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Women Global Soccer War Begins In Australia on Thursday.

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Former Ugandan leader, Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada when received at a lavish reception in Buckingham Palace by late Queen Elizabeth said, “You have received us well and when next you come to our territory the hostility will be higher”. He meant we shall host you well.

Classical women from32 countries presenting 726 football players across the world shall begin soccer hostilities at the 50,000 capacity Eden Park, a National Stadium noted for Rugby activities in Central Auckland, New Zealand from 0800 hours Nigerian time on Thursday 20th July to Sunday 20th August 2023 when the 9th world senior female world cup commences.

The opening ceremonies will commence 30 minutes before co-hosts New Zealand will trade tackles with former champions, Norway at 0800 hours. Singers Benee and Mallarat from New Zealand and Australia will perform DO IT AGAIN which is the official song of the women world cup.

Hear Benee: “As a keen football player, I just couldn’t have imagined this. I’ve loved the experience of writing a song which I hope reflects my excitement at having the world’s biggest women’s sports event held on my home turf and I can’t wait to perform DO IT AGAIN live with Mallarat at the opening ceremony”. Others to perform were not known as at press time.

The games used to experience 32 matches until now that 64 matches will be played since the women’s world cup was founded 32 years ago, exactly 1991. This is also the first time ever the women’s games will be hosted by two countries simultaneously.

It used to be 24 teams on parade but now 32 teams in this 9th edition to be played in 10 cities. Highest attendance was at Canada 2015 with a total 1,353,506 attendances but the last competition France 2019 attracted 1,131,312 total attendances.

Four countries won the trophy in the past 8 games. United States of America won four times; Germany won two times while Japan and Norway won once each.

Incidentally, Nigeria sounds high when you talk of the oldest player at the 2023 tournament.
Nigeria’s Captain and able Defender, Onome Ebi (Onome means my own) will be the oldest player in this tournament at an awesome 40 years. She is one month four days older than Canada’s Christine Sinclair who is also 40 years. Both of them will be on parade as captains when their teams clash on Friday 21st July at 1530 hours Nigerian time.

Incidentally again, Ifeanyi Chiejine would have been the youngest player at 16 years big enough to be born by Onome, but Casey Phair a South Korean player born in USA is just two days younger as she celebrated her 16th birthday on 29th June being born in 2007.

Highest goal scorers on record are Martha from Brazil with 17 goals; both Birgit Prinz of Germany and Abby Wambbach of USA (Coached USA in the last edition to be world champions) scored 14 goals each while placing 4th on record is Michele Alers also of USA with 12 goals.

No African country is in the category of highest team scorers. USA has 138 goals; Germany has 121; Norway got 93; Sweden 71 and Brazil 66 goals.

Four African countries will be on parade at the 9th tournament namely Morocco; Zambia, South Africa and Nigeria.

Nigeria plays first against Canada on Friday 21st July at 1530 hours; meet co-hosts Australia on Thursday 27th July at 1100 hours and plays the last group match against Republic of Ireland on Monday 31st July at 1100 hours.

 

 

By Eniola Olatunji

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International News

Iran squad travel to Turkey for friendlies, US visas

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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

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International News

Man U In Three Players Swap Deal As Club Forfeits Financial Boost

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AC Milan will consider three Manchester United players as part of a swap deal for Rafael Leao, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. The outlet claim that United have already made contact with agents over a potential deal for Leao this summer, but their first choice target is Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers.

 

However, Leao could be an easier deal to do, with Milan now ready to listen to offers for the winger. The Italian side are reportedly asking for around €50 million (£43.3m) but their interest in three United players could possibly lead to a swap deal.

Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Marcus Rashford are all mentioned. All three players are expected to leave Old Trafford this summer.

Zirkzee has struggled to make an impact since his move from Bologna, while Rashford has spent the season on loan with Barcelona. The Spanish side have the option to make the move permanent for £26 million but they are looking less and less likely to trigger it.

United could therefore be looking for sale in the summer. Using him as part of a swap for Leao could be seen as a solution.

United have forfeited a financial boost from a friendly against RB Leipzig. Sky Germany report that as part of the agreement between the two sides over striker Benjamin Sesko, a friendly match must be played.

But instead of United financially benefitting from the game, Leipzig will instead receive all of the revenue. It’s reported that the game must be played within the ‘next few years’.

United completed a deal for Sesko last summer, paying a fee of around £66.3million. However, Sky Germany report that it is now set to rise to £74 million with add-ons.

It’s claimed that there will be around £3.5 million in bonuses for things such as appearances, goals and Champions League qualification.

In his first season with the club, Sesko has scored 11 times, in 31 appearances in all competitions. He scored what turned out to be the winning goal in Monday night’s win over Brentford.

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Barca Pissed As Yamal Caught In All Night Romp With Strange Model

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Recently, Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal has once again found himself embroiled in off-field controversy. Just days after the defeat in the Clásico, on Monday local time last week, he was photographed travelling to Milan with several friends.

 

According to renowned paparazzo Jordi Martín, Yamal attended a party with a prominent Italian model during his trip and spent the night with her – a woman who is not his current girlfriend. Rumours suggest Yamal had previously shared an ambiguous relationship with this model before he began dating his current partner.

During his stay in Milan, Yamal attended a party with a prominent model who was not his current girlfriend Nicki Nicole. It is understood that this model, Anna Gegnoso, is Italian and rumoured to have had a prior romantic connection with Yamal before his relationship with Nicki Nicole began.

According to the photographer, Yamal first attended the party with Anna that evening before the pair spent the night together at Milan’s Armani Hotel – an incident that would undoubtedly displease Nicki Nicole should it prove true. Furthermore, Yamal and his accompanying friends deliberately obstructed media personnel from capturing photographs and footage at the scene.

Jordi Martin further disclosed that this behaviour has provoked considerable displeasure among Barcelona’s club hierarchy. They have grown weary of Yamal’s lifestyle. Several weeks prior, whilst injured, he flew to Croatia for a holiday with Nicki Nicole, publicly sharing photos of their trip on social media – an act that already drew criticism.

This latest incident – reportedly flying to Milan for revelry within hours of the Clásico defeat – has only exacerbated the situation. Particularly given his lacklustre performance against Real Madrid, he now finds himself dominating headlines for off-field reasons.

These successive off-field incidents, coupled with his earlier controversial remarks about Real Madrid at an event, have increasingly raised concerns within Barcelona’s ranks. Club officials fear he is becoming increasingly overwhelmed by this “noise,” drifting away from his core focus on football

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