Sports

Who Wins 2018 FIFA World Cup: France or Croatia?

Published

8 years ago

July 14, 2018

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The stage is set for the grand finale of the FIFA 2018 World Cup taking place in Russia.

After an excruciating 30 days action, two teams have proved that they are the best among the lot.

With the likes of Germany, Brazil, Spain, Argentina and other football super powers falling along the way, France and new comers, Croatia, are set to slug it out for the coveted trophy.

While Croatia is hitting the finals of the FIFA World Cup for the very first time, France won it once when they hosted in 1998, and lost to Italy in the finals of the 2006 edition hosted by Germany.

Sunday’s game will be won on stamina and precision, recalling that both teams are yet to lose a game in all their attempts in the tournament. France have won all their games within 90 minutes while Croatia has been drawn into extra time in their knock out stage games including coming from behind to beat England 2 – 1 late in the extra time of their semi-final clash.

France, though surprised by the physical fortitude of Croatia, are not expecting a tired opponent in Sunday’s World Cup final.

Croatia have been forced into extra time in each of their three knockout matches, edging Denmark and hosts Russia on post-match penalties.

They also scored late in added play to come from behind and beat England in Wednesday’s semi-final in Moscow.

France by contrast have won all of their matches since the round of 16 inside 90 minutes, effectively playing a full match less than Croatia at the tournament in Russia.

But Matuidi said he did not think the Croats would be fatigued by their added time on the pitch over the last week.

“I don’t think it’s a factor,” he said at news conference at the French training base on the outskirts of Moscow.

“We saw in the last game that they finished the stronger of the two teams.

“They did not look like a side who were playing extra time for a third time in a row. Surprisingly, they looked like they were playing their first game.

“They are a team playing in the World Cup final, a team with players who have a lot of experience.

“It will be a match they will be ready for and I don’t think extra time or penalties has been or will be a handicap for them,” said Matuidi.

The 31-year-old, who said it would be his last World Cup, predicted an exciting final with a high level of expertise.

“They are a team who defend well and attack well after recovering the ball. We are up against players of a high quality and with lots of experience.

“It is going to be important to concentrate hard because they have tremendous qualities,” he said.

But it was much the same with the French team too, he added.

“It’s the game of our lives to play in a World Cup final, a dream I’ve had since I was a kid.

“The cup feels so close we can almost touch it but there is still a lot to do to get there.

“We’ve prepared everything to win the game even if its extra time or penalties. It’s the winning that counts,” he said.

On Saturday however, England will square Belgium for the third place game.

Sports

FIFA Lists Six Females Among 52 Referees for 2026 World Cup

Published

3 weeks ago

April 10, 2026

Eric

FIFA on Thursday unveiled its list of match officials for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, including 52 referees, six of whom are women.

Football’s governing body will also take 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 member associations.

“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer.

“They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.

“In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed.”

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the biggest in history, with a 48-team line-up and 104 matches to be played.

There are 41 more match officials than at Qatar four years ago, where 32 teams played 64 matches.

“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.

AFP

Sports

AFCON 2025: CAS Overturns CAF Verdict

Published

1 month ago

March 25, 2026

Eric

African football has been plunged into fresh uncertainty after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) provisionally suspended a controversial ruling that stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarded it to Morocco.

In an interim decision issued on Monday, CAS accepted Senegal’s appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Board and ordered a “freeze” on the implementation of its verdict.

The move effectively places the 2025 AFCON title in legal limbo pending a full hearing.

The dispute stems from a chaotic final played in January 2026, where the Teranga Lions of Senegal defeated the hosts, the Atlas Lions of Morocco, 1–0 after extra time. The match took a dramatic turn late on when a contentious penalty was awarded to Morocco.

Although the spot kick was missed, Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch in protest, prompting confusion before play eventually resumed, and the match was concluded. Weeks later, Morocco’s federation challenged the outcome, citing provisions within AFCON regulations relating to match forfeiture.

On March 17, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled in Morocco’s favour, declaring that Senegal’s walk-off constituted a breach severe enough to forfeit the match. The result was overturned to a 3–0 victory for Morocco, with Senegal stripped of the title.

Senegal swiftly condemned the decision as unjust and escalated the matter to CAS, arguing that the sanction was disproportionate and undermined the integrity of the on-field result.

CAS has now sided, at least temporarily, with Senegal’s request for urgent intervention.

By granting provisional measures, the tribunal signalled that enforcing CAF’s ruling before a full hearing could cause irreparable harm, particularly in a case involving the revocation of a major continental title.

The immediate consequence is that AFCON 2025 currently has no officially recognised champion. The trophy remains unassigned while legal proceedings continue.

Sports

AFCON 2025: George Weah Urges CAS to Overrule CAF’s Verdict

Published

1 month ago

March 21, 2026

Eric

African football legend George Weah has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for stripping Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarding it to Morocco.

CAF’s Appeal Board overturned Senegal’s 1–0 victory in the Rabat final after ruling that the team’s walk-off during a late penalty incident constituted a forfeit. The result was subsequently recorded as a 3–0 win in favour of Morocco, crowning the hosts as champions.

Reacting to the decision, Weah, a former Ballon d’Or winner and three-time African Player of the Year, argued that match outcomes should be determined on the pitch, not in post-match rulings.

“In football, the referee on the pitch is the final authority. Once a match is completed, the result obtained on the field must stand,” he said.

Weah warned that overturning completed matches sets a dangerous precedent for the sport.

“There is no sporting justification to nullify a match completed under the referee’s authority.

Otherwise, we risk a slippery slope where committee decisions override on-field calls,” he added.

The former AC Milan forward further stated that the ruling undermines the integrity and credibility of African football, raising concerns over fairness and consistency.