Author: AFP

FIFA has banned fans from bringing refillable water bottles into World Cup 2026 venues in a last-minute policy change that will force thirsty supporters to pay for bottled water, The Athletic reported on Wednesday.

As recently as last month, FIFA’s official stadium code of conduct included a clause which read: “For the avoidance of doubt, empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles, up to (1 litre in) capacity, may be brought into the Stadium.”

However, The Athletic reported on Wednesday that those guidelines had now been tweaked to explicitly ban refillable bottles.

“For the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the stadium,” an updated stadium code of conduct read.

In a statement to AFP, a FIFA spokesperson said the rule change was taken on safety grounds, noting that several World Cup venues already barred the use of refillable water bottles.

“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers, and staff,” the statement read. “FIFA made the decision to prohibit bottles to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees.”

“Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations, and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums.”

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The statement added that misting stations, fans, hydration stations and cooling tents would be available in “the stadium footprint”.

It added that bottled water inside the venue would be sold at prices which “remain consistent with other events held at each stadium.”

The rule change comes despite experts warning fans could face health risks from extreme heat at open-air venues during the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

A report published by the World Weather Attribution research group last month estimated that 26 of 104 games at the World Cup are likely to be played in conditions where the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) exceeds 26 degrees.

WBGT is a measure of heat stress on the human body, combining temperature, humidity, wind, and sunlight.

At last year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, where fans complained of searing temperatures, supporters were also barred from bringing water bottles into venues.

READ: Jose Mourinho ready for Real Madrid if Florentino Perez re-elected

Jose Mourinho will return to Spanish club Real Madrid should current president Florentino Perez secure re-election in next Sunday’s vote for the club presidency.

In a brief video shared on the official Instagram account of Perez’s campaign, Mourinho appears wearing a Real Madrid shirt and simply says: “Yes.”

The announcement was released at almost the same time as Perez’s electoral rival, Enrique Riquelme, was preparing to unveil a major signing on a television programme.

The video starts with the caption: “While they talk and talk and talk on TV”, before cutting to Mourinho, dressed in white, delivering his response.

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Should Perez win the election, Mourinho would return to the club 13 years after his departure in 2013.

For the unversed, Mourinho first joined Real Madrid in 2010, spending three seasons at the club. During his tenure, he won one La Liga title, a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup.

Appointing the divisive Mourinho would be a gamble on the part of president Perez after Los Blancos finished without a major trophy for a second consecutive season.

READ: Haris named in Guyana Amazon Warriors squad for Global Super League

Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for a first French Open title was left in tatters as she fell apart in a bizarre defeat by Russian 25th seed Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The world number one led by a set and a double-break before exiting the tournament in a blaze of unforced errors, collapsing to a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss in blustery conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Shnaider will face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the semi-finals on Thursday, with Marta Kostyuk or Mirra Andreeva awaiting the winner in Sunday’s final.

“Well honestly I’m speechless, I’m super happy. Obviously tough conditions with the wind,” said the 22-year-old Shnaider after beating a top-10 player for only the second time in her career.

“First time playing Aryna so definitely a lot of nerves and I feel the first set was trying to adjust to her game.”

Sabalenka was the only Grand Slam champion left in either the men’s or women’s singles draws at Roland Garros, but belied that status by making a whopping 57 unforced errors.

Shnaider was playing in her first major quarter-final, but now finds herself a strong favourite to reach the final heading into her last-four tie against world number 114 and fellow left-hander Chwalinska.

“Definitely super happy I managed to finish on a good note rather than start on a good note. Definitely a special tournament for me here,” added the Russian.

“It’s going be a lefty battle so I’m looking forward (to the semi-final).”

Sabalenka’s scarcely believable defeat was reminiscent of the way she threw away a strong position in last year’s final against Coco Gauff.

The Belarusian was playing in a 14th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final but failed to become the first woman to make seven straight major semis since Serena Williams.

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The top seed raced into a 5-1 lead and eventually sealed the opener on her third set point after initially failing to serve it out.

The second set followed a similar pattern at first, as Sabalenka moved 4-1 in front with a double-break before throwing away her next service game.

Sabalenka became increasingly frustrated as she gifted Shnaider three break points to level at 4-4.

After some animated remonstrating with her box, she recomposed herself enough to hold.

But the 28-year-old’s game continued to come apart, as a string of dreadful unforced errors allowed Shnaider to break again and tie up the set at 5-5, with Sabalenka left to gesticulate wildly towards her coaching staff.

Shnaider could not believe her luck as Sabalenka dumped successive forehands into the bottom of the net to finish off the set and send the match into a decider.

The Russian grew in confidence and moved 2-0 up in the third as Sabalenka sprayed eight unforced errors around Chatrier in the space of two games.

Shnaider cruised to victory from there, fittingly securing a semi-final berth when Sabalenka knocked a routine backhand into the net on the third match point.

A stunned world number one was left to trudge off court after winning just 14 points in the deciding set.

READ: India set for historic New Zealand tour in packed summer

Iran’s squad will leave for Spain this weekend en route to their FIFA World Cup 2026 base in Mexico despite still awaiting visas, the head of the country’s football federation said.

The 2026 World Cup is being hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Neither the United States, where Iran will play their three group stage matches, nor Mexico, where the team will be based throughout the tournament, have yet issued visas for the players.

“We will leave for Spain on Saturday, and from there the team will go directly to Tijuana in Mexico,” football federation chief Mehdi Taj said on Monday on a sports programme broadcast on state television.

“We will obtain a Mexican visa tomorrow (Tuesday) or the day after, and then a US visa will be issued quickly,” Taj said.

Iran have been drawn in Group G and will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

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Taj said that the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, “changed everything” for Team Melli.

“The situation in the country, and especially the war, has upended all our plans,” Taj said.

“We had arranged good warm-up matches, including one against Spain, which was cancelled” in February.

The Iranians relocated their World Cup base, which initially was planned to be in Tucson in the US state of Arizona, to the northwestern Mexican border city of Tijuana due to tensions over the Middle East war.

Iran are currently preparing for the tournament in Turkey.

On Friday they beat Gambia 3-1 in a friendly in Antalya, where they will play another warm-up match against Mali on Thursday.

Taj complained that the team’s World Cup preparations had been also dogged by “financial difficulties” because of the economic crisis in the country and the sharp depreciation of the rial against the dollar.

READ: Southampton boss takes blame for ‘spygate’ scandal

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert has apologised for orchestrating the “spygate” scandal that led to the club’s expulsion from the Championship play-offs as owner Dragan Solak insisted that he would not sack the German.

Saints were kicked out of last month’s play-off final after admitting they had observed a training session held by semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, as well as two other similar incidents during the season.

They also received a four-point deduction that will be applied to the 2026/27 Championship table, while the Football Association has opened its own investigation and could yet charge Eckert.

An independent disciplinary commission of the English Football League (EFL) ruled that there had been a “contrived and determined plan from the top down to gain a competitive advantage” through spying missions.

It said that Eckert had authorised the tactics, highlighting the “particularly deplorable” use of junior members of staff to conduct clandestine operations.

Southampton beat Middlesbrough 2-1 over two legs in the play-off semi-finals, but Boro were reinstated, going on to lose in the final to Hull, who were promoted to the Premier League.

Eckert, who was appointed as head coach in December, on Tuesday put out an eight-minute video statement about the scandal on Southampton’s social media channels.

“For everything that’s happened I do want to apologise and I hold my hand up because as a head coach I am responsible for everything that has happened in this football club,” he said.

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The 33-year-old added: “I am devastated that after six months of building that relationship (with fans) back up, the season has come to an end, come to an end that couldn’t have left us in a worse place than we are in right now.”

He claimed that observing other teams was routine in other countries, though admitted that this was not an excuse for his actions in the English second tier.

“When I worked in Italy for over four years, every starting line-up that we’ve chosen for the games was always out in the media before games,” he said.

“And the reason is that our training sessions, especially the ones before games, have always been observed from the media and have always been observed from opponent teams that we came up against.

“(Pep) Guardiola has spoken about this in his time at Bayern Munich, that it has been common practice in Germany to observe training sessions, knowing that other teams would do the same.”

Eckert was widely expected to lose his job after Southampton’s expulsion from the play-offs, which cost the club a shot at an immediate return to the Premier League and a windfall of around £200 million ($269 million).

But Southampton chairman Solak gave robust backing to Eckert in his own post on the club’s channels on Tuesday.

“Tonda’s period as our head coach has been a success so far. Our form during 2026 has been remarkable and we believe he is the man to take us forward,” Solak said.

“As a board we are fully behind him and together we only have one objective — we want promotion back to Premier League.”

Solak told the BBC separately that Tonda had been subject to a witch hunt in the media, saying that he believed the club had been “over-sentenced”.

The Serbian, whose media company acquired a majority stake of the south-coast club in 2022, said: “I believe Tonda that he didn’t know that it was the rule that he was breaking.

“My personal opinion, and the opinion of the board, is that he is a manager who deserves to be backed by us and to be supported by us.”

READ: South Korea defender Cho Wi-je gets late World Cup 2026 call

Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Sydney Thunder on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of England cricket legend Andrew Flintoff as head coach, hailing it as their “most significant off-field acquisition in club history”.

The 48-year-old has signed a two-year deal for what will be his first overseas coaching role, following weeks of speculation.

Former England captain Flintoff starred for his country across all three formats and was last year linked with taking over from Brendon McCullum as England’s head coach.

The charismatic former all-rounder has cut his teeth in coaching with the second-string England Lions, as well as the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred. He guided the Superchargers to fourth and third-place finishes during his two seasons in charge.

“I can’t wait to get over there and get started,” Flintoff said in a statement released by the team. “I’m looking at this with a lot of optimism. You look at the franchise, you look at the players, you look at the support, and I think there’s something really big to build on.”

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The Thunder squad is led by former Australia opener David Warner and also includes Sam Konstas, the 20-year-old once seen as Warner’s successor at the Test level.

They finished bottom of the table last time out, and Flintoff replaces Trevor Bayliss, who departed the role in February after six seasons at the helm.

“I want our players to connect with the people that come and see us. I want them to enjoy playing cricket,” said Flintoff, who had a stint in the BBL as a player over a decade ago.

“However, all that is underpinned by hard work… I want them to play with passion and leave everything out there on the field.

“I’m excited to come over, get involved and coach this team. I’m here to do the best job I possibly can for the team and everybody that comes out and supports us,” he said.

READ: RCB star Tim David suspended after IPL 2026 final incident

Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo and former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey were included in the Ghana squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 as coach Carlos Queiroz left it to the last minute to finalise his 26-man selection.

Ghana face Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday in a friendly before flying to North America for their fifth World Cup appearance, where they are in a tough Group L with England, Croatia, and Panama.

The midfield includes Villarreal’s Partey, 32, who is due to stand trial in the UK at a later date on rape and sexual assault charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

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Veteran Leicester City attacker Jordan Ayew will captain the Black Stars, who will be without Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus because of injury.

The 26-year-old Semenyo scored 11 goals in 27 games for City after moving from Bournemouth in January for an initial £62.5 million (72 million euros).

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico kicks off on June 11, with Ghana facing Panama in their opener six days later.

Ghana squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s)

Defenders: Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Rennes), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong Peprah (Nice), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos)

Midfielders: Elisha Owusu (Auxerre), Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (Saint Etienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (Nordsjaelland), Abdul Fatawu (Leicester), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta)

Forwards: Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry), Prince Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Jordan Ayew (Leicester)

READ: South Korea defender Cho Wi-je gets late World Cup 2026 call

Cho Wi-je played in South Korea’s second division last year, but now he is heading to the FIFA World Cup 2026 after being called up as a late injury replacement.

The 24-year-old defender has been drafted into South Korea’s squad after Cho Yu-min was ruled out with a foot injury following the 5-0 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday.

Cho Wi-je was already with the squad as a training partner, and now he is in contention to play against South Korea’s Group A opponents South Africa, the Czech Republic and co-hosts Mexico.

After turning out for Busan IPark in K League 2 until January this year, he was still trying to make sense of his rapid rise when he spoke to reporters on Monday.

“If someone told me last year that I would be going to the World Cup in 2026, I would never have believed that,” he said at the team’s training camp in Utah. “This feels like a dream.”

Cho joined South Korean champions Jeonbuk at the start of the year and impressed in his first taste of top-flight football.

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He is now with the national team alongside Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae, the central defender who has played at Europe’s top level for years and has almost 80 caps for his country.

“He has so much experience battling top European players, and I want to pick his brain about that,” Cho said.

“Min-jae is so much quicker than most players, and I have to be quicker on my feet to get to that level.”

Cho got his chance after Cho Yu-min’s World Cup dream ended less than two weeks before their World Cup opener against the Czechs on June 11.

“Yu-min played such an important role in helping us qualify for the World Cup, and it was really tough to see him leave,” said Cho. “To fill his void, I just have to perform as well as I can.”

South Korea squad for FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan), Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk)

Defenders: Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Tae-hyon (Kashima Antlers), Park Jin-seob (Zhejiang), Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade), Jens Castrop (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien), Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), Cho Wi-je (Jeonbuk)

Midfielders: Kim Jin-gyu (Jeonbuk), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Forwards: Son Heung-min (LAFC), Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besitkas), Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland)

READ: Aryna Sabalenka overpowers Naomi Osaka to reach French Open quarter-finals

World number one Aryna Sabalenka took down fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in straight sets in Monday’s night-session match to reach the French Open quarter-finals.

Sabalenka produced an impressive display, hitting 39 winners and 12 aces, against a battling Osaka to win 7-5, 6-3 and reach the last eight for a 14th consecutive major tournament.

The Belarusian is the only Grand Slam champion left in either the men’s or women’s singles draws at Roland Garros.

She made it three straight wins against Osaka this year, having lost their only previous meeting at the 2018 US Open.

Sabalenka will next take on Russian Diana Shnaider as she continues her bid for a maiden French Open crown and to banish the memories of her painful final defeat last year by Coco Gauff.

Japanese star Osaka, again sporting the sequined gold dress she likened to the Eiffel Tower at night, has to make do with her best-ever run in Paris, ending in the last 16.

It was the first women’s match to feature in the French Open night session since 2023, after a run of 32 consecutive men’s ties which drew repeated criticism of tournament organisers.

Aryna Sabalenka has previously criticised the lack of women’s matches under the lights, saying last year that the WTA stars “deserve equal treatment” to the men.

“I hope that this is the beginning, today’s match. It’s like we open up that door for woman night sessions,” she said Monday.

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The players traded early breaks in a power-packed opening, before Sabalenka levelled the first set at 2-2 with a service hold featuring three aces, the last with a second serve.

The set stayed on serve until the 11th game, when Sabalenka made her move with a blistering backhand winner to bring up two break points, with Osaka netting on the first.

The top seed closed it out in style with a ruthless hold to love.

Osaka gamely managed to hang onto her serve early in the second set, staving off a break point in a marathon game to lead 3-2.

Sabalenka had only dropped six points in her previous seven service games, but was pushed hard by Osaka in game six before eventually holding with a clever drop-shot.

That proved to be a crucial moment, as Osaka’s resistance was finally broken in the next game, a brilliant low volley at the net helping Sabalenka put one foot into the quarters.

An Osaka double-fault brought up match point two games later, and Sabalenka sealed victory with a brutal return.

READ: Paraguay name FIFA World Cup 2026 squad

Paraguay on Monday named a FIFA World Cup 2026 squad featuring Brighton midfielder Diego Gomez while his former club teammate Julio Enciso, now with Strasbourg, will lead the attack.

Argentinian coach Gustavo Alfaro called up 20-year-old left-back Alexandro Maidana, who only made his full international debut in March, to fill in for the injured Mathias Villasanti.

Paraguay face joint hosts the United States in their opening Group D game on June 12 in Los Angeles before taking on Turkey on June 19 and Australia on June 25, with both matches in Santa Clara.

They are returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa.

Paraguay squad:

Goalkeepers: Roberto Fernandez (Cerro Porteno), Orlando Gill (San Lorenzo de Almagro/ARG), Gaston Olveira (Olimpia)

Defenders: Gustavo Velazquez (Cerro Porteno), Juan Jose Caceres (Dinamo Moscow/RUS), Gustavo Gomez (Palmeiras/BRA), Omar Alderete (Sunderland/ENG), Fabian Balbuena (Gremio/BRA), Jose Canale (Lanus/ARG), Junior Alonso (Atletico Mineiro/BRA), Alexandro Maidana (Talleres/ARG)

Midfielders: Diego Gomez (Brighton/ENG), Andres Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN), Damian Bobadilla (Sao Paulo/BRA), Matias Galarza (Atlanta United/USA), Braian Ojeda (Orlando City/USA), Mauricio Magalhaes (Palmeiras/BRA), Alejandro Romero Gamarra (Al-Ain/UAE)

Forwards: Gustavo Caballero (Portsmouth/ENG), Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United/USA), Julio Enciso (Strasbourg/FRA), Ramon Sosa (Palmeiras/BRA), Antonio Sanabria (Cremonese/ITA), Alex Arce (Independiente Rivadavia/ARG), Gabriel Avalos (Independiente/ARG), Isidro Pitta (Bragantino/BRA)

READ: Ghazi Ghori responds to Mohammad Rizwan’s replacement talk