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Bellingham and Foden back in England squad but no room for Alexander-Arnold

Bellingham and Foden back in England squad but no room for Alexander-Arnold
England’s German head coach Thomas Tuchel reacts during a press conference at Wembley stadium in London, on Nov. 7, 2025, ahead of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia. (AFP)
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Updated 37 sec ago

Bellingham and Foden back in England squad but no room for Alexander-Arnold

Bellingham and Foden back in England squad but no room for Alexander-Arnold
  • Foden is back to his best form with Manchester City, too, scoring twice against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday
  • “I think the contribution of both of them to their clubs lately was immense,” Tuchel said

LONDON: Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden were recalled Friday by England coach Thomas Tuchel for the team’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.
The attacking midfielders — two of the country’s most talented players — were left out of England’s last squad, with Tuchel stressing the need to have a strong team spirit in the camp and warning there would be “no guarantees” for his superstar players.
Bellingham has started all five of Real Madrid’s games since the last international break, scoring in three of them, and looks to be fully recovered after missing the start of the season because of shoulder surgery.
Foden is back to his best form with Manchester City, too, scoring twice against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“I think the contribution of both of them to their clubs lately was immense,” Tuchel said.
“They play regularly, they play a big role in the success of Real and City’s matches lately. They score regularly decisive goals. We are delighted they are in shape, in form and back with us.”
England have already qualified for the World Cup, with a 5-0 victory over Latvia in October guaranteeing Tuchel’s team first place in their group and taking their qualifying record to six wins from six matches.
The campaign has also included a 5-0 win in Serbia, a statement performance under Tuchel when Bellingham and Foden were absent and Morgan Rogers played in the No. 10 position.
Tuchel explained that if England hadn’t yet qualified, he would pick the same team as he chose last month — an indication that Bellingham and Foden still have work to do to recover their places in the starting XI.
“It’s the same headline — more of the same please and build on what we have already built,” Tuchel said. “Come with the same energy.
“We would have selected the same team if we needed both games to win. If it was a playoff to qualify for the World Cup, I would have selected the same team.”
There was a first call-up for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and a recall for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, while there was no place for Madrid right back Trent Alexander-Arnold or Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.


France players to honor victims of Paris attacks in 2015

France players to honor victims of Paris attacks in 2015
Updated 20 sec ago

France players to honor victims of Paris attacks in 2015

France players to honor victims of Paris attacks in 2015
To commemorate the anniversary, the French federation said Friday it will take part in national ceremonies honoring the victims
A fundraising campaign will be held around the stadium, and a minute’s silence observed before kickoff

PARIS: The French soccer federation will pay tribute to the victims of the November 2015 attacks that targeted the Bataclan theater, Paris cafés and the national stadium in assaults that killed more than 130 people and injured over 400.
France’s national team hosts Ukraine on Nov. 13 in a men’s World Cup qualifier, 10 years after the worst attack on French soil since World War II.
To commemorate the anniversary, the French federation said Friday it will take part in national ceremonies honoring the victims.
The match will not be played at the Stade de France, one of the sites attacked that night, but at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Players will wear the Bleuet de France, an emblem symbolizing remembrance and solidarity with victims.
A fundraising campaign will be held around the stadium, and a minute’s silence observed before kickoff. A banner reading “Football for Peace” will be unfurled at the center of the pitch.
The night of the attack was a balmy Friday evening, with the city’s bars and restaurants packed. At the Bataclan concert venue, the American band Eagles of Death Metal were playing to a full house. At the national stadium, just outside Paris, a soccer match between France and Germany had just begun, attended by then-President Francois Hollande and then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In the bloody events, jihadists detonated suicide vests and opened fire on cafes in the French capital before massacring spectators of a concert at the Bataclan.
The Stade de France, in the suburb of Saint-Denis, was the sole site outside Paris to come under assault from Islamic State extremists. The three suicide bombers struck outside the stadium and killed one man. At least one of the bombers had tried to get in, despite not having a ticket, but was turned away by a security guard, Salim Toorabaly.
The person who died in Saint-Denis was Manuel Dias, a Portuguese retiree who drove busloads of fans to the stadium to earn a little extra money.