Rather alarming reports have emerged in Sweden, revealing that 20 people from a youth team playing at the World Youth Cup in Gothenburg disappeared on the day of the final. Police have now shared a statement on the events in Gothenburg.

The Gothia Cup, or World Youth Cup, this year featured 1,956 teams from 78 countries, including four teams from Ethiopia. According to Swedish police, via The Local Sweden, 20 Ethiopians involved in the football tournament have disappeared.

The hosts at a school where players from the youth football team were staying are said to have discovered, on the day of the final, that Ethiopian players and several of the adults accompanying them had disappeared.

Police Suspect That Disappearance is Voluntary

The police have now confirmed that the group have not returned to Ethiopia and believe that they disappeared of their own accord. They suspect that this is a voluntary case of illegal migration.

Ellinor Halldi has given a statement on behalf of the unit for missing people at the Swedish police’s western region, telling The Local Sweden:

Halldi stated her unit was working with the Migration Agency, the Swedish border police, and authorities in other countries to try and find the missing people, and expected to get notified if one or more of the missing people attempted to cross a border or was encountered by the authorities for another reason.

She added: “There is no indication that anything illegal lies behind this, such as people smuggling or something similar. My experience is that they usually trickle in gradually in the end.”

Press spokesperson at the Gothia Cup, Fredrik Beckman, has also commented on the matter. He explained to local press: “From our perspective it’s strange because this is a team that we have a good relationship with.”

Beckman added that the tournament’s management had filed a report to the police as a “precautionary measure”, and now – ten days after the end of the tournament – the team was still missing.

It’s also reported that the tournament organisers last received correspondence from the Ethiopian team when the club’s contact person thanked them for their “consideration” and added that “it seems that the problem was a communication problem.” But in the email, the contact person gives no information on where the team are or whether they have returned home.

With the World Youth Cup – ‘the world’s largest and most international youth football event’ – hosting different age group competitions, the winners in 2026 came from Sweden, France, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, Ghana, Germany, Tanzania, England, Spain, Kenya, India, and Iceland.

A little under a month has passed since the USA were brutally dumped out of the World Cup by Belgium, and the USMNT have finally made a decision on the future of Mauricio Pochettino. The Stars and Stripes were left black and blue after a 4-1 defeat in the Round of 16, having entered the tournament with high hopes of making a deep run on home soil.

That early optimism came thick and fast, and it was easy to see why. For the first time since 1930, the side had started their campaign with back-to-back victories, and while a 3-2 defeat to Turkiye offered the first glimpse of their fragilities, the USA were riding the crest of a football fever wave. It was not until their humbling exit at the hands of their first real test that the summer’s highs came crashing down, giving way to a sobering-yet-devastating low.

With the host nation seemingly unable to stomach the manner of their exit, fingers were pointed in every direction, with Christian Pulisic among those to shoulder the most blame. Meanwhile, Donald Trump also found himself in the firing line after his intervention to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card so that he could play sparked political uproar.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Future as USMNT Boss

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All of that arguing after this summer’s showpiece tournament has completely taken away from the fact Pochettino, the former Tottenham and Chelsea manager, has done a commendable job stateside. While his predecessors have struggled to get the USA any further than qualification, ‘Poch”s charisma and tournament know-how was a saving grace.

Because of his now-underappreciated success over the last few months, the 54-year-old is nearing a contract extension that would see him manage the Stars and Stripes for the next four years. The Athletic reported the news of the deal on Wednesday morning, 23 days after their World Cup Round of 16 exit.

Telemundo’s Andres Cantor first mentioned on Tuesday that talks were “going well and the intention is to be able to announce it soon” ahead of friendly matches in September and October.

The deal would take him through the 2028 Copa America and 2030 World Cup – assuming he doesn’t try to bolt for a European club job before then, with his signature drawing interest from Premier League clubs such as Manchester United over the last 12-18 months.

Pochettino is the Right Man for the USA

Pochettino led the USMNT to their first knockout-round victory at a World Cup since 2002 with their win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the new Round of 32. Heartbreak in the next round led some to wonder whether Pochettino would return after the team failed to break through the same barrier that halted them in 2010, ’14 and ’22.

But, interestingly, the federation allegedly offered a contract to him before the tournament even began. That’s despite finishing fourth in the 2024–25 Concacaf Nations League and missing out on the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

This summer, he vindicated that trust, though, as he broke US records for the most World Cup wins (three) and most goals scored (11) by a national team manager. It really felt as though his footballing identity had made a sustained impact on the side across June and July, and his reign should still be in its early days.

Manchester United have work to do as the final month of the transfer window edges ever closer.

As Saturday marks the beginning of August, clubs in England have until 11pm on Tuesday, September 1 to finalise any remaining transfer business.

Michael Carrick’s team have been active in the summer market already after confirming the arrival of five new players.

Adding to their squad with the additions of goalkeeper Karl Darlow and midfielders Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, the Red Devils have also brought in youngsters Kit Margetson and Tynan Thompson as they plan for the future.

Further work in the transfer market still needs to be done and all connected with Manchester United will be hoping some further new additions come in through the door sooner rather than later.

Preferred midfield options

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A further addition in midfield is required in the final month of the transfer window.

United are looking to bolster their options in the middle of the park with the signing of an experienced player who can operate slightly deeper and also make an impact in the Champions League.

According to The I Paper, a deal for Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni looks to be beyond United’s reach at this stage, although that could potentially change towards the end of the transfer window.

The report states that Manu Kone of Rome and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba are the preferred options at present, with club executives believing that both could be available for purchase at a more reasonable price.

Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford and the United States international could possibly be more of an attainable target.

A player with European experience

via Reuters

Manchester United will be back in the Champions League for the first time since the 2023/24 season after Carrick guided them to a top-four finish during his spell as interim boss.

The Red Devils will be looking to go far in Europe’s premier competition and the addition of a midfielder with European experience would certainly help.

In terms of both Kone and Baleba, both have never played in the Champions League but they have made European appearances for Roma and Brighton respectively.

Since joining Roma, French international Kone has played 17 times for the Italian side in the Europa League, reaching the Round of 16 on both occasions.

Baleba’s only experience of European football with Brighton came during the 2023/24 season as he made six appearances as the Seagulls made it to the last 16 before they were knocked out by Roma.

United do already have an agreement on personal terms in place with the 22-year-old Seagulls star though, dating back to talks last summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Adams does have Champions League experience to his name, however, notably playing against Manchester United for RB Leipzig during the 2020/21 season.