Category: Uncategorized
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France’s far right didn’t drop its grudge against Les Blues. It recast it.
France’s national soccer team has become an unlikely barometer for the country’s leading far-right party, whose leaders’ shifting rhetoric about the team reflects its broader attempts at moderation — from appeals around racial identity to working-class solidarity — and helps explain why the National Rally is now seen as having a genuine shot at the…
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The ex-France player who swapped blue for green
BRUSSELS — Destroying the EU’s environmental policies to boost manufacturing and keep Europe competitive with China and the U.S. is a mistake, says former Arsenal player and French international soccer player Mathieu Flamini. Instead, the athlete, who is now the CEO of a France-based chemicals company, says the bloc should double down on moving away…
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It’s Canadian soccer’s first rodeo
CALGARY, Alberta — When their national team faces off against Morocco today in its first-ever knockout match in a men’s World Cup, Canada’s political class will be in cowboy hats and boots. The annual Calgary Stampede extravaganza attracts politicians and lobbyists who fly in for Stampede’s first four days for dealmaking, team building and/or partying…
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Morocco vs. Canada is a clash of diasporas
Morocco’s starting lineup against Canada may have closer personal ties to Europe than North Africa. A majority of the squad, in fact, were born in Europe: 18 of 26 players, many from France. That heritage captures the essence of a 21st century World Cup team — shaped by diaspora scouting, evolved eligibility rules and a…
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The populist trick that turned a soccer shirt into a campaign uniform
MAGA-friendly Abelardo de la Espriella’s decision to make Colombia’s national soccer jersey a defining feature of his victorious right-wing presidential campaign has sparked a debate over the political ownership of national symbols. While the yellow shirt has long been associated with moments of collective celebration, critics argue that its prominent use by a partisan candidate…
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‘Moral and political blindness’: EU lawmaker savages FIFA over Russia
This week, members of the European Parliament issued two sharp rebukes of FIFA over its decision to allow Russians to participate in the U-15 World Cup in October and President Gianni Infantino’s relationship with U.S. leader Donald Trump. In letters published Monday and Wednesday, 90 MEPs pressed FIFA over actions they said undermine the world…
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Egyptian coach smooths over issues with Dallas police
DALLAS — Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan said he has no issue with the Dallas Police Department after an officer had a brief altercation with the coach’s brother, team manager Ibrahim Hassan. “Incidents like that happen, of course,” Hassan said in a press conference after Egypt’s shootout victory over Australia. “We have nothing to follow up…
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Is a fan march better than a Super Bowl parade?
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has participated in three Super Bowl parades and one World Series parade celebrating his hometown Chiefs and Royals. None compared to when Netherlands fans marched through downtown Kansas City, Missouri, ahead of their team’s June 25 game at Arrowhead Stadium. “It is special and different,” Lucas said, with a politician’s…
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New York girds for a weekend of Taylor Swift, salutes and soccer
NEW YORK — New York City has begun one of the busiest weekends in its history — Taylor Swift’s wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden today, a series of air, land and water celebrations for America’s 250th birthday tomorrow and a World Cup match in northern New Jersey on Sunday. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, NYPD Commissioner…
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Spot the pol!
This world leader visited his team’s dressing room after an epic victory that helped send them to the elimination rounds. That’s Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who paid the team a visit after their 6-0 win against Qatar in Vancouver on June 18. Canada plays Morocco in Houston on Saturday.