Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – NBA finals, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, NBA, Taylor Swift, Basketball, US sports, Sport
Title – Knicks beat Spurs in largest NBA finals comeback with first title since 1973 in sight | NBA finals | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/bryan-armen-graham
Link – Knicks beat Spurs in largest NBA finals comeback with first title since 1973 in sight | NBA finals | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-11T03:51:39.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/10/wembanyama-spurs-knicks-game-4-nba-finals-series-tied

The New York Knicks stared into the abyss and somehow found a way out. Facing a 29-point deficit in front of a shell-shocked home crowd, the side completed the largest comeback in NBA finals history on Wednesday night.

OG Anunoby’s tip-in off a Jalen Brunson missed three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left made the difference in the 107-106 win against San Antonio Spurs in Game 4.

“Right hand from God,” the Knicks center, Karl-Anthony Towns, said of Anunoby’s winning basket.

The stunning result gave New York a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and sent thousands of fans into the midtown Manhattan streets chanting and celebrating after the final buzzer. The Knicks can secure their first title since 1973 when the series returns to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday night.

For much of the evening, that possibility seemed absurd. The Spurs seized control almost immediately. Towns was whistled for a defensive foul 18 seconds into the game, then a second 65 seconds later when San Antonio successfully challenged a foul call on Victor Wembanyama and had it overturned into an offensive foul on the Knicks center. With Towns headed to the bench before the game was three minutes old, the Spurs raced to a 12-2 lead.

San Antonio buried 11 of their first 16 attempts from beyond the arc and led 41-22 after the opening quarter, extending the margin to 71-42 on a Dylan Harper running lay-up. By the intermission, San Antonio held a 76-49 lead, the largest half-time advantage held by a visiting team in an NBA finals game.

The turnaround began taking shape in the third quarter, when New York held San Antonio to 14 points on 4-for-20 shooting. Wembanyama managed three points in the period and the Spurs failed to score a single basket in the paint, allowing the Knicks to chip down the 29-point deficit with 9min 40sec left in the third to 15 entering the final period.

“We’re a resilient group,” Anunoby said. “We’ve been through a lot. We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated.”

In the fourth, it changed in a blur. The Knicks ripped off a 28-9 run in a seven-minute stretch, all light and flash, turning every defensive stop into a fast-break opportunity and every basket into a fresh wave of belief.

The deficit shrank possession by possession until Brunson delivered the breakthrough, knifing through traffic for a lay-up with 1min 22sec remaining to give the Knicks their first lead, 105-104.

“You look at it when you’re down 29, ‘OK let’s get it to 20,’” Josh Hart said. “There’s three minutes left in the third quarter, we’re down 18, you’re thinking, ‘Let’s get it to 10.’ In the fourth quarter, you’re like, ‘This is winning time. Anything can happen.’”

After the Spurs wrested back the lead on a pair of Stephon Castle free throws, Brunson missed a contested three in the closing seconds. But Anunoby slipped through the defense and tipped in the winning basket to set off scenes of delirium in the Garden.

The Knicks led for 53.8sec. The final 1.2sec made all the difference.

Anunoby finished with 33 points and buried seven of his nine attempts from beyond the arc, both playoff career highs, producing one of the defining performances in Knicks postseason history. Brunson added 36 points and seven assists, while Jose Alvarado supplied an unexpected lift off the bench with eight points during the fourth‑quarter rally.

No team had come back from more than 24 points down in an NBA finals game. The previous mark belonged to the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008.

Wembanyama finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for San Antonio, who had appeared poised to seize control of the series after winning Game 3 and then opening that huge lead. Harper added 21 points while De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell scored 18 apiece for the Spurs, who were outscored 58-30 in the second half and shot 3-for-17 from three-point range after the break.

Taylor Swift was among the celebrities at courtside, wearing a blue and orange “Stevie Knicks” T-shirt with friends and collaborators Alana and Este Haim and taking her seat alongside Garden regulars Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan. Her presence added another flicker of star power to a series that has captivated the city as the Knicks close in on the third championship in their 80-year history.

Only one team – LeBron James’s Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 – have overturned a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA finals. The Spurs must become the second if they are to deny the Knicks the chance to end one of the longest title droughts in North American sports.

Keyword – Environment
Trefwoorden – Environment
Title – The underwater wonders I saw on my once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galápagos | Environment | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/helen-scales
Link – The underwater wonders I saw on my once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galápagos | Environment | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-12T06:00:37.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/12/darwin-and-wolf-islands-galapagos-wildlife-science-expedition

D arwin and Wolf Islands in the Galápagos archipelago are the kinds of places scuba divers and marine biologists dream of visiting, myself included. I even wrote a children’s book imagining a team of scientists exploring the underwater wonders of the Galápagos islands on a beautiful sailing ship.

That’s why I’m still pinching myself that earlier this year I got to take part in a real expedition to Darwin and Wolf.

More on my incredible journey and what I saw on these remote, uninhabited islands, after this week’s most important reads.

Essential reads

‘Super-rich’s assets cause outsized amount of climate harm’

‘An equal and habitable world is possible’: academics set out sweeping vision for planetary survival

‘This may be our last chance’: rising sea levels threaten Kiribati’s World Cup dream | The Hotspot

In focus

Back in March, I was the first reporter to be invited to join a team from the Charles Darwin Foundation, who twice each year go to these special islands, the most northerly of the Galápagos archipelago, which sits about 1,000km (620 miles) off the coast of Ecuador. For two weeks, I lived at sea on a 22-metre (71ft) diving yacht with 12 scientists and crew. Every day, while we were scuba diving, freediving and working from inflatable boats, we were constantly surrounded by wildlife. Green sea turtles popped their bald heads above the waterline. Sea lions waved their flippers in the air as they lazed at the surface. Flocks of boobies flew alongside us while we zoomed around on boats and seemed determined to try to land on our heads.

I had gone on this adventure to tell a story: that of the epic migrations of scalloped hammerhead sharks , a critically endangered species that aggregates in huge numbers at Darwin and Wolf Islands. Pregnant females swim more than 1,000km from the Galápagos back to the mainland to give birth in the mangrove forests of Panama.

After more than 20 years of marine research and reporting around the world, this was my first time encountering a hammerhead shark. Seeing dozens at a time was an exhilarating reminder that there’s still so much to care for and protect in our ocean.

The team I was accompanying weren’t solely focused on scalloped hammerheads, but the wider marine ecosystem too. We spent long days motoring around the islands, lowering waterproof cameras into the sea then hauling them back up hours later. Scuba divers pushed cameras on horizontal paths underwater. The team does this work in the same places year after year.

One of the team is Katherine Rezabala, an Ecuadorian marine biologist. Back at the research station, she’s in charge of analysing the video footage, counting, identifying and measuring every fish that swims by. She’s been doing this for two years and has learned to recognise more than 50 species of teleosts, a bony fish. I saw proud tears in Katherine’s eyes as she told me how she felt diving off Darwin and Wolf Islands knowing every single species around her. “Everyone else is looking at the sharks,” she told me. “I’m looking at the teleosts.”

Long-term monitoring of this kind may not be as glamorous as tagging hammerhead sharks with satellite trackers, but Katherine’s work is crucial for understanding how this region of the ocean is changing. The Galápagos are naturally turbulent, with mingling currents of cold and warm water. I experienced this while I was scuba diving. Sometimes, cooler pools of water shimmered in front of me like a mirage. I swam into them, shivered for a moment or two, then warmed up on the other side. But there are bigger forces at play, altering the conditions in the Galápagos above and below the waves.

You may have read that El Niño is likely returning this year, with far-reaching repercussions for global temperatures and rainfall patterns (for more, read Gabrielle Canon’s explainer in Down to Earth back in April). The Galápagos will be at its heart. Cold, upwelling currents that normally bring vital nutrients will diminish as warmer water sweeps in. Forecasts suggest it will be another big one – the fourth since the 1980s – and could kill off swathes of ocean life.

The team from the Charles Darwin Foundation will be back at Darwin and Wolf Islands in September to find out how the hammerhead sharks and all the other fish are getting on.

Read more:

Giving guitarfish a chance: one man’s mission to persuade fishers to farm giant snails instead Canada endorses embattled marine park’s plan to relocate 30 beluga whales ‘Severe’ stress on oceans as rate of sea level rise doubles in 10 years, UN warns

To read the complete version of this newsletter – subscribe to receive Down to Earth in your inbox every Thursday.

Keyword – Life and style
Trefwoorden – Life and style, War reporting, Media
Title – Experience: I was held hostage for a year | Life and style | The Guardian
Author – Nigel Brennan
Link – Experience: I was held hostage for a year | Life and style | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-12T04:00:35.000Z
Category – Lifestyle
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/12/experience-i-was-held-hostage-for-a-year

I arrived in Mogadishu as a conflict photojournalist in 2008. Years of civil war had left the Somali capital in tatters. As rival factions continued to fight for power, hundreds of thousands had been forced from their homes. I’d arranged to visit a camp for displaced people, joined by a Canadian journalist named Amanda.

The camp was in a militia zone, so we took two armed guards, but they soon jumped out of the car, saying it wasn’t safe to go any farther. I wasn’t happy about being unaccompanied for the drive, but it was that or abort the trip.

About 20 minutes later, masked men with guns surrounded the car. My door was wrenched open and I was flung to the ground.

We were ordered not to talk, and driven to a compound.

“We’re going to hold you for ransom,” one captor said. They wanted $3m. My heart sank; I knew the government in my home country, Australia, refused to negotiate with terrorists. “If it’s not paid in 24 hours, you’ll be executed,” they said.

I was terrified. The wait was agonising, but when the deadline passed, we allowed ourselves a sigh of relief. Eventually, our kidnappers realised they wouldn’t get anywhere via government channels and demanded numbers for our families.

My parents didn’t even know I was in Somalia. I’d told them I was travelling to Kenya so they wouldn’t worry. I knew they didn’t have the money and felt sick with guilt.

Days became weeks. At first, Amanda and I were allowed to stay together in a stifling room with cockroaches and dirty mattresses.

As the days stretched by, I tried to build a relationship with the captor who spoke English, figuring it would be harder for them to kill me if they liked me. Amanda and I even converted to Islam to give us common ground with our guards.

That meant we could no longer share a room, so we communicated by leaving notes in our shared bathroom. To pass the days, I did yoga and read the Qur’an. I even started learning Arabic.

We tried to keep our spirits up, but after five months we began to lose hope. I’d been allowed to speak to the Australian police, who confirmed no official ransom could be paid. I knew from short phone calls that my family were frantically cobbling together what they could, but that took time.

Every time I took a bathroom break, I started digging the crumbling mortar from the wall. Finally, after three days, I’d loosened enough so Amanda and I could squeeze through. Free at last, we ran towards the nearest mosque. Men inside tried to help, but gunmen were right behind us. We were dragged back to our prison.

All the goodwill I’d cultivated was gone. My ankles were shackled. If I wanted the toilet, I had to bang my cup on the floor. This was my lowest point. Weeks, then months, blurred into one another. The mental trauma was the worst: endless hours staring at the walls, thinking about my family and the dreams I’d never achieve.

Nearly a year had passed since our escape attempt when someone cut the padlocks and threw me some clothes. I was relieved to see Amanda outside, but shocked at how gaunt she looked. I knew I must look the same. “Are you OK? Do you know what’s going on?” I asked, but she shook her head.

We were bundled into a car, then a second, and a third. A man we’d never met handed a phone to Amanda.

“Hello Mum,” I heard her say.

We’d been rescued.

My family had paid the kidnappers more than half a million pounds. They had liquidated everything and fundraised for the rest. Arriving home, I was euphoric but racked with guilt.

I have my own family now. I live in Tasmania with my wife, Alanna, and our two boys, Rumi, 10 and Omar, five, both named after Muslim poets. I’ve kept a healthy respect for Islam, as I know its real roots are based in peace.

My boys know a bit about my story; one day I’ll read them my memoir. You might think my experience would make me an anxious father, but the opposite is true. I want my boys to get out in the world and truly live life.

With endless hours to think in my 462 days of captivity, I realised all that mattered was family and friends. Now I’ll never take them for granted.

As told to Jacqui Paterson

Do you have an experience to share? Email experience@theguardian.com

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – World Cup 2026, World Cup, Football, Sport, US sports, Australia sport
Title – World Cup 2026: Canada and USA enter fray; empty seats; Mexico’s winning start; Endo’s Japan retirement – live | World Cup 2026 | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/will-unwin,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-tindall,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/martin-belam,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/joe-callaghan,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/matthughes
Link – World Cup 2026: Canada and USA enter fray; empty seats; Mexico’s winning start; Endo’s Japan retirement – live | World Cup 2026 | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-12T14:13:21.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/jun/12/world-cup-2026-news-updates-live-usa-canada-paraguay-bosnia-herzegovina

Thanks Martin. I’ve just been looking at various World Cup wallcharts and fixture lists. If you want to watch every minute of England and Scotland, these are the timings you need to plan for.

SCOTLAND Sunday, 14 June 02:00: v Haiti Friday, 19 June 23:00: v Morocco Wednesday, 24 June 23:00: v Brazil

ENGLAND Wednesday, 17 June 21:00: v Croatia Tuesday, 23 June 21:00: v Ghana Saturday, 27 June 22:00: v Panama A tougher gig for Scotland fans. That Haiti one will test a few but note that Brazil v Morocco is 11pm on the Saturday night so that can get you in the mood.

That is it from me today, I will be back with you on Monday. And now over to David Tindall …

Pro-tip in this article : Telemundo, the World Cup’s Spanish-language broadcaster in the US, did not cut away to full-screen advertising during the hydration breaks .

Another pro-tip: apparently this page – bbc.co.uk/nospoilers – will get you to the football streams in the UK after the fact without, well, spoilers. It isn’t perfect, thumbnails of players celebrating goals are still there, but it isn’t directly declaring the result at least.

An interesting perspective I note from partenopei in the comments : “I approach this group phase as a final round of World Cup qualifiers. With the actual tournament only beginning next month.”

I can’t say I entirely agree, but I do think, as with the last men’s Euros, that third-placed teams having a shot at qualifying really changes the dynamic of the group stage. For the larger nations, who tend to take it for granted they should progress, the three group matches seem to be a bit more about playing yourself into form and tactical practice rather than having a genuine air of jeopardy about them.

Here are those quotes, via AP, that I promised you earlier from the Bosnia and Herzegovina camp , before I got distracted by Dubioza Kolektiv .

“Even if we are underrated or underdogs, we did something that everyone knows who we are,” forward Ermedin Demirović said. “It’s not a problem to be the underdog, to be honest.”

“We are a small country, this is our second ever World Cup and for sure we are sort of an underdog in many of the matches ahead,” coach Sergej Barbarez said. “But if you look at the previous 20 or so games there were only two teams that were ranked lower than us, and if you know our results, I think that you have to just admire what we’ve managed to achieve.”

If you recall, Bosnia condemned Italy to watch a World Cup from the sidelines yet again after a penalty shoot-out play-off win in March. They the lowest-ranked team in Group B behind Switzerland (19), Canada (30) and Qatar (56).

At home in Sarajevo it seems like the kids are already getting World Cup fever – I hope they will be allowed to stay up to watch. The match kicks off at 9pm local time in the Balkan nation.

Ahead of the USA opening their campaign against Paraguay later today , there will be an opening ceremony featuring Katy Perry and other music stars, and US secretary of state Marco Rubio is expected to attend the match. Speaking yesterday this is what boss Mauricio Pochettino had to say:

For me, successful is to win. Is to win tomorrow. And win after. If we don’t arrive to the final and we don’t win the World Cup, to talk about ’successful’? I don’t know.

Christian Pulisic , one of the US men’s national team who have been increasingly verbose in their religious devotion as this fascinating article by Leander Schaerlaeckens explored, has also been on media duty. He insisted the US is “able to compete with anyone”. He said:

We want to be a real force in this tournament. We’ve got three really good games to show everyone what we’re all about. We know we have to be ready to battle. It’s not about just playing beautiful football.

Graham Ruthven has our daily handy guide to which fixtures are on , what to watch for, and where you can watch them. I’m actually going to see Sparks tonight at the Royal Chelsea Hospital , so I suspect my plans involve avoiding the score and perusing Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina on catch-up, leading straight into USA v Paraguay .

I’ve just seen a headline on the newswires “AI replaces Paul the Octopus for 2026 World Cup tips” which has almost made me lose the will to live. To cheer you up, instead of that, here is a gorilla at Guadalajara Zoo who is supporting Uruguay for some reason.

And in actual football news, Brighton have made a £30million bid to sign Croatian defender Luka Vušković from EFL Championship side fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur , the Press Association understands.

Dear lord, a piece previewing the Canada v Bosnia match-up from a Bosnian perspective has just dropped on AP – I’ll get to the serious football bit shortly – but it has alerted me to the fact that there is a viral Bosnian song for the World Cup which is now absolutely lodged in my mind as an earworm. Turn your volume up and annoy somebody on a bus near you by blasting this out: Dubioza Kolektiv with I Am from Bosnia – Take Me to America

Sample lyrics: I am from Bosnia Take me to America I want to see Statue of Liberty I can no longer wait Take me to United States Takе me to Golden Gate I will assimilatе

A few years back Dave Simpson for the Guardian described the band as “a surreal Bosnian version of Madness”, and I can very much see why.

In non-World Cup news, Tom Garry reports England forward Beth Mead has joined Manchester City on a deal until summer 2029, and there is a picture to prove it.

Canada are up this evening to join the party as co-hosts . It is their third appearance in a World Cup finals, and they are yet to win a match. In Qatar last time out they came a cropper in a group which featured Morocco, Croatia and Belgium.

Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland seems like a much kinder draw this time, with the Balkan nation up first. Jesse Marsch, once of Leeds United, is leading their campaign. Ben Fisher in Toronto reports on their preparations .

I must just add my condolences to the family and friends of Kenny Jackett , who has died aged 64 . He didn’t enjoy a particularly successful spell in the dugout at Brisbane Road, but that was where I watched him managing Leyton Orient. Justin Kavanagh gets in touch via email to point out to me that while many Wolves fans will be sad about his loss today, the World Cup has already given them a lot to shout about:

The human story of the day was about Raul Jiménez finally scoring on the biggest stage (and with his head!). Then Wolves veteran defender Ladislav Krejčí popped up for a very English goal for the Czechs. They may have been relegated this year, but Wolves are making waves in Mexico.

Good afternoon/morning/evening* . As someone who can pretty much count on one hand the number of televised group stage World Cup matches I’ve missed since 1982, I am trying to manage my expectation of how many matches I can actually catch this time round and still retain my job. One I will definitely be making time for is France v Senegal on Tuesday. Ahead of that there has been some criticism of Kylian Mbappé and his decision to speak out about the rise of far-right politics in France. French football writer Raphaël Jucobin looks at the fall-out for us .

[*Delete as applicable]

What a whirlwind hour that was, Martin Belam is here for the next stint. Bye for now.

ITV’s coverage of the World Cup’s opening game between Mexico and South Africa received their highest viewing figures of the year, peaking at 7.7million.

It does go to show that having football on free-to-air television is a very good thing. Maybe some governing bodies can learn from that. The biggest games in the Premier League do not get close to half that.

I think it is worth throwing some light on players to keep an eye on at the tournament. Ismaël Koné could be an interesting player for Canada in midfield and aged 23 has the potential to kick on.

What the football public here crave now and over the next five and a half weeks is something permanent. A legacy which can last. Marsch and his players do, too, desperately so. The most gifted squad Canada have assembled sometimes talk about having already turned their homeland into a football country. At others they reference it as an ambition. The truth is somewhere in the middle – a work in progress, one which maybe feels closer to its start than finish. Which makes their World Cup opener on Friday afternoon, and all that follows, so precious.

“The ITV studio is up there with the BBC one in 2024 overlooking the Brandenburg Gate,” writes Andrew Goudie .

Australia coach Tony Popovic has signed a contract extension through early 2027 on the eve of his team’s World Cup opening match against Turkey on Saturday.

Football Australia said Friday that the 52-year-old Popovic’s deal now extends through the Asian Cup, which will take place in January and early February in Saudi Arabia.

The former Australia international was hired in September 2024 and led the Socceroos to qualification for the 48-team tournament.

“I’m proud to lead my country into a World Cup, but most importantly, I want to ensure that our team is fully prepared and focused on our group matches against Turkey, the United States, and Paraguay,” he said of Australia’s opponents in Group D. AP

The Special One is back at Real Madrid after 13 years away. Is he the man to sort out the rather obvious problems within the dressing room? Either way, it will be box office viewing.

Krishnamoorthy emails: “ For years I have been told that the elephants are very intelligent animals. Today I agree. This one for sure knows who butters his/her toast.

“A small related anecdote. I once posted on my social media feed ‘Paul is dead’ when the most famous octopus died, and my daughter, not into football, thought it was Sir McCartney.”

I reckon an octopus could play a few chords.

Eight years on from being sacked by Spain on the eve of the World Cup , Julen Lopetegui will get his chance on the big stage as head coach of Qatar. He sits down to chat with Sid Lowe.

Republic of Ireland to face Israel in neutral country

The Republic of Ireland’s Nations League fixture with Israel on October 4 will be held behind closed doors in a neutral venue overseas, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has announced.

In a statement on Friday, the FAI said Uefa had approved its request to hold the fixture overseas. The move came amid the prospect of major protests around the the fixture because of Israel’s ongoing military operations in the Middle East. Campaigners and some opposition politicians had called for an overall boycott of the fixture, as well as the away game scheduled for September 27.

An FAI statement read: “Following consultation with various stakeholders, the Association is of the view that operational challenges could impact on the delivery of the game on home soil, so the fixture will be played away from the Aviva Stadium.

“The Association understands and respects the views expressed by players and staff, supporters, its members, campaigners, members of the public and the Irish footballing community in relation to this fixture.” PA

The head of the Palestinian Football Association is waiting in Mexico City for permission to enter the United States with other federation heads attending the World Cup .

Jibril Rajoub went to the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday. But he is among several people accredited to attend the World Cup who have been denied visas or have yet to receive them from the United States.

“I don’t believe that it’s fair to use or to abuse and deny the right of all footballers all over the world to attend,” the veteran Palestinian political figure said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, but Fifa typically invites the heads of football associations from around the world to the event every four years, which it frames as a celebration of global unity.

“Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the Fifa World Cup next year. We are working exactly for that,” Fifa President Gianni Infantino said last year.

The United States, however, has refused entry to delegates from a raft of countries, including a referee from Somalia and a photographer traveling with Iraq’s team.

Infantino said this week that Fifa had been trying to resolve visa issues but could not overrule the US government. “We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces,” he told reporters on Wednesday. AP

“Can I enter the fray as a not too grumpy old fart that loves the World Cup and yearns for yester-year?” asks Nick Trim . Of course, you can. ”Not sure if anyone has pointed this out but if you watch the wonderful reaction by Raul Jimenez – reduced to tears at his brilliant goal on home turf, the current turmoil in Mexican society that often only a sport such as football can heal (a bit), the close up you see him going crazy and in the background two men in the crowd are filming, filming themselves and their own reaction. Really? You’re not even filming this wonderful athlete and the whole beautiful scene of pure joy, you’re just filming yourself. Ridiculous.”

Yes, people no longer enjoy watching sport, they feel the need to make it all about themselves.

It would not be a World Cup without a mystic animal making predictions on matches. At Cologne Zoo, Tarak the elephant is backing Germany to beat Curacao. He could be on to a winner there. This will not become tedious at all …

What a night for Raúl Jiménez, scoring on his first start for Mexico at a World Cup . He was clearly very emotional after smashing home the second.

Wait until he finds out about what’s been going on at Wolves …

Hi all! I will start with a comment below the line.

MyRedShed says: “Has to be said, ITV’s balcony with that Manhattan backdrop is pretty stunning. Even better last night with the lightning.”

Fair play to the location scout on that one. It is showing up BBC’s decision to stay in Salford already.

That’s my morning stint done. Time now to hand you to Will Unwin, who should hopefully mention all 64 teams and the remaining 102 matches in his one-hour cameo.

More Scotland news. This time from Paul MacInnes and the irony of his location isn’t lost on our man in Boston.

“Of all the bases Scotland fans could have found for their World Cup journey, it had to be the city renowned for chasing the English out of town.”

Let’s go inside the Scotland camp. First up, Ewan Murray reports that key man Scott McTominay should be fit for the opening game against Haiti on Saturday after sitting out training on Thursday due to a stomach complaint. Phew!

Kenny Jackett dies, aged 64

This is very sad news. Watford have announced that Kenny Jackett has died, aged 64.

The club wrote on social media: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our former player and manager Kenny Jackett.

”A true club legend and one of our own, Watford-born Kenny was instrumental in some of our greatest successes as a player before going on to serve as coach and then manager.

”Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Kenny.”

Wolves, another of Jackett’s clubs, have also passed on their condolences.

“Wolves are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of iconic former manager Kenny Jackett at the age of 64.

“Jackett will forever be loved and remembered by everyone associated with Wolves for the incredible job he did in helping turn the club around after dropping from the Premier League into League One.

“Under his guidance, the Old Gold won the third-tier title at the first attempt, setting a new divisional points record of 103 and restoring pride and identity to Molineux, while setting the wheels in motion for the club’s success over the last decade.

“Thank you for everything you did for Wolves, Kenny. Rest in peace. The thoughts of everyone at Wolves are with Kenny’s family and friends during this devastating time.”

Reflecting on Jackett’s passing, LMA chief executive Richard Bevan said: “Kenny stands as one of the most respected managers to have plied their trade in the EFL, a hugely capable leader whose work across four decades has left a lasting influence on the many players, coaches and colleagues who benefitted from his guidance.

“He embodied everything we like to see in a manager, humility, professionalism and a deep care for his players and staff. He improved every club he served and did so with quiet dignity throughout his career.

“From his first role at Watford to his final role at Gillingham, Kenny’s work was characterised by an incredible sense of responsibility to his teams and to the game itself.

“Kenny is a huge loss to all that knew and loved him. Our thoughts are with his wife Samantha, sons David and Ryan, and all of his family and friends, who join us in mourning.”

Jude Bellingham has revealed things were not right off the pitch with England at Euro 2024. Thankfully, he seems to be part of a happier camp this time although let’s ask him again if the Three Lions lose to Croatia.

Endo retires from Japan duty as injury ends World Cup dream

A real shame to see Japan midfielder Wataru Endo announce his international retirement after withdrawing from their World Cup squad with injury. The skipper will be missed. Liverpool could have done with him for the closing few months of the season and maybe it was telling that he sustained his foot injury while putting his body on the line in the Reds’ 1-0 win at Sunderland in February – perhaps their most robust away performance of the campaign.

The 33-year-old, capped 73 times by his country, wrote on X: “From the moment I got injured up until now, I have done everything I possibly could, so I have no regrets.

“Of course there is frustration at not being able to play in this World Cup, but more than that, I am proud that since the Qatar World Cup I have led this team as captain and that we have grown together into a group that can speak of ‘winning the World Cup’ as a matter of course.

“The team we have now is a truly outstanding one. I believe they will overcome any adversity and show us a view we have never seen before.”

Some emails. These are good from Thomas Krantz.

“Hi David! I noticed that there seemed to be many empty seats quite early on, but then realised that the Korean fans were wearing red, so in my sleep deprived state (4am where I am watching from) I thought I was just hallucinating. But when Korea scored and the empty chairs did not celebrate, there seemed to be quite a lot of them, so I was a bit confused (but by then it was 5am and my eyelids fought a losing battle against my brain).”

Yes, I was a bit befuddled this morning too, Thomas. Told myself I couldn’t be watching South Korea v Czechia at 3am given that I was doing this here blog at 8am. But it felt a bit wrong to miss my first game just two matches into a World Cup so my body clock woke me up at 3.03 and I just about took in the first 40 minutes before nodding off. Is anyone going to try to watch the lot? Good luck if so!

Also from Thomas…

“Just a tip if you are on vacation and somehow have nothing to do. The last WC and EC I have a new tradition. Every day I make a new dish from one of the participating countries. To start things off I made “Bobotie” from South Africa yesterday, it was kind of a meatloaf with waay too many ingredients, but rather tasty when it was done. Today it is “Sopa Paraguaya” which is some kind of garlic bread if I am not mistaken.”

Excellent plan and I had this very idea yesterday. But only after I’d served my kids a steak pie (two for one offer in ASDA, had to be done). Google did tell me that steak is “incredibly popular” in Mexico, South Korea and South Africa so I’m claiming it. Poutine for tonight’s Canada game then.

Next up at the World Cup – co-hosts Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina. A few Opta stats ahead of today’s 8pm BST kick-off. Like Mexico at the Azteca, they’re a tough nut to crack in Toronto.

Canada have lost all six of their FIFA World Cup matches, scoring just twice (including one own goal) and conceding 12 goals. Only El Salvador have played as many games at the tournament while losing them all.

Canada have lost only one of their last 28 matches played in Toronto (W18 D9) – a 3-2 defeat against Jamaica in November 2023.

Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj played more minutes than any other individual in the UEFA qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, completing the entirety of all 10 matches (960 minutes). He notably saved Wales’ final penalty in the play-off shootout.

Jonathan David has been directly involved in over a third of Canada’s goals across their last two major tournaments, with four goals and one assist in the 2024 Copa América and the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

So how is the World Cup being fed to our own youth on social media? I asked my teenage daughter (not a football fan) what her timelines were throwing up.

First up, she showed me a TikTok video from inside the Azteca Stadium featuring a presenter chatting away with Tom Kaulitz from Tokio Hotel (one of her favourite bands; he’s married to Heidi Klum), former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and 2010 Golden Boot winner Thomas Muller. That was followed by Erling Haaland advertising a Chinese energy drink. I’ve also picked up that quite a few youngish people aren’t really aware that England once won the World Cup.

Let’s join our roving reporter Ed Aarons in Central Park. It’s fair to say that the New York Knicks being on the brink of winning their first NBA Championship since 1973 is more on the minds of locals than the World Cup .

From Five Takeaways to The Joy of Six. Do you have any memory of these?

Five takeaways from the World Cup opener. These come courtesy of Matt Hughes who was in the Azteca (I can’t bring myself to say Mexico City Stadium).

How about this: you’re still tucking into your morning cornflakes and there’s already a World Cup daily pod to listen to. Jet-lag isn’t Jonathan Wilson’s friend but an evening in the Azteca lifted spirits, especially Raul Jimenez’s goal. Also, a glimpse behind the scenes at the first few days of Max and Barry living together in the US, insights from Barney Ronay and Jeff Rueter as well as your questions answered.

Mexico 2-0 South Africa was the headline but Pablo Iglesias Maurer explains that the story behind the co-hosts’ opening win is complicated. There were even boos for El Tri at 2-0 after they didn’t push on against a poor South Africa. But despite the unrest in and, more notably, outside the Azteca, there was still a beautiful scene inside the stadium when fans broke into song at the final whistle.

PFA refuses to drop legal case against Fifa

An important story here from Matt Hughes. The Professional Footballers’ Association is refusing to drop its legal case against Fifa despite the global players’ union Fifpro withdrawing its claim against the governing body this week.

Gianni Infantino announced in a surprise move at his pre-World Cup press conference that Fifa had signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Fifpro. It gives Fifpro a seat at the negotiating table with Fifa and a right of veto over issues relating to changes to the transfer system and player welfare. In return Fifpro has withdrawn its legal complaints, most notably a claim first lodged at the European Commission two years ago which accused Fifa of abusing its dominant position and violating European Union law.

The Guardian has learned, however, that the PFA is not entirely satisfied with the MOU as it stands, and is not prepared to withdraw its legal claim until it receives concrete details from Fifa on its plans for the global calendar after 2030. In addition to the European Commission case the PFA has a claim against Fifa in the Brussels Court of Commerce.

The post-2030 calendar is the next major issue facing football after the World Cup, although Fifa appears intent on parking detailed discussions with stakeholders until after its presidential elections next year, when Infantino will seek another four-year term.

The PFA is particularly concerned about Fifa’s desire to expand the Club World Cup to 48 teams and the disruption that will be caused by staging the 2034 Saudi Arabia World Cup in the European winter.

The impact is likely to be felt disproportionately by PFA members, because the Premier League schedule is generally regarded as being the most demanding.

“We have achieved some big wins, but at the same time cannot cave in on such important matters as the calendar,” a PFA source said. “The MOU is significant and brings important governance changes, but we need a solution on the calendar too before we can drop our claim.”

Some great photos here. Take a look at our gallery highlighting the opening ceremony and Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa.

What did we make of the opening ceremony? I thought it was really good fun. Shakira and Burna Boy (Sarina Wiegman’s favourite) did their thing and the giant FIFA World Cup as a centrepiece was impressive. I’ll admit, I spent a chunk of time asking my kids, ‘who’s that then?’ and they didn’t know either. Thankfully the Guardian’s resident music man, Alexis Petridis, tuned in and gives us the lowdown. As most of it was local talent, I feel less bad about my ignorance.

Violent clashes outside Azteca

Mexico’s opening World Cup victory party was somewhat tarnished by violent clashes outside the Azteca Stadium. Ticketless fans and protesters attempted to gain access as rocks and bottles were thrown at police outside gate eight. Local media reported that dozens of arrests were made as a result.

Empty seats highlight fears over ticket pricing

Did the official attendance between South Korea and Czechia marry up with the eye test? FIFA reported a crowd of 44,985 for Thursday’s World Cup match in Guadalajara but swathes of empty seats around the stadium renewed concerns over ticket pricing and demand for the expanded tournament.

More here from Reuters:

While more than 80,000 squeezed into the Azteca stadium to watch the opener between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, the optics of unoccupied rows at the 46,000-seat stadium in Guadalajara, a city with a deep-rooted football culture, have intensified criticism of Fifa’s commercial strategy for the first 48-team World Cup.

Some fans at the stadium blamed the high ticket prices for the rows of empty seats and criticised Fifa for their pricing model.

Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, on Wednesday defended the ticket pricing following criticism from supporters who argued the cost of attending matches had become prohibitive. He said ticket prices were on a par with other major sporting events.

Fifa has sold more than six million tickets for the tournament and previously highlighted strong interest from across the Americas, with Infantino saying demand had exceeded expectations by “a factor of 10 or more“.

However, groups such as Football Supporters Europe (FSE) had warned that “extortionate” pricing would exclude ordinary fans. According to FSE, ticket prices for this tournament have jumped fivefold compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Reuters has contacted Fifa for comment.

Let’s start with the two match reports. More red cards than goals in the first game and a stirring fightback from South Korea in the second.

Mexico 2-0 South Africa – Jonathan Wilson was in the Azteca.

South Korea 2-1 Czechia in Guadalajara.

Preamble

Two down, 102 to go! Good news this morning if you’re a fan of Mexico or South Korea. Not so much for supporters of South Africa or Czechia. Even with the limited data so far, stats are spinning around the online universe, the most eye-popping being that the red count so far in this World Cup is just one fewer than the whole of Qatar 2022. A trend? We shall see. Other stats involve official attendances. More on that shortly.

After Mexico took centre stage on Thursday, day two of World Cup 2026 sees the other two co-hosts in action. Canada take on Bosnia & Herzegovina in Group B before the USA host Paraguay in Group D, that one in the early hours of Saturday for UK viewers. Pat on the back if you’re reading this now having watched the first two games in their entirety.

Anyway, we have five goals, three red cards, an opening ceremony and much else to talk about. No time for drinks breaks here, let’s get this going!

Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – Formula One 2026, George Russell, Mercedes GP, Formula One, Motor sport, Sport
Title – Gasly reinstated to Monaco podium after F1 officials admit timekeeping blunder | Formula One 2026 | The Guardian
Author – Reuters
Link – Gasly reinstated to Monaco podium after F1 officials admit timekeeping blunder | Formula One 2026 | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-12T11:37:28.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/12/gasly-reinstated-monaco-gp-podium-f1-timekeeping-blunder

Pierre Gasly was reinstated to the Monaco Grand Prix podium on Friday after Formula One stewards rescinded penalties for pitlane speeding after recognising a timekeeping error following an appeal by his Alpine team.

The Frenchman had finished third on the track but dropped to seventh when the two five-second penalties were applied after last Sunday’s race finish. Formula One, responsible for the timekeeping, has now admitted making a mistake with its measurements.

Alpine, which had sought a right of review, welcomed the decision in a statement and thanked Formula One Management and the governing body, the FIA, for their transparency and cooperation.

Gasly had said on Sunday that he was heartbroken by the penalties and “to have a lifelong dream of a Monaco podium taken away from me for reasons which I just cannot comprehend”.

The decision means Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who had inherited third place and celebrated on the podium with Mercedes’ winner, Kimi Antonelli, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, drops back to fourth. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri moves down to fifth, with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson sixth and his teammate Arvid Lindblad seventh.

The decision will taste particularly bitter for others who suffered similar time penalties for pitlane speeding but did not seek a review, and for the luckless Mercedes driver George Russell , who was handed a drive-through penalty that left him out of the points. Russell said on Thursday that he had pleaded for his penalty to be added post-race and that it would be a “kick in the balls” if Gasly had his penalties overturned.

“The stewards note that in relation to other cars that were penalised, some served their penalty and this, regrettably, impacted their race strategies and therefore their race result,” the officials said in a statement. “There will undoubtedly remain questions as to whether those breaches were genuine. There is no regulation that gives the stewards the power to ‘undo’ a served penalty.

“In any case, it is impossible to imagine how such power could be applied. Notably, no other party petitioned for a right of review within the allowable time frame.”

Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – Sport, Football, Cricket, Cycling, Tennis, Motor sport, Basketball, Athletics, Rugby league
Title – Sports quiz of the week: World Cup, Knicks, T20, Giro and Serena Williams | Sport | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/paul-campbell
Link – Sports quiz of the week: World Cup, Knicks, T20, Giro and Serena Williams | Sport | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-12T07:00:38.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/12/sports-quiz-week-world-cup-knicks-serena-williams-football-cricket-cycling-tennis-basketball-rugby-athletics

Keyword – Business
Trefwoorden – US economy, AI (artificial intelligence), Stock markets, Business, SpaceX, Technology, Elon Musk, OpenAI
Title – After SpaceX’s huge IPO, Americans’ financial future will be bound to AI | US economy | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/eduardo-porter
Link – After SpaceX’s huge IPO, Americans’ financial future will be bound to AI | US economy | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-12T09:00:41.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/12/ai-ipos-stock-market

Americans are growing worried about what artificial intelligence portends for their futures. Eight in 10 Americans report concern over AI, compared with a third who report being excited, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. More than half think it will do more harm than good in their daily lives. Seven out of 10 think it will reduce the number of available jobs.

Skeptical though they may be, they are about to get more AI rammed down their throats and stuck into their pension plans and their investment portfolios, whether they want it or not – binding their futures ever more tightly to the frenzied, risky, multibillion-dollar dash by technology moguls to develop machines capable of mimicking human thought processes to take over cognitive tasks.

First up is this week’s massive $75bn initial public offering (IPO) for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the largest ever, which at $135 a share will value the company at a cool $1.77tn, among the 10 largest companies in the world by market capitalization. While the company makes most of its money these days selling internet access , it largely needs the money to finance Musk’s vast AI ambitions, which include blasting datacenters into orbit.

The offering is just the first in a series: both Anthropic and OpenAI have already filed paperwork for their own IPOs later in the year, which will add two multitrillion-dollar artificial intelligence behemoths to the US’s main stock indices.

Even investors who don’t care to buy their stock will end up owning a bunch, either in their 401(k) retirement plans or among their holdings of market index funds – supposedly safer investments for non-professional investors, built to reflect the entire market – which are forced to buy AI shares in proportion to their weighting in stock indices like the Nasdaq and the S&P.

This may not happen right away, but it will happen.

Musk has been lobbying for SpaceX to be quickly invited onto the indices, which would force index funds to buy the stock, no matter its price, and providing it a hefty boost. The tech-heavy Nasdaq changed its rules to fast-track the listing of behemoths like SpaceX. So did the FTSE Russell , to ease the entry of megacaps to its US indices.

Standard & Poor’s is sticking to its rules . This means SpaceX will have to post a profit – which it has not yet done – make a minimum set of shares available to the public and wait about a year to get onto the S&P 500, the most tracked index. The SpaceX offering, moreover, amounts to less than 5% of its shares – which will limit its immediate footprint.

But if SpaceX follows the pattern set by large firms after their IPOs, some half of its shares could be trading openly by the time it joins the S&P 500 next year. This would give it about a 1.5% share of the S&P 500’s market capitalization of more than $60tn – forcing index funds to plow hundreds of billions into Elon Musk’s gambit to become the world’s first trillionaire.

If this sounds like a risky bet, it is. Musk, the guy who at the helm of “Doge” tried to devastate the federal bureaucracy, firing employees hand over fist, and who helped dismantle USAID despite knowing it would lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths , will have sole control over the company on which the retirement of many Americans may depend, allowing him to follow his baser instincts wherever they lead.

And that’s not the half of it. The so-called “magnificent seven” tech goliaths – Nvidia, Alphabet, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Tesla – already account for more than a third of the S&P 500’s market value. Investors’ views on the tech titans’ massive AI investments have largely driven the ups and downs of the equity market as a whole. Adding SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic to this set will give tech billionaires an even tighter grip on Americans’ financial future as they pursue their dystopian sci-fi dreams , free from any sort of government regulation .

There may be a silver lining – of sorts. Having a lot of AI stock in a retirement plan may offer a hedge for the newly irrelevant workers displaced by artificial intelligence, granting them some stake in the economic fruits of the new hi-tech economy. But the balance of risks points in the wrong direction. A future in which the new AI agents hypercharge economic productivity and propel human prosperity to where it has never gone before remains an aspiration. Claims of astonishing progress by the latest AI models may well be true. But they have not been matched by significant gains in productivity . Dystopian scenarios appear ever more probable even as the economic rewards investors are counting on remain stuck far off on the horizon.

Money eventually tires. It scares. It moves on to a new story. The Nasdaq fell more than 4% recently, shaken out of its optimistic stupor by indications that a robust labor market may force the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates later this year. This should remind us all that the AI extravaganza that has pumped the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 over the last year could come to an abrupt end – maybe just on the other side of Musk’s trillionaire moment.

Americans don’t know what an AI-heavy future might bring about. But they do have vivid experiences of the pain that courses through society when a financial bubble built on hubris ends in collapse. The great financial crisis of 2008 will look like a cartoon compared with what will befall the finances of most Americans if the AI dream tucked into their investments turns into a nightmare.

Keyword – Art and design
Trefwoorden – David Hockney, Art and design, Culture
Title – Share your tributes and memories of David Hockney | David Hockney | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/guardian-community-team
Link – Share your tributes and memories of David Hockney | David Hockney | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-12T11:15:04.000Z
Category – Culture
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jun/12/share-your-tributes-and-memories-of-david-hockney

David Hockney, the world renowned British artist has died aged 88. He made his name as a pop artist during the 1960s and was perhaps best known for his paintings of swimming pools that helped define the Los Angeles aesthetic.

During a six-decade career, Hockney produced portraits using photo-collage, experimented with abstract landscape painting and in later life, explored the possibilities of creating artworks out of emerging 3D technology.

We would like to hear your tributes and memories of David Hockney – whether you met him, or appreciated his work.

If you’re having trouble using the form click here . Read terms of service here and privacy policy here .

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – Scotland, World Cup 2026, World Cup, Football, Sport
Title – McTominay should be fit for Scotland’s World Cup opener despite stomach bug | Scotland | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/ewanmurray
Link – McTominay should be fit for Scotland’s World Cup opener despite stomach bug | Scotland | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-11T18:37:51.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/11/scott-mctominay-scotland-world-cup-opener-stomach-bug

Scotland are confident Scott McTominay will be fit to face Haiti on Saturday despite the midfielder sitting out training on Thursday due to a stomach complaint.

McTominay, widely considered Scotland’s most influential player, was a notable absentee as Steve Clarke put his players through their paces for a final time in North Carolina before departing for Boston. There, Scotland will play their first World Cup match in 28 years.

Word from inside the camp is that McTominay did not train as a precaution rather than through genuine fear he could miss the match. Still, an update from Clarke regarding McTominay – and whether any other players have been affected – will form a key part of the manager’s pre-match media duties on Friday. McTominay returned an excellent midfield display as Scotland thumped Bolivia 4-0 on Saturday in their final World Cup warm-up match.

“Hopefully that doesn’t spread,” said McTominay’s fellow midfielder Kenny McLean. “I am sure everybody has fingers crossed that Scott will be fine. Everybody knows what Scott brings. It is quite apparent how big a player he is for us. For all that it has been a team effort [to qualify], and always will be a real team effort, we have special players at the core.

“He is up on a mural for a reason. He is a true talent, a special player, an amazing guy and an amazing part of the team. He is a big character around the place, but it is a team effort and I’m sure Scott would be the first to say that.

“He is desperate to play and his preparations have been amazing apart from maybe something he has eaten somewhere along the line.”

Scotland’s centre-back Scott McKenna has had training minutes managed due to a knock and Jack Hendry and Grant Hanley are the favourites to be deployed in that position against Haiti. “We are fortunate we have looked after ourselves as well as we could and we are as ready as we can be,” said McLean.

“Minutes were spread out over the couple of friendly games and I think everybody is in great shape. The training has been amazing, intense when it has to be, and we cannot complain about the preparations.

“It has always been the case that we push each other and help each other and try to get the best out of each other. That has always happened with every position in this squad.

“The manager picks the squad based on what he is going to get out of everybody and what we are going to get out of each other. Competition for places is strong. Everybody wants the same outcome.”

Billy Gilmour, who was denied a World Cup berth due to the knee injury sustained in the friendly win over Curaçao , arrived in Boston on Thursday to meet the Scotland squad. Clarke had been keen Gilmour involved himself in proceedings despite his heartbreak.

“He wants to experience things around the lads,” McLean said. “Also around the city with fans, to soak in the atmosphere. He deserves so much more for what he has given, but there is going to be more opportunity. I know it’s not what he wants to hear right now, but there will be. What an amazing talent, what an amazing young man, and it will be good to see him.”

Gilmour’s injury opened the door for Tyler Fletcher, who made his Scotland debut in that Curaçao game, but was not originally part of the World Cup contingent. McLean was immediately struck by the talent of the 19-year-old Manchester United player. “I saw the quality he had,” McLean said. “I saw the ability, the way he received the ball, the small things. I could see it right away.

“I hope he takes this experience in, the opportunity he has got. He is doing himself no harm in training, let me tell you that.”

Keyword – None
Trefwoorden – None
Title – Ben Jennings on the World Cup and the US war on Iran – cartoon | Ben Jennings | The Guardian
Author – Ben Jennings
Link – Ben Jennings on the World Cup and the US war on Iran – cartoon | Ben Jennings | The Guardian
Publish date – Thu 11 Jun 2026 19.32 CESTLast modified on Fri 12 Jun 2026 11.09 CEST
Category – Opinion
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2026/jun/11/ben-jennings-world-cup-us-war-iran-cartoon