Author: Associated Press
France coach Didier Deschamps explained Thursday that Kylian Mbappe’s recent dip in form is due to both physical and psychological factors. Following France’s 0-0 draw with Israel in the Nations League, Deschamps was once again questioned about the Real Madrid forward’s absence from the squad. “It’s a fact that he is in a difficult situation,” Deschamps told broadcaster TF1. “Obviously, he is going through a period that is not the happiest of his career.” Mbappe was not included in Deschamps’ squad for the match against Israel and a game in Italy later this week. He was also absent from the…
Rafael Nadal is preparing to retire from professional tennis, with his final event set for the Davis Cup finals starting Tuesday in front of a home crowd in Malaga. The 38-year-old, who has been on tour for over 20 years, becomes the second member of the legendary Big Three to step away from the game, following Roger Federer’s retirement in 2022, while Novak Djokovic remains at the top of his game. “It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end,” Nadal said after…
Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior had frustrating nights in South American World Cup qualifying. While Messi could not help his team avoid a 2-1 defeat at Paraguay, Vinicius Junior missed a second-half penalty as Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela on Thursday. Argentina will remain on the top of the 10-team round robin competition with 22 points in 11 matches, Brazil is provisionally in third place in the standings with 17 points. Also on Thursday, Ecuador beat Bolivia 4-0. The Ecuadorians remain in fifth position with 16 points, while Bolivia is in eighth place with…
UEFA launched a new investigation into English match official David Coote on Thursday after a video allegedly showed him using cocaine during the European Championship. “UEFA has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to assess a potential violation of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations by referee Mr. David Coote,” the organization said in a statement. Coote served as a video review specialist at Euro 2024, where match officials stayed at a hotel near Frankfurt. He assisted the lead VAR official in eight games. British daily The Sun published a video late Wednesday that appeared to show Coote snorting the drug using an…
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Türkiye delivered the strongest response to Israel’s actions in Palestine, including halting trade. Ankara suspended all trade with Israel in May, citing the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians since last October. “As long as arms shipments continue, Israel will be more aggressive. Every day that Israel is not stopped, the situation in Palestine and Lebanon worsens,” Erdoğan told reporters on his return flight from visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. One of the concrete steps that can be taken against Israel’s attacks is working…
Klay Thompson exited the team bus and beamed as he strolled back into Chase Center on Tuesday night, greeted by some 400 cheering Warriors employees who lined up along his path to the Dallas locker room to show their love and appreciation for the former Golden State star. Once the ball was tipped a couple of hours later, Thompson tried to pull off an impromptu shimmy, Stephen Curry-style, as the former Splash Brothers dueled in different uniforms. The employees who greeted Thompson sported “Captain Klay” hats, the giveaway for all fans on a celebratory night remembering his 13 years with…
Daniil Medvedev bounced back from a fiery outburst in his previous match, silencing the critics with a commanding 6-2, 6-4 win over Alex de Minaur on Tuesday, keeping his ATP Finals hopes alive. The Russian stayed calm under pressure, not facing a single break point and showing a marked improvement in sharpness compared to his straight-set loss to Taylor Fritz on Sunday, a match in which he lost his composure, smashing his racket twice. As the match ended, Medvedev took a moment to close his eyes, pressing his fingers to his ears before inscribing “Block the noise” on a camera…
Japanese soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura is several generations older than his teammates. His contemporaries retired decades ago. Lionel Messi is 37, and Cristiano Ronaldo is 39 – mere youngsters compared to Miura. Miura will turn 58 in February, and the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported this week that he intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka. It will be his 40th season playing in professional soccer. Miura is widely listed as the oldest active professional soccer player. Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearances and was a star with Japan’s national team in the 1990s. He…