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(More Football News) India are scheduled to play Asian champions Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 7, and Afghanistan on June 15, with all three matches to be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. The team is currently stationed in the Qatari capital, preparing for the task ahead. "We are making the most of the circumstances," Chhetri said during a video conference organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Top defender Sandesh Jhingan added, "The confidence in the squad is high. We have done it earlier and there's no reason why we can't do it again. We have grown as a team and we need to take it forward together." Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu said, "We understand that the preparations have not been ideal but we are confident in our abilities as a team. We are not scared, and moving into the qualifiers, that's important." AIFF President Praful Patel contacted with the senior members of the team to get a feel of their preparations ahead of the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. The president encouraged the players to stay fit and wished them luck. "More power to all of you. I wish all of you good health and strength. We are extremely proud of you," Patel said. "We spoke to the Qatar government and we were lucky that they didn't insist on the 10-day quarantine, and that has allowed the squad to assemble in Doha and begin our training sessions," the president said. The Indian team, fourth in Group E with three points, is out of contention for a World Cup berth but is still in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup in China. "This has been a terrible time. We have not had any normalcy as such. The format of the leagues was also different -- all played from inside the bubble. I understand and appreciate the concern of Igor and the entire team arising out of the difficult circumstances," Patel stated. Head coach Igor Stimac thanked the president for helping the squad arrive early in Doha. "We are thankful to you Mr. President and all in the AIFF for providing us the opportunity to come earlier, and also taking our cause with the Government of Qatar and arranging for us to train even during quarantine," Stimac said. Apprising the president about the daily schedule of the squad, the coach added: "The expectations are high but realistically the situation hasn't been ideal." Muslim Brotherhood planned assassination attempts against Sisi, claims Ahmed Moussa. Journalist Ahmed Moussa on Monday announced that for the first time he would delve further into discussing planned assassination attempts against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi by the Muslim Brotherhood. During the “On My Responsibility” program on the Sada al-Balad channel Moussa said that these attempts will be covered in the final episodes of the “Al-Ikhtiyar 2” (The Choice 2) drama. The Muslim Brotherhood organization had drawn up dozens of plans to assassinate Sisi, he said, which had not been publicly announced until now. He explained that they were trained to use the DShK machine gun to carry out the assassination in Sudan. The moment the presidential plane would take off from Cairo airport, a shell would have been fired at it, he added. The incident was planned to be shown in a live broadcast from Turkey by the terrorist organization, which is operated from Ankara. Accoridng to Moussa, it was the killing of police officer Maged Abdel Razek which thwarted the plans to assassinate Sisi. He added that the terrorist group which was intending to carry out the operation was eliminated. Other plans to assassinate the president include attempts to booby-trap planes in Cairo International Stadium during Egypt’s organization of the Africa Cup of Nations two years ago. Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus ( Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία / Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti ) is an island nation situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with Turkey located to the north of the island, and Syria and Lebanon located to the east. Originally a British crown colony, the country became members of FIFA in 1948 before becoming members of UEFA in 1962, two years after achieving their independence. Cyprus would play Israel in both their first international game (a 3-1 defeat in 1949), and their first game as an independent nation (drawing 1-1 in 1960). Traditionally one of the weaker nations within UEFA, the Cypriots have yet to qualify for either a World Cup or European Championships. It’s not since the turn of the millennium when their fortunes in international football have improved, with the country achieving many impressive results – the most well-known being a 5-2 defeat of the Republic of Ireland the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Inspired by the amazing achievements of their domestic clubs in European competitions, especially APOEL who reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in the 2011-12 season, the Cypriots have produced some formidable sides recently which are capable of defeating any team in Europe on their day, and are always considered a tricky side to overcome. Currently Cyprus are a third-tier ranked side within the UEFA Nations League, but after finishing bottom of their group with Montenegro, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan, they must play a two-legged playoff against Estonia in Spring 2022 to avoid relegation to the bottom tier of European football. In the draw for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Cyprus were considered the second-best side in ‘ Pot 5 ’ of the European draw, and were subsequently placed in a favourable-looking group alongside Croatia, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Malta. The islanders have started off well by having earnt themselves four points from their first three group games. Talking about one of Europe’s more difficult sides to face who are currently fighting to continue to compete in Division C of the UEFA Nations League, we interviewed the excellent John Leonidou . He is a very talented Cypriot sports writer who is the official football correspondent on Cypriot football for UEFA.com, UEFA’s official website. To find their social media accounts, follow the links below: Twitter: @UEFAcomJohnL. Q. Who would you say is your country’s best player and coach/manager of all-time, and the reasonings behind the choices? With regards to players and in terms of success and records, I would probably have to say former striker Michalis Konstantinou (1993-2013). He was once a record signing in Greece (switching between hated rivals Panathinaikos to Olympiakos) and had huge trophy success there. He also scored some big goals in the UEFA Champions League for both Panathinaikos and Olympiakos. He is still Cyprus’ all-time leading scorer with 32 goals. Other notable mentions include fellow forwards Yiannis Okkas , Sotiris Kaiafas , and Andreas Stylianou . In terms of managers, it’s difficult to pinpoint an outright best manager because being Cyprus, results under even the most successful of the island’s managers have included impressive wins and big losses. Going by the most impressive results, I think Greek boss Angelos Anastasiades (2004- 2011) tops the list. His most standout results include wins over the Republic of Ireland (5-2), Wales (3-1), and Bulgaria (4-1), as well as eye- catching draws against Germany (1-1) at home, Republic of Ireland (1-1) away, and Portugal (4-4) away. Andreas Michaelides (1991-1996) is credited with improving Cyprus’ performances during the early nineties. Q. Who could be regarded as a ‘cult hero’ in terms of the national team both in the past and present? That’s a tough one. Cyprus has never really had a standout cult hero but if I have to choose one then I feel speedy winger Stathis Aloneftis (2005- 2017) would be the one. With his long wavy hair, extensive tattoos and beard, he looked more like a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers than a professional footballer. One thing that was never in doubt was his talent. He scored and assisted some big goals for both Cyprus and his clubs but would always be somewhat in the shadows of the national side’s big hitters, Konstantinou and Okkas. It’s even tougher singling out a present cult hero because results (up until the last few games) have been poor in the last few years. Left-back Nicholas Ioannou came through the youth ranks of Manchester United before arriving onto the scene in Cyprus at a very young age. He is still appreciated for his tireless work rate both at the back and going forward. Q. Of the current team, who would you say is the best player from Cyprus currently? There simply isn’t a standout best player at the moment. Even the players plying their trade in bigger leagues such as Italy or Belgium are not heads and shoulders above the rest. They work as a collective unit with some of the best performers being goalkeeper Demetris Demetriou [22 year-old playing at Apollon Limassol], defender Kostas Laifis [24 year-old at Belgian club Standard Liège], and striker Pieros Sotiriou [28 year-old currently playing for Bulgarian side Ludogorets Razgrad]. Q. How would you describe the current state/performance of the national team? The last three games under new boss Nikos Kostenoglou have been very encouraging after some very bad results under previous boss Johan Walem . A win, draw and a defeat from their opening three games is far cry from their previous UEFA Nations League campaign. Cyprus have looked very difficult to score against even if they are struggling to convert to score themselves at the other end. They are looking compact, organised and it looks like belief and a feel-good factor has already been instilled back into the dressing room by the Greek coach. Q. Are there any Cypriot players who you think we should be focusing on for the future – who would you say is the most exciting up & coming talent from the country? Three players come to mind in terms of youngsters that could potentially have big careers ahead of them. Omonia teenagers Loizos Loizou [17 year-old winger] and Marinos Tzionis [19 year-old midfielder] have looked good for their club sides even if they are yet to cement starting places in the Cyprus national side. They’ve already had a taste of UEFA Europa League group stage football this season and are being tipped to go onto big things. Apollon goalkeeper Demetris Demetriou (22) has also looked solid this season and looked a composed figure in goal for Cyprus before picking up a recent injury. Q. Looking at Cyprus’ international history, what would you say has been the best game, result or performance for the national team in your opinion? The 5-2 win over the Republic of Ireland in 2006 is probably their greatest ever result given the size of the win and the level of opposition at the time. Q. Likewise, is there a performance or result which is regarded as the team’s lowest point? Cyprus have been on the end of some real drubbings down the years including monumental losses in West Germany (12-0) and Spain (8-0). But probably their worst defeats/performances came against Luxembourg (2-0) and Montenegro (4-0) in the previous Nations League campaign. Q. What are the best and worst things about being a fan of the Cypriot national team? I suppose the best thing about being a Cyprus supporter is that any win or draw against a team ranked higher than you is a bonus. Cyprus have never reached a major tournament and, traditionally, they’ve always been there for the taking for most sides. Things have now obviously changed and they’re no longer on the same level as sides such as San Marino, Andorra or Gibraltar. But there is still a somewhat underdog mentality amongst the home fans so a win or notable draw is savoured that little bit more. The worst thing about being a fan of the national team is the lack of unity. The devout following of the local club sides on the island has created a division among fans and, in some cases, a hated rivalry. Since the nineties, local fans have rarely packed a stadium to cheer on the national side and when results are not going well, the crowd numbers are very, very low. The Cyprus FA is constantly looking for ways to generate a big following for the national side. Q. Have the fans adopted some kind of unofficial anthem to sing along to before/during/after matches? No, there is no unofficial anthem but ‘ Zorba the Greek ‘ is blared out across the stadium during half time at matches. That sometimes get the home fans and especially the away fans going. Q. Do you have a favourite or iconic shirt from the whole time of the national team? I especially liked the all-white kit with dabs of green and yellow during the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign. Q. Finally, what are your hopes for the future of the Cypriot national team? My hopes is that Cyprus could one day qualify for a major tournament. That is the overall ambition of the Cyprus FA. Smaller nations like Iceland and Latvia have done it so there is still hope. A massive Ευχαριστώ πολύ to John for answering our questions on the Cypriot national team. Remember you can find their excellent social media accounts in the links at the top of the blogpage. Portugal controversially denied in World Cup qualifying, Belgium held. Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo was controversially denied an injury-time winner as Portugal blew a two-goal lead to be held by Serbia in World Cup qualifying on Saturday, while Romelu Lukaku’s 59th international goal was only enough to salvage Belgium a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic. The Netherlands saw off Latvia 2-0 after their opening Group G defeat by Turkey, who backed up that performance with an impressive 3-0 victory over Norway. Portugal appeared to be cruising to three points in Belgrade when leading 2-0 at the interval through Liverpool winger Diogo Jota’s first-half double. Nemanja Radonjic’s half-time introduction proved crucial for Serbia, though, as he set up Aleksandar Mitrovic and Filip Kostic to net in the first 15 minutes of the second period. Portugal had to settle for a 2-2 draw, with Ronaldo left seven short of Iranian Ali Daei’s all-time record of 109 international goals after failing to score for a second straight match. He appeared to have netted in the 93rd minute, but without VAR or goalline technology in use, officials decided that Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic had cleared the ball before it crossed the line. To add insult to injury, Ronaldo was booked for his protestations. Belgium, the world number one-ranked side, sit behind the Czech Republic on goal difference in the early Group E standings. Lukas Provod put the Czechs ahead shortly after half-time in Prague with a magnificent long-range strike to score his first international goal. But 10 minutes later, Lukaku collected Kevin De Bruyne’s pass, turned his marker and drilled the ball under home goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik to score for the 19th time in his last 16 games for Belgium. Roberto Martinez’s men almost took the lead 14 minutes from time, but after Lukaku teed up De Bruyne, the Manchester City midfielder smashed a low shot against the post. In the other Group A game, Luxembourg pulled off a shock 1-0 win over a lacklustre Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Ireland were toothless in attack and the visitors made them pay in the 85th minute with Dynamo Kiev forward Gerson Rodrigues’s winner. It was only Luxembourg’s sixth ever victory in World Cup qualifying, dating back to their first involvement in 1934. – Netherlands bounce back – Frank de Boer’s Netherlands gave the 5,000 fans allowed to attend at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam something to cheer as Steven Berghuis’s 32nd-minute curling effort and Luuk de Jong’s second-half header saw off Latvia. “We know that goal difference will be important in these qualifiers,” said De Boer, who also saw De Jong and Davy Klaassen hit the woodwork. “We deserved to win with at least five goals. We tried everything.” The Netherlands players followed in the footsteps of their group rivals Norway, and Germany, by protesting in support of human rights in Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup finals will be held. The match was also the first World Cup qualifier to be refereed by a woman, as France’s Stephanie Frappart took charge. – Tufan, Soyuncu star for Turkey – Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan scored twice as Turkey beat a dangerous Norway side. Leicester centre-back Caglar Soyuncu also enjoyed a fine performance as he netted the second goal and helped keep Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland quiet. “Last year we’ve qualified for Euro 2020 and now we’re fighting for a spot in the World Cup,” Soyuncu told uefa.com. “We want to be there.” Montenegro also have six points from two Group G outings after following their success against Latvia with a 4-1 home win over Gibraltar. Russia, World Cup quarter-finalists on home soil three years ago, moved top of the early Group H table with a 2-1 victory over Slovenia, who had started their campaign by beating 2018 runners-up Croatia. Artem Dzyuba’s first-half double proved enough for Russia in Sochi, despite Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic halving the deficit before half-time. Croatia struggled to find their best form again, but Mario Pasalic’s header five minutes before the break helped Zlatko Dalic’s men edge out Cyprus 1-0 in Rijeka. Slovakia are already struggling in their bid to qualify, after being held to a 2-2 home draw by Malta, who were pegged back from two goals up in their bid to secure only a third World Cup qualifying win in their history.