RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – The British government reiterated yesterday its support for the autonomy plan presented by Morocco, according to the Moroccan news agency Map. The agency adds that London considers the plan “the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting solution to the conflict surrounding Moroccan Sahara”.

This position, according to Map, was reaffirmed by Hamish Falconer, British Foreign Office minister for the Middle East and North Africa, during a speech in the House of Commons, the lower house of the british Parliament. The United Kingdom advocates a lasting solution to the Sahara issue, Falconer stated.

– Photo Map Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – “The Italian Football Federation and Gennaro Ivan Gattuso have mutually agreed to terminate the contract that bound the Calabrian coach to the Italian national team bench. The FIGC thanks Gattuso and his entire staff for the professionalism, dedication, and passion with which they worked over the past nine months and wishes them every success in their future careers.”

This is the statement with which the FIGC officially announced the split with Gattuso, which comes a day after the resignations of Gravina and Buffon, following Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.

“With a heavy heart, having not achieved the objective we had set ourselves, I consider my experience as head coach of the national team to be over,” said Gattuso. “The Azzurri jersey is the most precious thing in football, which is why it is right to immediately facilitate future technical evaluations. I would like to thank president Gabriele Gravina and Gianluigi Buffon, and with them all the Federation’s staff, for the trust and support they have always shown me.”

“It has been an honor to lead the national team and to do so with a group of players who have shown commitment and attachment to the shirt. But my biggest thanks go to the fans, to all Italians who in recent months have never failed to show their love and support for the national team. Always with blue in my heart.”

“I would like to once again thank Gattuso,” said Gravina, “because, in addition to being a special person, as a coach he made a valuable contribution, managing in just a few months to restore enthusiasm around the national team. He instilled in the players and the entire country a great pride in the Azzurri jersey.”

– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LIVERPOOL (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – “What he has done for this club over so many years is incredible: every three days, scoring the goals he has scored, providing all those assists, having the impact he has had on this club, winning trophies. I can only hope he manages to add two more.”

Arne Slot spoke for the first time about Mohamed Salah’s announced departure at the end of the season, expressing his hope that the Egyptian forward can bid farewell to Liverpool by adding the FA Cup and the Champions League— the last two competitions in which the Reds are still involved.

“He has always given everything he had for this club, in all the years he has been here. He will continue to do so until the end of the season. And if we have the Salah of recent years, he will be a great help for the run-in.”

In the coming days, Liverpool will have everything at stake: tomorrow the FA Cup quarter-finals against Manchester City, followed by the Champions League double-header against PSG.

“It’s up to us to show that we are ready for this demanding schedule—demanding in terms of the opponents we face, which is completely normal if you are still competing in the FA Cup and the Champions League. But also demanding because there are many matches with very little rest in between. However, 8–9 months have already passed since the start of the season, and I believe more and more players are ready for this rhythm,” Slot added.

– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

BUCHAREST (ROMANIA) (ITALPRESS) – Mircea Lucescu has suffered an acute myocardial infarction and is hospitalized in intensive care at Bucharest University Hospital. The 80-year-old coach “is currently undergoing specialized cardiology treatment, with no new pathological findings. The patient is stable, conscious, and cooperative,” according to the hospital’s medical bulletin.

However, it makes no mention of a second heart attack, as reported by the Romanian press. Lucescu, who officially completed his second term as Romania coach yesterday, had felt unwell last Sunday during a technical meeting ahead of the friendly against Slovakia, where assistant coach Ionel Gane subsequently took over.

A defibrillator was implanted on Tuesday, and his discharge was scheduled for today, as confirmed by Mihai Stoichita, technical director of the Romanian Football Federation: “I’m very worried about what happened to Lucescu. Yesterday, the president and I visited him; he told us he was fine, and he was happy to be released from the hospital today; everything seemed fine. He was saddened to have to end his collaboration with the Federation due to health problems, and that’s why we proposed that he return to another role; it was important for both us and him.”

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RIO DE JANEIRO (BRAZIL) (ITALPRESS) – A key figure on and off the pitch. Decisive with an assist in Santos’ 2-0 victory over Remo and a superb performance, Neymar was booked in the closing stages after another foul, for a rude attack on an opponent.

A serious yellow card will mean he will miss the match against Flamengo. Post-match, the former Barcelona and PSG player took issue with referee Savio: “This card is unfair. I was tackled in a dangerous manner; it wasn’t my first, but my third or fourth. I went to protest and got a yellow. Savio is like that; he woke up in a bad mood; he wants to be the star of the match.”

However, Neymar used the phrase “acordou de chico,” a Portuguese expression that associates menstruation with something dirty and has clear sexist connotations. Hence the controversy that has put the player at the center of debate on social media and in the media.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Following last Sunday’s friendly against France in Landover, James Rodriguez was hospitalized for 72 hours as a precaution for “severe dehydration.” This was announced by the Colombian Football Federation, which managed the situation in collaboration with Minnesota United, where the 34-year-old former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich attacking midfielder plays.

James, who was substituted in the 63rd minute of what was his 122nd match for the Colombian national team, is not a cause for concern: “The medical report indicates favorable developments and constant improvement.”

The former Real Madrid player, who turns 35 in July, will play in what will likely be his final World Cup this summer. Colombia is in the same group as Cannavaro’s Uzbekistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Portugal.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s electricity interconnector with the European grid has resumed full operations following a planned three-day shutdown to facilitate ongoing infrastructure works.

The shutdown of the IC1 link was necessary for essential technical interventions at the Ragusa Terminal Station in Sicily, as part of preparations for the second interconnector project (IC2).

Energy Minister Miriam Dalli described the works as a significant milestone in strengthening Malta’s energy connectivity, noting that national electricity stability was maintained throughout the process.

“Maintaining national electricity stability is always a priority during such works,” Dalli said, praising the technical teams for completing the interventions safely and within schedule.

The planned suspension, announced last Saturday, allowed engineers to reroute control cables needed for the installation of a new 220kV hybrid switchgear.

This equipment will play a key role in integrating the second interconnector into the system, enabling the connection of spare shunt reactors and improving overall network resilience.

Despite the temporary shutdown, Enemalta ensured the national grid remained stable and secure, avoiding disruptions to electricity supply.

The completion of these works marks another step forward in Malta’s efforts to enhance energy reliability and strengthen its link to the European power network.

– photo Energy Ministry of Malta –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LONDON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – “I’m very happy and proud to be here because I consider Tottenham one of the most important clubs in the world.” There’s no shortage of enthusiasm; he’s signed a multi-year contract, but he also has a tough nut to crack with the risk of relegation, which would be a footballing tragedy for Tottenham. Roberto De Zerbi is the new Spurs manager, the third after Frank and Tudor, the man behind the redevelopment.

“I have a great responsibility, it’s a great challenge, and I can’t wait to get started, to work with the players, and to win some games,” says the Italian coach, confident he has the resources to reach the finish line. “I’ve watched a lot of games, especially lately. I know the players very well. I love football, so I watch a lot of games every week. I know everything. I know that it’s a difficult time for Tottenham, I know that very well, but I believe we have the right qualities to overcome this. I believe in the players. I think we have to remember who we are and who the players are, because we have some very talented players and we have to work on their confidence and their qualities. They have to show who they are and what they’re used to playing.”

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

BUCHAREST (ROMANIA) (ITALPRESS) – The Romanian Football Federation has announced in a statement that Mircea Lucescu has completed his mandate as coach. The 80-year-old coach failed to secure World Cup qualification, with a 1-0 defeat in Turkey that stopped Romania in the semi-finals of the European playoffs. That was also Lucescu’s last match in charge: already struggling with health problems, the former coach of Brescia, Pisa, and Inter Milan felt unwell on Sunday during the technical meeting ahead of the friendly against Slovakia, where the team was coached by assistant Ionel Gane. Lucescu, formerly coach of Romania from 1981 to 1986, returned in August 2024, after the European Championships, and finished with an overall record of 11 wins, one draw, and six losses.

The Romanian Football Federation, through its president Razvan Burleanu, while emphasizing that Lucescu remains “a historical figure,” does not rule out a future collaboration: “He gave everything for Romania, showing boundless passion and dedication. He demonstrated what it means to love the national team. We look forward to him in a new role in the coming months, so that Romanian football can benefit from all the experience he has accumulated throughout his career, and thus better prepare our coaches and players.”

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

PARIS (FRANCE) (ITALPRESS) – “Will we see Nuno Mendes as a winger again and Beraldo in midfield? My dream is to have 20 players capable of playing anywhere. Nuno Mendes as a full-back, winger, number 9… Just imagine the opposing coach. It’s something difficult to achieve, but I’m working in that direction.”

Luis Enrique does not rule out further experiments for his PSG ahead of the final stretch of the season, where the reigning European champions are aiming to retain the Champions League title and confirm their dominance in Ligue 1.

Meanwhile, after the international break, Toulouse await: “There are no injuries. We’ll see after Thursday afternoon’s training session what the players’ real physical and mental condition is. It’s like Tetris: you have to consider not only the minutes played and the travel, but also how the players feel. To win, we need everyone—it’s important to have players ready to play at any moment.”

The Spanish coach also brushed off controversy over the postponement of the match against Lens: “I can understand that there are different points of view, I understand Lens, it’s normal. But we have to accept what has been decided.”

As for “L’Équipe” revealing his €12 million gross annual salary, he shrugged it off: “Do you really think the players care about my salary? Talking about this is inappropriate. Of course, I am one of the highest-paid coaches in the world—and that’s a good thing for me.”

– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews