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      Wales calm security fears ahead of Euro 2024 qualifying trip to Armenia with Rob Page ‘raring to go’

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      WALES have played down security fears ahead of their crunch Euro 2024 qualifier in Armenia.The Football Association of Wales had been in contact with the UK Foreign Office over recent weeks following conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
      Wales lost the reverse Group D qualifier to Armenia 4-2 at home in JuneCredit: Reuters
      Harry Wilson scores twice in 2-1 success over Croatia last monthCredit: Rex
      The territory, which had been controlled by Armenians for three decades, was seized by Azerbaijan in September. 
      Wales face the hosts on Saturday in the capital city of Yerevan, which is 171 miles from Nagorno-Karabakh.
      But Dragons boss Robert Page calmed any worries over safety when his squad make the trip to Eastern Europe later this week for the vital Group D clash.
      Uefa have also monitored the situation but there have been no plans to move the fixture to a different venue as Wales bid to avenge the 4-2 home loss against the same opposition in June.
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      Page confirmed the FAW contact with government officials and added: “There has been nothing that has been brought to our attention that we have to be concerned about.
      “It’s all good and we’re raring to go.”
      Page’s Wales squad met up in Cardiff at their Vale of Glamorgan base yesterday full of confidence following the superb 2-1 home victory over Croatia last month.
      Two wins for the Dragons against Armenia and then already-qualified Turkey in the Welsh capital on November 21 would book a spot for the finals in Germany next summer.
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      It would also represent a third successive Euros place for Wales. More

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      Saudi Arabia set to host World Cup 2034 after Australia pull out of the bidding leaving no competition

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      SAUDI ARABIA is set to host the World Cup in 2034.That’s after rival bidders Australia pulled out of the running on deadline day, leaving no competition for the Middle Eastern nation.
      Saudi Arabia looks set to host the 2034 World Cup after Australia dropped out of the raceCredit: EPA
      Saudi Arabia launched their bid to host the 2034 World Cup in September.
      Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is looking to transform his country in a project called Vision 2030.
      And that includes building a brand new £1TRILLION mega-city — which could end up hosting the entire World Cup.
      SunSport exclusively revealed this month that Saudi Arabia, a strict Muslim country, is even ready to suspend its ban on alcohol to attract football supporters from around the globe.
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      But there was a fly in the ointment when we also told you that Australia had launched a last-ditch bid to host the 2034 World Cup.
      Having impressed at the Qatar tournament before crashing out in the last-16 to eventual winners Argentina, the Aussies were hoping to succeed with an 11th-hour proposal.
      A joint four-way bid including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore had even been mooted ahead of today’s deadline.
      But Football Australia have now announced they are out of the running to host the World Cup in 2034, paving the way for sole bidders Saudi Arabia to win.
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      Instead, the Aussies hope to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup AND the 2029 Club World Cup.
      A lengthy statement read: “We have explored the opportunity to host the FIFA World Cup and — having taken all factors into consideration — we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition.
      “We wish FIFA and the eventual hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2034 the greatest success for the good of the game and for everyone who loves our sport.” More

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      Why are Saudi Arabia called KSA on TV when playing football?

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      EAGLE-EYED football fans may have spotted Saudi Arabia being referred to as KSA on TV.But why is this abbreviation used, how many World Cups have Saudi Arabia played in and who is currently in the squad? Here’s everything you need to know.
      Saudi Arabia’s name gets truncated to KSA on World Cup scoreline graphics
      Why are Saudi Arabia called KSA on TV?
      KSA stands for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – the country’s official name, which when abbreviated fits inside the small space allocated to the game’s scoreboard on TV broadcasts.
      The country was founded as a kingdom in 1932 by King Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
      According to reports, both FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) use the KSA abbreviation.
      However, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) uses SA.
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      How many times have Saudi Arabia played at the World Cup?
      In 2022, Saudi Arabia sealed their spot in Qatar and made their sixth appearance at the World Cup.
      The national team made their first World Cup debut in 1994 – when they reached the last 16 in the USA.
      They became the second Arab team in history to reach the round of 16 of a World Cup after Morocco at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
      Saudi Arabia then returned to the competition in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, and 2022.
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      In the latest World Cup competition, the team beat eventual champions Argentina 2-1, however, they later lost the following matches against Poland and Mexico.
      As a result, Saudi Arabia were knocked out fourth in the group stage.
      In September 2023, Saudi Arabia launched their bid to host the 2034 World Cup – pushing back their initial plans to stage the 2030 tournament.
      The Saudi FA released a statement which read: “Today, we enter the next chapter of Saudi football: intending to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
      “Our bid is inspired by Saudi Arabia’s transformation journey, the passion of our fans, and a commitment to deliver an amazing tournament.”
      What other competitions have Saudi Arabia competed in?
      Aside from competing in the World Cup, Saudi Arabia have also competed in a number of other competitions.
      They have won the AFC Asian Cup three times in 1984, 1988, and 1996 and have reached a joint record six Asian Cup finals.
      Saudi Arabia are the first Asian team to reach the final of a senior FIFA competition at the 1992 King Fahd Cup – which would eventually become the FIFA Confederations Cup.
      The national team also regularly participates in the Gulf Cup of Nations and Arab Nations Cup.
      Who is in the current Saudi Arabia squad?
      In August 2023, Roberto Mancini was named as the new manager of Saudi Arabia – two weeks after he resigned as Italy’s head coach, following five years at the helm.
      Mancini’s contract is claimed to be worth a staggering £21.5million per year after tax.
      Saudi Arabia were managed by Herve Renard at last year’s World Cup, but the Frenchman stepped down in order to join his own country’s women’s national team.
      Here we take a look at who is in the current Saudi Arabia squad.

      GK – Mohammed Al-Owais
      GK – Mohammed Al-Rubaie
      GK – Raghed Al-Najjar
      GK – Hamed Al-Shanqiti
      DF – Yasser Al-Shahrani
      DF – Ali Al-Bulaihi
      DF – Saud Abdulhamid
      DF – Sultan Al-Ghannam
      DF – Abdulelah Al-Amri
      DF – Hassan Al-Tambakti
      DF – Ali Lajami
      DF – Zakaria Hawsawi
      MF – Salem Al-Dawsari
      MF – Fahad Al-Muwallad
      MF – Salman Al-Faraj
      MF – Mohamed Kanno
      MF – Abdulellah Al-Malki
      MF – Sami Al-Najei
      MF – Abdulrahaman Ghareeb
      MF – Abdullah Al-Khaibari
      MF – Nasser Al-Dawsari
      MF – Ayman Yahya
      MF – Ali Hazazi
      MF – Faisal Al-Ghamdi
      MF – Eid Al-Muwallad

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      Other members of the squad include:

      FW – Firas Al-Buraikan
      FW – Abdullah Al-Hamdan
      FW – Saleh Al-Shehri
      FW – Haroune Camara
      FW – Haitham Asiri
      FW – Mohammed Maran More

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      Who is Neymar’s sister Rafaella Santos?

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      RAFAELLA Santos has managed to create a successful name of her own despite her big brother’s superstar status.But who exactly is she and why is she famous? Here’s what we know.
      Neymar and Rafaella pictured with their mother Nadine Da Silva
      Who is Rafaella Santos?
      Rafaella Santos is Neymar’s younger sister, who was born on March 11, 1996.
      She legally changed her surname to Beckran once of the appropriate age.
      Brazilian tabloid Globo claims that the surname change was in honour of her childhood idol, David Beckham.
      She was raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil with her older brothers, Joclecio Amancio dos Santos and Neymar Jr.
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      Rafaella had previously been in a relationship with former Inter Milan forward Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa who was spotted early in on her modelling career but the couple decided to go their separate ways in 2018.
      The model has an incredibly close relationship with her brother which has stretched as far as them getting matching tattoos and the pair even have tattoos of each other printed on their bodies.
      Speaking about his sister, Neymar once said: “My heart is yours, my love is yours, my smile is yours, my day, my night, my longing, my best company”.
      Their bond has caused a lot of controversies and has even led people to believe that there is a “curse of Neymar’s sister’s birthday”
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      Why is she famous?
      In the last decade, Neymar’s sister’s social media influence has skyrocketed with supporters being treated to the blonde beauty showing off her outfits alongside modelling for a number of organisations.
      She made her name in modelling when she starred in a World Cup-themed advert for Beats by Dre in 2014.
      Since then, Rafaella has gone on to model for a number of clothing brands which has landed her in the limelight along with being related to Brazilian icon Neymar.
      As of October 2023, she has over 6.1 million followers on Instagram.
      You can find her account under the username @rafaella
      With some of the money Rafaella has made, she heavily invested in the charity Instituto Neymar –  a charity her older brother created in 2014 which focuses on helping disadvantaged children who live in their home town of Praia Grande, Sao Paulo.
      What is the curse of Neymar’s sister’s birthday?
      Almost every year around Rafaella’s birthday on March 11, Neymar usually ends up with an injury or suspension.
      Many believe he misses these games so he can celebrate her big day.
      It began on February 28, 2015, when Neymar picked up a yellow card against Granada that caused him to miss the game the following month against Rayo Vallecano – three days before his sister’s birthday.
      In 2016, he missed a game on March 6 due to another suspension from an accumulation of yellow cards in La Liga.
      The curse happened again the following year when Neymar suffered an injury that caused him to be out of action in early March.
      In 2018, he missed the remainder of the 2017/2018 season with a metatarsal fracture.
      The following year, the same issue happened again, although he was able to return to the pitch for PSG in April.
      Many were shocked when Neymar actually played in 2020 on his sister’s birthday, scoring a goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
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      But many pointed out that he couldn’t have celebrated with his sister back in Brazil at this point due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
      The curse returned in 2021 as he missed the match against Nantes with a muscle injury. More

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      First teams already eliminated from 2026 World Cup contention – 969 days before the tournament begins

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      GUAM have become the first nation to be eliminated from 2026 World Cup contention – 969 days before the tournament is set to begin.The western Pacific island take part in the AFC’s qualifying path.
      Nations around the globe are already dreaming of World Cup 2026 gloryCredit: EMPICS Sport
      Twenty sides were drawn into two-legged ties, with the losers of each OUT of World Cup contention.
      Guam drew Singapore and were beaten 2-1 in the first leg.
      The two sides met again in Dededo on Tuesday, with Shawal Anuar’s late goal consigning Guam to a 3-1 aggregate defeat.
      Other Asian nations have since also fallen by the wayside, their dreams of competing on the world stage already parked until 2030.
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      Mongolia were beaten 2-0 on aggregate by Afghanistan.
      Yemen overcame Sri Lanka 4-1 across two legs.
      Cambodia were narrowly edged out 1-0 by Pakistan.
      Timor-Leste were beaten 7-0 on aggregate by Chinese Taipei.
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      Macau held Myanmar to a 0-0 draw at home, but were beaten 5-1 by their rivals in the away leg.
      Bangladesh edged past the Maldives 2-1 on aggregate, holding on with ten men in the second clash.
      Meanwhile, Bhutan fell short in their comeback against Hong Kong, only managing a 2-0 win after losing the first leg 4-0.
      Nepal scaped through against Laos 2-1 and Indonesia thumped Brunei 12-0 – with resounding 6-0 wins home and away. More

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      Who is England vs Australia referee Stephanie Frappart?

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      STEPHANIE FRAPPART is refereeing England’s clash with Australia tonight. France’s Frappart was selected as a group of female match referees to history in Qatar at the World Cup last year.
      Stephanie Frappert is making history at World Cup 2022
      Frappert lining up before officiating Juventus vs Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League
      The Frenchwoman acted as a fourth official at Euro 2020, making history by doing so.
      Frappart also made history in December 2022 by becoming the first female to referee a men’s Champions League game.

      She officiated the Group G clash between Juventus and Dynamo Kiev in Turin.
      The 37-year-old was also in the middle for the 2019 Super Cup between Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as the women’s World Cup final in the same year.
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      In October 2020 Frappart refereed her first Europa League game – overseeing Leicester’s game with Zorya Luhansk.
      Frappart has reffed sixteen times this season in the French Ligue 1, showing 62 yellows at an average of 3.88 per game.
      She has sent off just one player in the league this season.
      Frappert officiated the 2019 Super Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool that the Reds won 5-4 on penalties.
      Frappert showed three yellow cards in the UEFA Super Cup game between Chelsea and Liverpool

      Who is Stephanie Frappart?

      Born – Herblay, France
      Age – 37 years old
      Debut – 2011, French men’s third tier
      April 2019 – First female referee in Ligue 1
      December 2020 – First female referee in the Champions League
      June 2021 – First female referee at a men’s major tournament

      Stephanie Frappart poses with her medal after refereeing the 2019 UEFA Super Cup

      After officiating the 2019 Super Cup between Chelsea and Liverpool Frappart told CNN:
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      “It was a pretty special feeling when you walked out in the stadium and the crowd were actually cheering for us, I’ve never experienced that and in such a big, big match.
      “In the warm-up I looked around and I was like, the other teams aren’t here so they have to be cheering for us.”
      “When you looked up at the crowd, I normally don’t engage with the crowd, they were looking at us and a few were waving and giving us thumbs up and congratulations. I thought that was pretty special.”
      Euro 2020 gets underway on June 11 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome as Turkey take on Italy

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      Who are Lionel Messi’s children Ciro, Thiago and Mateo and did he have them all with wife Antonela Roccuzzo?

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      LIONEL MESSI made his family proud by inspiring Argentina to their first World Cup triumph since 1986.The Argentina star had some very important fans in the crowd in the form of wife Antonela Rocuzzo and their three children Ciro, Thiago and Mateo.
      Lionel Messi with his wife and three children after Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar 2022Credit: REUTERS
      Who are Lionel Messi’s children?
      Lionel Messi and Antonela have three sons after welcoming Ciro into the world on March 10, 2018.
      Their first son, Thiago, was born in 2012 and Mateo followed in 2015.
      To announce his (at the time) girlfriend’s first pregnancy, Messi placed the ball under his shirt after scoring in Argentina’s 4-0 win against Ecuador.
      The football legend and his family now live in Miami following the Argentine’s mega-money move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami in July 2023.
      Messi with his wife and childrenCredit: Instagram @leomessi
      When did Messi marry Antonela Roccuzzo?
      Messi has been in a relationship with Antonela Roccuzzo since he was 20 but they have known each other since they were five.
      The pair married at a luxury hotel named Hotel City Center in Rosario in front of about 260 guests on June, 30 2017.
      The pair married in 2017 in front of 260 guestsCredit: AP:Associated Press
      Antonela Roccuzzo and the three children she has with Lionel Messi More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo ‘reveals retirement plans to Al-Nassr and Portugal’ with World Cup three years away

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO is determined to play at the 2026 World Cup, according to reports.The forward joined Al-Nassr earlier this year following his dramatic Manchester United exit.
      Cristiano Ronaldo wants to extend his Al-Nassr contractCredit: Reuters
      Ronaldo, 38, initially penned a two-and-a-half year deal with the Saudi side.
      According to Spanish outlet Cadena COPE, the Portuguese star has informed Al-Nassr chiefs that he wants to extend his contract until early 2027.
      The former Real Madrid star is refusing to give up on his World Cup dream.
      He has played at five World Cups dating back to Germany 2006.
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      Ronaldo has so far not bettered the semi-final appearance his country made at his first World Cup.
      The Al-Nassr skipper has earned a staggering 201 caps for Portugal, scoring 123 goals.
      He helped his country win Euro 2016, but World Cup glory has so far eluded him, unlike his great rival Lionel Messi.
      On whether winning a World Cup would take him ahead of Messi in the GOAT race, Ronaldo previously said: “Even if I win the World Cup that will continue.
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      “Some people like me more, some less. It’s like in life, some like blondes, some like brunettes.
      “I have always had to show what I can do year after year. I would love to win this tournament.

      “I’m ambitious but if you tell me I won’t win any more tournaments I would still be happy given all I have won.
      “In the history books all other records will be there. But obviously a World Cup on the shelf wouldn’t be bad. It would be a dream.”
      Ronaldo has had a blistering start to the season with Al-Nassr.
      He has bagged ten goals in eight Saudi Pro League appearances, while also bagging his first Asian Champions League strike.
      Ronaldo was dropped from previous Portugal boss Fernando Santos’ starting XI during the last World Cup, with Goncalo Ramos preferred.
      He left the field in tears following his country’s shock exit at the hands of Morocco.
      Since Santos’ exit Ronaldo has returned to prominence for his country, starting five of Roberto Martinez’s six games in charge.
      Ronaldo, 38, has earned 201 caps for his countryCredit: Reuters More