MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Spain is looking around to find a new venue for next year’s National Super Cup. Federation President Rafael Louzan confirmed that the 2027 edition cannot be played in Saudi Arabia due to the Asian Cup clash, and announced that “one option is Qatar. We have started negotiations and, as you know, we will be there next March for the Final between Spain and Argentina.”

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MANCHESTER (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – “Of course it’s better when the team at the top of the table drops points. But after three draws, it’s better to focus on ourselves. It would be a huge mistake to think the situation is better just because a fantastic team like Liverpool drew a match at the Emirates. We need to think about ourselves.” Pep Guardiola breathed a sigh of relief after yesterday’s 0–0 draw between Arsenal and the Reds, but he knows it is now up to his Manchester City side to get back to winning ways.

“One of our incredible qualities in past years has always been finding a way to win matches, even when we were playing worse than in the last three games that we’ve drawn. We have to do better. It’s better to be six points behind than eight, but reality is reality. In any case, after 21 matches we are six points off the top, so everything is still open.”

Meanwhile, Semenyo has arrived from the transfer market and will already be available for the FA Cup match against Exeter. “He will have to adapt quickly because the group is exceptional, but I’m sure he’ll settle in rapidly. He has to understand that he’s not coming here for one, two or three matches, but for many years, so he has all the time in the world. I know he’s an exceptional person. Will we do anything else in the transfer market? I don’t know, I can’t answer that question,” Guardiola concluded.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

JEDDAH (SAUDI ARABIA) (ITALPRESS) – João Cancelo is on his way to Barcelona because he truly wanted the move. Deco, Barça’s sporting director, acknowledged that without the contribution — including a financial one — from the Portuguese full-back, the deal would most likely not have gone through.

“He is a quality, top-level player, a deal that would have been difficult to complete, but he had an agreement that allowed him to leave and he is a player who has always been madly in love with Barça. Every time he accepts a pay cut because of the appeal this club has. And, as I said, in January we wanted to raise the quality of the squad, and Cancelo is a player who allows us to do that. What matters in the winter transfer window is to improve: staying the same or getting worse makes no sense. We didn’t need central defenders since we are getting Araújo back, and Cancelo’s arrival also means Eric García doesn’t have to adapt to the role of full-back. Moreover, at certain times, Koundé can also play centrally, giving us solutions we didn’t have before,” Deco stressed.

– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LONDON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – Arsenal are ready to lock down Bukayo Saka. According to “The Athletic,” the 24-year-old English winger, who trained with the Gunners, has already reached an agreement to extend his contract by four years, until 2031. Saka’s renewal—he has seven goals and four assists in 27 games this season—would join those of Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Nwaneri, and Lewis-Skelly.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

PARIS (FRANCE) (ITALPRESS) – Rarely used at Espanyol (just five appearances between La Liga and the Copa del Rey), Luca Koleosho will spend the second half of the season in France. The 21-year-old striker from the Italian Under-21 team, owned by Burnley, has joined Paris FC on loan with an option to buy. Koleosho could already be available for next Monday’s Copa de France derby against PSG.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A coalition of Palestine solidarity groups and arts organisations has launched a campaign urging Malta to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate.

The initiative, titled “Malta: No Music for Genocide,” calls on the Maltese government and Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) to pull out of the competition following the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to permit Israel’s entry.

Backers of the campaign include the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA), Moviment Graffitti, Ġustizzja għall-Palestina, The Lebanese Advocates and The Watermelon Warriors.

In a joint statement, the groups argued that cultural events such as Eurovision are inherently political, citing Russia’s exclusion from the contest after its invasion of Ukraine as precedent.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Admissions requiring inpatient care at Malta’s General Hospital rose sharply during the first week of January, exceeding levels recorded just two months earlier.

Around 570 patients required hospital beds in the first week of November, but this figure increased by more than 200 cases at the start of the new year. Health specialists attribute the rise to a surge in respiratory infections, including influenza, compounded by colder weather and large gatherings over the festive period.

The increase is placing significant pressure on healthcare services, with the hospital currently operating at full capacity.

Patients admitted with respiratory illnesses often require extended recovery periods, limiting the availability of beds and straining resources. Approximately 20% of recent admissions are directly linked to influenza, which can range from mild symptoms to severe complications such as pneumonia.

Doctors warned that individuals experiencing high fever or difficulty breathing should seek medical attention promptly to determine whether hospital treatment is needed.

A new strain of influenza is circulating this season, although experts say it is covered by the current flu vaccine. Despite this, vaccination uptake remains low. Vaccination rates among older adults stand at around 10%, far below the estimated 70% needed for effective protection, while uptake among younger people is estimated at just 1%.

Health authorities stressed that vaccination among younger and healthier individuals is vital to protect the elderly and other vulnerable groups. The public was also reminded that lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic remain relevant, as influenza spreads in a similar way.

– Photo Ospedale Mater Dei Malta –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – After scoring the winning goal in his final game for Bournemouth against Tottenham (3-2) on Wednesday, Antoine Semenyo (26) has joined Manchester City. The transfer, estimated at €75 million, was officially announced today by the Citizens.

The Ghana international striker (32 appearances, 3 goals) has signed a contract until 2031. Semenyo has made 110 appearances in total for the Cherries, scoring 32 goals and providing 13 assists. He will be available to Coach Guardiola tomorrow, Saturday, for the FA Cup match against Exeter (League One).

This is another lucrative move for Bournemouth following the sales of Illya Zabarnyi (€63 million excluding bonuses, PSG), Dean Huijsen (€60 million, Real Madrid), and Milos Kerkez (€47 million, Liverpool) last summer.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MANCHESTER (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Michael Carrick, but not both. According to Sky Sports UK, Manchester United have ruled out the possibility of appointing either of them as manager until June: the choice will fall on just one of the two, while Darren Fletcher is also considered, although he will also be on the bench on Sunday’s FA Cup match against Brighton to give the club more time to evaluate. Also on the table is Ruud Van Nistelrooy, another former great who guided the Red Devils through the dismissal of Ten Hag and the arrival of Amorim last season.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s Commissioner for Standards in Public Life has warned Prime Minister Robert Abela that recent changes to asset declaration rules for ministers represent a “setback for transparency in public life.”

In a letter dated 6 January and published on Thursday, Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Azzopardi said Cabinet had scrapped the detailed ministerial declaration form, requiring ministers to file only the less comprehensive form used by ordinary MPs.

“This means that ministers will no longer declare their income, nor the financial investments and bank accounts held by their spouses,” Azzopardi wrote, noting that such information was previously mandatory.

The warning follows months of correspondence after the commissioner sought copies of ministers’ 2024 declarations. He was later informed that Cabinet had opted for a single form for all MPs, and that ministers had already filed declarations using it.

Azzopardi said transparency had been further weakened because ministerial declarations were traditionally tabled in Parliament, while MPs’ declarations are not published.

He also pointed out that the Standards in Public Life Act requires ministers to submit annual asset statements “on the relevant form,” warning that its elimination places ministers in breach of the code of ethics.

The commissioner said the move ran counter to recommendations from his office and the OECD for stronger disclosure rules, and signalled his concern by making the correspondence public.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews