Gordon Lyons commits to attending GAA match amid criticism
Northern Ireland’s Communities Minister has pledged to attend a GAA match this year.
US Sport News
UEFA says decision by FIFA to let US forward play at World Cup is ‘incomprehensible’
NYON, Switzerland: European football body UEFA criticized FIFA for an “incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision” to let United States forward Folarin Balogun play at the World Cup against Belgium on Monday despite a red card in his previous game. UEFA said in a statement FIFA “crossed a red line” with its decision not to enforce Balogun’s mandatory one-game ban, after the world football body came under pressure from US President Donald Trump. FIFA’s ruling Sunday — to defer Balogun’s ban for one year of probation — shockingly deviated from football’s traditional rule of law and drew stinging criticism globally including from former World Cup stars and coaches at this tournament. “It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup,” Norway coach Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said Sunday after his team beat Brazil to reach the quarterfinals. UEFA, whose member federations include Belgium, insisted: “Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.” “When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined,” said the European football body, which has often clashed with FIFA President Gianni Infantino during his decade in power. “We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” said UEFA, where Infantino was its CEO-like general secretary from 2009 until being elected to lead FIFA in February 2016. The Belgian football federation was preparing an appeal in Seattle in the early hours of Monday to challenge the Balogun ruling before a FIFA-appointed appeals judge.
USA aiming for historic win vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
WASHINGTON: The US Men’s National Team haven’t won a World Cup knockout match since 2002 nor have they defeated a European side in any competition in more than five years. For the current squad, it’s not about revisiting history but making history when the United States plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in a round of 32 match in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday. The winner will advance to the round of 16 to meet Belgium or Senegal on July 6 in Seattle. “Honestly, I don’t even think any of us are thinking about it,” US captain Tim Ream said.
Iran coach: US treatment at World Cup ‘really terrible’
SEATTLE, USA: The emotions were still raw for Iran players and their coach long after the final whistle of the team’s 1-1 draw against Egypt in their group- stage finale at Seattle Stadium on Friday night. Seeking to advance out of the group stage for the first time in their World Cup history, Iran were left to wait out the results of Saturday’s matches following a third-place finish in Group G. It appeared “The Melli” had solidified their place in the round of 32 with a stoppage-time score, only to have a VAR review disallow Shojae Khalilzadeh’s goal by a marginal offside call. It continued a turbulent World Cup experience for Iran, who moved their training camp base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
US not taking Australia lightly despite pundits’ barbs
IRVINE, USA: The United States are refusing to buy into suggestions that Friday’s World Cup Group D clash with Australia in Seattle will be straightforward, with winger Tim Weah saying the Americans are focused on preparation rather than outside noise. CBS Sports analyst and former MLS player Mike Grella described the match as a “lay-up” for the US and called Australia the “weakest team in the group.” US great Landon Donovan, now a Fox Sports analyst, tipped the Socceroos to finish bottom before the tournament and described coach Tony Popovic as “smug.” But Weah said the comments had no bearing on the US team’s approach. “All the talk is nonsense to me,” Weah told reporters at the team’s base camp in Irvine on Tuesday. “When you look at the Australian team, they are a young team that have a lot of fight, a lot of grit and a lot of hunger, just like us. “So we respect them in the same way that we would respect any other opponent. I don’t know what the media is trying to do, but we’re not really focused on that.
Iran World Cup coach says ‘impacted’ by politics but ignoring ‘hype’
LOS ANGELES: Iran’s coach Amir Ghalenoei said on Sunday political tensions and visa issues have damaged his side’s preparations for the World Cup but insisted his players will not “pay attention to any of the hype.” Iran have arrived at the tournament under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States — in military conflict with Iran for months — refused to issue visas for some team support staff. They play their opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, marking the first time that a World Cup host has hosted a country with which it is at war. The Iran team bus, accompanied by a police motorcycle escort, was met by a small group of anti-regime protesters at training late Sunday. Much larger demonstrations are planned outside the stadium by members of the Iranian diaspora opposed to the nation’s hard-line regime, and there have been threats that the Iran team could walk off the pitch if anti-government banners are displayed. “We are here to perform a good match, a high-quality match. We don’t pay attention to any of the hype and anything that goes on around us,” Ghalenoei said in a press conference in response to a question from AFP. “Naturally, all teams have their own problems, and in many countries, many things happen that have nothing to do with football.” The coach said his team are simply at the World Cup to “represent the respectful people of Iran, be it the Iranians inside Iran or the Iranian diaspora.” “We are not political people...
Saudi World Cup fans buzzing in Miami as players countdown to Uruguay opener
RIYADH: Saudi soccer fans in the US took part in a celebratory march in Miami on Saturday as the countdown begins to the Green Falcons’ opening World Cup game.
Iran says US revoked World Cup ticket allocation for supporters
TEHRAN: Iran’s football federation on Tuesday said the United States has revoked its allocation of tickets for its World Cup group games, accusing the co-host of obstructing the attendance of Iranian supporters under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row. The US has presented a number of bureaucratic hurdles for Iran at the global football spectacle, including refusing to issue visas for some of its support staff, as the two countries remain at war after the US and Israel attacked the country in late February. “With less than three days remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup...
Wemby fever in Paris extends to Roland Garros locker room: Tiafoe, Shelton want to see Spurs in NBA Finals
PARIS: Between Roland Garros, the Champions League final, and Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference finals all happening today, the term ‘Super Saturday’ doesn’t suffice when describing the vibes here in Paris.