Source: AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPayne spent seven years with A-League outfit the Phoenix.<\/p>\n
He bidded an emotional farewell to the Wellington faithful on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis wasn\u2019t an easy decision,\u201d Payne said. \u201cTo the fans, my teammates and all those who have supported me throughout my career, the highs and the lows, thank you.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout you I would not be here representing my country at the World Cup \u2013 the very pinnacle of the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always pushed myself to be the best footballer I can be. The opportunity to test myself at the very top of South American football in the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana is one of the most incredible opportunities I could have asked for as a professional.<\/p>\n
\u201cClub Olimpia is one of the biggest clubs in South America, with an incredible history, passionate supporters and ambitions that match its stature, and I am looking forward to rising to that challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor our family, this is something really special. My son, growing up speaking Spanish like his mum did, immersing ourselves in her culture and her family\u2019s world is what makes this so much more than just a football move.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpportunities like this don\u2019t come around often, and we\u2019re not taking it for granted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m grateful for everything Wellington Phoenix has given me and I\u2019m excited for the challenge ahead, but right now, my focus is on representing my country at the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ufeff\u2018ONLY THE GRASS IS FOOTBALL\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n
South Africa coach Hugo Broos said \u201conly the grass\u201d resembled a football stadium after a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic in Atlanta kept Bafana Bafana\u2019s chances of World Cup progress alive.<\/p>\n
Under the closed roof of the state-of-the-art home of the NFL\u2019s Atlanta Falcons and MLS side Atlanta United, the Czech Republic took an early lead through Michal Sadilek.<\/p>\n
But South Africa\u2019s persistence in the search for an equaliser paid off when Teboho Mokoena converted an 83rd minute penalty after Pavel Sulc handled inside his own box.<\/p>\n
In contrast to the futuristic Atlanta Stadium, South Africa began the World Cup with a 2-0 defeat to co-hosts Mexico in the historic Estadio Azteca.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can be very honest, this is not a football stadium. It\u2019s a nice stadium, fantastic stadium, everything you want. But only the grass is football. All the rest is not,\u201d Broos, 74, told his post-match press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a covered stadium. I like to play in an open stadium. I don\u2019t feel really the atmosphere in such a stadium. When you compare it with Azteca, for example, that is a football stadium!<\/p>\n
\u201cThese stadiums are fantastic stadiums for the crowd. I think they see everything in that stadium. There are no places that are covered or whatever. But, again, I rather like a real football stadium.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Hugo Broos, Head Coach of South Africa, stands for the national anthem before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Czechia and South Africa<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Belgian, who was in the Belgian squad that reached the 1986 World Cup semi-finals, was also left irked by lengthy drinks breaks at the midway point of each half despite the climate controlled conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s very, very useful when it\u2019s hot,\u201d he added. \u201cBut in other cases, the rhythm of the game is lost.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen at that moment you are the best team and you dominate, suddenly your domination is blocked for five minutes or I don\u2019t know how long…in that stadium, we don\u2019t need to drink after 20 minutes.\u201d Now in their fourth World Cup, South Africa have never previously progressed beyond the group stages.<\/p>\n
Victory in their final Group A match against South Korea will likely secure qualification for the last 32, at least as one of the best third-placed teams, if they can secure just a second World Cup win on foreign soil.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can make another performance like today, I think we have a chance to go in the second round,\u201d added Broos.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud of my team, and this is the real Bafana Bafana.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\nEngland put 4 past Croatia in Dallas | 01:27<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nENGLAND BOSS CALLS OUT PHOTOGRAPHER ACT<\/b><\/p>\n
Thomas Tuchel said a \u201cspecial moment was ruined\u201d and FIFA have now reportedly acted to the England coach being swarmed by photographers during the national anthems ahead of the World Cup clash with Croatia.<\/p>\n
The German, managing at a World Cup for the first time, was delighted after seeing his side win 4-2 on Wednesday in Texas in their opening match.<\/p>\n
But he was less happy about the massed ranks of photographers snapping him from close range beforehand at the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers for the national anthem because I could not see my team in the national anthem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was waiting for this moment, it was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers half a metre away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could not see one single player and it ruined a little bit my experience today.\u201d <\/p>\n
FIFA has now tweaked its guidelines, the BBC and The Athletic reported, to avoid a repeat at the tournament in North America.<\/p>\n
The Athletic said that coaches will have the option to stand to the left or right of the photographers during the pre-match ceremony.<\/p>\n
Photographers will be grouped closer to the halfway line for \u201caffected games\u201d as part of a compromise, the BBC said.<\/p>\n
Football\u2019s governing body FIFA did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment.<\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\nMessi escapes red after studs-up tackle | 00:24<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nMESSI FAMILY \u2018HEALTH ISSUE\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n
Lionel Messi\u2019s father is recovering from an unspecified \u201chealth issue\u201d, the Argentina star\u2019s family said Thursday, appealing for privacy after a flurry of recent media reports.<\/p>\n
Speculation over the health of 68-year-old Jorge Messi has intensified after Argentina skipper Messi broke down in tears after scoring the first of his three goals in a 3-0 World Cup victory over Algeria on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Jorge Messi) is currently under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favourably given his condition,\u201d Messi\u2019s family said in a statement on Thursday, without giving details of the illness.<\/p>\n
Messi alluded to his personal situation on Tuesday about his emotional response to his goal against Algeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a matter unrelated to sports. I went through some difficult and complicated days,\u201d the Argentine star told reporters.<\/p>\n
Jorge Messi serves as his son\u2019s agent and is one of his key sources of support. He has accompanied him throughout his career at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and now Inter Miami, as well as during his international career with Argentina.<\/p>\n
In the statement, Messi\u2019s family registered its \u201cdeep distress regarding the lack of sensitivity, respect, and scruples with which some people have treated a strictly private family matter\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask for responsibility, prudence, and humanity. A person\u2019s health and the peace of mind of those around them should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media attention,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The social media sensation of this World Cup has confirmed a move away from the A-League. New Zealand\u2019s Tim Payne became one of the world\u2019s most beloved players before a ball had even been kicked this World Cup after blowing up overnight on social media. Paro v Crocker | Wednesday June 24 from 7pm AEST […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":249032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-249031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}