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      Why isn’t Sadio Mane playing for Senegal against England at World Cup 2022?

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      SENEGAL risked relations with Bayern Munich when picking Sadio Mane for the World Cup squad and the forward isn’t even playing.The ex-Liverpool star made the move to Munich in the summer and his former club haven’t been the same since.
      Sadio Mane will be cheering his national teammates on from the sidelinesCredit: AP
      However, he has kept performing for his country and was keen to travel with them to the World Cup in Qatar.
      Despite this, Mane is not currently playing for his national team and could not feature at all in their massive round-of-16 game against England.
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      Why isn’t Sadio Mane playing at the World Cup?
      Mane’s World Cup was thrown into doubt after sustaining an injury in Bayern Munich’s penultimate game before the World Cup.
      With the German club ruling him out for the tournament, it came as a shock when he was named in the Senegal squad and this was much to the surprise of Bayern.
      Sadio Mane picked up an injury when playing for Bayern MunichCredit: Getty
      However, he has travelled with the team and will be hoping that he can make an impact in Qatar, but the injury will see him miss the opening matches.
      Senegal’s board member Abdoulaye Sow revealed the extent of the injury, stating:”We will have to rely on playing the first games without Sadio and win without Sadio because we have 25 players apart from Sadio.
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      “No one would have wanted it, but that’s what’s happened to us.”
      Therefore, the striker is not fit to play but could return later in the tournament. More

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      Who is England vs Senegal assistant referee Kathryn Nesbitt?

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      THIS World Cup might be controversial for many reasons but in one big way it is breaking the glass ceiling for women working in men’s football.American lineswoman Kathryn Nesbitt is among the first ever female cohort at a World Cup – and she is running the lines during England’s last-16 match against Senegal.
      Kathryn Nesbitt was assistant referee working alongside Ivan Barton for the England vs Senegal World Cup last-16 tieCredit: PA
      Here is all you need to know about the female official.
      Who is World Cup assistant referee Kathryn Nesbitt?
      Nesbitt became the first woman to officiate a championship match in professional sports in the United States when she took charge of the MLS Cup match between Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders in 2020.
      At Qatar she has been a VAR official for the game between Germany and Japan, a match where Japan had a goal disallowed, before going on to win 2-1.
      She told Fifa.com: “I started as a kid as a summer job, and that kept me involved in soccer and eventually kept me involved in sports.
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      “It can be competitive in its own sense as well, so to have those opportunities to strive to be the best at something in kind of an athletic form was great for me, so that’s really what pushed me to keep moving forward with it.”
      Nesbitt is also a qualified professor of chemistry, she started her own lab at Towson University in Maryland.
      She added: “My background in research is on figuring out better ways to analyze brain chemicals, and our lab focused on developing, improving and optimizing the techniques for sampling brain chemicals and then analyzing them.”
      Nesbitt also attended St John Fisher and Pittsburgh University.
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      Why is Ben White not playing for England against Senegal?

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      BEN WHITE has left the England World Cup camp early – and he didn’t get to play for a single second at the tournament.The FA revealed that White missed training this week due to illness.
      Ben White has left England’s World Cup squad earlyCredit: Getty
      But now, the Arsenal star has been permitted to fly home and he is not expected to return to Qatar to rejoin his Three Lions teammates.
      Find out more on Ben White’s early England exit below…
      Why has Ben White left England’s World Cup squad?
      White, 25 left the England camp ahead of their last-16 clash with Senegal for “personal reasons”.
      An FA statement confirmed: “Ben White has left England’s training base in Al Wakrah and returned home for personal reasons.
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      “The Arsenal defender is not expected to return to the squad for the remainder of the tournament.
      “We ask that the player’s privacy is respected at this moment in time.”
      Ben White’s club side Arsenal also tweeted: “We’re all with you, Ben.”
      When is England’s last-16 clash against Senegal?

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      Who is Alisha Lehmann and what’s her net worth?

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      ALISHA Lehmann is an Aston Villa star and Instagram influencer with nearly 10 million followers.This is everything you need to know about Aston Villa forward.
      Alisha Lehmann missed out on the 2022 Women’s Euros as she didn’t “feel mentally ready for a European tournament”Credit: Getty
      Who is Alisha Lehmann?
      Alisha Lehmann is a Swiss footballer born on January 21, 1999.
      The forward made the move to the Women’s Super League in August 2018 when she was signed by West Ham United.
      She impressed West Ham Women’s boss at the time, Matt Beard, with her performances in the 2018 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship, hosted in her homeland.
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      She was an essential part of the team that won the Women’s FA Cup final that season.

      In January 2021, Lehmann moved on loan to Merseyside club Everton until the end of the season.
      After that loan spell, she completed a move to Aston Villa where she scored four goals in 23 appearances during her first season.
      As for her international career, Lehmann earned her first cap for Switzerland in October 2017 and then went on to score her first goal in March 2018.
      Her first Swiss goal was against Finland at the 2018 Cyprus Women’s Cup.
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      Aston Villa’s no.7 was chosen by Switzerland’s head coach Nils Nielsen for the Women’s Euros 2022, however, Lehmann decided not to play.
      She said: “It’s a personal decision.
      “I don’t feel mentally ready for a European tournament.”
      What is Alisha Lehmann’s net worth?
      Lehmann’s net worth is believed to be between £500,000 and £1.2million.
      Her salary from Aston Villa is reported to be around £160,000 while she earns more revenue from her sponsorships with Adidas and EA Sports.
      Who is the highest paid female footballer?
      The highest-paid female footballer was reported to be US star Carli Lloyd.
      She had a spell with Manchester City in 2017, however, returned to America soon after.
      It was estimated that she earned £420,000 a year.
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      Now Lloyd has reitred, Sam Kerr is the reported highest-paid female footballer.
      The Australian forward plays for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League and earns over £400,000 a year. More

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      What is Phil Foden’s haircut called?

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      PHIL FODEN is one of Gareth Southgate’s top men to represent England in international tournaments.The Man City midfielder went into the 2020 EUROs with a hairstyle familiar to English fans as he hoped to bring a title home in Wembley.
      Phil Foden imitated Paul Gascoigne’s blonde hairstyle during the 2020 EUROsCredit: PA
      What is Phil Foden’s haircut called?
      Phil Foden’s haircut is known as the Gazza-style haircut.
      The 22-year-old bleached his hair blonde to imitate Paul Gascoigne’s hair in the Euro 96, which saw England make it all the way to the semi-finals.
      Gascoigne was a remarkable figure in that EUROs campaign and Foden hoped that he can repeat history by bringing “a bit of Gazza onto the pitch.”
      When speaking to the media at St George’s Park, Foden said: “First of all I’ve had the same haircut for what seems ages now, so I thought I would try something new.
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      “And then I woke up this morning with a lot of comparisons to Gazza and Eminem.
      “So, yeah, it was my own thing and people turned it into something else.
      “But they’ve said that they liked it so it’s a positive thing, which I’m surprised about.
      “I remember watching highlights on the TV of Gazza. He was an unbelievable player.
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      “I know what he means for the country and what he did so it wouldn’t be too bad if I tried to bring a bit of Gazza on the pitch.”
      Gascoigne was around the same age as Foden when his breakthrough came on the international scene for England.
      Both players have the same position of an attacking midfielder and this made space for even more comparisons.
      England made it all the way to the finals in Wembley in the 2020 EUROs – the first time in 55 years and the first-ever European final.
      Unfortunately, they suffered a hard-fought loss to Italy which saw the English dream break down very quickly.
      How to ask your barber for the Phil Foden Haircut?
      The best way to ask your barber to get you the Phil Foden Gazza-style haircut is to show him a picture.
      You’ll find many pictures online and on Foden’s social media channels of him showing off his historic haircut.
      Who Is Phil Foden’s barber?
      Phil Foden’s barber is Sheldon Edwards.
      Edwards travels with the England team most of the time when they are competing in an international tournament.
      He helps them upkeep their looks and hair cuts to feel fresh when they go out onto the pitch.
      England boss Gareth Southgate met Edwards before and admitted that he is happy to have him on board, as he is not a distraction to the players at all.
      England are not the only team that make use of the barber’s talents while in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
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      Some of his regular customers apart from Phil Foden are: More

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      When was Cristiano Ronaldo’s first World Cup?

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO is considered one of the best footballers in the world, having won several titles and six Ballon D’Or awards.The Portuguese captain expects the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be the last of his long career – we take a look back at Ronaldo’s first-ever World Cup.
      Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first ever World Cup goal against Iran in 2006Credit: AP:Associated Press
      When was Cristiano Ronaldo’s first World Cup?
      Cristiano Ronaldo was just 21 years old when on June 11, 2006, in Germany, he made his debut in what is considered the biggest football tournament in the world.
      Portuguese legend Luis Figo was leading the team as they entered the group stage having to face Angola, Iran and Mexico.
      Cristiano Ronaldo was wearing the number 17 at that time and already had eyes on him from his breakthrough in the Premier League with Manchester United.
      Referee Jorge Larrionda from Uruguay kicked off the match and Ronaldo suffered a yellow card on his debut in the 26th minute.
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      After an hour of game time, Luiz Felipe Scolari decided to take him off and bring Costinha in.
      Not the best start for Ronaldo, however, the best was yet to come.
      Did Ronaldo score in his first World Cup?
      Up next was Iran and Ronaldo made history by becoming the youngest Portuguese player to ever score in a World Cup at 21 years and 132 days.
      In the 80th minute, he converted a penalty into a goal to extend Portugal’s lead to 2-0 and earn them another three points in Group D.
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      Ronaldo didn’t play the final group match against Mexico, as Portugal topped the group with three wins.
      Portugal beat the Netherlands to make it to the quarter-finals and face England.
      The match finished in a 0-0 draw at 90 minutes and went all the way to penalties.
      Ronaldo secured his country a place in the 2006 World Cup semi-finals as he scored the winning penalty and sent the English home.
      Portugal would go on to finish fourth that year, as they lost out to finalists France and then to Germany in the game for third place.
      How many World Cup’s has Cristiano Ronaldo played in?
      Ronaldo represented his country five times in the World Cup.
      By 2010, he had inherited the number seven jersey and the captaincy moved forward to him from Figo.
      He was Portugal’s best player, having won a Ballon D’Or, a Champions League title and made a move to La Liga club Real Madrid.
      In Brazil four years later, Ronaldo didn’t have the best World Cup because of an injury he picked up before the tournament.
      Despite his late winning goal against Ghana in the final group match, they still hadn’t earned enough points to progress and went home early.
      Then came the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
      At the time, Portugal were European Champions, having beaten France on their own turf in the EUROs final in 2016.
      In the first match against Spain, Ronaldo became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history.
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      On November 11, 2022, Ronaldo broke the records again after he became the first-ever player to score a goal in five consecutive World Cups.
      Ronaldo scored the first goal in Portugal’s first match against Ghana from a penalty. More

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      How many children does Brazil legend Pele have?

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      THERE’S only one name that comes to mind when you think of Brazilian top goal scorers – Pele.The footballing icon scored over 1,000 career goals which includes 77 international strikes for Brazil.
      Pele claims he didn’t know how many children he had at one stageCredit: AP:Associated Press
      But Pele’s total amount of children is adding up too and it has come with a little bit of controversy.
      SunSport has info on the exact amount of children Pele has had during his illustrious lifetime.
      How many children does Pele have?
      Pele has been married three times but admitted to letting his eyes wonder elsewhere during his Netflix documentary.
      The Brazilian legend even revealed not knowing how many children he had at one point due to the number of affairs he had.
      Pele has children with four different womenCredit: Alamy
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      In February 1966, Pele got married to his first wife Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and the pair had three children together – Kelly, Edinho and Jennifer.
      However, after splitting up with Rosemeri, the goal-scoring machine had a fling with his housekeeper Anizia Machado which led to the birth of his daughter Sandra Machado in 1993.
      But Pele refused to take a DNA test leaving Sandra no choice but to file a lawsuit for Pele to recognise her as her daughter as well as publishing a book titled “The Daughter Pele Never Wanted”.
      Pele would go on to lose the lawsuit as DNA evidence showed that Sandra was his biological daughter.
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      Four years later, Pele had another daughter, Flavia Kurtz with journalist Lenita Kurtz.
      And then in 1994, Pele married psychologist and gospel singer, Assaria Lemos Seixas who was his second wife, and the ex-couple had twins Joshua and Celeste.
      Pele had twins with ex-wife AssariaCredit: Reuters
      So in total, Pele has SEVEN children.
      Who is Pele married to now?
      Pele is married to Marcia Cibele Aoki and the lovebirds tied the knot in 2016.
      They do not have any children together as of all of Pele’s kids came before their relationship. More

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      Netherlands vs Argentina: TV channel, kick-off time, stream FREE, team news and prediction for World Cup last-8 clash

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      NETHERLANDS and Argentina are set to go at it for a World Cup semi-final spot in Qatar – and fans can expect fireworks.Goals from Memphis Depay, Daley Blind and Denzel Dumfries helped the Dutch to secure a spot in the last-8 against USA.
      Memphis Depay opened the scoring for the Netherlands against the USACredit: Getty
      Lionel Messi (L) and Julian Alvarez (R) both scored against AustraliaCredit: AP
      And Argentina followed suit courtesy of a 2-1 win over Australia where Lionel Messi was the star of the show once again.
      Messi, 35 is desperate to emulate footballing legend Diego Maradonna by guiding the Argentines to World Cup success.
      Furthermore, that is the only major piece of silverware that Messi has competed for and never got his hands on.
      However, Holland will be on a revenge mission for what happened when the sides met during the 2014 edition.
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      When is Netherlands vs Argentina?

      Netherland’s mouth-watering fixture against Argentina will take place on Friday, December 9.
      The World Cup quarter-final clash is scheduled to get underway at 7pm UK time.
      Lusali Stadium is the allocated arena for this eye-catching contest and it can host a staggering 88, 966 supporters.
      Argentine sent Holland crashing out of the semi-final stage on penalties in 2014.

      What TV channel is it on and can it be live streamed?

      Netherlands vs Argentina will be shown LIVE on BBC One in the UK.
      Coverage is set to commence from 6:15pm UK time – 45 minutes before kick-off.
      Viewers also have the option to stream the game live via the BBC iPlayer app or through the BBC Sport website.

      Can I watch it for free?
      YES! Fans in the UK can watch Netherlands’ match against Argentina for FREE as long as you have a valid TV license.
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      What are the odds?
      After 90 mins

      Netherlands 5/2
      Draw 2/1
      Argentina 6/5

      To qualify

      Netherlands 13/10
      Argentina 6/10

      *Odds courtesy of Betfair are correct at time of publication More