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Mussolini’s Great-Grandson Hopes Skills on Pitch Outweigh Family Name

Romano Floriani Mussolini. (ANSA/AFP)
Romano Floriani Mussolini. (ANSA/AFP)
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Mussolini’s Great-Grandson Hopes Skills on Pitch Outweigh Family Name

Romano Floriani Mussolini. (ANSA/AFP)
Romano Floriani Mussolini. (ANSA/AFP)

Defender Romano Floriani Mussolini, the great-grandson of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, said he wants his footballing talent to mean more than his family name as he readies for a Serie A debut with promoted side Cremonese.

The 22-year-old right back, on loan from Lazio, joined Cremonese earlier this month after the club earned promotion to the Italian top flight via the Serie B playoffs.

"I'm here to play football. My surname? It has bothered others more than it's ever bothered me. It's a heavy name for others, but not for me," Floriani Mussolini told a press conference on Wednesday.

"The less it's talked about, the better. I'm here to express myself on the pitch, nothing else... I want to gain valuable experience in Serie A, go up against more experienced players, and play as much as possible to showcase my abilities."

Floriani Mussolini is the son of Mauro Floriani and Italian politician Alessandra Mussolini, a former member of the European Parliament for the Forza Italia party and the grand-daughter of Benito Mussolini, who was prime minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943 following a fascist coup.

Floriani Mussolini, who can also play as a winger, made 37 appearances for Juve Stabia last season, who lost to Cremonese in the semi-finals of the playoffs. He joined the Lazio youth academy at the age of 13 from rivals AS Roma.

"The match against Lazio will be special, it's the team I grew up with and support," he added.

"But right now I'm focused on giving my all for Cremonese, and I want to win that one."

Cremonese begin their Serie A campaign away to AC Milan on August 23.

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Bayern Are in Driving Seat, but Wounded Real Could Be Dangerous, Says Neuer

14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
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Bayern Are in Driving Seat, but Wounded Real Could Be Dangerous, Says Neuer

14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)

Treble-chasing Bayern Munich ‌are in control of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid after a 2-1 first-leg win but the Spanish giants, struggling for form, could prove dangerous with their backs to the wall, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said on Tuesday.

The Bavarians host Real in the return leg on Wednesday, hoping to book a semi-final spot to go along with their German Cup semi-final place and a 12-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.

Real, out of Spain's ‌Copa del Rey ‌and second in La Liga, nine points ‌behind ⁠Barcelona, have only ⁠one realistic shot at a trophy.

"Yes, it is a big chance for Real to improve things," Neuer told a press conference. "It is a really difficult period for a club like Real at the moment. We have experienced it ourselves in the past."

"When you are with your back to ⁠the wall you can move mountains," Neuer ‌said.

But the Spaniards will be ‌facing a Bayern team in stellar form. On Saturday they set ‌a new Bundesliga all-time goal record, with their 5-0 ‌demolition of St Pauli, to take their season tally to 105 goals with five games still remaining. The previous best mark was 101 goals in the 1971-72 campaign.

"We are in a flow ‌right now. We are still in all competitions and it's in our own hands," ⁠Neuer said. "We ⁠are sitting in the driver's seat."

Bayern can potentially secure the league title as early as this weekend if Dortmund slip up on Saturday against Hoffenheim. They also face Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-final on April 22.

"We won the first match, but there is only one goal difference," the 40-year-old Neuer said. "We know the fight we have to deliver. But we have that one goal advantage."

"Our motivation is sky high so the starting point is good, but we cannot overestimate it," he said. "We have experienced how Real can hit back but we are confident."

Sports

Swiatek Banks on Nadal's Former Coach to Reignite her Season

FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
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Swiatek Banks on Nadal's Former Coach to Reignite her Season

FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa

Iga Swiatek is hoping to benefit from new coach Francisco Roig's experience and technical expertise when the world number four begins her claycourt season at the Stuttgart Open this week after a disappointing start to the year.

The Polish six-times Grand Slam champion lost in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells before a shock second-round defeat by Magda Linette in the Miami Open last month.

That prompted Swiatek ⁠to part ways ⁠with her coach Wim Fissette and hire Roig, who worked with her idol Rafa Nadal from 2005-22 and more recently with Briton Emma Raducanu.

"I'm really happy to start with Francis," Swiatek told a press conference in Stuttgart, according to Reuters.

"I was basically looking for someone with a good eye, really technical, but also a ⁠person that is experienced enough to help me through some different kind of situations. I feel Francisco has lived through everything on tour.

"It's going really amazing ... I was able to find a new coach pretty fast, which is a positive thing because when you do that in the middle of the season, it's nice to have some security in that."

Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles on her favored clay courts, began preparations for the Grand Slam that begins on May ⁠24 with ⁠a training block at Nadal's academy in Mallorca under the watchful eyes of the Spaniard.

"I asked if it would be possible for him to come and maybe be some kind of inspiration, also hear some feedback from him," Swiatek said.

"It was a privilege to have him on court. I honestly didn't have many expectations because I know he's super busy and he has a lot of stuff to do, even though he always has different projects and everything.

"Now I'll continue with Francisco. He'll be the person that takes care of the whole process. That's the plan for now."

Sports

Iraq Coach Arnold Undecided on Future Beyond World Cup

Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
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Iraq Coach Arnold Undecided on Future Beyond World Cup

Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)

Iraq coach Graham Arnold said ‌his future beyond the World Cup remains undecided as his contract ends after the tournament and no formal talks have yet taken place, though retirement is not on his mind.

The 62-year-old Australian, who took charge of Iraq in May of last year, said he was keeping his options open and wanted to focus fully on the World Cup, where the team will make its first appearance in 40 years.

"The book is ‌open. My ‌contract finishes straight after the World ‌Cup. ⁠There has been ⁠talk about them wanting me to stay on, but I haven't had anything formal yet," Arnold told AAP.

"I really don't want anything formal yet. I want to go to the World Cup and enjoy it and after that I've got to make a decision whether ⁠to stay on or move on."

Arnold, ‌who guided his native Australia ‌to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup ‌in Qatar, said the prospect of leading teams ‌that have struggled to reach major tournaments continues to motivate him.

"There's some nations that I look at and I think to myself, they haven't qualified for a long time, I'd ‌like to do it again," he said.

"I've obviously had the experience throughout Asia, ⁠but I'm ⁠nowhere near ready to retire."

Iraq qualified for the World Cup by beating Bolivia 2-1 in Mexico in their inter-confederation playoff earlier this month.

Arnold said Iraq's qualification campaign had reinforced his belief that the team could trouble more-established sides on the global stage.

"We're going out there with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and with the chance to shock the world," he said.

"We'll be the underdog. We'll be fighters. If no one is giving us a chance, we can go there and achieve something special."