International Football
Couple are covering Qatar 2022 World Cup as rivals
Every World Cup I have covered appears to present some form of human interest stories among journalists who ordinarily are news gatherers and not newsmakers.
But somehow, they managed to become newsmakers. In my first coverage of the World Cup, I met a certain Luis Alfredo Sciutto, a Uruguayan journalist whose pen name was Diego Lucero.
At the time, he was known as the only man, not just journalist, to have attended all the 15 editions of the World Cup from 1930 to 1990. he was aged 89. I met him again at the USA ‘94 at the Foxboro Stadium in Boston.
The 1994 edition was his last as he passed on the following year on 3 June, aged 94. Eight years ago in Brazil, I met another legend, Hiroshi Kagawa who had covered virtually all World Cup editions from West Germany 1974 to Brazil 2014. He only missed the South Africa 2010 on account of ill-health.
At Brazil 2014, he was 89 and the oldest journalist on duty. At Qatar 2022, I have seen, for the first time, a couple covering the World Cup as journalists!
Two Indian journalists sat apart on the same table at the Main Media Centre in Doha. Nothing to indicate that they were in anyway connected. But a casual chat with the lady, Susmita Gangopadhyay who is covering the World Cup for the second time was very revealing.
Another journalist who sat some distance and in opposite direction is her husband. He is Munal Chattopadhyay.
I asked the man why they sat apart. “On duty, we are rivals…writing for different newspapers in India…”
They strike the need to maintain professional ethics of not spying in each others works especially since they are covering the World Cup for diffewrent newspapers.
The man writes for Aajkalal while his wife is for Uttarbanga Samihad. In this edition of the World Cup, it appears they are the only set of couple journalists.
Munai is having his fifth appearance at the World Cup in a career that has spanned 34 years, 28 of which are at his current newpspaper. But his two-cap World Cup journalist wife has been on duty for 17 years.
Both met on the job at Times of India. Susmita was then on attachment as a freelance journalist in 2001. When they got married, Susmita had to move from the newspaper for career development elsewhere.
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.
The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
-Reuters
German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.
Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.
PLAYING CAREER
* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.
* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.
* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.
* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.
COACHING CAREER
* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.
* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.
* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.
* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.
* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.
* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.
* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.
* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.
* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
-Reuters
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
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