Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has pushed Real Madrid to provide Erling Haaland if they truly want him.
Last week, there were rumours in Spain that Haaland wants to leave Manchester United because he detests his life there so much.
Presumably, Real Madrid was reportedly keeping an eye on the circumstances surrounding the prolific scorer from Norway.
However, having witnessed similar action in the past, Guardiola is certain it won’t succeed and advises any club interested to simply state as much.
Guardiola remarked: “Do you think they are going to modify something that is going to happen for one story, one journalist, or one Twitter account, one Instagram account? That is not going to occur.
“It will occur either when Erling chooses to extend the contract or not, whether the club chooses to do so, or whether we receive any bids for him.
“It’s simple for someone to want Erling. Make an inquiry over the phone at Man City. When we wish to sign someone, we take this action. That is all the complexity there is to it.
FIFA, the organising body of the 2026 World Cup, has confirmed that the tournament will begin on June 11 at Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium and conclude 38 days later at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
This year’s main tournament, which the US, Canada, and Mexico will co-host, will feature 48 teams for the first time.
Both in 1970, when Brazil won the trophy, and in 1986, when Diego Maradona led Argentina to victory after scoring his “Hand of God” goal against England in the quarterfinals, Mexico served as the sole host of the finals.
FIFA subsequently announced that the 2026 championship match will be place on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New York. The tournament will run an unprecedented 39 days. Miami will host the play-off for third place.
On June 12, the USA will play their inaugural match in Los Angeles, while Canada will play their first game in Toronto.
A total of sixteen cities will serve as host cities, including two in Mexico, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
Other US host cities announced were Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle; Vancouver was the other Canadian site.
In addition to 12 four-team groups, the 2026 World Cup will include a first-ever last-32 knockout round. The revised format will see 104 matches played in total.
Each of the 12 four-team groups’ winners and runners-up will move on to a new round of 32, where the eight best third-place teams will join them.
The global governing body of the sport abandoned its plans for sixteen three-team groups, citing the “risk of collusion” associated with that configuration. However, the drama that occurred at the conclusion of the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar—the final tournament to have 32 teams—convinced the body to stick with four-team groups.
Jamie Carragher, who chastised Martin Odegaard for celebrating Arsenal’s victory over Liverpool, has now found the bright side.
While the team was soaking up the joyous mood at the Emirates Stadium, Odegaard made the decision to snap a shot of Stuart Macfarlane, the Arsenal photographer, on the pitch.
While witnessing the scenes for Sky Sports while serving as a commentator, Carragher made the amusing addition that it was ridiculous by quoting Neil Warnock.
“By all means enjoy it, but enjoy it by being disciplined!” On X, formerly known as Twitter, Carragher stated
Lionel Messi’s absence from a preseason game in Hong Kong resulted in furious supporters chanting for a refund and jeering Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham.
As his team defeated the Hong Kong XI 4-1, Messi, who has been dealing with a hamstring ailment, remained on the bench.
In social media footage, supporters could be heard yelling “refund” just before Beckham’s post-match statement was met with jeers.
Tatler Asia, the organisation that organises the matches, may lose financing, according to the Hong Kong government.
“The Government today expressed deep disappointment over Messi not playing at Tatler XFEST Hong Kong, Hong Kong Team vs Inter Miami CF, and the organiser failing to provide a detailed explanation promptly,” a statement from the government read.
“The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has granted the event ‘M’ Mark designation in addition to a matching grant of 15 million [Hong Kong dollars; £1.5 million] and a grant of 1 million for the venue.
To give football fans a fantastic game and the chance to see the elite player demonstrate his skills, the government has also offered a range of coordination and help, including site arrangement and crowd control.
“Many visitors travelled to Hong Kong specifically to attend the event, while many Hong Kong supporters eagerly anticipated it.
“Neither Messi’s inability to participate in the friendly match nor his refusal to personally address the fans’ concerns at their request has pleased the Government or any football fan for that matter.
“The fans, who came a long distance to see the game and showed tremendous support for Messi, were not satisfied with the way Inter Miami CF and the organisers handled the matter.
“The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and the MSEC will rely on the terms and conditions of the agreement in requiring the organiser to take responsibility, including a reduction of the amount of funding as a result of Messi being not able to play in the match.”
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