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A32    sports
             Diaranson 21 september 2022

                       World Cup, Euro 2024 already weigh on Nations League games


                                                                                                   League  games  in  seven  days  The draw is expected to have
                                                                                                   to earn promotion.           seven  five-team  groups  and
                                                                                                                                three  six-team  groups,  with
                                                                                                   Ukraine,  which  lost  in  the  the top two in each advanc-
                                                                                                   World Cup playoffs and failed  ing.
                                                                                                   to qualify for the tournament
                                                                                                   in  Qatar,  starts  on  Wednes-  The  12  teams  competing  in
                                                                                                   day  in  Scotland.  The  team  the  Euro  2024  playoffs  for
                                                                                                   then  travels  to  Armenia  on  three  places  at  the  tourna-
                                                                                                   Saturday and finishes against  ment will be selected accord-
                                                                                                   Scotland again next Tuesday.  ing to Nations League stand-
                                                                                                   Ukraine will host that game  ings. All group winners next
                                                                                                   in Kraków, Poland.           Tuesday are assured of a play-
                                                                                                                                off place.
                                                                                                   Russia was removed from its
                                                                                                   second-tier  group  by  UEFA  TESTING          SQUAD
                                                                                                   and  automatically  demoted  STRENGTH
                                                                                                   to the third tier for the 2024
                                                                                                   edition,  leaving  Israel,  Ice-  The  World  Cup  is  taking
                                                                                                   land and Albania to play in a  place in the heart of the tra-
                                                                                                   three-team  pool  for  promo-  ditional European season for
            (AP)  –  The  13  European  53 games over seven days.     League in 2024.              tion.                        the first time, leaving nation-
            national  teams  going  to  In the 16-team League A, the                                                            al team coaches little prepara-
            this year's World Cup will  top team in each of the four  HAALAND,        UKRAINE  EURO 2024                        tion time.
            play their last competitive  groups  will  advance  to  the  RISING
            soccer  games  in  the  Na-  Final Four tournament. The                                The  qualifying  group  draw  Typically, teams have two or
            tions  League  this  week,  current leaders are Denmark,  Teams  leading  second-tier  for  the  Euro  2024  tourna-  three  friendly  games  in  an
            two  months  before  the  Spain,  Hungary  and  the  groups  and  challenging  for  ment  in  Germany  will  be  extended build-up to a tour-
            tournament  starts  in  Qa-  Netherlands.                 promotion  include  Norway  made Oct. 9 in Frankfurt and  nament. Not this time, with
            tar.                                                      —  led  by  Erling  Haaland's  will  be  affected  by  the  Na-  most World Cup teams hav-
                                         The Final Four tournament,  five  goals  in  four  games  —  tions League.             ing  only  one  week  together
            For  the  rest  of  continent's  scheduled  for  June  14-18,  and Ukraine.                                         before group play starts.
            teams — with the exception  will be hosted by the winner                               The four top-tier group win-
            of  Russia,  which  has  been  of the group that includes the  Norway, which did not qual-  ners next week will go into a  This  international  break  is
            suspended because of the war  Netherlands  and  Belgium.  ify  for  the  World  Cup,  can  Euro  2024  qualifying  group  key for coaches  to  put  ideas
            in Ukraine — next week's fi-  Those  two  countries  will  earn  promotion  on  Tuesday  of  only  five  teams  to  clear  in place and maybe test squad
            nal Nations League standings  meet in the decisive match in  against Serbia.           their  schedules  for  the  Na-  strength.
            will  decide  the  playoff  path  Group A4 on Sunday in the                            tions League Final Four.
            some will need to qualify for  Netherlands.               Ukraine  has  been  unable  to                            Indeed, for some players, de-
            the 2024 European Champi-                                 host  games  in  international  The  Euro  2024  qualifying  cisive Nations League quali-
            onship.                      Other  standout  games  in-  competitions  because  of  the  draw  is  expected  to  have  53  fiers essentially double up as
                                         clude: Portugal vs. Spain on  Russian  invasion  and  now  teams, leaving out host Ger-  trials to get into World Cup
            Elsewhere in Europe, World  Tuesday; Denmark vs. France  has  to  play  three  Nations  many and suspended Russia.  squads.
            Cup-bound  teams  includ-    on Sunday; and Italy vs. Eng-
            ing Brazil, the United States,  land on Friday.
            Ghana, Japan and Qatar will                                  T-wolves' Edwards fined $40K by NBA for
            play warmup games.           Those  last  two  games  have
                                         relegation     implications.                        homophobic remark
            NATIONS LEAGUE               World Cup champion France
                                         and England are currently in
            The  group  stage  of  the  Na-  last place in their groups and   (AP)  —  Minnesota  Tim-  hurtful,  and  disrespectful,  by the league in the past for
            tions  League  will  be  com-  could be relegated to the sec-  berwolves guard Anthony  and I'm incredibly sorry. It's  anti-gay language.
            pleted with 54 teams playing  ond tier for the next Nations   Edwards was fined $40,000  unacceptable for me or any-
                                                                      by  the  NBA  on  Tuesday  one  to  use  that  language  in  The  first  overall  pick  in  the
                                                                      for  homophobic  com-        such a hurtful way," Edwards  2020  draft,  Edwards  was
                                                                      ments  he  made  on  social  tweeted  last  week.  "There's  Minnesota's  second-leading
                                                                      media.                       no excuse for it, at all. I was  scorer  last  season  with  an
                                                                                                   raised better than that!"    average  of  21.3  points  per
                                                                      The  league  announced  the                               game that ranked 19th in the
                                                                      punishment for Edwards' use  Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant,  league.  His  average  of  1.5
                                                                      of  "offensive  and  derogatory  Rajon Rondo and Kobe Bry-  steals  per  game  was  13th  in
                                                                      language"  in  a  since-delet-  ant are among the NBA play-  the NBA.
                                                                      ed  Instagram  video  he  later  ers  who've  been  disciplined
                                                                      apologized for.

                                                                      Edwards recorded a group of
                                                                      men on a sidewalk from a ve-
                                                                      hicle he was inside and could
                                                                      be  heard  in  making  a  dis-
                                                                      paraging,  profane  comment
                                                                      about what he assumed to be
                                                                      their  sexual  orientation.  He
                                                                      posted  an  apology  on  Twit-
                                                                      ter soon after, and the Tim-
                                                                      berwolves issued a statement
                                                                      reprimanding  their  young
                                                                      star

                                                                      "What  I  said  was  immature,
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