Gallardo takes over as coach of the Ecuadorian national team in preparation for the 2030 World Cup and Copa America 2028

Veteran Argentine coach Marcelo Gallardo has agreed to lead the Ecuadorian national team in preparation for the 2030 FIFA World Cup finals.

The Ecuadorian Football Federation announced, in a video clip, that Gallardo (50 years old) will take over as his successor to his compatriot Gabriel Becasese, who led the team to qualify for the round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup.

Gallardo will work as coach of Ecuador after the end of his second term with Argentine River Plate, with whom he won seven local titles, including the league title in 2021, in addition to winning the Copa Libertadores Cup twice, and the Copa Sudamericana Cup “once.”

Gallardo is preparing for his first appearance with Ecuador in a friendly match against South Korea on September 24.

In addition to seeking to qualify for the 2030 World Cup, the first matches of which will be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, Gallardo is preparing for another challenge, leading Ecuador in the 2028 Copa America.

Matt Donohue, the VAR referee who approved Erling Haaland's decisive goal in Manchester City's 1-0 win over Manchester United, was not assigned any match in the English Premier League during the next round.

His assistant Blake Antrobus was also not assigned any refereeing mission, after the Professional Referees Committee acknowledged in a statement that the video technology had erred in calculating Haaland's goal.

The Chairman of the Referees Committee, Howard Webb, and his assistant team took the decision, while neither referee is expected to return to their duties at least before the end of the international break.

Haaland's goal in the second half was initially ruled out for offside, before it was counted after a video technology review concluded that the Norwegian striker was not in an offside position.

But the referees committee later clarified that the video technology team did not take into account the impact of his teammate Enzo Fernandez, who tried to play the ball from an offside position, which required maintaining the decision to cancel the goal.

Formula 1 stars believe that Italian Kimi Antonelli has decided to win the world championship title this year.

Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring Circuit in the capital, Madrid, on Sunday, achieving his second successive victory and eighth this season, moving away from the lead by 81 points before the last 9 rounds.

But the promising 20-year-old, who has become the youngest Formula 1 world championship leader, refuses to be overconfident or proactive.

Antonelli said: “Being in the lead is a wonderful achievement, but I must continue to press and achieve results, and provide the best performance in every round. I am already far ahead in the lead, but no one knows what could happen, so I must be prepared for everything, and take advantage of every opportunity, and then wait for what will happen at the end of the season.”

For his part, his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, hinted that the title race has already been decided.

Russell said: “I do not consider myself a contender for the drivers’ title, which forces me to focus on trying to achieve the best result in the upcoming races.”

As for Lewis Hamilton, third in the standings, the difference between him and Antonelli widened to 101 points after he withdrew from the Spanish race due to a brake failure.

As for Russell, he ranked fifth, and he said before this round: “Antonelli has performed exceptionally well this season, and he deserves to be in the lead.”

On the other hand, Antonelli tends to be more conservative in dealing with the fact that he has already won the title.

The young Italian won Sunday's race, beating former champions Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who praised his level this season and his ability to deal with pressure despite his superiority by a large margin.

Verstappen said: “What Antonelli needs is continuity, that is, distinguished performance and good results. He does not feel any anxiety or tension, and I do not think he is nervous. Rather, he performs with confidence and gains experience. He is a promising driver, has a great future ahead of him, and delivers a distinguished performance.”

For his part, Norris, the McLaren driver who won the world championship in 2025, said: “Antonelli has been performing admirably since the beginning of the season.”

The British driver added: “He is superior to his more experienced colleague, and he does not need advice, because he is performing well. He is a wonderful young man, and he is performing amazingly. He is close to winning the title, and what he is presenting does not indicate that he is only in his second season in Formula.”