Salah 'Devastated' as Liverpool Miss Out on Champions League

Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah. Credit: AFP Photo
Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah. Credit: AFP Photo
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Salah 'Devastated' as Liverpool Miss Out on Champions League

Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah. Credit: AFP Photo
Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah. Credit: AFP Photo

Mohamed Salah said there was "no excuse" for Liverpool's failure to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven seasons after Manchester United secured the final place in the Premier League top four on Thursday.

United's 4-1 win over Chelsea ensured the Red Devils will join Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle as England's representatives in Europe's elite club competition next season.

Liverpool suffered a drastic dip in form this season after coming close to an unprecedented quadruple last year.

A late-season rally came too little, too late as a 10-game unbeaten run has only guaranteed fifth place and Europa League football next season.

"I'm totally devastated," Salah, who has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season, posted on his social media channels.

"There's absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year's Champions League and we failed.

"We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it's too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down."

Next season will be the first time Liverpool have not been in the Champions League since Salah joined the club in 2017.

However, he appeared to end any speculation over his future when he signed a new three-year contract at Anfield last year.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.