International Football
OVERVIEW OF SOUTH AMERICA’S 10 TEAMS JOSTLING FOR QATAR 2022 TICKETS
ARGENTINA
The experienced Lionel Messi and Nicolas Otamendi head up a squad that contains a number of new faces brought in by coach Lionel Scaloni, who was given the job on a permanent basis in July.
Since Russia 2018, Scaloni has handed more prominent roles to the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Lucas Ocampo and Juan Foyth. His new-look side is beginning to acquire an identity of its own and should be among the main contenders.
BOLIVIA
Appointed in August, Bolivia’s Venezuelan coach, Cesar Farias, is looking to build a team around experienced campaigners such as Carlos Vaca, Alejandro Chumachero, Danny Vejarano, Jhasmani Campos, Juan Carlos Arce and Carlos Saucedo.
Youngsters Paul Arano and Henry Vaca are tipped to join them in what looks set to be a challenging campaign for the Bolivians.
BRAZIL
Since topping South America’s qualifying for Russia 2018, Tite has made changes at the back, with Danilo and Sandro coming in alongside the experienced Alisson Becker and Thiago Silva.
The coach is spoiled for choice in midfield and up front. Though Neymar is still the star act, Artur, Gabriel Jesus, Willian and Firmino, to name but a few, all have lots to offer. Brazil will once again be one of the teams to beat.
CHILE
Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda was handed the job in January and the spine of his side virtually picks itself: Claudio Bravo, Mauricio Isla, Gary Medel, Charles Aranguiz, Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas, all of them two-time Copa America winners.
Guillermo Maripan, Erick Pulgar, Alfonso Parot, Gabriel Arias and Oscar Opazo are four players who are beginning to break through and could be crucial to Chile’s bid to atone for their failure to make Russia 2018.
COLOMBIA
Colombia’s Portuguese coach, Carlos Queiroz, has plenty to work with. The likes of David Ospina, Yerry Mina, Davinson Sanchez, Wilmar Barrios, Juan Cuadrado, James Rodriguez, Juan Fernando Quintero and Radamel Falcao remain very much part of his plans, while newcomers Luis Muriel, Mateus Uribe and Duvan Zapata are all taking on more responsibility. Colombia are one of the favourites to qualify.
ECUADOR
Still without a coach since the departure of Hernan Gomez, La Tri are going through a major transition.
Spearheading the new generation are Jhegson Mendez, Xavier Arreaga, Jordan Sierra and Michel Estrada, with a clutch of South American U-20 Championship winners waiting in the wings, such as Diego Palacios, Gonzalo Plata and Jose Cifuentes.
Leading them on the road to Qatar 2022 will be Enner Valencia, Angel Mena and Renato Ibarra, though it remains to be seen who their coach will be.
PARAGUAY
Since taking on the job, Argentinian coach Eduardo Berizzo has been looking to fashion a team with a character of its own.
It is a side in which players such as Matias Rojas, Junior Alonso, Jorge Moreira, Miguel Almiron and Dario Lezcano have all established themselves after being brought in by Berizzo’s predecessor.
Together with brothers Oscar and Angel Romero, Gustavo Gomez and Derlis Gonzalez, they form the nucleus of a team that is aiming to take Paraguay back to the World Cup for the first time since South Africa 2010.
PERU
Ricardo Gareca achieved the seemingly impossible in the last qualifying competition and will be looking for his charges to kick on this time.
The structure of the side that took Peru to their first world finals in 36 years remains largely the same, with the likes of Paolo Guerrero, Pedro Gallese, Luis Advincula, Miguel Trauco, Renato Tapia, Christian Cueva and Edison Flores all ready to go again.
URUGUAY
Oscar Tabarez heads into his fifth World Cup qualifying competition with the same solid-looking squad that he put together before Russia 2018 and of which much is expected.
As well as the experience of Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Godin and Fernando Muslera, Tabarez can count on several youngsters with leadership qualities, among them Jose Maria Gimenez, Matias Vecino and Lucas Torreira. Uruguay are one of the sides expected to push hard for a place at Qatar 2022.
VENEZUELA
Last place in the Russia 2018 qualifiers was a backwards step for Venezuela, who have nevertheless kept their faith in Rafael Dudamel.
The coach remains committed to his youth policy, having brought through the likes of Wuilker Farinez, Yangel Herrera, Yefferson Soteldo and Ronald Hernandez.
If Venezuela are to finally make their World Cup dream come true, however, they will need veterans Tomas Rincon and Salomon Rondon to fire.
International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat
Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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International Football
From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro
“I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro
Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil.
However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.
Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.
Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).
He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.
His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.
These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people. I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,” he insists
The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius.
“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.
‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”
Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: “I want to continue it.”
-Marca
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