Sports

Coach who faked vaccination pass takes charge at Dresden

AFP

Markus Anfang, who was banned from football for using fake documents to falsely claim he was vaccinated against Covid, said Friday he is grateful for the chance to coach German third-tier side Dynamo Dresden.

Seven months after he quit as head coach of Werder Bremen in the midst of the scandal, Anfang has signed a two-year deal with Dresden, who have just been relegated from Germany’s second division.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity,” the 47-year-old told a press conference in Dresden.

“I have to live with the fact that I made a mistake.

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“I did not live up to my function as a role model.

“I have disappointed and lied to many people.”

He resigned from Bremen last November after it emerged he and his assistant coach Florian Junge, who also joins him at Dresden, used forged certificates to avoid quarantine as contact cases.

A district court in Bremen fined Anfang 36,000 euros ($38,169) last February, but he escaped having a criminal record.

In January, Anfang had also been fined 20,000 euros and banned by the German Football Association (DFB) for one year, back dated to last November, but suspended from 10 June (Friday).

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“I brought it on myself,” he said.

“I can’t expect everyone to forgive me.”

He also explained that he is afraid to be vaccinated against Covid due to the risk of possible side effects on his heart.

“Nobody can take away the fear of it that I have due to events in my family,” he said.

His father suffered a heart attack during a football match in 2019 and Anfang was present as medics fought to save his life.

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Anfang has previously suffered from an inflammation of the heart but insists he has nothing against others being vaccinated.

Dynamo sports director Ralf Becker, who worked alongside Anfang at second-division club Holstein Kiel from 2016-18, said confidence in the new head coach’s qualities outweighed any reservations.

“For us, it was crucial that he openly and honestly admitted his past misconduct and sincerely regretted it,” Becker explained.

“Everyone makes mistakes. Markus has taken responsibility for his.”

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International

Arsenal stun Real Madrid at the Bernabéu to reach Champions League semifinals

Arsenal enjoyed a “historic night” on Wednesday after defeating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, knocking them out of the Champions League quarterfinals, midfielder Declan Rice said.

“It’s such a special night for this club, a historic night for this club,” said Rice, who scored twice in the first leg in London, speaking to TNT Sports.

The English international was named Man of the Match in both legs — the 3-0 win in London and the second leg in Madrid.

“It’s amazing. I knew we were on an upward trajectory and we’ve done incredibly well in this competition. We deserve it and we have full confidence in our coach. Reaching the semifinals is unbelievable,” Rice added.

International

Two fans killed in gate collapse outside Chile’s Estadio Monumental

Two people lost their lives near the Estadio Monumental in Santiago, Chile, following a chaotic incident that occurred before the Copa Libertadores match between Colo Colo and Brazil’s Fortaleza on April 10. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the victims were crushed after a fence on the stadium perimeter collapsed, though authorities are investigating whether a police armored vehicle may have played a role.

It was a black Thursday at Chile’s Estadio Monumental. Two local fans died outside the stadium after a yet-unclarified incident caused a metal gate to fall on them, leading to fatal asphyxiation.

Local media reports indicate that a group of fans attempted to force their way into the stadium before kickoff. In response, local police allegedly deployed armored vehicles to block the breach.

Preliminary reports cited by local newspapers and news agencies like EFE identify the victims as two young individuals—one 18 years old and the other just 13.

Sports

Neymar Returns to Santos Training After Month-Long Injury Layoff

Neymar returned to full training on Tuesday with the Santos squad after spending a month recovering from a left thigh injury, the Brazilian club reported.

The number 10 joined warm-up activities with the team and later took part in a ball control and passing drill. According to the sports outlet Ge, he “did not show any discomfort from the injury” during the 30-minute session that was open to the press.

The Brazilian star had spent the past month undergoing physiotherapy, recovery work, and muscle strengthening due to the injury that had kept him out of Santos matches and even from the Brazilian national team. He had initially been called up, but was later withdrawn from the squad ahead of the World Cup qualifying matches against Colombia and Argentina.

Santos will continue daily training sessions this week ahead of their upcoming match against Fluminense on Sunday in the Brazilian Championship.