Brazil ask for var clarification
SOCHI: The Brazilian Football Confederation is questioning FIFA about the procedures used for video review during Brazil's match against Switzerland at the World Cup. The confederation says they are asking FIFA to clarify if the system was used during two key second-half decisions that went against the five-time world champion in the 1-1 opening draw on Sunday. The first was a push on defender Miranda that aided Switzerland's equalizer, and the second was a no-call that Brazil felt should have produced a penalty on a play involving forward Gabriel Jesus. The confederation says on Monday "these two actions constitute ... clear errors by the referee, which thus should form part of the reviewable decisions that are analyzed through VAR." The confederation says they wants to know whether the plays were reviewed in any way, saying "transparency is of essence."
Griezmann leaves training
MOSCOW: France forward Antoine Griezmann withdrew from a training session after taking a hit to his Achilles tendon, but his participation in France's next 2018 FIFA World Cup match against Peru is not in doubt, for now. The Atletico Madrid forward did a specific workout alongside Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti and Monaco's Thomas lemar, both of whom have been struggling with physical issues in recent days. Griezmann, who had been trouble-free until Monday, only ran for a few moments with one of the team's physical trainers before leaving the session shortly afterwards.
Saudis safe after in-flight drama
MOSCOW: Saudi team officials say the players have landed safely after a reported engine failure on their flight to Rostov-on-Don for a World Cup game against Uruguay. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation posted a statement on Twitter saying it "would like to reassure everyone that all the Saudi national team players are safe, after a technical failure in one of the airplane engines that has just landed in Rostov-on-Don airport, and now they're heading to their residence safely." The team posted photos of the players exiting the plane and smiling on Monday night but did not release further details of the engine problem.
'Argentina must put tie behind'
BRONNITSY: Defender Gabriel Mercado said Argentina is "aware of what's at stake" following its 1-1 World Cup tie with Iceland and would perform well against Croatia. "No one wants to qualify more than us and to put the country in a good position," the 31-year-old Mercado said in a press conference at Argentina's training centre here on Monday. Mercado said coach Jorge Sampaoli's squad "is convinced about what's ahead," referring to the match with Group D leader Croatia. Argentina must "not look back," Mercado, who plays for Spain's Sevilla, said. "It can be fixed, but we can't be dwelling on it. look ahead, so we can try to win the next match with Croatia."