author - oman observer

ATLANTA: A controversial selection in the World Cup squad and panned for his performance against DR Congo in the Round of 32, Djed Spence has morphed into a key impact substitute for England at the...

KANSAS CITY: ⁠An Argentine war veterans federation called on soccer supporters to focus on ​football ahead of their World ​Cup semi-final against England rather than use the match as a platform...

NEW YORK: A new ⁠refereeing protocol has added to the powder keg of public perception over fairness at the World Cup, a former FIFA referee said ​on Monday, with another refereeing controversy...

DALLAS: France will not willingly surrender possession to ​Spain in Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final, coach Didier Deschamps said, with Aurelien Tchouameni available again as the teams prepare for a...

 Fifty years ago, farmers in ​Italy's Emilia-Romagna region used to open the windows in their barns at night during the summer to keep their cattle cool. Today, as heatwaves send temperatures...

SINGAPORE: The number ⁠of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to multi-week lows ​on Sunday, shipping data ​showed, as renewed strikes between the U.S. and Iran and attacks on ships in...

U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults with Tehran targeting U.S. facilities in states across the Gulf on Sunday and saying it had again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz....

BEVERLY HILLS: When soccer players collide in midair, the toll is not always counted in concussions, torn ligaments ​or twisted ankles. Sometimes it is a broken nose - a burst ​of blood, a few...

MIAMI: Jude Bellingham scored twice, including the extra-time winner, ​as England ground out a 2-1 victory over a battling Norway side ​at Miami Stadium on Saturday to reach the World Cup...

KANSAS CITY: Argentina's ⁠Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez scored deep in extra time to secure a dramatic 3-1 quarter-final win ​over 10-man Switzerland on Saturday and ​set up a...

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in Oman on Saturday to discuss arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, with Washington seeking a public pledge of...

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah ​Mojtaba Khamenei ​said on Saturday that avenging his slain predecessor and father was "the demand of ⁠the nation" and "must ⁠certainly" take place,...

KANSAS CITY: Switzerland players have heaped praise on Lionel Messi ahead of Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, but said they have identified weaknesses in the defending...

LOS ​ANGELES: Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said on Thursday that Belgium would provide his side's sternest test yet in the World Cup quarter-finals, with his team having reached the last eight...

* Debut World Cup performance put archipelago nation on soccer ⁠map * 'Blue Sharks' made knockout stage before narrow loss to defending champions * Youngsters at islands' soccer...

Fifa refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina ⁠defended the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 victory over Egypt in the World Cup round of ​16, dismissing allegations of bias ​and saying match...

 Germany has recorded ​an estimated 5,120 ​heat-related deaths so far this year, most of them in late June when weekly average temperatures far ⁠exceeded 20 degrees Celsius, the Robert ⁠Koch...

 Companies in the Gulf, some of the most directly ​affected by the Iran war, will provide one of the clearest ​insights so far of its regional financial impact when they begin reporting their...

FOXBOROUGH: France and Morocco meet on Thursday in the World ⁠Cup's first quarterfinal, reprising their engrossing semifinal in 2022. France again will be favored after edging that meeting in...

FOXBOROUGH: Morocco have no special plans for their World Cup quarter-final against France but know they will need to match their heavily fancied opponents in all departments, coach Mohamed Ouahbi...