The Nation Newspaper

Tag: world cup

  • Recurring injuries: Michu retires @ 31

    Recurring injuries: Michu retires @ 31

    Ex-Swansea striker Michu has retired from football aged 31 due to ongoing injury problems.

    Michu enjoyed an outstanding debut campaign in 2012/13 for Swansea after joining from Rayo Vallecano for £2million and quickly became a fan favourite at the Liberty.

    He netted 22 times in all competitions that year and helped Swansea to success in the League Cup – scoring in the 5-0 victory over Bradford in the final at Wembley.

    His form saw him earn a call-up to the Spanish national team where he won his sole cap by starting in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Belarus.

    Michu struggled with injuries in his second year with the Welsh club and was sent on loan to Serie A side Napoli for the 2014-15 season, making just six appearances.

    After his release from Swansea he joined Spanish fourth division side Langreo before returning to his hometown club Real Oviedo, where he played last year.

    Michu had one year remaining on his contract with boyhood side Real Oviedo but has decided not to return for the 2017/18 campaign.

    Swansea’s official Twitter account posted a video montage in tribute to their former player with the message: ‘We are sad to hear Michu has retired from football… Thanks for some fantastic memories’.

    Michu will now consider taking up a role at Oviedo as a coach or director, according to Spanish newspaper La Nueva Espana.

    The 31-year-old was born in Oviedo and came through the club’s youth system before progressing to their first team.

    Michu was among a group of former Oviedo players, which included Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla and Manchester United’s Juan Mata, to buy shares in the club to help them stay afloat amid financial problems in 2012.

  • Former England keeper Paul Robinson retires

    Former England keeper Paul Robinson retires

    Former England No 1 Paul Robinson has retired from football at the age of 37.

    Robinson, who began his career at Leeds United in 1998, announced his decision on Monday after battling an ongoing back injury during his most recent spell at Premier League side Burnley.

    The ex-Tottenham Hotspur stopper received 41 caps for the national team and kept four out of five clean sheets when starting in goal during England’s 2006 World Cup campaign.

    Robinson moved to Burnley in 2016, where he has been back-up to first-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton, but has now decided to call time on his playing career.Robinson’s full retirement statement

    “Unfortunately my back problem returned towards the end of last season and has prevented me being ready for the start of the new season. Taking everything into consideration I’ve decided to announce my retirement.

    “I have been very fortunate to play the game I love for so many years and make it my career.

    “I intend to take a short time out to spend time with my family and explore the different options available to me.

    “I would like to sincerely thank all my family and friends who have stood by me throughout my playing career.

    “I have been very lucky to play for four very special football clubs and my country, I would like to say a huge thank you to the supporters and staff of every one as I was able to build a very special relationship with each.

    “I would like to say thank you to Sean Dyche, Billy Mercer, the staff and players at Burnley who gave me the chance to play in the premier league again at 37 years old.

    “In all my career I have never been a part of a more dedicated, hardworking set of players and staff.

    “I wish them and all my former clubs the very best of luck for next season.”

    Robinson was part of England’s 2006 World Cup side that was knocked out in the quarter finals

  • Germany hit home with matching champions t-shirts

    Germany hit home with matching champions t-shirts

     

    The Confederations Cup has had its detractors – those who view it as a minor tournament, little more than a World Cup dress rehearsal.

    You won’t find them among the Germany squad, who returned home on Monday after winning the competition in Russia.

    The Germans featuring mostly fringe players, with several of their biggest names injured or unavailable – beat Chile 1-0 in Moscow on Sunday to win the competition for the first time.

    Flying back into Frankfurt airport by national air carrier Lufthansa, Germany treated their homecoming in not too dissimilar fashion to how they returned from Brazil two years ago, having won the World Cup.

    The players all wore matching white t-shirts over their clothes, bearing the word ‘Champions’ in gold capital lettering.

    There was also the traditional posing on the airport steps for photographs, with stand-in captain Julian Draxler – player of the tournament in Russia having taken the armband from the absent Manuel Neuer – holding the cup.

    Having posed with the main trophy, Draxler passed it on to his team mates to pose with while he retrieved his best player gong from the plane.

    He was not the only one making sure of their personal trinkets, with striker Timo Werner clutching his Golden Boot for tournament top scorer.

    Manager Joachim Low wore a white champion’s trophy along with his players, as he now begins preparations for returning to Russia next summer, aiming to retain the world’s highest footballing honour.

    Germany impressed throughout the Confederations Cup, topping a group featuring Chile, Cameroon and Australia, beating Mexico 4-1 in the semi-final before besting the South American champions once again in the final.

  • Maradona accuses former wife Villafañe of stealing

    Maradona accuses former wife Villafañe of stealing

     

    Where there was fire, ashes remain – except in the troubled love story of Argentinian soccer star Diego Armando Maradona and his ex-wife, Claudia Villafañe.

    In the latest scandal, the former Argentinean soccer star accused Villafañe of buying not one, but seven luxurious properties in one of the tallest residential skyscrapers in Miami, Florida, with his money.

    ‘Claudia Villafañe is a thief,’ the former Argentinean soccer star said of his ex, whom he was married to for 14 years.

    The former Argentinean soccer star accused Villafañe of buying not one, but seven luxurious properties in one of the tallest residential skyscrapers in Miami, Florida, with his money.

    In March of 2003, she filed for divorce and custody of their two daughters due to his copious drug use.

    The legal battle has been ongoing since.

    He now alleges that it’s nearly impossible for her to own the luxurious apartments in the stunning 44-story Portofino Tower, located in South Beach, if it wasn’t for the money she’s allegedly plundered from him. In 2015, Maradona accused her of stealing $9 million from his bank accounts.

    Some of the amenities at the multimillion dollar apartments include floor-to-ceiling windows with breath-taking views of the bay and city, private terraces, 24-security, tennis courts, and five-star services.

    The average listing price ranges from $350,000 to $11 million.

    ‘She doesn’t have a job, she doesn’t know how to cook, No way could she be the sole proprietor of those apartments, that’s all my money,’ he explained.

    In a recently published voicemail, Maradona can be heard questioning the large purchase in the high-rise.

    ‘I thought we only owned one apartment, the small one which we later sold to buy a slightly bigger one for the girls (their daughters).’

    He then insinuates that she must be great at math, before adding that he doubts her current boyfriend can afford the apartments.

    Known as the Golden Boy, the 56-year-old was the central figure and hero of Argentina’s 1986 World Cup. He was one of the most famous figures of the 1980s and continues being an icon worldwide.

    Commonly referred to as the Hand of God because of his infamous goal in that world cup, he served as the coach for the national team in 2008. He’s said he’s been clean from drugs for over 12 years.

  • Ronaldo turns barber to recreate his 2002 World Cup haircut

    Ronaldo turns barber to recreate his 2002 World Cup haircut

     

    The 2002 World Cup provided us with one of the great storylines and one of the worst haircuts of all time; both were Ronaldo’s.

    The Brazil striker’s two goals in the final was the ultimate redemption after the mystery and misery of the lost final four years earlier and the dreadful injuries that followed; the haircut was, well, simply awful.

    We never thought we’d see the like of either again. Yet Ronaldo has returned to inflict his ghastly former style on one poor youngster while on Spanish TV.

    Ronaldo, now aged 40, made an appearance on the El Hormiguero show in Madrid, where he played between 2002 and 2007.

    For reasons only known to him, a teenage boy came on stage and allowed El Fenomeno and host Pablo Motos to take the clippers to his flowing locks.

    What resulted was an abomination not seen since those distant days in Japan and South Korea: a head shaved almost to the skin with a longer peak remaining.

    A laughing Ronaldo seemed to enjoy the spectacle, while the boy was left to grin nervously as the horror unfolded on his scalp.

    Ronaldo has claimed the reason behind his bizarre haircut in 2002 was not a fashion statement but a tactic to deflect attention away from his own injury problems during football’s showpiece tournament.

    He had sported his usual close-cropped style for the majority of the tournament before his sort-of-close shave before the semi-finals.

    ‘My groin was hurting,’ he told ESPN Brazil. ‘I was only at 60 per cent. So I shaved my head.

    ‘Everybody was only talking about my injury. When I arrived in training with this haircut everybody stopped talking about the injury.’

    While it took Ronaldo over a decade to come up with that excuse, his feats on the pitch will always eclipse the odd hairdo. He won the Golden Boot for his eight goals at the tournament, including the two that saw off Germany in the final.

    That earned him a move to Real Madrid, where he won two La Liga titles alongside Zinedine Zidane and the other Galacticos. He was also named world player of the year for a third time in 2002.

  • FIFA U-20 W/Cup: Solanke fires England to semi finals

    FIFA U-20 W/Cup: Solanke fires England to semi finals

     

    Dominic Solanke fired England into their first FIFA Under-20 World Cup semi-final since 1993 as they saw off Mexico despite Josh Onomah’s controversial red card.

    Liverpool youngster Solanke showed superb composure to tuck home England’s winning goal two minutes into the second-half, as they set up a semi-final encounter with Italy on Thursday.

    But Paul Simpson’s Young Lions were forced to endure a nervous finale in South Korea after Tottenham midfielder Onomah was shown a second yellow card for accidentally treading on the boot of a Mexico player.

    Replays showed that Onomah unintentionally made contact with his opponent after he had dribbled beyond him on the right-hand side with 18 minutes left and Simpson described the decision as ‘absolutely ridiculous.’

    England held on, however, to advance to the last four of this tournament for the first time since the likes of Nicky Barmby, David Unsworth and Chris Bart-Williams achieved it 24 years ago.

    Simpson was pleased with England’s resolve but criticised the sending off decision, which means Onomah will miss the Italy game.

    He said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted, it was a really, really tough game today against an excellent Mexico side.

    ‘I thought we defended for our lives when we had to and created some really good chances in the attacking phases, but didn’t quite have the finish.

    ‘Unfortunately towards the end of the game we had to dig in with our backs to the wall and I’ve got to say, it is an incredible and poor decision to send Josh off.

    ‘I have no idea what the referee saw. I understand that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) doesn’t work for that kind of decision which is a real shame because it made it a real tough game and we have a player now suspended for a World Cup semi-final for a decision that is absolutely ridiculous.’

    The other semi-final will see Uruguay play Venezuela.

  • UEFA back England to host 2030 World Cup

    UEFA back England to host 2030 World Cup

     

    UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has given his backing to the 2030 World Cup being held in England – or a combined British bid.

    The Slovenian said earlier in the week that it will be ‘Europe’s turn’ to host the tournament, following 2022 in Qatar and a 2026 event tipped to take place in North America.

    Ceferin has now gone further by backing a return to Britain for the first time since England hosted and won the 1966 World Cup.

    He told the BBC: ‘For me, they are absolutely capable of organising it from an organisational point of view, from an infrastructure point of view.

    ‘But of course it’s a decision not just for the FA, probably the government and all the others too.

    ‘But you know everything about English or British football, so they deserve to have a World Cup in the near future.

    ‘I don’t know how much encouragement they need, but they are capable of organising the World Cup, I’m sure. That’s the decision of the Football Association and if they decide to go, we will strongly support them.

    ‘They will have all our political support. I just hope we will not have two European bidders, because that would not be good.

    ‘I think the ideal situation would be to have one European bidder, and then all of Europe stands together and we can achieve it.’

    while England dream of getting the bid though, the mind for now will centre on the world cup in Russia just few months away. With the premier league now on recess and most leagues across  the globe equally on break, the players will not focus on grabbing their tickets to be part of the Russian party. The world cup qualifiers have taken the centre stage and have become the main subject of discussions in soccer circles.

  • Kompany to retire after 2018 World Cup

    Kompany to retire after 2018 World Cup

     

    Vincent Kompany has suggested he could retire from international duty with Belgium after the 2018 World Cup.

    The Manchester City captain has endured a difficult time with injuries in recent years, making just 25 Premier League appearances over the last two seasons, but he has now returned to the fold having finished the current campaign strongly under Pep Guardiola.

    While Kompany is focused on performing at the World Cup in Russia – and maintains he will be able to – he has conceded that this could prove to be his last major international tournament.

    “It’s important for me to be back in this team,” he told reporters. “I understand that there were doubts about me, but I know my level.

    “I spend a lot of time – 30 minutes to an hour – doing extra exercises before or after a game and I’m lucky to play with the world’s best players, of course.

    “All this will serve me after my career. I will not stop here.

    “The 2018 World Cup was always a big motivation for me, especially when I was down. There’s a big chance that it will be my last season with Belgium.

    “For me now, it’s about reintegration. I have spoken with [coach Roberto] Martinez. I knew him a little from before.

    “If I was afraid of hurting myself, I would have already stopped my career.”

  • 2018 World Cup Qualifiers: Algeria’ll beat Eagles to sole slot, says Alcaraz

    2018 World Cup Qualifiers: Algeria’ll beat Eagles to sole slot, says Alcaraz

    Few days after taking charge as the new coach of Algeria, Spaniard Lucas Alcaraz believes the North African still has the chance to beat group leader – Nigeria, African champion, Cameroun and Zambia to the sole slot to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

    Lucas Alcaraz is optimistic that their next two games against Zambia remains crucial to their eventual qualification for the World Cup.

    With only one point from three matches played so far, the coach of Les Fennecs told FIFA.COM  that despite the Herculean task of qualifying, he said: “Obviously, we’re not the favourites, but we have to do everything in our power to get as many points and wins as we can. We have to fight hard in every game to make sure there are no regrets at the end of it all.”

    The former Granada boss believes Algeria can still qualify, provided they beat Zambia in their next assignments: “We’re going to prepare in depth for the two matches against Zambia.The players and the staff know what they have to do, what’s expected of them and the importance of these two matches. I need a lot of players for those two games and I’m absolutely convinced that if we beat Zambia, then we’ll qualify.”

    He, however, refuses to lose hope on Algeria’s chances, “If we can get through to the last match with morale high and full of hope after a couple of wins, I think we’ll be able to go into it with confidence high.”

    With the last group match at home to Nigeria’s Super Eagles, the Spaniard said: “If we can win our next home games, we’ll be in a good position to welcome Nigeria on the final day.”

  • Great Britain lose to hosts Romania in Fed Cup tie

    Great Britain on Sunday lost their Fed Cup World Cup Group II play-off in Romania, consigning them back to the Europe/Africa Zone.

    It was 1-1 after Saturday’s play, when host captain Ilie Nastase was banned for swearing at the umpire, Johanna Konta and her captain Anne Keothavong.

    On Sunday, Simon Halep won 6-1 6-3 against Konta to put Romania in front.

    Irina-Camelia Begu then beat Heather Watson 6-4 7-5 as Romania took an unassailable lead before the doubles.

    Konta was left in tears after Nastase’s conduct and, even though the world number seven still beat Sorana Cirstea on Saturday, she found Halep a tougher test.

    Halep, ranked fifth in the world, raced into a 4-0 lead as she made the most of her clay-court knowhow and broke to love in taking the first set in 27 minutes.

    Konta gave signs of a comeback by breaking Halep and taking a 3-1 lead in the second set.

    But the Romanian responded by impressively taking five games in a row to win the match.

    After that result, world number 113 Watson knew she had to win against 33rd-ranked Begu and she was involved in a tight match with plenty of quality and drama.

    There were five breaks of serve in the first set, which Begu took, but none in the second until Watson lost the seventh game.

    The Briton broke back but then lost her serve again at 5-5 and Begu served out for a match that lasted two hours and two minutes to secure victory for Romania.

    Cirstea claimed Konta had “overreacted” by crying in their match but the British number one has defended her actions.

    The incident that led to Nastase being dismissed on Saturday happened when Cirstea was 2-1 up in the second set.

    After Konta and Keothavong had complained of calling out from the crowd at 1-1, former world number one Nastase was involved in a discussion with officials.

    During this, he used foul language before verbally abusing the British player and her captain.

    He was sent off the court by referee Andreas Egli and, after initially taking a seat in the stands, was then escorted back to the locker room.

    Konta went 3-1 down after her serve was broken in the next game and was in tears before the umpire suspended play for about 25 minutes.

    “With all due respect to Sorana, she was not in my shoes at that end of the court being verbally threatened,” said the Briton. “Any abuse is not all right.

    “But when it’s a couple of metres away from you, screaming at you, I think that’s a different ball game.

    “It’s not something that you truly know how it affects you until you experience it, so I do believe she may have been slightly unaware of the events that happened.”

    Halep defended the crowd following her win on Sunday and, on Nastase — whose conduct is being investigated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), said “maybe he did mistakes”.

    “I was not there right on the court but I heard some things so I cannot defend anything here,” she added.

    “I don’t know exactly what happened but the people from ITF, they will know what they’re going to do.”