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The captain of the Iranian women’s football team has withdrawn her bid for asylum in Australia, Iran’s state media says, making her the fifth member of the delegation to change her mind after her team’s participation in the Asian Cup.

Zahra Ghanbari will fly from Malaysia and travel to Iran within the next few hours, the IRNA news agency said on Sunday.

Three players and one backroom staff member had already withdrawn their bids for asylum and travelled to Malaysia from Australia, where the team participated in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said his country had offered asylum to all players and support staff members prior to their departure over fears they might be punished upon their return home after the team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem at the tournament.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday that the three had “given up on their asylum application in Australia and are currently heading to Malaysia”, posting a picture of the women allegedly boarding a plane.

The news was confirmed by Burke a few hours later.

“Overnight, three members of the Iranian women’s football team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran,” Burke said.

“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options.”

Five players took up the offer and signed immigration papers last week, with one more player and a member of staff joining them a day later. It leaves two Iranian players in Australia, where they have been promised asylum and an opportunity to settle.

Iran played their three group games of the Asian Cup at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland on March 2, 5 and 8, after the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.

The initial attacks killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders.

Overall, an estimated 1,444 Iranians have been killed since the war began, including more than 170 people, mostly schoolgirls, who were inside a primary school in the city of Minab.

After refusing to sing the Iranian national anthem at their first match, players on the Iranian women’s football team were branded “traitors” by an IRIB presenter.

When Iran played their second game of the tournament against Australia three days later, not only did the players sing the national anthem, but they also saluted it, prompting fears that they may have been forced to change their stance after receiving backlash in Iranian media.

While neither the players nor the team management explained why they refrained from singing before the first match, fans and rights activists speculated that it may have been an act of defiance against the Iranian government.

On the day of the team’s departure from Australia, Burke announced his government had offered all players and staff members the chance to stay back in the country.

On Tuesday, Burke told reporters that five Iranian players had decided to seek asylum in Australia and would be assisted by the government.

“They are welcome to stay in Australia, they are safe here, and they should feel at home here,” he said.

A day later, Burke confirmed that an additional player and a member of the team’s support staff had received humanitarian visas in the hours before their departure.

However, one player, who previously chose to stay behind, changed her mind and decided to return to Iran.

The player, who was later identified as Mohadese Zolfigol, changed her decision on the advice of her teammates, Burke told the Parliament of Australia.

“She had been advised by her teammates and encouraged to contact the Iranian embassy,” he said.

The players who managed to escape with the help of Iranian rights activists were taken away by Australian police officials to a safe house, where they met immigration officials and signed the paperwork.

“Our understanding is that every single member of the squad was interviewed independently by the Australian Federal Police,” Beau Busch, the Asia/Oceania president of players’ welfare body FIFPRO told Al Jazeera last week.

“[The players] were made aware of their rights and the support available to them. They certainly weren’t rushed through that process.”

Like with WSL clubs, most US teams share another franchise’s premises, be it a men’s team’s ground or a venue usually reserved for other sports, such as NFL stadium Lumen Field for Seattle Reign.

Kansas City buck this trend, and Denver Summit president Jen Millet believes it makes financial sense to follow suit.

“A big part of a sustainable business model is controlling revenue streams,” Millet says. “Women have been tenants and missed out on those things – food, beverage, parking, rentals, retail.

“It’s massively important to operate your own stadium.”

Having their own venue has also enhanced KC Current’s marketing strategy – something Kirsten Ross, president of official supporters’ club The Blue Crew, says has greatly raised the team’s profile.

“[The club] do a really good job of ramping up when the team is playing,” she says.

“Previously, people had no idea FC Kansas City existed. Now you can’t walk anywhere without knowing there’s a game for KC Current.”

Chris Long argues a bespoke stadium brings the best out of players – after all, Kansas City dominated the 2025 regular season and won the NWSL Shield by 21 points, even if they lost in the play-offs.

“It’s the feeling of belonging,” he says. “If you’re a tenant, the schedule isn’t based on you… you put your stuff in the locker room but have to take it out because it’s temporary.”

Jemison adds: “You feel like a visitor in your own home. We didn’t want that.”

Chelsea’s dominant record over United extends to the WSL, where they have never lost in 12 meetings, winning 10 of them.

But the gap has been closing.

This season, Chelsea needed an extra-time winner to knock United out of the FA Cup in their fifth-round tie and were held to a 1-1 draw in their WSL meeting in October.

It has been a turbulent time for the Londoners as they have fallen nine points behind WSL leaders Manchester City. Manager Sonia Bompastor has come under pressure and off-field issues – including the departure of much-loved head of women’s football Paul Green – have sparked debate and concern.

Suddenly, the ‘mentality monsters’ appear vulnerable – but can United take advantage?

“I don’t want to use this moment of vulnerability to do anything other than pretend we’re playing them at their best. Prepare for their best, and you can beat Chelsea,” Skinner said.

“We all know they’re an incredible team. Nobody’s denying that. But if we can get to our best levels in any game, I genuinely believe we can beat any team.

“Whatever form Chelsea are in, I’m going to challenge my team to be ready and focused on winning that game of football.

“Chelsea will do that. They’re not bothered about Manchester United, so we won’t be worried about them.”

Despite United’s strong campaign so far, some fans remain unconvinced.

This is the fourth successive season in which they have reached a domestic cup final, but they are yet to mount a genuine WSL title challenge and have lifted just one major trophy, the 2024 FA Cup, in their eight-year professional existence.

So can the club achieve more? Is Skinner getting the best out of his squad? Should United’s ambitions be more than just reaching finals?

“When you reach a certain level of experience in finals, you don’t want to not be experiencing them year-in, year-out. We also know that [in] the league, the teams behind the top four are investing more than enough to make it an open league,” said Skinner.

“The top-tier teams still spend the most and London City Lionesses are not far behind. We have to set our own markers at Manchester United. Whether you love it, or hate it – we’ve just got to compete. Sometimes we have to find different ways to do it.

“I’m not going to say my job isn’t to get us into cup finals and try to win them every year. All I’d ask is that if there’s a season where that doesn’t happen, you look at the context.

“If you’re not doing a good job [as a manager], then we all know what happens. You don’t have it any more and we move on.”

Five players who defected from the Iranian women’s soccer team after the team’s final match in the Asian Women’s Cup in Australia were granted asylum Tuesday.

Police assisted the women in leaving their hotel and placed them in a safe house. There, they met with Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke and their humanitarian visas were processed.

At least seven players left the hotel, according to Raha Pourbakhsh, a journalist for Iran International TV. Families of at least three of the five players granted asylum had been threatened, Pourbakhsh told CNN. At least two other players who left the hotel haven’t been located.

According to an X post by Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah of Iran, the players who “successfully sought refuge in Australia” are Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi.

Pahlavi warned in a separate post that the women would face “dire consequences” if they return to Iran.

“I don’t want to begin to imagine how difficult that decision is for each of the individual women, but certainly last night it was joy, it was relief,” Burke said.

Burke said the asylum offer was extended to all 26 players and the coaching staff, but the team left Australia for Iran on Tuesday, Ten Network News reported. It was unclear whether anyone besides the seven players who had left the team hotel had defected.

The team remained silent during the Iranian national anthem before their first Asian Cup match a week ago, which was interpreted as a protest against the regime. They saluted and quietly mouthed words to the anthem before a match against Australia after pushback from the Iranian government and accusations of treason.

Australia assisted the women, who apparently fear persecution at home. Following the United States-Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliation in the Middle East, Iranian state television labeled the soccer team “wartime traitors” and alluded to repercussions upon their return to the country.

Protesters converged near the bus transporting the team after its final match Sunday night, shouting “save our girls” and carrying the Iranian Lion flag used before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Today, the flag is a symbol of resistance against the current regime.

Iran is now under the rule of Mojtaba Khamenei, a new hardline supreme leader. Khamenei is the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 86-year-old leader who was killed on the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks.

President Trump, in a statement Monday on Truth Social, said the United States would grant the Iranian players asylum if Australia did not. Trump posted a second time, saying he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and that five players had “already been taken care of” and that “the rest are on their way.”

However, Iranian first Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref objected to the involvement of Trump and Australia, saying: “Iran welcomes its children with open arms and the government guarantees their security. No one has the right to interfere in the family affairs of the Iranian nation and play the role of a nanny who is kinder than a mother.”

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC that her country sides with the men and women of Iran.

“For Australians to see [Iranian players] in Australia and the Matildas swapping jerseys with them was, I think, a very evocative moment,” Wong said. “We know this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women and we stand in solidarity with the men and women of Iran, particularly Iranian women and girls.”

Protesters blocked a bus carrying Iran’s women’s football team outside a hotel in Australia after five players slipped away to seek asylum duing the Women’s Asian Cup. They say the remaining players could face danger if forced to return to Iran after staying silent during the national anthem.

The Iranian women’s footballers returning to the country after their Asian Cup campaign in Australia will be welcomed home “with open arms”, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei urged the players to “come home” on Tuesday, hours after five members of Iran’s squad sought asylum in Australia following their team’s exit from the tournament.

“To Iran’s women’s football team: don’t worry – Iran awaits you with open arms,” Baghaei wrote on X.

His post came shortly after the office of Iran’s general prosecutor said the remaining members of the team were invited back to the country “with peace and confidence”.

“These loved ones are invited to return to their homeland with peace and confidence, and in addition to addressing the concerns of their families,” the general prosecutor’s office was quoted as saying by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Australia’s decision to provide visas to five players came amid uncertainty and concerns for the team’s safety following their decision to stand in silence during Iran’s anthem before their first match of the tournament on March 3.

The players sang and saluted the anthem in their remaining two matches, on Thursday and Sunday, prompting fears that they could face punishment upon their return home.

Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke told a news conference on Monday that he had informed the five members “that they are welcome to stay in Australia, that they are safe here, and they should feel at home here”.

He added that he had also offered the other team members the chance to stay in Australia.

The Department of Home Affairs named the five team members as captain Zahra Ghanbari, midfielders Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, Mona Hamoudi, and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh.

The players’ decision to stand in silence during Iran’s anthem before their match against South Korea was labelled as the “pinnacle of dishonour” by a commentator on Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster.

The announcement to grant the players visas came after United States President Donald Trump, who is currently waging war on Iran alongside ally Israel, said he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the “delicate situation” faced by the team, and that Albanese was “on it!”

Iran’s Baghaei dismissed Trump’s statement, questioning the US president’s claims of “saving” the players after new footage of a February 28 attack on an Iranian elementary girls’ school in Minab, which killed 165 students, suggested that the site of the school was likely hit by a Tomahawk missile – a weapon used by the US that Israel and Iran do not possess.

The US had previously accused Iran of the attack.

“They slaughtered more than 165 innocent Iranian schoolgirls in a double-tap Tomahawk attack in the city of Minab, and now they want to take our athletes hostage in the name of ‘saving’ them?” Baghaei said.

Following the Australian government’s decision to grant humanitarian visas to five Iranian players, they were moved to an undisclosed location under police protection, Australian officials were quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

Iranian media quoted Farideh Shojaei, vice president for women’s affairs at the Iranian Football Federation, as saying the team had left the hotel through the back door with the police.

“We have contacted the embassy, the football federation, the ‌Foreign Ministry and anywhere possible to see what will happen,” she said.

“We have even spoken with the families of these five players.”

Some of the Iranian players left their hotel in the northeastern city of Gold Coast on Tuesday afternoon on a bus that was surrounded by members of the diaspora protesting against the Iranian government. They flew to Sydney airport on Tuesday evening before being transferred to the international terminal.

It was not clear how many players arrived at the airport or where they were going.

Trump initially posted on social media that Australia was “making a terrible humanitarian mistake” by allowing the team to be sent back home, apparently unaware that Australia had been in secret talks with the women for several days.

Trump said members of the team would “likely be killed” if forced to return to Iran. “The US will take them if you won’t,” he added.

In a later post, Trump said he had spoken to Albanese and that the Australian leader was “doing a very good job having to ⁠do with this rather delicate situation”.

The Iranian general prosecutor’s office said “some members of our country’s women’s football team have, unintentionally and emotionally provoked by the enemy’s conspiracy and mischief, behaved in a way that has caused the delusional excitement of the criminal leaders of the imposed American-Zionist war.”

The US and Israel attacks on Iran have killed 1,255 people in the country and left 1,200 injured after 11 days.

Tehran has responded by launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel and towards several military bases in the Middle East where US forces operate.

Marches on 115th anniversary of IWD place focus on issues like US-Israeli war on Iran and Donald Trump’s links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets around the world to mark International Women’s Day, taking a stand on a number of issues including the US-Israeli war on Iran and gender-based violence.

In Spain, where the government drew the ire of the United States for refusing to allow it to use Spain’s military bases for strikes against Iran, thousands of women took to the streets of major cities to call for an end to the war.

“It is within our power to stop the war, to stop the barbarity, and to win rights,” said Yolanda Diaz, Spain’s second deputy prime minister. “We proclaim ourselves in defence of peace, in defence of the Iranian people, in defence of Iranian women.”

On the first day of the joint US-Israeli war on Iran, strikes on a primary school in the city of Minab killed 165 girls, most between the ages of seven and 12, during class hours – the deadliest single attack on civilians so far.

In France, where more than 150 demonstrations were held, 73-year-old rape survivor Gisele Pelicot led a march calling for an end to sexual violence, telling a crowd in Paris, “We won’t give up”.

Pelicot became a global symbol in the fight against sexual violence after she waived her right to anonymity during the 2024 trial of her ex-husband and dozens of strangers who raped her while she was unconscious.

Across the Atlantic, activists gathered at Zorro Ranch in the US town of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is alleged to have sexually abused and trafficked underage girls and young women.

“The years-long cover-up and protection of Jeffrey Epstein’s allies and co-conspirators exposed a culture of impunity that tells survivors their pain is negotiable when powerful men are involved,” said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March.

In New York, protesters gathered outside Trump Tower for a “Believe Survivors” demonstration after this week’s publication of FBI documents by the US Justice Department describing interviews with a woman who alleged President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a minor.

In Puyo, an Amazonian town in Ecuador, members of various Indigenous groups gathered to raise their voices about the degradation of the environment, and oil and gas expansion. “We want to live in a healthy environment and in harmony with the forest, so we are asking for respect and that public policies for nature are put in place,” said Ruth Penafiel, 59, from the Kichwa community in the northern Amazon.

In Brazil, Sunday’s marches channeled outrage over the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana neighbourhood in January. The case gained national attention this week when four suspects handed themselves over to authorities.

In Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, police briefly detained several women’s rights activists attempting to hold a rally in defiance of a government ban on public gatherings imposed amid a surge in militant violence in the country. Aurat March, a network of women’s rights activists, condemned the crackdown, saying participants had been peacefully exercising their right to protest.

Women’s rights activists shouted slogans during a protest in Istanbul, Turkiye. In China and Russia, vendors sold flowers wrapped in pink. And in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, local workers lifted fists and umbrellas as they celebrated.

International Women’s Day, officially recognised by the United Nations in 1977, marks its 115th anniversary this year.

Safia Middleton-Patel, Mia Ross, Mared Griffiths and Carrie Jones – who is still only 22 – were the four players drafted into the side in Llanelli this weekend, with Olivia Clark, Gemma Evans, Angharad James and Ffion Morgan making way.

While goalkeeper Middleton-Patel and Ross – who was deployed as one of three centre-backs – were part of a defensive unit who did not have that much work to do, Jones impressed in a central midfield role.

But it was Griffiths, the Manchester United youngster who is currently on loan at Sunderland, who took most of the plaudits.

“She’s got it all,” Wilkinson said after Montenegro were hammered 6-1 in Llanelli.

“And she’s far from the finished product, which is very exciting for all Welsh people I’d imagine.”

Griffiths, sporting the number 10 shirt which was worn so often by Fishlock, scored Wales’ third goal, which was handed to her on a plate following an error by Montenegro keeper Ajsa Kala.

But there was nothing gift-wrapped about Griffiths’ second of the afternoon, which was Wales’ only goal during a second half in which Montenegro sat deep and defended with much more conviction than they had in the first period.

Fed by Jones, Griffiths had the composure to round the onrushing Kala before stroking the ball home with her left foot.

Introduction

In 1974, Muhammad Yunus began experimenting with an initiative to give small loans to impoverished rural women to foster a sense of empowerment through entrepreneurial start-ups – an initiative that was institutionalised through the famous Grameen Bank. In just a couple of years, this initiative had snowballed into the United Nations declaring 2005 the International Year of Microcredit, with Yunus winning the Nobel Peace Prize for economic development.

In an age of international globalisation and neoliberal theories, microcredit seemed to be the solution to the ills of the developing world. Economists, development theorists, and journalists began to discuss the multiple success stories from the Grameen Bank and the vast impact small loans were having on people.

But a much darker reality came to take place. Although Yunus said that credit is a human right, he failed to address the fact that debt follows. Stories like Razia’s became far too frequent.

The Feminisation of Debt: Razia’s Story

Razia had taken out an initial microcredit loan of around $50 from Grameen Bank to put food on the table and pay for her children’s education; to her, this money was a lifeline to meet her family’s immediate needs. She was offered an interest rate of 20%, which she did not initially realise due to her limited fiscal literacy, and she could not pay.

Loan sharks targeted her family with violent threats when they were unable to meet payment deadlines; she had to sell her heirloom jewellery, her belongings, and eventually her home to make the payment – and even now, she continues to face threats from the loan sharks.

Razia’s story is not uncommon and illustrates how a linear model of microcredit has led to the feminisation of debt: women took out these loans to cover basic needs and fulfil their societal roles as caretakers, only to be uniquely burdened and targeted because they were unable to meet deadlines. This led women to be prone to economic vulnerability, social shame due to the procurement of debt, and violence from debt collectors.

Questioning the Efficacy of Microfinance

In addition to Razia’s story, the reality of the Grameen Bank’s efficacy is also up for debate. More and more economists became wary of the narrative that microfinance helps start income-generating enterprises, and recognised that this led many to feed their families or afford education. Another fundamental assumption was that microfinance would empower the poor, especially women, through microenterprises, given their financial bargaining power within the community. The neoliberal social policies used to model microenterprises for poor rural women to sell their labour or to ‘sub-contract’ their services were broadly not adopted, and forced women into disempowering roles in the informal sector.

Dr. Lamia Karim conducted research on the particular claims on gender empowerment by microcredit programmes and ended up creating a ‘local economy of shame’; repayment of these loans was tied to a woman’s standing and honour within the community, and these norms created environments of disempowerment, subjugation, and stress to repay the loans.

Theoretical Frameworks: From WID to GAD

Yunus’s microcredit initiative followed the theoretical prescriptions of Women in Development (WID), which sought to address gender-based economic disparities and integrate women into existing economic systems. The Grameen Bank was able to meet these goals; however, the linear model of empowerment used and the integration of women within the neoliberal economic market failed to meet the overall goals of empowerment.

As organisations, advocates, and economists saw the initial model struggling to meet the holistic goals of empowerment, they integrated theoretical prescriptions from Gender and Development (GAD), which sought to confront the root causes of gender inequality and to meet both the practical and strategic needs of women. This empowers women not only to meet economic goals to ensure survival, but also to develop collective action skills to confront power structures that lead to their subjugation.

Proshika: A New Model for Empowerment

Proshika was formed in 1979 under the WID model and focused on targeting rural communities, but realigned its goals with a GAD model in 2009. Their mission statement was revised to reflect the integration of collective-action training into their microcredit initiatives. As an organisation, they planned to “develop their capacity, so they can claim their due rights from the government” and “ensure life security” – a revolutionary shift within the broader conversation about microcredit.

Proshika had a model very similar to the Grameen Bank microcredit programmes; however, they added organisational spaces for women to meet and discuss community issues, embedding collective action within the programme. When a woman signed up for a loan, she was connected with other women in her community and asked to discuss pressing issues. Proshika organised a total of 42,809 groups; these various groups looked into important societal issues, such as the prevention of child marriage, the prevention of violence against women, and the abolition of dowry practices.

These trainings connected women with existing government systems and taught them how to access the judicial system, enabling them to pursue institutional avenues of change.

Building Social Capital and Political Agency

These spaces within the community allow women to build social credit, serving as places where information flows and as essential spaces for building trust and relationships. They increase social awareness, social interaction outside of one’s family unit, and increase domestic power and civic participation.

Dr Paromita Sanyal studies the role of microfinance agencies in Bangladesh, and credits NGOs such as Proshika for building both vertical and horizontal lines of social credit. Vertical social credit enables women to build essential connections within their own communities, and horizontal social credit allows them to connect with NGOs, politicians, and governing bodies. This axis of power builds political agency within communities and empowers women to challenge restrictive gender norms.

Proshika operates in 8,784 villages, 1,639 unions, 266 sub-districts, 42 districts, and 7 divisions within Bangladesh – they have organised 33,982 female groups across the nation. Through their collective action programmes, they were able to see a statistically significant decrease in child marriages, dowries, and gender-based violence within rural villages.

Towards True Empowerment

Proshika’s microfinance initiative not only enabled income-generating activities in rural villages but also empowered women to make a difference in their communities. Proshika’s success story should serve as a model for reforming existing microfinance institutions and incorporating collective action mechanisms into programmes.

Unlike the Grameen Bank, which focused solely on women’s practical needs, Proshika made an effort to address women’s and community members’ strategic needs. This led to statistically significant decreases in domestic violence and child marriages, as well as increased awareness of government systems and the justice system as a whole, with civic engagement opening accessible avenues for change.

Dr. Andrea Cornwall’s critical feminist analysis of women’s empowerment suggests that true empowerment is about changing asymmetrical power relations and requires building critical consciousness to help people recognise fundamental inequalities. Empowerment is relational and involves the interplay between personal and political to create a process, rather than focusing on an outcome.

Unlike the Grameen Bank, Proshika focused more on the various aspects of empowerment, without adopting a linear view of tangible results. This led to successful grassroots movements that brought attention to women’s structural needs and raised awareness of women’s value to community spaces.

Empowerment comes from changing power relations within the community, and Proshika met both women’s practical and strategic needs. It is essential to address the extreme poverty that women face, but also to build avenues for them to challenge the institutions they participate in.

It is unlikely to be a closed system like UFC-style leagues, where fighters are restricted to competing only within one organisation.

Seven-division champion Amanda Serrano, MVP’s marquee name, joined some of the fighters on stage at a news conference on Friday.

When asked if MVPW could introduce its own belt in the future, Bidarian said he wanted to give fans the “best possible match-ups” and work alongside the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF.

“We’re interested in having as many world champions as possible being a part of the MVPW brand,” he said.

“Ultimately it’s not really about sanctioning bodies, it’s about our athletes. We respect the sanctioning bodies and their process, but they need to evolve as well to allow for consistent matchmaking that is logical in terms of growing the brand and fanbase.”

MVPW3 will take place on 30 May in El Paso, Texas, with WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han facing Holly Holm in a rematch following a technical decision in their January meeting.

MVP are looking to capitalise on proposed changes, external to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.

UFC-style leagues have been banned in boxing because of concerns over promoters controlling sanctioning, rankings, belts and fighter management.

Proposed amendments would allow league-style formats while claiming to maintain protections for fighters – a move initiated by Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

Eight players were ejected and a referee was knocked to the floor, requiring medical attention, after a brawl broke out during South Alabama’s 80-70 victory against Coastal Carolina in a Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball tournament game Wednesday in Pensacola, Fla.

Coastal Carolina forward Tracey Hueston has been suspended by the conference for the rest of the postseason. South Alabama’s Cordasia Harris, Amyah Sutton and Daniela Gonzalez each received a one-game suspension.

The incident started during a stop in action with 5:39 remaining in the fourth quarter when Harris appeared to bump into Hueston from behind underneath the basket. Hueston turned and took a swing at Harris, and others rushed in to separate the players.

Hueston took another swing and appeared to inadvertently hit referee Marla Gearhar with a forearm to the head or neck area. Gearhar was knocked to the floor and remained on her back until multiple staff members and a medical professional were able to attend to her.

The conference later announced that Gearhar “was evaluated by medical personnel at the Pensacola Bay Center and was released.”

A double technical foul was called on Hueston and Harris. They were ejected from the game, along with South Alabama’s Sutton, Gonzalez, Terren Coffil, Saneea Bevley, Princess Okafor Nweze and Jeriyah Baines.

“It’s unfortunate we had the incident with South Al today. I know Tracey Hueston regrets that,” Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Pederson said after the game. “She’s an incredible model citizen off the floor and she knows she can’t act that way. That was extremely frustrating for everybody, certainly something we don’t approve of in this program. It’s nothing you want to see.”

South Alabama athletic director Joel Erdmann said in a statement that while “the incident that took place during Wednesday’s game is extremely unfortunate and unacceptable,” he does not believe Harris, Sutton and Gonzalez were deserving of suspensions.

“After an extensive internal review, I do not believe the actions of all three of our student-athletes rose to the level of being classified as fighting as defined by the NCAA rule book,” Erdmann said. “This judgment has negatively impacted the tournament experience of our suspended student-athletes and stripped them of limited opportunities to compete in the postseason.

“Though I strongly disagree with the judgment of the officials, we will accept the decision from the Sun Belt Conference and turn our focus to supporting coach [Yolisha] Jackson and her team in [Thursday’s] tournament game against Texas State.”

The killing of prominent Iraqi women’s rights activist Yanar Mohammed has fuelled an outpouring of grief and calls for justice, with advocates from around the world remembering Mohammed as a “courageous” voice.

Mohammed, 66, was killed earlier this week after unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire outside her home in the north of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.

“Despite being rushed to the hospital and attempts to save her life, she succumbed to her wounds,” the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, a group that Mohammed co-founded, said in a statement shared on social media.

“We at the Organisation for Women’s Freedom in Iraq condemn in the strongest terms this cowardly terrorist crime, which we consider a direct attack on the feminist struggle and the values of freedom and equality.”

Several international rights groups also condemned Mohammed’s killing, with Amnesty International on Wednesday decrying the deadly attack as “brutal” and “a calculated assault to stifle human rights defenders, especially those defending women’s rights”.

The organisation, which said Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al‑Sudani ordered an investigation into the killing, also called on the Iraqi authorities to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.

“Yanar Mohammed … dedicated her life to defending women’s rights,” Amnesty’s Iraq researcher, Razaw Salihy, said in a statement. “The Iraqi authorities must stop this pattern of targeted attacks in their tracks, and take seriously the sustained smear campaigns designed to discredit and endanger activists.”

Mohammed was one of Iraq’s most prominent women’s rights activists, working since the early 2000s “to protect women facing gender-based violence, including domestic abuse, trafficking, and so-called ‘honour killings’”, Front Line Defenders said.

Her work included the establishment of safe houses, which sheltered hundreds of women experiencing exploitation and abuse.

In a 2022 interview with Al Jazeera, Mohammed described her organisation’s efforts to support Iraqi women who survived violence at the hands of ISIS (ISIL), which had seized control of large swathes of the country.

“Muslim-Arab women who were enslaved by ISIL and have not found a place to go back to, they are still living in the shadows of the society,” she said at the time.

“Not less than 10,000 women were the victims of ISIL attack[s], and this femicide is not really acknowledged by the international community or dealt with in a way that keeps the dignity or the respect [of], or compensates, those who were the victims.”

Years of threats

Mohammed had been the target of death threats for decades, “aimed at dissuading her from defending women’s rights”, Front Line Defenders said. “Yet she remained defiant in the face of threats from ISIS and other armed groups.”

In 2016, she was awarded the Rafto Prize “for her tireless work for women’s rights in Iraq under extremely challenging conditions”.

The Rafto Foundation, the Norway-based nonprofit group that administers the award, said it was “deeply shaken” by her killing. “We are deeply shocked by this brutal attack on one of the most courageous human rights defenders of our time,” the foundation said in a statement.

“The assassination represents not only an attack on Yanar Mohammed as a person, but also on the fundamental values she dedicated her life to defending: women’s freedom, democracy, and universal human rights.”

Other activists and human rights groups also paid tribute to Mohammed this week, with Human Rights Watch describing her as “one of Iraq’s most courageous advocates for women’s rights” for more than two decades.

“Yanar was a dear colleague and friend to so many of us in the women’s rights and feminist community, one of our icons. She spent her life standing up for women’s rights in the most dangerous environment,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International.

“She faced constant threats, but she never stopped. And today we cry and mourn her energy, her commitment, her profound humanity, her amazing courage.”

James has not played since the Switzerland win because Seattle Reign’s National Women’s Soccer League campaign ended in November, although she was involved in pre-season before joining up with Wales last week.

James also struggled for game-time after returning to her club following Euro 2025.

Even so, the 31-year-old says she is in a good place as she prepares to win her 140th cap.

“I worked so hard in the off-season to make sure that I’m ready for Wales and Wales always comes first in my eyes,” James said.

“So if I knew that I had to be ready for this game, I’ll make sure that I am at the best I can be for this game.”

When asked about her lack of minutes for Reign in the autumn, James added: “I think there’d be something wrong if I didn’t think about it.

“Do I want to play more football? Of course I do. And am I going to push to play more this year? Yeah, I am.

“So I’m in a good place and hopefully I can go back and hit the ground running after two games here with Wales.”

Rhian Wilkinson intends to continue rotating her goalkeepers during Wales’ Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

Wales kick off their bid to reach the 2027 World Cup in Brazil when they face the Czech Republic at the City Stadium in Uherske Hradiste on Tuesday.

Wilkinson has regularly switched between her two frontline keepers, Olivia Clark and Safia Middleton-Patel, during her time as Wales head coach and says that approach will continue.

“Both of them have performed for Wales but I don’t feel either of them really grabbed the jersey yet and so I try not to make it [so] that it’s a combative environment,” Wilkinson said.

“They know before they come in which games they’re going to be playing, so I try to tell them that you have just got to perform in your game.

“If they can do that consistently, they’ll grab the number one, but I do not feel one of them has taken that number one role yet.”

On Monday, Flav offered “a real celebration” for the women’s team.

“If the USA Women’s Hockey team wants a real celebration and invite ,,, I’ll host them in Las Vegas,” Flav wrote on social media. “Do some nice dinners and shows and good times. I’m sure I can get a hotel and airline to help me out here and celebrate these women for real for real.”

He added: “But I gots to invite my Bobsled + Skeleton team too.”

The idea has only grown bigger.

“Letz go even bigger and better,” Flav wrote Tuesday. “ALL Female US Olympians and Paralympian medalists are invited out to celebrate in Viva Las Vegas for the SHE GOT GAME Weekend ,,, Hit a guy up and LETZ GOOO.”

On Thursday, Flav announced the event would be held July 16 to 19 in partnership with MGM Resorts and the Gist sports media brand.

“I wanna give a special shout out to MGM Resorts,” Flav wrote. “many people offered to help the hockey team,,, but when I said I wanted to include ALL women who earned medals from the winter games + USABS,,, they didn’t hesitate and stepped up to be REAL partners with 100+ rooms.”

He added: “They also offered food and hospitality, spa, ground, event space, after parties, and to host the parade and party for the PUBLIC to celebrate our women for FREE.”

MGM Resorts confirmed Friday that it is hosting the event.

“Planning is underway and details will be shared soon as we get ready to celebrate our incredible USA athletes in a way only MGM Resorts knows how: world-class hospitality, high-energy fun, and memorable experiences,” the company said in a statement emailed to The Times.

Having reached Euro 2025, the first major women’s tournament in the nation’s history, Wales’ next target is to reach a first World Cup.

However, the path to qualification is not simple, with no automatic route available to Wales because they are not in League A.

Assuming they do not finish bottom of a group which also features Albania, Wales will face play-offs late in 2026.

Should Wales finish top of the group, their first-round play-off would be against a side who finish second or third in a League B pool.

But if Wilkinson’s team finish second or third, they would face a side who finish in fourth place in League A or a Group B winner.

The second round of the play-offs is seeded and should Wales get that far, they would be likely to face League A opposition.

The men’s team was criticised after several players appeared to laugh when Trump made his comment, but Knight said: “I think there’s a genuine level of support there and respect. That’s being overshadowed by a quick lapse.

“The guys were in a tough spot, so I think it’s a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and [is] overshadowing that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on.”

US men’s player Charlie McAvoy subsequently apologised for his team’s response, saying it was “not reflective” of how his side view the women’s squad.

“Certainly sorry for how we responded to it in that moment,” the Boston Bruins player told reporters before an NHL game on Thursday. “Things just happened really quick there.

“If you know the men’s team, and if you know the relationships that we have, the amount of time that we’ve spent with the women’s team and how we’ve supported them, it’s certainly not reflective of how we feel and look at them and their accomplishments.”

Knight, 36, ended her Olympic career with 15 goals, the most by any US male or female player.

She said she hopes the Trump controversy proves to be a “really good learning point, to really focus on how we talk about women, not only in sport but in industry”.

She said: “Women aren’t less than, and their achievements shouldn’t be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are.”

Scotland and Ireland will face hosts England at the Women’s T20 World Cup after the draw for this summer’s tournament was finalised.

Scotland and Ireland booked their place at the World Cup in the qualifying tournament in Nepal earlier this month.

They join England in Group Two, alongside West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

The game between England and Scotland at Headingley on 20 June will mark the first occasion the two countries have met in any kind of cricket World Cup fixture, men or women, in the UK.

Ireland meet England in Southampton on 16 June, while Ireland and Scotland start their campaigns against each other at Old Trafford on 13 June.

The tournament begins a day earlier when England take on Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.

Bangladesh and the Netherlands were the other two teams to come through the qualifier and join Australia, South Africa, India and Pakistan in Group One.

With the 12-team field confirmed – the largest in the 17-year history of the Women’s T20 World Cup – the full groups and fixtures have been published for the first time.

New Zealand will defend the title they won in the United Arab Emirates two years ago in the first Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in England since the inaugural tournament in 2009.

As well as Old Trafford, Headingley and Southampton, group matches will be played in Bristol. The semi-finals will be at The Oval on 30 June and 2 July, with the final at Lord’s on Sunday, 5 July.

The UCLA women’s basketball team is closing in on an undefeated Big Ten season, clinched the outright regular season league title for the first time in school history, is riding a 21-win streak and is ranked No. 2 nationally.

Perhaps most remarkable, the Bruins firmly believe they can be better and have yet to peak as they push to win a national title.

How did UCLA go from being a team that got pushed around by UConn, LSU and South Carolina in the NCAA tournament the last three seasons to a loaded squad no one wants to face in March?

Bruins coach Cori Close solved the riddle by recruiting six senior leaders who accepted they had to continuously sacrifice and push to improve to achieve their goals. They echo their coach’s values, putting each other first in order to succeed.

“Me and Kiki [Rice] came here in our freshman year and it’s just been amazing to see the program grow since then,” UCLA senior Gabriela Jaquez said. “And I think that’s also a big credit to our coaches and to all the staff at UCLA to really get the fans out there and support us because we really couldn’t do it without them.”

UCLA honored Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalić, Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Rice during their final regular-season home game Sunday. The group will be back soon to host first- and second-round NCAA tournament games at Pauley Pavilion, but Close wanted them to take the time to celebrate all they had accomplished together.

Betts is in the national player of the year conversation, but the big award is likely to go to another player who carries a heavier workload for their team. Close said the seniors are all projected to be WNBA draft picks, but they have sacrificed better individual statistics and potentially some awards in exchange for a better shot at winning a national championship. She said the selfless approach is rare and should be cherished.

“One of them said the other day, like, ‘I might not ever play on a team like this again,’” Close said of her senior class. “I think the combination of the depth of the relationship, excellence on the court, their love of the work — they love to work and get better together — and their connection off the court.

”… I think these seniors actually do really understand that this is really special. They’ve set a bar for the culture of our program that we will be forever measuring it against.”

Baseball makes a statement

No. 1 UCLA baseball team turned heads with a weekend sweep of No. 7 TCU. The Bruins beat the Horned Frogs 10-2 on Friday, 5-1 on Saturday and 15-5 on Sunday. Roch Cholowsky and Will Gasparino have racked up six home runs apiece during UCLA’s first seven games this season.

Softball keeps rolling

The No. 9 UCLA softball team beat No. 11 Texas A&M 15-7 in five innings on Sunday to cap a 6-0 weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Bruins also beat No. 20 Duke and No. 13 South Carolina. Senior Megan Grant delivered a .545 batting average during the weekend with two home runs and nine walks.

Gymnastics knocks out Illini

No. 5 UCLA gymnastics defeated Illinois 197.675-195.475 Sunday in Champaign, Ill.

Jordan Chiles won the all-around (39.650), vault (9.950) and floor exercise (9.975), while Ciena Alipio won balance beam (9.950).

The Bruins host three top 25 programs — Iowa, Ohio State and Maryland — during the Big Fours meet Friday at Pauley Pavilion.

In case you missed it

UCLA women blitz Wisconsin on Senior Day, win 21st in a row

Donovan Dent channels Tyus Edney, lifts UCLA to stunning OT win over No. 10 Illinois

UCLA to play 2026 football season at Rose Bowl as lawsuit continues

UCLA’s Mick Cronin apologizes for ejecting player, says he’s still ‘a good fit’ as coach

No. 2 UCLA’s 20th win in a row clinches share of first conference crown in 27 years

Plaschke: UCLA must eject Mick Cronin if he can’t respect his players

UCLA men are no match for Michigan State

No. 2 UCLA wins its 19th straight game with thrashing of Indiana

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Not exactly.

Reigning champions Arsenal had to kick off their campaign against record eight-time winners Lyon, who they beat in the semi-finals last season.

This time they lost and they were also beaten by Bayern Munich in the league phase, meaning they had work to do to qualify.

It was a nervy few months but victories against Real Madrid and FC Twente helped Arsenal finish fifth in the table. They were handed a favourable tie in their knockout play-offs, avoiding more established European teams like Wolfsburg and Juventus to take on competition debutants OH Leuven, who they had already beaten 3-0 in the league phase.

They bettered that scoreline in the first leg, winning 4-0, but Arsenal boss Renee Slegers insisted it was not straightforward, saying her side just found form when it mattered.

“Ahead of the first game, we were very aware that Leuven had made it difficult for teams in Europe,” said Slegers after their 3-1 victory in the second leg.

“We actually played really well in Leuven and were clinical. When we go into the second game, we know we’re already 4-0 up, so it becomes a different game.”

United had to face Atletico Madrid, who have reached the main draw six times in the past decade, having also played them in the league phase.

The Spanish side are sixth in Liga F and 25 points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

The competition has been far from easy for United though, having to play three qualifying rounds before the league phase – coming from behind to beat Brann – and then meeting two-time winners Wolfsburg, Italian giants Juventus and record-holders Lyon in their group.

“For sure, it hasn’t felt easy. I’ve really enjoyed the structure of the Champions League to get here,” said United boss Marc Skinner. “It’s exposed us to different styles of play. The experiences have helped us grow quickly.

“You look back to when we played Lyon, the close Valerenga game and Juventus in the last game of the league phase – the growth is incredible from our team.”

Even Chelsea, who were top seeds and qualified directly for the quarter-finals, had to play fellow last-eight qualifiers Barcelona and Wolfsburg in the league phase.

They have Arsenal next, and could still face Lyon and Barcelona on route to the final.

SheGulls, representing fans of WSL club Brighton & Hove Albion, had suggested seeding “elite level teams” would only widen the gulf in quality across the game.

“The sporting merit in our game is slowly being eroded in favour of ‘super matches’ between elite level teams,” the fan group wrote on X.

“The rich will only get richer and teams up and down the pyramid will fade into obscurity with the knowledge that without tens of millions of pounds, they won’t even sniff the big time.”

Fulham Women Supporters’ Club, whose side play in the fourth tier, labelled it a “ridiculous idea” and added: “[It] goes against all the principles of the FA Cup. I’d like to see WSL teams actually come in a round early.”

“And there goes the magic of the FA Cup! Subway Cup [League Cup] is a farce, now this?” added Everton Women’s Official Supporters Club.

“All about the money. Didn’t take long to ruin the women’s game too did it…”

The Women’s FA Cup currently follows the same format as the men’s competition, with a draw following each round.

There is a preliminary round and three qualifying rounds featuring teams from tiers four to seven of the pyramid, with Women’s National League teams entering in the first-round proper, WSL2 teams in the third round and sides from the top division a round later.

The proposals came to light less than a fortnight after a major revamp of the Women’s League Cup was announced, with the competition set to get a new name and follow the format of the Champions League from the group stage next season.

MILAN — The U.S. advanced to the final of the women’s hockey tournament at the Milan-Cortina Olympics with a 5-0 rout of Sweden on Monday and will meet the winner of the second semifinal between Canada and Switzerland in Thursday’s gold-medal game.

The goals came from Cayla Barnes, Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne, Hayley Scamurra and Abbey Murphy. Hannah Bilka had two assists while Aerin Frankel turned back 23 shots in pitching the Americans’ fifth consecutive shutout, running their scoreless streak to more than 331 minutes. The unbeaten U.S. has scored at least five times in each of its six games, outscoring opponents 31-1 overall.

Kendall Coyne, top left, celebrates with her teammates after scoring against Sweden in the second period Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Barnes got things started 5:09 into the first period, taking a pass from Kelley Pannek behind the goal line, settling it inside the right faceoff circle, then blasting a shot over the shoulder of Swedish goalie Ebba Svensson Traff for her first goal of the Games. Barnes is the 15th American to score in the tournament.

But that was all the U.S. would get in a first period in which it built a 13-2 shot advantage.

Heise doubled the advantage midway through the second period, although Bilka did most of the work, taking the puck at center ice and driving hard up the right wing before slipping a deft pass across the front of the goal for Heise, who had an easy tap-in.

Six minutes later Murphy made it 3-0 and the rout was on, with Coyne and Scamurra adding goals 109 seconds apart to extend the U.S. lead to 5-0 heading into the second intermission.

U.S. forward Abbey Murphy, right, scores past Sweden goalkeeper Ebba Svensson Traff in the second period Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)