Statue of former Brazilian star Roberto Dinamite at Vasco da Gama’s stadium in Rio de Janeiro. * * * * * * * * * * Ex-Brazil international Roberto Dinamite, the top scorer in the history of the Brazilian league, has died at age 68 of intestinal cancer, his former club Vasco da Gama confirmed […]
Agence France-Presse
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Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday signed for Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia in a deal believed to be worth more than 200 million euros per year The 37-year-old penned a contract which will take him to June 2025. “I can’t wait to discover a new football league in a different country,” said the former Manchester United, […]
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Andrea Agnelli says leaving Juventus 'not easy,' defends club amid claims of false accounting
Outgoing Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, who quit amid claims of false accounting at Italy’s biggest club, told shareholders Tuesday that leaving was difficult but the club “comes before everything.” Agnelli, whose 12-year reign brought a host of trophies for the Turin giants, said allegations against the club were “not justified” but said he was leaving […]
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Pele to spend Christmas in the hospital as cancer worsens
Pele will spend Christmas in a Sao Paulo hospital, his medical team and family said Wednesday, as he receives treatment for worsening cancer as well as kidney and heart problems. The 82-year-old “requires greater care related to renal and cardiac dysfunctions,” said the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. It also […]
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Hospitalized Pele says he's 'strong, with a lot of hope'
View of a mural depicting Brazilian legend Pele by artist Aleksandro Reis in Sao Paulo on Saturday. * * * * * * * * * * Brazilian soccer legend Pele said on Saturday that he feels “strong, with a lot of hope” despite medical problems that have kept the 82-year-old sports icon in the […]
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Political football: War and peace by other means at the World Cup
As Iran prepare to play diplomatic archrival the United States at the World Cup on Tuesday, AFP looks at how geopolitics have spilled onto the field in previous World Cups. Mussolini’s ‘Blackshirts’: France vs. Italy, 1938 Just a year before World War II broke out, defending champions Italy arrived in France with politics taking center […]
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Senegal: Lions of Teranga take news of Sadio Mane's loss with 'zen'
Senegal star Sadio Mane has lost his race to be fit for the 2022 World Cup and has been withdrawn from its squad. Bayern Munich said that the 30-year-old Mane, who was voted second in the Ballon d’Or last month behind Karim Benzema, had undergone “successful surgery” in Innsbruck where “a tendon was reattached to […]
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Ecuador leaves Byron Castillo out of World Cup squad after 'unfair sanctions'
The Ecuadoran federation said Tuesday that defender Byron Castillo had been left out of the nation’s World Cup squad to avoid further “unfair sanctions” in a dispute over the player’s nationality. Last week the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Castillo was eligible to play in Qatar but sanctioned the federation over the “falsification” […]
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Netherlands: Jasper Cillessen surprise omission in Louis van Gaal's World Cup squad
Veteran goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen was a surprise omission from the Netherlands’ World Cup squad announced by coach Louis van Gaal. Cillessen, 33, who rejoined his old club NEC Nijmegen from Valencia in August to improve his chances of selection, was dropped in favor of Feyenoord’s Justin Bijlow, Ajax’s Remko Pasveer and the surprise inclusion of […]
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Wales: Doubts that Gareth Bale can start all three group matches at World Cup
Wales coach Rob Page hinted Gareth Bale may not be able to start three World Cup games in nine days as he named the 26-man squad he will take to Qatar. Bale has been inspirational in leading his country to a first World Cup since 1958. The 33-year-old came off the bench to score a […]