Portuguese referee for Ajax against Bodø/Glimt

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Portuguese leader at Conference League match Ajax

The match in the Conference League between Ajax and Bodø/Glimt next Thursday will be managed by António Nobre, UEFA has announced. The Portuguese leader is no stranger to the Amsterdam team, as he served as fourth man in the Champions League match with Liverpool last year. Ajax will take on Bodø/Glimt at home on Thursday, with the return in Norway following next week.

Injury to Álvaro Morata is not too bad

Atlético Madrid won't have to miss Álvaro Morata for as long as expected. The spire of los Colchoneros had to leave the field against Sevilla (1-0 loss) on Sunday with an apparently serious knee injury, but only has to watch for a few weeks. Memphis Depay, who came on as Morata's replacement, seems to be ready for a lot of playing time.

Real Madrid will play without Jude Bellingham in the coming weeks

Trainer Carlo Ancelotti will not have access to the injured Jude Bellingham for at least two weeks. In the match won against Girona (4-0), the midfielder scored twice, but he had to leave early after a hard tackle by Pablo Torre. The club announced through official channels that Ancelotti believes he will have Bellingham available again in the return of the diptych with RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund can again have an important five at its disposal

Borussia Dortmund has received good news from the infirmary five times. Trainer Edin Terzic will again have Gregor Kobel, Julian Ryerson, Marco Reus, Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi at his disposal for the match against SC Freiburg. Dortmund thus has an almost fit selection on Friday.

Only Jadon Sancho is still a doubt; the long-term injured Felix Nmecha and Africa Cup-goer Sébastien Haller are missing anyway. Haller will probably be back in time for the first meeting with PSV. It will take place on February 20 in Eindhoven; Ivory Coast will play the African Cup final against Nigeria on February 11.

Eredivisie returns to Japanese television

The Eredivisie can be seen live in Japan for the next year and a half. The pay channel FujiTV has acquired the rights to broadcast matches from Dutch soil until the 2024/25 season. It is not known how much money is involved in the deal. Between 2016 and 2020, the Japanese pay channel also owned the rights to the Eredivisie.

The new contract will come into effect from Friday, February 16. There are currently six players playing in the Eredivisie with Yukinari Sugawara (AZ), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Koki Ogawa, Kodai Sano (both NEC), Koki Saito and Shunsuke Mito (both Sparta Rotterdam).

Daley Blind and coach Míchel not against Real Madrid

Girona FC will not be able to call on defender Daley Blind next Saturday, when the Spanish stunt team takes on Real Madrid in the capital. The appeal against Blind's suspension, which the LaLiga number two submitted this week, has been rejected. As a result, the Royal not to take the Dutch international into account.

Blind received his fifth yellow card of the season after the match against Real Sociedad, because he asked referee Jesús Gil Manzano in the final phase why he did not add two extra minutes due to injury treatment. Coach Míchel is also not present for Girona against Real Madrid. He was sent off against Real Sociedad for allegedly insulting the leader.

Ajax Women meet Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals

Ajax will face Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Champions League women. This was revealed by the draw on Tuesday in Nyon, Switzerland.

The Amsterdam women will meet the club of Dutch international Aniek Nouwen, who is currently struggling with a serious cruciate ligament injury. The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played on March 19 and 20. The returns are a week later, on March 27 and 28.

Eto'o may remain as president of the Cameroonian association

The former top striker of FC Barcelona and Internazionale, among others, had submitted his resignation after Cameroon's poor performance in the Africa Cup, but this was not accepted by the football association. In a statement from the association, the African country makes it clear that Eto'o can stay.

The African Football Association previously confirmed that an investigation is being conducted into Eto'o, who in his position as federal president is said to have been involved in match fixing, abuse of power, physical threats, incitement to violence and spreading false information. Cameroon's poor performance at the Africa Cup has not yet cost him his position.

Martin van Geel will leave Willem II after this season

Martin van Geel will leave Willem II after this season, the people of Tilburg announced through official channels. The 63-year-old general manager has been ultimately responsible in North Brabant since the summer of 2019, but is now looking for something else. Between 1995 and 2002 he was technical director at the Tricolores.

“I hope to be able to use my knowledge and experience in a different way for the football world in the future, but this is something I will only think about after the season. I have no clear idea yet about the exact details. For the time being, that is completely unimportant and everything should be focused on a return of Willem II to the highest stage. There must be full focus on this within the club,” Van Geel said on the club website.

Feyenoord extends with talented Tsoungui

Feyenoord has broken open and extended the contract of Antef Tsoungui, the club reports through official channels. The 21-year-old man marker was taken over on a free transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer and immediately posted to satellite club FC Dordrecht, where he is a permanent fixture. Tsoungui is now fixed in De Kuip until mid-2026.

“Antef's rental period at FC Dordrecht is proceeding to full satisfaction according to all parties,” Mark Ruijl, Head of Global Football, notes on the club website. “With the help of the technical staff, he works every day to develop himself to an increasingly higher level. We would like to reward Antef for his development and his content that we can retain him with us for longer.”

Tsoungui is pleased with his new commitment at Feyenoord. “It expresses a lot of confidence that the club has already agreed to extend my contract so soon after my first signing. I work hard every day to improve myself and look forward to the coming years with many positive feelings.”

Dean Huijsen not registered for European competitions

Feyenoord does not have to take Amsterdammer Dean Huijsen into account during the Europa League confrontation with AS Roma. The eighteen-year-old defender has not been registered for European competitions by his club. Trainer Daniele De Rossi prefers winter signings Angeliño, Tommaso Baldanzi and Sardar Azmoun on his player list.

Schoonhove resident Rick Karsdorp has been put on the list, which means he will return to De Kuip for a while in February. The first leg will be in Rotterdam-Zuid on February 15, with the decision made a week later in Stadio Olimpico.

Brian Brobbey and Kristian Hlynsson won prizes

ESPN has again elected Brian Brobbey as Eredivisie Player of the Month. With five goals in three games, he scored the most goals of anyone in January. His teammate Kristian Hlynsson was voted Talent of the Month for January. With two goals and an assist, he was important in the three Amsterdam victories.

Louis van Gaal an attentive spectator at Anfield

Louis van Gaal was present at Anfield as a guest of Cody Gakpo on Wednesday evening for the match between Liverpool and Chelsea. The former national coach and current advisor to the Ajax Supervisory Board was treated to a wonderful match, which Liverpool eventually won 4-1.

Virgil van Dijk twice got away well after two alleged fouls on his person in the penalty area went unpunished by referee Paul Tierney. Gakpo came on for Diogo Jota in the seventieth minute. Ryan Gravenberch was on the bench for ninety minutes.

Feyenoord talent Gjivai Zechiël out of circulation for a longer period of time

Gjivai Zechiel has suffered a knee injury, the Rotterdam national champion reports via official channels. The nineteen-year-old midfielder, who has been part of the first team since this season, will therefore not play for a longer period of time. Feyenoord rewarded Zechiël at the beginning of September with a new contract until mid-2028.

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