Latest news with #EnglandFootball
National Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Former England star Paul Gascoigne recovering after collapse at home
LONDON — Paul Gascoigne is recovering in hospital after the former Tottenham and England star collapsed at his home. Article content Gascoigne was rushed to hospital by his driver and assistant Steve Foster, who found the 58-year-old in a semi-conscious state in his Dorset house. Article content Article content 'Paul is in hospital, which is the best possible place for him to be right now,' Foster told The Sun newspaper. Article content Gascoigne was reportedly admitted to an intensive care ward after being discovered on Friday, but later moved to an acute medical unit, where his condition is said to be stable. Article content Foster said Gascoigne would 'like to thank everyone for the support he's received so far from so many old friends who wish him well and want to see him back to his best.' Article content One of the most naturally gifted footballers of his generation, Gascoigne played for Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton. Article content He was capped 57 times by England, becoming a global star after his brilliant form at the 1990 World Cup in Italy reached a tearful crescendo with his emotional reaction to a yellow card, which would have ruled him out of the final, in a last four loss against West Germany. Article content Gascoigne also starred for England during their run to the Euro 96 semi-finals, where they again lost to Germany on penalties. Article content The midfielder's issues with alcohol addiction and depression are well-documented and he has suffered a series of health problems in recent years.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Sport
- Sky News
England star Jess Carter targeted by racist abuse during Euros
England star Jess Carter says she has been the victim of racist abuse online during the UEFA Women's Euros. The Lionesses defender, who has 49 England caps, said she will be "taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with." In an Instagram post she said: "From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse. Whilst I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result I don't agree or think it's ok to target someone's appearance or race." England face Italy on Tuesday night in the Euros semi-final. If they win they will face off against either Germany or Spain, who play on Wednesday. Please refresh the page for the latest version.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
England ‘very optimistic' over Leah Williamson injury in Women's Euro 2025 boost
England are 'optimistic' that captain Leah Williamson will be ready to face Italy in the Euro 2025 semi-final. Williamson rolled her ankle and was forced off during England's quarter-final win over Sweden on Thursday and was seen leaving the stadium in crutches. Defender Esme Morgan filled in for Williamson in England's reshuffled defence during extra time and would have been the leading candidate to step in against Italy on Tuesday. But speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Morgan suggested that Williamson's injury is not as bad as first feared and she could be available to start the semi-final. 'We're very optimistic that Leah will be available,' Morgan said. 'She seemed in very high spirits this morning. I want what's best for the team, and that's absolutely having our captain on the pitch for us. '[My preparation] is the same as every single game, be prepared to play if I'm needed, I'll know the role, and just be absolutely ready to train at a high level over the next few days. 'But we're very optimistic that Leah will be fine.'
Times
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Darts, Love Island and spikeball: inside hotel helping England relax
On Tuesday, Leah Williamson was asked a trademark press-conference question: how's the mood in the camp? She responded with a smirk and sarcasm. 'What would you do if I told you we were all ready to kill each other?' the England captain said wryly. This throwaway comment drew lots of laughs from the media at the Dolder Grand hotel, England's spectacular Euro 2025 base on the outskirts of Zurich. However, Williamson's quip had a serious implication. The England players are heading into the knockout stage in happy and united mood, and are so relaxed that their captain can joke about them descending into civil war. 'We're very much enjoying each other's company,' Williamson added. 'It's a good mood in the camp.' Of course, staying in the Dolder Grand helps morale. The five-star hotel, located on the top of a hill overlooking Zurich, is immaculate and has nightly prices ranging from about £500 to £13,500. It offers views of the Alps, a modern art collection featuring 100 pieces, and a two-Michelin-star restaurant. There are also more practical luxuries for the players, such as the 25-metre long indoor pool and spa on a 4,000m² site. It is no surprise that the FA chose the Dolder after scouting 23 potential bases for the tournament, nor that the hotel's previous guests over its 126-year history include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and King Charles III (in 1980 when he was a bachelor prince). The facilities receive only rave reviews. Here's Lucy Bronze, England's most experienced player: 'Every player was blown away by the set-up we have,' the 33-year-old said on The Lionesses Diary Room. 'Especially the physio room where every player has to go to every day to speak to the medics. It is just amazing, the places we have got to chill and hang out together, the little stations of healthy food and drinks. ' And this is the verdict of Michelle Agyemang, the squad's only teenager. 'It's crazy, the place we're staying.' Yet simply throwing money at a base does not create a happy camp. The England staff have attempted to create an intimate 'home away from home' for the players, with decorations including Lioness-branded food stations, a giant wallchart, and artwork depicting each player's first club. HARRIET LANDER – THE FA/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES 'Even when we landed and we came to this hotel, I was just in awe of everything and how brilliant a job the guys have done,' Aggie Beever-Jones said. There are plenty of social spaces and lots of activities available. Spikeball — which involves two two-person teams hitting a ball off a bouncy, circular net — provokes fierce competition, though Georgia Stanway is not quite so enamoured. 'I always hear Grace [Clinton] and Maya [Le Tissier] arguing over spikeball,' the midfielder said light-heartedly. 'I'm trying to watch TV and hear them arguing.' INSTAGRAM Stanway did not disclose what she was watching, but it may well have been Love Island. Giorgio Russo, Alessia's brother, was a contestant on this summer's series, and the team were very invested — at least until he was kicked off the Island last Thursday. 'There has been Love Island watching,' Williamson said the day before England's first match. 'It has been a discussion around the table at breakfast.' Other sources of competition include basketball, darts, tennis and even pizza-making, but the card games may be the most intense. 'There are more arguments in card games than there probably are on the pitch,' Lauren Hemp, the winger, said on That Lionesses Podcast. These (relatively) friendly battles have helped the team to stay composed under immense pressure. They were one defeat away from exiting the Euros after losing their opening game to France but, despite the looming threat of humiliation, remained level-headed through their calm environment. After England reignited their campaign by beating the Netherlands 4-0, Bronze was almost affronted by the suggestion that England were feeling the pressure going into the must-win match. HARRIET LANDER – THE FA/VIA GETTY IMAGESY 'It was really calm before the game,' she said after the victory last Wednesday. 'Leah, Keira [Walsh], Tooney [Ella Toone], Less [Russo] and Beth [Mead] were playing Monopoly. I was building a jigsaw with Michelle and Maya all morning. We were pretty calm and knew what we had to do.' Intra-squad socialising is neither enforced nor unrelenting. Players can sit with whom they please at meal times, and not staying locked in their bubble has given the squad balance. After the lingering threat of Covid-19 forced England to hunker down in 2022, and then the 2023 World Cup was held on the other side of the world in Australia, there has been plenty of time for players to see their family members who have made the relatively straightforward journey to Switzerland. 'We're fortunate that we've got our families here,' Alex Greenwood said on That Lionesses Podcast. 'It's so important that you get that time away from each other for a little bit, and then when you come back together it's back on.' Zurich, which is about two miles away from the Dolder Grand, provides plenty for players to explore. A boat trip, swimming in Lake Zurich and, strolls into town for coffee have all been on the agenda. HARRIET LANDER – THE FA/VIA GETTY IMAGES The facilities, activities, company and location allow Williamson to deliver dry humour. Nonetheless, she is earnestly aware of England's off-field assets too. 'The staff have done such an incredible job,' she said. 'The hotel is incredible and so are the facilities available from a performance perspective. We have everything we need.' Sweden v England Women's Euro 2025 quarter-final Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich, Thursday 8pm. TV BBC1 (coverage from 7pm)
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Wales fans sing through the night but Euro 2025 elimination is a reality check
Midnight in St Gallen, 21 hours to Wales' final Euro 2025 kick-off. Andrea Bocelli is issuing orders. It's time to say goodbye, apparently, to the night and this place, specifically a 15×15-foot karaoke hot box two stories high in the Swiss sky. The room is stuffed with Wales fans, former players, friends and family of current ones, and even the Welsh media. And, of course, no one is listening to Bocelli, or the gracious but bleary-eyed Swiss bartender in a bar that is almost certainly in contravention of Swiss safety codes with this mosh-pit of bodies and creaking floorboards. Instead, there is protest by song, Welsh hymns beating against the impending silence of closing time, against the rising Swiss sun itself. Advertisement This has been Wales' Euro 2025 story: a happy, song-filled act of resistance to inevitability. Because bars close and suns rise and Wales are going home. Their 6-1 defeat to reigning European champions England on Sunday proved to be the unavoidable last call on their first major tournament. On paper, this is unsurprising. Wales are the lowest-ranked side (30th) at this competition, drawn into a wretched group of two former European champions (England, 2022; Netherlands, 2017) and 2022 semi-finalists France. Some former Wales national team players from the 1990s and their families speak about the potential of a 7-0 win before kick-off to progress to the knockout rounds, dissecting the avenues where such a feat could happen — but an early goal, then two on either side of half-time, all while quadruple-marking Lauren James, soon mean flights home on Monday are being checked into, train departures discussed. 'We're Wales,' says Michele Adams, one of the three women who successfully lobbied the Football Association of Wales (FAW) in 1992 to formally recognise a national women's team, more than 20 years after the near 50-year ban on women's football was lifted in the country. 'It has never been easy,' Karen Jones, another of the three, finishes for her. But Wales fans gather for the 800-metre walk to Kybunpark regardless, bracing for a lopsided battle in the only way they know how: by song. Into pink-streaked clouds hums Yma o Hyd, a patriotic 1983 ode to this nation's ability to survive. A pair of boots is packed surreptitiously into a Wales fan's carrier bag. 'In case of a pitch invasion,' they explain with a wink. Among the Wales family section, a buzz simmers. Wales forward Hannah Cain's grandfather has made the trip. Lily Woodham's nan. Esther Morgan's sisters and parents each wear a shirt bearing the full-back's name but a different number. 'All the numbers she's ever worn,' they tell The Athletic. 'We are her career.' It has taken multiple villages to reach this point. From Adams, Jones and former Wales captain and UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister penning their letter in 1992, to the women's team being removed from their Euro 2005 qualification due to FAW budget cuts. From Woodham's nan watching her granddaughter play on the local grass pitches at seven years old — 'I never imagined one day we'd be here,' she says, her eyes scanning the crowd — to when Jess Fishlock made her 100th Wales appearance in Llanelli in April 2017. 'How many of us were there?' a family friend of Fishlock's asks. From here, heads turn, taking in the sheer weight of red around them. 'Not as many as there are now,' comes the answer. It is perhaps why the manner of Wales' final tussle in Switzerland stings so coldly, to have the known yawning gaps of quality and infrastructure exposed under such harsh fluorescent lighting. At half-time, four goals down, confirmation is murmured that James is 'actually untameable'. Beers are bought. Grimaces exchanged. 'Reality check' becomes the word of the hour. Wales are the only nation in Group D without a fully professional domestic league. The only team with a 0.2 per cent chance of lifting the trophy, according to Opta. Advertisement A sigh. A shrug. A bare-boned list of consolation prizes assembles: no more goals conceded. A goal of Wales' own. 'This is just where we're at now,' it is agreed. The appropriate thing to do here is to discuss necessary forward progression, how to construct bridges over gulfs. But then Wales centurion Fishlock picks up the ball in the 76th minute. And at this point, the 38-year-old midfielder's ineffably still whirring legs are the only forward-moving objects anyone cares about. Because the Seattle Reign forward is now laying a perfectly weighted pass off to Cain, who thumps Wales' second goal of the Euros beyond Hannah Hampton with enough venom to momentarily banish memories of everything else: the 13 goals conceded, the three defeats, the hard-edged reality crystallising around what, just a few hours earlier, still warbled like a daydream. By every technical standard, Cain's goal is pure consolation. But that does not stop fans and family from choosing to remain in it, not only because of how illusory these moments have long been for this team with a dragon on its heart, but because of the movements those moments potentially inspire. So at full time, there are tears. Chants of 'Wales!' are belted back into the sky from the nearly 3,000 in attendance. Manager Rhian Wilkinson is leaping over the pitch's side hoardings, much to the alarm of the stadium security. The former Canada international is shaking every hand she can. Finally, it is midnight — three hours since Wales' final Euro 2025 kick-off. There is no Bocelli. Kybunpark should be empty. But in the terraces, the remaining families of players are singing Yma o Hyd. 'They're still here? Singing?' asks Adams as she wanders outside with Jones. Whether the former midfielder is looking for a response is unclear. But the answer is, unimaginably, yes. Because, sometimes, what else is there to do?
