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Results for “Football” (45)

Syeda Mubeena Hashmi Posted in Sports

Ballon d’Or Shortlist Features Major Football Stars

Ferran Torres tops the men’s Ballon d’Or shortlist after scoring Spain’s World Cup-winning goal against Argentina. The PSG forward is among several Spanish champions nominated, alongside Rodri and Lamine Yamal. Aitana Bonmati misses the women’s shortlist following a season-ending leg injury, while Alexia Putellas is included. Torres, who won La Liga with Barcelona, now joins Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele and several Champions League-winning PSG teammates. Read More…

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Syeda Mubeena Hashmi Posted in World

Palestinian football returns with mixed emotions

Palestinian football returned this week after a three-year hiatus linked to the Gaza war, bringing joy alongside painful memories. Commentator Khalil Jadallah returned to Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium to cover the opening match, remembering players, fans, referees and officials lost during the conflict. The tournament features more than 200 teams from the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon’s refugee camps and has been named the “1,000 Martyrs Cup” in their memory. Read More…

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Hafsa Mustafa Posted in World

Iran says ticket allocation for World Cup withdrawn days before tournament 

Iran's football federation (FFIRI) said that its ticket allocation for the World Cup has been pulled just days before football's global showpiece kicks off, leaving supporters who had already made travel plans unable to attend their team's matches. "This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary plans to attend the matches," the FFIRI added in a statement. Read More…

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Alina Hashmi Posted in World

Iran footballers describe how war with US-Israel affects their World Cup

Iran is heading to the World Cup while the country is at war with a host nation, a situation that is unique in the tournament’s history. There has been an uneasy ceasefire in place since April 8, but the uncertainty – and occasional flare-up in hostilities – means an end to the conflict is far from certain. For the Iranian players and staff, the situation has thrown their World Cup preparations into chaos – all of their matches are scheduled to be played in the US. Read More…

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Alina Hashmi Posted in World

Palestinian footballers get back on the pitch

Youssef Jendiya, 21, is among several Palestinian footballers who took part in Gaza’s first organised football tournament in more than two years. Jendiya’s team, Jabalia Youth, took on Al-Sadaqa this week at the Palestine Pitch in Gaza City, while a second fixture featured Beit Hanoon versus Al-Shujayea. “Confused. Happy, sad, joyful, happy” is how Jendiya described feeling after getting back out onto the pitch. “People search for water in the morning: food, bread. Life is a little difficult. But there is a little left of the day, when you can… Read More…

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Alina Hashmi Posted in World

UK MPs support police decision to ban Israeli fans from Aston Villa game

UK MPs have expressed their support for the decision by police to ban Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the match against Aston Villa in Birmingham after violence broke out at a derby match in Israel yesterday. The decision has been fiercely criticised by the UK government, which has framed the issue as a question of discrimination against Israeli fans. In a post on X, independent MP Ayoub Khan said: “To Keir Starmer and others who tried to make this about religion! Here’s more evidence. Even under the… Read More…

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Alina Hashmi Posted in World

Major campaign to ban Israel from European football competitions launched

A large coalition of human rights organisations, former footballers and advocacy groups has launched a multi-nation campaign to boycott Israeli teams and players from participating in domestic competitions in Europe. The #GameOverIsrael campaign will see protests across nine countries on Wednesday, calling on football federations in Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland and Spain to take a principled stand against Israel’s actions in Palestine. Read More…

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Hafsa Mustafa Posted in Sports

Italian football coaches seek suspension of Israel World Cup ties

The Italian Football Coaches’ Association (AIAC) is pushing for Israel to be suspended from international competition over the war on Gaza. Ahead of Italy’s crucial World Cup qualifiers against Israel in the next two months, the AIAC says “Israel must stop. Football must also take action.” The AIAC has written a formal letter to the Italian football federation, to be forwarded to European and world football’s governing bodies, calling for Israel to be suspended. Read More…

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Alina Hashmi Posted in World

Dutch police detain pro-Palestinian protesters at banned demo

Dutch police detained dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters Wednesday in Amsterdam, after they again defied a demonstration ban put in place after violence against Israeli football supporters last week. The protesters, who were wearing scarfs and chanting slogans, staged a demonstration in Amsterdam's central Dam Square and were taken to waiting vehicles, AFP correspondents saw. The demonstration comes as the Netherlands is still dealing with the political fallout from last week's violence in Amsterdam when fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv were assaulted by men on scooters in several parts of the… Read More…

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Hafsa Mustafa Posted in World

China slaps lifetime football bans over gambling, match-fixing

Chinese football has banned 43 people for life over alleged gambling and match-fixing, including three former China internationals and South Korean player Son Jun-ho, state news agency Xinhua said. Beijing has in recent years deepened a crackdown on corruption in Chinese sports, especially football, and jailed several top officials. The 43 were among 128 people implicated in total in a two-year probe into illegal gambling and match-fixing in the domestic game, China's public security ministry said. Read More…

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