International Football
Premier League clubs unite to fly South American stars back to UK
Several Premier League teams are joining forces to hire a private jet to ensure their South American stars are back for the weekend.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are among those coming together to organise the transport that will cost a six figure sum.
Nine players will cross the Atlantic and head back to the UK immediately after Brazil’s World Cup qualifier with Uruguay, which kicks off at 1.30am on Friday, UK time.
Manchester United duo Edinson Cavani and Fred, City’s Ederson and Gabriel Jesus are among those heading straight back to the British Isles.
Leeds star Raphinha, Chelsea’s Thiago Silva, Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and Liverpool duo Alisson and Fabinho will also be on their way back, reports the Daily Mail.
Clubs must deem whether their players are fit enough to play this weekend, with all of them facing a tight turnaround.
Changes to the UK red list means four of the affected teams won’t have to watch their players go into quarantine.
Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay are among the countries that have been removed from the red list which is now down to seven nations.
purs intend to fly their quartet – Argentina’s Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, Colomba’s Davinson Sanchez and Brazilian Emerson Royal – via a private jet.
Liverpool have the tightest timescale of any team, with 35 hours between Brazil’s qualifier and their Saturday lunchtime game at Watford.
City, United, Leeds and Aston Villa are all 3pm kick-offs later that day.
Chelsea meanwhile have 40 hours from Brazil’s clash until they host Brentford in a west London derby on Saturday evening.
Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, Spurs’s Lo Celso and Romero, United’s Cavani and Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron will not have to undergo the 10 days in isolation following a recently agreed exemption.
Players who visit red list countries formerly had to spend 10 days in quarantine once they arrived back in England providing they are fully vaccinated.
Now, as per the agreement, they will be allowed out to train and play, but must quarantine otherwise. Those who have benefitted from the red-list changes won’t have any such restrictions placed on their movement and be free to stay at home.
Brazil’s nine Premier League players returning this weekend will have to quarantine however having played a qualifier in Colombia, which remains on the red list.
Spurs defender Sanchez and Everton’s Yerry Mina will also have to quarantine.
-Mirror
Brazil will round off their 2025 calendar with two friendly matches in Europe next month, taking on Senegal and Tunisia as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian FA (CBF) announced on Thursday.
The five-time world champions, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will face Senegal on November 15 at Emirates Stadium in London and, three days later, they will meet Tunisia in Lille, France.
The CBF announced that these fixtures were designed to “provide the team with valuable experience against African opposition” ahead of next year’s tournament in North America.
After the conclusion of the South American qualifiers, the choice of opponents follows October’s encounters against Asian teams, which saw Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 but suffer a stunning first defeat to Japan.
With coach Ancelotti facing limited preparation time after arriving in May from Real Madrid, the matches form part of a broader plan to expose Brazil to a variety of playing styles in preparation for next year’s the World Cup.
Looking ahead to March 2026, the CBF has indicated that Brazil’s next set of friendlies will likely be against top-level European nations, with the U.S. as the expected venue.
Ancelotti has been steadily implementing his vision for the squad and has emphasised the importance of adapting to diverse tactical challenges, particularly against teams from other continents.
CBF sources indicated that the plan for the three remaining international breaks would be to make final observations regarding players and tactical adjustments in November, lock in the starting line-up in March and strengthen ties with Brazilian fans with a final friendly at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana before departing for the tournament.
The upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia will provide an opportunity to test Brazil’s readiness against two of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal boast a formidable squad featuring Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly. They shocked Brazil 4-2 in their last encounter, a friendly played in Lisbon two years ago.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are known for their defensive organisation and have consistently performed well in African competitions.
Back in September they were the second African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare.
-Reuters
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Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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