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The Australia captain said an ICC trophy will be a useful bargaining chip for the players’ cause in ongoing pay dispute with the board

Nagraj Gollapudi24-May-2017Australia captain Steven Smith has said a victorious Champions Trophy campaign will be the ideal bargaining chip for the players in their ongoing pay dispute with Cricket Australia. He was also confident this summer’s Ashes will go ahead despite his deputy David Warner suggesting the players might miss the marquee series if CA did not retain the existing revenue distribution model, which is at the heart of the disagreements.Smith’s optimism comes amid talks that CA is reconsidering its stance on independent mediation. The Australian Cricketers’ Association had offered the option to the board last week but it had been rejected. The ACA chief executive Alastair Nicholson will be in London later this week, and is expected to meet with CA chief executive James Sutherland and team performance manager Pat Howard to try and find a solution.In any case, Australia’s players feel they have an additional incentive ahead of the Champions Trophy. “If we win it will certainly be really good for the playing group,” Smith said at Lord’s where Australia conducted their first training camp. “We are sticking really strong together. We are backing what the ACA is doing back home. But as I said before it is about focussing on this tournament and making sure we are entirely switched on.”Smith admitted that he was unaware that CA were mulling over third-party mediation to break the deadlock that has flared up in the past month. “Okay, that is news to me,” he said. “I am not sure. It is great that they [CA] are trying to sort things out. And as I said we are supporting the ACA and what they are doing. They are working really hard to get what the player group wants. I am sure everything will be resolved soon.”Doubts persist over what CA’s next step would be. Sutherland had earlier sent a blunt missive to the players threatening their employment once their existing contracts expire on June 30. If the players did not accede to CA’s pay proposal, which the ACA had rejected, Sutherland warned that they would not be paid under any new alternative model.To safeguard the players’ future, the ACA has set up the Cricketers’ Brand, a company that will manage the players’ intellectual property rights moving forward. Smith said the new venture had all the players’ support. “Yeah, I think everyone’s signed up to that. We are supportive of the ACA in what they are doing back home. They are working really hard with CA to get the deal right. And I am sure in time they will get that and everything will be okay for everyone involved.”Smith was hopeful that the impasse between the players and the board would be solved in time for the Ashes in November. “I saw the comments [Warner’s on missing the Ashes]. I certainly don’t think…Of course, we want to play in the Ashes. Of course, we want everything to go really well there. It is just about making sure the guys finalise a deal and get the MoU sorted and then everything will be fine. Certainly nothing from us that we don’t want to play, we certainly want to be playing in the Ashes. Hopefully they will get things resolved soon and everything will be back to normal.”

Chelsea are considering a move to sign bring AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Mike Maignan?

Maignan is a goalkeeper who currently plays his football at the San Siro Stadium having moved there from Lille back in 2021, and despite not being Stefano Pioli’s official number one, he’s the manager’s current first-choice having made 22 Serie A starts last season when he wasn’t on the sidelines with his calf injury.

Earlier this month, 90min reported that the Blues hold an interest in the 27-year-old and had enquired about his availability during negotiations for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but despite this quickly being shut down, Mauricio Pochettino has since been handed a huge boost.

The France international still has another three years to run on his contract in Italy, though it’s been claimed that he’s refused to discuss an improved deal which has prompted the belief that he could want to leave this window, with his decision having once again alerted chiefs at Stamford Bridge.

Are Chelsea signing Maignan?

According to The Telegraph (via CaughtOffside), Chelsea are "considering" a swoop for Maignan ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Pochettino was reportedly "content" to head into the new term with Kepa Arrizabalaga as his number one, but having "impressed" during his time at AC Milan, the shot-stopper appears to be a target who the boss believes can strengthen his options in the net.

With Edouard Mendy closing in on a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, Chelsea will know that they need to enter the market to find a suitable replacement and Maignan, who appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €45m Transfermarkt bvalution, could be a replacement for the Senegalese and also a serious challenger for Kepa.

The 6 foot 3 “giant”, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, kept eight clean sheets from 22 Serie A outings last season and made 40 saves from 62 shots on target giving him a save percentage of 69.4%, higher than the 64.1% that was recorded by Mendy.

The 2022/23 Champions League participant, who pockets £59k-per-week, also has an extremely strong range of passing having completed 133 of 134 short passes and 354 of 360 medium, via FBRef, so he has an eye for dispatching balls to his outfield players, and by the looks of things, Todd Boehly may look to capitalise on this to bring him to SW6 over the coming months.

Gautam Gambhir was heavily critical of KP Bhaskar’s selection policies, particularly the treatment of Unmukt Chand and Nitish Rana during the Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2017Batsman Gautam Gambhir has criticised Delhi coach KP Bhaskar for “creating an atmosphere of uncertainty” among the youngsters in the side. Gambhir said he had an argument with Bhaskar after Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh on Monday, but insisted that he was standing up for the younger players in the side, who felt insecure, and had not abused Bhaskar as had been stated in a few news reports.Gambhir was also critical of Bhaskar’s selection policies, particularly the exclusions of batsmen Unmukt Chand and Nitish Rana during the Vijay Hazare Trophy”If protecting a youngster is a crime, I am guilty. If making 20-22-year-olds feel secure in an insecure environment is a crime, then I am guilty. But I could not have let this man (Bhaskar) play with careers of young players like Unmukt Chand and Nitish Rana,” Gambhir told PTI on Tuesday.”Dressing room is a private environment. It’s like a bedroom. There may be many discussions but that’s not supposed to be discussed with media. I never spoke what all he (Bhaskar) said after we lost a T20 match in Himachal as to what laurels he had brought to Delhi cricket and where these youngsters are taking it to? Is it how you deal with youngsters?”I know how to deal with people. Lot of things have been said about him, about how I abused this man or that man. Lot of things are blown out of proportion. I backed certain boys for 2-3 years as these were the best boys to back. It is irrelevant from which club they come and we need to get this culture out of the way.”For last three years, I have been trying to give security to these young players who are all 23 or 24. There has been a culture in Delhi cricket about making players insecure. I have myself faced that when I was a youngster. When I got into the Ranji Trophy team, I was made to feel insecure. Then only I had decided, if I ever take charge I will never make young boys feel insecure.”Rana played only the first three matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and was dropped after scores of 5, 5 and 0 while Chand was brought in for the last two matches, against Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, where he struck half-centuries.Chand had captained Delhi in three Ranji Trophy matches this season, while Gambhir was on national duty. For the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Delhi’s selectors chose to appoint 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant as captain in place of Gambhir. The decision, Bhaskar had said at the time, had been taken by consensus and with a view to manage Gambhir’s workload.”Look at somebody like Unmukt Chand. He was an India A captain recently, captained Delhi when I wasn’t a part of the team,” Gambhir said. “Suddenly you don’t even pick him for Delhi’s one-day side. Look where you have got his career to. Look at Nitish Rana, he played Duleep Trophy, he has played IPL for Mumbai Indians and suddenly three bad one-day games, you send him back.”I don’t have problems with people being dropped from the playing XI but don’t send them back. Look how insecure they will feel when they come back next into the side. How much insecurity have you put in Unmukt and Nitish’s mind? They are 23-year-olds for god’s sake.”Delhi doesn’t have a good cricketing structure and already players feel they are one match away from getting dropped. I told Bhaskar throughout the season, just don’t make players this insecure.”Delhi had middling results in the first-class and List A tournaments this season. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, they finished fourth among seven teams in Group B, winning three of the six matches. They had a mid-table finish in the Ranji Trophy, too, winning two of their eight matches with two losses and four draws. They did well in the Inter-state T20 tournament, however, topping the North Zone table with three wins in five matches.”When Unmukt got dropped, he (Bhaskar) kept on lying in front of the whole team,” Gambhir alleged. “Unmukt called him to ask why he has been dropped from the team and he said ‘I was not happy that you are keeping wickets’. If he was not happy he should have said that in a selection meeting. Had Nitish scored one 50, would he have called Unmukt on SOS basis then?”It was decided at a selection meeting that Unmukt would be picked as a wicketkeeper because he kept wickets previous year as well. When Unmukt confronted him, Bhaskar said he was referring to zonal team and then Unmukt told him on his face he was lying. Unmukt had just played for a North Zone team 15 days back. That team had Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Shikhar Dhawan. If you want to tell me that zonal team was inferior to a Delhi team, good luck to these people.”Bhaskar told that he had “discharged his obligations with honesty” and would file a report shortly.”I have been told to restrain. Wait till I submit my report. All I did was discharge my obligations with honesty. Beyond that I can’t comment on anything now,” Bhaskar said.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans to bolster their attacking options in the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Federico Chiesa to Newcastle?

Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has revealed that the Magpies are tracking Juventus winger Federico Chiesa ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The reporter has stated, however, that they are not in official talks with the Serie A club over a deal for the Italy international at this moment in time.

It is also claimed, in Di Marzio's attached article, that fellow Premier League side Aston Villa are interested in the attacker, although the player is said to be uninterested in a move to Unai Emery's team.

This comes as Newcastle prepare to complete the signing of Chiesa's international teammate, Sandro Tonali, from AC Milan for €70m (£60m) on a six-year deal.

How did Federico Chiesa perform last season?

The 25-year-old attacker, who is still fully working his way back from the ACL injury he suffered at the start of 2022, showed signs of promise in his limited Serie A game time for Juventus.

He only started six league matches for the Old Lady and was able to contribute with an impressive two goals and five assists from out wide, whilst also being involved in two goals in three Europa League starts.

However, if Eddie Howe can get Chiesa back to the form he displayed in 2020/21, the £153k-per-week ace could represent a big upgrade on current left-winger Allan Saint-Maximin.

The Italian dynamo, who former teammate Gianluigi Buffon once hailed as "impossible to stop", averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.19 across 33 Serie A outings and chipped in with nine goals and nine assists, to go along with 18 'big chances' created in 2020/21.

His ability to score, as well as create goals and quality opportunities on a regular basis made him a constant threat on the left wing in a major European league for Juventus – and Saint-Maximin has never been able to hit those heights on Tyneside.

Since arriving at St James' Park in 2019, the Frenchman has never created more than eight 'big chances' in a single season, while his best return in front of goal came when he scored five and assisted five in the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The 26-year-old forward has never proven himself capable of delivering goals and assists on a regular basis for the Magpies during his time in England, so the club could now land an upgrade on him by signing Chiesa.

Whilst the Juventus magician has had a difficult couple of years due to injury, his form prior to suffering a devastating ACL injury suggests that this is a gamble worth taking for Howe and Newcastle, as they could end up with a terrific successor to Saint-Maximin.

Qatar’s Al-Watan newspaper has reported that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani’s bid to complete a takeover of Manchester United has been completed and will be announced soon.

What is the latest MUFC takeover news?

For months now rumours have circulated about who could be the new owners of Old Trafford, or if the club had even actually been fully put up for sale by the Glazer family.

While the situation is ever-changing, it wasn’t that long ago that Ineos’ Sir Jim Ratcliffe was viewed as the leading candidate as his bid would see two of the Glazers stay put in a partial takeover, though it would still see the British billionaire become majority owner.

However, as reported by CNBC, Manchester United shares surged as much as 30% in premarket trading on Tuesday, before paring gains, after Qatari media suggested Sheikh Jassim was likely to succeed with his takeover bid.

Indeed, a Tweet from the Al-Watan newspaper wrote about the “success of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jassim’s acquisition of Manchester United” and said the announcement of deal the will be done “soon.”

On top of that, Zaid Al-Hamdan, who is the Vice Chairman of the Canadian Qatari Business Council and Chairman of Armasite Group – and is followed by Sheikh Jassim’s brother on Twitter – also spoke of ‘successful’ acquisition.

He wrote on social media: “Congratulations to Shaikh Jassim Bin Hamad Bin Jassim on his acquisition of Man Utd.”

How big is Man United’s debt?

In that CNBC report, they also note that a spokesperson for Manchester United was not immediately available to comment and so these reports are only coming from Qatar and have not been confirmed by the English side as of yet.

Last week, BBC Sport stated that Sheikh Jassim had made a final bid for 100% of the club and he will clear United’s debt – reported to be £969.6m – and has a separate fund for the club and local community as part of his offer.

If he is to fail with that bid, the Qatari banker will pull out of the race and so it feels as though we have finally reached crunch time with regard to the whole takeover saga.

It remains to be seen if his offer will be enough to meet the Glazer family’s demands but it seems those outside of England are pretty confident a deal has been struck at last.

Tottenham Hotspur are now pushing hard to sign Leicester City's Harvey Barnes, with the winger set to leave this summer, according to a report from The Sun.

Who will Tottenham sign this summer?

Tottenham are keen to bolster their attacking options in the upcoming window, and it has recently been reported they are ready to snap up James Maddison, with the Leicester midfielder set to be sold following the Foxes' relegation from the Premier League.

Despite not yet having a new manager in place, Spurs are still active in the transfer market, and they are set to complete a permanent deal for loanee Dejan Kulusevksi, having been impressed with the Juventus winger's performances.

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs claimed that Barnes was "on the list" of targets for the Lilywhites way back in February, having looked at him for a long time, and The Sun have now provided an update on their pursuit of the Leicester star.

According to the report, Tottenham and Newcastle United are the clubs pushing hardest to sign the 25-year-old, as well as Maddison, with both players set to leave Leicester after the relegation to the Championship.

Both players could command fees of around £40m in the upcoming window, but Leicester are hoping that a bidding war will break out, which will drive their prices up even further.

Having qualified for the Champions League, Newcastle are tipped to have an advantage in the race for Barnes' signature, while Spurs have no European football on offer, and they are currently without a permanent manager or director football.

Should Tottenham sign Harvey Barnes?

After being hailed as "incredible" by Micah Richards back in 2021, the 25-year-old has since developed even further, performing very well for Leicester this season, despite the club's relegation.

On a personal level, it was a fantastic campaign for the Englishman, registering three assists and 13 goals, with the latter proving to be the highest figure of any player in the Leicester squad.

The Burnley-born winger has most commonly featured on the left throughout his career, but he is also capable of playing through the middle, an area that Tottenham will need to strengthen, given that Rodrigo Bentancur is out until at least November.

Barnes could be a solid signing for Spurs, but the lack of European football and a permanent manager is likely to make it very difficult to win the race for his signature.

Manchester United look set to lose one of their first-team players this summer, with Football Insider reporting that Scott McTominay wants to exit the club during the transfer window.

Who are Manchester United selling this summer?

The midfielder has been in and around the Red Devils' starting eleven for about seven years now, having really broken into the reckoning for them back in the 2016/17 campaign. That year, at just 19 years of age, he played in 17 Premier League outings for the club and his appearance tally has only grown since then. The Scot has since turned out on 143 occasions in the top-flight, 99 of which have been starts.

He's been used frequently again this season, with 23 appearances in the league. However, under Erik ten Hag, he has struggled to establish himself as a starter on a regular basis as he has in the past, with only ten starts to his name. It means that this campaign has seen the least amount of action for McTominay since the 2019/20 season.

Now, it appears that he could want out of United, with a report from Football Insider stating that the midfielder wants to leave the club during the summer window. He has told friends that he plans to try and exit Old Trafford in order to get more regular minutes, with the player well aware that he needs to be getting onto the field a lot more.

In addition, with other midfield options potentially coming into the equation, there is every chance he could fall even further down the pecking order, and with the Scotland man desperate for minutes, that would be a further blow to the player.

Are Man United letting Scott McTominay go?

The Red Devils then could finally bring an end to McTominay's stint at the club this transfer window. Having come up through the ranks at Old Trafford, it would be sad for them to see one of their own youth team players leave, but it could work out better for player and club.

The 26-year-old has proven that he can still deliver when called upon by Ten Hag though, and it suggests that more regular action could get the best out of him again. For example, for the club this season, he has still averaged 1.4 tackles per game, a better rate than Fred, Raphael Varane and Christian Eriksen, showing that he remains one of their best options in terms of standing in front of the defence and stopping opposition attacks.

He's been lauded in the past for his abilities too, with football journalist Josh Bunting commending him for one of his previous performances by admitting he had been a "standout" for the side when thrown onto the field, whereas he was also once hailed as a "physical monster" by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The midfielder can still do a good job in the centre of the field – so if he does leave United for first-team football, it could be a good move for the player if he can get regular minutes and show his footballing abilities. If they did let him go too, CIES Football Observatory suggest his value could be around £26m, so United could also fetch quite a respectable fee.

Arsenal and sporting director Edu by extension could let midfield star Granit Xhaka leave if they find a suitable replacement, according to reports.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The north Londoners are still fighting for their first Premier League title in nearly 20 years as manager Mikel Arteta seeks to end his side's long wait for domestic glory.

They have it all to do, though, as close rivals Man City have stolen a march on Arsenal and remain in the driving seat – possessing both a one-point advantage and game in hand.

Like Real Madrid proven on Tuesday evening, the Blues are not unstoppable, which could give Arteta some hope as Arsenal look to take City all the way to the wire.

Off the pitch, Edu and Arsenal are working on additions for next season to maintain Arsenal's place among England's elite, with central midfield reinforcements thought to be taking priority.

The likes of West Ham star Declan Rice, who the Gunners are in behind-scenes talks with, are top of their transfer agenda for the summer.

In terms of who could depart the Emirates Stadium, a name up for nomination is Xhaka, who has been a fixture in Arteta's starting eleven this season.

German news outlet Sport 1 now claim that Arsenal and Edu are "not averse" to selling the 30-year-old if they find a suitable successor – with Xhaka's deal set to expire in 2024.

The midfield general already has a suitor as well, with Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen apparently working on a deal to sign him.

Alonso is said to have a close relationship with Arteta as the pair were raised together in the Spanish Basque country. They were also former teammates and remain great friends.

Should Arsenal sell Xhaka?

Arsenal have the option to extend his stay by a further year and we believe Xhaka could still have a part to play under Arteta.

His years of top flight experience at Arsenal could make an invaluable member of the dressing room, especially if Arteta has to re-challenge for the title from scratch next season.

Xhaka has played nearly every league game bar one this campaign, registering 12 goal contributions in the process, with Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn calling him a "revelation".

Arteta himself has also called Xhaka a "really important" player this season and it is certainly possible that he could play yet another crucial role next campaign.

ScorecardChris Dent’s hundred was not enough to spare holders Gloucestershire•Getty Images

Jamie Overton and Tim Groenewald produced an unbroken last-wicket stand of 65 as Somerset pulled off a nerve-tingling one-wicket Royal London Cup win over arch-rivals Gloucestershire at Taunton.Chris Dent hit exactly 100 in holders Gloucestershire’s total of 260 all out. Jack Taylor made 43 and Benny Howell 35, while Roelof van der Merwe was involved in seven of the dismissals, three with his left-arm spin, three catches and a run-out.Somerset looked to be cruising at 166 for 3 in reply, Johann Myburgh leading the way with 81. But his dismissal brought a dramatic collapse to 198 for 9, with only James Hildreth of the other batsmen making an impression.It looked all over, but Overton (40 not out) and Groenewald (34 not out) had other ideas. The pair shared 6 fours and 3 sixes, surviving just one major run-out scare when wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick failed to gather a throw, before clinching victory with three balls to spare. A crowd of 4,600 enjoyed every moment.Groenewald said: “I think sharing a match-winning last-wicket stand against Surrey in our last Championship game gave me confidence that we could get the required runs. Jamie Overton played so well that it seemed easier than in the Surrey match.”Both innings gave me an equal buzz. When you think we also won a T20 game batting second on Friday, I can’t think of a better week in my career.”I just set out to bat properly and concentrate on each ball. The crowd were brilliant and we could really feel them behind us for every ball.”After Somerset had chosen to field, Craig Overton struck a major early blow with an outswinger that clipped the top of Michael Klinger’s off stump in the sixth over.It was 51 for 2 when Roderick cut Lewis Gregory and was caught by van der Merwe, two-handed diving to his left at cover. After ten overs Gloucestershire had progressed to 54 for two.Dent reached his half-century off 55 balls, with nine sweetly struck boundaries. Hamish Marshall helped take the total to 94 before he was bowled by Peter Trego’s second delivery of the game.The next ball saw Ian Cockbain play into the covers where van der Merwe dived and initially fumbled, but then recovered to effect a brilliant run-out, hitting the stumps at the bowlers’ end with a throw while still on the ground.Howell hit the first six of the game over long-on off van der Merwe before Dent reached a chanceless hundred off 107 balls, having extended his boundary count to 16.Without adding, the left-hander tried to drive Groenewald and only succeeded in giving another catch to van der Merwe. Howell and Jack Taylor batted sensibly to bring to take the score to 207 with ten overs left. But Howell then advanced to van der Merwe and feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Alex Barrow.Smith departed to a slog-sweep off van der Merwe and Gloucestershire’s last hope of reaching 300 disappeared when Taylor drove a wide ball from Jamie Overton to cover where van der Merwe took his best catch, low to his left.The hosts’ reply started badly as Adam Hose nicked a high catch to Klinger at slip off Matt Taylor and Peter Trego fell to a brilliant one-handed catch by Howell at short cover off Payne.Jim Allenby and Myburgh took the score to 79 before Allenby, on 29, launched an irresponsible swing at Howell and was bowled. Myburgh reached his half-century off 63 balls, with 7 fours, and had progressed to 81 when losing concentration and lofting Dent’s left-arm spin straight to Howell at long-off with 95 still needed.Lewis Gregory ran himself out attempting a suicidal single to short cover and when Hildreth got a leading edge to be caught and bowled by Smith, having looked untroubled, Somerset were in a hole at 181 for 6.Another wild swing by van der Merwe saw him bowled by Smith and five wickets had fallen for just 21 runs when Craig Overton was bowled by Howell.Payne produced a good one to bowl Alex Barrow and it seemed Gloucestershire could celebrate. But Jamie Overton and Groenewald showed great shot selection to reduce the deficit before Overton drove Miles for the winning boundary in the final over of a riveting match.

حضر اليوم الدكتور أشرف صبحي وزير الشباب والرياضة ومعه أبطال مصر والعالم من الرياضيين في العاب المصارعة ورفع الاثقال والاسكواش والخماسي الحديث والسلاح والكاراتيه والتايكوندو تدريبات المنتخب القومي لكرة القدم والتي يستضيفها استاد مصر بمدينة مصر الأولمبية بالعاصمة الإدارية الجديدة، وذلك من أجل دعم الفريق المصري قبل خوض بطولة كاس الأمم الإفريقية لكرة القدم.

وقال صبحي في كلمته لأبطال مصر: “حرصنا على تواجدنا اليوم مع هذا الكم الكبير من أبطال مصر والعالم لدعم المنتخب المصري قبل خوضه منافسات البطولة”.

واشار أشرف صبحي إلى أن المنتخب المصري يمتلك العديد من العناصر التي تتميز بالمستويات العالية ويلعبون في أكبر الأندية العالمية، مضيفًا أن هذا الجيل من اللاعبين يستطيع مواصلة النجاحات وكتابة اسمه بحروف من ذهب في تاريخ كرة القدم المصرية من خلال تحقيق البطولة الافريقية القادمة وإسعاد الجماهير المصرية التي تنتظر وتأمل تحقيق لقب البطولة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. وزير الرياضة يهنئ منتخب مصر لكرة السلة بعد التتويج بالبطولة العربية

وتابع أن مصر أصبحت تمتلك العديد من المنشآت الرياضية العملاقة والمجهزة التي نفتخر بها جميعًا والتي تم تنفيذها بدعم القيادة السياسية بقيادة فخامة الرئيس عبد الفتاح السيسي ومنها مدينة مصر الدولية للألعاب الأوليمبية بالعاصمة الإدارية الجديدة والتي احتضنت معسكر منتخبنا القومي قبل خوضه لمنافسات البطولة الإفريقية والتي تعد أحد الصروح الرياضية المتميزة التي أنشأتها الدولة المصرية مؤخرًا وتمثل إضافة كبيرة للمنشآت الرياضية المصرية.

وأكمل: “وضعنا خطة كبيرة لتطوير منظومة كرة القدم المصرية، بالتعاون مع الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم ونسير الأن على الطريق الصحيح وهو ما لمسته الجماهير في المباريات التي خاضها المنتخب القومي ونحن نسير بخطى ثابتة وقوية نحو التأهل لكأس العالم ٢٠٢٦”.

وتقدم جمال علام رئيس الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم بالشكر على زيارة ودعم وزير الشباب والرياضة ودعم الدولة المصرية للمنتخب المصري الأول لكرة القدم قبل خوضه معترك كأس الأمم الافريقية القادمة.

وشهدت التدريبات تواجد رئيس مجلس إدارة الشركة المتحدة للرياضة محمد يحيى وحازم إمام وخالد الدرندلي ودينا رفاعي، أعضاء مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة، والدكتور محمود حسين رئيس لجنة الشباب والرياضة بمجلس النواب، والنائب أحمد دياب.

ويستعد منتخب مصر لخوض منافسات كأس أمم إفريقيا والتي تستضيفها كوت ديفوار في الفترة من 13 يناير حتى 11 فبراير ٢٠٢٤.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر بالمجموعة الثانية التي تضم موزمبيق وغانا وكاب فيردي ويستهل منتخب الفراعنة مشواره ببطولة الأمم الإفريقية يوم الأحد ١٤ يناير أمام موزمبيق.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر في البروفة الأخيرة قبل السفر إلى كوت ديفوار في مباراة ودية أمام تنزانيا يوم الأحد المقبل.