Category Sports News

Any attempt to outlaw Israel from competing in the 2026 World Cup will be blocked by the US government.

Israel has committed a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, according to a UN commission of inquiry earlier this month.

That has prompted the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and a panel of UN experts to demand sanctions for the nation.

The US, Mexico, and Canada will host the World Cup in 2014 on a joint venture.

We will work without fail to attempt to avert Israel’s participation in the World Cup, according to a US State Department spokesman.

Meanwhile, there are rumors that the Uefa, the body responsible for organizing World Cup qualifying matches in Europe, may meet to decide whether to suspend Israel as soon as next week.

According to a senior source at a member association in Europe, “Uefa leadership wants to see some action on this.”

Nothing has been confirmed or scheduled. However, many nations are now putting forth new, high-level pressure in comparison to last month.

On October 11 in Oslo, Israel will face Norway in a World Cup qualifying match.

Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian football federation, stated earlier this month that while her organization “can deal with the humanitarian suffering that is occurring in the region, especially the disproportionate attacks against civilians in Gaza,” it cannot and will not be indifferent to it.”

The Italian FA has also discussed the difficulties of hosting Israel, which Italy hosts on October 14 in Udine.

According to the UN report, there are logical grounds to believe that four of the five genocidal crimes have been committed since the war’s start in 2023.

The UN’s panel of human rights experts then requested that Israel’s national team be exempt from international football by sending a request to the world’s football governing body Fifa and its European counterpart Uefa, saying that “sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual.”

Israel has consistently disputed that the actions taken in Gaza constitute a genocide and that they are necessary as a means of self-defense. The UN report was deemed “distorted and false” by its foreign ministry.

In response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the hostage of 251, the Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza.

Since the UN’s report, there have been more calls to ban Israel from competing in sports.

And it comes as a result of reports that Uefa may decide whether to suspend Israel the following week. No meeting is currently being planned, according to Uefa.

In their group of nine points, Israel is third behind Norway, who was organized by Uefa.

The winning team will automatically advance to the World Cup, with the losing team going on to the play-offs.

Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, argued that Israel should be barred from international sports competitions in the same way that Russia should be.

Israel can’t continue to “whitewash its image” using any international platforms, Sanchez said.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the national team has been prohibited from competing in international football competitions.

BBC Sport contacted the Israeli FA to ask for comment, and Fifa has been contacted for comment.

Sanchez’s remarks came as pro-Palestinian protesters reportedly entered a portion of the Vuelta a Espana course in Madrid’s center earlier this month, prompting the suspension of the competition.

Protesters smashed down barriers and occupied the road at various intersections along the route, including Gran Via, where cyclists were repeatedly required to pass.

Russian and Belarusian athletes were prohibited from competing at the 2024 Olympics under the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

IOC President Kirsty Coventry responded to a question about sanctioning Israeli athletes earlier this week, saying that the “sports movement must showcase the good that is in humanity.”

Palestinian supporters also displayed banners and flags on Wednesday during their Europa League game against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Fans chanted “Stop the genocide” and “Show Israel the red card,” in English.

After Maccabi supporters raised an Israeli flag, “Free Palestine,” chants were also audible.

Following earlier in the day’s protests in Thessaloniki, when supporters and activist groups gathered to protest Israel’s participation in European football.

Demonstrators backed a petition launched this week that claimed there could be “no fair play with representatives of genocide,” and submitted more than 1,900 signatures to Uefa.

The current conflict between Israel and Gaza had caused the match to be considered high risk, with PAOK warning supporters before the game: “The display of banners, messages, or flags with political content could result in heavy sanctions for our club.”

On November 6th, Maccabi travel to Villa Park for the Europa League match.

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz claims that he was “scared” after suffering an ankle injury on Thursday in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics.

With the first set tied at 2-2, top seed Alcaraz suffered a left ankle stenosis and had to undergo heavy strapping and treatment from the physio.

His team appeared to indicate that he should stop at this point, before the game was then suspended for rain, which added to the delay. He then broke with Baez and returned to the court.

Alcaraz, who had earlier won the men’s US Open title, and Baez resurrected under the roof, won the match 6-4, 6-2, and the Spaniard dominated the following day.

Alcaraz, a six-time Grand Slam champion, said, “I was scared too, I’m not going to lie.”

“Being honest, I was concerned when I landed on the ankle because it didn’t feel good at first. I’m happy to have the opportunity to play such good tennis after that. Seem to be.

I believe the following day and a half will not be easy for me. I’ll make an effort to recover and do whatever it takes to get ready for the following round.

Sonay Kartal’s comfortable victory over American Alycia Parks in Beijing secured her place in the second round of the China Open.

Kartal defeated world number 60 Parks 6-3, 2 and 6-2 in the final game of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last week.

The 23-year-old’s ranking points for winning her first WTA title at the Tunisian Open final in September dropped to 81 in the world.

The title sponsor has urged one of cycling’s best teams to remove the word “Israel” from its name.

As pro-Palestinian demonstrations were staged in Spain this month’s Vuelta a Espana Grand Tour, the Israel-Premier Tech team was the subject of a number of disruptions.

Sponsor Premier Tech predicted that the team would “evolve toward a new name excluding “Israel,” giving rise to a new identity and brand.

The Canadian business could discontinue its association after the following season, stating that “the team’s current situation is no longer tenable.”

It continued, “We acknowledge and are aware that the world has changed significantly since our World Tour 2017 debut.”

We have continued to honor this commitment this cycling season while actively engaging in discussions with the team and its partners.

The outcome of these discussions will determine whether Premier Tech continues to support the team as it progresses.

Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome is a member of the Israel-Premier Tech squad, which is owned by Israeli-Canadian property billionaire Sylvan Adams and is made up of Israeli-born Israelis.

The team stated that they are “currently in the planning phase for 2026 team branding” and will update themselves as needed.

Adams, 66, has previously claimed to be a “self-appointed ambassador to Israel” and is closely associated with Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.

At the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and other Emirati states, including the UAE, in 2020, Adams and US President Donald Trump were invited to the White House.

Similar concerns have also been raised by the team’s British-based bike supplier Factor.

During the Vuelta, the team removed the name “Israel” from their jerseys.

On stage five, four riders were forced to stop to avoid hitting protesters who were unfurling a banner, as a result of pro-Palestinian protests.

Derek Gee, one of the team’s best riders, abruptly terminated his contract with them just days before his Vuelta debut, prompting the team to seek legal counsel and support from cycling’s world-governing body, the UCI.

Without describing those issues or citing any connection between his decision to the Gaza situation, Gee, who had previously been in negotiations to extend his contract, said, “some things just made my continued employment at the team untenable.”

Tom Pidcock, a third-place finisher in the Vuelta, expressed concern for riders who were targeted.

They are riding because they have the chance to compete on bikes all over the world, he said.

After being expelled from the World Tour in 2022, the team is now a part of cycling’s second ProTeam tier, but with their large-money supporters, a return to the World Tour in 2026 is anticipated.

In response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the hostage of 251, the Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza.

A 64-team World Cup?

The concept will sound like a step too far to some, but others believe it deserves real consideration.

In April, the South American governing body Conmebol raised an official proposal to expand the 2030 tournament to 64 teams, and Fifa will discuss it with leaders from the continent in New York this week.

The first 48-team World Cup will take place next summer across the United States, Canada and Mexico – expanded from the current 32-team format – but there are serious attempts from some to make it even bigger for 2030.

That tournament will be the first to be spread across three continents to mark its 100-year anniversary, with main hosts Spain, Morocco and Portugal being joined by Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay in hosting opening-round matches.

So, what is going on?

The idea was first “spontaneously raised” at a Fifa council meeting in March by Uruguayan Football Federation president Ignacio Alonso.

It was then presented at Fifa congress in April by Conmebol, which believes it would be a fitting way to mark the World Cup’s centenary.

Fifa’s official position has always been it will discuss expansion ideas with its stakeholders and it is duty bound to consider any proposals from its council members.

The Fifa council would make the ultimate decision, but there are no signs it is something expected to be made imminently.

How dramatic would this expansion actually be?

Fairly seismic is the obvious answer.

The pace of change has been remarkable, since the long-standing 16-team format increased to 24 teams in 1982.

It became a 32-team event in 1998 before being expanded to 48 teams for next summer’s showpiece.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said “every idea is a good idea”, but the proposal for a 64-team tournament has divided opinion among the six Fifa confederations and national associations.

Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez said expanding the World Cup for its centenary would ensure “nobody on the planet is left out of the party”.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin is among those to have dismissed the proposals, with the Slovenian saying it is a “bad idea” for both the tournament itself and the qualifying process.

Victor Montagliani, president of the governing body for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf), said the suggestion “doesn’t feel right” and believes the expansion would damage “the broader football ecosystem”.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa agreed, saying further expansion would bring “chaos”.

While there has been limited further public discussion, there are a few obvious reasons why people would be in favour and against the proposal.

Financially, more games would surely mean bigger TV deals and sponsorship possibilities.

The expanded 2026 format is already predicted to be generating more money than any previous World Cup through sponsorships, merchandising, ticket sales and broadcast revenues, with Fifa expecting to earn $11bn (£8.2bn) over the four-year cycle to December 2026.

By flinging its doors open wider than ever before, the tournament would be more inclusive and the change would probably result in a host of nations reaching the World Cup for the first time.

At the 2022 World Cup, hosts Qatar were the only team making their tournament debut.

Cape Verde are only one win away from joining already-qualified Jordan and Uzbekistan as debutants at the 2026 competition, while New Caledonia and Suriname could add to the growing number of debutants already in next summer’s World Cup.

A 64-team tournament would also increase the likelihood of all the world’s top players competing.

On the flip side, the competitive nature of the event would be brought into question. The potential for one-sided matches would increase, while qualifying would become even more a foregone conclusion for many nations than it is already.

Questions will be asked about the added amount of travel that players and fans will have to make, with sustainability likely to be an important issue with the increased number of flights needed to transport teams, fans and media.

This is a difficult question to answer.

The notion of a 64-team tournament is almost unprecedented in top-level international sport, so it is difficult to cite any examples.

Next summer’s expanded format is complicated enough, with the top two and best eight third-place finishers from 12 groups of four qualifying for the last 32.

The obvious structure for a 64-team World Cup in 2030 would be for the top two from 16 groups of four to qualify for the last 32. Perhaps a bit tidier than next years?

Should the proposal eventually be accepted, the 2030 edition would include 128 matches – up from the 64-game format played between 1998 and 2022.

Next year’s World Cup will have 104 matches and will take 72 games – eight games more than an entire 32-team World Cup – just to get down to 32 teams.

From the start of the 2026 tournament until the end of the last 16 there will be 96 games across 27 days, with no rest day.

Just one of those days will feature a single match, and just two days will have only two matches. The remaining 24 days will feature three, four or even six matches.

Therefore, the impact of another 16 teams joining the fray is rather mind-boggling.

How would they fit in the extra matches?

Fifa has already stated the 2030 finals will run from 8 June, with the final on 21 July, and the possibility of making the tournament longer would seem unlikely with the footballing calendar already more tightly packed than many would like.

This would mean the need for more games per day in the group stages and thus extra stadiums would have to be considered.

There have been suggestions Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay could host more games during these group stages.

And what would the impact be on qualifying?

For starters, it would be almost inconceivable that the world’s top football nations would not qualify for the World Cup.

While Italy are currently preparing to sit out a third consecutive World Cup, such shock scenarios, which are all part of the drama, are hard to envisage should a 64-team tournament become a reality.

Conmebol could already see a maximum of seven teams qualify for next summer’s event, and they would clearly want more members qualifying for an expanded tournament.

All other continents would also be expected to have more qualifying spots, but the logistics around this are purely guesswork for now.

The mere potential of a 64-team World Cup has raised plenty of questions – as well as eyebrows. Whether it gets off the ground or not remains to be seen, a matter for sporting and political power-brokers to figure out.

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As part of a crackdown against touting, Liverpool has reportedly shut down 145 000 ticket outlets over the past two years.

In response to the discovery of widespread ticket-buying fraud, they issued a record 1, 114 lifetime bans last season.

The Premier League champions claimed that in the past year, 500 people were denied entry to Anfield because they had been using a burner phone to get inside to stop tickets from being traced.

Following last week’s BBC Sport investigation, the industrial-scale black market for Premier League tickets was exposed.

Re-selling is prohibited in the UK, but many websites still have locations abroad.

The BBC discovered that resellers frequently rack up hundreds of tickets using fake identities and fake identities to sell them for higher prices, affecting fans’ ability to purchase tickets through official exchanges or membership ballots.

It can cause fans to be forced to pay extortionate prices or be completely out of pocket after purchasing ineffective tickets, as well as undermine fan segregation.

Additionally, 162 social media platforms with a combined membership of more than one million users were investigated by Liverpool’s authorities for engaging in extortionate sales practices.

On match days, under 400 targeted stops were also conducted, blocking access to accounts with suspicious activity.

The campaign’s 1, 114 lifetime bans are significantly more severe than the 75 that were imposed between 2023 and 2024.

Liverpool closed 100, 000 fake accounts between the 2023 and the 2019-20 seasons, and they think new preventative measures like multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and the use of more sophisticated fraud analysis tools have changed the situation.

The club, which has more than 30 000 season ticket holders, conducts an official sanctions hearing and decides what to do.

The club issued lifetime bans and indefinite suspensions primarily as a result of improper sales of season tickets, memberships, or hospitality tickets.

A number of clubs are committing to increase resources to combat those responsible for the rise in touting activity, including Liverpool.

Arsenal claim to have banned over 7, 000 club memberships this season and nearly 74, 000 accounts for trying to get tickets in unauthorised ways. More than 350, 000 bot attempts have been blocked by Chelsea, according to the company.

However, Tom Greatrex, the head of the Football Supporters Association, expressed doubts about how committed some Premier League clubs were to combating bullying.

Because of how they are made available through secondary agencies, he claimed, “long-term supporters are finding it impossible to get tickets.”

“This is becoming endemic throughout the game.”

The Premier League recommends using “extreme caution” when browsing unauthorised websites and is introducing encrypted barcodes for digital ticketing, which it claims will make it more challenging to sell tickets.

Last season, the Home Office only recorded 12 arrests for ticket touting in English football’s top six divisions.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport stated in a statement that it is against the law to sell football game tickets in England and Wales. Football clubs are responsible for developing their own strategies to stop ticket sales to unauthorised resellers because legislation exists to reduce the risk of disorder.

One week after his club Sydney Roosters forcibly punished England lock Victor Radley for ten games, he has declared himself out of the three-test autumn series against Australia.

After Radley was linked to a drug case against former teammate Brandon Smith, the Roosters punished him.

Radley, 27, has not been charged by the police.

A lawyer for Smith, who appeared before magistrates in Queensland last week, has said that he intends to contest police claims that he provided drugs and obtained inside information for illegal gambling.

The Roosters claimed in a statement that Radley had “probably obtained an illegal substance” and that he had caused the National Rugby League team to fall into disrepute at the time they suspended him.

He is donating A $30, 000 (£14, 600) to a local hospital that specializes in cancer research in addition to missing 10 club games, which is the heaviest sanction ever imposed on the organization.

At the time, Radley stated that he would “accept the sanctions in full.”

Prior to his withdrawal, he was still being considered for England’s Test squad against Australia.

“We respect Victor’s decision, but we respect his decision,” said England head coach Shaun Wane.

We require 24 players who are fully focused on the historic opportunity to play Australia in a series of the Ashes.

Radley, who was born in Sydney and has an English father, has appeared in nine Test matches for England.

I regret to the club, my team-mates, our sponsors, members, and fans for the negative light I’ve cast on the Roosters in a statement released at the time of his club suspension.

“I’ll work hard to win everyone’s support for this wonderful club back.”