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Thursday Kickoff: Man City sweating over Aguero fitness; Hoeness sentenced to prison; and more

SergioAgueroManCity3-Barcelona2014UCL (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League hopes were dashed on Wednesday, but they may have more bad news awaiting them when they return to England.

Star striker Sergio Aguero played only 45 minutes in Man City’s second-leg match against Barcelona, leaving with a reported hamstring injury. Though there was no word how serious the injury was after the match, Aguero is expected to be examined by doctors on Thursday to see if there is any damage.

“I felt a twinge in the leg early on after a challenge with (Lionel) Messi,” Aguero told The Guardian after the match. “I carried on with it for the rest of the half but at half-time we decided not to risk it.”

Man City assistant coach Ruben Cousillas however played down the seriousness of the injury, telling reporters that Aguero was substituted as a precaution. Aguero has already missed time this season due to calf and hamstring injuries.

Here are some more stories to start your Thursday:

BAYERN PRESIDENT SENTENCED TO PRISON

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness is heading to prison.

Following a four-day trial over his alleged tax fraud of €27.2 million, to which he admitted, a German court sentenced Hoeness to three-and-a-half years in jail as punishment.

The 62-year-old has helped turn Bayern Munich into one of, if not the best, teams in the world, winning an impressive five cups in 2013 including the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, and Club World Cup. As president of the club, Hoeness had also risen in the political ranks, and is an ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel.

When reports broke in 2013 about Hoeness’s alleged tax evasion, he turned himself in to the courts and was open during this week’s trial. Hoeness hid income he made in an undeclared Swiss bank account.

BRAZILIAN CLUBS STRUGGLE IN COPA LIBERTADORES

Defending Copa Libertadores champions Atletico Mineiro settled for a 2-2 draw at Nacional of Paraguay.

Ronaldinho and Mineiro came back from a goal deficit to take a 2-1 lead in the first half and held onto the lead until an 87th minute penalty kick. Silvio Torales stepped up to the spot and fired the penalty kick home to tie the match and earn his side a crucial point.

Brazilian club Botafogo continued their struggles with a 2-1 defeat to Ecuadorian side Independiente Del Valle. Botafogo finished the match with nine men after a double sending off of Bolivar and Edilson occurred in the 74th minute. Brazilian side Flamengo also settled for a disappointing 2-2 draw at home with Bolivar of Bolivia. Everton had two goals in the match for Flamengo.

Argentine club San Lorenzo drew at home, 1-1, with Union Española of Chile and Zamora FC from Venezuela shocked Independiente Santa Fe of Colombia, 2-1.

QUICK KICKS

Spain National Team head coach Vicente Del Bosque said if he could select a player from the German National Team to add to his Spain squad, it would be Toni Kroos. (REPORT)

Hamburg forward Jean-Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is being linked with a move to Inter Milan. (REPORT)

Glasgow Rangers secured the Scottish League One title on Wednesday with eight games to spare. (REPORT)

203,330 World Cup tickets were sold in the first five hours after the second phase of ticketing began. (REPORT)

Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner reportedly performed a lewd act while drunk and threatened a taxi cab driver on Tuesday while on a night out in Copenhagen. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? How big would Aguero’s loss be at this point in the season if he is indeed injured? Are you surprised to read about Hoeness’ sentence?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Jean-Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has a pretty epic name. Also plays for Mainz, who lose their best player every year. From what I read, Thomas Tuchel the coach from Mainz has a reputation for over preforming.

    Reply
  2. If only Barca executives and the Messi family accepted responsibility for their tax crimes as admirably as Uli Hoeness.

    Reply
    • I thought Barca’s reaction was “we are innocent!” but tax collector, here’s 10 million Euros just because we feel like it.

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      • Way more complicated than that.

        Spain has just ridiculous laws on foreign income as a result of David Beckham and the political circus that followed him when he lived in Madrid.

        They blindly enacted all kinds of legislation on foreign income that is not only confusing, but often times contradictory.

        Beckham was actually grandfathered in to the old laws–courtesy of pressure by the club on the local prosecutors–but for new players and clubs going forward, there has been a hodgepodge of nobody having any idea what constitutes taxable foreign income.

        For example, Messi was charged with tax evasion over money a marketing company out of Argentina earned for its actions in countries that were not Spain. But the laws were changed AFTER the company made that money with his rights, and the Spanish government wanted it.

        That’s another key part–they wanted taxes for the money earned prior to the enacting of the new tax laws.

        It’s just another volley in the salvo of of Catalonia versus Spain and the further politics of prosecutors going after Barcelona/Atletico players.

        Messi and his family just said fine, here’s some money, we don’t want anything to do with politically charged nonsense being driven from a non-legal office in Madrid.

      • i think it was a direct response to a couple of senators who recently proposed that *russia* be banned from this world cup.

    • We have we done recently to argue that? I mean like 5 years ago you might have some ammunition but like… You have invaded a country more recently than us so there! Take that Russia!

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      • They used our involvement in Yugoslavia as a reason for kicking us out, clearly someone isn’t aware its 2014.

      • “Dear Mr. Blatter,
        …We respectfully ask that you urgently convene an emergency session of FIFA to consider suspending US’s membership in FIFA and denying the United States Team the right to participate in the upcoming 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
        According to Article 3 of the FIFA Statutes: “discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.”

        So Russia apparently forgetting and the discrimination of homosexuals….. although that might okay in FIFA land considering the WC is gunna be in Qatar.

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