The discussion from social media and various news sources over the past couple weeks has been high praise for a group of female soccer players from Jordan’s Shabab Al-Ordon Club.
In the middle of a recent match, the Jordan club sportingly defended its opponent from the Amman Club and kicked the ball away when that player suddenly had stopped playing because her hijab was falling off.
FIFA has once again chosen money over human rights. And FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s indifference is infuriating.
China will host the revamped, 24-team Club World Cup in 2021, FIFA announced Thursday, once again eschewing human rights in favor of handing coveted hosting rights to authoritarian governments.
The latest FIFA World Ranking has been released, and it comes as no surprise that the USMNT has taken a slight tumble. Any good grace that was earned with a 7-0 beatdown of Cuba was subsequently withdrawn following a nightmarishly disjointed performance against Canada, and the U.S. has fallen two places to a global ranking of 23.
It was historic, but amidst renewed tensions and the recent launching of some unidentified projectiles toward the Sea of Japan (as well as a forthcoming "Hog Apocalypse"), it wasn’t exactly euphoric. For the first time since a 1990 friendly, the men’s teams of North and South Korea faced off in Pyongyang.
One section of Azadi Stadium in Tehran burst with colors, enthusiasm, joy and revelry.
The rest of the stadium echoed, empty and still.
The first men’s soccer match attended by women in Iran in nearly four decades was a stark reminder of where fans have come from and where they still have to go.
Iran smashed Cambodia 14-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday, but the match was of little significance compared to what happened in the stands at Azadi Stadium.
When the Hong Kong national team hosted Iran in a World Cup qualifier in September, fans of the home side showed support for Iranian women, who are still fighting for the right to attend soccer matches in their home country. Even amidst the region’s turmoil and unrest with massive protests staged against the Chinese government, the fans found room to empathize with their opponents.
Without warning, the Iranian Football Federation made 3,500 tickets for Iran’s World Cup qualifier against Cambodia on Thursday available to women, essentially permitting women to attend a men’s soccer match for the first time in 40 years.
Through social media, women found out about the tickets anyway, and within minutes they were all gone, Reuters reported Friday.
The Palestine Cup, a FIFA-sanctioned club championship that sends its winner to the Asian Champions League, was effectively canceled this week by Israel.
Now the world is waiting to see how FIFA reacts, if indeed it steps in at all.
New Zealand opened its 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign with a 23-13 victory over South Africa on Saturday in Yokohama, Japan, and it's easy to see why the All Blacks are favorites to win the tournament for a third straight time.
I’m not talking about their play out there — I didn’t wake up at 4:45 a.m. to watch it — I’m talking about their first haka. I’m no rugby expert but I don’t think anyone is going to beat these guys. I’m looking at the schedule now and next up is Canada on Oct. 2. Send all your thoughts and prayers to Canada.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has just publicly announced that Iran’s ban on women attending soccer matches is “unacceptable” and must be lifted.
The comments come in response to the tragic death of Sahar Khodayari, an Iranian woman who set herself on fire in protest after she was arrested for attempting to attend a soccer match in Tehran.