Argentina’s Scaloni nominates Premier League professional
Six days before their first game at the World Cup, defending champion Argentina and coach Lionel Scaloni named Marcos Senesi on Thursday as a replacement for the injured central defender Leonardo Balerdi. Balerdi (27/Olympique Marseille) has to miss the tournament due to a calf injury. Senesi (29) is moving from AFC Bournemouth to Tottenham Hotspur for the new season of the English Premier League.
Christian Streich receives a birthday serenade on TV
June 11th is not only the day the World Cup starts, but also Christian Streich’s birthday. The ex-Freiburg coach will be working as an expert on ZDF during the tournament. That’s why the moderators and his experts created a touching moment, which you can read about here.
DFB opponents have to cope without fans
Fans from Ivory Coast are not allowed to enter the USA. This means the Ivorians will have to make do without support in their Group E games against Ecuador, Germany and Curaçao. You can read more about Germany’s first World Cup opponent here.
Morocco loses two players
Morocco’s national team will be without two players for the World Cup that begins today. You can read here which players Morocco is missing and who was nominated.
On the eve of the start of the World Cup: five police officers killed in Mexico
On the eve of the opening game, violence broke out again in Mexico: five police officers were killed by unknown gunmen in an attack in the western state of Michoacán on Wednesday (local time), local authorities said. Five other officers were injured. The attack took place in the Nahuatzen district, where the powerful drug cartel “Jalisco New Generation” operates.
In images available to the AFP news agency, the officers’ vehicle could be seen riddled with bullet holes. The security authorities announced that they were searching for the perpetrators in a large-scale operation.
The capital of the state of Michoacán, Morelia, is about 300 kilometers from the World Cup venues Mexico City and Guadalajara. According to the Mexican government, the safety of football fans is not at risk. Mexico is hosting the World Cup together with the USA and Canada. The first game kicks off this Thursday in Mexico City, with the home team meeting South Africa.
Haiti needs to adjust jersey
The Haiti national team must change the jersey they will wear at the World Cup. You can read more about the background of Haiti’s jerseys here.