Sport

FWWC: Ten Woman China Halt Unlucky Haiti 1-0 in Group D Match.

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3 years ago

July 28, 2023

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Unlucky Debutante Haiti has been eliminated by 10 women China via a lone penalty goal in a frustrating match played at the Hindmarsh Stadium in group D.

The penalty which was the 10th given at the tournament so far was approved by VAR after Mathurin had brought down Linyan in the box in the 74th minute and scored by Midfielder Racing Louisville player, Wang Shuang. Haiti escaped another possible penalty almost immediately after.

An obvious penalty to Haiti from Qiaozhui who fouled Etoissaint in the 90+3rd minute was cancelled by VAR and for the first time in the tournament the crowd began to boo every decision of the referee. Incidentally, England’s got a penalty against Haiti also.

The Haitians fought aggressively to get a goal but poor marksmanship was their undoing. Instead of their coach, Nicolas Delepine to calm down and focus on redeeming the match, he was busy making protests at every call of the referee. He was given the yellow on 90+12th minute.

Shandong Sports Lottery FC player, 34 year old Zhang Rui bagged a straight red in the 29th minute stamping the shin of Sherly Jeudy of Haiti with the studs raised. The Ref initially flashed her yellow card but made her see red when a conversion came from VAR verification.

China are only the second team in the 21st Century to win a women’s world cup match despite having a player sent off after Sweden against France in 2011.

England had beaten Haiti 1-0 and Denmark hit China by the same margin in the first round matches. England also beat Denmark earlier today. The 3rd round matches of Group D will be played simultaneously on Tuesday 1st August as China takes on England and Haiti plays Denmark.

China is in their 8th appearance where the team took Norway to the slaughter slab with a 5-0 win in the semifinal but at that final match at the Rose Bowl, USA before 90,185 fans lost via penalty 4-5 after a goalless full time.

China made 4th place at losing 0-2 to USA in 3rd Place match; got into the quarters in 1991; 2003 and 2015 with a Round of 16 appearance last Sweden 85 competition at the in 2019.

On Saturday 29th July Sweden will play the outstanding match of Group G second round against Italy 0830 hours at Wellington Regional Stadium. Two Group F matches will be decided. First France versus Brazil at Suncorp Stadium at 1100 hours and Panama will slug it out at 1330 hours with Jamaica at NIB Stadium.

By Eniola Olatunji

Sport

Mourinho: Why R- Madrid Walked Away From Rodri

Published

3 weeks ago

August 19, 2026

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Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has opened up on the club’s failed attempt to sign Rodri, revealing that the Spain international’s doubts about moving to the Santiago Bernabéu eventually created uncertainty within the Madrid camp.

Rodri, regarded as one of the finest midfielders of his generation, had emerged as a major target for Real Madrid after an outstanding spell at Manchester City.

However, despite reportedly holding advanced discussions with the Spanish giants, the 30-year-old ultimately opted to join Real Madrid’s biggest domestic rivals, Barcelona.

Mourinho was particularly direct when asked why Real Madrid’s pursuit of Rodri ultimately collapsed.

The Portuguese manager believes that representing Real Madrid requires an immediate commitment from a player, arguing that anyone who receives an offer from the club should already know their answer.

“Real Madrid cannot have players who think twice,” Mourinho said.

He explained the mentality he believes a player should have when allowed to join the Spanish giants.

He added, “You get the call and say: ‘When do you want me there?’”

Mourinho stressed that Real Madrid’s stature creates a different set of expectations for potential signings.

“Rodri is an extraordinary player, but Real Madrid is a different dimension,” he explained.

Mourinho also revealed that he had personally spoken with Rodri on several occasions during the process.

He added, “I personally spoke to Rodri a couple of times. Real Madrid made him an important proposal. But then… Rodri had doubts. His doubts created doubts in me about signing him.”

Sport

Transfer News: Chelsea Sets Price Tag For Argentina Star

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2 months ago

July 12, 2026

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Chelsea are prepared to sell their Argentine star and they have set a price tag.

Chelsea have placed a €50 million valuation on Alejandro Garnacho, with the Argentina international winger linked with a departure from Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the West London club have established a dual-pricing structure for the 22-year-old. If a Premier League rival expresses interest, Chelsea will demand a £45 million fee. However, the club are willing to accept a slightly lower figure of around €50 million (£42.6 million) from foreign clubs.

Garnacho is not in the plans of newly appointed manager Xabi Alonso. The winger failed to report for the first day of pre-season training, staying away to actively explore an exit strategy alongside his representatives.

The impending transfer concludes a 12-month tenure in West London. Garnacho originally joined Chelsea from Manchester United in the summer of 2025 for a reported €46.2 million (£39.4 million) fee. He signed a long-term contract tying him to the club until June 30, 2032.

Despite the financial investment, he never established himself in the starting lineup. During the 2025/26 season, he registered eight goals and four assists across 43 appearances in all competitions. His domestic output was poor, starting just 14 Premier League matches and three in the UEFA Champions League and scoring only one league goal throughout the campaign

International News

Iran squad travel to Turkey for friendlies, US visas

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4 months ago

May 18, 2026

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Iran’s national football team was headed to Turkey on Monday to play a final friendly match and apply for visas to fly to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, Iranian media reported.

The team plan to participate in the tournament despite co-host Washington having launched a war against Iran with a massive wave of attacks alongside ally Israel on February 28.

The fighting has been on hold for weeks thanks to a ceasefire, but peace talks have failed to make a breakthrough and new drone attacks against Gulf countries at the weekend combined with threats from US President Donald Trump raising fears of a return to fighting.

The team “departed this morning for Antalya, Turkey to play its final friendly match before flying to the United States for the 2026 World Cup,” the Tasnim news agency reported.

It said the squad consisted of 22 domestic-based players alongside their coaching staff.

On Saturday, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said they would also be completing visa applications for the US while in Turkey.

– ‘Let ’em play’ –

Iran secured their spot at the World Cup in March 2025, but since then the United States has twice launched attacks on the country.

US officials have insisted that Iran is welcome at the tournament, while organiser FIFA has said it will go ahead as planned and rejected Iranian suggestions that their games be moved to co-hosts Mexico or Canada.

“I think let ’em play,” Trump said in late April.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any problem would not be with Iranian players but “some of the other people (they) would want to bring with them”, suggesting they may have ties to the Revolutionary Guards, which Washington has branded a terrorist organisation.

Last month, officials from Iran’s football federation abandoned a trip to the FIFA congress in Canada, saying they had been “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers.

One of their delegation, Mehdi Taj, is a former member of the Revolutionary Guards, which Canada has also designated a terror group.

The Iranian football team hope to play two friendlies in Antalya.

They have already confirmed one match, against The Gambia, on May 29, said Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian who heads a company that sets up friendlies for the team.

“No visas have been issued yet,” Taj, the head of Iran’s football federation, told Iranian media on Thursday.

On Saturday, FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom held a meeting in Turkey with the federation, describing it as constructive, as did Taj.

When the squad reaches the United States, Iran will set up their base camp in Tucson, Arizona.

The team, who are in Group G, are due to kick off their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June, before facing Belgium in the same city and then Egypt in Seattle.

AFP