SAO PAULO — Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni called for a more rigorous set of criteria for the Video Assistant Referee after Lionel Messi’s potential match-winning goal was chalked off for an infringement in their 1-1 draw with Paraguay.
Messi side-footed home from around 12 meters to complete a long and flowing counter-attack but play was hauled back for a foul committed in the Argentine half at the very start of the move.
MADRID — Real Madrid and Germany player Toni Kroos has taken a swipe at FIFA and UEFA, claiming the world and European organising bodies are treating players like "puppets" by expanding tournaments and creating new competitions.
Kroos criticised the creation of the UEFA Nations League in 2018, which he competes in with Germany, as well as FIFA's expanded Club World Cup, which was set to take place in 2021 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle that included seven draws, four defeats and the necessity of a Lionel Messi hat trick on the final day to secure passage to Russia, Argentina won’t give a damn that the 2022 cycle began with narrow one-goal victories over both Ecuador and Bolivia back in October.
Messi was the hero against Ecuador with a game-winning penalty kick, and he was the hero against Bolivia after dropping a concha tu madre on the opponent’s physio and mercilessly reminding him of his baldness. The Estadio Hernando Siles brings out the demon in all of us.
Let's face it: International breaks can be difficult to follow. With the Premier League, you know there will be four matches each on Saturday and Sunday, two on Monday and maybe the occasional midweek fixture. The international break though? Chaos.
Some teams are playing friendlies, others in the UEFA Nations League, some are competing in World Cup qualifying, while others are still in the European Championship playoffs. And to top it off, you still have lower-level club fixtures being played. It's a lot.
Ángel Di María, jugador del PSG, esta frustrado por no haber sido convocado por la selección argentina para disputar los primeros dos partidos de las Eliminatorias al Mundial Qatar 2022 contra Ecuador y Bolivia. Pese a estar teniendo un buen rendimiento con su club y haber sido pieza clave para que el PSG llegara a la final de la Champions, Di María no fue tomado en cuenta por el técnico de la albiceleste, Lionel Scaloni.
Di María expreso su frustración con las siguientes palabras:
The chairman of Qatar-based media group BeIN Sports and president of French soccer club Paris St Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, was cleared in a case over the awarding of television rights for the World Cup, the Swiss Federal Criminal Court said on Friday.
Al-Khelaifi had been accused of inciting former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement. The trial was not connected to Al-Khelaifi's role at Paris St Germain.
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba on Monday denied media reports that said he quit the France national team over comments made by the country's President Emmanuel Macron which were perceived to be against Islam.
The French leader this month declared war on "Islamist separatism,” which he believes is taking over some Muslim communities in France. The Sun newspaper alleged that Pogba, a practicing Muslim, reacted to Macron's comments by quitting the national team.
When Jack Charlton passed back in July at the age of 85, the English footballer and manager left behind one of the most towering legacies in the history of the game.
A legendary one-club man who represented Leeds United over 600 times while winning the 1968-69 First Division and the 1971-72 FA Cup, Charlton was also capped 35 times by England and played a massive role in his country’s 1966 World Cup triumph.
20 years from now, the only piece of nostalgia that I’ll wax lyrical on is the old CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying process. Put simply, it’s the perfect blend of skill, savagery, emotion and history. There’s really nothing like it on the planet.
That’ll all change next cycle when the 2026 World Cup qualifying process expands to allow 48 teams into the final (including six from CONMEBOL), and I’m already learning to say goodbye the hard way with Fanatiz currently charging $30 to view a qualifying match.