Derry City coach and former Irish League goalkeeper sounded out for lucrative role in Middle East
The UAE Football Association are keen to recruit the former Glentoran shot-stopper to work with their international women's team ahead of the 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign.
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The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
World Cup will use more indoor venues for day-time kick-offs to combat heat
Fifa's president, Gianni Infantino, has said indoor air-conditioned venues will be used as much as possible for day-time kick-offs at the 2026 World Cup to combat expected high temperatures. Concerns have been raised about player welfare during the Club World Cup in the US, which will co-host next year's tournament with Canada and Mexico. Enzo Fernández described conditions during Chelsea's semi-final against Fluminense, when the temperature was 35C, as 'very dangerous'. Infantino said better use would be made of indoor air-conditioned venues in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver. There are 16 host venues – 11 in the US, two in Canada and three in Mexico. Vancouver has by far the coolest average June and July temperatures of the indoor venues. 'The heat is definitely an issue,' Infantino said. 'It's an issue around the world. I remember it was the same in the Olympics in Paris and in other football games. But we have stadiums in America that are covered and one in Canada in Vancouver and we will definitely use these stadiums more during the day.' Infantino declared the Club World Cup a huge financial success and said the revamped, 32-team tournament had generated close to £1.5bn in revenue. The competition concludes in New York on Sunday with a final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, which is due to be attended by Donald Trump. Infantino said: 'The golden era of global club football has started. We can say definitely this Fifa Club World Cup has been a huge, huge, huge success. Of course, there are a lot of positives, some negatives. We respect everyone's opinion. It has been successful. 'We heard financially it would not work but I can say we generated over $2bn (£1.48bn) in revenues with this competition. We earned on average $33m per match. There is no other cup competition in the world that comes close to $33m per match. It is already the most successful club competition in the world.' Infantino responded to criticism over poor attendances at some matches by saying 2.5m tickets were sold, equating to an average of 40,000 per match. 'There is no league in the world with that number, except the Premier League which, of course, has home teams.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Infantino thanked Trump for his endorsement of the tournament. 'He loves the game,' he said. 'You cannot organise a competition like this without the full support of the government. Great thanks to president Trump – he has been fantastic and he is attending the final tomorrow as well.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
What happened to Luis Rubiales and where disgraced ex-Spain chief is now
Ex-Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales saw an appeal against his sexual assault conviction dismissed last month, two years after he kissed Spain captain Jenni Hermoso without consent Luis Rubiales, the disgraced ex-president of Spain's football federation (RFEF), is nearly two years into his three-year ban from football. The 47-year-old saw an appeal over this ban dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in February, and last month, had his sexual assault conviction upheld. A moment of celebration for Spain in 2023, when they defeated England 1-0 in the Women's World Cup final, quickly developed serious undertones via Rubiales' post-match behaviour. Rubiales was criticised for a series of incidents, including carrying a player over his shoulder, giving a peck on the cheek to another, and kissing the captain of the side, Hermoso, during the medal ceremony. Such acts triggered a series of protests and calls for his resignation, which ultimately came in September of 2023. The matter involving Hermoso was taken to court, and while Rubiales has always claimed that the kiss was consensual, he was convicted of sexual assault on February 20, 2025, and ordered to pay a fine of £9,300. He was also ordered to stay at least 200m away from Hermoso and cease contact with her for one year. While Rubiales appealed this decision and the ban FIFA handed him in October 2023, both were upheld. We examine Rubiales' case in detail, including what the 47-year-old is up to now and why former captain Hermoso did not make this year's Euro 2025 Spanish squad. Where is Luis Rubiales now? In the wake of his actions, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee banned Rubiales from all football-related activities for three years in October 2023, one month after his RFEF resignation. He was provisionally suspended for an initial 90 days after the events that occurred after the World Cup final. This ban was appealed and considered by FIFA's appeal committee, but it was upheld. The case went before CAS this year and was dismissed again. This means that Rubiales' ban will last until October 2026, and he has served almost two years of it, with 14 months remaining. He has stayed silent since the appeal over his sexual assault conviction was dismissed by a Spanish court in June. Luis Rubiales' mother's hunger strike In August 2023, Rubiales' mother, Angeles Bejar, started a hunger strike in support of her child, in light of the backlash and calls for his resignation. Bejar had locked herself in a church in her hometown of Motril in southern Spain to protest how her son was being treated, and stayed in the building from Monday until Wednesday, when she was taken to a local hospital, according to a local priest. She was later discharged that evening after Rubiales visited her and departed the hospital at 11:30pm local time. Bejar told reporters before the strike that she would continue "indefinitely, day and night" amid an "inhuman and bloody hunt" for her son. Prosecutors' calls for Luis Rubiales to receive prison time Rubiales was not the only one to appeal his conviction, which saw him found guilty of sexual assault but not guilty of coercion, with it being alleged that he coerced Hermoso to downplay the post-final kiss. Prosecutors requested a retrial of the High Court sentencing in March, claiming that Rubiales deserved to be jailed and the initial judge was biased in his favour. They had demanded that Rubiales face two and a half years in prison, 12 months for sexual assault, and 18 months for alleged coercion. This was dismissed. Where is Jenni Hermoso now? Having played for Mexican side Pachuca during the incident in 2023, Hermoso later signed with Tigres UANL in 2024 and remains with the club. With Euro 2025 in full swing, record goalscorer Hermoso was not selected by Spain coach Montse Tome, who said that her absence was down to competition for places. "We have assessed her performances for Tigres and spoken with her coach, but in her position, we have Patri [Guijarro], Aitana [Bonmati], Alexia [Putellas], Maite [Zubieta], Vicky [Lopez] and even Mariona [Caldentey] or [Claudia] Pina can come in there," said Tome. "It's hard to pick 23 players, but we do the job professionally and at the end of the day, that is what we have chosen. I spoke with her at the beginning of the year about her situation and we have done the same work with her as with everyone else." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
South Wales Argus
3 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Alex Greenwood: England's game against Wales is the most important yet
England's clash against Wales is England's most important game of their Euro 2025 campaign yet, according to Alex Greenwood. The meeting between the two home nations in St. Gallen is another must-win clash for the Lionesses, who currently sit on three points in Group D. They lost their opening game 2-1 to France before going on to get a necessary victory against the Netherlands on Wednesday to keep their hopes of a quarter-final spot alive. It sets up an enticing battle with neighbours Wales, and Greenwood needed no reminding of the magnitude of the occasion. "For me personally, it is the most important game we're going to play,' she said. "That's how I treat it. For the fans and everybody around there the rivalry is brilliant. The atmosphere is going to be great and something we should look forward to." The pressure of the big occasion could be enough to cause some teams to choke on the big stage, but when faced with such expectations against the Netherlands, England stepped up in style. A Lauren James brace in addition to goals from Ella Toone and Georgia Stanway saw the Lionesses fly to a resounding 4-0 win at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich. For Greenwood, it is a pressure they have become well-acquainted with. "[Having a target on our back] is something we are used to now. That's the pressure we have invited because we have been successful and it is something we should be proud of,' she said. "As a team we don't focus too much on that. We focus on ourselves and the gameplan. "We enjoy pressure, but we also thrive in those moments. We showed that the other night against the Netherlands. "That was a high-pressure game and we performed under the highest pressure. Tomorrow becomes another high pressure game and we're all really looking forward to it." Part of England's success against the Netherlands came from Sarina Wiegman's tactical decision to move Greenwood out to left-back and bring Jess Carter, who struggled on the flank against France, into the centre-back role. With the threat of Chasity Grant down the right and Vivianne Miedema nullified it was a decision that paid dividends. But despite the seemingly major role change, Greenwood feels the tactical thought process is actually very similar. "[There are not as many differences] as you would think. In my role here at England as a left-back, Sarina still allows me to play to my ability,' she explained. "There are some slight differences tactically but I have been a left-back for a large parts of my career. "It is not foreign to play there. I enjoy playing there, it gives a different side to my game. "It is not overwhelming or too much to think about. It is gameplan, opposition, what's best for the team and that's the most important thing." In her versatility Greenwood has proven invaluable for the Lionesses for over a decade, featuring in their 2015 World Cup squad. It saw her rack up her 100th international appearance in the opening game against France to join an exclusive club. "Playing for England has always been a dream of mine. To then make 100 caps for my country is something I genuinely didn't think I would achieve,' she said. "I'm grateful to all the people who have helped me along the way."
