soccer
Police under investigation after soccer match stampede kills at least 125 in Indonesia
- A stampede during a soccer match at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Indonesia on Saturday evening left at least 125 people dead and 320 people injured.
- Police officers at the scene are among those currently being investigated for their use of tear gas in an attempt to subdue Arema FC fans.
- Thousands of fans reportedly rushed to the pitch after their club suffered a 3-2 home loss to rival soccer team Persebaya Surabaya.
- Panicked spectators made a dash to the exit, causing several people to get trampled on or suffocated in the process, according to reports.
- International soccer governing body FIFA prohibits the use of "crowd control gas" at matches.
- Police spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo shared that the local police chief has since been transferred, nine other police officials were stripped of their positions and 28 other officers remain under investigation.
Indonesian authorities have placed members of the local police under investigation over their perceived role in a recent stampede that left at least 125 people dead and 320 people injured last week.
The police officers are facing scrutiny for using tear gas on fans who started a riot at Kanjuruhan Stadium on Saturday evening.
‘My dream has come true’: Thai boy saved during Tham Luang cave rescue receives football scholarship
- Duangpetch “Dom” Promthep, 17, was offered a scholarship to study at Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicester, England.
- The teenager made an announcement on Instagram on Aug. 15.
- “Today, my dream has come true. I’m going to be a football student in England,” Promthep wrote in Thai in his post.
- Promthep was one of the 12 boys saved during the Tham Luang cave "miracle" rescue in Thailand’s Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai province on June 23, 2018.
- It took more than 10,000 people to save Promthep, his coach and his fellow Wild Boars football team members.
- The rescue effort proved successful as all 12 team members and their coach made it out of the cave alive between July 8, 2018, and July 10, 2018.
A teenager who was one of the 12 boys saved during the Tham Luang cave “miracle” rescue in Thailand in 2018 has received a scholarship to study football in England.
In an Instagram post on Aug. 15, Duangpetch “Dom” Promthep, 17, announced that he has been offered a scholarship to attend Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicester, England.
Huynh Nhu set to become first Vietnamese woman football player to join European team
- Vietnamese football star Huynh Nhu traveled to Portugal on Monday in preparation for signing with Länk FC Vilaverdense, a Portuguese football team, for a two-year contract.
- Nhu, a 30-year-old forward player and the captain of Vietnam’s women’s national football team, could become the first female Vietnamese football player to join a European team if she passes her medical.
- “I have received much advice. There are people who said I need to learn from the male players who had unsuccessful spells abroad in the past. But recently, Nguyen Quang Hai has left a good impression in France,” Nu said.
- “I hope that my image, as well as Vietnamese football, will thrive overseas and there will be more and more female players that can play football abroad,” she added.
- Born in the provincial city of Tra Vinh in 1991, Nhu is one of the world’s most prominent Vietnamese football players. She has won several awards, including the Vietnam Golden Ball award on four occasions.
- With Vietnam's women’s national football team, Nhu won gold during the SEA Games in 2017, 2019 and 2022, as well as during the ASEAN Football Federation Championship.
Vietnamese football star Huynh Nhu is set to become the first female Vietnamese football player to join a European football team.
Nhu, a 30-year-old forward player and the captain of Vietnam’s women’s national football team, traveled to Portugal on Monday in preparation for signing with Länk FC Vilaverdense, a Portuguese football club, for a two-year contract.
‘Strongest action’ vowed against fan who allegedly made racist gesture at Son Heung-min
- At Sunday’s Premier League match, a Chelsea fan was spotted making a racist gesture towards South Korean soccer player Son Heung-min.
- In a video shared to Twitter, the man is seen pulling up the corner of his eyes.
- The incident occured when Son took a corner kick during the second half of the match.
- Chelsea police are aware of the incident and are currently investigating.
The Metropolitan police in Chelsea, London, are investigating a soccer fan who was seen making a racist gesture toward Tottenham Spurs’ South Korean player Son Heung-min at Sunday’s Premier League.
Footage posted to Twitter of the match against Chelsea F.C. in Stamford Bridge on Sunday shows a Chelsea fan in the corner of the Shed End pulling up the corners of his eyes after Son went to take a corner kick during the second half of the match.
Soccer star Son Heung-min opens up for first time about racial abuse while playing in Germany
- Tottenham Hotspur soccer star Son Heung-min, 29, opened up to fans for the first time about his experiences with racism as a teenage footballer in Germany.
- At an event in Seoul on Monday, Son publicly shared with fans, “I moved to Germany when I was young, and went through so many really difficult, unimaginable moments,” and added he often thought of “revenge one day.”
- Son then referred to Germany’s shocking defeat to South Korea in the 2018 World Cup which sent the defending champions packing early and ranked last in their group.
- Son, who scored the second goal in the game, all but ensuring Germany’s early exit, expressed he had little sympathy.
- “When people cry, I’d [usually] want to comfort them and give them a hug,” he said. “But watching German people cry, [I felt] I was able to take revenge by doing something I like.”
Tottenham Hotspur soccer star Son Heung-min, 29, opened up to fans for the first time about his “really difficult” and “unimaginable” experiences with racism as a teenage footballer in Germany.
At an event in Seoul on Monday, Son publicly shared with fans, “I moved to Germany when I was young, and went through so many really difficult, unimaginable moments.
Son Heung-min makes history as first Asian player to lead English football’s Premier League in goals
South Korean footballer Son Heung-min has become the first Asian player to win the title of top scorer in the English Premier League.
Son, 29, received the Premier League’s Golden Boot award on Sunday after ending the 2021-2022 season with a career-high 23 goals.
China’s national women’s soccer team beats South Korea to win record-extending 9th AFC Women’s Asian Cup
- The Steel Roses, China women's national football team, won their ninth AFC Women's Asian Cup Title in a victory over South Korea.
- The hashtag “pay raise for women soccer players” went viral on Weibo, with Chinese netizens discussing the team’s more successful track record over the men’s football team, which was recently disqualified from the World Cup running, and demanding equal pay.
- The women’s team collected a prize money of about 30 million yuan (approximately $4.7 million). They will also be offered a prize money of 13 million yuan (approximately $2 million) from Alipay and a bonus from the Chinese Football Association that “may surpass” 10 million yuan (approximately $1,570,600).
- China and South Korea will advance to the 2023 World Cup.
The China women’s national soccer team, known as the Steel Roses, secured its ninth AFC Women’s Asian Cup Title in a dramatic, record-extending victory over South Korea.
The Steel Roses had a dramatic comeback from two goals down to defeat South Korea by 3-2 in Navi Mumbai, India on Feb. 6, reported the Associated Press.
Making history: Philippine women’s national football team qualifies for country’s first FIFA World Cup
- Malditas, the Philippine women’s national football team, recently made history by earning a victory ticket to their nation’s first World Cup.
- The team will advance to the semis of the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup and make their way to Australia to compete in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.
The Philippine women’s national football team, known as the Malditas, made history by securing a ticket to the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup game.
The Malditas defeated the higher-ranking Chinese Taipei team by a 4-3 penalty shootout in Pune, India, on Jan. 30, reported ABS-CBN News.
Rangers FC bans fans over racial abuse of Celtic Star Kyogo Furuhashi
Scottish football club Glasgow Rangers F.C. announced on Monday that it has identified the fans who were filmed berating Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic F.C.) with racial insults.
Racist behavior filmed: Over the weekend, a video emerged showing a group of football fans aboard a bus singing racist songs targeting Furuhashi. The fans, seen wearing Rangers shirts, also made offensive slant-eye gestures to mock the 26-year-old Asian player, reported ESPN.
Soccer Player Kumi Yokoyama Comes Out as Trans Man, Earns Praise From Biden
Japanese soccer player Kumi Yokoyama’s announcement that they are transgender has earned praise and commendation from President Joe Biden.
Coming out proud: The 27-year-old forward, who plays for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League, came out as a transgender man on June 19 via a YouTube video.
Son Heung-min Becomes First Asian Player Chosen to Be Part of EPL ‘Team of the Year’
Son Heung-min became the first Asian player to make the elite list of English Premier League’s “Team of the Year,” selected by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
Super striker: PFA announced its “Team of the Year” list on social media last Saturday, which included the 28-year-old star of Tottenham Hotspur in the striker category, reported the Dong-A Ilbo.
Son Heung-min and 27 Rising Stars to Represent South Korea at 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
Tottenham Hotspur player Son Heung-min and 27 other rising stars have been tapped to represent South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June.
Here are the details: The announcement was made on Monday by head coach Paulo Bento, according to Yonhap News Agency.
