LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that Malta will officially recognise the State of Palestine next month, bringing an end to a 45-year national debate on the issue.

The landmark decision will come into effect on 20 June, aligning with a scheduled United Nations conference, and marks Malta’s first formal diplomatic recognition of Palestine, despite its long-standing implicit support and the presence of a Palestinian ambassador in the country.

“We cannot close our eyes to this human tragedy that is getting worse every day,” Abela said, referring to the conflict in Gaza. Speaking during a political event, the Prime Minister cited humanitarian concerns and a moral obligation in the face of escalating violence, stating that over 50,000 people have lost their lives in the region.

The announcement follows growing international momentum for Palestinian recognition and recent comments by Foreign Minister Ian Borg, who hinted at a coordinated effort among nations to take a unified diplomatic stance.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

LEVERKUSEN (GERMANY) – Erik Ten Hag is the new coach of Bayer Leverkusen. The 55-year-old Dutch coach has signed a contract until June 30, 2027. Ten Hag, who worked in the Premier League as manager of Manchester United, where he won the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024, will begin his career at Bayer 04 on July 1, in preparation for the 2025/26 season.

“With Erik ten Hag we have hired an experienced coach with impressive success on the pitch. His six victories with Ajax were outstanding,” said the German club’s sporting director, Simon Rolfes. “With three league titles and two domestic cup victories, he and Ajax dominated Dutch football from 2018 to 2022. And Erik has demonstrated his coaching qualities with subsequent successes with Manchester United, in sometimes difficult circumstances.”

Ten Hag, who replaces Xabi Alonso, Carlo Ancelotti’s successor at Real Madrid, is looking forward to starting his new experience in Leverkusen and the Bundesliga: “Bayern is one of the best clubs in Germany and also among the best in Europe. The club offers exceptional conditions, I was very impressed by the discussions with the management. I came to Leverkusen to continue with the ambition shown in recent years. It is an interesting challenge to create something together in this time of change and to form an ambitious team,” Ten Hag admitted.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Real Madrid has announced that Xabi Alonso will be their coach for the next three seasons, from June 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028. He succeeds Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian took charge of his final game for the Spanish giants on Saturday, and will now become coach of Brazil.

Alonso, who won the Champions League as a player at Real in 2014, will be introduced as manager at Real Madrid’s training ground on Monday and will be in charge for the Club World Cup, with his first game against Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal on 18 June.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (MNA/ITALPRESS) – On the eve of the 20th edition of the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE), set to officially open this Monday in Andorra, serious allegations have been leveled against Malta by the President of the Luxembourg Olympic Committee (COSL), Michel Knepper.

In a sharp critique, Knepper accused Malta of “buying athletes” to compete in the Games, a move he described as a betrayal of the spirit of the sporting event. He expressed deep concern about Malta’s recruitment process, alleging that the country is fast-tracking citizenships for foreign athletes solely for the purpose of boosting its chances at the Games.

“It is disappointing to see a nation like Malta handing out identity cards just for these Games. They did it two years ago, and apparently, it’s still happening,” Knepper stated. The allegations come in the wake of mounting tension in Malta’s own sporting community. Recently, Malta’s reigning table tennis champion, Gabriel Grixti, voiced anger and frustration on social media after being left out of the national team for the upcoming Games.

Grixti claimed that the Maltese government and Olympic Committee issued passports to four non-Maltese athletes just days before the competition.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MARSEILLE (FRANCE) (ITALPRESS) – Roberto De Zerbi will remain on the Marseille bench next season. This was announced by the French club in a note on their website, in which it is also reported that sporting director Medhi Benatia will also retain his position. The decision was taken after a meeting between owner Frank McCourt, chairman of the supervisory board Jeff Ingram and club president Pablo Longoria with Benatia and De Zerbi himself.

“The two days of discussions consolidated and reaffirmed the unity of the management team around a shared vision, essential to the long-term viability of the project launched in the summer of 2024. In a very high-level environment, characterized by intense competition and constant pressure, it was important to analyze with lucidity both the successes and the challenges of the season, in order to continue to improve and maintain a level of demand that matches the club’s ambitions”, the official website says.

“Now it’s time to prepare for the 2025-2026 season, with the full commitment and alignment of all the club’s directors, determined to meet the exciting challenges ahead, first and foremost that of establishing the club in the Champions League on a permanent basis, season after season. Frank McCourt, Pablo Longoria, Medhi Benatia and Roberto De Zerbi would like to extend their warmest thanks to all the club’s supporters, partners, customers, employees and all those who, through their commitment and support, have contributed to the achievement of this key objective. Qualifying for the Champions League is the fruit of a real collective effort”, the official website ended.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LEVERKUSEN (GERMANY) (ITALPRESS) – Erik Ten Hag‘s future could be on the Bayer Leverkusen bench. According to what is reported by ‘Athletic’ there is already a basic agreement between the Dutch coach and the German club, with the former coach of Ajax and Manchester United who would thus become the successor of Xabi Alonso, who will leave Bayer to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.

Ten Hag has already worked in Germany as coach of Bayern Munich’s reserve team between 2013 and 2015, when Pep Guardiola was coaching the Bavarians.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA/MNA) (ITALPRESS) – A 29-year-old Sicilian man and a Spanish woman of the same age were remanded in custody after appearing in court on serious drug-related charges. C.P and M.C.J. were accused of aggravated possession of a substantial quantity of drugs, including ecstasy pills, cocaine, MDMA, pink cocaine, and amphetamines.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning, two nights ago, when police officers on patrol in Gzira observed suspicious activity involving a vehicle.
According to prosecutors, the car entered a residential block and exited shortly afterward. When the driver noticed he was being followed, he attempted to evade officers by entering a one-way street, where he was promptly arrested.

A subsequent search led to the seizure of €1,100 in cash, two mobile phones, and two keys belonging to a common door of an apartment where the narcotics were later discovered. The defence initially requested C.P.’s release from custody. However, the court was told that Pennisi is unemployed, lacks a documented fixed address, and has no established ties to Malta. Furthermore, a third person is expected to testify in the ongoing investigation. The same conditions applied to M.C.J.. The defence later withdrew its request for bail after the magistrate ruled that Pennisi’s parents—called to testify—could not even provide their own address. The court emphasized that the accused had no known local connections and that further testimony was pending.

In addition to ordering the freezing of both defendants’ assets, the court recommended that C.P. and M.C.J. receive medical and psychological assistance, citing evident drug addiction issues.

The case remains under investigation as authorities continue to piece together the extent of the alleged drug operation.

-Foto Polizia Malta-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

BARCELONA (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Having left the Barcelona bench at the end of last season, Xavi will decide what to do in the coming weeks and, according to “As”, it cannot be ruled out that he will take another sabbatical year to live as a mere fan, in addition to treating himself to a few more games with the Blaugrana Legends.

The proposals, on the other hand, are not lacking: Juve and Milan have reportedly knocked on his door, but Xavi has declined, preferring to avoid a bench during the season as already happened in his time at Barça, when in November 2021 he took the place of the exonerated Koeman.

The most concrete alternative to a new sabbatical year would be a national team in view of the 2026 World Cup, a solution compatible with his desire to spend more time with his family. By the way, when he was coach of Al Sadd, Xavi had been contacted by Brazil to be Tite’s assistant at the World Cup in Qatar with the promise of a ‘promotion’ at the end of the tournament.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Al Nassr is not among the 32 teams that will take part in the next Club World Cup, but Cristiano Ronaldo could still be among the protagonists of the tournament.

The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, opened up to the possibility in an interview with the YouTube channel of the influencer Speed. “Cristiano could play for one of the qualified teams – Infantino’s words reported by “As” – Yes, there are negotiations with various clubs, who knows”.

CR7, in particular, would be a target of the Brazilian teams (Botafogo in the lead) and Wydad Casablanca. Among other things, the new FIFA regulation studied specifically in view of the Club World Cup would allow Ronaldo, once the tournament is over, to change shirts again.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Barcelona loses the race for Jonathan Tah. New confirmations also come from Spain regarding the choice of the 29-year-old German central defender, whose contract with Bayer Leverkusen is expiring: long linked to the Blaugrana, he has finally decided to join Bayern Munich on a free transfer.

The Bavarians had also tried last summer and in the end they managed to convince the player, who could debut with Kompany as early as the next Club World Cup, on the condition of paying compensation to Leverkusen.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews