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June 30 : Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), English soccer’s professional refereeing body, has rebranded to Professional Game Referees, or Pro Ref, England’s Football Association said on Tuesday.

Backed by increased funding from the Premier League, the English Football League (EFL), the FA and Women’s Super League under a three-year agreement, Pro Ref will expand programmes to develop refereeing talent, it said in a statement.

As part of the changes, top-tier referees who primarily officiate Premier League matches and work as video assistant referee (VAR) and referees who officiate in the EFL Championship and other EFL competitions will be combined into a single group. This will oversee matches in both the Premier League and the EFL Championship.

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, June 29 : Paraguay President Santiago Pena declared a national holiday for Tuesday to celebrate the country’s shock victory over Germany that sent them into the World Cup round of 16.

The South American side stunned four-time world champions Germany 4-3 on penalties after the teams were tied 1-1 following extra time on Monday, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

“Today, an entire country celebrates,” Pena posted on X along with a picture of himself signing the decree.

“It celebrates the victory of a team that represents the deepest part of our identity: the grit, the faith, and the strength of people who never give up.”

The text of the decree, also shared by Pena on social media, said that Paraguay’s victory went far beyond sport and justified a nationwide celebration.

“The government cannot remain indifferent to this tremendous achievement,” the decree read. “It is necessary to facilitate the gathering of all Paraguayans in celebration of this historic day.”

Paraguay is the second South American country to declare a holiday after a surprise World Cup result against Germany at the tournament.

Last week, Ecuador President Daniel Noboa also announced a national holiday after his country secured a 2-1 victory over the Germans in Group E to reach the knockout stage.

MEXICO CITY, June 29 : Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece dismissed concerns over travel fatigue and his team’s underdog status on Monday ahead of their World Cup round of 32 match against co-hosts Mexico.

Ecuador advanced from the group stage after a 2-1 comeback win over Germany, having earned one point from their opening two matches. They face a Mexico side who won all three group games, scoring six goals without conceding.

• “Predictions were burned a long time ago,” Beccacece said. “They counted us out … Predictions in football don’t exist, what exists is what happens on the pitch.”

• Ecuador endured a nine-hour travel day ahead of Tuesday’s match. “The team had planned to arrive at 5 p.m. However, we arrived at 8:20 p.m. We don’t know the reason for the delay,” Beccacece said.

• Despite the logistical issues, the coach declined to use the journey as an excuse. “We go, we compete, and we play — no complaints or excuses. I am grateful. We might have tired features, but how could I be upset about being in a World Cup?” he added.

• The Azteca Stadium’s high altitude and a hostile home crowd add to Ecuador’s challenge in breaking down Mexico’s defence.

• “Mexico has a great fortress in this mythical stadium … Things are always difficult for us, so we take it as a beautiful challenge,” Beccacece said.

MONTERREY, Mexico, June 29 : The outpouring of emotion from Cody Gakpo after he scored for the Netherlands against Morocco at the World Cup on Monday showed that while the tournament captivates billions around the world, the game does not transcend personal tragedy.

Gakpo and his partner Noa van der Bij lost their unborn baby boy several months into the pregnancy last week, and when the striker scored the opening goal in the round-of-32 tie against Morocco, he fell in a heap on the ground and burst into tears.

It was a moving moment for all in the stadium, with his Dutch teammates’ delight at going ahead in the game tempered by an immediate understanding of Gakpo’s grief, and their gestures of concern showed their empathy.

Captain Virgil van Dijk had expressed as much on the eve of the game when he told reporters: “It’s awful news, and it shows that football is secondary. There are more important things in life.”

Morocco equalised late on and eventually triumphed in a penalty shootout, eliciting more tears from the defeated Dutch but none that could compare with the raw emotion of Gakpo’s heartbreak.

Just as poignant were the television pictures after his goal that showed his parents in the stands also in tears.

Van der Bij had posted a picture on social media of the pair holding hands over a blanket and knitted hat.

“With broken hearts, we share the devastating news that our baby boy passed away during pregnancy,” she wrote in announcing the news.

“Thank you for your love and support. Elijah Raphael Gakpo. Forever loved. Forever our son.”

She then posted a photo of a candle and cross, with the message: “We went to church to light a candle. Afterward, we walked to the church playground with our son Samuel.”

Gakpo also posted on social media: “This is an incredibly difficult time for our family.

“We kindly ask for our privacy and space. Thank you for your understanding.”

MONTERREY, Mexico, June 30 : Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said they went with a more defensive approach against Morocco to give them a better chance of winning rather than out of any fear of their opponents, after his side were eliminated from the World Cup on Monday.

Koeman made no apologies for fielding five defenders, even if he expects a torrent of criticism in the wake of their 3-2 shootout defeat following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Koeman, who has previously had to deal with disapproval after diverting from the traditional ‘Dutch school’ of attacking football, felt playing with five at the back was the right strategy to overcome the North Africans.

“With this defensive approach, we gave away much less than we did during the (group) matches,” said the coach, who added he would decide on his future with the side after reflecting on the team’s elimination.

“That was positive, but also we were less offensive.

“You can think of the tactics whatever you like, but we gave away much less against a team much stronger than Sweden and Tunisia. And if I had to do it again, I would do it the same way again.

“I also know that if Morocco hadn’t equalised with that late goal, there would be all sorts of compliments for me as the Dutch coach, but now, probably, I’m going to be scolded for the fact that I chose five defenders, but once again, I believe it was necessary.”

Koeman said he had discussed the approach with his players, and they had agreed.

“You will criticise me, and that’s your right, but you watch football from the sidelines,” he told reporters.

“I’m with the team. I knew what needed to be improved. This is how I improved it. And once again, if I had to do it again, I would have done exactly the same.

“It was not about being afraid. That’s not what it was about at all. Why afraid? I mean, we had three strikers on the field,” he added in a testy exchange.

“This is about a better defensive position, not out of fear, but based on an analysis of the opposition, and we can keep discussing this until tomorrow evening.

“You have your opinion, with all due respect, that’s fine. But I have a different view,” Koeman added.

Morocco advanced to a last-16 meeting with Canada in Houston on Saturday.

MONTERREY, Mexico, June 29 : Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said his side had earned respect after knocking the Netherlands out of the World Cup in a penalty shootout on Monday, adding that his players were fuelled by the desire to make the millions watching back home proud.

Morocco beat the Dutch 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to reach the last 16, where they will face co-hosts Canada.

Ismael Saibari converted the winning spot kick after goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had saved Crysencio Summerville’s attempt.

“Morocco has gained everybody’s respect now,” Ouahbi told reporters. “It’s not because of what we’ve said. We’ve now shown it.”

The coach, who stepped up from Morocco’s under-20 setup after helping guide the country’s youth teams to success, said his players were driven by something greater than football.

“This team, and all the Moroccan youth teams, are fighting for much, much more than just football or simply winning a match,” he said.

“They know that behind them there are millions and millions of people. We played when it was two in the morning in Morocco and we’re certain that most people stayed awake. That gives you the energy not to give up, to keep going and to believe in yourself.”

Ouahbi said Morocco had dominated the match despite needing penalties to progress.

“We completely dominated a Netherlands team,” he said.

“We had 70 per cent possession, more shots and more expected goals. We controlled the match,” he added.

“We wanted to stay calm, play our game and believe that if it went to penalties we had an exceptional goalkeeper. We didn’t turn the match into a chaotic battle. We controlled it.”

Ouahbi said the Netherlands’ defensive approach came as a surprise but viewed it as recognition of Morocco’s growing stature.

“I really didn’t expect this kind of low block because the Netherlands like to have the ball and are very strong when they do,” he said. “I saw this type of play as a form of respect.”

The 49-year-old felt Morocco’s run to the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar had changed the country’s mentality.

“For the past few years, Moroccan players believe in themselves and the supporters believe in us as well,” he said.

Ouahbi cautioned that Canada would provide another stern test in the last 16 but said Morocco would approach the knockout tie full of belief.

“Nobody can stop us if we play the football we know how to play,” he said. “But nobody is unbeatable. If we get things wrong, we’ll go home.”

SEOUL: South Korea and Ukraine held “constructive” talks on Tuesday (Jun 30) about the fate of two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting in Russia, Seoul said.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiga discussed the matter during talks in Seoul.

The soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January last year while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region.

North Korea and Russia have demanded the repatriation of the pair, but rights groups and experts have warned they could face severe punishment if returned to Pyongyang.

The soldiers have asked to be sent to South Korea, which would in effect amount to defection.

Seoul is seeking their transfer on the grounds that they are citizens of a single Republic of Korea envisaged in its constitution.

North and South Korea remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The nations are separated by a demilitarised zone, but South Korea considers the entire Korean peninsula as one country.

The ministers “engaged in constructive discussions” on the soldiers’ future on Tuesday, a South Korean foreign ministry spokesman told reporters.

They agreed to be guided by “international law and humanitarian principles”.

“The government will continue to make diplomatic efforts to advance and resolve the issue of the North Korean prisoners of war,” the spokesman said.

“HERIOIC”

It has been reported that North Korean authorities instructed troops to commit suicide rather than allow themselves to be captured while fighting for Russia.

One of the two held by Ukraine told South Korean broadcaster MBC earlier this year: “If I am not brought to South Korea, I will end up dying.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised North Korean troops killed in Ukraine in April for taking part in “death-defying hand-to-hand fights and heroic suicidal explosions … without hesitation”, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Kyiv had assured Seoul the two soldiers would not be repatriated to North Korea against their will, Cho said in March.

Analysts say North Korea has received financial assistance, military technology, food and energy from Russia in exchange for missiles, munitions and thousands of troops for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The two countries had signed a mutual defence treaty in 2024, obliging each to provide military assistance “without delay” if either comes under attack.

More than 7,000 North Korean troops were killed or wounded while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region during the 2024-2025 campaign, the Kyiv Independent quoted Ukraine’s military intelligence agency as saying this week.

Sybiga said he and Cho also discussed “shared challenges stemming from the deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang”.

June 30 : Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins will leave Yamaha at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season, the manufacturer said on Tuesday.

Quartararo joined Yamaha in 2019 and enjoyed the most successful spell of his career, claiming 11 race wins and 32 podium finishes. The 26-year-old Frenchman also secured the MotoGP world championship in 2021.

Rins joined Yamaha in 2024 after recovering from an injury he suffered during a brief stint with Honda.

Yamaha has struggled for competitiveness in recent seasons, with the pair managing only one podium finish between them since the start of 2024. Quartararo recorded that result at last year’s Spanish Grand Prix.

The 2026 campaign has been particularly difficult for Yamaha, who sit near the bottom of the standings on 64 points, while both riders are outside the top 10 in the championship.

SAN JOSE, California, June 30 : Flying high in their best-ever start to a season, the San Jose Earthquakes rule soccer in these parts of California, but they’re making way for new kings as the United States prepare for a World Cup knockout match against Bosnia on Wednesday. 

The clash in the San Francisco Bay Area marks the third of what could be four games in California for the U.S. team, carrying the hopes of millions giddy at the prospect of their deepest run in the showpiece event for 24 years.  

For the fans, players and clubs in soccer stronghold California, hosting World Cup matches offers a chance to show mainstream America that football is no niche sport, but a global phenomenon.

“You see it in the fans, you see it in the stadiums, the crowds, when there’s goals, when there’s big moments that happen, just how big the sport really is across the world,” Earthquakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris told Reuters by the pristine pitch of their modern, 18,000-seat stadium. 

“To bring that here and for us to get a taste of that I think is massive. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about … the passion and the joy that it brings people.” 

“It’ll be really special for the country, most importantly for the Bay Area, to really just show, like, ‘hey listen, soccer has been a thing here and it’s still continuing to grow’.”

LATIN ROOTS

And that growth has been big.

California boasts by far the most teams of any U.S. state in national leagues, with four Major League Soccer clubs, three National Women’s Soccer League teams and five teams in the United Soccer League, plus multiple academies and university teams. 

The San Diego Wave top the NWSL, Orange County lead the USL West and the San Jose Earthquakes are level on points at the top of the MLS Western Conference, for the first time in 14 years. 

The conditions are ripe for soccer to thrive in California, where the climate is warm year-round and the ethnic makeup is diverse, with about 40 per cent of the population Latino, hailing from countries where football dominates. 

The Earthquakes’ academy director Luchi Gonzalez, a U.S. assistant coach at the 2022 World Cup,  said the area had a “soccer-rich” population, partly due to Latin American roots shaping its football culture and local player base.

Hosting six World Cup matches and the U.S. team in the Bay Area could add more impetus to developing home-grown players who he hopes could one day be sold to European clubs, generating vital revenue. 

“That’s going to be a direct impact, a spark plug for the game to keep growing and the motivation to keep growing, and clubs to get better and parents to get more understanding of the game and make more sacrifices,” he said of the World Cup. 

WORLD CUP A CATALYST 

The Earthquakes are in the midst of a turnaround under Bruce Arena, a four-times MLS coach of the year who led the U.S. to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals.

They won nine of their first 10 games this season, an MLS record, and in January signed Germany’s Timo Werner, a Champions League winner with Chelsea, who has scored four times in his seven matches since joining.

“Watching (Arena) bring the Earthquakes back up to the top of the table this year, matching that with the U.S. having the success they’re having … it’s just been amazing to see,” Earthquakes president Jared Shawlee said. 

Ousseni Bouda, a Burkina Faso international scouted by the Earthquakes at nearby Stanford University, said the energy around the World Cup could be inspirational.

“Already a lot of people love soccer here and watch soccer, but now it’s going to get more fans involved,” he said. “They’re going to see the people in the Bay Area really love soccer.” 

Academy coach Gonzalez feels a “calm excitement” about this World Cup, that it could be a catalyst for soccer to eventually become a top-tier sport for Americans. 

“The game is not our game yet in the U.S.,” he said. “But it will be our game one day.”

BUKOVKA, Czech Republic, June 30 : If you didn’t know that Czech soccer fan Miloslav “Curby” Urbanec was fascinated by the Argentine national team, you might have guessed from the house painted in the sky-blue and white of the team strip and flag. Or the life-size statue of Diego Maradona. Or the Lionel Messi mural.

The music promoter’s three-storey house in Bukovka, 90 km (56 miles) east of Prague, even boasts a huge sun emblem, the central motif of the Argentine flag, high on the wall.

A larger-than-life Messi mural adorns the back of the house, and a statue of the late Diego Maradona guards the courtyard. An all-weather football pitch behind the house is surrounded by placards bearing images of the stars of Buenos Aires side Boca Juniors, one of Maradona’s teams.

“As a four-year old kid I watched the 1978 World Cup in Argentina with my father, and I completely loved the long hair of the Argentine players like (Mario) Kempes,” said Urbanec, 51.

“They won the World Cup, that was the start of my passion for Argentina, Boca Juniors, for everything about football.”

Urbanec’s van is painted sky-blue and white, and bears images of Maradona holding the World Cup and of Messi, with the slogan “In Messi we trust”, and a custom number plate reading “MARADONA”.

Urbanec named his second son, now 7, Lionel because, he said, it was clear seven years ago that “this guy is absolutely special”.

Urbanec is sure his side are on course for another victory.

“La Seleccion this time is absolutely amazing,” he said.

“I believe 100 per cent we will win again and it will be a beautiful party, not only in Bukovka – around the world, because Argentina play the most beautiful football.”

Argentina meet Cape Verde in the round of 32 on July 3.