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France coach cautions over first round opponents at World Cup

PARIS, May 14 : France coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged his side are among the favourites for the World Cup but urged his players to concentrate on their opening opponents before thinking about advancing deeper into the tournament.

Israel’s defense minister accuses Barca’s Lamine Yamal of inciting hate against Israeli soldiers

BEIRUT: Israel’s defense minister on Thursday accused Barcelona’s superstar Lamine Yamal of inciting hate against Israeli soldiers after he waved a Palestinian flag while his club celebrated winning the La Liga title. “Lamine Yamal chose to incite against Israel and foment hatred while our soldiers are fighting the terrorist organization Hamas … I will not remain silent in the face of incitement against Israel and against the Jewish people,” Israel Katz wrote on X. On Monday, the 18-year-old Spanish right winger was spotted waving a Palestinian flag during an open-top bus parade as the team celebrated winning the Spanish 2025/2026 title. Yamal, who is already widely regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world, held the flag as the team bus toured across Barcelona. He also posted pictures of himself holding it on his Instagram account. Lashing out at the player, Katz further wrote on his X handle: “Whoever supports this type of message should ask themselves: Does he consider this humanitarian? Is this moral? … I expect a great and respected club like Barcelona to distance itself from these statements and make it unequivocally clear that there is no place for incitement or for support of terrorism.” Barcelona’s German coach Hansi Flick told a press conference when questioned about the incident: “This I don’t normally like … I spoke with him.