Scaloni Proud Despite Heartbreak as Argentina Fall to Spain

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni expressed his pride in his players despite their World Cup final defeat to Spain.

La Albiceleste were unable to retain their World Cup title after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the final. betsport.cv

A 105th minute goal by Ferran Torres was enough to crown Spain as the new World champions.

Scaloni urged his team to take pride in reaching another World Cup final and stressing the importance of accepting defeat with dignity after a memorable campaign.

“[I feel] sadness but knowing that we left everything out there. I have a lot of things to say about how we got here but it’s not worth it.

“I want to thank these guys eternally for giving us another World Cup final and for competing until the end. They [Spain] were better, that’s the truth.

“But I’ll hold on to an enormous memory of what they’ve done, of what it’s worth to get this far. We have to give it huge value because it takes a lot to get here.

“We’re big in victory and we have to be big in defeat. Today we’re showing that we know how to lose.

“We lost the match and we’re owning it. But that doesn’t mean we’ll stop remembering everything we did to get here.”

The post Scaloni Proud Despite Heartbreak as Argentina Fall to Spain appeared first on SportsClub.

Former England captains Mike Tindall and Courtney Lawes reckon the Springboks are already shaping up as an almost unbeatable force heading towards the 2027 World Cup.

The four-time world champions swept aside England, Scotland and Wales in the opening half of the Nations Championship, with three bonus-point wins and a fresh wave of successful debutants.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby XTRA podcast with Lawes, Tindall pointed to the unique way Bok supremo Rassie Erasmus is managing his squad to maximise players’ potential.

MALLETT: All Blacks copying Bok blueprint

“You look at it in terms of the URC teams in Europe: the Springboks are the other way around to most others that are sort of smashing it at club level, whether it be Bordeaux, Northampton or whoever it might be but internationally, they don’t quite gel,” Tindall said.

“Their players, when they put on that Springbok jersey, just become different animals – and they’re already pretty good animals before they put the jersey on.

“Their depth, and the unique style that Rassie deals with it in terms of picking his team three months in advance and letting them know who’s playing where and why, and then the new guys who come in who suddenly step up.

“It’s been super impressive and it’s a credit to their setup. They are going to be the team to beat going into 2027, everyone knows that.

“Can we have that moment where someone shows a small crack in their armour somewhere, and then everyone can sort of pick at it? I don’t know, it’s going to take an impressive team to do that.”

RENNIE: Boks a different beast

Lawes, meanwhile, focused on how far the Boks have progressed since defending their crown at the 2023 World Cup, crediting the culture Erasmus has built within the camp.

“They’ve definitely kicked on, which is impressive because they won the World Cup but they’re actually operating almost like a religion now. Genuinely, any player who comes into the fold is just completely locked in from the word go.

“Players that are not involved in the game at the weekend and maybe being a bit disgruntled and giving some bad feedback to XYZ or whoever, like could you ever imagine that coming out of the Springbok camp? Absolutely not.

“The environment they’ve got and that Rassie’s created, and obviously he’s been in charge for a while now and that is the perks of having a coach of that calibre being in charge of an operation for that long, is just so seamless.

KEO: Five Springboks winners against Wales

“Players coming in and being completely engrossed in it from day one and just seem to know what they’re doing from the first minute.

“It’s just that clear that they’re organised and structured, and credit to South Africa, they’re going to be a very, very difficult team to beat for the coming years.”

Photo: @Springboks/X

The post ‘Rassie has Boks operating like a religion’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Sacré champion du monde 2026 dimanche face à l’Argentine, Luis de la Fuente confirme qu’il est bien plus qu’un simple sélectionneur de transition. Depuis son arrivée à la tête de la Roja en 2022, le technicien espagnol construit un projet solide et s’inscrit déjà parmi les entraîneurs marquants de l’histoire du football espagnol.

Une impressionnante collection de titres

Luis de la Fuente est en train d’écrire une page majeure avec les sélections espagnoles. Son palmarès parle pour lui : champion d’Europe U19 en 2015, champion d’Europe U21 en 2019, vainqueur de la Ligue des Nations en 2023 avec l’équipe A, puis champion d’Europe en 2024 et champion du monde en 2026.

Cinq trophées majeurs remportés avec différentes générations de joueurs, mais toujours avec une même philosophie basée sur la maîtrise collective et la qualité technique.

Une régularité exceptionnelle

Depuis sa nomination à la tête de la sélection espagnole en 2022, Luis de la Fuente affiche un bilan impressionnant avec seulement deux défaites. Une régularité remarquable alors que la Roja a disputé et remporté les plus grandes compétitions internationales ces dernières années.

Lors de la Coupe du monde 2026, l’Espagne n’a jamais été menée au score, illustrant la maîtrise tactique et la solidité mentale insufflées par son sélectionneur.

Un entraîneur déjà entré dans l’histoire

Avec ce sacre mondial, Luis de la Fuente réalise un exploit rare : réussir à triompher avec les équipes de jeunes puis avec la sélection A. Son doublé Euro-Coupe du monde le place désormais aux côtés des entraîneurs ayant marqué leur époque.

À 63 ans, il n’a pas seulement accumulé les trophées. Il a également installé une nouvelle dynamique au sein de la Roja et posé les bases d’une génération appelée à durer.

The post Coupe du monde 2026 – Équipe d’Espagne : Luis de la Fuente poursuit son incroyable série appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Emprisonné depuis dix ans, le militant sahraoui Naâma Asfari ne donne plus de nouvelles. Condamné à 30 ans de détention au Maroc, il a entamé il y a plus de 40 jours une grève de la faim pour dénoncer une détention qu’il considère comme arbitraire. Fervent défenseur du droit à l’autodétermination du peuple du Sahara occidental, il n’a plus donné signe de vie depuis une semaine. Sa femme Marie‑Claude Mangin‑Asfari est particulièrement inquiète.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 20, 2026 – The Motorcycle Sports Federation of Kenya (MSFK) hosted Round 1 of the 2026 Kenya National Motocross Championship at Jamhuri MX Track on Sunday.

The event brought together junior and senior riders from across the country, marking a new chapter for the sport in the country.

It was the result of collaboration between MSFK, its appointed promoter BladeDoc Network, Enduro and Motocross Sports Club; the managers of Jamhuri MX Track, affiliated clubs, parents and the Ministry of Sports — whose continued facilitation has been instrumental in bringing all parties together in the spirit of growing the sport for Kenya’s riders and athletes.

“This is what happens when we work together. Our riders are our purpose, and every decision we make is for them,” MSFK president Renzo Bernardi said.

The event featured nine competitive classes, from MX Peewee to VMX Masters, with riders showcasing their skills on the challenging Jamhuri MX Track.

The provisional results saw top riders emerge, including Arie Maina Kamau, Zane Ngoru, and Kigen Mutuma, who dominated their respective classes.

“We are building a community, not just a championship. MSFK is committed to building the systems and pathways that give every rider the chance to go as far as their talent takes them,” MSFK sporting director Julie Wahome said.

The MSFK National Motocross Championship is also a qualifying round for the FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations (MXoAN) 2026, to be held in Namibia in August.

RESULTS:

– MX Peewee: Arie Maina Kamau (1st), Amalia Chelagat (2nd), Allen Ngoru (3rd)

– MX 50: Zane Ngoru (1st), Amir Rutto (2nd), Mozelle Momanyi (3rd)

– MX 65: Armani Amani (1st), Wachira Mahinda (2nd), Thang’a Kihungi (3rd)

– MX 85: Kigen Mutuma (1st), Lemayian Mugo (2nd), Dylan Hatanga (3rd)

– MX 125: Ngengi Kamau (1st), Aidan Carl Stanley (2nd), Chemain Kangogo (3rd)

– MX 1: Apollo Mbuki (1st), Rohan Gandhi (2nd)