Football

Erik ten Hag explains ‘strict’ Man Utd discipline amid Jadon Sancho spat

Published

3 weeks ago

September 15, 2023

Olayiwola Quadril

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has said the club asked him to take a firm stance with his players amid his fallout with Jadon Sancho.

The manager refused to give more details on his disagreement with Sancho, who is training separately from the rest of the squad after firing back at Ten Hag’s criticism of his performances in training.

However, he said he had to adopt a strict regime with players after standards were allowed to slip under his predecessors.

“Strict lines is what the club asked me because there was no good culture before last season so to set good standards, that is what I did and it is my job to control the standards,” Ten Hag told a press conference on Friday.

“It is never someone makes one mistake, it is a whole process before you come to a certain outcome about strict lines. There is a structure to cross lines so you have to be strong.”

Ten Hag is without Sancho as well as Antony for the next few games. The Brazilian was given a leave of absence from training and matches while he deals with accusations of assault against him by multiple women.

Ten Hag said the winger was “upset” about the situation but was ok, although he said he had “no idea” when he will return. “You have sometimes setbacks in seasons, players are injured or for other reasons are not available so you construct a squad and the squad is very good and the players who are available and motivated to give a good performance.”

United resume their Premier League campaign at home to high-flying Brighton on Saturday

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Football

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

Published

5 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The Turkish FA has officially withdrawn its bid to host Euro 2028 in order to focus on its plan to co-host the tournament with Italy in 2032.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

5 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

1 day 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.