The sister of Cristiano Ronaldo has criticized Fernando Santos’ decision to sit her brother during Portugal’s 6-1 victory over Switzerland on December 6 on social media.

 

Elma Aveiro alleges that the Portuguese manager made fun of her brother and adds that she is baffled as to why Santos left the 37-year-old out of his starting lineup.

Portugal went on to thrash Switzerland, with Goncalo Ramos starring up front and scoring an hattrick in the game.

 

Aveiro took to Instagram to share her tirade at the decision to leave out her brother, who started from the bench in a knockout game of a major international tournament for the first time since Euro 2008.

 

‘Today we are all together, if you think it has to be like this I am here to see it,’ she began, posting an image of the Portugal team prior to kick-off.

 

‘Yes Ronaldo is not eternal, yes Ronaldo won’t play forever, unfortunately he doesn’t score goals now, he’s old, Portugal doesn’t need Ronaldo,’ she continued.

 

‘We talked about what we heard, all that he did isn’t important, all that he did was forgotten.

 

‘Now they ask for forgiveness and they don’t need him. I will register that and later we’ll talk.

 

‘Rui Santos, what will he apologise for? Now we we can f*** who we want.

 

‘It is a shame to humiliate a man who has given so much, but later I will see a lot more.’

 

Cristiano Ronaldo insists that the rumors are “not genuine” and denies any connection to a transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

 

After making contentious remarks about the team in a television interview with Piers Morgan, the 37-year-old left Manchester United last month.

Since his departure from Old Trafford, speculation has circulated regarding what club Ronaldo will join, with the forward a free agent heading into the second half of the season as it stands.

 

Reports emerged on Monday December 5, that suggested the out-of-contract star was on the verge of agreeing a huge deal with Al Nassr that would’ve seen the five-time Ballon d’Or winner net close to €200million (£173m) per season.

 

Spanish outlet MARCA reported that Ronaldo – who is currently a free agent – was set to sign a deal with the Middle East outfit at the start of next month.

 

The outlet claimed that the initial deal was worth close to €100m (£86m) but would’ve been incentivised by further agreements such as advertisement and sponsorship deals.

Following Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland in the World Cup Round of 16, which he failed to start, the veteran superstar rubbished the rumours linking him with a move to the Middle East.

 

‘No, that’s not true – not true,’ he told reporters after the game.

 

Al Nassr’s proposal was reportedly a two and a half year deal until the summer of 2025.

 

Sources close to Ronaldo on Monday had told Sportsmail reports of a deal being complete were ‘nonsense’.

The squad of Cristiano Ronaldo has refuted reports that the forward will sign a deal with Al-Nassr on January 1.

 

A claim that the out-of-contract star was about to sign a lucrative contract that would have allowed him to earn close to €200 million (£173 million) each season surfaced earlier today.

However, sources close to Ronaldo today told Sportsmail reports of a deal being complete were ‘nonsense’.

 

Spanish outlet MARCA reported that Ronaldo – who is currently a free agent – was set to sign a deal with the Middle East outfit at the start of next month.

 

The outlet claimed that the initial deal was worth close to €100m (£86m) but would’ve been incentivised by further agreements such as advertisement and sponsorship deals.

 

The 37-year-old became a free agent at the end of last month following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan.

 

Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having being crowned winners of the country’s top flight nine times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019.

The ongoing 21st National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State, changed course after Bayelsa’s Daniel Otunoye, a taekwondo competitor, passed out prior to competing against his opponent from Zamfara state.

 

Otunoye, who is currently ruled out of the competition, suddenly passed out at the Stephen Keshi stadium’s multipurpose indoor sports hall and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Dr. Anthony Enebe, the head doctor in charge of the NSF, ruled the athlete out of the festival after confirming that he is ashmatic.

 

Enebe said;

 

“The guy is okay now, he dislocated his right wrist and is a known asthmatic but the asthma isn’t so bad that he can’t compete in an event like this.

“I think the dislocation from an earlier bout was what caused him to faint and he needed to be taken out of the fight, but he is fine now. He is currently resting in the medical center.”

 

Enebe who also disclosed that the young athlete’s injury and current state would prevent him from participating in the remainder of the festival, added that his bout would not be postponed but would instead be forfeited.

 

He added;

 

“He can no longer make an appearance in this tournament, however, that the injury is the end of this competition for him”

 

 

 

 

 

The 2022 World Cup’s Group F has been won by Morocco after a 2-1 victory over Canada on December 1.

 

The North African squad defeated Canada handily thanks to goals from Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri in the first half. Croatia and Belgium, who placed second and third in the 2018 World Cup, were placed in the same group as Morocco and Canada. The North African team defeated Canada in their final group match by scoring four points against the European teams.

A victory for Croatia over Belgium who faced off at the same time as Morocco played Canada, could have seen the North Africans drop to second. This is Morocco’s first last-16 appearance at a World Cup since 1986.

 

With Morocco and Croatia finishing first and second in the group respectively, Belgium and Canada are now out of the tournament.

 

This is Canada’s first World Cup since 1986. On the other hand, this is the first time Belgium has failed to qualify for the Round of 16 since 1998.

 

Morocco will now play the runners-up in Group E; either Spain, Japan, Costa Rica or Germany

After Mexico’s first-team manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino resigned from his position, the North American country failed to go past the World Cup group stage for the first time since 1978.

 

After Mexico’s disappointing performance in Qatar, where they were ousted in the group stages, the illustrious Martino was fired.

 

The Tricolor were eliminated after finishing third in Group C of the competition with four points after beginning their campaign with a draw against Poland and being defeated 2-0 by Argentina in their second match.

 

As a result, Mexico’s string of nine consecutive tournaments in which it advanced to the knockout rounds came to an end. They last failed to advance past the group stage in 1978.

Sandro Wagner, a World Cup analyst and former German forward, was obliged to issue an apology after referring to Qatari traditional clothing as “bathrobes.”

 

Wagner made the remark regarding the traditional thaub clothing on Sunday, November 27, when commentating for German broadcasters ZDF during his nation’s 1-1 draw with Spain.

Towards the end of the game at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, the 35-year-old said he had thought one end of the ground was filled with German fans wearing the country’s famous white shirt.

 

‘I thought before that the whole corner was full of German fans. Then I realised it was the Qatari bathrobes,’ Wagner said.

 

He was referring to the thaub, the traditional white robes with long sleeves worn by many men in Qatar and Arab region.

 

Wagner tweeted an apology on Twitter on Monday.

 

‘It was an ill-considered saying with an inappropriate remark that I would be better off not saying. If anyone felt offended – sorry, that was zero point zero my intention.’

 

German broadcaster ZDF has stated that there will be no further consequences for Wagner, who will resume his co-commentating duty on Wednesday’s game between Poland and Argentina.

 

ZDF replied to some of the complaints on Twitter with a short statement: ‘Sandro Wagner´s comments about the thaub, unfortunately, occurred during an emotional phase of the game. He’s not permitted (to say that). We´ll talk about it.’

 

Wagner made eight international appearances for Germany during his career, playing for Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim among a host of German clubs.

 

According to a senior Qatari official, between 400 and 500 construction workers have perished while constructing the stadiums for the current World Cup.

 

This information was provided in an interview by Hassan al-Thawadi, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of Qatar.

 

British journalist Piers Morgan asked Mr al-Thawadi: ‘What is the honest, realistic total do you think of migrant workers who died from… as a result of work they’re doing for the World Cup in totality?’

 

Mr al-Thawadi replied: ‘The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500… I don’t have the exact number. That’s something that’s been discussed.’

 

‘One death is a death too many. Plain and simple,’ Mr al-Thawadi added in the interview.

 

Reports from the Supreme Committee dating from 2014 to the end of 2021 only include the number of worker deaths involved in building and refurbishing the stadiums now hosting the World Cup.

 

Those figures put the total number of deaths at 40, and include 37 from what the Qatar officially describes as non-work incidents such as heart attacks, and three from workplace incidents.

 

One report also separately lists a worker’s death from coronavirus amid the pandemic.

 

In a later statement, the Supreme Committee said Mr al-Thawadi was referring to ‘national statistics covering the period of 2014-20 for all work-related fatalities (414) nationwide in Qatar, covering all sectors and nationalities’.

 

Back in 2021, The Guardian reported that 6,500 migrant workers had died since the country was awarded the rights to host the World Cup in 2010 by Fifa.

André Onana, the goalkeeper for Cameroon, claims he expended “efforts and energy” to resolve a problem that footballers frequently face, but says he was unsuccessful because “the opposite side did not have any will.”

 

Andre Onana’s absence from the Cameroon vs. Serbia match at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar raised concerns. It was later revealed that the Cameroon international clashed with the team’s coach Rigobert Song and was consequently left out of the team that played the Serbs. He was then sent home after being omitted from the squad for their last group-stage match against Brazil.

The Inter Milan goalkeeper in an official statement addressed the situation after the Cameroonian FA released an official announcement stating that he had been suspended from the team.

 

His statement explained how he has tried to support the team in any way he can.

 

He shared:

“I have put all my efforts and energy into finding solutions to a situation that a footballer often experiences, but there has been no will on the other side. However, I always respect and support the decisions of the people in charge of pursuing the success of our team and country.”

 

World Cup 2022: Andre Onana breaks silence after being sent home from Cameroon camp in Qatar

 

According to reports, Saudi Arabia has extended a generous three-year contract to Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

Following his contentious comments in a TV interview with Piers Morgan, the 37-year-old Portuguese star’s contract with Manchester United was terminated earlier this month.

 

The legendary Portuguese striker has reportedly been offered a deal by Saudi

Arabian powerhouses Al Nassr worth £186 million over three years, according to a CBS Sports report.

 

Ronaldo is reportedly considering his alternatives in Europe while the enormous contract is reportedly on the table to persuade him to move to the Middle East.One of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia is Al-Nassr, which has won the country’s top division nine times, the most recent of which was in 2016.