30/04/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | APR 30, 2026

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Malaysian Paper

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Ramshackle Rayo chasing Conference League dream

New ‘Vinicius Law’ will see players sent off at WC PLAYERS who cover their mouths when confronting an opponent will be immedi ately sent off at this year’s World Cup, under new, tougher sanctions. This significant rule change comes after Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior reported racial abuse from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who covered his mouth during a Champions League match in February. Vinicius was visibly upset by the com ment and promptly informed the referee, prompting a 10-minute halt in play in line with Uefa regulations. Any similar incident at the upcoming tournament will now result in a red card, following a unanimous agreement by football’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), in Vancouver yesterday. An IFAB statement outlining the law change read: “At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player cover ing their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanc tioned with a red card.” Fifa brought the idea of bringing in sanctions for players covering their mouths to the IFAB’s annual general meeting in Wales in February, shortly after the incident occurred. The day after the meeting, Fifa presi dent Gianni Infantino told Sky News he thought red cards should be issued when a player confronts an opponent and cov ers their mouth. Players who walk off the pitch in pro test at refereeing decisions – and officials who incite players to do so – will also face instant dismissal at this year’s finals, again following a recommendation from Fifa to the IFAB. A team that causes a match to be abandoned will, in principle, forfeit the match. The change follows the chaotic scenes witnessed during the Africa Cup of Nations final in January, when Senegal’s players left the field after the award of a penalty to hosts Morocco deep into injury time. Their actions delayed the match by 17 minutes, and Senegal went on to win after midfielder Brahim Diaz missed the spot-kick and the game went to extra time. Senegal were stripped of the title by an appeal board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which last month overturned the result and awarded the trophy to Morocco. Senegal is appealing against that decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). – The Independent Ű BY JAMIE GARDNER

AFTER a quarter of a century away from European football, the prospect of modest Spanish side Rayo Vallecano making their first ever final must rank as one of the season’s bigger surprises. When the extreme conditions they are operating under are factored in, it is nothing short of remarkable they have reached the Conference League final four, hosting Ligue 1 team Strasbourg tomorrow (3am Malaysian time) in the first leg. They may be midtable in La Liga but humble Rayo, from the working class neighbourhood of Vallecas in the southeast of the Spanish capital, are a far cry from their illustrious neighbours Real Madrid and Atletico: they are usually more concerned with survival than European finals.

And avoiding relegation is not the only tussle they tend to engage in. The fans – and to some extent the players and staff – are fighting an internal battle against their deeply unpopular, some would say reviled, president and owner Raul Martin Presa. The Rayo chief wants to uproot the team from its home stadium, kept in a filthy and decrepit state perhaps in order to get his way, and engages in a running row with supporters he has described as “drunken and brainless”. Their 3-0 La Liga victory over Atletico Madrid in February captured the dysfunctional club in a microcosm – fighting against the odds and themselves. In the build-up Rayo players and staff had publicly complained about

“Rayo’s situation is obviously a complete disaster and being here is a ridiculous and beautiful miracle,” Vallecas season-ticket holder Phil Kitromilides told AFP ahead of the Strasbourg clash. “It means everything – this is a club that has never won anything and don’t even expect to ever challenge for a trophy.” Rayo are 11th in La Liga, but only five points clear of the relegation zone and looking over their shoulder, as well as on to a potential Conference League final in Leipzig. “I’ve dreamt of this for many years,” said forward Isi Palazon, whose goal in Greece took them past AEK Athens in the quarterfinals. “It’s hard for me to grasp what we’ve accomplished.”– AFP

the state of their pitch and run-down training facilities, and the game was moved to Leganes’s stadium. Only 5,000 fans travelled, with many refusing in protest at the owner, whom they chant about regularly, calling for his departure. In 2023 Oscar Trejo resigned as the team’s captain in disgust at conditions at the club, the abysmal facilities, the terrible treatment of staff and supporters alike. Sometimes there is no hot water in the showers for the players; often there is no water at all in the public toilets. In pre-season, players were forced to practise elsewhere because of a fungal infection of the grass at their training ground.

Crazy, chaotic European clash

Pundits brand defending in PSG, Bayern clash ‘immature’

Ű BY CHRIS WILSON

ble to play against. When you watch that defending there was no communication. You need defenders talking, making it difficult for opposition to score. Look at the spaces! It’s the Champions League semis, you’re losing 4-2! Get back!” he added. Four-time European Cup winner Seedorf agreed with Rooney, adding that he “can’t believe a word” of what Kompany was saying as the Belgian declared that he saw some good defending from his side. “Defending isn’t just about sitting low. That is not about defending. It is about the basics of defending. I can’t believe a word of what he’s saying about him being happy how they defended.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia celebrates PSG’s fourth goal during yesterday’s Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich. – AFPPIC

F ORMER Champions League winners Wayne Rooney and Clarence Seedorf have criticised the defending during PSG’s enthralling 5-4 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal first leg, arguing that neither side will be happy despite taking part in a European game for the ages. The holders edged out the German champions after a superb contest in Paris, with PSG taking a slender one-goal lead into next week’s second leg at the Allianz Arena. But it could have been even better for the Parisians, who were 5-2 up in the 58th minute before conceding twice in three minutes to give allow Bayern back into the tie. And despite plenty of attacking quality being on show at the Parc des Princes as a record-equalling nine goals were scored in a European Cup semifinal tie, Rooney and Seedorf opted to focus on the defending, with the former saying that “there have got to be questions asked” of both sides. “Both teams have got so much quality at the top end of the pitch that they probably forgot to defend a little bit,” said the former Man Utd striker on Amazon Prime at full-time. “It was crazy, it was chaotic and we saw some great goals. (But) I just don’t see how, if you’re a player or a coach – no matter if you’ve won the game – how you can go into that dressing room after conceding four or five goals and be happy,” explained Rooney. “There’s got to be questions asked, the defend ers asking questions of the forwards, why they’re not helping them defend,” he added. “Some of the goals we’ve seen, at this level, we’ve seen some immature defending. “I had some of my toughest games against (Bayern manager) Vincent Kompany. He was horri

“I can’t believe that today. You have to have organisation, defending is organisa tion, you can defend high, a little bit lower, or very low” said Seedorf. Bayern captain Harry Kane also praised his side’s defending at times, though Rooney did not believe his compatriot either. “I love Harry Kane but there is no way he can be praising his defenders. The defending from both teams was really bad from both teams, I think he is being modest there,” he explained. Bayern’s two late goals mean that they are still in the tie ahead of the sec ond leg next week, and while the Bavarians will head into that match behind on aggregate, Rooney believes that they are still slight favourites. “I think Bayern Munich are in the driving seat because they are going to their home stadium where it is a really tough atmosphere,” he said. “They are probably a bit more bal anced as well. But they have to defend better.” – The Independent

World champ Mansell gives ‘false’ verdict on new Formula 1 era

Ű BY KIERAN JACKSON

“And to be fair to the fans, I agree with them.” Tweaks to the regulations – to reduce the need to“lift and coast”in qualifying and lessen the risk of dramatic closing speeds in races – were made last week, yet the basis of overtaking will not dramati cally change when F1 returns this weekend in Miami. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has previously defended the regulations and rallied back against the notion that overtaking this year was “artificial”, despite criticism from the likes of Verstappen. Earlier this month, Domenicali said: “Overtaking some people are saying is artificial, what is artificial? I mean, overtaking is overtaking.” – The Independent

car just blasts past you – and the other car goes backwards because the computer is giving you the extra power not at the right time. And the driver doesn’t control that obviously, because he wouldn’t have employed it. “I think it was Lando (Norris) who quoted, ‘Well, I didn’t want to overtake him going into the first corner and into the chicane, but I had no choice’. “And then coming out of the corner, he’s in the lead and then the car just blasts past him again going down the straight. “So I think you’ve got to be very careful because, forget me, it doesn’t matter about me, but the fans around the world, I know an awful lot of them are very grumpy.

(boost mode, overtake mode and active aerody namics) alongside varying degrees of battery man agement. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen has also described the new cars as “anti-racing” and “like Formula E on steroids” and has threat ened to quit the sport, such is his dissatisfaction. And 1992 world champion Mansell has added his voice to the list of those critical, insisting some fans are “grumpy” at the changes. “I might get shot for saying this, but sadly, some of the overtakes are just totally false,” British racing legend Mansell told Autosport . “I mean, some of the overtakes look great and then you come out the next corner and then the

F1 world champion Nigel Mansell has labelled overtakes seen in the sport’s new era as “totally false” in a brutal takedown of the 2026 season so far. New engine and chassis regulations this year, which include a power unit with a near 50/50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, have resulted in energy management being a central part of qualifying and races. The opening two rounds in Australia and China saw numerous overtakes, yet reigning world champion Lando Norris described the moves as “artificial”, given the new overtaking aids available