Bonmati crushed after Spain's shootout defeat by England
Bonmati bounced back from a meningitis scare ahead of the tournament to play a crucial role in Spain's progress to the final.
However, on Sunday Spain struggled to unlock the England defence and Bonmati missed her spot-kick in the shootout as she slumped to another painful defeat following her club side Barcelona's Champions League final loss to Arsenal in May.
"It's hard to see you right now," she told reporters. "Two months ago I found myself in this situation with the club. You have to value more when things are going well, we have been better on the pitch, not on penalties," she said.
The 27-year-old apologised to the Spanish people for not being able to deliver a victory against an England side that was no match for them in terms of skill, but who refused to give up.
"I assume my part of my responsibility, I play for the team and for many more people. There is no point in playing a better game and missing penalties," she said.
"For me, England is a team capable of not playing well and winning. There are teams that don't need much to win."
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England took the chance they were offered and though Spain found themselves on the losing side, Bonmati was philosophical.
"We haven't lost a game (in 90 minutes), we have received support and I feel bad about that too. We have won off the field of play and that is valuable too," she explained, before promising to come back stronger.
"We are a trained team, we have already shown that we know how to overcome. We hope to reach (Euro) 2029 at full capacity and try again." REUTERS
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AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro among list of top names for Singapore football coach, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — A World Cup winner, a former English Premier League assistant coach, and a former Liverpool player and Champions League winner are among the candidates that are on an extended shortlist for the Singapore national football coach's role, The Straits Times has learnt. Over 60 candidates have expressed interest in taking the hot seat since Japanese tactician Tsutomu Ogura resigned due to personal reasons on June 24. Ogura guided the Lions to the top of their Asian Cup qualifying group on goals scored, leaving them potentially four positive results away from a maiden qualification for the continental showpiece. In its hunt for a new head coach, the Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) new leadership team's commitment to the search has brought a host of top names from abroad. Several sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity told ST that numerous interviews have already been conducted by the FAS top brass, and an initial list of candidates has now been whittled down to around 15 names. They include Fabio Cannavaro, captain of Italy's World Cup-winning team in 2006. The 51-year-old's coaching curriculum vitae includes winning the Chinese Super League in 2019 with Guangzhou Evergrande. Regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Cannavaro is one of just three defenders to have won the Ballon d'Or alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer. His coaching career has yet to hit the heights he did as a player, with his last two stints being short-lived spells as coach of Udinese in the Italian Serie A and most recently at Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb. He does have experience in Asia with spells as a club coach in Saudi Arabia and China. Another name on the shortlist is former Australia winger Harry Kewell, who won the 2005 Champions League with Liverpool as a player. The 46-year-old Australian's last role was as head coach with J1 League powerhouse Yokohama F. Marinos, where he was dismissed after less than seven months. Kewell reached the Asian Football Confederation Champions League final in his first season at the helm, but struggled in Japan's top flight, where he won just eight out of 22 matches. The former Liverpool and Leeds United star has had four senior managerial appointments in England's lower divisions after hanging up his boots in 2014, with little success at Crawley Town, Notts County, Oldham Athletic and Barnet. Kewell was also an assistant coach to Ange Postecoglou at Celtic when he joined the Scottish side in 2022 before leaving for the Marinos role in January 2024. Another former Postecoglou assistant who is among the candidates is Nick Montgomery, who was most recently an assistant coach at English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. The Englishman left Spurs in June along with Postecoglou after the Australian manager was sacked despite guiding the club to their first major trophy in 17 years at the Europa League. Montgomery, 43, also won the 2023 A-League championship with Central Coast Mariners and later that year he became head coach of Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League, but was sacked in May 2024. Other names believed to be on the shortlist include former Persib Bandung and Indonesia national team coach Luis Milla; Serbian coach Nestor El Maestro, who has had spells at Saudi Pro League club Al-Taawoun and Slovakia's Spartak Trnava; former New Zealand national coach Anthony Hudson, who is currently the Football Association of Thailand's technical director; and former Iraq coach Jesus Casas. Another name is a familiar figure in ASEAN football - Mano Polking who led Thailand to 2020 and 2022 ASEAN Championship triumphs. The War Elephants impressed with a stylish, attractive brand of football under his charge. The 49-year-old Brazilian is currently head coach of Vietnamese side Cong An Ha Noi, with whom he won the 2025 Vietnamese National Cup. ST understands that the FAS made it clear in the search that the association want a strong communicator, a coach who has managed in Asian football, and a manager who has made the most out of the resources at his disposal, among other considerations. More interviews will take place in the coming weeks before the shortlist is further whittled down and a decision is reached. On top of salary demands, the FAS and the selected candidate will also need to settle on the size of staff that the latter will look to bring along, if any. Football commentator and former Singapore Premier League (SPL) coach Khidhir Khamis said that the FAS is sending a "statement of intent" with the calibre of candidates. "It is good that they are looking at coaches outside of Japan for a start and searching globally for who they feel is the best for the role," said Khidhir, 40. "People will be able to recognise the different direction that the FAS is heading in and there is bound to be excitement because of the names. It's a good sign." While Kewell and Cannavaro are names that will get most fans' attention, he urged caution, noting that they have not had much success as coaches. He added: "Maybe these guys are big names in football but I am not sure if they have the pedigree to be national coaches. It is wrong to just go for a big name without the confidence that they can steer us forward. We need to look at coaches who have had success closer to home." Agreeing, sports broadcaster and former professional footballer Rhysh Roshan Rai said that the FAS "shouldn't just aim for a huge name if they haven't shown they can produce in the job". He added: "We should also remember that this is an international level coaching job. It is a great opportunity for a coach and to put this on their resume in the longer term. It shouldn't be just about whether we can attract them but they also need to show why we should hire them." He said that Polking and Casas stood out as candidates as the former has been in the region for a long time and is a "fantastic coach and man manager" while Casas "did a solid job while with Iraq". "Polking is also someone with experience, a track record of success, charisma, is a popular figure with his players and wants his teams to play entertaining football," he added. In the interim, former BG Tampines Rovers coach Gavin Lee, 34, is leading the Lions, who will face Causeway rivals Malaysia in a friendly match at Kuala Lumpur's Bukit Jalil Stadium on Sept 4. It will serve as preparation for October's crucial Asian Cup qualifying matches. Singapore are top of Group C on goals scored, ahead of Hong Kong (four points), Bangladesh and India, who have a point apiece. Only the group winners will advance to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. Singapore, who face India in back-to-back matches in October, have never qualified for the Asian Cup on merit, with their only appearance coming as hosts in 1984. [[nid:719901]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Critical information infrastructure owners must report all APT incidents under new rules: Josephine Teo
SINGAPORE: Owners of Singapore's critical information infrastructure (CII) will soon be required to report any incidents suspected to be caused by advanced persistent threats (APTs). The reports must be made to the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at the Operational Technology Cybersecurity Expert Panel (OTCEP) Forum on Tuesday (Jul 29). The new regulations, to take effect later this year, come as Singapore raises its cyber threat alert level in the face of an ongoing attack, according to Mrs Teo. Earlier this month, Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam said Singapore is actively dealing with a "highly sophisticated threat actor" attacking its critical infrastructure. Known as UNC3886, the entity has been described by Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant as a "China-nexus espionage group" that has targeted prominent strategic organisations on a global scale. 'On several occasions in the past, CSA has raised the National Cyber Threat Alert Level (NCTAL). This is to urge everyone to be more alert to cyber threats across Singapore, and especially across all CIIs,' said Mrs Teo. 'Given the UNC3886 attack and heightened APT activity, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that we are currently in a heightened state of alert.' She shared that the CSA has also convened the CEOs of all CII owners for 'a classified briefing on the threat landscape, focusing particularly on the threat from APTs'. This is all part of efforts to share guidance on the threats and help the CIIs sharpen their readiness response, said Mrs Teo. She urged the sector not to view the new measures, which flow from last year's Cybersecurity Act amendments to strengthen incident reporting requirements, as a burden. Under the new regulations, CII owners must report the APT incidents verbally within two hours upon suspicion or awareness, followed by a written report within 72 hours, according to CSA. 'If organisations suspect that they have been targeted, they cannot – and should not – confront the attackers on their own,' said Mrs Teo. 'Reporting such detections early allows CSA to help you. It will also help us coordinate an appropriate national response.' REAL-WORLD CONSEQUENCES In her speech, Mrs Teo said it is easy to underestimate the importance of basic cyber hygiene, something that has caused many preventable attacks. She said that cybersecurity is often likened to a team sport. However, while sports have rules, referees, and the principle of fair play, the cyber realm is more adversarial. 'Those of us in this room today are indeed, on the same team. We are playing defence. But our opponents do not play by the same rules,' she told attendees at Tuesday's forum. 'And a loss for us could have severe consequences for the people we have been entrusted to take care of.' Mrs Teo cited cases in Ukraine, Russia and Norway, where critical functions like heating and sewage management were disrupted. In fact, there are more of such attacks taking place worldwide, with the actors driven by various reasons, she said. One is financial gain, while another is for long-term persistence, like in the case of APTs, said Mrs Teo. APTs deploy advanced tools, evade detection and maintain persistent access in high-value networks, she said. 'APTs are often state-linked, well-resourced and determined. They may conduct espionage for their state sponsor. Their other task may be to develop the capacity to disrupt the services and assets in other states,' said Mrs Teo. She noted that the ongoing UNC3886 attack on Singapore's critical infrastructure is part of a broader trend, with APT activity detected in Singapore rising over four-fold from 2021 to 2024. 'Until recently, we had not said much about APT activity. Nor had we named any of the groups involved,' said Mrs Teo. However, the Singapore authorities are now doing so for the first time to let the public know that such threats are not imagined, but real, she said. 'We also need everyone to understand that the potential consequences to our economy and society are very serious,' said Mrs Teo. APTs target critical infrastructure, which provides essential services for the country, and any attack will have serious real-world consequences. 'These 'live' attacks remind us that cybersecurity is not a nice-to-have. It is a must, not just for the IT personnel, but for the CEO and the board,' said Mrs Teo. 'In particular, the owners of CIIs must raise your vigilance, because you provide essential services that Singapore and Singaporeans depend on.' The CSA will sign a memorandum of collaboration in OT cybersecurity with ST Engineering, to secure access to the latest tools and expertise, and let engineering teams on both sides jointly study and develop solutions in the sector, said Mrs Teo. In his opening remarks at Tuesday's event, CSA chief executive David Koh said the agency will continue to work closely with local organisations and international partners to share information and take action against any threats.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
ISD flags growing diversity of extremist ideologies in Singapore, emergence of AI as terror enabler
SINGAPORE: A growing diversity of extremist ideologies can be observed in Singapore, against a backdrop of the terror threat remaining at a high level, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Tuesday (Jul 29). This can be attributed to "a volatile global landscape arising from developments such as the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and continued traction of radical narratives", the department said in this year's Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report. Evolving technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), was also highlighted by the ISD as a potential driving factor around the world, as well as in Singapore. From July 2024 to last month, the agency dealt with eight self-radicalised Singaporeans under the Internal Security Act (ISA), comprising six males and two females between the ages of 15 and 56. Four of them were triggered by the re-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, while two others were influenced by pro-ISIS extremist ideologies. The remaining two were indoctrinated by far-right extremist ideologies. This brings the total number of self-radicalised individuals here issued with ISA orders since 2015 to 60, comprising 48 Singaporeans and 12 foreigners. ONLINE INFLUENCE "OF CONCERN" ISD in its report also noted with concern the increasing variety of online platforms being used to disseminate extremist materials, especially among youths. These include social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, X, Reddit and Instagram, gaming platforms like Discord and Roblox, and video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and Bitchute, said the report. All of the last eight self-radicalised Singaporeans were influenced by extremist materials they encountered online, noted the ISD. The agency found that online platforms featured in terrorism-related activities in four broad areas: to enable the radicalisation or to accelerate it, to facilitate recruitment for terrorist-related activities; and to mobilise and prepare for armed violence. "The emergence of technological innovations, such as AI, also risks complicating the terrorist threat globally and locally," said the ISD. "Even though there is no indication that evolving technologies, such as AI and 3D printing, have been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore, we are seeing an emerging trend of evolving technologies featuring in local youth self-radicalisation cases." It cited the examples of a 17-year-old ISIS supporter detained in September last year who had used an AI chatbot to generate a bai'ah – an oath of allegiance – to ISIS, and a 17-year-old far-right extremist detained in March this year who used an AI chatbot to find instructions for producing ammunition and also considered 3D printing his own firearms to carry out attacks. "There is a need for increased cooperation between the public and private sectors, especially with technology and social media companies, to create a safer online environment," said the ISD. It noted that technology firms have in recent years stepped up their efforts, such as regulating and removing egregious content on social media platforms. "However, technology companies could continue to explore further efforts in this area, including collaboration with religious and community organisations, to guide users in navigating the digital space and positively influence the online discourse," said the ISD. The agency also noted the uptick in the number of local self-radicalised youths, with half of the eight latest cases involving youths aged 20 or below. "This brings the total number of youths dealt with under the ISA since 2015 to 17, with more than two-thirds (12) identified in the last five years," it said. Singapore's trend mirrors a broader global trend, with several western countries reporting last year that one in five terror suspects are under 18, while European countries reported that nearly two-thirds of ISIS-related arrests involved teenagers, according to the report. ISD also said in its report that since 2002, almost 85 per cent of Singaporeans detained under the ISA have been released after making good progress in their rehabilitation. Of the 46 who were issued with Restriction Orders, 39 have had their orders lapsed. "Most of them have also embarked on pro-social pursuits, such as upskilling themselves or taking up stable employment since their release." "ENDURING" ISLAMIC EXTREMIST THREAT Elsewhere in its report, ISD pointed to how the global Islamist terror threat persists, with organisations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda maintaining their enduring intent to conduct or inspire attacks. "ISIS is resilient and remains one of the world's largest Islamist terrorist organisations; it has cash reserves of some US$10 million (approximately S$12.9 million) and its fighters number between 1,500 and 3,000 in Iraq and Syria alone," said the agency in the report. "In Southeast Asia, ISIS's virtual or online caliphate poses a salient threat," said the ISD. "Its propaganda materials are both opportunistic and localised; they are tailored to exploit external developments, such as the situation in Gaza, and local grievances to reinforce ISIS's central narrative of armed violence." ISIS and Al-Qaeda have also been among the groups inciting others to conduct attacks against Israeli and Jewish interests, as well as those of countries seen as supporting Israel, since the re-escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Closer to home, a pro-ISIS TikTok user in March this year issued a poster titled The Call to Truth, which labelled various regional countries' governments, including Singapore, as "apostate" for oppressing Muslims, and urging Muslims to "take up arms" against those countries. And on Aug 21 last year, Indonesian authorities arrested Indonesian militant Yudi Lukito Kurniawan in Sulawesi, Indonesia, on terror charges. The former Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) member had been tasked by terror group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in 2014 to lead an attack targeting the Singapore Exchange (SGX). It was intended as an indirect strike against the United States, with Singapore deemed as an ally of the US and geographically closest to Indonesia, said the ISD. When Yudi attempted to enter Singapore in February 2015 to possibly further the attack plot, he was denied entry due to his JI-related terror activities. "At the time of his attempted visit to Singapore, the Singapore authorities were not aware of the SGX attack plot," said the ISD. This underscores "the fluidity of terror allegiances amongst radicalised individuals given the broad common jihadist goals" of the various groups, noted the agency.
