Beitar Jerusalem fans sparked chaos in Riga, hurling pyrotechnics and setting off flares during their loss to Riga FC, yet faced no repercussions. Al Jazeera’s Nils Adler explores why Israeli clubs like Beitar continue to play in Europe despite fans chanting genocidal slogans and glorifying Palestinian hate.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen hopes to “resolve the situation constructively” at Barcelona after he was stripped of the club captaincy following disciplinary proceedings.
The German goalkeeper’s dispute is centred on his recovery from back surgery in July.
Barcelona would reportedly be able clear 80% of his wages until mid-season if the 33-year-old was classed as a long-term absentee, freeing up funds to allow them to register new players.
However, Ter Stegen recently published a post on social media saying he would be out for three months, whereas La Liga rules require a player to remain sidelined for at least four to be considered a long-term absentee.
He has also reportedly been unwilling to allow them to share his medical data with La Liga.
But in a new social post on Friday, Ter Stegen said he was “fully willing to collaborate with the club’s management to resolve this matter and to provide the requested authorisation”.
He added the suggestion his injury absence was being used as tool for Barcelona to register new players was “both unfair and inaccurate”.
“I would also like to clarify that all of the club’s signings and contract renewals were completed prior to my surgery,” he said.
“At no point could I consider that my unfortunate circumstances with the new surgery I had to undergo would be necessary for the registration of other colleagues whom I greatly respect and look forward to share [a] locker room with for many seasons.
“I understand that difficult moments can generate tension, but I trust that, through dialogue and responsibility, we can resolve this situation constructively.”
The La Liga champions’ summer signings have included the arrival of keeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol and England striker Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United.
Manager Hansi Flick will miss Barcelona’s first Champions League match of the season after being sanctioned by Uefa for misconduct.
The German has been given a one-match ban and fined £17,000 by the European governing body’s disciplinary committee.
Flick was critical of several refereeing decisions during Barca’s 4-3 Champions League semi-final second-leg defeat to Inter Milan in May, with the Spanish club losing 7-6 on aggregate.
His assistant Marcus Sorg has been handed the same punishment.
The opening round of the Champions League takes place from 16 to 18 September.
Former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Flick was appointed as Barcelona manager in June 2024 and won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup in his first season.
Kerry Katona has decided to take a big step in her new romance after just two months. The Atomic Kitten star, 44, has found love again following her devastating split from fiancé Ryan Mahoney.
She split from personal trainer Ryan, 36, in November after six years together. At the time, Kerry cited a “breach of trust” in their decision to go their separate ways.
In an effort to move on from Ryan, Kerry stepped back out into the dating pool as has grown close to personal trainer Paolo Margaglione. Kerry signed up to Celebs Go Dating in an effort to find her perfect match and it seems to have worked.
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Now, it has been reported Kerry and Paolo have taken a huge step in their romance and are now living together.
A source told The Sun : “Paolo is already living in Kerry’s home – they’re together 24/7 so it just made sense for him to move in. Things are going really well between them!”
Paolo has moved into Kerry’s £2million home in Cheshire. However, it seemed the pair may have faced some bumps in the road already after snaps of them in Ibiza seemed to show them in a tense exchange.
A source claimed that, while they’re totally “smitten” with each other, Kerry is nervous about putting yet another relationship in the public eye.
“Kerry is being very cautious with this romance,” they told the Mirror. “She has been very wary about going public with Paolo and it impacting their relationship.
“She’s been down the route of high-profile, public relationships before and she doesn’t want anything to ruin things this time.” Kerry and father-of-two Paolo, 33, are thought to have met during the new series of Celebs Go Dating.
However, Kerry has remained resolutely tight-lipped on her new relationship. The source added: “Kerry’s worries have caused some tense moments as she doesn’t want any exterior drama getting in the way.
“But Paolo isn’t overthinking it – he’s just really happy to be with her. He doesn’t see the problem and is telling her not to worry, they’re great together and should just enjoy what they’ve got.”
Kerry’s hunt for love before meeting Paolo is set to play out on the latest series of Celebs Go Dating. However, while the show’s main goal being to link up celebrities with their perfect match, Kerry admitted she initially went on the show for a “great pay cheque, bit of exposure and some therapy”.
She confessed on Good Morning Britain: “For me, you get experts like that to give you therapy, and I love therapy and working on myself…so when you get an opportunity like Celebs Go Dating to go and work with these people why would you not take it?”
The Mirror has contacted Kerry’s representative for comment.
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A South African court has ruled that Zambia’s former president, Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa, should be buried in Zambia against his family’s wishes.
Lungu’s burial has been the subject of a two-month dispute between Zambia’s government, which had planned a state funeral for him in Lusaka, and his family, who wanted him buried in South Africa.
Lungu, Zambia’s head of state from 2015 to 2021, died in South Africa on June 5 while receiving medical treatment.
South Africa’s high court halted plans for Lungu to be buried in Johannesburg on June 25, hours before a private ceremony was due to start.
Zambia’s government had approached the court arguing that Lungu should be given a state funeral and buried at a designated site in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, like all other presidents since independence from the United Kingdom in 1964.
Lungu’s family said the late leader did not want the current president, Hakainde Hichilema – a longstanding political rival and his successor, at his funeral.
On Friday, a high court judge in Pretoria said Lungu’s body should “immediately” be handed over to a representative of Zambia’s court system for repatriation and burial in Lusaka.
“A former president’s personal wishes or the wishes of his family cannot outweigh the right of the state to honour that individual with a state funeral”, the court said.
Zambia’s Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, who was at the court, said the government appreciated the judge’s ruling.
Lungu’s sister, Bertha Lungu, also at the court, was in tears after the judgement was read out.
Lungu’s Patriotic Front party said the family had “filed an appeal against the judgement”.
Lungu was elected to lead the copper-rich Southern African country in 2015, but lost elections six years later to Hichilema, from the United Party for National Development.
Since then, his wife and children have been charged with corruption and possession of suspected proceeds of crime, in what the family has claimed is part of a political vendetta.
Lungu’s daughter, Tasila Lungu, was arrested in February on money laundering charges, having previously been detained with her mother and sister on fraud charges in 2024.
The Hundred men’s competition, Edgbaston
Birmingham Phoenix 122-6 (100 balls): Livingstone 39 (30); Ferguson 3-20
Trent Rockets 123-4 (78 balls): Banton 43 (29); Howell 2-25
Rockets won by six wickets
Trent Rockets cruised to a six-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix to get off to a winning start in The Hundred.
The Rockets’ victory was built on a sterling bowling display with New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson taking 3-20.
A 63-run stand between captain Liam Livingstone and Joe Clarke helped Phoenix recover from 26-4 but their 122-6 was never likely to trouble the visitors.
England star Joe Root was bowled early in the chase but it did little to slow the Rockets’ charge.
It may only be one game but the Rockets look like they could be a force this year.
Every facet of their game was on point with plans executed superbly as they swept aside Phoenix at Edgbaston.
A power-packed Phoenix top-order was taken apart as the pace bowlers got the new ball swinging – David Willey bowling Ben Duckett before Ferguson pinned Aneurin Donald lbw with a brilliant in-swinging yorker.
Even as Livingstone and Clarke rebuilt for the hosts, the Rockets bowlers stuck to their plans with the seamers using slower balls into the pitch to good effect to keep the run-rate in check.
It left them with a modest chase, the kind of thing Root is perfect for but his early departure gave Banton and Rehan a chance to shine.
Neither are accumulators in the style of England’s all-time leading run-scorer but they were smart in when they chose to unleash their blistering attacking shots as they broke the back of the chase.
With Marcus Stoinis, Willey and Hose also in the line-up there is no shortage of power in the Rockets line-up, while in Root and Max Holden there is nous too.
We’ve got four games for you on Saturday with double-headers at The Oval and in Cardiff.
Oval Invincibles host Manchester Originals (11:00/14:30 BST) and you can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.