8, November 2024
Football: Kylian Mbappé left out of France squad for Israel and Italy games 0
Kylian Mbappé has been left out of the France squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and Italy, with coach Didier Deschamps insisting the absence of the Real Madrid superstar “is for the best”.
It is the second successive France squad from which the national team captain has been absent after he also missed the October double-header against Israel and Belgium.
“I have spoken with him and I have made the decision for this get-together because I think it is for the best,” Deschamps told reporters at a press conference in Paris.
The 25-year-old Mbappé was rested for last month’s matches in order to help him recover from a minor thigh injury suffered playing for Real.
However, that quickly became a source of controversy when he returned to action for Real days later, before France had even played.
Mbappé was absent for France’s 4-1 win over Israel in a game played in Budapest and a 2-1 win in Belgium, and instead travelled to Stockholm for a short break with members of his entourage.
It was following that trip that Swedish media reported he was being investigated for an alleged rape. Mbappé himself said those reports were “fake news” while his lawyer said the player would take action for libel.
A Swedish prosecutor confirmed that an investigation had been opened, without naming Mbappé.
“I am not going to set out my argument, but I can say two things. The first is that Kylian wanted to come,” Deschamps added.
“The second is that it is not to do with the off-field problems because the presumption of innocence exists.”
Since last month’s controversy, the ex-Paris Saint-Germain forward has made four appearances for his club, scoring one goal. However, he remains short of his explosive best form.
“I don’t want to say any more about it. I stand by my decision,” Deschamps added.
France are second in Group A2 of the Nations League, one point behind leaders Italy, ahead of their final two fixtures.
They host Israel at the Stade de France next Thursday, November 14, and then play Italy in Milan three days later.
France are five points clear of Belgium in third place and the top two teams will qualify for the quarter-finals, which will take place over two legs next March.
The semi-finals and final will be played next June.
Veteran midfielder N’Golo Kante, of Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, returns to the squad along with Adrien Rabiot of Marseille.
Meanwhile, there is a first call-up for highly-rated Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who takes the place of West Ham United’s Alphonse Areola in the squad.
Source: AFP
15, November 2024
Mike Tyson back in the ring to face Youtuber Jake Paul 0
Nearly 40 years after making his professional debut, and 19 years after being battered into retirement, a 58-year-old Mike Tyson will climb back into the ring on Friday for a Netflix-backed bout that has drawn widespread condemnation across the boxing world.
Tyson, who terrorised the heavyweight division during an imperious reign in the late 1980s, is lacing up the gloves once more to take on Youtuber Jake Paul, 27, in an officially sanctioned fight at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
The fight, which will be comprised of eight two-minute rounds, was initially due to take place in July but was postponed in May after Tyson required medical treatment on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles after vomiting blood due to a bleeding ulcer.
That gory mid-air emergency has provided another piece of ammunition for the numerous critics who have condemned Friday’s contest as a macabre circus act that poses an unacceptable level of risk for Tyson, who last graced a professional ring in 2005, when he was beaten via a technical knockout after quitting on his stool against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.
‘It shouldn’t be happening’
“Twenty years ago, Mike Tyson retired from boxing, and was shot to pieces, right? I mean, completely shot,” the prominent British fight promoter Eddie Hearn said this week.
“If anyone thinks that Mike Tyson should be in a ring at this age, you either have absolutely no emotional feelings toward the man, or you’re an idiot. It shouldn’t be happening.”
Hearn’s rival promoter Frank Warren echoed those sentiments.
“Mike Tyson is 58 years of age and he shouldn’t be fighting,” Warren said after the bout was announced. “It’s as simple as that.
“Anyone with an ounce of brains knows that it is ridiculous. You can be on a motorway stuck in a traffic jam and you get to the end of it and all it is is people who have stopped to look at a crash – and that’s what this is.”
Tyson, who US reports say is being paid around $20 million for Friday’s contest, has brushed off the concerns for his wellbeing, insisting when critics from the boxing world are motivated by jealousy.
“I’m beautiful, that’s all I can say,” he said earlier this year. “The people who said that wish they were up here. No one else can do this.”
At an open workout in Texas this week, Tyson declared that a gruelling training camp had left him with the conviction “that I’m tougher than I believed I was.”
“When I agreed to this fight and started training, I thought ‘What was I thinking of?’ But I’ve finished the process. The fight is the party. All the hard work is done.”
At a final press conference in Texas on Wednesday, a stony-faced Tyson pointedly declined to engage in the pre-fight hype.
“I’m just ready to fight,” he said. “I’m looking forward to fighting.”
Injury fears
A global audience of several million watching on Netflix, and tens of thousands inside the AT&T Stadium, will be watching on Friday to see whether Tyson’s hard work pays off.
His opponent Paul – who was born six months before Tyson bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their infamous 1997 rematch – rose to prominence as a Youtuber, before turning his attention to boxing.
Since his first fight against a fellow Youtuber in 2018, Paul’s opponents have included a basketball player, mixed martial arts fighters and other professional boxers. In 11 fights he has won 10 (seven by knockout) and lost one.
“I feel really good, sharp, powerful and explosive. It’s going to be a short night for Mike,” Paul said at Tuesday’s open workout, where he appeared wearing a bizarre head-dress in the form of a rooster.
It goes without saying that a prime, 1980s-era Tyson would almost certainly have dealt with Paul within a few minutes.
Does he retain enough residue of the talent and destructive power that made him the youngest heavyweight champion in history in 1986, at the age of 20 years and four months? Bob Arum, the legendary 92-year-old boxing promoter who has seen it all, is unequivocal.
“The answer is no,” Arum told Secondsout.com last month. “A 58-year-old guy, no matter how good they were, no matter how athletic they were, are not gonna be able to fight.
“You can’t throw punches like you’re supposed to, you can’t do a lot of things. I hope Mike doesn’t get hurt, but I really give him relatively no chance.”
(AFP)