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 - EQUATORIAL GUINEA - fined for crowd trouble

Africa Cup 2015 Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Third Place

 

Equatorial Guinea have been fined US$100,000 (£65,000) for the crowd trouble during Thursday's Africa Cup of Nations semi-final loss to Ghana.

They have also been warned that a repeat of events at Malabo Stadium will result in the team being forced to play a game behind closed doors.

However, fans will be able to attend Equatorial Guinea's third-place play-off match against DR Congo on Saturday.

Equatorial Guinea must also pay for the treatment of 36 injured fans.

In a statement on Friday,  the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said that 14 fans had been "transferred to hospital units for further investigations", adding that "one case requires close monitoring".

BBC Sport has learned that only one person remains in hospital, a Malian national, who has suffered broken limbs.

A spokesperson at the Malian Embassy in Equatorial Guinea told BBC Sport that the man had been clearing rubbish bins when he was attacked by rioting fans leaving the stadium.

Five hundred Ghana fans sheltered at the Ghanaian Embassy overnight before around 250 were flown home on Friday. 

The remainder are due to follow shortly.

The match at Malabo Stadium, situated on an island off the mainland, was halted towards the end of Thursday's match after Ghana fans massed behind a goal in an attempt to evade missiles thrown by home supporters.

Police shielded Ghana players from objects being thrown from the stands

Police tried to restore order, using batons and firing tear gas, while a police helicopter hovered over the stadium.

After a delay of more than 30 minutes, the match resumed for a further three minutes as Ghana completed a 3:0 win.

CAF said it had imposed the punishment on Equatorial Guinea for "the aggressive and recidivist behaviour of its supporters".

It noted that it was not the first time the home fans had caused problems at the tournament - there were incidents at earlier games against Gabon and Tunisia - but felt a fine and a suspended penalty was sufficient.

"To promote the spirit of fair play and friendship during the 2015 African Nations Cup, the committee has decided to suspend the closed doors match on the condition that supporters are not guilty of such an infraction in the third-place match," said CAF.

DR Congo defender Gabriel Zakuani has already said he wants the third-place play-off game called off because he fears for his safety.

"If they're throwing this rocks and glass at players, Equatorial Guinea, you can have 3rd place.

I love football but prefer to live," Zakuani tweeted.  

However, DR Congo head coach Florent Ibenge said his squad was "serene" and "preparing to play", adding: 

"We want to win this third place and give joy, but we are really not scared of this."

The 15,250-capacity Malabo Stadium will host Saturday's match.

 

7 Feb 2015
(BBC Sport UK)

Related countries

Related articles