Storm- News » "Mr Shu is investing in fo

People wave Spanish national flags in a march with the slogan "Enough and let's recover the sensibility" Solomon Thomas Youth Jersey , to defend the Spanish constitution and the unity of Spain in Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 8, 2017. (Xinhua file photoJuan Carlos Rojas)
MADRID, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- A Spanish judge on Tuesday asked the deposed president of the regional government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, and the 13 other members of his government to appear in court on Thursday and Friday to testify.


Judge Carmen Lamela gave a deadline of three days to pay a combined deposit against potential penalties of 6.2 million euros (7.2 million U.S. dollars).


The announcement came one day after Spain's Attorney-General Jose Manuel Maza announced on Monday morning that Puigdemont was being sued because of his unilateral declaration of independence last Friday.


The sacked president is being prosecuted for rebellion as well as sedition and misuse of public funds. He could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.


Meanwhile, the former speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, and five other former members of the Bureau of Parliament must appear in the Spanish High Court on Nov. 2 and 3 for questioning over the same charges.


Puigdemont gave a press conference on Tuesday from Brussels, where he arrived on Monday, and said he was not seeking political asylum there, but came to express himself from the capital of Europe.



Fabio Cannavaro (right), former head coach of Tianjian Quanjian, hugs Shu Yuhui, Quanjian Group chairman, during the Tianjin Quanjian Football Club 2017 Season Review Assembly in Tianjin, north China, on November 6, 2017.

Fabio Cannavaro has resigned as coach of Tianjin Quanjian, the club announced on Monday, just days after steering it to an AFC Champions League berth and with rumors swirling he will return to seven-time Chinese champion Guangzhou Evergrande.


The Italian World Cup winner, who engineered the club's promotion to the Chinese Super League last year and a third-place finish in the top tier this year, will be succeeded by former Portuguese international Paulo Sousa, the club said.


A brief statement by Tianjin said Cannavaro's departure came after "friendly discussions" with the club, which praised the coach for his successful time at the helm.


Neither Tianjin nor Cannavaro gave any immediate indication of his plans, but the 44-year-old Italian, world player of the year in 2006, has been linked to a possible move back to Guangzhou Evergrande.


Cannavaro coached Evergrande briefly in 2014-2015 and the job is open again after Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari confirmed at the weekend that he was leaving after wrapping up the club's seventh straight CSL title.


"It hurts me to leave Guangzhou, this group, but that's life," Scolari, 68, told reporters.


"We all came out of this happy: me, Guangzhou, the players, and I hope I didn't disappoint you," he said in a video clip uploaded to Chinese social media.


Scolari did not rule out coaching another Chinese club in future.


"I don't know if I will return to China as a manager. I will start thinking about the future from today. I haven't decided anything. But from now, as I finish up everything with Guangzhou, I will start thinking about my future."


Scolari's side was beaten in the season's final game on Saturday by Cannavaro's Tianjin.


ACL playoffs


Tianjin's 2-1 victory, coupled with a loss by Hebei China Fortune, propelled it into third place in the CSL, meaning it will contest the ACL playoffs next season.


Evergrande finished the season six points clear of Andre Villas-Boas's second-placed Shanghai SIPG.


Sousa, a defensive midfielder for such iconic European teams as Benfica, Inter Milan and Juventus, has spent more than a decade as a coach, most recently with Serie A side Fiorentina.


Sousa told reporters he was lured to Tianjin by the ambitions of the club and its chairman, cosmetics and healthcare tycoon Shu Yuhui.


"Mr Shu is investing in football and he wants to keep progressing. He showed me his desire, his ambition and is looking for my support," Sousa told reporters.


The club has aimed high with big-name foreign signings such as Brazilian Alexandre Pato, French striker Anthony Modeste and Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel.


Tianjin said it "fully hopes that M. Paulo Sousa can lead Tianjin FC to new heights in the new season and bring joy to football fans".