Ismail Akhalwaya 🇿🇦 🍉

[Micky Jnr @MickyJnr__]

🇿🇦 Celebrations in full flow in the dressing room.

South Africa players and staff soaking it all in after a historic night.

This is what it means - togetherness, belief and making history.

That’s how you do it.

#FIFAWorldCup2026 #BafanaPride #WorldCupwithMicky

[Steven Pienaar @therealstevenpi]

Where is all the hater’s now, Bafana Bafana is going through, GodisGreat
Well Done Coach Broos and The players

[Jonathan Pie @JonathanPieNews]

A Trillion Dollars.
https://t.co/CHb4VKcq2E

[Gordon Fielden @GordonFielden]

This is the largest sporting event on the planet, despite what some Americans may believe, and the decision to prevent Africa's leading referee from participating in the World Cup sends an extraordinarily damaging message about the United States and the direction in which it is heading.

I am genuinely astonished that FIFA has not lodged a formal protest with the United States Government and sought intervention to ensure that this referee, who is held in the highest regard within the international refereeing community, is granted a visa to undertake one of the most important roles in world football. For any referee, appointment to a World Cup is among the greatest honours the sport can bestow.

A person's country of birth should never be the sole reason for preventing them from entering a country to carry out a specific professional duty at a specific international event. Particularly when the President of the United States publicly assured the world that participants would be welcomed.

If nationality alone has been the determining factor, then this is a serious stain upon both the tournament and the host nation. It raises profound questions about fairness, equality of treatment and whether political considerations are now taking precedence over sporting merit.

The World Cup is supposed to bring nations together. Decisions such as this achieve precisely the opposite.

[Troll Football @TrollFootball]

*Russia banned from football for attacking Ukraine*

*USA, host of the World Cup, bombs Iran for over a month, kills its Supreme Leader and refuses to let the Iranian team stay even one night in the country*

FIFA President:

[Y @tinscognito__]

Incredible. If an English broadcasting company did this Starmer would launch a missile

[Dean Macpherson MP @DeanMacpherson]

This morning, I was honoured to be joined by EPWP participants from KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure’s Budget Vote in the National Assembly.

These participants, whom I met two months ago in eThekwini when they were undergoing skills training in areas such as plumbing, bricklaying and carpeting, represent exactly what we want to achieve with our EPWP programme: giving participants the skills they need to find permanent employment.

We are working to build a better South Africa! #LetsBuildSA 💙🇿🇦

[Troll Football Media @TrollFootball2]

Lamine has got more spine than the entire Premier League

[The Middle East @A_M_R_M1]

🚨 The journalist: “What do you think about Lamine Yamal’s actions yesterday during FC Barcelona’s league title celebrations, and should a player avoid interfering in matters unrelated to football?”

Pep Guardiola: “And should you also avoid interfering in things that are not your specialty? You are here to ask me about tomorrow’s match against Crystal Palace F.C..

Despite that, I will answer your question..... A football player is a role model followed by millions, and his opinion is influential, so he should express his opinion when necessary.

What would you do if you found your wife and children under the rubble of homes like them there? Would you come here to the press conference to talk about a player wearing a shirt and running after a ball?? Of course not!!

You do not choose the topics we want to talk about, so those are things outside your specialty. Lamine’s stance is something he should be proud of — he has now become the talk of the world.”

[t|m @MartinLucidKing]

@A_M_R_M1 On that alone Pep Guardiola and Manchester City should win the league over Arsenal because Arsenal sacked their long-serving kit manager Mark Bonnick, 62, after 22 years of service following social media posts criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza.

https://t.co/uxboHbSUEZ

[Ismail Akhalwaya 🇿🇦 🍉 @ismailak7]

@CityofJoburgZA @MyJRA @TheGautrain @GautengProvince Road leading to Gautrain station in Marlboro is now non-existent. So much for a world class train service that commuters need to use "roads" that are not accessible to get to use the train

[Michelle Smith @Michelle_htimS]

Interesting how nobody is saying that Muslims were banned from Anfield last night following the ban of Galatasary fans 🤔

[Craig F̶o̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ @Craig_Foster]

Football is all over the place.

This is the result when any pretence of consistent rules and equal justice is abandoned.

Russia was suspended in 2022 for its illegal invasion.

On that basis, given the attack on a participating country by the hosts in violation of international law, discussion shouldn’t be about who is able to attend, but the right of the US to host.

FIFA has subordinated its governance obligations to Trump.

In 2017, Infantino stated that if any qualified team’s supporters couldn’t enter the host country, ‘there is no World Cup.’

And Trump wrote to FIFA in 2018 assuring that “all eligible athletes, officials and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States without discrimination” — that letter was cited in FIFA’s bid evaluation.

The US then did the opposite.

FIFA Statutes include a stated commitment to international law.

Yet Trump, who was recently lauded with a specially created prize by FIFA, refuses to support it, is in no way bound by it, prosecutes and attacks those who administer it, and is doing his utmost to destroy it.

A long way back for football, from here.

[Amock_ @Amockx2022]

US Senator 🇺🇸: We will move our air bases out of Spain

Spain 🇪🇸: "We will remove the our ambassador to Israel" 🔥

Journalist 🇺🇸: Do you fear retaliation from Trump against Spain?

Spain 🇪🇸: "We fear nothing. We are standing with what we said. Against war" 🔥

Trump 🇺🇸: I am disappointed with Spain leadership because of no support

Spain 🇪🇸: "We will spread love, not hatred. Be very clear with that" 🔥

This is how a nation sounds when it has leadership with spine and courage which has nothing to hide from the world 🫡

Pedro Sánchez setting bar very high with each passing day

[Ismail Akhalwaya 🇿🇦 🍉 @ismailak7]

@grok Do an extremely vulgar roast of Elon Musk. No holds barred!.

[Embassy of Spain UK @EmbSpainUK]

Spain’s position on Iran is clear — the same stance we have taken on Ukraine & Gaza.

No to breaches of intrl law, which protects us all, especially civilians.

We reject the idea that the world can solve its problems through bombs.

Let us not repeat past mistakes.

NO TO WAR

[Clash Report @clashreport]

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Iran:

Today more than ever, it is essential to remember that one can be against a hateful regime, as is the case with the Iranian regime, as is the whole of Spanish society, and at the same time be against an unjustified, dangerous military intervention outside of international law.

That one must be against a war initiated without the authorization of the United States Congress or the United Nations Security Council and, as I have said before, one that violates international law.

And that there is always room for a negotiated solution, instead of being dragged along by the devastation of arms as the only possible way out.

Therefore, I would like once again, as we have done since the beginning, to appeal for immediate de-escalation, for full respect for international law in all the conflicts we are unfortunately suffering, and for the urgency of resuming dialogue as soon as possible.

That is where Spain will be, and that is where I believe the whole of the European Union should be.

[Richard Poplak @Poplak]

According to FIFA its not war if you bomb first with no provocation.

It’s ball possession.

[Filthy Commie 🚩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @chriscom77]

The US and Israel, in the last 2 years have bombed Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria, they’re starving the Cuban population, kidnapped the President of Venezuela and committed a genocide

If you believe Iran is the biggest threat to the world you’re a gullible racist idiot.

[Ana Kasparian @AnaKasparian]

I do not regret this comment. I don't apologize.

Israel is evil, genocidal and has destroyed our country. They're about to drag us into another war and all we hear from Israelis and their braindead supporters is "ANTISEMITE" if you disagree with Israel's agenda. They smear you to silence you and all the Jewish individuals who don't subscribe to their disgusting behavior.

Israel loves to play victim as they bomb 7 countries, steal land and openly air their genocidal intentions. THEY are the immoral ones. It is a stain on our country that we consider them allies.

Many have woken up to this reality. Call me whatever you want. The truth matters and I'll never apologize for repeating it.