<p>Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah will travel to Spain on Tuesday for treatment on the injured shoulder that wrecked his Champions League final bid and threatens his World Cup participation.</p>

<p>Egypt's football federation (EFA) said Salah's entourage had chosen Spain for a rehabilitation programme that Egyptians will hope helps Salah return in time for next month's World Cup in Russia.</p>

<p>According to an EFA statement, Salah will be accompanied by Liverpool's medical staff "for the duration of the treatment period", having "started his rehabilitation on Sunday".</p>

<p>Salah, who hit a stunning 44 goals for Liverpool last season in all competitions, was forced out the Champions League final in tears on Saturday clutching his left shoulder after being wrestled to the ground by Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.</p>

<p>It was feared the injury had ruled Salah out of the June 14-July 15 World Cup, but on Sunday the Reds' striker said he was "confident" he would be back in time.</p>

<p>"It was a very tough night, but I'm a fighter. Despite the odds, I'm confident that I'll be in Russia to make you all proud," Salah wrote on his official Twitter account on Sunday.</p>

<p>Egyptian media reported Salah wouldn't kick a ball in anger for three weeks.</p>

<p>Egyptian federation officials meanwhile are set to pay Salah -- described by the EFA as "the symbol of Egypt" -- a morale-boosting visit on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Egypt, who were drawn in Group A, open their World Cup campaign against Uruguay on June 15, before facing hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia.</p>

<p>The Pharaohs play a first warm-up match, against Colombia, in Bergamo, Italy on June 1.</p>


It was feared that the injury had ruled Salah out of the June 14-July 15 World Cup

Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah will travel to Spain on Tuesday for treatment on the injured shoulder that wrecked his Champions League final bid and threatens his World Cup participation. Egypt's football federation (EFA) said Salah's entourage had chosen Spain for a rehabilitation programme that Egyptians will hope helps Salah return in time for next month's World Cup in Russia. According to an EFA statement, Salah will be accompanied by Liverpool's medical staff "for the duration of the treatment period", having "started his rehabilitation on Sunday". Salah, who hit a stunning 44 goals for Liverpool last season in all competitions, was forced out the Champions League final in tears on Saturday clutching his left shoulder after being wrestled to the ground by Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos. It was feared the injury had ruled Salah out of the June 14-July 15 World Cup, but on Sunday the Reds' striker said he was "confident" he would be back in time. "It was a very tough night, but I'm a fighter. Despite the odds, I'm confident that I'll be in Russia to make you all proud," Salah wrote on his official Twitter account on Sunday. Egyptian media reported Salah wouldn't kick a ball in anger for three weeks. Egyptian federation officials meanwhile are set to pay Salah -- described by the EFA as "the symbol of Egypt" -- a morale-boosting visit on Wednesday. Egypt, who were drawn in Group A, open their World Cup campaign against Uruguay on June 15, before facing hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. The Pharaohs play a first warm-up match, against Colombia, in Bergamo, Italy on June 1.

Mohamed Salah to travel to Spain for treatment: Egypt football federation

<p>German&nbsp;goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is regaining full fitness and getting ready for the Football World cup which is scheduled to start from next month.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On 16 September 2017, Neuer suffered the second metatarsal fracture within six months while playing against Mainz&nbsp;in a Bundesliga game.</p>

<p>German coach Joachim Loew is confident that the 32-year-old Germany captain, part of his 2014 World Cup-winning team, would play in Russia.</p>

<p>Although, time is running fast but Manuel Neuer has one last chance to prove his mettle for the world champions' title defence ahead of FIFA 2018.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Work, work, work, work, work, <a href="https://twitter.com/Manuel_Neuer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Manuel_Neuer</a>! ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DieMannschaft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DieMannschaft</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZSMMN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZSMMN</a> <a href="https://t.co/TFntdxqhuC">pic.twitter.com/TFntdxqhuC</a></p>
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<p>The defending champions will play their second friendly match on June 2 against Austria.</p>

<p>However, Neuer had taken part in Germany's training session but the final 23-man squad will be announced on June 3.</p>

<p>Germany will begin their World Cup campaign against Mexico in Moscow on 17 June. Sweden and South Korea complete Group F.</p>

<p>Bayern Munich keeper Neuer has not played since breaking a bone in his foot back in September that required surgery, putting his chances of making the finals in doubt.</p>


Bayern Munich keeper Neuer has not played since breaking a bone in his foot back in September that required surgery, putting his chances of making the finals in doubt

German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is regaining full fitness and getting ready for the Football World cup which is scheduled to start from next month. On 16 September 2017, Neuer suffered the second metatarsal fracture within six months while playing against Mainz in a Bundesliga game. German coach Joachim Loew is confident that the 32-year-old Germany captain, part of his 2014 World Cup-winning team, would play in Russia. Although, time is running fast but Manuel Neuer has one last chance to prove his mettle for the world champions' title defence ahead of FIFA 2018. Work, work, work, work, work, @Manuel_Neuer! ?#DieMannschaft #ZSMMN pic.twitter.com/TFntdxqhuC — Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) May 24, 2018 × The defending champions will play their second friendly match on June 2 against Austria. However, Neuer had taken part in Germany's training session but the final 23-man squad will be announced on June 3. Germany will begin their World Cup campaign against Mexico in Moscow on 17 June. Sweden and South Korea complete Group F. Bayern Munich keeper Neuer has not played since breaking a bone in his foot back in September that required surgery, putting his chances of making the finals in doubt.

FIFA 2018: Manuel Neuer's recovery big boost for Germany

<p>Will Smith alongside artists Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi have released&nbsp;anthem song for the 21st edition of football World Cup which is scheduled to take place in Russia and the carnival will kick-off on June 14.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Produced by Diplo, the lyrics of the song,&nbsp;'Live It Up' aims to bring the fans together. Also, fans are looking forward to being treated to a live rendition of the song during the closing ceremony of FIFA 2018 which is on July 15.</p>

<p>The first match of FIFA 2018 will be played between Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow. The first ball is yet to be kicked but the frenzy has already begun.</p>

<p>The theme songs play an important role in building up the hysteria also the songs or the anthems are very popular even after the event by the fans and followers.</p>

<p>For example, fans still groove to the beats of some popular theme songs in the history of FIFA like "Dar um Jeito" (We Will Find a Way) featuring Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean and Avicii and "We are one" by Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull and Claudia Leitte.&nbsp;"Waka Waka" by Shakira, ever wondered why this song as almost 2 billion views on Youtube, obviously you know why!</p>

<p>Recently, the song "Colours" which is written by an American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo was released to serve the same purpose&nbsp;but now Will Smith alongside artists Nicky Jam & Era Istrefi has released on more song which is produced by Diplo for FIFA 2018.</p>

<p><em>As 19 days are&nbsp;to go for the big event, here is the video, listen to the track and get the football fever now:</em></p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Will Smith alongside artists Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi have released anthem song for the 21st edition of football World Cup

Will Smith alongside artists Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi have released anthem song for the 21st edition of football World Cup which is scheduled to take place in Russia and the carnival will kick-off on June 14. Produced by Diplo, the lyrics of the song, 'Live It Up' aims to bring the fans together. Also, fans are looking forward to being treated to a live rendition of the song during the closing ceremony of FIFA 2018 which is on July 15. The first match of FIFA 2018 will be played between Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow. The first ball is yet to be kicked but the frenzy has already begun. The theme songs play an important role in building up the hysteria also the songs or the anthems are very popular even after the event by the fans and followers. For example, fans still groove to the beats of some popular theme songs in the history of FIFA like "Dar um Jeito" (We Will Find a Way) featuring Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean and Avicii and "We are one" by Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull and Claudia Leitte. "Waka Waka" by Shakira, ever wondered why this song as almost 2 billion views on Youtube, obviously you know why! Recently, the song "Colours" which is written by an American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo was released to serve the same purpose but now Will Smith alongside artists Nicky Jam & Era Istrefi has released on more song which is produced by Diplo for FIFA 2018. As 19 days are to go for the big event, here is the video, listen to the track and get the football fever now: ×

American actor Will Smith aims to unite fans with groovy anthem song

<p>Switzerland usually arrive at major tournaments with modest ambitions but with one of the finest generations of players the country has produced reaching its peak, expectations are much higher at this World Cup.</p>

<p>The squad is brimming with players based in Europe's top leagues and those such as Ricardo Rodriguez, Fabian Schaer, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka are all in their mid-20s with a World Cup and European championship behind them.</p>

<p>Swiss football is reaping the rewards of the hard work done in youth development a decade ago which tapped into the potential offered by second-generation immigrants, many from the former Yugoslavia.</p>

<p>Coach Vladimir Petkovic, who himself boasts a Yugoslav league winners' medal from his playing days with FK Sarajevo, has tried to establish a new attitude in the team, telling them they are no longer "little Switzerland" and must look to dominate matches.</p>

<p>The old defensive tactics which bored fans rigid at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups have been thrown out of the window.</p>

<p>The Swiss have jumped to sixth in the FIFA rankings, lost only one of 12 matches in the qualifying campaign and recently enjoyed a 6-0 thumping of fellow World Cup qualifiers against Panama.</p>

<p>For all the optimism though, doubts linger.</p>

<p>Apart from Portugal, the Swiss have not faced any of the world's leading teams since Euro 2016, a tournament where they never quite lived up to their billing and went out in the last 16 to Poland.</p>

<p>Some players have suffered a loss of form.</p>

<p>Schaer has fallen out of favour at Deportivo Coruna, Shaqiri has suffered relegation with Stoke City in the English Premier League and Xhaka, who runs the Swiss midfield, has been made the scapegoat for Arsenal's failings.</p>

<p>The biggest problem lies in attack where none of the potential forwards have had a good season at club level, with first-choice Haris Seferovic relegated to a substitute's role at Benfica.</p>

<p>Seferovic was even booed off the field when he was substituted in the playoff against Northern Ireland -- a very rare reaction from a Swiss crowd.</p>

<p>The Swiss have reached the last 16 at their last two major tournaments but have not made the quarter-finals since the 1954 World Cup, which the country hosted.</p>

<p>An awkward draw has somewhat dampened hopes that they could take that extra step this time around.</p>

<p>With Brazil expected to top their group, the Swiss will battle Costa Rica and Serbia for second place, which would likely bring a last-16 encounter with defending champions Germany.</p>


Swiss football is reaping the rewards of the hard work done in youth development a decade ago

Switzerland usually arrive at major tournaments with modest ambitions but with one of the finest generations of players the country has produced reaching its peak, expectations are much higher at this World Cup. The squad is brimming with players based in Europe's top leagues and those such as Ricardo Rodriguez, Fabian Schaer, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka are all in their mid-20s with a World Cup and European championship behind them. Swiss football is reaping the rewards of the hard work done in youth development a decade ago which tapped into the potential offered by second-generation immigrants, many from the former Yugoslavia. Coach Vladimir Petkovic, who himself boasts a Yugoslav league winners' medal from his playing days with FK Sarajevo, has tried to establish a new attitude in the team, telling them they are no longer "little Switzerland" and must look to dominate matches. The old defensive tactics which bored fans rigid at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups have been thrown out of the window. The Swiss have jumped to sixth in the FIFA rankings, lost only one of 12 matches in the qualifying campaign and recently enjoyed a 6-0 thumping of fellow World Cup qualifiers against Panama. For all the optimism though, doubts linger. Apart from Portugal, the Swiss have not faced any of the world's leading teams since Euro 2016, a tournament where they never quite lived up to their billing and went out in the last 16 to Poland. Some players have suffered a loss of form. Schaer has fallen out of favour at Deportivo Coruna, Shaqiri has suffered relegation with Stoke City in the English Premier League and Xhaka, who runs the Swiss midfield, has been made the scapegoat for Arsenal's failings. The biggest problem lies in attack where none of the potential forwards have had a good season at club level, with first-choice Haris Seferovic relegated to a substitute's role at Benfica. Seferovic was even booed off the field when he was substituted in the playoff against Northern Ireland -- a very rare reaction from a Swiss crowd. The Swiss have reached the last 16 at their last two major tournaments but have not made the quarter-finals since the 1954 World Cup, which the country hosted. An awkward draw has somewhat dampened hopes that they could take that extra step this time around. With Brazil expected to top their group, the Swiss will battle Costa Rica and Serbia for second place, which would likely bring a last-16 encounter with defending champions Germany.

FIFA 2018: Switzerland rely on young talents with a mix of experience for football World Cup

<p>Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas is the most successful football export the Central American country has produced and his quiet but determined leadership will be central to his nation's hopes in Russia.</p>

<p>While several of the generations who reached the last eight of the World Cup four years ago have enjoyed lengthy careers in Europe and, before them, Paulo Wanchope made a mark in England, none has achieved as much as the Real Madrid goalkeeper.</p>

<p>Navas has two Champions League titles and a Spanish league title to his name with Real and despite constant suggestions that Zinedine Zidane might be looking elsewhere for another keeper the Costa Rican has kept his spot.</p>

<p>His ability to put aside these doubts and the frequent unfavourable comparisons to Spain's Manchester United keeper David De Gea, who was once lined up to replace him, is no surprise to those who know Navas's background and the adversity he handled so well on his way to the top.</p>

<p>Navas was born in the town of San Isidro in the agricultural Perez Zeledon region in the south of Costa Rica, to working-class parents.</p>

<p>When his mother and father emigrated to the United States, he was brought up by his grandfather and his early football experience was tough, with his local team Municipal Club Perez Zeledon rejecting him as being too small.</p>

<p>He was forced to leave behind his small rural hometown and move to the capital San Jose at the age of 14 as he sought to get his opportunity with the country's most successful club, Deportivo Saprissa.</p>

<p>At Saprissa, now 1.85 metres tall, the deeply Catholic Navas won six domestic league titles and the CONCACAF Champions League before moving to Albacete in Spain's second division, then Levante.</p>

<p>His superb performances for Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup won him worldwide recognition and persuaded Real to pay his buy-out fee to Levante and bring him to the Bernabeu.</p>

<p>Despite the doubters, he has been a big part of a golden era for Real in European competition, cementing his status as one of the most successful players to emerge from Central America.</p>


Keylor Navas superb performances for Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup won him worldwide recognition

Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas is the most successful football export the Central American country has produced and his quiet but determined leadership will be central to his nation's hopes in Russia. While several of the generations who reached the last eight of the World Cup four years ago have enjoyed lengthy careers in Europe and, before them, Paulo Wanchope made a mark in England, none has achieved as much as the Real Madrid goalkeeper. Navas has two Champions League titles and a Spanish league title to his name with Real and despite constant suggestions that Zinedine Zidane might be looking elsewhere for another keeper the Costa Rican has kept his spot. His ability to put aside these doubts and the frequent unfavourable comparisons to Spain's Manchester United keeper David De Gea, who was once lined up to replace him, is no surprise to those who know Navas's background and the adversity he handled so well on his way to the top. Navas was born in the town of San Isidro in the agricultural Perez Zeledon region in the south of Costa Rica, to working-class parents. When his mother and father emigrated to the United States, he was brought up by his grandfather and his early football experience was tough, with his local team Municipal Club Perez Zeledon rejecting him as being too small. He was forced to leave behind his small rural hometown and move to the capital San Jose at the age of 14 as he sought to get his opportunity with the country's most successful club, Deportivo Saprissa. At Saprissa, now 1.85 metres tall, the deeply Catholic Navas won six domestic league titles and the CONCACAF Champions League before moving to Albacete in Spain's second division, then Levante. His superb performances for Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup won him worldwide recognition and persuaded Real to pay his buy-out fee to Levante and bring him to the Bernabeu. Despite the doubters, he has been a big part of a golden era for Real in European competition, cementing his status as one of the most successful players to emerge from Central America.

FIFA 2018: Keylor Navas' determined leadership will be central to Costa Rica's hopes in Russia

<p>FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event on earth will start from June 14 but the craze has already begun all around the world. The 21st edition of football World Cup is hosted by Russia, will be keenly followed by thousands of fans around the world.</p>

<p>The football frenzy has reached to even non participating countries, for example, Bangladesh. A country which is currently working to strengthen its football association "Bangladesh national football team" has involved in a unique way to involve in the FIFA 2018.</p>

<p>Flagmakers in Bangladesh are doing a roaring trade week ahead of the World Cup, but no-one is interested in the home nation's colours -- the money is all on pennants for Lionel Messi's Argentina and Neymar's Brazil.</p>

<p>Textile printer Kamal Hossain owns one of the scores of small, hot, sweaty workshops in the Merajnagar district of capital Dhaka, working flat-out to produce flags and pennants for the local market ahead of the tournament in Russia.</p>

<p>"For the last two months I have been working non-stop," said Hossain.</p>

<p>"There are days when I do not even get two hours of sleep," added the 40-year-old, barely lifting his head from his screen-printing machine.</p>

<p>Bangladesh is traditionally cricket territory, but every four years the country of 160 million people -- whose national team is ranked 197th out of 202 in the world by FIFA -- goes World Cup crazy.</p>

<p>Flags in the colours of Argentina and Brazil take over the streets, and printers in Merajnagar are expecting to produce hundreds of thousands before the tournament starts in Moscow on June 14.</p>

<p>Homes have been converted into makeshift printing and sewing plants as orders pour in from across the country.</p>

<p>"Every day we're printing and making thousands of flags. Today we've already printed 11,000 Argentina pennants," said Hossain.</p>

<p><strong>- Maradona to Messi -</strong></p>

<p>Fans across Bangladesh hold flag-waving processions to honour their favourite team. Last week, a video of supporters marching with a 200 metre-long Argentina flag in the northwestern town of Madarganj went viral on social media.</p>

<p>The impoverished country first saw live World Cup matches in 1982.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But it was the 1986 tournament, when Diego Maradona single-handedly helped Argentina win the trophy, that cemented football into the Bangladesh psyche -- along with a new favourite team.</p>

<p>"The craze for Argentina is still going strong, Maradona is gone but Messi is the new superstar," said Faruq Mia, a flag hawker who came from neighbouring Narayanganj district to stock up.</p>

<p>Mia bought 500 flags last week, made a big profit and so needs 500 more. He will be cheering for Argentina.</p>

<p>Factory owner Selim Howlader expects to sell several hundred thousand flags as "World Cup fever came early in the country, months before kickoff".</p>

<p>"In 2014, I sold more than 80,000 flags. Most of them were sold during the World Cup or just days before kickoff. Now I am selling 2,000-2,500 big flags and 10,000 pennants a day and the World Cup is still weeks away," said the happy 33-year-old businessman.</p>

<p>Howlader employs 25 workers and said about 2,000 people in all are working in Merajnagar's flag factories.</p>

<p><strong>- Long hours -</strong></p>

<p>Messi and Neymar's teams dominate by far Howlader's order list. "Argentina and Brazil are the two most popular teams in Bangladesh," he said.</p>

<p>"I have even got orders to make 50-foot long Argentine flags. These two teams have the most supporters in our country. Germany, Spain and Portugal are the other popular teams."</p>

<p>Some four million people work in Bangladesh's 4,500 apparel factories, who provide billions of dollars worth of clothes to top retailers around the world.</p>

<p>But experts and rights groups say that while there has been progress in improving conditions for garment workers in the country, they still often face long hours, dangerous working environments and dismally low pay.</p>

<p>The flag boom means extra income for poor workers like Nargis Akhter, 28, and her husband Mohammad Iqbal who work in Howlader's factory.</p>

<p>"On an average every day we make 3,000 taka ($35)," said Iqbal. An average garment factory pays about $70 for an entire month's work -- among the world's lowest wages for such a job.</p>

<p>"I wish the craze for flags would go on for many more months," said Akhter, with a smile.</p>


Flagmakers in Bangladesh are doing a roaring trade week ahead of the World Cup

FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event on earth will start from June 14 but the craze has already begun all around the world. The 21st edition of football World Cup is hosted by Russia, will be keenly followed by thousands of fans around the world. The football frenzy has reached to even non participating countries, for example, Bangladesh. A country which is currently working to strengthen its football association "Bangladesh national football team" has involved in a unique way to involve in the FIFA 2018. Flagmakers in Bangladesh are doing a roaring trade week ahead of the World Cup, but no-one is interested in the home nation's colours -- the money is all on pennants for Lionel Messi's Argentina and Neymar's Brazil. Textile printer Kamal Hossain owns one of the scores of small, hot, sweaty workshops in the Merajnagar district of capital Dhaka, working flat-out to produce flags and pennants for the local market ahead of the tournament in Russia. "For the last two months I have been working non-stop," said Hossain. "There are days when I do not even get two hours of sleep," added the 40-year-old, barely lifting his head from his screen-printing machine. Bangladesh is traditionally cricket territory, but every four years the country of 160 million people -- whose national team is ranked 197th out of 202 in the world by FIFA -- goes World Cup crazy. Flags in the colours of Argentina and Brazil take over the streets, and printers in Merajnagar are expecting to produce hundreds of thousands before the tournament starts in Moscow on June 14. Homes have been converted into makeshift printing and sewing plants as orders pour in from across the country. "Every day we're printing and making thousands of flags. Today we've already printed 11,000 Argentina pennants," said Hossain. - Maradona to Messi - Fans across Bangladesh hold flag-waving processions to honour their favourite team. Last week, a video of supporters marching with a 200 metre-long Argentina flag in the northwestern town of Madarganj went viral on social media. The impoverished country first saw live World Cup matches in 1982. But it was the 1986 tournament, when Diego Maradona single-handedly helped Argentina win the trophy, that cemented football into the Bangladesh psyche -- along with a new favourite team. "The craze for Argentina is still going strong, Maradona is gone but Messi is the new superstar," said Faruq Mia, a flag hawker who came from neighbouring Narayanganj district to stock up. Mia bought 500 flags last week, made a big profit and so needs 500 more. He will be cheering for Argentina. Factory owner Selim Howlader expects to sell several hundred thousand flags as "World Cup fever came early in the country, months before kickoff". "In 2014, I sold more than 80,000 flags. Most of them were sold during the World Cup or just days before kickoff. Now I am selling 2,000-2,500 big flags and 10,000 pennants a day and the World Cup is still weeks away," said the happy 33-year-old businessman. Howlader employs 25 workers and said about 2,000 people in all are working in Merajnagar's flag factories. - Long hours - Messi and Neymar's teams dominate by far Howlader's order list. "Argentina and Brazil are the two most popular teams in Bangladesh," he said. "I have even got orders to make 50-foot long Argentine flags. These two teams have the most supporters in our country. Germany, Spain and Portugal are the other popular teams." Some four million people work in Bangladesh's 4,500 apparel factories, who provide billions of dollars worth of clothes to top retailers around the world. But experts and rights groups say that while there has been progress in improving conditions for garment workers in the country, they still often face long hours, dangerous working environments and dismally low pay. The flag boom means extra income for poor workers like Nargis Akhter, 28, and her husband Mohammad Iqbal who work in Howlader's factory. "On an average every day we make 3,000 taka ($35)," said Iqbal. An average garment factory pays about $70 for an entire month's work -- among the world's lowest wages for such a job. "I wish the craze for flags would go on for many more months," said Akhter, with a smile.

FIFA 2018: Here is how Bangladesh is preparing for the World Cup

<p>In 2014, Mario Gotze scored the dream goal in the extra time of football World Cup final against Argentina and helped the team to clinch one the most decorated trophies in sports and sealed Germany's fourth World Cup. The World Cup winner has not been included in the provisional squad of Germany for FIFA 2018.</p>

<p>Mario Gotze had the potential of a lot more but injuries and health issues&nbsp;reduced the shine and lustre of 'once in a century talent.'&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the year 2017, Gotze suffered a rare metabolic issue known as myopathy. It is a muscle disorder which causes weight gain and fatigue. The muscle disorder caused a continuous decline in Gotze's performance. In last four season, Mario Gotze has scored just 15 and assisted ten goals in a total of 67 Bundesliga games.</p>

<p>When he scored the winning goal for Germany it was assumed that his career has been amplified and he entered to play club games with Ballon d'Or aspirations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The football fraternity has seen rise and fall of many footballers but the most heartbreaking is the Mario Gotze's decline.</p>

<p>The poor performance&nbsp;of Gotze has led his exit from the upcoming football World Cup, which is scheduled from June 14.</p>

<p>Even today, if someone will type&nbsp;his name on the internet, the mesmerising clips of his World Cup goal will appear. Let's relive those moments again.</p>

<p><em>Watch the video:</em></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/DFB_Team_EN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DFB_Team_EN</a> won the <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FIFAWorldCup</a> with this extra time beauty by Mario Gotze! What's everyones predictions for the winning team this year? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/worldcup2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#worldcup2018</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCupAtTheRegency?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCupAtTheRegency</a> tickets here >> <a href="https://t.co/WP8KRD9MhV">https://t.co/WP8KRD9MhV</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCupAtTheAmbler?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCupAtTheAmbler</a> tickets here >> <a href="https://t.co/8REtlUfSbc">https://t.co/8REtlUfSbc</a> <a href="https://t.co/0qdcyGUNae">pic.twitter.com/0qdcyGUNae</a></p>
— Sedulo Manchester (@SeduloMCR) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeduloMCR/status/994540143683031040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Here is the provisional squad list:</strong></p>

<p><strong>Goalkeepers:</strong> Bernd Leno, Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp</p>

<p><strong>Defenders:</strong> Jerome Boateng, Matthias Ginter, Jonas Hector, Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, Marvin Plattenhardt, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule, Jonathan Tah</p>

<p><strong>Midfielders:</strong> Julian Brandt, Julian Draxler, Leon Goretska, Ilkay Gundogan, Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil, Sebastian Rudy, Leroy Sane</p>

<p><strong>Strikers:</strong> Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller, Nils Petersen, Marco Reus, Timo Werner</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here it is! ? The provisional <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DieMannschaft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DieMannschaft</a> squad for the 2018 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup</a>! ??? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZSMMN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ZSMMN</a> <a href="https://t.co/7HxNQaeU8s">pic.twitter.com/7HxNQaeU8s</a></p>
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) <a href="https://twitter.com/DFB_Team_EN/status/996346205482430464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In 2014, Mario Gotze scored the dream goal in the extra time of football World Cup final against Argentina and sealed Germany's fourth World Cup

In 2014, Mario Gotze scored the dream goal in the extra time of football World Cup final against Argentina and helped the team to clinch one the most decorated trophies in sports and sealed Germany's fourth World Cup. The World Cup winner has not been included in the provisional squad of Germany for FIFA 2018. Mario Gotze had the potential of a lot more but injuries and health issues reduced the shine and lustre of 'once in a century talent.' In the year 2017, Gotze suffered a rare metabolic issue known as myopathy. It is a muscle disorder which causes weight gain and fatigue. The muscle disorder caused a continuous decline in Gotze's performance. In last four season, Mario Gotze has scored just 15 and assisted ten goals in a total of 67 Bundesliga games. When he scored the winning goal for Germany it was assumed that his career has been amplified and he entered to play club games with Ballon d'Or aspirations. The football fraternity has seen rise and fall of many footballers but the most heartbreaking is the Mario Gotze's decline. The poor performance of Gotze has led his exit from the upcoming football World Cup, which is scheduled from June 14. Even today, if someone will type his name on the internet, the mesmerising clips of his World Cup goal will appear. Let's relive those moments again. Watch the video: @DFB_Team_EN won the @FIFAWorldCup with this extra time beauty by Mario Gotze! What's everyones predictions for the winning team this year? #worldcup2018 #WorldCupAtTheRegency tickets here >> https://t.co/WP8KRD9MhV #WorldCupAtTheAmbler tickets here >> https://t.co/8REtlUfSbc pic.twitter.com/0qdcyGUNae — Sedulo Manchester (@SeduloMCR) May 10, 2018 × Here is the provisional squad list: Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno, Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp Defenders: Jerome Boateng, Matthias Ginter, Jonas Hector, Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, Marvin Plattenhardt, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule, Jonathan Tah Midfielders: Julian Brandt, Julian Draxler, Leon Goretska, Ilkay Gundogan, Sami Khedira, Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil, Sebastian Rudy, Leroy Sane Strikers: Mario Gomez, Thomas Muller, Nils Petersen, Marco Reus, Timo Werner Here it is! ? The provisional #DieMannschaft squad for the 2018 #WorldCup! ??? #ZSMMN pic.twitter.com/7HxNQaeU8s — Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) May 15, 2018 ×

He won't be there at FIFA 2018 but let's relive Mario Gotze's winning goal from 2014

<p>Iceland made a history by qualifying for the 21st edition of FIFA World Cup and the football fraternity might witness the rise of small nations with Panama, Peru, Egypt heading out against the big guns with Iceland leading the charge.</p>

<p>A country with less than 4 million population which has little land space and fewer facilities and to top it all is almost always covered in snow, just made it to the World Cup final in Russia.</p>

<p>If you are surprised how the country made it to the world's biggest football stage in Russia, look no further than Euro 2016 when eleven brave Icelanders ejected Wayne Rooney's England from the European stage.</p>

<p>Iceland have been placed in group D and will play their first match against Argentina and rest other games with Croatia and Nigeria and the Iceland team has the potential to stun Messi's Argentina in their opening match, just like Italia 90 when Maradona's men were blasted out by Roger Milla's Cameroon.</p>

<p>Midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has played an integral role in Iceland reaching Russia 2018. He was named Icelandic Player of the Year for continuous five seasons. In an interview, he said: "We're looking forward to seeing the thunderclap in Russia”.</p>

<p><strong>What is the thunderclap?</strong></p>

<p>It is the magnificence of the Viking Clap which has captivated audiences from all over the world, Iceland supporters performing the 'thunderclap' is an extraordinary sight to watch.</p>

<p>A noisy and visually spectacular display of synchronicity and passion, it has the ability to give those watching – and those taking part real-time goosebumps.</p>

<p>For a small nation like Iceland, it was extremely difficult to qualify in the biggest sporting events on earth and only the arrival is worth celebrating and the celebration is incomplete without the Viking Chant.</p>

<p><em>Here is the video of the famous Viking Chant a.k.a. 'thunderclap' :</em></p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


A noisy and visually spectacular display of synchronicity and passion, it has the ability to give those watching – and those taking part real-time goosebumps

Iceland made a history by qualifying for the 21st edition of FIFA World Cup and the football fraternity might witness the rise of small nations with Panama, Peru, Egypt heading out against the big guns with Iceland leading the charge. A country with less than 4 million population which has little land space and fewer facilities and to top it all is almost always covered in snow, just made it to the World Cup final in Russia. If you are surprised how the country made it to the world's biggest football stage in Russia, look no further than Euro 2016 when eleven brave Icelanders ejected Wayne Rooney's England from the European stage. Iceland have been placed in group D and will play their first match against Argentina and rest other games with Croatia and Nigeria and the Iceland team has the potential to stun Messi's Argentina in their opening match, just like Italia 90 when Maradona's men were blasted out by Roger Milla's Cameroon. Midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has played an integral role in Iceland reaching Russia 2018. He was named Icelandic Player of the Year for continuous five seasons. In an interview, he said: "We're looking forward to seeing the thunderclap in Russia”. What is the thunderclap? It is the magnificence of the Viking Clap which has captivated audiences from all over the world, Iceland supporters performing the 'thunderclap' is an extraordinary sight to watch. A noisy and visually spectacular display of synchronicity and passion, it has the ability to give those watching – and those taking part real-time goosebumps. For a small nation like Iceland, it was extremely difficult to qualify in the biggest sporting events on earth and only the arrival is worth celebrating and the celebration is incomplete without the Viking Chant. Here is the video of the famous Viking Chant a.k.a. 'thunderclap' : ×

World Cup: Messi's Argentina to face Iceland's 'Vikings' in Russia

<h2>WION's pick of the week</h2>

<p title="Watch: Marcelo's son Enzo Vieira stuns Real Madrid players with impressive head tennis show"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-marcelos-son-enzo-vieira-stuns-real-madrid-players-with-impressive-head-tennis-show-137516">Watch: Marcelo's son Enzo Vieira stuns Real Madrid players with impressive head tennis show</a></p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0 padding:0 4px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BizrITqABnM/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">Orgulho do papai!! ? @enzoalvesv Isso aqui é uma familia!!! @realmadrid ❤️⚽️</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/marcelotwelve/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Marcelo Vieira Jr.</a> (@marcelotwelve) on <time datetime="2018-05-15T18:04:53+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">May 15, 2018 at 11:04am PDT</time></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018-do-you-know-that-first-fifa-trophy-was-stolen-and-never-recovered-137912">FIFA 2018: Do you know that first FIFA trophy was stolen and never recovered</a></p>

<p>In 1983, the original Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the display window and never recovered</p>

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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-kl-rahul--a-rejuvenated-and-repackaged-batting-power-house-137938">Opinion: KL Rahul – A rejuvenated and repackaged batting power house</a></p>

<p>KL Rahul has been a treat to watch and I am sure that going forward he would play an all-important role for India in all formats of the game</p>

<h5 title="Watch: AB de Villiers' Spiderman-like stunt to dismiss Alex Hales"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-after-nadal--federer-who-will-be-the-next-atp-superstar-137606">Opinion: After Nadal & Federer, who will be the next ATP superstar?</a></h5>

<p>It has been a decade now that men's Tennis is waiting for its next superstar</p>

<h5 title="Shivangi Pathak becomes youngest woman to scale Mt Everest"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/shivangi-pathak-becomes-youngest-woman-to-scale-mt-everest-137997">Shivangi Pathak becomes youngest woman to scale Mt Everest</a></h5>

<p>Shivangi said that she inspired by Arunima Sinha, who was the first Indian amputee to scale the nearly 29,000 ft peak</p>

<p><img alt="Shivangi Pathak.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/Shivangi%20Pathak.jpg" width="720" /></p>

<h5 title="Meet the top four teams of IPL 2018 "><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/meet-the-top-four-teams-of-ipl-2018--138479">Meet the top four teams of IPL 2018</a></h5>

<p><img alt="Kane Williamson, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Ajinkya Rahane.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/Kane%20Williamson%2C%20MS%20Dhoni%2C%20Dinesh%20Karthik%2C%20Ajinkya%20Rahane.jpg" width="720" /></p>

<h5 title="'It is a difficult day,' says teary-eyed Andres Iniesta during farewell ceremony"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/'it-is-a-difficult-day,'-says-teary-eyed-andres-iniesta-during-farewell-ceremony-138614">'It is a difficult day,' says teary-eyed Andres Iniesta during farewell ceremony</a></h5>

<p>Andres Iniesta bid farewell to his boyhood club FC Barcelona. He has spent all of his senior career at Camp Nou & has lifted 32 trophies</p>

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<h2>FIFA 2018</h2>

<p title="FIFA 2018: World Cup fever inspires Panini stickers craze"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018-world-cup-fever-inspires-panini-stickers-craze-138377">FIFA 2018: World Cup fever inspires Panini stickers craze</a></p>

<p>Created in 1960 by the four Panini brothers, the business has an exclusive contract with world football's governing body FIFA and its first World Cup album dates back to 1970</p>

<h5 title="Throwback to Luis Suarez's biting Chiellini in FIFA 2014: 'Anyone got a toothpick, Chiellini stuck in my teeth'"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/throwback-to-luis-suarezs-biting-chiellini-in-fifa-2014-anyone-got-a-toothpick-chiellini-stuck-in-my-teeth-138134">Throwback to Luis Suarez's biting Chiellini in FIFA 2014: 'Anyone got a toothpick, Chiellini stuck in my teeth'</a></h5>

<p>Luis Suarez took a nibble from Italy's Giorgio Chiellini shoulder and was suspended for four months from all football-related activities</p>

<h5 title="FIFA 2018: Italy not going to World Cup but World Cup comes to Italy"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/italy-not-going-to-world-cup-but-world-cup-comes-to-italy-136933">FIFA 2018: Italy not going to World Cup but World Cup comes to Italy</a></h5>

<p>The eliminated Azzurri will not brighten the tournament, but Italians will still make the cup shine</p>

<h5 title="England defender Mawson ruled out of FIFA World Cup
"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/england-defender-mawson-ruled-out-of-fifa-world-cup-137085">England defender Mawson ruled out of FIFA World Cup</a></h5>

<p>The 24-year-old was yet to make his England debut but was called up by manager Gareth Southgate for friendlies in March</p>

<h5 title="Mario Gotze ruled out of Germany's squad for FIFA 2018"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/mario-gotze-ruled-out-of-germanys-squad-for-fifa-2018-137132">Mario Gotze ruled out of Germany's squad for FIFA 2018</a></h5>

<p>Mario Gotze has been ruled out of Germany's squad for the upcoming edition of football World Cup</p>

<h5 title="He won't be there at FIFA 2018 but let's relive Mario Gotze's winning goal from 2014"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018-from-world-cup-winning-goal-scorer-to-world-cup-squad-absentee-lets-relive-mario-gotze-dream-goal-of-fifa-2014-137366">He won't be there at FIFA 2018 but let's relive Mario Gotze's winning goal from 2014</a></h5>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/DFB_Team_EN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DFB_Team_EN</a> won the <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FIFAWorldCup</a> with this extra time beauty by Mario Gotze! What's everyones predictions for the winning team this year? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/worldcup2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#worldcup2018</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCupAtTheRegency?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCupAtTheRegency</a> tickets here >> <a href="https://t.co/WP8KRD9MhV">https://t.co/WP8KRD9MhV</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCupAtTheAmbler?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCupAtTheAmbler</a> tickets here >> <a href="https://t.co/8REtlUfSbc">https://t.co/8REtlUfSbc</a> <a href="https://t.co/0qdcyGUNae">pic.twitter.com/0qdcyGUNae</a></p>
— Sedulo Manchester (@SeduloMCR) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeduloMCR/status/994540143683031040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018-england-fans-warned-over-flag-waving-at-world-cup-in-russia-137434">FIFA 2018: England fans warned over flag-waving at World Cup in Russia</a></p>

<p>Tensions are high between Britain and Russia over the poisoning of former double agent Yuri Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury earlier this year</p>

<h5 title="Neymar's foot injury worries him, as he prepares to return"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/neymars-foot-injury-worries-him-as-he-prepares-to-return-137618">Neymar's foot injury worries him, as he prepares to return</a></h5>

<p>He has been out of action since spraining his ankle and fracturing his fifth metatarsal on Feb. 25, which led him to undergo surgery in Brazil</p>

<h5 title="FIFA 2018: Argentina apologises for manual on seducing Russian women"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018-argentina-apologises-for-manual-on-seducing-russian-women-137639">FIFA 2018: Argentina apologises for manual on seducing Russian women</a></h5>

<p>More than 40,000 Argentines have bought tickets for matches in the tournament that kicks off in Moscow on June 14</p>

<h2>Football</h2>

<p title="Chelsea players celebrate FA Cup victory against Manchester United"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/chelsea-players-celebrate-fa-cup-victory-against-manchester-united-138430">Chelsea players celebrate FA Cup victory against Manchester United</a></p>

<p>Antonio Conte's team held on for a 1-0 win over United at Wembley as Eden Hazard's first-half penalty was followed by a determined defensive display from the Blues after the interval</p>

<h5 title="Michael Carrick makes immediate switch to coaching role at Manchester United"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/michael-carrick-makes-immediate-switch-to-coaching-role-at-manchester-united-137029">Michael Carrick makes immediate switch to coaching role at Manchester United</a></h5>

<p>Michael Carrick is making an immediate switch from Manchester United's playing squad to the coaching team in time for Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea</p>

<h2>Cricket</h2>

<p title="Cameron Bancroft been cleared to play club cricket "><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cameron-bancroft-been-cleared-to-play-club-cricket--137063">Cameron Bancroft been cleared to play club cricket</a></p>

<p>Cameron Bancroft has been cleared to play club cricket in Western Australia</p>

<h5 title="'Proper big dog' coming to County, Moeen Ali on Virat Kohli"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/proper-big-dog-coming-to-county-moeen-ali-on-virat-kohli-137462">'Proper big dog' coming to County, Moeen Ali on Virat Kohli</a></h5>

<p>Moeen and his compatriot Chris Woakes are playing under Kohli for the Bangalore in IPL</p>

<h5 title="ICC may consider scrapping toss in Test cricket"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/icc-may-consider-scrapping-toss-in-test-cricket-137768">ICC may consider scrapping toss in Test cricket</a></h5>

<p>Latest reports suggest that the ICC committee is ready to re-enter the topic</p>

<h2>Tennis</h2>

<h5 title="Italian Open: Elina Svitolina outplays Simona Halep to defend title"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/italian-open-elina-svitolina-outplays-simona-halep-to-defend-title-138443">Italian Open: Elina Svitolina outplays Simona Halep to defend title</a></h5>

<p>Elina Svitolina successfully defended her&nbsp;Italian&nbsp;Open&nbsp;title on Sunday with a dominant 6-0 6-4 victory over an out-of-sorts Simona Halep</p>

<h5 title="Italian Open: Rafael Nadal wins eighth Rome Masters title after stunning comeback"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/italian-open-rafael-nadal-wins-eighth-rome-masters-title-after-stunning-comeback-138468">Italian Open: Rafael Nadal wins eighth Rome Masters title after stunning comeback</a></h5>

<p>Rafael Nadal won the Rome Masters for the eighth time as he defeated defending champion Alexander Zverev</p>

<h5 title="Watch: Czech tennis player Pliskova 'smashes' umpire's chair"><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-karolina-pliskova-smashes-umpires-chair-after-losing-to-maria-sakkari-at-italian-open-137500">Watch: Czech tennis player Pliskova 'smashes' umpire's chair</a></h5>

<p>Pliskova was furious when 42nd-ranked Sakkari was given the advantage and also a breakpoint at a crucial stage of the match</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Holy moly Pliskova is the real MVP! Well done, she was right about that call! it was 10km in! <a href="https://t.co/YgJ5MHgmYo">pic.twitter.com/YgJ5MHgmYo</a></p>
— LorenaPopa? ??‍♀️ (@popalorena) <a href="https://twitter.com/popalorena/status/996735228394835969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/italys-elia-viviani-wins-giro-ditalia-13th-stage-138029">Italy's Elia Viviani wins Giro d'Italia 13th stage</a></p>

<p>Italy's Elia Viviani of the Quick Step team dominated a sprint finish for the Giro d'Italia 13th stage</p>


Weekly compilation of sports and other related news (May 14 to May 20)

WION's pick of the week Watch: Marcelo's son Enzo Vieira stuns Real Madrid players with impressive head tennis show Orgulho do papai!! ? @enzoalvesv Isso aqui é uma familia!!! @realmadrid ❤️⚽️ A post shared by Marcelo Vieira Jr. (@marcelotwelve) on May 15, 2018 at 11:04am PDT × FIFA 2018: Do you know that first FIFA trophy was stolen and never recovered In 1983, the original Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the display window and never recovered × × Opinion: KL Rahul – A rejuvenated and repackaged batting power house KL Rahul has been a treat to watch and I am sure that going forward he would play an all-important role for India in all formats of the game Opinion: After Nadal & Federer, who will be the next ATP superstar? It has been a decade now that men's Tennis is waiting for its next superstar Shivangi Pathak becomes youngest woman to scale Mt Everest Shivangi said that she inspired by Arunima Sinha, who was the first Indian amputee to scale the nearly 29,000 ft peak Meet the top four teams of IPL 2018 'It is a difficult day,' says teary-eyed Andres Iniesta during farewell ceremony Andres Iniesta bid farewell to his boyhood club FC Barcelona. He has spent all of his senior career at Camp Nou & has lifted 32 trophies × FIFA 2018 FIFA 2018: World Cup fever inspires Panini stickers craze Created in 1960 by the four Panini brothers, the business has an exclusive contract with world football's governing body FIFA and its first World Cup album dates back to 1970 Throwback to Luis Suarez's biting Chiellini in FIFA 2014: 'Anyone got a toothpick, Chiellini stuck in my teeth' Luis Suarez took a nibble from Italy's Giorgio Chiellini shoulder and was suspended for four months from all football-related activities FIFA 2018: Italy not going to World Cup but World Cup comes to Italy The eliminated Azzurri will not brighten the tournament, but Italians will still make the cup shine England defender Mawson ruled out of FIFA World Cup The 24-year-old was yet to make his England debut but was called up by manager Gareth Southgate for friendlies in March Mario Gotze ruled out of Germany's squad for FIFA 2018 Mario Gotze has been ruled out of Germany's squad for the upcoming edition of football World Cup He won't be there at FIFA 2018 but let's relive Mario Gotze's winning goal from 2014 @DFB_Team_EN won the @FIFAWorldCup with this extra time beauty by Mario Gotze! What's everyones predictions for the winning team this year? #worldcup2018 #WorldCupAtTheRegency tickets here >> https://t.co/WP8KRD9MhV #WorldCupAtTheAmbler tickets here >> https://t.co/8REtlUfSbc pic.twitter.com/0qdcyGUNae — Sedulo Manchester (@SeduloMCR) May 10, 2018 × FIFA 2018: England fans warned over flag-waving at World Cup in Russia Tensions are high between Britain and Russia over the poisoning of former double agent Yuri Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury earlier this year Neymar's foot injury worries him, as he prepares to return He has been out of action since spraining his ankle and fracturing his fifth metatarsal on Feb. 25, which led him to undergo surgery in Brazil FIFA 2018: Argentina apologises for manual on seducing Russian women More than 40,000 Argentines have bought tickets for matches in the tournament that kicks off in Moscow on June 14 Football Chelsea players celebrate FA Cup victory against Manchester United Antonio Conte's team held on for a 1-0 win over United at Wembley as Eden Hazard's first-half penalty was followed by a determined defensive display from the Blues after the interval Michael Carrick makes immediate switch to coaching role at Manchester United Michael Carrick is making an immediate switch from Manchester United's playing squad to the coaching team in time for Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea Cricket Cameron Bancroft been cleared to play club cricket Cameron Bancroft has been cleared to play club cricket in Western Australia 'Proper big dog' coming to County, Moeen Ali on Virat Kohli Moeen and his compatriot Chris Woakes are playing under Kohli for the Bangalore in IPL ICC may consider scrapping toss in Test cricket Latest reports suggest that the ICC committee is ready to re-enter the topic Tennis Italian Open: Elina Svitolina outplays Simona Halep to defend title Elina Svitolina successfully defended her Italian Open title on Sunday with a dominant 6-0 6-4 victory over an out-of-sorts Simona Halep Italian Open: Rafael Nadal wins eighth Rome Masters title after stunning comeback Rafael Nadal won the Rome Masters for the eighth time as he defeated defending champion Alexander Zverev Watch: Czech tennis player Pliskova 'smashes' umpire's chair Pliskova was furious when 42nd-ranked Sakkari was given the advantage and also a breakpoint at a crucial stage of the match Holy moly Pliskova is the real MVP! Well done, she was right about that call! it was 10km in! pic.twitter.com/YgJ5MHgmYo — LorenaPopa? ??‍♀️ (@popalorena) May 16, 2018 × Italy's Elia Viviani wins Giro d'Italia 13th stage Italy's Elia Viviani of the Quick Step team dominated a sprint finish for the Giro d'Italia 13th stage

WION Sports News: Top sports results this week

<p>Uruguay forward Luis Suarez took a nibble from Italy's Giorgio Chiellini shoulder and was suspended for four months from all football-related activities and also was handed a nine-match international suspension.</p>

<p>During Uruguay's final group game against Italy, the biting incident happened and became one of the most remembered incidents in the history of FIFA.</p>

<p>The match was eventually won by the South American side 1-0 and Uruguay progressed to the last 16, where they were beaten by Colombia.</p>

<p>This unusual incident was not happened the first time, biting Chiellini was third such instance in which Suarez sunk his teeth into an opponent while playing for Ajax and Liverpool.</p>

<p>Just after the World Cup on 11 July 2014, Suarez was transferred to FC Barcelona on a five-year contract for an undisclosed transfer fee.</p>

<p>Although Suarez thought his hopes of a switch to Catalonia had crumbled as a result of his actions at the World Cup in Brazil.</p>

<p>As the result of the suspension, he was banned from all "football-related activities" including training for Barcelona, for four months. He was also banned from entering any stadium, even as a spectator, during the same period and also missed 2015 Copa America.</p>

<p><em>Watch the video here:</em></p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Luis Suarez took a nibble from Italy's Giorgio Chiellini shoulder and was suspended for four months from all football-related activities

Uruguay forward Luis Suarez took a nibble from Italy's Giorgio Chiellini shoulder and was suspended for four months from all football-related activities and also was handed a nine-match international suspension. During Uruguay's final group game against Italy, the biting incident happened and became one of the most remembered incidents in the history of FIFA. The match was eventually won by the South American side 1-0 and Uruguay progressed to the last 16, where they were beaten by Colombia. This unusual incident was not happened the first time, biting Chiellini was third such instance in which Suarez sunk his teeth into an opponent while playing for Ajax and Liverpool. Just after the World Cup on 11 July 2014, Suarez was transferred to FC Barcelona on a five-year contract for an undisclosed transfer fee. Although Suarez thought his hopes of a switch to Catalonia had crumbled as a result of his actions at the World Cup in Brazil. As the result of the suspension, he was banned from all "football-related activities" including training for Barcelona, for four months. He was also banned from entering any stadium, even as a spectator, during the same period and also missed 2015 Copa America. Watch the video here: ×

Throwback to Luis Suarez's biting Chiellini in FIFA 2014: 'Anyone got a toothpick, Chiellini stuck in my teeth'

<p>The madness has begun for one of the biggest sporting events on earth -&nbspfootball World Cup. FIFA 2018 is the 21st edition of football World Cup which is being hosted by Russia and will start from June 14.</p>

<p>The winner will be awarded the famous gold trophy. Since, the inception of&nbspFIFA World Cup association football tournament in 1930, two trophies have been used, the first is the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970 and the other is the FIFA World Cup Trophy which has been passed down since 1974.</p>

<p>The question most football fanatics cannot fathom is why was trophy changed in 1974?</p>

<p>Jules Rimet Trophy was originally named 'Victory' because the Cup was supported by a winged figure representing Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory but later was renamed in the honour of former FIFA president Jules Rimet.</p>

<p>It was made of gold plated sterling silver and lapis lazuli and depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.</p>

<p>Designed by Abel Lafleur, a French sculptor, the trophy stood 35 centimetres high and weighed 3.8 kilograms.</p>

<p>On 20 March 1966, four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen during a public exhibition at Westminster Central Hall. Although, seven days later the trophy was somehow recovered from south London.</p>

<p>But the fate of the famous trophy did not last long&nbspafter Brazil won the World Cup in 1970 and the trophy was kept on the display at the Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters in Rio de Janerio.&nbsp</p>

<p>In 1983, the original Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the display window and never recovered. It is believed that the trophy was melted and sold. Only the original base was recovered which is kept at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich.</p>

<p>Later, the trophy was replaced in the year 1974 by the famous hand-and-ball sculpture which was designed by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga. The trophy stands 36.5 centimetres tall and is made of 5 kg of gold.</p>

<p>West Germany became the first nation to win the new trophy in 1974 beating Holland in a thrilling final at home.&nbsp</p>

<p>This time, defending champions Germany will join hosts Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and Uruguay.</p>


In 1983, the original Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the display window and never recovered

The madness has begun for one of the biggest sporting events on earth -&nbspfootball World Cup. FIFA 2018 is the 21st edition of football World Cup which is being hosted by Russia and will start from June 14. The winner will be awarded the famous gold trophy. Since, the inception of&nbspFIFA World Cup association football tournament in 1930, two trophies have been used, the first is the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970 and the other is the FIFA World Cup Trophy which has been passed down since 1974. The question most football fanatics cannot fathom is why was trophy changed in 1974? Jules Rimet Trophy was originally named 'Victory' because the Cup was supported by a winged figure representing Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory but later was renamed in the honour of former FIFA president Jules Rimet. It was made of gold plated sterling silver and lapis lazuli and depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Designed by Abel Lafleur, a French sculptor, the trophy stood 35 centimetres high and weighed 3.8 kilograms. On 20 March 1966, four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen during a public exhibition at Westminster Central Hall. Although, seven days later the trophy was somehow recovered from south London. But the fate of the famous trophy did not last long&nbspafter Brazil won the World Cup in 1970 and the trophy was kept on the display at the Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters in Rio de Janerio. In 1983, the original Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the display window and never recovered. It is believed that the trophy was melted and sold. Only the original base was recovered which is kept at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. Later, the trophy was replaced in the year 1974 by the famous hand-and-ball sculpture which was designed by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga. The trophy stands 36.5 centimetres tall and is made of 5 kg of gold. West Germany became the first nation to win the new trophy in 1974 beating Holland in a thrilling final at home. This time, defending champions Germany will join hosts Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and Uruguay.

FIFA 2018: Do you know that first FIFA trophy was stolen and never recovered

<p>When the World Cup is held aloft in July, it won't be an Italian lifting the trophy. The eliminated Azzurri will not brighten the tournament, but Italians will still make the cup shine.</p>

<p>The four-time winners' humiliating exit in November's playoff defeat to Sweden cast a pall over one of the world's proudest football nations.</p>

<p>Italy are not going to the World Cup, but the World Cup will come to Italy.</p>

<p>Every four years, in an anonymous building in an industrial town near Milan,&nbsp;amid the clouds of metal dust and sound of presses and hammers, an Italian company gets its hands on the World Cup trophy itself -- and gives it a makeover.&nbsp;</p>

<p>GDE Bertoni, a small business with 12 employees based in the Milanese suburb of Paderno Dugnano, designed and created the current cup in 1971 after Brazil kept the Jules Rimet trophy after they won the World Cup for the third time, and every four years it returned home for a spruce up.</p>

<p>"It's always a special feeling when the original trophy comes back to us, even if we see the replica every day," says Valentina Losa, director of the company her great-grandfather founded in 1938.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The trophy was made by the company's then-artistic director, sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, helped by Valentina's father Giorgio, who suggested the globe at the top of the trophy.</p>

<p>"The original is the original. It's like the difference between seeing the original Mona Lisa or a copy. It's not the same feeling at all."</p>

<p><strong>"Amazing feeling"</strong></p>

<p>Standing in front of an autographed photo of Franz Beckenbauer, who in 1974 became the first captain to lift the new trophy, Losa recounts how her company bagged the contract.</p>

<p>"There were 53 proposals from all over the world, but we were the only ones to have made a model, a physical product," she says. "Having it in front of you, not just a drawing -- that plays."</p>

<p>Soon after every World Cup,&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;sends the trophy, which is 38 centimetres long and contains more than six kilos of solid gold and malachite, home to be tended to.</p>

<p>"For four years it travels and is exposed to the elements. It's a little damaged, but we put it back into shape," says Pietro Brambilla, one of the Bertoni workshop's eight specialist workers.</p>

<p>Brambilla has no interest in football but something changes when he sees the World Cup winning captain lift the trophy.</p>

<p>"I always shed a tear at that moment because that trophy passed through my hands. It's an amazing feeling," he says.</p>

<p>"Not many people can say that they've held the World Cup."</p>

<p><strong>Coveted</strong></p>

<p>As well as making the original, Bortoni is&nbsp;also responsible for making a replica which the eventual winners of each tournament get to keep.</p>

<p>The replica is made from brass, after which is undergoes a range of treatments&nbsp;including milling and polishing before being bathed in 24-carat gold.</p>

<p>"We do this by eye. Once we see that she is beautiful, it comes out," says Ahmed Ait Siti Abdelkader, depositing a varnish that will keep the trophy shiny for about a decade.</p>

<p>"The World Cup is something different," he adds. "We make a lot of cups here, for Africa, the Gulf, Europe, Central America ... but this one has an extraordinary effect on you, different from all the others."</p>

<p>On July 15 Neymar, Lionel Messi, Hugo Lloris, Sergio Ramos or Manuel Neuer could be lifting the trophy rather than Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon, whose post-elimination tears captured a nation's heart in November. But a few months later it will come home again to an industrial corner of Italy for its regular once over.</p>

<p>"It's such a coveted trophy that when a team wins it, the players mess around with it and take advantage of it -- a bit too much," says Losa.</p>

<p>"Sometimes it comes back with a bit of work to do. Let's just say that in 2006 the Italians really partied."</p>


The eliminated Azzurri will not brighten the tournament, but Italians will still make the cup shine

When the World Cup is held aloft in July, it won't be an Italian lifting the trophy. The eliminated Azzurri will not brighten the tournament, but Italians will still make the cup shine. The four-time winners' humiliating exit in November's playoff defeat to Sweden cast a pall over one of the world's proudest football nations. Italy are not going to the World Cup, but the World Cup will come to Italy. Every four years, in an anonymous building in an industrial town near Milan, amid the clouds of metal dust and sound of presses and hammers, an Italian company gets its hands on the World Cup trophy itself -- and gives it a makeover. GDE Bertoni, a small business with 12 employees based in the Milanese suburb of Paderno Dugnano, designed and created the current cup in 1971 after Brazil kept the Jules Rimet trophy after they won the World Cup for the third time, and every four years it returned home for a spruce up. "It's always a special feeling when the original trophy comes back to us, even if we see the replica every day," says Valentina Losa, director of the company her great-grandfather founded in 1938. The trophy was made by the company's then-artistic director, sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, helped by Valentina's father Giorgio, who suggested the globe at the top of the trophy. "The original is the original. It's like the difference between seeing the original Mona Lisa or a copy. It's not the same feeling at all." "Amazing feeling" Standing in front of an autographed photo of Franz Beckenbauer, who in 1974 became the first captain to lift the new trophy, Losa recounts how her company bagged the contract. "There were 53 proposals from all over the world, but we were the only ones to have made a model, a physical product," she says. "Having it in front of you, not just a drawing -- that plays." Soon after every World Cup, FIFA sends the trophy, which is 38 centimetres long and contains more than six kilos of solid gold and malachite, home to be tended to. "For four years it travels and is exposed to the elements. It's a little damaged, but we put it back into shape," says Pietro Brambilla, one of the Bertoni workshop's eight specialist workers. Brambilla has no interest in football but something changes when he sees the World Cup winning captain lift the trophy. "I always shed a tear at that moment because that trophy passed through my hands. It's an amazing feeling," he says. "Not many people can say that they've held the World Cup." Coveted As well as making the original, Bortoni is also responsible for making a replica which the eventual winners of each tournament get to keep. The replica is made from brass, after which is undergoes a range of treatments including milling and polishing before being bathed in 24-carat gold. "We do this by eye. Once we see that she is beautiful, it comes out," says Ahmed Ait Siti Abdelkader, depositing a varnish that will keep the trophy shiny for about a decade. "The World Cup is something different," he adds. "We make a lot of cups here, for Africa, the Gulf, Europe, Central America ... but this one has an extraordinary effect on you, different from all the others." On July 15 Neymar, Lionel Messi, Hugo Lloris, Sergio Ramos or Manuel Neuer could be lifting the trophy rather than Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon, whose post-elimination tears captured a nation's heart in November. But a few months later it will come home again to an industrial corner of Italy for its regular once over. "It's such a coveted trophy that when a team wins it, the players mess around with it and take advantage of it -- a bit too much," says Losa. "Sometimes it comes back with a bit of work to do. Let's just say that in 2006 the Italians really partied."

FIFA 2018: Italy not going to World Cup but World Cup comes to Italy

<p>A referee selected for&nbsp;this year's World Cup is being investigated by Saudi Arabian authorities, the nation`s football association has said.</p>

<p>Fahad Al-Mirdasi, one of 36 referees chosen by FIFA for Russia, was replaced by English official Mark Clattenburg for the King's Cup final between Al-Ittihad and Al-Faisaly on Sunday.</p>

<p>The Saudi Arabian Football Federation said on its Twitter account that Al-Mirdasi was under "administrative investigation" but did not specify the nature of the probe.</p>

<p>A source close to the Saudi Arabia Football Federation told Reuters a disciplinary hearing would be held on Monday, with Al-Mirdasi accused of asking one of the teams playing in the King's Cup final for money.</p>

<p>A decision is expected to be announced later on Monday.</p>

<p>Al-Mirdasi was selected for last year`s Confederations Cup in Russia, a warmup for the June 14-July 15 World Cup.</p>


Fahad Al-Mirdasi is one of the 36 referees chosen by FIFA for Russia.

A referee selected for this year's World Cup is being investigated by Saudi Arabian authorities, the nation`s football association has said. Fahad Al-Mirdasi, one of 36 referees chosen by FIFA for Russia, was replaced by English official Mark Clattenburg for the King's Cup final between Al-Ittihad and Al-Faisaly on Sunday. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation said on its Twitter account that Al-Mirdasi was under "administrative investigation" but did not specify the nature of the probe. A source close to the Saudi Arabia Football Federation told Reuters a disciplinary hearing would be held on Monday, with Al-Mirdasi accused of asking one of the teams playing in the King's Cup final for money. A decision is expected to be announced later on Monday. Al-Mirdasi was selected for last year`s Confederations Cup in Russia, a warmup for the June 14-July 15 World Cup.

2018 FIFA World Cup referee under investigation by Saudi FA

<p>The 21st edition of football World Cup is scheduled to take place in Russia and the carnival will kick-off on June 14. The first match of FIFA 2018 will be played between Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow.</p>

<p>FIFA 2014 is remembered for many reasons from Neymar's injury to the record created by German striker by Miroslav Klose. We also remember when Uruguay's Luis Suarez took a nibble from Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder.</p>

<p>One of the best moments when Germany produced a ruthless attacking display to destroy Portugal and open their World Cup campaign in style and Thomas Muller scored the first hat-trick of FIFA 2014.</p>

<p>The theme songs are one of the most remembered of all and fans and followers still groove to the beats of some popular theme songs like "Dar um Jeito" (We Will Find a Way) featuring Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean and Avicii and "We are one" by Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull and Claudia Leitte.</p>

<p>The song "Colours" which is written by an American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo and the song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA 2018.</p>

<p>In an interview, Derulo said that he is honoured to provide the soundtrack for a tournament that celebrates the athletic excellence. He collaborated with Coca-Cola to produce the marvelous song.</p>

<p>Let's start the countdown of FIFA 2018 with the pulsating song. It's time to cheer for your country and flag, as the lyrics suggest,&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>"Here we go,Let's put on a show<br />
Hands up for your colours<br />
Represent your country<br />
Raise your flag<br />
Show your true colours."</em></p>

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The song 'Colors' is written by an American singer-songwriter, Jason Derulo. The song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA 2018

The 21st edition of football World Cup is scheduled to take place in Russia and the carnival will kick-off on June 14. The first match of FIFA 2018 will be played between Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow. FIFA 2014 is remembered for many reasons from Neymar's injury to the record created by German striker by Miroslav Klose. We also remember when Uruguay's Luis Suarez took a nibble from Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder. One of the best moments when Germany produced a ruthless attacking display to destroy Portugal and open their World Cup campaign in style and Thomas Muller scored the first hat-trick of FIFA 2014. The theme songs are one of the most remembered of all and fans and followers still groove to the beats of some popular theme songs like "Dar um Jeito" (We Will Find a Way) featuring Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean and Avicii and "We are one" by Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull and Claudia Leitte. The song "Colours" which is written by an American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo and the song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA 2018. In an interview, Derulo said that he is honoured to provide the soundtrack for a tournament that celebrates the athletic excellence. He collaborated with Coca-Cola to produce the marvelous song. Let's start the countdown of FIFA 2018 with the pulsating song. It's time to cheer for your country and flag, as the lyrics suggest, "Here we go,Let's put on a show Hands up for your colours Represent your country Raise your flag Show your true colours." ×

'Hands up for your colours... raise your flag,' says FIFA 2018 anthem

<p>The Swedish FA have officially confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be coming out of international retirement for FIFA World Cup 2018.</p>

<p>"I spoke to Zlatan on Tuesday, and he said that he hasn't changed his mind about the national team - it's a no," Lasse Richt, chief of staff for the national team, said in a statement.</p>

<p>There were speculations that Sweden's record goalscorer Ibrahimovic might overturn his decision and mark a comeback in the 21st football World Cup which is scheduled to take place in Russia.</p>

<p>Zlatan had retired in the year 2016 after the 2016 European Championships in France and been plagued by a knee injury for almost a year.</p>

<p>Recently he played brilliantly his debut match for MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy against Los Angeles FC and scored a stunner.</p>

<p>"Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in that case, for the same reason as with previous national team gatherings, not under consideration for the World Cup squad that national team coach Janne Andersson will announce on May 15," the statement went on.</p>

<p>Sweden booted out Italy to qualify for the World Cup and was placed on Group F campaign with South Korea, Germany and Mexico.</p>


The Swedish FA have officially confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be coming out of international retirement for FIFA World Cup 2018

The Swedish FA have officially confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be coming out of international retirement for FIFA World Cup 2018. "I spoke to Zlatan on Tuesday, and he said that he hasn't changed his mind about the national team - it's a no," Lasse Richt, chief of staff for the national team, said in a statement. There were speculations that Sweden's record goalscorer Ibrahimovic might overturn his decision and mark a comeback in the 21st football World Cup which is scheduled to take place in Russia. Zlatan had retired in the year 2016 after the 2016 European Championships in France and been plagued by a knee injury for almost a year. Recently he played brilliantly his debut match for MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy against Los Angeles FC and scored a stunner. "Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in that case, for the same reason as with previous national team gatherings, not under consideration for the World Cup squad that national team coach Janne Andersson will announce on May 15," the statement went on. Sweden booted out Italy to qualify for the World Cup and was placed on Group F campaign with South Korea, Germany and Mexico.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic wont play in FIFA 2018, says Swedish FA

<p>A circus bear used to open a&nbsp;soccer&nbsp;match in Russia's town of Pyatigorsk on Saturday (April 14) caused outrage from animal welfare groups.</p>

<p>The bear, named 'Tima', performed gestures and handed the match ball to the referee before the third-tier match between FC Mashuk-KMV and FC Angusht.</p>

<p>FC Angusht, who had initially shared the video, said that the bear was to be used in the World Cup opening ceremony, a claim which FIFA denied according to BBC.</p>

<p>FIFA World Cup will begin in Russia on June 14.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Monday, saying that it’s clear from the footage that “cruel training methods have been used” on the bear.<br />
<br />
Rustam Dudov, manager of the Mashuk club which arranged for the bear to perform, told the Sport Express newspaper Monday that the bear was</p>
— Стасов Антон (@Antonstasov1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Antonstasov1/status/986230441299578881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">How many blows have been given to this bear to make him perform in front of thousands of cheering idiots ?</p>
— Laura Libertini (@LauraLibertini1) <a href="https://twitter.com/LauraLibertini1/status/986201307303342080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The bear, named 'Tima', performed gestures and handed the match ball to the referee before the third-tier match between FC Mashuk-KMV and FC Angusht

A circus bear used to open a soccer match in Russia's town of Pyatigorsk on Saturday (April 14) caused outrage from animal welfare groups. The bear, named 'Tima', performed gestures and handed the match ball to the referee before the third-tier match between FC Mashuk-KMV and FC Angusht. FC Angusht, who had initially shared the video, said that the bear was to be used in the World Cup opening ceremony, a claim which FIFA denied according to BBC. FIFA World Cup will begin in Russia on June 14. Monday, saying that it’s clear from the footage that “cruel training methods have been used” on the bear. Rustam Dudov, manager of the Mashuk club which arranged for the bear to perform, told the Sport Express newspaper Monday that the bear was — Стасов Антон (@Antonstasov1) April 17, 2018 × How many blows have been given to this bear to make him perform in front of thousands of cheering idiots ? — Laura Libertini (@LauraLibertini1) April 17, 2018 ×

Watch: Bear 'performs' at soccer match, causes worldwide outrage

<p>World Cup-bound England had the wind taken out of their sails as Italy's Lorenzo Insigne scored an 86th-minute penalty, awarded by VAR, to cancel out Jamie Vardy's opener and secure a 1-1 draw in a friendly at Wembley on Tuesday.</p>

<p>The Video Assistant Referee will be used at this year's finals in Russia and as an example of things to come it rescued Italy as they gained some crumbs of comfort after a woeful run of form that cost them a place at the tournament.</p>

<p>It was tough on England who, apart from a sloppy opening spell, had looked reasonably assured in what was a high-profile audition for those players still hoping to grab a place in Gareth Southgate's final squad.</p>

<p>Vardy did his chances no harm at all when he thumped home after a quickly-taken free kick by Jesse Lingard in the 26th minute for his seventh England goal.</p>

<p>Burnley's James Tarkowski, handed a debut in a back three, also did little wrong although it was his tackle on substitute Federico Chiesa that allowed Italy a first goal in four games and ended England's run of five clean sheets.</p>

<p>Two of those shutouts were against Germany and Brazil while they also beat the Netherlands 1-0 in Amsterdam on Friday and, although they could not take the scalp of four-times world champions Italy, the England boss was upbeat.</p>

<p>"I feel that we have made positive progression," Southgate, who will name his provisional 33-man squad on May 14, said.</p>

<p>"In terms of the last four games we have played four of the biggest football countries in the world and we have been competitive in every game and our patterns of play have become a lot clearer to everybody."</p>

<p>What is not yet clear is the impact of VAR.</p>

<p>Chiesa's theatrical fall did not initially impress German referee Deniz Aytekin but after the intervention of VAR he pointed to the spot and, with boos ringing around the stadium, Insigne beat Jack Butland with a perfect spot kick.</p>

<p>It was a marginal call as Chiesa appeared to be already off balance when Tarkowski inadvertently trod on his foot.</p>

<p><strong>STEADY PROGRESS</strong></p>

<p>Italy arrived at Wembley in the doldrums after becoming the biggest casualties of the qualifying campaign.</p>

<p>England, on the other hand, are attracting quiet optimism after steady progress under Southgate's thoughtful stewardship.</p>

<p>There are still questions to answer, however, and John Stones did his best to undermine the growing confidence in England's defence with a sloppy opening in which he twice almost allowed Ciro Immobile to score.</p>

<p>First he played Immobile onside but the striker failed to react quickly enough and then Stones dallied on the ball in his own area and had his pocket picked by Immobile who again lacked the required sharpness to punish the Manchester City man.</p>

<p>Immobile wasted another chance when he headed over the bar after being left unmarked in the area.</p>

<p>Raheem Sterling was England's best attacking option with his driving runs causing panic at the heart of Italy's defence.</p>

<p>He had already carved out a chance for Vardy when he burst forward again only to be bundled over on the edge of the area.</p>

<p>Jesse Lingard took the free kick instantaneously and rolled the ball to Vardy who smashed his shot past Italy's teenage keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.</p>

<p>The goal settled England down and they began to assert some control with Ashley Young, given a first start under Southgate, rolling a cross-shot just wide after another Sterling burst.</p>

<p>England were comfortable after the break as Italy lacked any goal threat but the usual raft of substitutions from both sides disrupted what little rhythm the match had.</p>

<p>The Mexican waves were well underway when Italy finished with a late flourish.</p>

<p>Insigne went close with a volley after some slick passing and then Chiesa fell theatrically under the challenge of Burnley defender Tarkowski to change the mood in the stadium and send the small Italian contingent in the 82,000 crowd home happy.</p>


The two sides drew 1-1. (Italy, remember, is not going to the World Cup)

World Cup-bound England had the wind taken out of their sails as Italy's Lorenzo Insigne scored an 86th-minute penalty, awarded by VAR, to cancel out Jamie Vardy's opener and secure a 1-1 draw in a friendly at Wembley on Tuesday. The Video Assistant Referee will be used at this year's finals in Russia and as an example of things to come it rescued Italy as they gained some crumbs of comfort after a woeful run of form that cost them a place at the tournament. It was tough on England who, apart from a sloppy opening spell, had looked reasonably assured in what was a high-profile audition for those players still hoping to grab a place in Gareth Southgate's final squad. Vardy did his chances no harm at all when he thumped home after a quickly-taken free kick by Jesse Lingard in the 26th minute for his seventh England goal. Burnley's James Tarkowski, handed a debut in a back three, also did little wrong although it was his tackle on substitute Federico Chiesa that allowed Italy a first goal in four games and ended England's run of five clean sheets. Two of those shutouts were against Germany and Brazil while they also beat the Netherlands 1-0 in Amsterdam on Friday and, although they could not take the scalp of four-times world champions Italy, the England boss was upbeat. "I feel that we have made positive progression," Southgate, who will name his provisional 33-man squad on May 14, said. "In terms of the last four games we have played four of the biggest football countries in the world and we have been competitive in every game and our patterns of play have become a lot clearer to everybody." What is not yet clear is the impact of VAR. Chiesa's theatrical fall did not initially impress German referee Deniz Aytekin but after the intervention of VAR he pointed to the spot and, with boos ringing around the stadium, Insigne beat Jack Butland with a perfect spot kick. It was a marginal call as Chiesa appeared to be already off balance when Tarkowski inadvertently trod on his foot. STEADY PROGRESS Italy arrived at Wembley in the doldrums after becoming the biggest casualties of the qualifying campaign. England, on the other hand, are attracting quiet optimism after steady progress under Southgate's thoughtful stewardship. There are still questions to answer, however, and John Stones did his best to undermine the growing confidence in England's defence with a sloppy opening in which he twice almost allowed Ciro Immobile to score. First he played Immobile onside but the striker failed to react quickly enough and then Stones dallied on the ball in his own area and had his pocket picked by Immobile who again lacked the required sharpness to punish the Manchester City man. Immobile wasted another chance when he headed over the bar after being left unmarked in the area. Raheem Sterling was England's best attacking option with his driving runs causing panic at the heart of Italy's defence. He had already carved out a chance for Vardy when he burst forward again only to be bundled over on the edge of the area. Jesse Lingard took the free kick instantaneously and rolled the ball to Vardy who smashed his shot past Italy's teenage keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goal settled England down and they began to assert some control with Ashley Young, given a first start under Southgate, rolling a cross-shot just wide after another Sterling burst. England were comfortable after the break as Italy lacked any goal threat but the usual raft of substitutions from both sides disrupted what little rhythm the match had. The Mexican waves were well underway when Italy finished with a late flourish. Insigne went close with a volley after some slick passing and then Chiesa fell theatrically under the challenge of Burnley defender Tarkowski to change the mood in the stadium and send the small Italian contingent in the 82,000 crowd home happy.

World Cup friendlies: Late Italy penalty takes wind out of England's sails

<p>Messi is currently suffering from a muscle injury and was not there in the squad list of a&nbsp;warm-up match against Spain in which Argentina suffered an embarrassing 6-1 defeat.</p>

<p>Though the Argentine striker was watching the game from the stands for as long as he could, but with 10 minutes remaining he had seen enough and left the stands with dejection.</p>

<p><em>Watch the video here:</em></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Messi after watching Argentina get battered 6-1 by Spain ? <a href="https://t.co/pXX3y5g8Wi">pic.twitter.com/pXX3y5g8Wi</a></p>
— True Soccer Life ⚽️ (@TrueSccrLife) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrueSccrLife/status/978785968416264192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Cameras captured the injured captain leaving his seat, presumably to head for the dressing room to console his distraught teammates, but the image was symbolic as his hapless team was humiliated 6-1 by a rampaging Spain side.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Heart aches ?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Messi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Messi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreMessi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreMessi</a> <a href="https://t.co/uFTmdXjEXz">pic.twitter.com/uFTmdXjEXz</a></p>
— Leo Messi ? (@WeAreMessi) <a href="https://twitter.com/WeAreMessi/status/978753760133550080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


The Argentine striker was watching the game from the stands for as long as he could, but with 10 minutes remaining he had seen enough and left the stands with dejection

Messi is currently suffering from a muscle injury and was not there in the squad list of a warm-up match against Spain in which Argentina suffered an embarrassing 6-1 defeat. Though the Argentine striker was watching the game from the stands for as long as he could, but with 10 minutes remaining he had seen enough and left the stands with dejection. Watch the video here: Messi after watching Argentina get battered 6-1 by Spain ? pic.twitter.com/pXX3y5g8Wi — True Soccer Life ⚽️ (@TrueSccrLife) March 28, 2018 × Cameras captured the injured captain leaving his seat, presumably to head for the dressing room to console his distraught teammates, but the image was symbolic as his hapless team was humiliated 6-1 by a rampaging Spain side. Heart aches ?? #Messi #WeAreMessi pic.twitter.com/uFTmdXjEXz — Leo Messi ? (@WeAreMessi) March 27, 2018 ×

Watch: Messi storms out of stadium as Spain hammers Argentina 6-1

<p>Diego Maradona, the former football World Cup winner and Argentine legend&nbsp;defended Lionel Messi ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2018.</p>

<p>Lionel Messi, who is famously jinxed in the finals of the&nbsp;major tournaments like&nbsp; World Cup and Copa America has experts baying for his blood once again as Argentina gets set for Russia.</p>

<p>In the last football World Cup in Brazil, the Barcelona sensation led the team in the finals but suffered a terrible fate when Germany scored the winner in the extra time and became world champions.</p>

<p>Apart from the World Cup, he also faced defeats in the finals of Copa America. Not to forget the&nbsp;Copa 2016, when he suddenly announced retirement which he later overturned after facing a tragic defeat against Chile in the penalties.</p>

<p>Recently, Messi said he could retire from international matches if Argentina doesn&#39;t win the World Cup.</p>

<p>Responding to this, former Argentine legend Maradona said, &quot;Messi always showed he loves football, that doesn&#39;t change whether he plays or doesn&#39;t play in a World Cup. Messi is Messi, with or without a World Cup.&quot;</p>

<p>Maradona also supported the use of video review (Video Assistant Referee-VAR) to help referees at the World Cup. He hailed it as a landmark decision.</p>

<p>He said, &quot;I think that technology now is doing good in football...and I think it will be at the forefront for transparency in this new FIFA.&quot;</p>

<p>In a recent interview to a TV news program which broadcast on the America TV channel, Messi said, &quot;I have seen in many places in the world that people want this to be a good World Cup for me. The truth is I find this amazing.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">????️???????? | &quot;I have seen in many places in the world that people want this to be a good World Cup for me. The truth is I find this amazing&quot;<br />
<br />
???? <a href="https://twitter.com/Argentina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Argentina</a>&#39;s Lionel Messi, speaking with <a href="https://twitter.com/LaCornisaok?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LaCornisaok</a> ahead of important <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup</a> preparation matches <a href="https://t.co/A9tpEMUDmp">pic.twitter.com/A9tpEMUDmp</a></p>
&mdash; FIFA World Cup ???? (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/976590665852293121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Maradona also supported the use of video review (Video Assistant Referee-VAR) to help referees at the World Cup

Diego Maradona, the former football World Cup winner and Argentine legend defended Lionel Messi ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2018. Lionel Messi, who is famously jinxed in the finals of the major tournaments like World Cup and Copa America has experts baying for his blood once again as Argentina gets set for Russia. In the last football World Cup in Brazil, the Barcelona sensation led the team in the finals but suffered a terrible fate when Germany scored the winner in the extra time and became world champions. Apart from the World Cup, he also faced defeats in the finals of Copa America. Not to forget the Copa 2016, when he suddenly announced retirement which he later overturned after facing a tragic defeat against Chile in the penalties. Recently, Messi said he could retire from international matches if Argentina doesn't win the World Cup. Responding to this, former Argentine legend Maradona said, "Messi always showed he loves football, that doesn't change whether he plays or doesn't play in a World Cup. Messi is Messi, with or without a World Cup." Maradona also supported the use of video review (Video Assistant Referee-VAR) to help referees at the World Cup. He hailed it as a landmark decision. He said, "I think that technology now is doing good in football...and I think it will be at the forefront for transparency in this new FIFA." In a recent interview to a TV news program which broadcast on the America TV channel, Messi said, "I have seen in many places in the world that people want this to be a good World Cup for me. The truth is I find this amazing." ????️???????? | "I have seen in many places in the world that people want this to be a good World Cup for me. The truth is I find this amazing" ???? @Argentina's Lionel Messi, speaking with @LaCornisaok ahead of important #WorldCup preparation matches pic.twitter.com/A9tpEMUDmp — FIFA World Cup ???? (@FIFAWorldCup) March 21, 2018 ×

Messi is Messi, with or without World Cup: Diego Maradona

<p>Russia&#39;s ambassador to Britain insisted Thursday that England football fans will be safe at the 2018 World Cup, despite a raging diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow.</p>

<p>&quot;They will be safe in Russia,&quot; Alexander Yakovenko told a press conference at the London embassy.</p>

<p>All the necessary measures are being taken, and the British special authorities are in contact with the special Russian authorities to provide security.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s regular precautions that we are doing with every single country.</p>

<p>&quot;I am sure that there will be full security, and by the way, there will be a visa-free regime for those who are coming to Moscow.</p>

<p>&quot;They will be the guests of Russia.&quot;</p>

<p>The comments came amid an escalating war of words between Russia and Britain over the poisoning of a Russian former double agent on British soil on March 4. Moscow denies involvement in the case.&nbsp;</p>

<p>British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Wednesday called for Russian guarantees over the safety of England fans at the World Cup in June and July.</p>

<p>Johnson also said President Vladimir Putin would exploit the 2018 football World Cup in Russia as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had done with the Berlin Olympics.</p>

<p>Johnson agreed with an MP who suggested, &quot;Putin is going to use it in the way Hitler used the 1936 Olympics&quot;, as a propaganda exercise.</p>

<p>&quot;I think the comparison with 1936 is certainly right,&quot; the minister replied, envisaging Putin &quot;glorying in this sporting event&quot;.</p>

<p>Yakovenko condemned Johnson&#39;s comparison.</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;m authorised to say that Moscow considered these kind of statements... in any way unacceptable and totally irresponsible,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;The British government is free to make a decision about its participation in the World Cup but nobody has the right to insult the Russian people who defeated Nazism... by comparing our country to Nazi Germany.</p>

<p>&quot;We do not think British war veterans, including those of the Arctic Convoys, would share this opinion,&quot; he said, referring to World War II oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern Soviet ports.</p>


Russia's ambassador to Britain insisted England football fans will be safe at the 2018 World Cup, despite a raging diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow

Russia's ambassador to Britain insisted Thursday that England football fans will be safe at the 2018 World Cup, despite a raging diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow. "They will be safe in Russia," Alexander Yakovenko told a press conference at the London embassy. All the necessary measures are being taken, and the British special authorities are in contact with the special Russian authorities to provide security. "It's regular precautions that we are doing with every single country. "I am sure that there will be full security, and by the way, there will be a visa-free regime for those who are coming to Moscow. "They will be the guests of Russia." The comments came amid an escalating war of words between Russia and Britain over the poisoning of a Russian former double agent on British soil on March 4. Moscow denies involvement in the case. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Wednesday called for Russian guarantees over the safety of England fans at the World Cup in June and July. Johnson also said President Vladimir Putin would exploit the 2018 football World Cup in Russia as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had done with the Berlin Olympics. Johnson agreed with an MP who suggested, "Putin is going to use it in the way Hitler used the 1936 Olympics", as a propaganda exercise. "I think the comparison with 1936 is certainly right," the minister replied, envisaging Putin "glorying in this sporting event". Yakovenko condemned Johnson's comparison. "I'm authorised to say that Moscow considered these kind of statements... in any way unacceptable and totally irresponsible," he said. "The British government is free to make a decision about its participation in the World Cup but nobody has the right to insult the Russian people who defeated Nazism... by comparing our country to Nazi Germany. "We do not think British war veterans, including those of the Arctic Convoys, would share this opinion," he said, referring to World War II oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern Soviet ports.

British fans will be safe in Russia: Russian ambassador Yakovenko

<p>FIFA&#39;s forward football development programme has acted as a catalyst to promote football in India.</p>

<p>The programme aims to improve football across the globe by providing&nbsp;funds and other infrastructural facilities&nbsp;across the globe.</p>

<p>FIFA also promotes the development of women&#39;s football and pledges to support it financially by providing it with players, coaches, referees and officials the opportunity to become actively involved in football.</p>

<p>Recently, FIFA has applauded India&#39;s initiative of promoting women football in the country for establishing the&nbsp;Indian Women&rsquo;s League.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensFootball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WomensFootball</a> in India boosted with a new league established with help from the FIFA Forward Programme <a href="https://t.co/E3J9xTWpdT">https://t.co/E3J9xTWpdT</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y2xbgmX6OP">pic.twitter.com/Y2xbgmX6OP</a></p>
&mdash; FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAcom/status/975988970747121664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Recently, India hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup (Men) and the event was welcomed by enormous crowds.</p>

<p>The success of&nbsp;U-17 World Cup in India gave an opportunity to many aspirants and persuaded them to take up football as a career.</p>

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<h5>Women&rsquo;s football in India needed a push to progress and the Indian Women&rsquo;s League has certainly acted as a major boost for every girl who ever dreamt of playing football in the country</h5>
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<p>India women&rsquo;s football is benefitting from FIFA forward programme as FIFA has provided funding and momentum.</p>

<p>&quot;Women&rsquo;s football in India needed a push to progress and the Indian Women&rsquo;s League has certainly acted as a major boost for every girl who ever dreamt of playing football in the country,&quot;&nbsp;Oinam Bembem Devi, the nation&rsquo;s most-capped player.</p>

<p>&quot;Some of the oldest football clubs in the world hail from India,&rdquo; said Sanjeevan Balasingam, FIFA Member Association Regional Director for Asia and Oceania.</p>

<p>He further added, &ldquo;However, there is no established club culture yet for women&#39;s football in India. So the IWL will help achieve that and positive strides are already being made.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">All the best <a href="https://twitter.com/GokulamKeralaFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GokulamKeralaFC</a> women&rsquo;s team for Indian Women&rsquo;s League. <a href="https://t.co/ulEa0HZTD8">pic.twitter.com/ulEa0HZTD8</a></p>
&mdash; Pratheesh G Nair (@pratheeshjourno) <a href="https://twitter.com/pratheeshjourno/status/975585805912588288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Indian Women’s League is a part of FIFA's forward football development programme

FIFA's forward football development programme has acted as a catalyst to promote football in India. The programme aims to improve football across the globe by providing funds and other infrastructural facilities across the globe. FIFA also promotes the development of women's football and pledges to support it financially by providing it with players, coaches, referees and officials the opportunity to become actively involved in football. Recently, FIFA has applauded India's initiative of promoting women football in the country for establishing the Indian Women’s League. #WomensFootball in India boosted with a new league established with help from the FIFA Forward Programme https://t.co/E3J9xTWpdT pic.twitter.com/Y2xbgmX6OP — FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) March 20, 2018 × Recently, India hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup (Men) and the event was welcomed by enormous crowds. The success of U-17 World Cup in India gave an opportunity to many aspirants and persuaded them to take up football as a career. Women’s football in India needed a push to progress and the Indian Women’s League has certainly acted as a major boost for every girl who ever dreamt of playing football in the country × India women’s football is benefitting from FIFA forward programme as FIFA has provided funding and momentum. "Women’s football in India needed a push to progress and the Indian Women’s League has certainly acted as a major boost for every girl who ever dreamt of playing football in the country," Oinam Bembem Devi, the nation’s most-capped player. "Some of the oldest football clubs in the world hail from India,” said Sanjeevan Balasingam, FIFA Member Association Regional Director for Asia and Oceania. He further added, “However, there is no established club culture yet for women's football in India. So the IWL will help achieve that and positive strides are already being made." All the best @GokulamKeralaFC women’s team for Indian Women’s League. pic.twitter.com/ulEa0HZTD8 — Pratheesh G Nair (@pratheeshjourno) March 19, 2018 ×

Football: FIFA applauds India's initiative of women's football league

<p>FIFA lifted its three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international football on Friday with the cities of Arbil, Basra and Karbala given the go-ahead to stage official matches.</p>

<p>&quot;We are allowing international matches to be staged in the cities of Arbil, Basra and Karbala,&quot; FIFA president Gianni Infantino told reporters after a meeting of the FIFA Council in Bogota.</p>

<p>The three cities had been allowed to organise friendlies in the last year provided the security situation was &quot;stable&quot;.</p>

<p>Iraq will host Qatar and Syria for a friendly tournament starting on March 21 in Basra.</p>

<p>&quot;FIFA has given the green light for the resumption but the organisers of the championship must take the final decision,&quot; added Infantino.</p>

<p>FIFA added that it cannot &quot;yet&quot; agree to a request from the Iraqi authorities to organise matches in the capital of Baghdad, but Infantino promised that the city&#39;s application would continue to be studied.</p>

<p>For years, Iraq has been busily building stadiums and pressurising stars and the sport&#39;s governing bodies to help them return to the international fold.</p>

<p>Friday&#39;s decision followed an international friendly between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in Basra on February 28, their first on Iraqi soil in 40 years.</p>

<p>It was watched by Asian Football Confederation head Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa who said &quot;the time had come&quot; to end the three-decade ban.</p>

<p>Iraq has not played full internationals on home turf since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.</p>

<p>The ban, covering all but domestic matches, stayed in place after the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.</p>

<p>It was briefly lifted in 2012, but a power outage during an Iraq-Jordan match in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil led FIFA to promptly reinstate it.</p>


Iraq will host Qatar and Syria for a friendly tournament starting on March 21 in Basra

FIFA lifted its three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international football on Friday with the cities of Arbil, Basra and Karbala given the go-ahead to stage official matches. "We are allowing international matches to be staged in the cities of Arbil, Basra and Karbala," FIFA president Gianni Infantino told reporters after a meeting of the FIFA Council in Bogota. The three cities had been allowed to organise friendlies in the last year provided the security situation was "stable". Iraq will host Qatar and Syria for a friendly tournament starting on March 21 in Basra. "FIFA has given the green light for the resumption but the organisers of the championship must take the final decision," added Infantino. FIFA added that it cannot "yet" agree to a request from the Iraqi authorities to organise matches in the capital of Baghdad, but Infantino promised that the city's application would continue to be studied. For years, Iraq has been busily building stadiums and pressurising stars and the sport's governing bodies to help them return to the international fold. Friday's decision followed an international friendly between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in Basra on February 28, their first on Iraqi soil in 40 years. It was watched by Asian Football Confederation head Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa who said "the time had come" to end the three-decade ban. Iraq has not played full internationals on home turf since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The ban, covering all but domestic matches, stayed in place after the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. It was briefly lifted in 2012, but a power outage during an Iraq-Jordan match in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil led FIFA to promptly reinstate it.

FIFA lifts three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international matches

<p>FIFA are expected to rubber-stamp video assistant referee technology (VAR) for this summer&#39;s World Cup despite lingering opposition from within and outside football.</p>

<p>Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, will oversee the governing body&#39;s meeting in Bogota happy to give the green light to the system despite a long, personal spell of scepticism.</p>

<p>&quot;VAR is something positive that will bring much more to the transparency of football,&quot; said Infantino ahead of the FIFA Council meeting starting Friday.</p>

<p>&quot;Video refereeing isn&#39;t going to be the solution to everything in football. What we want to do is avoid resounding mistakes by referees.&quot;</p>

<p>At the World Cup in Russia from June 14-July 15, VAR will be used to judge whether or not a goal has been scored, analyse whether a penalty should be awarded, decide on red cards and rectify if a player has been mistakenly sanctioned.</p>

<p>The game&#39;s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), had decided two weeks ago at its meeting in Zurich to support VAR at the World Cup.</p>

<p>VAR has been trialled since 2016 by around 20 federations including the German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A.</p>

<p>But it has not been universally welcomed with even UEFA, the European governing body, still to be convinced.</p>

<p>&quot;Nobody knows exactly how VAR will work. There is already a lot of confusion,&quot; said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin who insists that VAR will not be used in next season&#39;s Champions League.</p>

<p>&quot;I am not at all against it but we must better explain when it will be used. We will see at the World Cup.&quot;</p>

<p>One of the problems that dogs VAR, say its critics, is not the accuracy of its decisions but the time it takes to arrive at them.</p>

<p>It&#39;s a drawback which has left many fans and purists frustrated that the flow of a game is interrupted.</p>

<p>&quot;The intervention of VAR takes one minute on average in each game. If we lose a minute to correct mistakes, I think we have done something good,&quot; said Infantino.</p>

<p>However, Colombia coach Luis Fernando Suarez added in an interview with AFP: &quot;It seems hurried to me. I think we should do other trials in other tournaments, analyse them well, and then put it in place.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Suarez, who led Ecuador at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and Honduras in 2014 in Brazil, remains a fan in general of the use of technology in football, which he has witnessed close up.</p>

<p>That came in the 2014 tournament when his Honduras team played France in Porto Alegre when the first goal decided through GLT (goal-line technology) was awarded to France.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s good and necessary that there are changes but it&#39;s essential that we don&#39;t lose the essence of football,&quot; added Suarez.</p>

<p>Elsewhere at the FIFA Council meeting, discussions will be held on the presentation of the two dossiers for hosting the 2026 World Cup where Morocco is battling against a joint USA-Canada-Mexico bid.</p>

<p>Host countries for the 2019 Under-17 and Under-20 world championships will also be decided.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


FIFA are expected to rubber-stamp video assistant referee technology (VAR) for this summer's World Cup despite lingering opposition from within and outside football

FIFA are expected to rubber-stamp video assistant referee technology (VAR) for this summer's World Cup despite lingering opposition from within and outside football. Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, will oversee the governing body's meeting in Bogota happy to give the green light to the system despite a long, personal spell of scepticism. "VAR is something positive that will bring much more to the transparency of football," said Infantino ahead of the FIFA Council meeting starting Friday. "Video refereeing isn't going to be the solution to everything in football. What we want to do is avoid resounding mistakes by referees." At the World Cup in Russia from June 14-July 15, VAR will be used to judge whether or not a goal has been scored, analyse whether a penalty should be awarded, decide on red cards and rectify if a player has been mistakenly sanctioned. The game's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), had decided two weeks ago at its meeting in Zurich to support VAR at the World Cup. VAR has been trialled since 2016 by around 20 federations including the German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A. But it has not been universally welcomed with even UEFA, the European governing body, still to be convinced. "Nobody knows exactly how VAR will work. There is already a lot of confusion," said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin who insists that VAR will not be used in next season's Champions League. "I am not at all against it but we must better explain when it will be used. We will see at the World Cup." One of the problems that dogs VAR, say its critics, is not the accuracy of its decisions but the time it takes to arrive at them. It's a drawback which has left many fans and purists frustrated that the flow of a game is interrupted. "The intervention of VAR takes one minute on average in each game. If we lose a minute to correct mistakes, I think we have done something good," said Infantino. However, Colombia coach Luis Fernando Suarez added in an interview with AFP: "It seems hurried to me. I think we should do other trials in other tournaments, analyse them well, and then put it in place." Suarez, who led Ecuador at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and Honduras in 2014 in Brazil, remains a fan in general of the use of technology in football, which he has witnessed close up. That came in the 2014 tournament when his Honduras team played France in Porto Alegre when the first goal decided through GLT (goal-line technology) was awarded to France. "It's good and necessary that there are changes but it's essential that we don't lose the essence of football," added Suarez. Elsewhere at the FIFA Council meeting, discussions will be held on the presentation of the two dossiers for hosting the 2026 World Cup where Morocco is battling against a joint USA-Canada-Mexico bid. Host countries for the 2019 Under-17 and Under-20 world championships will also be decided.

FIFA to give VAR green light at World Cup

<p>Football&#39;s law-making body on Saturday was set to approve the use of video assistant referee technology (VAR) at this summer&#39;s World Cup, overriding purists concerned about technology disrupting the game.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting in Zurich is widely expected to rubber-stamp the move already backed by FIFA&#39;s top brass, including president Gianni Infantino.&nbsp;</p>

<p>VAR can only be used when there is doubt surrounding any of four key game-changing situations: After a goal, penalty decisions, after a straight red card or in cases of mistaken identity.</p>

<p>It has already been implemented in top European leagues including the German Bundesliga and Italy&#39;s Serie A -- along with tests in multiple other leagues -- but opinion is still divided.&nbsp;</p>

<p>UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said this week that European football&#39;s governing body would not introduce VAR in next season&#39;s Champions League due to ongoing &quot;confusion&quot; surrounding its use.</p>

<p>Others have voiced concern about video assistance being used too often, slowing down the game and possibly breaking a team&#39;s momentum.&nbsp;</p>

<p>That is an issue confronting major North American sports&nbsp;like baseball and American football, where different forms of video replay have been in use for several years and where calls to shorten match length have risen. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Access to information</strong></p>

<p>But the desire to avoid ferociously disputed calls -- especially in high-profile moments -- appears to have tipped FIFA to support using VAR at this summer&#39;s World Cup in Russia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One iconic example that VAR could theoretically have prevented is Diego Maradona&#39;s &quot;Hand of God&quot; goal that saw Argentina beat England in the 1986 World Cup.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For Infantino, who will be on hand Saturday for the IFAB announcement, international football cannot allow anyone with a smart-phone having access to better information than a World Cup referee.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;In 2018 we cannot anymore afford that everyone in the stadium and everyone in front of a TV screen can see within a few minutes on his phone whether the referee has made a big mistake or not, and the only one who cannot see it is the referee&quot;, he said last month. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;So if we can help the referee then we should do it,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>Representatives of the 32 teams that have qualified for the World Cup meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi this week voiced confidence that the expected VAR rollout would be a positive for the tournament.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;This is the new life. This is modern life,&quot; said Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz.</p>

<p>&quot;It is obvious that football cannot go on with its eyes closed to the modern world.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


VAR can only be used when there is doubt surrounding any of four key game-changing situations: After a goal, penalty decisions, after a straight red card or in cases of mistaken identity

Football's law-making body on Saturday was set to approve the use of video assistant referee technology (VAR) at this summer's World Cup, overriding purists concerned about technology disrupting the game. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting in Zurich is widely expected to rubber-stamp the move already backed by FIFA's top brass, including president Gianni Infantino. VAR can only be used when there is doubt surrounding any of four key game-changing situations: After a goal, penalty decisions, after a straight red card or in cases of mistaken identity. It has already been implemented in top European leagues including the German Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A -- along with tests in multiple other leagues -- but opinion is still divided. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said this week that European football's governing body would not introduce VAR in next season's Champions League due to ongoing "confusion" surrounding its use. Others have voiced concern about video assistance being used too often, slowing down the game and possibly breaking a team's momentum. That is an issue confronting major North American sports like baseball and American football, where different forms of video replay have been in use for several years and where calls to shorten match length have risen. Access to information But the desire to avoid ferociously disputed calls -- especially in high-profile moments -- appears to have tipped FIFA to support using VAR at this summer's World Cup in Russia. One iconic example that VAR could theoretically have prevented is Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal that saw Argentina beat England in the 1986 World Cup. For Infantino, who will be on hand Saturday for the IFAB announcement, international football cannot allow anyone with a smart-phone having access to better information than a World Cup referee. "In 2018 we cannot anymore afford that everyone in the stadium and everyone in front of a TV screen can see within a few minutes on his phone whether the referee has made a big mistake or not, and the only one who cannot see it is the referee", he said last month. "So if we can help the referee then we should do it," he added. Representatives of the 32 teams that have qualified for the World Cup meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi this week voiced confidence that the expected VAR rollout would be a positive for the tournament. "This is the new life. This is modern life," said Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz. "It is obvious that football cannot go on with its eyes closed to the modern world."

Video Assistant Referee set for FIFA World Cup approval

<p>Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, currently serving a ban from the sport, said on Thursday he is considering legal action against the global football body in an attempt to clear his name.</p>

<p>Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years, was handed a six-year ban for ethics violations, imposed amid the biggest corruption scandal to shake world soccer&rsquo;s governing body in 2015.</p>

<p>The 81-year-old Swiss said that while &ldquo;for the time being there is no legal action&rdquo;, he and his lawyers were working on a potential case.</p>

<p>&ldquo;My aim is to look into the decision of FIFA&rsquo;s Ethic-Committee in view of informations, and even evidences that I have received, in the meantime, in connection with my suspension,&rdquo; Blatter told Reuters via email.</p>

<p>&ldquo;We are working on this case &ndash; and looking forward for development.&rdquo;</p>

<p>It is likely that any legal action from Blatter would take place in the Swiss civil courts.</p>

<p>FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>

<p>In December 2016, Blatter lost an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the suspension.</p>

<p>CAS ruled that Blatter had authorised payments to Michel Platini, then the European football boss, worth over $2 million that amounted to &ldquo;undue gifts&rdquo; and therefore violated FIFA&rsquo;s code of ethics.</p>

<p>Blatter had resigned in June 2015 after several dozen football officials, including FIFA executive committee members and former members, had been indicted in the United States on graft charges, along with two sports marketing firms.</p>

<p>The former FIFA president was not among those indicted, but became embroiled in scandal when he was banned from all football-related activity the following December by FIFA&rsquo;s Ethics Committee along with Platini.</p>

<p>The men were banned, initially for eight years, over a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($1.98 million) that FIFA made to Platini in 2011, with Blatter&rsquo;s approval, for work done a decade earlier. The bans were reduced to six years by FIFA&rsquo;s appeals committee in February 2016.</p>

<p>Blatter, who has denied all charges against him, had compared the FIFA Ethics Committee investigation to &ldquo;the inquisition&rdquo;.</p>

<p>In 2015 Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Blatter on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation but no charges have yet been brought.</p>

<p>The man who headed FIFA from 1998 to 2015 says he intends to attend June&rsquo;s World Cup in Russia after a personal invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p>


Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years, was handed a six-year ban for ethics violations, imposed amid the biggest corruption scandal to shake world soccer’s governing body in 2015

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, currently serving a ban from the sport, said on Thursday he is considering legal action against the global football body in an attempt to clear his name. Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years, was handed a six-year ban for ethics violations, imposed amid the biggest corruption scandal to shake world soccer’s governing body in 2015. The 81-year-old Swiss said that while “for the time being there is no legal action”, he and his lawyers were working on a potential case. “My aim is to look into the decision of FIFA’s Ethic-Committee in view of informations, and even evidences that I have received, in the meantime, in connection with my suspension,” Blatter told Reuters via email. “We are working on this case – and looking forward for development.” It is likely that any legal action from Blatter would take place in the Swiss civil courts. FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In December 2016, Blatter lost an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the suspension. CAS ruled that Blatter had authorised payments to Michel Platini, then the European football boss, worth over $2 million that amounted to “undue gifts” and therefore violated FIFA’s code of ethics. Blatter had resigned in June 2015 after several dozen football officials, including FIFA executive committee members and former members, had been indicted in the United States on graft charges, along with two sports marketing firms. The former FIFA president was not among those indicted, but became embroiled in scandal when he was banned from all football-related activity the following December by FIFA’s Ethics Committee along with Platini. The men were banned, initially for eight years, over a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($1.98 million) that FIFA made to Platini in 2011, with Blatter’s approval, for work done a decade earlier. The bans were reduced to six years by FIFA’s appeals committee in February 2016. Blatter, who has denied all charges against him, had compared the FIFA Ethics Committee investigation to “the inquisition”. In 2015 Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Blatter on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation but no charges have yet been brought. The man who headed FIFA from 1998 to 2015 says he intends to attend June’s World Cup in Russia after a personal invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sepp Blatter considering legal action against FIFA

<p>Austrian corruption prosecutors are investigating transactions between&nbsp;FIFA, the world soccer governing body, and its Austrian counterpart OFB, a spokesperson for the prosecutors said on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Austrian websites addendum.org and 90minuten.at reported on Tuesday that the OFB president, Leo Windtner, was being investigated for facilitating a $100,000 transfer from&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;to a charity project in Africa that his wife was involved with.</p>

<p>Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the corruption prosecutors&#39; office in Vienna on Wednesday confirmed an investigation was underway but declined to name any suspects.</p>

<p>She added the investigation relates to events in 2014.</p>

<p>&quot;We are investigating the accusation that OFB officials demanded $100,000 from&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;officials with regard to the election of the&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;president. The money was supposed to go to an African soccer academy,&quot; the spokesperson said.</p>

<p>Addendum.org 90 and minuten.at reported that the money was sent from&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;to OFB, but OFB then sent it back.&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;eventually sent the money directly to the African project, they reported.</p>

<p>At the time of the transfer, Sepp Blatter was lobbying to get re-elected as&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;president. He is currently in the midst of a six-year ban from all soccer-related duties imposed by Zurich-based FIFA&#39;s ethics committee after a corruption scandal.</p>

<p>Windtner, who became OFB president in 2009, confirmed the transfer had taken place but said it was used for a good cause and that he had nothing to reproach himself for.</p>

<p>OFB,&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;and the charity were not immediately available for comment.</p>

<p>In 2015,&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;was caught in the worst corruption crisis of its existence. Several officials were indicted in the United States for graft, and two out of three former officials were convicted in New York in the first trial of those charged.</p>

<p>Blatter was re-elected&nbsp;FIFA&nbsp;president in 2015 but was suspended later that year amid the corruption investigations.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


A legal representative based in Austria confirmed that an investigation for facilitating a $100,000 transfer from FIFA to a charity project in Africa was underway

Austrian corruption prosecutors are investigating transactions between FIFA, the world soccer governing body, and its Austrian counterpart OFB, a spokesperson for the prosecutors said on Wednesday. Austrian websites addendum.org and 90minuten.at reported on Tuesday that the OFB president, Leo Windtner, was being investigated for facilitating a $100,000 transfer from FIFA to a charity project in Africa that his wife was involved with. Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the corruption prosecutors' office in Vienna on Wednesday confirmed an investigation was underway but declined to name any suspects. She added the investigation relates to events in 2014. "We are investigating the accusation that OFB officials demanded $100,000 from FIFA officials with regard to the election of the FIFA president. The money was supposed to go to an African soccer academy," the spokesperson said. Addendum.org 90 and minuten.at reported that the money was sent from FIFA to OFB, but OFB then sent it back. FIFA eventually sent the money directly to the African project, they reported. At the time of the transfer, Sepp Blatter was lobbying to get re-elected as FIFA president. He is currently in the midst of a six-year ban from all soccer-related duties imposed by Zurich-based FIFA's ethics committee after a corruption scandal. Windtner, who became OFB president in 2009, confirmed the transfer had taken place but said it was used for a good cause and that he had nothing to reproach himself for. OFB, FIFA and the charity were not immediately available for comment. In 2015, FIFA was caught in the worst corruption crisis of its existence. Several officials were indicted in the United States for graft, and two out of three former officials were convicted in New York in the first trial of those charged. Blatter was re-elected FIFA president in 2015 but was suspended later that year amid the corruption investigations.

FIFA overshadowed by corruption, again

<p>Atletico&nbsp;Madrid has reported Barcelona to FIFA for an &quot;illegal&quot;&nbsp;transfer approach for Antoine Griezmann.</p>

<p>The French forward has been linked with the Catalan club in the Spanish media and Barcelona director Guillermo Amor told Movistar on Sunday that president Josep Maria Bartomeu may have made contact with Griezmann&#39;s family, who are also his representatives, over a potential move.</p>

<p>Earlier this year, Griezmann&nbsp;signed a new contract&nbsp;committing him to Atletico until the end of the 2021-22 season.</p>

<p>&quot;Atletico&nbsp;Madrid has presented a complaint about Barcelona for repeated contact between Barcelona, the player and his people,&quot;&nbsp;Atletico&nbsp;told Reuters.</p>

<p>&quot;Griezmann has a long contract and this cannot be permitted, while the club also considers it could affect the competition [La Liga] in which Barcelona are currently top and&nbsp;Atletico&nbsp;are second.&quot;</p>

<p>Barcelona haven&#39;t&nbsp;respond so far. In 2014, Barcelona suffered&nbsp;one-year transfer ban for signing under-age players by world football governing body FIFA.</p>

<p>A Fifa spokesman said, &quot;We can confirm that we have received a complaint from Atletico Madrid.&quot;</p>

<p>Griezmann, 26, signed a new&nbsp;Atletico&nbsp;contract in June until 2022, which has a 100 million euro ($118.2 million) release clause.</p>

<p>(With inputs from Reuters)</p>


Atletico Madrid reports to FIFA over Barcelona's alleged illegal approach for Atletico's star player, Antoine Griezmann

Atletico Madrid has reported Barcelona to FIFA for an "illegal" transfer approach for Antoine Griezmann. The French forward has been linked with the Catalan club in the Spanish media and Barcelona director Guillermo Amor told Movistar on Sunday that president Josep Maria Bartomeu may have made contact with Griezmann's family, who are also his representatives, over a potential move. Earlier this year, Griezmann signed a new contract committing him to Atletico until the end of the 2021-22 season. "Atletico Madrid has presented a complaint about Barcelona for repeated contact between Barcelona, the player and his people," Atletico told Reuters. "Griezmann has a long contract and this cannot be permitted, while the club also considers it could affect the competition [La Liga] in which Barcelona are currently top and Atletico are second." Barcelona haven't respond so far. In 2014, Barcelona suffered one-year transfer ban for signing under-age players by world football governing body FIFA. A Fifa spokesman said, "We can confirm that we have received a complaint from Atletico Madrid." Griezmann, 26, signed a new Atletico contract in June until 2022, which has a 100 million euro ($118.2 million) release clause. (With inputs from Reuters)

Barcelona made 'illegal' approach for Antoine Griezmann: Atletico?Madrid to FIFA

<p>Spain&rsquo;s participation at the 2018 World Cup in Russia could be under threat after FIFA raised concerns about political interference within the Spanish football federation (RFEF).</p>

<p>Soccer&#39;s governing body has warned the RFEF that the Spanish government&#39;s involvement in the election for the football federation&#39;s new president could lead to them being expelled from next year&#39;s World Cup.</p>

<p>The RFEF is led by Juan Luis Larrea on an interim basis after former president Angel Maria Villar was forced to step down on corruption charges.</p>

<p>&quot;We can confirm that FIFA recently sent a letter to the RFEF showing its concern with the situation the federation is in and reminding it that... all member associations should manage their affairs independently,&quot; FIFA said in a statement on Friday.</p>

<p>&quot;All associations must be assured that there is no outside interference from third parties in its internal affairs. FIFA is in contact with the RFEF and in the next few weeks a delegation of FIFA and UEFA members will travel to Madrid to analyse the situation the RFEF is in.&quot;</p>

<p>Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that FIFA&#39;s concerns centre around the government&#39;s sports department pushing to hold new federation elections.</p>

<p>A statement from the RFEF said its president Larrea had discussed the situation with FIFA members at the World Cup draw on December&nbsp;1.</p>

<p>&quot;The RFEF passed on these (FIFA&#39;s) concerns to the minister for sport and is expecting to organise a meeting on the matter. The RFEF wants everything to return to normal, that has always been the main objective of the current board of directors.</p>

<p>&quot;We underline that we all want the national team to participate in the 2018 World Cup, especially after its brilliant qualifying campaign.&quot;</p>

<p>Spain captain and Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, speaking ahead of the Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi, added: &quot;I cannot believe that Spain could lose what we have worked so hard for on the pitch due to an institutional dispute, I struggle to believe that.&quot;</p>

<p>Spain&#39;s prime minister Mariano Rajoy said he was not concerned by the suggestion his country would be barred from competing in the World Cup.</p>

<p>Spain won the World Cup for the first time in 2010 and are one of the favourites to lift the trophy in Russia next year.</p>

<p>&quot;I cannot contemplate that scenario, I&#39;m absolutely convinced Spain will go to the World Cup and that we are going to win it,&quot; Rajoy told reporters in Brussels after a meeting of European Union member states.</p>

<p>&quot;The government&#39;s behaviour is exemplary and those in charge of the department for sport (CSD) have the total support of the prime minister.&quot;</p>

<p>In 2015 Indonesia were banned from competing in qualifiers for next year&#39;s World Cup after FIFA said the central government had taken over its federation&#39;s affairs.</p>


Spain?s participation at the 2018 World Cup in Russia could be under threat after FIFA raised concerns about political interference within the Spanish football federation (RFEF)

Spain’s participation at the 2018 World Cup in Russia could be under threat after FIFA raised concerns about political interference within the Spanish football federation (RFEF). Soccer's governing body has warned the RFEF that the Spanish government's involvement in the election for the football federation's new president could lead to them being expelled from next year's World Cup. The RFEF is led by Juan Luis Larrea on an interim basis after former president Angel Maria Villar was forced to step down on corruption charges. "We can confirm that FIFA recently sent a letter to the RFEF showing its concern with the situation the federation is in and reminding it that... all member associations should manage their affairs independently," FIFA said in a statement on Friday. "All associations must be assured that there is no outside interference from third parties in its internal affairs. FIFA is in contact with the RFEF and in the next few weeks a delegation of FIFA and UEFA members will travel to Madrid to analyse the situation the RFEF is in." Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that FIFA's concerns centre around the government's sports department pushing to hold new federation elections. A statement from the RFEF said its president Larrea had discussed the situation with FIFA members at the World Cup draw on December 1. "The RFEF passed on these (FIFA's) concerns to the minister for sport and is expecting to organise a meeting on the matter. The RFEF wants everything to return to normal, that has always been the main objective of the current board of directors. "We underline that we all want the national team to participate in the 2018 World Cup, especially after its brilliant qualifying campaign." Spain captain and Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, speaking ahead of the Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi, added: "I cannot believe that Spain could lose what we have worked so hard for on the pitch due to an institutional dispute, I struggle to believe that." Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy said he was not concerned by the suggestion his country would be barred from competing in the World Cup. Spain won the World Cup for the first time in 2010 and are one of the favourites to lift the trophy in Russia next year. "I cannot contemplate that scenario, I'm absolutely convinced Spain will go to the World Cup and that we are going to win it," Rajoy told reporters in Brussels after a meeting of European Union member states. "The government's behaviour is exemplary and those in charge of the department for sport (CSD) have the total support of the prime minister." In 2015 Indonesia were banned from competing in qualifiers for next year's World Cup after FIFA said the central government had taken over its federation's affairs.

Soccer: Spain face possible World Cup ban as FIFA warns over government interference

<p style="text-align: justify;">US&nbsp;soccer star Hope Solo accused ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter of grabbing her buttocks during an awards ceremony five years ago, an allegation that the former head of the international football&rsquo;s governing body denied.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Solo, 36, told a Portuguese newspaper that Blatter touched her inappropriately in January 2013 during the Ballon D&lsquo;or awards ceremony in Lisbon. A spokeswoman for Solo on Saturday confirmed her comments.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">&quot;I had Sepp Blatter grab my ass,&rdquo; the former goalkeeper on the US&nbsp;national women&rsquo;s team said in an audio interview with Expresso, posted on Saturday.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">&quot;It was at the Ballon D&lsquo;or one year, right before I went on stage,&rdquo; said Solo, who received FIFA&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s player of the year award in 2013. &quot;It&rsquo;s been normalized.&quot;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">A spokesman for Blatter said in a phone interview on Saturday that Solo&rsquo;s allegation was &ldquo;absurd and ridiculous, and it is not true.&rdquo;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Solo is the latest celebrity to go public with accusations of sexual misconduct by powerful men in sports and entertainment, including movie producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and former Fox News host Bill O&lsquo;Reilly.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The high-profile allegations have inspired <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/metoo-say-sita-and-savitri-23112">an online campaign, tagged #MeToo</a>, that has encouraged men and women in all walks of life to reveal their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault, often years after they occurred.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Solo last month posted a statement on her Instagram page that commended women in the entertainment industry for having courage to reveal their experiences with sexual misconduct and suggested she had been a victim herself.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">&ldquo;From inappropriate comments, unwanted advances and grabs of the ass to coaches and GMs and even press officers speaking about players &lsquo;tits&rsquo; and physical appearance, sexual harassment is rampant in the sports world,&rdquo; Solo wrote online.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">&ldquo;I always felt I&rsquo;d &lsquo;handled it&rsquo; and stood up for myself in those situations, but there were never any consequences for the perpetrators,&rdquo; she added.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Solo, considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world, played on the U.S. women&rsquo;s soccer team from 2000 to 2016, when it won two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Blatter is in the midst of a six-year ban from all soccer-related duties imposed by Zurich-based FIFA&rsquo;s ethics committee after a corruption scandal.</p>


Solo, accused ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter that he touched her buttocks in January 2013 during the Ballon D?or awards ceremony in Lisbon, an allegation that the former head of international football?s governing body denied

US soccer star Hope Solo accused ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter of grabbing her buttocks during an awards ceremony five years ago, an allegation that the former head of the international football’s governing body denied. Solo, 36, told a Portuguese newspaper that Blatter touched her inappropriately in January 2013 during the Ballon D‘or awards ceremony in Lisbon. A spokeswoman for Solo on Saturday confirmed her comments. "I had Sepp Blatter grab my ass,” the former goalkeeper on the US national women’s team said in an audio interview with Expresso, posted on Saturday. "It was at the Ballon D‘or one year, right before I went on stage,” said Solo, who received FIFA’s women’s player of the year award in 2013. "It’s been normalized." A spokesman for Blatter said in a phone interview on Saturday that Solo’s allegation was “absurd and ridiculous, and it is not true.” Solo is the latest celebrity to go public with accusations of sexual misconduct by powerful men in sports and entertainment, including movie producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and former Fox News host Bill O‘Reilly. The high-profile allegations have inspired an online campaign, tagged #MeToo, that has encouraged men and women in all walks of life to reveal their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault, often years after they occurred. Solo last month posted a statement on her Instagram page that commended women in the entertainment industry for having courage to reveal their experiences with sexual misconduct and suggested she had been a victim herself. “From inappropriate comments, unwanted advances and grabs of the ass to coaches and GMs and even press officers speaking about players ‘tits’ and physical appearance, sexual harassment is rampant in the sports world,” Solo wrote online. “I always felt I’d ‘handled it’ and stood up for myself in those situations, but there were never any consequences for the perpetrators,” she added. Solo, considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world, played on the U.S. women’s soccer team from 2000 to 2016, when it won two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup. Blatter is in the midst of a six-year ban from all soccer-related duties imposed by Zurich-based FIFA’s ethics committee after a corruption scandal.

US soccer star Hope Solo says ex-FIFA president 'grabbed' her

<p>US goalkeeper Hope Solo has accused former FIFA President Sepp Blatter of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/comedian-louis-ck-admits-sexual-misconduct-entertainment-outlets-cut-ties-23950" target="_blank">sexual assault</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Sepp Blatter grabbed my ass, it was a few years ago at the Ballon d&#39;Or ceremony just before I got on stage,&quot; Solo told Portuguese newspaper Expresso.</p>

<p>Solo, 36, said the incident took place in 2013. Blatter was at the time president of FIFA. &nbsp;</p>

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<p>US goalkeeper Hope Solo. (Facebook)</p>
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<p>Solo and Blatter had walked on to the stage together to present the FIFA&#39;s women player of the year award in January 2013.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 81-year-old Blatter has denied the allegation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;The allegation is ridiculous,&quot; a spokesperson for him said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Blatter served as president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015.</p>

<p>He was suspended from all football-related activities, for corruption, in September 2015.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/hollywood-mogul-weinstein-accused-of-rape-21257" target="_blank">Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein accused of rape</a></p>

<p>Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/actress-portia-de-rossi-accuses-steven-seagal-of-sexual-harassment-23862" target="_blank"> Actor Steven Seagal, comedian Louis CK accused of sexual misconduct</a></p>

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'Sepp Blatter grabbed my ass, it was a few years ago at the Ballon d'Or ceremony just before I got on stage,' Hope Solo told the Portuguese newspaper Expresso

US goalkeeper Hope Solo has accused former FIFA President Sepp Blatter of sexual assault. "Sepp Blatter grabbed my ass, it was a few years ago at the Ballon d'Or ceremony just before I got on stage," Solo told Portuguese newspaper Expresso. Solo, 36, said the incident took place in 2013. Blatter was at the time president of FIFA. US goalkeeper Hope Solo. (Facebook) × Solo and Blatter had walked on to the stage together to present the FIFA's women player of the year award in January 2013. The 81-year-old Blatter has denied the allegation. "The allegation is ridiculous," a spokesperson for him said. Blatter served as president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He was suspended from all football-related activities, for corruption, in September 2015. Also read: Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein accused of rape Also read: Actor Steven Seagal, comedian Louis CK accused of sexual misconduct

He grabbed my ass: US goalkeeper accuses Sepp Blatter of sexual assault

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Pro-<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISIS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISIS</a> media unit Wafa&#39; Foundation continues to threaten 2018 FIFA <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup</a>, this time using an image of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LionelMessi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LionelMessi</a> in a prison outfit <a href="https://t.co/isB8RDKYAK">pic.twitter.com/isB8RDKYAK</a></p>
&mdash; SITE Intel Group (@siteintelgroup) <a href="https://twitter.com/siteintelgroup/status/922863797928329216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ahead of the FIFA World Cup to be held in 2018, the Wafa Media Foundation,&nbsp; a pro-ISIS group on Twitter, releases a shocking image to threaten fans and followers of football.</p>

<p>The Islamic State&#39;s mouthpiece used the face of the Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi to convey their ideology. The released poster says &#39;Just Terrorism&#39; and &#39;You are fighting a state that does not have failure in its dictionary&#39;. Also in the poster, Lionel Messi is standing behind the bar with one eye crying blood.</p>

<p>The poster is intended to spread terror among football fans, indicating also that the terror group may carry a terror attack during FIFA World Cup. The other posters released by them contain pictures of rifles and explosives. Last week, Wafa Media Foundation published one photo of a fighter carrying a rifle and a time-bomb with the ISIS black flag in front of a football stadium. The official symbol of the 2018 World Cup finals was also included in the image.</p>

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<p>The poster says, &quot;Oh, enemies of Allah in Russia, I swear that the fire of the mujahideen will burn them, just wait,&quot;. (Twitter)</p>
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<p>Politics has always been part of all sporting events in the recorded history of humankind. When Indian football clubs played with their British counterpart, it was very much a display of nationalist sentiment. In more recent times, every cricket match between India and Pakistan was an extension of the political tension that exists between the two nation. Winning a match has become more than a sporting event, it has come to signify, unfortunately, the superiority of one nation over the other. Political permeation of sports is not limited to the subcontinent; every football match played between and English and Wales football club show the domineering influence of politics, often sidelining the sporting spirit.</p>

<p>For repressive minority groups, sports events have often served as a tool to convey their sufferings to the rest of the world. For instance, recently, American football player Colin Kaepernick initiated a protest against New York police brutality. The NFL players either took a knee during the national anthem before a game or stand with arms locked in silent protest. This bold move started as a result of repeated videos showing police shooting and killing unarmed black men.</p>

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<p>NFL protest (Others)</p>
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<p>Racism has time again inspired players to protest. In the 1968 Olympics, 200m gold and bronze medalist Tommie Smith and John Carlos respectively took up a public stance against racism. They stood with their heads bowed and raising a black-gloved hand as the American National Anthem played during the victory ceremony.</p>

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<p>Tommie Smith and John Carlos (Others)</p>
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<p>But, terrorism in sports is something that has caused global concern and condemnation. The threat of terrorism has become a major threat to all major sporting events as causing a debacle there, the terrorists understand well enough, would have global repercussions. Sporting events, such as the Olympics, football tournaments and cricket matches have been targeted, some of them had a larger impact such as the 1972 Olympics in Munich.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The Palestine Liberation Organization terrorist at 1972 Munich Olympics. (Others)</p>
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<p>At the Munich Olympics, eleven Israeli Olympic team members were taken as the hostage and eventually killed, along with a German police officer, by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. The attack was motivated by the desire to release members of the Palestine Liberation Organization held in captivity in Israeli prisons. German neo-Nazis gave logistical help to the commander of the terrorist group, Luttif Afif in carrying out the brutal attack.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Boston Marathon of 2013 witnessed another bloody chapter in global sports history; two bombs were detonated near the finishing line, leaving three people dead and more than 260 injured. These attacks will always be considered as dark chapters in the history of sports, and the recent one targeting FIFA World Cup is another chapter added to the books on &#39;sports and terrorism&#39;.</p>

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<p>Double bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three people and injured at least 264. (Others)</p>
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<p>Terror threat to FIFA World Cup will definitely influence the football festival. Having millions of followers, the Argentinian star is a legend and is also one of the favourites in the football fraternity. The terrorist, thus, very judiciously picked up the poster boy of the game.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be played across 11 cities in Russia from&nbsp;June 14 to July 15, and the final will be played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.</p>

<p>Hence, these continuous terrorist threats raise a serious question as to how the Russian government is going to deal with the security issues during the World Cup. Meanwhile, these threats will remain the main concern for football fans and followers, who are eager to visit Russia to support their favourite teams.</p>


Vulnerable targets, media exposure, and international impact are some of the reasons why terrorists have increasingly started targeting sporting venues.

Pro-#ISIS media unit Wafa' Foundation continues to threaten 2018 FIFA #WorldCup, this time using an image of #LionelMessi in a prison outfit pic.twitter.com/isB8RDKYAK — SITE Intel Group (@siteintelgroup) October 24, 2017 × Ahead of the FIFA World Cup to be held in 2018, the Wafa Media Foundation, a pro-ISIS group on Twitter, releases a shocking image to threaten fans and followers of football. The Islamic State's mouthpiece used the face of the Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi to convey their ideology. The released poster says 'Just Terrorism' and 'You are fighting a state that does not have failure in its dictionary'. Also in the poster, Lionel Messi is standing behind the bar with one eye crying blood. The poster is intended to spread terror among football fans, indicating also that the terror group may carry a terror attack during FIFA World Cup. The other posters released by them contain pictures of rifles and explosives. Last week, Wafa Media Foundation published one photo of a fighter carrying a rifle and a time-bomb with the ISIS black flag in front of a football stadium. The official symbol of the 2018 World Cup finals was also included in the image. The poster says, "Oh, enemies of Allah in Russia, I swear that the fire of the mujahideen will burn them, just wait,". (Twitter) × Politics has always been part of all sporting events in the recorded history of humankind. When Indian football clubs played with their British counterpart, it was very much a display of nationalist sentiment. In more recent times, every cricket match between India and Pakistan was an extension of the political tension that exists between the two nation. Winning a match has become more than a sporting event, it has come to signify, unfortunately, the superiority of one nation over the other. Political permeation of sports is not limited to the subcontinent; every football match played between and English and Wales football club show the domineering influence of politics, often sidelining the sporting spirit. For repressive minority groups, sports events have often served as a tool to convey their sufferings to the rest of the world. For instance, recently, American football player Colin Kaepernick initiated a protest against New York police brutality. The NFL players either took a knee during the national anthem before a game or stand with arms locked in silent protest. This bold move started as a result of repeated videos showing police shooting and killing unarmed black men. NFL protest (Others) × Racism has time again inspired players to protest. In the 1968 Olympics, 200m gold and bronze medalist Tommie Smith and John Carlos respectively took up a public stance against racism. They stood with their heads bowed and raising a black-gloved hand as the American National Anthem played during the victory ceremony. Tommie Smith and John Carlos (Others) × But, terrorism in sports is something that has caused global concern and condemnation. The threat of terrorism has become a major threat to all major sporting events as causing a debacle there, the terrorists understand well enough, would have global repercussions. Sporting events, such as the Olympics, football tournaments and cricket matches have been targeted, some of them had a larger impact such as the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The Palestine Liberation Organization terrorist at 1972 Munich Olympics. (Others) × At the Munich Olympics, eleven Israeli Olympic team members were taken as the hostage and eventually killed, along with a German police officer, by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. The attack was motivated by the desire to release members of the Palestine Liberation Organization held in captivity in Israeli prisons. German neo-Nazis gave logistical help to the commander of the terrorist group, Luttif Afif in carrying out the brutal attack. The Boston Marathon of 2013 witnessed another bloody chapter in global sports history; two bombs were detonated near the finishing line, leaving three people dead and more than 260 injured. These attacks will always be considered as dark chapters in the history of sports, and the recent one targeting FIFA World Cup is another chapter added to the books on 'sports and terrorism'. Double bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three people and injured at least 264. (Others) × Terror threat to FIFA World Cup will definitely influence the football festival. Having millions of followers, the Argentinian star is a legend and is also one of the favourites in the football fraternity. The terrorist, thus, very judiciously picked up the poster boy of the game. The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be played across 11 cities in Russia from June 14 to July 15, and the final will be played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Hence, these continuous terrorist threats raise a serious question as to how the Russian government is going to deal with the security issues during the World Cup. Meanwhile, these threats will remain the main concern for football fans and followers, who are eager to visit Russia to support their favourite teams.

Munich to Messi: Why terror haunts sports

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