First he was banned for 12 months, then his appeal reduced it to six months and now Paolo Guerrero has once again been suspended for the 2018 World Cup. The latest Paolo Guerrero ban comes after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed his shortened suspension and the Court of Arbitration for Sport actually increased the original suspension to 14 months on Monday.
Brazil, a 4-1 favorite for the World Cup, has been dealt a significant injury blow with its opening match against Switzerland only 37 days away.
With a 2-2 draw against Gimnasia La Plata on Wednesday night at the Estadio Juan Carlos Zerillo, Boca Juniors won a second straight Argentine Superliga title. But there was a problem: No Boca fans were allowed at the away match. So the team hopped in a bus, drove back to Buenos Aires and partied with its fans. And the Boca Juniors celebrations at La Bombonera were rightfully bonkers.
Last weekend, Brazil secured their seventh Copa America Femenina title and direct qualification to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after winning all seven of their matches while scoring 31 goals and conceding only two. This wasn’t a surprise, but a real feel-good story surrounds the second-place finishers at the competition, hosts Chile.
Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona are national treasures for Argentina. These two remarkable players have made history, not only for their country, but also for football in general.
Their legacies will always be remembered.
“The football I grew up playing is no longer there. Today, all players care about are their cars, their shoes with their names on, and their image. While for me, the only thing that counted was football. Nothing else.” -Miroslav Klose
Football is under attack. It’s a sentiment that, regardless of how much it resonates with you, is often expressed and passionately argued. Whatever the reason, be it the influx of money, the unsporting concentration of talent or the diminished draw of the international game, there’s cause for cynicism.
For anyone who paid the slightest bit of attention to Argentina throughout the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying cycle, Spain’s resounding 6-1 defeat of La Albiceleste comes as no surprise. Without Messi, Argentina has zero business being at this World Cup. The statistics, again, bear repeating:
Without Messi, Argentina played eight matches in qualifying. They won one. They scored 0.75 goals per game. They lost to Ecuador, Paraguay and Bolivia. They drew with Venezuela. Tata Martino was sacked and so was his successor, Edgardo Bauza.
Historically speaking, things look pretty bleak for the five South American nations set to compete in Russia this summer. Over the history of the World Cup, the event has taken place in Europe 10 times. Collectively, if you break those tournaments down by how things finished, European nations have accounted for 34 of the 40 top four finishes (85%), leaving South America with only six success stories:
For the last four days, Argentina’s national team has been training at Manchester City’s Etihad Campus in preparation for tomorrow’s friendly against Italy at the City of Manchester Stadium. Accordingly, resident Citizens Sergio Aguero and Nicolas Otamendi have been showing the likes of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano around.
The Manchester City social team has been all over it.
Get ready for Friday!
Imagine this: it’s July 15, 2018. It’s the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. 81,000 spectators are collectively holding their breath while more than one billion are tuned in across the planet. After 120 minutes of action in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, we’re all square between Argentina and Germany. It's penalties.
Argentina now has a chance to lift the trophy with their fifth and final spot kick. It’s Lionel Messi — the perennial international runner-up — approaching the spot with German No. 1 Manuel Neuer staring him down.