The 42-year-old Spaniard is on course for a treble of trophies, his first Bundesliga crown.
“It’s been a season of hypotheses about my future,” Alonso told a news conference.
“So far we’ve been busy and focused on the season and I wanted to reflect on the overseas break and make a decision.
“Last week I had an assembly in which I (the Leverkusen directors) expressed my determination to continue as coach of Bayer Leverkusen. “
Alonso said he is still shaping up as a coach and that he sees Leverkusen, his first job as a senior national team coach, as the most productive position to continue to grow.
“Right now it’s the right position to grow as a coach, I’m a young coach,” he said, AFP reported.
“Right now is the right place. I have to thank the management.
“The club has given me their support and I feel respectable in all departments. “
Alonso has a contract until 2026 but has been linked with transfers to Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, all clubs where he spent time as a player, after performing a surprising task at runaway Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen.
Leverkusen are unbeaten this season with 34 wins and four draws and are 10 points behind Bayern Munich and on course for their first Bundesliga title with 8 games left this season.
The former Spain midfielder, who was part of the team that won the European Championships in 2008 and 2012, as well as the 2010 World Cup, is aiming for a treble.
As well as being the most sensible in the table, they are in the quarter-finals of the German Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League and may face Liverpool in the final.
Alonso’s formation was limited to Real Sociedad’s B team when he appointed Leverkusen coach in October 2022, but he has shown he has a natural ability as a coach by saving them from relegation.
‘Strong bond’
With Alonso out of the list to update Klopp, the favourites would be Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim and Brighton’s Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi.
De Zerbi can still impress potential employers on Sunday when he does so at Liverpool and is yet to finish with Klopp in four meetings.
Speaking at Liverpool after Alonso’s announcement, Klopp understood his decision.
“He’s doing an amazing job there. Leverkusen have a smart team and they will keep it together,” Klopp said.
“It’s an option and it’s not the case every year. So I sense he needs to do it. “
Klopp stunned the football world when he announced in January that he would leave his Liverpool post after a hugely successful nine-year period.
In 2020, they won their first league title since 1990, a year after clinching the 2019 Champions League.
Alonso didn’t like to comment on the void at Liverpool or even Bayern Munich, who were hoping to lure him in to update Thomas Tuchel, who is due to leave at the end of the season.
Tuchel’s departure is a result of Alonso’s success: if Leverkusen keep their cool and win the Bundesliga trophy, it will end Bayern’s run of 11 consecutive league crowns.
“I don’t think it’s right of me to talk about other clubs when they find themselves in this situation,” said Alonso, who remains a loyal Liverpool supporter and encouraged his son to be one as well.
“Of course, there are clubs I have a strong bond with, I play there, so I respect them. But it’s not for me to communicate it now.
“It’s more than the confidence that I’m in the right position at Bayer Leverkusen and that I’m going to continue to grow with the club, growing with the players.
“I’m at this level of my young career. I must have felt that the resolution was natural and that’s why I took it. “
N. C. State’s Jannah Eissa and UC Irvine’s Diaba Konate are making a big impact off the field, bringing visibility and inspiration to Muslim women wearing hjiabs while playing.
They’re not the first women to do it at an NCAA tournament, but with record-breaking attendance and attendance, they’re actually making their presence felt.
“Representation matters,” said Konaté, whose team lost in the first round of the tournament to Gonzaga. “It’s enough to have other people, young Muslim women wearing the hijab, we’re not there yet. I think it’s enough to just watch us play. ” It makes me feel fulfilled because I had other people I looked up to. Now, having other people look at me makes me feel satisfied.
Konate admires Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, who made NCAA history by being the first to wear a hijab in high school basketball when she played for Memphis a decade ago. Abdul-Qaadir was instrumental in FIBA overturning its own helmet ban in 2017.
Konate 31 of the team’s 32 games, averaging 7. 5 points and approximately 4 assists. She moved to the United States from France after receiving a scholarship from the state of Idaho. He transferred to UC Irvine as a junior.
She would like to be able to play in the hijab at home in France, where she won two medals playing on youth teams, but the French Basketball Federation now prohibits wearing “any device that has political connotations. “
“Being French and hosting the Olympics, it hurts not to be able to be ourselves,” said Konate, who began wearing the hijab in 2020. “I hope that changes. “
Eissa and Konate have never met, but they do know each other.
“I only know that there is another woman dressed in a hijab,” Eissa said. “I just saw a message about two days ago. I was very pleased that there were other people.
Eissa, who turned 18 in February, was a replacement at N. C. State and joined the team after retiring in September. Although he hasn’t played much this season (he appeared in 11 games and hit a 3-pointer), he had an effect. It’s definitely being felt.
Earlier this season, a group of young Muslim girls came to watch her match and ended up approaching her a few more times.
“I’d love to say I have a role-playing style for them. I never imagined it could be a role-playing style for someone I didn’t know,” said Eissa, who grew up in Cairo before coming to North Carolina. I never imagined that a user could have such an impact. They were such young women and women my age who looked up to me and I was very happy.
Eissa chose N. C. State because her father earned his Ph. D. And his two older sisters pass by.
She said that even when she had a bad day or a day off, she would go to her enthusiastic young people and that would make her happy.
“If they see that it gives them hope, I’m happy to be the user who gives it to them,” Eissa said. “I need to go as far as I can by the symbol of women in hijab. “
Andy Murray will miss the Monte Carlo Masters and Munich Open next month as he recovers from a serious ankle injury he suffered during his exit from the Miami Open, the British team announced on Friday.
The 36-year-old sprained his ankle in the deciding set of his 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) loss to Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic in South Florida last Sunday and would be out for an “extended period. “”. ” at the margin with torn ligaments.
“After consulting with his team and medical experts, Andy Murray has made the decision to miss the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters and the BMW Open Munich,” a member of his team said.
“At this time, it is still unclear how long Andy will be unavailable and he continues to consult with his medical team.
“This is disappointing news for Andy and he reiterated his preference to return to the field as soon as possible. “
Murray, a former world number one and three-time Grand Slam champion who returned from hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, had said in the past that he had no plans to “play much later this summer” but hoped to compete in another Olympics. .
He also said he hoped to play at Roland Garros, which begins at Roland Garros on May 26.
Wimbledon, where Murray is a two-time champion, begins on July 1 and the Paris Games begin later this month.
The Monte Carlo Masters will be played from April 7 to 14 and the Munich Open from April 15 to 21.
For Muslim footballers in deeply secular France, observing Ramadan is a huge challenge, and that’s about to change.
Wielding the precept of devout neutrality enshrined in the French constitution, the French football federation does not make it easier for foreign players to abstain from drinking or dining from dawn to dusk of the Islamic holy month.
Ahead of the educational camps that took place in March, the federation made it clear that it would reposition the meal and education schedule to accommodate players who wished to fully practice the religious ritual.
Some left-wing politicians, coaches and former players were outraged; The federation has denied allegations of discrimination.
The secular context in France also prevents league referees from allowing breaks in matches to allow Muslim players to break their fast by eating and drinking something on the sidelines of night matches. These pauses have been allowed in neighboring countries such as Germany, England, and the Netherlands.
French secularism, while affirming religious freedom, asserts that the state favors any religion and remains neutral. The French Football Federation (FFF) says part of its project is to maintain strict respect for secularism in public life.
Critics say this leads to anti-Muslim rules.
“They must be forbidden to be Muslims. Whether we like it or not, it’s a component of their identity that we want to erase,” said Demba Ba, a French-born, Muslim former Senegalese foreigner.
He says he has fasted during the Ramadan of his professional career, even on days when he is in good shape. He described the difficult days when he played in the English Premier League with Newcastle, with games rarely scheduled for 1:00 p. m. in the summer, when the sun sets late in this component of England.
While Catholicism remains the main group, Islam is the second largest in France and accounts for about 10% of the population.
In Muslim countries, clubs are modifying their educational calendars to make it less difficult for players to progress quickly in Ramadan. In recent years, Western countries have followed suit and French technology is increasingly isolated.
In the English Premier League, captains of clubs with Muslim players can arrange with referees a sunset break to allow players to break their fast. Australian football authorities have taken the same approach, introducing breaks for players observing Ramadan for the first time. this season. In the U. S. , Major League Soccer brought drinking breaks last year.
In addition, some Premier Leagues have signed a Muslim Athletes’ Charter, pledging to create a more inclusive environment.
In France, Nantes coach Antoine Kombouaré said last year that he had helped his players adapt their schedules to the demands of Ramadan, but that fasting on a day when they were fit was not an option.
Kombouaré would let the players speed up the week, but on the day he was fit he wouldn’t pick those who did.
“I respect the fact that a player is fasting. But on the other hand, you have to abide by the rules that I’ve set, and that applies to everyone,” Kombouaré said.
Philippe Diallo, president of the FFF, denies accusations that the federation bans the observance of Ramadan through its strict rules.
“No one in the federation, starting with me, has forbidden fasting,” Diallo told France Info. “I cannot accept that it is said that the FFF practices religious discrimination. “
The FFF says fasting players can skip meals and receive medical advice. He also claims that Muslim players who postpone their fasting days will have a valid excuse in the eyes of the devout authorities.
The controversy, which came to light last year when French under-23 players allegedly threatened to strike over the right to fast, intensified after Habib Beye, the coach of Paris-based Red Star, criticized the federation’s framework related to fast.
“I respect the religion of my players, whatever it is,” Beye said last week. “I also have players who practice Lent. We only see the disadvantages, but I only see the advantages. It creates cohesion, exchanges, solidarity that other people probably wouldn’t see on a football field.
Beye, who says he is the son of a Muslim and a Catholic, believes strict rules are imposed on Muslim players.
“I call it discrimination,” he said.
Water and dates are the classic Muslim way to break the fast Ramadan. Last year, Paris Saint-Germain enthusiasts mocked the federation’s regulations by unfurling a banner in an attack that read: “One date, one glass of water: the nightmare of the FFF. “
The controversy is reigniting the lingering debate over secularism, still volatile more than a century after the 1905 law on the separation of church and state made it a precept of the French Republic. The country’s constitution states: “France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social republic. It guarantees the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction as to origin, race or religion.
Razika Adnani, a secular philosopher who studies relations with Islam, welcomed the FFF’s resolution to uphold the ban on disrupting fast-track matches. Rejecting such breaks, he said the federation protects Muslims who don’t practice rapids, but who simply pretend to do it fast and chorus of drinking water, to avoid retaliation from Muslim fanatics.
“In the beginning, breaking the rapid was a personal matter,” he wrote in an op-ed for Le Figaro newspaper. “It was done at home, with the family or in a restaurant. To interrupt matches to allow players to break Ramadan rapid, which is more than just a ‘refreshing break’, is to create this Ramadan atmosphere on the football pitch and impose it on all the players, all the fans, all the spectators, as a fait accompli. “
No Ramadan-related incidents were reported at the latest gathering of top-level French foreign players. But French media reported last week that Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diawara refused to sign up for France’s U-19 team’s educational camp after learning about the rules of the devout fast. Lyon and the French federation did not explain the reason for Diawara’s refusal to attend.
To be impartial, Diallo said there simply won’t be any adjustments to schedules or unusual practices at educational camps for purely religious reasons.
“I respect everybody’s beliefs,” he said. When the players for the French national team are decided, I don’t ask them about their religion. “
The FFF insists that the rules are un-Islamic and that players who want to practice, for example, the Lenten fast, should also respect the federation’s framework and would be taken into account.
The controversies are reminiscent of the heated debate that erupted when France’s administrative court ruled last year that the French Football Federation had the right to ban the veil in competitions, even if the move could limit freedom of expression.
The Council of State issued its ruling after an organization of footballers who wear clothes, called “Los Hijabeuses” (the word hijab refers to them) campaigned against the ban and filed a lawsuit.
Eleventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov came out strong Thursday night against top seed Carlos Alcaraz and won 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, his first win over a top-five player in just five years.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who beat underdog Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 7-5, will face Dimitrov in the semifinals on Friday. Second seed Jannik Sinner will face No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal, a rematch of last year. final won through Medvedev.
Dimitrov said he didn’t need to compare the quality of his game against Alcaraz “because I have to play tomorrow. I’m trying to stay informed. That’s our game. You enjoy it, of course. I’m very happy with the existing win. Then, you need to move on temporarily and start focusing on the next game.
Alcaraz, the 2022 champion, came into this tournament with a win over Medvedev in Indian Wells. But the world number two struggled to place his game against Dimitrov and was visibly frustrated at various points in the first set.
But Alcaraz didn’t get away even after falling 4-2 in the second set. He broke Dimitrov for love, then held serve to put the set at 4-4. Dimitrov, however, won the last two games, breaking Alcaraz in the deciding game.
Alacaraz Dimitrov played “almost perfectly”.
“I’m getting a lot of frustration right now because it made me feel like I was 13,” said Alcaraz, 20. “It’s crazy. I talk to my team saying I don’t know what to do. I don’t know his weakness, I don’t know anything.
It’s Dimitrov’s first win over a top-five player since beating No. 1 at the time. 3 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the 2019 US Open.
On the women’s side, fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina once back had to string together a 3-set combination to the limit before beating 27th-seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(2) in the semifinals.
Rybakina, fourth on the WTA Tour, will face unseeded Danielle Collins, who beat 14th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday. Rybakina reached last year’s final, losing in straight sets to Petra Kvitová.
“This year is very different,” Rybakina said. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be in the final because I wasn’t very prepared for this tournament, but I’m satisfied that I controlled the fight through all those matches and was back in the final. “
A day off will likely be welcome for Rybakina, who has been forced to 3 sets in every match of this tournament. Thursday’s match lasted 2 hours and 33 minutes and she told Tennis Channel that for the first time in her career. , rested the days between fits in a tournament.
“In the beginning, those long matches helped me get back in shape,” Rybakina said. “Now I don’t have compatibility just because I’m tired from all those long matches, but overall it was a successful tournament, no matter how I perform in the final. “
Rybakina looked to win when she broke Azarenka’s serve to take a 3-2 lead in the third set. Azarenka held four break points before hitting a two-handed backhand into the net to give Rybakina the match.
It was a reaction at the set time when Azarenka lost just two points on her serve, taking one from a double fault.
But Azarenka wasn’t done. With Rybakina serving for the adjustment, Azarenka came back to score the final set at 5-5. Then, both players held serve to send the tiebreak, which belonged to Rybakina, who led 6-1. She capped the victory with a crosscourt forehand.
Rybakina is aiming for her third name this year. She has a 4-0 record against Azarenka, two wins this year.
The 34-year-old Azarenka was looking for the oldest winner of the tournament. She has become the second-oldest semi-finalist; Venus Williams, 36, reached the semifinals in 2017.
The Kingdom’s potential bid for the 2034 World Cup demonstrates its commitment to primary events.
Ballon d’Or winner Lothar Matthaeus said on Wednesday that a move to Liverpool this summer is “not the right choice” for long-sought Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso.
Alonso has been linked with transfers to Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, all of which he spent time on as a player, having performed a surprising task at runaway Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen.
Alonso has an unbeaten team 10 points behind Bayern Munich and on course to become the top German name with eight games remaining.
In an interview with AFP and other media outlets on Wednesday, Matthaeus said succeeding outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp would be tricky for any manager and that the highly sought-after Alonso will remain at Leverkusen.
“Liverpool are not the right choice for Xabi Alonso after this season. They’ve given him more options. “
Matthaeus has spent most of his career at Bayern and said he would welcome Alonso to update outgoing coach Thomas Tuchel this summer, but admitted in Munich “(Alonso) to build a new team for the future, with new players”.
Leverkusen have won 34 games and drawn 4 of 38 this season. With the club in the last 16 of the German Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League, Alonso puts Leverkusen on course for a treble.
“Why go to Liverpool? Why leave this wonderful team that leaves us satisfied with its beautiful football, as Barcelona did 12 years ago?”
Klopp stunned the football world in January when he announced he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season after nine years with the Reds, due to exhaustion.
Matthaeus said Klopp’s good luck at Liverpool made him a difficult player to follow.
“Training at Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp is not easy because Jurgen is a hero, he’s fantastic. What is he doing wonderfully, and what can you do better?”
The 1990 World Cup-winning captain congratulated current Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, saying they were “on the right track” after returning to form with victories over France and the Netherlands last week.
But Matthaeus added: “In Germany our dream and wish is for Jürgen Klopp to be the next national coach. “
Teenagers Lamine Yamal and Endrick starred in the 3-3 draw between Brazil and Spain on Tuesday in the “One Skin” friendly, organised to highlight the fight against racism after a series of insults directed at Real Madrid striker Vinícius Júnior.
Vinícius was quiet in a game in which Brazil equalized with a penalty substituted by Lucas Paquetá in stoppage time after Rodri’s shot in the 87th minute gave Spain the lead.
Brazil overcame a two-goal deficit thanks to a draw thanks to Endrick, Vinícius’ teammate at Real Madrid, the 17-year-old Palmeiras player who had made his debut as a goalscorer for Brazil three days earlier.
The Spanish team led through 16-year-old Barcelona striker Yamal, who helped score three goals and earned a standing ovation from the crowd at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium when he came on as a substitute towards the end of the match.
“Yamal and Endrick are players who have a chance to be stars at the 2026 World Cup,” Brazil coach Dorival Júnior said. “Or they’re betting at the highest level. “
The foreign friendly came a day after Vinícius broke down in tears while speaking about the ongoing racist abuse he faces in Spain, saying he squandered the preference to keep betting but vowed to continue his fight against racism.
Vinícius applauded loudly when he came on in the 71st minute. The 23-year-old Brazilian, who captained the Seleçao on Tuesday, earned the biggest boos when he announced his call-up before the game.
The Brazilian players entered the field dressed in black jackets with the slogan “One Skin, One Identity. “The jackets will be auctioned off with an anti-racism campaign.
Vinícius, accused of provoking fans and opponents, had verbal altercations with Spanish players, adding from the bench after leaving the match. He also sent off Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte when play was stopped.
Laporte tweeted after the game: “Maybe I was looking to dance. . . ?” he accompanied in a past tweet with the symbol of Vinícius’ push and quoting the Brazilian on Monday, when he said: “I just need to play football. “.
The friendly was organised through Spanish and Brazilian football officials, amid the uproar that followed the racist abuse directed at Vinícius in the Spanish league in Valencia 10 months ago. Many think that the incident would mark a turning point for football in Spain, but some other wave of racist abuse directed at Vinícius followed.
Although the main focus is on Vinícius, it is Yamal who threatens the most with his speed and quick movements to leave the Brazilian defenders behind.
Rodri gave Spain the lead by converting a penalty in the 13th minute after Yamal raced down the right side and brought down Joao Gomes in the box.
Vinícius received Brazil’s first shot on goal in the 17th minute, but fired through Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Yamal scored Dani Olmo’s goal in the 36th minute and Rodrigo pulled Brazil out of the tie in the 40th after a mistake by Simon.
Endrick, who will arrive in Spain at the end of the season, equalised and also had to take the penalty awarded, but gave the ball to Paquetá. The crowd laughed because they wanted to see the new madridista go out and score again.
Vinícius came out to protect Endrick from the bench after the Spanish players complained loudly about a serious foul committed by their long-distance teammate late in the match.
The Spaniards were upset by the way the Brazilian players celebrated the equalizer in front of the Spanish fans.
Spain, which will play the next European Championship in Germany, was coming off a 1-0 loss to Colombia in London on Friday.
“I’m satisfied because we were better than Brazil in every aspect,” coach Luis de los Angeles Fuente said. “I’m proud of the game we played. “
De los Angeles Fuente said he was “embarrassed” by the taunts directed at Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata in the crowd at the Bernabeu, where Morata had a previous stint in his career.
Vinícius has been the victim of racist insults since his arrival in Spain six years ago. He complained on Monday about the lack of sanctions against the perpetrators and called for the help of FIFA, UEFA and other football institutions in the fight against racism.