Новости за 11.06.2018

Paul Pogba can cope with the weight of expectation and shine for France at the World Cup, according to Bacary Sagna. After experiencing an up-and-down season with Manchester United, his second back at Old Trafford, midfielder Pogba is considered a pivotal member of Didier Deschamps' national side. He missed out on glory at Euro 2016 on home soil after losing in the final to Portugal, though France will hope to go one better in Russia. Sagna, who played against the Portuguese in Paris two years ago... Читать дальше...

Jorginho is happy to remain at Napoli but a move to Manchester City is an "opportunity of a lifetime" for the player, according to his agent. The Italy international has been heavily linked with the Premier League champions, though media speculation has suggested Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also hold an interest. Having claimed to have rejected a €50million offer from City, Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said in a recent interview that a deal could be done "in the next few days". Читать дальше...

New York City have appointed Pep Guardiola's assistant Domenec Torrent as their new head coach in place of the departed Patrick Vieira. Torrent is to leave his role at Manchester City, having also previously worked alongside Guardiola at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. However, the former Girona head coach will now go it alone at the MLS side, having signed a contract that will run until the end of the 2020 season. "Though I have enjoyed a wonderful 11 years working alongside my colleague and close friend Pep Guardiola... Читать дальше...

Senegal claimed a 2-0 win over South Korea in the teams' final friendly match ahead of the World Cup. Aliou Cisse's side, narrowly beaten by Croatia in Osijek last Friday, ended a run of four matches without a win thanks to an own goal and a Moussa Konate penalty. The match – which was played behind closed doors in the Austrian town of Grodig – was goalless until the 69th minute, when Guangzhou Evergrande defender Kim Young-gwon turned the ball into his own net. South Korea pressed for an equaliser... Читать дальше...

As the swarm came in, being a real nuisance,all 22 players plus the match officials hit the deck to avoid getting stung.The weekend match at theEstadio Reales Tamarindoswas delayed for more than five minutes, poised at 1-1, as the bees spread across the pitch.According to quotes cited bythe Daily Mail, the referee announced:"We're being informed it's because of a bee attack. I should be taking cover as well. Yes, there's a bee attack and we're all protecting ourselves as best we can."Once the match eventually continued... Читать дальше...

Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid would make Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic happy. Ronaldo cast doubt on his future in Madrid with his comments after they won a third successive Champions League title by beating Liverpool 3-1 last month. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has since admitted he timed his remarks poorly, but it remains to be seen whether he will stay at the Santiago Bernabeu for 2018-19. Should Ronaldo decide to move on, Rakitic suggested it would be good for LaLiga and Copa del Rey champions Barca. Читать дальше...

20. Ivory Coast (2006)Let’s face it, orange isn’t the new black: it’s a difficult colour to pull off, being the general sartorial preserve of American convicts, lollipop ladies, air traffic controllers and members of mad 70s sex cults that might start stabbing each other at any minute. The only football team that have done it with any real verve is Holland, who go all guns blazing with a deep, in-yer-face tangerine.Blackpool, alas, veer into hi-vis tabard territory, but the Ivory Coast’s tops are... Читать дальше...

Brazilian midfielder Arthur will not be joining Barcelona before January 2019 according to Gremio president Romildo Bolzan Jr, who reiterated his expectation for the deal struck between the two clubs to be honoured. Barcelona agreed a purchase option for the 21-year-old in March, giving them the option to sign the player for a fee that could reach €39million. The departure of Andres Iniesta and an injury to Carles Alena has left Barca coach Ernesto Valverde facing a potential shortage of midfielders... Читать дальше...

Patrick Vieira does not intend to discuss Mario Balotelli's future at Nice with him prior to pre-season training. Vieira was announced as Nice's head coach on Monday, with president Jean-Pierre Rivere confirming the new boss has signed a three-year contract. The former France captain was a team-mate of Balotelli at Inter and Manchester City, leading to suggestions he persuade the striker – who is out of contract this month – to stay at the Allianz Riviera next season. Balotelli made his first... Читать дальше...

Swansea City have announced the appointment of Graham Potter as their new manager. The 43-year-old signed a three-year deal on Monday after a compensation package was agreed between the Swans and former club Ostersunds last week. Billy Reid and Kyle Macaulay will also move to the Liberty Stadium as Potter's assistants. The former full-back, who played for Stoke City, Southampton and West Brom in his playing career, succeeds Carlos Carvalhal at the Championship club. Potter has spent the last... Читать дальше...

Joachim Low believes the World Cup's best teams will have extra motivation to stop Germany and prevent him becoming the first coach in 80 years to win the game's biggest prize for a second time. After guiding Germany to glory at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Low's side reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and won the 2017 Confederations Cup. They are the top-ranked team in the world going into the tournament. The 58-year-old head coach, who is preparing his squad for Group F matches against Mexico... Читать дальше...

Stoke City have announced the signing of Nigeria international Oghenekaro Peter Etebo from Feirense for €7.2million. The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract and will link up with the Championship club after the World Cup in Russia. "We're really excited to have got the deal over the line for Etebo," manager Gary Rowett told the club's official website. "I'm looking forward to seeing him in a Stoke City shirt as I'm sure our supporters are, too. "Etebo is a very mobile, energetic midfielder and he's a great age. Читать дальше...

Chancellor Angela Merkel and former national team captain Philipp Lahm have spoken out in defence of Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan after the pair were booed by fans in Germany's World Cup warm-up matches. The duo were targeted by sections of supporters in Germany's friendly games against Austria and Saudi Arabia following their interactions with controversial Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, who has been the subject of criticism from human rights groups, was pictured shaking Ozil's... Читать дальше...

After all the talk that there wasn't going to be an English referee at the World Cup, it turns out there will be.Atkinson's monumental cycling mission is being undertakento raise money forfour charities, and he will be accompanied by fellow Premier League referee Jon Moss.The commendable act will see the pair passing through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Poland in a trip that is expected to take 18 days. They will finish up at the Kaliningrad Stadium where England face Belgium - their final... Читать дальше...

Sampdoria sporting director Carlo Osti has warned potential suitors they must pay the release clauses of Lucas Torreira or Dennis Praet. Serie A runners-up Napoli have been linked with a move for both midfielders, while Arsenal are said to have made enquiries following the appointment of Unai Emery as head coach. Torreira in particular has been tipped to join a major European club in the transfer window if he impresses at the World Cup for Uruguay in the coming weeks. However, Sampdoria have made... Читать дальше...

Patrick Vieira's departure from New York City to take over as head coach of Nice has been confirmed by the Ligue 1 club. Former France international Vieira takes over from Lucien Favre, who left for Borussia Dortmund in May, but Nice have not disclosed the length of his contract. Manchester City – part of the City Football Group that owns the New York club – announced the switch on Sunday, but it was not until Monday that the two clubs involved confirmed an agreement. "After two and a half years as head coach of NYCFC... Читать дальше...

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea admitted "a thousand things can happen" while he is on World Cup duty with Spain as he stopped short of ruling out a move away from the club during the transfer window. The 27-year-old has long been a target for Real Madrid and speculation is rife that he might join the Champions League winners ahead of the 2018-19 season. In seven years at Old Trafford, De Gea has become a firm fans' favourite and one of Jose Mourinho's most important players, but he would not be drawn on his future at the club. Читать дальше...

The World Cup is almost upon us and Twitter will once again help you show your support for your country. 'Hashflags' will be returning for the third successive World Cup, providing even more colour on the social media channel. Whenever you use any of the competitors' three-letter hashtags, a flag representing that country will pop up alongside it. As if that is not enough, the World Cup logo will also appear when you use one of the tournament's official hashtags. From Argentina to Uruguay, getting... Читать дальше...

The 37-year-old midfielder has called time on his career and, as a farewell, he had a testimonial match at the weekend to celebrate his decorated 20-year career.The testimonial was anall-star game, filled withex- Arsenal players, between a Czech XI and a World XI which ended thanks to a stunning decider.With the clock winding down, Rosicky's five-year-old son, Dylan, grabbed the winner.Even though he probably didn't need any assistance to carve through the World XI defence, Rosicky showed he's a... Читать дальше...

What was it like to play in your first World Cup?I felt good on the way to Mexico. I’d had a decent run of goals and we had a great team, although I couldn’t have known how much life was about to change. My Dad had a bet on me at 14-1 to be top scorer, and I’d looked at him like he was a madman.I’d never been so far from home, and I felt nerves and excitement. We did some altitude training before the tournament and then played Canada, which is where I picked up the wrist injury. It was the most painful thing I’d ever experienced. Читать дальше...

Gerard Deulofeu is set to join Watford from Barcelona for an initial €13million (£11.5m) fee, the LaLiga champions have confirmed. The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Premier League club, where he spent the second half of the 2017-18 season on loan. The deal could cost Watford up to €17m (£15m) including variables, while Barca will receive a percentage of any future transfer fee. "We are very pleased to welcome Gerard back to Vicarage Road and thank FC Barcelona for their... Читать дальше...

Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain, 1962)Di Stefano is arguably the greatest player never to feature at a World Cup – despite representing no fewer than three national teams during his career.Born in Argentina, he turned out for the nation of his birth six times until a move to the much-vaunted Millonarios led to him pullingon a Colombia shirt between 1951 and 1952. It was in 1962, after almost a decade with Real Madrid, that Di Stefano came closest to playing in international football’s showpiece event,... Читать дальше...

An emotional Vinicius Junior said it is not him who will decide whether he remains at Flamengo for another year or leaves for Real Madrid. With the Campeonato Brasileiro going on a month-long break during the World Cup, Vinicius was in tears as he mingled with fans after playing what could be his final match for Flamengo at the Maracana on Sunday - a 2-0 win over Parana. He made his debut for the Rio de Janeiro giants aged 16 in May 2017 and later that month was signed by Madrid for a reported €45million... Читать дальше...

Serbia thrashed Bolivia 5-1 on Saturday evening in Graz, serving up a fine display ahead oftheir World Cup opener against Costa Rica on June 17.Even though Newcastle's Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a hat-trick, the game will more likely be remembered forIvanovic's volley in the 42nd minute – or, more specifically, the build-up that led to it.The former Chelsea defender nodded afloated ball back across the box toManchester United's Nemanja Matic, who chested the ball into the air for Adem Ljajic to tee... Читать дальше...

Cristiano Ronaldo is fully focused on Portugal's World Cup campaign and not his Real Madrid future, says international team-mate Manuel Fernandes. Madrid superstar Ronaldo suggested he could leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the aftermath of their third successive Champions League triumph last month. The 33-year-old confessed his comments were ill-timed, but it means he enters a second straight major international tournament with his next move at club level shrouded in mystery. Ronaldo helped Portugal... Читать дальше...