French Open bans Hamou over attempts to kiss reporter on live TV

Tennis player Maxime Hamou has been banned by the organisers of the French Open after he tried to kiss a female reporter repeatedly during a live TV interview.

The French player, 21, kissed journalist Maly Thomas while holding her around her neck and shoulders, despite her efforts to duck away.

The French Tennis Federation (FTT) condemned the "reprehensible behaviour" and ordered an investigation.

Hamou has apologised for his actions.

The incident happened after he was knocked out of the first round of the competition on Monday.

It is the latest case to provoke allegations of harassment of female sports reporters.

Several anchors and commentators on the Eurosport programme Avantage Leconte laughed and clapped as it unfolded.

The episode drew ire on social media, including from French politician Cécile Duflot.

"He kisses her by force, she tries to get away, he holds her by the neck and everyone... laughs #tired," the Green MP wrote on Twitter (in French).

Quoted by the Huffington Post France, Ms Thomas described the player's actions as "frankly unpleasant".

"If I hadn't been live on air, I would have punched him."

Campaigning Starts in Kenya

NAIROBI — 

In Kenya, the official campaign period has begun as the electoral body clears candidates to run for the presidency. The commission is calling on the candidates to maintain peace during the August polls.

Kenya’s presidential campaign has begun with 70 days to the August elections. So far the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has cleared seven candidates and rejected three because of logistical issues.

Addressing Jubilee Party supporters Monday in Nairobi, Deputy President William Ruto said he and the president would make a re-election bid.

“As you are aware today President Uhuru Kenyatta is going to present his papers to the IEBC given to him by Jubilee Party so that he can compete for the presidency on August 8th and we thank you for coming to escort him to the commission,” he said.

Kenyatta, who is seeking a second term, was the seventh candidate cleared by the IEBC.

The main opposition coalition led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was one of the presidential hopefuls to be cleared Sunday. Odinga, running for president for the fourth time, is expected to be Kenyatta's main challenger.

Kenya's National Super Alliance and opposition leader Raila Odinga (L) and running mate Kalonzo Musyoka show their clearance certificate, May 28, 2017 in Nairobi, after Odinga has presented his candidacy for the presidential race.

Electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati warned leaders against incitement.

“You have signed the accord of conduct both as political parties as well as candidates and as a commission we shall not hesitate to take any action if you breach that code of conduct. We want this country to be peaceful before, during and after this election,” said Chebukati.

The opposition agreed to hold a peaceful campaign. Odinga called on the commission to deliver an election that represents the will of the people.

“IEBC must leave up to its billing which is not only deliver free and fair but to ensure that those elections are truly free and fair,” he said.

Kenya is still haunted by the 2007 presidential election, won by Mwai Kibaki in a hotly-disputed vote. Post-election violence killed more than 1,100 people and forced the top parties into a power-sharing government.

Kenyatta's election in 2013 was peaceful, but was marred by accusations that he and Ruto had helped to organize the 2007 violence. The International Criminal Court eventually dropped charges of crimes against humanity for both men, citing a lack of evidence.

N Korea fires Scud missile into sea, its third test in three weeks

North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile, the third apparently successful test in as many weeks.

The Scud flew about 450km (280 miles) before landing in Japanese waters, prompting Japan to lodge a protest.

Observers say the tests indicate the North is making progress towards missiles capable of carrying warheads.

The North has repeatedly defied a UN resolution banning all nuclear and missile activity, and has ramped up its tests in recent months.

The US Pacific Command said the missile was launched from Wonsan in North Korea and flew for about six minutes before landing.

Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the missile landed in an area between Japan's Sado and Oki islands, in their exclusive economic zone.

South African Ruling Party Debates Fate of President

 

Ruling party critics of South African President Jacob Zuma pushed for his resignation on Sunday amid concern about alleged corruption at the highest levels of the government, but the president still retained significant support within the divided party.

This weekend, opponents proposed a motion of no confidence against Zuma at a meeting of leaders of the African National Congress party, which has led South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Many in the party attribute the ANC's poor performance in local elections last year to scandals surrounding the president and want to shore up their popularity ahead of national elections in 2019.

The motion was proposed by party member Joel Netshitenzhe, and it was supported by the health minister and his deputy, as well as the former tourism minister, reported the News24 website. State broadcaster SABC said the chairman of the National Executive Committee meeting did not allow debate on the motion because it was not on the agenda, though the meeting was continuing late Sunday.

Zuma survived a similar move to oust him at a committee meeting in November, but unease within the ruling party grew after he fired Pravin Gordhan, the widely respected finance minister, in a Cabinet reshuffle in March.

Another Police officer killed in motor accident

The police fraternity is mourning the death one of their colleague, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jamil Sebalu following a motor accident along Northern Bypass.
Sebalu was killed yesterday in a hit and run accident.

Mr Charles Ssebambulidde, traffic police spokesperson, said police was yet to arrest the driver who cut short ASP Sebalu’s life.
“We are yet to get particulars of the vehicle that killed our officer since it was a hit and run accident. But we are still hunting for him,” Mr Ssebambulidde said.
ASP Sebalu was the officer in charge of Kasubu-Kibizi police post, a Kampala suburb. He was among Cadet Officers who were passed out in the 2014/2015 intake.

Mr Ssebambulidde said ASP Sebalu’s burial will be held at his ancestral home in Butambala District.
In March this year, OC Bulenga Police station, ASP Moses Ocitia died following a motor accident along Entebbe road close to Lubowa Police station.
Ocitia who was driving a G Touring Reg number-UAD172K had a head on collusion with Super Custom UAT 610S which was heading to Entebbe from Kampala. He died on his way to Mulago Hospital.

11-year-old boy takes care of family

 

A 11-year-old boy Sunday Dradriga should be at school, but is not because he has to perform the roles of parenthood.
His mother and two siblings are blind. His father is not man enough to take care of the family. This leaves Dradriga the only responsible member of the family to take care of the home daily.
“I am now the second head of this home because my mother is blind and my father cannot afford all the basic necessities. I cannot go to school because I fear that my other siblings will stay hungry,” he said. Adding I have to wake up at 7am to fetch water, bathe the children and then start cooking. And this is only if there is something to cook. It is a huge daily task.”

At their home in Olevu Village, Odupi Sub-county, Arua District, Dradriga sorts out vegetables which the blind mother Ms HellenTiko, 41, picks from the compound to feed the family.
“Even when our third born goes to school, he cannot see what the teacher has written on the black board. I don’t have uniform and our father cannot even afford scholastic materials. This is the life we live,” laments the 11-year-old.

A visit to the home of the 62-year-old Marino Ocitia, rocked in poverty reveals a very bleak future for the family.
Eating meat or fish is unheard of for the rest of the year except during Christmas or Easter. The family feeds on boiled vegetables and beans everyday.
Clothing for mother, father and children is a luxury and their dwelling is a shanty mud and wattle grass-thatched hut. There is no toilet and the family has to wait until nightfall to hide behind the hut for a bath.

The children bathe in the open compound or at a nearby stream. The hut was thatched 20 years ago and its leaky roof makes it an undesirable shelter for mankind.
The family only received some new clothes from good Samaritans who were carrying out research in the area for their organisation.
Speaking to Daily Monitor at his home on Tuesday, Mr Marino said the family was in need of urgent medical care.
He said he could not afford taking his blind children and wife for eye checkup in Arua Town for lack of money. 

Two MPs lose seats over bribery

Two independent MPs representing Persons with Disabilities from northern and western regions have been kicked out of Parliament over bribery. 
The Court of Appeal yesterday ordered fresh elections in their respective constituencies. 
The two bring the number of MPs who have lost seats to six, according to Electoral Commission spokesperson, Mr Jotham Taremwa. 
Led by Justice Remmy Kasule, the court ruled that Mr William Wilson Nokrach for northern region and his western region colleague, Mr Hood Katuramu, participated in bribery of voters during the 2011 parliamentary elections. “We have scrutinised the record, evidence, submissions and judgment of the High Court. Our findings are that had the learned trial judge properly scrutinised the evidence before him, he would have probably arrived at different conclusions. This however was not the case,” Assistant registrar of the court Mr Didas Muhumuza read the judgement on behalf of the justices of the Court of Appeal. 
“…..What cuts across all the testimonies of all the witnesses is that they stated that the candidates dished out money and gifts to voters. We find that the 2 respondent (Mr Nokrach) did offer to voters money via mobile phone transfers with the intention of influencing them to vote for him,” he stated. The justices also faulted the trial judge Albert Rugadya Atwoki that he erred in law, particularly when he found that the Mr Norkrach possessed academic qualifications to stand as a MP whereas not.

Dozens Drown Off Libya As Aid Groups Denounce Tripoli's Coast Guard

ROME — 

More than 30 migrants, mostly toddlers, drowned on Wednesday when about 200 people without life jackets fell from a boat into the sea off the Libyan coast before they could be hauled into waiting rescue boats.

Rescue group MOAS, which operates in the Mediterranean, said its staff was pulling bodies out of the water. "Most are toddlers," co-founder Chris Catrambone said on Twitter.

A total of 34 dead bodies were found in the water, and around 1,800 people rescued from four rubber dinghies and six wooden boats, the coast guard said later in a statement.

British and Spanish navy ships, aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF), three merchant ships and a tug boat joined MOAS and the Italian Coast Guard and Navy to carry out the rescues.

The ill-fated boat probably tipped because of a combination of weather conditions and the fact the migrants suddenly crowded to one side, sending just under half of the 500 on board into the water, the coast guard said.

VJ Junior to be charged over WhatsApp post

Famous movie translator Marysmats Matovu alias VJ Junior and his colleague are to appear in court today on charges of cyber harassment and offensive communication arising from suspected provocative posts they made against members of a WhatsApp group.
This is the first time in Uganda the police have charged a person for a comment made in a WhatsApp group.

WhatsApp groups have been considered to be some of the most private applications of social media.
VJ Junior, who is also the LC3 councillor for Bwaise II in Kawempe Division, and Mr Geoffrey Bbosa, who have been in detention since Tuesday, are alleged to have harassed members of Uganda Film Council in a WhatsApp group. The duo was arrested by the Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Fr Simon Lokodo.
The spokesman of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Mr Vicent Ssekate, said the two offences have already been sanctioned by the Resident State Attorney against the two suspects and others still at large.
“They will be taken to court tomorrow [today] on the same charges. We are also looking for other suspects who made similar posts on the same WhatsApp group against members of the Uganda Film Producers Association,” Mr Ssekate said yesterday.
The WhatsApp exchange stemmed from a disagreement over who should lead the film industry in Uganda.

VJ Junior and his colleague lead an association, which has rivalry with the Uganda Film Producers Association on how much they should be charged for the production and distribution of films.
According to Mr Ssekate, the suspects posted photographs of members of Uganda Film Producers Association calling them pigs and uttering obscene words.
When arresting the duo, Fr Lokodo first told them that they were producing and circulating pornographic materials on CDs, flash disks and other devices across the country, an allegation they denied.
However, when they reached CID headquarters, they learnt that member of Uganda Film Producers Association had opened a case of threatening violence.
Mr Ssekate said when the detectives looked at the case, they found out that the offences fall under the Computer Misuse Act 2010. 

Boda boda makes its way to Oxford Advanved Learners Dictionary

Boda boda is among the more than 900 latest words that producers of venerable Oxford English Dictionary have added to the 9th edition of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.
Of the said words, 170 were related to technology--and more than a half-dozen to Twitter.

Although Boda bodas, (bicycle and motorcycle taxis) are used without the contingent, the word is specific to East Africa Boda boda pivotal in creating jobs and quick means of transport in hard to reach or congested cities across the country.
The word reportedly originated in Busia, Kenya where bicycle riders would ferry people from outlying areas in the county (formerly district) to the market in Busia town. Most times people would avoid using Matatus (which were and still are the common form of public transport) because they were expensive or very few were available. They would, however, also not agree with bicycle riders on a fare to Busia.

President Trump Meets Pope Francis at Vatican

U.S. President Donald Trump and Pope Francis held a 30-minute meeting at the Vatican on Wednesday, underscoring the emphasis during the first presidential foreign trip on the three Abrahamic (monotheistic) faiths.

The two men, meting for the first time, shook hands. The pope appeared somber. The president grinned.

“It’s a very great honor,” Trump said to the leader of the Roman Catholic Church after they were seated in the pope’s private study.

The pontiff did not respond while reporters were in the room and he did not smile.

After the president’s private meeting with the pope in the Apostolic Palace there was a brief, expanded audience for the other members of the U.S. delegation. It included First Lady Melania Trump, (clad in a black lace tea-length dress and black lace veil), Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner (who are both now official advisors to the president).

That encounter included an exchange of gifts.

"This is a gift for you. These are books from Martin Luther King. I think you will enjoy them," the president told the pope.

The pope gave Trump what he said was a medal by a Roman artist. He said it's an olive which is a symbol of peace.

“We can use peace,” the president replied.

“I signed it personally for you,” the pope told Trump.

“That's so beautiful,” the president replied.

The pope then also gave the president three books on the topics of family, the joy of the gospel and “care of our common home, the environment.”

“Well, I'll be reading them,” Trump promised the pope.

Pope Francis meets with President Donald Trump on the occasion of their private audience, at the Vatican, May 24, 2017.

The mood initially appeared stiff, according to the few reporters allowed to witness the event firsthand. They noted the pontiff was rather stone-faced at the beginning but later during the gift exchange the mood lightened considerably.

The two men had a clash of words last year when Trump, as a presidential candidate, touted his plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The first Jesuit pope said anyone who thinks of building walls instead of bridges “is not Christian,” a comment that Trump called “disgraceful.”

The evening before the audience a top Vatican official, Cardinal Peter Turkson, who is from Ghana, took to social media to note that both the president and the pope are reaching out to the Islamic world to exorcise it of religious violence.

“One offers peace of dialogue, the other security of arms,” he said on Twitter, apparently referencing the $110 billion weapons deal the U.S. president concluded with Saudi Arabia days ago.

Minister Tumwebaze apologises for defying parliament's resolution on SIM card registration

 Members of Parliament yesterday castigated minister for ICT and National Guidance, Mr Frank Tumwebaze accusing him of disrespecting Parliament directives and portraying the institution as toothless and less important.
Speaking during Plenary in the wake of a presidential directive to push the SIM card registration deadline to end of August, Buhweju legislator, Francis Mwijukye appealed to Parliament to take action against what he termed as a “blatant disregard of Parliament resolutions” by a minister, who is also a Member of Parliament.
The legislators called for a public apology from Mr Tumwebaze arguing that a strong message needs to be sent to other ministers, especially those who are directed elected to the House, so that Parliament retains its majesty.

“One would understand if an ex office member comes and disparages Parliament but I find it unacceptable that a member voted by the House comes here and disrespects the House. The House should express displeasure about the conduct of the minister and now that he is here it should be his opportune moment to redeem his image,” Lwemiyaga County MP, Theodore Ssekikubo said.
The Leader of Opposition, Winfred Kiiza said, “We want the minister to come up with a public apology for not respecting the resolution of this House and for not consulting the chair of this House.”

In his defence, Mr Tumwebaze referred to claims that he disrespected and belittled the House as “blatant falsehoods” saying that his conscience is clear about what he said.
“I told the journalists that the Speaker has a right to rebuke her members if she demands performance from them. I said that for the times I have not been in the House, I have written to the Speaker and she has allowed me. To insinuate that in my personal capacity I belittled the speaker is false. I did not do that,” he said.
On apologizing for insisting that the deadline will be effected, Mr Tumwebze said he was simply communicating a government position as the information minister.

“I seek guidance from the Speaker and the Prime Minister as the executive. The announcement I made was not a personal decision. It was a decision of cabinet. I take responsibility for communicating a government position. If that angered the House I take responsibility and apologies for that,” he said.
Last week, Parliament passed a resolution to have the deadline for the registration of SIM cards pushed by one year to allow for those who are yet to secure national identity cards to get them.
Contrary to the resolution, Mr Tumwebaze went ahead and announced that the ban will be effected albeit the Parliament resolution. He used the word advisory, in describing Parliament resolution.

The Speaker insisted that Mr Tumwebaze should have communicated to Parliament before heading to address the press at Media Centre.
“Whether you were communicating government position, you were obliged to come to Parliament first. We share a building,” she said, ordering the Rules committee “to listen to the recordings, tell us what was said and then we know what to do with the issue of honourable Tumwebaze.”
Last evening, during an NRM Caucus meeting the president ignored his minister and ordered for a push to August.
The speaker welcomed the order and asked government to, “always read the mood of the public and act in the interest of the people.”

Kayihura, Muhoozi to face UHRC over torture at Nalufenya

The Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, Chief of Defence Forces, Gen David Muhoozi, and Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence boss, Col Abel Kandiho, are expected to appear at the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) offices today to explain allegations of torture against suspects.
The trio was expected to report to UHRC headquarters last Friday, but UHRC postponed the meeting because Gen Kayihura was out of the country.
A UHRC source confirmed the meeting today.
Earlier, Mr Meddie Mulumba, a commissioner at UHRC, said the summonses were intended to get a formal explanation from the security chiefs on allegations of torture of suspects.
Since the leaking of photographs of tortured Kamwenge Town Council Mayor, Mr Geoffrey Byamukama, and other suspects detained on allegations of killing former police spokesman, Andrew Felix Kaweesi, there has been wide condemnation of the acts of the security agencies.
The suspects claim they were tortured by CMI and police officers. At least three police officers are under investigations for the torture of Mr Byamukama.

Laws
Ugandan laws prohibit torture of any form and UHRC is tasked by the laws to investigate cases of torture in detention facilities.
Mr Mulumba said they have powers to investigate and institute charges of torture against the culprits.
The security chiefs will also be asked about the detention of suspects beyond the mandatory 48 hours.
Some of the suspects in the Kaweesi killings have been in detention for more than a month.
The chairman of UHRC, Mr Med Kaggwa, and Mr Mulumba were part of the officials, who visited and interviewed the suspects this month at Nalufenya Special Investigations’ Centre in Jinja District. Mr Mulumba said the suspects told them that they had been tortured in several facilities where they were detained before they were transferred to Nalufenya.

Manchester Arena: 19 dead after explosion at Ariana Grande concert – latest updates

• At least 19 people have been killed and around 5o injured after an explosion at Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by Ariana Grande.
• Investigators say they are treating the incident as a terrorist attack “until police know otherwise”.
• The blast was reported to have taken place outside the arena, in the public foyer, shortly after 10.30pm. North West ambulance services said 60 ambulances were dispatched to the arena, with 59 people transferred to six hospitals across Greater Manchester, and a number of “walking wounded” treated at the scene.
• No identities of those killed or injured have been confirmed. No arrests have been made.
• The prime minister, Theresa May, will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee at 9am on Tuesday. In an overnight statement, May said:

We are working to establish the full details of what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack.

All our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have been affected.

• Party leaders Jeremy Corbyn, Nicola Sturgeon and Tim Farron also expressed condolences. Campaigning for June’s general election has been suspended.
• Ariana Grande, who was not hurt in the explosion, which occurred just moments after her show finished, tweeted that she was

“broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don’t have words.”

• A large area around the arena has been cordoned off. Victoria station has been closed and train services cancelled for the whole of Tuesday. Police have asked people to stay away from the area.
• British Transport Police said extra officers, some armed, would be on patrol today.
• Greater Manchester police has set up a hotline for those concerned about relatives or friends who might have been caught up in the Manchester explosion: 0161 856 9400.

Police officer given 4 years in prison for killing suspect

A police officer attached to Bwambara Police post in Rukungiri District has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for shooting dead a suspect.
High Court judge Moses Kawumi Kazibwe convicted Edison Mwesigye after prosecution proved that he shot dead Emanuel Kabarebe in 2014.

The State Attorney Ms Aminah Nakasa told court Mr Mwesigye armed with an AK 47, in the company of another person still at large, went to the scene to arrest the suspect (now deceased) and they shot him as he resisted and fought them.
In defence, Mr Mwesigye told court that he shot at the deceased accidentally. He told court that a thread from his sweater pulled the trigger of his gun thereby releasing a bullet which killed Kabarebe.
“The death was purely accidental,” he said.
Following his plea, Mwesigye had his murder charges reduced to manslaughter.

Ms Nakasa had however, told the judge that Mr Mwesigye deserves a harsher punishment for the offence.
“Such sentence would restrain other security operatives with a similar intension of killing innocent people,” she said.
In his ruling, Justice Kazibwe said, “The state prosecution and the collaborated testimonies of eye witnesses show that the accused person committed the offence and I hereby sentence him to four years including the three years he has been on remand.”
Mr Mwesigye will spend the one year at Rukungiri government prison.

Hundreds attend Mzee Boniface Byanyima burial in Mbarara

Veteran politician and Democratic Party icon Boniface Byanyima has been laid to rest at his home in Ruti village in Mbarara district where thousands of mourners gathered for the final send-off.

The burial was attended by various government officials, politicians, religious leaders, business leaders and members of the Democratic Party who were holding party flags.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City: what missing Champions League would mean

Pos	Team	P	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	37	48	90
2	Tottenham Hotspur	37	54	83
3	Man City	37	36	75
4	Liverpool	37	33	73
5	Arsenal	37	31	72

Arsenal (home to Everton on Sunday)

P 37 Pts 72 GD +31

How did it come to this?

Arsène Wenger cannot understand it. As he has pointed out more than once, his team have 72 points – one more than they finished with last season, when they came in second. If they were to beat Everton on Sunday, they would have 75, and no club has missed out on the top four with such a haul. Put it down to the extreme competitiveness of the top six but Arsenal’s regrets will centre upon the car-crash defeats at home to Watford and away against West Bromwich Albionand Crystal Palace. More generally, it has been a season of tension and hostility. How many Arsenal players or fans have actually enjoyed it?

What would it mean for the club to miss out on the Champions League?

The financial hit would be significant, even though the club have noted that the Europa League is worth more to its participants these days. But the major damage would be on the sporting front and, having enjoyed platinum membership to Europe’s most exclusive football club, it would be deeply frustrating to be on the outside looking in. Perhaps the truly elite players would not want to join a club competing in the Europa League but the attraction of London and a massive salary could persuade many others.

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Would the manager survive missing out on the Champions League?

Yes. The Wenger situation has cast long shadows over the season and it is remarkable that it has been allowed to do so. The directors have said virtually nothing on whether the manager will stay – which reflects badly on their authority and handling of the whole affair – but it has become increasingly clear that Wenger will stay. The chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, wants to attach various conditions to Wenger’s next cycle, including upgrades in scouting and coaching.

Which players may leave if they fail to qualify?

It will be jumped upon as a reason/excuse for leaving but the reality is that many players have been exploring exit routes for weeks. Alexis Sánchez, Mesut Özil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain head the list of those with only one more season on their contracts, and Héctor Bellerín would be receptive to an approach from Barcelona.

How would the supporters react if the club miss out?

Obviously they would be upset and the Wenger Out brigade would see it as the final straw but, in all honesty, positions have become so entrenched and opinions so strident one way or the other that it is difficult to say how much more greatly an absence from the Champions League would affect things. DH

Liverpool (home to Middlesbrough)

P 37 Pts 73 GD +33

How did it come to this?

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The January-February slump, injuries and struggling against the Premier League’s lower and more defensive teams – but mainly the January-February slump. Liverpool harboured hopes of challenging Chelsea for the title at the turn of the year but those evaporated within weeks along with the team’s form in the absence of Sadio Mané because of the Africa Cup of Nations, plus Philippe Coutinho’s gradual recovery from an ankle ligament injury. Jürgen Klopp’s team have dug in to record valuable away wins without key players during the run-in but two points from the past nine available at Anfield – against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton – have dragged their battle for Champions League qualification to the wire.

What would it mean for the club to miss out on the Champions League?

For a club who pride themselves on a rich European pedigree it would be another blow to status and prestige to miss out on the Champions League for a seventh time in the last eight seasons. Financially Liverpool can withstand the hit and will back Klopp heavily in the transfer market but the ability to attract players such as the Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk would be undermined and, by extension, so would the manager’s plans to bridge the gap to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur next season. “Yes, it has influence and that’s how it is,” Klopp said last week when asked if Champions League football affected his transfer plans. “The players we are talking to are good players and I know they have offers from other clubs.”

Premier League: 10 things to look out for on the final day of the season

 

Read more

Would the manager survive missing out on the Champions League?

Absolutely. There is no threat to Klopp’s position regardless of Sunday’s outcome against Middlesbrough. That said, it would invite questions about his team’s energy levels at the tail end of a season were Liverpool to fall short at the last again after losing the Europa League final this time last year.

Which players may leave if they fail to qualify?

The only concern would be the impact on Coutinho’s thinking should Liverpool remain outside the European elite and Barcelona validate their frequent links with the Brazil international with a bid. Coutinho, Klopp and Liverpool have been unequivocal on his future – not least in the form of a five-year contract signed only in January – but no Champions League football would leave room for doubt.

How would the supporters react if the club miss out?

Badly, stoically, wearily, angrily – depends on the individual. It is fair to say, however, that missing out on the Champions League having spent all but two weeks in the top four since September would cause greater alarm than Liverpool’s failure to sustain a title challenge this season. The realistic expectation was to challenge for a top-four finish rather than the summit, although Klopp’s team looked comfortable and confident when they arrived there in the early months of the campaign, and to blow it now would be a demoralising setback. AH

Manchester City (away at Watford)

P 37 Pts 75 GD +36

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 Sergio Agüero was praised by Pep Guardiola this week but missing out on the Champions League could give him a reason for leaving. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters

How did it come to this?

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Pep Guardiola’s team returned six consecutive league victories at the start of the campaign, then the wheels came off. The 2-0 defeat at Tottenham in early October began a decline so steep that City’s flying start can be viewed as a freak occurrence. A concern is that whereas received wisdom was that Guardiola’s pressing pass-and-move game would become more prevalent as his tenure ages, the reverse has been true. City can be a dream when roving forward but too often fail to dominate from start to finish.

What would it mean for the club to miss out on the Champions League?

City’s holy grail is claiming a first European Cup and given Guardiola’s passion for the competition the hangover could last into next season if they are not competing in it. It would also cause dismay among an Abu Dhabi hierarchy whose vision is for the club to become a bona fide member of the continental aristocracy. And quick. Although the monies lost would be a drop of oil in Sheikh Mansour’s vast reserves, having no Champions League football would not help to attract, say, Tottenham’s Kyle Walker or Danny Rose, whom the club want.

How Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City could face a Champions League play-off

 

Read more

Would the manager survive missing out on the Champions League?

Only just. Given City have pursued Guardiola since 2012, at least, they would lose serious face if he were culled after a season. The caveat: a mediocre start next term and the Catalan would field serial questions about his future.

Which players may leave if they fail to qualify?

An interesting question given the ages, career-point and general profile of Guardiola’s squad. The only big name who may depart may do anyway, so could use having to perform in the Europa League as another reason. Who is this? Sergio Agüero. The Argentinian finally felt some genuine love from his manager after Tuesday’s 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion. This jarred because Guardiola has been so lukewarm about a footballer who is a finisher supreme.

How would the supporters react if the club miss out?

Embarrassed. Furious. And some would call for Guardiola’s head. Of interest here is the growing constituency already questioning him. Their bones of contention: the Joe Hart/ Claudio Bravo decision; some of Guardiola’s off-note media performances; and an uneven style of play that is not the whirring, dazzle-ball they expected to see. But there would also be a large constituency who would allow him this summer and the start of next season to turn it around. JJ