Simeone spurned 35m euro offer to quit Atletico

BARCELONA: Diego Simeone said he considered quitting Atletico Madrid last summer following defeat to city rivals Real Madrid in the 2016 Champions League final, and turned down a 35 million euro offer from another club to leave. The former midfielder has transformed Atletico’s fortunes in his five years in charge.

“I got to the press room and had to go through the area where Real Madrid were celebrating and I felt a lot of pain, and I started to think that this was going to be a difficult year and it would be hard to motivate my players again,” he said. “I said what I felt, that I needed to think about it. Is that so bad? You have to remember if I wanted to go to another team I would have had 35 million reasons. But I didn’t leave because I didn’t want to.” Spanish media speculated that the clubwas Paris Saint Germain.

LIGA CHIEF DISMISSES IDEA OF SUPER LEAGUE SINGAPORE: The president of Spain’s La Liga on Thursday shot down suggestions for a European super league, saying it will likely face stiff resistance from national leagues and fans. Javier Tebas dismissed reports that Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid were seeking the formation of an exclusive European league which would see a closed competition of 20 sides from the continent.

JOHNSON ROLLS ON, MCILROY STUMBLES AUSTIN,TEXAS: World number one Dustin Johnson rolled and Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth stumbled, while Jason Day left to be with his ailing mother in Wednesday’s opening day of the WGCDell Match Play in Austin, Texas. Johnson won the first three holes and was 5-up after nine holes and steamrolled Webb Simpson 5&3.

BENGAL, GOA TO CLASH IN SANTOSH FINAL BAMBOLIN, GOA: Former champions West Bengal and Goa will face each other in the Santosh Trophy football final.

While Bengal prevailed over Mizoram 6-5 via sudden death in the first semifinal, hosts Goa beat Kerala 2-1 in the second semifinal on Thursday.