Iranian Karateka Sara Bahmanyar Announces Retirement from National Team

The coach of the Banyana Banyana national team, Disari Ellis, emphasized the importance of smart squad management in the upcoming Wafcon tournament, which will take place in Morocco at the end of this month. She stressed that the team will strive to control the process of integrating new players into the squad.

Final Squad Formation

Ellis has approved the final list of 26 players who will represent the country at Wafcon. Although most senior players are returning for another major tournament, there are also several relatively young faces in the squad.

The decision by the 63-year-old coach was understandable, as Banyana aims not only to compensate for last year's disappointing fourth place but also to ensure a confident spot in the top four for qualification to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Integration of Young Talents

After the announcement of the squad and the farewell meeting of the team at the headquarters of the main sponsor, Sasol, in Sandton on Friday afternoon, Ellis noted the presence of several players under the age of 23. These include Asanda (Khadebe), Kebotseng (Moletsane), Zoe (October), Isabella (Ludwig), and Antonia (Maponya). These players are participating in Wafcon for the first time, although they were previously part of the team.

Ellis warned that the tournament is not just Wafcon, but also a qualifier for the World Cup, and she noted that some countries are already preparing for it in Morocco, demonstrating a serious approach.

Team Working Principles

An example of a player who had to wait for their chance in the main squad at a major tournament is Noksolo Sesane. This is why Ellis insists on not making hasty decisions. She stated: 'We do not want to break the spirit of a young player.' She recalled how Nox started playing; she had to work hard before getting a chance in the Cosafa.

The senior players include Robin Mudali-Salgado, who is returning after a break in 2023 to work on mental health, as well as Thembi Kgatlana, who missed the last major match due to personal circumstances.

Match Preparation

Ellis expressed satisfaction with the preparation of local players gathered in camp this week. She believes that players based abroad, including Kgatlana, will easily fit into the team when they join her base in Casablanca.

The coach emphasized that underestimating the team will lead to problems. She added that the group of players knows that opponents do everything possible when playing against Banyana. Ellis clarified that for other teams, this is the final, but for them, the first game is important, and they are focusing on achieving a positive result in it. At the same time, they need to manage the squad on the way to an important quarter-final for World Cup qualification. After that, the team will consider the semi-finals and the final. She also mentioned that five players are in reserve and ready to play because they trained with the team.

Banyana plans to continue preparations on Sunday or Monday, and on Saturday, they will leave South African shores to play in the first group match against Tanzania next Monday.

As predictions for the 2026 World Cup final are actively discussed on global sports networks, it has become clear that for many fans, the upcoming match between Spain and Argentina goes beyond just a beautiful game and national pride.

The Political Subtext of the Match

Thanks to discussions on social media, videos, and memes, thousands of viewers worldwide have stated that for them, Sunday's final is a kind of referendum on political solidarity in support of Palestine amid the ongoing genocide of Israel in Gaza. One X user noted that the match represents a confrontation of 'Pro-Palestine versus Pro-Israel.'

Tension had been building before the game, as Argentina faced online opposition from people who consider the reigning world champion linked to Israel due to close political ties between the countries. Argentine President Javier Milei stated that he is 'sincerely proud to be the most Zionist president in the world.'

Leaders' Positions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly expressed support for Argentina thanks to Milei last week in a podcast, calling him 'a great friend of Israel.' Meanwhile, Israeli politicians took to social media on Wednesday to mark Argentina's semi-final triumph over England.

On the other hand, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is widely recognized as one of the loudest supporters of Palestine in Europe. Under his leadership, Spain officially recognized the State of Palestine in 2024, imposed an arms embargo on Israel, and constantly demands a ceasefire in Gaza.

Fans' and Players' Reactions

Some fans have focused on the players themselves. Several users on social media shared a viral video where Spanish football prodigy Lamine Yamal waved the Palestinian flag during the Barcelona La Liga parade in May. This contrasted with the national symbol of Argentina, Lionel Messi, who has spoken little about Palestine or Israel. Others point out that the football legend made deals with Israeli companies.

Moreover, many fans circulated photos of the Barcelona 'Peace Tour' in 2013 in Israel and Palestine, where Messi, then a Catalan club player, met with Netanyahu and then-Israeli President Shimon Peres and was photographed at the Western Wall. Although these pictures were actively promoted by official Israeli channels, causing negative reactions among Palestine supporters, many fans note that Messi also visited the occupied West Bank and met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the same trip, arguing that he cannot be blamed for the official team visit.

Argentina and Support for Palestine

Palestine often becomes a central theme during World Cup matches. Notably, some Argentine fans showed the Israeli flag to Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan, who celebrated his country's advancement to the World Cup playoffs, while wearing the Palestinian flag on the field.

During Spain's 2-0 victory over France in the semi-final, Spanish actor Oscar Javier Bardem was recorded at the stadium receiving the Palestinian flag from a fan. When he was handed the flag and asked if he had a message to the Palestinian people, Bardem placed his hand on his heart and replied: 'Existence is resistance.' Bardem confirmed that 'Spain supports Palestine' in a separate video during the Spain vs. Portugal round of 16 match.

Besides concerns about Palestine, Argentina also faced criticism for alleged FIFA bias in its favor. This international wave of indignation prompted some Argentinians to take to social media to emphasize broad public solidarity with Palestine and clarify that the president's stance does not reflect the opinion of the people. Other Argentine fans objected to the simplified view of the final, providing information that long before Spain, in 2010, Argentina, under President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, recognized Palestine as a 'free and independent state.' Diab Abu Jajja, president of the Hind Rajab Foundation, wrote on Wednesday: 'Sport has always been intertwined with politics, and always will be. But reality is more complex.' He added: 'Argentina is not Israel. Argentina is not Zionist. It cannot be reduced to any ideological camp... On Sunday, I will still support Spain, thanks to the sincere gratitude for this clear solidarity. But I will not approach the match as a fanatic or an ideologue. If Argentina plays as brilliantly as today, they deserve to win.'

Swiss cyclist Mauro Schmid won the thirteenth stage of the 113th Tour de France, finishing the race in a sprint battle against Colombian Haroldo Tejada.

Details of the winning stage

This stage was the longest in the Tour de France. Schmid and Tejada managed to break away from a group of ten riders when there were 16 kilometers left until the finish. They successfully countered their former breakaway companions to fight for the sprint victory.

Tejada initiated the attack first, but Schmid managed to slow him down and overtake him on the finish line after covering 205 km from Dole in the Jura region to Belfort in the Vosges.

General Classification Positions

British rider Tom Pidcock finished third, trailing by only two seconds. Thanks to this result, he significantly improved his position in the general classification, moving up from tenth place to fourth. Pidcock is now only 4 minutes and 15 seconds behind the race leader Tadej Pogačar and nine seconds behind Remco Evenepoel, who is on the podium.

Race Development

The first two-thirds of the race were dedicated to the battle among contenders for the green jersey points in the intermediate sprint. As a result, 57 riders broke away from the peloton, which at one point increased its lead by more than eight minutes.

Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen overtook Category Leader Mathieu van der Poel in the sprint, but still trails the Dutchman by 41 points. It became clear on this stage that Pidcock had much to gain by participating in the breakaway, besides just winning the stage.

Race Finale

The group began to fracture on the Col de Croix climb at 5.1 km, and then accelerated on the Ballon d'Alsace climb of 8.9 km. Pidcock was among the ten riders who crossed the summit ahead when there were 30 km left, although about a dozen other riders were within half a minute.

Schmid launched his attack at the end of the descent, and Tejada was the only one who initially reacted. Both riders cooperated until the last kilometer to ensure one of them won.

The peloton finished 7 minutes and 32 seconds later than the stage winner, allowing Pidcock to advance six places in the general classification, having started the day almost 12 minutes behind Pogačar.