 10 if European football’s governing body finds he racially abused Vinicius. Vinicius wrote that “racists are above all cowards”, on social media after the game, while Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe backed his teammate and said he had heard Prestianni call ing the winger a monkey. The 20-year-old Benfica mid fielder insists he did not racially abuse Vinicius while hiding his mouth with his shirt, after the Brazilian’s stunning goal which split the sides at the Estadio da Luz. Mourinho said that he had spoken to both players and they had given him different versions of events. Then the Portuguese coach said Vinicius’s goal celebration was disre spectful and said Benfica was not a racist club because their biggest icon, Eusebio, was black. “He’s saying it’s okay, when Vinicius provokes you, to be racist – and I think that is very wrong,” former Netherlands midfielder Clarence Seedorf told Amazon Prime . “We should never, ever justify racial abuse.” Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said the incident, which led to the second half being paused for around 10 minutes, was a “disgrace to football”.

Dark clouds over Bernabeu Mourinho’s Madrid homecoming upended by suspension, racism row

“Football is for everyone – there is no room for racism.” But French defender Fofana had little hope of significant action. “This year is still the same thing, nothing changes,” he posted. “These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does any thing.” RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK will be out of action for nearly two months after undergoing surgery on a jaw fracture suffered at the weekend, AC Milan said yesterday. The England midfielder was carried from the San Siro pitch wearing a neck brace during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat against Parma in Serie A after colliding with Loftus-Cheek out for ‘around eight weeks’

keyboards should think again. “The UKFPU condemns this abhor rent behaviour and we will ensure that, through our dedicated team of officers, we do everything possible to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.” Arokodare missed a penalty in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace and subsequently received racist mes sages from several accounts. Sunderland later revealed Mundle had endured similar attacks following his substitute appearance in a 3-1 loss at Fulham. Kick It Out, a British-based charity aiming to combat racism in football, condemned late Sunday an “appalling weekend” of abuse and calling for meaningful action. The Premier League warned of “serious consequences” for those found guilty of abuse, insisting: