Kylian Mbappé ready to make Real Madrid debut in UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta

Kylian Mbappé ready to make Real Madrid debut in UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta
Real Madrid’s French forward Kylian Mbappe reacts as he attends a training session on the eve of the UEFA Super Cup football match Real Madrid v Atalanta Bergamo in Warsaw on Aug. 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 13 August 2024
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Kylian Mbappé ready to make Real Madrid debut in UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta

Kylian Mbappé ready to make Real Madrid debut in UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta
  • Mbappé “could play tomorrow,” Ancelotti said
  • Ancelotti joked he had a “huge problem” and that thinking about who might play up front “has ruined my holidays”

WARSAW: Kylian Mbappé appears ready to make his debut for Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta on Wednesday.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said the France striker arrived in good shape following the European Championship and was adapting well to the team after a week of practice.
Mbappé “could play tomorrow,” Ancelotti said Tuesday at a news conference at the National Stadium in Warsaw where the match will be played.
The 25-year-old Mbappe is the biggest draw in the Polish capital after finally joining Madrid following a drawn-out saga with his former club, Paris Saint-Germain. He was introduced to the club’s fans at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last month but wasn’t part of the squad on their US tour while he rested after Euro 2024.
He joins a slew of world-class forward at Madrid, including Vinícius Júnior, another new signing in Brazil striker Endrick, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Arda Guler.
Ancelotti joked he had a “huge problem” and that thinking about who might play up front “has ruined my holidays.”
“The simplest thing,” the 65-year-old Ancelotti said, “is to know that good players are always going to play and are always going to bring something in.
“There are no problems for us because there are so many games. I can’t think I am going to have to count on the same 11 players for 70-something games.”
Asked whether Mbappé’s arrival had changed the atmosphere in the locker room, Ancelotti said through a translator: “It is a very clean, healthy atmosphere, the kind of atmosphere created by players who have been here like (the recently departed) Nacho Fernandez, Dani Carvajal, (Luka) Modric, (Federico) Valverde. There are no princes or kings here.”
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperino want all of Madrid’s superstars to play against his team.
“For me it is fundamental that the team play a good game without thinking about who is there and who isn’t,” Gasperini said.
“I hope the best play, because only with the strongest can you try to gain the maximum respect.”
The Italian team will start as the underdog, like they were before beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final to win the club’s first European title and first trophy in 61 years.
But Gasperini said Atalanta were not deterred.
“We come with our usual enthusiasm, our usual eagerness to try to impress,” he said.
The Super Cup is an annual match between the winners of last season’s Champions League and the second-tier Europa League.


Davis Cup: US, Spain, Italy and Britain win their opening group matches

Davis Cup: US, Spain, Italy and Britain win their opening group matches
Updated 12 September 2024
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Davis Cup: US, Spain, Italy and Britain win their opening group matches

Davis Cup: US, Spain, Italy and Britain win their opening group matches
  • The No. 3-ranked Alcaraz clinched victory for Spain against the Czech Republic in Group B when Tomas Machac retired injured with the score at 6-7 (3), 6-1
  • Brandon Nakashima beat Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (3) after Reilly Opelka defeated Cristian Garin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to give the Americans a winning 2-0 lead over Chile in Group C

VALENCIA, Spain: Less than two weeks after his shocking second-round exit at the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz was staring at another upset when a set down in his opening group-stage match for Spain in the Davis Cup Finals on Wednesday.

This time, Alcaraz turned things around — though he needed some help from his opponent.

The No. 3-ranked Alcaraz clinched victory for Spain against the Czech Republic in Group B on Wednesday when Tomas Machac retired injured with the score at 6-7 (3), 6-1 in Valencia. It gave Spain an unassailable 2-0 lead, with Roberto Bautista Agut having already defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (1), 6-4, and Alcaraz then partnered with Marcel Granollers-Pujol to win the doubles in three sets and wrap up a 3-0 victory.

They were Alcaraz’s first matches since losing in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp — who was ranked 74th — at Flushing Meadows.

Spain joined the US, defending champion Italy and Britain in gaining victories on Wednesday.

Brandon Nakashima beat Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (3) after Reilly Opelka defeated Cristian Garin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to give the Americans a winning 2-0 lead over Chile in Group C in Zhuhai, China.

Those two singles matches lasted in excess of five hours and the US brought in Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram for the doubles, which they won 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) against Tomas Barrios Vera and Matias Soto to seal a 3-0 sweep.

“It was truly an epic day of tennis for both teams, everyone showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts,” US captain and retired doubles great Bob Bryan said. “I don’t think it’s ever happened in Davis Cup that all matches went to the third-set breaker . . . historic day. Just feeling very, very proud of the players.”

The US, which has a leading 32 Davis Cup titles but none since 2007, is bidding to reach the quarterfinals for the second time since the Davis Cup Finals were introduced in 2019. In the qualifiers this year, the Americans defeated Ukraine 4-0 on neutral ground in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Italy didn’t need top-ranked Jannik Sinner, the newly crowned US Open champion, to begin its title defense with a 2-1 win over Brazil in Group A in Bologna.

Matteo Berrettini beat Joao Fonseca 6-1, 7-6 (5) before Matteo Arnaldi gave Italy an unassailable 2-0 lead by beating Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5). Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo won the doubles for Brazil, beating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in three sets.

“It was a great, great feeling. I’ve been missing this kind of feeling for so long for so many reasons,” Berrettini said. “The Davis Cup, the tournament in Rome, it felt like almost a first time.”

Britain also established a 2-0 advantage over Finland in Manchester, England, in Group D thanks to wins by Dan Evans and Billy Harris.

Evans beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (3), 6-2 and Harris, the guy who once lived out of a van while playing tennis tournaments around Europe, defeated Otto Virtanen 6-4, 7-6 (4).

“He (Vasa) was playing so freely in the first set and I did well to weather the storm and find a way to win,” Evans said. “That’s what you have to do in the Davis Cup.”

It finished 2-1 for Britain after Virtanen teamed with Harri Heliovaara to beat Evans and Neal Skupski 7-6 (4), 7-5 in doubles.

The four groups are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the Final 8 knockout stage to be held in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group will advance.

In opening play on Tuesday, Belgium beat the Netherlands 2-1, Australia defeated France 2-1, Germany — playing without No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev — beat Slovakia 3-0 and Canada defeated Argentina 2-1.


Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG

Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG
Updated 12 September 2024
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Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG

Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG
  • Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him €55 million ($60 million)
  • PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe is not ready to compromise with Paris Saint-Germain.

The France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the French soccer league’s legal commission on Wednesday in his dispute with his former club over wages and bonuses.

PSG officials and Mbappe’s representatives met in Paris after Mbappe asked the commission to get involved. Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him €55 million ($60 million).

In a statement to The Associated Press, Mbappe’s representatives said the player asked the commission to take note of the non-payment of three months’ salary and the last third of a loyalty bonus.

“The eventuality of a mediation was mentioned this morning,” the statement read. “This possibility was rejected during the meeting by the player’s representative. A mediation would be useless to record a lack of payment that would be seen from a simple analysis of the player’s payslip.”

PSG, which said it was pleased with the two-hour hearing at the commission on Wednesday, said in a statement it recalled that Mbappe had formerly made “clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven fantastic years in Paris.”

PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season — following his decision not to prolong his contract with the club — with the player allegedly stipulating that he would relinquish bonuses over his reintegration into the team.

“To avoid its payment obligation, the club seeks to demonstrate the existence of a secret agreement that would justify it. But the club fails to demonstrate the existence of such an agreement,” Mbappe’s representatives said.

PSG said that the league’s legal commission recommended “mediation between the parties,” which the club said it had been seeking for months.

The French league did not respond to a request for comments from the AP.

The player’s representatives did not say what action they will now take. In light of the current deadlock, it’s likely the case will ultimately be settled by an employment court.

Mbappe’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions during his final season at the club.

PSG felt let down by Mbappe after offering him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he signed a new contract in 2022. But Mbappe was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players were not kept.

When he signed the new deal, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappe was reportedly annoyed about this because the contract was until 2024 with the option for an extra year.

Mbappe stunned PSG in June last year by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively into its final year, it put PSG in the position of needing to sell Mbappe to avoid losing him for free when the contract expired.

His PSG career could have ended in the summer of 2023 amid a tense transfer standoff. After telling the club he would not extend his contract for an extra year, Mbappe was left off a preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and forced to train with fringe players. PSG said it would rather sell him than let the player leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a €300 million move to Saudi team Al-Hilal.

PSG left Mbappe out of the team’s opening league game of that season as the standoff continued but eventually let him return to the lineup after “constructive and positive talks” between the two parties, PSG said at the time.


Argentina goalkeeper Martinez under fire for hitting TV cameraman after loss to Colombia

Argentina goalkeeper Martinez under fire for hitting TV cameraman after loss to Colombia
Updated 12 September 2024
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Argentina goalkeeper Martinez under fire for hitting TV cameraman after loss to Colombia

Argentina goalkeeper Martinez under fire for hitting TV cameraman after loss to Colombia
  • Jackson: Out of the blue he slapped me. I felt angry, very angry. I was working, just like he was
  • Footballers have been suspended from games in similar situations, and that is what Colombia’s association of sports journalists — known as ACORD — wants FIFA to do
  • Martinez and South American soccer body CONMEBOL did not make comments

BOGOTA, Colombia: A TV cameraman said Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez “slapped me” after Colombia’s 2-1 win in a World Cup qualifying match.

Jhonny Jackson told Colombian media he approached Martinez after the final whistle in Barranquilla on Tuesday as the goalkeeper greeted another player. Footage he captured shows the World Cup winner who Argentines know as Dibu hitting the camera, which quickly shakes to the ground after the impact.

“Out of the blue he slapped me,” Jackson told RCN Deportes on Wednesday. “I felt angry, very angry. I was working, just like he was. He was playing and I was shooting with my camera.”

He also sent a message to Martinez: “Dibu, my brother, how are you? I am Jhonny Jackson, the cameraman you assaulted in the match against Colombia. I wanted to tell you it is all good, my brother. Everyone has lost a match in their life. This defeat clearly meant a lot to you. But look ahead, Dibu.”

Jackson works for a company that delivers footage to channels Caracol Television and RCN Deportes.

Footballers have been suspended from games in similar situations, and that is what Colombia’s association of sports journalists — known as ACORD — wants FIFA to do. Its president Faiver Hoyos Hernandez said in a statement that Martinez attacked freedom of expression.

“As the journalistic authority in this country, ACORD wants FIFA to produce an exemplary sanction against Mr. Emiliano Dibu Martinez, who is no role model for new generations,” the statement said.

Martinez and South American soccer body CONMEBOL did not make comments.

Argentina lead the South American World Cup qualifying with 18 points after eight matches, two points ahead of Colombia. All teams have two more qualifying matches next month. The top six teams will get automatic spots at the 2026 World Cup.


England’s new white-ball era off to shaky start in loss to Australia in first T20 cricket match

England’s new white-ball era off to shaky start in loss to Australia in first T20 cricket match
Updated 12 September 2024
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England’s new white-ball era off to shaky start in loss to Australia in first T20 cricket match

England’s new white-ball era off to shaky start in loss to Australia in first T20 cricket match

SOUTHAMPTON, England: A new era for England’s white-ball teams got off to a shaky start with a 28-run loss to Australia on Wednesday in the first of three T20 matches between the fierce cricket rivals.
Australia was put into bat and dismissed for 179 with three balls remaining — an under-par score at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton given the team smashed 86 off the powerplay and was 118-2 after 10 overs. Travis Head hit a 19-ball fifty in his knock of 59 to get the Australians off to a rapid start.
England, with a batting lineup missing injured captain Jos Buttler and including uncapped Jordan Cox and Jacob Bethell, stumbled to 52-4. After Liam Livingstone (37) and Sam Curran (18) threatened a fightback with a 54-run partnership for the fifth wicket, England lost three wickets in 10 balls to plunge to 113-7 and was eventually all out for 151 with four balls left.
The other matches in the T20 series are in Cardiff on Friday and Manchester on Sunday. Then comes a five-match ODI series between the teams, where Buttler — England’s white-ball talisman — may return from his right calf injury that will cause him to miss the T20s.
With the 30-year-old Jamie Overton also selected for the first time, England’s lineup included three uncapped players as well as a stand-in captain in Phil Salt. Australia’s more-established team had too much for the hosts, with the 86-run opening partnership between Matthew Short (41 off 26 balls) and Head building an excellent platform.
Head crashed 30 runs off the first over bowled by Curran, who quickly disappeared from England attack.
It took the arrival of spinners Adil Rashid and Livingstone to slow the run-rate, and Australia started to quickly lose wickets — with the last eight departing for 61.
In the chase, the 23-year-old Cox was out for an unconvincing 17 off 12 balls and the 20-year-old Bethell managed only 2. Overton was also in the top seven of an inexperienced and fragile batting lineup, and made 15.
Australia’s fielding was brilliant, with Tim David’s catch — on the dive after turning round and running into the leg side — to remove Cox particularly standing out.


Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez gets 6-month driving ban

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez gets 6-month driving ban
Updated 11 September 2024
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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez gets 6-month driving ban

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez gets 6-month driving ban
  • The 23-year-old Fernandez did not appear in court for sentencing on Wednesday

CARDIFF: Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has been banned from driving for six months because of motoring offenses in Wales.
The 23-year-old Fernandez did not appear in court for sentencing on Wednesday. He had been found guilty earlier this year on two charges of failing to identify the driver of a Porsche Cayenne.
A driver of the car allegedly ran a red light in the town of Llanelli in November and was caught speeding in Swansea last December.
It was not proven that Fernandez was the driver of the vehicle.
Fernandez, who played for Argentina in Colombia on Tuesday, was the vehicle’s registered owner but did not respond to police requests for information.
He also was ordered to pay 3,020 pounds ($4,000) in fines and costs.