Girma: ‘Such a joy’ to score first USWNT goals​​

PGMOL, the refereeing body for English football, has said that the investigation into Premier League referee David Coote is continuing and he remains suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.

Coote, 42, was initially stood down by PGMOL on Nov. 11 after a first video was posted to X which showed the referee making disparaging remarks about Liverpool and their former manager Jürgen Klopp.

Two days later, another video, filmed by Coote and shared to a friend on WhatsApp, was published by The Sun. It was allegedly taken at a UEFA-appointed hotel on July 6, the day after his final appointment at Euro 2024 as support VAR for the Portugal vs. France quarterfinal, and showed him sniffing a white powder.

Coote had already been suspended by UEFA in alignment with PGMOL, and European football’s governing body subsequently opened its own investigation.

A PGMOL spokesperson said on Thursday: “We are following an internal process and taking the allegations into David Coote’s conduct very seriously as part of our ongoing full and thorough investigation. Whilst David remains suspended, his welfare continues to be important to us and he is aware of the support network available to him.”

Ipswich Town have revealed that pop star and minor shareholder Ed Sheeran was called to help them sign a player moments before he joined Taylor Swift on stage at Wembley Stadium.

Sheeran, the British pop star and lifelong Ipswich fan bought a small stake in the club in August, ahead of their return to the Premier League for the first time since 2002.

“In the summer, we were trying to persuade one particular player to join the football club and realized very quickly that he was an Ed Sheeran fan,” Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton said, speaking at a Soccerex industry event in Miami.

“Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift. Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.”

Ashton didn’t disclose the player in question, saying only: “He’s certainly scoring a few goals.”

Sheeran and Swift were on stage together at a show at Wembley Stadium on Aug. 15, a day before Ipswich signed Sammie Szmodics from Blackburn.

Szmodics was the top scorer in the second-tier Championship last season, and after scoring from an overhead kick in Ipswich’s 2-1 win at Tottenham this month, he posted a photograph of himself with Sheeran on Instagram.

“Overhead kick, win & a smudge with big Ed. Get in there,” Szmodics, the Ireland international, wrote.

Sheeran is Ipswich’s most famous supporter and has been the club’s shirt sponsor since 2021. His status as a minority owner grants him access to an executive box at Ipswich’s Portman Road stadium and he is regularly seen at matches.

Ipswich hosts Manchester United on Sunday in a match notable for being Rúben Amorim’s first in charge of United.

Ashton spoke highly of Sheeran at the Soccerex event, saying with a smile: “He’s a local man, a global superstar, sponsor of the football club, now a shareholder and now officially a part of our recruitment team.”

Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min praised the spirit showed by Palestine after they held South Korea to a 1-1 draw in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday.

While South Korea were overwhelming favourites for the tie — which was played in neutral territory on Jordanian soil — it was Palestine who took the lead after 12 minutes before Son equalised shortly after.

Despite the designated away team’s best efforts, Palestine were able to hold out for a valuable point that leaves them in with a chance of reaching the next round of qualification at the very least, keeping alive their unlikely World Cup dream.

It was the second time in the campaign that the Palestinians have frustrated their more-illustrious opponents, having memorably eked out a 0-0 draw in Seoul back in September.

Palestine continue to defy the odds amid the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, having not played a true home game since 2019.

It was this spirit that garnered them praise from Son immediately after the match.

“I want to give a round of applause to the Palestine team,” said a magnanimous Son, in spite of his disappointment at the result.

“Seeing them work so hard, even in difficult conditions, is something I think we can learn from.

“I think they were well prepared and executed their plans really well.”

Across their two meetings with the South Koreans, Palestine had to withstand 32 efforts on goal with custodian Rami Hamadeh rising to the challenge on both occasions.

Further highlighting the tribulations that Palestine are persevering through, Hamadeh has now been without a club for over a year and is one of four players in the latest squad who are currently unattached.

Even after their previous meeting with South Korea, Hamadeh had already spoken on the hurdles they have had to overcome just to participate in the qualifiers.

“We haven’t done any [training] camps. The [overseas-based] players haven’t been with us a lot of the time,” he explained.

“I’ve been without a team for a year because of the war – the league has stopped in Palestine.

“I train alone. I train with my friends. [But] I have a responsibility to be here.”

The Asian qualifiers resume in March with South Korea taking on Oman and Jordan, while Palestine will look to continue their spirited showings against Jordan and Iraq.