In the footballing world, The 2018 FIFA World Cup winners, France, have revealed their squad for the prestigious UEFA Euro 2024, which is set to kickstart on June 15. Moving outside club football, Brazil took home the hosting rights for the 2027 Women's World Cup after winning a vote at the annual FIFA Congress.
In the world of tennis, Nicolas Jarry registered the biggest career win by defeating Tommy Paul 6-3 6-7(3) 6-3 in the Italian Open to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
France announce UEFA Euro 2024 squad
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winners, France, have revealed their squad for the prestigious UEFA Euro 2024, which is set to kickstart on June 15. The squad had a few surprises as veteran midfielder N'Golo Kante returned alongside Real Madrid full-back Ferlon Mendy.
France UEFA Euro 2024 squad
Alphonse Areola, Mike Maignan, Brice Samb, Jonathan Clauss, Theo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kounde, Ferland Mendy, Benjamin Pavard, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana, Antoine Griezmann, N’Golo Kante, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Warren Zaire-Emery, Bradley Barcola, Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, Randal Kolo Muani, Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Thuram
He’s more Kylian than me: Mbappe unveils his new wax statue at Madame Tussauds
French superstar striker Kylian Mbappe, who is all set to part ways from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) following the end of the season, unveiled his all-new wax statue at Madame Tussauds, Berlin. The statue's authenticity left the 25-year-old in shock as he was amazed by the look and realistic display of the wax statue. On recognizing the exact cacophony of himself, Mbappe amusingly said, “He looks more like Kylian than me!” and gave a fabulous remark by saying, “It’s me, 100 per cent!”
Brazil named as host of 2027 Women's World Cup at FIFA Congress
Brazil took home the hosting rights for the 2027 Women's World Cup after winning a vote at the annual FIFA Congress. Pindorama beat the joint bid of Belgium, Netherlands and Germany and became the first South American country to host the tournament. Brazil won with 119 votes versus 78 for the joint European entry, boosted by a technical evaluation from the world governing body FIFA that gave a high score for its commercial plan and stadiums purpose-built for the 2014 Men's World Cup.
Feyenoord coach Arne Slot confirms he will become Liverpool manager
Feyenoord coach Arne Slot confirmed to the press that he will replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager. Klopp has been in charge of the Reds since October 2015 and is set to leave at the end of the season. "I can confirm that I will become the trainer there next year," Slot said on Friday. "Until now I was not thinking about this being the build-up to my last match, but that starts coming now. At the beginning of the week, you are thinking about training and those kind of things. But the feeling gets stronger now. That is why I'm a little bit late now [for the news conference] because I wanted to say goodbye to some people personally and take time for them, more than just shaking hands."
Robin van Persie to manage Dutch top-flight side Heerenveen
Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has been appointed head coach of Dutch top-flight side Heerenveen. Speaking about his appointment, Van Persie said, "I would like to continue my development and the role of head coach fits in perfectly with that goal. Heerenveen is a very nice Premier League club with a rich tradition and loyal supporters. It is a fantastic challenge to contribute to the sporting ambitions and development of the club as head coach."
Table Tennis
TTFI unveils India's squad for Paris Olympics 2024
The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) on Thursday, May 16 announced India’s squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The six-member squad will be led by the Commonwealth Games champion and veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal and top-ranked Indian women’s player Manika Batra.
India’s Table Tennis Squad for 2024 Paris Olympics
Men’s team: Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar. Reserve player: G. Sathiyan
Men’s singles: Sharath Kamal and Harmeet Desai
Women’s team: Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath. Reserve player: Ayhika Mukherjee
Women’s singles: Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula.
Tennis
Nicolas Jarry beats Tommy Paul to reach Italian Open final
Nicolas Jarry registered the biggest career win by defeating Tommy Paul 6-3 6-7(3) 6-3 in the Italian Open to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final. The Chilean, seeded 21st, is the first player from his country to reach a Masters 1000 final since Fernando Gonzalez in Rome in 2007. "I think I played my best tennis. I gave it everything and went for it. I did that the whole match. It's hard to keep that level of concentration, but now I'm in the final," Jarry spoke about his triumph.
Boxing
Nikhat Zareen and Minakshi win golds for India at Elorda Cup 2024
Reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen and Minakshi won gold medals as the Indian team ended a successful Elorda Cup 2024 campaign with 12 medals in Astana, Kazakhstan. Besides Nikhat and Minakshi’s gold medals, Indian boxers won two silver and eight bronze medals.
India's results:
Gold: Minakshi (48kg) and Nikhat Zareen (52kg)
Silver: Anamika (50kg) and Manisha (60kg)
Bronze: (men) Yaiphaba Singh Soibam (48kg), Abhishek Yadav (67kg), Vishal (86kg) and Gaurav Chauhan (92+kg); (women) Sonu (63kg), Manju Bamboriya (66kg), Shalakha Singh Sansanwal (70kg) and Monika (81+kg)