
On this day in 2007: England fail to qualify for Euro 2008 after Croatia defeat
England were beaten 3-2 by Croatia at Wembley on this day in 2007 to end their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 and seal the fate of manager Steve McClaren. Their failure to qualify for the Euros meant the writing was on the wall for McClaren, who was dismissed as boss a day later after 18 months in charge. McClaren had watched the dismal defeat unfold in the pouring rain at Wembley from under an umbrella and was dubbed the “wally with a brolly”. England only needed a draw to book their place at the finals in Austria and Switzerland but found themselves two goals down at the break, Scott Carson letting Niko Kranjcar’s 25-yard effort slip through his grasp for the first before former Arsenal striker Eduardo made it two. David Beckham came off the bench for his 99th cap and inspired an England comeback as he set up Peter Crouch for a superb equaliser shortly after Frank Lampard had converted a 56th-minute penalty to put England on course for qualification. But the fightback proved in vain as Croatia substitute Mladen Petric beat Carson from 20 yards 13 minutes from time to end England’s hopes. After the match McClaren declared he would not be stepping down, but the Football Association took the decision out of his hands by sacking him after just 18 games, making him the shortest-serving permanent England boss in history at the time. McClaren’s reign heralded just nine wins and ended with the team conceding three goals on home soil for the first time in 35 years. “I feel I have let the fans down and the country down,” said McClaren. “I knew that if we didn’t qualify that would put the board in a difficult position. “I can understand the decision, the reaction and the criticism. It hurts and disappoints me, but that is football and it will make me stronger in the future.” England turned next to Fabio Capello, while McClaren rebuilt his reputation by leading Dutch side FC Twente to the Eredivisie title in 2010 and had further spells at Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Derby, Newcastle and QPR and is now on the coaching staff at Manchester United. Read More Jalen Hurts grabs double as Philadelphia Eagles avenge Super Bowl loss Gareth Southgate hails Rico Lewis after strong England debut in North Macedonia Michael O’Neill calls Northern Ireland win over Denmark step in right direction
1970-01-01 08:00

Philippines Eyes Use of Digital Currency in Sovereign Bond Sales
The Philippines’ Bureau of the Treasury is looking to team up with the central bank to expand the
1970-01-01 08:00

South Africa’s Telkom in Exclusive Talks to Sell Towers to PE Firm
Telkom SA SOC Ltd. is in advanced talks to sell its tower assets to a private equity firm.
1970-01-01 08:00

Zelensky compares attempts on his life to catching Covid: ‘First one is very interesting’
Volodymyr Zelensky said he has lost count of the number of attempts on his life, comparing them to catching the Covid-19 infection. “The first one is very interesting, when it is the first time, and after that it is just like Covid,” he told The Sun in an interview. The first attempt carried panic, he added. The president of Ukraine claimed Vladimir Putin still wanted “very much” to topple him as the war raged on for 21 months. As per Russia, the deadline for that operation was by the end of the year, Mr Zelensky told the British daily. At least “five or six” plots to kill the war-time president have been thwarted as Mr Zelensky revealed the name of Russia’s latest mission to oust him from Kyiv. “First of all people don’t know what to do with it and it’s looking very scary. And then after that, it is just intelligence sharing with you that one more group came to Ukraine to [attempt] this,” he told the tabloid. “The name of the operation is Maidan 3. It is meant to change the president. It’s bye bye. Maybe it is not by killing. I mean it’s changing. They will use any instruments they have,” he said. “So that’s the idea, to the end of the year. They have even named the operation. But you see we can live with it.” The Ukrainian president added that Russia parachuted special forces into Kyiv to assassinate him on the first day of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year. From there began the operation to turn Mr Zelensky’s office and each of his next locations into a fortress. His closest team was handed rifles and body armour and his bodyguards shut off any access to his office using makeshift barricades and bits of plywood. On being asked how many attempts he has dodged, the president says he really doesn’t know. The Ukrainian president did not answer the question on whether or not Ukraine had also planned similar assassination plots in response to Russia. Mr Zelensky yet again denied the assessment on the conflict hitting a stalemate, which Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said is due to technological and tactical parity between Russian and Ukrainian forces. “In the morale, there is no stalemate. We are at our home. Russians are on our land. Therefore there is no stalemate in this. As regards the sky, there is no stalemate. Russians have more power in that. And really, how to move forward when you can’t control the sky? (sic)” he told the paper. Ukrainian officials have strongly pushed back on suggestions they are in a stalemate with Russia after a long-awaited counteroffensive over the summer did not radically change the battle lines on the ground. In a visit to Washington last week, Andriy Yermak, head of the president’s office, provided no details but confirmed that Ukrainian forces had finally pushed through to the east bank of the Dnieper River, which has essentially served as the immovable front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces for months. However, as winter sets in it will become more difficult for either side to make large gains due to ground conditions. Read More What the papers say – November 21 Zelensky thanks world’s media for fostering support for Ukraine David Cameron meets Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine in first visit as foreign secretary David Cameron meets Zelensky as new foreign secretary makes first trip to Ukraine Russia admits Ukrainian troops crossed Dnipro river but says ‘fiery hell’ awaits them Ukraine declares major breakthrough in southern counteroffensive ‘against all odds’
1970-01-01 08:00

Blackstone to close multi-strategy fund after assets drop nearly 90% - FT
Blackstone plans to close a fund that exposes investors to a variety of hedge funds and trading strategies
1970-01-01 08:00

China Wealth Fund’s Infrastructure Head Resigns in Latest Loss
China Investment Corp.’s head of infrastructure investment is leaving, adding to the talent loss at the $1.4 trillion
1970-01-01 08:00

Crypto Boosted by Possible End to US Criminal Probe of Binance
The prospect of a resolution of the US criminal investigation into Binance, crypto’s linchpin exchange, led to a
1970-01-01 08:00

India Closer to Agreement With Tesla to Import EVs, Set Up Plant
India is closing in on an agreement with Tesla Inc. that would allow the US automaker to ship
1970-01-01 08:00

MLB Insider: What I’m hearing about the Braves, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Pirates
As free agency begins to pick up, there are indications it will continue to gain steam headed into Thanksgiving. Here's what I'm hearing a couple weeks before the Winter Meetings.
1970-01-01 08:00

Dubai’s First Privatization in a Year Sells Out in an Hour
Dubai Taxi Co.’s initial public offering of as much as 1.16 billion dirhams ($315 million) received enough orders
1970-01-01 08:00

China and Saudi Arabia Sign Currency Swap Worth $7 Billion
China and Saudi Arabia signed a local-currency swap agreement worth around $7 billion, deepening their ties as countries
1970-01-01 08:00

3 Kansas City Chiefs to blame for maddening loss to Eagles
The Chiefs gave away their Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles with infuriating blunders on offense.
1970-01-01 08:00