CELTIC CONFIDENTIAL: Could the brother of a former Celtic wonder kid make the breakthrough at Parkhead?
Hassan Dembele, 16, could now be set to follow in his brother's footsteps in the Parkhead academy.
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The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes Club World Cup has made Chelsea squad tighter
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes Chelsea will be stronger as a squad having embraced the challenge at the Club World Cup. The Blues are through to the quarter-finals of the tournament in the United States and face Brazilian side Palmeiras in Philadelphia on Friday night (2am Saturday BST). Forward Joao Pedro could make his debut having completed his reported £60million move from Brighton and joined up with the squad this week. Pedro will link up with fellow summer signing Liam Delap and, while other clubs have been on holiday, Dewsbury-Hall feels it has been beneficial to integrate the new faces immediately. The 26-year-old told the club's website: 'It's been a different experience and you have to be grateful because not everyone gets to play in these sorts of tournaments. 'It's a little strange when you see players from other teams back for pre-season and we're still playing the previous season, but it's something that you have to take as a privilege because not everyone gets to play in something like this. 'It brings everyone closer together and the new lads that have come in have been able to settle in a lot quicker. 'It's a nice environment and we've got a nice dressing room. Everyone mingles, we go out and do things – shopping, food, beach. So it's been good.' Chelsea, now 11 months into their 2024-25 campaign, have had a rocky path to the last eight having suffered a heavy defeat to Flamengo in the group stage and come through an extraordinary last-16 encounter with Benfica. That game in Charlotte featured a two-hour stoppage for a thunderstorm and the Blues eventually needed extra time before seeing off the Portuguese side. Dewsbury-Hall said: 'Obviously, the further you go, the closer you are to getting to the final. 'The feeling in the camp is to take it game by game and then, before you know it, we could be in a great position.' Chelsea's summer spending does not appear to be over with a deal for Borussia Dortmund's English winger Jamie Gittens reportedly close. The Palmeiras clash will also see them get a closer look at Estevao, the 18-year-old winger who agreed to join them last year and will do so after the tournament. Chelsea beat the Brazilian side 2-1 after extra time when they met in the final of the Club World Cup, under its old format, in 2023. Dewsbury-Hall said: 'Nobody is overlooking Palmeiras and we have seen South American teams in this tournament have been really strong. 'It's a challenge I'm looking forward to, and the lads are also looking forward to. So we will make sure we're all ready for it.'
Sky News
35 minutes ago
- Sky News
Women's Euros: Concerns for player safety as tournament kicks off in Switzerland
The Women's Euros begin in Switzerland today - with extreme heat warnings in place. Security measures have had to be relaxed by UEFA for the opening matches so fans can bring in water bottles. Temperatures could be about 30C (86F) when the Swiss hosts open their campaign against Norway in Basel this evening. Players have already seen the impact of heatwaves this summer at the men's Club World Cup in the US. It is raising new concerns in the global players' union about whether the stars of the sport are being protected in hot and humid conditions. FIFPRO has asked FIFA to allow cooling breaks every 15 minutes rather than just in the 30th minute of each half. There's also a request for half-time to be extended from 15 to 20 minutes to help lower the core temperature of players. FIFPRO's medical director, Dr Vincent Gouttebarge, said: "There are some very challenging weather conditions that we anticipated a couple of weeks ago already, that was already communicated to FIFA. "And I think the past few weeks were confirmation of all worries that the heat conditions will play a negative role for the performance and the health of the players." Football has seemed focused on players and fans baking in the Middle East - but scorching summers in Europe and the US are becoming increasingly problematic for sport. While climate change is a factor, the issue is not new and at the 1994 World Cup, players were steaming as temperatures rose in the US. There is now more awareness of the need for mitigation measures among players and their international union. FIFPRO feels football officials weren't responsive when it asked for kick-off times to be moved from the fierce afternoon heat in the US for the first 32-team Club World Cup. FIFA has to balance the needs of fans and broadcasters with welfare, with no desire to load all the matches in the same evening time slots. Electric storms have also seen six games stopped, including a two-hour pause during a Chelsea game at the weekend. This is the dress rehearsal for the World Cup next summer, which is mostly in the US. The use of more indoor, air conditioned stadiums should help. There is no prospect of moving the World Cup to winter, as Qatar had to do in 2022. And looking further ahead to this time in 2030, there will be World Cup matches in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The temperatures this week have been hitting 40C (104F) in some host cities. 1:08 FIFA said in a statement to Sky News: "Heat conditions are a serious topic that affect football globally. "At the FCWC some significant and progressive measures are being taken to protect the players from the heat. For instance, cooling breaks were implemented in 31 out of 54 matches so far. "Discussions on how to deal with heat conditions need to take place collectively and FIFA stands ready to facilitate this dialogue, including through the Task Force on Player Welfare, and to receive constructive input from all stakeholders on how to further enhance heat management.
The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lewis Hamilton ‘hoping and praying' to return to podium at British Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton said he is 'hoping and praying' to end the worst podiumless streak of his Formula One career at Sunday's British Grand Prix. Hamilton has a remarkable record at his home race, winning a record nine times at Silverstone. He has also finished in the top three in all of his last 11 appearances here. However, the seven-time world champion has not landed a podium in Ferrari colours – a streak of 11 races – the deepest into the season he has ever gone without a top-three finish. Hamilton ended his two-and-a-half-year losing streak with a famous victory at Silverstone last season, and speaking ahead of Sunday's race, Hamilton said: 'I am hoping and praying. 'There is always magic here at Silverstone. It is a very, very special race and I am hoping all sorts of things can help us because we are not as quick as McLaren. If it stays dry they will walk the race. 'I don't look at those (podium) statistics so it is not something that affects me or I think about. But we are here at Silverstone and what better place to change that run so that is what we are working towards. 'I cannot wait for Friday. Driving a Ferrari at Silverstone for the first time will be special and unique in its own way. We have the best fans here, and for a British driver they really do make a difference. I have shown that to you time and time again so I hope this weekend they really make the difference for us.' Hamilton finished fourth, a place behind team-mate Charles Leclerc at the previous round in Austria. During the race, Hamilton aired his frustration with Ferrari after they pulled him in for a tyre change against his wishes. Hamilton continued: 'The team's view is that they wanted to secure third and fourth which is totally fine, but I am not here to start fourth and finish fourth. 'I am racing for every little bit we can gain. They had us on the same strategy. I never want to do the same as my team-mate, ever. 'I said I don't want to get to a point where I am ignoring you. We are working on our conversation. We are still getting to know each other and how we operate so that was all understood.'
