Sports
FIFA unveils $50M Gaza stadium plan amid shattered infrastructure
The Gaza Strip lies shattered. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, and the most basic systems that sustain daily life, including water and sewage networks, roads, power grids and food production, are either crippled or gone. Aid groups warn that without urgent rebuilding, the risk of hunger and disease will deepen.
Yet amid the wreckage came an unexpected promise: a new national football stadium. The pledge, attributed to the sport’s global governing body, stood in stark contrast to the scale of destruction and the daunting task of restoring essential services.
The announcement surfaced during the inaugural meeting of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday. The event unfolded with a heavy dose of political pageantry. Nine governments committed a combined $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package, while five others signaled their readiness to send troops as part of a proposed international stabilization force.
“We don’t have to just rebuild houses or schools or hospitals or roads,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “We also have to rebuild and build people, emotion, hope and trust. And this is what football, my sport, is about.”
FIFA pledged $50 million for a new stadium holding between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators and said it would build a $15 million FIFA academy. The organization also promised to spend an additional $2.5 million for 50 “mini pitches,” or football fields, and five full-sized fields costing $1 million each.
Gaza does not have a national football team. A unified Palestinian squad represents Gaza and the West Bank and has been recognized by FIFA since 1998 but has never qualified for the World Cup.
“Football, or football as it is called here, is the world’s universal language,” Infantino said. “It’s about hope. It’s about joy. It’s about happiness. It’s about coming together. It’s about uniting the world.”
He showed a video that proclaimed, “A simple ball. A shared field. A reason to believe again,” while noting that FIFA and the Board of Peace were joining forces to “turn football into a bridge toward peace, dignity and hope.”
The video mentioned FIFA creating Gaza football leagues at youth, amateur and regional levels and promised a “complete football ecosystem designed to support communities and future generations.”
Infantino has become a regular presence at the White House ahead of this year’s World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. He also frequently appears at Trump events while the president is traveling. He showed up in Davos, Switzerland, last month when the Board of Peace, part of a larger White House-brokered ceasefire aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza, was formally launched.
Trump repeatedly singled out Infantino during his remarks Thursday at the Board of Peace event while attempting to gloss over the fact that many top U.S. allies, including Britain and Canada, have not joined.
“Virtually everyone is the head of a country,” Trump said of the board’s members, while noting that Infantino is “head of football, so that’s not so bad.”
“I like your job the best, I think,” Trump said.
Thursday’s attendees were given red hats styled after Trump’s “Make America Great Again” caps, with “USA” in white letters and “45-47” signifying Trump’s two presidential terms. Infantino briefly wore one, as did others in attendance.
The president gave shoutouts to Infantino during several stories on divergent topics, including when Trump suggested he had been a more successful real estate developer than his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and as he recounted how an escalator stopped while he was on it during last fall’s U.N. General Assembly meeting, an incident Trump suggested should have triggered arrests but did not.
Trump even explained to Infantino that B-2 bombers carry “very big bombs.”
But the president’s most effusive praise for Infantino was related to his organization awarding Trump a new FIFA peace prize last year, after the president lobbied for a Nobel Peace Prize but was not selected by the Norwegian committee that awards it.
“I think they saw that I got screwed by Norway,” Trump said.
Pakistan and New Zealand face off in Colombo on Saturday as the second “Super Eights” stage of the T20 World Cup gets underway, with former champions Australia shockingly absent after failing to advance from their group.
In a twist, surprise package Zimbabwe, who did not even qualify in 2024, dominated Group B with an unbeaten run that included wins over Australia and co-hosts Sri Lanka.
Australia, plagued by injuries, endured a turbulent campaign and missed the Super Eights for the first time since 2009.
Australia’s media did not hold back, citing selection “stuff-ups” and “shambolic” preparations, including a 3-0 pre-tournament series loss in Pakistan, as the source of embarrassment.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald said his players were “devastated” but any inquest into the failure would begin “when we exit the shores here.”
India, the world’s No. 1-ranked T20 side, are hot favorites to retain their crown on home soil.
In the second round, they face a tough rematch of the 2024 final against an in-form South Africa in Ahmedabad on Sunday at a packed 130,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium. Both teams came through the first-round phase with four wins from four.
India are on a 12-match unbeaten run at the T20 World Cup, stretching back to their semi-final loss to eventual winners England in 2022.
No team has won back-to-back T20 World Cups or lifted the trophy on home soil, and India carry the hopes of hundreds of millions of cricket-obsessed fans.
However, India’s form has been inconsistent, and they have a problem at the top of the order, with No. 1-ranked batter Abhishek Sharma recording three consecutive ducks. Their batting looked shaky against the United States, falling to 77-6 before rallying to win.
Also in Super Eights Group 1 are Zimbabwe and the West Indies, who meet in Mumbai on Monday. All of that group’s games are being hosted in India.
England yet to fire
The West Indies toppled England convincingly in the group phase. The two-time champions have all-round strength and depth. They won the last T20 World Cup hosted in India in 2016 and have started this tournament in clinical fashion, winning all four group games.
They will be wary of Zimbabwe, whose colorful traveling supporters have had plenty to cheer so far. Even a washout against Ireland could not dampen their spirits.
In Sri Lanka, Group 2 pits the co-hosts against England, Pakistan, and New Zealand. The top two from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
Pakistan were the last team to secure their berth, beating Namibia by 102 runs. Captain Salman Agha called it a “complete performance” as they bounced back from a group defeat to bitter rivals India.
England, another pre-tournament favorite, stumbled through their group matches in Mumbai and Kolkata, losing to the only Test-playing side they faced, the West Indies. Harry Brook’s side were unconvincing in wins against minnows Nepal, Scotland, and Italy, who were making their World Cup debut.
England return to a happy hunting ground in Kandy to face Sri Lanka on Sunday, a venue where they swept a T20 series 3-0 this month, with Sam Curran taking a hat-trick. Their top order needs form, with explosive openers Jos Buttler and Phil Salt yet to make a telling score, and Brook failing to fire.
Sri Lanka have been hot and cold. Pathum Nissanka scored a superb century on Monday to all but end Australia’s tournament. But they lost to Zimbabwe in their final group game, although Nissanka was in the runs again with 62.
Turkish prosecutors have widened their grip on football’s biggest integrity crisis in years, detaining 32 suspects, including senior club executives in a sweeping match-fixing and illegal betting probe that now stretches across the country’s professional pyramid.
Acting on orders from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, police carried out coordinated raids in 10 provinces on Friday, targeting 33 individuals.
One suspect remains at large. Authorities say digital forensic work on betting accounts and financial transactions led them to executives who allegedly placed wagers on matches involving their own teams, including bets on rivals to win.
Under Türkiye’s Law No. 6222 on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports, betting on fixtures one can influence constitutes a criminal offense. Prosecutors argue the conduct goes beyond personal gambling, pointing to possible organized activity that could trigger heavier prison sentences if proven.
Names and club affiliations have not been released. Investigators seized phones, computers and financial documents as they attempt to map money flows and potential links to illegal betting networks.
Scandal years in the making
The latest detentions are the newest chapter in what has become known as the 2025 Turkish football betting scandal, an investigation that first erupted inside the referee corps.
An internal audit by the Turkish Football Federation in October 2025 examined 571 active professional referees.
It found that 371 held registered betting accounts and 152 had actively wagered on football matches, including domestic and international fixtures. Several elite officials were among those implicated.
Within days, the federation suspended 149 referees and assistants for periods of up to a year and pledged tighter monitoring and ethics reforms. The crackdown soon expanded beyond match officials.
By November, more than 1,000 players across the Süper Lig and lower divisions had been referred to the Professional Football Discipline Board.
Suspensions followed, though some cases were later reduced or dropped after claims of identity theft or historical betting unrelated to their clubs.
Criminal proceedings escalated through late 2025 and early 2026, with multiple waves of arrests involving referees, club presidents and senior administrators.
Financial intelligence from Türkiye’s anti-money laundering authorities helped trace alleged illegal betting proceeds through club-linked accounts.
In one February operation, assets tied to lower-division clubs were seized on suspicion of laundering gambling revenue.
Dressing rooms and boardrooms
Friday’s operation signals a shift in focus toward executive decision-makers.
Prosecutors say evidence suggests certain officials may have used illegal betting channels not only for personal gain but, in some cases, to ease mounting club debts.
Authorities are also examining suspicious betting patterns tied to specific match events such as halftime scores, penalties and red cards.
The fallout has been profound.
Lower-league fixtures were postponed, disciplinary dockets swelled and Türkiye’s request for an emergency transfer window was rejected by FIFA.
Sponsors and broadcasters are watching closely as the investigation deepens.
Fenerbahçe jeopardized their hopes of reaching the round of 16 on Thursday, falling 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff.
The win marked a dream start for Forest’s new coach, Vitor Pereira, who became their fourth boss this season after agreeing an 18-month deal to replace the sacked Sean Dyche on Sunday.
The hostile Istanbul atmosphere was not new to the Portuguese, who had also coached Fenerbahçe two times in the past.
The game at the Chobani Stadium also saw a duel of former Manchester City goalkeepers Stefan Ortega of Forest and Ederson of Fenerbahçe.
Making things worse for the Turkish side, Jayden Oosterwolde and Fred picked up yellow cards and will miss the return leg through suspension. Meanwhile, Milan Skriniar was forced off with an injury, and the star center-back is set to undergo an MRI scan.
Murillo opened the scoring after a solo run from midfield in the 21st minute.
Forest struck again in the 43rd minute.
Morgan Gibbs-White flicked on Elliot Anderson’s corner at the near post and Igor Jesus pounced to head in from virtually on the goal-line.
Jesus’ seventh goal in the Europa League this season sucked the spirit from Fenerbahçe and Gibbs-White notched Forest’s third goal in the 50th minute.
Jesus beat the offside trap and unselfishly squared to Gibbs-White, who slotted home despite losing his footing while shooting.
Forest’s dominant display puts them in pole position to finish the job in the second leg at the City Ground on Feb. 26.
The winner of the tie will play Real Betis or Midtjylland.
“I realized before I came that the players have a lot of quality. They need results but they need to enjoy the game,” Pereira said after the match.
“If they enjoy the way they are playing, they can have a high level. They need just organization and confidence.
“I asked them to express themselves on the pitch. They did it. It was a very good result.”
Perched perilously just three points above the Premier League relegation zone, Forest’s main aim is to avoid dropping into the Championship.
But extending their first European campaign since 1995-96 would be a notable feat for a club starved off continental success since the Brian Clough era.
Pereira had been out of work since being sacked by Wolves in November after a dismal start to this season.
In Thursday’s other early first-leg ties, Santiago Castro’s ninth-minute goal gave Italian side Bologna a 1-0 win at Norway’s Brann.
Zakaria El Ouahdi inspired Genk’s 3-1 win at Dinamo Zagreb.
Bryan Heynen put the Belgian club ahead in the 15th minute and Morocco wing-back El Ouahdi doubled the visitors’ lead six minutes later.
Dion Beljo got one back in the 44th minute, but El Ouahdi bagged his second goal in second-half stoppage-time.
Iago Aspas and Williot Swedberg scored in the first half to fire Celta Vigo to a 2-1 victory at PAOK, who reduced the deficit through Alexander Jeremejeff after the interval.
Later on Thursday, Celtic boss Martin O’Neill was to take charge of the 1,000th match of his managerial career as Stuttgart visited Glasgow.
Lille was to host Red Star Belgrade, Ludogorets Razgrad faced Ferencvaros and Panathinaikos met Viktoria Plzen.
Norway’s Bodo/Glimt shocked Inter Milan with a 3-1 home win over last season’s runners-up in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout-phase playoff on Wednesday, while Anthony Gordon scored four goals as Newcastle United routed Qarabag 6-1 away.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid were held by Club Brugge in a thrilling 3-3 draw, while Bayer Leverkusen took a big step toward reaching the last 16 by beating Olympiacos 2-0 away in Greece.
Bodo/Glimt, Norwegian champions in four of the last six years, made it to this stage after some impressive results during the league phase, including wins at home to Manchester City and away to Atletico in their last two games.
The club from north of the Arctic Circle were therefore not afraid of the current Serie A leaders and went in front in the 20th minute through Sondre Brunstad Fet.
Francesco Pio Esposito equalized on the half-hour mark for three-time European champions Inter, the goal standing after a VAR check despite an apparent handball in the build-up.
However, Bodo/Glimt went back in front just after the hour when Kasper Hogh’s brilliant lay-off set up Jens Petter Hauge to score and Hogh found the net himself three minutes later.
The result leaves Inter, who lost 5-0 to PSG in last season’s Champions League final, facing a big challenge to overturn their two-goal deficit in next Tuesday’s return leg at San Siro.
The winners of the tie will play either Manchester City or Sporting of Portugal in the last 16 next month.
Newcastle made short work of Qarabag on their long trip to Baku, with the outstanding Gordon netting two penalties among his four goals on the night – he now has 10 goals in nine matches in this season’s Champions League, a tally bettered only by Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe on 13.
Schick double, Atletico held
Gordon’s clinical finish gave Newcastle a third-minute lead at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium and Malick Thiaw headed in for 2-0 after just eight minutes.
Former Everton winger Gordon then converted a penalty awarded for a handball just after the half-hour mark and pounced on poor defending a minute later to complete his first professional hat trick.
He then added a penalty for his fourth and his team’s fifth in first-half stoppage time, with Jacob Murphy getting the visitors’ sixth in the second half after Elvin Jafarguliyev had pulled one back.
Next week’s return at St. James’ Park should now be a mere formality, with a last-16 tie to come against Barcelona or Chelsea.
“It’s a tribute to the team today. We were really good in the first half. That’s as good as we have played in a long time,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said.
“I know the tie isn’t over, but we are in a great position.”
In Belgium, Club Brugge came from 2-0 and then 3-2 down to earn a draw with Atletico and keep their playoff tie firmly in the balance ahead of next week’s second leg.
Julian Alvarez gave the Spaniards an early lead from the penalty spot at the Jan Breydelstadion and Ademola Lookman finished from close range after Antoine Griezmann had flicked on an Alvarez corner in first-half stoppage time.
Nigeria’s Raphael Onyedika pulled one back just after the break for the hosts and Nicolo Tresoldi equalized on the hour mark.
Atletico appeared to have won the game when Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez turned a cross into his own net, but Christos Tzolis made it 3-3 in the 89th minute.
“It was a rollercoaster, like it’s been all season. We have to concentrate more,” Atletico captain Koke told broadcaster Movistar – his side are fourth in La Liga, well off the pace at the top, but hammered Barcelona 4-0 in their Copa del Rey semifinal first leg last week.
Leverkusen were seeking to avenge a 2-0 defeat away to Olympiacos last month as they returned to Piraeus, and this time they were the winners by the same margin as Czech striker Patrik Schick scored twice in the space of four minutes around the hour mark.
Eight of the nine skiers missing in California after an avalanche have been found dead and one remains missing in horrific blizzard conditions, police said Wednesday.
Rescuers have been desperately searching for the group, which was caught in the avalanche early Tuesday on Castle Peak in the Tahoe area. Earlier, six skiers were found alive, two of them being taken to hospital.
“We are still looking for one of the members at this time,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said, cautioning that the storm is hampering any movement.
“Extreme weather conditions I would say is an understatement: lots of snow, gale-force winds, winds making it impossible to see,” Moon said.
Sugar Bowl Academy said multiple victims were linked to the private, ski-focused school, without identifying the people.
“We are an incredibly close and connected community. This tragedy has affected each and every one of us,” Stephen McMahon, the school’s executive director, said in a statement.
“The best thing we can do is surround our athletes and families with care and support while providing the necessary space and time for grief and healing.”
Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company leading the doomed backcountry trip, said the 11 clients and four guides had been staying at the Frog Lake huts since Sunday and were “in the process of returning” back to base.
Over 40 first responders launched the search, according to officials, including “highly skilled rescue ski teams” from both Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center.
But after quickly finding the six known survivors, the teams came up empty handed.
Experts had warned of severe avalanche risk.
And Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo pleaded with the public to stay away until the weather clears.
“Please avoid the Sierras during this current storm and in the upcoming days, avoid mountain travel. It’s treacherous.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the operation.
A powerful storm packing several feet of snow has continued to pummel the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Sugar Bowl Resort, in the immediate area, is reporting 67 inches (1.7 meters) of snowfall there in the past week, including 30 inches from Tuesday to mid-day Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said parts of the Sierra Nevadas above 3,500 feet could see up to eight feet of snow, with wind gusts as strong as 55 miles (90 kilometers) an hour.
Sheriff’s office Captain Russell Green also told local station KCRA that backcountry skiing is inherently dangerous.
“People go out and use the backcountry at all times,” Green said. “We advise against it, obviously, but I wouldn’t say that it’s uncommon. Not that it was a wise choice.”
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has tallied six U.S. avalanche fatalities so far this season, including one in Castle Peak in January.
U.S. ski star Mikaela Shiffrin ended her Olympic medal drought in style with gold in the slalom on Wednesday as snowboarder Su Yiming won China’s first title of the Milan-Cortina Games.
Shiffrin is one of skiing’s all-time greats, but she has had to wait eight years since the 2018 Pyeongchang Games for the third gold of her glittering career.
In the final alpine skiing event in Italy, her emotional victory brought some solace to a U.S. ski team still reeling from Lindsey Vonn’s horrific crash in the downhill.
The 30-year-old led after the first run in glorious conditions in Cortina d’Ampezzo and cruised to victory in a combined time of 1min 39.10sec, an impressive 1.5sec ahead of Switzerland’s world champion Camille Rast.
Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson rounded out the podium to claim the first Olympic medal of her career.
Shiffrin shed a tear after a victory that will help banish the bitter memories of both her last Olympics in Beijing – where she failed to pick up a single medal from six races – and her disappointing displays in the team combined and giant slalom in northern Italy.
“I wanted to be free, I wanted to unleash,” said the American. “It’s not easy to do that, but I’ve been so focused every single day.
“Through a lot of discussions with my psychologist and my mum and my team, everything we said was that, despite pressure or nerves, I want to feel this skiing.
“In the end, today, showing up – that was the thing I wanted most. More than the medal. Now, to also get to have a medal is unbelievable.”
China’s gold at last
Team China amassed nine gold medals on home soil at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, but until Wednesday they were yet to win a single title at the Milan-Cortina Games.
Su changed that, winning the snowboard slopestyle gold after losing his big air crown earlier in these Games – and for good measure, it came on his 22nd birthday and as China celebrates Lunar New Year.
He scored 82.41 points on his first run of three at a sun-soaked Livigno Snow Park and was never caught, upgrading the silver he won four years ago.
Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa took silver and Jake Canter of the U.S. won bronze.
“There’s no better way, you know, this is like the best ever,” said Su. “I was actually thinking there’s no better gift for myself for my 22nd birthday, so I really appreciate it.”
Two hours later, China had another gold as freestyle skier Xu Mengtao won the women’s aerials final.
The U.S. and pre-tournament favorites Canada stayed on track to meet in the Olympic men’s ice hockey final as they reached the semi-finals, although both needed overtime to do it.
Mitch Marner scored the crucial overtime goal as Canada saw off the Czech Republic 4-3 in their quarter-final.
The Americans were also made to fight till the end against Sweden before Quinn Hughes netted 3min 27 sec into overtime for a 2-1 victory in front of thousands of U.S. supporters in Milan’s Santagiulia Arena.
Canada goes on to face reigning champions Finland and the U.S. will play Slovakia, with both semi-finals on Friday.
Klaebo in class of own
Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Klaebo won the 10th Olympic gold medal of his career, extending the all-time record he set earlier in the Games.
The only athlete in Winter or Summer Games history with more Olympic titles is American swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 23 golds.
Klaebo and his Norwegian teammate Einar Hedegart comfortably won the team sprint free event, with Klaebo slowing before the finish line to soak up the applause of the crowd.
It was 29-year-old Klaebo’s fifth gold medal of these Games alone, meaning he has won every event he has entered – and he has one more to go.
Norway has a huge lead atop of the medals table with 15 golds and 33 overall. Hosts Italy are in second spot with nine golds and a total of 26 medals while the U.S. are third with seven golds and 24 medals.
-
Daily Agenda20 hours agoHaluk Görgün emphasizes determination in the defense industry: We will break new records
-
Daily Agenda11 hours agoFlood of love in Bangladesh – Breaking News
-
Economy2 days agoTürkiye’s Oyak targets asset growth, IPOs, foreign-backed investments
-
Politics1 day agoTurkish lawmakers unveil ‘cornerstone’ report on disarming PKK
-
Politics1 day agoNATO official underscores Türkiye’s pivotal role in deterrence, stability
-
Daily Agenda2 days agoPresident Erdoğan: We are not interested in the swamp that CHP has fallen into… We are just minding our business
-
Daily Agenda4 hours agoHarsh reaction from Minister Kurum to the opposition: Those who boast about garbage bins do not like 455 thousand houses
-
Politics2 days agoTurkish president warns governors to avoid being drunk with power