All posts by Carmen Gomaro

Carmen Gomaro - leading international news and investigative reporter. Worked at various media outlets in Spain, Argentina and Colombia, including Diario de Cádiz, CNN+, Telemadrid and EFE.
SPORTS

Leipzig's rays challenge Madrid: a 60 million attack, a revelation, white defeat in 2022…

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A little over a year ago, Real Madrid suffered its first defeat of the 2022-2023 season at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig.. It was the fifth day of the group stage of the Champions League and there were just a few weeks left before the break for the World Cup in Qatar. And there, in Germany, a land so often cursed for the white team, Carlo Ancelotti's team began a small crisis of results that continued with a draw against Girona at home and a defeat in Vallecas against Rayo. Results that handed the leadership of the League to a Barcelona that would not let go until winning the title in June.

And to Leipzig, where one day they suffered, Real Madrid will return in February for the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, whose draw paired them with the young and electric German team. The team led by Marco Rose has established itself as one of the best clubs in the country. They have lifted the German Cup and Super Cup in recent months, were third in the last Bundesliga behind Dortmund and Bayern and are third in the current one, following in the wake of Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern.

And in Europe his rookie status is beginning to not weigh on him and each year that passes he has more stripes than the previous one.. They reached the semifinals of the Champions League during the pandemic and this year they have been second in a group with Manchester City, Young Boys and Red Star. A logical position if we take into account their rivals, but it had Guardiola's team on the ropes both in the first leg and in the return leg.. In Germany the match was not decided until the 84th minute, when City scored 1-2 to end up winning 1-3 with their rival going for the tie, and at the Etihad the English suffered a lot to turn the score around 0 -2 initial that the Germans got. They ended up overcoming Openda's two goals to win 3-2 and secure first place with a goal from Julián Álvarez in the 87th minute, but Leipzig showed that they are no longer the Cinderella of years ago.

The defeat in Germany in the group stage and the fight against City this year are a clear warning for Madrid, which will go into the first leg at the Red Bull Arena (February 13) with its defense in deep trouble.. To the injuries of Courtois and Militao we must add that of Alaba, who will miss the season, so it will be Rüdiger and Nacho who will start, barring another injury, on German soil.. That's taking into account the uncertainty of Carvajal and Mendy, with usual muscle problems.. All against a squad that has lost its three stars but has replaced them with players who are already a reality in German and continental football.

From Nkunku to Openda

Leipzig have sold Croatian defender Gvardiol to Manchester City, midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool and striker Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea. Two of the three scorers in the 3-2 against Madrid in October 2022. That day Nkunku confirmed himself as a world star and in February it will be Lois Openda who will try to discover herself before the world. The 23-year-old Belgian forward arrived at Leipzig this summer from Lens in exchange for 43 million, becoming the most expensive signing in its history, and he is performing accordingly.. He has 14 goals in 24 games and forms a dangerous duo with Benjamin Sesko, a 20-year-old Slovenian attacker who also landed last summer, in his case from Salzburg, for 24 million.

Behind, more youth and more talent. Dani Olmo, now injured in his shoulder, will be in the round of 16 and will form the midfield with Xavi Simons, one of the Bundesliga's revelation footballers. The former Barça and PSG youth player signed for Leipzig after an extraordinary year at PSV, and has already scored 6 goals this season. In defense, Rose's team spent 30 million on Lukeba, Lyon's central defender, but it seems to be their weakest line. At a choral level, Madrid can expect physicality, verticality, talent and youth, a combo as innocent as it is dangerous in a round of 16.

SPORTS

Quique Sánchez Flores, new coach of Sevilla until June 2025

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Quique Sánchez Flores is the new coach of Sevilla, replacing the Uruguayan Diego Alonso, dismissed last Saturday after losing 0-3 against Getafe, and has signed a contract with the Seville club for the remainder of this season and next. until June 2025.

Quique, 58 years old, will lead his first training session at Sevilla's Ciudad Deportiva this Monday afternoon (6:30 p.m.), he will be presented at nine at night at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium and this Tuesday he will debut with his new team in the match against Granada at Nuevo Los Cármenes, set for 9:30 p.m.

Sánchez Flores thus becomes the third Sevilla coach of this campaign, which was started by José Luis Mendilibar and continued until last Saturday by Diego Alonso who, after fourteen games in charge of the Nervión team -eight in LaLiga, four in the Champions League and two of the Copa del Rey -, he could only win the two cup cups.

Sevilla, after being eliminated from European competitions, is now fighting to move away from the relegation places in LaLiga, in which it has only added thirteen points and is tied with Celta, who is in those positions.

INTERNATIONAL

Double loyalties: the far-right flamenco who sold his soul and secrets to China

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Who. A veteran of the far-right Flemish nationalist movement since the late 1970s, Creyelman was a senator from 1999 to 2007 and is still the leader of the Vlaams Belang in Mechelen.. That. The party has just expelled him after it was revealed that he worked, along with another old acquaintance, as an agent for China, acting as an intermediary, lobbyist, getter, spy and errand boy for Belgian and community institutions.

According to a study by the community institutions published last year, there are around 800 journalists in Brussels accredited to follow European information.. Much less than in 2013, when the historical record was broken with 1,330, but double than 20 years ago, when there were less than 400. Of all of them, a few dozen are Chinese who work for the nine media outlets or consortiums that are registered.. The figure is not bad at all, just behind powers like the United Kingdom or the United States, among countries outside the Union.. The interesting thing is that any continental colleague could recite from memory without problems and automatically the names of dozens of Anglo-Saxon colleagues, but it is practically impossible with the Chinese, and not because of a language problem..

In a decade doing this job in the city, I have never met one of those alleged colleagues. In nothing. I have never heard a question asked (except at the Summit of both blocks), we have never shared a table or room at a Summit, an interview or a briefing. Not even a greeting was exchanged.

According to informal estimates by the Belgian security services, collected in different publications in recent years, at least one in five of them are spies.. And few seem to me. Chinese spies, or fake Chinese journalist-spies, are involved in all kinds of scandals. The last of them has emerged in recent days and is anything but a surprise.

The far-right Vlaams Belang party expelled former senator Frank Creyelman on Friday after an investigation by the FT, Le Monde and Der Spiegel revealed that he had been serving Beijing for years to spy and act in favor of the Asian giant.. Tom Van Grieken, president of the party that, after suffering a cordon sanitaire for decades, is very high in the polls heading into 2024, stated that “his actions go against the purpose and essence, even the name, of our party.”. And he added: “The only loyalty of nationalists can only be towards their own nation.”. Sweet irony, because Creyelman was not the only one who conspired, sold information, lobbied or offered bribes to justify the repression against democracy in Hong Kong, the persecution of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang or simply to facilitate rapprochements with senior Belgian and community officials.. The local media Het Nieuwsblad has added that another far-right politician, Filip Dwinter, was also part of the network of a certain Daniel Woo and provided the same infamous services, documented in SMS and emails for years.

In 2020, Fraser Cameron, former MI6 and director of a think tank, the EU-Asia Center, was targeted for his links with two fake journalists and being accused of working for Beijing.. A few months earlier, the Free University of Brussels closed the Confucius Institute after its director was expelled from the Schengen zone for a decade for spying.. And a doctoral student was also sent home in 2021 because his academic life was a cover for his intelligence work. They are everywhere, but at least some of them hide it. Those with the camera and the microphone, not even a bit.

INTERNATIONAL

Boric, to bury the dream and work

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In March 2026, when his government has ended, Gabriel Boric will perhaps be able to write his memoirs of four turbulent years at the head of Chile. If he is sincere in what he tells, this book will serve as a valuable lesson for many politicians, because what the Chilean president had to go through in a few years is not exactly the usual. Your current mood? “Ball on the floor, humility and a lot of work,” he summarized in a soccer metaphor.

The social outbreak of October 2019 found Boric as a combative left-wing deputy, but he soon revealed a pragmatic and negotiating side that led him to agree with the conservative Sebastián Piñera, at the head of La Moneda at the time, to design a way out of the explosive political situation. The way out was a new Constitution, a historic demand of the left, which could not understand how the country continued to be governed by a document born in 1980 under the auspices of the dictator Augusto Pinochet.

But what then seemed like a transversal demand, supported in 2020 by 80 percent of voters, in 2023 became tired.. Nobody wants to hear about constitutional change anymore, and Boric, promoter and victim of the process, doesn't either.. He needs to govern, he needs to deal with the things that really matter to people.

“With this, during this mandate, the constitutional process is closed. The emergencies are different,” said the 37-year-old president, who intends to focus on combating growing urban crime and relaunching a stagnant economy.

“Our country will continue with the current Constitution because after two plebiscite constitutional proposals, none managed to represent and unite Chile in its beautiful diversity,” added the head of state, who called for the extremes to sit down and talk.. If he achieves this, he will have taken a great step in a notably polarized Chile, but in which the manners and education among political representatives remain at a level not usual in most countries in the region.

While rebuilding his personal life – he separated weeks ago from his partner, Irina Karamanos -, Boric has the challenge of keeping together the broad and contradictory conglomerate of the left and of offering a clear alternative to a scattered and partly unpredictable right after the failure. by José Antonio Kast in the plebiscite.

INTERNATIONAL

Abdel Fatah al Sisi wins the elections and will preside over Egypt until 2030

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The president of Egypt, Abdel Fatah al Sisi, secured another term until 2030, after winning the presidential elections with 89.6% of the votes. The Egyptian electoral authority announced the results this Monday, a week after the vote in which 67 million Egyptians were called to the polls..

Al Sisi comfortably won with almost ninety percent of the votes against the second candidate, Hazem Omar, a businessman and former senator who barely received 4.5% of support.. The results of the elections provide few surprises, since Al Sisi was running as the favorite candidate in elections adapted to his circumstances, with the dominance of the main media and great pressure from the authorities against opponents and activists during the months. before the elections. A constitutional change promoted by Sisi himself will allow him to extend his new term from four to six years.

The president will begin his third term next April. The head of the electoral authority, Hazem Badawy, noted that there was an “unprecedented” participation with 66.8% of voters going to the polls.. This is a figure significantly higher than the last vote, the 2019 constitutional referendum, which barely had 44.3% of participation.

The war in Gaza permeated the entire electoral campaign, with Al Sisi as an active mediator in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The president has tried to balance his diplomatic ties with Israel and the United States, without giving in to pressure from Tel Aviv to accept part of the displaced population from Gaza in the Sinai province..

Al Sisi has been able to read the sentiment in the Egyptian streets, of clear support for the Palestinian cause, and maintains a firm stance in the conflict, with constant mentions of the humanitarian situation of the population of Gaza. In his first televised speech after the election, the president again called for a cessation of hostilities and expressed concern about developments in the Red Sea, where Yemen's Houthi militia has been attacking ships in response to Israel's war in Gaza..

Egypt owns the Suez Canal, which is located in the northern Red Sea. “This ongoing war on our eastern borders, which requires the mobilization of all our efforts to prevent its continuation, represents a threat to Egyptian national security in particular and to the Palestinian cause in general,” said the Egyptian president.. Al Sisi's forceful stance in Gaza could have given him electoral support, while analysts point out that the president also hopes for the support of allies in Europe and the United States, who will help him alleviate the country's economic crisis.. In recent weeks, the European Union has announced an investment plan to support Egypt, with the intention of cushioning the impact of the war and strengthening its borders to prevent a greater migratory flow towards Europe.

The war in the neighboring country has left the economic crisis that the country has been dragging on for years in the background. In the last year the currency collapsed, annual inflation reached 36% and the increase in the price of wheat derived from the war in Ukraine caused a serious increase in the price of basic foods, dragging thousands of households into poverty.. Despite the debt of more than 29 billion dollars that the country faces, Al Sisi had allocated a large part of public spending on mega infrastructures such as the creation of a second economic capital, building a new city from scratch.

The three candidates running to take power from Al Sisi had a low profile, while the only politician who was considered to be a threat to the current president was unable to run in the elections.. The left-wing politician Ahmad Tantawi denounced pressure from the authorities to withdraw his candidacy, although the National Electoral Authority denied that they had placed obstacles in his electoral career..

Amnesty International reported that in the last three months at least 200 activists and supporters of Tantawi had been arrested in protests, accused of terrorism or of spreading alleged false news related to the elections.. “There were no elections, Al Sisi used the entire state apparatus and security agencies to prevent any serious contender from even running,” Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), told Reuters.. “Just like last time, he chose his opponents, who only went through the formalities of running against the president, barely criticizing his disastrous policies,” he added.

ECONOMY

The largest companies in Spain in 2023. Repsol and Mercadona lead the ranking of the 2,000 companies with the highest turnover. Madrid takes off as a pole of attraction for business

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The largest companies in Spain in 2023. Once again, large energy and infrastructure multinationals such as Repsol, Iberdrola, Telefónica, Naturgy, ACS, Cepsa and Endesa lead the group ranking. The same occurs in the classification by companies, in which Mercadona also consolidates itself among the positions of honor.. For their part, Santander, BBVA and CaixaBank lead the banking sector and Mapfre, VidaCaixa and Mutua Madrileña, the insurer.

THIS IS HOW THE RANKING IS DONE

The preparation of the ranking has been carried out with the information from the Informa D&B database and from the deposits of official accounts of the companies in the Commercial Registry for the years 2021 and 2022, selecting the companies by their volume of sales income.. The classification has been carried out thanks to the constant updating of the database with all the available economic information, provided by official sources and investigations of more than 700,000 account deposits. Informa D&B is the leading company in Spain in the provision of commercial, financial, sectoral and marketing information. Its origin dates back to 1992, when it was established by Cesce, the reference group in Spain in the field of comprehensive risk management.. The corporation has a staff of more than 1,600 employees, who serve more than 140,000 clients.. As a member of the

D&B Worldwide Network, Informa allows you to access online information from 300 million organizations around the world.

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SPORTS

Alaba breaks his cruciate and adds to the tragedy of Madrid: "This has never happened to me"

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The Santiago Bernabéu, with the roof closed for the second time this season, fell silent in the 32nd minute of the match against Villarreal. An instant silence when the fans saw how Luka Modric put his hands to his head after fixing his gaze on David Alaba's knee. The center back tried to pressure Gerard Moreno and his left foot remained stuck in the grass while the upper part of his leg continued to rotate.. He went to the ground and immediately raised his hand towards the bench.

Without loud screams or gestures of excessive pain, but with a seriousness that clearly explained the situation.. He said something to the Croatian midfielder and he reacted as the entire stadium reacted.. As colleagues like Rodrygo and Rüdiger also did, with their hands on their heads.. After Militao and Courtois' cruciate injuries and Carvajal's muscle problems, Madrid's defense lost another key piece.

After the game, the medical services confirmed the worst prognoses: “Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee”. «It's a shame, we are very sad, another player who falls…. It had never happened to me to suffer three crusaders (Courtois, Militao and Alaba) in four months. “We have nothing to do,” Carlo Ancelotti admitted.. “What the team has to do is what it has done with the injuries, hold on and do even more than everyone thought,” he added.

As if that were not enough, at half-time Ferland Mendy informed the doctors that he had some “discomfort in his right leg” and stayed in the dugout during the interval.. This Monday you will pass tests. “The adductor felt loaded and I preferred to change it to avoid something worse,” acknowledged the coach, who is waiting for Carvajal, Vinicius, Camavinga and Güler after the Christmas break: “Carvajal will train again this Tuesday, but we are not going to risk it.”

Madrid will reflect on whether or not to go to the winter market to sign a central defender, something that logically did not enter into the plans. Militao, who has shortened deadlines, is expected, within the calm, for the final stretch of the season, and right now only Nacho and Rüdiger, with the help of Tchouaméni, who returned to the pitch yesterday, are available.

As the white infirmary filled up, Bellingham and Rodrygo continued marking. The Englishman the first and the Brazilian the 2-0 in a match conditioned by injuries. Like that of Álex Baena, who left crying in the first half after a blow and was fired with whistles and shouts of “Fede Valverde!” by the local fans, who do not forget the clash between the two last season.

Despite Morales' goal, Madrid increased the lead in the middle of a somewhat angry second half. Bellingham and Altimira got into some fights that ended in yellow and Ilias saw the card after leaving a message to the Englishman while the Bernabéu chanted “olé, olé” for the 4-1 of his team, the work of Brahim and Modric. Madrid, sad and worried about Alaba, sleeps as leader.

SPORTS

Pogacar raises the bid: it will debut in the Giro and will seek a historic double in 2024

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In his search for the unexplored, Tadej Pogacar's competitive desire knows no limits. Despite the frustration of having given in to Jonas Vingegaard in the last two editions of the Tour, the Slovenian will face his revenge without holding back any bullets. If last year an injury after shining in the spring classics (fall in Liège and wrist surgery) prevented him from really being 100% in the Grande Boucle, this time he will attend after having debuted weeks before in the Giro d'Italia, as was officially announced this Sunday. “Andiamo!”

It will be quite a challenge for the leader of the UAE Team Emirates, who will capture all the spotlights at the Grande Partenza on May 4 in Venaria Reale (until the 26 in Rome). He will seek a double from another era, which has not been achieved in cycling since 1998 (Marco Pantani). He will have four and a half weeks of rest between the two big ones.

Perhaps the route, softer than normal, of the next Giro influenced. With sterrato, quite a few kilometers of time trial, less accumulated unevenness and few colossal peaks. Or simply the ambition of a rider like Pogacar, who in 2023 won the Tour of Flanders, the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Wallonne in one run.

In the absence of knowing more possible rivals to succeed Primoz Roglic in the list of winners, Wout Van Aert has also confirmed his presence at the Giro at the head of the Visma Lease a Bike. Pogacar has already competed in a Vuelta (2013, third) and has completed four Tours, with victories in 2020 and 2021.

SPORTS

The FEB opened a file against Mario López, former women's national team coach, after a complaint of sexual abuse

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The Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) opened an investigation file and issued precautionary measures, including the prohibition of issuing a license, against Mario López, a coach accused of alleged sexual abuse of a player, facts that the organization “condemns without palliatives.”

Mario López was national under-16, under-18 and under-19 women's coach.

López, head of internal and sports management at Lointek Gernika, was denounced for subjecting an underage player to abuse for three years, events that began in 1998, according to El País.

“Given the information published today about alleged sexual abuse committed in the field of our sport, the Spanish Basketball Federation wants to express its strongest condemnation,” the FEB said in a statement this Sunday.

“The FEB only had partial knowledge of this matter based on a complaint against the club received on October 29 of this same year.. This complaint alludes to the fact that, presumably, there is a judicial procedure underway for alleged sexual abuse.. Despite not having any notification of any kind in this regard, the Federation immediately initiated an investigation file and notified the complainant, the accused (the club), the Autonomous Federation of the Basque Country, the Higher Sports Council and FIBA. “, indicates the note.

The Federation adds that “while the file is being substantiated, the Advisory Committee against Sexual Violence of the FEB issued precautionary measures that prevent the issuance of any type of license to the person involved in the competitions organized by the Federation until there is a ruling. firm on these facts”. He has also asked FIBA that these precautionary measures “be extended internationally.”

According to El País, the complaint was filed in June of last year, 21 years after the events, in the courts of Gernika.. “Now, after an investigation process slowed down for various reasons, he is awaiting the indictment order,” the newspaper indicates.

The FEB emphasizes that “this person does not have a federative license issued by the FEB, nor does he have any other professional relationship with the Federation.”

“The commitment of the FEB is the complete eradication of this type of behavior, which it considers unacceptable and against which it has a Protocol and a Protection Delegate since 2014.. The Federation's policies in this field are very active and seek to increase surveillance mechanisms to try to ensure that no action of this type occurs in Spanish basketball,” he points out.

SPORTS

Diego Alonso, fired at Sevilla after the tough defeat against Getafe

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“What makes you win is knowing why you are winning” can serve as an epitaph for Diego Alonso as coach of Sevilla FC. The phrase is yours. He spoke it a few days ago at a press conference. The team had just lost in Lens and was left out of the Champions League and the Europa League. “We have deserved to win most of the games we have played,” he added.

Getafe was already winning in the fourth minute at the Sánchez-Pizjuán. The result, 0-3, defined with goals from Borja Mayoral, Jaime Mata and Mason Greenwood, is the least important. The inability of the Sevillistas to stand up to those of Bordalás, to propose something more than boredom and disorder, to even show some football dignity, goes beyond the scoreboard. If Diego Alonso has not been out of Sevilla for a few weeks it is because the Board of Directors is surfing its own crisis, with Pepe Castro retiring and José María del Nido Carrasco warming up on the wing to assume, very soon, the presidency of the club. Sevilla's problem is metastatic. It affects offices and grass. And it has a difficult solution. Only goals could cover up the disaster, but goals are at the opposite end of this block.

The arrival of the Uruguayan coach was the first big decision of Sevilla's new sports director, Víctor Orta. Monchi's replacement told a press conference why he had noticed the coach: “I made a trip to Uruguay and we met at a barbecue.”. I was impressed by one thing he told me, that he knew he was going to be a soccer coach since he was 23 years old.. That day we talked about Luis Aragonés, Rafa Benítez and Héctor Cúper. Since then I always had it on my radar and watched how it evolved.. Now she has been my first choice to coach Sevilla and I thank the management committee for supporting her.”

Unaffordable figures

30,000 people were able to attend the Nervion tragedy. Diego Alonso's numbers are the following: in the Copa del Rey two victories, against CD. Quintanar and Astorga; in the Champions League four defeats; in the League, five draws and three defeats. These are unaffordable data for any club.. The Uruguayan barbecue raised expectations that have not materialized in the Andalusian capital. The team changes its approach every game, the players play without enthusiasm, there are no individualities, there is no manliness, only noise. A chaotic and faithless system. Victory is utopian.

«I'm not going to invent something that has been in the football Bible for so long. Sometimes happens. What affects the coaches and also the sports directors in the medium term are the results, and when you have been in this profession for so long, you cannot only want the beautiful,” said Víctor Orta when asked about Diego Alonso. The defeat against Getafe could be the final one. Granada and Atlético await this same week. If Cádiz beats Las Palmas, Sevilla would end the day in relegation positions.

The continuity of Diego Alonso would be an inexplicable decision for the fans. The stadium emptied in the 80th minute.. The footballers looked at the ground. “Segundazo” write some Sevillistas on their social networks, perhaps to scare away their own fears. A barbecue has never been so expensive.