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Mudryk sends war-torn Ukraine to Euro 2024

Ukraine qualified for Euro 2024 on Tuesday by beating Iceland 2-1, delivering an emotional boost to a country ravaged by war since the Russian invasion of February 2022.  Also Read: Southgate has tough choices to make for Euro squad Second-half strikes from Viktor Tsygankov and Mykhailo Mudryk turned around the game for Serhiy Rebrov’s side, who trailed at the break following Albert Gudmundsson’s opener. “Thank you, guys! Thank you, team! For significant emotions for the entire country. For the important victory and making it to EURO. For proving once again: whenever Ukrainians face difficulties but do not give up and continue to fight, Ukrainians certainly win. In times, when the enemy tries to destroy us, we demonstrate every day that Ukrainians are and will be. Ukraine is, and will be ,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 07:40 AM IST | Wroclaw (Poland) | AFP
Gareth Southgate

Southgate has tough choices to make for Euro squad

Gareth Southgate has watched his final England international before he names his Euro 2024 squad. Now he faces tough decisions that could make or break the campaign. Jude Bellingham scored a last-gasp equaliser in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Wembley on Tuesday, which lifted the mood after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Brazil at the weekend. Friendlies are not a reliable predictor of a team’s likely performance when the pressure is truly on but Southgate gleaned important information about his men over the two matches in London.  Also Read: ‘Sack Stimac’ England will travel to Germany in June among the favourites to win the European Championship for the first time after coming up agonisingly short against Italy in the final in 2021. In what could be Southgate’s last hurrah as England boss, the pressure will be intense on the side to finally deliver a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.  The manager admits he will have to take stock of his resources, especially given the spate of injuries that has disrupted his preparations. “I’d have to sit and go through it all because I’m a little bit lost as to who we’ve got and we haven’t really,” he said after the draw against Belgium, who are ranked fourth in the world, one place below England.  This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 07:35 AM IST | London | AFP
Igor Stimac

‘Sack Stimac’

Former India footballers are upset with head coach Igor Stimac following the national team’s shocking defeat to Afghanistan in the World Cup Qualifier on Tuesday. Sunil Chhetri struck in his landmark 150th international before 117th-ranked India went down 1-2 to World No. 158 Afghanistan in Guwahati on Tuesday. “These are the same players who were praised for their historic draw against Qatar [in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers]. Last year, they won three tournaments, including the SAFF Championships. So what happened suddenly?” asked former India defender Gourmangi Singh. Also Read: PCB looking to bring Babar Azam back as Pakistan captain AIFF under the scanner The All India Football Federation  (AIFF) under Kalyan Chaubey made headlines for the wrong reasons following the sacking of its secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran for “breach of trust” in November last year.  India thereafter struggled to form a team for the Hangzhou Asian Games and reached just hours before the event. Then, at the Asian Cup early this year, India failed to score a single goal in three matches. “AIFF’s recent incidents may have had an impact on the field too. It’s like if your parents are quarrelling, the effect will be seen on their kids,” said FC Goa assistant coach Gourmangi. ‘Flawed selection policy’ Former attacking midfielder Dipendu Biswas, currently the football secretary of Mohammedan Sporting, criticised Stimac for his over-reliance on Chhetri. “It’s depressing that players who have performed well in Durand Cup, Kolkata League or I-League don’t attract any attention. We keep saying why we don’t have another Chhetri, but if we don’t give chances to performing players, how will new talent emerge?” questioned Biswas citing the example of Manipuri forward David Lalhlansanga, who has scored 30-plus goals for Mohammedan Sporting this season: “Nobody knows David, thanks to Stimac’s flawed selection policies. The likes of PK Banerjee, Nayeemuddin too were sacked after poor results then why not Stimac?” Former India defender Subrata Bhattacharya said: “Foreign coaches never brought laurels to the Indian team. It’s coaches like Amal Dutta and PK Banerjee who took India to greater heights.” We should’ve won first leg too: Afghan coach Westwood Chuffed after his rag-tag team shocked India in their own backyard in a World Cup qualifying match here, Afghanistan football coach Ashley Westwood asserted that the visiting side was “always the dominant” one and should have won even the first leg game which ended in a draw.  “We remained confident even when we were trailing. To be honest, we also could have won the earlier match. We were always the dominant side in the match,” Westwood said referring to the first leg clash in Saudi Arabia that ended in a goalless draw.  This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

28 March,2024 07:30 AM IST | Guwahati | PTI
Sunil Chhetri (Pic: AFP)

'Stimac ouster cry' grows after shock India defeat to Afghanistan

Former India footballers feel there is 'discord' in the changing room and demanded the ouster of head coach Igor Stimac following India's shocking 1-2 defeat to Afghanistan in the World Cup qualifiers. Talismanic Sunil Chhetri struck in his landmark 150th international fixture but the 117th-ranked India squandered the one-goal advantage at halftime to let in two second-half goals by the world No 158 Afghanistan in their return leg clash in Guwahati on Tuesday. Former India defender Gourmangi Singh feels something is "amiss" in the Indian dressing room, while former forward Dipendu Biswas slammed Stimac's skewed team selection for the disastrous show and demanded his immediate ouster. Echoing similar views, veteran Subrata Bhattacharya said that foreign coaches never brought laurels to the Indian team and called for an Indian coach to produce players of the calibre of "five-six" Sunil Chhetris. "Remember that these are the same players who got praise for their historic draw against Qatar (in World Cup qualifiers 2022)," Gourmangi told PTI. "Last year, they achieved greater heights, winning three tournaments including the SAFFF Championships. For one year they were performing, earning everyone's praise so suddenly what happened? It was the same team, same players, so what happened suddenly?" he asked. "Even though I have been part of the Indian changing room there must be something missing somewhere. We're not privy to what's happening there. I'm unsure about the players' relationship with Stimac." Also Read: Goalie Chanu is 1st Indian to play in Australian league The All India Football Federation under Kalyan Chaubey has also made headlines for wrong reasons in the recent past since the sacking of its secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran for "breach of trust" in November last year. This has coincided with India's Asian Games fiasco and a disastrous show in the Asian Cup. India struggled to make a team for the Hangzhou showpiece and reached just hours before the continental showpiece. And, at the Asian Cup early this year, India failed to score a single goal from three outings, and extended their goalless run to six successive matches till Chhetri ended the drought in his 150th International appearance on Tuesday. Gourmangi further urged the stakeholders to get the "house in order". "I don't want to take names but the AIFF's recent incidents may have had an impact on the field too. It's like if the parents are quarrelling then the effect will be seen on the kids. You need to get the house in order. If the players don't progress and continue playing the same, then of course, we can point fingers," said the FC Goa assistant coach. Former attacking midfielder Biswas, who is now the football secretary of Mohammedan Sporting, criticised Stimac for the over-reliance on Chhetri. He is of the view that not giving opportunities to young talents from tournaments like I-League, Santosh Trophy and Calcutta Premier Division, has impeded Indian football as India continue to bank heavily on Chhetri nearly two decades after he made his debut. "It's a very depressing situation that players who have performed well in Durand Cup, Kolkata League or I-League, which has more viewership than the top-tier ISL, don't catch any attention," Biswas said. "We keep saying why we don't have another Chhetri but if we don't give chances to these performing players how will the talents emerge?" he questioned. Biswas cited example of Manipuri forward David Lalhlansanga, who has 30-plus goals this season for Mohammedan Sporting. "But nobody knows David, thanks to Stimac's flawed selection policies. Earlier, players were not only picked from National League but Santosh Trophy and Kolkata League also got equal significance. Now these players' dreams are dashed." Demanding immediate ouster of Stimac, Biswas said: "The coach should not be spared after such a show. If he takes the credit for the win, he should be equally responsible for the defeat. "The likes of PK Banerjee, Nayeemuddin too were sacked after poor results then why not Stimac?" Former India defender Subrata Bhattacharya also echoed the same views. "Foreign coach never brought any laurels to Indian team. Be it Amal Dutta or PK Banerjee, it's the Indian coach who took India to greater heights." On the lack of a good striker to replace Chhetri, he said: "We must nurture, we must teach, and provide opportunities for practice. We have to develop him following this path. This is the only way. "You cannot win matches with just one Sunil Chhetri. You have to bring four or five more Sunil Chhetris. On average, you must have six good footballers on the pitch." He, however, hoped that the defeat against Afghanistan was an aberration and India bounce back soon. "Anything can happen in football. Didn't Mohun Bagan or East Bengal ever lose to Kalighat, or Rajasthan. Upset happens maybe because of miscommunication or by some mistake. "They have failed to utilise their chances and it's time to bounce back and they will surely. It's okay if they beat us once, but by beating them we cannot lift the standard of our football. we will bounce back for sure," he signed off. (With agency inputs)

27 March,2024 06:21 PM IST | Kolkata | mid-day online correspondent
Bijay Chhetri

Chennaiyin FC's Bijay Chhetri signs for Latin American club Colon FC

Indian defender Bijay Chhetri has joined Uruguayan football club Colon FC on loan until the year-end, his Indian Super League (ISL) club Chennaiyin FC said on Wednesday. Chhetri thus became the first Indian footballer to sign for a Latin American club. Colon is based in Montevideo, while the club competes in Segunda División Professional (second division) of the country, where it is currently placed third on the Group B league table. "I feel so excited to get this opportunity for the new challenge in my professional career. I hope to put in good performances to enhance my game, repay the trust shown in me by Colon FC and to keep the Indian flag flying high," Bijay said in a release. Also Read: "Any team is bound to miss a bowler like Shami": Mohit Sharma after GT's loss "I am very well aware that if I do well, it can pave the way for future Indian players also to move abroad into these markets."The 22-year-old Bijay from Manipur began his footballing career with Shillong Lajong in 2016 and made his senior appearance with Indian Arrows in 2018. Since then, he has played for clubs like Chennai City, Real Kashmir and Sreenidi Deccan before joining CFC this season, his maiden ISL club. Wishing Bijay luck on his move to Colon, CFC co-owner Vita Dani said, ¿We are extremely proud to see Bijay make his way to one of the world's biggest football nations. Uruguay are forever etched in the game's history, with four stars on their chest as winners of two Olympic gold medals in 1924 and 1928, the first World Cup in 1930, and then repeating in Brazil in 1950. "And, Colon Futbol Club are part of that heritage; founded even before the first World Cup. I wish Bijay the very best, and we are all hoping for his success as he makes history as the first Indian player to secure a contract with a Latin American club This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

27 March,2024 04:50 PM IST | Chennai | PTI
Panthoi Chanu

Goalie Chanu is 1st Indian to play in Australian league

Panthoi Chanu, the current goalkeeper of the Indian national women’s team, is all set to make history and become the first Indian footballer to play professionally in Australia. Also Read: Di Maria gets death threat in Rosario Her groundbreaking achievement follows in the footsteps of Jyoti Chauhan, Kiran Pisda, and MK Kashmina, making her the fourth player to secure a contract abroad out of the 27 participants in the Women in Sports Elite Football Trials, second edition, organised collaboratively by Women in Sports, the AMPL Foundation, and the Football Players’ Association of India. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

27 March,2024 07:45 AM IST | Mumbai | IANS
Angel di Maria

Di Maria gets death threat in Rosario

Argentine police and prosecutors are investigating an anonymous death threat to football star Angel di Maria delivered in his hometown of Rosario. Staffers of the Funes Hills Miraflores condominium, where the World Cup winner usually stays in the region, said they found a package containing a death threat to Di Maria’s family if he returned to play for one of the city clubs. Also Read: India go down 1-2 to lower-ranked Afghanistan The 36-year-old winger at Benfica in Portugal said recently he could play again for his boyhood club Rosario Central. He was currently in the United States touring with Argentina.  “That kind of threat brings a lot of social commotion and that is their aim—to make the population scared, hit public figures,” Esteban Santantino, who works in security for the local government, told broadcaster Todo Noticias. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

27 March,2024 07:40 AM IST | Buenos Aires | AP | PTI
India captain Sunil Chhetri (centre) being felicitated ahead of his landmark 150th match in Guwahati yesterday. Pic/PTI

India go down 1-2 to lower-ranked Afghanistan

Lower-ranked Afghanistan shocked India 2-1 as the home team suffered one of its most embarrassing defeat in recent years despite talisman Sunil Chhetri’s 94th international goal in his 150th match, in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers here on Tuesday. Also Read: ‘Racism reducing my desire to play’ In his landmark game, Chhetri found the back of the net from the spot in the 37th minute after Haroon Amiri handled the ball inside the box in India’s home leg match in the second round of the joint qualifiers for the World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Attacking on the counter with three strikers upfront, Afghanistan equalised as Rahmat Akbari restored parity in the 71st minute. Disaster struck the Indians when a charging Gurpreet Singh was shown a yellow card and Sharif Mukhammad converted the resultant penalty (88th min) to give his team a 2-1 lead.  This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

27 March,2024 07:35 AM IST | Guwahati | PTI
Brazil’s Vinicius Jr in tears during a press conference in Madrid  on Monday. Pic/Getty Images

‘Racism reducing my desire to play’

Brazil winger Vinicius Junior said his desire to play football was reducing as incidents of racial abuse aimed at him piled up in Spain, during a tearful media appearance Monday. The Real Madrid forward has suffered abuse from opposition fans on many occasions in recent years, with one incident in Valencia in May provoking worldwide outrage. Spain will face Vinicius’s Brazil at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday under the slogan “One Skin” to help combat racism. Also Read: Luke Ronchi in talks for Pak coach’s role “I’ve been seeing this [racism] for a long time, and every time I feel sadder, and every time I have less desire to play,” Vinicius told reporters. The 23-year-old broke down in tears at one point after answering questions about the racist abuse he has suffered in different stadiums across Spain. However later, Vinicius said he would not leave Spain and try playing in a different country to escape the abuse. “I would be giving the racists what they want,” he said. “I will stay at the best club in the world, scoring as many goals as I can so they keep watching me.”  Vinicius said he wished he could only think about his playing career. “Playing football is very important but the fight against racism is hugely important,” he said. “I want people of colour to have a normal life and if that was the case, I would go to games with my club only focussed on playing.” Earlier, Spain defender and Vinicius’ club teammate Dani Carvajal denied his country was not racist. “I am sure that Spain is not a racist country but there are many racists here and many of them are in the stadiums,” said Vinicius. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

27 March,2024 07:30 AM IST | Madrid | AFP
Convicted rapist and former Brazil international football player Dani Alves (R) leaves on provisional release, flanked by his lawyers Ines Guardiola, at Brians 2 prison in Barcelona on March 25, 2024. Convicted rapist and former Brazil international Dani Alves left a jail in Barcelona. Pic/AFP

Alves pays bail and can leave jail: Court

Former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves, convicted of rape in Spain, has paid his bail of one million euros and can leave jail pending his appeal, a court said Monday. Also Read: England boss Southgate keen to see youngsters ‘excel’ Alves, 40, was last month sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub.  But in a surprise move, a Barcelona court agreed last Wednesday to his request for provisional release while his appeal is heard on condition that he posted bail of a million euros ($1.08 million), hand over his Spanish and Brazilian passports, remain in the country and present himself to court “on a weekly basis”. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

26 March,2024 07:40 AM IST | Barcelona | AFP
Gareth Southgate

England boss Southgate keen to see youngsters ‘excel’

England manager Gareth Southgate shrugged off injuries in his squad ahead of a testing friendly against Belgium and said he’s looking forward to seeing his rookies “excel” ahead of the European championships.  Also Read: Will Vini Jr face racial abuse in Spain again? Despite a 1-0 loss to Brazil on Saturday to a goal from 17-year-old sensation Endrick, Southgate is desperate to see how his third-ranked team match-up against fourth-ranked Belgium on Tuesday. “Similar to [Brazil] we’re talking about a high-level game, brilliant experience for the players, a chance to see new players again, build towards the summer,” said Southgate after the five-time world champions ended his side’s 10-match unbeaten run.  “We deliberately took two really high-level games and of course we’ve had to put out a very different team to the one we might have envisaged. You know, some of these boys are pushing for starting positions, some are pushing for places in the squad. You need to see them against that sort of level of opposition to see if they’re going to be able to excel in the summer.”  Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz scored Germany’s fastest international goal after seven seconds as the Euro 2024 host earned a 2-0 friendly victory over France on Saturday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

26 March,2024 07:36 AM IST | London | Agencies
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