France Focus on World Cup Glory
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SPORT Saturday 14 July 2018 PAGEE | 18 PAGEPAG | 24 2018 World Cupup is DejectedDejec England, the ‘best ever’: FIFAFIFA BelgiumBelgi aim to leave President Infantinontino WorldWorl Cup on a high Maaloul leaves Tunisia job to join Al Duhail THE PENINSULA North African side last April and Nabil Maaloul to be the new tech- Maaloul, who has prior helped the team qualify for this nical manager of the first football coaching experience in Qatar DOHA: Tunisia head coach Nabil year’s World Cup in Russia, with team...” Al Duhail said on their with El Jaish, will take the reins Maaloul has stepped down from Tunisia winning one of their three website of Al Duhail from Djamel his role with the national team to group games to finish third in “Coach Nabil Maaloul will Belmadi, who left the club for join Al Duhail as their new Group G, behind Belgium and arrive to Austria in the upcoming “special reasons” and is widely manager, it was revealed England. hours to join the team’s camp expected to be named as the yesterday. “The club’s management con- which is held in Austria these Algerian national team’s new The 55-year-old rejoined the tracted with the Tunisian coach days.” coach. Nabil Maaloul France focus on World Cup glory AFPAFP Didier Deschamps’ men are firm favourites to win tomorrow’s MOSCOW:MOSCOW: FranceFrance fine-tunedfine-tuned ttheirheir showpiece in Moscow and become preparations fforor tthehe WorWorldld Cup ffinalinal world champions for the second againstagainst Croatia yesterday, desperate time -- 20 years after their first to overcome thethe bitterbitter disappointmentdisappointment triumph in 1998. of losing the Euro 2016 final as FIFA declared RussiaRussia 20182018 thethe best-everbest-ever tournament.tournament. DidierDidier Deschamps’Deschamps’ men are firmfirm favouritesfavourites to recover but there will be no excuses.” toto win tomorrow’s showshowpiecepiece in Moscow and As the tournament drifts towards its end, becomebecome worldworld championschampions forfor thethe secondsecond time FIFA president Gianni Infantino declared it -- 20 yearsyears after their first triumphtriumph in 1998.1998. the best ever. But theythey willwill come up againstagainst a hungryhungry “I was saying this would be the best World CroatiaCroatia side boasting one of the players of the Cup ever. Today I can say it with more con- tournamenttournament in Real Madrid star Luka Modric, viction... it is the best World Cup,” Infantino whowho is desperatedesperate to win thethe trophytrophy forfor thethe said in Moscow. nation of just over four million people. More than one million foreign fans have FranceFrance failed to click in the group stages visited Russia during the World Cup, according butbut they have gone up through the gears to FIFA figures. duringduring thethe knockoutknockout roundsrounds anandd llookook a for-for- “A lot of pre-conceived ideas have midablemidable blend of youthfulyouthful vitalityvitality and changed thanks to this World Cup,” said experience.experience. Infantino. TheyThey will approach the match at the “Everyone has discovered a beautiful 80,000-capacity Luzhniki Stadium full of con-con- country, a welcoming country, full of people fidencefidence andand withwith thethe pain ofof losinglosing thethe finalfinal keen to show to the world what maybe some- ofof EuroEuro 20162016 onon homehome soilsoil to CristianoCristiano Ron-Ron- times is said is not what happens here.” aldo’s Portugal spurring them on. He also said the use of the VAR (video “The“The tearstears hhaveave ddriedried frfromom EEurouro 22016016 but assistant referee) had been a success and it’sit’s stillstill ttherehere in a littlelittle corner ofof people’speople’s praised the quality of the football, with just a mminds,”inds,” saisaidd mimidfielderdfielder BBlaiselaise MatuiMatuididi single 0-0 draw in 62 games so far. yesterday.yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of people are “It will be useful for us on Sunday,Sunday, even if expected to pour onto the streets of Paris at I don’tdon’t likelike to kkeepeep bbringingringing up tthehe past. It wiwillll the weekend, 20 years on from the 1998 win serve as a lessonlesson to us andand it means we knowknow on home soil, when Deschamps was captain what it is to playplay in a final. of the side. “We’ll“We’ll approach it differentlydifferently and hope A security operation swung into full gear, thatthat we playplay reallyreally well and win it. It’s up to with plans for 110,000 law enforcement usus to put everyteverythinghing into pplacelace to acachievehieve our officers to be deployed across France as the dreamdream ofof liftinglifting thethe WorWorldld Cup.”Cup.” country celebrates the national Bastille Day Deschamps’Deschamps’ team is packed with attacking holiday and the World Cup final. stars such as KylianKylian Mbappe and Antoine “Everything is being done so the French Griezmann but it is their defence that has can live these festive moments with peace of shoneshone in thethe past two rounds,rounds, not concedingconceding mind, despite the terrorist threat which a sisinglengle ggoal.oal. remains at a high level,” Interior Minister CCroatiaroatia -- the smallest nation to make it Gerard Collomb said. to thethe finalfinal since Uruguay in 1950 -- havehave Before the final, England will play Belgium battledbattled through three periods of extra-time in a low-key battle for third place in Saint to reach the final. That means they have played Petersburg on Saturday. thethe equivalentequivalent of a whole extra match more Gareth Southgate said his young team, who tthanhan FrFrance.ance. were just 22 minutes from reaching the final ButBut coach Zlatko Dalic said there would before Croatia’s impressive comeback in the bebe no excuses despitedespite their exertions.exertions. semi-final, would have to learn from their “We“We preparedprepared to get to thethe finalfinal andand we bitter disappointment. want to playplay it,” hehe said.said. “Going to extra-time “The team will be better in a couple of mightmight be a problem alongalong with the fact France years,” Southgate said in comments to the havehave had an extrae xtra British press. “We have to build. We have some day good young players coming through. We’ve had success at youth level. “What we’ve done over the last few weeks has shown what is possible. We want to be in French forward Antoine Griezmann (right) and defender Lucas Hernandez in semi-finals and finals and we’ve shown to our- action during a training session at the Glebovets Stadium in Istra, Moscow on selves that can happen. Thursday, ahead of their FIFA 2018 World Cup final against Croatia. 18 SPORT SATURDAY 14 JULY 2018 2018 World Cup is the ‘best ever’: Infantino REUTERS used. “For a couple of years, I better than the past,” he said. was saying it would be the best FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks “VAR is not changing football, MOSCOW: FIFA President World Cup ever, today I can say during a press conference at the it is cleaning football.” Gianni Infantino described the that with more conviction,” he “It is difficult to think of the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, 2018 World Cup as the best- said. Infantino promised that World Cup without VAR, it has yesterday. ever yesterday and said it had the tournament would leave a been certainly a more just changed perceptions of the host lasting legacy and there were competition...The goal scored nation Russia. “concrete plans” to make sure from an offside position is fin- Infantino, dressed in a red the stadiums were used in the ished in football, at least in volunteer’s uniform and in tri- future. football with VAR,” Infantino umphant mood, hailed the “This country, Russia, has added. success of video assistant ref- changed. Russia has become a He said VAR’s deterrent erees (VARs) and predicted that real football country... where effect had reduced the number goals scored from offside posi- football has become part of the of direct red cards for violent tions would be a thing of the country’s DNA and the culture,” play from 16 in the 1998 tour- past, at least in competitions he said. nament to none this time. where the new technology was “We had 98 percent occu- “Everyone knows that, pancy of the stadiums, one whatever you do, someone will million fans from abroad to dis- see it... one of the 30-odd cover this country, more than cameras will spot it and you three billion viewers on tele- will be sent off,” the 48-year- It is difficult to think vision and there will certainly old said. of the World Cup be one billion for the final. Infantino did not give any “Everyone has discovered new information on the without VAR, it has a beautiful country, a wel- whether the first 48-team been certainly a more coming country, full of people tournament would be in Qatar just competition... who are keen to show to the in 2022 instead of in 2026 as The goal scored from world that what maybe is originally planned. sometimes said is not what “First we will discuss with an offside position is happens here.” were not paid. “We are all, as tournaments and we help initial fears, the VAR system had the Qataris and then with the finished in football, at Infantino, who is paid an well, volunteers,” he said. selling drinks, preparing sau- worked well, it had reviewed a FIFA Council and stakeholders least in football with annual salary of 1.5m Swiss “Maybe not at the World sages, or helping in the of 19 decisions in the 62 and decide calmly what the VAR: FIFA President francs ($1.49m) according to Cup, because we have a job, but restaurants.” matches so far and had cor- decision is,” he said.