Fans banned for sneaking into match as 'stewards'
Two brothers who posed as stewards to sneak into a sold-out football match have been banned from attending games for three years, Reuters reported.
Kane and Dale Green, 29 and 31 respectively, were caught less than an hour before the Southampton-Portsmouth south coast derby kicked off in September.
The Pompey supporting pair arrived at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton for the match - the first league meeting between the rivals for 13 years - wearing hi-vis vests and carrying radio equipment to blend in with staff, according to Reuters.
France face Ukraine in World Cup qualifier on 10th anniversary of Paris attacks
France captain Kylian Mbappe said Les Bleus would like to remember those affected by the November 13, 2015 Paris attacks when they take on Ukraine in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday -- the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that traumatized the nation, Reuters reported.
France were playing Germany that day when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near Gate D of the Stade de France, killing one passerby, during the friendly game attended by then president Francois Hollande.
The series of coordinated attacks in Paris killed 130 people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to Reuters.
Messi return ‘unrealistic’, says Barca president Laporta
Barcelona all-time great Lionel Messi returning to the Catalan giants is “unrealistic”, the club’s president Joan Laporta said Wednesday, AFP reported.
The 38-year-old Argentine superstar made a surprise appearance at Barca’s Camp Nou stadium on Sunday night and said he hoped “one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I never got to do”.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, Barca’s record goalscorer and appearance maker, left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after two decades there because their precarious financial position meant they could not afford to keep him, according to AFP.
Euro 2028 to kick off in Cardiff, final set for Wembley
Cardiff will host the opening match of the 2028 European Championship on June 9, with the final scheduled for London's Wembley Stadium on July 9, tournament organisers UEFA announced on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The tournament, co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, will feature 51 matches involving 24 nations across nine venues in eight cities, also including Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.
The semi-finals and one quarter-final will also be held at Wembley, while the other last-eight matches will be staged in Dublin, Glasgow and Cardiff, according to Reuters.
