International Football
Former Super Eagles target, Eze credits Hodgson’s ‘insane wisdom’ for England call
Eberechi Eze who once trained with the Super Eagles as former NFF president, Amaju Pinnick made efforts to persuade him to switch his allegiance to Nigeria has credited the “insane wisdom” of veteran Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson for helping him earn a first call-up to the England senior squad
Eberechi Eze has credited the “insane wisdom” of veteran Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson for helping him earn a first call-up to the England senior squad.
The 24-year-old is part of England manager Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta away on Friday and at home to North Macedonia on Monday.
“I am very grateful to Roy for all he did in helping me regain form. He helped me massively with my mental state too,” winger Eze, who scored 10 Premier League goals last season, told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.
“He advises me all the time, he has insane wisdom.”
Hodgson, 75, returned to Crystal Palace after Patrick Vieira was sacked in March, and immediately guided them away from relegation danger.
London-born Eze suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury in May 2021 when he was close to an England call, setting his career back. But he impressed throughout the last campaign.
“You can see from what he did coming back how effective he (Hodgson) was. The influence he had on the players, the mindset and freedom we played with. That is something we hadn’t had for a while,” Eze said.
With two wins from two games, England are already firm favourites to win Group C and qualify for the finals in Germany and while Southgate is usually reluctant to tinker too much with his starting lineup, Eze could feature against Malta.
“Naturally there is always something you want next. I am grateful to be in this position,” Eze said when asked whether he was confident of making his debut.
“I have worked hard, no one has done me any favours as I deserve to be here.”
Eze will have team mate Marc Guehi for company during his international duty.
“He has been speaking to me a bit about it. He has helped a lot in terms of making me feel settled. It is all a good experience,” he said.
-Reuters
International Football
Two Moroccan football players lost at sea, says club official
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Abdellatif-Akhrif.png)
Two Moroccan players from top-flight soccer side Ittihad Tanger have been missing at sea since Saturday after strong currents drifted their small yacht, a club official said on Sunday.
They were in a group of five players from the club who went cruising off the northern city of Tangier when strong currents and heavy winds drifted their yacht away as they were swimming in deep waters, club deputy president Anass Mrabet told Reuters.
“Three players have already been rescued on Saturday, while research is still ongoing for the missing Salman Harraq and Abdellatif Akhrif,” he said.
The players did not have buoys on them when they jumped from the small yacht to swim, he said citing recounts by rescued players.
While Akhrif, 24, is already a full member of the squad, Harraq, 18, was about to move up to the senior team this year, Mrabet added.
Ittihad Tanger have been in the Moroccan top flight since 2015 and won the league title for the first and only time in their history in the 2017-18 season. However, they have struggled in the lower half of the standings in recent years.
-Reuters
International Football
FIFA launches ‘Football Manager’ World Cup with $100,000 in prize money
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/arsene-wenger.jpg)
FIFA will host its first ever FIFAe World Cup of Football Manager this year to crown the best virtual manager on the highly-popular video game, world soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
FIFA is partnering with Sports Interactive, the developers of the game that has sold millions of copies and has also been used by several football clubs to scout players and opponents thanks to its extensive database.
Players will compete for $100,000 in prize money in the final event from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
“This competition requires participants to demonstrate a profound understanding of football strategy and tactics,” said former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is the ambassador for the esports event.
“Success demands not only mastery of game mechanics but also in-depth football knowledge, making this format a fascinating blend.”
FIFA said in the inaugural year of the event, selected member associations will be invited to be represented at the final event.
Member associations from all six confederations are expected to be invited while players can sign up on FIFA’s website.
-Reuters
International Football
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio robbed at gunpoint
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/baggio.jpg)
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint at his home in northern Italy while watching his country’s match against Spain in the Euro 2024 tournament on Thursday, local police said.
Burglars broke into Baggio’s house near Vicenza, hit him on the head with a gun butt and locked him and his family in a room while they stole jewellery, watches and cash, daily Il Corriere della Sera reported. It said he suffered a deep wound.
“Luckily, the violence I suffered only resulted in a few stitches, bruises and a lot of fear. Now it is to overcome the fear,” Baggio was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA.
Baggio, 57, played for clubs including Juventus (JUVE.MI), opens new tab, AC Milan and Inter Milan. He also played 56 times for Italy, scoring 27 goals, and is widely seen as one of his country’s all-time greats.
After the robbery, Baggio, widely known as the “divine ponytail”, was treated at a local hospital where he received stitches for the head wound, Italian media reported.
Italy lost to Spain 1-0 on Thursday and now must avoid defeat by Croatia to guarantee progression in the tournament.
-Reuters
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