
England assistant coach Arjan Veurink going home to coach the Netherlands after women's Euro 2025
AMSTERDAM — The Dutch assistant coach of the England women's national team will be going home to lead the Netherlands after the European Championship in July , where the two countries will play each other.
The Dutch soccer federation said Tuesday that Arjan Veurink has a four-year contract that will start after his work with England — coached by his mentor Sarina Wiegman — at the Euros in Switzerland.

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5 hours ago
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Caoimhin Kelleher ‘buzzing' as he completes £18m move to Brentford from Liverpool
Goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher has left Liverpool to join Brentford in a £18m deal. It brings to an end a nine-year stay at the club, with Liverpool receiving an initial £12.5m for Kelleher and add-ons taking the overall fee to £18m. Advertisement The 26-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Bees, with the club holding an option to extend the deal by a further 12 months. Kelleher is expected to take over as Brentford's first choice goalkeeper following the departure of Dutch international Mark Flekken, who has joined Bayer Leverkusen for around £11m. 'I'm buzzing, I'm really happy to be here,' said the 26-year-old. 'I don't think it was very difficult for me to leave [Liverpool]. I felt for my own career that the time was right for me to go, to be a number one and to play every week. 'I heard of some interest a number of weeks ago. Once I knew Brentford was in for me, it was definitely one I was really excited about and wanted to do as quickly as possible.' Advertisement The Irishman joined Liverpool from Ringmahon Rangers in 2015, leaves the Merseyside club having made 67 senior appearances, including 25 in the Premier League. A dependable deputy to Alisson Becker, he earned a reputation as a composed shot-stopper and was particularly instrumental in Liverpool's domestic cup runs where he memorably scored a penalty in the shootout that decided the 2022 Carabao Cup final. Over the course of his Liverpool career, Kelleher won an impressive array of silverware including two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup, two League Cups, and the UEFA Super Cup. He kept 24 clean sheets during his time with the Reds and featured in more than 40 cup matches. Despite his success, Kelleher has been open about his ambition to play regular first-team football. Speaking last month, he said: 'I think I've said it before as well that I feel like I'm a number one and I feel like I'm good enough to play week in, week out. That's what I'm looking to do.' Advertisement Kelleher's arrival signals a fresh start and a chance for the Irishman to establish himself as a first-choice goalkeeper in the Premier League. This season, Kelleher featured in 20 matches for Liverpool, ten of which came in the Premier League. However, his path to more minutes became even more complicated with Liverpool set to welcome Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in July. The Georgian international is expected to compete with Alisson for the No. 1 spot following a £29m transfer agreed last summer. His former club Ringmahon Rangers are also set to benefit from the transfer thanks to a 20% sell-on clause included in his original move to Liverpool, netting them a substantial seven figure sum. Kelleher becomes the second major departure from Liverpool this summer, following former vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold's £10m move to Real Madrid.


Fox Sports
7 hours ago
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UEFA Nations League Final: Spain-Portugal is more than just Ronaldo vs. Yamal
The UEFA Nations League Final will feature two of the world's top teams in Spain and Portugal, but Sunday's clash at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, will also showcase two stars at the opposite ends of brilliant careers. At age 40, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to make an impact on the game. He hasn't shown many signs of slowing down as he has Portugal on the cusp of the trophy. He'll be facing a Spanish side led by 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal, who looks set to follow in Ronaldo's footsteps as the game's next great superstar. Let's break down what to expect from Sunday's clash. Nations League: What is it again? The tournament itself is fairly new, with Sunday's showdown being just the fourth final in its history. The schedule runs across two years and was implemented to provide more competitive international matches for smaller teams and cut down on meaningless friendlies for the traditional powerhouses. It differs from the 24-team European Championship, which occurs every four years and has its own qualifying schedule. In Nations League competition, all UEFA teams (the exception being Russia) are eligible, and it does have implications on how sides could qualify for the 2026 World Cup. It all culminates with four teams reaching the semifinals, followed by the final. In this instance, Portugal beat Germany (who had earned the right to host the semis and final) on Wednesday. And with Spain outlasting France on Thursday, we are now set for Sunday's grand finale. Spain vs. Portugal: How they got hereBoth teams are trying to become the first country to win a second Nations League trophy. For Spain, it's the team's third consecutive appearance in the final, having lost 2021 to France before beating Croatia on penalties in 2023. In this edition, Spain has gone unbeaten in their last ten Nations League matches outside the country, including Thursday's 5-4 semifinal win over France in Stuttgart, Germany. Yamal had two goals in the game – including the eventual match-winner on a penalty kick. Portugal won the first Nations League title in 2019, vanquishing England in that final. In this edition, Portugal rallied past Germany in a 2-1 semifinal win on Wednesday in Munich with Ronaldo scoring the decider in the second half. That win also marked Portugal's first win in Germany since 2000. Ronaldo vs. Yamal: Generational superstars There's plenty of talent on both these sides, but the focus will be on this duo for good reason. Both are European champions (Ronaldo in 2016; Yamal in 2024), and this will be the first time they play each other, and the stakes feel high. Ronaldo's career speaks for itself. A five-time Ballon d'Or winner (given annually to the best player), the 40-year-old has led Portugal to two major titles – the 2016 Euro and the 2019 Nations League. He holds the record for most goals (137) and games played (220) in international competition. He's won trophies at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. And while he's been rumored to move on from current club Al-Nassr, he'll likely still be playing for Portugal should it reach the World Cup in 2026. Yamal, at age 17, is just getting started. His international breakthrough came last year when, as a 16-year-old, he scored Spain's opening goal against France in the Euro 2024 semifinal. That broke a record long held by Brazilian legend Pele for the youngest goalscorer at an international tournament. Add his club success with Barcelona in a season that included three domestic trophies, and Yamal will be among the favorites to win this year's Ballon d'Or. Portugal: What to watch for Putting aside Ronaldo, there is plenty of individual talent in this side – which has often created a logjam for manager Roberto Martinez and how to maximize his starting XI. Nuno Mendes and Joao Neves were key pieces to PSG's Champions League victory two weeks ago and will be just as important for Portugal on Sunday. With Mendes at left-back and Neves at right-back, Portugal has the ability to control both flanks of the pitch with those two players' versatility. Mendes was especially key in the semifinal win over Germany, as his run up the side and surge into the box provided the pass for Ronaldo's game-winning goal in the second half. With a midfield that's led by Bruno Fernandes and Bernado Silva, there is plenty of playmaking ability and creativity. However, it hasn't been the best campaign for Fernandes amid struggles at Manchester United, and he had a frustrating performance in the game against Germany. It'll be worth keeping an eye then if Martinez slots in Vitinha – yet another PSG star – into the starting lineup. Vitinha clearly provided a big boost when he came on as a second-half sub against Germany. With the elite ability to control the tempo when things get chaotic, he may be too good to leave on the bench. Where Martinez needs to find balance will be in the attack. Ronaldo will get the start at center forward, but sometimes the reliance on a legend (and the deference to him) has bottled up Portugal's ability to score at critical times in competition. Any coach would be jealous of Portugal's stable of wingers – including Francisco Conceição, Pedro Neto, and Diogo Jota. And with forwards like Gonçalo Ramos and Rafael Leão, it may be hard to keep that amount of talent on the bench if Portugal are looking for a goal. Spain: What to watch for Under manager Luis de la Fuente, there is an effective mix of youth and veterans that has allowed this team to seemingly combine Spain's trademark possession-based playmaking in the midfield with some high-pressing attack at the top. If there is any soft spot in this side, it could be in central defense. Dean Huijsen has the talent to be one of the world's best center-backs, but the newly signed Real Madrid player is just 20 years old. It's assuring that his backline partner has been Robin Le Normand, but they'll be put to the test by Ronaldo and the Portuguese's potent attack. Spain has been without Rodri, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, and the world's best defensive midfielder due to an ACL tear suffered last year with Manchester City. But make no mistake, this is an effective midfield and partly due to Martin Zubimundi. 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Yahoo
9 hours ago
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Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Skips Tournament Amid Controversy Over Mandatory Sex Testing
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has reportedly skipped a tournament following World Boxing's new mandatory "gender tests." Khelif found herself at the center of an intense debate over her sex during the 2024 Paris Olympics, which saw her accused of being male by several notable figures. This controversy was reignited after a 2023 chromosome test suggesting an XY karyotype resurfaced. However, Imane Khelif has maintained her female identity, affirming she was born and raised a girl. Khelif, the Algerian boxer embroiled in ongoing sex eligibility debates, has chosen not to participate in an upcoming boxing tournament in the Netherlands following World Boxing's recent directive mandating sex verification tests for all athletes. Although she had originally planned to make her return to the ring at the Hotel Eindhoven tournament, she failed to register before the deadline, which came just days after World Boxing announced the new testing requirements. According to the New York Post, Eindhoven's Mayor, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, voiced strong opposition to World Boxing's move, condemning the mandatory tests as discriminatory. In a letter addressed to the Dutch and International Boxing Federations, he wrote, "As far as we are concerned, all athletes are welcome in Eindhoven. Excluding athletes based on controversial 'gender tests' certainly does not fit in with that." He called for Khelif to be allowed to compete regardless, adding: "We are expressing our disapproval of this decision today and are calling on the organization to admit Imane Khelif after all." Khelif's withdrawal follows renewed scrutiny over her eligibility after alleged sex-test results from the 2023 World Championships resurfaced. According to journalist Alan Abrahamson, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had been warned more than a year ago that Khelif's DNA indicated a "male" profile. 3 Wire Sports recently published a medical document from a chromosome test conducted in March 2023 in New Delhi. The test, which reportedly led to Khelif's disqualification from that year's championship, described her karyotype as "abnormal," showing an XY chromosome pattern, typically associated with males. The document bore the official letterhead of Dr Lal Path Labs, an institution accredited by the College of American Pathologists and certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These alleged findings directly contradict IOC spokesperson Mark Adams, who previously dismissed the test as "ad hoc" and "not legitimate" during a press briefing at the Paris Olympics. At the height of the controversy in 2023, Khelif was disqualified from the Women's World Boxing Championships just before the gold medal bout, after questions emerged about her eligibility to compete in the women's category. The International Boxing Association (IBA) declared that both Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting were excluded due to their "failure to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women's competition, as set and laid out in the IBA Regulations." According to the IBA, Khelif underwent two gender verification tests; one in 2022 and another in 2023. After her disqualification, she initially appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but later withdrew the appeal, making the IBA's ruling legally binding. The IBA insisted the decision was the result of a "meticulous review" and was necessary "to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition." Despite the controversy, Khelif went on to represent Algeria at the Paris Olympics and ultimately secured a gold medal in the women's welterweight category. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), at the time, defended her participation. "Everyone competing in the women's category is complying with the competition eligibility rules," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said during the Games, per Fox News. "They are women in their passports, and it's stated that this is the case that they are female." Throughout the ongoing dispute, Khelif has consistently affirmed her identity as female. She has even taken legal action against those who have criticized her on social media. Before World Boxing's ruling, Khelif had intentions to compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, despite former President Donald Trump's executive order banning men from women's sports. Speaking to ITV, Khelif clarified that the policy does not affect her: "I will give you a straightforward answer: the U.S. president issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response." She added, "For me, I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one."