Archive July 4, 2025

Wales captain Angharad James says her side are embracing their role as Euro 2025 underdogs and are “ready for their moment,” as they bid to shock the tournament and upset the form books.

Opta give Wales, who are the lowest-ranked side in Switzerland, just a 9% chance of qualifying from their group and a 0% chance of lifting the trophy ahead of their Euro 2025 opener against Netherlands in Lucerne (17:00 BST).

However, having qualified for a first major finals and with one of the largest fanbases present at the tournament, James says Wales are ready to produce a shock.

“Write us off. We’re fine with it. We have the belief within this group. We’ve had the preparation that we’ve needed this past last six or nine months,” James said.

“We haven’t won a game in a while and I can see why maybe people and teams from the outside will write us off. But I invite them to write us off because they won’t know what’s coming because we are ready for this moment. “

Wales have been in Switzerland for almost a week, staying in the east of the country in Weidenfeld, around 20 minutes from the German border.

“I think for me personally it’s been a very long journey and for most of the group too. It’s been something that we’ve always strived to achieve and we’ve always come short but not anymore,” she told BBC Sport Wales.

“We’re here. We’ve worked so hard over the years and to give that moment to a lot of these players is truly special.

“To see the Welsh flag and to see Wales being on the biggest stage of all is truly something that I didn’t know if I’d be able to experience personally. And to be here today is an honour and the group is just really excited to get out there.

This is our moment now and it’s a moment for our group to really go out there, deliver what we’ve prepared all week.

“It’s a moment that we have all dreamt of, that we’ve all worked so hard towards.

Wales’ players have been in fine spirits all week ahead of their major tournament debut and are seemingly all focused on seizing their moment.

Contrastingly, the Netherlands camp seems a less content place with coach Andries Jonker – who is leaving his role after the tournament – going on a podcast before the match against Wales and discussing his surprise and disappointment at the decision to end his tenure.

In a fiery pre-match press conference, Jonker was accused by a Dutch journalist of “treating the players like puppets in a puppet show,” while experienced midfielder Sherida Spitse intimated that she did not agree with her coach’s decision to talk about his impending exit.

“I think, from my end, I can’t wait for the bus to arrive, to watch these women walk out onto the field and make history,” said Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson.

“This team is ready. They’re fit, they’re excited. Opening day nerves are normal and excitement is normal. And this team is handling it like seasoned professionals.

Wales have no injury concerns among their 23-player squad, with the utilisation of former captain Sophie Ingle likely to present Wilkinson with her biggest selection issue.

Ingle has declared herself fit to start in Lucerne, but having not played a competitive game in a over a year after anterior cruciate ligament surgery (ACL), her inclusion from the start would be a surprise.

“I think not playing any 90 minutes to go in 90 minutes would be a challenge, but she’s healthy and back fully with the squad. And that is for someone who had, obviously, an ACL,” Wilkinson said.

“She’s been so professional and so diligent and so focused to be here. And to have her healthy and available is a testament to the hard work that she’s invested. I am really happy to have her back healthy. “

Wales must come up with a solution to replacing teenage defender Mayzee Davies in defence as she misses the tournament having undergone ACL surgery.

Crystal Palace defender Josie Green could come into the side, while dropping Hayley Ladd back into defence is another option, with Wales expected to stick with three central defenders.

Netherlands boss Jonker confirmed his side have doubts over two of their main attacking threats.

Manchester City forward Vivianne Miedema is fit, but having been severely hampered by injuries in the past two years, might not be risked from the start as she chases her 100th international goal (she is currently on 99).

Wolfsburg forward Lineth Beerensteyn is also a doubt, having been unable to train since Netherlands arrived in Switzerland.

American Tim Mayer has announced his candidacy for the presidency of motorsport’s governing body, saying the FIA is suffering from a “corrosive concentration of power” and an “illusion of integrity”.

The 59-year-old will stand against incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who fired Mayer as a steward in Formula 1 in November.

Mayer said his decision to stand was “not personal” but, citing what he said were a series of concerns with the current leadership, added that the FIA could “do better for the member clubs of the FIA, for the motorsport community and the mobility community in general”.

Mayer has long experience in motorsport, having worked for 15 years as a race steward in F1 and in senior leadership positions in championships in the US, including Indycar, and the Imsa and American Le Mans series sports car series.

“I can bring value to our stakeholders, whether they are small clubs in under-served regions, or whether it’s the Formula 1 track,” he said. “I’m equally comfortable in both places.

“And as much as I come from motorsport, I’ve spent the last six months educating myself on the mobility side and what that opportunity is.

“And to me, actually, that’s the larger opportunity, is the opportunity to have a global impact for sustainability, for accessibility, and for safety all around the world. “

Mayer said Ben Sulayem had not fulfilled the promises he made when the Emirati was elected president in December 2021.

“Mohamed ran on some very good ideas – listening to small clubs,” Mayer said. “He promised that he would be a non-executive president, he promised transparency, and he has delivered on none of that. In fact, he’s gone completely the opposite direction.

“We have the illusion of integrity. And what we’ve seen is a wave after wave of statutes changes, which are designed to concentrate power in one office, which is the exact opposite of what he promised when he was running. “

The FIA said the statute changes were voted through by members through the body’s “democratic process”.

A spokesperson said the changes “further strengthen processes around governance and confidentiality” and “grant the nominations committee more time to examine the eligibility criteria of candidates, and help to ensure consistency and rigour in the electoral process”.

Mayer also claimed that under Ben Sulayem “a distinct lack of respect (had been) shown to a number of stakeholders, whether it be the drivers in the F1 paddock or the World Rally paddock, or whether it’s the teams and the promoters of the World Championships, or whether indeed it’s even many of the clubs around the world”.

Mayer said he would “reverse” the statute changes Ben Sulayem had “put in place to concentrate power”.

He added: “We would clarify the ones that sound good, but are so vague as to be meaningless. And we would make sure that there is a proper governance structure that everybody can look at and say, ‘yep, I know exactly how this is going to work and it’s fair and it devolves power to the clubs’. “

Mayer used as an example of the level of control Ben Sulayem is now exerting over the FIA, restrictions on the world councils for sport and mobility – the legislative bodies of the two areas of the FIA’s responsibility. Members of these now have to sign stricter non-disclosure agreements that prevent discussion outside that forum.

“The two World Councils have been gagged and are not able to represent the people who elected them,” Mayer said.

“They’re not even allowed to say what the agenda of the World Council meetings is to the people that elected them. So how is that representative democracy? “

Ben Sulayem has trumpeted his achievements in resolving issues with the FIA’s finances this year, announcing last month that it had made a profit of 4. 7m euros in 2024.

Mayer said: “In reality, all that we’ve done is go back to pre-pandemic norms. The FIA was profitable for a decade, easily. You know, and since the FIA basically has a fixed income, all you have to do is manipulate your spending to get to a ‘profitable’ number.

“That’s kind of nonsense, because at the same time, as a charity, getting to a 4. 7m euros means your budgeting wasn’t that good.

An FIA spokesperson said it had “introduced a new financial steering model, optimised working practices and improved internal systems and controls.

“These changes include implementing quarterly internal reporting, and establishing a commercial team.

“The federation has reported a year-on-year operating result improvement since 2021, and recently reported its strongest operating result in eight years. “

Mayer also referenced the series of dismissals of senior figures in the past year, including the FIA’s first female chief executive officer Natalie Robyn, who left last July after just 18 months in the role.

“You look at the senior management that he hired, so many of them have now left, in particular, you know, women and diverse voices that he hired,” he said.

Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho are among five players to have informed Manchester United they want to leave the club.

Antony, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia are also looking for a move away, with United allowing all five more time to explore their future options by delaying their pre-season return until later this month.

BBC Sport has been told the club will welcome the players back to Carrington if their futures are not resolved, allowing them access to medical and training support.

Rashford had previously indicated a willingness to return for the start of United’s pre-season preparations on Monday.

The 27-year-old England forward was exiled by manager Ruben Amorim in December and spent the second half of the season on loan at Aston Villa.

Amorim had also told Garnacho, 21, he will be allowed to join a new club in the summer after the Argentine was left out of the squad for their final game of the Premier League season.

Sancho, meanwhile, returned to Old Trafford after Chelsea paid a £5m penalty not to sign him on a permanent basis following a season on loan at Stamford Bridge.

Brazil winger Antony was on loan at La Liga side Real Betis last season, while defender Malacia spent the second half of the previous campaign at PSV Eindhoven.

Rashford had worn the number since 2018 after inheriting it from former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But with the English forward’s future uncertain, the club have handed it to Cunha, who has signed a five-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months.

It is understood United made Rashford aware of the decision in advance. The club value him at £40m but are yet to receive any bids for the forward.

In February Amorim said he “couldn’t get Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it”.

Rashford, who has scored 138 goals in 426 senior games during 20 years with United, said last month he would like to play alongside forward Lamine Yamal at Barcelona.