Category World News

The Washington Spirit’s new three-year deal to retain Trinity Rodman has ended months of rumors about the Olympic gold medalist’s future in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Additionally, it has shattered a female footballer’s wage record.

One of the most significant contracts in the NWSL and the women’s game worldwide, which shows Rodman’s elite status and the Spirit’s position as a global standard-bearer of women’s football, the Spirit stated in a statement on Thursday evening.

However, there have been some issues with the agreement. The NWSL salary cap and its potential impact on the league’s ability to attract and keep top players were criticized as a result of the controversy over Rodman’s future with the Spirit.

The agreement that divided the sport in the United States has now established a new standard for women’s football internationally.

How did Rodman’s NWSL deal get attention?

After five seasons with the Spirit, Rodman, 23, signed for free agency at the end of last season. As other US national team stars, including Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson, opted to play in Europe, keeping her in the league was viewed as crucial.

With her previous contract ending on December 31 and her previous contract dragging on, Rodman also attracted interest from European teams without a salary cap. Months of speculating arose, particularly about teams from England joining the list of continent’s suitors who were willing to comply with her wage demands.

What does Rodman’s new Washington Spirit deal represent?

Rodman’s contract’s financial details were kept secret.

Rodman’s deal, including bonuses, is understood to be worth more than $2 million annually.

Trinity represents the future of this club and the future of women’s soccer, according to Spirit owner Michele Kang. Our “elite talent deserves elite commitment,” we say in this agreement.

How did Rodman resolve the NWSL first court dispute?

Prior to this meeting, The Spirit and Rodman had agreed to a multi-year deal that both parties claimed was in line with the salary cap, but the league rejected it.

Rodman’s salary is sharply underpaid for each team in the 2026 season, which is a salary cap that the NWSL has set at $3.5 million for each team. The cap will increase annually until it reaches $5.1 million in 2030, which is a steep increase from the previous year’s $3.5 million cap.

Initially, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman, who vetoed the agreement, reportedly believed it broke league salary rules’ “spirit.”

The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association lodged a grievance after the contract was initially rejected, alleging that Rodman’s free agency rights and collective bargaining agreements were violated by the NWSL.

How did Rodman’s agreement with the NWSL get resolved?

Late in December, the NWSL implemented a “High Impact Player” system that allowed teams to spend up to $1 million over the salary cap to sign players who meet certain criteria. Those included data like national team minutes, inclusion in the top 30 contenders for the Ballon d’Or, and player rankings provided by organizations like The Guardian or ESPN.

Because player compensation must be negotiated, the NWSLPA lodged a grievance over the rule, alleging it was against federal labor law and the collective bargaining agreement. The league, according to the NWSLPA, was not able to “unilaterally create a new pay structure.”

The High Impact Player rule, according to Haley Carter, president of soccer operations for Spirit, was a part of Rodman’s final contract. Additionally, Carter added that Rodman’s agreement would not be altered by the grievances.

What were Rodman’s and Washington Spirit’s comments on the deal?

At a Thursday evening event in Los Angeles, Rodman outlined her new deal as “I believe I’ve always had a vision and an idea of what I wanted my legacy to be.” We’re doing that, and I’m so appreciative of it, for me.

Losing Rodman was unfavorable to Washington Spirit.

Without her, according to Spirit owner Michele Kang, “I can’t think of the Washington Spirit.” Without the Washington Spirit, she can’t think about her career, I hope. This is truly monumental, and it was also significant for our fans, who anticipate seeing her in person. Rowdy Audi clearly came out at Audi Field because they do so.

Was Rodman’s potential departure from the NWSL a real possibility?

Do you feel like you’ve finished with the Spirit, as I was asked when I made my decision? Can you say that without feeling afraid to leave? said Rodman.

“I was like, No, I’m not,” and I didn’t even need a second. I’m not ready to make a different choice. That’s just another example of how getting drafted here, developing, maturing, and learning at the Spirit in Washington has become a significant part of my legacy and story. However, I still feel like I have a lot more to give and a lot more to do.

Is Dennis’ daughter Trinity Rodman the son of the NBA legend?

Yes . Dennis Rodman’s daughter is the daughter of former NBA star Rodman, whose Olympic gold was won with the United States at the Paris Games in 2024.

She won Rookie of the Year honors when the Spirit won their first NWSL title at the age of 18 in 2021 and was selected as a rookie.

More than any other player on the most recent roster, Rodman has since won 47 appearances and 11 goals for the US national team. Due to injuries, she only participated in one US game last year, which was a 2-0 victory over Brazil in April.

President Donald Trump reiterated his commitment to “many more,” reaffirming his position that the US “will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper,” after launching what he termed “a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS]ISIL terrorist scum” in northwest Nigeria on December 25. In a coordinated effort to combat terrorist groups in its member states, the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES) established a joint military force with a 5, 000-strong contingent, presented as a sign of collective self-reliance and security autonomy. A 260, 000-strong joint counterterrorism force, supported by a proposed $ 2.5 billion annual budget for logistics and front-line support, was established in response to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)’s announcement to establish an ambitious plan announced in August 2025.

There is little evidence that a militarized escalation alone can defeat armed groups in the Sahel, despite the fact that their supporters may refer to these developments as decisive steps against terrorism. Instead, they signal a regional militarisation that is getting more and more aggressive. This not only causes West Africa’s growing geopolitical tensions, but it also, more importantly, causes the Sahel to become a center for interstate armed conflict, which poses far greater dangers for regional stability and stability.

A friendship ended badly.

A loosely coordinated, non-hierarchical security structure supported by regional and extra-regional actors up until 2021 oversaw counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations in the Sahel. ECOWAS played a key coordinating role by bringing together the European Union, the United Nations, the African Union, international powers like the US and France, as well as regional powers like Algeria and Nigeria.

The 2013 African-led International Support Mission to Mali, which was coordinated by ECOWAS with the AU, UN, and France to combat Tuareg rebels and allies armed groups in northern Mali, is a prime example. The G5 Sahel counterterrorism force, which was funded by the EU and ran between 2017 and 2023, was even more notable. Although these arrangements frequently featured tension, competition, and uneven outcomes, they still had a common security framework that forbade direct state-to-state conflict.

Following the coup in Niger in 2023, this balance was hampered. In the eyes of the Nigerien junta, ECOWAS threatened the use of force to restore constitutional order by breaking a political snag. That threat, which was widely accepted as an act of aggression, turned out to be catalytic. In response, Niger’s military rulers decided to form the Alliance of Sahel States in conjunction with counterparts in Mali and Burkinabe in an effort to reclaim security autonomy, end relations with ECOWAS, the EU, the US, and France.

Notably, the AES institutionalizes a mutual defense pact, which explicitly presents ECOWAS and its Western partners as threats to the country’s sovereignty and national security as codifying this conflict with the previous multilateral security order. This attitude furthers the rift between former allies, signaling a risky shift toward neighboring states’ securitization, which raises the threat of interstate conflict in West Africa, a symptom that hasn’t been present since the 1990s.

emerging political unrest

The AES has cut off security ties with the West by choosing Russia as its primary security partner to counterbalance decades of US and European influence in West Africa, indicating a growing but still evolving security partnership with Moscow. These strategic choices are also escalating regional geopolitical tensions, which are also reflected in the emerging self-help posture with new preferences for non-conventional allies.

Nigeria’s military intervention in neighboring Benin was praised as a significant success for ECOWAS. The AES recognized that the Nigerian Air Force C-130 made an emergency landing in Burkinabe two days later and that it had been authorized to neutralize any aircraft involved in further violations. Reports that France had provided intelligence and surveillance to Nigeria during the Benin intervention heightened tensions, which heightened concerns about France’s potential re-entry into the AES security landscape. The AES’s security cooperation has increased even more as a result of Nigeria’s willingness to extend it with the US following the Christmas Day attacks. The strikes, which are directed at militants in northwest Nigeria, appear to be intended to strengthen US strategic legitimacy as a regional counterterrorism force, opening the way for further operations in the country’s northeast, where ISWAP and Boko Haram are still active.

Given Nigeria’s standing within ECOWAS, the proposed 260, 000-person ECOWAS force’s potential operational capacity is likely to be affected by this emerging security partnership with the US. In the name of sovereignty, the AES is determined to protect its member states from Western security influence. Numerous combat engagements would take place in areas close to AES territory because ECOWAS forces would be stationed in member states at the heart of terrorist violence. Military clashes between the two sides increase as AES troops are stationed in these locations, especially given the region’s fluid combat environments and porous borders. The possibility that a US-backed ECOWAS may launch air strikes on AES territory cannot be dismissed because the Christmas Day strikes reportedly hit unintended targets. The AES may attempt to use Russia’s military support, which may invoke Cold War-era security brinkmanship.

implications for regional stability

Two significant risks exist for regional stability and peace if there is no AES/ECOWAS reconciliation. First, rising geopolitical tensions could lead to direct military clashes between AES and ECOWAS members, putting West Africa at risk of waging a regional conflict. No one’s counterterrorism goals would be served by a conflict like this. In addition to causing harm to the region, it would also give armed groups the opportunity to expand their operations in the face of stale and distracted security responses. Second, the standoff poses the threat of creating a new stage for international power rivalry between a US and French-backed ECOWAS on one side and a Russia-backed AES on the other. The UN Security Council’s use of veto power by these international actors could cause further complication in the wake of a new New Cold War, which would have profoundly destabilizing effects on the region.

AES and ECOWAS now have to choose between reviving Cold War-style bloc politics in West Africa and negotiating a security sub-coalition that places human security before national sovereignty. Regardless of how the AES views ECOWAS, the latter is responsible for managing the unintended consequences of rising tensions. While there are few indications that the AES will work with an ECOWAS that is supported by the West to combat terrorism, ECOWAS could engage diplomatically to negotiate a plan of operations that respects AES sovereignty. ECOWAS has the diplomatic capacity to do so because it is Africa’s most advanced regional security organization. Nigeria should act more subtly while the French ECOWAS member states should lead these efforts to advance, while Nigeria should do so in secret. Whether ECOWAS can reclaim control over its security strategy and establish the rules for international cooperation will determine both West Africa’s future and the continent’s as a whole.

Following the removal of Kurdish-led SDF fighters under a ceasefire agreement, the Syrian government claims to have taken control of al-Aqtan prison, a facility housing a number of ISIL (ISIS) detainees in Raqqa.

According to a statement released on Telegram on Friday, officials from the Prisons and Correctional Facilities Administration (PCFFA) had taken control of the prison in Raqqa, and had begun looking into the conditions and records of the prisoners, according to the state-run SANA news agency.

Following the four-day ceasefire between the Syrian government and the SDF, which took effect on Tuesday night, the prison was taken over and the hostilities ended in Raqqa. Following last week’s lightning advance by Syrian forces, which saw the SDF recapture significant areas of territory.

As Syrian forces granted them safe passage to Kobane, a city with a majority of Kurdish residents along the Turkiye border, they were seen leaving Raqqa in convoys of buses and cars carrying more than 1,000 SDF personnel.

According to SANA, the Syrian army’s operations authority reported that units had also begun moving SDF elements to the city of Ain al-Arab, east of Aleppo, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.

a security vacuum created

Zein Basravi, a journalist from Raqqa, reported that Syrian forces had “very quickly” begun demining and dismantling munitions and had already filled the power vacuum left by the retreating SDF forces.

He claimed that the SDF and the Syrian military had “received this prison with relative ease,” and that this was a “rare occasion where they both acknowledged their cooperation and successfully conducted it.”

For the first time in recent weeks that I have covered this story, he said, as they both acknowledged that they had collaborated to ensure the safety of SDF fighters.

Following a chaotic standoff, calm was restored.

He claimed that the prison’s current state, which has caused clashes in recent days, was “calm” and that it had not been there before. ”

On Thursday, an Al Jazeera team that was reporting from the prison witnessed rioting scenes as large numbers of civilians were pushed against Syrian soldiers’-managed barricades, with SDF fighters still present.

According to a soldier, Syrian government forces were awaiting a decision to forcefully retake the prison.

According to Basravi, the civilians were attempting to enter the prison to find out the condition of their relatives, some of whom they had not heard from in the midst of the chaos.

Some claimed that the SDF held their relatives in unfair circumstances.

One man, Mohammad Ali, claimed that his son was going to visit Hasakah’s relatives. He was detained by the SDF at a checkpoint simply because he posed with the photo of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. ”

Gunfire was audible in the distance during the chaotic scenes outside the prison on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera agents stationed on the ground.

In response to concerns over instability in Kurdish-run prisons, US planes dispatched by CENTCOM were audible overhead as they began flying ISIL detainees to Iraq.

essentially behind bars

According to Basravi, the Syrian government now faces demands from two groups over the detainees as a result of its takeover of the prison.

It had obligations to the international community, particularly the anti-ISIL coalition, to make sure ISIL detainees kept safely behind bars.

Local residents who claimed their loved ones had been unfairly detained by SDF forces who had previously controlled the prison also made pleas.

He claimed that the Interior Ministry’s statement that it was looking into the files held on those inside the prison on Friday, as well as its visit by senior officials, were a “positive development” in easing the concerns of the latter group.

However, it was possible for families to witness a repeat of what happened on Thursday while families were kept secret about their loved ones’ conditions.

implications more complex

Analyst Armenak Tokmajyan told Al Jazeera from Beirut that the SDF was being sincere in its discussions with the Syrian government because they were now “cornered in a few pockets in northeast Syria.”

Tokmajyan, a nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, noted that there is still a chance that the ceasefire will collapse and return to fighting. There are many details that need to be clarified, particularly those relating to Kurdish-majority regions, such as governance, weapons, and Kurdish fighter integration. ”

He claimed that the Druze in the south and other minorities were closely monitoring the northeast’s developments because they had important implications for whether Syria would be a unified, centralized state or one that accorded minority groups autonomy.

According to him, President al-Sharaa and those international supporters who want a centralized and unified Syria should be proud of their swift advance in the northeast, adding that the conflict is still ongoing.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Houston Rockets on Thursday to record a 128-122 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers, which included 36 clutch points late in regulation and at the end of overtime.

Joel Embiid recorded some impressive stats of his own, with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists for Philadelphia, while Maxey added 10 assists. The Sixers scored 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

Houston’s offence was spurred by Kevin Durant, who scored 36 points while also making eight of the team’s 17 turnovers. The Rockets’ three-game winning streak was ended thanks to Men Thompson, who finished with 17 points and nine assists.

With 40.1 seconds left, Maxey scored 11 points in the final four minutes of regulation to tie the game with 115-115.

Nuggets 107, Wizards 97

Peyton Watson led Denver’s victory over Washington with a career-high 35 points and eight rebounds.

Watson added four blocks and made 10 of his 16 3-point attempts from the floor, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range. Jamal Murray returned from an 11-game suspension with a right calf strain and added 24 points, as well as nine rebounds.

Tre Johnson added 19 points for the Wizards, who have lost eight in a row, and Kyshawn George added 20 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.

Mavericks 123, Warriors 115

Dallas’ winning streak ended with a victory over Golden State, which contributed 30 points and nine assists.

Cooper Flagg combined 21 points with 11 rebounds, Max Christie added 21 on 5-of-12 shooting from deep, and Brandon Williams added 19 off the bench.

De’Anthony Melton added 22 points for the Warriors, who lost Jonathan Kuminga with 3:52 left in the second quarter due to left knee soreness when he landed awkwardly on a dunk attempt, while Stephen Curry shot 8-of-15 from 3-point range.

Trail Blazers 127, Heat 110

In the second half, Portland defeated Miami, who had scored 24 of Shaedon Sharpe’s 27 points.

The Trail Blazers won their fourth straight game 20 points off the bench, moving above.500. Before going out with back pain in the third quarter, Portugal standout Deni Avdija had 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 17 plus minutes. Due to lower-back issues, Avdija just returned from a three-game absence.

The Heat, who are 1-2 on a five-game road trip, are led by Bam Adebayo, who scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 14 points for the Heat, while Norman Powell had 18 points but missed seven of his three 3-point attempts.

Clippers 112, Lakers 104

The Los Angeles Clippers continued their hot streak with a victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers at Inglewood, California, led by Kawhi Leonard, who added 24 points, and Ivica Zubac, who added 18 points and 19 rebounds.

The Clippers’ run that started with a home win over the Lakers started with James Harden scoring 18 points with 10 assists, Jordan Miller adding 14 and John Collins adding 13 points.

LeBron James added 23 points as the Lakers fell to 3-3 since January 7, while Luka Doncic added 32 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists. The Lakers, who are 1-0 to begin an eight-game road trip, started with Rui Hachimura scoring 12 points.

Spurs 126, Jazz 109

In Salt Lake City, San Antonio defeated Utah despite Jusuf Nurkic’s triple-double and De’Aaron Fox’s four 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter and a game-high 31 points.

Nurkic added 17 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds while Ace Bailey, a rookie out of Rutgers, added a career-high 25 for Utah. Since Pete Maravich with the New Orleans Jazz in 1975, Nurkic is the first player to have three straight triple-doubles.

The Spurs, who have won four of their five games and have the second-best record in the Western Conference, had 26 points and 14 rebounds. Five of Utah’s previous six losses are.

Bulls 120, Timberwolves 115

Coby White led Chicago in Minneapolis with a 9-0 run and a team-high 22 points.

Josh Giddey, who had been sidelined for the previous 11 games with a left hamstring strain, added 21 points. Matas Buzelis and Tre Jones each scored 12 points, while Jalene Smith had 17 and Tre Jones each had 12. The Bulls, who have won four of their last five, finished with ten points each.

Minnesota was lead by Julius Randle’s 30 points, and Naz Reid and Anthony Edwards each had 20. The Timberwolves lost their fourth game in a row after Jaden McDaniels scored 16 points. In the end, Rudy Gobert tallied 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Hornets 124, Magic 97

As visiting Charlotte defeated Orlando, Brandon Miller added 20 points to lead eight players in double figures.

The Hornets led by as many as 33 points and shot 54.4% from the field and 47.2% (17 of 36) from 3-point range, led by Collin Sexton with 19 points, LaMelo Ball with 16 and Kon Knueppel with 13 points and 10 rebounds.