Latest news with #GriedgeMbockBathy
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Why rainbow armbands are dividing opinion at Women's Euro 2025
For a symbol meant to promote tolerance and inclusion, rainbow coloured captain's armbands at the Women's European Championship are actually proving to be more divisive, with some captains wearing them, and others preferring not to. The rainbow armband are a symbol of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. UEFA, the governing body of European football, has given all captains at the Women's Euros the option of choosing which armband they want to wear during games: there are standard yellow and blue armbands with the word 'respect' emblazoned on them, or the player can opt for bright colors of the rainbow flag. 'UEFA is committed to making football a safe and welcoming environment for everybody, independent of who we love, our gender identification or gender expression,' the governing body said before the women's Euro 2022, where it also gave team captains the option of wearing rainbow bands. France captain Griedge Mbock Bathy has worn the regular band. So has Spain's Irene Paredes. Italy's Cristiana Girelli also sported the regular armband when she captained the team for the quarterfinal clash against Norway. But in a previous game against Spain, with Girelli unavailable, Elena Linari captained the team and opted to wear a rainbow armband. Mbock Bathy explained her decision to not wear the rainbow band on her arm. 'Highlighting a single issue also potentially excludes the others,' she was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. 'We cannot champion a single cause through our diverse group because there are so many causes to defend.' Mbock said the France team is 'so diverse that we cannot highlight just one cause. I think that the band with the word 'respect' really represents what we want to convey as a message and that is the most important thing.' Germany captain Janina Minge, Switzerland captain Lia Wälti, Norway captain Ada Hegerberg, Wales captain Angharad James, Iceland's Glódís Viggósdóttir, England's Leah Williamson are among those who have opted to sport the rainbow armband. England defender Lucy Bronze has also opted to wear a rainbow wristband during her team's quarterfinal win over Sweden, whose captain, Kosovare Asllani, also wore a rainbow armband. (With inputs from AP)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Germany team director defends Hendrich for ponytail pull
Germany team director Nia Künzer has defended Kathrin Hendrich for the hair-pulling incident which led to her early red card in the European Championship quarter-final win against France. The record champions won on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Basel on Saturday after being forced to play with 10 players for almost 120 minutes including stoppage time. Hendrich, whose offence also led to France's goal from the penalty spot, was penalized on video review for tugging on the ponytail of Griedge Mbock Bathy. "She was looking in a completely different direction and got her hands caught in her hair. She did not grab her hair intentionally," Künzer told reporters on Sunday. "We definitely want to emphasize that there was no intent. She was, of course, very disappointed but also relieved that the game ended the way it did." Many pundits saw the incident very differently to Künzer. "Pulling hair is like slapping someone," former Switzerland player Kathrin Lehmann said on ZDF. "That's a straight red card. And because it happened in the penalty area, it's also a penalty." Ex-Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg told Swiss broadcaster SRF: "The rules are clear. Pulling hair, the intensity, the intent: red card. There is no other decision." The 57-year-old added that Hendrich had experienced a "blackout." Hendrich's Euro 2025 could be over if UEFA imposes a suspension of more than one match. As well as Hendrich missing the semi-final against world champions Spain on Wednesday, coach Christian Wück will have to manage without midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken, who is suspended after receiving her second yellow card. Full back Sarai Linder, who was substituted due to injury, may also be unavailable. Regular captain and right back Giulia Gwinn is out of the tournament with a knee ligament injury. Gwinn's previous replacement, right back Carlotta Wamser, will be available again after serving her red card suspension from the 4-1 group loss to Sweden.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Germany's Kathrin Hendrich red-carded for hair-pulling in Euro 2025 quarterfinal
Germany's Kathrin Hendrich, left, pulls on hair of France's Griedge Mbock Bathy, right, during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between France and Germany at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) AF flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
