All posts by Carmen Gomaro

Carmen Gomaro - leading international news and investigative reporter. Worked at various media outlets in Spain, Argentina and Colombia, including Diario de Cádiz, CNN+, Telemadrid and EFE.
SPAIN

ERC demands the transfer of the Via Laietana Police Headquarters to invest Pedro Sánchez

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A year ago, the ERC Government already announced that one of the “first battles” that the Generalitat would address in its bilateral meetings with the Government would be the transfer of the National Police Headquarters in Via Laietana, the epicenter of the independence protests during The 'procés' was again last Sunday, the anniversary of 1-O when some protesters threw miniature ballot boxes against the façade. For sovereignty, the police building is a symbol of “repression” since it concentrates the majority of mobilizations and was even the scene of the 'battle of Urquinaona' with serious clashes with the agents. However, constitutionalism has also shown its support for the police forces with several tributes to the police officers who guard it, such as the loud applause of the 😯 demonstration six years ago, the same one that they want to repeat this Sunday to reproach a possible amnesty.

The Generalitat wants the transfer of the Headquarters to locate the headquarters of the Democratic Memorial, despite the fact that the Barcelona City Council also aspires to keep the property to dedicate a “space to remember the political repression, the Franco regime and also the torture that exists in everyone”. Although the Government has been reticent about the transfer and even carried out work to improve the Headquarters, where agents of the National Police continue to work, the need for the socialist candidate Pedro Sánchez to have the votes of ERC and JxCat to be invested could turn the situation around.

And, as EL MUNDO learned, one of ERC's requests to give its support to the PSOE involves the commitment for the Headquarters building to be transferred to the Generalitat, which would imply that the State would lose one of its most important buildings. emblematic buildings in the city and the police officers who carry out their duties there will disperse to other locations in the community, such as the La Verneda police complex.. The Government has always rejected the transfer, arguing that a “fully democratic police force” works at the Headquarters.

While the negotiations are being negotiated, the Barcelona City Council continued with the project of honoring the people who suffered torture in the building during the Franco regime and within the reform of Via Laietana they placed some tiles, with the words 'Justice', 'Reparation', ' Memory' and 'Truth' in front of Headquarters. This is not the first time that the City Council has tried to recover the historical memory of this location since in the previous term of Mayor Ada Colau a lectern was located that remembered these tortures and that was vandalized several times until it was removed.

The new tiles placed by the Consistory now governed by the socialist Jaume Collboni have provoked the rejection of opposition parties such as PP and Vox, as well as police unions who are suspicious of this tribute, considering it as a prelude to a possible transfer of Headquarters. to the Generalitat for its support for Sánchez. In this way, Ibón Domínguez, spokesperson for Jupol, believes that the building on Via Laietana can “be a bargaining chip in the investiture agreement” since “it is a historical demand of the independentists to turn it into a torture museum.”. “If the Government is capable of carrying out an amnesty law, how is the Higher Headquarters of Catalonia going to give in,” said Domínguez, who expressed his “concern” about the tiles placed by the City Council since they “buy the independence story.”

For this reason, Domínguez urged the acting Government to “rethink and not sell the National Police again in exchange for a handful of votes” and added that “today more than ever it is necessary for the institutions to defend the Forces and Corps.” of State Security and also protect their workplaces”. “There is no functional or operational reason for the Vía Laietana Police to be moved,” said the Jupol spokesperson, who added that “dozens of agents and personnel from the National Police administration currently work in these offices, so “The transfer of these units to new ones that meet the necessary characteristics would be very complicated and would mean a reduction in the working and operational conditions of the National Police in Barcelona.”

“We are very concerned about the situation of the Higher Police Headquarters in Catalonia, because we sincerely believe that this time the State is going to give in to the pressure of the independentists,” remarked the Jupol spokesperson, who recalled that the agents stationed in Catalonia continue to “suffer “sovereignist” harassment without receiving any type of economic compensation, as we have been demanding for a long time, and even the Minister of the Interior promised to recognize Catalonia as a special area of singularity and today our colleagues in Catalonia do not receive any supplement and what they do is stay the minimum amount of time necessary before requesting a new destination.

Activists throw toy ballot boxes and voting ballots in front of the Quique García police station EFE

Also the spokesperson for the Professional Police Union (SPP), José de la Fuente, pointed out that the installation of the tiles is “deeply misguided, since it attacks the members of the National Police Corps, undermines the image of the National Police and undermines the dignity of all police officers who work in Catalonia”. Furthermore, he expressed his surprise that “the current PSC team, supported by the PP, has continued with the same municipal policy of harassment and demolition of the police headquarters on Via Laietana and therefore the National Police” with the placement of these tiles.

“Some of the tiles are engraved with the word 'Memory'. Perhaps with this word, and the desire of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya to recover this building, what they want is to remember the first government of Lluis Companys in 1934, when Josep Dencàs was Minister of the Government and was in charge of the Miquel Public Order Police Station. Badía – all of them from ERC – directed and carried out a great repression on the anarchists, common criminals and others whom he subjected to torture in the headquarters of the Higher Police Headquarters of Vía Layetana” remarked the SPP spokesperson who He added that “it's good to have a memory but not so selective.”

The Spanish Police Confederation (CEP) regrets “the fetishistic obsession of the radical independence movement, which has turned a building, that of our Higher Headquarters in Barcelona, into a kind of symbol of unknown political purposes.”. And it does so, furthermore, by dusting off alleged torture that would have been committed in the last century, in the midst of the dictatorship, within those facilities.. It gives us the feeling that the clock of these groups has stopped and that they have been trapped in an outdated era.”. Thus, they highlight that this group “lives ensconced in hatred and resentment from the past” when they have overcome “this type of obsession with generosity, harmony and looking to the future” and the Police is a “modern” institution with agents who did not live through the dictatorship. .

“In the Vía Layetana building there are colleagues whose only priority is to protect the lives and property of citizens, prevent crime, assist the most vulnerable groups, protect victims and guarantee that Barcelonans and Catalans can live and work. normally, without any physical or cyber threat interrupting the intense commercial, economic, social, cultural or educational activity, among many others.. We do not know or understand about torture or events that occurred when we were not even born.. What we do understand is that it is a legitimate, democratic profession subject to the rule of law,” the CEP emphasizes.

Furthermore, they oppose any transfer of that building in the face of “the insistent claim of certain Catalan social and political groups” that cannot condition the Ministry of the Interior and believe that, for that same reason, “they should request the closure of all the facilities of the Mossos d'Esquadra in which any case of torture has been registered in these decades” which for the union is “a ridiculous claim” since crimes “in a State of Law, are committed by people, convicted by a final sentence , and not institutions or buildings”. They also remember that the Government promised not to give up the Headquarters and regretted that “the withdrawal of the National Police in Catalonia, whether from a building or any staff, constitutes an attack on the rights of the citizens of that Autonomous Community.”

The union assures that “in an essential public service, such as security, there is no one left over and every resource is insufficient to fight crime and to protect the victims and those who are most vulnerable to hatred or extremism.. “Whoever defends that the National Police is unnecessary, that its buildings are a nuisance, is demonstrating that their sectarianism is of such caliber that they are capable of putting outdated political obsessions before the necessary security and protection of all.”

SPORTS

Barça grits its teeth to win in Porto

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Gritting your teeth and for the minimum. This is how Barça managed to win a long-suffering victory against Porto that allows them to climb to the top of their group in the Champions League.. Ferran Torres, an emergency replacement for Lewandowski forced to go to the locker room early due to a strong rival challenge, was in charge on this occasion of scoring a goal that was worth its weight in gold for the Blaugrana.. In the end, 0-1 was enough for Xavi's team, against an opponent who harassed and knocked down their goal and who had one more on the pitch after Gavi was sent off for a double yellow card.. [Narrative and statistics]

Football often has unexpected twists and turns.. Although Porto had the clearest options to open the scoring, with continuous harassment of the Barça area, it was Barça that went into the break ahead in the bright. Ferran Torres, replacement for Lewandowski who left the field after half an hour due to a severe blow to his left ankle, took perfect advantage of a good assist from Gündogan after a mistake by Romario Baró to open the scoring in added time in the first half.. His delivery was of no use to the locals.. Nor, claiming a penalty that was not awarded as such by either the referee or the VAR.. No matter how well they had done until then, everything went uphill for them in just a breath.

After the restart, Porto took to the field with all their might.. And it didn't take long for him to have a great option, through Pepé who stood alone against Ter Stegen, who Koundé, at the limit, managed to send for a corner.. The Portuguese team tried to recover its most incisive version. The same one that put water up to Barça's neck at the start of the first half. The Barcelona defense, however, was much more solid in this case..

Many options of Porto

And it was precisely that solidity that also allowed Xavi's men to have a little more control of the game.. But, even so, it was once again the Portuguese who were most clearly around the goal, after a mistake in the Barça start culminated in a shot by Taremi that missed very close to the post.. And Wendell, shortly after, would test the mettle under the sticks of a very concentrated Ter Stegen.

The Barça goalkeeper still had to make a couple more good saves. One, forced shot by Taremi. The other, in a distant shot of Galen. Things could have gotten complicated for Barça in the final stretch of the duel. In the first instance, due to a penalty awarded in the first instance by Anthony Taylor for a handball by Cancelo, which was finally invalidated at the request of the VAR due to a previous handball by Eustaquio. In the second, due to a scissors goal by Taremi, which was in turn invalidated due to offside. The locals tried again and again. In a thousand possible ways. But the three points, in the end, went to Barcelona.

INTERNATIONAL

When Tinder becomes the job board for young people in China

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Who. The young people of the Asian giant have found in the well-known dating 'app' a useful instrument to access positions in the labor market.

That. Unemployment hits this sector of the population especially hard, with a record figure of 21.3% last June.

Because. The application has features that make it especially useful for connecting with people who work in large companies.

Red flags with five stars are everywhere. They hang from facades, street lamps and trees. In the sky, helicopters deploy a giant flag every day that flies over the skyline of Shanghai and the Great Wall of Beijing.. At street level, delivery people carry them on motorcycles and people walk with them in their hands.. There are many improvised street stalls with national flags. Many sellers have taken advantage of the patriotic explosion over China's National Day holidays, which coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival.. At the end a long bridge comes together that gives millions of Chinese their longest vacation of the year. This is what is popularly known as Golden Week.. Eight holidays in total, with 900 million trips planned, ending on Friday.

“So that later in Europe you say that we Chinese don't have vacations,” jokes Sarah Fenglan, a twenty-something who works at an international consultancy in Shanghai.. In reality, she knows well that this national recess, like all long holidays, has a catch.. “Then they make us work several Saturdays and Sundays in a row to make up the days. It is normal in Chinese companies,” he acknowledges.

Sarah, trained in English philology, has been working in the consultancy for five months. He had been an accountant at a moving company that went bankrupt during the pandemic. Later, she opened a cosmetics store with a couple of friends in the center of Shanghai that never got off the ground.. Diving into the labor market again, he found work thanks to Tinder.

“I had never used the app before, not even to flirt. But several publications began to appear on social networks with testimonies of young people who had found work by connecting directly with employers who are on Tinder.. I started using the app and met a guy who worked in a consultancy. I told him I was looking for a job and he offered to help me.. He passed my resume to his boss and two weeks later they called me,” explains Sarah. That guy from Tinder, in addition to being a coworker, is now also her boyfriend.

Last month, Sixth Tone, a Shanghai magazine that dedicates many reports to the problems of Chinese youth, published an analysis on how many kids, faced with rising unemployment, are turning to the dating app to look for work.. Tinder is serving as a replacement for LinkedIn, which pulled out of the Chinese market this year.

“The app has several features that make it useful for job seekers: It allows users to connect with people outside their immediate social circle. Most users on China's Tinder are adults with a decent job, so there are higher chances of getting referrals at a big company. Many people also include the names of their employers and universities in their profiles, and it is possible to select users based on their gender, age and interests,” the article reads.

The historic youth unemployment is to blame for the fact that, for many Chinese, Tinder has become the most popular job board. Unemployment reached a record of 21.3% in June. One in five young people is unemployed. What is the first thing the Chinese government did in response to the contagious discouragement among recent graduates? Well, he decided to hide unemployment figures by age for the first time.. We have not known the data for three months. It is an old resource that they often resort to in Beijing when the waters are troubled: if you close your eyes, the problem disappears.

INTERNATIONAL

Macron proposes modifying the Constitution and expanding the use of referendum

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The French president, Emmanuel Macron, proposed this Wednesday a reform of the current Constitution, which, when it was approved in 1958, inaugurated the Fifth Republic and is now celebrating its 65th anniversary.. Since then it has not been touched, but in a speech to commemorate this date, Macron has proposed a modification of the text to be able to expand the use of the referendum, simplify the processes to carry out the popular consultation, and has also opened the door to a certain decentralization that of more capacity for action to the territories.

“I believe that the Constitution deserves to be reviewed when necessary, taking into account two major imperatives: to be consistent and coherent,” said Macron, who recalled that the modification of the constitutional text should not respond to “a stroke of emotion, to respond to a fashion”, but to “concrete needs”. This is why, Macron recalled, it has not been modified until now.

The president gave his speech at the headquarters of the Constitutional Council, a body created in 1958 to ensure the Magna Carta. What he proposes is to touch article 11, to expand the use of the referendum “in aspects that are important for the nation”. Macron's speech comes at a particular moment. The Government, which does not have a majority in Parliament, is about to present its Immigration Law, which at the moment does not have support in the seats. The right-wing and extreme-right parties had proposed that this issue could be submitted to consultation.

A few weeks ago, the president met all the opposition parties in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris, to try to join forces and raised the possibility of resorting to a referendum on issues that are sensitive for the French.. In recent months, the president has been widely criticized for having approved his controversial pension reform through article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows a text to be carried out without a parliamentary vote.. Almost the entire country opposed the reform and was accused of flouting democracy and not taking citizens into account.

With this idea of expanding consultations on key topics, try to change this image. Macron has also proposed simplifying the process to call a shared initiative referendum (RIP, in its French acronym), which allows organizing a popular consultation on a proposed law.. The problem is that the process is very complex, since it requires parliamentary support, then the collection of signatures from at least 10% of the voters, and then it must go through the chambers again.

This procedure, which was introduced in 2008, is so cumbersome that one has never been held. The last attempt was in spring, when Macron approved the pension reform. Then, the left-wing parties presented a referendum initiative to the Constitutional Council, but it did not approve it.

“More participatory” democracy

With his proposal to make this tool more flexible, Macron seeks “a more deliberative democracy that improves participation”, but he has warned: “I do not believe that a referendum should be held on what Parliament has already decided”, because “it would be a parallel decision-making system. He has warned that “we must avoid all confusion and preserve the form of representative democracy”, because, if not, the Republic “would weaken and lose its strength.”

The French president has also been in favor of giving more freedom to the territories and that “the specificities and singularities” of some of them be included in the Magna Carta. He refers to New Caledonia, which already has a special status, and to the island of Corsica, where he visited last week. There, he opened the door to giving a statute of autonomy and incorporating it into the Constitution.

“Our entire territorial architecture needs to be rethought,” said Macron, who has shown himself open to exploring “a new state of decentralization.”

Macron has also reiterated his desire to include in the Constitution the freedom of women to resort to voluntary termination of pregnancy as well as the protection of the environment.

The current Constitution opened the door to the Fifth Republic. It was approved on October 4, 1958, after having been voted in a referendum by 82% of French people.. Establishes that France is an “indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic”. It is, Macron recalled, a text “heir to the French Revolution”, which “allows regeneration, renewal and revolution.”

ECONOMY

Low cost continues to take over large operators: it will capture half of operator changes in 2024

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Price continues to be the main factor that moves Spaniards to choose their telephone company, which is translating into increasingly accelerated growth of low-cost operators in Spain. In fact, they are expected to account for 53% of registrations next year.

According to a report on consumption patterns in the sector by the consulting firm Oliver Wyman, 46% of Spaniards are considering changing operators soon and price is the most important thing for them.. The report also states that more than 40% of customers who plan to change companies will do so from a traditional operator to a low-cost one, while only 12% plan to go the other way.

The perspectives drawn by the report from the prestigious strategic consulting firm are not particularly rosy for the large European operators, with the Spanish brands in this segment being the main losers.

Although the firm does note a drop in the number of total operator changes that are taking place in Spain, compared to the records of previous years, it also warns that Spain is below the rest of the European countries in terms of penetration of this type of operators compared to traditional ones.

“In an inflationary context, in which some operators have also raised prices in the last 12-24 months, households seek to adjust their spending. The report shows a clear European trend in favor of low-cost mobile operators that is accentuated in Spain,” says Beatriz Lacave, partner of the Telecommunications, Media and Technology industry at Oliver Wyman.. Furthermore, the expert adds that a certain “captivity” is also seen in the low-cost customer: when they switch to an operator with these characteristics, it is very rare for them to return to the customer list of a traditional operator.

While in Spain, this type of low-cost companies do not exceed 34% market share in any age cohort, in Germany, almost half of people over 55 years of age have their mobile services contracted with a low-cost operator. cost, while the percentage of those under 35 years of age who trust this type of company exceeds 40% in that country, France and Italy, compared to 32% who do so in Spain.

This is due, the firm explains, to the fact that in Spain the percentage of users who have a convergent package, that is, one that combines the connection at home with the mobile rate in the same offer. An element that could put an end to this advantage for large operators is that their low-cost rivals also offer these services, unlike in the rest of European countries, where telephone companies with the lowest prices limit themselves to selling mobile rates. .

The consultancy's diagnosis is quite uniform in the markets it addresses (Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, apart from Spain) and agrees that traditional players are seeing their position in the market eroded due to the push of this type of operators. , with the sole exception of Germany.

In this sense, the firm's experts conclude that one of the problems is that the connectivity offer between both actors is increasingly similar, with the only exception of pay television and own audiovisual content, a field in which, in In the Spanish case, low-cost players such as Digi and other market disruptors such as Avatel are also arriving.

For their part, the large Spanish operators have also chosen to protect themselves by reviving subsidies to the terminals, an element that increases customer loyalty, bound by contract for the duration of the financing to the operator.. To counterattack, operators such as Avatel itself and Parlem have closed agreements with Rentik, the terminal rental company of the Dominion group, which is gaining increasing weight as a partner for managing the device strategy of smaller operators.

The end of the year is traditionally a month of a large number of operator changes and in which terminals play a fundamental role due to Black Friday and Christmas campaigns and the launch of new terminals from companies such as Apple and Google.

ECONOMY

Time of silence: the Saudi landing in Telefónica marks a month of silence waiting for official notification

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Since, late on a Tuesday afternoon, the Saudi operator STC Group notified the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) of the purchase of 9.9% of Telefónica, just one month has passed.. 30 days in which few details have transcended beyond those revealed by the investor when he issued a notification to the market supervisor in which he revealed the figures of the operation and showed his confidence in the current management team.

The operation involved the acquisition of almost 10% of capital, just below the anti-takeover shield, for 2.1 billion euros and was implemented through the purchase of 4.9% directly and 5% through instruments financial assets in the possession of Morgan Stanley, who discreetly acquired securities to put together the purchase.

Since then there have been hardly any major events. A visit by the president of Telefónica, José María Álvarez-Pallete, to Riyadh and an ordinary council at Telefónica in which the operation was explained to the directors and of which not many details have been revealed.

The lack of progress has been such that STC Group has not even formally issued the request for approval to the Ministry of Defense that it needs to directly control 9.9% of Telefónica. The operator's ties to various strategic aspects of state defense make this procedure necessary, which could be avoided if the group renounced exercising political rights in the Spanish company or appointing a director.. However, it is assumed that STC Group, controlled by the country's sovereign wealth fund, will end up notifying the operation, foreseeably already with a Government formed in the event that elections are not repeated.

The need for the Saudi landing to have government authorization has caused enormous friction in the Executive. The Sumar and Podemos wing, headed by the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz, has not only been fiercely against the investment of the Arab country, but has also tried, during negotiations, to revive the debate on the need for presence of the State in the country's large strategic companies.

An intention that the socialist Government is far from sharing, since, with the exception of Indra, it has shown itself even more willing to have a greater weight of private capital in public companies, with the sale of minority stakes in subsidiaries of companies such as Redeia (the former Red Eléctrica) or, this week, the freight transport subsidiary of Renfe, which will create a joint venture with the shipping company MSC to grow in this segment, which in turn is key for Brussels to have agreed to eliminate Recovery of tolls on highways.

Recently, it has emerged that the socialist wing of the Executive could prepare conditions similar to those accepted by IFM to receive the 'green light' for its takeover bid in Naturgy, which would include the impossibility of voting in favor of a change of headquarters outside of Spain. , For example.

NEXT KEY DATE

The next key date to learn more about the future of Telefónica will be November 8. That day, Telefónica will present quarterly results and will celebrate an 'investor day' in which it will present its new strategic plan. A long-awaited milestone in the market even before the operation.

During the event, Álvarez Pallete's management team is expected to outline the firm's strategy for the coming years, which will focus on cash generation, the growth of new digital businesses, such as those grouped in Telefónica Tech or the continuation of the digital transformation.

SPAIN

Albares calls for the release of Santiago Sánchez, the Spaniard detained in Iran

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The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, demanded this Wednesday the release of the Spaniard Santiago Sánchez, imprisoned in Iran for a year on charges that have not been revealed.

Albares made this request during an event in Madrid on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in which she criticized an “unbearable setback” in the rights of women and girls in countries such as Iran or Afghanistan.

“I take this opportunity to demand once again the release by Iran of Santiago Sánchez, unjustly detained in that country for more than a year,” said the head of Spanish diplomacy during his speech, describing it as “unacceptable.” the repression that the country exercises against protests in defense of women's rights and freedoms.

Santiago Sánchez Cogedor was arrested in early October 2022 when he was heading on foot to Qatar to watch the Soccer World Cup.. His arrest occurred amid protests in Iran following the death of young Mahsa Amini in custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing the Islamic veil incorrectly.. Precisely, the Spaniard's arrest occurred after visiting the young woman's grave.

Around the same time, the Spanish Ana Baneira was also arrested, who had allegedly participated in one of the protests that were taking place in the country, although the activist was released at the end of February.

Then, the minister promised that he would spare no effort to also achieve the release of Santiago Sánchez, but warned that maximum discretion was necessary to achieve this, with no progress being made since then.

Diplomatic sources have assured Europa Press that both the minister and the Spanish ambassador in Tehran, Ángel Losada, have continued to insist in recent months on the need for his release and the young man has received periodic consular visits.

SPORTS

In which Spanish cities will the 2030 World Cup be played? Many candidates for few chosen ones

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And, suddenly, a soccer World Cup. The designation of Spain, Portugal and Morocco as the host of the 2030 World Cup by FIFA came yesterday with several unknowns to be resolved within the candidacy itself. Regarding the championship there are answers to know and others known to measures.

To know more
Soccer. Why does Negreira and Rubiales' football win the World Cup?
  • Editor: ORFEO SUÁREZ

Why does Negreira and Rubiales' football win the World Cup?

Where will the inauguration take place?

It is practically the only official thing, what FIFA specified in its statement. It will be at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, which already opened the 1930 World Cup, the first in history. Afterwards there will be two more first phase matches in South America: one in Argentina, specifically in Buenos Aires -supposedly at the Monumental-, and another in Paraguay, in principle at the Conmebol Stadium that must be built in Asunción in the coming years.

Where will the final be played?

In principle, the favorite stadium to host the final is the recently remodeled Santiago Bernabéu while the Camp Nou, also in the process of restoration, would host the fight for third and fourth place.. According to the Moroccan Football Federation, the two semifinals will be played in the Grand Stadium of Casablanca, which has yet to be built.

What other Spanish cities will experience the World Cup?

A year ago, Spain and Portugal were close to an agreement, but the entry of Morocco into the candidacy last March changed everything.. FIFA only accepts a maximum of 16 sub-venues, but that – like everything in the body that governs football – can change. If the limit is maintained, Spain will be left with six or seven designated stadiums. With Santiago Bernabéu and Camp Nou as fixtures, three other possible venues are thought to be ahead of the rest, Metropolitano, San Mamés and La Cartuja, and there remains a long list that will fight for a handful of games: Balaídos, Riazor, El Molinón, Anoeta, Nou Mestalla, La Romareda, RCDE Stadium, Nueva Condomina, La Rosaleda and the Gran Canaria Stadium. According to 'Marca', there are some that have already been ruled out by the organization.

In which Portuguese and Moroccan cities will the championship be held?

Portugal will have three World Cup stadiums and Morocco, six. In both cases the chosen ones have already been announced. In Portugal, Do Dragao, Da Luz and José Alvalade and in Morocco, the Grand Stadium of Casablanca, the Prince Moulay Abdellah of Rabat, the Ibn Batouta of Tangier, the Adrar of Agadir, the Marrakech stadium and the Fez stadium.

How many games will there be?

In the last World Cup, in Qatar, 64 matches were played, but the expansion of the number of teams present, from 32 to 48, will multiply that number significantly.. In 2030 there will be 104 meetings. According to Moroccan media, Spain, in addition to the final and the consolidation final, will retain two quarterfinals, four round of 16 matches and eight round of 32 matches.

Spain will organize the 2030 World Cup together with Portugal and Morocco EL MUNDO (Video) / EFE (Photo) When will it take place?

The 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco has so many questions that not even its dates are known.. Historically, the championships have been held between June and July, although the last World Cup in Doha already showed that nothing is certain.. The next edition, in 2026, with the United States, Canada and Mexico as venues, will begin in June and end on July 19.

What countries will play?

The qualifying phase for the 2030 World Cup has not yet begun – nor has it started in 2026 – but there are already six qualified teams: all of which will be part of the organization. As announced by FIFA, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay already have a place. In addition, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) detailed that each country will play at home, so the opening match will have Uruguay as one of its protagonists and Spain will not visit Portugal or Morocco in their matches.. The ticket is not so important for Argentina, Spain or Uruguay, present in almost all editions, or for Portugal, fixed in the last ones, but it is for Paraguay and Morocco. The South American team has missed the last three games and the African's presence is intermittent. In 2022 he reached the semifinals, but before that he had missed 20 years, from 1998 to 2018.

SPORTS

Atlético gets on Morata's bandwagon and wins again in another defensive festival

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History did not help in this duel of football styles. The cholista Atlético de Madrid and the guardiolista Feyenoord is a territory to discover since they have never faced each other. So, the important thing was, as Simeone said in the preview, “to take the game to where damage could be done.”. If we had to choose an area, this would, without a doubt, be the defense. A line that was impressively soft at Feyenoord and, incredible as it may seem, also at Atlético. Hence the result and comeback was repeated like against Cádiz (3-2) with Morata acting as Correa. [Narrative and statistics]

It seemed logical then that the tie at two in the first half. With a Feyenoord that scored the first goal after an overwhelming first 10 minutes. With Paixao and Stengs doing a lot of damage on the wings and Ueda threatening the converted Witsel. Precisely, the Japanese found a gap behind the Dutchman and, although the shot was rejected by Oblak, the ball bounced off Hermoso, who was passing by.

The goal against did not wake up Atlético. The Dutch continued to dominate until a deep pass towards Saúl was rejected by Geertruida and Morata went ahead of the centre-backs and pocketed it before they turned. Tie with VAR suspense, which was annulled for offside at first, but which the Frenchman Letexier ended up conceding, who knows if because of the pressure that Cholo requested from the stadium. It all adds up.

The goal gave wings to Atlético who got into the game thanks to Koke and Griezmann. And then the Metropolitan experienced two miracles. One was like a central defender half a meter from the goal line took a very bad cross from Molina. Another would be celebrated by Oblak and it would be the second in the same week. If in the Cádiz game, Fali almost scored a goal from the center of the field, Wieffer tried the same and the ball went by the same few centimeters.

Feyenoord regained control at the end of the first half thanks, above all, to the fact that Witsel, who is not a central defender, must have found it rude to leave the Dutch players offside.. Between him and Azpilicueta, who fell asleep, they conceded the second goal to Feyenoord after a lateral foul that Hancock took advantage of.

Atlético suffered and the third seemed to be closer than the tie. Guardiolismo, of which the Feyenoord coach is a fan, seemed to prevail over cholismo. However, in an absurd corner in injury time. Witsel decided to fight for the ball in a small area in what seemed like the World Cup of Balloons between Piqué and Ibai until Griezmann appeared there and decided to put in the overhead kick balloon.. Swords raised for the second part.

Griezmann after finishing off a bicycle kick. PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU AFP

The second half began with the same rhythm as the first and evidencing the same problems, that the defenses of both teams were on vacation today. The second half had just begun when a lateral cross from Molina was hammered into the back of the net by Morata with Griezman in the path of the ball and offside.. He doesn't do it to finish and it doesn't influence, but this current offside thing is like the thing with hands, you never know which way the coin will fall.

And Atlético seemed to play with a coin in the second half. Fortunately, Feyenoord always had tails or Oblak provoked that result because the Slovenian had to stop several one-on-ones that the Atlético defense conceded to the fast Dutch forwards. Inane domain.

With half a minute remaining, the rival goalkeeper climbed into the area to finish off a corner from his team.. The last time someone with gloves and yellow stepped into the Atlético area, they managed to tie the game. This time it didn't happen like in Rome against Lazio. First victory for Atlético in the Champions League and they manage to climb with four points at the head of the group with the Metropolitano becoming a fortress, this time, also in Europe. There are better feelings than last year and Morata is not the same. And thank goodness.

SPORTS

Chess, sudokus and studies, the Israel González method in Berlin: "Let the players hit the coconut"

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“I have been very lucky,” Israel González (Torrelavega, 1975) repeats several times during the conversation, one of the six Spanish coaches starting in the Euroleague that starts this Thursday, completing his third year at the helm of Alba Berlin.. The coach responds to the humility and low profile with which he has reached a peak that he never imagined treading. “I always thought I would be a Physical Education teacher at a school,” he admits a few days before dawn with the German derby as his first course, against Pablo Laso's Bayern Munich, the guy with whom it all started.

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We have to go back to 2006, to Lobos Cantabria of LEB Oro, to the initial steps on the bench of the Vitorian, when he demanded that the physical trainer who put so much effort be officially part of his staff. “Because of Laso I left school and got 100% involved in basketball, he asked me to fully immerse myself in this world and convinced me to become a professional,” thanks Israel, formerly a teacher and even a librarian, always a 'crazy' basketball player.

«As a young boy I was already trying to take my first steps as a coach. I had a hobby of thinking about tactics, inventing plays, spying on rivals.. I was on the right path, because at 17 I went to the school behind my house to train children.. And I was still a junior player,” González recalls that he studied INEF thinking of fulfilling those desires, perhaps “at the regional level.”. “But one thing leads to another…”. While studying in the Canary Islands, he met Himar Ojeda at the university and together they forged a path that has led to Berlin, where one is sports director and the other is head coach.

The youngest team

With the lowest budget in the Euroleague and the youngest team, Alba, however, has become an entertainer of the competition. For its status as a springboard club and for the courage of its commitment on the field: “counterattacks, quick transitions and freedom in attack”. Everything well measured by Israel González, who drank from the best sources. «Laso and Aíto are my two great mentors. I would add Pedro Martínez. I have also worked with Manolo Hussein and Luis Casimiro,” says the Cantabrian, who took over from maestro Aíto García Reneses two seasons ago after several more working alongside him, a “German-style” succession, “learning from the best. He has written the basketball book, he is the how coach.

The González method does not include shouts or fuss and does include a lot of innovation. There is no other option to compete in the jungle of the Euroleague against infinitely larger budgets. This season, for example, they have lost their franchise player, Luke Sikma (Olympiacos) and other fundamental players such as Maodo Lo (Milan) and Ben Lammers (Gran Canaria).. «Society is changing. Young people must be treated differently. Imposing your ideas is going to lose strength. However, I think you have to convince with your proposals. That is the way,” confesses the Spanish coach, who goes to work every morning by bicycle through the streets of Berlin.

And in his plan with young people, Israel mixes the physical with the mental and there, another of his passions: chess. He was already playing games with Edy Tavares when the giant was forming in the Gran Canaria youth academy. «You have to make the mind work. When it's not chess, it's sudoku, it's studying, it's thinking, posing situations so that the players can hit the jackpot too.” At the club they encourage players to continue with their university studies or to train in other ways: “They should take language courses, computer courses, whatever. That the times we do not train are not sitting in front of the television or playing the Play Station. That they also form as people, which is never too much. And, selfishly, I think it's an important part of the game to be agile of mind and think quickly.

Israel González, with a contract until 2025, lifted the Bundesliga and the Cup in his first year as Alba's head coach, but he could not repeat the past, eliminated in the BBL quarterfinals by Juan Núñez's surprising Ulm. In the Euroleague, reaching the playoffs is almost a chimera. But beyond the sporting demands and objectives, there is the development of the player and a long-term project where “the objective, always, is to progress to be better.”