Sports

Balancing motherhood and work is a challenge in any profession. But for footballers, whose peak sporting years coincide with their peak fertility, the choice can feel stark. "For a woman whose sports career might last, say, 10 years at a high level, she starts thinking that getting pregnant really isn't an option," former Real Sociedad player, Larraitz Lucas, told DW. "When you are competing at a high level, all you are focusing on is the present." Until the last few years, only about 2% of footballers got pregnant during their careers, with many leaving the sport to pursue motherhood. But with increasing professionalization, organizations are starting to wrestle with the question of how to deal with players who want to have children. Binding maternity regulations were introduced to the...

How are Elversberg doing in the Bundesliga? So far, remarkably well. The smallest town ever to be represented in the top flight got off to a dream start on the Bundesliga's opening weekend, racing in to a 3-0 lead against 2024 champions Bayer Leverkusen. In the end, they held off a late surge to claim a 3-2 victory. A trip to Borussia Mönchegladbach on matchday two looked to have brought them back down to earth, with the hosts leading 3-1 with little over 30 minutes to play. But a sensational comeback was crowned by a Maurice Krattenmacher winner in injury time. The win moved Elversberg above champions Bayern Munich as one of only four sides to have won both their opening two matches, but Krattenmacher was trying to keep some perspective. "We know every opponent is good in the Bundeslig...

A year ago, North Korea's women successfully defended their U-17 World Cup title after defeating the Netherlands 3-0 in Morocco. It was the fourth time that the country has won the competition. Now the country's U-20 team enter the World Cup in Poland as defending champions, having won their third World Cup in 2024. North Korea's women have clearly cemented their status as the dominant force in women's youth football. But what is it that makes a state that, according to the United Nations, "does not have any parallel in the contemporary world," so good at youth football? "International sport is one of the few ways to demonstrate their sovereignty, existence and identity to the international community, so this type of big success, from their point of view, is an important occasion where ...

A year ago, North Korea's women successfully defended their U-17 World Cup title after defeating the Netherlands 3-0 in Morocco. It was the fourth time that the country has won the competition. Now the country's U-20 team enter the World Cup in Poland as defending champions, having won their third World Cup in 2024. North Korea's women have clearly cemented their status as the dominant force in women's youth football. But what is it that makes a state that, according to the United Nations, "does not have any parallel in the contemporary world," so good at youth football? "International sport is one of the few ways to demonstrate their sovereignty, existence and identity to the international community, so this type of big success, from their point of view, is an important occasion where ...

World football governing body FIFA took a lash at Europe's UEFA for starting a "smear campaign" and "fishing expedition" against FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino. This comes after a dispute between the two organizations due to FIFA's plan to sell a stake in its commercial rights, with UEFA submitting an ex parte application to the US District Court in New York to obtain testimony and documents from US-based entities. These documents will be used in potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland, where both FIFA and UEFA are based. "While these applications are styled as legal pleadings with captions and docket numbers, they are little more than press releases in further support of UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership,” FIFA said in a filing in US District Court in ...

World football governing body FIFA took a lash at Europe's UEFA for starting a "smear campaign" and "fishing expedition" against FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino. This comes after a dispute between the two organizations due to FIFA's plan to sell a stake in its commercial rights, with UEFA submitting an ex parte application to the US District Court in New York to obtain testimony and documents from US-based entities. These documents will be used in potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland, where both FIFA and UEFA are based. Such criminal proceedings are currently being considered, UEFA previously said. In documents seen by Reuters, FIFA called the application "little more than press releases" to support UEFA's "smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership."Spain won the 2...

South African aviation authorities are reviewing a low-altitude flyover by two Airlink passenger planes at an international rugby match in Cape Town last weekend. The regional airline, meanwhile, said it had canceled another flypast scheduled for Saturday's rugby test between South Africa and New Zealand in Johannesburg this weekend, citing unfavorable weather. In a statement, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it was carrying out a "compliance verification" of the August 29 flyover at Cape Town's DHL stadium to ensure "all safety protocols were adhered to by the crew." Footage of the flyby, showing two planes in formation passing over the crowd, was widely shared on social media and prompted discussion about potential safety risks. According to flight-tracking web...