fifa: FIFA charges Ecuador over fan chants at World Cup opener

FIFA on Tuesday opened the tournament’s first disciplinary case following alleged discriminatory chants by Ecuadorian fans in their World Cup opening match.

FIFA said the charge was made “due to chants” in Sunday’s game against Qatar and cited the section of its disciplinary code dealing with discrimination.

The chants were reportedly directed at Chile, which brought a legal case before the World Cup to try to replace Ecuador.

FIFA gave no timetable for handling the case against the Ecuadorian Football Federation, which is held responsible for the behavior of fans at games. Ecuadorian fans attracted global attention for their chants of “We want beer” in Spanish during the team’s 2–0 victory at El Bayt Stadium. This was in reference to FIFA and Qatari organizers banning the sale of beer alongside alcohol in stadiums.

Originally published at Pen 18

India vs New Zealand: Rain-hit 3rd T20I ends in a tie, Indian team win the series 1-0

Originally published at Pen 18

cristiano ronaldo: Cristiano Ronaldo to leave Manchester United after criticism of club

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo will leave with immediate effect, the Premier League team said on Tuesday, a bitter end to the Portugal captain’s second spell at Old Trafford after he said he had been betrayed by the club.

An explosive interview with TalkTV this month – in which Ronaldo also said he did not respect manager Erik ten Haag – left him in a shaky position at the club, after winning eight major trophies with them from 2003-2009. They reunited in August 2021.

United said last week they would address Ronaldo’s comments only after establishing the full facts and last Friday said they had initiated “appropriate steps” in response.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement with immediate effect. The club thank him for his immense contribution over two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wish him and his family all the best for the future ” United said in a statement. “Everyone at United is focused on continuing the team’s progress under Ten Haag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.”

Last month, Ten Haag said Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur with minutes remaining in the game after the forward was put on the bench.

The 37-year-old was then not part of the squad that made its return before facing Chelsea the following Saturday.

Ronaldo later said in interviews that he regretted leaving early against Spurs, but that his decision to leave as well came about because he felt “provoked” by Ten Haag.

Ronaldo said in a statement on Tuesday that he loved the club and the fans.

“… that will never change,” he said. “However, it seems like the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the rest of the season and for the future.”

Originally published at Pen 18

india vs new zealand 3rd t20 match: Siraj, Arshdeep take four-wicket hauls, New Zealand all out for 160

Pacers Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj took eight wickets together as India bowled out New Zealand for 160 in the third and final T20 International in Napier on Tuesday.

Batting first, New Zealand were reeling at 130 for two in the 16th over, but the pair of Arshdeep (4/37) and Siraj (4/17) made a brilliant comeback to end the Kiwi innings with two balls to spare. Gave.

The hosts lost eight wickets for just 30 runs after Devon Conway (59 off 49 balls) and Glenn Phillips (54 off 33 balls) propelled their innings.

India got their first breakthrough when Arshdeep trapped Finn Allen in front of the wicket with a full delivery that spun through mid on. Allen thought of a review before deciding to walk back as the ball was clearly going to hit the stumps.

Experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a tight third over before Conway decided to take on left-arm seamer Arshdeep, smashing him for a boundary through mid-wicket before lofting the bowler over extra cover for a six.

He then hit a boundary over the fast bowler’s head.

19 runs in the fourth over and it looked like New Zealand were on their way. Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded 14 runs in the next over as the Kiwis looked to finish off the powerplay, their weak spot in recent times, on a strong note.

However, a change in bowling dashed all such hopes as Siraj dismissed Mark Chapman for 12 with a run-a-ball. fiasco, ending a brief but sharp partnership.

After conceding 33 runs in two overs, the Indian bowlers put up a mighty fight, conceding only 17 runs in the next four overs.

Conway broke the shackles with a four off Yuzvendra Chahal as New Zealand were 74 for two at the halfway stage of their innings.

After a slow start, the quick-hitting Phillips hit a couple of fours before hitting a four and a big six off consecutive balls to help his team cross 100 in the 13th over.

Phillips launched him at Bhubaneswar, hitting a four and a monstrous six over the roof at McLean Park.

31 runs came from overs 12 and 13, before Phillips smashed Harshal Patel over deep square leg for another maximum.

However, Phillips got a top edge against Siraj and Bhuvneshwar took a catch in the deep as a big breakthrough for the tourists.

The dismissal of Phillips triggered a collapse as the hosts lost their remaining wickets in short order.

Originally published at Pen 18

india vs new zealand 3rd t20 match: New Zealand wins toss, opts to bat first against India in third T20I

New Zealand captain Tim Southee won the toss and elected to bat in the final T20 match of the three-match series against India in Napier on Tuesday.

India currently has a 1-0 lead in the series.

New Zealand captain Tim Southee said, “We will bat. It looks like a pitch where we can get runs on the board. We can’t really control the weather, but this ground has a history of good batting conditions.” suggests. Our bowling was poor the other night. Not the best but credit goes to Skye (Suryakumar Yadav). Mark Chapman comes straight through. You look back at the places where we can improve as a team Can.”

Indian captain Hardik Pandya also said at the toss, “We wanted to bowl first anyway, so we got what we wanted. I think the pitch will be the same for the full 40 overs, but something has to happen with the grass on it.” could.” Lateral movement for our pacers. We keep in mind the dimensions but also the skill-set in our bowling line-up. We can’t think too much about the conditions – one change, Herschel comes in for Washington Sundar”. New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway (W), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (c), Lockie Ferguson

India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Originally published at Pen 18

2024 T20 World Cup will not be same as the earlier one. Here are the changes

The T20 World Cup to be played in 2024 which will see the participation of 20 nations will be played in a different format. There will be four groups of five teams each.

Instead of the Super 12 stage in the 2021 and 2022 World Cups, the 2024 World Cup will have a Super 8 stage featuring the top two teams from four groups. The Super 8 stage will have two groups of four teams each.

Then, the top two sides in each of the two Super Eight groups will advance to the semi-finals, which will be followed by the final.

Twelve teams have already secured their berths in the next edition of the tournament to be played in the West Indies and the United States. As hosts, the West Indies and the United States take the first two spots.

The top eight teams (top four in each Super 12 group) at the recent T20 World Cup in Australia, including defending champions England and runners-up Pakistan, have already secured places for the 2024 tournament, with Afghanistan next. And Bangladesh. The best teams are also securing their places in the ICC Men’s T20I Rankings.

The final eight places for the 2024 tournament will be decided in regional play, the ICC said in a press release.

“While South Africa claimed 2024 qualification by virtue of their top eight finish, Zimbabwe were unable to capitalize on their strong start to the campaign, finishing last in the Super 12 group and relegated to regional qualification,” the ICC said in the release. was sent.” ,

There will be two qualification spots each in Africa, Asia and Europe, with one spot each for the Americas and East-Asia Pacific.

In the previous two editions of the T20 World Cup, the first round saw two groups of four teams each, consisting of the countries that entered the competition through the qualifying stage and the ninth and 12th-placed teams in the previous tournament.

The top two sides from each group in the first round were then joined by the remaining eight teams that had already qualified for the Super 12 stage.

(With inputs from PTI)

Originally published at Pen 18

world cup: Messi seeks history with Argentina in likely last World Cup appearance

Lionel Messi finally returns to the World Cup for a fifth attempt at winning football’s biggest prize. He will also be hoping to make history with Argentina.

The Argentine is one of the favorites to win in Qatar and a win would fill a void on his resume. But a win or a draw on Tuesday against Saudi Arabia, one of the tournament’s weakest teams, would give Argentina a record-tying result.

Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-match unbeaten streak, one shy of breaking Italy’s record in international men’s football, set from 2018–21.

Argentina have not lost since their 2-0 loss to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America. Argentina first won the World Cup in 1978, and again in 1986 – a year before Messi was born. The team reached the final in 2014 and lost to Germany, and four years later were eliminated in the round of 16 in Russia. Meanwhile, Messi is one of the four players who are playing in their fifth World Cup. He is joined by Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexico teammates Guillermo Ochoa and Andrés Guardado.

Saudi Arabia were eliminated in the first round in 2018, starting with a 5–0 defeat to hosts Russia. In a tough Group C that includes Mexico and Poland, the Saudis will be seeking a group stage exit for only the second time since 1994. The team has won two of its last 10 matches.

defending champion

Defending champions France will play against Australia on Tuesday in a rematch from four years ago.

France won 2-1 in Russia when Paul Pogba’s shot in the 81st minute was deflected off a defender for an own goal. Pogba is out after knee surgery, and France are also down two other stars with N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema sidelined.

France expect defender Raphael Varane to play after suffering a hamstring injury in October.

Kylian Mbappe is set to lead France to consecutive titles. He was only 19 when he scored in the final and helped France win the World Cup four years earlier. With 28 international goals, Embappé will be looking to add to his tally in the Group D opener.

However, France arrived in Qatar with only one win in their last six matches.

Australia barely made the World Cup field and needed a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Peru in the playoffs. The Socceroos have been knocked out of the group stage in four of their last five matches.

other sports

Mexico faces Poland, while Denmark plays Tunisia on 11 consecutive days with four games played each day.

Poland entered the World Cup behind striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored nine goals with four assists in qualification. His 13 direct-goal partnerships were twice as many as any teammate.

However, he never scored at the World Cup as Poland finished last in their group in 2018. The Barcelona striker is eager to score in Qatar.

“I definitely think about the last World Cup,” Lewandowski said. “Scoring in the World Cup would be a huge dream and I am going to do everything for this dream. I hope it happens in this World Cup. Whatever I have achieved and these memories for the World Cup Happy to have.” So now is the time to enjoy.”

Poland was last eliminated from the group stage in 1986.

Meanwhile, Mexico has been eliminated from group play in each of its last eight appearances, last failing to advance in 1978. The national team has also won its first match in five of its last six World Cups.

Christian Eriksen comes on to play for Denmark against Tunisia, 17 months after being revived on the field during the European Championship.

The Manchester United midfielder’s presence will be inspirational for Denmark, who sailed through their World Cup qualifying group winning their first nine games – with clean sheets through the first eight.

Tunisia has been strong in keeping games tight, but its World Cup record is not good: Tunisia has lost 60% of its World Cup games (nine out of 15), trailing only Saudi Arabia and Australia.

chaos outside

The first few days of the World Cup have been marred by logistical problems, the latest on Monday when fans complained that tickets for the England-Iran match had gone missing from their mobile FIFA applications.

Long queues formed outside the Khalifa International Stadium about an hour before the start of the match and fans went berserk lest they could get inside.

The night before, the official fan area became increasingly congested during the opening match between host nations Qatar and Ecuador. Tens of thousands of fans pushed against a police line to enter the venue, making it one of the few places where fans could buy beer and watch the game.

Davis Update

Canada coach John Herdman is expected to give a medical update on Tuesday about Alphonso Davies, who arrived in Qatar last week after receiving treatment on a hamstring strain he picked up this month while playing for Bayern Munich.

Bayern have said Davies’ participation in Qatar was “not at risk”, but he has not played since the November 5 injury.

“My mission is to make sure he plays in this World Cup, it’s a childhood dream for him,” Herdmann said. “And he shouldn’t be put in a position where he’s vulnerable.”

Read about all 32 teams playing in the World Cup.

Originally published at Pen 18