National Teams

Russia Drops Team Captain After He Makes Nation Uncomfortable In Private Video Leak

Russia's national football team said on Sunday it would not be calling up its captain Artem Dzyuba for upcoming international matches this month to shield him from negative publicity.

Its statement followed the leak of an private video online on Saturday, which TASS news agency said showed a man similar to the 32-year-old Dzyuba, who is also the striker for Zenit St. Petersburg. There was no suggestion of any controversial behavior in the video and it was not clear how it had leaked.

Jose Mourinho Worried Arsenal Coach On Wales Staff Could Sabotage Gareth Bale’s Health

LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has called on Wales to be cautious with Gareth Bale while he is on international duty, saying he fears the work the forward has done to get back to full fitness could be destroyed.

Bale started for Tottenham in their 3-1 win away to Ludgogorets in the Europa League on Thursday and looked as sharp as he has done since re-joining the club on loan from Real Madrid in September.

Tottenham, third in the Premier League, travel to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, before the international break.

USMNT Starting 11: Predicting Gregg Berhalter’s First Lineup In Over 9 Months

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown soccer schedules into immense disarray. While this is nothing compared to the tragic loss of life (more than 235,000 dead in the U.S. alone as cases continue to soar to record numbers), it has resulted in the U.S. national teams having not played in months. The women last played in March while the men’s only game in 2020 so far was in February. It makes predicting a USMNT starting 11 more difficult than ever — but also more fascinating. 

After Brain Surgery, Maradona Faces New Challenge: Withdrawals

BUENOS AIRES — Argentina soccer great Diego Maradona has been sedated by doctors to help him cope with withdrawal symptoms from alcohol dependency, his personal doctor said on Friday.

Alfredo Cahe said Maradona, who underwent emergency surgery on Tuesday for a subdural haematoma, a blood clot on the brain, had been sedated after suffering from "episodes of confusion" linked to withdrawal symptoms.

"He has to have treatment to stop drinking alcohol and all his family is in agreement that Diego as he is now is unmanageable," Cahe told TyC Sports, an Argentine TV channel.

Despite High-Profile Positives, UEFA Claims Its Testing Makes Environment Among Safest In World

BERN — UEFA has overseen 61,859 COVID-19 tests since August, allowing more than 500 European matches to be played and making soccer one of the safest environments in the world, it said on Thursday.

The European soccer body, which has been criticised by some media for pressing ahead with international football during the pandemic, said that only 340 of those tests had been positive — 0.55 percent of the total — and only 3 percent of matches had been canceled.

Latest USMNT Roster Is An Eternal Optimist’s Wet Dream

It’s been almost a full year since we saw a USMNT with European-based talent defeat Cuba 4-0 to advance to the Nations League Final Round — although a largely domestic-based squad defeated Costa Rica back in February — but the U.S. is finally able to welcome its Yanks Abroad back into the fold for a pair of November friendlies against Wales in Swansea and Panama in Austria.  

Belgium Forced To Move 3 Matches Over New Covid Curfew

BRUSSELS — Belgium has been forced to move its three soccer internationals in November from Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium to nearby Leuven because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The friendly against Switzerland on Nov. 11 plus Nations League matches versus England on Nov. 15 and Denmark on Nov. 18 will now be played at Den Dreef in Leuven, some 30km from the Belgian capital.

The switch comes after a 10 p.m. curfew was imposed on Brussels as the Belgian government battles with a dramatic rise in novel coronavirus infections.

Club Coaches, Sporting Directors Question Need For International Break During A Pandemic

In a press conference this week, Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc mentioned the feelings of the club regarding international breaks during the midst of the ongoing pandemic. 

Zorc said that if it were an option, Dortmund would consider not sending players on international breaks given the current situation. He lamented that clubs unfortunately do not have much of a choice as refusal to release players to their national teams could cause the players to face punishments and suspension.

Former High-Ranking FIFA Official Found Guilty In Corruption Case, Handed Measly Suspended Sentence

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.

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