Barcelona, the Spanish Premier League champion, said on Friday that it had completed the issuance of bonds worth 300 million euros ($331.77 million) to finance the renovation of its Camp Nou stadium.
Goldman Sachs managed the deal for Barcelona as the exclusive agent for the offering, and the National Securities Market Commission also approved the deal.
Barcelona also received financing worth 210 million euros ($232.24 million) through priority loans, as the additional financing will cover the cash flow shortfall after the rise in construction costs.
The Camp Nou stadium is now scheduled to be completed in the 2028-2029 season, after the originally targeted date of 2026 was postponed.
The Japan Football Association announced on Friday that his country's national team coach, Hajime Moriyasu, will leave his position next week, shortening his tenure in the wake of the postponement of the 2027 Asian Cup.
Moriyasu, the longest-serving coach of the Japanese national team, was originally scheduled to lead the “Samurai” in the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, in January, before handing over the reins to the current coach of the Olympic team (Under-23 years), Joe Oiwa.
But the Asian Football Confederation announced last week that the tournament would be postponed to December 2027.
This left Moriyasu in a state of uncertainty, as JFA officials refused last week to clarify when he would leave his position.
They said on Friday that Japan's friendly matches in Singapore against Brazil on Saturday and Paraguay next Tuesday will be Moriyasu's last.
The 58-year-old coach took over after the 2018 World Cup. He led Japan to surprise victories over Germany and Spain on their way to a round-of-16 defeat on penalties to Croatia in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He also led Japan to the round of 32 in this year's World Cup in North America, where they lost to Brazil 1-2.
Moriyasu was scheduled to lead the national team in a friendly match in preparation for the Asian Cup against an opponent whose name has not yet been determined in Osaka on December 30. The Japanese Federation said that the match was cancelled.
Its president, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, said in a statement: “We considered this match an important opportunity to strengthen the Japanese national team, and we made comprehensive preparations.”
He added: “But after the postponement of the Asian Cup, and given the national team’s schedule, we decided to cancel the match.”
Manchester United Football Club has confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the team's permanent technical director, starting next Wednesday.
The Argentine coach (54 years old) must start working immediately, as Manchester United is currently in the relegation positions in the English Premier League table after 10 stages, and a difficult test awaits him outside his stadium against his traditional rival Liverpool at Anfield on November 22nd.
In this context, the British News Agency reviews the most important urgent files that await Pochettino in his efforts to stop the deterioration of the team’s results.
Get crowd support
Manchester United fans clearly expressed who they bear responsibility for the team's worst start in local competitions in 40 years, as they intensified their protests against the club's owners (the Glazer family), CEO Omar Berrada, and sporting director Jason Wilcox.
Therefore, Pochettino finds himself required to gain the support of the fans, and his first messages will be crucial in building confidence with them as quickly as possible.
Impressing players with his tactical style
Pochettino takes charge of a team suffering from a state of confusion, and he will also have to gain the trust of the players. In light of the team’s lack of confidence and the absence of a clear structure for performance, he must establish a framework that guarantees stable performance on the field, and convince his players that his style, based on high pressure and energy, is the best way to lift the team out of this predicament.
The task will not be easy at all, as Pochettino will play his first match as head of United's coaching staff against Liverpool directly after the current international break.
Bruno Fernandes' future has been decided
Extracting the best from the senior players in the team, led by captain Bruno Fernandes, will be the key to unifying the team and employing individual talents effectively.
Uncertainty surrounds Fernandes' future after he rejected a second offer to renew his contract with the club, which expires at the end of the current season, so Pochettino must quickly identify the players he can rely on.
Bridging the gap at Old Trafford
After the dismissal of Michael Carrick, Pochettino became the eighth permanent manager to take charge of Manchester United since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, after a career that lasted 26 years.
However, the fans' demands are not limited to a change in coach, but also demand the departure of the Glazer family and other members of the club's senior management.
Pochettino, who has always sought a degree of independence in his previous training experiences, must build an effective working relationship with Jim Ratcliffe, Berrada and Wilcox, in an effort to heal the rift and overcome the current state of separation.
Resetting conditions on the training field
A number of former Manchester United players have often criticized the fitness levels, effort levels and mentality of the current squad.
Since Pochettino is considered a student of his compatriot Marcelo Bielsa, one of his first tasks, along with his supporting staff, will be to reset the work ethic on the training field and instill a winning mentality among the players.
