Greenland’s application for membership of Concacaf has been unanimously rejected.
The world’s largest island, which has never played competitive international football, has a population of 57,000 and is a sovereign territory of Denmark but is geographically part of North America.
It is unable to join Uefa because the European governing body only admits countries recognised by the United Nations, but there is no such requirement for Concacaf, which governs North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Greenland plays non-Fifa sanctioned friendlies but hopes of competitive international football for the first time were dashed at a meeting in Miami before the Gold Cup.
“Based on a thorough assessment conducted by the Concacaf administration and Council, and in accordance with the Concacaf Statutes, the Member Associations reviewed the membership application submitted by the Greenlandic Football Association and unanimously rejected it,” said a Concacaf statement.
President Donald Trump has made repeated calls for the US to take control of the territory, which has caused outrage in both Denmark and Greenland.
Greenland covers an area greater than the size of western Europe, but 81% of its land mass is covered by sheet ice.
According to the country’s tourism website, Greenland has 76 football clubs and 5,500 registered players, around 10% of the population.
However, the harsh Arctic climate means football can only be played outside for five months of the year and on gravel pitches or artificial turf.
Maura appears to have unfollowed Olivia and Pete(Image: Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images)
Maura Higgins has reportedly ditched Pete Wicks from her social media months after their split. And it appears that his close pal Olivia Attwood has also had the chop by the Irish beauty.
The former Love Island star, 34, and TOWIE man, 37, called time on their brief romance in February after appearing to be growing closer. Shortly after, Maura made a comment about Pete “cheating”.
Her remarks had Olivia quick to defend her mate insisting that was not the case. She took to Instagram previously to say cheating is “not funny” and said Pete “didn’t cheat”. Now, following the incident, it appears that Maura has had enough of the pair and is moving on without them.
Pete was linked with Maura last year(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
According to the Sun, the duo have followed Maura’s move and have also clicked the unfollow button on the reality TV star’s account. Pete and Maura allegedly had a number of rocky rows prior to their split.
They had initially started dating last year, but never officially went public with their link-up – nor did they deny it. They were, however, spotted looking cosy on a number of occasions.
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Pete Wicks doesn’t appear in Maura’s followers list(Image: Maura Higgins/Instagram )
The pair are said to have known each other for six years before they took their connection to the next level. but only started dating in 2024. Rumours the ex The Only Way Is Essex hunk and former Love Island star were dating began to swirl last year as the Mirror revealed they shared a smooch at the Pride of Britain Awards in October.
Maura later posted a steamy TikTok video of the pair practicing a dance move. In the clip, Pete was seen holding on to Maura’s leg as she lay on the floor. She then pulled herself up into a standing position, before the duo shared a hug and Maura raised her arm towards the camera.
At the time, the post sent fans into overdrive and questioning their relationship. During her stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, Maura kept her cards close to her chest, but gave little hints of their pairing.
There is no sign of Olivia on Maura’s Instagram(Image: Maura Higgins/Instagram )
Away from her love life, Maura won’t be returning to the American version of Love Island. She had previously hosted the stateside version of Aftersun.
However, a new presenter has now been revealed. Maura, who was also the social media host of the show, reportedly won’t return due conflicting schedule issues. Instead, she will be replaced by Sophie Monk. The star is already familiar with how Love Island works due to being the host of the Australian version.
Maura’s exit isn’t thought to be an “axing” but is rather her stepping back. She is said to be focusing on other projects instead, with some fans believing she could come back to host Aftersun for the second season of Love Island Games, which is set to film in Fiji later this year.
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Amanda Owen, who stars in Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm, is set to debut as a children’s author with a seven-book deal, the first of which will be released this September
Zoe Delaney Assistant Showbiz Editor and Lauren Del Fabbro PA Entertainment Reporter
Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen makes exciting announcement(Image: Getty Images)
Amanda Owen, the beloved Yorkshire Shepherdess and star of Channel 5’s ‘Our Yorkshire Farm’, is set to charm young readers as she ventures into children’s literature with the announcement of seven upcoming books.
The 50-year-old farmer and author will be branching out into the world of children’s publishing with an array of new titles spanning picture books, middle-grade non-fiction, and fiction.
Her inaugural offering, ‘Christmas Tales From The Farm’, is a compilation of short stories for eight to 12 year olds, drawing inspiration from pastoral life and is slated for release this coming September.
Owen, who split from husband Clive in 2022 after 22 years of marriage, expressed her excitement about the new endeavour: “I am absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to enter the world of children’s books with renowned publishers, Puffin.”
She continued, acknowledging the lasting impact of literature: “As a mother myself I know firsthand the joy that books can bring to young readers and how a book can stay with you into adulthood, take you places and open up new worlds.”
Reflecting on her partnership with Puffin, she added, “To be taken under the wing of the Puffin family, publishers of some of my childhood favourites, is something that I could never have dreamed of being possible.”
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Amanda and Clive Owen pictured together before their divorce was announced (Image: channel 5)
The forthcoming book, illustrated by Becca Hall, promises to whisk children away to the countryside with tales of a mischievous reindeer, extraordinary chickens, and an astute sheepdog.
Puffin editor Katie Sinfield shared her enthusiasm: “It felt only natural to bring Amanda’s remarkable farming experience and wonderful gift for storytelling to young readers.
“I can’t wait for families everywhere to meet real-life characters such as Chalky the dog and Coco the sheep, and to experience the magic of Ravenseat Farm through the warmth of Amanda’s bestselling writing and Becca Hall’s beautiful illustrations.
“Christmas Tales From The Farm is an incredible book to kick-start our ambitious publishing partnership, and the perfect, must-have gift for every household to read together this Christmas.'”.
The mum-of-nine is also celebrated for her Yorkshire Shepherdess trilogy and her 2021 offering, Celebrating The Seasons With The Yorkshire Shepherdess, which includes tales and images from their rural life, along with recipes for each season.
Owen’s literary agent, Jo Cantello, expressed: “It’s a dream come true to be working with the fantastically talented and supportive Puffin team on Amanda’s first children’s title, having spent my childhood with my nose buried deep in their books.
“We can’t wait to see how Christmas Tales From The Farm is received and to introduce Amanda’s incredible gift for storytelling and her characterful farmyard animals to a new audience.”
Owen now features in the Channel 4 series Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive And Kids, which documents the family’s adventures as they restore a farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales.
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Christmas Tales from the Farm is set for release in hardback on September 11.
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If all eyes were not already on Scotland’s first World Cup qualifier against Denmark on 5 September, they certainly are now.
While Steve Clarke would have been running scenarios in his head after Friday’s defeat by Iceland, Monday night’s win over in Liechtenstein presented no such problems.
Well, besides his team and formation. Big decisions, in truth.
Will the Scotland head coach stick with the back four he played in Vaduz or shift to his trusty back three/five?
In midfield, who does he start after 18-year-old Lennon Miller impressed on his full debut?
And after hat-trick hero Che Adams and George Hirst linked up for the latter’s first international goal, will Clarke commit to two up top?
‘Tierney-Robertson partnership our strength’
When possible, Clarke always opts for Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson down the left. They are his tried and tested and they have served him well.
There has been a little discourse around whether that is still what we should be going with, but I don’t see why not.
I think they’re still two of the best left-sided partnerships that we’ve got and it works really well.
Tierney as left-sided centre-back and Robertson at left wing-back offers such pace, which also brings quality going forward and the end product of ball in the box.
I think that’s our strength. They have done it fantastically in the past couple of years, which is why I think going away from home, in Copenhagen, I see Clarke going with the five.
‘Callum ticks all the boxes’
On his first Scotland start, I think Miller has done himself absolutely millions of favours with his performance.
He is very, very calm – quite chilled actually. That’s due to his family, his dad [former Scotland striker Lee] keeping him grounded!
His composure and quality is top notch and he expresses himself in the game.
It is like he is not bothered by being on the big stage. His attitude is, ‘I’m playing with my mates here’. That’s top mentality.
Do I think he will start in Denmark? I don’t. But will he be one of the ones that’s in Clarke’s mind to automatically come on if you’re looking for a goal or a forward pass? I’d say so.
There are so many possibilities, though.
The pairing of Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay is one that’s got to flourish. You know what you’re getting with John McGinn. Clarke likes Kenny McLean because of his experience. Ryan Christie is favoured as a 10, too, so there are plenty of legs in there.
But the perfect scenario is to get Callum McGregor back.
‘Dykes will be phoning, asking to be in a top two’
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Alhough two strikers are not Clarke’s usual call, he has gone with the Che Adams-Lyndon Dykes partnership before.
I was on punditry duties with the big man while we watched Adams and Hirst strike up a partnership and I reckon he will be phoning Clarke now saying he can play in the two.
I think the head coach likes Dykes’ running power. He’s a great worker off the ball, but also holds it well and causes problems in the box.
Adams will be flying high while Hirst has just opened his Scotland account.
There is, finally, great competition up there now for us. We’ve not had three goal-scoring strikers for the national team for a long, long time.
Can Clarke use all three, though? I don’t think he will.
If he goes defensively, I don’t see him playing two strikers.
‘Trip to Copenhagen critical for qualification’
Getting it right in Copenhagen is paramount.
If Scotland can get a point away to Denmark and then beat them at home – while beating everybody else – that’ll do it. Easier said, mind you.
But the first game is the big one.
You don’t want to go away on matchday one and lose, because it puts the Danes on the front foot early doors with belief. Scotland then start to overthink everything, so the opener will be hugely important for us.
Clarke just has to do what he does.
He has had a fantastic career as a manager. I actually look at him and the style he plays – I try and steal stuff from him.
He has got a lot of experience, doesn’t differ too much from what he usually does and it has served him very well so far.
Romeo Beckham has sparked new romance speculation after being spotted with German model Caroline Daur just weeks after his split from former girlfriend, DJ Kim Turnbull
Caroline and Romeo were spotted together in France(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
All eyes were once again on the Beckhams this week as son Romeo Beckham was spotted with a potential new flame. Just weeks after the 22 year old called time on his relationship with Kim Turnbull he was seen enjoying some alone time with Caroline Daur, 30.
The German has become famous in the fashion world with the model being a recognised blogger. And it appears she has already been given the nod of approval by Victoria Beckham, who has long admired her work.
In 2018, the former Spice Girls’ Facebook account asked Caroline for an image of her wearing one of her designs. And the German star has also been present at a number of Posh’s fashion shows over the years.
Caroline Daur has been linked to Romeo Beckham(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
But who is Caroline Daur and how did she make her way in the industry? She previously revealed she is proud to be a “self-made” success. She once said: “I don’t have an agent, manager or assistant. I do everything by myself.”
She rose in the industry in the early 2010s with a successful fashion blog and has since amassed 4.6million Instagram followers. She also has over one million people follower her TikTok account. She is now thought to have a net worth of around €4 million (£3.4million).
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She has branched out with her work and featured on TV too. She was involved as a guest judge on the German version of Next Top Model. Caroline also launched a series of work out videos which were available to follow online.
The model is also set to appear on the small screen once more having landed a role on a German Netflix series. Last year, she filmed for the series titled She Said Yes.
Caroline also previously opened up on dealing with ADHD, which she was diagnosed with later in life. “It didn’t surprise me,” she confessed after revealing the condition. “And it didn’t surprise anyone around me either. The diagnosis came late, but it explained so much.”
She continued: “‘My brain is like an internet browser with 47 tabs open. Sport is the only way I can calm it down. This morning I worked out at 7am, even after a short night. Without it, I just don’t function.”
Romeo Beckham watches the tennis Paris(Image: Getty Images)
It remains to be seen how Romeo’s family react to any potential budding romance between the pair. The second eldest son of David and Victoria found himself surrounded by rumours of a family feud after his older brother Brooklyn, 26, swerved the siblings’ dad’s 50th birthday.
Brooklyn was said to have been ‘uneasy’ about Romeo dating his, ex Kim, who was once close friends with the hot sauce enthusiast. He reportedly felt his parents were ‘favouring’ his younger brother, who was seen beaming in snaps from David’s birthday.
Amid the fallout, Romeo and Kim ended their partnership and now appears to be getting cosy with the German model. The duo were spotted in Paris together, having reportedly bonded over their love of Tennis. Both were attending the Men’s Singles Semi Final at the French Open on Friday.
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The new Madrid Grand Prix will be held as the final race of an uninterrupted European section of the Formula 1 season next year.
Madrid, to be held on 11-13 September, will be a second race in Spain and replaces the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy in a schedule that remains at 24 races.
Madrid’s debut is one of a number of changes, most of which have been made in an attempt to streamline transport and reduce carbon emissions.
Canada, traditionally held in early June, has moved to 22-24 May, the date that would have been expected to be filled by Monaco, which will now be held on 5-7 June.
Every race from Monaco on the first weekend in June to Madrid is then in Europe, before the Azerbaijan event on 25-27 September kicks off the final intercontinental part of the season.
The moves are in line with F1’s new rules, in which revised engines run on 100% sustainable fuels.
The season starts in Melbourne, Australia, on 6-8 March. The Bahrain Grand Prix, which has become the most common opening race, is again in April as a result of the timing of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Bahrain and the Saudi Arabian race will be held a week apart, but unlike this year there is a two-week gap between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix in March after Australia, rather than the one of this season.
The British Grand Prix will be held on 3-5 July, and the season will mark the final appearance of the Dutch Grand Prix. It will be held at Zandvoort on 21-23 August.
The traditional Spanish race at Barcelona retains its place on 12-14 June as it fulfils the last year of its existing contract.
