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      Man City’s title hopes suffer huge blow as Ruben Dias set to miss a MONTH after playing injured for 90 mins at World Cup

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      MANCHESTER CITY’S hopes of defending their title against Arsenal have taken a huge blow.That’s after star defender Ruben Dias was ruled out of action for at least a month.
      Man City are without Ruben Dias for a month after he got injured at the World CupCredit: Getty
      The centre-back, 25, reportedly picked up a thigh injury while on World Cup duty with Portugal.
      The Mail claims Dias suffered the problem during his country’s last-16 win over Switzerland.
      But instead of taking time out, he then played the entirety of Portugal’s quarter-final defeat to Morocco just days later.
      And Dias is now looking at a return to action in February, dealing Pep Guardiola a big blow at the back.
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      The 2021 Prem Player of the Season will miss City’s crunch league clashes against Manchester United and Chelsea.
      And he will also be sidelined for City’s FA Cup battle against the latter, as well as the Carabao Cup quarter against Southampton.
      Guardiola must now decide how to shuffle his pack, with plenty of options still at his disposal.
      John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji all featured in last night’s Carabao win over rivals Liverpool.
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      But none are quite able to match the unique blend of strength, pace and leadership Dias brings to City’s backline.
      A £60million buy from Benfica in 2020, Dias has gone on to make 109 appearances for the champions.
      He’s already won back-to-back titles under Guardiola.
      But with City already five points off leaders Arsenal this term, his side cannot afford any more slip-ups at a key stage of the campaign. More

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      Lionel Messi risks huge spat with Kylian Mbappe as Argentina star ‘wants to parade World Cup trophy at PSG stadium’

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      PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN are reluctant to let Lionel Messi parade Argentina’s World Cup trophy around the Parc des Princes as they’re worried about potential backlash, a report says.The legendary 35-year-old captained his country to their third-ever World Cup and did so with a 4-2 penalty shootout win over France.
      Messi defeated France to lift the World CupCredit: Getty
      Messi would like to parade the World Cup at the Parc des Princes but the club fear it could provoke team-mate Mbappe and ParisiansCredit: PA
      Messi scored a brace inside 120 minutes of football, with ex-PSG pal Angel Di Maria getting the other for the South American champions.
      While for France, Messi’s current PSG team-mate, Mbappe, was on a one-man mission and scored a hat-trick, becoming the second-ever player to do so behind England 1966 hero, Sir Geoff Hurst.
      But as reported by Goal, Messi wants to parade the famous gold trophy at the Parc des Princes, but club chiefs are reluctant to grant his request.
      They’re concerned it could be seen as provocative to Parisians.
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      Mbappe was also left devastated by the final loss, which could rub the Frenchman the wrong way, considering Messi’s Argentina pal Emiliano Martinez has already gone to extremes to mock him.
      Martinez mocked the 24-year-old by asking for a “moment of silence” for him in the dressing room.
      He then held up a baby doll with his opponent’s face on it while next to Messi in their victory parade in Buenos Aires.
      Had Argentina beaten ANY other country it is unlikely PSG would have had an issue with Messi parading the glittering trophy.
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      PSG are back in action on December 28 against Strasbourg.
      Mbappe is already back in training, as are Brazil duo Neymar and Marquinhos.
      It is unclear whether Messi will play in PSG’s return to competitive action. More

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      Cameroon star Andre Onana RETIRES from international football after he was sent home from World Cup over bust-up

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      ANDRE ONANA has retired from international football after being sent home during the World Cup. The Cameroon goalkeeper played just once for his nation at the World Cup before he was sent home owing to a fallout between him and his manager.
      Andre Onana penned a shock retirement from international footballCredit: Getty
      Taking to his social media pages, the 26-year-old said: “After endless hours of training, endless trips and a lot perseverance, I can proudly say that I have fulfilled my great dream.
      “But every story, however beautiful it may be, has to end. And my story with the Cameroonian national team has come to an end.
      “Players come and go, names are fleeting, but Cameroon comes before any person or player.
      “Cameroon remains eternal and so does my love for the national team and for our people who have always supported us…
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      “My feeling will never change. My Cameroonian heart will continue to beat and wherever I go I will always fight to lift the flag of Cameroon as high as possible.”
      Onana flew home after only appearing in the Indomitable Lions opening clash against Switzerland.
      He was then left out of the matchday squad to face Serbia entirely, with Onana and manager Rigobert Song clashing over his playing style.
      Following the disagreement, Onana expressed his love for his nation and blasted the “other side” due to them having no willingness to work out the issues.
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      He wrote at the time: “I have put all my efforts and energy into finding solutions to a situation that a footballer often experiences, but there has been no will on the other side.
      “Some moments are difficult to assimilate. However, I always respect and support the decisions of the people in charge of pursuing the success of our team and country.”
      Leaked footage also appeared to reveal that Onana “cried” after his axing, with Song believed to be speaking to a member of his coaching team.
      Cameroon would end up crashing out of the World Cup at the Group Stage, drawing 3-3 with Serbia before beating Brazil thanks to a stunning late goal from Vincent Aboubakar.
      On his retirement, Onana added: “I will continue to support as a fan, just as the more than 27 million Cameroonians do at every match.
      “I can only thank all those who trusted me and believed that I could add and contribute to this team.” More

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      James Milner reveals he and another England star were almost KIDNAPPED at 2014 World Cup

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      JAMES MILNER has revealed how he was one of two England players almost kidnapped at the 2014 World Cup.The versatile Liverpool star was part of Roy Hodgson’s squad for the miserable tournament in Brazil which saw the Three Lions dumped out at the group stage.
      James Milner has revealed how he was almost kidnapped at the 2014 World CupCredit: Rex
      But Milner says himself and England team-mate Phil Jagielka came close to trouble as they finished a round of golf before walking back to the team hotel.
      Milner told ex-keeper Ben Foster, also in the 2014 squad, in an interview for Amazon Prime: “We went for a round of golf and couldn’t quite get the holes in.
      “Your group finished in front of us and  a car picked you up. Me and Jags said: “We will finish the last two holes and then we’ll come back.
      “I said to the guy,  we will leave the buggies and then we will walk back.
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      “We’ve come out of the gate, the gate shut behind us. We’re walking down the street and turn around and there’s a group of guys.
      “We’re glancing and we’re walking a bit quicker, and they’re walking a bit quicker.
      “Then they start jogging, so we start running and I’m like, ‘we’re in trouble in here’ so we’re sprinting. We can outrun them.
      “But the next thing, a car pulls up next to us, so I’m like, we’re getting kidnapped here, it’s game over.
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      “The doors slides open and it’s the security boys shouting ‘Quick, get in!’ so we jumped in  on the move back to the hotel.”
      Luckily, the two players were unharmed. Jagielka is still going strong playing for Stoke in the Championship at the age of 40.
      While Milner started for Liverpool at right-back in last night’s Carabao Cup defeat to former club Manchester City, but was forced off with a hamstring problem in the first half. More

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      FIFA forced into humiliating admission over Salt Bae after celeb-chasing chef’s World Cup pitch invasion to pester Messi

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      FIFA has been forced to make a humiliating admission about Salt Bae crashing the World Cup final.It said the famous chef, who was pictured pestering Argentinian players after their win against France should not have been on the pitch.
      Salt Bae was pictured holding the trophy against Fifa’s strict rulesCredit: instagram
      The chef was pictured pestering the players for a selfieCredit: instagram
      Fifa is conducting an internal investigation into how Salt Bae gatecrashed the World Cup closing ceremony
      Salt Bae also badgered Lionel Messi after the game
      The Turkish cook and Instagram star – real name Nusret Gökçe – was seen trying to get a selfie with the players and even touch the winning trophy- against strict regulations.
      According to Fifa’s guidelines, only World Cup winners and heads of state are allowed to touch the trophy.
      It states on its website “As one of the most recognised sports symbols in the world and a priceless icon, the original FIFA World Cup Trophy can only be touched and held by a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state.”
      Now Fifa is conducting an internal investigation to see how the chef got onto the pitch as he has no commercial relationship with Fifa and was not invited onto the pitch by Gianni Infantino Sky Sports News reports.
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      A spokesperson for Fifa said: “Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail Stadium on 18 December. The appropriate internal action will be taken.”
      Footage showed the chef pestering the Argentina squad as they celebrated their cup glory with their families after the nailbiting shootout.
      He was seen grabbing hold of Lionel Messi by the shoulder at least twice as the baffled megastar tried to shrug him off.
      Bae’s persistence paid off as he finally got a selfie with the striker hailed the greatest of all time.
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      The chef was also seen forcing himself into lineups with other stars as they clutched the famous golden trophy.
      He has now been barred from attending The US Open Cup, the equivalent of England’s FA Cup.
       Action will be taken against staff who allowed him access after social media footage showed his cringeworthy exchanges with players including Lionel Messi, who did his best to avoid Salt Bae.
      In a series of videos posted on his own Instagram, the steakhouse magnate interrupted the likes of Angel di Maria, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez as they posed with the World Cup, leaving the trio looking awkward.
      Salt Bae’s actions sparked fury among football fans.
      It comes after he was banned from attending a US sporting event after his behavior at the final.
      The US Open Cup tweeted: “Salt Bae is hereby banned from the 2023 US Open Cup final.”
      The US Open Cup is a knockout competition featuring teams from the MLS as well as other domestic tournaments.
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      It’s not known whether Salt Bae had the 2023 event on his radar.
      But now the decision has been taken out of his hands by the tournament chiefs. More

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      ‘Bid now’ – Chelsea should target transfer for World Cup winner Martinez after Mendy snubs contract offer, says Cole

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      CHELSEA legend Joe Cole has urged his former club to make a move for World Cup-winning keeper Emiliano Martinez after Edouard Mendy snubbed a new contract. SunSport exclusively revealed that Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup winner Mendy turned down fresh terms because Chelsea are not showing him enough “respect” over wages.
      Mendy rejected a Chelsea contract offerCredit: The Times
      Chelsea legend Cole says his former club should sign MartinezCredit: Rex
      The Villa ace is coming off the back of a World Cup winCredit: Getty
      The Senegalese keeper, 30, earns around £100,000-a-week and wants parity with his Blues rival Kepa Arrizabalaga who picks up almost twice that.
      Sources claim Chelsea bosses have even withdrawn their initial offer of a long-term deal as they play hardball with the negotiations — and now there is a stand-off.
      And so Chelsea legend Cole has recommended Aston Villa goalkeeper, Martinez, who has just come off the back of a World Cup win with Argentina, should Mendy leave.
      Martinez, 30, played a pivotal role in Argentina’s third-ever world title win, saving penalties in shootouts against Holland and finalists France.
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      He also picked up the Golden Glove.
      The former England international told the All to Play For podcast: “Martinez for me.
      “I watched him, he didn’t have that many shots to face because they were so good in front of him, but you know what he is good at?
      “Crossing, commanding, and you know he’s connected to his back four.
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      “In the big moments, he delivered.
      “If I’m Chelsea I am tabling a bid for him now. I think he was outstanding.”
      Blues star Mendy still has two and a half years left on his contract but Italian champions AC Milan are closely monitoring the situation — as are French sides Nice and Monaco.
      Martinez, meanwhile, is tied down at Villa Park until the summer of 2027. More

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      Harry Kane backed to make instant impact on Boxing Day after returning to Tottenham EARLY after World Cup heartbreak

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      HARRY KANE has been backed to make an instant return for Tottenham at Brentford on Boxing Day to help put his England penalty agony behind him.The Three Lions skipper, 29, returned to Spurs training today – 12 days on from ballooning a spot-kick over the bar against France in the World Cup quarter-final.
      Kane is looking to bounce back after a disappointing end to his World CupCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Only Erling Haaland has outscored Harry Kane in the Premier League this seasonCredit: PA
      He had been allowed three days extra off by his club compared to international colleague Eric Dier as, unlike the defender, Kane started every game in Qatar and to help with the mental toll of his role in England’s heartbreaking exit.
      But Kane surprised team-mates on Wednesday night by turning up at half-time during Spurs 1-1 friendly draw with Nice.
      He looked to be in good spirits wrapped up warm in a black hoodie and woolly hat in the bowels of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
      And team-mate Dejan Kulusevski reckons England’s joint-record scorer will now be itching to play against the Bees on Monday despite the quick turnaround.
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      The Swede, 22, said: “I can’t wait to play with him.
      “I was surprised he came to the game against Nice. I thought he was coming back on Friday, so it was good to see him back in the game now.
      “I honestly think that every player would like to play [against Brentford], because when you’re there and you see your team-mates play… even [in a friendly like Nice] I think it hurts.
      “Always you want to be on the pitch. You want to help your team so I think he wants to play absolutely.”
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      Kane was in the starting line-up for all five of England’s games in Qatar, coming off only against Iran and Wales once the victories were assured. 
      He will likely have been agonising about that failed penalty against eventual finalists France ever since it happened.
      But just as probable will be a desire to start to exorcise those demons as soon as possible, perhaps beginning at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.
      Antonio Conte’s need for him may be greater than normal too, with understudy Richarlison likely to be out with a hamstring injury picked up playing for Brazil.
      Wing-back Matt Doherty is one of Kane’s closest mates in the Spurs squad and the Irishman has no concerns about the state of his pal after England’s traumatic exit.
      The ex-Wolves man, 30, added: “Harry is absolutely fine. We all know his character, he’s one of the strongest characters we know. He’ll be absolutely fine.
      Dejan Kulusevski has backed his teammate Harry Kane to come back with a vengeance on Boxing DayCredit: Getty
      Erik Dier struggled to get much game time at the World Cup, unlike in 2018Credit: PA
      “He came in at half-time against Nice. It was unexpected. We didn’t know. We’re obviously close friends. It was good to have him back.
      “I think all players use the negative times as a learning curve as a way to motivate them to be better. 
      “I don’t think it will be just for his case, I think a lot of people will be that way.
      “For us, we want him to come back and be the best version of himself which he has been for most of the season so far.
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      “I don’t think we’ve got any questions about how he’s going to return.
      “I think he’s going to come back pretty good and I think he’s going to score a lot of goals for us and win us a lot of games.” More

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      Ex-Chelsea manager Avram Grant confirmed as shock new Zambia national team boss after four-year break

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      AVRAM GRANT has accepted the “challenge” of becoming Zambia boss.The former Chelsea and West Ham manager has signed a two-year deal with the African nation, who are ranked 88th in Fifa’s rankings.
      Avram Grant has one of the most diverse CVs in football managementCredit: Getty
      He replaces caretaker Moses Sichone who took charge in September following the departure of former Croatia international Aljosa Asanovic.
      Grant said: “I was looking for the right challenge and that’s why I chose Zambia. 
      “I came here because of the challenge and I hope when I leave here I will look around and say we did a good job and made a good foundation for the future.
      “Zambia has the potential, we have set the targets of what we want to achieve.”
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      Grant led Ghana to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final before resigning after finishing fourth two years later.
      The Israeli boss was once a regular face in English football after being named as the shock successor to Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese boss was sacked at Chelsea in 2007.
      He would have been a Champions League winner had John Terry not slipped during a crucial penalty in the shootout against Manchester United in 2008.
      Grant would also take crisis club Portsmouth to an FA Cup Final in 2010, before taking charge of West Ham and leading them to relegation a year later.
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      The 67-year-old’s first senior job in management was all the way back in 1986, while his last job was in 2018 as interim boss of Indian football club NorthEast United FC, who were only founded in 2014.
      Elsewhere, Poland boss Czeslaw Michniewicz will leave at the end of the month following their last-16 World Cup exit.
      The Polish FA have decided not to extend the 52-year-old’s contract after 11 months in charge. 
      Poland drew 0-0 with Mexico, beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 and lost 2-0 to Argentina in their group games before being dumped out by France.
      Polish FA president Cezary Kulesza added: “Michniewicz took over the team at a difficult moment.
      “Despite these circumstances, he managed to earn qualification to the World Cup and also kept the team’s place in the Nations League elite.
      “He also led the national team to the first World Cup knockout stage in 36 years. For this, Michniewicz deserves thanks.”
      Poland appointed the ex-Legia Warsaw boss after parting ways in January with Portuguese Paulo Sousa, who asked to be relieved of his duties in December 2021. More