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      Petition to REPLAY Argentina vs France World Cup final reaches 200,000 as bitter fans moan goals shouldn’t have counted

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      NEARLY 200,000 people have now signed a petition to get the World Cup Final REPLAYED.Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw last Sunday to be crowned world champions.
      French fans have launched a petition to get the World Cup Final replayedCredit: Getty
      Lionel Messi and his team-mates have since been partying back in South America while parading the trophy.
      Shoot-out goalkeeping hero Emi Martinez has been continuing to troll Kylian Mbappe, who made history with an incredible hat-trick but still ended up on the losing side.
      However, a huge petition wants the whole showpiece to be started from scratch.
      French website MesOpinions created the petition and now has almost 200,000 fans signed up who all claim that Argentina’s first two goals should not have stood.
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      They firstly believe that referee Szymon Marciniak got it wrong when Ousmane Dembele was ruled to have fouled Angel Di Maria for the opening penalty, which was converted by Messi.
      The contact did appear minor, but it proved enough to send the ex-Manchester United winger toppling inside the area.
      They are then arguing that the second goal, scored by Di Maria, should also have been ruled out.
      Argentina swooped on the counter-attack to double their advantage, however, French fans are arguing that Mbappe was fouled by Cristian Romero in the build-up.
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      It’s not the first time that petitions have been created by football fans.
      One was set-up when France were dumped out of last summer’s Euros by Switzerland on penalties.
      The argument then was that Swiss goalie Yann Sommer was off his line when he saved Mbappe’s kick.
      But they have also found their way onto these shores.
      A change.org petition was created in August to try and ban referee Anthony Taylor from officiating Chelsea matches following the feisty clash with Tottenham. More

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      Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reveals when William Saliba is likely to return after World Cup duty with France

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      MIKEL ARTETA has provided an update on when defender William Saliba will return for Arsenal duty.The defender had been in Qatar for the World Cup with France and suffered heartbreak after losing the final to Argentina.
      William Saliba could play for Arsenal against West Ham on Boxing DayCredit: Alamy
      Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be hoping his side can continue their form from before the breakCredit: Getty
      The Gunners return to competitive action on Boxing Day as they face West Ham at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League.
      While they will certainly be without star striker Gabriel Jesus after he picked up a knee injury at the World Cup, Arteta has suggested that Saliba could feature in his team.
      He said: “Everyone is here, they were all fine.
      “Some came earlier than expected and they were buzzing to be back and part of it.
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      “I feel a really good energy around the place.
      “They have got straight away into the rhythm and what we want.
      “They are in a really good place. Obviously a huge blow with Gabriel Jesus and his injury and we’ll miss him for a period of time.
      “The season has challenges, that’s a challenge we have to overcome, but if you’re going to be at the top there’s going to be those challenges.”
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      Arsenal went into the break for the World Cup in great form and were top of the Premier League table.
      And they will be hoping to continue that trend against David Moyes’ Hammers, who are under-performing in the league this season with the club languishing in 16th place. More

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      Karim Benzema unfollows all but FIVE France team-mates – but still follows Zidane amid rumours he could return to fold

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      BALLON d’OR winner Karim Benzema unfollowed all but FIVE of his France team-mates following his World Cup exit. Benzema was sent home on the eve of the tournament after picking up an injury.
      Benzema has unfollowed all but FIVE France playersCredit: AFP
      But there was speculation that he could have returned to the France fold for last Sunday’s final against Argentina.
      However, he reportedly rejected the opportunity to go back to Qatar after falling out with manager, Didier Deschamps.
      Benzema then retired from international football, taking to social media to announce his decision following France’s penalty shootout final loss to the South Americans.
      And according to Marca, there’s no love lost for most of his ex-international pals.
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      Benzema unfollowed all but FIVE France aces.
      Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane and Marcus Thuram all survived the mass axing.
      Camavinga and Tchouameni are Benzema’s teammates at Madrid.
      Varane also used to play alongside the striker at Los Blancos. 
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      The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner did, however, keep on following France icon Zinedine Zidane, who is rumoured to be keen on taking up the post as manager of Les Bleus.
      Deschamps is believed to be weighing up his future after the World Cup and Zidane is one of the favourites to take over.
      And Benzema could come out of retirement to play under his former Real Madrid manager.
      Interestingly, Salt Bae survived.
      Nusret Gokce caused controversy by appearing on the pitch after the World Cup final.
      Salt Bae held the trophy, which Fifa are now deciding to investigate.
      He also pestered players, including World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi, who for the most part looked largely unimpressed by the chef. More

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      George Cohen dead at 83: England 1966 World Cup winner passes away as tributes flood in

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      ENGLAND 1966 World Cup hero George Cohen has passed away. Cohen played at right-back in the final against West Germany at Wembley as England won 4-2.
      George Cohen, left, celebrates winning the World CupCredit: Hulton Archive – Getty
      Cohen, back left, celebrates alongside team-matesCredit: PA:Press Association
      Cohen was awarded an MBE in 2000Credit: PA:Press Association
      Cohen made 459 appearances for FulhamCredit: Getty
      Cohen is the uncle of rugby World Cup winner Ben CohenCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Cohen pictured bowing to the Queen at the 1966 finalsCredit: AFP
      Alf Ramsey famously stopped Cohen swapping shirts with an Argentina player
      He won 37 England caps as an attacking right-back.
      Cohen also made 459 appearances for Fulham, and was born just over a mile away from Craven Cottage.
      Fulham confirmed the sad news on Twitter.
      It read: “Everyone at Fulham Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of our greatest ever players – and gentlemen – George Cohen MBE.”
      Sir Geoff Hurst paid tribute to his former team-mate on Twitter.
      He said: “Very sad to hear my friend and Englandteam-mate George Cohen has died.
      “Everyone, without exception, always said that George was such a lovely man.
      “He will be sadly missed, my heartfelt thoughts are with George’s wife Daphne and his family.”
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      Cohen was awarded the MBE in 2000, along with four 1966 team-mates who had been overlooked for honours at the time – Alan Ball, Ray Wilson, Nobby Stiles and Roger Hunt.
      After retiring he coached the Fulham youth team and the England Under-23s, and also was manager of non-league Tonbridge.
      His tragic passing means that only Sir Bobby Charlton and Hurst are still alive from the team which claimed the historic victory.
      The club added: “All of our thoughts are with Daphne, his beloved wife of more than 60 years, sons Anthony and Andrew, his grandchildren and extended family, as well as George’s many, many friends.”
      Cohen, who is the uncle of England rugby World Cup winner Ben Cohen, made his debut in 1956 and retired 13 years later at the age of 29.
      He made his debut for Fulham in 1956 and played there for 13 seasons.
      Cohen won his first England cap when he was picked by Sir Alf Ramsey in 1964 in a 2-1 victory over Uruguay.
      Manchester United legend George Best described him as “the best full-back I ever played against.”
      Cohen played an integral part of Ramsey’s 66 winning team, helping the Three Lions to keep clean sheets in each of their first four matches.
      He then started the move which led to England’s winner in the semi-final against Portugal before playing all 120 minutes in the final.
      Cohen was famously prevented by Ramsey from swapping shirts with an Argentina player after an ill-tempered quarter-final and later said he had the photograph on a wall at home.
      In 2016 Fulham unveiled a statue of Cohen to celebrate the 50th anniversary of winning him the Jules Rimet.
      On the statue Cohen said: “I mean, to think that they had made a statue; I find it absolutely wonderful that they even thought I was worthy of it.”
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      Gary Lineker also paid tribute, saying: “Sorry to hear that George Cohen has died.
      “Another of the heroes of the ‘66 World Cup winning team leaves us. He’ll always have footballing immortality. RIP George.” More

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      Man Utd’s Lisandro Martinez should be FURIOUS despite winning World Cup after ‘absolutely crazy’ snub says ex-club star

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      FORMER Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes that Lisandro Martinez should be “furious” with his lack of game time during the World Cup.The current Red Devils star was much the second fiddle to first-choice defenders Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi as Argentina went on to lift the trophy in Qatar.
      Lisandro Martinez won the World Cup with ArgentinaCredit: Getty
      Former Man United star Paul Parker feels Martinez will be ‘furious’ over his amount of game time at the tournamentCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Martinez only started in two of the team’s seven games at the tournament, as well as appearing as a substitute three times.
      Manager Lionel Scaloni opted for the former Manchester City star and Tottenham defender as his centre-back partnership, which led to Martinez having to fill in as left-back when he did play.
      Parker has suggested that the 24-year-old did not “contribute to the team on the pitch” and that he will have had a “bad experience” at the tournament.
      He told BeMyBet: “When I looked at him, I never got the feeling that he didn’t want to be there.
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      “But, of course, he must have been furious that Nicolas Otamendi played instead of him, which is absolutely crazy.
      “He will be disappointed without a shadow of a doubt. He won the final, but he didn’t play in the final and that is a weird feeling.
      “It’s a different feeling to win a medal and put it around your neck when you didn’t really contribute to the team on the pitch.
      “He will return with a medal and a bad experience.”
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      Martinez is yet to return to Old Trafford following the celebrations back in Buenos Aires in Argentina alongside his team-mates.
      After a tricky start to life in England following his summer transfer from Ajax, he has become a key player for Erik ten Hag.
      And the Dutch manager has admitted that if he had not signed his former player in the summer, he would have joined Premier League rivals Arsenal.
      He told Dutch outlet VI : “If I found it hard to take Martinez away from Ajax? I had such a great time there, the way we build a project.
      “Out of nowhere, we brought Ajax back to the European top level. But Martinez himself wanted to leave.
      “If we didn’t take him, he would have gone to Arsenal.
      “At a certain point, Lisandro Martinez called me up and said, ‘coach, listen, I will leave Ajax no matter what. I can sign for Arsenal, but if you want me, I will go to Manchester United’.” More

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      World Cup goal of the tournament revealed as Richarlison’s bicycle kick wins award while Mbappe and Neymar are snubbed

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      FIFA have announced that Richarlison has won the World Cup goal of the tournament.Tottenham’s Brazilian star, 25, enjoyed a stellar tournament for the Samba Boys as he found the net three times.
      Brazil’s Richarlison has won the World Cup goal of the tournamentCredit: AP

      The forward helped himself to a brace in the 2-0 victory over Serbia in his country’s opening group game.
      And he also got on the scoresheet in the 4-1 last-16 triumph over South Korea.
      But it was his outrageous overhead kick against the Serbs that has deen him pip his compatriot Neymar and France’s Kylian Mbappe to the crown of goal of the tournament.
      His moment of magic occurred after he had already reacted first from a Vinicius Jr shot to lash home the rebound just after the hour mark.
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      But 11 minutes later he doubled his tally for the evening in breathtaking fashion.
      Vinicius crossed into the penalty area and Richarlison did the rest, teeing himself up before acrobatically swivelling to lash an outrageous effort into the corner beyond Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
      That led to many supporters tipping him to win the Puskas Award.
      However, for now, he can take comfort in the fact that he has scooped this accolade despite him and Brazil ultimately going on to suffer penalty heartbreak against Croatia in the quarter-finals.
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      Neymar scored a brilliant goal in extra-time of that prior to Bruno Petkovic equalising to set up a penalty shoot-out.
      Many felt the Paris Saint-Germain’s wonderful effort would be a strong contender – but even more believed Mbappe’s volley against Argentina would be just as unstoppable as the forward’s strike.
      The Frenchman had just pulled a goal back from the spot before he instantly thundered home a volley to make it 2-2 and send the World Cup Final to extra-time.
      He would go on to make history by securing his hat-trick – but it would ultimately be Argentina that went on to win the shoot-out and be crowned world champions. More

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      ITV presenter Laura Woods in brutal slapdown of sexist troll as she mocks his ‘small’ manhood

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      LAURA WOODS came out on top as she took on a sexist internet troll.The broadcaster has been in Qatar for the last month as part of the ITV team covering the World Cup.
      Laura Woods has hit back at a sexist comment on her social mediaCredit: Getty
      She is considered as one of the best in the business, having won the SJA Sports Presenter of the year on two occasions.
      During her coverage, she was often praised for her professionalism and analysis alongside Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright.
      However, Woods still has to put up with online abuse from internet trolls.
      One user commented on her Instagram post telling her to “get back in the kitchen”, to which she brilliantly responded.
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      Woods wrote: “Ohhh Mick.
      “Nothing screams ‘I have a small penis’ more than this old phrase. X.”
      Her response was loved by her 582k followers as many posted support of her action to take on the troll.
      One wrote: “He later drove himself to hospital needing treatment for deep burns.”
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      A second commented: “She’s a goddamn banter black belt.”
      A third said: “I wish more figures in the public eye would take on the trolls like this. Superb stuff.”
      A fourth added: “Yet another example of why you’re the best in the business Laura.”
      It is the latest example of her owning her critics, as in May she got now over a Tottenham fan who fired a dig at her beloved Arsenal. More

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      ‘Emi Martinez taking notes’ – Watch keeper’s incredible ‘s***housery’ as Ever Banega skies penalty in Saudi cup clash

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      GOALKEEPER penalty antics appear to be on the up, with another incredible case in the Saudi Cup which has left fans drawing comparisons to Emiliano Martinez. The Argentine used some controversial tactics during the World Cup final as he attempted to psyche out his opponent.
      Marcelo Grohe celebrates wildly in front of Ever BanegaCredit: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/zsx4vq/ever_banega_skies_the_last_penalty_and_then/
      Fans joked that Emiliano Martinez was “taking notes” with his anticsCredit: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/zsx4vq/ever_banega_skies_the_last_penalty_and_then/
      Martinez used some underhanded tactics on his way to becoming world championCredit: EPA
      This proved dividends for him and his nation as Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman were unable to net from 12 yards which handed the Jules Rimet to Lionel Messi and Co.
      And it would seem this “s***housery” is common among South American goalies, with Brazilian Marcelo Grohe producing some incredible mind games in the Saudi Cup.
      Grohe was facing former Sevilla and Inter Milan star Ever Banega to help his side, Al-Ittihad Club, win their clash on penalties.
      The 35-year-old bounced from side to side on his line before Banega skied his penalty and dropped to the floor.
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      Then to rub salt in the wounds, an ecstatic Grohe rushed towards a face-down Banega and celebrated wildly in front of him.
      An astonishing fact is Banega MISSED a penalty during the game too, with Grohe producing a stunning save to deny the Argentine just before half-time.
      But it was his shoot-out antics which got fans talking.
      One fan said: “Classic Brazilian vs Argentinian s***housery.”
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      A second crudely joked: “Somewhere in Argentina Emi Martinez just got rock hard.”
      A third said: “Damn this might be a bit too far hahaha.”
      Another added: “Emi Martinez taking notes.”
      Some fans were stunned that former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo was there too.
      Following his less-than successful stint at Spurs the 48-year-old was recruited by the Saudi Pro League side in the summer, with them yet to lose a game under him.
      Meanwhile, Martinez is set to miss Aston Villa’s Boxing Day clash against beaten Carabao Cup holders Liverpool due to him not yet returning from his World Cup party hangover. More