Lord Sebastian Coe was confirmed Wednesday as a non-executive director of England s bid to stage the 2018 football World Cup.
Coe led London s successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympic Games and currently the chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG); a position he will continue to hold.
Coe, one of Britain s greatest athletes and now a leading figure in international sports administration, will continue as vice-president of the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) but will step down temporarily from his role as chairman of world football governing body FIFA s ethics committee.
I look forward to playing my part in our bid for the FIFA World Cup, said Coe, the Olympic 1,500 metres champion at bot…
Gareth Southgate has plenty to mull over as he weighs up England’s options and issues ahead of selecting his European Championship squad.
The Euro 2020 runners-up will announce an expanded provisional group on May 21 and have until late on June 7 to submit their final 23-man squad to UEFA.
Following the final two friendlies before Southgate’s selection, the PA news agency takes a look at how the England boss likely sees his options.
GOALKEEPERS
On the plane: Jordan Pickford (Everton).
In the departure lounge: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace) and Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Hoping for a late ticket: Jack Butland (Rangers), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Nick Pope (Newcastle) and James Trafford (Burnley).
Pickford has been England’s num…
The Netherlands continued their perfect record in Euro 2012 qualifying with a 2-0 win in Finland in Group E action on Tuesday.
After a thumping 11-0 win over San Marino on Saturday, Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk still named a strong side as his side looked to make it eight wins from as many matches.
And Kevin Strootman s goal just before the half-hour mark handed them the early advantage in Helsinki, one which they would not concede.
Finland had Perparim Hetemaj sent off for a second yellow card after 60 minutes before substitute Luuk de Jong sealed the win with his stoppage time goal.
Sweden and Hungary, second and third in the group, notched 2-0 and 5-0 wins over Moldova and San Marino respectively.
Turkey missed a chance to move closer to quali…
Harry Maguire has confirmed that he will not be part of England s squad ahead of Euro 2024 due to injury.
Maguire was called up to Gareth Southgate s preliminary 33-man party but joined James Maddison and Curtis Jones in leaving camp ahead of Friday s friendly meeting with Iceland at Wembley Stadium.
The 31-year-old has not played since April due to a calf injury, but it was hoped he would recover in time, having been key for Southgate in previous tournaments.
Maguire trained individually on Thursday before reports claimed he had not been selected, and that news was confirmed by the player himself.
In a post on X, Maguire wrote: I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer.
Despite my best efforts, I have…
Robbie Keane has says the Republic of Ireland s qualification for the 2012 European Championship is a dream come true .
Ireland drew 1-1 with Estonia in the second leg of their Euro 2012 playoff on Tuesday, sealing a 5-1 aggregate win and booking their place at next year s finals in Poland and the Ukraine.
Speaking after the match in Dublin, captain Keane was dealing with the emotion of ending Ireland s 23-year wait to reach another European Championship.
It seems a bit surreal at the moment, Keane said.
In the dressing room the celebrations were great and at the end of the game with the fans, you could see how much it meant to them.
This is why we play football; to have moments like this and nights like this. The players won t forget it and …
Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen will miss Euro 2020 after testing positive for coronavirus.
The 32-year-old was forced to sit out the Netherlands pre-tournament training camp in Portugal after returning a positive result last week.
Cillessen has 60 caps for his country and was expected to be first choice at the European Championship finals, but boss Frank de Boer has omitted the Valencia stopper from his squad.
AZ keeper Marco Bizot, who has been part of the Netherlands warm-up preparations, has now been included in the final 26-man group.
The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) confirmed the news in a statement on Tuesday, a day before facing Scotland in their penultimate friendly in the Algarve ahead of the tournament.
Jasper Cillessen mis…
The stage is set for what could be Lionel Messi s international swansong, as Argentina face Colombia in Sunday s Copa America final in the forward s new home of Miami.
The Hard Rock Stadium is the venue as Messi and La Albiceleste go in search of a record-breaking 16th Copa America crown, currently level with Uruguay on 15. It would also be a second in a row after they overcame old rivals Brazil in the 2021 final.
Standing in their way, however, are arguably the most impressive team at the tournament in Colombia.
Unbeaten in 28 games – a new national record – and led by a rejuvenated James Rodriguez, who is surely the favourite for Player of the Tournament honours, Los Cafeteros downed a much-fancied Uruguay side with 10 men in the last four and are sure to p…
Manchester United s Amad Diallo has withdrawn from the Ivory Coast s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Sierra Leone due to illness.
Diallo, who has made six appearances for his country, has since returned to Manchester ahead of the Red Devils upcoming Premier League fixture against Brentford.
The 22-year-old earned his first cap for the Elephants in 2021, and was recalled to Emerse Fae s group after a 15-month absence in June for wins over Zambia and Chad.
Ivory Coast know that two wins against the Leone Stars will seal their progression to the tournament, which takes place in Morocco at the end of next year.
A statement by the Elephants read, “The Ivorian Football Federation informs the Press and the public that the player, Amad …
Uruguay showed their character and the national team s style in their penalty shootout win over Brazil, so says Marcelo Bielsa.
Fifteen-time Copa America champions Uruguay progressed to the semi-finals at Brazil s expense with a 4-2 victory in the shootout after a 0-0 draw in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Uruguay, who have quickly adapted to Bielsa s full-throttle attacking approach, had to play out the last 20 minutes with 10 men after Nahitan Nandez was sent off for a lunge on Rodrygo.
It meant the usual offensive tactics had to make way for defensive ones, though from Nandez s red card onwards, Uruguay limited Brazil to just two attempts.
Everything that happens, happens Uruguayan style, because the players are the ones that give their all to the team, Biels…
The Belgium national team visit Wales tomorrow night in the first game of qualifying for the World Cup in 2014.
The team from the low countries of Europe have not qualified for a major tournament in a decade, after previously being part of the furniture at earlier international tournaments.
Generation
However, the current generation of players in the Belgium national side is regarded as of the best they have ever produced.
Not only does Belgium have players reaching their peak, but they also have some outstanding youngsters coming through as well.
These should be exciting times for fans of the Red Devils. They have achieved some impressive results in recent times, including a 4-2 friendly win over neighbours Holland.
Established
A…