Barcelona superstars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez return for FIFA 2018 WC qualifiers

March 23, 2016

Mar 23: Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez will make a long-awaited return to World Cup duty this week when South America`s marathon qualifying competition for the 2018 finals in Russia resumes.

Messi

Suarez has not kicked a ball for Uruguay since he was slapped with a global ban after chomping on the shoulder of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

Messi meanwhile missed the opening four matches of Argentina`s 2018 qualifying campaign earlier this season after suffering a knee injury while on club duty for Barcelona in September.

The five-time FIFA World Player of the Year could not be returning at a better time for Argentina, who face a demanding trip to Santiago on Thursday to face reigning champions Chile in a rematch of the Copa America final.

Argentina made a shaky start to qualifying, suffering a shock home defeat against Ecuador in October, before draws against Paraguay and Brazil.

However the 2014 World Cup runners-up breathed life into their campaign with a 1-0 away win against Colombia in November, a crucial victory that lifted them from near the bottom of the table to within striking distance of the automatic qualifying positions.

Messi`s return however has been offset by a wave of injuries that has deprived Argentina coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino of a slew of foreign-based stars, most notably Juventus`s in-form striker Paulo Dybala, Paris Saint-Germain`s Javier Pastore and Benfica`s Nicolas Gaitan.

With Carlos Tevez dropped, Martino has turned to unheralded Argentina-based forward Lanus to bolster his attacking options for Thursday`s clash.

The 28-year-old was a team-mate of Messi`s in the Argentina squad that won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics but is yet to win his first full international cap for the two-time World Cup winners. Argentina will face a Chile side more or less at full strength, with Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal (suspension) the only significant absentee.

Arsenal`s Alexis Sanchez, Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and Inter Milan`s Gary Medel are all available for newly appointed Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, who took over in January following the abrupt resignation of Jorge Sampaoli, the Argentine who masterminded Chile`s Copa America triumph.

Uruguay striker Suarez meanwhile is relishing the prospect of being reunited with his international team-mates for the first time in nearly two years when La Celeste travel to Recife to take on Brazil on Friday.

"Obviously after a long time without seeing them (Uruguay team mates and staff) it will be a strange feeling, but there is also the pleasure of seeing them all again. I haven`t seen them for nearly two years," Suarez told Spanish newspaper El Pais in a recent interview.

"There is pleasure and satisfaction that (the ban) is all over and now I can enjoy being with them again," added the 29-year-old, who has scored 37 goals in all competitions for Barcelona this season.

Suarez meanwhile said Uruguay`s solid start to qualifying -- three wins in four games -- showed that the team were more than a one-man band.

"I am quite calm because these days the national team works as a group, it is not about the individual," he said.

"I am just going to work together and do my little bit for what Uruguay is doing in these qualifiers. I am not under any pressure, on the contrary I am just there to contribute what I can with my football."

In other matches this week, Ecuador will be looking to maintain their 100 percent start with victory over Paraguay in Quito on Thursday while Colombia travel to the thin air of La Paz aiming to bounce back from the disappointment of defeat to Argentina in their last outing.

Peru meanwhile will be chasing their second win of the qualifiers when they host Venezuela -- bottom of the table after four defeats from four matches -- in Lima.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 10,2020

Potchefstroom, Feb 10: India's under-19 cricket team manager Anil Patel says the ICC has taken a serious view of the aggressive celebrations by Bangladesh players after their World Cup triumph and will be reviewing the footage of the final game's "last few minutes".

Some Bangladeshi players got carried away while celebrating their historic three-wicket win over India in the final on Sunday. While their captain Akbar Ali apologised for the "unfortunate incident", his Indian counterpart Priyam Garg said their reaction was "dirty".

"We don't know what actually happened," Patel told 'ESPNCricinfo' on Sunday.

"Everybody was in a shock, absolutely, but we don't know what happened exactly. The ICC officials are going to watch the footage of the last few minutes and they are going to let us know," he said.

Even when the match was on, the Bangladesh players were overly aggressive while fielding and their lead pacer Shoriful Islam sledged the Indian batsmen after every delivery.

As soon as the match ended, it became tense with Bangladeshi players rushing to the ground and displaying aggressive body language. The two teams nearly came to blows before the situation was defused by the coaching staff and on-field officials.

Patel claimed that match referee Graeme Labrooy met him and expressed regret at what transpired on the field.

"The referee came to me. He was sorry about the incident. He clarified the ICC is going to take very seriously what has happened during the match and the last session. They are going to witness the footage and they will tell us in the morning (Monday)."

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
May 22,2020

India's cricket board will not push for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia to be postponed but would consider staging the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the October/November slot if it becomes available, a senior BCCI official has told Reuters.

This year's IPL, which is worth almost $530 million to the BCCI, has been indefinitely postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic while the World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 18, is also in jeopardy.

Reports in Australian media have suggested India's influential board may look to push for the World Cup to be postponed to open up a window for the IPL.

World Cup contingency plans are on the agenda at next week's International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting but BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal said India would not be recommending it be pushed back.

"Why should the BCCI suggest postponing the Twenty20 World Cup?" Dhumal told Reuters by telephone.

"We'll discuss it in the meeting and whatever is appropriate, (the ICC) will take a call.

"If the Australia government announces that the tournament will happen and Cricket Australia is confident they can handle it, it will be their call. BCCI would not suggest anything."

While Australia has seen new infections of the novel coronavirus slow to a trickle and is gradually easing travel curbs and social distancing restrictions, hosting a 16-team World Cup would be a Herculean task for Cricket Australia.

Dhumal questioned whether the tournament should go ahead if it had to be played without spectators and said the Australian government would play a key role in any decision.

"It all depends on what the Australian government says on this - whether they'd allow so may teams to come and play the tournament," he added.

"Will it make sense to play games without spectators? Will it make sense for CA to stage such a tournament like that? It's their call."

Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts was guarded about the prospects of staging the tournament as scheduled on Friday.

"We don't have clarity on that one, yet. But as the situation continues to improve, you never know what might be possible," he said.

"It's ultimately a decision for the ICC."

The ICC has said it was unlikely to make a final call on the fate of the World Cup until August but some boards are in the process of making contingency plans in the event of a postponement.

While the BCCI recognised an open October-November window would suit the IPL, Dhumal said there was no point in making plans until there was some certainty about the World Cup.

"If we have the window available, and depending on what all can be organised, we'll decide accordingly," he added. "We can't presume that it's not happening and go on planning."

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 2,2020

Jun 2: Former West Indies captain Daren Sammy has spoken strongly against the killing if George Floyd in USA, and has now urged the ICC & all the other boards in the world to come together and fight the evil.

In a series of tweets Sammy wrote how the blacks have been suffering for a long time.

“For too long black people have suffered. I’m all the way in St Lucia and I’m frustrated If you see me as a teammate then you see #GeorgeFloyd Can you be part of the change by showing your support. #BlackLivesMatter,” Sammy wrote.

He also wrote, “@ICC and all the other boards are you guys not seeing what’s happening to ppl like me? Are you not gonna speak against the social injustice against my kind. This is not only about America. This happens everyday #BlackLivesMatter now is not the time to be silent. I wanna hear u.”

“Right now if the cricket world not standing against the injustice against people of color after seeing that last video of that foot down the next of my brother you are also part of the problem.”

Earlier, West Indies star batsman Chris Gayle has said racism exists in cricket too, saying he gets the 'end of the stick' even within teams.

"Black lives matter just like any other life. Black people matter, p***k all racist people, stop taking black people for fools, even our own black people wise the p***k up and stop bringing down your own! I have travelled the globe and experience racial remarks towards me because I am black, believe me, the list goes on," Gayle wrote in his Instagram story.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.