At least one Qarabag supporter’s alleged racist abuse has been denounced by Chelsea during an Azerbaijani academy game.
In the sparsely watched game, Sol Gordon, 17, opened the scoring in the 57th minute at Baku’s Azersun Stadium and celebrated the goal in front of a group of fans who ran down to confront the players.
Eyewitnesses told BBB Sport that they saw and heard monkey gestures.
The discussions took place with coaching staff, including head coach Calum McFarlane, as players complained to Ukrainian referee Dmytro Kubriak for a short while.
Chelsea initially thought they might end the game, but they kept playing until the final whistle and won 5-0.
As substitutes Shim Mheuka and Frankie Runham sealed victory, winger Jesse Derry scored twice after being booked for celebrating provocatively in front of the home supporters.
Chelsea said in a statement that “we are aware of a situation where a number of our players were racially abused by a person in the crowd during today’s Uefa Youth League game in Azerbaijan.”
Racism and all forms of discriminatory behavior are completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated in sport or society at all. We vehemently condemn the person’s actions.
“Our players have the full backing of the entire club, and we have raised the matter with the home club and Uefa match delegate immediately.”
We are proud of how our players and staff handled the pitch incident, promptly reporting it to the referee, and congratulate those who handled it politely and appropriately in accordance with Uefa rules.
A Qarabag spokesperson apologized quickly, saying that the incident “does not represent the values of the club” and promising to conduct an “thorough investigation” in due course.
Before making a decision, Uefa’s disciplinary body will respond to the referee’s report.
At least one Qarabag supporter’s alleged racist abuse has been denounced by Chelsea during an Azerbaijani academy game.
In the sparsely watched game, Sol Gordon, 17, opened the scoring in the 57th minute at Baku’s Azersun Stadium and celebrated the goal in front of a group of fans who ran down to confront the players.
Eyewitnesses told BBB Sport that they saw and heard monkey gestures.
The discussions took place with coaching staff, including head coach Calum McFarlane, as players complained to Ukrainian referee Dmytro Kubriak for a short while.
Chelsea initially thought they might end the game, but they kept playing until the final whistle and won 5-0.
As substitutes Shim Mheuka and Frankie Runham sealed victory, winger Jesse Derry scored twice after being booked for celebrating provocatively in front of the home supporters.
Chelsea said in a statement that “we are aware of a situation where a number of our players were racially abused by a person in the crowd during today’s Uefa Youth League game in Azerbaijan.”
Racism and all forms of discriminatory behavior are completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated in sport or society at all. We vehemently condemn the person’s actions.
“Our players have the full backing of the entire club, and we have raised the matter with the home club and Uefa match delegate immediately.”
We are proud of how our players and staff handled the pitch incident, promptly reporting it to the referee, and congratulate those who handled it politely and appropriately in accordance with Uefa rules.
A Qarabag spokesperson apologized quickly, saying that the incident “does not represent the values of the club” and promising to conduct an “thorough investigation” in due course.
Before making a decision, Uefa’s disciplinary body will respond to the referee’s report.
A passenger train collided with a cargo train near Bilaspur in central Chhattisgarh state, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more. Before Wednesday’s start of train services, rescue teams worked all night to remove the victims from the wreckage.
In an emotional personal essay, Prince Harry has opened up about what the UK means to him and let slip what he misses the most, according to an expert
View 5 Images
Prince Harry has penned an emotional essay(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry’s poignant personal essay has thrown his real feelings about the UK into sharp relief, according to an expert. The Duke of Sussex left his home country five years ago, moving across the Atlantic to build a new life with his wife Meghan. But now Harry has made it painfully clear that there are aspects of the UK he still misses – includng memories he once shared with his estranged brother Prince William.
The Duke of Sussex penned the passionate essay ahead of Remembrance Day, where he expressed his pride at fighting for his country and warned how easy it is for veterans to be forgotten “once the uniform comes off”. Former soldier Harry undertook two frontline tours to Afghanistan and also describes the privilege of serving alongside men and women from all four corners of the UK. He calls on people to remember “not only the fallen, but the living” who carry the “weight of war” and urges them to knock on veterans’ doors and “join them for a cuppa…or a pint” to hear their stories and “remind them their service still matters”.
The candid essay is titled, “The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What it means to be British”, and in a particularly emotional passage, Harry opened up about his deeply held affection for his home country. “Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for. The banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands – ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it,” he wrote.
READ MORE: King Charles’ longest-serving staff see ‘change’ in his behaviour, royal expert saysREAD MORE: Prince William recreates incredible Princess Diana moment on moving visit
And now communications expert Judi James has told The Mirror that she believes Harry “subconsciously” let slip more about his feelings towards his home country and his estranged relatives than he might have realised.
“Despite his normally constant adherence to his love of his life in the US, Harry sounds like a man still yearning for what he calls the ‘Banter of the mess, clubhouse, pubs, the stands,'” Judi explained. “Harry was a man who grew up and cut his teeth on banter, especially with his brother William.
“Interviews back in the day show their banter together was relentless and there is a suggestion that in promoting the word so strongly and emphatically here Harry is implying (perhaps subconsciously) how much he misses his older brother. Montecito always looks like a banter-free zone, which is why we tend to see Harry so much in his element during Invictus when he has an endless supply of ex-military heroes to exchange banter with.”
The communications expert continued: “He sounds embarrassed by this ‘reveal’ though. By adding ‘ridiculous as it sounds’, he seems to be apologising to his US audience, perhaps even to his own family, for this admission of nostalgia and what sounds like a sense of longing.
“This is an important-sounding admission too. Most ex-pats yearn for jars of Marmite or English tea bags, but Harry is letting everyone know, including Meghan here, that he’s missing a kind of shared, intense, complex humour that he might not be able to get in the US.”
This isn’t the first time since moving to the US that Harry has made it known what high esteem he holds a good sense of humour, and how tied that is to his sense of his own family. When his grandfather Prince Philip died in 2021, he dubbed him a “legend of banter” in a sweet personal tribute.
Harry said that Philip “was authentically himself, with a seriously sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm – and also because you never knew what he might say next.
“He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the monarch, a decorated serviceman, a prince and a duke. But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ’til the end.”
Harry concluded his personal essay to the military by encouraging people to extend their hands in support to veterans in their neighbourhoods and communities – and to try and remember to do throughout the entire year. “Remembrance isn’t confined to one weekend in November,” Harry wrote.
Article continues below
“It’s a lifelong commitment to empathy, gratitude, and action; to be kinder, more united, and braver in protecting what those before us fought to preserve. So, as we bow our heads this weekend, let us remember not only the fallen, but the living – those who still carry the weight of war in body and mind, and the families who bear its memory in their hearts.
Al Jazeera’s journalists risk everything to report on Israel’s war on Gaza, enduring adversity, displacement, and the deaths of their colleagues and families.
As Israel’s two-year war on Gaza has unfolded, Al Jazeera has told the story through its journalists on the ground, who’ve risked everything to bring the conflict to the world’s attention. This three-part series chronicles the network’s coverage and the personal toll on its staff, at least 10 of whom have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023. It begins by following Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh during the war’s first weeks as relentless bombing threatens his team and also claims the lives of his wife, children and grandson. The second episode moves south, following Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English correspondents as they report from tents amid the destruction, enduring further tragedy when al-Dahdouh’s son Hamza and cameraman Samer Abudaqa are killed. The final part covers the war’s later months when more colleagues, including Ismail al-Ghoul and Anas al-Sharif, are killed. The series stands as a tribute to their collective courage, resilience and sacrifice.
Episode one: The first episode follows Al Jazeera’s journalists under fire in Gaza at the start of the war in October 2023. In Gaza City, Wael al-Dahdouh leads the network’s coverage through the relentless early weeks of Israel’s assault. As air strikes pound the area around their office, al-Dahdouh and his team work in constant danger, covering the devastation and civilian suffering while struggling to keep themselves and their families safe. Then tragedy strikes: al-Dahdouh’s wife, son, daughter and grandson are killed in an Israeli air strike. Despite these losses, he continues to report live from the rooftop of Al Jazeera’s office – until the danger becomes too great and he and his team are finally forced to flee and head south where they’ll be based for the coming weeks. Through al-Dahdouh’s story, the film captures the fear, chaos and heartbreak of the war – and the journalists ‘ determination to keep reporting on it, whatever the cost.
Episode two (coming soon on 12 November): After the devastating opening months of Israel’s war on Gaza, the second episode shifts to southern Gaza. Here, Al Jazeera’s Arabic- and English-speaking correspondents and crews face increasing danger as they establish makeshift operations in tents amid the widespread destruction, turning temporary shelters into news centres. These include Al Jazeera English’s three main correspondents, Hani Mahmoud, Tareq Abu Azzoum and Hind Khoudary. The team suffers yet more personal tragedy when al-Dahdouh loses his son Hamza, killed in an Israeli air strike with Abudaqa while reporting on an Israeli attack. Correspondent Momin al-Alshrafi loses 22 members of his family in an air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp, and another correspondent, al-Ghoul, goes missing for 12 hours before re-establishing contact. Intimate footage and firsthand accounts show network journalists continuing to report under diabolical conditions, documenting the unfolding genocide with extraordinary courage.
Fran Wilson, a Somerset batter and former World Cup winner, has announced that she is retiring from the game and will lead Gloucestershire Women’s coaching staff.
The 33-year-old returned to Somerset in 2025 for a second spell as the women’s team transitioned to a professional, and he led the charge with 574 runs in 28 games.
She previously played for the club between 2006 and 2014, and she registered more than 2,500 runs in List A and T20 games.
Before she retired from international cricket in 2021, Wilson participated in the England team that won the 2017 World Cup 64 times across three different formats.
Wilson told the Somerset website, “I’ve made the decision that this 2025 season was my last and that I’ll be hanging up my bat for good this time.”
“What a journey it’s been, one that has taken me to various locations around the world along with England and, more recently, back to the West Country.”
As a young player, it was beyond my wildest dreams to have a locker in the CACG’s changing room.
The English and Wales Cricket Board granted Gloucestershire one of 10 clubs Tier 2 status in 2025.
They finished last in the South group, winning just one game out of eight games this year in the Vitality Blast 2 and placing fifth overall in the One-Day Cup women’s league 2 standings with five victories out of nine games.
Wilson stated that the objective is to foster “sustainable success” so that the club can advance to Tier 1 status.
The “next step” in Wilson’s journey.
Images courtesy of Getty
Wilson made her England debut in 2010, aged 19, but she didn’t become a regular until 2016 when she joined the international squad.
She participated in eight of England’s nine games, including the final against India, during her 50-over World Cup triumph in 2017.
She also played for the 2020 T20 World Cup squad that advanced to the semi-finals.
Wilson has represented Sunrisers, Kent, Gloucestershire, and the United States in four of The Hundred’s four seasons domestically, and he has twice won the Kia Super League title with Western Storm.
Wilson left a “lasting impression” on the women’s cricket match, according to Somerset cricket director Andy Hurry.
He continued, “Here is an amazing opportunity to draw from all that experience as she moves on her journey.”
