Connect with us

World Cup

FIFA’s big stick falls on Argentina

Published

on

World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Argentina v Chile - Estadio Mas Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina - September 5, 2024 Argentina's Emiliano Martinez celebrates with the Copa America's trophy after the match REUTERS/Rodrigo Valle/File Photo

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez has been suspended for two matches by FIFA for “offensive behaviour”, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said in a statement on Friday.

Martinez will miss Argentina’s next South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup against Venezuela and Bolivia in October.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper has been suspended over incidents in matches against Chile and Colombia earlier this month.

In the Chile game, his first since winning the Copa America in the United States, Martinez celebrated by making a lewd gesture with the trophy, as he did after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

After the loss to Colombia, the 32-year-old hit a local television camera.

Advertisement

“Damian Emiliano Martinez is being held responsible for his offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play,” the AFA said in a statement, adding that it disagreed with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision

-Reuters

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

World Cup

We shall pick 2026 World Cup and 2025 AFCON tickets, NFF assures Nigerian government

Published

on

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Congress rose from its Annual General Meeting in Asaba on Friday and assured the Nigerian Government of its commitment to ensure that the Super Eagles qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

 The Nigerian team has had a poor head start in the series and has not won any of the four matches. There are six more matches to be played.

 Only one of the the six teams will pick an automatic ticket even as Nigeria sat dangerously fifth in Group C. Their next match is away to group leaders, Rwanda on 17 March next year.

 Another drop of points portends deep dangers as the Super Eagles have zero option other than to win all the remaining six matches.    Two of those matches are potentially risky. These are the away duels with South Africa on 7 September and Lesotho on 5 October next year.

  Both matches will be played in South Africa which also hosts Lesotho home games apart from the fact that Lesotho is geographically completely encircled by South Africa.

Advertisement

  The quest to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is relatively easier as the Super Eagles are in the lead of the quartet that includes Benin Republic, Rwanda and Libya.

 Two teams will qualify. Victory over Libya in the back-to-back clashes holding in the next few days will likely qualify Nigeria for Morocco 2025.

Nigeria’s World Cup Qualifying Fixtures

  • 17 March 2025 – Rwanda v Nigeria
  • 24 March 2025- Nigeria v Zimbabwe
  • 1 Sept. 2025 –      Nigeria v Rwanda
  • 7 Sept. 2025 –     South Africa v Nigeria
  • 5 Oct. 2025 –      Lesotho v Nigeria
  • 12 Oct. 2025 –    Nigeria v Benin Republic

Nigeria’s AFCON Cup Qualifying Fixtures

  • 10 Oct. 2024 –  Nigeria  v Libya
  • 15 Oct, 2024 – Libya v Nigeria
  • 11 Nov. 2024 – Benin Republic v Nigeria
  • 19 Nov. 2024 –    Nigeria v Rwanda
Continue Reading

World Cup

Messi returns to Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers

Published

on

Argentina have been boosted by the return of captain Lionel Messi for their CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia, the country’s football association said on Wednesday, after the 37-year-old recovered from an ankle injury.

Messi, who plays for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, was left out of Argentina’s squad for their World Cup Qualifiers against Chile and Colombia in August due to the injury which he sustained during the Copa America final.

Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 to win a record 16th Copa America title.

ARGENTINA SQUAD:

Goalkeepers – Geronimo Rulli, Walter Benitez, Juan Musso.

Advertisement

Defenders – Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Leonardo Balerdi, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico.

Midfielders – Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez, Giovani Lo Celso, Thiago Almada, Guido Rodriguez, Nico Paz.

Forwards – Nicolas Gonzalez, Lautaro Martinez, Alejandro Garnacho, Julian Alvarez, Valentin Carboni, Valentin Carboni, Paulo Dybala and Lionel Messi.


Continue Reading

World Cup

For World Cup sake, Saudi set to welcome Lesbians and gays

Published

on

Hammad Albalawi, head of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid unit, said his country welcomes all visitors, including LGBTQ people and their bid to host the 48-team showpiece event has nothing to do with ‘sportswashing’ their human rights record.

Global governing body FIFA limited the 2034 contest to bidders from the Asian and Oceania confederations as Morocco, Portugal and Spain will share the hosting of the 2030 tournament.

The hosts are set to be officially appointed at the FIFA Congress on Dec. 11 and Saudi Arabia’s bid is almost certain to succeed due to the absence of any other expressions of interest before FIFA’s deadline late last year.

In August, Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia failed to meet FIFA’s own human rights requirements in their bid for the 2034 men’s World Cup and called for urgent action to improve the nation’s human rights protections.

There are no public advocacy groups for LGBTQ people in the Kingdom and while Saudi’s state law is uncodified, it is understood by Amnesty, opens new tab  that people can be sentenced to death if it is proven they have engaged in same-sex sexual acts.

Advertisement

“You will be respected,” Albalawi told Sky Sports when asked about LGBTQ fans visiting his country. “You will be welcome in Saudi Arabia as that respect and welcome is to everyone from all around the world.

“We respect the privacy of all of our guests. We have seen millions of guests come to Saudi Arabia in the last few years. We’ve hosted over a hundred sporting events attended by more than three million fans who have enjoyed their experience.

“People need to educate themselves about the Kingdom and the best way to do that is to come and visit. They will find hospitable Saudis. We would love to receive all of our guests.”

In May 2023, Saudi’s government-run tourism website said in a statement under general information for LGBT visitors, “We ask that visitors respect our culture and traditions and follow our laws as they would when visiting any other country in the world.”

“Like other governments around the world, visitors are not required to disclose their personal information and we will respect visitors right to privacy.”

Advertisement

The Saudis have invested heavily in high-profile sports such as soccer, Formula One, boxing and golf over the last few years, leading critics, including Amnesty International, to accuse the oil-rich kingdom of “sportswashing” its human rights record.

Albalawi denied accusations of sportswashing and reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to Vision 2030 while speaking with both local and international media.

HAPPIER LIVES

“We’re not doing this to make a headline, we’re doing this for our people,” Albalawi said. “We are investing to make sure that Saudis live longer and happier lives and that’s something that we’re very proud of.”

Vision 2030, launched in 2016, led by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the driving force behind recent reforms, aims to diversify the country’s oil-reliant economy by boosting tourism and enhancing urban life through cultural and heritage events and sports.

“If sportswashing is going to increase my GDP by 1%, then we’ll continue sportswashing,” Mohammed bin Salman said in an interview with Fox News last year.

Advertisement

An independent human rights context analysis, prepared in collaboration with Saudi and British law firms, Abuhimed Alsheikh Alhagbani (AS&H) Clifford Chance for the bid, failed to address several human rights issues, Amnesty said.

The document, which only involved input from governmental bodies, did not consult any civil society organisations or rights-holders in its preparation, Amnesty added.

Dana Ahmed, a researcher at Amnesty, told Reuters in June that while the organisation was able to conduct research on migrant workers in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, which resulted in reforms, they have been denied similar access in Saudi Arabia.

Another Amnesty report from June said a number of key human rights risks tied to hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup also remain unaddressed.

-Reuters

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Most Viewed