Sports
Africa Wants Return To Rotation Of World Cup Hosts
African delegates are keen for FIFA to reintroduce a rotation system for World Cup hosting after Morocco failed to land the 2026 World Cup.
The North Africans lost out to the triple bid from Canada, Mexico and United States on Wednesday.
“Rotation would be a solution,” said Malawi FA president Walter Nyamilandu.
“We should ask for an amendment to the bidding process that would allow rotation to come back,” added Liberia FA president, Musa Bility.
Morocco lost Wednesday’s vote at the FIFA Congress in Russia by 134 to 65.
By the time the 2026 finals take place, Africa will have hosted just one of 23 World Cups, while Mexico alone will have staged three separate tournaments.
The 2010 finals in South Africa only came about after football’s world governing body specifically introduced a rotation system in 2001.
This was pushed through by former Fifa president Sepp Blatter in response to South Africa’s narrow defeat to stage the 2006 World Cup, which eventually took place in Germany.
Bility believes FIFA could be tempted by the reintroduction of the system, which was abandoned in 2007 after Africa had been awarded the 2010 finals.
“I think this would be acceptable to FIFA because the World Cup is about taking football to the people,” the Confederation of African Football Executive Committee member told Tidesports source.
“There is inequality in the status of countries around the world so you need laws that will allow the tournament to rotate. You saw the margin of the vote – there was no way Morocco was going to win.”
Liberia was one of several African countries which did not vote for the Moroccan bid.
Morocco’s comprehensive defeat has left several African delegates wondering when, if ever, the continent will stage football’s greatest event again.
A total of 41 African nations backed the Moroccan bid, meaning the North Africans picked up just 24 votes from a possible 147 outside the continent.
“My biggest concern is that Africa won’t be given a chance soon,” added Nyamilandu.
“It might take a lot of years and a lot of convincing for the rest of the world to come and vote for Africa again. We had an opportunity and (the final vote) was clear testimony that Africa will not get support from the rest of the world.
“It’s going to take a long time for Africa to host the World Cup.”
Many African delegates believe Morocco lost because its projected tournament profit of $5 billion fell considerably short of the $11 billion being pledged by the North American bid.
“It was a game changer,” said Barry Rukoro, secretary-general of a Namibian FA that backed the ‘United’ bid.
“Football needs resources to develop across the globe and everywhere around the world, people are looking for much more resources than are available. So it really assisted the United bid.”
Even though many African federations will theoretically benefit from additional development funds that the extra $6bn of revenue for Fifa will bring, it still leaves a nagging doubt for some.
“I ask myself, what is the future of the World Cup? – because if we are going to go with the numbers only, what does it mean?,” said Kenya FA president Nick Mwenda.
“The numbers were staggering and it’s true that we all need the money, but when is Kenya going to stage the World Cup if that’s the route we go down?”
“If it is possible to achieve the $11 billion, is that going to be the benchmark?” queried Seychelles FA president Elvis Chetty.
“And if so, will that stop other nations from ever hosting and maybe Africa from ever hosting?”
Morocco has now bid five times for the World Cup without success.
Nonetheless, the African nation was still able to pledge a profit of $5 billion – double the amount that FIFA made from Brazil 2014, from an expanded 48-team World Cup.
“The dynamics have changed with the 48-nation tournament so maybe from an African perspective we need to start thinking how best we can accommodate 48 teams,” said Zambia FA president Andrew Kamanga.
“If you take Africa a whole, we have enough capacity from South Africa to Morocco in the north, so it’s question of ensuring you put together one composite bid that can address all the challenges.”
Sports
Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie A Lead
Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.
Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.
Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.
Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.
But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.
Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.
It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.
Sports
Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool
A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.
Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.
“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.
For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.
Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.
His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.
Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.
Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.
The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.
After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.
“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”
Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.
The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.
“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”
He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.
“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”
Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.
The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).
Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.
Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.
Sports
Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors
Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.
Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.
Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.
Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.
Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.
The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.
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