Football

Glasgow: Manchester United's Tyler Fletcher has been called into Scotland's World Cup squad in place of the injured Billy Gilmour despite not being on Steve Clarke's initial standby list. Son of former Scotland captain Darren Fletcher, the midfielder was among a group of youngsters used by Clarke to train alongside the squad over the past week. The 19-year-old was then thrown on for his international debut in the second half of Saturday's 4-1 friendly win over Curacao. Rangers' Connor Barron, Udinese's Lennon Miller and Andy Irving of Sparta Prague were the midfielders who had initially been placed on Clarke's reserve list. But Fletcher has jumped ahead of them, despite having played just 17 minutes of senior football for United. "I had to disappoint another three players this morning again, to tell them that they had missed out," said Clarke. "I just felt Tyler came into the squad this week and showed up really well, did well in the game so that was the thinking behind that one. "Obviously devastated for Billy and also really disappointed for Lennon, Andy Irving and Connor Barron." Scotland fly out to the United States on Sunday to continue their World Cup preparations. Clarke's men face Bolivia in a final warm-up friendly on June 6. In their first World Cup for 28 years, Scotland take on Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in Group C.

Football

Paris, France: French authorities announced Sunday that 780 people were arrested across the country when overnight celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League victory over Arsenal were marred by violent clashes, and a road accident that killed a young man. Thousands of people poured into the streets of Paris for the match and to revel in PSG's triumph in the final held in the Hungarian capital Budapest late Saturday. But some mobs clashed with police, around 22,000 of whom were deployed across France after unrest last year when PSG also won the competition. Highlighting an increased use of fireworks directed at law enforcement, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in a press briefing 57 security forces were injured and that there had been "219 participants injured in France, including eight seriously". The Paris public prosecutor's office announced the death of a young man in his twenties after he crashed head-on into concrete blocks on a Paris ring road exit ramp on his motocross bike. Another young man was seriously injured in a knife attack in Paris allegedly over a robbery, the prosecutor's office added. Nunez said a small number of thefts and lootings had taken place in around fifteen cities across the country and incidents of violence were recorded in 71 municipalities. The 780 arrests was a 32 percent increase compared to the celebrations of PSG's Champions League win last year, the minister noted. Victory parade Around 100,000 people are expected to gather for a parade including the players on Sunday afternoon on the Champs-de-Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower, before being received at the Elysee Palace by President Emmanuel Macron. Nunez promised "a strong law enforcement response" during the players' return celebrations and fines for "obstructing traffic" in the event of any intrusion onto the Paris ring road. The district mayor of Paris's 8th arrondissement -- home to the famed Champs-Elysees where 20,000 people converged after PSG's victory -- called for "zero gatherings" on the iconic avenue as the only way to avoid further violence. On Saturday night, the "Champs-Elysees avenue and its surroundings ceased to be a place of celebration and became an arena of urban guerrilla warfare", the town hall said in a statement. "Since it has become impossible to celebrate a match without descending into riots, the only common sense response is a new doctrine: 'zero gatherings'," it demanded. Nunez dismissed the idea saying it would "tie up almost half of the security deployment". Nearly 6,000 police and gendarmes have been deployed for security during the celebrations on Sunday.

Football

Johannesburg: World Cup-bound South Africa has delayed its departure for the global showpiece after visa problems disrupted the team's travel plans, the national football association said on Sunday. The squad was scheduled to leave Johannesburg Sunday for a training camp in Mexico aboard a chartered flight, but "has experienced challenges regarding visas for some players and officials," the South African Football Association (SAFA) said in a statement. It was not immediately clear how many members of the travelling party had yet to receive their visas. "SAFA is working around the clock to ensure that the team travels to Mexico City as soon as possible," the association said, adding that an emergency meeting would be held on Sunday evening. According to state broadcaster SABC, visas for at least 20 members of the squad were still being processed at the United States embassy in Johannesburg. Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said he had demanded an explanation and vowed action against those responsible for "this mess". The "travel and visa debacle is embarrassing and grossly unfair towards the players and coaching staff," he posted on X, adding: "We are being made to look like fools". Popularly known as Bafana Bafana (The Boys), South Africa has been pooled in Group A with co-hosts Mexico, Czech Republic and South Korea. Back at the global showpiece after a 16-year absence, they face Mexico on June 11 in the tournament opener, then the Czech Republic and South Korea in their remaining group-stage matches. The team was held to a goalless draw by Nicaragua in a warm-up match in Soweto on Friday and is scheduled to play Jamaica in another friendly on June 5.