Former West Indies selector Roland Butcher was part of the panel who plucked out the young quick bowler

Andrew McGlashan02-Feb-2024One of the first people involved in West Indies cricket to set eyes on Shamar Joseph has recalled the excitement at seeing him bowl.Roland Butcher, who played international cricket for England, was a West Indies selector until earlier this year and was present at various stages through Joseph’s rapid rise which made global headlines with his 7 for 68 at the Gabba to bowl West Indies to a famous eight-run win despite an injured toe.It was last year at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua that Butcher was convinced they had found a special talent. He quickly took his thoughts back to fellow selector Desmond Haynes and the wheels were set in motion.Related

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“I immediately saw this guy bowling and thought, wow, this guy has got talent,” Butcher told ESPNcricinfo. “Went back to the hotel and sat down with Desmond and said, I saw a boy today who I believe is what we’ve been looking for. He’s the real material as a fast bowler.”Joseph took a five-wicket haul in his second first-class match and then earned a place on the A tour to South Africa where he claimed 12 wickets in two games. But even before then, Butcher had his eyes on the Australia tour.”What I saw was a guy with great athletic ability,” he said. “He’s not a big lad, but he’s strong and extremely fit. You could see that in him then, and once he started playing for Guyana, you saw the easy run up and the pace and the areas that he bowled. He’s not a guy who is all over the place. He bowls good areas but at serious pace.”It surprised us all that he’s done it so quickly but we always believed he had the talent. We took a chance, a calculated risk. I believed Australia was the perfect place for him to play because the pitches obviously favour fast bowling but you still need to know how to bowl there.

We knew his capabilities but don’t think we expected that sort of impact. How can you?Roland Butcher

“What you saw in Australia is what he did in that first game. The same lengths, movement, pace, everything you saw he did in the first game.”Butcher and Joseph had first crossed paths a couple of years earlier at a cricket clinic in Berbice, Guyana, when he and Andy Roberts had been invited to visit by the local board.”We had a long conversation. I saw him and realised he had talent,” Butcher recalled. “We spoke about it, I said listen, you have a lot of talent and I believe if you get serious about the game I know what could happen.”Then during the Super50 last year in Trinidad he came and sat down and said do you remember when you spoke with me about taking the game seriously. Then he said, six to eight months later he decided to take it serious.”Shamar Joseph sustained his pace throughout his matchwinning spell•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesAlthough Butcher’s contract as a selector has ended, the pair kept in regular contact during the Australia tour with Butcher passing on advice about bowling in the conditions.”He’s not a bang it into the pitch bowler,” he said. “We talked about not getting carried away with the bounce and bowling a fuller length and about being quicker through the air.”They were all attributes on display at the Gabba where he continually challenged the defence of the Australia batters and was still getting movement with the pink ball as it grew older. His stamina, too, stood out as he touched 150kph deep into the matchwinning spell.”We knew his capabilities but don’t think we expected that sort of impact. How can you? The impact he’s had is unreal,” Butcher said. “What he has achieved is unbelievable. From his background, what he had to do…he’s one of the most natural athletes I’ve seen for a long time.”You have to remember where he came from. You must have real love for the game and serious desire to play in a place where there’s hardly any cricket, hardly any facilities, a very difficult place to get to. The support he got from within his village, he must have had huge desire to be a cricketer.”The story has already shifted to what happens next for Joseph. He has T20 league deals (an ILT20 stint has been curtailed by the toe injury) but has committed to always being available for West Indies. Their next Test series is against England in July.”I talk to him about things happening quickly, the type of people he needs around him to handle this kind of thing,” Butcher said. “That will be key now in terms of him getting good advice. He’s got a strong family background, so I have no doubts he won’t get carried away. He’s the catalyst for dragging that young team forward.”

Veteran manager Sam Allardyce has voiced his willingness to fill the current vacancy at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Hired in late 2024, Vitor Pereira guided Wolves away from the relegation zone in the second half of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Across the summer, though, the club sold star players Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha, replacing them with options that, seemingly, are not of the same quality. After 10 league matches without a win, Pereira was sacked by Wolves in early November, despite having signed a new contract earlier in the year.

Since the Portuguese was dismissed, Wolves have been linked with a number of potential replacements. Gary O’Neil, who himself was replaced by Pereira at Molineux, was seemingly in the frame for what would have been a shock return. O’Neil has since taken himself out of the running to be the manager that will try and ensure Wolves’ Premier League safety.

O’Neil, who had a generally solid tenure at Molineux, would have been a bold appointment from the Midlands club, whose search for a new manager is ongoing. As per David Ornstein of The Athletic, Erik ten Hag is “among the other candidates”. The former Man United manager was hired by Bayer Leverkusen to replace Xabi Alonso in the summer but was sacked after just three matches with the German side.

Now, it would appear that an English football icon is open to trying to save Wolves from dropping to the Championship.

Allardyce would be open to Wolves job

As per talkSPORT, Sam Allardyce would be open to taking the current vacancy at Molineux. Having been out of work since his brief stint in charge of Leeds United came to an end in 2023, the veteran said:

Since taking up management in the early 1990s, Allardyce has worked extensively in the past three decades. The Englishman found a lot of success with Bolton between 1999 and 2007, going onto manage sides including Blackburn Rovers, West Ham and the England national team amongst many others.

Games

10

Wins

7

Draws

3

Losses

0

Points per Match

2.40

Across a period of over 20 years, Allardyce is unbeaten in 10 games against Wolves, with games coming during his time at Bolton, Blackburn and West Bromwich Albion.

Though he no longer has a perfect record of avoiding relegation, Allardyce’s reputation could be a leading contributor to what would be a truly sensational return to Premier League management. As he noted, though, it may be that Wolves look for a younger candidate.

Wolves manager target could be their 'new Nuno'

علق محسن صالح، عضو اللجنة الفنية في الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، على توديع منتخب مصر بطولة كأس العرب من دور المجموعات، بعد احتلال المركز الثالث في ترتيب مجموعته.

وخسر منتخب مصر أمام الأردن، بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، في مباراة الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة التي أقيمت مساء الثلاثاء، ليودع بطولة كأس العرب، بهزيمة وتعادلين.

وقال صالح خلال تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر” لبرنامج “اللعيب”: “سأتحدث كرياضي مصري وكمشجع مصري، خسارتنا اليوم مؤلمة وتمس المشاعر وتاريخ كرة القدم المصرية، بغض النظر أن هذا المنتخب الأول أم الثاني”.

وأضاف: “في هذا المعترك لا يصح أن نخسر، ممكن نخسر كرة ولكن خسرنا كرة ونتيجة، لم نقدم العرض المنتظر، أعتذر بصفتي رياضي مصري ومدرب مصري وبصفتي عضو في اللجنة الفنية باتحاد الكرة”.

طالع | محمد بركات بعد خروج منتخب مصر من كأس العرب: لدينا مشكلة كبيرة.. والجمهور على آخره

وأكمل: “أحب أن أوضح قبل أي أن يشمل الاتهام للجميع، اللجنة الفنية في اتحاد الكرة ليس من مهامها التدخل في المنتخبات الصف الأول أو التعامل مع المنتخب الأول وليس من مهامها الإشراف على المنتخب الثاني لحلمي طولان، لأن اللجنة تكونت وتوجد أجهزة فنية متواجدة”.

وواصل: “لم نقم بتغيير أي من الأجهزة، بسبب أن المنتخبات كلها مقبلة على أدوار نهائية ولديها أجهزة فنية تعمل معها وكان من الصعب إجراء تغيير، ورأينا أن نؤجل المعايير لتطبيقها في وقت لاحق”.

واستمر: “إذا كانت استقالتي أو اللجنة تريح بعض الناس فنحن مستعدين، اللجنة غير مسؤولة عن المنتخب الأول والثاني، مسؤوليتها عن قطاعات الناشيئن والأكاديميات والكرة النسائية والشاطئية”.

واستطرد: “لم نختار أسامة نبيه كمدير فني أو حلمي طولان، اللجنة الفنية متواجدة للتخطيط للمستقبل، وبالفعل وضعنا خططًا مستقبلية ومنتظرين أن نبحث في الاختيارات”.

واستكمل: “اللجنة الفنية عندما تولت المسؤولية وجدت أن هناك خلاف شديد جدًا قائم بين حسام حسن وحلمي طولان، عملية اختيار الأخير تمت لأسباب معينة، المفروض من سيشارك في كأس العرب المنتخب الأول وهذا الرأي السليم”.

وتابع: “حسام حسن رأى أن مشاركة الفريق الأول واستمراره في كأس العرب ممكن يصل للنهائيات، وبالتالي يدخل على كأس أمم إفريقيا وتكون الأيام قليلة للإعداد للبطولة، فاعتذر عن المشاركة”.

وأردف: “تم اتخاذ قرار بتشكيل منتخب ثاني ومشاركته في كأس العرب، وجدنا صعوبة في التعاقد مع مدير فني يأتي لمدة 3 أشهر لو كنت فعلنا ذلك، الإعلام كان “هيدبحك”، ويقول إهمال للمال العام”.

واختتم: “خروج منتخب مصر بهذا الشكل من كأس العرب، يتحمل مسؤوليته، حلمي طولان وحسام حسن من الدرجة الأولى، لأن لا بد أن يُنظر للمصلحة العامة ولم يكن هناك تنسيق، رابطة الأندية ومجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة أيضًا يتحملون المسؤولية”.

Chelsea have already reached out for discussions with the representatives of Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz, with Enzo Maresca hatching a new tactical plan involving Cole Palmer.

The west Londoners have lost three out of their last five Premier League games and narrowly escaped with a thrilling 4-3 win away to bottom side Wolves in the Carabao Cup earlier this week.

Despite spending nearly £300 million in the summer transfer window, there is clearly still work to be done from Chelsea’s perspective, and reports suggest that Juventus are even taking an interest in Maresca ahead of next summer.

The Old Lady appointed Luciano Spalletti on an interim basis until the end of the season, but if that doesn’t work out and Maresca fails to turn the tide at Stamford Bridge, a move to Juve could be on the cards in 2026.

In the meantime, Chelsea’s manager is surely tasked with finishing in the top four at the very least, and preferably adding more silverware to the club’s trophy cabinet after their Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs earlier this year.

According to some reports, Maresca is still quite unhappy with the options he has at Chelsea right now, so January could be a key month despite heavy summer backing in the market.

The most obvious area Chelsea are short in is centre-back, with ex-midfielder John Obi-Mikel claiming that the Blues will get nowhere near a Premier League title boasting that backline.

Ahead of the winter window’s opening, reports suggest that Chelsea are prioritising a new centre-back, with Levi Colwill expected to be out until spring 2026 after rupturing his ACL in pre-season.

However, they could also land a new forward, and have been linked with Yildiz as a serious option.

Chelsea make "very exciting" Yildiz offer amid Cole Palmer plan

Fabrizio Romano says that Chelsea “really like” the Turkey international who’s dazzled as Juve’s star attacker since the beginning of last season.

Yildiz racked up 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions across 2024/2025, finishing the campaign as their best-performing regular with over 10 starts, going by average match rating per 90 minutes (WhoScored).

The 20-year-old also made more key passes per 90 and completed more take-ons in the final third than any of his teammates, with Yildiz starting 25/26 in equally imperious fashion.

Juventus 2-0 Parma Calcio

8.88

Juventus 4-3 Inter Milan

8.51

Juventus 3-1 Udinese

7.55

Atalanta 1-1 Juventus

7.10

Genoa 0-1 Juventus

7.04

via WhoScored

He has seven goal contributions in 12 appearances already this term, attracting serious interest from Stamford Bridge.

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea have “discreetly” reached out to Yildiz’s camp with a “very exciting” offer to join them, and Italian insiders are adamant that Maresca’s side are in pole position to land him.

This comes as Maresca hatches a plan to partner the young Turk with Palmer up front, as Chelsea see him as the “ideal” player to link up with their England superstar.

However, there are major obstacles to overcome in this would-be transfer — mainly Juve’s minimum demand of around £79 million — with Real Madrid also in the race.

Los Blancos are described as a “major threat” to Chelsea in pursuit of Yildiz, and the player is apparently very enticed by Xabi Alonso’s side as a possible destination.

There is also the matter of Juve apparently stepping up new contract talks to keep him out of rival clutches, so Chelsea could have to launch the kitchen sink if this move has any chance of happening.

Chelsea have been offered another Juventus star too

As many as five Afghanistan batsmen fell for ducks in the second innings

Firdose Moonda03-Mar-2021Zimbabwe sauntered to a big win over Afghanistan in the first Test meeting between these two sides, which lasted just two days, in Abu Dhabi. After bowling Afghanistan out for scores of 131 and 135, Zimbabwe needed just 17 runs to win and got them unscathed in 3.2 overs in their second innings.On a surface that was green-tinged to start where there was ample movement to be found and good bounce throughout, scoring was tough but not impossible. Zimbabwe’s captain Sean Williams, who brought up his third Test century and second as captain, and 19-year-old Afghan opener Ibrahim Zadran, who top-scored for his team with 76 in the second innings, showed the application required to craft an innings on this pitch. Solid defensive technique was a must and any errors in length could be punished, which they both did.No other batsmen on either side managed more than 44 runs, with only four Zimbabweans other than Williams getting into double figures and one other Afghan player, Afsar Zazai, making more than 30. Eight Afghan batsmen were dismissed for single figures in their second innings, five of them for ducks. Neither Zimbabwe nor Afghanistan played Test cricket for a year before this and the struggles of their batsmen was as much an illustration of the dearth of long-form cricket as it was an indication of the comparative strength of their bowling styles. Zimbabwe’s quicks Victor Nyauchi, Blessing Muzarabani and Donald Tiripano shared 16 of the 20 Afghan wickets among them while left-arm spinner Amir Hamza took a career-best 6 for 75, his second successive five-for in Tests.Ultimately Williams, and the two half-century stands he shared with Sikandar Raza and Regis Chakabva, proved to be the biggest difference between the two sides. While Raza and Williams stabilised Zimbabwe from 38 for 4 on the first day, Chakabva’s proactive presence helped push Zimbabwe into a commanding lead, while Williams acted as the fulcrum around which the innings was build.Williams lost his overnight partner Ryan Burl in the second over of the second morning, but Chakabva transferred pressure back on to Afghanistan. He scored 24 runs off the first 34 balls he faced, and struck Zimbabwe’s only six.Williams’ approach had been watchful throughout and he scored 11 runs in 22 balls in the morning before he had the opportunity to drive Yamin Ahmadzai through extra cover. Ahmadzai thought he had Williams caught behind on 70, and there seemed to be a sound, but umpire Ahmed Shah Pakteen was unmoved. But, Afghanistan did find a way to break the partnership. With less than 15 minutes for lunch, Zahir Khan drew Chakabva forward in an attempt to defend a ball that took the inside edge onto the pad and to Abdul Malik at short leg.Williams entered the 90s with a pull off Zahir before Tiripano departed in similar fashion to Chakabva. Muzarabani took the lead over 100 with a heave over square leg, and Williams went to lunch on 97. He reached his hundred in the third over after the break with a single to square leg, but only scored five more runs before flicking Hamza to midwicket. Williams’ hundred was his second successive three-figure score in Tests and he showed the temperament required to succeed in the longest format.To a lesser degree, so did Zadran, with good awareness of his off stump and an eye for any small errors in line or length. He was especially comfortable against spin and will serve as an example to the rest of the line-up, especially those in the top order.Debutant opener Abdul Malik has work to do on his technique against shorter deliveries after he picked up a pair, edging Nyauchi to Regis Chakabva in the second over. No. 3 Munir Ahmed, also in his first match, played down the wrong line to a full Muzarabani ball and Rahmat Shah was undone by swing from Nyauchi, and tried to turn a ball that dipped on him square but was hit on the pad to be dismissed lbw for a duck. Hashmatullah Shahidi top-edged a short ball to deep square leg, Zazai went forward to defend a Williams delivery that pitched on middle stump and spun past the edge to trap him lbw, and Asghar Afghan left a bat-pad gap that Muzarabani burst through with a delivery that jagged back in.By tea, with Afghanistan 49 for 6, Zimbabwe had an innings victory in their sights, which only got closer when Burl bowled fellow legspinner Abdul Wasi shortly after the interval. Hamza stuck with Zadran and shared a 48-run eighth-wicket stand that ended when Zadran’s concentration waned and he drove a wide Tiripano delivery only to edge behind. Tiripano had Ahmadzai caught at second slip off the next ball and Zahir toe-ending a slog to mid-off to end the Afghanistan innings and leave Zimbabwe with a small target to take the series lead.The second Test starts on March 10 at the same venue.

When Daniel Hughes holed out to deep-midwicket one boundary short of a century, he was spitting expletives under his breath as he walked off the field in the final over not because he missed out on three figures, but because he thought he may have just cost his team an unlikely victory. Having done so much heavy-lifting over the previous hour just to drag his team back into contention chasing a lofty target of 194, all of Hughes’ dirty work appeared to have been in vain when Glenn Maxwell induced a catch to Hilton Cartwright on the boundary.But Steve O’Keefe ensured that Hughes’ efforts were not reduced to a footnote on the night. A huge swing to a Maxwell full toss may have missed the bat, but it clipped enough of his thigh to deflect past Ben Dunk behind the stumps and race through third man for the Sydney Sixers’ winning runs with a ball to spare. With his primary death bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile off the field, Maxwell took it upon himself to defend 19 off the final over but was unable to do so. It meant his fiery first innings’ 125-run partnership with Nicholas Pooran was dimmed in defeat as the Melbourne Stars suffered their first loss of the 2020-21 BBL campaign.Daniel Hughes cracked a match-winning 96•Getty Images

Pooran pyrotechnics
The West Indies batsman left a memorable impression on the Gold Coast crowd with a 17-ball half-century. The Stars’ innings had been sedate upon his arrival in the ninth over with the score at 4 for 49, and Pooran similarly got off to a modest start with just four runs off his first six deliveries. But a bouncer to the helmet by X-Factor swap-in fast bowler Gurinder Sandhu stirred Pooran to come to life. The following two balls from Sandhu to end the 12th over were bashed over the leg side rope for six.Maxwell took the cue to call for the Power Surge for the start of the 13th. With pressure from the Stars captain and Pooran, the Sixers’ bowling unit short-circuited through the rest of the innings. The duo plundered 49 from the pair of Power Surge overs, including four sixes in the sequence from Pooran as he cleared long-on twice more, before carving a pair of sumptuous drives over the extra cover boundary. In his maiden BBL innings, Pooran brought up a maiden BBL fifty off just 17 balls with another six over extra cover off Carlos Brathwaite in the 16th. Maxwell took nearly twice as many balls to do the same, highlighting the swiftness of Pooran’s fury as the West Indian dominated their partnership before miscuing a drive off Sandhu to Jason Holder at long-off on the final ball of the 18th.Hughes refuses to lose
The bulk of the heavy lifting by the Stars was done at the back end of their innings. Despite losing wickets early in the chase – including Jack Edwards and James Vince, and both to a short ball plan for ducks – the Sixers’ captain kept his side above the Stars’ early rate, claiming the midway bonus point with an over to spare.Hughes was efficient early in his knock, flicking singles and twos to keep the required run rate in check, before seizing on Adam Zampa in the tenth over to begin his acceleration. He drove the legspinner for a pair of sixes in the over to chase him away from the attack. But brought back with 43 needed off 18, Hughes finished the 18th by sweeping Zampa twice for four and six, sandwiched around a lofted extra cover drive for another six, to bring the equation down to a very manageable 23 off 12.See-saw finish
Liam Hatcher produced a tidy 19th over, conceding just three runs while taking two wickets to put the Stars on the cusp of victory. Soon, Brathwaite driving to Maxwell at long-on and a yorker to bowl Ben Dwarshuis three balls later left Hughes with just a pair of tailenders to get his side over the line with 20 required off the final over.After a first ball six conceded by Maxwell to Hughes over long-on, Nick Larkin was the center of attention for a pair of gaffes at deep-backward square leg. Hughes flicked the second ball in the air toward Larkin, who went for glory trying to dive forward for a catch but the ball failed to carry, instead winding up to take a carom off his body in the process of going into the rope for a boundary. On the next ball, Hughes tried to muscle a full toss over Larkin, who tried to parry the ball back to Cartwright running over to assist from deep midwicket. However, he wound up flubbing the relay as the ball drooped into ground for another six. A two-ball sequence that at worst could have been limited to two runs ended up producing ten, as the equation turned into four off three balls to win for the Sixers.Maxwell darted a half-volley into the legs for Hughes to crack on the next ball, but despite plenty of power there wasn’t enough elevation to clear Cartwright. Last man Sandhu joined O’Keefe in the middle with both yet to face a delivery. O’Keefe failed to capitalise on another Maxwell full toss by swinging over it with the bat, but a delivery that deserved to go for four runs ultimately did so off the pads.

Tottenham Hotspur have added Mathys Tel to their Champions League squad as they were forced to remove the injured Dominic Solanke from their European roster. The star striker has been restricted to just three competitive club appearances this term owing to an ankle problem sustained in pre-season. Tel was initially not included in the squad for the league phase of the Champions League.

Tel included in Spurs squad ahead of Slavia Prague clash

Head coach Thomas Frank had initially kept Tel out of their squad for the league stages of the Champions League after his move from Bayern Munich was made permanent in the summer. However, with Solanke out of action on a long-term basis, the Spurs boss has now named the 20-year-old French forward in their European roster ahead of their home fixture against Slavia Prague on Tuesday night.

AdvertisementAFPFrank hinted at Tel recall

Frank had suggested Tel would be added to the European squad during his pre-match press conference on Monday, as the manager told reporters: "Of course, if I knew back then what I know now, it maybe would have changed the decision, no doubt about that. Of course, it’s something we can have in consideration. We need players that are fit and available, so we have enough players to shoot with from the bench."

Solanke frustrated with injury problems

Solanke, who has undergone surgery, recently spoke to and discussed his injury struggles as he said: "It’s been very difficult. At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury. I was trying to get back as quickly as I could but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery. Since then, I have been working to get back. 

"I’m not putting a timeline on it because I’ve been telling everyone ‘I’m going to be back soon’ for the last few months. I’m taking it day by day but hopefully I won’t be much longer."

The 28-year-old isn't the only Spurs attacker sidelined at present, with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski also long-term absentees owing to respective knee injuries.

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Getty Images SportClub legend's homecoming on European night

Tuesday night's Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague will be extra special for the home fans as Spurs legend Son Heung-min is back in north London for the first time since leaving for LAFC in the summer.

The club's official statement read: "Sonny will take to the pitch before the team walk-outs ahead of the 20:00 kick-off against the Czech champions. He will then have the opportunity to personally address the supporters that took him into their hearts following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and treasured him for the next 10 years – it is sure to be an emotional occasion in N17."

The New York Yankees have made another move ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

After acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, the Yankees are bringing in Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals in exchange for pitcher Clayton Beeter and outfield prospect Browm Martinez. The deal was first reported by YES Network's Jack Curry.

Rosario signed a one-year deal with the Nationals before this season and has slashed .270/.310/.426 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 46 appearances. He has spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians and New York Mets before his arrival in Washington. He has made appearances at second base, third base, shortstop and in the outfield for the Nationals this season.

Beeter is a 26-year-old pitcher who has made five total appearances for the Yankees over the past two seasons. In two appearances for the Yankees this year, he gave up six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings pitched. For Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he has pitched in 18 games this year with a 3.10 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings, surrendering just seven earned runs.

In the Dominican Summer League, the 18-year-old Martinez has slashed .404/.507/.632 with three homers, 16 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

MatériaMais Notícias

da realsbet： Falar de arbitragem é uma chatice. Mas como não falar de arbitragem, quando, no Brasileirão, um jogo que transcorre normalmente, é decidido na bola, se tornou a exceção. Sim, pois a regra, como tem se visto, passou a ser a polêmica, os erros grotescos cometidos pelos sopradores de apito que estão comandando o futebol tupiniquim.

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da betway： Ainda que tardiamente, a CBF decidiu agir, com o afastamento de Leonardo Gaciba da presidência da comissão de arbitragem. Mas, que ninguém se iluda, isto está longe de ser a solução do problema. Muuuuito longe! Não adianta trocar nomes, é preciso mudar conceitos, fazer uma reforma estrutural que realmente mude o cenário caótico em que está mergulhada a arbitragem nacional.

É preciso ter coragem e vontade política para fazer não uma reforma, mas uma revolução! No mundo ideal, a comissão de arbitragem deveria ser independente, desvinculada da CBF, com uma governança profissionalizada, mandatos de presidente com prazos estabelecidos e critérios exclusivamente técnicos, sem interferências políticas em suas decisões

O modelo que rege a atividade de juiz de futebol no Brasil é cruel. A profissão até é regulamentada por uma lei federal, de 2013, que garante alguns direitos, inclusive a possibilidade de organizar associações e sindicatos da categoria. Mas é uma outra legislação, a Lei Pelé, de 1998, que determina que árbitros não podem ter vínculo empregatício com ligas, federações estaduais ou com a CBF, recebendo apenas um pró-labore por jogo apitado. Em outras palavras: num ambiente em que os salários de jogadores e treinadores chegam a valores estratosféricos – ao menos entre os grandes clubes – os juízes são os únicos personagens que não são, de fato, profissionais, dentro de um campo de futebol.

E esse é o X da questão.

Há juízes que atuam como corretores de imóveis, comerciantes, professores, funcionários públicos e trabalhadores autônomos nas mais diversas áreas. Não ser profissional é um empecilho real ao melhor exercício da arbitragem. Reduz a concentração, afeta a parte física e, não raramente, o equilíbrio emocional. Mas, principalmente, impede a dedicação que deveriam ter ao desenvolvimento da carreira, à atualização permanente, ao treinamento constante.

Não é assim no restante do mundo. Em boa parte dos países europeus, Portugal, Espanha, França, Inglaterra, aqui na vizinha Argentina, os árbitros são contratados das confederações nacionais, recebem salário fixo e um adicional por partida apitada. Em todos eles, quando a mudança de regime trabalhista foi adotada, registrou-se uma melhoria no nível das arbitragens. E aumentou a confiança dos clubes, de jogadores e de torcedores. Erros existem – e continuarão a existir sempre e em qualquer situação. Mas são a exceção e não a regra como por aqui.

A ideia, já levantada na CBF, como revelou o blog do jornalista Rodrigo Mattos, de promover um intercâmbio de árbitros, trazendo europeus para inclusive apitar partidas como parte de uma reciclagem geral da arbitragem brasileira, não é ruim. O aprendizado pelo exemplo sempre será a melhor forma. E há um abismo entre os dois lados do Oceano Atlântico. Basta ver, como exemplo, a forma como o VAR tem sido usado por lá, com critérios claros, auxiliando o juiz do campo em decisões rápidas e precisas, em contraponto aos absurdos desmoralizantes que têm ocorrido no Brasileirão.

A arbitragem brasileira nunca inspirou confiança. A obrigatoriedade de sorteio, estabelecida pelo Estatuto do Torcedor, foi uma demonstração clara disso, buscando afastar suspeitas de favorecimentos políticos e de negociações escusas na escalação de juízes. Qualidade técnica também nunca foi uma virtude do conjunto de nossos árbitros. Mas o que se vive agora, o show de horrores dos erros que se repetem a cada jogo, não por má fé, mas por incompetência ou despreparo, ultrapassa limites e já pode ser considerada uma das piores – se não a pior – fase de todos os tempos. Gaciba não vai deixar saudades. Mas que ele não seja tão somente o bode expiatório dessa história.

Keep up to date with all the movements around the counties ahead of the 2026 men’s county season

ESPNcricinfo staffKeep up to date with all the movements around the counties as preparations are made for the 2026 men’s county seasonDerbyshireIN: Matt Montgomery (Nottinghamshire)
OUT: David Lloyd (retired), Alex Thomson (released)
OVERSEAS: Caleb JewellDurhamIN: Kasey Aldridge (Somerset), Archie Bailey (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Mitchell Killeen (Essex), Paul Coughlin (Lancashire)
OVERSEAS:EssexIN: Mitchell Killeen (Durham), Zaman Akhter (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Nick Browne (retired), Adam Rossington, Jamal Richards (both released)
OVERSEAS: Simon HarmerGlamorganIN: Sean Dickson (Somerset)
OUT: Sam Northeast (Kent), Tom Bevan (released)
OVERSEAS: Colin IngramGloucestershireIN: Craig Miles (Warwickshire), Will Williams (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire)
OUT: Archie Bailey (Durham), Ajeet Singh Dale (Lancashire), Zaman Akhter (Essex), Dom Goodman (Sussex), Tom Price (Sussex), Josh Shaw (Somerset)
OVERSEAS: Cameron Bancroft, Gabe Bell (April-May), D’Arcy Short (T20)HampshireIN:
OUT: Keith Barker (Warwickshire), Benny Howell (Nottinghamshire), Joseph Eckland (released)
OVERSEAS: Kyle AbbottKentIN: Sam Northeast (Glamorgan), Matt Milnes (Yorkshire)
OUT: Jack Leaning (Sussex), Nathan Gilchrist (Warwickshire), George Garrett (retired), Marcus O’Riordan, Mohammed Rizvi (both released)
OVERSEAS: Keith DudgeonLancashireIN: Paul Coughlin (Durham), Ajeet Singh Dale (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Will Williams (Gloucestershire), Josh Boyden (released)
OVERSEAS: Marcus Harris, Chris Green (T20)LeicestershireIN: Stephen Eskinazi (Middlesex), Jonny Tattersall (Yorkshire), Josh Davey (Somerset), Ben Green (Somerset)
OUT: Louis Kimber (Northamptonshire), Chris Wright, Harry Swindells (both retired), Matt Salisbury, Roman Walker (both released)
OVERSEAS: Peter Handscomb, Keshav Maharaj (April-July)MiddlesexIN: Caleb Falconer (academy)
OUT: Stephen Eskinazi (Leicestershire)
OVERSEAS:NorthamptonshireIN: Louis Kimber (Leicestershire), Calvin Harrison (Nottinghamshire)
OUT: Freddie Heldreich (released)
OVERSEAS: Matthew Breetzke, Nathan McSweeney, Harry Conway (April-May), Yuzvendra Chahal (July-Sept)NottinghamshireIN: Benny Howell
OUT: Calvin Harrison (Northamptonshire), Matthew Montgomery (Derbyshire), Sammy King, Dane Schadendorf (both released)
OVERSEAS: Kyle Verreynne, Fergus O’Neil (April-June)SomersetIN: Josh Shaw (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Kasey Aldridge (Durham), Sean Dickson (Glamorgan), Josh Davey (Leicestershire), Ben Green (Leicestershire), Andrew Umeed (released)
OVERSEAS: Riley Meredith (T20), Migael PretoriusSurreyIN: Ralphie Albert (academy)
OUT:
OVERSEAS:SussexIN: Danny Briggs (Warwickshire), Jack Leaning (Kent), Dom Goodman (Gloucestershire), Tom Price (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Ari Karvelas, Bertie Foreman, Archie Lenham, Zach Lion-Cachet, Henry Rogers (all released)
OVERSEAS: Jaydev Unadkat (June-Sept)WarwickshireIN: Keith Barker (Hampshire), Nathan Gilchrist (Kent), Jordan Thompson (Yorkshire)
OUT: Danny Briggs (Sussex), Craig Miles (Gloucestershire), Moeen Ali (retired)
OVERSEAS: Beau Webster (April-July)WorcestershireIN:
OUT: Tom Hinley, Yadvinder Singh (both released)
OVERSEAS: Usama Mir (T20), Ben Dwarshuis (T20)YorkshireIN:
OUT: Matt Milnes (Kent), Jordan Thompson (Warwickshire), Jonny Tattersall (Leicestershire), Dawid Malan (Gloucestershire)
OVERSEAS: