Buoyed by their win in the World Cup this summer, Spain are set to push for co-hosting the 2018 tournament with neighbouring Portugal, Secretary of State for Sports Jaime Lissavetsky said Tuesday.
Spain s next challenge is to organise the 2018 World Cup, Lissavetsky said in an address to the Spanish Football Federation s (RFEF) general assembly meeting.
Spain and Portugal hope to pool their resources as Japan and South Korea did in 2002 for 2018 after Brazil hosts the next edition in 2014.
Belgium and the Netherlands are also preparing a joint 2018 bid and other candidates are England, the United States and Russia with Australia now concentrating its hopes on 2022 after initially expressing interest in 2018.
FIFA is to elect the winning bid on December …
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been ruled out of Euro 2024 by Domenico Tedesco, despite making a return to the Real Madrid squad.
The 31-year-old has missed the entire season and needed another knee operation in March after a setback in his recovery.
Carlo Ancelotti said Courtois could make a full return for Madrid s LaLiga match against Cadiz on Saturday, after naming him on the bench for their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Despite Courtois making a return to action before Belgium have to announce their squad for Euro 2024 in Germany, Tedesco was clear that he would not be chosen.
— Real Madrid C.F.
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Belgium made light work of minnows Luxembourg as Domenico Tedesco s side rounded off their Euro 2024 preparations with a 3-0 victory.
Romelu Lukaku was at the double at Stade Roi Baudouin, with Leandro Trossard also getting in on the act for the Red Devils.
Belgium dominated from the off, though Luxembourg held out until Lukaku converted from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute.
Lukaku made it 2-0 shortly after the restart, with the 31-year-old on hand to finish after fine work from Jeremy Doku.
Trossard added further gloss nine minutes from time, and Belgium will now turn their attention to Euro 2024.
They face Slovakia in their opening group match on June 17, with fixtures against Romania and Ukraine to follow.
Final rehearsal for compl…
Best odds: 7/8
Bookmaker:
In a Ligue 1 clash between two teams seeking to secure European qualification at the end of the season, Olympique Marseille are set to host AS Monaco at Stade Velodrome on Saturday.
In their previous league fixture, Marseille played to a 1-1 draw with Strasbourg, which has left them three points behind Lille in the race for a spot in European competitions. Monaco, on the other hand, dropped to fourth place after losing 3-1 against Reims, and they are currently six points ahead of Marseille.
Olympique Marseille
Marseille have been consistently getting positive results since late November, with only two defeats in their previous 11 matches in all competitions. However, they have yet to make significant progress up the Ligue 1 tab…
Portugal have won few friends at Euro 2016 and coach Fernando Santos does not want that to change at Sunday s final.
Santos men laboured through a group they were favourites to dominate on paper, with three draws edging them into the last 16 as one of the four best third-place finishers.
It took until Wednesday s semi-final against Wales for Portugal to win a match within 90 minutes, with their route to Saint-Denis to take on hosts France drawing plenty of scorn.
I want them to keep saying the same thing, said a confident Santos. That we re this and we re that, that we won undeservedly.
That s what I would like them to say – that we won and we didn t deserve it. That would be amazing.
I d be going home very happy if they said that. And I…
Barcelona have confirmed forward Martin Braithwaite will undergo surgery on his left knee with reports the injury will rule him out for the remainder of 2021.
The 30-year-old Denmark international had asked to be substituted late in Barcelona s 2-1 win over Getafe last month due to left knee pain and missed his country s subsequent international fixtures.
Braithwaite had initially tried a conservative approach to manage the injury but Barca have confirmed he will go under the knife to resolve the issue.
Martin Braithwaite has a femoropatellar injury in his left knee which has not responded to conservative treatment, the club wrote in a statement.
The Danish striker will undergo surgery in the coming days. The club will publish a new injury update when t…
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday, 14 January in Gabon as hosts take on Guinea Bissau, and the 31st edition of the continental tournament promises premium excitement.
Riyad Mahrez, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sadio Mane are just some of the star players who will be looking to lead their respective national teams to glory, but it is holders Ivory Coast that have been made .
They are followed by perennial underachievers Senegal (5/1), Algeria (7/1), hosts Gabon (8/1) and Cameroon, Egypt and Ghana (all priced at 10/1).
The top goalscorer chase should prove quite interesting as well, with Gabon’s own Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the betting at 11/2.
Aston Villa striker Jonathan Kodjia and Leicester City star Islam Slimani…
Best odds: 11/25
Bookmaker:
The USA will wrap up their preparations for hosting the 2024 Copa America by welcoming South American heavyweights Brazil to Camping World Stadium in Florida on Thursday.
This encounter marks the first meeting between the two nations since September 2018, when the Selecao secured a 2-0 friendly victory with goals from Roberto Firmino and Neymar.
Gregg Berhalter began his tenure as USA head coach positively after taking over in August 2023, leading his team to victory in four of his first five matches and netting 15 goals in the process.
However, the Stars and Stripes have experienced a downturn, losing three of their last five games across all competitions. Their preparations for hosting the 2024 Copa America were deal…
When Paco Alcacer strode forward and beat Manuel Neuer with a delightfully nonchalant dink in November to secure Borussia Dortmund a 3-2 win over troubled Bayern Munich, German football looked reignited.
Dortmund were sitting pretty at the top of the Bundesliga after 11 games with 27 points, seven clear of fifth-placed Bayern, while they were attracting adulation from across Europe for their vibrant football and faith in youth.
It was only their second victory in seven Klassiker contests in all competitions and the improvement was clear to see from their 6-0 dismantling at the Allianz Arena just over seven months prior.
As for Bayern, they were in something of a crisis by their standards. It was the second game in a run of three league outings without a win – …
AC Milan forward Jeremy Menez has revealed he has no regrets at rejecting a move to Manchester United in the summer of 2010.
Menez, 27, joined Milan on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, and has already bagged three goals in three Serie A appearances for the Rossoneri.
While at Roma four years ago, Menez was courted by then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but the 27-year-old ultimately turned down the chance to move to Old Trafford.
Saying no to Ferguson wasn t easy, but I was still young and I had to follow my own path, Menez told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Then when [former manager Vincenzo] Montella came to Roma, it became difficult for everybody. Before he came, I was playing all the time, but he had different ideas.
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