Reds Rally Around Kenny Dalglish After Positive Covid-19 Test; Swiss to Drop investigation against Sepp Blatter; Punjab FC Sale and More

Liverpool heroes Ian Rush and Steven Gerrard sent wishes to the king of the Kop, Kenny Dalglish, after he tested positive for Covid-19. The test results were revealed on April 10, in a message from Dalglish's family that read that the 69-year-old is asymptomatic. Dalglish attended the hospital a couple of days prior to that for treatment on an infection when his results tested positive for COVID-19 and "unexpectedly" was shown carrying the virus.

Rush, who played alongside Dalglish in the 1980s and is Liverpool's top scorer, wrote on Instagram: "Wishing a speedy recovery to the best...Sir Kenny Dalglish. Get well soon #YNWA"

Newcastle United and Blackburn, teams that were managed by him, also backed Dalglish with support.

Swiss to Drop Investigation against Blatter

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter (Pic: Twitter, World Sports Weekly)

The Swiss Public Prosecutor's Office (MPC) decided to shut one of the two investigations against FIFA president Sepp Blatter, reports stated on Friday. According to French newspaper Le Monde and German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the accused 84-year-old is not going to face a trial with regards to TV rights sold to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

“Once the case concerning the payment of 2 million Swiss francs to Platini is also closed, I will ask FIFA for my rehabilitation.

“.... because my suspension by the FIFA ethics committee was made on the basis of accusations by the Swiss justice,” Blatter told AFP.

Platini was banned from football from all FIFA activities for four years, where he was then vice-president, in 2015. 

Blatter still faces charges over the second case that was regarding a questionable payment of 1.89 million euros to Michel Platini, the former president of UEFA, in February 2011.

West Ham Players Put Off Wages

West Ham's players have agreed to put off a percentage of their wages during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold and their fellow shareholders also plan to invest £30million into the club, it emerged on Friday. The Premier League announced the short-term cost-reducing measures that are going to allow them to deal with the paying non-playing staff’s wages in the absence of first-team matches.

West Ham’s last match was a 0-1 defeat at Arsenal on March 7, with the season suspended indefinitely. Earlier in the week, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, launched #PlayersTogether charity fund, working with NHS Charities Together.

AEK Fan Breaks Lockdown Rule

AEK Athens reprimanded a fan for breaking Covid-19 lockdown rules. AEK then paid the fan and gave him a ticket for the team's new 32,000-seat stadium. The man, aged in his 60s, was taking a walk near his house in the Athens suburb of Nea Philadelphia and saw the construction work being done at the stadium.

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However, he forgot to carry his permission document with him and was fined 150 euros.

AEK owner Dimitris Melissanidis asked the club to pay the fine and to give him the tickets for the new season.

“We stay home, we stay healthy and our new stadium will be there and will be waiting for us when we overcome this adventure,” a message from the team read.

Ranjit Bajaj Sells Punjab FC

I-League football club Punjab FC will be fully owned by RoundGlass.

Ranjit Bajaj, owner of Minerva Punjab FC sold 50 percent of the remaining shares he owned in the club as RoundGlass acquired full stakes.

RoundGlass came into a 50-50 partnership with Bajaj last year, which led to the change of the club’s name from Minerva Punjab FC to only Punjab FC. 

"Well, yes I have sold Punjab FC to RoundGlass Sports. They are doing extremely well. They are no new to the game. They have successfully run their academy here for the last couple of years before purchasing 50 per cent stake of our club in the previous season. But despite the change of the entity, people called it Minerva only and very few said Punjab FC. They have taken over the entire club this time and I believe this had been the best time for this to happen.

"But I haven't sold Minerva! The academy will be there with me and we have already registered it as a new club. In a way you can say, now there will be a new contest and rivalry in Punjab football," Bajaj told an online publication.

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