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Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were named as a suspect in the UEFA investigation after their Champions League semifinal defeat to Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

Before their quarter-final first leg match against Arsenal on April 8, Madrid’s two superstar forwards, defender Antonio Rudiger, and midfielder Dani Ceballos, could face possible punishment.

The European football governing body announced in a statement that “a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of indecent conduct by Real Madrid CF players.

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Real Madrid players’ performances following the win may be subject to scrutiny from UEFA, according to Spanish media reports.

An AFP request for comment was not immediately received by Real Madrid and UEFA.

After drawing 2-2 on aggregate, record 15-time champions and current holders Madrid defeated their rivals on penalties at Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium on March 12.

After Atletico’s Julian Alvarez received a penalty that was controversially disallowed during the shoot-out for allegedly touching the ball twice, the night drew controversy.

Despite the team’s continuing efforts to qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup by defeating North Korea 2-1, the United Arab Emirates football association fired coach Paulo Bento on Wednesday.

The UAE Football Association announced that Paulo Bento, the national team’s head coach, and his coaching staff would be fired.

A replacement is anticipated to be named soon to lead the team in official competitions like Group A 2026, it continued.

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His replacement will lead the team in the World Cup qualifiers’ two matches against second-placed Kyrgyzstan on June 5 and second-placed Uzbekistan on June 10 in the final match.

Their hopes of making it to the finals would rekindle if they defeated Uzbekistan.

The Uzbeks, who are seeking their first-ever quadrennial showpiece appearance, are four points clear of them.

Bento, 55, was hired in July 2023, but he has overseen a number of inconsistent results in the qualifiers, including a 2-0 defeat to Iran on Thursday in Tehran.

After his team’s eighth-minute injury time victory over North Korea on Tuesday, the former Portugal and South Korea coach faced further criticism.

Iran qualified on Tuesday, ranking third overall with 13 points, while the UAE are third.

The top two teams advance to the next round of qualifying, with third and fourth places awarded to the top three Asian teams.

After drawing 2-2 with Uzbekistan on Tuesday in Tehran, Iranians became the second Asian team to qualify for the next-year World Cup.

Iran, the second-highest ranked AFC team in the standings, only needed a point to beat Japan in the finals against the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Mehdi Taremi scored in Mehdi Taremi’s second of the match seven minutes from time to seal the point for Group A leaders at the Azadi Stadium, which was followed by up-and-coming Uzbekistan.

Khojimat Erkinov, a goalkeeper for Uzbekistan, opened the scoring on 16 minutes, before Taremi, the opener for Inter Milan, scored his first goal of the night shortly after half-time.

Abbosbek Fayzullaev restored Uzbekistan’s lead after just one minute of silence.

Once more, Taremi’s finish over goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov in the late period proved to be the catalyst for his team’s revival and ultimately earn them a spot in North America.

READ MORE: Barton, an ex-Man City player, is given a jail term for assaulting his wife.

Fourth successive World Cup will be played by Iran.

Uzbekistan will continue to prepare for its first final appearance.

A win in June against third-placed Qatar or Qatar, who is second overall, will suffice, even though they could move up a spot sooner.

Later on Tuesday, the UAE, who are tied with Qatar by ten points, will face the bottom-ranked North Korea. Uzbekistan will advance to the finals if the UAE loses.

The top two teams advance through the qualifying round, with third and fourth places awarded to third and fourth overall in Asia.

Australia defeated China 2-0 earlier on Tuesday to increase their chances of being automatically qualified, but Saudi Arabia held on to lead Group C with a goalless draw in Japan.

South Korea, led by Son Heung-min, are still the top and favorites to advance in Asian Group B, but Jordan’s 1-1 defeat at home for the second consecutive match kept them at bay.

With two games left, the Socceroos were second in Group C, three points ahead of Saudi Arabia, who had a much better goal difference, thanks to Australia’s victory. Japan will undoubtedly come out on top.

The race for the second-straight qualification spot is on the verge of a knife-edge as Australia hosts Japan and travels to Saudi Arabia for their final qualifiers in June. China’s bottom spot is six points, but third or fourth place would allow them to advance to the next qualifying round.

With a 1-0 victory over Bahrain, Indonesia moved into fourth place with nine points.

Ole Romeny’s second goal in as many games earned Netherlands legend Patrick Kluivert his first victory as manager since taking over.

After recording the same result last week against Oman, South Korea and second-placed Jordan drew 1-1 in Suwon.

With two victories to go, South Korea would have qualified for the final two games.

They need four points to be certain of progressing in their final home game against Kuwait in June, which will require them to do without relying on other outcomes.

If they defeat Palestine in Amman in the later round of negotiations, Iraq can leapfrog them and close the gap by one point to the top of Group B. Despite being three points behind South Korea, Jordan is still three points behind.

Joey Barton, a former player for Manchester City, was found guilty of assaulting his wife by beating her in the head at their family home, and he was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence on Tuesday.

After the incident in southwest London in June 2021, the former midfielder left Georgia Barton, 38, with a lump on her forehead and a bleeding nose.

After a drunken argument about a family issue, Barton, 42, grabbed his wife and shoved her to the ground before punching her in the head.

Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring, a judge in Westminster Magistrates’ Court, ruled that Barton’s account of events in evidence was “vague” and untrue.

Barton had “a record of violence,” the magistrate said, “I’m satisfied that an immediate custodial sentence is not required.”

READ ALSO: Australia defeats China 2-0 to move one step closer to the world cup.

With a young child, Goldspring claimed the couple remained in a “happy relationship,” adding, “I don’t want to interfere with that.”

Barton was given a 12-week sentence with a two-year suspension and a fine of more than £2,500 ($2,600) in victim surcharges and legal costs.

At the time of the assault, Barton, who played for City, Newcastle, and Queen’s Park Rangers, was Bristol Rovers’ manager.

Barton’s wife, who claimed her husband had “just hit me,” called the police right away after the incident, but later later retorted her claims in a letter to the prosecution.

Georgia Barton’s 999 call to police on the night of the incident, according to prosecutor Helena Duong, was “compelling evidence” of the assault, as she had put it in “clear terms.”

According to the prosecutor, Barton’s wife did not have the same effects as Barton and she had suggested.

Barton previously testified to the court that he had admitted having an argument with his wife, but that nothing “physical” had actually happened.

In 2022, he was scheduled to go on trial, but Georgia Barton sent a letter to the prosecution retracting her claims.

She claimed in the letter that a friend’s move to separate the pair had caused her injuries accidentally.