Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
France wants to deport almost 50 Russian soccer fans, Alexander Shprygin, the head of a Russian supporters' group, said on Tuesday, saying French riot police had stopped a bus carrying fans in Cannes who were on their way to Lille.
Coach Fernando Santos blamed a lack of pace and a failure to stay calm in the frantic final minutes for Portugal's inability to beat rank outsiders Iceland in their Euro 2016 opener on Tuesday.
Britain's Foreign Office has warned fans travelling to France for the Euro 2016 soccer tournament that its venues are "potential targets for terrorist attacks".
Multiple Olympic and world champion Mo Farah said his elite track career could be over after he finished runner-up in the London 10,000 on Monday on his return to action.
French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet told the country's top clubs on Wednesday to make the quality of their pitches an absolute priority, describing one ground at Euro 2016 as "a failure".
England manager Roy Hodgson has hit out at critics who have questioned his team's patriotism and desire ahead of their European Championship clash against Wales in Lens on Thursday. Wales striker Gareth Bale last week said his team had "more passion and pride" than England, who "big themselves up before they've done anything". Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev also labelled Hodgson's men the weakest seeded team in the Euro 2016 prior to Saturday's draw with England. "I've been in the game sufficiently long to know every opponent has got an opinion," Hodgson told reporters.
Ronaldo faces Schick in battle of top marksmen from last Euros
The 2024 European Championship will be held in Germany from June 14-July 14. Following are the teams who have qualified for the tournament:
Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain faces up to two months on the sidelines with a knee injury that also rules the England international out of the European Championships, his club manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday.
Bogdan Stancu's achievement in becoming the first Romanian to score twice at a European Championship would mean nothing if his team failed to progress to the last 16, the striker said on Thursday. Romania can still secure their passage despite a 1-1 draw with Group A rivals Switzerland on Wednesday, most likely as one of the four best third-placed teams, but will probably need to beat Albania on Sunday.
Images from Saturday's action in the Nations League group stage matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo said he was living a "beautiful moment" after becoming the first player to score in five men's World Cups as he helped Portugal to a 3-2 victory over Ghana.
Belgium could make wholesale changes for Saturday's European Championship clash with Ireland as they seek to keep their tournament hopes alive, coach Marc Wilmots said. "Tomorrow there will be between two and 10 changes. Only the goalkeeper is certain," he told reporters, refusing to confirm a starting place for playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, who suffered a light injury in training on Thursday.
World champions Germany are to meet Ukraine, Poland and Northern Ireland in Group C.
Following his heroics against world champions Germany in the semifinal at Marseille, France forward Antoine Griezmann has emerged as a clear favourite to bag the Golden Boot award at the 2016 European Championship. Griezmann fired a brace past Germany to take his tournament tally to an astounding six goals. Such has been his dominance that the French magician leads Portugal hero Cristiano Ronaldo (3 goals) by a double margin in the tournament's goal's tally.
What set Le Golf National apart, however, was the unrivalled viewing experience for the fans -- most spectacularly the 7,000-capacity grandstand looming over the first tee.
Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio will miss this year's European Championship after tearing knee ligaments during Juventus' 4-0 Serie A victory over Palermo on Sunday.
A Germany footballer who was playing in Paris in November when suicide bombers launched an attack outside the stadium has barred his family from Euro 2016 matches due to security concerns. "My family and my children will not come to the stadium. The risk is too big," Jerome Boateng, who will play for his national side at the European Championship that starts in France on Friday, told Sport Bild magazine. "It is sad having to deal with such issues but many things have happened that make you think about it," the central defender said.
After teetering on the brink of first-round elimination and being involved in the most boring match of the tournament, there is now a real chance Portugal could muddle their way through to the Euro 2016 final. A kind draw has left Portugal with an eminently winnable quarter-final against Poland which would be followed by a semi-final against Wales, Hungary or Belgium.
Martinez stepped down as Belgium's coach following his side's World Cup group stage exit
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon denied that Friday's Euro 2016 opponents Sweden are a one-man team but says they are wary of "superstar" forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Buffon shone alongside defenders Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci as Italy beat Belgium 2-0 in their Group E opener, but the quartet now face the ominous prospect of subduing Ibrahimovic in Toulouse.
Banned UEFA president Michel Platini said he hoped to clear his name in time for the 2016 European Championship soccer tournament in June after attending a hearing on Monday to appeal against his suspension.
Modi highlighted the role of sports in fostering bilateral relations and cultural exchange between India and Poland.
Whether it is Greece's victory at Euro 2004, Denmark's success in 1992 or Iceland's run to the quarter-finals at Euro 2016, the similarities between successful smaller countries and their approaches seem striking.
"In addition to the titles won, Fernando Santos became the coach with the most games and most victories," FPF said.
Spain are among the favourites to win the European Championship this summer but the team's 1-0 home defeat to Georgia on Tuesday has set alarm bells ringing. In their last warm-up game before the tournament and nearly two years on from their first-round exit at the World Cup in Brazil, Spain lost to a team ranked number 137 by FIFA. "Gatillazo" (Damp squib) was the headline in Wednesday's AS newspaper after the team's loss in Getafe.
Italy manager Antonio Conte named his provisional squad for the European Championship on Monday, and his selection was notable as much for the player he left off as for those he chose.
Representing Wales at the European Championship is a welcome change from being on "holiday" during a major international tournament, Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has said. Wales will be making a first appearance at a major finals since the 1958 World Cup when Chris Coleman's side kick off their Euro 2016 Group B campaign against Slovakia on Saturday. Ramsey is keen for Wales to stamp their authority early on in the tournament with a positive result in their Bordeaux opener. "I'm excited... normally I'm on holiday now," the 25-year-old told reporters in France. "Our target is to get out of the group first and I think a win will probably get you through, maybe in third place.
Spain's influential midfielder Andres Iniesta says the secret to his top form at Euro 2016 has been his speed of thought. The 32-year-old Barcelona captain has made a smooth transition from an attacking role to central midfield and been instrumental in his country's two victories over the Czech Republic and Turkey in Group D.
Germany and Poland edged closer to the Euro 2016 knockout stage after playing out the first 0-0 draw of this year's tournament at the Stade de France on Thursday. The result means both teams have four points in Group C ahead of Northern Ireland, who have three after their 2-0 win against a Ukraine side who are still without a point and cannot now qualify for the last 16 at the finals.
Croatia, helped by a mistake by veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, held Italy to a 1-1 away draw on Sunday, but their evening was ruined by their fans who twice interrupted play by throwing flares onto the pitch.
Bale decided to end his playing career at the age of 33
Italy midfielder Alessandro Florenzi believes they can prove the doubters wrong again in Friday's Euro 2016 clash with Sweden in Toulouse.
Friday's win should add weight to the predictions of many that Spain are favourites to capture a third straight European title.
Captain Aron Gunnarsson says Iceland will take inspiration from fellow underdogs Wales when they take on hosts France in the quarter-finals on Sunday -- and the tiny country even believe they can win Euro 2016 outright. Iceland, with a population of just 330,000, have produced a series of astonishing displays to reach the tournament's last eight, including a comfortable 2-1 win over England in the second round.
While it's usually the hooligans who make the headlines, we turn our attention to the peace loving fans of the Euros.
Switzerland may get a taste of their own medicine on Saturday when they meet an Albania side featuring several players who benefited from the highly-acclaimed Swiss youth set-up. Loyalties will be divided in a fascinating Group A clash which, for the first time in the European Championship, will have brothers on opposing sides in Granit and Taulant Xhaka. Both are of Albanian heritage and were born in Basel but Granit will line up for Switzerland and older brother Taulant, provided he recovers from a thigh injury, for their opponents. In all, nine members of Albania's 23-man squad had the right to play for Switzerland, and six members of the Swiss squad could have opted for Albania.
Portugal proved they can flourish without their talismanic forward Cristiano Ronaldo, at least on the pitch, in beating France to win Euro 2016. Coach Fernando Santos has been trying to reduce their dependency on Ronaldo and his team's ability to live without their alltime leading scorer and captain faced its ultimate test when he was went off injured after 25 minutes of Sunday's final. They passed with flying colours. Relieved of any obligation to pass to Ronaldo every time he was free or allow him to take free kicks, Portugal's players appeared less inhibited without him on the pitch.
World champions Germany and perennial also-rans Albania do not share much in common in football but both were united in joy on Sunday when they qualified for Euro 2016 in France along with Romania and Poland.
