Lack of VAR for England's Women's Nations League defeat to Netherlands 'mind-blowing' - Millie Bright
Millie Bright said it was "mind-blowing" that VAR was not used in England's 2-1 Women's Nations League defeat against the Netherlands.
Millie Bright Sport News
Bright criticises lack of VAR after England lose to Netherlands
England captain Millie Bright said not having VAR available for their Women's Nations League game against the Netherlands in Utrecht on Tuesday was "mind-blowing" after TV replays suggested the hosts' first goal in their 2-1 victory was offside.
Liverpool fight back again to edge LASK on Europa League return
PARIS: Liverpool fell behind for the fourth time in five matches this season but fought back to beat LASK 3-1 in Linz in the Europa League on Thursday. Elsewhere in the early matches in the first round of the group stage of the second-tier European competition, Romelu Lukaku earned last year’s beaten finalists Roma a 2-1 victory at Sheriff. Bayer Leverkusen crushed Swedes Hacken 4-0, Rennes cruised past Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in France, Spaniards Villarreal lost 2-0 to Panathinakos in Greece. Liverpool, playing in the Europa League for the first time since finishing runners up in 2016, changed their entire starting 11 away to LASK and quickly fell behind. In the 14th minute, Sascha Horvath lobbed a corner to Florian Flecker just outside the Liverpool box.
Oman hosts 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth Football in December
MUSCAT: The Omani Football Federation will be hosting the 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth in Muscat between December 10 and 20, 2023. Seven Arab countries including Jordan, UAE, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Yemen, in addition to the host, Oman, will participate in the championship that is being held for footballers born in 2008, said a media statement on Thursday. The tournament’s draw is scheduled to take place on November 23, 2023, at the West Asian Union Headquarters in Jordan’s capital, Amman, and will be broadcast on its official YouTube page. The Jordanian national team won the 9th championship which was held in Aqaba City, in Jordan, during the summer of 2022 after winning the final match 1-0 against Lebanon. Along with the two finalists, Yemen, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Syria and Iraq participated in the tournament’s ninth edition.
South Korea thump Thailand 4-0 to reach Asian Games last 16
HANGZHOU, China: Defending Asian Games men’s football champions South Korea became the first team into the last 16 after a 4-0 cruise past Thailand on Thursday. Hosts China and North Korea also registered second successive wins and both need only a point from their final group games on Sunday to guarantee a place in the knockout phase. South Korea raced into a 4-0 lead by half-time at the Jinhua Sports Center stadium via a goal apiece for Hong Hyun-seok, An Jae-jun, Um Wong-san and Lee Jae-ik. It sparked thoughts that the gold medal winners from Jakarta in 2018 might repeat their 9-0 opening game rout of Kuwait on Tuesday, but the Thais were more resolute in the second half. China had a sizeable crowd at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium rocking by half-time as they also went 4-0 up before the break against Myanmar. Two goals from Long Tan and one apiece from Dai Wenjun and Wang Zhenao put them into cruise control and though they peppered the Myanmar goal in the second half they, like the South Koreans, could not add to their score. Earlier on Thursday, India kept their last-16 hopes alive by edging Bangladesh 1-0 with a goal from 39-year-old striker Sunil Chhetri. “I feel relief that we gave ourselves a chance to stay in the tournament,” said the veteran. India lost their opening game 5-1 to China on Tuesday but can still go through from Group A if they beat Myanmar on Sunday. “It wasn’t easy, playing back-to-back in two days, and in three days we have a game again.
German court orders new assault trial for footballer Boateng
MUNICH, Germany: A German court on Thursday threw out the assault conviction of footballer Jerome Boateng for attacking his ex-girlfriend in 2018 and ordered a new trial. In a legal odyssey now on its third ruling, the superior regional court in Munich decided in favor of Boateng’s appeal, that of his alleged victim as well as state prosecutors’, citing procedural errors. “The responsible tribunal will begin again with the taking of evidence,” the court said in a statement. If it sides with the plaintiff, the new court could level a more severe sentence than the 1.2-million-euro ($1.3-million) fine Boateng was ordered to pay in November 2022. Boateng was found guilty in 2021 of assaulting and insulting his former partner, the mother of his twin daughters, during a Caribbean holiday five years ago. The footballer had always denied the allegations and sought an acquittal on appeal. The district court in Munich confirmed he was guilty last November but reduced the original fine — calculated according to the accused’s net income — to 1.2 million euros from 1.8 million euros. During the initial trial, Boateng’s former partner told the court that Germany’s 2014 World Cup winner had punched her, causing her to lose her breath for a moment during a heated argument. The incident happened in the weeks after the World Cup in Russia, when Boateng was in the Germany squad which was knocked out in the group stage. Boateng’s former partner described how he “pressed against my eye with his thumb, bit me in the head and pulled me to the floor by my hair.” She said the now 35-year-old repeatedly insulted her and hit her on the back with “one strong punch and several light punches.” In the latest appeals, the Munich court agreed with
Pay dispute between England women’s international players and FA appears to be resolved
LONDON: Players from the England women’s team appear to have reached an agreement with the country’s soccer federation regarding a dispute over bonuses and commercial structures. England captain Millie Bright said at a news conference on Thursday that the players “feel really confident moving forward about the structure we now have in place” with the Football Association. Exact details of the agreement have yet to be officially announced. In a statement released before the recent Women’s World Cup in Australia, the England squad expressed disappointment at the dispute having not been resolved before the tournament and said the players had decided to pause talks with the intention of revisiting them. Players from teams at the World Cup were due to receive individual payments directly from FIFA for the first time, ranging from $30,000 to $270,00 depending on what stage of the tournament they reached. England players didn’t receive any payments from the FA, reportedly because the governing body perceived payments coming from FIFA to be enough. There is also believed to be frustration over a commercial strategy which players feel limits their ability to earn extra money from sponsorship. “We’ve had a really good conversation with the FA,” Bright said.
Messi, Haaland, Mbappe nominated for Ballon d'Or, Putellas misses out
Inter Miami striker Lionel Messi was among the nominees for the prestigious men's Ballon d'Or trophy announced by organisers France Football magazine on Wednesday.