Alonso backs Ruediger after he suffered alleged racist abuse
Asked if Ruediger had been the victim of racism during the game, Alonso told a press conference: "That's what Ruediger said, and we believe him.
"It is important to have zero tolerance in these kinds of situations. Fifa now is investigating. That's all I can say."
It was not immediately clear whether the alleged abuse came from the crowd or an opponent.
Soccer's governing body Fifa was not immediately in a position to clarify the incident when contacted by Reuters, as it still awaits the referee's report.
Ruediger, 32, has been the target of racist abuse several times when playing for Chelsea, both on the pitch and online, AS Roma and Real Madrid.
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The National
8 minutes ago
- The National
Belgian GP talking points: Piastri's pole prediction, Horner's absence and Hamilton's recovery
Spa remains one of Formula One's most demanding venues and Sunday proved no exception, with Oscar Piastri rising to the challenge on a wet weekend in Belgium. After a cautious rolling start, he made a bold move on teammate Lando Norris to seize the lead and never looked back, delivering another clinical victory. Behind him, Lewis Hamilton carved through the field with a series of brilliant overtakes, climbing from deep on the grid into the points with a drive that showcased his experience and control. After another memorable weekend in Belgium, here are the key talking points. Piastri's prediction comes true A portrait of calm in the eye of the storm, Piastri drove with quiet authority and flawless execution at Spa-Francorchamps, mastering the conditions to take his sixth win of the season and tighten his grip on the championship lead. After missing out on the Sprint win and qualifying second for the Grand Prix, Piastri arrived on Sunday looking to reassert control. When the lights finally went out after a rain-delayed start, he did exactly that. Having started on pole for the Sprint, Piastri joked: 'Spa's probably one of the worst places to have pole position. It is what it is.' On Sunday, from second, he proved himself right. Despite the limitations of the rolling start, he breezed past teammate Norris on the straight in the first racing lap with a clean and confident move. The British driver would later report a battery issue, but by then Piastri had already taken charge. At one stage, it looked as though Norris' one stop strategy might tilt the race in his favour. Piastri, who had stopped a lap earlier for mediums, expressed concern that his tyres would not last the distance. The prospect of a second stop lingered in the background, while Norris, running long on hards, looked to close the gap. But as the laps wore on, Piastri managed his pace, never allowing the threat to fully materialise. Norris gradually closed the gap, reducing Piastri's advantage to under four seconds in the final stint. But small mistakes, such as the one at Pouhon and later at La Source, stalled his momentum just as it began to build. Piastri remained composed and crossed the line 3.415 seconds clear to seal McLaren's sixth one-two finish of the season. 'I knew that Lap 1 was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race,' Piastri said. 'I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge, and then it was enough.' Red Bull begin new era without Horner For the first time in over two decades, Red Bull arrived at a Grand Prix without Christian Horner in charge. Laurent Mekies, the French engineer and former Racing Bulls team principal, took the reins for the first time. Speaking on Friday, he acknowledged Horner's legacy and confirmed the two had remained in contact. 'Yes, we have spoken, he has been nothing other than supportive,' Mekies said. 'Even this morning and yesterday, we texted. It's very impressive in the context.' Max Verstappen began the weekend on the front foot, winning the Sprint with a well-timed move on Piastri up the Kemmel Straight and securing his first victory since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May. For Sunday's race, however, Red Bull opted for a higher downforce set up in anticipation of sustained rain. When the race finally got under way after an 80-minute delay and the track dried more quickly than expected, that decision proved costly. Verstappen spent the afternoon chasing Charles Leclerc but lacked the straight line speed to mount a serious challenge, eventually crossing the line in fourth. 'All in all, with the decision making and the set up that we chose with the wing didn't help,' he said. 'P3 was probably the maximum possible with the ideal scenario and, unfortunately, this didn't happen today.' Ferrari's upgrades paying off Ferrari arrived at Spa having implemented another development package, including a revised rear suspension. Building on the new floor rolled out in Austria, the upgrades appeared to offer immediate benefits – at least for Leclerc. He capitalised on the improvements with a composed and consistent weekend, securing his fifth podium of the season and a third straight third-place finish at Spa. 'Max was behind for the whole race, within two seconds, so it is never easy, and the first part of the race was the trickiest for us,' said Leclerc after spending the whole afternoon holding off Verstappen. Hamilton, meanwhile, endured a difficult start to the weekend. He was eliminated in the first round of both Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying, starting near the back in both races and finishing 15th in Saturday's short run. But on Sunday, in mixed conditions and with a pit-lane start, Hamilton produced a dazzling recovery race. Pulling off a string of decisive overtakes in the early laps, he worked his way up to seventh and was voted Driver of the Day. It wasn't the outcome he had hoped for, but it was a determined recovery from a weekend that had come close to falling apart. Russell bemoans 'worst' weekend George Russell left Spa with growing concerns about Mercedes' direction, describing it as the team's worst performance of the season after finishing a distant fifth. He crossed the line nearly 35 seconds behind Piastri and well off the pace of Verstappen's fourth-placed Red Bull. Russell attributed the team's recent struggles to a development shift made earlier in the year, which he now believes has backfired. 'We made a clear change of direction a couple of months ago and it's been since that point we've taken a step backwards,' he said.
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
King Charles salutes Lionesses after England's historic Euro 2025 victory
King Charles III led the tributes to England's history-making Lionesses after they won the Women's Euro 2025 title in a dramatic final against Spain on Sunday. Sarina Wiegman's side held their nerve to survive a tense penalty shoot-out as Chloe Kelly scored the decisive spot-kick in Basel after two crucial saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. Alessia Russo's second-half equaliser had revived England's bid to retain the Euro title after Mariona Caldentey's 25th minute opener for Spain. Kelly's winning kick sparked celebrations across England, while the Prince of Wales and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined the party in the stands at St Jakob-Park. Prince William celebrated with his daughter Princess Charlotte before congratulating England's players on the pitch. 'What a game! Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe and we couldn't be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment England,' William and Charlotte said in a joint statement on X. England's 3-1 shoot-out victory avenged their 2023 Women's World Cup final loss against Spain in Australia. King Charles saluted Wiegman's team for their cathartic win, and immediately set their next target as he urged them to win the World Cup in 2027. 'This brings you, your manager and all your support team my most heartfelt congratulations on winning the Euros 2025,' the King wrote on social media. 'For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant 'football's coming home'. '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. For this, you have my whole family's warmest appreciation and admiration. 'Well done, Lionesses. The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!' Kelly is clutch for Lionesses Kelly was England's hero again, setting up the equaliser in the final before coolly firing home the winning spot kick in the shoot-out. The 27-year-old is establishing herself as a player for the big occasions. 'I just came on to the pitch and wanted to make something happen,' Kelly said. 'I actually missed three penalties in training yesterday. I'm really proud to be English right now.' It was back-to-back European trophies for England and yet another final that Kelly had a huge impact on after coming on as a substitute during the Euro 2022 trophy match and scoring the winner against Germany in extra time to clinch a 2-1 victory. Kelly has also been one of England's super subs at Euro 2025. Against Sweden in the quarter-finals, she was brought on in the 78th minute with England trailing 2-0 and had an immediate impact, whipping in two pinpoint crosses for Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang to score and take the match to extra time – with England winning on penalties. Then came Italy in the semi-finals and another Kelly-inspired England fightback. She scored the decisive goal in the 119th minute, shooting home the rebound after Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani saved her penalty kick. 'I was adamant I was not missing two on the bounce,' Kelly said on Sunday. Wiegman praises 'chaotic' triumph England coach Wiegman said she was proud of her team's 'incredible' achievement. Defending champions England made an inauspicious start to Euro 2025 in Switzerland when they lost to France, but bounced back to avenge their 2023 World Cup final defeat to Spain. 'I just can't believe it. I have a medal around my neck and we have a trophy,' Wiegman told the BBC. 'It has been the most chaotic tournament on the pitch – all the challenges we had on the pitch against our opponent. 'From the first game it was chaos. Losing your first game and becoming European champions is incredible. Football is chaos. 'We said we can win by any means and that's what we have shown again today. I am so proud of the team and the staff. It is incredible." Remarkably, England's Dutch coach has reached the final of all five major tournaments she has managed at, and has now won three Euros in a row, doing so with the Netherlands in 2017 and then with the Lionesses in 2022 and 2025. Sandwiched in between those successes were World Cup final defeats to the USA, with the Netherlands in 2019, and against Spain with England two years ago.
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
King Charles salutes Lionesses after England's historic Euro victory
King Charles III led the tributes to England's history-making Lionesses after they won the Women's Euro 2025 title in a dramatic final against Spain on Sunday. Sarina Wiegman's side held their nerve to survive a tense penalty shoot-out as Chloe Kelly scored the decisive spot-kick in Basel after two crucial saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. Alessia Russo's second-half equaliser had revived England's bid to retain the Euro title after Mariona Caldentey's 25th minute opener for Spain. Kelly's winning kick sparked celebrations across England, while the Prince of Wales and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined the party in the stands at St Jakob-Park. Prince William celebrated with his daughter Princess Charlotte before congratulating England's players on the pitch. 'What a game! Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe and we couldn't be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment England,' William and Charlotte said in a joint statement on X. England's 3-1 shoot-out victory avenged their 2023 Women's World Cup final loss against Spain in Australia. King Charles saluted Wiegman's team for their cathartic win, and immediately set their next target as he urged them to win the World Cup in 2027. 'This brings you, your manager and all your support team my most heartfelt congratulations on winning the Euros 2025,' the King wrote on social media. 'For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant 'football's coming home'. '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. For this, you have my whole family's warmest appreciation and admiration. 'Well done, Lionesses. The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!' Kelly is clutch for Lionesses Kelly was England's hero again, setting up the equaliser in the final before coolly firing home the winning spot kick in the shoot-out. The 27-year-old is establishing herself as a player for the big occasions. 'I just came on to the pitch and wanted to make something happen,' Kelly said. 'I actually missed three penalties in training yesterday. I'm really proud to be English right now.' It was back-to-back European trophies for England and yet another final that Kelly had a huge impact on after coming on as a substitute during the Euro 2022 trophy match and scoring the winner against Germany in extra time to clinch a 2-1 victory. Kelly has also been one of England's super subs at Euro 2025. Against Sweden in the quarter-finals, she was brought on in the 78th minute with England trailing 2-0 and had an immediate impact, whipping in two pinpoint crosses for Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang to score and take the match to extra time – with England winning on penalties. Then came Italy in the semi-finals and another Kelly-inspired England fightback. She scored the decisive goal in the 119th minute, shooting home the rebound after Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani saved her penalty kick. 'I was adamant I was not missing two on the bounce,' Kelly said on Sunday. Wiegman praises 'chaotic' triumph England coach Wiegman said she was proud of her team's 'incredible' achievement. Defending champions England made an inauspicious start to Euro 2025 in Switzerland when they lost to France, but bounced back to avenge their 2023 World Cup final defeat to Spain. 'I just can't believe it. I have a medal around my neck and we have a trophy,' Wiegman told the BBC. 'It has been the most chaotic tournament on the pitch – all the challenges we had on the pitch against our opponent. 'From the first game it was chaos. Losing your first game and becoming European champions is incredible. Football is chaos. 'We said we can win by any means and that's what we have shown again today. I am so proud of the team and the staff. It is incredible." Remarkably, England's Dutch coach has reached the final of all five major tournaments she has managed at, and has now won three Euros in a row, doing so with the Netherlands in 2017 and then with the Lionesses in 2022 and 2025. Sandwiched in between those successes were World Cup final defeats to the USA, with the Netherlands in 2019, and against Spain with England two years ago.
