PARIS (FRANCE) (ITALPRESS) – Zinedine Zidane is officially the new head coach of France. It had been in the air, and now the announcement has been made by the president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, during the introductory press conference: “Zidane will be the next head coach of the French national team for the next four years.” He then revealed: “I first met and contacted him back in February 2025 to offer him the role of head coach of our national team. Since then, we have met several times to plan his arrival. It was the meeting of two desires. On one hand, because Zinédine is a legend of French football and had made it known that coaching the national team was one of his dreams. On the other, the Federation wanted someone with the aura, expertise, and passion of our fans to lead one of the best teams in the world,” said the federation’s chief. Zidane’s staff will be unveiled in early September.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Gianni Infantino has written a pathetic message.” Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has once again attacked the FIFA chief, who had used his channels to urge critics to “reflect, pray, or watch a football match” instead of “spreading hate.” “No one disputes that football is about emotion and unity,” Tebas wrote on X.

“But transparency, good governance, and accountability are never hate; they are an obligation. Strong institutions do not discredit those who ask questions; they answer them. And a thought for you, Gianni: when an executive devotes an entire message to discrediting those exercising legitimate oversight, one inevitably asks… why now? Is there something that explains such a defensive tone? Is something happening that we don’t know about?” Tebas asked.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – The French Football Federation (FFF) will “mobilize the necessary support mechanisms to rapidly provide an appropriate response to the clubs most severely affected” by the wildfires currently impacting various parts of the country. This was announced in a statement from the FFF, which expressed “its solidarity and support for the affected communities, as well as for all members of the football community facing the consequences of these events.”

“The FFF’s emergency aid fund—announced in November 2025 at the National Football Conference—will be mobilized based on the damage and needs identified. The Federation will also examine, in conjunction with the leagues and districts, other support mechanisms that could be activated to assist the affected clubs,” the statement read.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Chelsea is in advanced talks to sign Brighton forward Danny Welbeck, the BBC reports. The 35-year-old has indicated his willingness to make the move, and the Blues are optimistic about finalizing the deal. Last season, Welbeck set a personal record of 13 league goals in 37 matches.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Slavko Vincic is retiring from refereeing. The Slovenian official—one of the most highly regarded figures on the international stage over the past decade—has announced his retirement following a career that culminated in him officiating the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in New York. The Slovenian Football Association (NZS) officially announced the decision, celebrating the career of its top referee and highlighting his contribution to the growth of the refereeing community at both national and international levels. With his retirement, UEFA loses one of its most experienced and reliable officials, a key figure in the most prestigious competitions of recent years. His appointment to the World Cup final marked the pinnacle of a career that had already seen him officiate numerous high-profile European matches. Over the years, he officiated both Champions League and Europa League finals and was selected for four editions of the European Championship, consistently establishing himself as a leading referee.

Significant individual accolades have also been received. The IFFHS named him the best referee of the most recent World Cup, a testament to the quality of his performances during the global tournament. At the age of 46, he thus concludes a career built over sixteen seasons at the highest levels of European and international football. A tribute is expected from the national federation in Slovenia, as it prepares to honor a career destined to remain among the most significant in the country’s refereeing history.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Prime Minister Robert Abela has instructed Enemalta, the national energy provider to speed up work on strengthening Malta’s electricity distribution network following recent power cuts, describing the disruptions as unacceptable.

Speaking during a radio interview, Abela said Enemalta had been ordered to accelerate works from this week to improve the resilience of the power grid.

He said the outages were caused by prolonged temperatures above 43°C, which drove electricity demand to record levels as air-conditioning use increased. The extreme heat also prevented cables from dissipating heat efficiently, placing additional strain on the network.

He pledged that the government would do everything possible in the coming months to reduce the risk of similar disruptions, insisting that climate change could not be used as an excuse for recurring power cuts.

“My job is not to identify problems; it is to offer solutions,” Abela said.

The prime minister said the government had invested €160 million in the electricity distribution network over the past three years following the widespread outages of 2023. However, he acknowledged that further investment was needed to prepare for more frequent and prolonged heatwaves.

Abela said the government’s long-term strategy also included completing a second interconnector with Sicily by the end of the year and increasing the share of electricity generated from renewable sources, which has risen from 3% to 17%.

Abela added electricity consumption would continue to rise as Malta advances in digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence, requiring further investment in the grid.

– Photo Laburist Party –
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Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – After breaking his silence around midnight with a lengthy post on his Instagram profile, Andrea Pirlo published an Instagram Story this morning. In it, he added an important clarification to his previous statement, writing: “I learned last night that I am no longer the candidate to become head coach of the Italian national team.”

– Photo: Ipa Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Yan Diomande will not be joining Paris Saint-Germain. The French champions confirmed that they have officially withdrawn from the race to sign the 19-year-old Ivorian winger, who is under contract with RB Leipzig.

“PSG have officially withdrawn their interest in Yan Diomande. The proposed transfer fee and the player’s salary demands are completely disproportionate. PSG will not depart from its principles of sound financial management and squad balance,” the club said in a statement.

The Bundesliga’s Best Young Player from last season now appears increasingly likely to complete a move to Real Madrid.

– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – One week after the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Kylian Mbappé published an open letter to the French people. The France captain expressed his gratitude to the nation’s supporters.

“You never let us down, not even in the most difficult moments, even when we deserved it the least. This story was written by millions of hands, not just the eleven players on the pitch, all with the same passion,” Mbappé wrote.

“It has been an incredible journey. The semifinal defeat hurts, and it will continue to hurt for a while. I accept the Golden Boot with pride, but it would have been much better to come home with the World Cup trophy. This French team is made up of proud players who always give everything,” the France captain concluded.

– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – Bruno Guimarães has reportedly informed Newcastle United of his desire to leave the club and join Arsenal. For now, however, manager Eddie Howe is not confirming the reports. Instead, he is expecting the Brazilian midfielder, who recently featured in the FIFA Club World Cup, to rejoin the squad during the club’s training camp.

“He is our captain and an incredible player. Of course, we’d all like him to stay. He’s due back on the 31st, and at the moment there’s nothing preventing his return,” Howe said, as quoted by the BBC, following Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with Gateshead in a pre-season friendly.

The situation has been compared to that of Alexander Isak, who was sold to Liverpool last summer, but Howe rejected the comparison.

“I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two situations. Each case has to be judged on its own merits,” the Newcastle boss said.

Guimarães’ future remains uncertain.

“I don’t know what will happen. It’s up to others to speculate. Those are discussions I’m not involved in,” Howe concluded.

According to the BBC, Arsenal are preparing a £70 million bid to secure the Brazilian midfielder.

– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews