Ranieri named new coach as Fulham sack Jokanovic
Fulham appointed Italian veteran Claudio Ranieri as manager on Wednesday after sacking Slavisa Jokanovic in a bid to beat the drop from England’s Premier League.
Jokanovic led Fulham back into England’s top flight in May but the Serbian has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League. After 12 games, Fulham sit bottom of the pile with just five points from 12 games.
Ranieri, who famously led Leicester to a fairytale Premier League title in 2016, was a free agent after being sacked by French club Nantes one game before the end of last season.
LONDON:
CROATIA HOST SPAIN
Having finally shaken off their World Cup hangover, finalists Croatia are aiming for their first Nations League victory when they face Spain on Thursday, the side who inflicted a 6-0 drubbing in September. Coach Zlatko Dalic has named a 25-man squad, including three new faces, to face Spain at Zagreb’s Maksimir stadium and England on November 18 at Wembley.
ROONEY EXCITED
Wayne Rooney will make his final farewell as England’s greatest ever goalscorer in a friendly against the United States on Thursday, but is excited at what a young squad can achieve under “fearless” coach Gareth Southgate in the years to come.
“Fearless,” said Rooney when asked what set Southgate apart from the other five England managers he played under. “Because a lot of the other managers didn’t really give the youth the opportunity to express themselves and come into the team and have an impact.”
AFC WARNS IRAN
The Asian Football Confederation has warned Iran they could face sanctions ahead of January’s Asian Cup over government interference in their national football association. It follows the Iranian parliament passing a law barring the employment of retirees in state institutions.
HIGUAIN CRITICISED
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini criticised Gonzalo Higuain on Tuesday for the AC Milan forward’s meltdown after he was sent off for verbally abusing a referee. “I am ashamed of this disgraceful behaviour. I hope he’ll have a very long suspension,” he said.
ZAGREB: BURTON-ON-TRENT: KUALA LUMPUR: ROME:
BHAICHUNG BIOPIC
Filmmaker Anand Kumar is working on former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia’s biopic. “Young kids like the sport more than cricket. That’s why I wanted to make a film on football,” the director said. Bhutia’s story makes for a compelling film, he added.
MUMBAI: