Sports
Exiled Afghan players celebrate World Cup route, Olympics move
A FIFA rule change allowing Afghanistan’s women footballers to compete in official matches marks a “historic moment” and recognition of a “basic human right,” former captain Khalida Popal told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday.
Under the new framework, Afghanistan will be eligible in the future to qualify for the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, a development Popal described as the result of a “long fight.”
“I woke up this morning imagining a young Afghan girl opening her eyes and saying, ‘I’ve got the right to play.’ This is a basic human right,” she said from Copenhagen.
She added: “It’s fantastic news. It’s a historic moment we are still trying to absorb.”
The Afghanistan women’s national team was founded in 2007 in Kabul by Popal and fellow players.
After the Taliban retook power in 2021, about 100 players and family members were evacuated to Melbourne, Australia, while other team members relocated to Europe, Britain and the United States.
Women in Afghanistan are banned from participating in sport, and Taliban authorities have shut down clandestine exercise groups held behind closed doors.
A team of Afghan refugee players was formed across Europe and Australia, playing its first international matches at the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series last year in Morocco.
The team could not play in official competitions because FIFA rules previously required approval from the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Football Federation.
The FIFA amendment this week allows official recognition of the Afghanistan team through an agreement between FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.
It will also apply to other teams in exceptional circumstances that are unable to register a national side.
“It has been a long fight, but we are so grateful this history is made not only for the women of Afghanistan,” Popal said.
“No team, if they face a situation like us, should suffer what we have sacrificed and suffered.”
Afghanistan’s women footballers hope to build an internationally competitive team drawing on players scattered across the globe, she said.
“This announcement will allow us to find the talent within the diaspora,” she said.
The next step is for players to attend trials ahead of possible matches in June.
Afghanistan will not be eligible to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup but will be able to attempt to reach future editions.
“This is a powerful and unprecedented step in world sport,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said following the decision.
“FIFA has listened to these players as part of its responsibility to protect the right of every girl and woman to play football and to represent who they are.”
He added: “FIFA is proud to lead this historic initiative and to stand alongside these courageous players on and off the pitch.”
Scattered across the globe after fleeing Taliban rule, Afghanistan’s exiled women footballers are now daring to dream of uniting on the Olympic stage after being given a path back to international soccer.
Global governing body FIFA approved a rule change on Wednesday allowing them to play official international matches, building on the FIFA-backed Afghan Women United team set up last year for players living outside their homeland.
Goalkeeper Fatima Yousufi, now based in Melbourne with many of the exiles, said the players were overwhelmed when they heard the news.
“100% emotional. Tears of joy because we never stopped representing Afghanistan in our hearts,” the 24-year-old told Reuters in a video call.
“And now the world is finally recognizing that. But at the same time, many girls in Afghanistan still don’t have this opportunity, so this moment is also for them.”
Prior to the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had 25 women players under contract, most of whom now live in Australia.
Afghan Women United is currently undergoing a selection process, with FIFA hosting regional selection camps in England and Australia.
While Afghanistan will not be eligible to qualify for the Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year, it could still compete in qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Thinking about all those opportunities coming up, those events will be the greatest thing that could happen for the team,” Yousufi said, who plays for South Melbourne FC while studying.
“So hopefully we will make that happen.”
Harrowing exit
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, women’s sport has effectively disappeared in Afghanistan, while access to education and employment opportunities for women has been severely curtailed.
Like a number of her teammates, Yousufi’s departure from Afghanistan was harrowing.
Carrying only a backpack with a few clothes and a bottle of water, she was evacuated on a plane from Kabul to Dubai with assistance from the Australian government.
She arrived in Australia in a daze, thinking about everything she had lost.
“Even our identity, we had to delete everything. We had to disappear from the public to be safe at the time,” she said.
“It was such a dangerous time, but I’m glad we made it out alive and we’re playing today.”
Yousufi has since been reunited with her parents and all of her siblings in Melbourne.
Life as an immigrant in Australia has been a major adjustment, but the footballing goals remain unchanged.
“In Afghanistan, I was dreaming of seeing the Afghanistan team in the World Cup,” she said.
“And I think if we make that happen, it will be the greatest thing that could happen for Afghanistan women’s soccer.”
Diyarbakır-based Amed SK, commonly known as Amedspor, secured a historic promotion to the Turkish Süper Lig Saturday after a 3-3 draw against Iğdır on the final day of the TFF 1. Lig regular season, confirming a second-place finish with 74 points from 38 matches.
The result was enough to guarantee automatic promotion, capping a consistent campaign in which Amedspor remained among the top contenders throughout the season.
Finishing just behind Erzurumspor, the Diyarbakır side sealed their place in the top flight for the first time in club history.
The decisive match against Iğdır saw Amedspor hold firm in a high-scoring encounter, ensuring the single point required to secure promotion.
The final whistle sparked celebrations across Diyarbakır, with supporters gathering in large numbers to mark a milestone moment for the club.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the club on the promotion.
“I sincerely congratulate Amedspor, the entire community, and my brothers and sisters from Diyarbakır, who will represent our Diyarbakır in the Trendyol Süper Lig next season, and I wish them success,” he said in a statement.
Founded in 1972 and renamed in 2014, the club has a strong following in southeastern Türkiye’s Kurdish community.
After years in the lower divisions, the club began a steady ascent, winning the TFF 2. Lig Red Group in 2023–24 to earn promotion to the second tier.
Amedspor will now turn the focus to preparations for the 2026–27 season, where they will compete against Turkish football’s established powers such as Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş.
A Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey masterclass helped the Philadelphia 76ers pick up a 109-100 win and end the Boston Celtics’ NBA playoffs campaign Saturday night.
Embiid sank 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Maxey scored 10 of his 30 points in a frantic fourth quarter as the seventh-seeded Sixers thwarted the second-seeded Celtics’ comeback bid.
The win completed their own comeback from 3-1 down in the series to book an Eastern Conference semifinal showdown with the New York Knicks.
The series was the 23rd playoff clash between the two teams and Boston had won the last six, knocking Embiid out of the playoffs in 2018, 2020 and 2023.
Embiid had said he was tired of losing to the Celtics, and he and Maxey made sure it didn’t happen again, keying the 76ers’ first-ever victory in a series in which they trailed 3-1.
“We had a talk after game five and just said, ‘Hey, man, we can’t let the same stuff happen over and over and over again. At some point, we’ve got to put a stop to it.’
“And we did,” Maxey told broadcaster NBC.
It wasn’t a smooth ride, even with Boston missing star Jayson Tatum, who was ruled out less than two hours before tip-off with a sore left knee.
Tatum had exited late in the third quarter of Thursday’s game-six blowout loss to the Sixers and he could only watch from the bench as the Celtics season ended.
Tatum, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon in last year’s playoffs, had missed the first 62 games of the regular season but had gone from strength to strength since his season debut in March.
Jaylen Brown scored 34 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Celtics and Derrick White added 26 points.
But Boston connected on just 13 of 49 three-point attempts and were playing catch-up all night after the 76ers pushed their lead to as many as 15 in the first quarter.
Boston clawed back and took a one-point lead midway through the second period, but they couldn’t maintain momentum.
Up by five at halftime, the 76ers pulled away again in the third quarter and led by 13 going into the final frame.
Boston made a final push, cutting the deficit to one point multiple times in the fourth quarter to ignite the crowd at TD Garden arena, but they couldn’t get over the hump.
Maxey scored eight straight points to push Philadelphia’s lead to 107-98 and the Sixers closed it out despite a scare for the oft-injured Embiid, who came up limping after a knock to the knee.
“Just playing hard,” Embiid said of the key to victory. “We started off well and then in the second quarter we kind of relaxed a little. Same thing with the start of the fourth.
“But we stuck together, closed it out,” said Embiid, who underwent an emergency appendectomy less than a month ago. “It’s about playing hard.”
Credit to Philadelphia
Boston’s three straight defeats marked their first three-game skid since they opened the season 0-3 back in October.
Brown, who added four assists and three blocked shots, said the Celtics could be proud of a season in which they were widely expected to tread water without Tatum.
“Great season,” Brown said. “Obviously it didn’t finish the way we would have liked. I give credit to Philadelphia. I watched them get better as the playoffs went on.
“Tonight we came up a little bit short… but nothing for our team to hang our head over.”
Alex Zanardi, the Italian auto racing champion-turned-Paralympic gold medalist, has died at the age of 59, his family said in a statement on Saturday.
The Italian lost both legs in a car racing accident at the Lausitzring circuit in Germany in 2001.
He then astounded the sporting world by taking up para-cycling, winning four golds and two silver medals at the Paralympics.
Zanardi had competed in more than 40 Formula One races between 1991 and 1999. He drove for the likes of Lotus and Williams, where he was a team-mate of Ralf Schumacher. He scored one solitary point.
His family did not provide details about the cause of death. They said Zanardi died suddenly on Friday evening.
“Alex fell asleep peacefully, surrounded by the affection of his loved ones,” their statement said.
After his Formula One career ended, he suffered the life-changing accident after a pit-stop during a CART series race at the Lausitzring. His legs had to be amputated.
He later enjoyed success in hand-cycling at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Cycling’s governing body the UCI said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Alessandro Zanardi.
“The UCI pays tribute to a legend of para-cycling, a true inspiration and an incredible fighter. His achievements and legacy will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Alessandro.”
In 2020 in another accident, he lost control of his hand-bike during a charity race in Tuscany and collided with a lorry. He suffered severe head and facial injuries and his life was in danger for some time.
Six years later and his death prompted heartfelt reactions across the globe.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute to Zanardi as an “extraordinary man who was able to turn every test in life into a lesson in courage, strength and dignity.
“With his sporting achievements, his example and his humanity, he gave all of us far more than just a victory: he gave us hope, pride and the strength never to give up.”
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) asked all sporting bodies in the country to hold a minute’s silence for Zanardi at events this weekend.
Italian sport was full of tributes, including from Serie A leaders Inter: “FC Internazionale Milano joins the mourning of the sporting world after the passing of Alex Zanardi, a motorsport and Paralympic champion, and stands in solidarity with the family in this moment of grief.”
Formula One president Stefano Domenicali, an Italian and friend of Zanardi, said: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Alex Zanardi.
“He was truly an inspirational person, as a human and as an athlete. I will always carry with me his extraordinary strength.”
Motorsport governing body the FIA said in a statement, “The FIA is saddened to learn of the passing of Alex Zanardi, the former Formula 1 driver, two-time CART champion whose journey from life-changing accident to Paralympics gold medallist made him one of sport’s most admired competitors and an enduring symbol of courage and determination.”
Palestine Football Association President Jibril Rajoub declined to shake hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman, vice president of Israel’s football governing body, during a tense moment at the FIFA Congress on Thursday.
After both addressed the gathering, FIFA President Gianni Infantino invited them on stage. The two stood at a noticeable distance as Rajoub voiced his protest away from the microphones before stepping off the stage.
Earlier in the session, Rajoub urged FIFA to act on the Palestine Football Association’s allegations that Israel has violated anti-discrimination rules by permitting clubs based in West Bank settlements.
He confirmed that the PFA is taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA ruled in March not to suspend Israel over its West Bank clubs. FIFA cited the unresolved and complex legal status of the West Bank.
In a separate matter involving an Israeli club, FIFA fined the Israel Football Association $190,000 on disciplinary charges related to “discrimination and racist abuse,” as well as “offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play.”
After both men left the stage at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Infantino thanked them for addressing delegates and made an appeal.
“President Rajoub, Vice President Suliman, let’s work together. Let’s work together to give hope to the children. Let’s work together for that,” Infantino said.
Following the congress, Rajoub made an impassioned appeal, questioning whether Israel has “the right to even be part of FIFA.”
“From my side, I still respect and follow all the legal procedures through FIFA institutions, but I think it’s time to understand that Israel should be sanctioned because of violations of FIFA statutes and human rights,” he said.
Yariv Teper, acting general secretary of the Israel Football Association, declined to comment on the specifics of Rajoub’s remarks but said the IFA would be willing to work with Palestinian counterparts.
“We are at the FIFA Congress,” Teper said. “Our mission is to promote football and a better future for all regions, and this is our mission.”
Palestinian football officials have long argued, including at FIFA annual congresses over the past 15 years, before Infantino became president, that Israel violates statutes by allowing teams from West Bank settlements to play in Israel’s national league.
The disciplinary investigation involving Israeli football was opened 18 months ago in response to a second complaint by the Palestinian federation.
Separately, homelessness advocates and hotel workers rallied outside the FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday, criticizing the city’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup and warning that vulnerable residents and workers are being ignored.
Protesters from an anti-FIFA coalition said the displacement of homeless people had already begun, citing street sweeps, restrictions on tents, and the loss of belongings.
They demanded an end to police sweeps of encampments and World Cup-related escalations, and criticized Vancouver’s February human rights action plan tied to the tournament as weak and lacking firm commitments.
“There’s a lot of anxiety and fear in the community about what’s going to happen with the FIFA games,” Fiona York, a community advocate, told Reuters.
York said many unhoused residents fear a repeat of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, when intensified displacement and policing were widely reported. She argued that money being spent on the tournament could instead support shelters, tiny homes, or safe spaces for people living in vehicles.
“Right now there’s already a crisis, and there’s a big fear that it’s going to get even worse,” she said.
The marchers were joined by hotel workers from Unite Here Local 40 outside the Pan Pacific Hotel, where FIFA Congress delegates were reportedly staying.
Union spokesperson Michelle Travis said soaring hotel prices are not translating into better pay for workers, many of whom must commute long distances because they cannot afford to live in Vancouver.
The protesters called on FIFA and event organizers to ensure the World Cup does not worsen homelessness, displacement, or worker hardship, and suggested a “FIFA dividend” to return money to affected communities.
“People love FIFA, they love football, but they also want to make sure these events are not pushing people out, whether they work in hotels or are living on the streets,” she said.
“They want to see FIFA contribute if it is going to be here.”
Vancouver hosts the first of its seven World Cup matches on June 13.
The trial into the death of Diego Maradona has entered a critical phase in San Isidro, Buenos Aires, where prosecutors, family members and medical staff are battling over who bears responsibility for the football icon’s final days after his death on Nov. 25, 2020, at age 60, two weeks after brain surgery, with the central question focused on whether his home care amounted to fatal negligence.
In testimony that reshaped the narrative, psychologist Carlos Diaz told the court Maradona suffered from three chronic conditions: substance addiction, bipolar disorder and a narcissistic personality disorder.
While his struggles with cocaine and alcohol had long been public, the additional diagnoses had never been disclosed, adding weight to the defense’s argument that the former World Cup winner was a complex, high-risk patient whose death was rooted in natural causes rather than malpractice.
Diaz, himself among the seven defendants, described his first meeting with Maradona in October 2020, recalling a frail but reflective figure.
He said those close to the Argentine star linked his substance use to the emotional extremes of elite sport, where success and frustration often fed destructive cycles.
Despite that, Diaz insisted he saw signs of commitment to recovery.
The defense has leaned heavily on that portrayal, arguing that Maradona’s long history of addiction and erratic behavior made consistent treatment difficult and unpredictable.
Prosecutors, however, have pushed back, framing the case as one of abandonment and reckless decision-making in a moment that required strict medical supervision.
That tension sharpened with the testimony of Maradona’s daughter, Gianinna, who accused the medical team of manipulating the family into agreeing to home hospitalization in Tigre following surgery for a brain clot.
She told the court doctors assured them the residence would be fully equipped for serious care, a promise she now says proved dangerously misleading.
“The manipulation was total and horrible,” she said, singling out neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and Diaz. She described trusting their guidance, only to believe later that those decisions left her father without adequate medical support.
A key issue in the trial is whether Maradona should have remained in a clinical setting rather than being treated at home.
Prosecutors argue the decision stripped him of necessary monitoring and timely intervention, contributing directly to his death from heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, a condition marked by fluid buildup in the lungs.
Gianinna’s voice broke as she recounted the moment she rushed to her father’s bedside, only to be told by emergency responders there was nothing they could do.
Her testimony underscored the emotional weight carried by the family, who say they were guided, and ultimately misled, at every step.
Seven members of Maradona’s medical team face charges of homicide with possible intent, a serious accusation that implies they pursued a course of action despite knowing it could end in death.
If convicted, they could receive prison sentences ranging from eight to 25 years. All have denied wrongdoing, maintaining that Maradona’s death was the inevitable result of his long-standing health issues.
The trial itself comes after a false start.
An earlier proceeding was annulled when it emerged that one of the judges had been involved in a clandestine documentary about the case, forcing a restart under a new panel.
This second trial, expected to last several months, has drawn intense public attention in Argentina, where Maradona’s death during the COVID-19 pandemic triggered nationwide mourning and mass gatherings despite restrictions.
Pistons’ Cade Cunningham kept the top-seeded Detroit alive in their playoff series against the Orlando Magic, while the Los Angeles Lakers again failed to close out their matchup with the Houston Rockets Wednesday.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, pulled off an impressive comeback victory to take a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
Cunningham scored a Pistons playoff-record 45 points to drag his side to a 116-109 victory on a must-win night, steering Detroit back to a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven series.
The Pistons’ star man, having recently returned from a collapsed lung, played nearly 44 minutes as Detroit avoided a stunning first-round ouster at the hands of eighth-seed Orlando.
“We dug ourselves a big hole. It’s going to be a tough one to climb out of, but we handled business tonight,” said Cunningham.
“We’re at our best when our backs are against the wall,” he added.
Having dominated the Eastern Conference during the regular season, Detroit has faltered badly at the start of the postseason.
Needing to win three in a row to escape the first round, the Pistons came out of the blocks fast in front of a home crowd Wednesday.
Playing with a high energy bordering on desperation, Detroit owned the glass with 17 rebounds in the first quarter, building a 12-point lead.
Cunningham exploded into the game with 20 points in the second quarter alone.
But the gap closed to six points by half-time, and Orlando missed two go-ahead 3-pointer attempts soon after the break.
The Pistons took advantage and powered well clear. Orlando refused to quit, mounting a late charge, including a pair of Paolo Banchero 3-pointers, that narrowed the lead back to three points.
But a Cunningham triple with barely 30 seconds remaining sealed the win. Banchero top-scored for Orlando with 45 points.
The Magic will have another chance to finish a surprise series win Friday back in Orlando. A possible decider would take place in Detroit on Sunday.
LeBron’s 25 in vain
Jabari Smith Jr.’s 22 points helped the Houston Rockets grind out a gritty 99-93 win to bring their series with the Los Angeles Lakers back to 3-2.
The Lakers had led 3-0, but now face a tricky trip to Texas for game six.
The return of key offensive contributor Austin Reaves after nine games out with an oblique injury had boosted the Lakers, who got off to a bright first quarter Wednesday.
But the Rockets – who were again without star forward Kevin Durant with an ankle issue – shot ahead, building a 13-point advantage midway through the final quarter.
A LeBron James driving layup reduced the deficit to single digits with five minutes remaining, pumping up the home crowd.
But it was not to be for the Lakers. Another loss in Houston on Friday would put the Lakers at risk of becoming the first team in history to blow a 3-0 lead in a playoff series.
Veteran 41-year-old superstar James top-scored on the night with 25 points, continuing his remarkable post-season form, but failed to score any of his 3-pointer efforts.
“We just couldn’t make shots,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick.
“Missed some layups, certainly had some good looks for three that didn’t go down. But we’ll take a look at the whole process.”
Cleveland secured a fifth straight win for the home team in their series against Toronto to take a 3-2 lead.
Having twice trailed by 12 points, Cleveland powered back in the second half with a much stronger defensive performance to win 125-120.
Evan Mobley led the rally with 10 points in the third quarter, while Dennis Schroder added 19 off the bench.
The result means all four Eastern Conference first-round playoff series now stand at 3-2.
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