Henry the coach comes of age on France’s run to Olympic silver

Henry the coach comes of age on France’s run to Olympic silver
France’s head coach Thierry Henry, is seen during the men’s soccer gold medal match between France and Spain at the Parc des Princes during the 2024 Summer Olympics on Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris. (AP)
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Updated 10 August 2024
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Henry the coach comes of age on France’s run to Olympic silver

Henry the coach comes of age on France’s run to Olympic silver
  • Henry had struggled to make a name for himself in coaching and agreeing to lead his country into the Olympics at home was a risk
  • His hopes of building a squad good enough to win football gold for France for the first time since 1984 were compromised from the beginning

PARIS: Thierry Henry was unable to leave the Olympics with the gold medal he craved but the France great has enhanced his reputation as a coach after taking the hosts to the men’s football final.
France pushed Spain all the way in an epic match in Paris on Friday, eventually losing 5-3 and settling for silver having earlier recovered from 3-1 down to force extra time.
Now almost 47, Henry is a France all-time great after a playing career in which he won the World Cup and European Championship while also starring for Arsenal and Barcelona.
But he had struggled to make a name for himself in coaching and agreeing to lead his country into the Olympics at home was a risk.
Henry’s hopes of building a squad good enough to win football gold for France for the first time since 1984 were compromised from the beginning.
Clubs are not obliged by FIFA to release players, which meant Henry was unable to call upon Kylian Mbappe, the France senior team captain, despite the superstar striker making clear his desire to feature.
Mbappe’s new club Real Madrid said no, while hopes of enrolling the services of others such as Antoine Griezmann were dashed too.
Henry was left to mold a hotchpotch of players into a cohesive team, which he did with considerable success.
France beat Argentina in the quarter-finals and showed character to come back against Egypt in the semis.
Henry labelled his team “the crazy guys” and repeatedly said he was “living a dream” at the Olympics.
“It’s been a great run and we leave with a medal, so these will be great memories,” he admitted.
It is just under a year since Henry was appointed France Under-21 coach and also given the task of leading his country into the Olympics.
That marked a return to the role of number one for Henry for the first time since his departure from Montreal Impact in early 2021.
Before that there was a disastrous three-month stint at Monaco, the club where he started his playing career.
Henry has also been an assistant coach with Belgium but had developed a better reputation as a pundit during television appearances in Britain, France and across the Atlantic.
His knowledge and his past experience on the pitch mean players are in awe of him.
“The coach was a great player so he has great experience and it is very easy to follow his advice. We know that everything he says is because he has been through it too,” said Alexandre Lacazette, the captain of France’s Olympic team.
Some of his comments while at Monaco betrayed a frustration with players who were inevitably below the standards he himself reached.
Now, however, Henry appears to understand how to get the best out of a team.
“They are educating me. There is stuff that at times I need to let go,” he said of his France squad.
“They know already that I am not the type of guy that will be on their back every single second.
“When we work, we work, but other than that I would like to think I am pretty cool.”
Henry’s success in the dugout at the Olympics makes him a more enticing proposition to clubs and national teams on the lookout for a coach.
There have been reports that the United States would like him to lead their men’s national team into the 2026 World Cup, which they will co-host.
He has also been linked to the Wales job, although he remains under contract with the France Under-21 team until next year.
Not that Henry was in the mood for discussing his future following Friday’s Olympic final.
“My future is to go to eat with the guys later on. Tomorrow morning hopefully I will wake up,” was his laconic response.


Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final

Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final
Updated 18 sec ago
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Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final

Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final
“Something big is coming,” Neuer told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s opening clash with Dinamo Zagreb at home
“The most important thing is the final in Munich. We want to go there and everything else is secondary”

BERLIN: Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said Monday his side were fully focused on the Champions League season, with this year’s final to be held at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
“Something big is coming,” Neuer told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s opening clash with Dinamo Zagreb at home.
“The most important thing is the final in Munich. We want to go there and everything else is secondary.
“We know what this final means to the city, the fans and the players. Our motivation is simply very high.”
Six-time European champions Bayern come into the season after their first trophyless campaign in 11 seasons, with Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen winning a league and cup double.
In the Champions League, Bayern were eliminated in the semifinals by eventual winners Real Madrid, who beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley to lift the trophy.
Neuer and fellow Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, who both won the 2013 and 2020 Champions League finals, are the only two players in the squad to remember the 2012 home final, which they lost on penalties to Premier League side Chelsea.
Mueller went on social media on Monday, telling followers “the road to Munich starts tomorrow.
“I’m very excited. Let’s enjoy the best football in Europe.”
Manager Vincent Kompany, set to coach his first match in the Champions League, told reporters “the fans can dream.”
“The most important thing for me is that we show it on the pitch. We have a difficult game tomorrow. The important thing is that we play well and win tomorrow.”
Bayern have won every one of their Champions League openers since 2002 when they lost 3-2 to Deportivo La Coruna, which was the prelude to their first and only group stage elimination.

European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63

European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63
Updated 41 min 49 sec ago
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European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63

European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63
  • The forward died after recently going into hospital following a head injury suffered in a fall
  • “Aston Villa Football Club is deeply shocked and profoundly saddened to learn that Gary Shaw, one of our European Cup-winning heroes, has passed away,” a statement said

LONDON: Former Aston Villa striker Gary Shaw, who helped the club to their shock European Cup triumph in 1982, died on Monday aged 63.
Shaw was a member of the Villa side that won the First Division title in 1981 and then memorably stunned German giants Bayern Munich in the European Cup final 12 months later.
The forward died after recently going into hospital following a head injury suffered in a fall.
“Aston Villa Football Club is deeply shocked and profoundly saddened to learn that Gary Shaw, one of our European Cup-winning heroes, has passed away,” a statement said.
“Gary was one of our own, a talented striker who delighted supporters with his goalscoring exploits which helped fire Villa to success in the 1980s. Individual accolades would also follow for a player who was idolized by many on the terraces.


“He passed away peacefully earlier today surrounded by his family, who asked Aston Villa to release a statement on their behalf.”
Shaw’s death came on the eve of Villa’s first match in the Champions League for 41 years.
Unai Emery’s side face Young Boys in Switzerland on Tuesday and the Villa manager urged his team to win the match in tribute to Shaw.
“My condolences to the family and all the supporters at Villa,” said Emery, whose team will wear black armbands for the fixture in Bern.
“We have a memory always, in our training ground a picture of 1982 and the European Cup. He was a protagonist of that. My condolences to them.
“Yes, I think it’s sad and we can use it as motivation.”
Shaw joined Villa as an apprentice and went on to score 79 times in 213 appearances, including 20 goals in their 1981 title-winning campaign.
He was named PFA Young Player of the Year after Villa’s first English title since 1910.
Shaw scored three goals in Villa’s run to European Cup glory, including a crucial quarter-final strike against Dynamo Kiev.
Peter Withe’s winner against Bayern in Rotterdam lifted the team to previously unimaginable heights, with Birmingham-born Shaw savouring the triumph more than most.
Yet within a year of Villa’s epic victory, Shaw suffered a knee injury in a match against Nottingham Forest that curtailed his progress and ultimately saw him retire from the game after six operations.
He left the club in 1988 for spells in Denmark and Austria, before ending his career in 1992 after short stints at Walsall, Kilmarnock and Shrewsbury.
Shaw later worked as a statistical analyst and a matchday ambassador for Villa.


Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury

Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury
Updated 16 September 2024
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Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury

Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury
  • Jabeur missed the recent US Open due to the injury

PARIS: Ons Jabeur will miss the rest of the 2024 WTA season with a shoulder injury, the Tunisian announced on Monday.
The three-time Grand Slam runner-up has struggled for form and fitness this year, slipping to 22nd in the world rankings.
Jabeur missed the recent US Open due to the injury and has not played since a heavy defeat by Naomi Osaka in Toronto in early August.
“This year has been extremely hard for me and as athletes, we know that recovery is part of the journey,” she said on social media.
“Due to my ongoing shoulder injury, my medical team and I’ve made the difficult decision to step off the tennis circuit for the rest of the season.”
The 30-year-old said she would be back on court for the start of the 2025 campaign in Australia.


Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya

Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya
Updated 16 September 2024
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Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya

Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya
  • “It was scary. I saw Aishi being struck for no reason by a policeman and bottles and other objects hurled at our players,” said the official
  • “Aishi is shaken but okay. He is receiving treatment in the changing room“

JOHANNESBURG: Aishi Manula, the goalkeeper of Tanzanian club Simba, was struck by a policeman after a stormy CAF Confederation Cup qualifier in Libya on Sunday, an official from the visiting team told AFP.
The second round, first leg against Al Ahly Tripoli ended 0-0 in a packed 45,000-seat Tripoli stadium and Simba players dashed for cover at full-time as plastic bottles were flung at them.
“It was scary. I saw Aishi being struck for no reason by a policeman and bottles and other objects hurled at our players,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
“Aishi is shaken but okay. He is receiving treatment in the changing room. I also witnessed some Ahly players attacking the referee and his assistants.”
Both clubs are regular CAF competition campaigners with Ahly making a ninth appearance in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League and Simba a seventh.
Simba are considered potential title challengers in the Confederation Cup, which has been dominated by north African clubs with 16 titles from 21 editions.
Zamalek of Egypt are the current title-holders after edging Renaissance Berkane of Morocco on away goals in the last final.
South African coach Fadlu Davids recently took charge of the Dar es Salaam outfit after being assistant coach of Moroccan league and cup double winners Raja Casablanca last season.
Another first leg in Libya produced a thriller with Al Hilal Benghazi snatching a 3-2 victory over Al Masry of Egypt after trailing twice in the eastern city.
Salah Mohsen put Masry ahead in each half, but two goals from Mohammed al Shiteewi, either side of one from Faisal al Badri, set up an intriguing September 22 return match in Alexandria.
Dynamos of Zimbabwe look set to reach the group stage for the first time, at the third attempt, after a 1-0 win over Orapa United of Botswana in Francistown.
But the most popular club in the southern Africa nation left it late to build an aggregate lead as Valentine Kadonzvo scored with just two minutes of regular time remaining.
Zimbabwe have no international-standard stadium so Dynamos must play Orapa twice in neighboring Botswana.
Burundi outfit Rukinzo are in a similar situation to Dynamos with no suitable venue in the landlocked central African nation.
They opted to face record three-time Confederation Cup winners CS Sfaxien twice in Tunisia, and did well to restrict the home side to a 1-0 win through an early Mohamed ‘Cristo’ Dhaoui goal.


Bellingham, Tchouameni back for Madrid’s Champions League opener

Bellingham, Tchouameni back for Madrid’s Champions League opener
Updated 16 September 2024
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Bellingham, Tchouameni back for Madrid’s Champions League opener

Bellingham, Tchouameni back for Madrid’s Champions League opener
  • Defender Eder Militao did not train on Monday but Ancelotti said the Brazilian would also be ready for the clash

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Monday midfielders Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni are back from injury as Los Blancos begin the defense of their Champions League trophy.
The record 15-time winners and current holders face German side Stuttgart on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu and are boosted by the return of England international Bellingham and France’s Tchouameni.
Defender Eder Militao did not train on Monday but Ancelotti said the Brazilian would also be ready for the clash.
“Bellingham is good, just as Tchouameni is good, and Militao too for tomorrow, who didn’t train today because he needed one more day of recovery,” said Ancelotti.
“Two important players are back, but we also have the bad luck to have lost another important player (Brahim Diaz).”
Bellingham, who began the season in a deeper midfield role than in the previous campaign, suffered a calf injury in August which forced him out of four La Liga matches.
“(His return) is fantastic news, for what he brings in a football sense, as well as beyond that,” said Dani Carvajal.
“To see him in the squad again is great, we count on him.”
The midfielder was crucial last season on the way to the Wembley final where Madrid beat his former side Borussia Dortmund.
Ancelotti said his team was just as hungry to win the competition this year.
“We’re as (excited) as always, what this competition brings us, where this club has been such a protagonist for so long, and keeps being one,” added Ancelotti.
“The Champions League is special for Real Madrid, we will try to compete until the end.”