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UEFA Picks Two Video Review Referees at Center of Controversy for Euro 2024 Duty

Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)
Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)
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UEFA Picks Two Video Review Referees at Center of Controversy for Euro 2024 Duty

Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)
Premier League - West Ham United v Fulham - London Stadium, London, Britain - April 14, 2024 Referee Stuart Attwell talks to his assistant as West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta looks on. (Reuters)

The match official accused of bias by English Premier League club Nottingham Forest got UEFA support on Tuesday by being selected for the European Championship as a video review expert in an overall list which included no women.

Forest’s inflammatory social media post on Sunday targeting Stuart Attwell has been widely criticized across English soccer and was even mocked by another club.

Forest said Attwell is a fan of relegation rival Luton and claimed that this was a factor in not being awarded up to three penalty kicks on video review in a 2-0 loss at Everton on Sunday.

Attwell is among 20 video assistant referee (VAR) specialists chosen by UEFA to work at the 51-game Euro 2024 in Germany that starts June 14.

“All chosen referees have performed consistently to the highest standards in UEFA’s top competitions, and also in their domestic competitions,” UEFA head of refereeing Roberto Rosetti said in a statement.

Also on the VAR list is Tomasz Kwiatkowski of Poland, who UEFA removed from a Champions League game in November one day after he advised 2022 World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak to award Paris Saint-Germain a stoppage-time penalty for handball against Newcastle. Kylian Mbappé scored to deny Newcastle victory in a 1-1 draw.

Marciniak is among the 18 European referees picked for Euro 2024, plus Facundo Tello of Argentina who joins them as part of the close working ties between UEFA and South American soccer body CONMEBOL.

UEFA did not include any women among the referees, assistants, video review specialists and fourth officials in their Euro 2024 team that will be based in Frankfurt. At Euro 2020, Stéphanie Frappart of France was included as a fourth official. She made history at the men’s World Cup in 2022 when she handled the Germany-Costa Rica game in the group stage.

England has two referees selected, including Anthony Taylor who worked with Attwell in the Everton-Forest game on Sunday.

One of the two German referees picked, Felix Zwayer, was the subject of comments about integrity by Jude Bellingham when the England star played for Borussia Dortmund in 2021.

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Sports

Saudi King, Crown Prince Congratulate the King of Morocco on Winning FIFA Arab Cup

Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi's jersey is displayed in a shop in Rabat, on December 19, 2025, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). 2 ACHRAF HAKIMI (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)
Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi's jersey is displayed in a shop in Rabat, on December 19, 2025, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). 2 ACHRAF HAKIMI (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)
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Saudi King, Crown Prince Congratulate the King of Morocco on Winning FIFA Arab Cup

Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi's jersey is displayed in a shop in Rabat, on December 19, 2025, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). 2 ACHRAF HAKIMI (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)
Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi's jersey is displayed in a shop in Rabat, on December 19, 2025, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). 2 ACHRAF HAKIMI (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent a cable of congratulations to King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco on the occasion of his country's national team winning the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques conveyed to the King of Morocco his sincerest congratulations and best wishes for continued progress and success, and to the people of Morocco steady progress and prosperity.

According to SPA, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, also sent a cable of congratulations to King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco on this occasion.

The Crown Prince conveyed to the King of Morocco his sincerest congratulations and best wishes for continued progress and success, and to the government and people of Morocco steady progress and prosperity.

Sports

Blow for Algeria as Key Midfielder Ruled out of Cup of Nations

Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Nassr v Al Ittihad - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 7, 2025 Al Ittihad's Houssem Aouar REUTERS/Stringer
Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Nassr v Al Ittihad - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 7, 2025 Al Ittihad's Houssem Aouar REUTERS/Stringer
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Blow for Algeria as Key Midfielder Ruled out of Cup of Nations

Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Nassr v Al Ittihad - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 7, 2025 Al Ittihad's Houssem Aouar REUTERS/Stringer
Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Nassr v Al Ittihad - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 7, 2025 Al Ittihad's Houssem Aouar REUTERS/Stringer

Algeria have been dealt a blow to their Africa Cup ​of Nations hopes with the withdrawal of key midfielder Houssem Aouar on Friday.

He was injured in training on Thursday, an Algerian football federation ‌statement said, ‌and will ‌be ⁠replaced for ​the ‌tournament in Morocco by Himad Abdelli from French club Angers. No details of the injury were given, Reuters reported.

Aouar, who won a cap ⁠for France before switching his ‌international allegiance to Algeria, ‍played at ‍the last Cup of ‍Nations in the Ivory Coast two years ago where Algeria were shock early casualties.

In ​Morocco, Algeria compete in Group E, starting against ⁠Sudan in Rabat on Wednesday before playing Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.

Abdelli was a surprise omission from Algeria’s initial 28-man squad list announced last week. The 26-year-old is French-born but has won four caps ‌for Algeria.

 

 

 

 

 

Sports

Liverpool Have 'Moved On' from Salah Furor, Says Upbeat Slot

Liverpool manager Arne Slot (L) looks on towards Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (R) during the English Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion, in Liverpool, Britain, 13 December 2025. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Liverpool manager Arne Slot (L) looks on towards Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (R) during the English Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion, in Liverpool, Britain, 13 December 2025. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
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Liverpool Have 'Moved On' from Salah Furor, Says Upbeat Slot

Liverpool manager Arne Slot (L) looks on towards Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (R) during the English Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion, in Liverpool, Britain, 13 December 2025. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
Liverpool manager Arne Slot (L) looks on towards Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (R) during the English Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brighton & Hove Albion, in Liverpool, Britain, 13 December 2025. EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN

Arne Slot said Liverpool have "moved on" from the furor caused by Mohamed Salah's explosive outburst at being dropped and are showing signs of growing into the side he wants to see.

The Reds begin what could be up to a month without Salah, who is representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), away at Tottenham on Saturday.

After a run of nine defeats in 12 games, Slot has steadied the ship in a five-game unbeaten run, during which Salah did not start a single game.

"Actions speak louder than words. We moved on," Slot told reporters on Friday, referring to his decision to bring Salah on as a substitute in last week's 2-0 victory over Brighton, AFP reported.

"Now he's at the AFCON playing big games for himself and the country. All the focus for him is over there and there should not be any distraction of me saying anything because we moved on after the Leeds interview and he played against Brighton."

Despite a difficult second season for Slot in England, Liverpool sit seventh in the Premier League and would move into the top four with victory against struggling Spurs.

The English champions transformed their squad over the summer transfer window, spending nearly £450 million ($602 million) to bring in Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

Apart from the impressive Ekitike, all the new signings have struggled and Slot conceded he had been overly optimistic over how long it would take for his new-look squad to perform consistently.

"I think we are getting closer and closer to the team I want us to be and that has gone with ups and downs," said the Dutchman.

"But for me that makes complete sense because all the changes we've made during the summer and we made them on purpose because we thought we needed to.

"If I'm completely honest, maybe I didn't expect it to take maybe as long as it did, but, looking back on it, reflecting on it now, I think I've been too positive because if you go with a new group where not all of them are completely ready to play every single game, 90 minutes in this intensity, you have to adapt.

"Sometimes he can play, then he cannot play. So it takes maybe a bit of time, and we've been very unlucky."

Joe Gomez and Cody Gakpo will miss the trip to Tottenham due to injury, but Slot is hopeful that Dominik Szoboszlai will be fit to start. Frimpong returns after a two-month absence.