#spain olympic squad

[thiagodasilva]

OLYMPIC FINALISTS!

[yamumsyadadd]

Las Blancas v Barca

teresa abelleira x barca!leon reader

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It wasn’t supposed to be a secret, or to come crashing down in the way it did. 

Tere wasn’t that much older than you, just four years. It was less than AMC and Mapi’s age gap but to your big sister, Tere was ancient. 

You officially met Tere when you were called up to the Spanish squad after the Las 15, at barely 18 years old it felt like a huge responsibility, and it was. Mapi had resigned from the team, as had fourteen other players. It look a lot of difficult conversations with Mapi, your parents, and Irene before you accepted. Even though Mapi had she she didn’t want to hold you back or hinder your career in anyway, you could tell there was a part of her that was disappointed. Not in you, but in the RFEF. 

It was the beginning of the rift between the two of you and that’s why your relationship with the Las Blancas player was kept a secret. From everyone. 

“Hi! I’m Tere, you’re Mapi’s little sister right?” 

“Yeah, y/n. Nice to officially meet you.” We shook hands in the lobby of the RFEF accommodation quarters. 

“Vilda asked me to show you around.” You walked around for a while, Tere showing you the lounge area, the cafeteria and the kitchen room. “It’ll be good to get to know you when we aren’t battling against each other on the field!” She laughed and you knew then you were in trouble. 

Ever since that first day at camp, you were in deep. The curly haired, freckled face girl forced her way into your heart. No matter how hard you tried, she was always in your head, even when you were back in Barcelona and she was in Madrid. 

It was in Australia after the World Cup final when all the feelings came out. 

“Tere! We are world champions! World fucking champions!” The alcohol was coursing through your veins at the point, slightly aware of what you were thinking but the ability to stop yourself wasn’t there. 

“We are! And there’s no one else I’d rather do it with.” The skin under her hands made you tingle.

“You’re so beautiful.” It was meant to be a whisper but it was the complete opposite. 

Her lips came crashing down onto yours. It took a few seconds for your mind to register that this was a real thing and not just one of your many frequent dreams. Those few seconds was all it took for Tere to pull back, looking slightly horrified. 

“Oh my god. I’m so sor-“ it was your lips that shut her up. The only way you could describe the feeling of kissing her was like coming home. You both got carried away before she gently stopped. 

“Go on a date with me?” You agreed embarrassing fast. 

The dates were hard to navigate once you were back in Spain but you made it work and now, almost a year later, you were happy in your relationship even if it was a secret. 

It was the first camp back after the disappointing loss that followed the Olympics. Spains first, and potentially last. Finishing fourth and losing the bronze medal game was heartbreaking, for all those involved. There were photos that showed you and Tere looking a little more than teammates but not enough for anyone to truly say anything. But that didn’t apply to Jenni. 

As much as you loved her, she irritated you more than anyone else. Her reasoning was that she was just as much your sister as Mapi was and since Mapi wasn’t there to give you shit, she did it on her behalf. 

It was meant to be just gentle teasing, all in good nature. But after a while it got to you. Instead of being mature and actually discussing it with your girlfriend, you just completely ignored her. 

“Y/n!” Her footsteps were getting closer so you started walking faster, “amor!” She caught up to you easily, grabbing your wrist to spin you around, “why are you ignoring me? What’s wrong?” 

“I can’t deal with it anymore!” 

“With what?” 

“The-the teasing, the jokes, everything! At first it was whatever but now? Now they kept saying how much Mapi would hate it, ‘Barça v Real on the field but lovers in the bedroom’, not everything is about fucking sex.” 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I can ask Jenni to stop?”

“No, god no. Then she’ll know it’s true.” Tere dropped your hand, a look of hurt flashing across her face. 

“Is that really so bad? People knowing that you’re my girlfriend?” 

“Tere we both agreed, we wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Are you ashamed of me? Is that it? I know that Barça and Real have a huge rivalry but I didn’t realise you would be so ashamed to be seen with me.” 

“Tere wait!” It was no use, she was already gone, “that wasn’t even what I meant.” 

Begrudgingly, you decided to join the dinosaurs in the rec room. Jenni and Misa were playing pool and Alexia and Irene were on the couch. You forced yourself between your two captains, head following onto Alexia’s shoulder. 

“You okay nena?” Irene poked your cheek. 

“No I messed things up.” Both girls gave you a curious look, encouraging you to carry on, “I may have said something that I shouldn’t have to someone and it hurt their feelings but my feelings were hurt first and now they are mad at me.” 

“Is this person someone who is important to you?” 

“Very. I love her, so much and I want everyone to know how much but it’s hard.” 

“There’s a difference between private and a secret. Which one does this girl fall under?” 

“A secret.” You mumbled out, knowing that chastising you were going to receive. 

“I’m going to take a wild stab in the dark here and say that you and this mystery girl agreed to keep your relationship a secret during the World Cup but now she wants to tell people?” Irene gave you a knowing smile, all you could do is nod your head. 

“I think you’re overdue for a proper conversation with Tere.” Your head shot up at Alexia’s words, eyes wide as if you’d been caught with your hand in the cookie jar, “she’s a good person. I would say great but she plays for Real. Go talk to her.” 

You shot up on your feet, quickly hugging and kissing both their cheeks and then you were off. It took a lot of grovelling and the promise to slowly start telling people. 

There was a plan in place, it had been throughly discussed and agreed upon but that all turned to shit as soon as you entered the locker room after the first El Classico game of the season. 

Everyone was extremely happy, as usual. Standing there, at the door way, you just blurted it out. 

“I’m in love with Teresa Abelleria and we have been dating for a year.” The entire room fell silent, everyone slowly turning to look at you, but all you could do was stand there like a deer in headlights. That was definitely not the plan. 

“What?” It was your sister’s voice that cut through the silence. 

“I, um-“ 

“A year? An entire fucking year and you kept this from me?” Mapi had started to make her way towards you, fury filled her face. 

“I was planning on telling you. I was. But I needed time to figure it out myself and not have anyone butt in with their unwanted opinions.” 

“My opinion doesn’t matter to you? That’s a bit rough. Your opinion matters to me, y/n.”

“Mapi that’s not what I meant and you know that!” 

“Then what did you mean! Use your fucking words!” She yelled. Everyone in the locker room was just watching it unfold. 

“Ever since I got called up to the senior team you’ve been disappointed in me! After every single game you always tell me what I need to do better, never once have you said ‘you played well today’ it’s always critical! So I’m sorry that I didn’t want to give you something else to criticise me for.” You turned and slammed the door open. 

After mindless walking, you found the Real Madrid locker room, you knocked before you entered, not wanting to walk in on anyone naked or worse, a useless pep talk. Tere noticed the dry tears straight away, pulling you into her chest and whispering reassurances in your ear. It took a while before you calmed down. 

“Talk to her amor. Listen to her and talk to her. I’ll see you tomorrow yeah?” She kissed your cheek and squeezed your hand before leaving. 

The bus ride was tense. Mapi and Ingrid were talking in hushed voices, occasionally glancing over towards you but you never noticed, too far in your own head. 

“Y/n can we please talk?” Mapi asked nervously after you’d all gotten off the bus. 

“I guess.” You shrugged your shoulders, following her line of sight to see Alexia and Ingrid looking over. 

“I was mad at you for keeping a secret but that wasn’t fair of me. You have every right to keep your relationships private and not tell me.” 

“Okay, good night.” 

“No! Wait! You said, you said I have been disappointed in you since you were called up but that’s not true. Absolutely not true, I am so proud. I’m just scared, scared that they will treat you like they treated me and the others.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “you have always been the biggest light. You are so pure, so full of sunshine and I didn’t want them to take it away from you but in being scared, I didn’t realise I would be the reason that you lost your light. So I’m sorry, so incredibly sorry and I’ll spend everyday making it up to you.” 

“Okay.” 

“Okay?” 

“Yeah. Tomorrow Tere and I are going out for breakfast. Do you and Ingrid want to come?” 

“YES!” Mapi shouted, jumping onto you and wrapping her limbs around. 

Breakfast the following morning was tense. Mapi looked angry, Ingrid just ignored her and continued to ask Tere questions to get to know her, actually caring about her answers. 

“Mapi, I need to apologise to you.” Tere said nervously. 

“What?” Mapi looked taken aback. 

“Throughout the whole Las 15 issues I didn’t stand by you. I did things and said things that I regret. I am so sorry for that, if I could I would go back and change everything. Stand by all of you from day one. The club- they wouldn’t let us. It was them or you and I didn’t want to lose my position on the team.” You gave her hand a squeeze for reassurance. It was a conversation that you had both many times. 

“Thanks for apologising. It hurt to know that my own national teammates didn’t have my back. Truly, I wish you all the best but I will never return. I hope you’re looking after my little sister when she’s there.” 

“Of course!” 

“Good because if you hurt her, I will ruin you.” She said it with a big smile on her face and Tere audibly gulped. 

“Maria!” 

It definitely took some time for Mapi to see you as a grown up in a relationship and there were some arguments about the age difference but all in all everything went smoothly. On camp, Mapi made the dinosaurs watch over the both of you. Never allowed to have time alone with Tere. The dinosaurs took her under their wing, just like they had with you. 

[pelova4president]

Ice Ice baby

Vicky Lopez x WinterAthlete!Reader

summary~ You get swept off your feet by a cute girl on the slopes in Spain

!warning! not proof read

It was weird how Barcelona stargirl Vicky Lopez was here, watching you perform in the winter olympics. A few months ago you never would have thought she was here for you.

You had met the Spanish girl on a snowboarding trip to Andorra. It had been one of your training locations for years. It wasn’t exactly the time of the year for tourists so it surprised you to see a whole squad of amateur skiers and snowboarders on the slope.

Your trainer had planned a location for you to train but it was rudely disturbed by one of those amateur skiers. She went faster and faster and eventually couldn’t control her direction anymore. You saw the girl sliding towards you and before you knew it her ski helmet was hovering above yours.

“Oh my god, i’m so sorry. I swear i’m a lot better at skiing than this!” she apologised.

“It’s alright, snowboarding is better anyway.” you laughed dryly as you took your helmet off.

Vicky didn’t really move and was still on top of you, staring at your helmet-less face. She thought you were quite cute without on one.

“Uhm so.. i can’t really move to get up since you’re on top of me…” you started as it didn’t really look like she was planning on getting up anytime soon.

“Oh yeah, yeah sorry.” Vicky stammered as she finally got up she offered you her hand.

“I’m Vicky by the way, it’s my second time skiing but i’m sure you could tell.” the spaniard had taken her helmet off and you stared at her moving lips. It wasn’t often that you saw a girl as cute as her on a ski slope.

Your trainer called you as he traveled by.

“I’m y/n, you looked like a true professional, would’ve thought you had been skiing your whole life.” you laughed.

Vicky covered her face with her hands as her cheeks grew even redder from embarrassment. “Maybe skiing is just not for you, it wasn’t really for me anyway. Try snowboarding, next time i see you i’ll try to teach you.” you offered her, hoping to see her again.

Vicky liked the sound of that, seeing you again. Wintersport wasn’t really her thing.

Your relationship developed pretty fast. It was hard not to fall for a girl as beautiful as her.

One day you’re taken out by a cute girl and the next you’re sitting in the lobby of her hotel drinking hot chocolate milk. Fairly early into your relationship you learned she was a professional footballer.

It wasn’t that you didn’t watch other sports than snowboarding, you knew the clubs like Barcelona and Manchester City, you just didn’t really ever get further into football. But now the girl you had a little crush on had told you she played for Barcelona so you had to watch it.

Vicky found it pretty impressive you were a professional footballer, especially at your age. At only 18 years old you had already European Champion on your name.

You met her teammates not long after. It wasn’t really voluntarily though. You happened to be in Spain for a few days and on your day off you took your chance to go and see your ‘friend’ play. You texted Vicky and hour before kick-off and as she walked out you could see her searching for you.

When she finally found you she gave the longer girl with braids next to her a push and pointed towards your section. You could see them talking and it made you nervous.

After the game a sweaty Vicky and a few of her teammates walked towards you.

“Hi snow princess!” Vicky greeted you happily. She moved towards you and went in for a hug.

“Hi stargirl” you whispered back.

Vicky pulled out of the hug and started to introduce you to her teammates. “So this is Cata, she’s a bit crazy and a goalie as you can see. This is Bruna and this is Martina, they’re a bit weird but very funny. And here you have Salma” - Vicky leaned in to whisper in your ear - “She’s a bit scary at first but she’ll warm up to you” - The spanish girl stepped away again and introduced you to the very last one of her teammates she brought to meet you - “The last but very not least, La Reina, Alexia Putellas, the female Messi and our Captain.” Vicky ended.

You didn’t know how to react so you sheepishly waved at the girls in front of you. “And everyone, this is uh- my uh girlfriend, friend that’s a girl.” Vicky said as she looked between you and her teammates.

You don’t know how you got the courage to even talk infront of the most talented female footballers but you did. “I’m y/n, Vicky’s girl-friend as in girlfriend.” you smiled at her.

“Yep, y/n is my girlfriend.” the midfielder said, this time proudly.

With the Olympics coming up you didn’t get to spend much time with your girlfriend. She had a full agenda and so did you. It was hard since the both of you were travelling all the time. You were still 18, so the both of you had to really think about your upcoming careers.

When the Olympics finally arrived and you got to wear the flag of Finland with pride you made the most of it, even if it meant you still couldn’t see your girlfriend.

You tried to face time her every day but it was hard since the games where held in China and she was still in Spain. But even though it was hard to speak to one another she still left you voice notes telling you about her day. And you’d never tell anyone about it, afraid they’ll see you as anything other than an actual ice queen but you listen to those notes before every game. And apparently it brought good luck.

So when you saw Vicky Lopez and two other Barcelona girls sitting in the stands. You wondered how she got here just before the finale. She waved over at you and formed a heart with her hands. You took your helmet partly off and smiled at the tanned girl.

Your girlfriend had begged Alexia to let her watch one of your games. At first she wouldn’t let you, not in the middle of the season. But when she found out how much she missed you from Salma she couldn’t help but feel bad.

Salma and Cata had heard enough of Vicky complaining about how much she missed you and how bad she felt that she couldn’t be there to support you. It really got to them when they catched Vicky looking through her photo albums of you smiling at your pictures together like a lovedrunk idiot.

As you got ready to perform you took another look at Vicky. You had to atleast try to win it, you were no loser. You could do it, for her.

So you got ready for the slopestyle and did what you did best, snowboard. It went by like it never happened, it was like you blacked out, you didn’t remember what you did but you were done. You had completed the slopestyle.

And you had won. You had won gold.

It felt like the media was never ending, the camera’s and microphone kept coming. You just had to find your girlfriend.

Pushing through you finally found her. She had a think coat on, one she was probably forced to wear by her captain.

“My snow princess did it! Olen ylpeä sinusta (I’m proud of you) Vicky whispered into your neck.

You smiled into her and had to stiffle your laugh “You learned some Finnish for me, how romantic.”

“Hey! I thought you’d like it!” Vicky pulled away, she looked a bit offended.

“No no, me gusta.” you kissed her.

Alexia and Salma looked at the two of you from a distance. “Gross, they’re so in love it’s disgusting.” Salma grumbled under her breath.

“Let them be, they’re just teenagers… But if Vicky catches a cold i’ll kill her.” Alexia said.

vickyylopezz._

liked by aitanabonmati and 147.131 others

my olympic champion 🥇

y/n_y/l/n mi amor ❤️

A/N yet another not proof read fic, i’m just too lazy sorry

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

They are clearly on the warpath with BRF right now. Interview, security articles, followed by yet another fake royal tour announcement. Wonder what they are temper tantruming about. It’s a bigger one than usual.

Well, let's review what happened recently.

For the BRF:

Kate made an appearance after three months' privacy and the world flipped out. Meghan makes an appearance after three months' privacy and no one gives a hoot.

William had a birthday.

William went to the Eras Tour.

William honored his father for Father's Day with a picture of him and his father. Harry (via Sussex Squad mouthpieces) flipped out that he wasn't included.

Kate made an appearance after 2-3 weeks' privacy and the world flipped out.

William got new patronages and new presidencies.

William had appearances with the King of Denmark and the King of Spain for football.

The BRF's financial reports came in. They made a boatload of money.

Charles and Camilla announced the first major foreign royal tour of their monarchy: Australia in October.

Anne was hospitalized and had to scale down her schedule for a bit because there was no one to backfill her.

Anne is representing the BRF and the UK at the Olympics.

Charles and Camilla attended the State Opening of Parliament.

The BRF had Holyrood Week and last year's photos of William and Kate made the rounds again.

William hosted a garden party with Peter, Zara and Mike, Beatrice, and Eugenie.

William played polo at Windsor Castle.

And let's recap the Sussexes:

Harry was accused of hiding and destroying evidence in his phone-hacking lawsuit.

Harry got Charles's top courtiers dragged into his phone-hacking lawsuit.

Meghan's dog biscuits and raspberry jelly were universally panned.

Meghan was trolled by the press for promoting her business while Kate was making her first public appearance in 3 months.

The Sussexes were late on paying administrative fees for their charity and it was global news.

They were not invited to Balmoral this year.

[leveloneandup]

Tobin and Christen Discuss the World Cup Finals with Lindsey Horan and Allyson Swaby ⚽️ | Episode 8

Tobin and Christen present the final episode of The RE—CAP Show: World Cup Edition. In this episode they celebrate both England and Spain making it to the finals and put extra attention on the World Cup Champions; Spain. Then, Christen chats with Jamaica’s captain, Allyson Swaby, on Jamaica’s incredible run in the World Cup and how they surpassed expectations despite their lack of financial support. Then, Tobin and Christen are joined by the captain of the USWNT, Lindsey Horan to discuss Lindsey’s admiration of Tobin as a teammate from an early age, the responsibility she felt leading the American squad this World Cup, her goals for the Olympics and so much more. Finally, Tobin and Christen reflect on their first season of The RE—CAP Show and why they were inspired to pursue it. What do they want to see in women’s sports media? How do they plan to be a part of it? And why Ally is such an important partner to support the game’s growth? And, as always, community questions, a World Cup Finals prediction and Tobin’s Top Things! Thanks to everyone who supported this season!

[rafaelnadalfans]

Rafael Nadal will play for Spain at the Davis Cup in Malaga

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) (Reuters) – Former world number one Rafa Nadal has been added to Spain’s Davis Cup Final Eight squad, organisers said on Monday. The Spanish squad will also include world number three Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Marcel Granollers. The 38-year-old Nadal last played at the Paris Olympics, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in…

[aus-wnt]

CommBank Matildas’ defenders Steph Catley and Kaitlyn Torpey will be unavailable for this weekend’s upcoming match against Canada in Marbella, Spain.

Australia will host world number eight Canada on Saturday, 13 July 2024 (local) at 9.00pm CEST in their final hit out before the Paris 2024™ Olympic Games.

Catley will continue to rehabilitate following a lower leg injury sustained prior to arriving in Australia’s extended training camp last week.

Torpey sustained a lower leg injury and was placed on the unavailable list for San Diego Wave’s National Women’s Soccer League match against the Portland Thorns on 6 July.

Both players will remain with the squad in the extended training camp during their rehabilitation.

Defender Winonah Heatley has been called up as an additional training player for the July FIFA Women’s International Window. The 23-year-old enters the camp off the back of a strong season in Denmark.

The FC Nordsjælland captain helped her side to their first Elitedivisionen title, scoring a decisive goal in the final match of the season to clinch the league. Days later Heatley completed the double as FC Nordsjælland lifted the Danish Cup to claim a historic feat.

Following this match against Canada, Australia’s Olympic Squad – led by captain Steph Catley – will relocate to Marseille, France ahead of their opening match against Germany on 25 July 2024.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Who's Menor's favourite tennis player for both male and female?

Serena Williams for the women. Menor doesn't think you can find a more iconic female tennis player except maybe Venus. She met Serena once at a tournament and nearly couldn't speak to her because she was so in awe

Andy Murray is her favourite men's player. Menor is in awe over his recovery from his long injury list and the fact that he's still playing. She's excited to see him as the wild card in the Olympics this year

(Menor has been selected for the Olympic squad for Spain)

[rmfantasysetpieces1]

By Nick Miller Jul 18, 2022

Barbra Banda is a woman.

It’s important to start from that point for a couple of reasons.

The first is that nothing in what follows here should suggest she is not a woman. The second reason is that this is ultimately an extremely sad human story — one about a footballer who is potentially about to be denied her career — not an “issue” to be jumped on by anyone with malign intent.

You might be familiar with Banda if you watched the women’s football tournament at the Olympics last summer. Zambia only gained a point from their three games in Japan, comprehensively outmatched in a 10-3 opening defeat by the Netherlands, although they did draw 4-4 with China and performed credibly in only losing 1-0 to Brazil.

Banda dazzled, though.

The forward scored hat-tricks against the Dutch and the Chinese — the first woman to ever score back-to-back trebles at the Olympics — a combination of pace, wily movement and slick finishing earmarking the then 21-year-old as arguably the breakout star from the women’s football.

Banda moved from Dux Logrono in northern Spain to the slightly more lucrative environs of Shanghai Shengli at the start of 2020. In her first season in Shanghai, she was top scorer in the Chinese Women’s Super League with 18 goals from 13 games.

Her performances have been such that she has been heavily linked with a move back to Spanish football with Real Madrid this summer, although neither the club nor a source close to the player could confirm how advanced that potential transfer is.

She was thus expected to be one of the key players at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, currently taking place in Morocco.

FIFA was using her image to promote the tournament only a week or so before it started. The tournament’s Twitter feed hyped her as one of the players to watch at WAFCON. Zambia have never made it beyond the group stage on the other two occasions they qualified for WAFCON in its current format in 2014 and 2018. But with Banda as their captain, supported by brilliant No 10 Grace Chanda and electric winger Xiomara Mapepa, they had a real shot at making a significant impact this time.

Then, just before the tournament started, Zambia announced a squad that did not have Banda, along with two other players who were expected to be named, in it.

Initially, the official line was that Banda was not present for slightly vague-sounding “medical reasons”. Ultimately it emerged that she had not met the criteria put forward in the gender verification tests laid down by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), African football’s governing body.

Banda’s tests revealed elevated levels of testosterone — naturally occurring, but higher than the levels permitted by CAF (which maintains it is simply applying standards put forward by FIFA, football’s global rulers).

Testosterone level is not the only criterion, but neither CAF nor officials from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) would confirm what those other criteria were.

It was an echo of the previous edition of the tournament four years ago, when Banda was initially named in the Zambia squad but was ultimately prevented from competing for similar reasons. But it left a star on the sidelines, opened a debate that could easily stray into desperately toxic areas, and perhaps most importantly denied a young woman the chance to play on one of the biggest stages of her career.

The whole business is, to be frank, an absolute mess. There has been claim and counter-claim throughout, but the situation as The Athletic understands it is as follows.

Before the tournament, FAZ medical staff conducted tests to, in their view, comply with gender recognition regulations set forward by CAF and FIFA. After those tests, Banda and three players were not named in their WAFCON squad. Zambia did not call up any replacements: a maximum of 26 players are allowed in each squad, and they named 22.

The players were offered hormone suppression medication that could bring their testosterone down to “acceptable” levels, but — setting aside the moral issues of whether that is acceptable — due to side effects reported by athletes who have taken them in the past, such as South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya, they declined.

“These are personal issues, and she refused,” former FAZ official Blackwell Siwale told ESPN. “Someone should first counsel (them), and tell that how it would affect them, or that it might affect their energy levels et cetera.”

It was reported that CAF had “banned” the players from competing, but the African federation’s position was that Zambia simply named a squad as they saw fit, rather than the players in question being included and CAF rejecting them.

Ergo, in CAF’s view, this was all essentially nothing to do with it as the governing body.

Zambia, clearly, took a different view.

“Everybody at home has been made to believe that FAZ did nothing and decided on their own to exclude the player,” FAZ president Andrew Kamanga told the BBC. “We the federations are compelled to undertake the tests and then we pass on the information to CAF, and CAF, equally, test the players if needs be in the tournament. So it will be unfair to turn around and say CAF is not part and parcel of whatever has transpired.”

FAZ made representations to a meeting on July 7 that involved officials from FIFA, the CAF medical department and others. It “appealed” Banda’s omission from the tournament.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s campaign on the pitch was underway. Banda was still with the squad in Morocco, supporting the team from the stands.

Rumours circulated on social media in the following days that FIFA had intervened and Banda would be allowed to play in the remainder of the tournament, but these turned out to be false.

FIFA did not respond when asked by The Athletic for comment.

Then, on July 12, CAF wrote to Adrian Kashala, the general secretary of FAZ — a rather brusque letter that has been seen by The Athletic. In so many words, the letter tells Zambia to get lost. The letter reiterates the position that there was “no decision taken by any CAF body” so, officially and technically speaking, there is nothing to appeal against.

A FAZ spokesman suggested that it will work in the future to change the regulations in the long term, but as things stand Banda and the other players will not be allowed to compete in the ongoing WAFCON, where Zambia face South Africa in the semi-finals today (Monday).

And that, at the time of writing, is that.

A situation that is, at best, deeply unsatisfactory, whereby a player is being prevented from representing their country and nobody seems to be taking responsibility for the decision to prevent her from doing so.

The FAZ says it is complying with CAF rules. CAF says it had nothing to do with the decision.

When asked to supply more details about its medical processes, CAF declined to do so. FIFA is, at present, saying nothing.

It is worth pausing for a minute to look at exactly why increased levels of testosterone are considered to provide an athletic advantage.

“Testosterone is an anabolic hormone,” says professor Anthony Hackney from the exercise and sports science department of the University of North Carolina in the US. “One of the major things that anabolisms do is build protein.

“One of the largest tissues of your body that contains the most protein is skeletal muscle, and when skeletal muscle is asked to do its job — to contract and produce force, strength, endurance — it has to use those proteins.

“One of the reasons testosterone is viewed as a possible enhancement to sports performance is to allow you to have more muscle, which means you have more force-generating capacity, more strength and greater endurance.

“The other aspect of this anabolism is that one of the proteins that it helps to synthesise is haemoglobin, which is found in your red blood cells, and haemoglobin’s job is to carry oxygen. Any highly aerobic sporting activity is potentially going to be benefitted by more haemoglobin, which could be due to more testosterone.”

So, in short, testosterone could potentially make you stronger and faster for longer. Which is why artificial enhancements, such as anabolic steroids, are banned in sport.

But there is no suggestion the testosterone levels found in Banda are anything but naturally occurring.

The most prominent and obvious case that will come to the mind of most people when hearing about Banda’s situation is that of Semenya, who has been barred from competing in her favoured 800m event (the event she has two Olympic and three World Championship gold medals in) since 2019, unless she first takes medication that lowers her testosterone levels, which she has refused to do. Recently, Semenya called leading figures in African athletics “cowards” for not fighting harder for competitors in her situation.

However, directly comparing Banda and Semenya is tricky, simply because not enough is publicly known about Banda’s condition to put them both in the same category. Their issues are both related to “differences in sexual development” tests and regulations but they could be different, so at this stage, it is probably wise not to make a direct comparison.

From its perspective, CAF will argue that it is simply trying to be fair, and trying to avoid a situation similar to the one that came to a head after the 2010 WAFCON when complaints were lodged against two Equatorial Guinea players who took part in that tournament.

After that, CAF introduced the regulations at the centre of this case.

The whole situation seems deeply unsatisfying, partly because it is so opaque, but also from a distance at least, it is inconsistent. A FAZ official, when contacted by The Athletic, bemoaned a situation where Banda and other athletes in her position could appear in some international competitions but not in others.

“The points we touch upon in our position is the inconsistency in these rules,” says Tim Harper, executive director of Equity Sport, a group that aims to advance equality in global sport and does much of its work in sub-Saharan Africa. “Banda was allowed to play in the Olympics and was celebrated throughout as a superstar, and now, a year later, she’s suddenly not allowed to even be on the pitch.”

Olympic rules in this area only apply to a select few sports, including the 400-metre, 800-metre and hammer throw. Football isn’t included, so Banda was allowed to play at the Games last summer, and did so brilliantly.

Equity Sport also points out that this is an issue which seems to disproportionately impact Black, sub-Saharan African women.

In addition to Banda and Semenya, recent examples include Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, two Namibian 400-metre runners who were banned from those same Tokyo Olympics.

“What we want to understand is whether this is a biological matter,” Harper says.

The short answer to which is: It might be.

Professor Hackney is at pains to point out that the vast majority of research into whether higher levels of testosterone naturally occur in Black athletes has been conducted on men, but: “If you look at just the male research, there is evidence to suggest very definitely that testosterone happens to be higher in African Americans, than in matched Caucasian white populations.

“The difference is consistent, it seems to be across age ranges, but it’s not a large magnitude of difference. It’s in the range of five per cent, maybe 10 per cent, so it’s not as if it’s astronomically higher. I would suspect it would also be true in women, but again, without the same body of evidence and literature, I couldn’t say Black women are always going to have higher testosterone levels.”

“It should concern all of us,” Harper says. “If it was happening to the England team, there would be even more of a global media storm about it.

“The question we have to ask ourselves is: Is this what we want sport to be?”

Again, it should be repeated that testosterone is not the sole marker in this case, although FAZ seems to think it forms a disproportionate part of the regulations.

“Many players can be affected by these regulations, and football is their livelihood,” FAZ communications director Sydney Mungala told ESPN. “I think the CAF regulations are a lot more stringent (than Olympic regulations), and they put too much stress on testosterone levels.”

But what of the woman at the centre of this latest episode?

It’s easy to forget that, although Banda has been part of the Zambia team for some time and was their captain, she is still just 22.

Banda grew up playing on the streets of capital city Lusaka, and her talent meant she became the first female Zambian footballer to play for a European club. She is a wildly popular member of the squad, and not just because she is their best player. A source close to Banda described her as “jovial” but also “a warrior”.

The source suggested she was coping as well as can be expected with her omission from the WAFCON squad, although there were concerns that the debate around her could adversely impact her mental state.

Even if she is unable to play for Zambia in Morocco, she has been present at their games and has posted her encouragement to the team on social media as they have progressed to the final four.

After each victory, she has tweeted messages of congratulations, all of which include a variant of “I am with you all the way”.

And “all the way” might not just be a turn of phrase, because Zambia — nicknamed The Copper Queens (copper mining is big business there) — have been exceptional so far. They were arguably the most eye-catching team in the group stage, easing into things with a 0-0 draw against Cameroon, then squeezing past Tunisia 1-0 with a stoppage-time winner before really cutting loose to defeat Togo 4-1.

With her direct, rapid running, Mapepa won a penalty after 47 seconds against Togo. That was missed by defender Lushomo Mweemba, but from that point Chanda took over, dictating the game from the No 10 position and helping herself to two goals. Another came from Ireen Lungu, architect of some remarkable passes elsewhere in the game (some have nicknamed her “Xavi”), who skimmed a 35-yard effort over the goalkeeper after the ball had broken to her.

Mapepa, who has described Banda as her “idol” and is wearing her No 11 shirt at the tournament, scored the pick of the goals late in the first half, shortly after Togo had made it 2-1; driving down the left flank, leaving defenders in her wake, she thrashed a finish into the roof of the net from an implausible angle. Then came their quarter-final against Senegal on Wednesday. It was a nervy affair, the tension raised by the fact that the teams knew victory would also earn them a World Cup spot (WAFCON doubles as African qualification for next summer’s global tournament in Australia and New Zealand), something neither side had previously achieved.

It went to penalties, and in what can only be described as “quite the flex”, goalkeeper Hazel Nali stepped up to take Zambia’s fifth kick. Into the top corner it went and Zambia were through — to the semis, and to their first ever World Cup. Whether Banda will be there with them is another question entirely.

Even given her absence on the field, Banda was with the team off it. She was there in the dressing room after that shootout victory in Casablanca, wearing a team tracksuit and a shirt with the number 23 (remember, Zambia only named 22 players in their squad when 26 are permitted) on it, leading her team-mates in celebratory song.

“This was for Barbra Bandaaaaaaaaaa!!!!” yelled Nali as the whole squad celebrated.

“We still missed them,” said Zambia coach Bruce Mwape after the Togo game, when asked about the missing players. “They are part of our team.”

Zambia could be on the verge of doing something extraordinary.

It’s just profoundly sad that Banda won’t be on the pitch to do it with them.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3426458/2022/07/18/barbra-banda-womens-football/

#rmsoccer

[wosobronze]

I want Spain to win and they do have the best squad imo but for the Olympics what worries me is the turnaround of games, tactics, squad use / rotation and I’m not sure I trust in montse for that. Hopefully alexia plays a part time manager role 💀

i’m veryyy excited for their game against japan after the world cup shenanigans

but yeah i agree, these tournaments are always such a mix of excitement and then just genuine stress that some of ur favourite players are gunna be burnt out and end up injured.

in la reina we trust✨

[b14augrana]

Hi !! did scrubber play in any under 23 , 17 games for spain or she was directly called upto senior national team for Spain?

She was advised by her agent to turn down call-ups to the U-17 and U-23 squads.

The call-ups were coming in the same season she made her debut for the Barcelona senior women’s squad, and her agent knew that the call-up to the Spanish women’s senior team wouldn’t be too far away after that happened.

Her agent was right. She’s glad she gave up a whole U-17 Euros campaign for an Olympic and Euro-qualifying campaign

[dweemeister]

July 19, 2023

By Naaman Zhou

(The New Yorker) — Last winter, on a cold pitch in London, Liverpool’s women’s team played Chelsea, which was on a seventeen-game unbeaten streak and has lately been one of the dominant teams in English women’s soccer. It was the fourth round of the F.A. Cup, a knockout competition known for the occasional surprise. Liverpool scored twice—but Chelsea had Samantha Kerr. In the thirty-second minute, the twenty-nine-year-old striker received a pass from her teammate Niamh Charles, mid-run, raised a foot near the height of her shoulder, and pummelled the ball left to right into the top corner of the goal. Shortly after halftime, she scored again, off a quick pass, after stepping into a blind spot behind a Liverpool defender. Later, the ball came her way in the air. She jumped, the neck muscles turned, the ball fell in. When the game ended, the score was Liverpool 2, Kerr 3. “It was almost a given, wasn’t it?” a commentator murmured, before it was through.

Afterward, Kerr hugged her teammates and exchanged the customary back pats. Game-changing goals are routine for her—they seem to define the entire season for others. Like all of soccer’s great strikers, Kerr has a full menu of ways to score; commentators like to call it a knack, or an eye for goal. But, with Kerr, it’s all about motion. “Next time you watch her play, see who makes the first movements,” Emma Hayes, her coach at Chelsea, once said. “It’s always Sam.” Carli Lloyd, a two-time World Cup winner with the U.S. team, told me, “She’s a sniper in front of the goal. She will hover, and she will find a way.” Between 2017 and 2022, Kerr was the top scorer in every league she played in, across the highest tiers of Australia, the United States, and England—sometimes simultaneously. It has been nearly four years since she last played a game in the National Women’s Soccer League, in the U.S., but she is still the league’s all-time top scorer, with more goals than Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe.

Kerr is also the captain and star player of the national team of Australia, which, along with New Zealand, is hosting the Women’s World Cup. Australia has never advanced further than the quarterfinals. The reigning champion and world No. 1 is the United States. Spain has the best player in the world, the midfielder Alexia Putellas. England won the Euros, and Canada won the gold medal in the Olympics, where Australia finished fourth. Still, in the past few months, the Australian team, known as the Matildas, has beaten or matched several of the world’s best squads. Its second-best player, the defender Ellie Carpenter, is back from a nearly yearlong injury. And there will be a home-field advantage. “I think there’s tremendous pressure,” Lloyd, who will cover this year’s tournament as an analyst for Fox Sports, told me. “If they don’t go far in this World Cup, it’s going to be deemed as a failure.”

[andiessoccerblog]

Group D Breakdown

Expected to move on: England, Denmark

Expected to exit in group stage: China, Haiti

England

FIFA Ranking: 4

Reputation:

England is my favorite to win the World Cup. In 2022 they won the European Womens’ championship, cementing their position as a possible winner of the 2023 World Cup. Despite a few major injuries, the Lionesses are in fine form, and have a really solid core group of women with a good mix of veterans and young (but not inexperienced) talent. Their players mostly play at home in the FAWSL, possibly the best women's league in the world. The FAWSL also attracts international talents, so many of these players are already playing with and against their competitors, learning their styles and skills. Their coach Sarina Wiegman has a great record with England, and with the Netherlands in the 2019 World Cup where they made the final. 

Player Pool:

There are a couple veterans that deserve a call out, like defender Lucy Bronzeand midfielder Jordan Nobbs, but the energy and heart that makes this England squad different from past rosters comes in a group of younger players. Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, and Chloe Kelly will be playing in their first World Cup, and have been in outstanding form for their English clubs and at the international level. 

2019 WWC performance:

England did well in group play, led in scoring by Ellen White, who really came into her own this World Cup. They notably defeated previous runner up, Japan. They had perhaps the easiest path to the semifinals, taking on Cameroon and Norway. England was unlucky to come up against the USA in the semifinals instead of the finals, but they followed up their loss to the USA with a loss to Sweden, unlike 2015.

China

FIFA Ranking: 14

Reputation:

China used to be really good. Asia Games champions a couple times, deep runs into World Cups and olympics, but no Gold Medals.In the past, they have recruited top basketball, track, and volleyball players to play soccer in order to be faster and taller than their opponents. It’s an interesting strategy that hasn’t...not...worked. But it hasn’t really worked, either. They are showing an international comeback, including beating South Korea  in the 2022 Asian Cup Finals. They have kept up with teams close to them in rankings, but will struggle against any team in the top 10. 

Player Pool:

All of the players on the team except one  play in China, a league that I do not follow, but one player does play in the USA for Racing Louisville FC, Wang Shuang. Their team looks very different than the squad that represented China in 2019, so standout players are generally unpredictable. I would expect veteran forward Wang Shanshan and defender Lou Jiahui to feature in starting lineups.

2019 WWC performance:

China didn’t play horribly, but they weren’t the team seen in previous years either. They sneaked into the group stage after a loss to Germany by salvaging a tie against Spain. They were eliminated by dark horse Italy in the round of sixteen. In total, they only scored 1 goal in all four games, which means their defense maintained two shutouts and limited opponents’ goals quite well. 

Denmark

FIFA Ranking: 18

Reputation: 

If any group has the potential for a ranking upset, it is this one. Denmark, although ranked below China, has been testing their mettle against all of Europe, and have shown themselves to be a worthy inclusion to the World Cup. It is not their first, in fact it is their fourth World Cup, even though they haven’t qualified since 2007. They have been on the edge of qualifying for World Cups in the past couple years, and  now the expanded field of teams has allowed them back in the cloche, and I don’t see them wasting their opportunity. 

Player Pool:

The Denmark roster boasts players across all of the major leagues in Europe–England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Sweden. Captain Pernille Harder plays for Chelsea FC, one of the best of the best clubs in the world, and is the top all-time goalscorer in Danish football history. Forwards Mille Gejl Jensen and Rikke Madsen have found success at their American club, North Carolina Courage, in the 2023 summer season, which likely helped them onto the roster. 

2019 WWC performance:

Did not qualify

Haiti

FIFA Ranking: 55

Reputation: 

Haiti has never played in a world tournament, and their narrow qualification was a very proud moment for the entire country, and for the larger CONCACAF region. They will probably struggle against the other teams in their group, but it will be valuable experience for the players going forward.

Player Pool:

Melchie Dumorney, midfielder, won the CONCACAF qualifying young player of the tournament, and scored the two decisive goals against Chile to qualify for the World Cup. There are a few players that play college soccer in the USA, but the majority of them play for smaller clubs in France, which does give them experience playing european-style soccer.

2019 WWC performance:

Did not qualify

[alexbkrieger13]

I think part of it is also Peter wanting his long standing veterans to benefit from the results of their long time contribution to women’s football. Namely, players will be paid a lot of money for this world cup. The most ever. Understandable, but if you do that with too many players, basically selecting them for non-sporting reasons, having maybe 5 players in a squad of 23 that have been injured and aren’t match fit (because they haven’t played), then you’ll get punished by the best teams. There’s just no way around that.

Maybe Peter is thinking that we can’t beat Spain or America with a young and inexperienced squad either, so he still wants to go with the veterans and give them a last world cup.

I think this squad has a very good combination of players that have done it before many many times, those who have a lot of international experience but are a bit younger and then a younger group of players that have come in more recently. I think what a lot of this you just have to trust the process realistically they wouldn't have been picked unless they were certain they could go. They're not stupid enough to pull a US Olympic 2021 Style

[ynghiacuocsong60]

The Euro 2024 Champion Aiming for Olympic Gold in Paris | Transfer rumors The Euro 2024 Champion Aiming for Olympic Gold in ParisFermin Lopez, the young star playing for Barcelona, is setting his sights on a historic double triumph this summer as he aims to secure both the Euro 2024 title and the Olympic gold with Spain. Lopez, 21, is one of the two Spanish players who will compete in both prestigious tournaments, alongside Alex Baena. Fresh off a short break, Lopez has joined the Spanish Olympic squad, ready to take on the challenge of the men's football competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.A Journey of Triumph and AmbitionThe Road to Euro 2024 GloryFermin Lopez's journey to this point has been nothing short of remarkable. Following a successful loan spell at Linares during the 2022-2023 season, where he showcased his potential, Lopez caught the eye of Barcelona's head coach Xavi.

[ikram1909]

cubarsi was kicked out of the spain squad??

He got cut yeah so he can play the Olympics instead