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DeutschDonald Trump ‘really does not care’ if Iran play at World Cup 2026
Iran was only country missing from Fifa planning summit
US and Israel began attacking Iranian targets on Saturday
Donald Trump has said he does not care whether Iran participate in this summer’s World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The US and Israel began attacking targets in the country on Saturday, with the conflict in the Middle East since spreading to the wider region.
US president Trump told Politico: “I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.” Iran was the only nation missing from a Fifa planning summit for World Cup participants held this week in Atlanta, deepening questions over whether the country’s team will compete on US soil this summer amid an escalating regional war.
Continue reading...Journalist reveals internal feeling at Chelsea over how many wins they need to finish in the top five
The feeling around Chelsea is they may need seven wins from the last ten games to qualify for the Champions League according to reports.
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The Blues once again find themselves embroiled in a fierce battle to finish in the top five and secure Champions League qualification.
Chelsea currently sit sixth, three points behind Liverpool, who’ve played a game more, and six behind both Manchester United and Aston Villa.
Chelsea need seven wins to qualify for the Champions League?
The Blues have only qualified for the Champions League once in the last three seasons following the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital takeover.
Enzo Maresca guided Chelsea back into the competition after he secured a top four finish on the final day of last season.
Rosenior is under pressure to qualify for the Champions League. (Photo by Ben Stansall/AFP)
It looks like the race could go down to the final day once again, but not qualifying would be a huge failure for both Chelsea and Liam Rosenior.
The Blues have some tough games remaining, and The Telegraph have reported there’s a feeling around Stamford Bridge the Blues need seven wins from their last ten games to finish in the top five.
Chelsea’s destiny is still somewhat in their own hands as they still have to play Villa, United and Liverpool, but they can’t afford any more slip ups.
Liam Rosenior faces huge Aston Villa test
A win against Villa on Wednesday night would breathe new life into Chelsea’s hopes off securing a top five finish.
However, any other result would leave Chelsea facing an uphill battle, and could mean Rosenior would be under pressure in the summer.
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The Telegraph reveal internal feeling at Chelsea over prospect of no Champions League football
Reece James and Cole Palmer are both fit to start at Villa Park, whilst Marc Cucurella could return, although Estevao is still sidelined with injury.
Check out the latest edition of Simon Phillips’ SPTC podcast here:
Sports Medicine: Exercising Safely in Hot Weather
Dr. Jean-Marc Sène, a sports medicine physician, provides essential guidance on staying safe while exercising in high temperatures. In his regular column for Priorité Santé, the doctor explains the precautions needed to prevent malaise and nausea that can result from physical exertion in hot conditions.
According to Dr. Sène, proper hydration, adjusting workout intensity, and recognizing early warning signs are crucial for maintaining health during summer exercise routines. His advice aims to help athletes and fitness enthusiasts continue their activities safely despite rising temperatures.
What England’s radical selection against Italy says about their Six Nations campaign
If it can be said that you learn a lot about a man by how he reacts under pressure, then this is another instructive team named by Steve Borthwick. It has become an almost running joke at how the England head coach’s tendency for boldness in selection contrasts with his sober public image, but an entirely-new backline, and unprecedented nine personnel changes, reflect a campaign that he and his squad have rather lost control of. Borthwick’s back row, half-backs, centres and back three have never started in combination; so much, it seems, for cohesion.
Boprthwick sought to underline that the backline has been, Tommy Freeman excepted, running together in training as a second string for the past few weeks. “These players have earned their selection,” Borthwick insisted, with two alterations enforced by injuries to Alex Mitchell and Ollie Lawrence. “Several of them have only had a couple of opportunities so far in this tournament but I think they have earned by the way they have trained.
“All of us have been really disappointed with the performances in the last two games. They haven’t been to the required standards that we have set over a long period time and a lot of Test matches; in a lot of areas. One of those has been the willingness to throw that pass and take our chances, to play at the speed we want to push. In the last two games, against very good opposition, we haven’t been able to do that.”
It should be said, and underlined, that there is no imminent threat to Borthwick’s position. Senior figures at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) would be loath to move on from Borthwick even if a 12-match winning run were not so recent in the memory; being just two games removed from a significant series of successes, the head coach can sit with relative comfort. But defeat to Italy would be a first – and potentially change the question about England’s direction ahead of next year’s World Cup.
This two week Eurotrip – England will spend time in Verona between matches in Rome and Paris – will in part become an exercise in figuring out the future, and the component parts that must remain or be replaced. A fresh look is perhaps natural. Parallels have already been drawn with the 2018 campaign, in which senior figures like Chris Robshaw, Mike Brown, James Haskell and captain Dylan Hartley held central roles; none would make it to the World Cup a year and a half later after the first Eddie Jones cull.
“I say to the team that we have certain standards, and I am going to hold them to those standards,” Borthwick stressed. “There are certain things that, to me, are unwavering. Things that I will not move upon. Unfortunately, in the last two games, on certain things, we’ve not met those standards.
“We were disappointed about the intensity. There are times in games where you are going to go down on the scoreboard, it is going to happen. You’ve got to be consistent and smart about how you play, and make sure you keep your intensity. I don’t think in the last game that the intensity was at the level we needed to be. But we’ve drawn a line and look forward to Italy, and that’s what we are doing now.
Borthwick had backed his squad to go again after Scotland; the manner of their defeat to Ireland clearly meant he could not do the same against Italy. It is George Ford, supplanted by Fin Smith at fly half, who has most obviously paid the price, even if England have been keen to put more time into their coming man at No 10. Ford’s role behind the scenes has been just as influential this week but it is Smith’s team to run, as he managed to so effectively in the back half of last year’s Six Nations.
His midfield marriage with Seb Atkinson at 10 and 12 was one first forged in the pathways and at Worcester; with Freeman now a club colleague, too, there is a certain synergy that reduces some of the risk to cohesion posed by sweeping changes. One would not expect a radical shift in approach but there is perhaps a bit more carrying potential in this team as constructed, which will be required against an Italian side with the best dominant tackle rate (10.3 per cent) in the competition. There is also England’s woes in both 22s to consider: only their opponents have a worse conversion rate (34.2 per cent) in attack in this championship, and their defensive denial rate of 40.9 per cent is the worst of the Six Nations.
“Seb brings distribution, he brings some punch in the carry and, defensively, the ground he covers in defence is exceptional,” Borthwick outlined. “Those are big strengths to his game. And while he's a young player, and at this level only has a couple of caps, I’m really excited about how he’s going to grow over this period.
“There’s a little bit where we’ve tightened up. I’ve talked a lot about pushing players to give that extra pass. Maybe the team has tightened up and not thrown it. I want us to get back to playing the way we want to play and being willing to throw that pass, be willing to move that ball a little bit more. I’ll be encouraging the team to do that this weekend.”
England XV to face Italy (Saturday 7 March, 4.40pm GMT): 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George, 3 Joe Heyes; 4 Maro Itoje (capt.), 5 Alex Coles; 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl; 9 Ben Spencer, 10 Fin Smith; 11 Cadan Murley, 12 Seb Atkinson, 13 Tommy Freeman, 14 Tom Roebuck; 15 Elliot Daly.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Henry Pollock; 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Marcus Smith.