⚽️ World Cup news and reaction as last 16 continues ⚽️ Mexico 2-3 England | Player guide | Email us
26m agoBelgium reportedly granted right to appeal Fifa's Balogun call
32m agoSouth Korean FA president resigns
50m agoHow the quarter-finals are looking
1h agoRemaining last-16 fixtures
2h agoSummary of what else happened
Swear alert swear alert … but the man has a point …
The suggestion that Australia is not a multicultural society is “bullshit”, Socceroo Awer Mabil has said, following One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s claim that the national team embodies her vision of a monocultural Australia.
Mabil returned to Australia on Monday after featuring in the Socceroos’ defeat on penalties to Egypt in the last 32. Asked by reporters about suggestions that Australia was not a multicultural society, Mabil said: “It’s just all bullshit”.
Despite being used as a political football, the Socceroos had not been distracted, he said. “We know what we represent. We represent Australia at the biggest stage, and Australia ... is the best country in the world, and the Socceroos is the best representation of that,” he told reporters at Adelaide airport.
“If anybody’s trying to divide that, then they’re probably not Australian themselves, in a sense, respectfully. Because Australia is very inclusive, includes everybody. That’s what the Socceroos is.” Australian Associated Press
A little way down the page, in summing up the teams that had departed … just typing “Cape Verde” in that list made me feel a bit quivery lipped.
Despite the expanded World Cup, and frankly so much bloody football, Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde and Mexico 2-3 England feel like they had enough action between them to power an entire tournament on their own.
Let’s remember: Cape Verde were 10 minutes from taking the world champions to a penalty shootout. And I’d have backed them in it as well.
Going forward, no montage of World Cup goals will ever feel correct without Sidny Lopes Cabral’s astonishing curler from the left wing.
The Athletic.
The ruling, which followed lobbying by US president Donald Trump, triggered widespread debate as well as a statement from the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) that said it was exploring “all potential options”.
According to The Athletic, the RBFA formally wrote to Fifa to appeal the matter, which was granted. The RBFA and US Soccer were reportedly asked to make submissions by 1pm BST – exactly 12 hours before the scheduled start of the match at Seattle Stadium.
A member of the Fifa appeals committee has been selected to hear the case, according to the report. Belgium have not been guaranteed that a ruling will be made before Monday’s match. Reuters
The aftershocks to South Korea’s group-stage exit continue. After fairly extraordinary comments from the country’s president Lee Jae Myung, head coach Hong Myung-bu resigned. Now the Korean FA president Chung Mong-gyu has also departed after 13 years in the role.
“There were moments when I lived up to expectations and moments when I left you deeply disappointed,” he said. “All the success is thanks to our players and fans, and all the mistakes are my responsibility. I am convinced that Korean football will overcome adversity and reach great heights once again, as it always has.”
ICYMI, Sid also spent time peppering Spain’s Luis de la Fuente with reader questions …
Anne Butterfield asked: Does Luis think the current midfield already is (or could be) as great as the one in the 2010 World Cup final?
Well … they’re two great midfields. In my opinion, and I say this with the greatest of respect to everyone, we have the best midfield in the world. We have two players per position who are the best players. I can list them: Rodrigo, Zubimendi, Fabián, Pedri, Olmo, Merino, Fabian, Baena, Gavi, Fermín who isn’t here [because of injury], etc … etc. I have probably left someone out and he will get angry; don’t get angry. I remember you all. That was an extraordinary midfield [in 2010] as well, it’s true. Football changes, but I would put us at almost the same level.
And here’s Sid Lowe on Spain’s “quiet man” …
We have to talk about Mikel Oyarzabal. When Spain scored their third goal against Austria in Los Angeles, cameras caught Lamine Yamal’s little brother celebrating, fists clenched and shouting “come on!”. The picture couldn’t have been more perfect, and not just because Keyne is impossibly cute. Even the apparent imperfection was just right. On the row below, clapping and half-hiding the three-year-old, was a woman in sunglasses, prompting a Spanish TV commentator to post: “The blonde in front has denied us the best sticker of all time.” To which the striker Borja Iglesias replied: “The blonde in front has given you two goals today, my friend.” Turns out the blonde woman is Oyarzabal’s mum: her name is Dorleta and it was her son who had just scored his second goal of the game and his fourth of the tournament.
We have to talk about Mikel Oyarzabal. When Spain scored their third goal against Austria in Los Angeles, cameras caught Lamine Yamal’s little brother celebrating, fists clenched and shouting “come on!”. The picture couldn’t have been more perfect, and not just because Keyne is impossibly cute. Even the apparent imperfection was just right. On the row below, clapping and half-hiding the three-year-old, was a woman in sunglasses, prompting a Spanish TV commentator to post: “The blonde in front has denied us the best sticker of all time.” To which the striker Borja Iglesias replied: “The blonde in front has given you two goals today, my friend.”
Turns out the blonde woman is Oyarzabal’s mum: her name is Dorleta and it was her son who had just scored his second goal of the game and his fourth of the tournament.
