Herve Renard is delighted to have Louis van Gaal backing his Morocco team at the World Cup and credits Ajax star Hakim Ziyech as a key factor in the North African team s growing Dutch fanbase.
Morocco kick off their Group B campaign against Iran in St Petersburg on Friday, with the build-up to kick-off in the section dominated by the shock sacking of Spain boss Julen Lopetegui.
Potential unrest for the favourites could open the door to Renard s Morocco, who have gifted playmaker Ziyech back at the heart of their plans after a dispute with the well-travelled French coach saw him axed for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Netherlands are absent in Russia, having been semi-finalists under Van Gaal four years ago and the ex-Manchester United and Barcelona boss is keen …
Manchester City and Brazil striker Robinho will not face charges following allegations of a serious sexual assault made in January, police announced here on Monday.
Robinho always denied any wrongdoing relating to an alleged incident at the Space nightclub in Leeds, northern England, and a spokesperson for West Yorkshire police said: Following a report of a serious sexual assault that occurred at a nightclub in Leeds on January 14, 2009, the matter was investigated and a man was arrested and released on police bail.
A file was submitted to the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) who decided that no further action should be taken.
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Portugal legend Luis Figo on Saturday announced his definitive retirement from the game.
His final match will be on Sunday when the Italian champions entertain Atalanta at the San Siro.
It will bring down the curtain on a glorious career that saw the 36-year-old win eight league titles, four national cup competitions, the Champions League and the now defunct European Cup Winners Cup.
Tomorrow, May 31 2009, will be my last Sunday as a footballer. I m happy that my last Sunday as a footballer will be a party for me and for everyone at Inter after our fourth successive scudetto, he said on the Inter website.
Winning was always the only real objective of my career. Winning everything that I could win, from practice matches in training to championships, cup…
FIFA have ordered Al Ahli to pay David O Leary 3.3 million pounds in compensation following his short spell in charge of the club.
The former Aston Villa manager joined the Dubai-based club in July 2010 and recorded six wins in his opening 14 matches, but a 5-1 defeat to Al Jazira saw him removed from his position by the club s owners after just eight months.
The Irishman took his claim for unfair dismissal to FIFA in March 2012 and on Friday won his case.
He asked football s world governing body to help him claim compensation for the remaining two years of his contract, and although Al Ahli argued that the former Republic of Ireland international had abandoned his job FIFA have ordered them to pay up.
It has taken a long time to deal with this matter but I…
Montpellier HSC chairman Laurent Nicollin has placed a €100 million price-tag on Remy Cabella, .
Cabella, 23, has been linked with a number of Europe s top clubs in recent months, with Arsenal rumoured to be one of his potential suitors.
However, Arsenal must first deal with Nicollin, who is notoriously difficult at the negotiation table.
With that said, the Gunners have history and precedent on their side, having successfully negotiated a £12 million deal for former Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud last summer.
Cabella, who spent the 2010-11 season on loan at AC Arles-Avignon, played a significant role in La Paillade s title-winning campaign in 2011-12 and has once again been an integral part of the club in 2012-13, fueling specula…
Former Marseille defender Frank Leboeuf says talk West Ham s Dimitri Payet is interested in a return to the Ligue 1 club is nonsense due to the money available in the Premier League.
Payet moved to the Hammers from Marseille in 2015 and enjoyed a sparkling debut season in the Premier League, scoring 15 goals and contributing 17 assists across all competitions.
Those performances prompted West Ham to tie him to a new deal until 2021 in February last year, but speculation has been rife the France international could leave London Stadium and return to his old former employers.
However, Leboeuf, who switched to Marseille in 2001 after five years in England s top flight with Chelsea, says Payet will have no interest in moving back.
I do not believe it f…
Cristiano Ronaldo set a new Juventus record by scoring in Saturday s Serie A clash with Hellas Verona.
Last week, the five-time Ballon d Or winner became the first Juve player since David Trezeguet in 2005 to score in nine matches in a row in Italy s top flight.
Ronaldo, who turned 35 this week, has now made Bianconeri history by becoming their first player to find the net in 10 consecutive league games.
The Portugal star opened the scoring in Verona with a measured finish on the break to give Juve a 1-0 lead.
The forward now has 20 Serie A goals in 2019-20 and 23 in all competitions.
10 Cristiano is the 1st player to have found the net in 10 successive games played by the Bianconeri in the history of the Serie A. Star.
— OptaPaolo (@…
Louis van Gaal has a hard time at Bayern Munich. At the moment, the Dutch coach has the same record as his predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann had this time of year. To keep track of `Klinsi`, Van Gaal has to win at Bordeaux, on Wednesday night.
Last season, Klinsmann managed to gain fifteen points out of nine matches in the Bundesliga. Van Gaal has the exact same amount of points as the former German national coach after nine matches.
In the German Cup, Van Gaal managed to reach the 8th finals; just as Klinsmann.
And also on the Champions League stage, both trainers go neck on neck. They both gathered four points after two group matches.
Van Gaal has to defeat Bordeaux to keep up with Klinsmann who won the third group match last year, against Fiorentina (3-0…
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitted that he was devastated to see his midfield partner Xabi Alonso move to Real Madrid.
The 27-year-old Spaniard was reportedly close to leaving Anfield 12 month s ago, however the move didnt materialize and he went on to have one of his best seasons in a Liverpool shirt, anchoring Rafael Benitez s outfit to within a whisker of pipping Manchester United to the Premier League title.
Liverpool captain Gerrard, who is currently injured, forged a good understanding with Alonso in midfield and paid him perhaps the biggest compliment by suggesting Alonso s absence has been the difference in us from last year .
Devastated, yeah. Devastated. But there was nothing I could do about it, Gerrard told FourFourTwo magazine.
Xabi…
A hat-trick from debutant Serge Gnabry helped Germany breeze past minnows San Marino 8-0 to extend their lead at the top of World Cup qualification Group C.
Gnabry s trio, a brace from Jonas Hector, Sami Khedira and Kevin Volland strikes and a late own goal sealed victory for the world champions in a game which often resembled a training exercise against a country ranked 199 places below them.
The win means Joachim Low s men remain top of Group C with a perfect record from their opening four games.
The absence of key players and weak opposition allowed Low to hand international debuts to Gnabry and 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen right-back Benjamin Henrichs.
The 21-year-old Werder Bremen winger enjoyed a first appearance to remember and will cherish the h…