Varga back in Hungary 2 days after surgery on facial fractures following collision at Euro 2024

Varga back in Hungary 2 days after surgery on facial fractures following collision at Euro 2024
His club Ferencváros posted a picture of Varga on X with the caption: “Barnabás is back at home!” (X/@Fradi_HU)
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Updated 26 June 2024
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Varga back in Hungary 2 days after surgery on facial fractures following collision at Euro 2024

Varga back in Hungary 2 days after surgery on facial fractures following collision at Euro 2024
  • His club Ferencváros posted a picture of Varga on X, formerly Twitter, with the caption: “Barnabás is back at home”
  • The injury occurred midway through the second half of Sunday’s match against Scotland when Varga collided with goalkeeper Angus Gunn

WEILER-SIMMERBERG, Germany: Hungary forward Barnabás Varga has been released from hospital and is already back in his home country, two days after undergoing surgery on facial fractures he sustained in a collision at the European Championship.
Varga returned to Hungary on Wednesday as his teammates waited in Germany to find out if they have reached the round of 16 as one of the four best third-place teams.
His club Ferencváros posted a picture of Varga on X, formerly Twitter, with the caption: “Barnabás is back at home!”
The injury occurred midway through the second half of Sunday’s match against Scotland when Varga collided with goalkeeper Angus Gunn. Hungary went on to win 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time goal from substitute Kevin Csoboth.
In concerning scenes, the match was halted for nearly 10 minutes so that Varga could get treatment. Several teammates appeared to be in tears and they held up blankets to shield the stricken forward as medical staff tended to him.
The 29-year-old Varga was taken straight to hospital in Stuttgart and had surgery on Monday after breaking several bones in his face.
Hungary coach Marco Rossi and some of his staff, as well as Ferencváros teammate Endre Botka — representing the national side — visited Varga in hospital on Tuesday.


Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss

Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss
Updated 46 sec ago
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Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss

Xabi Alonso seeks to get Bayer Leverkusen focused again after a rare Bundesliga loss
  • Alonso said Friday he was trying to restore concentration and focus that seemed to be lacking in a game where Leverkusen had 27 shots
  • “We need to have better control when we don’t have the ball,” the coach said

DUESSELDORF, Germany: Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen have experienced almost everything soccer has to offer over the last year. Having to rebound from a loss, not so much.
Leverkusen go into Saturday’s game against Hoffenheim having lost their last league match 3-2 to Leipzig. It was the first Bundesliga game Leverkusen had lost since May 2023.
Alonso said Friday he was trying to restore concentration and focus that seemed to be lacking in a game where Leverkusen had 27 shots, but Leipzig’s sudden, incisive counterattacks made the difference.
“We need to have better control when we don’t have the ball,” the coach said Friday. “We have to be stable without the ball, we have to be aggressive, not too passive. I think we conceded chances too simply and that is a football topic but also a mental topic, too.”
Leverkusen’s unbeaten run last season was no ordinary streak. So often did Alonso’s team score late goals to save a point or win a crucial game that it began to feel inevitable, even like part of their identity — like a Hollywood director whose movies all feature improbable final-act twists.
Leverkusen’s unbeaten run in all competitions ended at 51 games when the team lost to Atalanta in May in the Europa League final. Their unbeaten record in German competition hit 15 months before the loss to Leipzig, including the only unbeaten Bundesliga season by any team in history.
The recent international break means Alonso and his team have had two weeks to mull over the Leipzig loss ahead of the away game at Hoffenheim — and a Champions League visit to Feyenoord on Thursday — but there’s been little face-to-face contact between Alonso and his many players on international duty.
“It’s express preparation, express conversation,” he said. “It’s not so many things but there are important things to improve. We had enough time to analyze and to show that and to discuss how we can do that better, so hopefully we have a better, more complete performance.”
Alonso had words of support for defender and vice-captain Jonathan Tah, who was substituted at halftime in Germany’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Tuesday after struggling at times to deal with the Dutch forward.
Tah is a “top player” who returned to the club with a positive attitude after the game, Alonso said.
Like Leipzig, Hoffenheim are another team that Leverkusen beat implausibly late last season.
Back on March 30, Hoffenheim were on course for a 1-0 win that would have shocked European soccer. But then Robert Andrich scored in the 88th minute and Patrik Schick in the 91st, and Leverkusen won 2-1. It was just another gravity-defying feat in a season that was full of them.


Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo thanks fans after amassing a billion followers across social media

Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo thanks fans after amassing a billion followers across social media
Updated 13 September 2024
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Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo thanks fans after amassing a billion followers across social media

Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo thanks fans after amassing a billion followers across social media
  • The Al-Nassr captain said he has always appreciated those who supported him during his rise to stardom

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated reaching another milestone in his career on Friday, this time off the pitch, as the Al-Nassr star said he now has a billion followers across social media channels.

The Portuguese striker took to social media to thank his fans who made it possible.

“We’ve made history — 1 BILLION followers! This is more than just a number - it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” he wrote.

The Al-Nassr captain said he has always appreciated those who supported him during his rise to stardom.

“From the streets of Madeira to the biggest stages in the world, I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1 billion of us stand together.”

He shared a collage of photos depicting his career with clubs such as Manchester United, Juventus, Real Madrid, and his current side Al-Nassr. But the biggest image is that of the legend wearing the iconic ruby red jersey of Portugal, who he led to a European championship win in 2016. The artwork also includes his family and selfies with fans over the years.

“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows,” Ronaldo wrote. “This journey is our journey, and together, we’ve shown that there are no limits to what we can achieve.”

The player has 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook, and 113 million on X, formally known as Twitter, and 60 million on the video platform YouTube. He also has another 9 million on the Chinese network Weibo and has a presence on Kuaishou.

In August, the star shattered the YouTube record for the fastest-growing channel, achieving a milestone just hours after its launch.

“Thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life. The best is yet to come, and we’ll keep pushing, winning, and making history together,” he wrote.

In another remarkable milestone, Ronaldo became the first player in football history to score 900 goals, for club and country combined. The player achieved the feat a week ago with a tap-in against Croatia playing in the Nations League.

The footballing legend moved to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and has made even more fans in the Kingdom after his transfer to the Riyadh-based Al-Nassr, who have embraced him as one of their own.

He broke the record for the number of goals scored in a season by a player in Saudi Arabia’s top league, netting 35 in the 2023/2024 contest.

 


David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson

David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson
Updated 12 September 2024
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David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson

David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson
  • Beckham was England’s captain under Eriksson, who was in charge of the team from 2001-06
  • Beckham was pictured in Swedish media checking into a hotel in Karlstad

KARLSTAD, Sweden: England soccer great David Beckham arrived in Sweden on Thursday ahead of the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson, his former national-team coach.
Eriksson died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Beckham was England’s captain under Eriksson, who was in charge of the team from 2001-06, and visited his former coach in Sweden in June.
Swedish news agency TT reported that Beckham landed in the early evening on Thursday at Karlstad airport, which is a short drive from Torsby — a town, located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm, where the funeral will take place Friday in the 600-seat Fryksande church. Beckham was pictured in Swedish media checking into a hotel in Karlstad.
Torsby is in the region of Varmland, where Eriksson grew up and died.
After the church ceremony on Friday, a musical procession will accompany the coffin that will be transported the 700 meters (766 yards) to a museum in Torsby with a large number of original wooden houses with traditional furnishings. Speeches and eulogies will be given there.
“It is an honor to be able to come to his funeral, although it is a sad day,” Roy Hodgson, another former England coach who also arrived in Torsby on Thursday, was quoted as saying by the local Warmlands Folkblad outlet.


PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed $60.6 million

PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed $60.6 million
Updated 13 September 2024
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PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed $60.6 million

PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed $60.6 million
  • The LFP oversees all matters concerning the top two tiers of football in France
  • PSG said they would seek a legal ruling elsewhere

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain refused Thursday to pay departed striker Kylian Mbappe a disputed 55 million euros ($60.6m) despite a French league (LFP) order to do so earlier in the day.
The LFP oversees all matters concerning the top two tiers of football in France, but PSG said they would seek a legal ruling elsewhere.
The 25-year-old striker says PSG owe him 55 million euros in wages and bonuses, but the Parisians say Mbappe agreed to waive the money in August 2023.
On Thursday, the LFP commission told PSG to pay, reportedly within a week, sparking a response from the Qatari-backed club.
“Given the limits of the Commission’s legal scope to make a full decision on this matter, the case must now be pursued before another court.”
“PSG will look forward to presenting all the facts over the coming months and year.”
Lawyers representing the two parties met early on Wednesday after Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer, had referred his case to the LFP’s legal committee.


Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos

Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos
Updated 12 September 2024
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Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos

Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos
  • Kuwait Football Association expressed ‘deep regret’ for ticketing and other logistical problems that marred the game on Tuesday
  • The federation said it had suspended its secretary-general, Salah Al-Qanai, and public relations boss Mohamed Bou Abbas

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s football federation has suspended one of its top bosses and its PR chief over failings that left fans in sweltering temperatures for hours during a World Cup qualifier against Iraq.
In a statement late Wednesday, the Kuwait Football Association expressed its “deep regret” for ticketing and other logistical problems that marred the game at the 60,000-capacity Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Tuesday.
It also said it would launch a probe into the shortcomings, which resulted in fans fainting in temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) as they pleaded with staff for water, with videos of the incidents shared on social media.
Ticketing problems also meant some fans without tickets were allowed in, while others who had purchased tickets were refused entry.
The federation said it had suspended its secretary-general, Salah Al-Qanai, and public relations boss Mohamed Bou Abbas over the “unacceptable events.”