MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Last summer, despite a slew of offers from Italy, Giacomo Raspadori decided to return to the fold at Atletico Madrid, but his experience with the club has so far been uninspiring: ten appearances for a total of 400 minutes.

At the end of November, during the Champions League match against Inter, the Spanish club reaffirmed their full confidence in him, assuring him that his time would come. Diego Simeone himself reportedly confessed that he hadn’t given him the playing time he deserved, preferring Griezmann and Almada.

In any case, the exchange reassured Raspadori, who never asked to leave, nor did Atletico Madrid ever hint at a move away from him. However, according to “As,” Roma’s pressure hasn’t gone unnoticed by the former Napoli player, who will meet up with Simeone again tomorrow when training resumes. It will be an opportunity for a new discussion and to understand if the conditions are still right to move forward together.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – Morocco is back with its captain. Sidelined by a left ankle injury sustained on November 4th in the Champions League match against Bayern Munich, Achraf Hakimi will play on Monday against Zambia in the third round of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Coach Walid Regragui announced the news, but did not specify whether the 28-year-old PSG defender, formerly of Inter Milan, will start or be a substitute. Regragui took the opportunity to thank Nasser al-Khelaifi and PSG for releasing their captain two weeks before the Africa Cup of Nations. “He’s a great leader, and we’ve always been in contact with PSG,” the Moroccan coach explained. “We have one of the best sports doctors in the world, Christophe Baudot, and the relationship has been perfect.”

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Andy Carroll faces a prison sentence. The former Liverpool and Newcastle United striker, who turns 37 on January 6, has been charged with breaching a restraining order and is scheduled to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, according to the English tabloid The Telegraph.

The former England international (9 caps, 2 goals) was arrested on April 27 at the airport upon his return to the United Kingdom by Essex Police for incidents dating back to March. A restraining order, or protection order, is a civil injunction designed to prevent a person from approaching or contacting another person, or from visiting a specific address. Failure to comply with the order constitutes a criminal offense that, depending on the circumstances, can result in a prison sentence of up to five years. Carroll, who has also played for Liverpool, West Ham and Newcastle in his long career, currently plays for Dagenham and Redbridge (Sixth Division), following his experience with Bordeaux in the 2024-2025 season.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has been crowned the best international tourism destination at the Italian Tourism Awards held in Rome earlier this month.

Accepting the award, Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) director for Italy Ester Tamasi said the recognition belonged to the entire team behind Malta’s tourism strategy.

“This recognition rewards the work shared with our head office and the many partners who allow us to tell the story of Malta and Gozo in an emotional and innovative way,” Tamasi said. She described the achievement as the result of a coherent, multidisciplinary approach that responds to the evolving needs of contemporary travellers.

Tamasi added that a successful tourism strategy must balance growth with authenticity, creating economic value while preserving the destination’s soul.

MTA chief executive Carlo Micallef said the award reflects the strong relationship with the Italian market and close collaboration with industry stakeholders.

“Our strategy is firmly focused on quality, sustainability and year-round tourism,” Micallef said, noting the importance of safeguarding what makes Malta and Gozo unique.

The jury praised Malta’s marketing, promotion and international tourism development efforts, highlighting the “Nessuna donna è un’isola” initiative, which combined wellness, female identity and the promotion of Gozo through cultural and experiential projects.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema arrived in Saudi Arabia when their careers had already entered a downward phase, but the Saudi league could soon attract top players at the height of their careers as well. Ramon Planes, former Barcelona executive and now sporting director of Al Ittihad, said as much while speaking on “Onda Cero.”

Talking about Vinicius, who has been linked to Saudi football on several occasions, Planes confirmed: “I see it as a possibility that players like Vinicius could come here to Saudi Arabia. I see an evolution of the league, and it is feasible to have top-level players here who are in the prime of their careers. There is already a trend toward signing players of a certain age; it’s no longer only players in the final phase of their careers who arrive.”

Planes went even further, suggesting that Saudi clubs could one day take part in the European Champions League: “I wouldn’t rule it out at all. Sport is becoming globalized.”

– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA) (ITALPRESS) – Misappropriation of pension and social security contributions related to the organization’s activities. This is the charge against the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) and, as the responsible party, its president, Claudio Fabián “Chiqui” Tapia. According to Argentine media reports, ARCA (the Argentine Association of Pension Fund Administrators) owes the World Cup-winning federation over €11 million, resulting from withholding taxes and social security contributions. This crime, under Argentine law, is punishable by one to six years in prison.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Thirty-seven years old, but with the same enthusiasm and desire to score, win, and make an impact that have characterized his extraordinary career. Robert Lewandowski, in an interview on Polish journalist Bogdan Rymanowski’s YouTube channel and reported by Catalan websites, discusses his future and a contract that expires on December 30th, but which doesn’t keep him awake at night.

“There’s still time to make the right decisions. I don’t feel any pressure, nor am I thinking about which path to take right now,” the Barcelona striker explains. “I’m not talking to the coach about potential interest from other clubs, nor about salary reductions. My decision won’t depend on that, but on what the club wants to do, Flick’s technical plan, and the role he plans to assign me. Obviously, what I think is the best solution for me will also count. I still have many goals, I’m thinking about qualifying for the World Cup with my Poland team, winning La Liga and the Champions League. I know I’m in the final stage of my career, but I still have big ambitions. In football, the hardest thing isn’t getting to the top, but maintaining a certain level.”

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Air travel from Malta began rising today as thousands of Maltese set off to bid farewell to 2025 and welcome the new year in another country.

Today is expected to be the busiest day of the month at Malta International Airport, with around 30,000 passengers travelling on 206 flights. An airport spokesman said these figures are higher than the airport’s summer daily average.

The contrast with Christmas Day is stark. Only 50 flights landed or departed on December 25, making it the quietest day at the airport this month.

The situation has since changed dramatically. On Friday, activity was already picking up in the Arrivals and Departures halls, with many Maltese travellers choosing this period to spend the final days of the year and usher in 2026 abroad.

Several foreign visitors were also seen departing Malta after spending the Christmas holidays on the island.

Statistics show that, over the year, one in six passengers using the airport is Maltese. In December, this increases to one in four, largely due to school holidays and the appeal of experiencing winter in a different country.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – No signings in the January transfer window, but Real Madrid are interested in a June move. According to Cadena SER, the club’s target would be PSG’s Portuguese midfielder Vitinha if Vinicius doesn’t renew his contract and thus leaves Madrid. These two players are different, but with the over €100 million Real expect to receive for the Brazilian’s sale, they would have the resources to pursue a key player for Luis Enrique’s side. According to the Spanish press, this move would not affect the transfer of Nico Paz, who is set to return to Madrid after two extraordinary seasons at Como.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – French football is in mourning. Jean-Louis Gasset has died this morning at the age of 72. A former midfielder, he spent almost his entire playing career at Montpellier, the club he later coached first as an assistant and then as head coach.

After serving as head coach of Caen and Istres, in 2007 he began his collaboration with Laurent Blanc at Bordeaux as assistant manager. In 2010, he was Blanc’s deputy with the French national team that took part in the 2012 European Championship, reaching the quarter-finals. From 2013 to 2016 he was assistant coach at Paris Saint-Germain.

In 2022 he became head coach of Ivory Coast, succeeding Patrice Beaumelle. In February 2024 he replaced Gennaro Gattuso on the bench of Olympique Marseille, who were ninth in Ligue 1 at the time, finishing the season in seventh place. In the Europa League, the French side were eliminated by Atalanta in the semi-finals.

He concluded his career by returning to Montpellier, bottom of Ligue 1 in the 2024–2025 season, failing to avoid relegation to Ligue 2. His contract was terminated on April 7.

– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews