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 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes his squad is capable of overcoming Fenerbahce in the Europa League, even with several players unavailable.  Captain Bruno Fernandes is sidelined due to a suspension from his red card in the 3-3 draw against FC Porto, and Jonny Evans will also be missing. "The players we have need to step up, and I trust they can," Ten Hag told reporters in Istanbul. "Our team is filled with experienced players who have encountered these situations before. We're looking ahead with optimism; the atmosphere will be electric, serving as motivation and a real challenge for us." Mason Mount is among those who won't be available for the 20:00 BST kick-off, and he would have been a prime candidate to step in for Fernandes in the no.10 position. "I'm afraid we’ll have to wait a bit longer for Mount, as we anticipated," the manager said. "But I believe he’ll be back soon." In-form defender Jonny Evans picked up ...

  Former Italian striker Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci, famous as the top scorer of the 1990 World Cup, died on Wednesday at the age of 59. Juventus are among the Italian football clubs who have paid tribute to Schillaci, who became an icon for his surprise goals during the World Cup at home in his country, saying only "Ciao Toto" on social media media with a photo of him wearing a Juve shirt. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has announced that all matches played in Italy between now and the end of next weekend will benefit from a "minute of reflection" before kick-off."His goal celebrations, in which his face became a symbol of collective joy, will forever remain an integral part of Italian football's heritage,"  FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said in a statement.Toto Schillaci played for Juventus and Inter after starting his career in the early 1980s in Messina and enjoyed modest success at club level.His best club season came just bef...

One issue with sports leagues hiring reporters to cover their leagues is that there are unspoken limits on how aggressively those reporters can cover the league. Mike Silver, who previously worked at NFL Network, has been open about his departure. Jim Trotter , whose time at NFL Network is coming to an end, could be an example of a journalist who was a little too dedicated to his craft. Trotter tweeted on Monday, "This will be my final week with the NFL Media Group." "Over the weekend, I was informed that my contract would not be renewed." I'd like to express my gratitude to NFL Network and NFL.com for the lessons learned and proved over the last five years." That last line was most likely not a result of carelessness or coincidence. Lessons were learned and confirmed. Trotter may have learned and/or confirmed that there is a line that NFL Media reporters cannot cross — and that he may have crossed it. If he did, it could have happened when Trotter pressed ...

Former Ghana international Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has announced plans to meet with his teammates to discuss ways to honor their late colleague Christian Atsu, who died in the tragic earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, February 6. In an interview with Citi Sports, Agyemang-Badu spoke about his former teammate and friend, Atsu, describing him as a "blessing to Ghana football" and highlighting his contributions to the national team during his time as a winger. He stated, "Christian was a fantastic player, person, and friend. He was a blessing to Ghana football and will be remembered fondly by both his teammates and fans." Agyemang-Badu stressed that the team will need to work with Atsu's family to determine the best way to honor their late teammate, saying that "we can't just do it alone." "The footballers will meet this week to see what we can do for our late brother, and we can't do it alone; we need to collaborate with the ...

Andre Ayew is overjoyed to be reunited with Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest. The captain described the Welshman as a unique individual. The 33-year-old has joined Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season, allowing him to work with Cooper once more. Cooper and Ayew were team members at Swansea City. The Ghanaian made 84 appearances and scored 35 goals under the 43-year-tutelage. old's "It's a great feeling to sign for Nottingham Forest," Ayew said. "I know how big the club is and how much it means to the city and the fans. It's always been difficult for me to play against Forest and at The City Ground, despite the fact that I adore the venue. "Steve Cooper is a person who knows me very well and understands how to work with me both on and off the field. We have a great relationship; he's a special coach, a special human being, and someone I really admire." "I know what I can bring to the team, and I'm ready to give it my al...

David Gold , the co-chairman of West Ham, passed away at the age of 86 after a brief illness. He was a lifetime supporter of the Hammers, and the team stated he died on Wednesday morning "peacefully" with his fiancee and daughters by his side. In 2010, Gold and David Sullivan shared the chairmanship of West Ham. Gold had previously served as the chairman and co-owner of Birmingham City. Manager David Moyes expressed his deep sadness at the news.

  In Santos, the home of his old team, thousands of mourners lined the streets as Pele was laid to rest. At the club's Urbano Caldeira stadium, Pele had been lying in state for 24 hours so that fans could pay their respects. On Tuesday, a large crowd of people lined the streets as a fire engine carried his casket to a private family funeral. Three-time World Cup champion Pele passed away on December 29th at the age of 82. He has been having treatment for colon cancer since 2021 and was arguably the greatest footballer to ever play the game. After his passing, the Brazilian government proclaimed three days of national mourning, and the nation's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, went to Santos to pay his respects. Pele's coffin was transported on a fire truck through the crowded streets of supporters while draped in the Brazilian flag. The home of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, was also passed by during the procession. More than 230,000 people, according to...

  Following the Moroccan national team's impressive showing in the FIFA 2022 World Cup, US President Joe Biden has added his name to a growing list of admirers who have expressed their public admiration for them. In a tweet posted on Wednesday, Biden thanked Morocco's head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, for inviting him to witness the semifinal match between Morocco and France. This week, Akhannouch traveled to Washington to attend the US-Africa conference. Regardless of your allegiance, Biden said, "It was amazing to observe what this squad, Morocco, has been able to accomplish." The tweet also included a picture of Akhannouch and Biden enjoying the game alongside other African leaders, including Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. Over the course of the international tournament, the US has been among those who have admired Morocco's Atlas Lions. Every time Morocco competed in a World Cup match, the US embassy in Rabat prepared to support the Atlas Lions. Follo...

Roman Saiss, the team captain, is a question mark for Moroccan coach Walid Regragui ahead of Wednesday's semifinal match against France. The Atlas Lions defeated Portugal 1-0 on Saturday, with the Moroccan captain being carried off the field on a stretcher 13 minutes into the game. Thirteen minutes into The Atlas Lions' 1-0 victory over Portugal on Saturday, the Moroccan captain was being carried off the field on a stretcher while sobbing. Nayef Akrad and Nawsir Mazrawi, however, might be permitted to join the squad for the match against France. Due to injuries, the two players were unable to compete against Portugal in the quarterfinals. According to a source in the squad's camp, "Mazrawi trained in accordance with the precautionary measures that he got from the technical and medical personnel of the Lions team, for fear of aggravating his health and re-injuring." Morocco became the first nation from Africa to get to the World Cup semifinals. When the Atlas Lions...

  Obviously, Peter Drury has taken over as the voice of English football commentary. When Morocco defeated Portugal to become the first nation from the continent to get to the semifinals of a FIFA World Cup, he was at his most poetic. Peter Drury is currently just displaying when he stands in front of the microphone. The prominent English analyst waxed poetic in his description of Morocco's triumph over Portugal, establishing the Atlas Lions as the first country from Africa to advance to the FIFA World Cup semifinals. "IT IS A MOROCCAN MARVEL! THE ATLAS LIONS ARE NOW JUST ONE MORE PROWLING STEP FROM THE WORLD CUP FINAL ITSELF!    "THE ARAB WORLD UNITES! THE AFRICAN CONTINENT BELIEVES! ITS STANDARD BEARER CONTINUES TO CONJURE WITH THE BARELY BELIEVABLE! "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD CUP THERE WILL BE AN AFRICAN NATION IN THE SEMIFINALS! AND PORTUGAL ARE OUT, AND CRISTIANO RONALDO IS OUT!"            #FIFAWORLDCUP On Wednesday...

 After Brazil's World Cup match against South Korea, a frightening video showing Samuel Eto'o punching an unidentified man outside the stadium has appeared online. Eto'o is believed to have attended the large number of spectators who gathered at Stadium 974 on December 5 on Monday night to watch the round of 16 match. The Barcelona icon, though, appeared to lose his composure soon after the game, as seen by a now-viral video that is making the rounds on social media and showing him kneeing a cameraman in the parking lot.

  Samuel Eto'o , the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, congratulated Morocco on being the fourth African nation to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals. After defeating Spain in a penalty shootout on Tuesday, the Atlas Lions shocked the 2010 champions to advance to the round of eight. Yassine Bounou, the goalkeeper for Morocco, made two saves from kicks, and Achraf Hakimi added the cherry on top with a well executed penalty kick. Eto'o, who predicted a Morocco vs. Cameroon final, lauded the North Africans on social media. "History is made. The fourth African team to ever make it to the quarter finals. Bravo Morocco," wrote Eto'o on Twitter .  Only Morocco and three other African nations—Cameroon, Senegal, and Ghana—have advanced to the World Cup's round of eight. Portugal, which defeated Switzerland 6-1, will now play the former African champions in the quarterfinal. Even though Cameroon defeated Brazil and drew with Serbia, they were elimina...

  Following their behavior at the conclusion of their final World Cup group match against Ghana, the Uruguayan football association and four players have been the subject of disciplinary action by Fifa. Uruguay defeated Ghana 2-0 but lost on goals scored, placing third in Group H behind South Korea. At the end of the game, the Uruguayan players became enraged when the referee failed to give a penalty for a collision between Darwin Nunez and Alidu Seidu. They confronted him and appeared to be assaulting his assistant. For violating Fifa's disciplinary code regarding offensive behavior and misconduct, Jose Maria Gimenez, Edinson Cavani, Fernando Muslera, and Diego Godin could all face sanctions. The Uruguayan FA will be held accountable for the same code violations as well as one involving discrimination. After the game, Valencia forward Cavani was caught on camera pushing over the pitchside monitor as he made his way down the tunnel, prompting ITV analyst Ian Wright to call him a ...

 Real Madrid have a set of footballers representing their national teams at the World Cup. Some are doing amazing job whilst others might now not be having as true of a tournament. One participant who appears to be struggling at the moment is Eden Hazard, who is captaining the Belgium team, and they are in danger of being knocked out from the tournament itself. It is honest to say that Belgium had not been one of the favourites going into this World Cup, as had been the case in previous times. But even then, no one may have expected them to appear this off colour. They appear behind pace against Canada and escaped with a 1-0 win on that occasion. That did not manifest against Morocco though, who defeated the Red Devils with  a 2-0 scoreline. It means that they now have to ultimately win their last group stage game, against Croatia, to qualify for the next round. Hazard has barely played for Real Madrid leading up to the tournament. And whilst he has commenced both games for Be...