Latest news with #EsperanceDeTunis
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Star whose club played against Chelsea at Club World Cup 'forcibly removed from plane and arrested' after fight over a seatbelt on flight home
An Algerian football star was reportedly arrested at Paris' main airport after getting into a scrap with staff on his flight. Youcef Belaili, who plays for Esperance de Tunis, was filmed being detained at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport after reportedly getting into an altercation over a seatbelt. The forward, whose team lost 3-0 to Chelsea at the Club World Cup, clashed with Air France crew members on a flight from New York on Wednesday. According to French outlet RMC Sport, things got heated when Belaili's two-year-old son asked to leave his seatbelt unfastened, but was told by staff to do it up. A clash then broke out between Belaili and the cabin crew, which led to Air France requesting a police presence at the airport. Belaili was arrested and taken to a nearby police station but was released in the afternoon as it was an 'insufficiently substantiated offence'. 🚨🇩🇿🇫🇷 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢 — Le footballeur algérien Youcef Belaïli a été INTERPELLÉ par la police française à sa descente d'avion à l'aéroport de Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle. Il aurait provoqué UNE BAGARRE en plein vol, après que le personnel de bord lui a simplement demandé… — Bastion (@BastionMediaFR) July 2, 2025 His father Hafid said: 'My son Youcef suffered an injustice at Charles-de-Gaulle airport in France (...) The French police humiliated my son even though he is an international player. 'He was mistreated at the airport. It's a disgrace to treat an international player like this over a seatbelt.' Belaili himself also posted on Instagram after landing in Paris, sharing a photo of the crew and writing: 'Algerian and proud b***ards.' This is not the first time that Belaili has been involved in a high-profile controversy. The 33-year-old previously served a two-year suspension after testing positive for cocaine during an anti-doping test in 2015 while playing for Algerian side USM Alger. He had been hit with a four-year suspension but that was reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who found that he had ingested it unintentionally via a shisha pipe. Belaili did not play between September 19, 2015, and October 28, 2017, so he has done well to bounce back and become one of Algeria's leading stars. His career has taken him from Algeria to France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Tunisia. Esperance de Tunis are Tunisia's most successful club with 34 league titles and made a fair stab at the Club World Cup. After losing 2-0 to Flamengo and 3-0 to Chelsea, they defeated LAFC 1-0 in the final group stage game to leave with their heads held high.
Forbes
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Chelsea's Liam Delap Faces Big Pressure After Dream Debut Goal
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 24: Liam Delap of Chelsea during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 ... More group D match between Esperance de Tunis and Chelsea FC at Lincoln Financial Field on June 24, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) Under the sweltering heat of Philadelphia, Liam Delap cushioned the ball before placing it precisely into the ES Tunis net. The goal was the 22-year-old's first for his new club, Chelsea, and he savored every second. 'It's an incredible feeling. I came here to get goals, so to get the first one over and done with is a great feeling,' he said post-game. 'It was a great pass from Enzo [Fernandez,] but luckily it went in. Yes, I think it is a little bit of relief, not relief, but an extra bit of confidence; when coming to a place like this, you need confidence and belief. 'It's right up there [with my favorite goals], and it means a lot to me.' For many players, the prospect of a Club World Cup at the end of a grueling season is not alluring. But in Delap's case, as a new signing who wishes to integrate as quickly as possible with teammates, the competition is precisely what he needs. 'Obviously, this tournament has helped me settle in because back at the training ground, everyone disappears at 3pm, but here we are together all the time, and it has helped me settle in,' he added. 'I know the manager really well, so hopefully, I can continue growing.' A host of top sides eyed Delap after he bagged 12 goals in 37 matches for Ipswich in his first Premier League season. This feat was more impressive because it was achieved at a side that was relegated to the Championship. The striker chose Chelsea because of his longstanding relationship with Enzo Maresca, his youth team coach from Manchester City. As the Italian manager admitted much after the deal was signed. 'So the conversation with Liam was quite clear. He was keen to join us because he knows the way we play from the season that we were together [at Manchester City],' he explained. 'We won for the first time for Manchester City the [Premier League]'So he knows exactly what we can give to him, and as I said before, I know what Liam can give us. So, I think it's a win-win, and the conversation was quite an easy one. We like Liam, Liam likes us, so it was an easy conversation.' Maresca said that after the game, he wasn't surprised at Delap settling so quickly for these reasons. 'We expected the process with Liam to be quite quick because he knows us, and we know him,' he said. 'We know each other very well. The process for him is quite quick. It is also because he is a very good player.' The Pressure Mounts LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 03: Liam Delap of Chelsea poses for a photo as Chelsea unveil him as a new ... More signing ahead of the 2025/2026 season at Stamford Bridge on June 03, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) Whenever English prospects emerge, they generate more excitement than foreign talents, and Delap is no exception. There is already talk of him challenging Harry Kane for the central striker role in the national team, an ambitious target, to say the least. 'I said Liam can be England's No. 9 when we faced Ipswich. Now he is a Chelsea player, I'm going to say again, I don't have any doubt that he can be in the future England No. 9,' Marseca said of his forward. 'I never say to a player you are going to be first choice. The message is always the same: you arrive, you work hard, you work more than the other No. 9, and you can be first choice No. 9.' It's a task that is far from straightforward, given that Chelsea had a central striker when Delap arrived, Nicholas Jackson, a player who has shown steady improvement. But the noises outside the club are already feeding the hype and expectations around Delap. 'He's going to score goals, I'll guarantee you that,' a giddy Gabriel Agbonlahor told TalkSport. 'He's not here to be a bit-part player. He's at Chelsea to be a number-one striker, and I really think he will. The former Aston Villa forward added: 'If I'm him, I'm saying to myself, 'What's my target? World Cup, that's my target next summer.' Delap will draw confidence from the example of his Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer, whom he played with in the Manchester City youth system. Palmer has excelled since moving to London, reaching heights that make the Citizens' decision to let him leave look ill-judged. According to Brian Barry-Murphy, a coach who worked with both players in the North West, the pair will benefit each other because they connected well as youngsters. 'I think they're so linked because of the ability of one to serve the other,' he told Sky Sports. 'You'll have seen Cole speak recently about how he wants to play forward, be expressive and aggressive. Liam is the one who will be willing to make those movements. 'At City, we would always speak about Liam having no reason not to make the run because Cole will find you. And it'll be very interesting to see how that will manifest itself under Enzo Maresca.' But until Delap starts delivering the goods, this is all hyperbole; he needs first to establish himself as Chelsea's number one striker and demonstrate he can produce the goods for more than one campaign.
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Liam Delap ends the Chelsea No 9 curse in under an hour
The curse is over. Chelsea have their number nine, wearing the number nine, looking like a number nine, playing like a number nine. There should be no more concerns over that shirt harming careers as happened from Fernando Torres to Alvaro Morata. Liam Delap is the real deal. It may have only been against the minnows of Esperance de Tunis – a team ranked nine places below Luton Town by the statisticians at Opta to give it some context – but Delap delivered a classic, positive, bustling, aggressive centre-forward's performance in the 59 minute he was out there. It was less than an hour for a reason. Delap was substituted for Marc Guiu which made sense since the game was won and Nicolas Jackson's ban, for being sent off in the defeat against Flamengo, has been extended to two games, meaning he misses the last-16 tie against Benfica. Jackson will have a job displacing him and Chelsea already look a far more cohesive threat with Delap leading the line. It is Benfica, rather than Bayern Munich, in Charlotte on Saturday after the Portuguese side surprisingly won their group with Chelsea finishing as runner-up in theirs behind Flamengo. If Chelsea win that then it is another Brazilian club, either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-final. Suddenly a path to go deep into this competition has opened up for them. And how Chelsea will need Delap who also, successfully, walked the tightrope of avoiding a booking – and therefore a second caution – and a one-game suspension of his own. Dangerous heat forces dogs to wear crocs After Delap went off and – frankly for large parts of the game when he was on – the pace was incredibly slow. Welcome to the Club World Cup of walking football. That is not to criticise the players. It was remarkable that they could even function at all in the dangerously hot and humid conditions with sniffer dogs having to wear crocs to prevent their paws being burnt and an enormous fan – a machine not a supporter - placed next to the Chelsea dug-out to blow in cold air. There were no fewer than four drinks breaks and the temperature at the 9pm kick-off was a stunning 35 degrees Celsius – and therefore at least 40 degrees Celsius out on the pitch. With the final of the two official 'Powerade drinks breaks' after 80 minutes – cue dance music being blasted out – the sprinklers came back on with some players standing underneath them to try and cool off. Delap contribution more impressive with team-mates rested By then the game was won and it was Delap who forced the issue with Enzo Fernandez collecting two assists. Indeed that link-up, with Delap running the channels, down the left looks incredibly promising – just as it does with Cole Palmer on the right. Delap had provided for Fernandez on his debut. Palmer, who Delap played with at City from the age of 15, did not feature here. Like Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Pedro Neto and Marc Cucurella he was rested and winning so comfortably while not needing to use them was a boost for Enzo Maresca as he juggles his squad in these testing conditions. That made Delap's contribution all the more impressive – just like his goal. In first-half injury time Tosin Adarabioyo headed in Fernandez's free-kick and then, still in the first-half, the Chelsea captain slid a pass through to Delap, who turned sharply, using his strength before cutting inside and simply passing the ball into the net. Delap appears to be Chelsea's best centre-forward since Diego Costa – who wore number 19 – and has a lot more finesse out on the pitch. OK, the Esperance goalkeeper Yassine Meriah was not up to much as was witnessed by the third goal as he was unable to prevent substitute Tyrique George beating him from 20 yards, with the ball spinning up off his hand. But Delap's finish was wonderfully composed and boded well for the future. 'Against Flamengo, he had three clear chances to score goals so that is already a good feeling because that means already he is there,' Maresca said. 'Unfortunately he didn't score against Flamengo and tonight he scored. We know that Liam is going to score goals with us. We don't have any doubt about that.' And neither, it seems, does Delap himself. The way he is progressing Delap may well be back in the United States next year as part of England's World Cup squad, having decided to join up with Chelsea rather than play for the Under-21s as they defend their European Championship title. It was the 22-year-old's third appearance for Chelsea, all at this tournament, since his £30 million move from Ipswich Town. There was the promising cameo and assist against Los Angeles FC, the chances he was involved with against Flamengo. And now this. 'We expect the process to be quite quick with Liam and the reason why is because we know him and he knows us in the way we want to play…then it is also because he is a very good player,' Maresca said, having been Delap's coach for the Under-23s at Manchester City when he scored 24 goals in one season. It is a total he should look to break at Chelsea. Delap certainly appears capable of doing that.
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Enzo Maresca has ‘no doubt' that Liam Delap will be a goal-scoring success at Chelsea
Enzo Maresca says he always believed Liam Delap would adapt quickly to life at Chelsea and has 'no doubt' the £30million summer signing will add to his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win over Esperance de Tunis in the FIFA Club World Cup. Delap doubled Chelsea's lead with the final act of the first half at Lincoln Financial Field, taking a lofted pass from Enzo Fernandez in his stride, beating a defender and rolling the ball calmly past Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said. Advertisement Tosin Adarabioyo had headed Chelsea in front shortly before Delap's strike, and substitute Tyrique George added a late third with a shot that squirmed over Ben Said's hand as Maresca's team set up a round of 16 clash with Benfica in Charlotte on Saturday. 'Against Flamengo, he had three clear chances to score goals,' Maresca said of Delap. 'That is already a good feeling because it means he is in the right position and is there. We have no doubt Liam will score goals for us. No doubt about that.' Maresca has generally been reluctant to lean on the new faces in his squad for this Club World Cup campaign, but Delap has been the exception. Having started two of Chelsea's three games in Group D, the 22-year-old is well-positioned to keep his place against Benfica due to the continuing unavailability of Nicolas Jackson, who will serve the second game of a two-match ban following his straight red card against Flamengo. Earlier this week, Delap said in an interview with journalists that he already feels comfortable with the demands of Maresca's system as a result of their time working together in Manchester City's elite development squad in 2020-21, and after the Esperance win, Chelsea's head coach struck a similar tone. 'We expected the process to be quick with Liam,' he said. 'The reason why is because we know him and he knows us with the way we play. For Dario (Essugo), Andrey (Santos) or Mamadou (Sarr) it is going to be a little bit more complicated and they need time because they don't know exactly how we play. 'For Liam, the process can be quite quick, and he is a really good player.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liam Delap scores his 1st Chelsea goal in 3-0 win over Esperance in Club World Cup
Esperance de Tunis fans hold up a pro-Palestinian banner during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) Esperance de Tunis players take a drink during a break in the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Chelsea's Tosin Adarabioyo, left, is congratulated by teammate Liam Delap after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Chelsea's Liam Delap, centre, scores his team's second goal during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Chelsea's Tosin Adarabioyo, left, is congratulated by teammate Liam Delap after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Chelsea's Tosin Adarabioyo, left, is congratulated by teammate Liam Delap after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Esperance de Tunis fans hold up a pro-Palestinian banner during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) Esperance de Tunis players take a drink during a break in the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Chelsea's Tosin Adarabioyo, left, is congratulated by teammate Liam Delap after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Chelsea's Liam Delap, centre, scores his team's second goal during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Chelsea's Tosin Adarabioyo, left, is congratulated by teammate Liam Delap after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Esperance Tunisie and Chelsea in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Liam Delap scored his first goal for Chelsea and Enzo Fernández has two assists in a 3-0 win over Esperance on Tuesday night that helped clinch a round-of-16 berth in the Club World Cup. Tosin Adarabioyo scored on a header from 7 yards from Enzo Fernández's free kick in the third minute off first-half stoppage time. Delap scored two minutes later, taking Fernández's pass with his back to the goal, dribbling around Yassine Meriah and slotting past goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said. Advertisement Tyrique George scored from the top of the circle seven minutes into second-half stoppage time on a shot that went in off the hands of Said. A crowd of 32,967 attended the match at Lincoln Financial Field on a 90-degree night during a heat wave. There were hydration breaks in both halves. Key moment Delap's goal was his first since the 22-year-old joined Chelsea from Ipswich just before the tournament. Takeaways Chelsea finished with six points, one behind Group D leader Flamengo, and will play Benfica on Saturday at Charlotte, North Carolina, in the round of 16. Esperance finished third in Group D and was eliminated. ___ AP soccer:
