Lyon: France forward Kylian Mbappe made light of the knock he picked up in the team’s 1-1 draw with the United States in their final World Cup warm-up match. “Ice packs? No, it is just a knock,” Mbappe was quoted as saying by ESPNFC. “I hit the ball poorly and I fell – it is nothing serious. It will be treated, and it will go away,” he added.
Fabra ruled out
Bogota: Colombia international full-back Frank Fabra has been ruled out of the Russia World Cup after suffering a serious knee injury, the Colombian Football Federation (FCF) said Sunday. Fabra tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while training with Colombia’s national squad in Carnago, northern Italy. “The player was accompanied by the entire group of players and coaches when he received with great sadness the confirmation of the news,” the FCF said in a statement. “I had only one purpose, to be a part of this dream called the World Cup. Little by little I was achieving my goal until this moment. My heart is broken and it hurts my soul,” Fabra said in a heartfelt social media post.
VAR operations room unveiled
Moscow: FIFA has presented the World Cup’s video assistant referee (VAR) operations room, which will make its debut at the tournament’s 21st edition in Russia. At a press conference Saturday, Massimo Busacca, head of FIFA’s refereeing department, said the VAR would be important at this summer’s World Cup but stressed that the officials on the field would still be tasked with managing the games. The VAR system will be in the spotlight when the event kicks off June 14 and seems to be attracting more proponents and critics as the countdown to the tournament advances.