Raheem Sterling doubtful for France-England

Partie at a frantic pace, the World Cup is temporarily on hiatus, before the start of the quarter-finals, Friday, December 9, with enticing Brazil-Croatia (4 p.m., BeIN Sports 1) and Argentina-Netherlands (20 hours, TF1 and BeIN Sports 1). This does not prevent the competition from continuing to be talked about behind the scenes.

Quicksands

Sterling, family first

The English international hastily left his teammates before the round of 16 won (3-0) by the Three Lions against Senegal on December 4, following the burglary of his home. According to the BBC, Surrey Police made two arrests in Oxshott, south London, on Tuesday December 6, while another attempt was observed in the same village. The two men suspected of attempted burglary were arrested and taken into custody. British police have not confirmed they were the burglars at the Chelsea striker’s home.

As for Sterling, the damage is fortunately only material. Jewels worth 300,000 pounds (348,000 euros) were stolen from the player’s home. The 27-year-old winger is not certain to return to help his teammates engaged in a World Cup quarter-final against France on Saturday December 10 at 8 p.m.

Sterling is said to be very affected and concerned for the safety of his partner and his children. Not the best way for coach Gareth Southghate to calmly prepare for the duel against the Blues. He will probably have to do without an element who started the competition with a goal and an assist against Iran on November 21 (6-2 victory).

water in the gas

The “One Love” armband always gets people talking

In an interview given to FigaroWednesday, December 7, Noël Le Graët reaffirmed his position regarding the “One Love” armband, a symbol of opposition to all forms of discrimination. “I was one of the leaders for not having this armband, three or four countries in Western Europe wanted it. Besides, they are no longer in the running for the most part”, said the president of the French Football Federation.

Le Graët claims to have “been one of the leaders” against the One Love armband in the World Cup The President of the Fed… https://t.co/z1VP0sttwV

– Le_Figaro (@Le Figaro)

In the same vein, the former German international Michael Ballack argues, for his part, that it is the time given to the controversies linked to this armband which is at the origin of the rout of Germany, eliminated in the first round. Attached to the symbolic significance of the object, the German selection insisted on wearing the famous armband, before finally giving in at the last moment, under pressure from the International Football Federation (FIFA). Thomas Müller and his partners still made a mark in the first match against Japan, putting a hand in front of their mouths at the time of the official pre-match photo. A gesture to express their feeling of being censored by FIFA.

For the 2002 World Cup finalist, now a consultant for the German media Sports Magentathe underperformance of the Nationalmannschaft is directly correlated to this extra-sports activism. “How to win the World Cup when dealing with a subject that has nothing to do with manhood! », said the retiree with ninety-eight selections.

Qatar Postal

The Japanese welcomed as rock stars in Tokyo

In sport, the pride of a people is not measured solely by final victory. Japan proved it this year in Qatar. Promised to the role of foil against Spain and Germany, the Japanese have yet overwhelmed the two behemoths in the group stage.

A feat that allowed the Samurai Blue to extricate themselves from what was announced as “the group of death”. But Hajime Moriyasu’s players again fell on a heavyweight in the round of 16: Croatia, finalists of the last edition. Defeated against the Vatreni in the penalty shootout, the Japanese equaled their best performance in a World Cup, they who have already reached the round of 16 in 2002, 2010 and 2018. A journey hailed by the supporters, who came thousands at Narita International Airport in Tokyo to welcome their team.

Grain of sand

Twenty eight

Twenty-eight goals in the round of 16 of the World Cup, an average of 3.5 goals per game. Qatar has recorded a record balance sheet since the 1986 edition. During the last edition, in 2018, in Russia, the eight duels resulted in 24 goals. The Portugal-Switzerland (6-1) and Brazil-Korea (4-1) matches alone account for almost half of the goals.

28 – There were 28 goals scored in the 2022 World Cup Round of 16, the highest total at this stage… https://t.co/px0uu7SBNY

— OptaJean (@OptaJean)

Not enough to curb the enthusiasm of Gianni Infantino. In an interview published on the FIFA website, the president of the International Federation assured that he had attended the “best group stage in history”.