Morocco fans rush field during Olympic football opener versus Argentina. Game suspended, goal disallowed/node/2555726/football
Morocco fans rush field during Olympic football opener versus Argentina. Game suspended, goal disallowed
Soufiane Rahimi of Morocco celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates during their Paris 2024 Olympics — Football — Men’s Group B — match against Argentina at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium, Saint-Etienne, on Jul. 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Morocco fans rush field during Olympic football opener versus Argentina. Game suspended, goal disallowed
Moments before play resumed, the goal was disallowed by VAR for offside
Morocco held on for a 2-1 victory
Updated 26 July 2024
AP
SAINT-ETIENNE, France: Morocco fans crashed the pitch to protest a late goal by Argentina at the opening match of the Paris Olympics men’s football tournament, an angry and bizarre scene that left the game suspended for nearly two hours with only minutes remaining.
Moments before play resumed, the goal was disallowed by VAR for offside. Morocco held on for a 2-1 victory.
But not before a furious reaction from Morocco fans who thought they’d been denied a critical win.
Objects were thrown and invading Morocco fans were tackled by security on the field at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne after Argentina tied it 2-2 with a goal from Cristian Medina the 16th minute of added time.
There were images of some Argentina players flinching when what appeared to be a flare was thrown. Bottles and cups were strewn over the field by the end.
It was initially thought that the full-time whistle had been blown. Even FIFA’s website declared the game over. Video boards informed fans the match was suspended and they had to leave the stadium.
About an hour after the incident, organizers at the venue said the match was not officially over and VAR was reviewing whether the goal would stand.
Players eventually re-entered the field after a long delay and began to warm up before the game could be concluded. After warmups, players from both teams stood on the field in the otherwise empty stadium while an official reviewed the video. He offered a brief explanation to Argentina’s players after the goal was overturned while players on Morocco’s bench celebrated.
Play went on for about three minutes after the resumption before the final whistle was blown.
Morocco had led the game 2-0 before Argentina’s fight back.
Giuliano Simeone scored in the 68th minute and Medina leveled the game deep into time added on.
Vinícius nets hat trick in win as three Real Madrid players go down injured
Madrid had heard jeers in their previous two home games
Vinícius got his second hat trick of the season
Updated 17 sec ago
AP
BARCELONA: Vinícius Júnior scored a hat trick to lead Real Madrid a 4-0 win over Osasuna on Saturday in a much-needed victory that was dampened when teammate Éder Militão left on a stretcher.
Madrid had heard jeers in their previous two home games — a 4-0 loss to fierce rival Barcelona and 3-1 defeat to AC Milan.
But the easy victory may have come at the high price.
Militão was taken off after the central defender crumbled to the turf and clutched the back of his right knee shortly before halftime. Rodrygo and Lucas Vázquez also were unable to continue after apparently sustaining muscle injuries in the first half.
Vinícius, who felt overlooked when the Ballon d’Or went to Spain’s Rodri last week, got his second hat trick of the season and took his overall tally to 12 goals. Jude Bellingham added a goal to make it 2-0.
Madrid are in second place in the Spanish league at six points behind leader Barcelona.
Yamal doubt for Barca ahead of Real Sociedad clash
The coach also said he thought playmaker Dani Olmo would be ready despite feeling unwell overnight
“Lamine, he was (working) inside and did specific strength training. He’s had a lot of matches in the last weeks so we took care of him...” said Flick
Updated 09 November 2024
AFP
BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said on Saturday he is unsure if teenage winger Lamine Yamal will be fit to start the La Liga leaders’ visit to face Real Sociedad on Sunday.
The coach also said he thought playmaker Dani Olmo would be ready despite feeling unwell overnight, while defender Pau Cubarsi can play despite suffering a cut on his face during the team’s Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday.
“Pau, I think (he will be fit), he trained with us for the whole training session,” Flick told reporters.
“Lamine, he was (working) inside and did specific strength training. He’s had a lot of matches in the last weeks so we took care of him... we’ll see what the situation is tomorrow.
“With Dani he felt a little bit uncomfortable at night and this morning is doing better, so with him just treatments and medical things, I think he’s ready for tomorrow.”
Barcelona held a nine point lead on second-place Real Madrid heading into the weekend.
Flick also emphasized the importance of punctuality for his players.
Spanish media reported French defender Jules Kounde was left out of the starting line-up to face Alaves in October after arriving late for a team meeting.
“It’s a rule. I don’t speak about what happened in the past, it’s just about respect for the team,” said Flick.
“If you are five minutes too late, the others have to wait, this is not respect, this is not my understanding of being respectful.”
Stadiums & Mega Events zone to debut at Cityscape Global 2024 in Riyadh
Didier Drogba and Anthony Joshua among speakers at event highlighting the growth of Saudi Arabia’s events landscape
Updated 09 November 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Cityscape Global, the world’s largest real estate exhibition, is set to debut a Stadiums & Mega Events zone, powered by the Saudi Ministry of Sport, at this year’s event, from Nov. 11-14 at the Riyadh Exhibition & Convention Center.
The new zone will highlight Saudi Arabia’s ascent in recent years as a leader in hosting global events, aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Stadiums & Mega Events will feature a zone that will bring together more than 80 industry experts and sports figures such as Didier Drogba, Anthony Joshua OBE, Emile Heskey, Gilberto Silva, Sol Campbell, Marta Corredera, Louis Saha, Jens Lehmann, Maxwel and John Obi Mike. The zone also offers more than 30 hours of exclusive content on innovation, sustainability and inclusivity in mega-event planning and stadium design.
The zone will explore three key tracks — redevelopment, diversification and sustainability. From Expo 2030 to the World Cup, attendees will have the chance to learn from event committees, football stars, architects and e-sports pioneers about how cities leverage cutting-edge arenas where innovation, sustainability and inclusivity thrive.
Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba will be on eof the guest speakers as Stadiums & Mega Events zone debuts at Cityscape Global 2024 in Riyadh. (Supplied)
“The Ministry of Sport is thrilled to be the official sponsor of the new zone, Stadiums and Mega Events at Cityscape Global 2024, powering insightful debate from over 80 industry experts and several iconic international sports stars,” said a Ministry of Sport spokesperson. “This event showcases how visionary projects are redefining sports and entertainment infrastructure, transforming future cities.”
Also speaking ahead of the event next week is former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who will be taking part in a session about what the future holds for the sports industry.
“I am excited to be attending Cityscape Global, the world’s largest real estate event, this November and seeing the transformation of sports infrastructure in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I will be speaking about the future of sports and esports on November 12th, along with doing a meet-and-greet.”
This year’s Cityscape Global will feature seven specialized conferences, with the Stadiums & Mega Events conference joining an illustrious lineup that includes The Future of Living Summit, Asset Horizons, Institutional Investors, DNA (Design & Architecture), PropTech, and FutureBuild. The conferences will feature more than 500 expert speakers.
“The launch of Stadiums & Mega Events is a testament to Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to leverage the power of mega-events to showcase how the Kingdom is planning to redefine how stadiums are designed, built and delivered in a way that will change how fans experience sports in the future,” said Rachel Sturgess, senior vice president of Tahaluf, which organizes Cityscape Global. “The event next week will bring together some of the world’s leading investors and sports stars to discuss the upcoming mega events sector that will help transform Saudi Arabia into an aspirational tourism destination with events and attractions that captivate, unite and inspire.
“The urban development market is gearing up to accommodate the expected influx of people into the country, and our new Stadiums and Attractions feature will shed light on these plans,” she said. “The Saudi Arabian stadium construction industry is about to experience a sustained industry-wide boom, which the global sector attending the event in Riyadh next week will be eager to be a part of.”
With FIFA expected to confirm Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 World Cup, the Kingdom is developing its land to give visitors a 360-degree experience, where, when arriving to attend matches, they also have multiple tourist attractions to view. In addition to the FIFA 2034 bid, Saudi Arabia is undertaking several major projects, such as the King Salman Sports City and the Sports Boulevard in Riyadh.
“Participating in Cityscape Global is a pivotal moment for us at the Sports Boulevard Foundation, as we contribute to the evolution of Saudi Arabia’s sports and mega events sector,” said Jayne McGivern, CEO of the Sports Boulevard Foundation.
Boxing legend Anthony Joshua will also be joining the line-up of sporting celebrities when the doors open to the public next week.
“I am stepping out of the boxing industry to step into the world of real estate, and I am with the world’s biggest event, Cityscape Global, in Riyadh. We are going to talk about how the world of sports fuses with the world of business, as well as real estate, the future of Riyadh and the future of boxing,” Joshua said.
PSG to curb political slogans in wake of ‘Free Palestine’ banner
PSG promised to “guarantee the absence of political messages” in the stands
“The club was not aware of the plan to display such a message“
Updated 08 November 2024
AFP
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain say they will make sure there is no repeat of a midweek unfurling by fans of a banner proclaiming “Free Palestine.”
The huge banner covered an entire section of the stadium at the Parc des Princes Wednesday night ahead of PSG’s defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid.
As well as the slogan “Free Palestine,” the banner showed a bloodstained Palestinian flag, a gesticulating man with a keffiyeh scarf covering all his face except his eyes, the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and a young boy wrapped in the Lebanese flag.
On Friday, after a meeting with the French football federation and government officials, PSG promised to “guarantee the absence of political messages” in the stands.
“A frank and constructive dialogue made it possible to identify solutions that PSG is committed to putting in place from the next match at the Parc des Princes,” a government spokesperson told AFP.
The banner, which was unfurled by the Paris Ultras Collective (CUP) hard-core fan group, was shown above another slogan which read: “War on the pitch but peace in the world.”
“The club was not aware of the plan to display such a message,” PSG said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp
The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge
Updated 08 November 2024
AFP
Liverpool: Arne Slot said he is not shocked by a stunning start to life in charge of Liverpool as the Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League and Champions League.
The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge in all competitions as the holders have also progressed to the League Cup quarter-finals.
Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp.
But he has built on the solid foundations left by the German after Liverpool finished third in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Arsenal last season.
“Surprise isn’t the right word I’d use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing, to be consistent is a second thing,” said Slot at his pre-match press conference ahead of hosting Aston Villa on Saturday.
“From the moment I started working with them I saw how much energy they put in on a daily basis and that is I think the reason you can be consistent.”
Liverpool were inspired by the power of the Anfield crowd to come from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 last weekend to move two points ahead of City at the top of the Premier League.
A similar atmosphere helped blow Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen away 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Slot is keen to keep his players’ feet on the ground but is happy for the fans to get excited about the possibility of just a second league title in 35 years.
“If the end result of them being excited is to bring the atmosphere of the second half against Brighton and the whole game against Leverkusen, I am hoping they will keep being excited because that atmosphere helped us a lot,” added the former Feyenoord boss.
Diogo Jota remains sidelined but should return after November’s international break.
