Fine for Silva after touchline rant
EVERTON boss Marco Silva has been fined £12 000 by the Football Association for confronting match officials after his side’s 3-2 Premier League defeat at Newcastle United earlier this month, the FA said.
Silva had approached referee Lee Mason and the linesman to complain about Newcastle’s winner, insisting Salomon Rondon was offside in the buildup, after Everton allowed Newcastle to mount a spectacular comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
“The Everton manager accepted an improper conduct charge from the FA, which resulted from his behaviour on the field of play at the end of the Premier League fixture against Newcastle United on March 9,” the FA said.
● Manchester City will open the FA Cup semi-final weekend on April 6 against Brighton & Hove Albion after England’s Football Association announced yesterday the schedule for the two fixtures at Wembley Stadium.
City, who are chasing a quadruple of trophies, will take on Brighton in the first semi-final on the Saturday at 7.30pm SA time while Watford face Wolverhampton Wanderers a day later for a 6pm kickoff.
The FA said each club will be allocated approximately 33,000 tickets for their fans and tickets are priced in the range of £30 to £80.
The final is scheduled for May 18.
● Mohamed Salah has failed to score in seven consecutive Liverpool games but team mate Virgil van Dijk says it is only a matter of time before the goals come for the Egyptian forward.
Salah, who scored 44 goals for Liverpool last season and helped them reach the Champions League final, has notched 20 goals in 41 games in all competitions, with 17 of them coming in the league.
“People can say all they want but I think all the teams in the Premier League would love to have him in their side,” defender Van Dijk told the club website.
“The goals will come. That’s something for a striker that is maybe going to be in your head but we tell him every time: you just need to keep working, keep going and you will be fine.”
● Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham, on loan at Aston Villa, believes he will play regularly for the first team next season when he returns to his parent club.
Abraham is on loan at the second-tier Championship club until the end of the season and he is their leading goal scorer with 21 league goals, three behind the division’s top marksman Teemu Pukki of Norwich City.
“As a young kid, I’ve always believed I will play for Chelsea, I always believe that,” Abraham told Sky Sports.
The 21-year-old, who has also had loan spells at Bristol City and Swansea City, has made two Premier League appearances for Chelsea – the same number of international caps he has for England – and is aiming to significantly add to that tally.
“That’s the aim going into next season,” Abraham added.
“I think I have the ability to.
I just have to, when I get the opportunity, grab it with two hands.”
Sixth-placed Villa are vying for promotion to the top flight through a Championship playoff spot with eight games to go and host Blackburn Rovers on March 30.
| Reuters