Defence coach Hugh Hogan's exit stuns Ireland women's team
The Ireland women's squad has been stunned by the news that highly-rated defence coach Hugh Hogan will not be part of Scott Bemand's backroom team at the World Cup.
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The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
World Cup stadium looks totally unrecognisable with cranes on pitch and seats ripped out
THE iconic Estadio Banorte looks unrecognisable as work on it's epic World Cup revamp continues. 's national stadium - where Diego Maradona scored his Hand of God goal against England in 1986 - will host the opening game of the 2026 World Cup . Advertisement 8 The iconic Estadio Banorte looks unrecognisable Credit: AFP 8 All near-81,000 seats have been ripped out of the arena Credit: AFP 8 The ground is undergoing an £80million renovation before the 2026 World Cup Credit: AFP The previously named the Estadio Aztec a is undergoing changes in order to be fully modernised for next summer's tournament. The venue for the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, the stadium will become the first to host three World Cups when it puts on the 2026 competition, which will be played across Mexico, the United States and Canada. With a are needed for the next World Cup. The stadium was renamed the Estadio Banorte as part of an £80million sponsorship deal in March. Advertisement READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS Owner group Ollamani received an £80million loan from Banorte, a major Mexican bank that will be repaid over 12 years. One of the development project's main goals is to maintain the historic identity of the ground, as capacity jumps from 81,000 to 90,000. New pictures show the turf completely torn up , with several cranes and trucks working to relay the dirt and mend the stands. The iconic exterior columns will be refurbished and enhanced with special lighting to highlight the architecture during night matches. Advertisement Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS But the biggest changes are happening inside the walls , with the stands currently grey after almost every seat was ripped up. The previous VIP area has been completely demolished and rebuilt, while new stands will tower over the old ones. Birmingham give update on new £3billion stadium as they announce major development 8 The stadium closed in 2024 to begin remodelling work Credit: AFP Advertisement 8 The Banorte Stadium (formerly known as Azteca) is hoping to open up in early 2026 Credit: AFP The changes will also see new locker rooms, referee zones, hospitality suites, a press room, and other facilities designed to meet Fifa's highest standards. Strict Fifa sponsorship rules, however, dictates that the stadium will still be referred to as Estadio Azteca throughout next year's World Cup. Closed since 2024 due to remodeling work, the Estadio Banorte is expected to Advertisement The name change will mark the second in the stadium's 58-year existence after briefly being called Estadio Guillermo Canedo in 1997. It will be the biggest stadium used for the 2026 World Cup and is scheduled to host two of Mexico's three group matches, including the tournament's opening game on June 11 next year. Despite the stadium's prestige, only five of the tournament's 104 matches will take place in Mexico City. Mexican side Club America usually play their home games there. Advertisement 8 It will be the biggest stadium used for the 2026 World Cup, and the first to host three World Cups 8 Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal took place at Mexico City's iconic stadium 8 Pele won the 1970 World Cup at the Estadio Azteca
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Trevoh Chalobah set to join Gary Neville in exclusive club if Chelsea star makes England debut in Andorra clash
TREVOH CHALOBAH is determined to make an impression following his first international call-up. The Advertisement 4 Trevoh Chalobah is determined to impress on his England debut Credit: Getty 4 The defender could make his first senior England appearance on Saturday Credit: Getty 4 His brother, Nathaniel Chalobah, has one England cap Credit: PA If he plays at the weekend, or against Senegal in Nottingham on Tuesday, he will join Jack and Bobby Charlton and Phil and Gary Neville as brothers who have played for England. And the Chelsea ace is hoping to follow in his footsteps. He said: "My older brother has been through the ranks as well and he was over the moon when I got the call up. Hopefully I can keep myself in the team and doing well. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL "To get the call-up is amazing. It was one of my goals since playing through the ranks, from Under-16 to Under-21. It's a dream to play in the first team. "To be back here with him (Tuchel), having been with him at Chelsea, and knowing who he is and how he works, is good." Chalobah knew he could make it to the very top after marking Neymar out of a game in a victory over The defender helped Lorient to a shock 3-2 win over the Ligue 1 giants during his loan spell at the club in 2021. Advertisement Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 4 Trevoh and Nathaniel could join Phil and Gary Neville as brothers who have played for England Credit: Sinead Lynch He said: "It was very hard in France at first but it was a reason I went out to play against teams like PSG other than play on loan in the Championship. "I was marking Neymar. He was as a no 10. I was in central midfield. It was very good. Playing against Neymar. Mbappe, those type of players, helped me. Advertisement Inside Chelsea's Conference League final celebrations as Moises Caicedo sings karaoke into the night "I knew I could play against the highest level and that is the main reason I went out there. "For me. I knew what the goal was." Chalobah had loan spells at He spent the first half of this season at Advertisement Asked about Tuchel, he said: "He's a very tough manager. That's what us players need going into a World Cup next year. It's a very good approach. "He wants to win. You've seen that at Chelsea. He's a winner and he wants to bring that same winning culture here."
The 42
4 hours ago
- The 42
Senegal: An elite, unbeaten opponent whose government nonetheless ousted their most successful coach
THE TEAM THAT created history at the 2002 World Cup will on Friday be without their most famous player as they face the team that created headlines at the 2002 World Cup for being without their most famous player. And this, dear reader, is about all Ireland and Senegal have had to link them in more than 60 years of international football. Tomorrow's friendly will be the first meeting of the sides. The fact that many European nations are busy with World Cup qualifiers and Nations League finals narrowed Ireland's potential friendly opponents for this window, and Senegal were close to town given they are playing England in a friendly in Nottingham next week. Senegal will be in Dublin without their most recognisable star, as former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane – now playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia – has asked to be excused from duty. Also missing is the captain of the 2002 side that went all the way to the quarter-finals in Japan and South Korea, Aliou Cissé. Cissé was first elevated to the manager's job on an interim basis in 2012, and then returned to the job full-time in 2015. From there he made all manner of history. First, in 2018, his Senegal side became the first team ever eliminated from the World Cup group phase on the fair play rule – accumulating the higher number of cards across their three games – and a year later led Senegal to their first Afcon final since he was captain in 2002, where they were beaten by Algeria. Sadio Mane celebrates with the Afcon trophy in 2021. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Two years later, however, they returned to the final once again, and won a penalty shootout against Egypt. It was their first ever continental triumph. England ended their interest in the last-16 phase of the 2022 World Cup, with a depleted Senegal side beaten 3-0. Cissé, though, retained the confidence of the Senegalese FA and he was supposed to see the team through to the 2026 World Cup. The government, however, disagreed. Though the notion seems anathema to the European mind, it is common across African football for the government to pay the salary of the national team coach. (The Irish taxpayer may have saved the FAI from insolvency five years ago, but we are not directly covering Heimir Hallgrimsson's salary.) This practice somehow avoids Fifa's demand that a national football association be free of direct political interference, and so it is the case in Senegal. The FA had agreed a two-year extension with Cissé last year, only for the government to refuse to pay it, saying Cissé had not achieved his objectives, namely qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Qatar World Cup and defending their AFCON title a year later. The sports ministry acted, they said, out of fear for 'the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese in general.' Advertisement The president of the Senegalese FA said he was 'very sad' to see Cissé leave, and spoke plainly of their opposition to the political decision. 'The agenda of the government is not the same as the agenda of football,' Augustin Senghor told BBC Sport Africa. 'They decided and, unfortunately, we could not oppose it.' Cissé has been replaced by a former assistant, Pape Thiaw, and it is his job to squeeze the last drops out of Senegal's medal-winning generation, including Mane, centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye. They are buttressed by a younger generation of talent, which includes Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, Tottenham's Pape Sarr, and Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara. Senegal are in a battle even to make the next World Cup, sitting second in their group, a point behind leaders DR Congo, though with a points total currently good enough to make the play-offs. They remain unbeaten, with three wins and three draws from six matches, and their primary problem has been goalscoring: they have eight goals thus far, though four of them came in a single game against South Sudan and they have dropped points in goalless draws against Togo and Sudan. They are, however, unbeaten in their last 22 matches, save a penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast in the last-16 of the 2023 Afcon. In fact, a 1-0 loss to Algeria in a friendly in September 2023 is their only defeat since the World Cup exit to England, stretching across 26 games. Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson is anticipating the kind of stiff test to ready his side for the World Cup qualifier matches with Portugal later this year. 'If you look at their matches and how they play, massive physicality, I'd say not only speed but running power, they come at you again and again', says Hallgrimsson. 'They look for the space behind you. If you watch Afcon, against a team like Senegal, [opponents] always need to play in a low block, so they are specialists in finding pockets to play into a run into, a third man running in, so we will be tested defensively, massively, in this game if they play like they have done. 'It's amazing for a national team to play 22 games without losing. 'Individual qualities, similar to Portugal, all players can hurt you so one-v-ones will be massively important. Everything happens a little bit quicker, when we need to defend and that's a good step, if we are ready for that it's a good preparation for Hungary and Portugal. 'It's a different kind of opponent, they are looking for spaces behind us and it doesn't happen that often in Europe, normally there are a few passes before the teams play behind us but that's one of the things we need to look at and improve.' It's fair to say Hallgrimsson does not share the same disapproving opinion of the Senegalese sports ministry.
