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South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Australians wary of Saudi Arabia's ‘games' as teams fight for last automatic World Cup spot
Australia's Connor Metcalfe has warned his teammates to avoid reacting to Saudi Arabia's gamesmanship when the nations face off in Jeddah on Tuesday with automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals on the line. Tony Popovic's outfit go into the meeting at the King Abdullah Sports City with one foot on the plane to North America after a 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday bought the Socceroos breathing room in their quest for a place at the finals. Despite that advantage, Metcalfe sought to ensure the Australians do not allow their focus to slip ahead of a crucial 90 minutes that will be played out in front of more than 50,000 fans and in stifling heat. 'There's going to be a lot of diving, a lot of acting, but it's about just blocking the noise out, focusing on ourselves and doing the best we can,' said the midfielder with Bundesliga club St. Pauli. 'You can't get affected by any of it, because if you get affected by any of their little games or noise or whatever it is, then it's just going to affect the game, and they're going to get that little advantage over you.' Australia's Connor Metcalfe (right) said his team had to keep their focus in Jeddah. Photo: EPA-EFE Australia hold a three-point lead over Hervé Renard's side and a large enough goal difference to leave the Saudis needing to win by five goals to climb into second and claim the last automatic berth from the current phase of Asian preliminaries.
CNA
2 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Australians wary of Saudi 'games' ahead of crunch World Cup qualifier
HONG KONG :Australia's Connor Metcalfe has warned his teammates to avoid reacting to Saudi Arabia's gamesmanship when the nations face off in Jeddah on Tuesday with automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals on the line. Tony Popovic's outfit go into the meeting at the King Abdullah Sports City with one foot on the plane to North America after a 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday bought the Socceroos breathing room in their quest for a place at the finals. Despite that advantage, Metcalfe has sought to ensure the Australians do not allow their focus to slip ahead of a crucial 90 minutes that will be played out in front of more than 50,000 fans and in stifling heat. "There's going to be a lot of diving, a lot of acting, but it's about just blocking the noise out, focusing on ourselves and doing the best we can," said the St. Pauli midfielder. "You can't get affected by any of it, because if you get affected by any of their little games or noise or whatever it is, then it's just going to affect the game, and they're going to get that little advantage over you." Australia hold a three point lead over Herve Renard's side and a large enough goal difference to leave the Saudis needing to win by five goals to climb into second and claim the last automatic berth from the current phase of Asian preliminaries. Japan have already secured top spot in Group C while Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Jordan have taken the other berths available to Asian nations at the expanded World Cup from the third phase of qualifying. A further two spots will be up for grabs from a fourth round of qualifiers to be played in October. Anything other than a significant win over the Australians would see Saudi Arabia finish third in Group C and enter that next phase, where they would join the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq and Indonesia. Also battling for a place in the fourth round are Oman and Palestine, with the pair looking to secure either third or fourth place in Group B on Tuesday. The two countries face off against each other in Amman with the Palestinians needing to win to climb above Rashid Jaber's side and keep their World Cup qualification dream alive. Neither nation has played at the World Cup and Palestine go into the meeting having handed Kuwait a 2-0 defeat on Thursday to stay in the hunt for a spot in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
New York Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Brighton goalkeeping and set piece coach Marco Knoop leaves club
Marco Knoop has left Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler's backroom staff. Knoop followed Hurzeler to Brighton from St Pauli last summer to work as first team goalkeeper coach and set piece specialist. Announcing his departure on social media, Knoop said: 'I've been privileged to be a part of this amazing football club this season. We've made some incredible memories and while I leave with a heavy heart and will miss Brighton, I'm proud of our efforts this season, helping the club to one of their best ever finishes. Fabian is an amazing head coach and I'm convinced he'll bring real success to Brighton.' Advertisement Knoop, previously a goalkeeper coach at FC Nordsjaelland, Fenerbahce and Borussia Dortmund, added: 'Now is time to enjoy the summer, and spend some quality time with my family, before discovering what a new chapter brings next season.' Knoop's arrival at Brighton coincided with existing goalkeeping coach Jack Stern signing a new, long-term contract. Hurzeler used Knoop for defensive set plays and assistant Jonas Scheuermann for attacking set pieces during the season. Brighton are recruiting a specialist set piece coach this summer, as it is a part of the game that has been identified as an area for improvement. Brighton had the fourth-best record defending set pieces and the fifth-best record scoring from them as they finished eighth in the Premier League in Hurzeler's first season, the second-highest placing in the club's history. (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Jackson Irvine: Socceroos star slams football bosses for BANNING trans players from the sport after bombshell court decision
Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine has publicly slammed the English Football Association's ban on transgender women in women's football, describing the decision as hypocritical. Irvine, 32, who is the captain of German Bundesliga team St Pauli, expressed his frustration with the recent decision from the FA. The ban, announced on May 1, impacts grassroots players who had previously been allowed to participate under the previous policy. The FA made the move after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex. Irvine reacted to the decision by posting on social media: 'Football deserves better. Our game is for everyone.' He went into more detail about his feelings on the issue this week while appearing on Sky Sports' 'Real Talk' podcast. 'For me, football always felt like the place where we wouldn't be so heavy-handed, especially in the immediate aftermath of what's already a really worrying decision for all trans people and queer people in the country,' he said. 'It was really disappointing - especially from a federation that has supported Rainbow Laces campaigns and has been very clear in their rhetoric about football being for all -to so quickly take that away from a small group of footballers who want to do nothing but enjoy the game that we all love. 'It was really, really disappointing to see that ruling come out.' There has been a huge amount of support for the banned players from within the women's football community - including from stars like Anita Asante, Kerstin Casparji and Katie Startup. But Irvine remains the biggest name in the men's game to publicly say he is against the ban. Asked why that was the case, Irvine replied: 'I still think we've got a long way to go in football, and especially men's football, to feel confident to speak out on any social issues, let alone when it comes to LGBTQ rights and things like that where maybe players don't feel confident or supported to even make those statements themselves.' The footballer went on to say he would like to see more people speak out about the matter. 'The game has taken strides forward,' he said. 'Generationally, we are in a more accepting and open space as footballers as well as in our communities. 'I would like to see more people stand up against when we try to take rights away from our fellow footballers, and try and do everything we can to make sure that everyone who plays our game has a safe and inclusive space to play the game that we all love.' Since the ruling was handed down, the Ultimate Pool Group has updated its policy to ban trans women, having also received a report that pool was a gender-affected sport. Snooker's global governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, is also reviewing its policy. The UK Supreme Court's ruling has been interpreted to mean that transgender women, who are biologically male but identify as women, can be excluded from women-only spaces like toilets and changing rooms. The judges said trans people are still protected from discrimination under equalities legislation, and that this interpretation of the law does not cause disadvantage to the 'potentially vulnerable group'.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Australia's Jackson Irvine ‘disappointed' by men's football's reaction to English ban on transgender women
Jackson Irvine, the captain of the Australia men's national team and German side St Pauli, says the lack of public support from men's football towards transgender women being banned from women's football in the United Kingdom is 'disappointing'. Earlier this month, the Football Association (FA) announced a ban on transgender women playing women's football from June 1. Advertisement The decision followed the Supreme Court ruling on April 16, when the UK's highest court decided that the legal definition of a woman would be based on biological sex. The FA subsequently amended its inclusion policy to exclude all transgender women from women's football, falling in line with other major sports in the UK. 'I didn't feel that there was much of a public display of support or allyship across the men's game, that was disappointing,' Irvine told the Sky Sports podcast Real Talk. 'We still have a long way to go in football, and especially men's football, to speak out on any social issues and especially when it comes to LGBTQI+ rights, where maybe players don't feel confident or supported to make statements.' Goal Diggers FC, a trans-inclusive grassroots team established in 2015, organised a march towards Wembley to protest the decision, which was attended by more than 100 people. Advertisement The Hackney-based club, which welcomes non-binary and transgender players, wrote an open letter to the FA with more than 1,600 supporting signatures, within it calling the Supreme Court's decision a 'stain on the country's reputation'. Around 20 transgender players are believed to be involved at the grassroots level of the game and are thought to be affected by the new policy. There are almost 5.5million women and girls are registered to play football in England. 'The small number of trans women who play football in the UK just emphasises how heavy-handed that decision was,' Irvine added. 'Most footballers would welcome any team-mate into their environment regardless of what they identify as. 'I think the game has taken strides for and generationally we are a more accepting and open space. I would like to see more people stand up whenever rights are taken away from our fellow footballers. Advertisement 'We want to make sure everyone who plays our game has a safe and inclusive space to play the game we all love.' Irvine, 32, has spent much of his career in the UK, playing for Celtic, Kilmarnock, Ross County and Hibernian in Scotland, and Burton Albion and Hull City in England. He has scored 14 goals in 78 appearances for Australia. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Australia, Soccer, International Football, Bundesliga, UK Women's Football 2025 The Athletic Media Company
