by tyler | Oct 3, 2023 | CNN, football
A Saudi soccer team made a last-minute withdrawal from an Asian Champions League match in Iran due to controversy over a divisive Iranian general who was assassinated by the United States in 2020.
The Saudi team, Al-Ittihad, which was due to play Sepahan FC at Naghsh-e Jahan stadium in Isfahan, Iran, on Monday, protested the presence of a bust of Qasem Soleimani, the late commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, at the entrance of the pitch.
Soleimani is revered as a martyr by Iranian hardliners but seen in Saudi Arabia as a terrorist for having empowered Iran-backed militias in the Arab world and despised for sowing instability across the region.
The incident shows that profound differences remain between the two formerly adversarial nations despite a China-brokered agreement in March that saw Tehran and Riyadh reconcile after more than seven years of hostilities.
The Quds Force is an elite unit that handles Iran’s overseas operations – and one designated as a terrorist organization by the US and Saudi Arabia. Over the years, Soleimani rose to prominence to become a key player in the unit and in Iran’s operations across the Middle East, which Saudi Arabia spent years fighting off. He was killed in 2020 by a US drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump.
Al-Ittihad was scheduled to play against Sepahan on Monday in a match that was part of the Asian Champions League, an annual competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Before the game was set to kick off, Al-Ittihad’s players refused to take to the field after a request to remove the bust was rejected by Sepahan officials, state-run Saudi Press Agency said, adding that referees had given Iranian authorities 30 minutes to remove it.
Mohammad Reza Saket, the head of Sepahan, told Iranian state media that “the request was unexpected, unacceptable and surprising,” adding that the bust of the slain commander had been on display in the stadium for two years and that Al-Ittihad knew that and had trained on the same pitch the night before.
Sepahan said that the AFC had approved stadium conditions in a meeting on Sunday.
The AFC said the match was cancelled due to “unanticipated and unforeseen circumstances.”
Videos circulating on social media, and reposted by Saudi state media, showed Iranian fans – who had gathered in their thousands to watch the game – chanting to “remove politics from sports.” CNN was not able to verify the videos.
Riyadh severed ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in the capital following the execution of a Shiite Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia. Iran is a majority Shiite nation.
Both countries were embroiled in proxy wars that pulled in a number of neighboring countries. The recent détente however brought hopes of long-lasting peace as Saudi Arabia redirects its resources toward economic development.
Soccer has proven to be an effective bridge builder between the former foes. Iranian and Saudi teams competed last month for the first time in seven years in Iran, where billboards in the streets welcomed the Saudi teams in English, Arabic and Farsi. Iranian soccer fans have also been seen wearing Saudi team jerseys after the kingdom’s clubs made high-profile purchases of international soccer stars.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS) last month said that Tehran had been taking the issue of mending ties with his country “very seriously.”
“They are doing their best, so we are investing in that,” MBS said, adding that the kingdom wanted to see Iran progress.
by tyler | Sep 5, 2023 | CNN, football
Jorge Vilda has been sacked from his role as head coach of the Spanish women’s soccer team amid the ongoing fallout over the unwanted kiss that soccer chief Luis Rubiales gave a player at the Women’s World Cup final.
The move comes as part of a major shake-up in Spanish soccer ever since Rubiales, the president of the country’s soccer federation (RFEF), forcibly kissed forward Jennifer Hermoso on August 20.
Rubiales has apologized for his actions and described the kiss as “mutual” – a claim Hermoso denied, saying she was not respected. He has been handed a 90-day suspension by FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, while disciplinary proceedings are underway.
In a statement announcing Vilda’s sacking, RFEF said he was “key to the notable growth of women’s football and leaves Spain as world champions and second in the FIFA rankings.”
The federation described the move as “one of the first measures of restructuring announced by (interim) President Pedro Rocha.”
Vilda has been the women’s national team coach since 2015. “RFEF appreciates his work at the head of the national team and his responsibilities as the maximum sporting figure of the women’s national teams, as well as the successes reaped during his term, crowned with the recent achievement of the World Cup,” the statement added.
It also praised Vilda’s “impeccable personal and sporting conduct” and as a “key part of the notable growth of women’s football in Spain,” describing him as “a promoter of the values of respect and sportsmanship in football.”
Vilda, who previously coached Spain’s under-17 and under-19 women’s teams, led La Roja to a first Women’s World Cup title last month with a 1-0 victory against England in the final.
However, success on the pitch has belied a tense atmosphere in the squad and the long-standing animosity between some of the country’s best players, Vilda’s technical staff and RFEF.
Following the team’s victories against the Netherlands and Sweden in the World Cup quarterfinals and semifinals, videos went viral on social media of what appeared to be cold reactions from some of Spain’s substituted players towards Vilda and his staff, as well as during the post-match celebrations.
One clip showed Vilda trying to celebrate with a handful of players following the win over the Netherlands, only to appear to be ignored.
The players’ dissatisfaction dates back beyond September last year, when 15 members of the senior women’s squad sent personally signed letters to RFEF via email to announce they would no longer play for the national team unless there were wholesale changes made throughout the coaching staff.
The identical letters said that “the situation” within the Spanish national team – about which RFEF was “aware” – had been affecting the players’ “emotional state” and health.
“As a result, I do not currently consider myself to be in a condition to be chosen for the national team and I ask not to be called up until the situation is resolved,” the letter read.
Of the 15 players who signed the letters, only three were in Spain’s World Cup squad: Mariona Caldentey, Aitana Bonmatí and Ona Batlle.
CNN previously contacted RFEF and Vilda for comment regarding the letter but did not receive a response. After it was released, Vilda described the situation as “a world embarrassment” and said the solution was to build a team “only with players 100% committed to the project.”
Controversy surrounding Vilda has only intensified following the World Cup final as footage from the match appeared to show him inappropriately touching a female staff member while celebrating Spain’s goal against England. Vilda did not respond to questions about the incident when contacted by CNN via RFEF.
When Rubiales, speaking at the federation’s Extraordinary General Assembly last month, refused to resign from his position, he also offered his backing to Vilda and said he was starting the process of offering the coach a new four-year deal on about $542,000 (€500,000) a year.
“On another level, a lot smaller (than my situation), but they wanted to do to you what they’re doing to me now,” Rubiales said at the time.
“A false narrative to try to transform it into the truth. We’ve suffered a lot, we’ve gone through a lot, we’ve swallowed a lot, but we’ve been together: you and me and your team.”
Vilda, like many in the room, was seen applauding Rubiales throughout the assembly. The following day, however, he issued a statement condemning the actions of the beleaguered soccer chief.
“I am deeply sorry that the victory of Spanish women’s football has been harmed by the inappropriate behavior that our until now top leader, Luis Rubiales, has carried out and that he himself has recognized,” Vilda said in the statement, which was widely shared by Spanish media.
Prior to Spain’s success at the Women’s World Cup, Vilda led the team to the knockout stages of the 2019 tournament and successive quarterfinals at the European championships in 2017 and 2022.
As coach of the country’s youth women’s teams, he twice won the under-17 European championships and also the under-19 European Championships.
by tyler | Aug 26, 2023 | CNN, football
FIFA has provisionally suspended Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish soccer federation, from “all football-related activities” over his kiss with Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso.
Rubiales has been refusing to stand down over the incident, in which he kissed Hermoso on the lips last Sunday after Spain won the tournament for the first time, despite fierce criticism from Hermoso, her teammates and the Spanish government.
Hermoso said the kiss was unwanted and she and the entire World Cup-winning squad have refused to play while Rubiales remains president.
Rubiales said the kiss was consensual and the federation has been sticking by him, threatening legal action against Hermoso and others.
World soccer’s governing body FIFA said Rubiales was initially suspended for 90 days and banned Rubiales and the Spanish football federation from contacting Hermoso, who described refusing requests to issue a statement to “alleviate the pressure” on Rubiales.
FIFA said further information would be provided when disciplinary proceedings, launched Thursday, had been concluded.
The provisional suspension comes after the scandal escalated further when Spain’s soccer federation threatened to take legal action against Hermoso, accusing the player of lying about being kissed by Rubiales.
On Friday, Hermos had responded to a defiant speech by Rubiales, during which he described the kiss as “mutual,” with a statement which said that at no point did she consent to the kiss.
Writing on social media, Hermoso said: “I felt vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part.”
The row has overshadowed Spain’s historic victory in Sydney, Australia, and dominated headlines throughout the week.
Following Spain’s 1-0 win over England in the final, Rubiales was filmed kissing Hermoso on the lips after she had collected her winners’ medal, an act which the 33-year-old said later that day she “didn’t like” and “didn’t expect.”
Rubiales, who said on Monday he had “made a mistake,” has come under fire ever since, with Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, calling the apology for what he described as an “unacceptable gesture” as “not enough.”
But on Friday Rubiales spoke at the federation’s Extraordinary General Assembly and emphatically said he would not resign. While addressing the assembly for nearly 30 minutes, he described the kiss as “mutual” and spoke of “unjust” campaigns and “fake feminism,” sparking further criticism.
Responding to Rubiales’ speech, Hermoso said the RFEF president’s explanation of the incident was “categorically” false, adding: “I want to reiterate as I did before that I did not like this incident.”
CNN reached out to the RFEF, Hermoso and UEFA for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
by tyler | Jun 16, 2023 | CNN, football
Gregg Berhalter will return as head coach of the US Men’s National Soccer Team, US Soccer announced Friday. His new contract will run through the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted jointly by the US, Canada and Mexico.
Berhalter was named head coach of the USMNT in 2018 and led the squad to the knockout stage of the World Cup in Qatar last year, but his contract expired at the conclusion of the tournament in December.
In January, US Soccer announced it had commissioned an independent investigation into allegations of misconduct against Berhalter.
Berhalter was cleared by US Soccer in March following the completion of the investigation, which acknowledged an incident of domestic violence between Berhalter and his then-girlfriend, Rosalind, in 1992. Berhalter, who is now married to Rosalind, has previously acknowledged the incident when they were freshman at the University of North Carolina.
Investigators determined the incident was an isolated event with no evidence of similar conduct since. The investigation concluded the details of the 1992 incident do not create legal risks that would prevent an employer from hiring Berhalter.
US Soccer announced at the time that Berhalter remained a candidate to return as coach of the men’s national team.
US Soccer said Friday the federation’s sporting director Matt Cocker evaluated “a multitude of domestic and international candidates” as part of his worldwide search for the coach who would lead the USMNT to the next World Cup.
“When I started this search, my focus was on finding someone with the right vision to take this program to new heights in 2026,” Crocker said in a news release on Friday.
“Gregg has that vision, as well as the experience and growth mindset on and off the field to move this team forward. Appointing the right head coach for a National Team is a crucial decision that reflects U.S. Soccer’s identity and lays the foundation to grow soccer across the country for years to come.
“I am confident that Gregg is the right person for the job and looking forward to working in partnership with him.”
“I want to thank Matt, and the entire U.S. Soccer Federation, for the trust they’ve placed in me,” Berhalter said in the news release. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to build on our achievements at the World Cup and to contribute to this exciting time for soccer in our country.”
Berhalter will be introduced at a news conference Friday afternoon in Las Vegas.
by tyler | Jun 8, 2023 | CNN, football
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has threatened a Women’s World Cup broadcast blackout in five major European countries over unacceptable offers of media rights for the tournament.
“The offers from broadcasters, mainly in the ‘Big 5’ European countries, are still very disappointing and simply not acceptable based on four criteria,” Infantino said at a panel discussion at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and France are the five European countries Infantino was referring to in his remarks.
“To be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Therefore, should the offers continue not to be fair (towards women and women’s football), we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup into the ‘Big 5’ European countries,” Infantino added.
Australia and New Zealand will co-host the 2023 Women’s World Cup from July 20 until August 20.
Infantino urged broadcasters to pay a “fair” price for the media rights for the tournament, FIFA – the world football governing body – announced in a statement on Monday.
Infantino noted “broadcasters pay $100 to 200 million for the men’s FIFA World Cup, but they offer only $1 to 10 million for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
He called the current offers a “slap in the face of all the great FIFA Women’s World Cup players and indeed of all women worldwide.
“Firstly, 100% of any rights fees paid would go straight into women’s football, in our move to promote actions towards equal conditions and pay. Secondly, public broadcasters in particular have a duty to promote and invest in women’s sport,” Infantino continued.
“Thirdly, the viewing figures of the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 50-60% of the men’s FIFA World Cup (which in turn are the highest of any event), yet the broadcasters’ offers in the ‘Big 5’ European countries for the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 20 to 100 times lower than for the men’s FIFA World Cup.”
So far, FIFA has agreed to media rights deals with 156 territories for the 2023 Womens’ World Cup. Negotiations between FIFA and the “Big 5” European countries are ongoing over media rights for the tournament.
In March, Infantino announced prize money for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will increase by 300% to $150 million with “plans to dedicate a specific portion of this payment, to go to football development with another portion to go to players.”
While the Women’s World Cup prize money is now three times the 2019 figure and 10 times more that in 2015, prior to Infantino taking over, it is still considerably lower than the $440 million total prize money awarded at the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year.
by tyler | Jun 7, 2023 | CNN, football
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is in discussions to join Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami, according to reports by the BBC and The Athletic.
There has been speculation around Messi’s next move since he announced his departure from French side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), playing his last game for the club on Sunday.
The BBC’s report, by football reporter Guillem Balague, said Messi was set to turn down an offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
CNN has reached out to MLS, Inter Miami, Messi’s representative and David Beckham – who is part of Inter Miami’s ownership team – but had not received a reply by the time of publication.
There had been speculation Messi, who won the World Cup with Argentina in December, would move to Saudi Arabia, where he has business ties.
Messi left Barcelona in tears in 2021 after financial mismanagement at the club, which was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, meant it was unable to offer its talisman a new contract.
He went on to win two Ligue 1 titles in his two seasons at PSG, but was unable to help the club win the Champions League for the first time in its history.
Messi’s time at the club ended acrimoniously after PSG suspended him for taking an unauthorized trip abroad to Saudi Arabia, for which he later apologized.
Before his two-season stint with PSG, Messi spent 17 trophy-laden years at Barcelona, where he turned from schoolboy to sporting legend.
Earlier this week, his father and agent, Jorge Messi, said his son’s preferred move would be a return to Barcelona.
