NATIONAL TEAM - SWITZERLAND - 2014 WORLD CUP - Goodbye, Ottmar Hitzfeld. All the best and take care.

Hitzfeld has made a positive impression wherever he has been stationed and his name is still regularly chanted in the stands at Bayern Munich.

“He put together a really good team that will last for many years to come,” Granit Xhaka told FIFA.com, before Josip Drmic added: “He’s done a great job.” 

2 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - ARGENTINA VS SWITZERLAND 1:0

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Argentina vs Switzerland 1:0

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - BELGIUM VS USA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Belgium vs USA 2:1

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - ARGENTINA - KEY PLAYER - ‪LIONEL MESSI - PROFILE

Lionel Andrés Messi; born 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team.

By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. 

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - USA - KEY PLAYER - ‪JERMAINE JONES - PROFILE

Jermaine Junior Jones, born 3 November 1981, is a German-American footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Turkish club Beşiktaş. He has previously played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Blackburn Rovers and Schalke 04. He was born in Germany and represented them at U21 and senior level.

1 Jul 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - COACH - STEPHEN KESHI RESIGNS AFTER EXIT

He becomes the sixth manager to leave his job during the World Cup, following the departures of Honduras's Luis Suarez, Iran's Carlos Queiroz, Japan's Alberto Zaccheroni, Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Ivory Coast's Sabri Lamouchi.

Keshi, who captained Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup finals, was previously in charge of Mali and Togo.

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - FRANCE vs NIGERIA 2:0

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

France vs Nigeria 2:0

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - GERMANY vs ALGERIA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

Germany vs Algeria 2:1

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - GERMANY - KEY PLAYER - THOMAS MUELLER‬ - PROFILE

Müller's role can be described as an attacking all-rounder, a player able to play in a variety of forward positions. He can play in any of the attacking midfield roles but usually plays in the center for Bayern Munich, and on the right for Germany.

He has been used as an out-and-out striker on occasion. Müller has been praised for his maturity, pace, technique, awareness and positioning.

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - FRANCE - KEY PLAYER - ‪KARIM BENZEMA - PROFILE

He has been named French Player of the Year twice for his performances in 2011 and 2012. Benzema is a former French youth international and has represented his nation from under-17 level onwards. 

Benzema has earned over 65 caps and represented France at three major international tournaments; the 2008 and 2012 editions of the UEFA European Football Championship and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

30 Jun 2014

2015 AFRICA CUP - ALGERIA - ABEID AND BELKALEM OUT OF SQUAD

AFRICA CUP 2015 GROUP C

GROUP C - FIXTURES
19 January: vs South Africa in Mongomo
23 January: vs Ghana in Mongomo
27 January: vs Senegal in Malabo


22-year-old Abeid has a toe injury and Trabzonspor defender Essaïd Belkalem is out with a hamstring problem.

Both players were called up by Algeria coach Christian Gourcuff in his final squad for the Nations Cup to be held in Equatorial Guinea starting on 17 January.

Abeid, who featured for Algeria in Olympic qualifying in 2011, was one of five changes to Algeria's 23-man World Cup party.

Ishak Belfodil, Foued Kadir, goalkeeper Doukha Izzeddine and Mehdi Zeffane were also brought in.

BBC African Footballer of the Year Yacine Brahimi has also been included, as well as veteran defender Madjid Bougherra.

But goalkeeper Cedric Si Mohamed, Hassan Yebda and Nabil Ghilas were left out by Gourcuff, despite having been part of the World Cup squad that reached the last 16 for the first time in Brazil last summer.

Ahmed Kashi and Liassine Cadamuro have been named on a list of seven reserves, and may be brought in to replace Abeid and Belkalem although Algeria are yet to confirm their two replacements.

The Algerians are in Group C at the 2015 Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea with Ghana, Senegal and South Africa for the 17 January to 8 February finals.

 

Algeria squad:


Goalkeepers: 

Rais Mbolhi 
(Philadelphia Union, USA)

Doukha Izzeddine 
(JS Kabylie) 

Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche 
(USM Alger)


Defenders: 

Madjid Bougherra 
(Fujaira, UAE)

Faouzi Ghoualm 
(Napoli, Italy)

Rafik Halliche 
(SC Qatar, Qatar)

Aissa Mandi 
(Stade Reims, France)

Carl Medjani 
(Trabzonspor, Turkey)

Djamel Mesbah 
(Sampdoria, Italy)

Mehdi Zeffane 
(Lyon, France)


Midfielders: 

Nabil Bentaleb 
(Tottenham, England)

Yacine Brahimi 
(Porto, Portugal)

Medhi Lacen 
(Getafe, Spain)

Saphir Taider 
(Sassuolo, Italy)

Foued Kadir 
(Real Betis, Spain)


Forwards: 

Abdelmoumene Djabou 
(Club Africain, Tunisia)

Sofiane Feghouli 
(Valencia, Spain)

Riyad Mahrez 
(Leicester City, England)

Islam Slimani 
(Sporting Lisbon, Portugal)

Hilal Soudani 
(Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia)

Ishak Belfodil 
(Parma, Italy)


Reserves: 

Liassine Cadamuro 
(Osasuna, Spain)

Adlene Guedioura Adlane 
(Watford, England)

Mehdi Mostefa 
(Lorient, France)

Walid Mesloub 
(Lorient, France)

Ryad Boudebouz 
(SC Bastia, France)

Ahmed Kashi 
(Metz, France)

Baghdad Bounedjah 
(Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia)


Note: Squad temporarily reduced to 21 players after withdrawal of Essaid Belkalem and Mehdi Abeid through injury.

6 Jan 2015
(BBC Sport UK)

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