Wales players unhurt after team bus involved in crash on way to training
Head coach Rhian Wilkinson and midfielder Angharad James, who had travelled separately to the pre-match press conference at the stadium, were visibly shaken in a truncated appearance in front of the media before travelling back to their training base to be reunited with their colleagues.
Wilkinson told the press conference: 'This is really developing right now so we are trying to be as clear and transparent as possible.
'I think everyone, from all the reports, everyone is OK. Our priority is just to get them all together and away from the scene and reassess.
'We've got great staff, we've got really good support and we'll be checking in just to make sure that they continue to be OK.
'And also just as importantly, I believe the other car involved, I think everyone is OK there as well, so when we know, I'm sure we will be letting everyone know.'
Despite her relief at the news that no-one had been injured, Wilkinson admitted the incident had been far from ideal preparation for a match which could determine her side's fate in the competition.
However, she said football came second to the safety of her players, who she revealed have been conditioned to deal with the unexpected.
She said: 'Yeah, I think football is secondary. Yes, we are shaken, just because we don't know. We are away from the team right now, so they've had to experience that.
'But equally, we have a great group and I have been assured everyone is fine. We have practised for the unexpected – I think that's what we can call this.
'Yes, football is secondary, but equally we'll check back in, make sure everyone is in a good spot and then we will start working towards football again after that.'
Swiss police said the driver of the car involved was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
'The Thurgau Cantonal Police confirm there was a traffic accident between a coach and a car on Tuesday afternoon at around 3.30pm in Wigoltingen on Kirchstrasse,' the police said in a statement sent to the PA news agency.
'The driver of the car was slightly injured and had to be taken to hospital by the emergency services. The Wales women's national football team and accompanying persons were uninjured. The circumstances of the accident are being clarified by the Thurgau Cantonal Police.'
The FAW confirmed Wales, who lost their opening fixture 3-0 to the Netherlands on Saturday hours before the French got the better of reigning champions England, trained back at their base.
Wilkinson, who set off for the press conference with a clean bill of health, said: 'We always talk about the next match and this is another opportunity.
'Everyone always talks about what it means if we don't get a point, but equally it's about delivering as strong a performance as we can to show Wales just how proud we are to represent our country.'
James revealed some difficult conversations had been had in the wake of the Netherlands defeat, but insisted she and her team-mates were not daunted by the task ahead.
James said: 'We've prepared for France just as we would prepare for any other game. This is any other game, we've played them before and we know what we can do to get something from the game.
'We've learned a lot over the past few days about ourselves, individually and collectively. We've had some tough conversations over the past few days, but we are ready to get back out on the field and put in a performance to be proud of.'
France boss Laurent Bonadei started his press conference with a message of support for Wilkinson and her players.
Bonadei said: 'I want to send them a message of support because beyond football, health is so important.
'I heard they cancelled their training. I hope they are OK and hope they are OK tomorrow. It will be a pleasure to meet them tomorrow.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
17 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Joao Pedro says Paris St Germain ‘lost their heads' after Club World Cup final
PSG, the Champions League winners and strong favourites, crashed to a shock 3-0 loss at the hands of the Blues at the MetLife Stadium. The match is over… but the tempers aren't 👀Tensions were boiling after full-time. GLOBAL HOME OF FOOTBALL | Live All Summer Long | | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #CHEPSG — DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 13, 2025 Tempers frayed in the closing stages and the French side finished with 10 men after Joao Neves was sent off for pulling the hair of Chelsea's Marc Cucurella. Further scuffles then broke out after the game as personnel from both benches entered the field. The incident involving Pedro, one of the Chelsea goalscorers, and Enrique appeared the most serious but neither party shared much detail on what occurred. 'I don't need to talk about them,' said Pedro. 'Everyone wants to win the game and, in the end, I think they lost their heads. 'But this is football. This has happened. Now we need to enjoy it because we won the tournament, that's it. 'I don't want to talk too much about them because you know how it works. Football is this.' JOíO NEVES SENT OFF! 🟥 PSG down to 10 in the final minutes of the match. Catch the @FIFACWC Final | July 13 | Free | | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #CHEPSG — DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 13, 2025 For his part, Enrique said he was trying to separate players and prevent a heated situation from becoming worse. Pedro, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi were all involved in a confrontation before Enrique interjected. He appeared to raise an arm and Pedro fell down amid the melee. Enrique said: 'I have no problem expressing my feelings at the end of the game in a high level of pressure. It's very stressful for all of us. It is going to be impossible to avoid that. 'Everybody was involved. It was not what was best and the end result of the pressure of the match. 'I have seen (Chelsea manager Enzo) Maresca. I saw he had pushed others and we had to separate all the players and I do not know where that pressure came from. 'But this is a situation we must all avoid, that goes without saying. My intention was to separate the footballers so the situation didn't become worse.'
BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
What comes next for Wales after Euro 2025?
For Wales women's football, the big question will now be, what comes next?Wales' Euro 2025 adventure is over, but the hope is that it can have a transformative and definitely underappreciated, the entire sport has been playing catch up for over 30 years, but now it feels like a moment of seismic for 50 years, the refusal of the Football Association of Wales to sanction the women's side meant another 20 years in the doldrums until the first 'official game' was played in attempts to catch-up time in Switzerland in their first major tournament ended with a disappointing defeat to England, but the legacy of the achievement in simply qualifying for a major finals is tantalising."Being here for the first time and putting Wales on the biggest stage is a win for us," captain Angharad James said."Before we kicked a football, before we stepped off the plane, we spoke as a group and said we already won regardless of what happens." The fans – Wales win hearts in Switzerland, can they capitalise? Wales' men qualifying for Euro 2016, their first major finals in 58-years, has transformed the way football has been viewed in Wales ever undisputedly a rugby country, Wales' men's side are more than used to seeing 'sold out' signs at the Cardiff City Stadium and it is now more of a talking point when Wales don't qualify for a major finals than when they fervour of that support has not, however, translated to the women's side, until sold more tickets than two of their Euro 2025 group D opponents, Netherlands and France, with the Red Wall showing a commitment to Rhian Wilkinson's side that has previously been supporters in Switzerland have attended their first women's football matches and the hope is that the visibility of the tournament will add interest in the women's game, with boss Rhian Wilkinson previously expressing disappointment that supporters prioritise watching the men's Welsh support in Switzerland has caught people's attention, both inside and outside of the Wales camp."The fans have been loving it, they have been superb this whole journey, they have been our 12th person," captain Angharad James reflected."The fans have given us so many special moments with the noise they have created, there have been times when all we've seen and heard is that Red Wall, just a sea of red."Wales have been by far the best crowd that I've seen out in this Euros."Wales' cap centurion Sophie Ingle revealed that after Wales defeat by the Netherlands, her former Chelsea teammate, Wieke Kaptein, messaged her to say how moving she found the rendition of Hen Wlad fy will now hope that support will translate to bigger crowds for home matches, with Wales' record attendance still not having even reached the 20,000 mark."Hopefully that's what it's going to do in so many ways," former Wales defender Danny Gabbidon said."The game is growing. Football now is the most popular sport that girls are playing in Wales."That process has started, but it needs to continue. This is just the start for this team." The players: Improved depth - but the end for Fishlock? In a quite literal sense, Welsh women's football is 20 years behind the likes of England, having never played a sanctioned international until 1993 and the journey to being serious about women's football has been painfully was only 20 years ago that the team almost ceased to exist again, with the side pulled out of Euro qualifying as it was cheaper to pay the fine for withdrawing than funding a qualifying are vastly different now, with the women's team receiving equal pay to their male counterparts and sharing the same state-of-the-art training facilities, but it is still a period of transition in terms of Wales building the depth they need to regularly compete at major lynchpins of the Wales side from the past decade have retired, including cap centurions Helen Ward, Loren Dykes and Natasha Harding – with striker Kayleigh Barton possibly the next to call time on her Wales career - though an increased focus on adding to their playing pool has seen the likes of Ceri Holland, Lois Joel and Hannah Cain switch their international allegiance from England to improved funding at grassroots level should help with the talent pool in the future, but in the short-term Wales are going to have to start planning for life without their greatest ever player, Jess 38, Euro 2025 has demonstrated that Fishlock is no longer able to influence games in quite the same way and it seems inevitable that her international retirement will be coming sooner rather than later."Her career spans the whole of Welsh history on the women's side," manager Rhian Wilkinson said about a player who has incredibly played in 67% of Wales' matches since 1993, despite only making her debut in second highest goalscorer behind Fishlock, Helen Ward, says replacing Fishlock will be every bit as hard as the men have found filling the void left by Gareth Bale."It is virtually impossible to replace Jess," she explained."I think it is going to be like – and I don't like to compare – replacing Gareth Bale."There is a fear of what Wales will be like without Jess Fishlock. She's a generational, once-in-a-lifetime player. We have been lucky to have her as long as we have." How can Wales improve and become more competitive? Football is now the largest participation sport among girls in Wales, with record investment and a 45% rise in the number of girls improved funding from the FAW should certainly improve the level of young talent coming through, but in the short-term, Wales have an issue with how few of their current players are playing the first time Wales have a fully professional squad, but they are still lacking in players who regularly play club football at the top level, with several of Wales' Women's Super League players unable to command regular first team example, none of Wales' Euro 2025 goalkeepers are currently playing regularly, despite being at Leicester City, Manchester United and Aston VillaWales boss Wilkinson says that issue is her current number one priority to address."My players have to be playing," she said. "I had five players out of contract here at the Euros. It's mind-blowing to me. Esther Morgan starts all of our games, plays and she doesn't have a club. It drives me wild."I look at some of my players and it does frustrate me. So I've got to try and find them opportunities abroad."Maybe I have to send them to North America, which is a tough challenge. But they have to be playing, firstly. That's the basic."Same with my goalkeepers. My goalkeepers don't start for their clubs. So the next stage is how do I get them in an environment where they are getting that game time?"I've told their agents that, excuse me, I need them playing. Just like any international coach, you just want your players playing."Wilkinson feels the lack of regular club football gives Wales a physical disadvantage when they face top sides like France and England."They're international players, so what is it that we're doing with Wales to help support their sports scientists? Because they have to be ready," she added."How do we work with them to continue to push on their physical standards? Because I'll be honest, we don't have enough of my players right now who are hitting the top-level benchmark."Wales' first major tournament is in the books, but their bid to become a nation that continues to rise through the ranks of women's football is only just beginning.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
French woman shocked after realising AFL team copied her national anthem
A French traveller visiting Australia was left astonished after attending an AFL match at Marvel Stadium, where she discovered that the Brisbane Lions Football Club's team song sounded very familiar. TikTok user @bonjourmelbourne witnessed Brisbane's impressive 37-point win over Carlton on Thursday night and says her 'jaw dropped' when she heard the club's team song echoing around the ground. 'Can someone please explain why the French anthem is the Brisbane Lions theme song,' she posted. Some footy fans were also confused by the bizarre revelation, but diehard Lions fans set her straight in the comments section. The club's team song, 'The Pride of Brisbane Town', is indeed sung to the tune of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem. The Lions adopted the tune in 1997, but it originates from Fitzroy, who merged with the Brisbane Bears to form the club. The song was written by former player Bill Stephen while on an end-of-season trip to Perth in 1952. 'We really didn't have a song that united us at Fitzroy, and I had just been to the pictures to see Casablanca and was impressed by the scene in the restaurant,' Stephen explained. 'The Germans were belting out their Nazi song, and some bloke started singing this French song. Gradually all the French joined in and overwhelmed the Germans with their voice. I was very impressed with the song, La Marseillaise. 'As we were in a carriage on our way to the West having a booze-up, I told the boys that we needed a good song and gave them the tune to La Marseillaise. 'Anyway, I wanted all the boys to help make up the song. I started them off with the first line, which was, 'We are the boys from Fitzroy my lads,' then I went to all the others and each gave me a different line. 'We must have sung it 30,000 times by the time we got home a fortnight later. That song kept Fitzroy people alive during our bad days. People used to sing it, and sing it, and sing it.' The Lions showed no mercy against the Blues last week, romping to a 15.13 (103) to 9.12 (66) victory at Marvel Stadium. Brisbane's Josh Dunkley (28 disposals, 13 tackles) was awarded the inaugural Robert Walls Medal, struck in honour of the dual-club great, who died in May. The only sore point for the Lions (12-4-1) was Noah Answerth's suspected season-ending achilles injury, which led to the defender's substitution before halftime. Lachie Neale (31 disposals), Dayne Zorko (28) and Will Ashcroft (28) were all influential and Charlie Cameron (three majors) led a group of 11 Brisbane goal-kickers. 'Our pressure was good tonight,' Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said. 'We got 35 forward-half turnovers, which is a large number, 20 tackles inside-50, seven goals eight from forward-half turnovers. 'All that was on the back of pressure and good tackling, so it was a very good effort in that regard.'
