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Caf has revealed its readiness to handle a situation like was witnessed when Christian Eriksen collapsed during the ongoing Euro 2020 finals.

The 29-year-old Inter Milan player collapsed shortly before half-time in Denmark’s opening Euro game against Finland, but was awake and “stable” after being rushed to hospital.

The former Tottenham Hotspur star collapsed as he attempted to receive a throw-in at Copenhagen's Parken Stadium, and Denmark’s captain Simon Kjaer was one of the first players on the scene and appeared to clear Eriksen’s airway.

Ghanaian sports medicine expert, Dr. Prince Pambo, who is a member of the Caf medical expert group, has explained if the scene happened at the venues hosting any Afcon match, they would be ready to handle it by giving the same level of care as was given to Eriksen.

Pambo has, however, raised concerns about local leagues across Africa and if they would be able to adequately deal with such a situation if it happened.

"I can confidently tell you that if this happened at any of our venues during an Afcon - we would have been able to give the same level of care that Eriksen got in Denmark,” Pambo said as quoted by BBC Sport Africa.

“The simple reason being Caf has a group of experts in the medical committee - made up of sports physicians and emergency medical personnel and during Afcons, such doctors are deployed to all the venues.

“Normally you go two weeks ahead of the tournament and you inspect all the medical infrastructure available at each venue. There are times when you conduct training for all the paramedics who will be present there.

“You also take into consideration the distance between the stadium and the closest hospital and you also go and have interaction with the emergency medical team at the hospital.

“Every venue is always going to be equipped with a number of AEDs [Automated External Defibrillators] - so I can assure you that if this happened during an Afcon he would have had the same level of care.”

Pambo insisted more is supposed to be done to the local leagues to quickly handle such incidents, stating: “The key thing you need is your own brain as a human being to know what to do and that is how to do basic CPR.

“Just a week before the Eriksen incident I was teaching students on Zoom - the Ghana Football Association and the University of Ghana have collaborated and come up with a training programme for masseurs and physiotherapists.

“We have realised in our local leagues most of the medical people attached to our teams are masseurs most of them (teams) don't have doctors so we have physios and masseurs - so we organise training for them.

“There are avenues for training for people to have that basic skill and to use the AED you don't have to be a medical person in fact you don't need to be educated you just have to be trained and it takes less than 10 minutes.”

Ronald Koeman says Lionel Messi "has to finish his career at Barcelona", with the Blaugrana boss expecting a contract extension for the mercurial Argentine to be announced "soon".

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is yet to make an official decision on his future, with the 33-year-old still seeing his current deal run down towards free agency.

The expectation is, however, that he will extend a career-long association with the Liga heavyweights, with fresh terms on the table and ready to be signed.

What has been said?

Koeman told Sport when asked for an update on a long-running saga in Catalunya: "Messi has to finish his career at Barcelona, so I hope we can make it official soon."

Who else has been discussing Messi?

Barca president Joan Laporta has stated on a regular basis, even before he returned to office at Camp Nou, that he believes Messi will stay put.

That message has been reiterated, although he has suggested that paperwork will not be completed imminently by a man currently away on Copa America duty with his country.

"The renewal isn’t at an advanced stage," Laporta has admitted. 

"It’s okay, I believe that Leo’s boots will stay on Camp Nou’s pitch. 

"I can’t contemplate a no from Messi; he wants to stay. We’re doing what we can but there’s no need to seduce him."

Any other business?

While waiting on a call from Messi, Barca are working hard to put more pieces of a trophy-winning puzzle in place alongside their iconic captain.

Deals have been done for Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal, while Memphis Depay is expected to complete a switch from Lyon as a free agent.

Koeman is pleased with progress being made on the recruitment front, with the Dutchman adding: "We are working on building a competitive team, one that will be much stronger than in previous seasons."

Further reading

Malawi assistant coach Lovemore Fazili has confidently stated they are not afraid to come up against neighbours Zambia in the group stage of the 2021 Cosafa Cup.

The Flames were drawn in Group C of the competition that will be staged in Port Elizabeth, South Africa from July 7-18, alongside the Chipolopolo, Comoros, and Madagascar.

Six-time winners Zimbabwe are in Group D alongside guests Senegal, Mozambique, and Namibia while hosts South Africa headline Group A that also includes Lesotho, Botswana, and Eswatini.

Speaking after learning of their fate, Flames assistant coach Fazili described their group as fair and further said they are not afraid to come up against Zambia.

“We are very happy to be in the same group with Zambia,” Fazil told the Malawi FA website. “But they are not the only tough opponent, there is Comoros and Madagascar to take care of. So, we will prepare very well for all opponents.

“There is pressure for us to win this tournament for the first time, but for us, it is an opportunity to gauge ourselves ahead of the World cup qualifiers and Afcon.”

Fazil has further revealed Malawi will use mostly local-based players as their foreign stars will not make it to the squad because the tournament does not fall in an international window.

“We don’t expect to have more foreign-based players as the competition does not fall on Fifa dates. So, we will take more local players and this is an opportunity to assess them if they can be part of the Afcon project," he concluded.

Meanwhile, for Bafana Bafana, none of their Group A opponents have ever won the Cosafa Cup before, while the hosts are four-time champions and interestingly, one of their group competitors Lesotho are led by former South Africa assistant coach Thabo Senong, who has already included three Premier Soccer League players in his squad. 

Midfielders Tshwarelo Bereng of Marumo Gallants FC and Black Leopards’ Tumelo Khutlang as well as Bloemfontein Celtic forward Sera Motebang are in the Lesotho squad. 

Only the top team in each group and the best-placed runner-up will advance to the semi-finals in what is a change in format for the tournament this year.

That means each side is guaranteed three games up to a maximum of five, which will provide vital preparation for those national teams involved in 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers later this year.

The Cosafa Cup is making a comeback after the event was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it will be hosted in Nelson Mandela Bay for the first time, which has been a familiar home for other Cosafa competitions in recent years.

2021 Cosafa Cup Draw

Group A: South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Botswana.

Group B: Zambia, Malawi, Madagascar, and Comoros.

Group C: Senegal, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia.

England have waited 30 years for a new Paul Gascogine and, like London buses, two have now come along at once, with Jack Grealish and Phil Foden considered to be cut from the same cloth as a Three Lions legend.

The Aston Villa and Manchester City playmakers boast the same creative qualities and unshakable belief in their own ability that once helped a star of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96 to cement a standing as a global superstar.

Both are hoping to follow in illustrious footsteps by facing arch-rivals Scotland in European Championship competition on Friday, but who is the most Gazza-esque and best fits the moniker being bestowed upon them?

Grealish or Foden?

Goal put that poser to Emile Heskey, with the former England international saying: "Good question. I would say the mould of Gazza, in the sense of where he plays, Grealish is more that. 

"I think Phil Foden suits the high-wing role more than an eight or a 10. He could do well as a 10 but I don't think the number eight suits him as much. Especially in the way that Man City play, I think they get the best out of him when playing him quite high. 

"Jack, he is suited more to midfield, I think he likes that role and having a bit of freedom to do what he wants when he gets the ball. I would say Jack more than Phil."

Can England find a role for both?

Foden started England's Euro 2020 opener against Croatia, with Grealish an unused substitute in a 1-0 win, but can Gareth Southgate fit two mercurial talents into his team?

Heskey said: "I had them both in there but it worked so well with the way that Gareth did it. I wouldn't have had two sitting midfielders but he gave license for Kalvin Phillips to get forward and do his bit up there. I think it worked. 

"The thing about Jack is that he can unlock things - you give him the ball and you know things are going to happen. At some stage Gareth has got a dilemma of 'when do I actually bring him in?' 

"He does have the ability to unlock a defence at any given stage, on the counter because he has the pace or when you have stubborn defences and you need someone with that bit of brilliance. He has got that. At some stage Gareth has got to think about how he fits him into his team. 

"We haven't even talked about Marcus Rashford or Jadon Sancho. They are good dilemmas to have because you can't say that any of them are average players and they all have the ability to change a game."

What about up front?

Harry Kane remains England captain and a go-to man in the goalscoring department, but questions have been asked of whether he needs to be dropping so deep when donning the colours of his country.

On that, ex-Three Lions striker Heskey said: "I would love to see him on that last man. I think Harry has so many strings to his bow that he can play several different ways.

"I would love to see him on the last man because with the players we have got, just stay high. If you stay up high, you create space for creative players in that little gap - they get on the ball and then you come alive. 

"I get it because when you have been playing like that for the whole year with Spurs and you have been able to mix it up, you carry on doing that. Harry has scored goals, Harry creates chances and is a phenomenal player. I would like to see him stay a bit higher but he has more to his game so he has to pick and choose the right time to drop."

Bolting the back door

While Kane is there to cause havoc in the final third, keeping opponents out at the opposite end of the field is just as important to any grand collective targets that are being set by England.

Tyrone Mings impressed when covering for the injury-enforced absence of Harry Maguire against Croatia and the Aston Villa man could keep his spot in the side alongside Manchester City centre-half John Stones.

"I love the blance because we haven't had that for a while," Heskey said of options at the back.

"Tyrone has definitely done himself justice, he had a fantastic game. He did the simple things right - defend, win the ball and the midfielders are there to do the creative stuff after that. He is that quick and generally when you make a mistake - I mean positional - you can make up for it with your pace. He has had a fantastic season and had a great game. 

"The balance was fantastic. I'm not saying that John doesn't have physicality, but his game is more centred around on the ball stuff. He is fantastic at that - good defender, great reading of the game, but you have got someone next to him who is an out-and-out defender and has the pace, that's fantastic."

Inspiring others

All of those in Southgate's 26-man party are hoping to inspire the next generation of talent, just as the success enjoyed by the Lionesses in recent tournaments has been doing within the women's game.

Heskey has a part to play in that, as an ambassador and coach with Leicester City's Women's team, and he is also involved in a youth programme designed to get more girls into football.

On that, a man who represented the Foxes, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wigan, Villa and Bolton over the course of a distinguished career said: "It's fascinating to see where the Weetabix Wildcats is going. Football is for everyone. If you can inspire a young girl, at whatever age, if they are inspired by Lucy Bronze or Nikita Parris, it's wonderful to see. 

"Football is for everyone and football is not just to be played at professional level, it's for every level - especially women and little girls who enjoy being out there kicking a ball. Then there is the social side of it where you are making friends, new friends that are not just at school but football as well - there is a different dynamic. 

"I have been part of the Leicester City Women's team and have seen the Wildcats in and around Leicester and it's fantastic seeing the young girls running around and enjoying themselves. It's wonderful what they do."

Heskey is working with Weetabix, the official breakfast cereal of the England National team and proud partner of Weetabix Wildcats, an FA football programme for 5-11-year-old girls. Enter the 'Win With Weetabix' On-Pack Promotion to win a range of fab football prizes: https://www.winwithweetabix.co.uk/

Further reading

Former Zambia international Kalusha Bwalya has led the football world in mourning the demise of former Zambia President Kenneth Kaunda.

Kaunda, who was 97, passed away on Thursday after he was admitted to the Maina Soko Military Hospital in Lusaka earlier this week.

He became president of Zambia in 1964 when the southern African nation gained its independence from Britain, was in power until 1991, and was among the continent's few surviving liberation heroes.

Bwalya, who currently serves as a standing committee member at Fifa and Caf, and was the president of the Football Association of Zambia from 2008 to 2016, has paid a glowing tribute to the former Head of State by stating he will always be a proud member of the “KK11”.

Under Kaunda’s reign, the Zambia national team was christened “KK11” and below is how former football players, clubs, federations, former and current Heads of State across Africa reacted to the demise of Kaunda.

The Football Kenya Federation may be forced to cancel the 2020-21 Premier League after the government moved to impose a lockdown on 13 counties following a spike in numbers of positive Covid-19 cases.

The government, through the Ministry of Health, issued a statement on Thursday confirming the last 14 days has seen Covid-19 infections in the counties of Busia, Vihiga, Kisii, Nyamira, Kakamega, Bungoma, Kericho, Bomet, Trans Nzoia, Kisumu, Siaya, Homa-Bay, and Migori constitute 60 percent of the national caseload.

While declaring the 13 counties as hotspot zones, the Ministry of Health further stated the rate of positive infections in the zoned out areas stood at an average of 21%, while that of the country was at 9%, and confirmed all public gatherings and in-person meetings of whatever nature are prohibited within the Hotspot Zones, including house parties and sporting activities.

It means the FKF top-flight, which is penciled to end on August 22, has suffered a huge blow as four teams come from the affected areas and might not be able to honour their remaining matches.

The four are Western Stima (Kisumu), Kakamega Homeboyz (Kakamega), Vihiga United (Vihiga), and Nzoia Sugar (Nzoia).

According to Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula, the clubs have already received orders from the government to suspend even training sessions, meaning their participation in the league is now in jeopardy.

“Immediately the government made the announcement [to lockdown 13 Counties], I received a phone call being instructed to stop training sessions so it means we don’t know what to do next,” Shimanyula told Goal.

“We cannot afford to sustain these players to live outside their towns so we cannot be able to honour the remaining matches, it will not be possible and we now have to wait for FKF to give us direction on the matter.”

The FKF had already set June 30 as the date to announce the team that will represent the country in the Caf Champions League, insisting the top team on the table at that time will be handed the ticket.

The latest curfew will, however, not affect the final of the Shield Cup pitting rivals Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, as it will be staged in Nairobi on July 4.

KCB are currently sitting top of the 18-team table with 39 points from 19 matches while Tusker are second on 38 points from 19 matches and AFC Leopards third on 37 points from the same number of matches.

India are all set to play the third round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers after finishing third in their group in the second round of the joint 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers. 

Igor Stimac's side will now have to wait for the updated FIFA rankings which will be revealed June 18, 2021, on the basis of which they will find if they stand a chance of drawing to pot 1 of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifying third. The draw will take on June 24.

It was a mixed-bag experience for the Blue Tigers who scored six goals in eight matches but conceded only seven times during the campaign. Against higher-ranked Oman and Qatar, Stimac's side conceded only four goals and they had also managed to hold the reigning Asian champions Qatar to a goalless draw in the first leg in Doha.

The Igor Stimac era in Indian football saw international debuts of as many as 20 Indian footballers over the course of two years. FC Goa midfielder Glan Martins was the only player who made his debut under Stimac during the qualifiers.

It has been a testing experience for the Croatian coach since taking charge of the Indian team as their head coach in May 2019. The biggest challenge that the Croatian faced as India's coach was the 16 months gap where the Indian national team did not play a single game due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After a busy 2019, where the Blue Tigers played 10 matches under Stimac's tutelage, not a single international match was played in 2020. 

Thus after playing their last competitive game in November 2019, it was only in March 2021, that Stimac got to reassemble the squad. India played two friendly matches against Oman and UAE in March 2021.

India have played a total of 15 matches in the Igor Stimac era so far out of which the team has won twice. 

Under Stimac a total of 41 players represented the Indian national team and the players who have played the most number of minutes in the last two years are Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sunil Chhetri and Rahul Bheke.

Which player has played the most number of minutes under Stimac?

Further reading

How has India performed under Stimac?

Every Indian starting lineup in Stimac era

Debutants under Igor Stimac

The 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers' second round concluded on June 15 and 12 teams from eight groups qualified to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers.

The third round draw will be conducted on July 1, 2021, where the 12 teams will be divided into two groups based on the seedings.

India were placed in the Group E of the qualifiers where they finished third behind Qatar and Oman. The Blue Tigers ended their campaign with seven points registering four draws, three losses and one win from their eight matches. They scored six goals and conceded only seven.  

India will eagerly wait for the updated FIFA rankings which will be released on June 18 as on the basis of that, it will be determined if Igor Stimac's side will feature in pot 1 of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifying third round whose draw will be held on June 24, 2021.

While Igor Stimac's side managed to score only six goals in the qualifiers, there were 10 other teams who scored less than the Blue Tigers. Asian giants Japan, on the other hand, scored the most number of goals (46) followed by Iran and China.

Let us take a look at the number of goals scored by each Asian country in the qualifiers.

Which teams have scored the least goals in the qualifiers

How did India do in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers?

India started their World Cup qualification run with a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Oman at home, followed by a historic goalless draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha. In their third and fourth matches, the Blue Tigers managed 1-1 draws against both Bangladesh and Afghanistan and then they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Oman away from home.

They resumed their campaign against Qatar on June 3 and lost 1-0 but followed it up with a 2-0 win over Bangladesh. In their final match, they managed a 1-1 draw against Afghanistan.

Further reading

When is the AFC 2022 World Cup Qualifying third round draw 

When is the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifying third round draw

Pele has responded to an emotional interview from Neymar on Thursday night by saying he is rooting for the "always smiling" forward to break his all-time Brazilian goal record of 77 (as counted by FIFA).

Neymar teared up after netting his 68th career goal for the Selecao in a 4-0 win over Peru in the Copa America. He said it's been a difficult few years for his nation, and that he just wants to make his people proud.

It seems Pele is indeed elated with the man Neymar has become, as the 80-year-old wrote that "it's impossible not to smile back" when watching him play.

What did Neymar say in his interview?

"It's moving for me [to approach Pele], I've been through a lot these last two years," Neymar said. "These [goal] numbers are nothing more than my joy of playing for Brazil, representing my country, my family. We're all going through a very atypical moment, a very hard moment in Brazil and elsewhere.

"To be a role model for someone, to make people happy, it gives me joy. I love the story that I'm writing here, I want my family and friends to be proud. I hope everyone who loves this game are proud of me, because these numbers don't really mean anything, only the pride of representing Brazil."

How did Pele respond?

More to come...

Argentina face Uruguay in the second fixture in the Copa America 2021 at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia.

La Albiceleste and Chile played out a 1-1 draw in Rio de Janeiro where Lionel Messi's first half lead through a wonderful free-kick was cancelled by Eduardo Vargas after the break.

Uruguay had a bye week in the first round.

Here's how to watch Argentina vs Uruguay in India.

Contents

What time does Argentina vs Uruguay start?

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How to watch Argentina vs Uruguay on TV & live stream in India

In India, the Copa America 2021 will be broadcast live on the Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN). It will be livestreamed on the SonyLIV app.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

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Argentina vs Uruguay: Team news & key stats

It will be interesting to see whether Agrentina boss Lionel Scaloni would opt to pair Lionel Messi with Lautaro Martinez or Sergio Aguero against Uruguay. Martinez hasn't had the best start to Copa America this time and there is a possibility of Aguero pairing up with Messi upfront. Another dilemma facing Scaloni would be to bring back Cristian Romero into the starting line-up and drop Lucas Martinez. If he decides to play three centre-backs then Nicolas Tagliafico might miss out on a starting berth.

Uruguay would continue to rely on star strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, who have been in sublime form for Atletico Madrid and Manchester United respectively.

Suarez observed,"They (Argentina) are very strong up front but I can also make use of the frailties that every team has. With Leo (Messi) I have a friendship," said the 34-year-old. "But, obviously, on the pitch there is no friendship. It's the same as when I had to face him playing against Barcelona and against Argentina."

Key stats:

Further reading: 

England and Scotland will reignite their old rivalry when they meet at Wembley Stadium in Friday’s Euro 2020 clash.

Gareth Southgate's men got off to a winning start with a calm, competent performance against Croatia, with Raheem Sterling bagging the only goal in a rematch of the 2018 World Cup semi-final.

After losing the opener to Czech Republic 2-0, the Scots know that's its vital for them to bounce back with a win.

Here's how to watch England vs Scotland in India.

Contents

What time does England vs Scotland start?

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How to watch England vs Scotland on TV & live stream in India

In India, the Euros will be broadcast live on the Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN). It will be livestreamed on the SonyLIV app.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

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How does the group look like

Czech Republic are the group leaders of Group D, thanks to a better goal difference than England. They will take on Croatia earlier on Friday before England face Scotland.

Group D

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Where will the match take place?

Wembley Stadium | London | England

Capacity: 54,990 |  reduced to 25% capacity, subject to increase
Games: Group stage, last 16, semi-finals & final (eight games)
Year built: 2007

Wembley will host a total of eight matches at Euro 2020 including a last-16 game, the semi-finals and the final. It will also be the scene of three games in Group D, where it shares hosting duties with Scotland's Hampden Park.

The London venue was initially only supposed to host the semi-finals and final, but was assigned an extra four games following the exclusion of Brussels as a host city and another one when Dublin was removed as a host.

Rebuilt in 2007, it is one of the biggest football stadiums in the world and second only to Barcelona's Camp Nou in terms of Europe's biggest arenas.

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England vs Scotland: Team news & key stats

Dean Henderson has withdrawn from the England squad as he struggled with a hip problem, while Harry Maguire is expected to play some part against Scotland after missing out in the opening game.

Scotland's Kieran Tierney will be hoping to start after missing the opener against the Czech Republic due to a long-standing calf injury, with Che Adams also pushing for a place in the line-up following his positive impact from the bench at Hampden Park.

Key stats:

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Further reading: 

Rio Ferdinand has offered an explanation as to why Memphis Depay failed at Manchester United while describing the Netherlands star as a "maverick".

Depay is currently starring at the European Championships with his country, having earned a place in Frank de Boer's squad after another stellar individual campaign at Lyon.

The 27-year-old is now regarded among the top forwards on the continent, and is reportedly on the verge of joining Spanish giants Barcelona, but his ill-fated stint at Old Trafford between 2015 and 2017 remains a black mark on his overall career record.

What's been said?

Depay was unable to establish himself as a regular starter at United under both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, with the latter eventually sanctioning his move to Lyon in a £22 million ($31m) deal four years ago.

Ferdinand was in the BBC Sport studio covering the Netherlands' 2-0 Euros win over Austria that sealed their place in the round of 16 on Thursday, and offered his take on the striker's unique skillset.

"I think he’s a maverick," the former Red Devils defender said of Depay. "He’s a new-age type of personality who embraces everything of the lifestyle of a football player and beyond, and some people who are old school don’t like that and it’s taken time for someone even like me to adapt to that."

Pressed on why the Dutchman flopped in Manchester, Ferdinand responded: "I think it comes down to numerous things. Timing, the right time and right place, and maturity, he may have gone there too young.

"And coaching, the right coaching at the right time."

Depay's Old Trafford nightmare

United forked out £25m ($35m) to prise Depay away from PSV ahead of the 2015-16 season, having seen him emerge as one of the brightest young talents in the Eredivisie during his time at Philips Stadion.

The mercurial frontman went on to appear in 53 games across all competitions for the Premier League giants, but only contributed seven goals and six assists to their cause, with most of those outings coming from the bench.

Depay's record for Lyon & the Netherlands

Since leaving Old Trafford, Depay has rebuilt his career at the Groupama Stadium while helping Lyon re-emerge as a formidable force in both domestic and European competitions.

The ex-United outcast has hit 76 goals in his first 178 games for the Ligue 1 outfit and set up another 55, while also saving plenty of high-quality performances for the international stage.

Depay's successful penalty against Austria took his tally for the Netherlands to 27 goals from 66 games, and he could add to his haul when De Boer's side complete their Group C schedule against North Macedonia on Monday.

Further reading

Netherlands wing-back Denzel Dumfries has said Euro 2020 is "starting to look like" a childhood dream come true after scoring goals in each of his country's two wins to begin the tournament.

Dumfries won a first-half penalty before sliding in an unselfish Donyell Malen centring pass to seal a 2-0 victory over Austria on Thursday.

The Dutch are now through to the knockout stage despite manager Frank de Boer admitting they haven't reached their best form.

What has been said?

"It's starting to look like [a childhood dream]," Demfries told NOS . "You know what we're going for, we grow in it and it feels good."

He added on the build-up to his goal: "Donyell was very sharp, it was a good ball from Memphis [to start the move] and I only had to tap in."

'We shouldn't peak too early' - De Boer

De Boer found some faults in the winning performance, particularly when his side held the ball, but he has little issue with there still being room for improvement at this point in the competition.

"We can do better in possession, but we shouldn't peak too early either," he told NOS .

Later, De Boer added to reporters: “It was the opposite of the game against Ukraine. We were dominant against Ukraine, but we missed something on the defensive.

"Today it was the opposite. We lost the ball too quickly after winning the ball in the first half. Usually the Netherlands are good in possession. It wasn't our best game in possession.

"We were much better defensively than against Ukraine. I'm very happy how we improved on the defensive."

How have Austria responded?

"We gave the ball away too easily in the first half," said head coach Franco Foda. "We invited the Netherlands to hit us on the break too often."

Defender Andreas Ulmer, meanwhile, insisted "all is not lost yet."

Austria won their opener vs North Macedonia and will face Ukraine in the final group stage match.

Further reading

Andriy Yarmolenko has poked fun at Cristiano Ronaldo by showing off both Coca-Cola and Heineken bottles in front of the media.

Portugal captain Ronaldo hit the headlines at Euro 2020 earlier this week when he moved two bottles of Coke out of a camera shot during a press conference.

Yarmolenko has now appeared to mock the Juventus star in his latest appearance in front of the media, embracing the chance to help advertise the soft drink along with popular lager Heineken after helping Ukraine beat North Macedonia.

What's been said?

The West Ham winger, who recorded a goal and assist in his country's 2-1 victory on Thursday, asked reporters: "Can I do something? I’ve seen Ronaldo putting away Coca-Cola bottles recently.

"I’ll put Coca-Cola here, I’ll put Heineken right her up front! Guys, contact me!"

Ronaldo's Coke snub

Ronaldo caused a worldwide stir when he replaced his Coke bottles with water before Portugal's opening Group F victory against Hungary earlier this week.

The 36-year-old held up a bottle of water instead and said 'Agua' - which is Portuguese for water - with Coca-Cola's share price subsequently dropping by a whopping £2.85 billion.

Who has followed Ronaldo's lead?

Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli took the same stance as Ronaldo as he swapped his Coke bottles for water after coming out to address supporters following his country's 3-0 thrashing of Switzerland.

France talisman Paul Pogba, a devout Muslim who does not drink alcohol, removed a Heinkenen bottle from his sight, despite the fact it was the brand's non-alcoholic version that the European Championships are being used to promote.

Harry Kane's reaction

England skipper Harry Kane took a different approach to Ronaldo, Locatelli, Pogba and Yarmolenko when faced with the bottles in his latest press interview.

The Tottenham star, who will line up for the Three Lions against Scotland on Friday, thinks sponsors have every right to showcase their products at the tournament and cannot understand why there has been so much fuss.

"From my point of view the sponsors are entitled to have what they want if they have paid the money to do so," said Kane. "It’s not something I have thought about too much, I am more focussed on tomorrow."

Further reading

Football Coaches Association of African Nations director of coaching education, Henry Abiodun states that the body is achieving its set goals and objectives.

With the ambition of taking coaching education to an enviable height, the body continues to train coaches across Africa.

FCAAN’s latest drive was a seven-day ‘C’ course programme held in Akure in May where over 100 Nigerian coaches were in attendance.

The former Sunshine Stars boss who boasts a Caf A License, an NSCAA Premier Diploma in America among other licenses counts the organisation’s blessing while disclosing that other African countries are benefitting from FCAAN’s vision.

“I will say that FCAAN is gradually achieving its set goals and objectives,” Abiodun told Goal.

“I must commend Dr. Terry Eguaoje for his laudable vision, passion and investment in the last 20 years. He has been pushing this and I think that the passion is paying off.

“I joined FCAAN in 2019 and I think it has moved forward. The little setback was the Covid-19 pandemic, where we did not run any course at all.

“Apart from that, we have been able to run F, E and D courses nothing forgetting the C course which I call the mother of all courses.

“Almost all the coaches in Nigeria now have FCAAN certificates and diplomas, that is huge. And again, I have been able to speak with the headquarters to take the courses down to the doorsteps of every Nigerian.

“We have 11 centres in Nigeria at the moment and it's growing across the rest of Africa. The challenges are there notwithstanding but it can only get better.”

Recently, the president of the Nigeria Football Federation Amaju Pinnick lauded FCAAN’s commitment and their zeal towards training African coaches.

“The NFF is particularly impressed with your drive and the passion with which you have been executing the coaching programmes over the years,” he said in a statement.

“We need more inspired facilitators like you to help a lot of our coaches and lift them notches higher than they are at the moment.

“Personally, I am always excited at ‘train the trainers’ programmes. It is a capacity enhancement that every professional, in and outside football, needs to be as good as they can be.

“Proficiency comes with a passion for what you do, experience and quality training. Your organization is doing great work and must be praised.”

FCAAN, a nongovernmental organisation houses over 45000 members across the globe.

Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Harry Maguire will be involved in England's Euro 2020 showdown against Scotland.

Maguire was named in Southgate's final 26-man squad for the tournament despite having been out of action since limping out of Manchester United's Premier League clash with Aston Villa on May 9.

The 28-year-old played no part in England's warm-up games against Austria and Romania or their Group D opener against Croatia on Sunday, but he could now be set to make his long-awaited return from his ankle injury against Scotland at Wembley.

What's been said?

Asked how Maguire is progressing ahead of Friday's home nation clash, Southgate told a pre-match press conference: "Harry will be involved tomorrow. The decision we've got to make is whether he's ready to start but we're really pleased with his progress.

"He's trained with the team for four or five days now and had no reaction. Each session that he's involved with he gets more confident and I think he's on a really good path.

"Of course we want everybody available. It causes difficult decisions but at the moment this morning on the training pitch we had 26 players training and that's a great situation for us to be in."

Maguire in optimistic mood

Maguire declared himself to be fit for the Scotland game when he appeared in front of the media on Wednesday, but also admitted that his preparation for the European Championships has been far from ideal.

The defender, who also missed Man Utd's Europa League final defeat to Villarreal last month, told reporters: "Obviously the injury was a setback club football-wise. Internationally I wanted to come into this with a lot of games under my belt with full fitness.

"I've done a few sessions now and feel like my fitness is there, so I'm available for the game."

Asked if he has rushed back too quickly, Maguire added: "I'm sure it will niggle me for a few weeks and months. I haven't had one before, but from speaking to players and physios, I'm sure it will be niggling," he added. "But as long as it's stable and the pain is bearable, then I'm sure I'll be fine."

The state of play in Group D

England are currently sitting second in Group D on goal difference behind the Czech Republic, who beat Scotland 2-0 in their opening match and are now preparing for a meeting with Croatia.

The Three Lions opened with a 1-0 win over Croatia, avenging their semi-final defeat at the 2018 World Cup in the process, and will qualify for the round of 16 if they see off the Scots.

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