Finland women's boss sorry after selecting 51-year-old
Finland women's manager Outi Saarinen has apologised after accidentally naming a 51-year-old former player in the squad for their match against Serbia.When naming the line-up, she mistakenly selected the long-retired Stina Ruuskanen instead of 23-year-old defender Nanne Ruuskanen.The error was not spotted until after the teamsheet deadline had passed so the younger Ruuskanen missed the 1-1 Women's Nations League draw.Her older namesake, who is no relation, won the last of her two Finland caps 29 years ago and took the mix-up in good spirits."I'm definitely ready if the call comes! Just yesterday I was playing in a hobby league match... so my game feel is good," Stina told the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.In a statement from the Finnish Football Association, Saarinen said: "Nanne was, of course, disappointed but took the news very well considering the circumstances."I am very sorry for the mistake."
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Kleberson on the club legend Man United need to embody to turn their fortunes around
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Trent Alexander-Arnold's big day in Madrid
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Either that or he's a very quick learner, because when one hack asked him how long he'd been learning Spanish, Alexander-Arnold smiled and replied 'a few months'. The 26-year-old later added that being a Real player is a 'dream', saying: 'It is something special, I don't take it for granted and I am very happy.' During his unveiling, it was also revealed his shirt number will be 12 (as opposed to his favoured 66) because Spanish rules preclude senior squad players from having anything higher than 25 and the nomenclature under which it will appear will be 'Trent' because why not? A big enough signing to merit a presentation but not so galactico that he had to live out Football Daily's recurring fever dream of being tossed a football and forced to do keepy-uppies in the centre-circle of a packed ground, prior to his Spanish masterclass, Trent and his nearest and dearest sat through a montage of his best bits. 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When he was at his swaggering best for Arsenal – taking corners on different sides with different feet, scoring bangers from outside the box, generally making other midfielders look a bit silly – there was always an unconditional love from Gunners supporters and begrudging respect from opposition fans for the outrageous talent in the Spaniard's boots. And when Cazorla left the Londoners seven years ago, it felt too soon. Now, aged 40 and playing for his boyhood club, Real Oviedo, Cazorla is still doing bits and has just scored a textbook free-kick (with his left foot) to send his side to the Segunda División playoff final, his goal securing a 3-2 aggregate victory over Almería. The outpouring of joy in the stands and on the pitch is almost as good as the goal – Cazorla joined Oviedo's youth team aged eight but didn't play a senior game for them for another 30 years, before signing on the minimum wage, €93,000 (£80,000) per year, so that he wouldn't financially burden his beloved side. 'I would play for free but you're not allowed,' Cazorla told Big Website and (Oviedo fan Sid Lowe) last year. We're not sure when people started using the phrase 'good egg' and when lazy pundits first started using the term 'technician', but Football Daily is pretty sure they were almost certainly talking about Cazorla. Thomas Frank could be announced as the new Spurs boss while you're reading this, and former Brentford player Christian Eriksen reckons that'll be a good thing. 'I think he is the right coach for Tottenham,' cooed Eriksen. 'I have had Thomas at various times and I think he is the perfect match for Tottenham, and it would be great if Thomas takes on that challenge.' The words 'New York Jets owner Woody Johnson' should possibly set alarm bells ringing if you're of an NFL persuasion. And potentially of a Crystal Palace one amid the whole John Textor business. Matheus Cunha. Manchester United. £62.5m move done. 'Ever since I was a child in Brazil watching Premier League games on TV at my grandmother's house, United was my favourite English team and I dreamed of wearing the red shirt,' he trousered. The English pyramid is 'under strain' in a climate of tension between commercial imperatives and the needs of fans, according to a new Deloitte report. England boss Thomas Tuchel has continued his smooth start, now ingratiating himself with Jude Bellingham. 'If he smiles, he wins everyone but sometimes you see the rage, the hunger and the fire and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive,' tooted Tuchel. 'For example, for my mother when she sits in front of the TV. I see that. But in general, we are very happy to have him.' Sheffield United are considering whether to bin off Chris Wilder. And Tom Cleverley – or TC23 for you old-school brand heads – is about to be back in the game, this time at Plymouth Argyle. Spain's Esther González is one of the world's best strikers and she talks to Megan Swanick for the latest edition of our sister email. Sky Sports News's golden age is very much at an end. John Brewin tunes in and explains why. You can keep up with all the latest transfer moves across the summer with our men's and women's interactives. And the Rumour Mill sifts through all the t1ttle-tattle to produce this. A tidy bit of goalmouth action as Marcus Stewart (left) scores for Huddersfield Town to make it 2-2 in their FA Cup fifth-round draw with Derby County at the McAlpine Stadium in February 1999. 'We will win the replay,' declared Terriers boss Peter Jackson. They would lose it 3-1. Remarkably for old-time emails such as ourselves, it's now more than 30 years since Huddersfield moved to the ground from Leeds Road.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Louis Tomlinson and Sam Thompson seen in first awkward exchange on the Soccer Aid training pitch months after singer started dating TV star's ex Zara McDermott
Louis Tomlinson and Sam Thompson are seen in first awkward exchange as they finally come face to face for the first time at Soccer Aid training on Thursday. The men are both on the same England team for Unicef - the same charity Sam completed a 260-mile five-day long marathon for on Friday. And while Sam has insisted there are 'no hard feelings', the encounter is bound to sting a little, as he and former Love Islander Zara McDermott, 28, confirmed they had ended their relationship in January after more than five years together. Zara has since moved on pretty quickly with singer Louis, 33, with the smitten couple appearing inseparable since their romance was made public in March. Sam and Louis were spotted trying to avoid each other during training but the singer was caught giving the TV star a lingering stare while on the pitch. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The pair were seen having a kick about with their fellow players wearing the same blue football kit. But it seems that Sam and Louis will still be keeping their distance from each other in the changing rooms as they have separated spaces. As Sam arrived at the three training days he put on a brave face for photos, while beaming Louis was captured arriving and making his way onto the pitch. And Zara showed her support for her new boyfriend Louis the night before, as she cooked the pair a 'creamy salmon pasta for dinner', as she captured the plate with the singers guitar noticeably in the background. Sam and former Love Islander Zara, 28, split after five years earlier this year and she has quickly moved on with Louis. The new couple have enjoyed a loved-up getaway at his home in LA and to Costa Rica together after Louis flew his new flame out to the island first-class. Meanwhile I'm A Celeb winner Sam has moved on with Love Island beauty Samie Eilshi, 25. After their blossoming romance was confirmed when they shared a steamy kiss in Mayfair last month, speculation of a split grew after Samie was noticeably absent from Sam's highly-publicised challenge for Soccer Aid last week. Such rumours have since been squashed however, with their romance reportedly going from strength to strength as they 'love spending time together on their days off', a source close to the couple told MailOnline. During an episode of their podcast Staying Relevant's last month, Pete Wicks, 37, teased Sam about the prospect of the potentially awkward encounter between him and Louis. The TOWIE star asked his co-host: 'You're really going through it with the whole f****** body and dieting and training loads. Is that for Soccer Aid?' But, not dropping the subject, Pete then asked: 'Any kind of people in there who you're looking forward to playing with?' 'Loads,' Sam laughed: 'Tom Grennan. I'm really looking forward to playing alongside Wayne Rooney, Tyson Fury's the manager. I can't wait'. Pete joked: 'I mean that's gonna be f****** amazing. Make sure you get him on side though because you may need him in your corner in case you fall out with anyone. Not that you will but just in case there's any rivalries or anything. 'You know, you have to train together and it's a lot, you know when you're kind of in close quarters with someone like that. All sorts gets brought up. Anyway...' Elsewhere singer Tom Grennan showed off his muscular physique in a fitted white T-shirt and blue denim jeans as he arrived for Soccer Aid training. Meanwhile former goalkeeper Joe Hart beamed as he posed for photos ahead of the game and Strictly star Gorka Marquez also arrived. It comes after Sam revealed he will be at Soccer Aid as he shared a new Instagram snap on Thursday after suffering a string of agonising injuries. Sam feared his legs will be the reason he won't be able to take part in the football game after his challenge last week - but it seems he is all ok to play as he arrived at training Elsewhere singer Tom Grennan showed off his muscular physique in a fitted white T-shirt and blue denim jeans as he arrived for Soccer Aid training Tony Bellew looked ready to play football in the game Love Island's Josh Denzel beamed ahead of meeting the other players Meanwhile former goalkeeper Joe Hart beamed as he posed for photos ahead of the game The I'm A Celebrity winner posed for a mirror selfie at his home in Chelsea and revealed that he is heading to training ahead of the celebrity charity match on Sunday. Sam cut a cool figure in a black long sleeved top which he teamed with khaki cargos and white trainers. The Staying Relevant podcast star was all smiles as he snapped the selfie wearing a white rucksack and a pair of Dinelli sunglasses. He wrote: 'Off to Soccer Aid! What a 4 days its going to be!' As Sam made his way out of his home, he beamed for a snap with brother-in-law Ryan Libbey while carrying a large bottle of water to stay hydrated. Last week, Sam suffered a calf injury on the first day of his gruelling 260-mile Soccer Aid challenge for Unicef. Despite the TV personality fearing his legs will be the reason he won't be able to take part in the football game and insisting he is doing everything he can, it seems Sam might be able to play some of the game as he heads to training. On Tuesday, Sam shared another update, he wrote: 'Trying to get those legs right for soccer aid!! I WILL play a part [laughing face emoji]' A source later told MailOnline: 'Sam's role is going to remain as a player at Soccer Aid as no official change has been made yet. He is continuing to go training and get further physio.' Sam laughed and assured he's 'loving it' but 'no, it's not' for the game, to which Pete continued: 'Are you sure it's not for Soccer Aid? How are you feeling? You're playing again. Must be really exciting.' Pete Wicks teased Sam about Soccer Aid 'rivalries' during a recent episode of their podcast He added: 'How do you feel about the line up? Do you think you've got a strong team?' Awkwardly laughing, Sam replied: 'Got a really strong team'. Sam and Louis will join the likes of Tyson Fury, Jill Scott, Grennan and Paddy McGuinness in the star-studded squad, while Wayne Rooney will step out of retirement as one of the managers. Sam may now have more time to pursue his romance with Samie, who recently opened up about their relationship for the first time. Sam first met Samie, who appeared on Love Island in 2023 and returned to the All Stars series this year, through his presenting role on Aftersun. Samie spoke about the blossoming relationship for the first time during an appearance on the Chloe Mediumship podcast. The show is hosted by a psychic medium and in the episode, the beauty revealed how she's previously had negative gut feelings in past relationships. She explained: 'I've had gut feelings with guys before. I've had a couple of relationships where I've known it was never it. Like this is gonna come to an end, I'll have something telling me every day it's coming to an end, this isn't for you. 'You put it to the back of your mind and then you start noticing the chaos increase. It's like the universe saying I'm gonna blow you both up if you just do not separate. Then I'm like if I only I listened all those months ago when I got that first message.' Then, host Chloe asked: 'Obviously, you don't have to talk about it too much but the guy you're currently speaking to, do you have that gut feeling? Like do you think it's gonna be really good?' Keeping her cards close to her chest, the former Love Islander replied: 'There's been no bad stuff at the minute so yeah I suppose it is all positive right now. It's early days.' Zara and Louis sparked relationship speculation at the start of this year before going public in March, three months after MailOnline revealed Zara and ex-boyfriend Sam had parted ways. Despite his heartache over Zara moving on so quickly, sources close to Sam exclusively told MailOnline at the time he holds no grudges against Louis over the new romance. A source close to the star said: 'Sam has no hard feelings towards Louis, that's for sure. 'As far as he's concerned, Louis is Zara's new man and he's just got to accept it. 'He's a positive guy and will just move on from this, throwing himself into work and getting stuck into the exciting projects he's got coming up. 'Obviously he was sad when their relationship broke up and, like anyone, when your ex moves so quickly it's tough. And if he was both angry and devastated, that would be understandable. 'But he's not sitting around wallowing in self pity, far from it.' Zara and Sam were together for five years before they split at the end of 2024 shortly after the Made In Chelsea favourite worked in Australia for I'm A Celeb spinoff show Unpacked. This year's Soccer Aid for Unicef match airs on the evening of Sunday 15 June on ITV1 and ITVX from Old Trafford, Manchester.
