Football

Ex-Man Utd Goalkeeper Van Der Sar in ICU after suffering brain bleeding

Published

3 months ago

July 8, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is in intensive care unit after suffering bleeding around his brain.

The 52-year-old is in a stable condition in hospital, his former club Ajax have announced.

An Ajax statement on Twitter said: “On Friday, Edwin van der Sar has had a bleeding around his brain. He’s currently in hospital in the intensive care unit and is in a stable condition.

“Once there is more concrete information, an update will follow. Everyone at Ajax wishes Edwin a speedy recovery. We’re thinking of you.”

Although no further details were given by Ajax, it has been reported Van der Sar was admitted to hospital while away in Croatia after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage.

Manchester United sent a message of support for their former goalkeeper, tweeting: “Sending all our love and strength to you, Edwin.”

Fulham, with whom Van der Sar spent four years before joining United, tweeted: “Everyone at Fulham Football Club wishes Edwin a speedy recovery. We’re thinking of you.”

The Professional Footballers’ Association tweeted: “The thoughts of everyone at the PFA are with Edwin and his family.”

Van der Sar won the Premier League four times during his six years at United, as well as the Champions League in 2008, which he also lifted while at Ajax.

After retirement, he returned to Ajax where he took up the role of chief executive in 2016 but left the post at the end of last season.

Following a disappointing season, the club finishing third in the Eredivise and missing out on Champions League qualification, Van der Sar announced he would be stepping down from his role after almost 11 years on the club’s board.

“I feel the need to take some distance, to get some rest, and to do other things,” he said on Twitter at the end of May.

“It doesn’t feel good to take decisions about the future of this wonderful club in the coming period. That is why I have decided to resign.”

After more than 200 appearances for Ajax and European success as part of Louis van Gaal’s side, the Dutch keeper moved to Juventus before signing with Fulham in 2001.

A switch to Old Trafford followed four years later, which also saw Van der Sar win the League Cup twice and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup.

United, though, suffered defeat to Barcelona in both the 2009 Champions League final and again at Wembley in 2011, after which Van der Sar retired.

Van der Sar played 130 times for the Netherlands and for a spell was the nation’s most-capped player.

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Football

Football is coming home! UK & Republic of Ireland set to host Euro 2028 as Turkey withdraw bid

Published

4 hours ago

October 4, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland look set to host Euro 2028 after the Turkish FA withdrew its bid to host the tournament.

The Turkish FA has officially withdrawn its bid to host Euro 2028 in order to focus on its plan to co-host the tournament with Italy in 2032. UEFA has now approved the joint proposal, which was first announced in July.

Turkey’s withdrawal from the 2028 bidding process means that the UK and Republic of Ireland’s bid will now run unopposed. Wembley Stadium hosted the semi-finals and final of the delayed 2020 European Championship, but the UK has not hosted an entire major tournament since 1996.

Both bids will require official approval at a meeting of UEFA’s executive committee on Tuesday. An official statement from UEFA read: “The presentations at that meeting will be an important part of the process which will take due consideration of the content of the bid submissions before reaching a decision.”

If approved, then Euro 2028 will be hosted in the UK and Ireland. Among the ten proposed stadiums are Wembley Stadium, Hampden Park and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, as well as the currently unbuilt Bramley Moore Dock stadium in Liverpool and Casement Park in Belfast

Football

Messi makes decision on when he will leave Inter Miami

Published

4 hours ago

October 4, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Lionel Messi has reportedly decided where he will end his playing career, but it won’t be in Miami or Barcelona.

Messi’s Inter Miami contract is set to expire in 2025, at which point – according to El Nacional – he will look to return to boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in his native Argentina. There is an option for the World Cup winner to extend his deal with Miami for an extra year, but the report states that he wants to retire in his homeland.

Messi left Barcelona in 2021 after more than two decades at the club, having joined the Spanish giants from Newell’s as a 13-year-old. He snubbed a return to Camp Nou when he left Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, and it now looks like a fairy tale return to Barca is never going to happen.

Messi scored 10 goals in his first seven games for David Beckham’s Miami franchise, but he has spent the past month injured. He will play a farewell match at Barcelona at some point, even if he does not return to play for the club

Football

Real Madrid flop Eden Hazard ready to return to football this month

Published

24 hours ago

October 3, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Eden Hazard is all set to play football again but this time in a charity match in France.

The former Belgian international is currently without a club after he mutually terminated his Real Madrid contract at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Amid speculation regarding his future, Hazard is all set to step on a football pitch in October and will be playing for Varietes Club de France in a charity match.

He is set to team up with France legends Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps and will also be accompanied by his former Lille team-mates Yohan Cabaye and Mathieu Debuchy, according to L’Équipe.

The match will be played for a noble cause at the Stade de L’Epopee in Calais in front of 12,000.

The 32-year-old star had offers from his former club Lille and from Ligue 1 giants Marseille in the summer but the player reportedly rejected them. He was also linked with a move back to the Blues but in reality, there were no talks between the two parties.

While Hazard is back on the football field, his future in professional football still remains doubtful as he has yet to make a call on whether to quit playing or continue his career.