MADRID: Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says if the injured Karim Benzema is unable to play in next week’s La Liga derby against Atletico Madrid it will rule the star striker out of contention for France’s Nations League World Cup warm up games.
Benzema, hot favorite to pick up next month’s Ballon d’Or, suffered a right thigh injury in Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League win at Celtic.
And Ancelotti said on Saturday: “Karim? We’ll see if he can make the derby. What’s certain is that if he doesn’t play the derby he won’t be joining his national team.”
World Cup winners France continue the preparations for the defense of their 2018 crown against Austria on September 22 and Denmark three days later.
Ancelotti added of the French forward: “These are the sort of things that can happen
“There’s a minor issue, but last year too he had a physical problem in December and we were able to deal with it.
“This year, it’ll be the same thing.”
The 34-year-old striker hobbled off after half an hour of the game at Parkhead with Real going on to run out impressive winners as they kicked off their title defense in style.
“Without him the team played really well against Celtic, especially in attack,” Ancelotti observed, ahead of Sunday’s La Liga clash with Real Mallorca.
Eden Hazard will as he did in Glasgow step in to Benzema’s role on Sunday.
While praising the Belgian for his performance in Scotland Ancelotti noted: “Benzema doesn’t have a natural replacement.
“He’s the best center forward in the world, and there’s no substitute for him anywhere on the market.”
Whether Benzema is fit enough to face Atletico will determine in part on tests but mostly on his astute coach.
“We’ve got lots of information, physical and technical. I take them all into account but only to confirm what my own eyes are telling me.
“If my eyes tell me a player is well on the pitch but the data is saying he’s tired, he’ll remain out on the pitch.”
Benzema’s France call-up hinges on Madrid derby says Ancelotti
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Benzema’s France call-up hinges on Madrid derby says Ancelotti
- Benzema, hot favourite to pick up next month's Ballon d'Or, suffered a right thigh injury in Tuesday's 3-0 Champions League win at Celtic
- Ancelotti said: "Karim? We'll see if he can make the derby"
Tuchel wants relentless energy in attack from England against Andorra
Tuchel said England are fully committed to the qualifier where he wants “a win that is never in danger”
BARCELONA: England go into their World Cup qualifier against Andorra as heavy favorites but the players will find it challenging to find the energy to attack relentlessly after a long and gruelling season, coach Thomas Tuchel said on Friday.
England are top of Group K after two games with a perfect record while Andorra are bottom with two losses ahead of Saturday’s game in Barcelona.
Tuchel said England are fully committed to the qualifier where he wants “a win that is never in danger” but also said fans should not “over-expect” them to go all guns blazing right from the start of the game.
“It will be on us to get going, it is on us to keep the tempo high, to bring the attacking energy to the pitch and to do this in a relentless way,” Tuchel told reporters.
“I can fully understand that this is not the easiest time of the season for an international break. The players come from a long and tiring season and then again accepting the role to be responsible for the majority of the game can be demanding.
“But at the same time, what I feel from the group is that they are happy to be here. We are quite new together, it is our second camp and I have trust and belief that we will do what is necessary to get the result that we want.”
Tuchel said England have embraced the tag as huge favorites, promising an attacking lineup that will dominate possession while he is not looking to experiment by using this match as an audition for new players.
“The focus will be on the attacking patterns, on our hunger for and the reaction after ball losses, for the counter-pressing,” he added.
“These will be the main topics for tomorrow and this will then guide and demand the tactics.
“My thoughts are not so much whom can we see and what do we try. It’s more about the game plan since two days and who trains well... After a long season, putting players together from which we feel they have a connection and then they can show.”
Tuchel has also done his homework on Andorra, describing the European minnows as a well-drilled and well-organized side in a 5-4-1 formation.
“They don’t allow a huge amount of big chances,” the German coach said.
“So we need a mix between being patient and at the same time speed the game up, bring the speed to the game and try to never lose the focus.”
Saudis resume preparation for their Australia clash of the World Cup Asian qualifiers
- Tuesday’s match is the final round of the third stage of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Head coach Herve Renard limited the session to a recovery workout at the team’s health club
JEDDAH: The Saudi Arabian national football team resumed training on Friday at their Jeddah camp as they gear up for their AFC World Cup qualifier against Australia.
Tuesday’s match is the final round of the third stage of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On the field, head coach Herve Renard limited the session to a recovery workout at the team’s health club, involving all players following previous intensive training days.
Players Muhannad Al-Saad and Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti have started their individual rehabilitation programs under the supervision of the fitness coach working their way back to full strength.
Following the recovery session, Renard gave the squad a period of free time, with players scheduled to regroup at the team’s camp later on Friday evening.
The Green Falcons will continue their training on Saturday with a closed-door session set to take place at the reserve pitch of King Abdullah Sports City at 7:00 p.m.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia beat Bahrain 2-0 in Riffa to tee up a showdown with Australia for the second automatic spot in AFC FIFA World Cup qualifying Group C.
Thursday’s win keeps Saudi third, three points behind Australia, although with a far inferior goal difference. The Socceroos stand at second place with 16 points from nine matches, having scored 14 goals and conceded 6.
The Green Falcons have so far bagged six goals and conceded the same with 13 points in third spot. They have to win 8-0 against Australia to climb up to second place and qualify directly, otherwise they move on to the next group phase.
Postecoglou sacked by Spurs despite ending trophy drought
- The Australian paid the price for Tottenham’s worst domestic season
- “The Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties,” a statement said
LONDON: Ange Postecoglou was sacked as Tottenham manager on Friday, just 16 days after the Australian ended the club’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League.
Postecoglou led Tottenham to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao to clinch the north Londoners’ first European prize in 41 years and secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
But the Australian paid the price for Tottenham’s worst domestic season since they were relegated from the top flight in 1976-77.
“Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties,” a statement on Tottenham’s official X account said.
Exactly two years after he was hired from Celtic, Postecoglou’s eventful spell in north London was brought to a end by chairman Daniel Levy.
Tottenham lost 22 of their 38 Premier League games to finish 17th in the table, above only relegated trio Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton.
“The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the club for a change to take place,” the statement said.
“Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the club’s greatest moments, we
cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.”
What the Trump travel ban means for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games
- There is significant uncertainty regarding visa policies for foreign visitors planning trips to the US for the two biggest events in sports.
- Iran is the only targeted country to qualify so far for the World Cup being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico in one year’s time.
GENEVA: US President Donald Trump often says the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are among the events he is most excited about in his second term.
Yet there is significant uncertainty regarding visa policies for foreign visitors planning trips to the US for the two biggest events in sports.
Trump’s latest travel ban on citizens from 12 countries added new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on hosts opening their doors to the world.
Here’s a look at the potential effects of the travel ban on those events.
What is the travel ban policy?
When Sunday ticks over to Monday, citizens of 12 countries should be banned from entering the US
They are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Tighter restrictions will apply to visitors from seven more: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Trump said some countries had “deficient” screening and vetting processes or have historically refused to take back their own citizens.
How does it affect the World Cup and Olympics?
Iran, a soccer power in Asia, is the only targeted country to qualify so far for the World Cup being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico in one year’s time.
Cuba, Haiti and Sudan are in contention. Sierra Leone might stay involved through multiple playoff games. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea and Libya have very outside shots.
But all should be able to send teams to the World Cup if they qualify because the new policy makes exceptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.”
About 200 countries could send athletes to the Summer Games, including those targeted by the latest travel restrictions. The exceptions should apply to them as well if the ban is still in place in its current form.
What about fans?
The travel ban doesn’t mention any exceptions for fans from the targeted countries wishing to travel to the US for the World Cup or Olympics.
Even before the travel ban, fans of the Iran soccer team living in that country already had issues about getting a visa for a World Cup visit.
Still, national team supporters often profile differently to fans of club teams who go abroad for games in international competitions like the UEFA Champions League.
For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup — an expensive travel plan with hiked flight and hotel prices — are often from the diaspora, wealthier, and could have different passport options.
A World Cup visitor is broadly higher-spending and lower-risk for host nation security planning.
Visitors to an Olympics are often even higher-end clients, though tourism for a Summer Games is significantly less than at a World Cup, with fewer still from most of the 19 countries now targeted.
How is the US working with FIFA, Olympic officials?
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has publicly built close ties since 2018 to Trump — too close according to some. He has cited the need to ensure FIFA’s smooth operations at a tournament that will earn a big majority of the soccer body’s expected $13 billion revenue from 2023-26.
Infantino sat next to Trump at the White House task force meeting on May 6 which prominently included Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. FIFA’s top delegate on the task force is Infantino ally Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs partner whose two-year run as US Soccer Federation president ended in controversy in 2020.
Any visa and security issues FIFA faces — including at the 32-team Club World Cup that kicks off next week in Miami — can help LA Olympics organizers finesse their plans.
“It was very clear in the directive that the Olympics require special consideration and I actually want to thank the federal government for recognizing that,” LA28 chairman and president Casey Wasserman said Thursday in Los Angeles.
“It’s very clear that the federal government understands that that’s an environment that they will be accommodating and provide for,” he said. “We have great confidence that that will only continue. It has been the case to date and it will certainly be the case going forward through the games.”
In March, at an IOC meeting in Greece, Wasserman said he had two discreet meetings with Trump and noted the State Department has a “fully staffed desk” to help prepare for short-notice visa processing in the summer of 2028 — albeit with a focus on teams rather than fans.
IOC member Nicole Hoevertsz, who is chair of the Coordination Commission for LA28, expressed “every confidence” that the US government will cooperate, as it did in hosting previous Olympics.
“That is something that we will be definitely looking at and making sure that it is guaranteed as well,” she said. “We are very confident that this is going to be accomplished. I’m sure this is going to be executed well.”
FIFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the new Trump travel ban.
What have other host nations done?
The 2018 World Cup host Russia let fans enter the country with a game ticket doubling as their visa. So did Qatar four years later.
Both governments, however, also performed background checks on all visitors coming to the month-long soccer tournaments.
Governments have refused entry to unwelcome visitors. For the 2012 London Olympics, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko — who is still its authoritarian leader today — was denied a visa despite also leading its national Olympic body. The IOC also suspended him from the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.
UAE President’s Cup returns with €100,000 purse on Sweden’s national day
- The race is a significant milestone in the UAE’s ongoing efforts to promote Arabian horse racing on the world stage
Abu Dhabi: The storied UAE President’s Cup series for purebred Arabian horses makes a landmark stop in Sweden today, bringing the richest Arabian horse race in Scandinavian history to the heart of Stockholm.
Held on Sweden’s National Day at the famous Gardet turf track, the sixth leg of the 32nd edition of the global series offers a €100,000 purse, drawing top talent from Europe and the Middle East.
The race, a 1,500-meter listed event for horses aged four and older, continues the cup’s international campaign under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, vice president, deputy prime minister, and chairman of the presidential court of the UAE.
It is also a significant milestone in the UAE’s ongoing efforts to promote Arabian horse racing on the world stage.
A field of nine elite runners is set to compete, headlined by the returning Swedish fan favorite Rasmy Al-Khalediah, a two-time winner of this leg (2021, 2022), trained by Poland’s Janusz Kozłowski and ridden by Eduardo Pedroza.
The UAE is represented by the promising filly Hawlah, owned by Yas Horse Racing Management. Sired by Mehabb and out of Dahyah bint Munjiz, she is trained by France’s Elisabeth Bernard with Valentin Seguy in the saddle.
Another major threat is Fareedah B, the winner of the 2023 and 2024 Swedish legs and fresh off a victory in the Netherlands stage earlier this season. Owned and trained by Peter Deckers, she will again be ridden by experienced French jockey Fabrice Veron.
Also in the mix are Wasmey Al Khalediah, Mashho T, No Risk No Reward, Ayman, Gindor de Bozouls, and Cappuccino — each hoping to break through on one of the biggest stages in European Arabian racing.
The Sweden leg follows successful stops in Tunisia, Morocco, France, the United States, and Italy, with each race reinforcing the cup’s mission to promote the legacy and competitiveness of the Arabian breed worldwide.
Matar Suhail Al-Yabhouni Al-Dhaheri, chairman of the higher organizing committee, emphasized the strategic importance of this stop.
“Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE President’s Cup continues to drive the modern Arabian horse racing industry forward. Our Sweden stop highlights the strategic expansion of our support for owners and breeders across Europe.
“This leg reinforces our global commitment to Arabian horse racing, showcasing the UAE’s vision under his highness’s leadership,” he added.
As the race today adds to Sweden’s national celebrations, all eyes will be on the track at Gardet for what promises to be a thrilling display of speed, heritage, and international rivalry at the highest level of Arabian flat racing.
