Lovren spoke about the bear in Pulkovo and a photo with Putin

Croatian defender Dejan Lovren not only made a bright debut for Zenit in the match for the Russian Super Cup, but also showed a sense of humor. Getting to know St. Petersburg during a car tour organized by the club, he telephoned his former Liverpool partner Mohammed Salah via video link to share his first impressions.

“I just arrived, left the airport and saw a group of welcomers, and there was a bear behind! Plague, brother! I ask: "Did someone open the gates of the zoo?" And they say to me: “Don’t worry, he will not eat you, he is normal and does not touch people,” said the Zenit rookie, laughing.

As can be judged by the smile of the Egyptian, he liked the story of his friend.

During the excursion, it turned out that Lovren was keeping a photo with Vladimir Putin on his smartphone. According to the athlete, he took a memorable photo after the 2018 World Cup final, in which Croatia lost to France. In the selfie, Lovren stands to the left of Putin, and to the right of the president is Luka Modric. As the Zenith footballer emphasized, the Real Madrid player got into the frame without permission at the last moment.

Pryadkin refused to recognize himself as Zorn's father

President of the Russian Premier League (RPL) Sergei Pryadkin refused to answer a question about family ties with the former general director of Spartak Thomas Zorn. In the football world, the 58-year-old functionary and 33-year-old manager is considered father and son.

As part of a large interview with "SE" Pryadkin refrained from confirming or refuting this information.

“I am not commenting on this. No comment. It has nothing to do with our work, ”he stressed.

It is curious that in May 2019, commenting on the appointment of Zorn to Spartak, Pryadkin said that he "knows him well", while noting the "excellent education" of the new general.

Zorn himself then and later avoided any statements on this topic.

“I only comment on work, I don’t comment on personal relationships. I'm not ready to discuss this, ”Zorn said in August 2019 to blogger Yevgeny Savin.

Karpin said that during the pandemic he wanted to leave football

The Rostov press service was praised for the original presentation of the new form. Southerners creatively approached the routine by parodying the plot of Guy Ritchie's Gentlemen. The video was filmed with the participation of Rostov's mentor Valery Karpin, as well as players Pavel Mamaev, Ivelin Popov, Khoren Bayramyan, Sergey Pesyakov and Matias Normann. The footballers played the role of the Karapuzov gang, and Karpin - as the Coach.

“Our guys were waiting for a new uniform even more than the fans! The presentation will take place very soon, but some have left “children unattended” ... And this is what happened, ”says the annotation to the video on Youtube.

At the same time, Karpin revealed that he had a hard time undergoing quarantine due to the coronavirus. According to the coach, he really wanted to leave football and leave Russia. During the first week spent at the base, he lost 4.5 kg.

“You cannot imagine the range of emotions that I personally had,” he told journalist Nobel Arustamyan.

Messi bought an anti-coronavirus mattress, Williams complained of nerves

On Saturday, Lionel Messi's rare beauty goal against Napoli propelled Barcelona into the Champions League quarter-finals. Probably, not only training, but also increased security measures help the Argentine to maintain a high level of play during the pandemic.

So, it is reported that the athlete purchased a special anti-coronavirus mattress. Its tissue supposedly contains nanoparticles that destroy the infection within four hours. Messi ordered to replace old mattresses with new ones on all beds in his house. According to Spanish journalists, the footballer is very pleased with the purchase.

The famous tennis player Serena Williams, in turn, complained that she had become "a little reclusive and neurotic" because of the situation with COVID-19. She hasn't competed since February, but is preparing to return to court. According to Williams, in early March, she began to maintain social distance and is slightly afraid of being among a large number of people again.

The athlete also admitted that she has lung problems. On trips, she takes 50 masks with her. But at the same time, she noted a positive point: Williams managed to spend six months at home after two decades of constant travel.

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Publication from Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) Aug 6, 2020 at 3:00 PDT

Baseball players had their first fight of the season

A scandal has erupted in Major League Baseball (MLB). Oakland Athletic coach Ryan Christenson raised his hand in front of the players in a Nazi salute after beating the Texas Rangers. Against the background of the resonance that arose, he hastened to make excuses for the act, explaining that he did it by accident.

“What I have done is unforgivable. I deeply regret, ”he stressed.

A clear Nazi salute from Oakland @Athletics bench coach Ryan Christenson today. His apology does not suffice.pic.twitter.com/wAtP6TDuy5

- Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) August 7, 2020

Former MLB player Cody Decker, a Jewish national, believes Christenson's Nazi salute is just the tip of the iceberg and anti-Semitism is indeed a problem in professional baseball. He added that throughout his career, he faced a huge number of "Nazi jokes".

Oakland's next match, against the Houston Astros, saw the first major fight of the current MLB season. It all started when the guest pitcher Umberto Castellanos hit the ball in the back of Athletic outfielder Ramon Laureano. He was indignant, said a few harsh words to the offender. Then one of the Houston coaches answered sharply to the victim.

pic.twitter.com/5lJ0Y0ZGfg

- Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) August 9, 2020

Even more angry, Laureano rushed to take revenge, but in the process of running to the coaching exchange, his opponent was knocked down. Then the Oakland players rushed to the aid of their partner.

pic.twitter.com/IijQPyQKSx

- Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) August 9, 2020

Magkeev was convicted of drunkenness the day before the announcement of the extension of the contract with "Loko"

Lokomotiv defender Stanislav Magkeev was photographed presumably drunk at a birthday party for his teammate Vladislav Ignatiev's girlfriend. As you can see in the video, there were alcoholic drinks and hookah on the tables.

Photos and videos from the celebration were published in social networks by the event participants. So, in one of the videos, 21-year-old Magkeev can be observed presumably drunk in the company of Milana Tyulpanova, the ex-wife of Alexander Kerzhakov. Brothers Alexey and Anton Miranchuk also attended the party.

Anatoly Meshcheryakov, chairman of the board of directors of the railroad workers, refused to assess the behavior of his ward.

“There is a personal life of people. All issues will be considered within the existing club procedures and rules, ”he explained.

The day before the holiday, on August 7, Magkeev played against Zenit in the Russian Super Cup, received a yellow card and was replaced in the 69th minute. And after the party, on August 9, Lokomotiv announced the signing of a new contract with the player until 2024.