UK News

Badenoch defends seeking a ban on pro-Palestine marches but not Tommy Robinson ones – UK politics live | Politics

Published

6 months ago

May 5, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Badenoch defends wanting to ban pro-Palestine marches for spreading hate, but not Tommy Robinson ones

Kemi Badenoch also used her Today interview to defend her argument that pro-Palestine marches should be banned because they platform antisemitism, but that marches organised by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson should be allowed.

When it was put to Badenoch that the Robinson marches were a platform for anti-Muslim hate, Badenoch said that the marches were “different”, and that two Jewish men were killed at Heaton Park synagogue last year and that another two Jewish men were almost killed in Golders Green last week.

When it was put to her that Muslims might feel threatened by some of the things said at a Robinson event, she insisted that the two sorts of marches were “not the same”.

She went on:

Criticism of religion is allowed in this country. We mustn’t mix the two things.

I am talking about the attacks on Jews. It’s not the faith that’s being attacked, it’s the people.

And I do have to ask, why is it that whenever we’re talking about Jewish hatred, we always have what about, what about?

When something happens to black people, no one does the whataboutery. When something does happen to Muslims, we don’t say what about antisemitism?

Why do we have this double standard that, whenever there’s an issue with antisemitism and Jews being attacked, we have to broaden it out all the time.

Key events

Polanski’s approval rating plummets after row over tweet implying police in Golders Green arrest used excessive force

Zack Polanski’s approval rating has fallen sharply over the past week, a poll suggests, coinciding with the controversy about his reposting a message suggesting the police used excessive force when they arrested the Golders Green stabbing suspect.

According to the More in Common figures, Polanski’s net approval rating, at -27, is still much higher than Keir Starmer’s, at -45.

But it is lower than it has been at any point since he took over as Green leader in September, and over the past week it has plummeted. Polanski was at -13 a week ago.

Leader approval ratings Photograph: More in Common

Commenting on the figures, Luke Tryl, director of More in Common UK, said:

Just looking over some data ahead of our elections webinar later and Zack Polanski’s net approval rating has fallen by a fairly chunky 14 points over the last week. Still far ahead of Starmer but also puts him now well below the top three of Badenoch, Davey and Farage.

Looking at the numbers it’s both a rise in negatives and a fall in positives, in particular more young people seem to have shifted from “good job” to “neither good nor bad job”. So a mix of more disapproval and more uncertainty.

No 10 does not deny report saying Reeves and US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent had ‘fierce row’ about Iran war

At the Downing Street lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson did not deny a report in the Financial Times saying that Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, and Scott Bessent, her US opposite number, had a “fierce row” about the Iran war when they met in Washington last month.

In their FT story, Jim Pickard, Sam Fleming and Claire Jones say:

When the pair met later that day [after Reeves told a CNBC event she did not know why the Americans started the war] Bessent berated Reeves over the remarks, according to people familiar with the situation.

The Treasury secretary insisted the world was safer because of the US-Israeli war against Iran, even invoking the spectre of Tehran launching a nuclear attack on London. Reeves responded angrily by telling Bessent she did not work for him and disliked how he had spoken to her.

She also reiterated her argument about the Iran conflict lacking clear goals and not necessarily making the world safer.

The FT also said that Reeves and Bessent had spoken since the incident, and that on other issues they worked well together.

Asked about the story, the spokesperson said:

Although I wouldn’t get into private conversations, the chancellor and the US Treasury Secretary have a good relationship. They have had constructive conversations together since the chancellor’s visits to Washington. There is a readout from the US Department of the Treasury, which made clear the productive nature of their relationship.

Aamna Mohdin

Aamna Mohdin is the a Guardian community affairs correspondent.

Jewish leaders welcomed commitments made at the antisemitism summit at 10 Downing Street, but said more urgent action is needed.

Representatives from the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council described the announcements as an important moment to demonstrate a change in approach, pointing to measures including increased funding for communal security, an expansion of the “Common Ground” programme, new powers to suspend public funding from organisations promoting antisemitic content, and support for the Board’s new Jewish Culture Month.

However, they urged the government to go further. Among their demands were the proscription of the IRGC (the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps) and its proxies operating in the UK, faster responses to alleged incitement at pro-Palestinian protests, and the full use of public order powers to restrict or ban marches where necessary.

They also called for quicker arrests and prosecutions in cases involving incitement against Jews, and an end to what they described as a “postcode lottery” in policing.

While the chant “globalise the intifada” has led to arrests in London, Manchester and Birmingham, they said enforcement has been inconsistent elsewhere.

UPDATE: Here is the statement in full.

Joint statement from Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council Photograph: Board of Deputies

No 10 unable to say what might happen to universities that do not comply with new antisemitism audit requirements

At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson said that more than 90 people attended the antisemitism summit in No 10 this morning. They included people from businesses (including the CBI, Barclays, PWC), the media (including the BBC, Channel 4), arts groups (including the National Theatre, the Arts Council), the police (including from the Met, Greater Manchester police and the NPCC), community groups (including the Board of Deputies and the Community Safety Trust), the university sector (including Universtities UK and Union of Jewish Students), the NHS and Ofcom.

And the ministers attending included Steve Reed, the communities secretary, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, Lord Stockwood, the investment minister, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the faith and communities minister.

Speaking about the meeting, the spokesperson said:

We are determined to make Jewish people in this country feel safe again.

I think, as the housing secretary said, people being anxious and afraid of being Jewish, people being afraid to wear the traditional Jewish skull cap or women being afraid to wear necklaces with the star of David. None of this can be acceptable in our society and it requires a whole society response to tackling it.

But the spokesperson was unable to say what would happen to universities that failed to comply with the new requirement to show what they were doing to tackle antisemitism. (See 10.41am.) Asked about this, the spokesperson said:

In terms of next steps we’ll set them out in due course.

We already expect universities to set out clear disciplinary consequences for antisemitism and to enforce them, and so we will hold them to account on that.

Journalists also questioned why social media companies were not invited, given the role they play in allowing the spread of antisemitism. The spokesperson said that Ofcom was there.

Keir Starmer speaking at the antisemitism event in No 10 this morning. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

Badenoch defends wanting to ban pro-Palestine marches for spreading hate, but not Tommy Robinson ones

When it was put to her that Muslims might feel threatened by some of the things said at a Robinson event, she insisted that the two sorts of marches were “not the same”.

She went on:

Criticism of religion is allowed in this country. We mustn’t mix the two things.

I am talking about the attacks on Jews. It’s not the faith that’s being attacked, it’s the people.

And I do have to ask, why is it that whenever we’re talking about Jewish hatred, we always have what about, what about?

When something happens to black people, no one does the whataboutery. When something does happen to Muslims, we don’t say what about antisemitism?

Why do we have this double standard that, whenever there’s an issue with antisemitism and Jews being attacked, we have to broaden it out all the time.

Trump’s ‘relentless’ criticism of UK and other allies ‘only benefits Russia and Iran’, Badenoch says

In her Today interview, Kemi Badenoch also described Donald Trump as ‘very erratic”. Having in the past been reluctant to say anything negative about him, recently she has become increasingly critical. She told the programme:

The issue with Donald Trump is that he’s very erratic.

Even where you agree with him on what he is wanting to do, the way he goes about doing those things is very problematic.

A lot of his rhetoric, especially against allies, I do not like.

The relentless criticism of allies, whether it’s the UK or other European countries, only benefits Russia and Iran.

Badenoch questions whether undisclosed £5m donation to Farage means he’s been ‘bought’

Kemi Badenoch has questioned whether the undisclosed £5m donation given to Nigel Farage by a crypto billionaire shows that he has been “bought”.

In an interview with the Today programme this morning, the Conservative leader asked whether the donation was linked to Farage’s support for cryptocurrencies, and she said the donation showed why Farage could not be trusted as a political leader.

In the Guardian last week Anna Isaac revealed that, shortly before the 2024 general election, Farage received £5m from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.

There was nothing illegal about the gift. But once he became an MP Farage was obliged to register gifts that were, or might be thought to be, related to his political activity. Farage did not do that, and he has argued that he did not need to because the gift was entirely personal, intended to cover his security costs for the rest of his life.

In her Today interview, when it was put to her that rightwing voters wanting to get rid of Labour might be better of voting for Reform UK, Badenoch said:

Let’s see, I believe that people should look at the character of an individual.

You look at Nigel Farage’s fishy £5m. I think that’s a very, very concerning story. No one gets £5m directly. This was not for his party. He kept it a secret. What was that money for? Who’s bought him?

When it was put to Badenoch that Farage insists this was just a personal gift, she went on:

Well, I don’t understand why somebody who works in crypto gives this sort of personal gift, as Farage calls it, and then all of a sudden Farage is promoting crypto.

He should have declared it. We’ve already made a report to the standards committee. He should have declared it because those are the rules in this country.

He is not someone who plays by the rules. I play by the rules.

Harborne, who also give Reform UK £12m in 2025 (which was declared properly), has said that Farage was out of politics at the time he gave him the £5m. At that point Farage had not yet announced he would be a candidate in the 2024 election and had not yet resumed his leadership of Reform UK. Harborne told the Telegraph: “I wasn’t expecting anything in return apart from ensuring [Farage’s] safety.” Farage has also insisted that this donation was personal, and that, even in relation to the declared political donations, Harborne had not asked for anything in return.

At the weekend Badenoch also claimed there was something “fishy” about the Harborne donation, and she claimed that it explained why Farage at the last minute ducked an invitation to appear on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show.

Last month the Guardian published a long investigation by Tom Burgis exploring the links between Farage and Harborne.

FBU general secretary Steve Wright says Starmer ‘sitting duck’ and leadership challenge ‘inevitable’ after elections

Keir Starmer is now a “sitting duck” because a leadership challenge is “inevitable” after the elections this week, a union leader has said.

Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, made the comment in an interview with Simon Fletcher, a former aide to Ken Livingstone, Jeremy Corbyn and (briefly) Starmer, published on Fletcher’s Modern Left Substack blog.

Wright first publicly called for Starmer to go in February, and he told Murphy that he now thought a contest could not be avoided.

Wright, whose union is affiliated to Labour, said:

If [the election results are] as bad as all the polls suggest – I’m not a betting, man, but I’m sure they’re not going to be great, are they – I think Starmer should stand down.

I think he should have stood down a couple of months ago and given me, others, Labour activists, people that are proud of the Labour party, an opportunity to try and win round some people. It would have been hard, but I think without him there, we could have probably done something.

So I think he will go. I think there will be calls for him to go. We just need to have been in a position to try and shape that. It’s inevitable now, isn’t it? I think he’s a bit of a sitting duck.

In the interview Wright did not endorse an alternative candidate for Labour leader. He said he was more interested in establishing “a set of principles” the government should follow in the next three years before an election has to take place.

But he said that under Starmer the unions had been sidelined, and he said people wanted an end to austerity and real change. He explained:

For us in the fire service, with our wages and also with the lack of funding and investment in public services, it’s just been austerity mark II.

I’ve no criticism of why people are looking for alternatives. They’re either turning to Reform because they’re providing an alternative narrative – the wrong one, I think – or they’re turning to the Greens as some kind of saviour of working-class people. And I certainly don’t think the Green party or Zack Polanski are the saviours of that.

I think we need to take back ownership of the Labour party and what we really know it stands for, and make sure it starts delivering for working people.

And I’m quite angry that the party’s got in this position we find ourselves in, but I’m certainly not going to walk away from that. I’m going to try and change it from within.

Starmer orders review into whether Arts Council tough enough on dealing with organisations that platform antisemitism

In his speech Keir Starmer also said that, if arts organisations platform antisemitism, the Arts Council “must act using its powers to suspend, withdraw and clawback funding”.

And he announced a review into whether this is happening properly. He went on:

And today we’re mandating an independent audit of how allegations are handled. This will be a hard-edged review of where systems are failing and where they need to be strengthened.

We will not and cannot accept complacency, delays or weak enforcement.

And where complacency is found. It will be challenged and addressed swiftly.

Starmer says universities will be expected to publish audit of of antisemitism on campus, and how it’s being tackled

Keir Starmer has said that universities will now be expected to publish information about the scale of antisemitism on their campuses, and what they are doing to tackle it.

He made the announcement in a speech at the antisemitism summit in No 10. He told the civic leaders in his audience.

We’re rolling out antisemitism training for staff and in our schools, colleges and universities. We’re investing £7m to tackle antisemitism while making sure Holocaust education is taught in all schools.

And today, we’re going further.

We already expect universities to set out clear disciplinary consequences for antisemitism and to enforce them. And so we will hold them to account on that.

But today I can announce that we will lift the bar higher when abuses take place. We’re calling on universities to demonstrate action. We will now expect them to publish the scale of the problem on their campuses, as well as the specific steps they have taken to clamp down on it. There will be zero tolerance for inaction.

Keir Starmer speaking to civic leaders at Downing Street this morning at a summit on tackling antisemitism. Photograph: Hannah McKay/AFP/Getty Images

Polanski hits back after Labour attacks Greens for not tackling antisemitism in party properly

Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, posted these on social media this morning. They seem to be a response at least in part to the antisemitism attack ad launched by Labour yesterday. (See 8.41am and 9.16am.)

When you see the relentless attacks from other parties on the Greens across the media remember this:

They hate our plan to end Rip Off Britain.

They don’t want a wealth tax.

They don’t want public ownership & lower bills.

They’re trying everything in their power to stop us.

It’s not going to work.

They have deep pockets.

We have people power and a plan to change our country.

Steve Reed warns Labour another leadership contest ‘ends in annihilation’ for party

Steve Reed, the housing secretary, has warned that Labour risks “annihilation” if it gets rid of Keir Starmer and holds another leadership contest.

He delivered this message as he did a media interview round this morning. As Pippa Crerar reports in this overnight story, what Reed was saying in public echoes what multiple cabinet ministers have been telling the Guardian in private about the dangers of a leadership contest.

Reed told Times Radio:

I speak to a lot of my fellow MPs, of course I do, all the time, but also council leaders, and they’re sick and tired of all this psychodrama … The whole notion that we would copy the Conservatives and go doomscrolling through leaders in a way that means the government is completely incapable of dealing with the things that matter to most of the British public is absolute nonsense, and I’m not going to engage in it, and most of our MPs would not engage in that either.

Jessica Elgot has more on that interview here.

And, in an interview on Sky News, Reed said that another leadership election would be disastrous for Labour. He said:

We can’t be like the Tories and doomscroll through leaders. It ends in annihilation. We’ve got to focus on the British public, not ourselves.

In his Sky News interview, Reed also said that he had dinner with Angela Rayner, the former deputy PM, on Saturday – but he claimed they did not discuss whether she might run for the leadership. “Sometimes even we politicians talk about other things,” he said. But he did say “in time” he would like to see her back in cabinet.

Next Scottish government faces ‘really difficult’ spending choices, economists say

The next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said. Severin Carrell has the story.

Steve Reed accuses Zack Polanski of ignoring antisemtism problem in Green party

Steve Reed, the environment secretary, has been giving interviews this morning. As well as promoting the (small) funding announcement for councils dealing with antisemitism (see 8.41am), he has also been reviving the Labour attack on the Green party over their handling of antisemitism in their party (see 9.16am).

Reed, a former leader of Lambeth council who now represents Streatham and Croydon North (which covers parts of Lambeth), told GB News:

We need the Green party to do what the Labour Party did and kick out members of their party who are openly antisemitic. In my borough, where my constituency is, two Green Party candidates have been arrested for allegations of stirring up racial hatred.

Instead of condemning them, the Green party has put out a letter saying that the Labour party is spreading cynical misinformation.

These people were arrested for hate crimes targeting the Jewish community. One of them was back out on the doorsteps this weekend. We have photographic evidence of knocking on doors now.

Zack Polanski, come on, these people are spreading antisemitic hatred. You cannot put them up for election.

You cannot back them, and you cannot shut your eyes and pretend this problem doesn’t exist. We only tackle racism by calling it out and stopping it. And all of us have a responsibility to do that.

Steve Reed (centre) arriving for the Downing Street meeting on antisemitism this morning. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

This morning’s Downing Street meeting is a government event, and non-partisan. But, conveniently perhaps, it coincides with the Labour party last night releasing a new campaign video, attacking the Greens on the basis of antisemitic comments made by some of their election candidates. In its format, it is similar to the one Labour produced highlighting the racist views of some Reform UK candidates.

Starmer calls antisemitism ‘crisis for all of us’, as No 10 holds summit and councils get extra funding to address problem

Good morning. Keir Starmer has declared antisemitism “a crisis for all of us”. This morning he is hosting an event in Downing Street intended to get leaders across all areas of public life to address the problem and, according to the briefing from No 10, he will say:

Last week’s terrorist attack in Golders Green was utterly appalling. But it was not an isolated incident. It is part of a pattern of rising antisemitism that has left our Jewish communities feeling frightened, angry, and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them.

These disgusting attacks are being made against British Jews. But, make no mistake, this crisis – it is a crisis for all of us. It is a test of our values. Values that are not guaranteed, but are earned. Every single day, through our actions.

Here is Pippa Crerar and Aamna Mohdin’s overnight story about this.

And here is the overnight news release.

Last week, after the attack in Golders Green, the government announced an extra £25m “to boost police patrols, specialist officers, and protective security for Jewish communities – taking total funding to £58m, as well as £7m to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities”. This morning the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced a smaller funding boost for councils to coincide with the No 10 event. It says:

Jewish communities across England will receive a further £1m of government funding to tackle antisemitism and strengthen community cohesion in those places facing the greatest risk.

An immediate £500,000 will also be allocated to Barnet council, reflecting recent serious antisemitic incidents in the borough and the large number of Jewish residents there.

There has been an alarming rise in antisemitism both in this country and across much of the globe, including the horrific antisemitic terrorist attacks in Heaton Park and Bondi Beach last year, and an appalling spate of antisemitic attacks in North West London in recent weeks.

To tackle this, the additional funding being announced today will expand MHCLG’s Common Ground programme – which is already providing more than £4m to communities across the country.

The money can be used by councils on measures to counter antisemitism.

Here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: Keir Starmer hosts a meeting in Downing Street to discuss how to implement a whole-of-society response to rising antisemitism.

Morning: Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, is campaigning in Suffolk. In the afternoon she is in Coventry.

Noon: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

Noon: Paul Ovenden, Starmer’s former head of political strategy in No 10, speaks at a Policy Exchange event on how to reshape Britain.

Afternoon: Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, visits a synagogue in central London.

5pm: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, and the party’s Welsh leader, Dan Thomas, speak at a rally in south Wales with a “special guest”.

If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.

If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.

I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.

Source link

UK News

Driver killed in Bedford train crash named

Published

4 months ago

June 21, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.

Source link

UK News

Spain v Saudi Arabia: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026

Published

4 months ago

June 21, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.

Oyarzabal profile

Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.

“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “

News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.

“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.

“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”

Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.

Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.

The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.

The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.

An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.

In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.

For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:

“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.

“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”

Saturday’s match reports here.

The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same ⁠team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.

“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are ⁠missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against ‌Cape Verde.

“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you ‌should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.

“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.

“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.

“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”

The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”

Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.

The teams – Lamine Yamal starts

Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.

Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.

Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?

Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.

Al-Aqidi profile

Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat

The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.

The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.

Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.

“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.

Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.

Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.

A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.

Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP

Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?

Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.

Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.

“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”

A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.

“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”

We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.

The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.

Lamine Yamal profile

Preamble

Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.

Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.

Source link