Uefa was struggling to keep the football world's focus on one of its showpiece occasions, the Champions League draw, on Wednesday night as the scandal surrounding its vice-president Luis Rubiales showed no sign of letting up.

European football royalty will converge on Monte Carlo for an event that traditionally sets the scene for the new campaign, tying in the draw and an awards ceremony for least season's best players and coaches, but any intrigue over group-stage ties has been superseded by the row around Rubiales.

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) president has already been suspended from football activity for 90 days by Fifa, pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings, after kissing the Spain player Jenni Hermoso on the lips following their World Cup final win against England on 20 August. Rubiales claims the kiss was consensual; Hermoso has said it was not.

There has been little sense of Uefa's stance on one of its most senior figures, Luis Rubiales being one of five vice-presidents who operate beneath the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin. The European governing body has been keen to leave judgment on the case to its global counterpart, Fifa, a stance Ceferin laid out in an interview on Wednesday with the French sports paper L'Équipe.

Ceferin said: "What he did was inappropriate. We all know it. I hope he knows it was inappropriate. This is enough for the moment because the independent disciplinary bodies will decide."

Pressed on whether Uefa should be taking its own action, Ceferin said: "He is suspended from all his functions, everywhere. There is no need to do so twice." The incident in question occurred during a tournament that runs under Fifa's disciplinary jurisdiction.

In further developments on Wednesday, Rubiales's mother was taken to hospital, according to the the parish priest of the church where Ángeles Béjar has been undertaking a hunger strike in protest at what she sees as the unjust treatment of her son. "It's because of the heat and everything else," the priest told reporters. "Her feet were swollen and she was tired. She was also anxious." The priest also confirmed that Rubiales's mother would not be returning to the church.

Béjar had entered the church of the Holy Shepherdess in the Andalucían city of Motril on Monday, announcing she had decided to stop eating to denounce what she termed the "unwarranted, inhumane and bloodthirsty hunt" of her son.

Luis Rubiales, who has refused to resign from his post at the RFEF despite widespread condemnation and a marked lack of domestic support, will not be present in Monte Carlo owing to his ban but still formally remains in his Uefa post.

Among the potential award winners at the ceremony is the Spain women's manager, Jorge Vilda, who was backed by Rubiales last year after 15 of his squad signed a letter after saying they no longer wanted to play for him. He is shortlisted for the women's coach of the year prize. Three of those players returned for the World Cup but the rest were not involved. Voting for the women's awards took place last week, with England's Sarina Wiegman also in contention.

Back in Spain the acting equality minister, Irene Montero, has joined the chorus of voices saying the Rubiales affair must be used to accelerate the stamping-out of sexism across society. "Spain is a feminist society in which sexism still exists, but it is determined to end sexism," she said. "We are sending the correct message to the world, that sexism is over.

"I think it has become evident that feminism is also a task for men," she said. "Perhaps it would have been desirable for this pact of silence to be broken with more force and forcefulness. But I think it has begun to crack and that is a very important step."

Lamine Yamal came through Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy and made his first-team debut for FC Barcelona in 2023 at just 15 years old. He quickly became an important player and won the Kopa Trophy the next year.

He also rose fast with the Spainish National Team, playing for youth teams before making his senior debut in 2023. At 16, he became the youngest player to play and score for Spain.

He took part in Euro 2024, helping Spain win the tournament and earning the Young Player of the Tournament award.

Read Also | La Masia graduates currently playing for FC Barcelona

Club Records | FC Barcelona

La Liga Records 

1. Youngest Player to Debut for Barcelona

Since making his professional debut in 2023 at just 15 years 15 years, 9 months, and 16 days old, the fleet-footed forward has quickly become a key part of Barcelona's attack. He has scored 22 goals in 98 appearances for the club.

2. Youngest Starter in La Liga for Barcelona

Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to start a La Liga match for Barcelona on August 20, 2023, at the age of 16 years and 38 days. He surpassed the previous record of Fabrice Olinga, who started his first La Liga game for Malaga in 2012.

3. Youngest Player to Record an Assist for Barcelona

Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to record an assist for Barcelona in La Liga during the 2023-24 season. At 16 years and 45 days old, he achieved this record against. 

4. Youngest Goal scorer for Barcelona

Lamine Yamal became the youngest goal scorer in La Liga history at just 16 years and 87 days old, netting his first goal against Granada and breaking the previous record held by Fabrice Olinga.

5. Youngest Goal scorer in La Liga History

Lamine Yamal became the youngest goal scorer in La Liga after scoring against Granada in Barcelona's 2-2 draw.

6. Youngest Player to Score a Brace in La Liga

On 11 February, in the game versus Granada, the Barcelona wonder-kid set the new record as the youngest scorer of a brace in La Liga. He did it at the age of 16 years 213 days.

7. Youngest Player to Feature in El Clasico

Lamine Yamal is the youngest player ever to appear in a Clasico in the 23-24 season at the age of 16 years and 107 days.

Read Also | Top 10 Greatest EL Clasico Matches of All Time

8. Youngest Goalscorer in El Clásico History

Lamine Yamal made history by becoming the youngest goal scorer in El Clasico at just 17 years and 105 days old, on  October 26, 2024, netting the third goal against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, surpassing Ansu Fati's record.

9. Youngest Player with 10+ Goal Contributions in La Liga

Lamine Yamal became the youngest player in La Liga history to score 10+ goals in La Liga at the age of 16 years and 213 days.

10. Youngest Player to Reach 50 Official Games for Barcelona

Lamine Yamal is the youngest player in FC Barcelona's history to reach 50 official games. He achieved this milestone on May 19, 2024, at the age of 16 years, 10 months, and 6 days.

11. Youngest Player to Reach 100 Appearances for Barcelona

Lamine Yamal made his 100th appearance on April 30, 2025, in a UEFA Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, at 17 years old.

12. Most Dribbles Completed in a Single La Liga Match

In a single La Liga match, Lamine Yamal has completed the most successful dribbles this season, reaching 11 against Alaves, surpassing Lionel Messi's record of 10 dribbles in 2007. No other player has completed more than 7 successful dribbles in a single La Liga match the current season.

Champions League Records

1. Second-youngest player to feature in the UEFA Champions League 

Lamine Yamal became the second youngest player to feature in the Champions League against Antwerp at 16 years and 68 days, only behind Youssoufa Moukoko at 16 years and 18 days.

2. Youngest player named in a Champions League starting lineup

Lamine Yamal holds the record for the youngest player to be named in a Champions League starting lineup. He was 16 years and 83 days old when he started the game against Porto on October 4, 2023.

3. Youngest player to play in the Champions League knockout phase

Lamine Yamal became the youngest-ever player to appear in the knockout stage when he started the round of 16 first leg against Napoli, aged 16 years 223 days.

4. Youngest player to score a goal in a Champions League semi-final match

Playing his 100th game at just 17 years and 291 days old, Yamal became the youngest player to score in a Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, overtaking the record set by Kylian Mbappe, who was 18 when he achieved the feat in 2017.

Read Also | Champions League winners list since 1955/56

International Records | Spanish National Team

1. Youngest Player to Debut for Spain

Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to play for Spain on September 8, 2023, against Georgia at 16 years and 57 days in the 2024 Euro Cup Qualifier, breaking Gavi’s record at 17 years, 62 days.

2. Youngest Goal scorer for Spain

Lamine Yamal became the youngest goal scorer for Spain at 16 years and 57 days. He netted a goal in his debut match against Georgia in the 2024 Euro Cup Qualifier breaking Gavi's record.

3. Youngest Goal Scorer in a UEFA Euro Qualifying Match

Became the youngest goal scorer in his debut match against Georgia, to score in a Euro Qualifier. He broke Gareth Bale's previous record at 17 years and 83 days.

Read Also | Top 5 Goal scorers of UEFA Euro 2024

UEFA Euro 2024

Lamine Yamal was a key player in Spain’s Euro 2024 win. He scored 1 goal against France and provided 4 assists, showing great skill and confidence for his age. 

His performances helped Spain win their fourth European title, and he was named the Young Player of the Tournament for his standout play. 

Hello and welcome to another big night of international football. Tonight, we will be covering three out of four UEFA Nations League 2025 quarterfinals. 

This is Koushik Biswas, with the buildup, news, LIVE updates, scores and free commentary of the Netherlands vs Spain UEFA Nations League 2025 Quarter-final 1st Leg match.

In the last six games, the Dutch team have been undefeated but only won two of those six games. In the meantime, the EURO 2024 Champions, Spain, have not lost a single game since lifting the title and have won five out of six games in the UEFA Nations League. 

So, this sets up to be a thrilling counter between two proud footballing nations. Therefore, sit back and relax as we bring you everything on the Netherlands vs Spain match from the web desk. 

Enjoy the coverage. 

Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Turkey, England and Switzerland have qualified for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Euro 2024 after some exciting battles in the round of 16. 

Switzerland first stunned defending champions Italy to qualify for the last eight. On the other hand, England scrapped through to the round of 16 after beating Slovakia by 2-1, via a stunning goal from Jude Bellingham. 

Spain, the favourites to win the tournament thrashed Georgia by 4-1 after conceding first while the hosts Germany defeated Denmark by 2-0 after a special performance from Jamal Musiala. Both Spain and Germany will now look to become the most successful team in the tournament's history. Unfortunately, only one will be able to achieve that this time.

France somehow managed to go past Belgium by 1-0 with an own goal by the opponent. Portugal had to toil hard to beat Slovenia in the penalty shootout where Diogo Costa wrote history by becoming the first goalkeeper to save three penalties in a Euro game.

The Netherlands had an easy game over Romania as they kicked them out of the tournament with a 3-0 victory while the best game of the round of 16 happened when Turkey defeated Austria by 2-1 after an exciting game.

Euro 2024 Quarter-finals schedule

Euro 2024 Quarter-finals streaming details

Football fans from India can watch the Euro 2024 Quarterfinals on Sony Sports Network channels on television. Moreover, they can LIVE stream the matches on Jio TV, the Sony LIV app and website as well.

A total of 16 U-23 National football teams will go against each other in the grandest stage of world sports, the Summer Olympics in Paris. The Paris Olympics 2024 will start on 26 July and continue till 11 August. While France being the host nation have already qualified for the Men's Football competition; Brazil, the defending champions will not take part in the Paris Olympics after being knocked out by Argentina in the final stage of the CONMEBOL pre-Olympic tournament.

Here is everything you need to know about the qualification process of the Men's football teams in the Paris Olympics 2024.

How many football teams will feature in the Paris Olympics?

A total of 16 football national under-23 teams from six continental confederations will qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. France have already qualified as the host nation and for the remaining 15 spots, AFC and CAF each received 3.5 slots, UEFA received 3 slots, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL received 2 slots, and the OFC received 1 slot.

Also Read: Top 10 Indian-origin footballers who could represent India, if OCI and PIO players were permitted

Which national football teams have already qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024?

Host: France

CONCACAF: United States, Dominican Republic

UEFA: Spain, Israel, Ukraine

CAF: Morocco, Egypt, Mali

OFC: New Zealand

CONMEBOL: Argentina, Paraguay

AFC: To be determined 

How the teams have qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024?

Dominian Republic and USA qualified via the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship

Dominican Republic Men's Football team ensured their first-ever Olympic birth via a historic runners-up title at the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. They were beaten by the United States in the final by 6-0. This was USA's third CONCACAF U-20 Championship title. The win ensured the USA Men's Football team's first Olympic birth since 2008.

UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023 saw three teams qualify

Spain, Israel and Ukraine qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 via UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023. Though England won their third U-21 Euro Championship by defeating Spain in the final by 1-0; they were not considered for the quota since an English team cannot participate in Olympic qualification for Great Britain due to there being no agreements between the associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Spain qualified for the Summer Games being the runners-up while Israel and Ukraine qualified as the other semi-finalists in the tournament.

Also Read: Jordan 100, Qatar 98, India 97: Two teams ranked below India in 2018, will be playing AFC Asian Cup 2023 final

Morocco, Egypt and Mali qualified from CAF

The 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations saw Morocco, Egypt and Mali qualify for the Paris Olympics. Since the Confederation of African Football had only 3.5 slots available, finalists Morocco and Egypt qualified along with bronze medalists Mali who had defeated Guinea in the third-place match to earn their spot in the Olympics 2024.

Morocco defeated Egypt in the final by 2–1 to win their first-ever U23 Africa Cup of Nations title.

New Zealand booked their place via 2023 OFC Men's Olympic qualifying tournament

New Zealand qualified as the lone team from the Oceania Football Confederation after beating Fiji in the final of the 2023 OFC Men's Olympic qualifying tournament by a historic 9-0. Riley Bidois scored five goals in the final as the New Zealand team defended their title successfully. 

Argentina and Paraguay en route to Paris

Argentina and Paraguay qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 after both teams topped the final stage of the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament. Two groups of five teams each first played in a round-robin format to qualify for the final round. The two best teams from each group qualified for the final round (round-robin format) and eventually two best teams for the final round qualified for the Paris Olympics.

Argentina defeated Brazil by 1-0 to finish as the runner-up while Paraguay defeated hosts Venezuela by 2-0 in their final game to become the Winner of the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament.

2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup to decided three spots

The 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup will decide the three of the four teams for the Paris Olympics 2024. The tournament will start on 15 April 2024 in Qatar. The final will be played on 3 May 2024. Two finalists and the third-place winner will qualify for the Paris Olympics from this tournament.

AFC–CAF play-off will decide the final spot

AFC–CAF play-off will determine the final spot for the Men's Football competition in the Summer Olympics 2024. Since both AFC and CAF have 3.5 slots each, a knockout face-off between the fourth-placed team of the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, which is Guinea and the fourth-placed team AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which is yet to be decided.

The Catalan club has reclaimed the La Liga 2023-24 top spot ahead of European giants Real Madrid and Barcelona despite their little experience in the top division. One of the best underdog football stories of recent times. The Catalan club scraped their way to Spain's top flight two years ago and now sits at the top of the La Liga. Girona reached the top by defeating defending champions and local Catalonia rivals Barcelona, a historic moment in the La Liga.

It was Girona's first-ever win over Barca and a result that showed how serious title contenders they are. The landmark win took Girona above Real Madrid, the most successful side in La Liga history. Girona, are unbeaten away from home in La Liga this season, topping the standings with 41 points from 16 games, getting past Real Madrid on 39 points after Carlo Ancelotti's side played a 1-1 draw against Real Betis on Saturday. Barcelona are fourth on 34 points, level with third-placed Atletico Madrid who have a game in hand.

Also Read: Barcelona vs Girona: Girona shocks Barcelona 4-2 to climb top of the La Liga table

Barcelona had 31 attempts in the game, 11 of them on target, but none of them except Lewa and Gundo's goal troubled the Girona shotstopper. Dovbyk put Girona in front in the 12th minute with a shot for his eighth goal in his debut La Liga season.

Lewandowski equalised for the hosts seven minutes later, heading home following a corner. Gutierrez restored Girona's lead before halftime, after the defender broke into the box and scored with an individual effort, and Valery Fernandez made it 3-1 in the 80th minute with a low shot two minutes after coming off the bench.

Gundogan pulled another goal back for Barca before Girona's Stuani scored their fourth in stoppage time. It ensured Girona's victory, a historic victory over Barcelona.

Girona, the new Kings of Catalonia

Girona have played just four times in the top flight in their 93rd year after being founded in 1930. The Catalan club has spent 24 seasons in Segunda División (second tier), 13 in Segunda División B (third tier) and 44 in Tercera División (fourth tier). It's just brilliant how with so little experience in the top division, Girona have managed to reach the top of the La Liga 2023-24.

In 16 league matches, Girona have won 13, drawn 2, and lost only to Real Madrid. Girona are dreaming, especially after the win against Barcelona. There are still so many matches to play but they are playing with their hearts out and dominating every opposition they are playing against. It'll be tough to maintain the same amount of intensity throughout the season but in anything can happen in football.