Messi turns 31 amid turmoil
In any other context, the gesture would have gone unnoticed: Lionel Messi received birthday greetings from Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli.
The best wishes, however, came amid turmoil embroiling Sampaoli and the squad, which is on the brink of elimination from the World Cup in Russia.
The captain, who turned 31 on Sunday, arrived to the training field in Bronnitsy where Sampaoli was waiting to start the session. The coach went up to Messi, giving him a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the back. But then there was no further contact between the two.
Argentina’s football association was quick to deny media reports about the future of Sampaoli, who was strongly criticized for his tactical approach and the formation he put out in Argentina’s humiliating 3-0 loss to Croatia on Thursday.
So far, this tournament has been a huge disappointment for Messi and Argentina, which finished as runner-up at the 2014 World Cup. The five-time world player of the year missed a penalty against Iceland in the first group game and played one of his worst matches against Croatia.
Messi may get a boost, however, from the residents of Bronnitsy where Argentina is based. They are planning to present a birthday cake to him, perhaps lifting his spirits for what really counts: beating Nigeria on Tuesday.
Salah to quit Egypt? Mohamed Salah told Egypt team officials and teammates that he is considering retiring from international play because he is angry about being used as a political symbol while the World Cup squad was based in Chechnya, two people close to the player told the Associated Press.
Salah. who is the Muslim world’s most popular soccer player and led the English Premier League in scoring with Liverpoool, said he was particularly annoyed with a team banquet hosted by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who used the dinner to grant Salah “honorary citizenship.”
Egypt soccer federation spokesman Osama Ismail said Salah has not complained to the federation, noting, “Only what Salah writes on his Twitter account should be counted on.”
Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia, was devastated by wars between separatists and Russian forces. Kadyrov, a former rebel who switched his loyalties to Moscow, faces accusations of gross human rights violations, including abductions and killings.
Salah, who also took part in a photo opportunity with Kadyrov, has been criticized by the British media for allowing the Chechen leader to use him to improve the government’s international image.
Briefly: Uruguay defender Jose Maria Gimenez has been ruled out of the team’s final World Cup group match because of a right thigh injury. Uruguay has already clinched advancement to the knockout stage . ... German midfielder Sebastian Rudy underwent surgery after breaking his nose during his team’s 2-1 win over Sweden. The injury is likely to sideline the Bayern Munich midfielder for Germany’s last group game against South Korea on Wednesday . ... FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, fined Denmark’s soccer federation $20,200 for misconduct by fans at the team’s 1-1 draw with Australia, including a sexist banner. For the second straight match, Japan had highprofile support in the stands during its 2-2 draw with Senegal. Princess Hisako of Takamada is the first member of Japan’s royal family to visit Russia in more than a century.