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Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Thunderstruck: After heat, Club World Cup weathers storms and threat of lightning
* HT Image Matches suspended or delayed due to thunderstorms * Threat of lightning also stopping play * June to August deadliest time in U.S. for lightning storms By Rohith Nair June 21 - From stifling heat to thunderstorms, the Club World Cup has been at the mercy of the extremes of the American summer, with the threat of lightning now forcing players to retreat to the tunnels while fans seek shelter as matches are suddenly halted. While soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity initially fuelled concerns among players and fans, it is the crackling skies and pouring rain that have emerged as the tournament's most disruptive forces. Friday's match in Orlando between Benfica and Auckland City was suspended after halftime for nearly two hours due to a lightning storm in the area. At the same venue on Tuesday, fans had barely settled into their seats when the referee ordered Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns to return to the dressing rooms, with the match delayed for more than an hour due to the threat of lightning. Cincinnati witnessed an even longer interruption when a severe thunderstorm suspended Red Bull Salzburg's clash with Pachuca for more than 90 minutes. Palmeiras and Al Ahly saw their contest in New Jersey halted for 50 minutes due to lightning near MetLife Stadium. "Your attention please. For your safety, we are going to have everyone leave the Seating Bowl area and take shelter inside the stadium because of severe weather in the area," said a safety message flashed on the big screens in the arena. "Event staff are available to guide and assist you. Those on the field, please walk calmly to the nearest tunnel... or to the service corridor." THREAT OF LIGHTNING Heavy rain is often the X-factor for the home side on a cold, wet night in Stoke which lends itself to the famous English soccer cliche but the same cannot be said in the United States. According to the country's National Weather Service , 75% of lightning-related deaths in the last decade occurred from June to August. Meteorological challenges are nothing new but with the combination of sweltering humidity followed by electrical storms, the simple yet stark warning from the NWS rings particularly true "When thunder roars, go indoors!" Tournament organisers FIFA have weather protocols in place to ensure the safety of those on the pitch and in the stands. If there is lightning within 10 miles of the stadium, an automatic match suspension is triggered. The match director is informed, who in turn asks the referee to stop play. The storm is monitored before players are called back out, with the warm-up time before the restart dictated by the time they spent off the pitch. Fans are also asked to leave the stands and find shelter in the concourse, with one source saying the stadiums had the capacity to keep them inside until the storm passed. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Star
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-List of English Premiership champions
LONDON (Reuters) -Following is the list of English club rugby champions after Bath beat Leicester Tigers in Saturday's Premiership final. Since the 2002-03 season, the league winners have been determined by playoffs and a final at Twickenham. SEASON WINNER 1987-88 Leicester Tigers 1988-89 Bath 1989-90 Wasps 1990-91 Bath 1991-92 Bath 1992-93 Bath 1993-94 Bath 1994-95 Leicester Tigers 1995-96 Bath 1996-97 Wasps 1997-98 Newcastle Falcons 1998-99 Leicester Tigers 1999-00 Leicester Tigers 2000-01 Leicester Tigers 2001-02 Leicester Tigers Introduction of final at Twickenham SEASON WINNER SCORE RUNNER-UP 2002-03 Wasps 39-3 Gloucester 2003-04 Wasps 10-6 Bath 2004-05 Wasps 39-14 Leicester Tigers 2005-06 Sale Sharks 45-20 Leicester Tigers 2006-07 Leicester Tigers 44-16 Gloucester 2007-08 Wasps 26-16 Leicester Tigers 2008-09 Leicester Tigers 10-9 London Irish 2009-10 Leicester Tigers 33-27 Saracens 2010-11 Saracens 22-18 Leicester Tigers 2011-12 Harlequins 30-23 Leicester Tigers 2012-13 Leicester Tigers 37-17 Northampton Saints 2013-14 Northampton Saints 24-20* Saracens 2014-15 Saracens 28-16 Bath 2015-16 Saracens 28-20 Exeter Chiefs 2016-17 Exeter 23-20* Wasps 2017-18 Saracens 27-10 Exeter Chiefs 2018-19 Saracens 37-34 Exeter Chiefs 2019-20 Exeter Chiefs 19-13 Wasps 2020-21 Harlequins 40-38 Exeter Chiefs 2021-22 Leicester Tigers 15-12 Saracens 2022-23 Saracens 35-25 Sale 2023-24 Northampton Saints 25-21 Bath 2024-25 Bath 23-21 Leicester Tigers *After Extra Time (Compiled by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
The Star
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Euro 2028 hosts to go through qualifying
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Euro 2028 & Euro 2032 Hosts Announcement - Nyon, Switzerland - October 10, 2023 The UEFA Euro trophy is pictured during the announcement REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo (Reuters) -Hosts England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will participate in qualifying for the 2028 European Championship, with only two spots reserved if they do not make it to the tournament, Europe's soccer governing body UEFA said on Wednesday. The decision was taken by the UEFA Executive Committee which met in Bilbao ahead of Wednesday's Europa League Final. The four hosts will be drawn into separate groups, with 12 group winners and eight best runners-up (20 teams) advancing directly to the final tournament. "Two spots in the final tournament will be reserved for the two best ranked host nations who are not qualified as group winners or best runners-up after the completion of the qualifying group stage," UEFA said in a statement. The remaining spots will be assigned via playoffs between the remaining runners-up in the qualifying groups and the best ranked 2026-27 UEFA Nations League non-qualified group winners, the statement said. "Depending on the number of spots used by the host nations, the number of final tournament spots decided by playoffs may vary between two and four." Euro 2028 will be held across nine venues in the United Kingdom and Ireland. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
The Star
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Rugby-Unequal funding for Welsh regions after Ospreys and Scarlets miss WRU deadline
(Reuters) -Wales' four professional regions will not be evenly funded after the country's rugby union (WRU) said on Sunday that Ospreys and Scarlets did not sign the new Professional Rugby Agreement before the deadline. The WRU said Dragons and Cardiff signed up to the terms of a new agreement which had been under negotiation since August last year but Ospreys and Scarlets missed the deadline, forcing the WRU to issue a two-year notice to terminate the agreement. The current PRA deal runs out in 2027 and the WRU said "broader performance, financial and strategic needs of the game" should take precedence. "The WRU's preference from the outset was to maintain four professional clubs (on equal funding) within this framework. Everyone worked hard to achieve that," the WRU said in a statement. "In practical terms, the WRU will work closely with all four professional clubs to agree the way forward beyond June 2027, with an open mind to all constructive and realistic proposals. "That said, given the seismic changes in the rugby landscape since we first started negotiating PRA 2025, the system will not return to the model of four evenly funded clubs." Although Welsh media reported that the number of professional teams would be reduced to three, the WRU made no mention of cutting a region. "We are continuing to talk to all four clubs about what the future will hold," WRU CEO Abi Tierney said. "We recognise this will be a time of uncertainty and are committed to treating all the clubs, players, and supporters with respect and fairness throughout this process. "We acknowledge the continued commitment of each club to Welsh rugby and will formulate a new plan with the best interests of the whole game in Wales at the forefront of our thinking." Scarlets and Ospreys play in the United Rugby Championship and the second-tier European Challenge Cup. Reuters has contacted both teams for comment. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
The Star
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-LAFC and Club America to contest Club World Cup playoff on May 31
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund v Borussia Moenchengladbach - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - April 20, 2025 FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Trophy before the match REUTERS/Teresa. Kroeger/File Photo (Reuters) -Los Angeles FC and Club America will play their Club World Cup qualifying playoff match on May 31 at the BMO Stadium, home of LAFC, for a place in the group stage of the 32-team tournament, world soccer's governing body FIFA announced on Friday. The playoff is being held to decide the 32nd team after Club Leon were kicked out of the tournament due to an ownership rule breach. The Mexican club also had their appeal rejected at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. FIFA said in March that Club Leon and Pachuca did not meet regulations on multi-club ownership. However, Pachuca's spot in the June 14-July 13 tournament was unaffected. LAFC were runners-up to Club Leon in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League while Club America were the top-ranked team in the Club World Cup confederation ranking at the end of the Champions Cup staged in 2024. The winner of the playoff will go into Group D alongside Brazil's Flamengo, Tunisian club Esperance de Tunis and Premier League side Chelsea. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
