BUENOS AIRES: Members of the South American candidacy for the centennial 2030 World Cup want to host the opening match in Buenos Aires and the final in Montevideo, where Uruguay won the first edition of the tournament.
Government and soccer officials representing the joint bid of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay held their first organizing committee meeting Tuesday. Argentine President Alberto Fernández also said he wants to add Bolivia to the group.
One other bid has already been formalized: Spain-Portugal-Ukraine. Morocco and another joint bid of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece are moving ahead.
Alejandro Domínguez, the president of South American soccer body CONMEBOL, highlighted the historical links. Uruguay hosted the first tournament in 1930 and won the first title by beating Argentina 4-2 in the final.
“FIFA has the obligation of honoring the memory of those who came before us and made the first World Cup,” he said. “At the end, the ones who want it more win it. And in that Argentina and all of our countries have a tradition.”
FIFA will make the decision in 2024, two years before the next edition of the tournament takes place in the United States, Mexico and Canada with 48 teams for the first time.
Chile sports minister Alexandra Benado Vergara said Argentina’s World Cup title in Qatar gives an extra push to the South American bid, which she sees as stronger since other nations joined Uruguay’s initially single-nation candidacy.
“Argentina’s victory is also the victory of our region,” Vergara said. “We can totally say we will have a bid that is sustainable, clear, austere during these times of our region and the world.”
Vergara’s Uruguayan counterpart Sebastián Bauzá said South America “feels we have the right to organize that World Cup.”
Argentina’s Fernández said on his social media channels he wanted to add Bolivia to the bid because “this is the candidacy of the entire continent. That is why I will propose that Bolivia become a part of this dream.”
South American 2030 World Cup bid seeks final in Montevideo
https://arab.news/26bbq
South American 2030 World Cup bid seeks final in Montevideo
- Argentine President Alberto Fernández also said he wants to add Bolivia to the group
- Alejandro Domínguez, the president of South American soccer body CONMEBOL, highlighted the historical links
Chelsea and Lyon advance to the Women’s Champions League semifinals
- Chelsea advanced 4-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg in Amsterdam 3-0
- The French champion advanced to the semifinals for a record 13th time after a 4-1 win over Benfica
LONDON: Emma Hayes’ hopes of going out on the ultimate high at Chelsea moved a step closer on Wednesday as the London club reached the Women’s Champions League semifinals after a 1-1 draw with Ajax.
Chelsea advanced 4-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg in Amsterdam 3-0.
Hayes takes over the US women’s national team at the end of the season, when she will lead their bid to win Olympic gold in Paris.
Before that, she is aiming to win a quadruple of trophies with Chelsea — including the Champions League for the first time.
The Women’s Super League champion had effectively secured their place in the next round after a dominant performance in the first leg of the quarterfinals at Ajax. And they extended their overall advantage to 4-0 on aggregate after Mayra Ramirez’s goal in the 33rd minute at Stamford Bridge.
Chasity Grant scored in the 65th to give Ajax some consolation and a 1-1 draw on the night.
While Chelsea are searching for their first Women’s Champions League trophy, Lyon are hunting a record-extending ninth.
The French champion advanced to the semifinals for a record 13th time after a 4-1 win over Benfica.
Delphine Cascarino and Kadidiatou Diani scored two goals each as record eight-time champion Lyon won 6-2 on aggregate at Groupama Stadium after a 2-1 first leg win in Portugal.
Cascarino’s goal in the first leg had set up Lyon’s comeback win after trailing 1-0 at halftime of that match. And she tightened the French champions’ control of the tie when she opened the scoring in the 43rd of the second leg with a long-range chip to put Lyon ahead on the night.
Marie-Yasmine Alidou evened the score two minutes later, but Cascarino restored the home team’s lead with a powerful effort from distance in the 51st.
Diani put Lyon 3-1 ahead in the first minute of stoppage time and scored her second five minutes later.
Lyon were playing in the quarterfinals for a record-equaling 15th time, while Benfica became the first Portuguese team to advance to this stage.
Lyon last won the trophy in 2022 and will play either Hacken or Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. Chelsea face either defending champion Barcelona or Brann.
PSG and Barcelona both won their quarterfinal first-leg matches 2-1 and will host their respective second-leg games Thursday.
The home-and-away semifinals will be played on April 20-21 and 27-28.
Prosecutor seeks 2-1/2-year jail term for Spain’s ex-football chief Rubiales over kiss
- Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions
- Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning
MADRID: A prosecutor at Spain’s High Court is seeking a prison sentence of 2-1/2 years for former football federation chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, a court document seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed.
Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss, offenses carrying jail terms of one year and 18 months, respectively.
Rubiales, 46, grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips on Aug. 20 of last year during the awards ceremony after Spain’s victory in the women’s World Cup in Sydney, making global headlines and causing a national debate in Spain about sexism.
Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning, but Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecutor also accused the former coach of the women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, the current sporting director of the Spanish federation (RFEF), Albert Luque, and the RFEF’s marketing chief, Ruben Rivera, of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
The indictment said the three officials harassed Hermoso by exerting “constant and repeated acts of pressure” directly on the player and through her friends and family. They each face 18 months behind bars as well.
All three denied wrongdoing when they appeared before the court.
Durantez also said Rubiales should pay 50,000 euros ($54,080) in damages to Hermoso, with another 50,000 euros to be jointly paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera.
In addition, she requested a restraining order barring Rubiales from coming within 200 meters of Hermoso and from communicating with her for the next seven-and-a-half years.
If convicted and sentenced as requested by the prosecutor, Rubiales would not necessarily have to go to prison. Spain’s criminal code allows judges to “exceptionally” suspend jail terms if — as in this case — none of the sentences imposed individually exceeds two years.
Rubiales has been named in a separate corruption probe that shook the RFEF last week, when police searched the federation’s headquarters and an apartment belonging to Rubiales, arresting seven people.
A Spanish court has been investigating since June 2022 if Rubiales committed a crime of improper management when the RFEF agreed with former Barcelona player Gerard Pique’s Kosmos firm to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, a judicial source told Reuters then.
Rubiales, who was in the Dominican Republic during last week’s searches, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and told El Espanol newspaper he would cooperate with the investigation.
A court source said his lawyers told the judge he would return from the Dominican Republic on April 6.
Germany celebrate turnaround as confidence grows before hosting Euro 2024
- “Everything fits together,” former Germany great Lothar Matthäus said after the France game
- “Something has come out of the last week that wasn’t there before,” said Toni Kroos, who came out of international retirement to rejoin the team for Euro 2024
BERLIN: What a difference a game makes.
The pessimism and frustration shrouding Germany’s soccer team ahead this summer’s European Championship has been lifted and replaced by confidence that the host can now win the tournament.
All it took was a win over France for the Germans to cast aside their doubts.
“Everything fits together,” former Germany great Lothar Matthäus said after the France game, which was followed up by a 2-1 win over the Netherlands on Tuesday. “The team not only can be European champion, they must be European champion!”
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team that had lost their previous games against Austria and Turkiye in November, and which had only two wins from their previous 10 matches before beating France 2-0 in Lyon on Saturday.
“Something has come out of the last week that wasn’t there before,” said Toni Kroos, who came out of international retirement to rejoin the team for Euro 2024. “There’s a confidence in our actions and I hope we take that with us toward the tournament because then we can be confident of always doing well.”
Germany needed to dig deep to beat the Dutch in Frankfurt after Joey Veerman’s fourth-minute goal for the visitors, but goals from Maximilian Mittelstädt and Niclas Füllkrug consolidated the team’s new-found bullishness and rewarded coach Julian Nagelsmann for some brave calls in squad selection.
Nagelsmann had called up six new faces and coaxed the 34-year-old Kroos back from retirement.
The Real Madrid star’s return had arguably had the greatest impact because of his leadership qualities and a calm composure that helped settle the players around him. Kroos began by setting up for Germany’s fastest ever goal after just seven seconds in the win in France, then delivered both corners that led to the goals against the Netherlands.
“I know that the team is coming from a really tough time,” Kroos said. “What’s good is that few took that baggage with them, that it was left behind through the relatively radical changes and you could see that.”
Kroos’ return allowed İlkay Gündoğan to push further forward, Wirtz and fellow youngster Jamal Musiala starred on the wings, and in-form Arsenal forward Kai Havertz started up front. Bayer Leverkusen’s tough-tackling Robert Andrich made his second and third Germany appearances beside Kroos in midfield.
Nagelsmann named the same starting lineup for the Netherlands as he had for France, and – barring injuries – it will not change much from the team that will start Euro 2024 against Scotland in Munich on June 14.
“The spirit of the team is very good. They’re a good mix,” Nagelsmann said. “I think we’ve found a good mix of players who can take on the role of not playing and still give their all when they come in.”
Of the new faces, three were from Stuttgart, which are playing some of the best soccer in the Bundesliga this season. Mittelstädt, the Stuttgart left back, made his Germany debut against France and starred in both games. A year ago, he was fighting relegation with Hertha Berlin.
“Everyone said, he hasn’t played any international game, maybe it’s too early,” Nagelsmann said of Mittelstädt. “He’s a very good player, a lot of ambition, a lot of power and also a top guy. He’s good for us.”
Nagelsmann made a point of selecting in-form players for their confidence, while omitting the likes of Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka and a host of Borussia Dortmund players.
Nagelsmann paid tribute to Leipzig defenders David Raum and Benjamin Henrichs for their impact as substitutes, as well as Pascal Gross in midfield, while Füllkrug, another substitute, was the one who scored the winner against the Netherlands.
All of the players, whether starters and substitutes, displayed a bite and commitment that had been lacking in previous Germany performances. Antonio Rüdiger and Jonathan Tah formed a formidable partnership in central defense, while Wirtz and Musiala in particular provided moments of inspiration.
“I think football is always about confirming things. A one-hit wonder is always possible,” Nagelsmann said before Tuesday’s match. “In the end it’s about confirming the path that we’re on. And I also said before I don’t want to be infected by this hysteria. But I’m also not one to put the brakes on euphoria.”
Nagelsmann was only given a contract through Euro 2024 after he was appointed successor to the fired Hansi Flick in September, but he’s likely to have it extended before the tournament starts.
Germany next faces Ukraine and Greece for their final tournament warmups before its opening game against Scotland in Munich on June 14. Nagelsmann’s team then play Hungary in Stuttgart on June 19 and Switzerland in Frankfurt on June 23.
Endrick and Yamal shine as Vinicius Junior’s Brazil draw 3-3 with Spain in ‘One Skin’ friendly
- The international friendly came a day after Vinicius broke down in tears while talking about the continued racist insults that he is subjected to in Spain
- Brazilian players went onto the field wearing black jackets with the slogan “One Skin, One Identity”
- The jackets will be auctioned to help an anti-racism campaign
MADRID: Teenagers Lamine Yamal and Endrick took the spotlight as Brazil drew 3-3 with Spain on Tuesday in the “One Skin” international friendly that was set up to highlight the fight against racism after a series of insults aimed at the Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
Vinicius was relatively quiet in a match in which Brazil equalized with a penalty converted by Lucas Paqueta deep into stoppage time after Rodri’s spot kick in the 87th had put Spain ahead.
Brazil had rallied from two goals down with an equalizer scored by Vinicius’ future Madrid teammate Endrick, the 17-year-old Palmeiras player who had made his scoring debut with Brazil just three days previous.
The Spanish lineup was led by 16-year-old Barcelona forward Yamal, who helped set up three goals and received a standing ovation from the crowd at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium when he was substituted near the end of the match.
“Yamal and Endrick are players who have a chance to be stars at the 2026 World Cup,” Brazil coach Dorival Junior said. “They both play at a very high level.”
The international friendly came a day after Vinicius broke down in tears while talking about the continued racist insults that he is subjected to in Spain, saying he was losing his desire to keep playing but pledged to continue his fight against racism.
Vinicius was loudly applauded when he was substituted in the 71st. The 23-year-old Brazilian, the Seleçao’s captain on Tuesday, received some of the loudest jeers when his name was introduced ahead of the match.
Brazilian players went onto the field wearing black jackets with the slogan “One Skin, One Identity.” The jackets will be auctioned to help an anti-racism campaign.
Vinicius, who has been accused of provoking fans and opponents, got into verbal altercations with Spanish players, including from the bench after leaving the match. He also shoved Spain defender Aymeric Laporte from behind while play was stopped.
Laporte tweeted after the match the question: “Maybe he wanted to dance…?” accompanied by a previous tweet with the image of Vinicius’ shove and quoting the Brazilian from Monday, when he said, “I just want to play soccer.”
The friendly game was set up by Spanish and Brazilian soccer officials amid the uproar that followed the racist insults aimed at Vinicius in a Spanish league game in Valencia 10 months ago. Many believed the incident would be a turning point for soccer in Spain, but another wave of racist abuse targeting Vinicius has followed.
While most of the attention was on Vinicius, it was Yamal threatening the most with his speed and quick moves to get past Brazilian defenders.
Rodri put Spain ahead by converting a 13th-minute penalty kick after Yamal made a run through the right side and was brought down by Joao Gomes inside the area.
Vinicius had Brazil’s first shot on goal in the 17th but it was easily saved by Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Yamal set up Dani Olmo’s 36th-minute goal and Rodrigo pulled Brazil closer in the 40th after a mistake by Simon.
Endrick, who will arrive in Spain at the end of the season, equalized and was also set to take the late penalty but instead gave the ball to Paqueta. The crowd jeered as they wanted to see the new Madrid player try to score again.
Vinícius went to defend Endrick from the bench after Spanish players loudly complained because of a hard foul by his future teammate late in the match.
The Spaniards appeared unsettled with how Brazilian players celebrated the late equalizer near the Spanish fans.
Spain, preparing for the upcoming European Championship in Germany, was coming off a 1-0 loss to Colombia on Friday in London.
“I’m happy because we were better than Brazil in all areas,” coach Luis de la Fuente said. “I’m proud of the match we played.”
De la Fuente said he was “ashamed” by the jeers directed at Atletico Madrid forward Alvaro Morata by the crowd at the Bernabeu, where Morata used to play for earlier in his career.
Vinicius has been subjected to multiple racist insults since arriving in Spain six years ago. He complained on Monday about the lack of punishment for perpetrators and asked for help from FIFA, UEFA and other soccer institutions in the fight against racism.
Ukraine, Georgia and Poland are going to Euro 2024 after late drama in qualifying playoffs
- The 24-nation Euro 2024 lineup was finalized Tuesday with three qualifying playoffs giving a stronger eastern European flavor to the tournament that opens June 14 in Germany
- Georgia and star forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will make their major tournament debut at Euro 2024 after beating Greece 4-2 in a penalty shootout
LONDON: Ukraine found another late winning goal in another comeback win. Georgia and Poland held their nerve in penalty shootouts. All are going to the European Championship.
The 24-nation Euro 2024 lineup was finalized Tuesday with three qualifying playoffs giving a stronger eastern European flavor to the tournament that opens June 14 in Germany.
Mykhailo Mudryk’s sweeping low shot in the 84th minute lifted Ukraine to a 2-1 victory over Iceland and a second late comeback win in the playoffs for a team representing the war-torn country.
The “home” game for Ukraine was played in neutral Poland because international games cannot be played in Kyiv for security reasons during the military invasion by Russia, whose team UEFA banned from trying to qualify.
Ukraine fans’ displayed yellow-and-blue banners criticizing Russia and its president Vladimir Putin in the stadium in Wroclaw.
“A big thank you to our fans,” Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko said, “they helped us through these difficult times amazingly.”
Georgia and star forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will make their major tournament debut at Euro 2024 after beating Greece 4-2 in a penalty shootout. It had been a tense and testy 0-0 draw in a raucous atmosphere in Tbilisi.
Wild celebrations saw thousands of Georgia fans in a 50,000 crowd at the national stadium pour onto the field and some climbed the goalposts to sit on the crossbar.
Poland became the last team to book their ticket to Germany, beating Wales 5-4 in a penalty shootout in Cardiff also after a 0-0 draw.
Poland captain Robert Lewandowski, who had scored the first spot-kick of the shootout, could not bear to watch the action when his goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny pushed away the final penalty taken by Dan James.
“It’s big because I probably would have finished my international career tonight had we lost the game,” Szczęsny said.
Poland will go into a tough Group D with France, the Netherlands and Austria.
Ukraine is in Group F with Belgium, Romania and Slovakia.
Georgia go into Group F to face Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, Turkiye and the Czech Republic.
Euro 2024 will be played in 10 German cities from June 14 to July 14.
UKRAINE’S MOMENT
Two years ago, Ukraine fell just short in playoffs to reach the 2022 World Cup, eventually losing to Wales with a team emotionally drained from the effort four months into their homeland’s invasion.
Ukraine would not be denied this time and twice within five days rallied in the second half and found a late goal to win 2-1. Last week, Coach Serhiy Rebrov’s had trailed 1-0 in Bosnia-Herzegovina until the 85th.
In a game of stunning goals, Iceland led in the 30th on Albert Gudmundsson’ s curling shot.
Viktor Tsygankov leveled in the 54th from just outside the Iceland penalty box, close to the spot where Chelsea winger Mudryk would win the game 30 minutes later.
Ukraine start against Romania in Munich on June 17, then play Slovakia in Düsseldorf on June 21 and top-seeded Belgium on June 26 in Stuttgart.
GEORGIA RISING
Georgian players have been European champions before — in the Soviet Union squad that won the inaugural title in 1960.
Now the independent republic has earned the right to make its own soccer history in Germany.
The decisive penalty Tuesday was scored by substitute Nika Kvekveskiri placed his perfect shot low into the corner to seal Georgia’s 4-2 win.
Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had saved the first Greece spot-kick, by captain Tasos Bakasetas, then Giorgos Giakoumakis pulled his shot wide of the goal.
Georgia will start against Turkiye on June 18 in Dortmund, then play the Czechs on June 22 in Hamburg, and finish against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on June 26 in Gelsenkirchen, at the home stadium of Schalke.
Georgia’s French coach Willy Sagnol knows the territory well after nine years playing for Bayern Munich.
Georgia followed North Macedonia, a debutant at Euro 2020, in taking the path opened by UEFA for a low-ranked team to rise to the big stage via their results in the Nations League competition.
Georgia and Greece played the final of a playoffs knockout bracket open only to teams that performed well in third-tier groups of the Nations League in 2022, before they failed to finish in the top two of a traditional Euros qualifying group last year.
LEWANDOWSKI’S FOURTH
Poland has played at every Euros edition since their star forward Lewandowski made his national team debut in 2008, including as co-host with Ukraine at Euro 2012.
Now 35, he should be back to lead the team in Germany in a group that should have an emotional pull for him.
Poland start against the Netherlands on June 16 in Hamburg, move to Berlin against Austria on June 21 and finish the group against France on June 25 in the stadium where Lewandowski starred for Borussia Dortmund for four years.