Lionel Messi is to be investigated by the Professional Football League (LFP) following an alleged breach of coronavirus-enforced health protocols.

It was claimed my numerous media outlets that Messi invited team-mates and their respective partners to his home after the 3-2 win over Valencia for a celebratory barbecue.

While it has been seen as another example of Messi seemingly being happy again in Barcelona following his attempt to leave last year, the apparent gathering has also attracted the wrong sort of publicity.

Local government has imposed restrictions that prohibit gatherings of more than six people.

"Meetings and/or family and social gatherings, both in the public and private spheres, are allowed as long as the maximum number of six people is not exceeded, except in the case of cohabitants," Catalan regulations state.

"However, family and social gatherings and/or encounters that take place in closed spaces, including homes, are recommended to be restricted as much as possible and limited to visits to dependent or vulnerable people and that are always from the same bubble of coexistence."

Stats Perform News understands LFP is looking into the allegations against Messi in an attempt to understand whether protocols have been violated.

ABC in Spain reports Barca have dismissed the idea of a violation breach due to the fact all the players work in the same bubble every day.

 

Jose Mourinho has quickly returned to work following his Tottenham departure last month.

Roma confirmed on Tuesday the 'Special One' would be taking over as their coach from the start of next season, replacing Paulo Fonseca.

For Mourinho, it means a return to a familiar league and some familiar faces – both within the Giallorossi dressing room and among the opposition.

Using Opta data, we take a look at what the Eternal City might be able to expect from Mourinho.

Mourinho may suit Smalling

Mourinho is likely to be more warmly welcomed by one former Manchester United man than another in the Roma team.

Centre-back Chris Smalling was a regular when fit under the Portuguese at Old Trafford.

Despite dealing with a number of issues during Mourinho's tenure, only David de Gea (113) and Paul Pogba (100) made more starts than Smalling's 91 in all competitions.

The former England defender led all United players in blocks (91), clearances (546) and aerial duels won (346) over this time.

United kept clean sheets in 36 of Smalling's 100 outings and he has continued this form in Italy to establish himself as Roma's main man at the back and someone Mourinho will surely rely on.

On the other hand, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was one of Mourinho's first signings in Manchester but struggled to convince the manager.

Although the midfielder contributed 13 goals, 10 assists and 96 key passes across 63 matches, he was used as a makeweight in the ill-fated Alexis Sanchez transfer in January 2018.

He will hope to get a second chance having joined Roma following a similarly unsuccessful stint with Arsenal.

War with San Siro successor

This is Mourinho's second job in Serie A after a hugely successful stretch at Inter where he won the treble. Only last weekend did the Nerazzurri claim the Scudetto for the first time since that triumph.

Mourinho's old rival Antonio Conte was the man to oversee this latest success, however, and there could well be fireworks when they go head to head again next season.

Conte was the next full-time Chelsea coach after Mourinho's second Stamford Bridge stay ended with a feeble title defence in 2015-16.

There was a rivalry then between the pair in the Premier League, the highlights including Mourinho describing Conte as "a clown on the touchline" before the current Inter boss returned fire: "I consider him a little man, I consider him a man with a very low profile."

Conte, a champion again with Inter, will be confident he can get the better of the Roma coach in 2021-22, though.

Mourinho has beaten Conte sides only twice in seven attempts, losing four times – including in their most recent meeting, an FA Cup final win for the Italian in 2018.

Jose back to his best?

That Inter stretch is widely remembered as Mourinho's peak – or at least his second peak.

He won as many titles in two seasons (two) as he has in 11 years since, while 2009-10 also brought his second and most recent Champions League crown.

Mourinho's win rate of 62.0 per cent was actually down on his prior two roles at Porto (69.6) and Chelsea (66.9) and his subsequent posting at Real Madrid (71.9).

But those lofty San Siro standards are some way clear of the level Mourinho has been operating at in recent seasons.

He won only 51.2 per cent of his matches at Tottenham and left without lifting a single trophy, albeit he was sacked just days before the EFL Cup final.

If Mourinho is to improve on that return with Roma, who are seventh in Serie A at present, he will have some work to do.

But the former Inter favourite has previously proven himself up to the task in Italy.

Javi Martinez will leave Bayern Munich at the end of this season, the Bundesliga champions have confirmed.

Martinez joined Bayern from Athletic Bilbao in 2012 and straight away went about repaying what was then a club-record outlay of €40million, becoming a key member of their treble-winning squad under Jupp Heynckes.

Should Bayern complete the formalities of winning a ninth consecutive Bundesliga title – one that will in all probability be wrapped up this coming weekend – defensive midfielder Martinez will become the only player in Bundesliga history to have won as many as nine titles without failing to win the championship in any season.

Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, David Alaba and Jerome Boateng have also been part of all nine of those successive successes, but the latter two will join Martinez and head coach Hansi Flick in leaving Bayern at the end of the campaign as a period of transition under new boss Julian Nagelsmann awaits.

Despite frequently suffering injury setbacks during his time at the Allianz Arena, Martinez has made 266 appearances for Bayern, scoring 14 goals and supplying 11 assists.

"I'm very proud and happy to have been part of the FC Bayern family for nine years. I’d like to thank this great club and especially our fans – you have made Munich my home," the 32-year-old told Bayern's official website.

"I'll never forget these nine years. From the very first day, I felt the 'Mia san mia' and the special nature of FC Bayern.

"I lived for this club, always gave everything for it, and am very happy about the many titles we won together. FC Bayern and its fans will forever be in my heart."

Martinez added a second Champions League to his Bayern haul last season, when Kingsley Coman scored the only goal to down Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon.

He won a pair of Club World Cups and UEFA Super Cups on the back of those triumphs in Europe's top competition, scoring vital goals in each of the latter games – a last-gasp leveller against Chelsea in 2013 to force a penalty shoot-out and an extra-time winner versus Sevilla last year.

He also won five DFB-Pokals and four DFL-Supercups.

"Javi was a very important player for FC Bayern over nine years, a defining player not just on the pitch but also in the dressing room and all around the club," said sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.

"His track record is almost unparalleled, especially in the big games where he was one who made the difference, starting with the 2013 Champions League final.

"He was versatile, put himself at the service of the team and always gave his all. Javi has his permanent place in the FC Bayern family and will keep it.”

Jose Mourinho will join Roma as head coach for the 2021-22 season, the Serie A club have announced.

The news came on the same day the club announced Paulo Fonseca would leave his position as coach at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Mourinho was dismissed by Premier League side Tottenham on April 19 after a disappointing 17 months in charge.

He said last week he would wait for a club with the "right culture" to resume his managerial career.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea boss previously coached in Serie A with Inter between 2008 and 2010.

He guided the Nerazzurri to two Scudettos and a Champions League triumph during his time at San Siro.

"Thank you to the Friedkin family for choosing me to lead this great club and to be part of their vision," Mourinho told the club's official website.

"After meetings with the ownership and Tiago Pinto, I immediately understood the full extent of their ambitions for Roma. It is the same ambition and drive that has always motivated me and together we want to build a winning project over the upcoming years.

"The incredible passion of the Roma fans convinced me to accept the job and I cannot wait to start next season.

"In the meantime, I wish Paulo Fonseca all the best and I hope the media appreciate that I will only speak further in due course. Daje Roma!"

Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta admits it will be satisfying to return to former club Juventus as a champion following the Nerazzurri's Scudetto triumph.

Marotta spent eight years working in a similar role for Juve and was widely regarded as one of the key architects behind one of the most successful periods in the club's history.

Despite winning seven Serie A titles, four Coppas Italia and reaching two Champions League finals, the 64-year-old was forced out of the Allianz Stadium in 2018.

He was appointed by Inter soon after and has overseen their first Scudetto success in 12 years, which was confirmed on Sunday when second-placed Atalanta drew with Sassuolo.

Inter travel to dethroned champions Juventus on May 15 and Marotta, despite holding no grudges against his former employers, is relishing the experience.

"The Scudetto is a dream come true," he told Tuttosport. "I imagine it will be satisfying to return as Italian champions to Turin. To decide the fate of Juve. That's the beauty of sport.

"The experience in Turin has given me a lot, except for the bittersweet farewell, if we want to define it that way.

"I have remained on good terms with everyone, except [Fabio] Paratici, but that question is more human than professional.

"I'm a manager used to accepting the choices of the club I work for and so it was in September 2018, even if I honestly didn't expect it."

Marotta has been linked with a sensational return to Juve as part of a boardroom reshuffle, but the Italian has no intention of working for the Bianconeri again.

"I exclude it. It's an eventuality that has never been considered, nor have I received requests from Turin. There's only Inter," he said.

Inter sealed the Serie A title with four games to spare in what is Antonio Conte's second season at San Siro.

The ex-Italy head coach previously won three league titles working with Marotta at Juventus and the latter is hoping for a similar period of success at San Siro.

"With Antonio, we want to open a long and successful cycle. The absolute guarantee is him," Marotta said.

"He instilled the winning mentality in the team. This is the fifth title he has won in 10 years. Conte is the best."

Serie A side Roma have confirmed head coach Paulo Fonseca will leave the club at the end of the season. 

Fonseca signed a two-year contract with the Giallorossi in June 2019 following a successful spell with Shakhtar Donetsk. 

He guided them to fifth in Serie A in his first season in charge but they sit seventh this campaign, 14 points adrift of the Champions League qualification places. 

An impressive run to the Europa League semi-finals appears likely to come to an end on Thursday when Manchester United travel to Rome for the reverse fixture following the Premier League side's 6-2 victory in the first leg last week.

"Over these last two years we have experienced a number of highs and lows, but I have always given my all for this club and this city; a city that has always been so welcoming," Fonseca said in a statement on Roma's official website on Tuesday.

"I would like to thank the Roma fans, everyone we have worked with at Trigoria, the players, and all those who have helped us during this journey.

"We still have some very important games in front of us this season that we want to win, and we will continue to give our all in order to do so."

Chairman Dan Friedkin added: "Paulo guided the team through many challenges, including the Covid pandemic and a change of ownership, and did so with selfless integrity and great character.

"We wish him all the best for his future endeavours and know that he will be a great asset wherever he goes."

UEFA has confirmed that teams competing in this year's delayed Euro 2020 tournament will be allowed to select a 26-man squad instead of the usual 23.

The change has been rolled out to ease the burden on players following a compressed club season and to help national teams in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.

UEFA's executive committee approved the proposal on Tuesday and announced teams can make unlimited changes to their squad up until their first game in the event of a serious injury or illness.

The new regulations will also allow goalkeepers to be replaced before each match "in case of physical incapacity", even if two other keepers from the initial list are still available.

However, while teams can now name 26-man squads, only 23 of those can be selected per matchday.

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez and Italy's Roberto Mancini are among those to have called for squad sizes to be increased.

UEFA confirmed in March that teams can make five substitutions per match, rather than the usual three.

The tournament, delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, begins on June 11 in Rome and is set to conclude with the final at Wembley on July 11.

Romelu Lukaku is hoping to fire Belgium to Euro 2020 glory after gaining a "killer mentality" with Scudetto winners Inter.

The 27-year-old has scored 21 Serie A goals and provided a further 10 assists this season for Inter, who were crowned champions on Sunday for the first time in 11 years.

It is just the second title won by the prolific striker across his 12-year senior career after finishing first in the Belgian Pro League with Anderlecht in 2009-10.

Lukaku, who joined Inter from Manchester United in August 2019, has now set his sights on inspiring Belgium to their first piece of major silverware at the delayed Euro 2020 finals.

"Winning a club title allows you to gain experience and allows you to know how to approach matches," he told La Tribune. "You get this killer mentality.

"That is something I've missed in my career. I've given up too many times before. Then I said to myself 'I'm tired, I'm 27, it's time for a change'. But the work doesn't stop here.

"Right now I'm happy because we are champions, but I'm already focused on the Euros because it's important to me.

"I really hope the other Belgium players, like [Thibaut] Courtois, Eden [Hazard], [Axel] Witsel and [Kevin] De Bruyne, can also win titles. 

"That would be good for the team. It would bring a good team spirit and we can all move forward together."

Lukaku is scoring from 23.6 per cent of his shots – making him the first Serie A player since 2004-05 to tally 20 goals and 10 assists in the same season.

The ex-Chelsea striker's 31 combined goals and assists in Serie A this season is the most of any player, with Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo next on the list with 30.

Despite enjoying one of his most prolific seasons yet in front of goal, however, Lukaku does not believe he is the best striker in the world.

"That is Karim Benzema, without a doubt," he said.

Benzema is averaging a goal every 121.62 minutes in LaLiga for title contenders Real Madrid this season, compared to Lukaku's return of a goal every 127.29 minutes in Serie A.

The Frenchman has 21 league goals in total this campaign and a further eight assists.

The Indian Premier League has been suspended indefinitely amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India and Indian Premier League Governing Council confirmed the news in a joint statement on Tuesday after reports of COVID cases in three teams.

Kolkata Knight Riders duo Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive, forcing Monday's game against Royal Challengers Bangalore to be rescheduled.

Reports also suggest Sunrisers Hyderabad wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha tested positive, leading to the whole team having to isolate, while there were two reported cases in the Chennai Super Kings team.

"The Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an emergency meeting has unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season, with immediate effect," a statement read.

"The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and well-being of all the stakeholders in mind.

"These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times.

"The BCCI will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021.

"The BCCI would like to thank all the healthcare workers, state associations, players, support staff, franchises, sponsors, partners and all the service providers who have tried their best to organise IPL 2021 even in these extremely difficult times."

India has seen a sharp rise in COVID numbers in the country in recent weeks, with the total number in excess of 20 million since the start of the global pandemic.

Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks says Russell Westbrook must go down as one of the game's greats after another incredible triple-double in their 154-141 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

Westbrook had 24 assists along with 21 rebounds and 14 points for the Wizards, meaning he will have a triple-double average for the fourth season in his career.

The point guard's 24 assists was an equal career-high, while the Wizards' 50 for the game was a franchise record and the best in NBA history since 1990.

It was also Westbrook's 32nd triple-double of the season, taking him to 178 for his career, only three short of Oscar Robertson's all-time record.

"I've been fortunate to see him for eight years," said Brooks, who coached Westbrook at the Oklahoma City Thunder. "He does a lot of things that are pretty much superhuman at times.

"Point guards don’t do what he does. They're not built that way.

"I used to always say, he's going to go down as the third best point guard ever. I think he's passed one, he's going to go down as the second best. One is obviously Magic [Johnson].

"He's doing MVP-type things every game. He's as high a level as a player this league has ever seen."

Westbrook is averaging 21.8 points per game, 11.3 rebounds per game and 11.2 assists per game this season.

"Personally I feel like I'm the best playmaker in this league because I'm able to do things that nobody else can do," Westbrook said.

"I take pride in playmaking and passing it and making my teammates better. I'm grateful to have a bunch of teammates that make my job so much easier."

Anthony Davis said the Los Angeles Lakers have been "in a funk" after losing six out of seven games prior to Monday's 93-89 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Davis played a key role with 25 points for the Lakers, who were without LeBron James and Dennis Schroder against the fellow Western Conference contenders.

The win snapped the Lakers' three-game losing streak and moved them back up to fifth in the West.

"It was a big-time win for us," Davis told ESPN Sports Center post-game.

"We've been struggling. We've been in a funk. We've stayed together. We've stayed the course.

"We're missing two key guys, DS and Bron. The next man up mentality. We got this win against a team playing red hot."

LA improves to 37-28, boosting their playoffs seeding, as they moved above the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers for the time being.

Parma's relegation to Serie B was confirmed on Monday with a 1-0 defeat at Torino.

The Gialloblu are 19th in Serie A with 20 points to their name and cannot now catch 17th-placed Cagliari, who are 12 ahead.

Although Parma have four games to play, Cagliari have a superior head-to-head record courtesy of a dramatic 4-3 win last month.

Given Cagliari also still have Benevento – who are 18th – to play, Parma had to win at Torino to stand any chance of escaping the bottom three.

Mergim Vojvoda's goal after 63 minutes proved the difference, with the visitors attempting 10 shots but only once hitting the target.

This is Parma's first relegation since the club's rebirth in 2015 following bankruptcy.

They were promoted in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and then improved on their Serie A finish over their first two years back in the top flight before this season's setback.

Crotone, two points below Parma, have already been demoted, leaving just one place to be decided.

Carlos Alcaraz, a 17-year-old wildcard, will face Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Madrid Open, with the top seeds set to get their campaigns underway on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Alcaraz, featuring in an ATP Masters 1000 event for just the second time, was in impressive form as he saw off France's Adrian Mannarino 6-4 6-0.

The teenager, who will face Nadal on his 18th birthday on Wednesday, fired 19 winners as he took the initiative against his more experienced opponent and his reward is significant.

He became the tournament's youngest ever match winner, beating the record set by Nadal.

"For me, [to] play against Rafa is a dream come true," Alcaraz said as he readies himself to go up against the 20-time grand slam winner.

"Since I was a kid, I wished to play a match against Rafa and now I will be able to here [on] the Centre Court of La Caja Magica in Madrid. It is a really special match against Rafa."

He told Tennis Channel: "It's the best present for my birthday."

The biggest casualty of the day was 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who lost 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5) to Lloyd Harris early on, the South African now 4-0 against top-20 opponents this year.

Two qualifiers in Pablo Andujar and Marcos Giron played out a remarkable encounter that lasted three hours and 21 minutes.

The first set alone clocked in at just over an hour and a half, but eventually Giron came through the gruelling clash 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 to set up a meeting with third seed Dominic Thiem.

Fabio Fognini defeated Carlos Taberner 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 for the right to face eighth seed and Italian countryman Matteo Berrettini.

Diego Schwartzman, the seventh seed, awaits Aslan Karatsev after he beat Ugo Humbert in straight sets in what was the Russian's debut appearance at the tournament.

Dan Evans and John Isner were among the other players to secure progress on Monday.

Cricket great Sunil Gavaskar believes having Sunil Narine batting in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ middle order is a complete waste of time as the team needs quality batsmen in their line-up to be able to reverse their fortunes in the IPL this season.

KKR are currently eighth in the IPL standings after just two wins from their seven matches to date, a position that Gavaskar believes comes down to one thing.

"To be honest, they don’t have too many classy batsmen. I don’t know how many in the dugout they can look to and say, ‘Look… why don’t you come in and bat up the order.’ Because if you have a look at their batting, apart from Shubman Gill and Morgan himself, there is no class," Gavaskar said on Cricket Connected.

"There is Andre Russell down at five or six and Dinesh Karthik,” Gavaskar continued.

“I would look at promoting Karthik up the order, because for simple reasons. There is Rahul Tripathi up. Sunil Narine at 4 or 5 whatever is a waste of space. It doesn’t make any sense having him there. If you want to have Sunil Narine, have him at the top of the order where he can throw his bat around, and maybe if he connects a few, that’s fine.

“KKR’s problem is that they haven’t got anybody at three, four, five who can play an impact innings."

 

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