Tag Archives: wrong

When Arsenal completed their pursuit of Willian last summer, there were mixed feelings among supporters and neutrals alike.

While there was no questioning the Brazilian’s supreme talents, the length of the deal raised more than a few eyebrows.

The player has since revealed that the reason for his Chelsea ^[1] exit was simple – he wanted a three-year contract, with the Blues unwilling to offer anything longer than two.

“It was difficult,” he said of his Stamford Bridge exit. “They knew how much I wanted to stay. I wanted to be a legend for the club. It was strange.

“But Arsenal ^[2] was different. Every day they called my agent and wanted to meet or talk. They really wanted me to go there.”

Willian admitted leaving Chelsea due to a contract disagreement was very difficult (Image: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

And with Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, Willian got everything he wanted when they agreed to a contract that would see him tied to the club until 2023.

“He has the experience of everything in the football world but to still have the ambition to come here and contribute to bring the club where it belongs,” Arteta said after signing Willian. “I have been really impressed with all the talks I have had with him and how much he wanted to come.”

But after an impressive debut against Fulham ^[3], Willian has looked every day of his 32 years and has struggled to show the kind of consistency that made him such a legend across the city.

Mikel Arteta handed Willian a three-year contract last summer (Image: Pool via REUTERS)

In a recent interview, Willian suggested he was in the midst of the worst run of form in his career – and few would disagree.

“It really was a very difficult start, apart from that first game against Fulham, where I had a good performance, I managed to make a good game,” he told ESPN Brazil.^[4]

“Even after that game there were some games that we won, I even had a good game, but then we ended up getting a bad streak.

“I also got a bad streak and I think my worst professional time to date, since I went up at Corinthians and was sold to Ukraine, then I arrived at Chelsea, without a doubt. This phase that passed now was the worst time that I think I lived as a professional.”

The Brazilian has admitted this season has been the poorest of his career thus far (Image: Pool via REUTERS)

The regrets over agreeing to a long-term deal may be starting to be felt in the corridors of the Emirates Stadium.

Particularly after Arsene Wenger had spent the best part of two decades showing it was a policy he would disagree with.

The legendary Frenchman ended up losing veteran players due to his strict stance, as he explained in an interview towards the end of his tenure.

Arsene Wenger made his contract stance clear during his stint as Arsenal boss (Image: Getty Images)

“It’s not over 30, it’s over 32. So when you have a player [who is] 32 he will just get a one-year contract,” he explained in 2010.

“It depends on the positions as well. If a central defender, then no problem to sign them until 34.

“But a striker is different. After 32 you go from year to year. A midfielder as well, after 32 you go from year-to-year.”

Arteta may now be wishing he followed suit.

* Sign up to the Mirror Football email here ^[5] for the latest news and transfer gossip

References

^{^} Chelsea (www.mirror.co.uk)
^{^} Arsenal (www.mirror.co.uk)
^{^} Fulham (www.mirror.co.uk)
^{^} ESPN Brazil. (www.espn.com.br)
^{^} Mirror Football email here (www.mirror.co.uk)

[email protected] (Ben Husband)

Celebrities

Bernie Ecclestone would ‘absolutely’ reject Queen’s knighthood: ‘Whole system is wrong’

March 26, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

The 90-year-old is the former chief executive of the Formula One Group, which manages Formula One and controls the commercial rights to the sport. He enjoyed a career in motorsport that spanned seven decades and still attends a handful of Grand Prix weekends each year. Mr Ecclestone claims he received a knighthood offer from Queen Elizabeth II back in the Nineties, but turned it down.

He detailed his issue with the “whole system” during an interview on ‘In Depth with Graham Bensinger’.

He said: “I think years and years and years ago people would go and capture a country or do something for England.

“They would come back and give the keys to the King or the Queen and say ‘this is what I’ve done.’

“They would be knighted for doing something super for England.

“I didn’t think I deserved anything at all, like probably 90 percent of people who are given these honours.”

Mr Ecclestone went on to state “anything I did, I did for myself, not for England”.

He elaborated in 2017: “If England benefited from it, then good, I didn’t go out particularly to do that.

“I think the whole system is wrong.

“I think if somebody actually dedicates themselves to do something for the country and is proud to do it, they should be recognised for that.”

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“Nobody knows where it goes.

“If I’d still been around there wouldn’t have been anyone wearing [anti-racism] t-shirts on the podium, that’s for sure.

“100 percent, there wouldn’t have been this business of kneeling before races.”

The seven-time world champion previously labelled Mr Ecclestone “ignorant and uneducated” for past comments on racism and diversity in F1.

Mr Hamilton has led the sport’s push to deliver messages on social issues, with drivers on the grid kneeling before races last season in support of the fight against racism.

Mr Ecclestone’s daughter also made headlines this week after slamming Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for “doing interviews”.

Petra Ecclestone claimed she had “always tried to stand up” for the former actress,” but did not reveal exactly what for.

It came after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex rocked the Royal Family following their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Ms Ecclestone, 32, said: “Harry and Meghan did have the freedom to leave if they really didn’t want that life.

“But, on the other hand, they said they wanted privacy and they didn’t want to be famous and they didn’t want to do interviews — but all they’ve done since is basically do interviews.”

Sports

Striking the wrong chord: CAS bans use of ‘Katyusha’ song instead of Russian national anthem at Olympic Games

March 15, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected Russia’s proposal to use the song ‘Katyusha’ instead of its national anthem at the Olympic Games, as it is too closely associated with the country, which is serving a two-year ban.

The CAS ruled earlier that Russian athletes competing at major international events, including the World Championships and Olympics, will be prohibited from using national symbols, such as the flag and anthem, until December 2022.

READ MORE: New Russian team name and flag agreed for athletes at Tokyo and Beijing Olympic Games

Russian athletes appearing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing will perform under the name ‘ROC’, the acronym which represents the Russian Olympic Committee, as the nation serves its ban for alleged doping-related offences.

Members of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) brought forward the idea of using the popular song at major sporting events after the CAS upheld WADA’s decision to impose a ban on Russia but reduced the term from four to two years.

‘Katyusha’ is a folk song or military march which was composed in 1938 by Matvey Blanter.
Also on rt.com ‘We are not at war’: Row rages over controversial plan to replace Russian national anthem with folk-based military song ‘Katyusha’
It gained nationwide popularity during World War II as a patriotic song which inspired people to defend the motherland.

However, the CAS rejected the idea of using the song instead of the banned anthem, saying that it would approve no “song with links to Russia.”

“The CAS panel considers that ‘any anthem linked to Russia’ extends to any song associated with, or with links to, Russia, which would include ‘Katyusha’,” the CAS said.

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