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The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Soccer-Swindon coach Holloway vows to hunt down fan who threw seat at Walsall player
(Reuters) -Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway was left seething after a fan reportedly threw a seat at Walsall goalkeeper Myles Roberts in a League Two match, urging the club to identify and reveal the name of the supporter involved in the incident. British media reported that an object was thrown from the crowd towards Roberts in the final minutes of Walsall's 2-1 win over Swindon on Saturday. The object did not hit Roberts but landed near him, with Holloway saying in an interview with club media that it had been part of a stadium seat. "I'm disgusted by whoever that person was. Whoever you are, you're not a Swindon fan. I'm not having you and I hope you get caught. That is absolutely horrific," said the 62-year-old Englishman. "How dare you put our club in the situation that you've just done. You think that's in our name. It's not in my name. It's not in this badge's name. And we don't want you in football. That's how I feel. "So let's find them, whoever it is. Give us a name ... If you've ripped a seat out and you've thrown it at somebody, I just can't stand you, whoever you are. And I will find you. I want us to find that person and shame them." In a statement, Swindon said they were working with Walsall and local authorities to identify those responsible. "Let us be clear: any individuals found to have engaged in such actions will face the strictest possible sanctions, including banning orders and legal action where appropriate," the club added. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Proper England
ENGLAND's nail-biting, come-from-behind victory over Spain in the European women's football championship electrified the country, with euphoric fans cheering something utterly new for them: the dawn of a national football dynasty. England, the defending champions, edged out Spain in a penalty shootout to hold on to the title they won in 2022, after conceding the first goal, as they had in their quarter-final and semi-final games. England fans marched to St Jakob-Park for the final behind a banner that read 'Proper England,' the team's new motto that had developed over a roller-coaster tournament of wild comebacks. The victory avenged England after their heartbreaking defeat to Spain in the World Cup women's championship two years ago. It also stamped the women's team, nicknamed the Lionesses, as the proud standard-bearer for English football. England players celebrate with the trophy after winning the women's Euro 2025 final against Spain at St Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland on July 27. — AP England's men's team, known as the Three Lions, have not won a major championship since 1966, becoming a byword for sporting misery in a country that views itself as the home of football. Instead, it is the Lionesses who have become regulars at the pinnacle of international football, showing grit and steely nerves as they rebounded from a sloppy start in the early games of this tournament, played in Switzerland. 'We've not made it easy for ourselves, we love the drama,' said Bethany Madden, 26, who watched the game with friends on two large television screens at the Victoria pub in south-east London. 'But it's made it such an exciting tournament. You can never rule the Lionesses out.' Asked if they ever doubted victory, defender Niamh Charles said: 'No. We had that complete belief that however late it went ... That's something we've referenced so much, that 'Proper English,'' she said. It was a characteristically nerve-rattling performance by the Lionesses, with momentum at the St Jakob-Park stadium in Basel swinging from one side to the other. Spain dominated the first half, but after England levelled the score at 1-1 in the second half of regular time, it finally finished off Spain 3-1 in the penalty kicks. Moments after Chloe Kelly, a forward who came into the game as a substitute near the end of the first half, drilled in the final penalty kick, a jubilant crowd of English fans in Basel broke out into 'Sweet Caroline,' the Neil Diamond standard that has become the unofficial anthem of the Lionesses. England's Alessia Russo (centre) jubilates with teammates after scoring the equaliser. — AP Soon fans were chanting 'Football's coming home,' a refrain from 'Three Lions,' the ever-hopeful theme song of the England men's team. Having taken football home in 2022 by winning the European championship against Germany, England's women have now done it again. For Spain, it was a bitter disappointment after a World Cup victory that was tarnished when the president of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, kissed one of the players, Jenni Hermoso, during an awards celebration, without her consent. 'You can't always win,' said Aitana Bonmati, a dejected midfielder for the Spanish team. The Lionesses' winning ways have generated excitement in a country where their supporters say the women's team has often been overlooked. There were no senior British royals or top political figures on hand in Sydney in 2023, when they played Spain in the World Cup. But on July 27, Prince William, the heir to the British throne and an enthusiastic football fan, cheered on the Lionesses from the stands. Later, the prince shook hands with players from both teams. British leaders, past and present, piled on to social media to hail a history-making victory. Even before England won, fans professed hope that the Lionesses' performance would increase the respect and attention granted to the women's game. 'I think people are getting more invested in women's football; I've been getting all my family into it,' Madden said. 'People really like to see England doing well, which makes a difference from the men because we actually get to the final. I feel like more men are respecting women's football in its own right.' 'The standard of the football has definitely increased,' said Sean Gair, 38. 'Lots of my friends don't pay attention to women's football, but England have been building great momentum.' It fell to King Charles III to place the women's victory in the context of England's long, unfulfilled football history. 'For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung the famous chant, 'football's coming home,'' Charles posted. 'As you return home with the trophy you won at Wembley three years ago, it is a source of great pride that, through sporting skill and awesome teamwork, the Lionesses have made those words ring true.' — NYT
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Rugby-Farrell's Lions fall short of greatness after conquering Australia
SYDNEY (Reuters) -The British & Irish Lions had already done enough to assure their legacy before their dream of a 3-0 series triumph was washed away in a maelstrom of lightning, rain and defiant Australians on Saturday night. Lions test series triumphs are rare and the 2025 squad captained by Maro Itoje and coached by Andy Farrell will take their rightful place alongside the esteemed post-war tourists of 1971, 1974, 1989, 1997 and 2013. "I know we're disappointed but we should be unbelievably proud of what we achieved as a group," Farrell said after the 22-12 defeat. "Lions tours are tough and ... upon reflection after tonight, I'm sure we'll be super proud of the achievements. "How we got the job done in that type of theatre will live with us forever. These lads have been an absolute dream to work with. It's been the time of our lives." In fact, had the Lions reproduced their dominance of the first hour of the Brisbane opener and final 50 minutes in Melbourne to take a third test win in Sydney, it might only have diminished their achievement in taking out the series. Starting with Ben Youngs last year, there have been plenty of voices suggesting that Australian rugby has fallen so far that the country no longer deserves the honour of the Lions visit every 12 years. Those voices were noticeably absent from the Lions camp during a series where the two teams were separated by only a single point over the three tests. Lions coach Farrell is convinced his old friend and mentor Joe Schmidt is building something special in Australia and if he is correct, it may be a couple of years before the achievement of his squad is fully appreciated. "Come the 2027 World Cup they're going to be a force to be reckoned with, 100%," Farrell said this week. "It would be tragic not to tour here. We've had a blast." Farrell may have been formed as a player in rugby league but the Englishman has shown over the last eight weeks that few understand the spirit and dynamics of the Lions better. SQUAD COHESION In Itoje, he chose a captain who was an automatic selection in the test team and there was never a hint of the sort of squad divisions that have plagued previous tours once it became clear which players were first choice. "It hasn't felt like there's been any separation in the group whatsoever," New Zealander Andrew Goodman, one of Farrell's assistant coaches, said this week. "A big part of his philosophy as a coach is to make sure everyone's all-in all the time in terms of what we do on the field and off the field. "He's a great man motivator. He's a great man around connecting, not just the playing group, but the wider staff and management group as well. "He's an amazing coach and I'm privileged to work underneath him." Itoje said Farrell's attention to detail had surprised him and thought the way the tour had been organised ensured the players formed genuine bonds with each other. "If we won every game and we absolutely hated one another in some ways. Yes, that's what you're going for, because it's a test series win," the England lock said. "But I think life is more than that." That squad cohesion was vital because it quickly became clear that Farrell, on sabbatical from his job as Ireland coach, was going to rely on a test team with a distinctly Irish tinge. LIONS OOZE CLASS That was most controversial in his back row selections, where the likes of Wales captain Jac Morgan and English youngster Henry Pollock missed out and the trio of Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan and Tom Curry started all three tests. His selection paid off with Beirne named Player of the Series and the energy and power of all three ensuring the Lions were often dominant and never overwhelmed by the Wallabies. Farrell's halfback combination of scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell was also locked in and paid huge dividends with the Scottish flyhalf rivalling Beirne for individual series honours. The tour started with an understrength Lions side losing to an understrength Argentina in Dublin, but once the Lions arrived in Australia they oozed class in all areas of the park. Six wins in six tour matches followed with only the inaugural First & Pasifika XV coming close to claiming a famous upset in Melbourne. Some 450,000 souls, many of them red-clad travelling fans, packed into stadiums around country to watch the nine games and prove the spirit of the Lions was alive and kicking after the COVID-impacted 2021 tour had played out to empty stands. The Lions will be back on the road in 2029 and it would be a huge surprise if Farrell was not asked to repeat his coaching alchemy against the All Blacks in New Zealand. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
