CONMEBOL fined Brazil coach Tite an amount of $5000 for criticising the organisation of Copa America.
Tite said in a news conference on June 12 that the organisation shifted the Copa America to Brazil in a confusing manner.

Also read: Ecuador vs Brazil: Copa America 2021 Match Preview, Team News, Dream 11 Prediction

The situation became worse when coach Tite further criticized the pitch and how tough it is to play on it. He expressed his sadness about the players who play in top-notch pitches in Europe and have to play in such bad pitches in Brazil. The creative players who help the team in build-up plays are finding it hard to create because of the pitch, Tite said in a statement.

"I am not going to call this pitch horrible, but it is very bad to play soccer, it affects the whole spectacle. Those willing to create just cannot." "The time to do this (Copa America) was too short. It is unacceptable that players of two teams of high level, who play with a great pitch in Europe, come here to play on a pitch like this."

Brazil's Coach Tite

This is not the first time that the organisers of the Copa America have been questioned. Last year Lionel Messi spoke against CONMEBOL which sparked controversies. This year on June 18, CONMEBOL fined Bolivia striker Marcelo Martins $20,000 for blaming the soccer body for the rising COVID-19 cases at the Copa America.

Brazil players reportedly threatened to boycott the competition just before it started. They published a letter saying they are against the organisation. However, they played in the competition citing that they will not say no to national team.

Argentina National Football Team is back in business as they will face the challenge of Venezuela in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers match on 11th October 2024 at 2:30 AM IST at the Estadio Monumental de Maturín Stadium in Venezuela.

Lionel Messi was rested from the national team following his injury in the Copa America 2024 Final and he is back with the national team squad to play against Venezuela. However, Argentina's first-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will miss the match against Venezuela as he was left out of the squad due to his 2-match suspension given by the FIFA disciplinary committee. 

Argentina squad for the matches against Venezuela and Bolivia 

#SelecciónMayor Lista de convocados 🇦🇷 para los próximos encuentros ante Venezuela y Bolivia, correspondientes a la Fecha FIFA de Eliminatorias. pic.twitter.com/4XKJJ5BRX0

— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) October 2, 2024

Lionel Messi suffered a ligament injury in his right ankle during the Copa America 2024 Final against Colombia. He missed a couple of matches for his club Inter Miami and missed two World Cup Qualifier games in the national crest against Chile and Colombia in July. He returned to play for Miami on 14th September 2024 against Philadelphia Union and he scored two goals and made one assist.

It is safe to say that Messi will start for Argentina but coach Lionel Scaloni can rotate his squad as he addressed this as a tough game. 

Emiliano Martinez was found to be guilty of "violating principles of Fairplay" on two occasions. The goalkeeper was found to have violated FIFA's code of conduct when holding a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin after the World Cup qualifier win over Chile on 5th September 2024. 

FIFA also banned him for the accusations of hitting a TV cameraman, Johnny Jackson's camera with his gloves after their 2-1 defeat to Colombia on 10th September 2024. Emiliano is banned for two games and that is why he will miss the clash against Venezuela on 11th October and Bolivia on 16th October 2024.

Lionel Scaloni stated about this incident in the press conference:

"Emiliano (Martínez) has already expressed himself very well publicly. I hope it doesn't happen again because the team cannot afford not to have Dibu, even though I don't agree with the sanction."

Argentina is currently at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifiers with 18 points in 8 games, whereas Venezuela is currently 6th with 10 points in 8 games.

Match Details 

Match: Argentina vs Venezuela

Date:  11 October 2024

Time: 2:30 AM IST

Venue: Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Venezuela

Streaming Details

The Venezuela vs Argentina match in the CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup Qualifiers will not be available for telecast in India. Football fans can watch the live streaming of the match on the Fancode app and website.

Messi vs Ronaldo is the biggest and the best rivalry in football history that is going on for the last decade. Such as the talent and success rate of both the players that they keep breaking records literally every match. Even with their age both of them keep pushing themselves to be the best version of themselves. Also, in order not to miss the opportunity to make money from playing your favourite players, you can download the Bluechip casino apk to make bets on your device.

Read Also: Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History (Updated)

In the Premier League contest between Manchester United and Norwich City, Ronaldo scored a scintillating hat-trick to save United from another loss. In that hat-trick, Ronaldo scored a stunner with the free-kick to equal Messi's record of 58 career free-kick goals.

However, with a stunner against Jamaica in an international friendly, Messi went past Ronaldo and then followed that with his first goal from the dead ball for PSG.

Lionel Messi the wizard and freekicks!#LionelMessi #PSGNice pic.twitter.com/xhUxZ63cpc

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) October 1, 2022

Read Also: Top 10 Highest scorers in the history of the UEFA Euros (Updated)

Messi in total has a success rate of 16.5 games per free-kick goal. Meanwhile, Cristiano has a success rate of a free-kick scored every 19.5 games. Moreover, Messi has a conversion rate of 9% in leagues. Meanwhile, Cristiano has a conversion rate of 6.2% in leagues when it comes to scoring from set-pieces.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo has a better success rate when it comes to taking free-kick for his country. Ronaldo scores in every 19.1 games in free kicks. On the other hand, Messi scores a free-kick for Argentina every 18.1 games.

Read Also: Cristiano Ronaldo: Hat-tricks for each Club

Messi vs Ronaldo Free-kick details

Messi has scored 51 free-kick goals at the club level whereas Ronaldo has scored 48 free-kick goals at the club level. Lionel Messi has scored 9 free-kick goals for Argentina. Meanwhile, Cristiano Rolando has 10 goals for Portugal. In the Champions League Messi has 5 free-kick goals whereas Ronaldo has 12 UCL free-kick goals.

Though both of them are at the end of their career, the Messi vs Ronaldo rivalry is far from over.

Messi's full list of free-kick scored | Messi vs Ronaldo

Ronaldo's full list of free-kick scored | Messi vs Ronaldo

Argentina vs Italy is the upcoming match in the new tournament, Finalissima. The European Champions Italy take on South American Champions Argentina at the Wembley Stadium in London.

The revived contest has been organized as a result of a renewed partnership between UEFA and CONMEBOL and pits the winners of the 2020 European Championship against the 2021 Copa America champions.

On their last visit to Wembley, Italy beat England on penalties in the final to win the Euros, though since then they were stunned by North Macedonia as they failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Argentina, meanwhile, secured their Finalissima place by beating fierce rivals Brazil 1-0 last summer to end a 28-year trophy drought.

There will be no extra-time should the match tonight finish level after 90 minutes, meaning it will go straight to penalties if necessary.

Argentina vs Italy: Match Preview:

Italy beat Austria, Belgium and Spain in the knockout rounds of last summer's European Championship before overcoming England on penalties in the final following a 1-1 draw.

The triumph saw the Blues become European champions for just the second time in their history, but they have incredibly now missed out on the finals of the last two World Cups, failing to qualify in 2018 before missing out on the 2022 competition by losing to North Macedonia in the semi-finals of the playoffs back in March.

Roberto Mancini's immediate focus is on Wednesday's affair, but they will also begin their UEFA Nations League campaign on June 4, taking on Germany twice, Hungary and England in quick succession, before returning to action in September with a home fixture against England.

Giorgio Chiellini will make his final Italy appearance against Argentina, with the 37-year-old set to bring a long international career to a close, but Mancini will also be looking to the future, with a number of uncapped players in the squad.

Italy have lost each of their last three matches against Argentina, which have all been friendlies, with their last competitive meeting coming at the 1990 World Cup, when Argentina won 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the semi-finals of the competition.

Argentina, meanwhile, won the Copa America for the first time since 1993 last summer, beating Brazil 1-0 in the final courtesy of a first-half effort from Angel Di Maria.

The White and Sky Blues beat Ecuador and Colombia in the quarter-finals and semi-finals to advance to the final, and they have also qualified for the 2022 World Cup courtesy of an unbeaten qualification campaign.

Argentina were runners-up at the 2014 World Cup but went out in the round of 16 in 2018, and it will be fascinating to see how they perform in this year's competition, with the South American nation bidding to lift the trophy for the third time.

Lionel Scaloni's side have not been in action since drawing 1-1 with Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier at the end of March, while they are unbeaten in all competitions since July 2019, which should hand them confidence heading into Wednesday's affair.

There will be no extra time in the Finalissima, so a penalty shootout will occur if the match is level at the end of 90 minutes, and Argentina won the 1993 edition, then called the Artemio Franchi Cup, by beating Denmark on penalties.

Team News:

Argentina:

 Lionel Messi could be joined in the final third of the field by Lautaro Martinez and Di Maria, while Romero is set to play alongside Otamendi in the middle of the defense.

Alongside Messi (81), Lautaro Martinez (19) and Di Maria (24) are the highest scorers in the squad, but there could be a role at some stage for on-loan Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez.

Brighton & Hove Albion's Mac Allistar is also in the selection, while Nehuen Perez and Senasi will be hoping to be given opportunities to make their first appearances for the national side in London.

Italy:

Chiellini is expected to start on what would be his final appearance for Italy, and it is likely to be a familiar starting side for the Euro 2020 champions.

Domenico Berardi and Andrea Pinamontti are both out through injury, while Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Gaetano Castrovilli, and Rafael Toloi are also on the sidelines.

Jorginho and Verrati are both expected to start in midfield, while Nicolo Zaniolo and Lorenzo Insigne are set to feature in the final third of the field.

There could also be just a fourth cap, Scamacca who enjoyed a strong season at Sassuolo, while there are 12 players in the squad looking to make their first appearances for Italy, including 18-year-old Wilfried Gnonto.

Argentina vs Italy: Head to Head:

Italy has a slight edge over Argentina and has won six of the 16 matches played between the two teams. Argentina have managed five victories against Italy and will look to level the scales on Wednesday.

The previous meeting between the two footballing giants took place in 2018 and ended in a 2-0 victory for Argentina. Italy was outplayed on the day and will need to take it up a notch this week.

Form Guide:

Italy form guide: W-L-D-D-W

Argentina form guide: D-W-W-W-D

Argentina vs Italy: Predicted Line-ups:

Italy Predicted XI (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Emerson, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Giovanni Di Lorenzo; Jorginho, Marco Verratti, Nicolo Barella; Nicolo Zaniolo, Lorenzo Insigne, Gianluca Scamacca.

Argentina Predicted XI (4-3-3): Emiliano Martinez; Marcos Acuna, German Pezzella, Nicolas Otamendi, Nahuel Molina; Guido Rodriguez, Rodrigo De Paul, Giovani Lo Celso; Angel Di Maria, Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez.

As we approach the end of the calendar year, now is a good time to look back on the last 12 months and reflect on what some of the biggest stories have been in the world of sport. 

Gerwyn Price Wins Maiden World Darts Championship

Welshman Gerwyn Price once played professional rugby but a switch in sports paid off for him as he is now one of the leading darts players in the world. The 36-year-old prevailed in the most prestigious darts event in the world back in January, the PDC World Darts Championship.

Price defeated Gary Anderson 7-3 in the final in what was an outstanding performance at the Alexandra Palace in London. He is the 7/2 favourite in the darts betting from Betfair to defend his crown in the 2022 tournament.

The defending champion recently won the Grand Slam of Darts so goes into the event as one of the leading darts tips. The number one seed is bidding to become the first back-to-back winner since Anderson in 2016.

Read also: Everything you need to know ahead of SPOTY 2021

Italy and Brazil Prevail in Respective Continental Tournaments

It was a huge year in international football for Italy and Brazil. The former was successful in the European Championship. They defeated England in the final at Wembley after penalties.

Roberto Mancini's side defeated Belgium and Spain on their way to the final. It was a return to form at a major event for Italy, as just three years earlier they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Over in South America, seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi finally won his maiden major tournament with Argentina. They defeated their biggest rivals Brazil in the final of Copa America 2021. The PSG forward has won just about every domestic silverware available to him but this trophy will be very special to him.

Argentina will be one of the strong contenders for the World Cup next year in Qatar. This latest win will give them a lot of confidence ahead of that tournament next November.

Australia on Top of the World in T20 World Cup

The T20 World Cup was the biggest cricket tournament in 2021 and after seven attempts, Australia finally got their hands on the trophy. Prior to the final in Dubai, the Aussies had only reached the final once, they were beaten by England in 2010.

In what was a tense semi-final encounter, Australia defeated Pakistan by five wickets. David Warner was Australia's leading run-scorer at the tournament, and he starred with the bat, scoring 49 runs from 30 balls.

Australia won the toss in the final and opted to bowl first. They restricted New Zealand to 172 and they made easy work of reaching that total. Mitchell Marsh finished with an unbeaten 77 to help his side prevail by eight wickets.

Justin Langer will now be hoping his side can complete the World Cup double by landing the trophy in the 50 overs format of the game in 2023 in India.

Hopefully, 2022 produces some memorable sporting storylines too. With so many major events scheduled for next year, there is a good chance it will be a great 12 months.

The year 2021 has seen a lot of memorable moments in football. From Argentina winning the Copa to Messi winning his 7th Ballon d'Or, the year has been a rollercoaster for all the football fans. So let us see the top 10 best football moments of 2021.

The top 10 best football moments are:

#1. Simon Kjær heroic contributions to save Christian Eriksen's life 

Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark's first Euro 2020 game against Finland. Simon Kjær was the only player who rushed to his assistant. Simon Kjærs' on-field support to Eriksen has proved to be vital as it saved his life. The center-back also comforted his family and partner and has been a real-life Hero figure on that day. This is the one of the Top 10 Best football moments.

#2. Italy winning the Euro 2020 after 50 years

England vs Italy was one of the best matches of football this year. Both teams finished the full time and the awaited extra time at 1-1 and the match was finally being decided on penalties. Gianluigi Donnarumma came out as the Hero as he made a heroic penalty save to give his country their first Euro Cup in 50 years.

#3. Argentina won the Copa America after 30 years

Lionel Messi and Co. have suffered a lot in previous editions of Copa America, including a horrible penalty miss from Messi during their 2016 finals against Chile. However, this year they finally did it as they beat Brazil by 1-0. Thus fulfilling Messi's dream of winning Copa America.

#4. Lionel Messi wins his 7th Ballon d'Or

After a long debate and opinions between Lewandowski and Messi, we finally got the answer as Lionel Messi has achieved his 7th Ballon d'Or award and is the only player to win it a record 7 times.

#5. Chelsea win the 2021 Champions League 

Chelsea won their second UCL in 2021, after defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the finals. Thomas Tuchel's arrival in January has proved to be a masterstroke for the club's future as he managed to win the trophy. Overcoming their unsuccessful run with PSG in the 19/20 finals.

#6. Robert Lewandowski breaks Gerd Muller's record

Gerd Muller's record of scoring 40 goals in one Bundesliga season was finally broken by Robert Lewandowski at the end of last season. The Bayern Munich striker scored 41 goals in 29 appearances, and also won the 2021 European Golden Shoe.

#7. Atletico Madrid win La Liga on the final day 

Diego Simeone's side has overshadowed Real Madrid and won the La Liga title on the final day of the league. Both sides saw a fierce battle on the final matchday in their respective matches but it was the red and white side of Madrid that emerged victoriously.

#8. Ronaldo's Manchester United return 

One of the most shocking moments occurred when Cristiano Ronaldo came back to his home, Manchester United. The former Real Madrid and Juventus star decided to go back to his home, which gave him the exposure to become one of the best. On the other hand, Lionel Messi's departure from Barcelona to PSG also turned all heads and shocked fans all over the world.

#9. Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first-ever player to score 800 goals 

Records come, records go but Cristiano Ronaldo's name has always been found in some of those records. The Portuguese superstar is the only footballer to score 800+ official goals and not only that, he is the only active player to do so.

#10. Jorginho wins UEFA Men's POTY 

Jorginho not only won the Champions League with Chelsea, but he also played a very important part in Italy's Euro 2020 win. As a result, he earned UEFA's Player of the Year for 2021.