Kylian Mbappe’s return to action earlier than expected has outraged France head coach Didier Deschamps and his coaching staff as the striker was left off the squad that will take part in the UEFA Nations League.
Mbappe was subbed off with an injury during Real Madrid’s win over Alaves and was expected to be out for three weeks but returned to action just nine days later against Lille in the UCL. He further went on to play 70 minutes against Villarreal on Saturday.
According to a report by Marca, Deschamps and his coaching staff are not happy with Mbappe, as the only reason he was rested was due to injury and have the feeling that the French captain ‘has erased himself from the national team.’
France had lost their last Nations League outing against Italy and currently sit in second place in Group 2. After a trip to Hungary, where they will face Iran, they will turn their attention to Belgium, who they will face on October 11.
Mbappe’s developments have seen him receive a lot of hate, which also includes some harsh words from former France and Manchester United captain Patrice Evra, who even criticised the decision to hand the 25-year-old the reins of the national team.
“You gave him the keys to PSG, you gave him the keys to the French national team , but Mbappé is still a young player. With all due respect to him, he has not yet reached Benzema’s level,” said Evra on RMC Sport show Rothen S’enflamme
“Of course I would have given the armband to Griezmann , without hesitation. I would never have given it to Mbappe. How do you want him to be motivated afterwards? If we give him everything, will you want to make the effort?” he further said.
Chido Obi-Martin on Saturday finally confirmed his move from Arsenal to Manchester United.The 16-year-old took to his social media to post images of him signing a contract.
He also posted a picture of him wearing a Red Devils shirt from when he was much younger to confirm his long-term affinity with his new club.
🔴✨ Chido Obi Martin: “I’m very happy to sign with Man United, an amazing club”.
Obi-Martin opted to leave Arsenal in the summer after scoring 28 goals in the U-18 Premier League.Although Gunners boss, Mikel Arteta, fought hard to keep the striker, he ultimately decided to join United.
Reports then claimed on Friday that Obi-Martin – who also attracted interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – had signed his contract at Old Trafford ahead of an official announcement.
The 16-year-old has now confirmed the move himself, posting pictures on social media of him penning the deal along with the message: “I’m very happy to sign with Man United, an amazing club. It’s now time to focus and achieve all my dreams. Thanks to everyone who has helped me get this far.”
The signing of Obi-Martin will be seen as a coup for United, with the Danish youth international – who is also eligible to represent England and Nigeria – having made repeated headlines with his remarkable scoring exploits at academy level with Arsenal.
Obi-Martin said: “Very happy to sign with this amazing club. Time to focus and achieve all my dreams. Thanks to everyone who has helped me get this far.”
Caitlin Clark won the Best Record-Breaking Performance award for her trailblazing year in college basketball.
While Clark couldn’t attend the awards due to her schedule with the Indiana Fever, she sent a video message thanking friends and fans for the the honor.
“This award means a lot, not only to myself, but to the teammates and coaches that I had at the University of Iowa,” she said. “It was a special year for all of us, and a special year in women’s athletics.”
There are also the annual trio of honorary awards this year, with Prince Harry controversially receiving the Pat Tillman Award for Service, Steve Gleason earning the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, and Dawn Staley receiving the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.
Keep scrolling to see the complete list of nominees and winners:
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball Coco Gauff, Tennis Nelly Korda, Golf WINNER: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS WINNER: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels / Los Angeles Dodgers Scottie Scheffler, Golf Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE Haleigh Bryant, LSU Gymnastics C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans WINNER: Juju Watkins, USC Women’s Basketball Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE 49ers Christian McCaffrey scores a TD for a record breaking 17 straight games WINNER: Caitlin Clark becomes NCAA’s All Time Scoring Leader breaking Pete Maravich’s Record Tara VanDerveer, Stanford Women’s Basketball – gets 1,203rd win to pass Coach K for most by any coach in NCAA basketball history Max Verstappen wins record 10th consecutive race with victory at Italian Grand Prix
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE Michigan’s Blake Corum and Will Johnson, 2024 College Football National Championship MVPs Kayla Martello, Boston College Women’s Lacrosse Midge Purce, NJ/NY Gotham FC – NWSL Championship MVP WINNER: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE WINNER: Simone Biles, Gymnast Paige Bueckers, University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
BEST PLAY Jayda Coleman calls GAME sending Oklahoma to their 4th Straight Championship – NCAA Softball 6/4/2024 Anthony Edwards Dunk of the Year – 3/18/24 – NBA Alabama scores on 4th & 31 to win vs. Auburn 11/25/23 WINNER: Lamar Jackson Caught His Own Pass & Ran With it – 1/28/24 – NFL
BEST TEAM WINNER: South Carolina Gamecocks, NCAA Women’s Basketball Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Michigan Wolverines, NCAA Football Las Vegas Aces, WNBA University of Connecticut Huskies, NCAA Men’s Basketball Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball Boston Celtics, NBA Florida Panthers, NHL Texas Rangers, MLB
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS Jayden Daniels, LSU Football Zach Edey, Purdue Men’s Basketball Ousmane Sylla, Clemson Soccer Pat Kavanagh, Notre Dame Lacrosse
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS Haleigh Bryant, LSU Gymnastics WINNER: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Basketball Sarah Franklin, Wisconsin Volleyball Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY Jaydin Blackwell World Champion Sprinter Ezra Frech, World Champion High Jumper WINNER: Brenna Huckaby Snowboarding Champion Oksana Masters, Cross-Country Skier/Hand Cyclist
BEST NFL PLAYER Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens WINNER: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
BEST MLB PLAYER Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees WINNER: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
BEST NHL PLAYER Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
BEST NBA PLAYER WINNER: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
BEST WNBA PLAYER Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun WINNER: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
BEST DRIVER Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Matt Hagan, NHRA Álex Palou, IndyCar WINNER: Max Verstappen, F1
BEST UFC FIGHTER Islam Makhachev Sean O’Malley Alex Pereira Zhang Weili
BEST BOXER Terence Crawford Seniesa Estrada Naoya Inoue Oleksandr Usyk
Canada Basketball’s Senior Men’s National Team successfully qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as one of the top two teams from the Americas region at the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup 2023. The team secured the berth with an 88-85 victory over Spain in the second round to advance to the quarterfinals.
Canada’s roster features 11 players with NBA experience, including team captain Kelly Olynyk. Olynyk, who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors, has played 756 games across 11 seasons in the league. Internationally, Olynyk has been a member of Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team since 2010, when he made his debut at the 2010 FIBA World Championship at just 19-years-old.
“Leading our Senior Men’s National Team into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is an incredible honour,” said Olynyk. “Since I began playing basketball, my dream has always been to represent Canada at the Olympics. Last year’s third-place finish at the FIBA World Cup was an important step, proving that we belong among the world’s best teams. However, it also showed us that we still have work to do as we pursue our ultimate goal of winning gold in Paris.”
Canada Basketball stars
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a two-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA First Team selection this season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, returns to represent Canada this summer. He was named to the All-Star Five after averaging 24.5 points per game at last summer’s FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup. When Gilgeous-Alexander steps onto the court in Lille, he’ll become the second Olympian in his family after his mother, Charmaine Gilgeous, represented Antigua and Barbuda in the women’s 400 metres at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games.
“SGA” isn’t the only Canadian with Olympic familial ties. Guard and Toronto Raptor RJ Barrett is the son of Rowan Barrett, who was captain of Canada’s men’s team at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Rowan is a Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and currently is General Manager / Executive Vice President, Senior Men’s Program. Senior Men’s National Team veteran Melvin Ejim will join his sister, Yvonne Ejim, in Paris as she was selected for Team Canada’s Paris 2024 women’s basketball team last week.
“Representing your country at an Olympic Games is one of the greatest honours in sport and something each of these players will never forget the first time they step onto the court,” said Rowan Barrett. “As we build on our success last summer, maintaining the continuity and cohesion we established with that team was vital to assembling this Olympic roster. While everyone on this team has an individual role to play, our collective strengths and connectivity will drive our success this summer.”
This summer will also mark the national team return of Denver Nuggets guard and 2023 NBA Champion Jamal Murray. After having committed to Canada Basketball’s summer core with the intention of qualifying for Paris 2024, Murray is thrilled to have the opportunity to wear the Canada jersey once again. At 19-years-old, Murray played on home soil at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, where he tallied 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as Team Canada defeated Team USA to advance to the gold medal final.
Team Canada’s men’s head coach, Jordi Fernández, returns after leading the team last summer to their highest finish in 88 years in an international FIBA competition. Fernández was the lead assistant for the Nigerian men’s national team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. In April, Fernández was hired as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets after spending the previous two years as associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
“When we opened camp in Toronto last week, I challenged each of the players to improve one percent each day, and every day since I’ve witnessed the work and dedication they have put in,” said Fernández. “With 17 days to go until our first game of the tournament, that’s an opportunity to get 17% better. From the players to the coaches to the staff, the incredible opportunity ahead of us to do something truly historic for Canada this summer is not lost on anyone.”
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be the first time since Sydney 2000 that Canada’s women’s and men’s basketball teams will compete together at an Olympic Games.
Basketball will take place July 27 to August 11 (Day 1 to 16). Canada was drawn into Group A and will face Greece on July 27 (Day 1) at 3:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 p.m. local time. On July 30 (Day 4), Canada will face Australia at 7:30 a.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. local time, before wrapping up the group phase against Spain on August 2 (Day 7) at 11:15 a.m. ET / 5:15 p.m. local time. All group phase games will be played at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille. The men’s quarterfinals begin on August 6 (Day 11) and the tournament will move to the Bercy Arena in Paris for the elimination stage.
‘’I am thrilled to cheer on Team Canada’s men’s basketball team as they make their return to the Olympic Games and who are sure to be a team to watch in Paris,‘’ said Bruny Surin, Team Canada’s Paris 2024 Chef de Mission. ‘’These athletes will surely ignite the court at every fast break, every shot, and every dunk on their way to Olympic glory.‘’
Arsenal and France centre back delivered a flawless performance as Les Blues dumped the Red Devils out of the EUROs. In a match punctuated with half chances and defensive prowess the French boys came on top courtesy of former Tottenham centreback Jan Vertoghen own goal from Paris Saint German’s striker Randal Kolo Muani tame effort.
The World Cup runners up will face the winners of the clash between Portugal and Slovenia in Hamburg on Friday.
As the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, there was a feeling a goal from anyone could prove to be the winner. Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne both stung the palms of Mike Maignan, while the impressive William Saliba came close to what could have been a first senior goal in France colours, but it was Kolo Muani who came up trumps.
France nearly had the opener in the 48th minute when Belgian defender Wout Faes deflected an attempt from Aurélien Tchouaméni that nearly snuck into the bottom corner, forcing keeper Koen Casteels to make a fantastic diving stop.
The French continued to press early in the half but were unable to break through with the opening goal of the match. Kylian Mbappe nearly put France up in the 53rd, finding his way into the box on a spectacular individual effort but put his attempt just over the bar. Mbappe had another chance in the 78th minute but once again was unable to put his ball on target, sailing it wide of the goal.
France continued to dominate in the second half, holding nearly 60 per cent possession and finished with a 19-5 advantage in shots.
Belgium had their first dangerous chance of the match in the 70th minute but Romelu Lukaku was denied by Mike Maignan to keep the match scoreless. Kevin De Bruyne had another wonderful chance in the 82 minute but Maignan was once again up to the task.
Next up for the winners is a quarter-final against either Portugal or Slovenia. If Roberto Martinez’s team claim victory, it would set up a repeat of the Euro 2016 final when Portugal beat France on hope turf.
