Lopetegui steps in for Zidane
New Real coach to join after World Cup
Moscow – Fifa members will decide today whether the 2026 World Cup should be played in North America or in Morocco, taking football’s global showpiece to Africa for just the second time.
The choice is clear – between a slick bid based on gleaming stadiums in the US, Mexico and Canada or an ambitious attempt from Morocco based on as-yet largely unbuilt facilities.
On the eve of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, 207 Fifa member nations will cast their vote in a congress of world football’s governing body.
Morocco’s bid for 2026 was only cleared to advance to the runoff vote earlier this month, despite a Fifa evaluation report that classified the north African nation’s stadiums, accommodation and transport as “high risk”.
Morocco received only 2.7 out of five, with red flags raised over several critical components of the bid.
The report left the USCanada-Mexico bid as the selfie – as they held their first training session on Russian soil.
Around 5 000 locals turned out to watch the relaxed session next to the Brazilians’ hotel in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.
The ß222-million (R3.4-billion) Paris Saint-Germain forward made his first start on Sunday, against Austria in Vienna, since undergoing surgery on a foot fracture at the start of March. front-runner after giving it a rating of four out of five. But the North American bid has been dogged by concerns that the vote could become a referendum on the popularity of US President Donald Trump.
The bid to bring the World Cup back to North America for the first time since 1994 has backing from former England midfielder David Beckham.
“A football competition as big as the World Cup deserves to be in great places and if the US, Canada and Mexico get that it will be very special,” Beckham said.
Morocco has tried, and failed, four times before, in votes for the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 tournaments It lost out in the latter to South Africa, the only African nation to have hosted football’s global showpiece.
Morocco has the support of many European countries and most of Africa. But Liberia and South Africa have defected to the North America bid. – AFP Madrid – Spain coach Julen Lopetegui will replace Zinedine Zidane in charge of Real Madrid after the World Cup, the Spanish giants said yesterday in a surprise move. “Real Madrid announce that Julen Lopetegui will be the coach of the first team during the next three seasons. Julen Lopetegui will join the club after Spain’s participation in the World Cup, after two years leading the national team,” Real said in a statement. The unexpected announcement comes shortly after Lopetegui extended his contract as Spain coach until 2020 in what was a pre-World Cup boost for one of the tournament favourites.
And it comes just three days before the 2010 World Cup winners begin their campaign in Russia, as they face Portugal in Sochi on Friday. Lopetegui was appointed to the role in the wake of Spain’s poor showing at Euro 2016 in France when they were eliminated in the last 16 – losing 2-0 to Italy.
Zidane quit Real on May 31, saying he had decided to leave at the top and that it was time for a change for himself and the club, as well as admitting he was unsure of his ability to maintain his remarkable record at the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid won a third consecutive Champions League title by beating Liverpool in last month’s final, becoming the first team to achieve that feat in more than 40 years. However, they finished third in La Liga – 17 points behind champions Barcelona – and were eliminated at home by modest neighbours Leganes in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.
When he announced his resignation, Zidane said that had been the worst moment of his coaching career with the club.
His decision to quit suddenly left the Spanish giants in limbo.