Madrid, January 5
Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane promised to put his “heart and soul” into managing the Spanish giants after he was sensationally named as coach following Rafael Benitez’s unceremonious sacking.

The three-time world player of the year takes over at the globe’s richest club despite a limited coaching CV which includes his stewardship of Real’s feeder team, Castilla. But Zidane, 43, said he would do his utmost to make sure Real, currently third in La Liga after an unhappy spell under Benitez, land silverware this year. “We have the best club in the world, the best fans and what we have to do now, and what I will try my best to do, is ensure the team wins at the end of the season,” said the Frenchman. “I’m more excited now than I was when I signed as a player. I am going to put my heart and soul into this job so that everything works out well,” he added.

The length of Zidane’s contract was not announced. He becomes the 11th coach to be appointed under Madrid president Florentino Perez, whose two spells in charge stretch to just over 12 years. Perez said it was a “difficult decision” to part ways with Benitez, whose seven-month reign came to an end after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Valencia. Benitez struggled to win over both Madrid’s fans and their superstars including Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos, in a stint that was also marked by off-field controversies. Zidane inherits a team which is four points adrift of city rivals Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga, and two behind nemesis Barcelona, who have a game in hand.

However, Real also qualified with room to spare for the Champions League knock-out stages, where they have been drawn against Roma in the last 16. All eyes will now be on whether the untested Zidane has the temperament and tactical ability to gel Madrid’s Galacticos into a trophy-winning unit. Zidane is not known for his communication skills, and his playing career ended with an infamous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final. But he is respected by Madrid’s players and adored by their fans for his feats on the field, highlighted by his brilliant winner in the 2002 Champions League final. “As president it is an honour to have you at my side because I know for you the word impossible doesn’t exist,” gushed Perez.

Zidane failed to get Castilla promoted from the third tier of Spanish football last season, but they currently lie second in the regional Segunda Division B having lost just two of 19 games this season. The Frenchman was also part of Carlo Ancelotti’s coaching staff when they won the Champions League and Copa del Rey in 2014. “The best person for the job,” trumpeted David Beckham, a former team-mate of Zidane at Real, on Instagram. “Someone with drive, passion and also doesn’t accept failure on any level… taking on a position that he will relish,” added the ex-England captain.
Perez had publicly backed Benitez despite growing pressure in recent weeks which saw him routinely jeered by his own fans, but he is believed to have finally bowed to the will of the players and supporters. Right from the start of his reign in June, Benitez struggled to gain the respect of Madrid’s star-studded squad with many senior players voicing their displeasure at the sacking of his predecessor Ancelotti. A run of three league defeats in five games in November and December, including a 4-0 thrashing at home to Barcelona, wiped away the early credit Benitez had gained with an unbeaten 14-game start.

Further embarrassment was to follow when Madrid were thrown out of the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player last month. Real were also embroiled in a tit-for-tat war of words with Manchester United after the summer deadline-day $43 million transfer of the English club’s goalkeeper David De Gea chaotically collapsed when the player was not registered in time — with each club blaming the other for the farce.

Benitez’s relationship with the dressing room has also failed to improve with key players such as Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez often showing their disgust at being substituted. Off-field distractions also took their toll with Benzema facing blackmail charges over a sex-tape, and Rodriguez accused of speeding at up to 200kph (124mph) before the Valencia game.


Souce: The Himalayan Times

Barcelona’s Suarez suspended for 2 cup games for insults

BARCELONA: The Spanish football federation has suspended Barcelona striker Luis Suarez for two Copa del Rey matches for insulting Espanyol rivals.

The referee’s report for the heated cup match at Camp Nou that ended 4-1 for Barcelona on Wednesday said Suarez insulted Espanyol players in the tunnel after the match. Espanyol had two players sent off in the loss.

Barcelona says in a statement it will appeal the ruling, denying Suarez insulted his opponents.
The return leg is next week at Espanyol.

Source: The Himalayan Times

SpaceX launches climate satellite but botches ocean landing

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from California on Sunday and put a climate-monitoring satellite into orbit, but botched an attempted return landing on a platform at sea, officials said.

The first stage of the rocket made it back to the platform, which was floating in the Pacific Ocean, but one of the rocket’s landing legs failed to latch into position, SpaceX founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk wrote on Twitter.

“It tipped over after landing,” the technology entrepreneur said.

The 22-story tall rocket lifted off through thick fog from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central California coast at 10:42 a.m. PST (1842 GMT).

A successful ocean landing would have marked a second milestone for SpaceX a month after it nailed a spaceflight first with a successful ground landing in Florida, a key step in Musk’s quest to develop a cheap, reusable rocket.

The company’s two previous ocean-landing attempts in 2015 were also unsuccessful. Being able to land at sea would give the company flexibility to recover rockets used on more demanding missions, such as launching heavy satellites, when boosters do not have enough fuel left to reach land.

Sunday’s SpaceX launch succeeded in its primary goal to put the U.S.- and European-owned Jason-3 satellite into orbit 830 miles (1,336 km) above the planet. The 1,200-pound (550 kg) spacecraft is the fourth in a series of ocean-monitoring satellites taking center stage in monitoring Earth’s climate.

“More than 90 percent of all the heat being trapped in the Earth’s system … is actually going into the ocean,” said Laury Miller, Jason-3 lead scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “This makes the ocean perhaps the biggest player in the climate change story.”
NOAA is one of five agencies partnering on the $180 million, five-year Jason-3 programme.

Jason-3 is designed to bounce radio waves off the ocean and time how long it takes the reflected signals to return. Scientists can use the information to figure out ocean heights to within 0.2 inches (0.5 cm), said Josh Willis, with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

“This is one of the most important yardsticks we have for human-caused climate change,” Willis said, adding that heat, plus runoff water from melting ice sheets, causes ocean levels to climb.

Jason-3 can also chart ocean currents, which impact weather phenomena such as this year’s powerful El Nino system, monitor tsunamis and track oil spills.

Source: The Himalayan Times