Taremi Grounded, Inter Without Key Forward
TDT | Manama
Inter Milan have been dealt an unexpected blow ahead of their Club World Cup campaign, with forward Mehdi Taremi stranded in Iran due to suspended air travel following regional conflict involving Israel.
The 32-year-old, who featured in Iran's recent 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory over North Korea in Tehran, was unable to board a flight out of the country after Iranian authorities closed airspace in response to Israeli airstrikes on Friday. A club source confirmed to Reuters that the striker remains grounded, with Italian outlets reporting that he is set to miss the tournament altogether.
Timing Adds to Inter's Challenge
Taremi's absence is a significant setback for Inter, who are set to kick off their campaign on Tuesday against Mexican side Monterrey in Pasadena. The Nerazzurri will also face Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds and Argentina's River Plate in subsequent Group B matches hosted in Seattle.
Though not a regular starter this season, Taremi featured in 43 matches across all competitions for Inter, offering valuable depth and experience in attack. His unavailability narrows manager Simone Inzaghi's options as the Italian champions prepare to navigate a competitive group in the newly expanded 32-team format.
External Crisis, Internal Impact
The situation highlights the challenges global conflicts can pose for international sports events. Airspace restrictions over Iran, imposed for safety reasons, have halted outbound commercial flights and left several travelers stranded — including athletes like Taremi caught between national duty and club commitments.
There has been no official comment yet from Iran's football federation or Inter regarding whether an alternative travel arrangement might still be possible, but with the opening fixture just days away, the clock is ticking.
Club World Cup Underway
Inter's Group B fixtures form part of the wider Club World Cup schedule unfolding across U.S. cities throughout June. The competition features top teams from each confederation and acts as a high-profile prelude to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
For Inter, the aim remains progression beyond the group stage, but they'll now have to do it without one of their most experienced international campaigners.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
13 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Gattuso named new Italy coach after Spalletti sacking
AFP | Rome Gennaro Gattuso was named Italy's new coach yesterday and will be tasked with helping the Azzurri qualify for the 2026 World Cup after replacing Luciano Spalletti. The 47-year-old was part of the 2006 World Cup-winning side and won 73 caps for the national team as a player. The Italian football federation (FIGC) said Gattuso would be presented to the media on Thursday. 'Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football,' said FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. 'The blue shirt is like a second skin for him. His motivation, his professionalism and his experience will be essential.
Daily Tribune
13 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Man City crave winning feeling at Club World Cup
Bolstered by a £100 million ($135 million) spending spree ahead of the Club World Cup, Manchester City are determined to erase the memory of a disappointing season by returning to winning ways in the United States. For the first time in eight years, City ended the domestic campaign without a major trophy as Pep Guardiola's men surrendered the Premier League crown to Liverpool after an unprecedented four consecutive titles. A Champions League exit before the last 16 for the first time since 2012/13 and a shock FA Cup final defeat against Crystal Palace compounded a miserable season for a club that has grown used to success since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover 17 years ago. At one time the month-long expanded Club World Cup, sandwiched between two gruelling seasons, was the last thing Guardiola or his players appeared to want. Ballon d'Or winner Rodri hinted back in September that a players' strike was 'close' over fixture congestion. Defender Manuel Akanji more recently said the City squad was 'not exactly overjoyed' at playing in the tournament given the limited rest time. However, City are keen to turn the page from last season and begin afresh with major changes in the squad and coaching staff. Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli were all signed last week to beat the deadline to feature in the Club World Cup from the start. City also spent more than £172 million in January on Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez. Adding Claudio Echeverri, who arrived in Manchester in January at the end of a loan spell at River Plate, nine of Guardiola's 27-man squad for the tournament have been at City for less than six months. Former City captain Kyle Walker and club record signing Jack Grealish have been left out of the travelling party in a changing of the guard. 'Whole world will be watching' Meanwhile, Guardiola has also made radical changes to his staff with Pep Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp's former assistant at Liverpool, and ex-City defender Kolo Toure joining the backroom team and three other coaches departing. 'This is a very, very serious competition,' said Guardiola. 'In the summer, the whole world will be watching this. 'A big number of the top teams in the world will be competing in this tournament and I can assure you, we're going to give it our best shot. We're going there to win it.' City begin the tournament as third favourites in the British bookmakers odds behind newly-crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. They should ease through a group containing Morocco's Wydad Casablanca, Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Italian giants Juventus. Yet there is an air of mystery around what to expect from City given the fresh faces and their inconsistency over the last season. After a miserable mid-winter run of one win in 13 games in all competitions, Guardiola's side recovered to an extent as they finished third in the Premier League. The additions of Reijnders and Cherki add some much-needed verve to an ageing midfield and compensate for the departure of Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli. Ait-Nouri's arrival ends a long spell without a natural left-back and will add an extra attacking dimension down that side. Most crucially of all, though, Rodri is back from the cruciate knee ligament injury that decimated his and City's season. When the Spanish midfielder went down against Arsenal in late September, City were still undefeated and top of the Premier League. His importance as the key cog in Guardiola's machine was brutally exposed in the months that followed. The 28-year-old made his return in the final week of the Premier League season. With Rodri restored and Guardiola's squad refreshed, City could be a force to be reckoned with again over the next month.
Daily Tribune
13 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Kubica steers Ferrari to third consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans
AFP | Le Mans Former Formula One driver Robert Kubica took the chequered flag in his bright yellow 'privateer' Ferrari to give the Italian marque a third consecutive win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans yesterday. In a thrilling 93rd edition of the race, which saw the top four separated by just over 20 seconds going into the final 15 minutes, Kubica and his co-drivers Philip Hanson and Ye Yifei (#83) finished just 14.084sec ahead of a Porsche (#6) driven by Kevin Estre, Matt Campbell and Laurens Vanthoor. All three drivers of #83 are first-time winners with Kubica, whose F1 career was effectively terminated by a harrowing rally crash in Andorra in 2011, becoming the first Polish winner and Ye the first from China. 'It's been a long 24 hours but an enjoyable one. Grazie mille, grazie a tutti,' said the 40-year-old Kubica over the team radio. The two factory Ferraris driven by driven by Antonio Giovinazzi (#51) and Antonio Fuoco (#50), who were tipped to win the race, crossed the line for third and fourth, thwarted in their bid for a clean sweep of the podium, something they had achieved twice before in 1961 and 1965. 'Winning Le Mans is special,' Kubica told TNT Sports. 'It's been a demanding week. We made everything possible. We kept our heads down when we had to push, and when not we took care of the tyres. 'I'm happy for myself, my team-mates, AF Corse and Ferrari winning three times in row. A better scenario, we could not have.' It was certainly a good day for Ferrari but there will undoubtedly be some at headquarters in Maranello who might take issue with Kubica. As the winning car was not entered directly by the manufacturer, but by the AF Corse team, Ferrari will not take the points for victory in the World Endurance Championship. Cadillac locked out the front row of the grid but #12 of Will Stephens, who had taken pole, had to settle for fifth with the second car (#38), featuring former Formula One world champion Jensen Button, coming home in eighth. Kubica's #83 started back in 13th place but immediately made inroads through the field as Estre marched his #6 Porsche brilliantly up to join the front runners from 21st on the grid. The two factory Ferraris then asserted themselves and the 2023 winners in #51 appeared to be in control until Alessandro Pier Guidi spun the race-leading car while entering the pit lane inside the final quarter of the race. That cost them valuable time and their hopes of winning were ended when they had a power loss in the final hour. Fuoco also lost time after #50's final pit stop to leave the two factory Ferraris scrapping for third.
