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The RFEF fined Valencia 1500 euros ($1637) after Barca forward Neymar was struck by a missile thrown from the stands at the Mestalla, but the visiting players were also criticized by the Competition Committee for their “reproachable behavior.” And the Catalan giant has reacted angrily to the suggestion of wrongdoing on its own players’ part, stressing that they were “victims of clearly condemnable behavior.” A club statement read: “FC Barcelona considers the comments made by the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) Competition Committee totally reprehensible and excessive when explaining their resolution for the events which occurred last Saturday at Mestalla during the league match between Valencia CF and FC Barcelona....

Barca plot Isco raid The Catalans had hoped for the encounter to take place last summer, but because of a clash with Euro 2016 the event was postponed as so many players had professional duties to undertake in France. However, with the summer footballing calendar clear, the event will take place at Camp Nou with a 19:00 kick off, while a return fixture will be played at Old Trafford on September 2....

Vitinho, 19, came through the ranks at Palmeiras and made two appearances in their Campeonato Brasileiro triumph in 2016. BVB after Barca wonderkid Lee Reports in Brazil suggest the midfielder could be set to spend the next year on loan at Barcelona, playing for their B team in the Spanish second tier. With Vitinho having only made two appearances for Palmeiras in 2017, both brief substitute outings in the Campeonato Paulista, Cuca is more than happy for him to make the switch to Europe....

Chelsea readying £100m Juve raid Premier League fans will be familiar with the Brazil international, who had a torrid two-year spell at Tottenham. Barca’s negoiations are still at an early stage, though they also enquired after Paulinho’s availability at the turn of the year. Paulinho has played for Guangzhou for three seasons, winning two league titles and the Asian Champions League. Bayern Munich were also interested in signing Paulinho during January, and Carlo Ancelotti had a phone call with the midfielder, though the negotiations did not reach a conclusion....

The Catalans invested heavily after last season, bringing in Paco Alcacer, Jasper Cillessen, Lucas Digne, Denis Suarez, Andre Gomes and Samuel Umtiti for a combined outlay reportedly totaling more than 120 million euros ($133.7M). Injuries have blighted the La Liga champions in recent weeks, however, with Jordi Alba, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Jeremy Mathieu and Aleix Vidal all sidelined ahead of Sunday’s clash with Sevilla. Luis Enrique is expected to have most of his absent players fit again before the turn of the year, but he has not ruled out the prospect of bolstering his side’s trophy charge....

Ernesto Valverde’s side, who are in action at Sporting CP in the Champions League on Wednesday, travel to Montilivi for a Catalan derby this weekend as they look to make it six wins out of six in the Primera Division. So far, Barca have beaten Betis, Alaves, Espanyol, Getafe and Eibar in their first five fixtures in La Liga, winning 6-1 against the Basque outfit at Camp Nou on Saturday....

Luis Enrique faces a minor defensive crisis for the Liga finale, with Pique joining Javier Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu on the casualty list. De Bruyne tops PL assists chart The coach therefores turns once more to the ex-Fluminense man, 21, who joined earlier this season and made his Liga debut during last week’s win over Las Palmas. Samuel Umtiti partners Marlon in defence, while Sergi Roberto lines up outside at right-back....

Having already defeated Juventus and Sporting, the Liga giants are currently top of Group D and they will attempt to maintain their flawless record in the competition thus far. Olympiakos, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the group following losses to Sporting and Juve, so they will be doing their utmost to avoid defeat in order to keep their hopes of remaining in the competition alive....

It has been a difficult first summer in charge for Ernesto Valverde, with the departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain followed by a humbling in the Supercopa de Espana at the hands of Real Madrid. Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu is coming under increasing pressure and if the Blaugrana make a bad start in the league, Valverde could find himself firefighting just weeks into his tenure. TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on Sky Sports Football and by stream via Sky Go....

The clubs played to a 3-3 draw in front of 91,000 fans, with Barcelona want-aways Frenkie de Jong, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Memphis Depay all on the scoresheet for the hosts. Julian Alvarez and Cole Palmer scored for Man City, and Riyad Mahrez finished off a penalty in stoppage time to level the score. The teams got together at the Camp Nou to support Juan Carlos Unzue, a former teammate and assistant coach of Pep Guardiola’s, in a match dubbed “A Great Game for a Greater Cause”....

City for their part have lost five times in their last 15 games, three of those in their last four, the most recent on Saturday against Burnley, the side who were second bottom of the English top flight. CG Technology in Las Vegas prices the visitors at an optimistic +625 odds for the win, while Barca are offered at an -180, and the draw is available at +420. More soccer betting info: Dortmund-Juventus | Goal....

The centre-back, who turns 23 on June 17, has emerged as one of the outstanding young defenders in La Liga since his arrival from Nancy, then of Ligue 1, at the end of 2016. The Frenchman’s development during his time at Sevilla has prompted interest in his services, with a report from Sport indicating Barcelona conducted a meeting with his representatives. However, Goal understands Sevilla are not about to let Lenglet go without a fight....

There are several active incidents in the state as of Sunday morning. The potential for “significant” wildfires in November remains “above normal” for most counties in the state, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Barham Fire A new brush fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles County Saturday afternoon, according to KABC-TV. The Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank was evacuated due to its proximity to the fire, Deadline reported....

President Donald Trump has criticized the use of mail-in ballots, saying the process encourages fraud. Trump has expressed support for in-person voting, including the use of a photo ID at the polls. Some observers believe that practice may discriminate against minority voters. Barr made the comments in an interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo which is expected to air Sunday on Bartiromo’s program, Sunday Morning Futures. Barr said the process could take away from the “public confidence in the integrity of the elections....

Some states are allowing outdoor seating only, while others are open with limited capacity indoors. Other bars are allowed to remain open, but local authorities have prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages. Below is a guide to the states where you can stop for a drink, and whether they allow indoor seating or limited capacity. Alabama As of May 22, bars in Alabama are permitted to open with limited seating, six feet between tables, and additional sanitation and guidelines....

That was the case with former NFL linebacker Bart Scott, who hid in the Browns’ bathroom during a visit to stall for time. MORE: NFL picks | Being a Browns fan: second-by-second analysis | Could Cowboys pursue Johnny Manziel? “I signed my second contract with the Baltimore Ravens inside the Cleveland Browns’ facility,” Scott told Bleacher Report. “I went to the bathroom and they say, ‘Get the hell out of there, we’ll give you a deal....

Ivory coast international Seri appeared set for a €40million move to Camp Nou until the proposed transfer suddenly broke down. Blaugrana 11/10 to beat Espanyol -2 handicap Seri, 26, criticised the Ligue 1 side over the collapsed deal before the transfer window closed; Rivere, however, insisted it was Barca who pulled the plug. “Julien Fournier, the general manager of [Nice], called me early on Wednesday [August 23], at about 09:00 and said: ‘Jean-Pierre, I do not understand, I received a call from Barcelona and they told me to stop the Seri transfer’,” Rivere recalled on Canal+....

Let’s just jump in: Here are the eight players I voted for, in alphabetical order by last name: Bobby Abreu, Barry Bonds, Mark Buehrle, Roger Clemens, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Scott Rolen and Gary Sheffield. MORE: The 50 greatest seasons in sports history, ranked For the players who are ballot hold-overs, you’ll see a lot of similar thoughts from previous columns, which are here: for the class of 2021, for the class of 2020, for the class of 2019, for the class of 2018 and for the class of 2017....

A 6-8 forward from the Bronx, Schayes entered basketball lore by leading NYU to the 1945 Final Four as a 16-year-old freshman. He played 16 seasons in the NBA, all with the Syracuse Nationals, before retiring in 1964. MORE: Notable sports deaths of 2015 His NBA career spanned the league’s infant years to the modern era and included more than 1,000 regular-season and playoff games as well as 12 All-Star Game appearances....

Late in the first half, Schweinsteiger received a pass near the sidelines. He passed it on, but immediately signaled to the bench for a substitute and appeared to be favoring his groin. He was replaced by Drew Conner, with right back Matt Polster, who had two assists on the evening, moving into the midfield. Dom Dwyer shines in USA debut However, the Fire told CSN during halftime that Schweinsteiger was removed with “hip tightness”, not a groin injury....