🚨 Joint-statement from Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire expressing their “profound disappointment” following the recent comments made by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin arguing the expanded World Cup will create “uninteresting” games.
“We respectfully but firmly reject these comments.
“For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match.
“For Cape Verde, Curaçao and Uzbekistan, qualification for the FIFA World Cup represents a historic achievement and the realization of a dream shared by generations.
“For nations such as Congo and Haiti, returning to football’s biggest stage after a long absence carries a special meaning for millions of supporters who have waited years, and in some cases decades, for this moment.
“To suggest that these matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing and fails to recognize the efforts, sacrifices and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, football leaders and supporters across the world.
“Behind every qualification stand years of work and investment. Behind every national team stand entire communities and millions of people who see football as a source of pride, hope and unity.
“Football does not belong to a select group of nations. Its strength comes from its universality. The FIFA World Cup is the world’s greatest football competition precisely because it brings together different cultures, different histories and different football journeys.
“For many countries, participation in the FIFA World Cup is not only a sporting achievement. It is a moment that inspires a generation, accelerates football development and creates memories that last a lifetime.
“We believe that every nation that qualifies deserves respect. Every team has earned its place on merit. Every supporter has the right to dream. Every match carries meaning for millions of people around the world.
“We therefore reject the UEFA President’s comments and reaffirm our belief that the growth of football must continue to create opportunities, inspire new generations and strengthen the truly global nature of our game.
“Every team qualified on merit.
“Every match matters.”
The zionist regime has, once again, extended the illegal detention of our friends; Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila.
Our organizers have been illegally kidnapped in international waters, subjected to beatings and torture in Greek territorial waters, and forcefully brought against their will to occupied Palestine, where they have been subjected to interrogations, death threats, sleep deprivation and medical neglect.
We urge the international community and their representatives to immediately take action for the safety and freedom of Saif and Thiago, the freedom of all Palestinian hostages and the end of israel's illegal siege of Gaza and its genocide.
Free them all!
Court images: Adalah Legal Center
People making jokes about Spirit airlines and saying Frontier should be next are ignorant. When there is no longer affordable options to fly then what? Not to mention the thousands of people losing their jobs in a terrible economy! This is not funny.
STOP THE TENNESSEE STEAL!!!!!!!!!!
Next week concludes the 250th year of this American project as the GOP supermajority eliminates the last Democratically held congressional district in the state.
STOP THE STEAL. JOIN ALL PATRIOTS AT THE CAPITOL ON TUESDAY AT 2 PM.
🔥@VoteGloriaJ: “We got official word from @GovBillLee — there will be a white power rally at the Tennessee legislature next week on May 5th… that is what this is. They want to take away that seat from MEMPHIS. This is white supremacy. We need you in Nashville making noise.”
I genuinely feel sick. This is just beyond anything the mind can fathom. And I keep thinking of what Ta-Nehisi Coates said. If you can’t draw the line at the genocide in Gaza, you can’t draw it anywhere else. Moral failure, on a mass and collective scale, brought us here.
Speaking about that Venn diagram. If trans people can be tracked, ALL people can be tracked. Rights get eroded by chipping away at marginalised groups to set precedent. Soon enough it will be your turn in the seat.
URGENT 🇨🇺 Delegates of the Nuestra América Convoy — including @thiagoavilabr, @Shut_downAmazon and @kthalps — have been interrogated and detained on return from Cuba.
Solidarity is not a crime. We demand their immediate release.
Reuters confirms why I’ve been saying: the U.S. has been allowing fuel in to Cuban private businesses like foreign-operated hotels but barring it from hospitals and other publicly run institutions.
I’m sure that the NYT and The Free Press, which produced entire articles about Hasan Piker’s hotel, will do a follow up now