TURIN (ITALPRESS) – “My legal case is not over because we have to wait for the written reasons that will arrive in June and then there will perhaps be an appeal to the Federal Court in Switzerland to find out if the matter is closed. For me it should never have started but it ended 10 years later so it was not a very nice thing. When I examine the reasons I will see what to do”. Michel Platini said this at a press conference on the sidelines of the event for the 20th anniversary of the Golf Cup organized by the Vialli Mauro Foundation at the Royal Park ‘I Roveri di Fiano’ in the province of Turin.

“I don’t think I will have any more roles in football institutions”, concluded the former Juventus and French national team player.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

NYON (SWITZERLAND) (ITALPRESS) – UEFA has appointed Michele Uva, its Executive Director of Social and Environmental Sustainability as its official Delegate to Italy’s organising committee for UEFA EURO 2032. The duties of the post will start immediately and be full time from 2026.

Michele will represent UEFA’s interests in the run up to the tournament. UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis said, “Michele is the perfect choice to act as our Delegate and to support the FIGC under its President; our Vice President, Gabriele Gravina. His long experience of Italian sport and knowledge of the sporting and political landscape will be invaluable as all parties look to organise a world class tournament for fans, players and broadcasters.”

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Kylian Mbappé has won the European Golden Boot for the first time in his career after scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday. The French international scored 31 league goals in his debut season in Spain, also taking home the La Liga top scorer award.

The former PSG man surpassed Sporting’s Victor Gyokeres (39 goals) and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (29) in the top scorers’ rankings. Although Gyokeres scored eight more league goals than Mbappé, he finished second as the rankings are determined using a weighted points system. Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane also made the top five.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Cannabis use among 15- and 16-year-olds in Malta has remained stable since the country legalized the recreational drug in 2021, according to new data from the European Union Agency for Drugs.

The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (Espad) 2024 reports that 11% of Maltese teenagers said they had tried cannabis at least once in their lives – a percentage unchanged from 2019, two years before the landmark law. Cannabis use, defined as use in the last 30 days, has also remained stable at just above 4%, while early use (before the age of 13) has remained at just above 2%. However, accessibility remains high.

Around 30% of students said cannabis was “fairly or very easy” to obtain – slightly below the 2019 peak of 33%, but above the European average of 27%. Cannabis continues to be the most commonly used illicit drug in Malta, in line with broader European trends. Strikingly, Malta is one of the few countries where girls report higher cannabis use than boys – 14% versus 8.6%.

This is the first time since Espad surveys began in 1999 that Maltese girls have outperformed their male peers in cannabis use. High-risk use, as measured by the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (Cast), is also more common among girls (4.4%) than boys (2.6%) – a unique reversal among the 37 countries surveyed.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta is ready to welcome Dr. Alaa Al-Najjar, a pediatrician who lost nine of her ten children in southern Gaza and whose husband was seriously injured while she continued to treat patients during the conflict. This was announced by Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Malta, Abela said, would welcome Dr. Al-Najjar and her family. “This gesture is not just a political statement – it is an affirmation of moral responsibility,” the Prime Minister said.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

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