World Cup 2022: USMNT captain and coach pressured by Iranian journalists over US racial discrimination

Julia Johnson

November 28, 04:21 PM November 28, 04:21 PM

U.S. men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams were hounded with pointed questions from Iranian journalists ahead of Tuesday's World Cup match against Iran.

Iran has been under severe scrutiny in the global competition due to the ongoing civil rights issues surrounding the country's women and girls.

“You say you support the Iranian people, but you're pronouncing our country's name wrong. Our country is named 'eee-ron,' not 'i-ran.' Once and for all, let's get this clear,” an Iranian journalist said.

CHRISTMAS CLASSIC IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE RETURNS TO THEATERS FOR 75TH ANNIVERSARY

He then asked Adams if he felt comfortable playing for the USMNT despite there being "so much discrimination against black people in his own borders."

The captain replied that “there's discrimination everywhere you go."

"One thing that I've learned, especially from living abroad in the past years and having to fit in in different cultures and kind of assimilate into different cultures, is that in the U.S., we're continuing to make progress every single day," he explained. "Growing up for me, I grew up in a white family with obviously an African American heritage and background as well."

Adams further lauded the progress being made in the United States.

When Berhalter was hit with questions on the state of geopolitics between the U.S. and Iran as well as inflation in his home country, he told reporters, “I don't know enough about politics. I'm a soccer coach.”

“And I'm not well versed on international politics, so I can't comment on that," he added.

The coach and captain maintained that their focus lies on the match against Iran on Tuesday.

Berhalter has further said the team had no part in recent posts from the U.S. Soccer Federation, which scrubbed the Islamic emblem from Iran's flag. "The players and the staff knew nothing about what was being posted," he said.

"Sometimes things are out of our control. We believe that it's going to be a match that the result will depend on who puts more effort in, who executes better on the field. And we're not focused on those outside things. All we can do on our behalf is apologize on behalf of the players and the staff, but it's not something that we are part of," he continued.

According to ESPN, Iran has since filed a complaint with FIFA's ethics committee.

Saudi Arabia declares national holiday after shocking victory over Argentina

Brady Knox

November 22, 10:17 PM November 22, 10:17 PM

Saudi Arabia has declared a national holiday to celebrate its national team's stunning 2-1 victory over Argentina in the World Cup in Qatar.

The victory is being hailed by commentators as one of the greatest upsets in the tournament's history, and the kingdom is taking the victory to heart, Bloomberg reported. On the suggestion of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman declared Wednesday a national holiday in Saudi Arabia, giving all students and employees the day off, Alarabiya News reported.

WORLD CUP 2022: FOREIGNERS DELIVER SUCCESS AMID QATAR'S FAILINGS

The Saudi stock exchange will also be closed for the day, set to reopen on Thursday.

Fans made headlines with their over-the-top celebrations following their triumph against one of the sport's legends, Lionel Messi.

The Argentinians started off strong, with their first and final goal at the 10-minute mark, only for the Saudis to make a remarkable comeback in the second half, scoring two goals within five minutes of the other. It was the kingdom's first victory in five attempts, NDTV reported.

The victory puts Saudi Arabia on par with high-profile teams such as England and France at the top of the Group C table. The team is set to face Poland on Saturday.

Judge throws out rape lawsuit in opposition to Cristiano Ronaldo

Jenny Goldsberry

June 11, 01:58 PM June 11, 01:58 PM

A U.S. District Court decide in Nevada dismissed the rape lawsuit versus soccer participant Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday.

Judge Jennifer Dorsey threw out former model Kathryn Mayorga's case simply because her attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, was performing in "negative religion." The full circumstance was dismissed, somewhat than Stovall currently being disqualified, for the reason that "only disqualifying Stovall will not get rid of the prejudice to Ronaldo," Dorsey explained.

"This situation has devolved into a clash over the plaintiff’s procurement and use of the defendant’s cyberhacked legal professional-customer privileged paperwork to revive extensive-considering that-launched statements ... although I figure out the gravity of this sanction and impose it reluctantly and only soon after comprehensively assessing the universe of sanctions jurisprudence and thoroughly weighing all factors, I grant the motion and dismiss this scenario with prejudice," Dorsey wrote in her 42-web page order.

NASSAR VICTIMS TO SUE FBI FOR $1 BILLION About FAILURE TO ACT ON ABUSE Promises

Mayorga accused Ronaldo of forcing himself on her in a Las Vegas resort in 2009. Ronaldo acknowledged they experienced sexual intercourse but mentioned their experience was consensual.

Mayorga stated she was pressured to indicator a nondisclosure settlement and agreed to acknowledge $375,000 not to pursue prison prices. The Saturday dismissal was portion of a civil action she brought in 2019.

In 2018, Mayorga's lawyers requested that police reopen the rape investigation. A 12 months later on, Clark County District Legal professional Steve Wolfson concluded there was not plenty of proof "over and above a acceptable question" that her promises had been respectable and opted not to cost the soccer player.