International Football
Rangers’ Opponents, Zamalek Considering Withdrawal
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Stake holders of Zamalek Sports Club, Cairo Egypt, are gathering this Friday to consider a proposal of withdrawing the club from the Egyptian league. Zamalek’s club board have called for an extraordinary general assembly meeting to decide if the team will continue in the current season owing to poor officiating in their last Friday’s league match with Maqassa.
Information gathered from Cairo revealed that the chairman of Zamalek, Mortada Mansour is very furious.
Hear him: “We had a very obvious penalty kick and the referee (Gehad Greisha) ignored it,” the club’s outspoken chairman Mortada Mansour told a press conference in his office at the club’s headquarters in Cairo on Thursday.
Following a 1-0 loss in their last Egyptian Premier League game against Maqassa, Zamalek, demanded a rematch from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) citing “intentional refereeing mistakes.”
Zamalek said they will file a complaint against the EFA with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over what they called “illegitimate changes in the competition.”
While the association has not shown any sign of allowing a rematch, Mansour — a member of parliament — is sticking to the request, saying it is standard practice to replay games.
“I [would have] agreed to replay the Egypt Super Cup [which Zamalek won] if Ahly had asked,” Mansour said earlier in a television program. The EFA’s referees committee head Essam Abdel-Fattah issued a long statement Thursday afternoon defending the committee and the referees.
“We are doing our best to make the referees take back their confidence despite all the pressure against them, which reached the extent of accusing them of corruption,” said Abdel-Fattah, who took the position only one month ago, through the EFA official website.
“After 45 matches in the second round of the season, we documented only three refereeing mistakes. We admitted that abandoning the Maqassa-Zamalek penalty was one of them but decided not to punish Greisha because we trust his honesty,” he added.
Mansour responded to Abdel-Fattah’s statement by saying “this statement belongs to the nearest garbage can.”
International Football
Two Moroccan football players lost at sea, says club official
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Abdellatif-Akhrif.png)
Two Moroccan players from top-flight soccer side Ittihad Tanger have been missing at sea since Saturday after strong currents drifted their small yacht, a club official said on Sunday.
They were in a group of five players from the club who went cruising off the northern city of Tangier when strong currents and heavy winds drifted their yacht away as they were swimming in deep waters, club deputy president Anass Mrabet told Reuters.
“Three players have already been rescued on Saturday, while research is still ongoing for the missing Salman Harraq and Abdellatif Akhrif,” he said.
The players did not have buoys on them when they jumped from the small yacht to swim, he said citing recounts by rescued players.
While Akhrif, 24, is already a full member of the squad, Harraq, 18, was about to move up to the senior team this year, Mrabet added.
Ittihad Tanger have been in the Moroccan top flight since 2015 and won the league title for the first and only time in their history in the 2017-18 season. However, they have struggled in the lower half of the standings in recent years.
-Reuters
International Football
FIFA launches ‘Football Manager’ World Cup with $100,000 in prize money
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/arsene-wenger.jpg)
FIFA will host its first ever FIFAe World Cup of Football Manager this year to crown the best virtual manager on the highly-popular video game, world soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
FIFA is partnering with Sports Interactive, the developers of the game that has sold millions of copies and has also been used by several football clubs to scout players and opponents thanks to its extensive database.
Players will compete for $100,000 in prize money in the final event from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
“This competition requires participants to demonstrate a profound understanding of football strategy and tactics,” said former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is the ambassador for the esports event.
“Success demands not only mastery of game mechanics but also in-depth football knowledge, making this format a fascinating blend.”
FIFA said in the inaugural year of the event, selected member associations will be invited to be represented at the final event.
Member associations from all six confederations are expected to be invited while players can sign up on FIFA’s website.
-Reuters
International Football
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio robbed at gunpoint
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/baggio.jpg)
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint at his home in northern Italy while watching his country’s match against Spain in the Euro 2024 tournament on Thursday, local police said.
Burglars broke into Baggio’s house near Vicenza, hit him on the head with a gun butt and locked him and his family in a room while they stole jewellery, watches and cash, daily Il Corriere della Sera reported. It said he suffered a deep wound.
“Luckily, the violence I suffered only resulted in a few stitches, bruises and a lot of fear. Now it is to overcome the fear,” Baggio was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA.
Baggio, 57, played for clubs including Juventus (JUVE.MI), opens new tab, AC Milan and Inter Milan. He also played 56 times for Italy, scoring 27 goals, and is widely seen as one of his country’s all-time greats.
After the robbery, Baggio, widely known as the “divine ponytail”, was treated at a local hospital where he received stitches for the head wound, Italian media reported.
Italy lost to Spain 1-0 on Thursday and now must avoid defeat by Croatia to guarantee progression in the tournament.
-Reuters
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