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FOOTBALL

Sarri replaces Benitez at Napoli

Maurizio Sarri has officially been appointed Napoli coach, replacing Spaniard Rafael Benitez who has taken over at Real Madrid, the Serie A club announced.

Sarri replaces Benitez at Napoli
Maurizio Sarri smokes a cigarette before a Serie A match. Photo: Marco Bertorello / AFP

Sarri, 56, has been in charge of unfashionable Empoli since 2012 and has earned a reputation for attractive attacking football.

He has also managed to keep the club in the top flight on a shoestring budget.

Sarri will bring his own backroom team with him and is thought to be intending to return to Empoli to poach Italian international midfielder Mirko Valdifiori, the playmaker around whom he built his team.

Sarri has reportedly agreed a one-year deal with the option of a further year, and will earn 1.5 million euros ($1.68 million) a season, five times his salary at Empoli.

Empoli, whom Sarri led into Serie A at the second attempt in 2014, finished only eight points above the drop zone but impressed with a series of results that included victories over Palermo (3-0) and Lazio (2-1) at home, and away held Napoli (2-2), Fiorentina (1-1), Roma (1-1) and AC Milan (1-1) to draws.

Sarri, usually unshaven, is known for his trademark tracksuits and smoking the odd cigarette on the touchlines but he has also earned respect for a tactical approach which exploits setpieces and dead-ball situations.

Benitez left Napoli last week after failing to secure third place and entry to the qualifying play-offs for next season's Champions League, and has since signed for Real.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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