Sports

FIFA chief vows to rebuild all football facilities in Gaza

Published

2 weeks ago

October 14, 2025

FIFA president Gianni Infantino vowed to rebuild all football facilities in Gaza following last weekend’s ceasefire in the besieged territory as he attended the Summit for Peace in Egypt on Monday.

The summit, co-chaired by United States President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was aimed at supporting the recently-established ceasefire, end the two-year war, and develop long-term stability and reconstruction plans for Gaza.

It brought together leaders from the Muslim and Arab world, as well as top European heads of state, including UN chief Antonio Guterres.

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Infantino’s presence was one of the most striking moments of the event, marking an unusual and notable appearance for a sports figure at a high-level political summit.

“Well, football’s role has to be to support, has to be to unite, has to be to give hope in the region,“ Infantino said. “In Gaza, in Palestine, we will, of course, help to rebuild all the football facilities.

“We will help to bring football back — together with the Palestinian Football Association — in every corner of the country.

“We will bring (footballs), we will build pitches, we will bring instructors, we will help organise competitions, we will launch a fund to help rebuild football infrastructure in Palestine,” he said.

He stated that FIFA has contributed with mini-pitches, with the FIFA Arena programme, adding: “We want the whole world to contribute, because football brings hope to children — it’s very, very important.”

Infantino also underscored the “critical leadership” provided by Trump, FIFA
reported.

“The role of President Trump has been absolutely fundamental and crucial in the process. Without President Trump, there would be no peace.

“President Trump has broken down barriers, has built bridges, has put people together, and actually together with Egypt, together with Qatar, together with Turkiye and other countries he mentioned them as well — from Saudi Arabia, to (the United Arab Emirates), to Indonesia, to Bahrain, to Jordan, all these countries here in the Middle East who have supported this process.

“But, under the leadership of President Trump, it happened, and now we can really write some new pages. Pages of togetherness, of peace, in a region which really, really needs it.”

Separately in a post on LinkedIn, Infantino thanked Trump for inviting him to the summit. “I made it clear to all world leaders that FIFA is here to help, to assist and to put ourselves at disposal for whatever we can do to make sure that this peace process comes to fruition and to the best possible end.”

FIFA has faced repeated calls to act over the war in Gaza, with Palestinian officials pressing for Israel to be suspended from international football.

Last week, Amnesty International sent a letter to FIFA and UEFA calling on them to suspend the Israel Football Association.

The issue has been under review by FIFA for months, but no decision has been taken. Infantino has consistently said such matters require consensus with the confederations and must be handled with caution.

The comments came a day after FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani noted that any decision over Israel’s participation in European competitions, including World Cup qualifiers, was a matter for UEFA to decide, effectively putting the onus on the European body.

Infantino said last week that football could not solve conflicts, but it must carry a message of peace and unity as Israel’s genocide in Gaza and other global tensions fuel calls for the sport to take a stand.

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Sports

Babar Azam picked as Fakhar Zaman’s replacement for South Africa T20Is, says Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson

Published

58 minutes ago

October 26, 2025

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After staying out of favour in the Twenty20 International format for Pakistan’s last five assignments, former skipper Babar Azam was picked for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa only after Fakhar Zaman’s decided to skip it, white-ball head coach Mike Hesson said on Sunday.

Since Hesson took over the role in June, Babar hasn’t featured for Pakistan in T20Is with the national side playing series against Bangladesh, the West Indies and a tri-nation series followed by the Asia Cup during that period.

Hesson had cited the right-hander’s low strike-rate as the reason for his absence. But Babar’s selection for the series, which starts in Rawalpindi on Tuesday raised suggested a change of mind for the coach before the New Zealander clarified it.

“I certainly endorse his selection,” Hesson said of Babar while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Pakistan’s training session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. “We’ve sent him (Fakhar) back to first-class cricket after a conversation with him.

“He wanted to focus on improving his technique for one-day cricket, so we gave him a bit of a break from T20s. That’s created an opportunity for another top-order player.”

Hesson confirmed that Babar will take the number three spot instead of the batter’s preferred opening position, where he flourished for Pakistan for a substantial period before eventually falling in form and then out of favour.

The coach, however, has expectations from Babar to make a strong comeback and suggested he saw him in Pakistan’s plans for the T20 World Cup, which is set to be held in February-March next year in India and Sri Lanka.

“It’s a great chance to have Babar back,” said the coach. “He’s likely to bat at number three, a role I’m confident he’ll perform well in.

“It also gives our squad some flexibility ahead of the [T20] World Cup.”

‘Haris needs to work’

Babar’s unexpected return also coincided with the axing of wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Haris from the Pakistan squad even after he received ample backing from the team management across Hesson’s tenure so far.

The 24-year-old proved his mettle with a century against Bangladesh back in June but gradually lost form amid frequent change of batting positions.

Hesson believed Haris needed to go back to the drawing board to fix his issues.

“Haris has had a number of opportunities recently, and he’d be the first to admit he hasn’t made the most of them,” he said. “But he’s still young and developing, so I wouldn’t say his career is over.

“He needs to work on his decision-making with the bat. Even in domestic T20s, he averages around 17, similar to international cricket, so that’s an area for improvement.”

Haris has been replaced by Usman Khan — who last year gave up on a career in the United Arab Emirates to play for Pakistan before being eventually dropped. He emerged out of nowhere and Hesson said he sees the right-hander, who keeps wickets as well, as a good player of spin.

“We see our wicket-keeper batting more through the middle rather than at the top, especially with spin being such a big factor in Sri Lanka during the World Cup. That’s why Usman has been given this opportunity.”

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FIFA announces new ASEAN Cup for Southeast Asia

Published

3 hours ago

October 26, 2025

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A new tournament, the FIFA ASEAN Cup, will be launched as part of an agreement between FIFA and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), aimed at boosting the development of football across the region.

The announcement was made during the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, where FIFA President Gianni Infantino and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding.

The tournament will bring together national teams from all ASEAN member states in a format inspired by the Arab Cup, which was first organised by FIFA in 2021.

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“This will be a great addition to the regional football calendar,” Infantino said.

“Through the FIFA ASEAN Cup, we are uniting countries together, and this competition will be a huge success as it will help boost national team football in the ASEAN region and support the development of our sport across all of Southeast Asia.”

World football’s governing body will work with regional stakeholders including the Asian Football Confederation, the ASEAN Football Federation, and the relevant FIFA member associations to finalise the tournament’s format.

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