Mauro Icardi is no stranger to headlines, but this time, the Galatasaray striker finds himself at the center of a personal scandal that is unfolding not on the pitch, but in courtrooms across Argentina and Italy.

The controversy began when Argentine influencer Natasha Rey leaked explicit videos on social media, allegedly featuring Icardi.

According to the forward, the footage was from a private encounter with his former wife, Wanda Nara, during their marriage in 2022.

Icardi claims Nara distributed the video to Rey, prompting him to initiate legal action against both women.

He has framed the lawsuit as a case of extortion through private images.

In a fiery Instagram post, Icardi hinted at the depth of the evidence he holds, saying, “I have the evidence. I could post the screenshots, but Instagram would shut me down. Don’t play games with me, or I’ll burn everything down.”

His legal team is pursuing the case in both Argentina and Italy, countries where the unauthorized distribution of intimate content is classified as a serious cybercrime.

In Argentina, convictions can carry prison sentences of up to ten years, alongside substantial fines.

Offenders are often denied bail, highlighting the gravity of the crime.

In Italy, where Icardi also has legal grounds due to his international profile and past residency, the penalties under Article 612-ter of the penal code include prison terms of up to six years and fines reaching 15,000 euros ($17,529).

The law imposes harsher consequences if the individuals involved were romantically linked, a factor that could play a key role given Icardi and Nara’s former relationship and shared children.

The scandal comes at a time when Icardi is engaged to Argentine actress China Suarez.

Rumors in the Argentine press have linked him romantically to Rey, the same influencer behind the leak, but Icardi has denied any involvement beyond the video in question.

He asserts that Nara leaked the footage as a form of revenge, possibly with extortion in mind.

The public fallout has extended far beyond Argentina.

In Türkiye, where Icardi is preparing for the 2025-26 season with Galatasaray, the case has become a talking point, raising questions about the impact on his public image and focus as an athlete.

At the heart of the case is a broader issue facing many public figures in the digital age: the weaponization of private content.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Premier League powerhouse Arsenal announced Saturday the signing of Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting on a five-year contract.

Financial details on the transfer were not disclosed, but British media reported Arsenal agreed to pay 55 million pounds ($73.89 million) fixed upfront fee plus around 8 million pounds in add-ons for the 27-year-old.

“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Viktor Gyokeres to the club,” coach Mikel Arteta said in a club statement.

“The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves.”

Signing a striker had been a priority for Arsenal in the close-season, as Mikel Arteta looked to strengthen a squad that can get over the line in the title race after finishing runners-up in the last three Premier League seasons.

Arsenal lacked a natural number nine for much of last season, finishing 10 points behind champions Liverpool and scoring 17 goals fewer.

Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz alternated up front until injuries sidelined them in January and February, leaving midfielder Mikel Merino to step in during the closing stages of the season.

Gyokeres joined Sporting from Coventry City for around 20 million pounds in 2023. He has since scored 97 goals and registered 28 assists from 102 matches during his two seasons in Lisbon.

Gyokeres helped Sporting win the league and the Portuguese Cup last season, when he scored 54 goals in 52 games in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League.

The Sweden international, who spent a brief spell at Brighton & Hove Albion, will wear the number 14 shirt and will join up with the squad on their pre-season tour in Asia.

Gyokeres is Arsenal’s fifth recruit in the close-season after winger Noni Madueke, goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and midfielders Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Chloe Kelly held her nerve to convert the decisive penalty as England beat Spain 3-1 in a shootout to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 title, following a 1-1 draw after extra time in Basel on Sunday. The triumph saw the Lionesses avenge their 2023 World Cup final loss and successfully defend their European crown.

Spain looked set to repeat their 2023 victory in Sydney when Mariona Caldentey’s first-half header capped a dominant opening spell at St. Jakob-Park. But just as they had done against Sweden and Italy in the knockout stages, England refused to wilt.

Alessia Russo nodded in the equalizer before the hour mark, and with no further goals, the match went to penalties. Once again, Kelly made the difference off the bench, calmly slotting home the winner to seal England’s back-to-back European titles.

“I was cool, I was composed. I knew I was going to hit the back of the net,” Kelly told the BBC.

It was a heartbreaking way to lose for Spain, who failed to score three of their penalties. Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati saw her effort saved.

Sarina Wiegman’s England are now two-time European champions, three years after defeating Germany in extra time at Wembley to win their first major women’s tournament.

“What a team. What a game. What drama. You dug deep when it mattered most and you’ve made the nation proud. History makers,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X. He was in attendance at the match.

The victory helps ease the pain of losing the World Cup final in 2023 and further cements Wiegman’s status among the game’s elite coaches.

She has now won three consecutive European Championships – leading her native Netherlands to victory in 2017 before guiding England to back-to-back titles.

“We said we can win by any means, and that’s what we’ve shown again today. I am so proud of the team and the staff. It is incredible,” said Wiegman, whose team lost their opening match to France.

“Losing your first game and becoming European champions is incredible,” she added.

Spain fell short in their bid to add a first European title to the World Cup they won in Australia. La Roja dominated possession, as expected, but paid the price for failing to finish off the game against an England side that never knows when it is beaten.

“I am in shock,” Bonmati told broadcaster TVE, later apologizing for missing her penalty. “Football is cruel. Everything seems bad right now, but I think we played the best football during the tournament.”

English resilience

England had already come from behind earlier in the tournament, rallying from 2-0 down against Sweden in the quarterfinals to force extra time before winning on penalties. In the semifinals, substitute Michelle Agyemang’s 96th-minute equalizer stunned Italy before Kelly scored the extra-time winner.

Wiegman gambled on the fitness of Lauren James, who had gone off with an ankle injury against Italy. But the Chelsea winger lasted less than a half before being replaced by Kelly.

By then, Spain had taken the lead. Ona Batlle crossed from the right for Caldentey to head home. Spain had already been in control, and it seemed England’s best hope lay in their opponents’ complacency.

The clearest example came while the score was still 0-0, when Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll played a careless short pass to Laia Aleixandri inside her own area. Lauren Hemp was alert and pounced, but Coll recovered to make the save.

Even at 1-0 down, England stayed in the game and equalized in the 57th minute when Kelly crossed from the left and Russo headed home.

Backed by a crowd of 34,203 – most of them supporting England – the Lionesses sensed another comeback was on the cards. Coll had to stretch to tip away another Kelly effort midway through the second half.

With the score still level after extra time, the match was settled by penalties. Beth Mead’s opening attempt for England was saved after she was forced to retake. Captain Leah Williamson also saw her shot stopped by Coll, but Alex Greenwood and Niamh Charles converted. Patri Guijarro was the only Spanish player to score before Kelly sealed the title.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh obliterated her rivals to win the world 400-meter women’s freestyle gold Sunday, with American great Katie Ledecky third.

The 18-year-old McIntosh romped home in 3 minutes 56.26 seconds, nearly 2 seconds clear of China’s Li Bingjie, who was followed by Ledecky in bronze.

It was the world record holder’s first world title in the event as she pursues five individual golds in Singapore.

On the opening night of the meet, McIntosh and Ledecky, 28, renewed their rivalry from the Paris Olympics last summer.

They will also meet in the 800-meter freestyle, billed as the most eagerly anticipated race of the championships.

McIntosh took the lead early on and never looked back to demolish the rest of the field, pulling increasingly clear as the race progressed.

McIntosh came to Singapore in red-hot form.

She smashed the 400-meter freestyle world record at the Canadian trials in 3:54.18 in June.

The three-time Olympic gold medallist sliced more than a second off the previous world record of 3:55.38 set by Australian Ariarne Titmus at the 2023 world championships.

Olympic champion Titmus is not in Singapore because she is taking a season off before she dives back in to prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

McIntosh won gold in the 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter medley and 400-meter medley at the Paris Olympics. She took silver in the 400-meter free.

The McIntosh family’s passion for sport runs deep: their mother Jill competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and older sister Brooke is a top pairs figure skater.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday led national celebrations after Nigeria’s women’s football team staged a dramatic comeback to clinch a record-extending Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco.

The 3-2 victory against hosts Morocco in Rabat confirmed the West Africans as the queens of women’s football in Africa as they pulled off a 10th title in 13 editions.

Tinubu said the team’s “spectacular performance… exemplifies the determination that defines the Nigerian spirit”.

The Super Falcons staged a remarkable comeback from being two goals down to beat Morocco on Saturday night.

Esther Okoronkwo and Folashade Ijamilusi led the fight back at Rabat’s Stade Olympique before substitute Jennifer Echegini swept home an 88th minute winner.

Morocco skipper Ghizlane Chebbak and dribbling winger Sanaa Mssoudy scored in the first half hour to see the home team take a surprise lead as they sought to become only the fourth country to take the continental title after Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

A capacity crowd saw Chebbak increase her tournament tally to five goals as she fired home from the edge of the area in the 12th minute after Nigeria had failed to clear properly.

Mssoudy’s goal came 12 minutes later, after Morocco striker Ibtissam Jraidi had crashed into centre back Marvis Ohale and the ball spilled out for Mssoudy to cut in and finish, but the referee determined there was no foul play and let the second goal stand.

Nigeria dominated play thereafter and forced a succession of set pieces, but it took some good fortune to begin their comeback.

Ijamilusi’s cross struck defender Nouhaila Benzina on the than,d but Nigeria were only awarded a penalty after a VAR review. Okoronkwo tucked away the spot kick to reduce the score in the 64th minute.

Seven minutes later, they were level as Okoronkwo powered her way through the Moroccan defense before unselfishly squaring for Ijamilusi to tap the ball home.

Morocco were then awarded a penalty with 10 minutes remaining in another contentious handball call but this was overturned after the referee was asked to review.

A crestfallen home team were then caught out as Echegeni raced onto the ball and tucked it away from close range for a dramatic winner.

‘Lifted our spirits’

Nigeria have now reestablished their continental dominance after having ceded the title to South Africa at the last edition in 2022.

“You have lifted our spirits. You are a pride to your generation,” Tinubu told the team in a post-match video call.

“You have achieved the mission the nation dreamed of and prayed for. Nigeria celebrates you.”

Dubbed Mission X, the WAFCON title was a tonic for many Nigerians enduring the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation as the government carries out reforms.

Muhammad Awwal, a taxi driver who relocated to the northern city of Kano to escape the violence of Borno state, the epicentre of the jihadist insurgency, hailed the Falcons for helping Nigerians to “momentarily forget our common problems”.

“Everywhere people erupted in celebration after the final whistle. All our problems were drowned in the frenzy of celebration of the spectacular win,” Awwal told AFP.

“Last night all the problems tormenting us – the high cost of living, banditry and Boko Haram violence – disappeared.

“It was a great relief, thanks to the Falcons,” he said.

Abuja housewife Comfort Zamani agreed: “Life has not been easy, but at least the girls helped us to forget the hardships even if for only a few hours,” she told AFP.

“They have given us some hope that we should keep fighting and not give up even when things are rough.”

In the densely populated neighborhoods of Dako, Kabusa and Galadimawa of the Nigerian capital Abuja, loud cheers tore through the late night to celebrate Nigeria’s two comeback goals.

But the loudest cheers were heard when substitute Jennifer Echegini swept home a free kick with only two minutes left on the clock for the championship-winning goal, and then at full time.

Sunday newspaper carried front page headlines such as “Unstoppable Falcons win 10th WAFCON from two goals down” and “Super Falcons rule Africa again.”

Chairman of the country’s supporters club Vincent Okumagba further congratulated the players “for accomplishing ‘Mission X'” and for “not giving up when they were down.”

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton on Saturday condemned the deaths of children from hunger and malnutrition in Gaza under Israel’s blockade, calling the situation “inhumane” and urging, “We can no longer stay silent.”

In a social media story ahead of this weekend’s race in Belgium, Hamilton shared a UNICEF post that mentioned that “More than 100 children were killed in intensified strikes in Gaza during the first week of July, according to reports. The killing of children has continued every day since. Ceasefire now.”

“We can no longer stay silent,” Hamilton stated in a social media post.

Deaths from hunger and malnutrition, particularly among children, are also increasing due to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, along with Israeli attacks.

The Palestinian Health Ministry announced Friday that the number of Palestinians who died from hunger and malnutrition during Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, has reached 122, including 83 children.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza, killing over 59,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.