Football News

35 years ago today Diego Maradona inspired Argentina’s 2-1 win over England It is arguably the best individual performance in World Cup history It included the ‘Hand of God’ and ‘The Goal of the Century’ ‘Half-angel, half-devil,’ read the headline in L'Équipe. The latter referred to the ‘Hand of God’, one of the most infamous goals in football history. The former referred to a goal as heavenly as you’ll ever see. On its 35th anniversary, FIFA.com recalls the most polarising individual performance, and arguably the greatest, in FIFA World Cup™ history: Diego Maradona for Argentina against England at the Azteca. Maradona almost moves to England In 1978, Sheffield United manager Harry Haslam was wowed by a 17-year-old Maradona during a scouting trip to South America. The club agreed a...

Mauritania beat Yemen 2-0 to reach the FIFA Arab Cup Ismael Diakite and Hemeya Tanjy got the goals Mauritania will face Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Syria in Group B Goals from Ismael Diakite and Hemeya Tanjy earned Mauritania a 2-0 win over Yemen and a place at the FIFA Arab Cup. They will now play Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Syria in Group B. The match began at a fast pace, flowing from end to end, and Mauritania came mightily close to breaking the deadlock six minutes in, only for Adama Ba’s free-kick to be tipped on to the post by Khairalah Mohammed. The Africans did get the opener in the 18th minute – and in some style. Ba, from the back, spotted Diakite burst behind the Yemen backline and immediately played a palatial long ball over the top. Diakite controlled it im...

Djibouti face Lebanon in Arab Cup qualifier Mahdi Mahabeh their most effective weapon 25-year-old is country’s all-time top scorer For many years, Djibouti had to endure the troubled waters of world football. Apart from a brief respite in 2006/07, the Shoremen of the Red Sea were never far from the bottom of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking... until 2016 that is. That was the year Mahdi Mahabeh debuted with the national team, and Djibouti have been slowly making up ground ever since. “There are many reasons for our current success,” Mahdi Mahabeh says at the start of his interview with FIFA.com, “but first and foremost was a genuine desire to reinvigorate our country’s football. Our federation mobilised the financial, logistical, technical and human resources that the national team n...

President Infantino met with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin Russia will host the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, kicking off on 19 August FIFA President Gianni Infantino noted the impact of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ on football and its place in society during a visit to the country, where he also discussed ongoing strategies for the development of the sport with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin. The meeting also provided the opportunity to discuss the preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Back in Moscow three years after the World Cup, President Infantino (pictured above meeting the Russian Federation President in 2019) commented on the greater reach of the sport in Russia after hosting such a scintillating tournament and that it...

Following the confirmation of COVID-19 cases among the South Sudan delegation, the FIFA Bureau for Men’s Senior Tournaments has declared the match scheduled to take place this evening against Jordan as part of the FIFA Arab Cup qualifiers a forfeit with a 3-0 win to Jordan. The decision is based on article 5.6 of the competition regulations (“force majeure”) and takes into consideration the need to protect the health of the players and everyone involved in the tournament. Upon their arrival in Qatar and as per the protocols established by the Qatari Ministry of Health, all delegations were tested for COVID-19. After two rounds of PCR tests, it was confirmed that seven players and one team member of South Sudan were positive, with another five players receiving a reactive test result, wh...

Adama Ba a key player for Mauritania Led Les Mourabitounes to their maiden AFCON appearance Now hoping to help propel the team into the FIFA Arab Cup As a teenager, Adama Ba left the Mauritanian city of Gouraye for France, where he was hoping to complete his studies. He can scarcely have imagined the future that lay in store for him, including playing for several well-known clubs and becoming a pivotal figure for the Mauritanian national team. After starting his professional career with Brest, Ba joined Bastia, where he became the first Mauritanian to score in the French top-flight. Stints followed with Chamois Niortais and AJ Auxerre before his 2017 move to Turkey, where he would represent Gaziantep and later Giresunspor. He then joined Moroccan outfit RS Berkane, who loaned him to ...

Oman beat Somalia 2-1 in Doha to qualify for the FIFA Arab Cup Mohsen Al-Ghasani scored one and earned the penalty for the second Victors survived a spirited second-half comeback from the underdogs Oman have become the second team to emerge triumphant from the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ qualifiers, edging past Somalia in an entertaining encounter at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Ranked 80th in the world and facing a side 117 places lower, the Omanis were heavy favourites for this tie - and justified that status with an impressive first-half performance. Mohsen Al-Ghasani pounced on a rebound to fire them into an 11th-minute lead, and that was doubled 25 minutes later when the same player earned a penalty that was coolly converted by Salaah Al Yahyaei. Somalia, though, showed real spirit i...

Leo Higuita has been named futsal’s best goalkeeper in five of the last six years He raves about his Kazakhstan team-mates Taynan and Douglas The Brazil-born player discusses their targets at Lithuania 2021 “Goalkeepers will never be named the best season after season like the Messis and Ronaldos,” said Manuel Neuer. “One mistake and you’ve had a bad year.” Indeed no-one has ever won the FIFA World Cup™ Golden Glove more than once, no-one has won The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper on multiple occasions and five goalkeepers have won the six Best Goalkeeper awards at the Beach Soccer Stars ceremonies. The same doesn’t apply to futsal. Leo Higuita, despite not playing for one of its megapower clubs and elite nations, has remarkably been named its best goalkeeper in five of the past six yea...

FIFA can confirm that following the standard PCR tests applied ahead of the FIFA Arab Cup qualification matches, some members of the delegation of the South Sudan national team have tested positive for COVID-19. In line with the medical procedures in place, they have been placed in isolation and the activities planned for today have been postponed.  Further details will follow in due course. Protecting the health and safety of all individuals involved in the FIFA Arab Cup remains a top priority with a comprehensive programme based on the World Health Organization’s risk-based approach being implemented in coordination with the host country.

Sudan beat Libya 1-0 to qualify for the FIFA Arab Cup Mohammed Abdelrahman scored the all-important goal from the penalty spot Qualifiers to determine the remaining six participants Mohammed Abdelrahman was the match-winner as Sudan secured their place at the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™ with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Libya in Doha. In a tight, evenly matched encounter, the decisive moment arrived after just 15 minutes when Sudan were awarded a penalty following a late challenge by Ali Salama on Seif El-Din Malik. Abdelrahman assumed responsibility and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a calmy dispatched spot-kick. FIFA Arab Cup qualifier: Libya-Sudan General view inside the stadium ahead of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 Qual...