logo
Soccer-In-form Kolo Muani wants to stay at Juventus after Club World Cup

Soccer-In-form Kolo Muani wants to stay at Juventus after Club World Cup

The Star5 hours ago

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group G - Al Ain v Juventus - Audi Field, Washington, D.C., U.S. - June 18, 2025 Juventus' Randal Kolo Muani celebrates scoring their fourth goal REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
(Reuters) -On-loan France striker Randal Kolo Muani said he would like to stay at Juventus next season after a Man of the Match performance for the Italian team in their impressive Club World Cup opener.
Kolo Muani, who arrived at the club from Paris Saint Germain on a short-term deal in January, scored two goals as Juventus hammered Al-Ain 5-0 on Wednesday, taking his tally to five goals in his last six matches for the Italian club.
"Honestly, I feel very good here," the 26-year-old told Mediaset after the Group G match in Washington D.C.
"I can play well and score goals. I am happy, I hope to stay."
General manager Damien Comolli told reporters last week that Juventus had discussed another loan with PSG when negotiating an extension to Kolo Muani's existing deal for the Club World Cup.
"I'm optimistic that we can come to an agreement with PSG regarding a loan for the entire 25-26 season," he said.
"Paris Saint Germain have certainly not closed the door to a loan, and they know the player wants to stay with us."
Juventus coach Igor Tudor's optimistic response to Wednesday's victory might have been tempered by the knowledge that the two best performers in the game are only at the club on deals which expire after the tournament.
Portuguese winger Francisco Conceicao, who is on loan from Porto, also grabbed a brace of goals after terrorising the Al-Ain defence from both flanks at Audi Field.
Tudor has used the 22-year-old sparingly since taking over from Thiago Motta in March, suggesting Juventus might not be ready to trigger the 30 million euros ($34.57 million) buyout clause in his contract and keep him in Turin.
In the short term, however, Tudor has both players at his disposal for the Club World Cup, which continues for Juventus with games against Wydad Casablanca on Sunday and Manchester City next Thursday.
Kolo Muani for one is certainly buying into the Croatian's programme.
"He trusts me, he wants to attack and he wants to keep the defence strong," he told the post-match press conference.
"I'm very happy to play with my teammates, we are very happy and we play very strong."
($1 = 0.8679 euros)
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Soccer-In-form Kolo Muani wants to stay at Juventus after Club World Cup
Soccer-In-form Kolo Muani wants to stay at Juventus after Club World Cup

New Straits Times

time17 minutes ago

  • New Straits Times

Soccer-In-form Kolo Muani wants to stay at Juventus after Club World Cup

On-loan France striker Randal Kolo Muani said he would like to stay at Juventus next season after a Man of the Match performance for the Italian team in their impressive Club World Cup opener. Kolo Muani, who arrived at the club from Paris Saint Germain on a short-term deal in January, scored two goals as Juventus hammered Al-Ain 5-0 on Wednesday, taking his tally to five goals in his last six matches for the Italian club. "Honestly, I feel very good here," the 26-year-old told Mediaset after the Group G match in Washington D.C. "I can play well and score goals. I am happy, I hope to stay." General manager Damien Comolli told reporters last week that Juventus had discussed another loan with PSG when negotiating an extension to Kolo Muani's existing deal for the Club World Cup. "I'm optimistic that we can come to an agreement with PSG regarding a loan for the entire 25-26 season," he said. "Paris Saint Germain have certainly not closed the door to a loan, and they know the player wants to stay with us." Juventus coach Igor Tudor's optimistic response to Wednesday's victory might have been tempered by the knowledge that the two best performers in the game are only at the club on deals which expire after the tournament. Portuguese winger Francisco Conceicao, who is on loan from Porto, also grabbed a brace of goals after terrorising the Al-Ain defence from both flanks at Audi Field. Tudor has used the 22-year-old sparingly since taking over from Thiago Motta in March, suggesting Juventus might not be ready to trigger the 30 million euros ($34.57 million) buyout clause in his contract and keep him in Turin. In the short term, however, Tudor has both players at his disposal for the Club World Cup, which continues for Juventus with games against Wydad Casablanca on Sunday and Manchester City next Thursday. Kolo Muani for one is certainly buying into the Croatian's programme. "He trusts me, he wants to attack and he wants to keep the defence strong," he told the post-match press conference.

A greedy BWF is pushing its shuttlers
A greedy BWF is pushing its shuttlers

New Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • New Straits Times

A greedy BWF is pushing its shuttlers

ELITE sports is no longer about competition. It's about consumption. And the athletes? They're just the product. In a world where TV rights, sponsorship deals and bloated global calendars rule the roost, it's becoming painfully clear, nobody is protecting the athletes. Not really. This week alone has delivered two glaring reminders. The Badminton World Federation (BWF), in a sweeping revamp, wants to stretch its Super 1000 tournaments, including the Malaysia Open from six days to 11 starting in 2027. An Olympic-style group stage for singles players is also on the table. The idea, they say, is to boost fan engagement and player welfare. Sounds lovely. But read between the lines, it's all about one thing - money. More days mean more ticket sales. More exposure means bigger ad revenue. And longer tournaments to keep broadcasters happy. Whether the athletes themselves can stay healthy is secondary. Even former world champion Aaron Chia, who usually plays it safe with his words, expressed cautious optimism. Yes, the extra prize money is welcome, but as he rightly pointed out: "We haven't tried it yet, so let's see." That's athlete-speak for: This could be a disaster. Here's the kicker. The BWF isn't just extending tournaments, it's clamping down on player freedom. The top 10 ranked pairs and top 15 singles players must play in all four Super 1000 events — the Malaysia Open, All England, Indonesia Open and China Open — as well as all six Super 750 tournaments and at least two of the nine Super 500 events each season. That's 12 mandatory tournaments a year. Miss one? You're slapped with a US$5,000 fine. And that's just the Tour. Players also have to squeeze in the continental championships, World Championships, the World Tour Finals, Sudirman Cup, Thomas or Uber Cup and the Olympics, depending on the year. In all, a top shuttler plays around 15-20 tournaments in a year. So much for improving "player welfare". Across the globe, footballers are caught in a similar bind — trapped by a relentless calendar designed for one thing — maximum profit. The Club World Cup, FIFA's latest cash cow, features 32 teams. Matches have kicked off in the United States, barely a month after some players ended their seasons. For context, a single campaign for a top English team includes the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League. And by the time the Club World Cup wraps up on July 13, many stars will have just 24 days before the madness of the 2025-26 season begins. FIFPRO, the global players' union, has had enough. Backed by 70 medical experts, they've released a damning study recommending 12 safeguards, including a four-week off-season, a mid-season break, and workload limits for under-18s. And still, nothing changes. FIFA insists the Club World Cup "hasn't caused" fixture congestion Really? Tell that to Manchester City's Rodri, who was sidelined for eight months with ACL and meniscus injuries. Or to the Seattle Sounders, who turned up for training wearing shirts that read: "Club World Ca$h Grab". The suits say it's about growing the game. What it's really about is growing the bank account. And who gets left behind? The very people who make the product marketable — the athletes. The ones who run, sweat, collapse, bleed and break. The ones with shredded hamstrings, worn-out joints and mental scars no doctor can fix. But as long as they keep showing up, no one cares. This obsession with expansion has turned professional sports into a circus. One that never stops moving. No rest. No recovery. Just go, go, go. You've got footballers playing 70 matches a season. Tennis stars juggling ATP, WTA, Grand Slams, Laver Cup and the Olympics. Cricketers hopping from Tests to T20s to franchise leagues across continents. And now, badminton players are being lined up for the same treatment — marathon events, overloaded calendars, mandatory appearances. And financial penalties for skipping them. What happens when they burn out? When the knees give in? When the mental fatigue becomes too much? Well, that's someone else's problem. Organisers will simply move on to the next marketable name. The machine doesn't stop, it just reloads. Let's be absolutely clear, sports needs structure. It needs calendar stability. It needs to grow. But not like this. Because what we're seeing isn't growth — it's greed. A mad dash for global domination where players are reduced to content creators in jerseys, made to dance for fans and financiers, while their health — physical and mental — is traded for metrics. It's high time we said it out loud: modern sports is failing its athletes. And if the governing bodies won't act, don't be surprised when more players speak out. Or worse, walk away. Because when the games keep getting bigger, but the humans playing them are pushed to breaking point, we need to ask: Is this really the future we want? Or are we just watching greatness die, one tournament at a time?

PSG stunned by Botafogo in Club World Cup upset
PSG stunned by Botafogo in Club World Cup upset

New Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

PSG stunned by Botafogo in Club World Cup upset

PASADENA, United States: Paris Saint-Germain suffered a shock 1-0 Club World Cup defeat against Brazilian side Botafogo on Thursday in a hardfought battle between the reigning champions of Europe and South America. A first-half goal from Brazilian international Igor Jesus proved the difference as Botafogo all but sealed a place in the knockout rounds in front of a 53,699 crowd at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. French champions PSG are widely regarded as one of the favourites for FIFA's 32-team tournament after a dazzling season which culminated with a scintillating 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final last month. But their hopes of securing a victory which would have seen them become the first side to reach the last 16 were stymied by a resilient performance from their opponents from Rio de Janeiro. "A lot of people wondered, but we showed how strong Botafogo is," goalscorer Jesus said after the win. "It was a difficult game, and we had to defend well, and we did our job and scored a goal. "We're really happy – we knew how important this game was. One team was the champion of the Champions League, the other team was the champion of South America," added Jesus, who had been strongly linked with a move to English Premier League side Nottingham Forest earlier this year before opting to stay with the Brazilians to play in the Club World Cup. "I think I made the right choice to stay in Botafogo," Jesus quipped. PSG coach Luis Enrique said his team had expected a tough battle. "We knew it was going to be a very difficult match – they defended very well," the Spaniard said. "This Club World Cup is very intense and difficult, and all the teams are highly motivated, especially when they're playing against us." The PSG manager though was adamant that the European champions still had plenty of time to resurrect their campaign. "If there's a team that can turn it around, it's our team," he said. "We've got to analyse this and there's things we can improve. But I think our performance was good." PSG picked up where they had left off in Sunday's 4-0 Group B rout of Atletico Madrid, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia testing Botafogo goalkeeper John with an early curling effort after just two minutes. But that early effort was as close as PSG came to scoring in a scrappy first half punctuated by a series of niggling fouls that prevented the European champions from settling into their passing game. Botafogo's midfield trio of Marlon Freitas, Gregore and Allan worked tirelessly to close down Vitinha, denying the skilful PSG playmaker time and space to launch attacks despite dominating possession. Instead it was Botafogo who took the lead with a goal against the run of play on 36 minutes. Jefferson Savarino's perfectly weighted through ball split the PSG defence and sent Jesus racing through on goal. The Botafogo striker did brilliantly to wrongfoot the covering Willian Pacho before sweeping a shot that took a slight deflection past PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma on its way into the net. PSG continued to dominate possession through the second half, and spent long periods camped in the final third. But Botafogo's defence held firm and the result leaves the Brazilians firmly on course for the last 16, with a final group game against Atletico Madrid to come in Pasadena on Monday.--AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store