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Germany sack head coach Hansi Flick after Japan thrashing

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Barcelona Coach Flick Cries Out VAR Decision In Loss

Hansi Flick was fired as Germany head coach on Sunday, the country’s football federation (DFB) announced, one day after a 4-1 loss to Japan deepened the gloom around the squad ahead of hosting next year’s European Championship.

The DFB said director Rudi Völler would be one of three coaches taking joint charge of the next game, a friendly against France on Tuesday in Dortmund.

Germany have not won any of their past five games and were eliminated in the group stage at last year’s World Cup.

Flick said after the loss to Japan that he wanted to remain as coach and insisted he was the right person for the job. Sunday’s announcement came hours after he led the team in a public training session attended by fans.

Flick won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2020 and took the Germany job the following year. He started by winning his first eight games — without facing any of Europe’s top teams — but has just four wins from 17 matches since then.

Germany captain Ilkay Gündogan backed Flick to remain after the Japan game but said the team sorely lacked cohesion.

Hansi Flick coached Germany at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the country exited at the group stage. Federico Gambarini/picture alliance via Getty Images
“A lot of our players, they are in a mental fight with themselves. There’s no confidence, there’s no understanding for the timing, for the right decisions on the pitch,” Gündogan told broadcaster beIN.

The interim coaching staff faces a tough task against France, who have won all of their five Euro 2024 qualifiers without conceding a single goal since losing the World Cup final on penalties to Argentina last year.

A likely permanent replacement could be Julian Nagelsmann. He was Flick’s successor at Bayern until the club replaced him with Thomas Tuchel in March. After the France game, Germany are next in action Oct. 14 against the United States, and Mexico four days later.

“Now, us in charge, have to act in order to be able to play next year at the Euro the demanding and ambitious role of hosts that we are hoping to play. That is what German fans rightly expect from us,” said Völler, who was national team coach from 2000 to 2004.

“The most urgent thing is then to bring in a national team coach who at short notice can redirect and prepare our team for the big Euro tournament next year.

“We expect from them, as does the whole country, positive impulses. A coach who can lift our level to where we know and expect it to be.”

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Ruud van Nistelrooy Confirms Next Move After Emotional Manchester United ‘Goodbye’

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Ruud van Nistelrooy Confirms Next Move After Emotional Manchester United 'Goodbye'

Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed he will find out his future at Manchester United within the next day as new boss Ruben Amorim prepares to take over.

The former United forward, who has been at the helm for the last four games after Erik ten Hag was dismissed, has overseen a run of three victories and a draw.

However, with Amorim expected to bring in his own backroom team, Van Nistelrooy’s position is uncertain. Despite this, he has expressed a desire to stay on and work with Amorim, even admitting he harbours dreams of one day becoming the permanent manager of the club.

The two are set to have decisive discussions following Amorim’s final game in charge of Sporting Lisbon against Braga. After United’s convincing 3-0 triumph over Leicester City, an emotional Van Nistelrooy spoke to BBC Sport, saying: “I really enjoyed it, it’s been a short but amazing period. We are in an uncertain position but we tried to do our jobs and help the club which is important.”

He added, reflecting on the support from fans: “There are a lot of feelings there, the way the fans supported me and the team always in difficult moments it was a special moment. To close down this block of games with good results and a good connection I can’t thank them enough. We will learn what the further plan is now.”

Following his latest match, Van Nistelrooy shared insights in the press conference, explaining why clarity from the club’s hierarchy was important to him: “(The club hierarchy) said, ‘okay, it’s going to be four [games], it’s going to be announced a new head coach’ etc, etc. So, for me, it is important to have that clarity and I appreciated that. In the end, the most important thing is this football club, and I’m here to support that in my role.”, reports the Mirror.

He went on to add, “As I said, I want to continue doing that in the future and now also the communication was okay, [that] ‘after the block of four games, there will be communication towards you and your colleagues that are in an uncertain situation’. So, I expect to hear today or tomorrow from them.”

 

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Ugandan athlete in critical condition after Kenya petrol attack

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Ugandan athlete in critical condition after Kenya petrol attack

Ugandan athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei is in critical condition in a Kenyan hospital, after allegedly being doused with petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend.

The 33-year-old marathon runner, who competed at the recent Paris Olympics, had suffered burns to more than 75% of her body, police said.

She was attacked at her home in western Kenya, where she had been training.
There are concerns about the increasing cases of violence against female athletes in Kenya, some of which have resulted in death.

Ms Cheptegei is said to have been rescued by neighbours after the incident that happened on Sunday at her home in the small town of Endebess.

The alleged attacker also sustained serious burns, local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom told journalists.

The two are being treated at Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret, the main town in the region.

“The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her,” Mr Kosiom was quoted as saying.

Ms Cheptegei, from a region just across the border in Uganda, is said to have bought a piece of land in Trans Nzoia county and built a house, to be near Kenya’s many athletic training centres.

A report filed by a local administrator said the two had been wrangling over the piece of land. Police say an investigation is under way.

Ms Cheptegei finished 44th in the marathon at the recent Paris Olympics.

She also won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2022.

In April 2022, another female runner, Damaris Mutua, was found strangled in a home with a pillow over her face in the Rift Valley town of Iten.

It came months after record-breaking long-distance runner Agnes Tirop was found stabbed to death in the same town.
Men have also been targeted.

Last December, another Ugandan athlete, Benjamin Kiplagat was stabbed to death by assailants in Eldoret.

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Real Madrid step up Alexander-Arnold interest

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Real Madrid are reported to have made concrete steps in their push to sign Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Real Madrid are reported to have made concrete steps in their push to sign Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Alexander-Arnold has entered the final 12 months of his contract with Liverpool, with talks over an extension being delayed by the Reds’ need to find a new sporting hierarchy and manager earlier this summer.

90min first reported of Madrid’s interest in Alexander-Arnold in March, when the right-back was known to be both relaxed and understanding about the delay in resolving his future at Anfield.

However, now in the final year of his current deal, Alexander-Arnold’s situation has piqued the interest of several top sides and Christian Falk claims Madrid are now “getting concrete” with their push to sign the 25-year-old.

It is claimed that Madrid have been in contact with Alexander-Arnold for the past month and the Liverpool star has expressed an interest in moving to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Having now ended his Euro 2024 journey with England, Alexander-Arnold will be free to speak with Liverpool about his future and the Reds are likely to pursue a speedy resolution before he enters the final six months of his deal and can formally speak with other clubs.

Alexander-Arnold’s stance on his Liverpool future is not yet clear, but he did suggest he was already thinking about next season with the Reds during an interview with club media in May.

“It was a good season, built on last season, got better as a team, challenged for the title, took it far and we improved,” he said. “Any time you improve means that it’s a good season. Take the positives and move forward and hopefully again next season.”

As for Madrid, right-back has long been suggested as an area in need of strengthening but, while a replacement for 32-year-old Dani Carvajal will be needed eventually, the Spain veteran is arguably in the best form of his career and is an outside contender for the 2024 Ballon d’Or thanks to his ludicrous trophy haul over the past 12 months.

 

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