Latest news with #2018WorldCup
Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
'Nobby' Solano appointed Pak coach
Pakistan's embattled football federation has appointed former Newcastle United cult hero Nolberto 'Nobby' Solano as coach of their national teams to try to improve their dreadful record of never qualifying for a major tournament. Solano, 50, who also played for Aston Villa and West Ham United in the English Premier League before retiring in 2012, was an assistant coach for his country Peru when they qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. "We have hired the services of Solano with a hope that he will bring more energy and zest to the national players and lift our standings at the international level," the Pakistan Football Federation president, Mohsen Gilani, said in a statement. The cricket-obsessed nation has reached the second round of Asian qualifying for the FIFA World Cup only once. Pakistan are 201st of 210 teams the in FIFA world men's team rankings, and have sought to improve standards by inducting players of Pakistan heritage based in the UK. Pakistan football has suffered badly from political parties fighting over control of the federation, which receives a large annual grant from world governing body FIFA. The federation was for 10 years run by a FIFA-appointed committee and earlier this year briefly suspended for political interference ahead of elections in May. FIFA in 2021 banned Pakistan from playing international matches for 15 months, also for political interference in the federation. Solano's first task will be with the under-23s men's team, who are due to face Cambodia, Iraq and Oman in September in qualifying for the U23 Asian Cup next year. Solano's first matches in charge of the senior team will be a double-header against Afghanistan in 2027 Asian Cup qualifying in October. Pakistan kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 away defeat to Syria in March and a 1-0 loss to Myanmar in Yangon last month.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Sport
- Business Recorder
Newcastle cult hero ‘Nobby' Solano appointed Pakistan coach
KARACHI: Pakistan's embattled football federation has appointed former Newcastle United cult hero Nolberto 'Nobby' Solano as coach of their national teams to try to improve their dreadful record of never qualifying for a major tournament. Solano, 50, who also played for Aston Villa and West Ham United in the English Premier League before retiring in 2012, was an assistant coach for his country Peru when they qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. 'We have hired the services of Solano with a hope that he will bring more energy and zest to the national players and lift our standings at the international level,' the Pakistan Football Federation president, Mohsen Gilani, said in a statement. The cricket-obsessed nation has reached the second round of Asian qualifying for the FIFA World Cup only once. Pakistan are 201st of 210 teams the in FIFA world men's team rankings, and have sought to improve standards by inducting players of Pakistan heritage based in the UK. Pakistan football has suffered badly from political parties fighting over control of the federation, which receives a large annual grant from world governing body FIFA. The federation was for 10 years run by a FIFA-appointed committee and earlier this year briefly suspended for political interference ahead of elections in May. FIFA in 2021 banned Pakistan from playing international matches for 15 months, also for political interference in the federation. Solano's first task will be with the under-23s men's team, who are due to face Cambodia, Iraq and Oman in September in qualifying for the U23 Asian Cup next year. Solano's first matches in charge of the senior team will be a double-header against Afghanistan in 2027 Asian Cup qualifying in October. Pakistan kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 away defeat to Syria in March and a 1-0 loss to Myanmar in Yangon last month.
NDTV
06-07-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Shubman Gill, The 'Prince' Who Is Now India's New Cricket King
India captain Shubman Gill continued to give fresh meaning to the phrase "leading from the front" with a stunning innings of 161 in the ongoing second Test against England at Edgbaston on Saturday. The 25-year-old's second century of the match took his overall tally for the game to 430 runs, a figure bettered by India great Sachin Tendulkar, Test cricket's all-time leading run-scorer, just three times in a series, let alone a match, during his celebrated career. Following his commanding 269 in the first innings, Gill also became the first batsman in 148 years of Test history to make score of 250 and 150 in the same match. All that came after Gill's 147 in his first Test as captain, India's five-wicket loss in last week's series opener at Headingley. But beyond the statistics, it is the way Gill has played that has impressed seasoned observers. In the first innings at Edgbaston, he batted in near flawless-fashion for eight-and-a-half hours, with his offside driving standing comparison with cricket's most elegant batsmen. But in the second innings, with quick runs required to set up a declaration, Gill made 161 off just 162 balls, including 13 fours and eight sixes. India are now well-placed given England, with seven wickets standing, still need a mammoth 536 more runs on Sunday's final day to achieve what would be a Test record fourth-innings victory chase of 608. 'Outrageous' "Gill is outrageous," England fast-bowling great Stuart Broad, well used to working out world-class batsmen during a career that yielded 604 Test wickets, told Sky Sports after Saturday's close. "As a bowler, I'd be looking for technical things so I could expose him, but he's not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he's played stylishly. He's played with huge responsibility, under big pressure. "It's breathtaking... He deserves all the applause he will get." Gill was drafted into India's under-19 side as for their victorious 2018 World Cup campaign, shortly after scoring a century for Punjab in just his second first-class Ranji Trophy match. He made his one-day international debut in 2019, but it was in his first Test series, in Australia in 2020/21, that he came to the fore, notably with a fluent 91 in India's thrilling series-clinching win at the Gabba. His first Test hundred came a year later, in Chattogram. A month later, aged 23, he became the youngest to make an ODI double-century, smashing 208 off 149 balls against New Zealand. Born in Fazilka, near the border with Pakistan, before moving to Mohali aged eight to be nearer better cricket facilities, the nickname 'Prince' has clung to Gill to the extent of sometimes appearing on his bat-stickers. An opener and then a number three, Gill now occupies the number four position held by childhood hero Virat Kohli, with his 269 surpassing Kohli's unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019 as the highest score by an India Test captain. As a boy, Gill wanted to know what Kohli's scores and achievements were when he was his age. And when Kohli first saw Gill in the nets in New Zealand in 2019/20, he said he didn't even have 10 percent of the talent when he was Gill's age. Yet last year, when England went 1-0 up in Hyderabad, a second-innings duck saw Gill's Test average fall below 30 for the first time. But then India coach Rahul Dravid, himself an outstanding batsman, resisted the temptation to drop Gill, who then made a second-innings century in a 106-run win in Visakhapatnam and another, in Dharamshala, during a series India won 4-1. Gill succeeded Rohit Sharma as India captain after the latter announced his retirement from Test cricket in May, with 'King' Kohli calling time on his Test career just a few days later. A few months ago,when asked about potential leaders, Rohit said "the boys aren't ready yet". But Gill, who started this series with a modest Test average of under 36, looks as if he might be now.
Wales Online
06-06-2025
- Wales Online
Dad dies on 'holiday of a lifetime' following sickening Benidorm attack
Dad dies on 'holiday of a lifetime' following sickening Benidorm attack Mike Rydings' attacker has never been traced The attack left Mike in a vegetative state (Image: Hayley Barker ) What was meant to be a 'lads trip of a lifetime', watching football and celebrating birthdays, quickly turned into an unimaginable tragedy. Mike Rydings, then 47, went to the Spanish resort of Benidorm with 30 mates. After a night of enjoying a few pints at a pub and watching the 2018 World Cup, he fell victim to a brutal attack. The group were taking in the sights of the Avenue de Mallorca strip and had just left the Hippodrome Bar when the lifelong Manchester United supporter lost contact with his friends. In the early hours of June 23, Mike, a builder from Wythenshawe, was assaulted. His nose was broken and he fell onto the ground, hitting his head and sustaining severe head trauma. He was attacked by one individual from a group of five or six unidentified men. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . Mike spent a month unconscious in hospital, with his then-pregnant daughter Hayley and sister Nicola flying out to be by his side as he lay connected to ventilator machines. Mike had travelled to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday and watch the 2018 World Cup (Image: PA ) Article continues below After being flown back to Salford Royal Hospital, Mike spent the remaining year of his life unable to move or speak, in a vegetative state and requiring round-the-clock care. He tragically passed away in August of 2019, he was only 48. His attacker has never been found. Despite the incident sparking an inquiry by the local Spanish authorities no witness statements or police investigations have ever brought Mike's attacker to justice. Speaking on what would have been his 54th birthday, Mike's daughter Hayley said the family has spent years in the dark and "unable to have closure without answers" as they issued another desperate plea for information. Hayley told the Manchester Evening News: "You can't ever really move on, because you don't have any answers. It's been years and we haven't been told anything. "At the time, there were so many different witness stories. At one point we were told it was a stag party and someone in camouflage clothing. Then we were told it was a bouncer. "One stated that, the night he was attacked, my dad had a drink and was seen backing off with his hands in the air when he was punched to the nose, which broke, and then he fell backwards onto his head. They said they have never been able to get the sound of him hitting the ground out of their head." Back in the UK, the Greater Manchester Police conducted meticulous inquiries, pulling in over 15 British holiday-goers who witnessed the attack. The Hippodrome bar on Avenue de Mallorca in Benidorm Detectives have described the suspect in the assault on Mike as a white male, in his 20s or 30s, with a larger than average build, between 5ft 7ins and 6ft tall, and possibly wearing in camouflage clothing. Hayley, 36, recalled the harrowing moment she found out: "My dad's partner at the time got the call from one of his friends to tell her what had happened. When you hear that, you still never think it will be as bad as what we walked into." "When I first saw him in the hospital and he was lying there with tubes everywhere it was so painful I had to walk back out. "I was pregnant with one of my daughters, and I flew out the next day with my partner. Between me and Nicola his sister we kept going back and forth to make sure he was never on his own. It was so hard on us all. I had a young child at the time too, so it was really difficult." Mike was eventually flown home and admitted to Salford Royal Hospital. Hayley explained that despite surviving until the following August, he was unable to move or speak, making her feel as though she had 'already lost him' before his life support was withdrawn. Hayley added: "My dad never got to hold her or touch my daughter because he was in hospital. In 2022, I had a son which would have been his only grandson. He had always wanted a grandson." Greater Manchester Police confirmed there had been no updates in the case, which remains in the hands of Spanish authorities. Article continues below Anyone who may have information or remember anything that may resonate from a trip to Benidorm in the summer of 2018 is still urged to contact police with any details they may have. Mike had been wearing a red Hugo boss T-shirt on the night in question and was outside the Hippodrome bar in Benidorm Square when a fight broke out with a group of five or six men.
Daily Mirror
06-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Dad dies on lads holiday 'of a lifetime' and family still have no answers
Mike Rydings died after he was brutally attacked in a bar in Benidorm, with his family now pleading for any answers that can help them finally get some closure A beloved dad died after he was viciously assaulted during a lads "trip of a lifetime" to Benidorm, with his family still scrambling to find answers. Mike Rydings, then 47, travelled to the Spanish resort town of Benidorm for a lads holiday and had been watching the 2018 World Cup when he was attacked by a group of five or six men in the early hours of June 23. The builder from Wythenshawe suffered a broken nose and fell to the ground, hitting his head and sustained horrific injuries. He spent a month unconscious in hospital with his daughter and sister Nicola flying to be with him as he was hooked up to ventilator machines and fighting for his life. After he returned to the UK, Mike was taken to Salford Royal Hospital and spent a year of his life in a vegetative state. He required around the clock care and was unable to move or speak before his death in August 2019, aged just 48. Mike's killers have never been found. There are no witness accounts and police enquiries turned up no suspects. Speaking on what would have been Mike's 54th birthday, his daughter Hayley said the family spent years "unable to have closure without answers" as they issued another desperate appeal for information. "You can't ever really move on, because you don't have any answers," Hayley told Manchester Evening News. "It's been years and we haven't been told anything. "At the time, there were so many different witness stories. At one point we were told it was a stag party and someone in camouflage clothing. Then we were told it was a bouncer. "One stated that, the night he was attacked, my dad had a drink and was seen backing off with his hands in the air when he was punched to the nose, which broke, and then he fell backwards onto his head. They said they have never been able to get the sound of him hitting the ground out of their head." Mike had been with a group of friends in Benidorm when the lifelong Manchester United fan became separated in the Hippodrome Bar. He then became involved in a dispute with another group which ended with him being knocked to the ground and suffering catastrophic head injuries. Spanish police concluded their investigation without prosecuting anyone. As part of the investigations carried out by Greater Manchester Police, detectives interviewed more than 15 English tourists who were out on the night of the attack. Detectives were able to establish the man suspected of assaulting Mike was a white man aged in his 20s or 30s with a larger than average build, about 5ft 7ins to 6ft tall, who was possibly wearing camouflage clothing. Hayley, 36, added: "My dad's partner at the time got the call from one of his friends to tell her what had happened. When you hear that, you still never think it will be as bad as what we walked into. "When I first saw him in the hospital and he was lying there with tubes everywhere it was so painful I had to walk back out. "I was pregnant with one of my daughters, and I flew out the next day with my partner. Between me and Nicola his sister we kept going back and forth to make sure he was never on his own. It was so hard on us all. I had a young child at the time too, so it was really difficult." Anyone with information should contact the Greater Manchester Police Major Incident Team on 0161 856 6777 quoting Operation Thurston. Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
