馃嚦馃嚘NamibiaSouthern Africa
Portugal and Belgium secure victories in World Cup warm-up matches
via The Namibian1 min read
Portugal and Belgium both registered wins in their home stadiums on Saturday as they continued preparations for the upcoming World Cup. Portugal defeated Chile 2-1 in Oeiras, near Lisbon, in a match that saw both teams reduced to ten men after Rafael Leao and Ivan Roman received red cards following a scuffle before halftime. Goncalo Guedes opened the scoring for Portugal in the 58th minute, with Bruno Fernandes adding a second from long range. Lucas Cepeda scored a late consolation goal for Chile. Portugal is scheduled to play a friendly against Nigeria on June 10 before their World Cup campaign in Group K against DR Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia. In Brussels, Belgium secured a 5-0 victory over Tunisia. Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio, and Nicolas Raskin scored for Belgium, with the last three goals coming after Tunisia's Ismael Gharbi was sent off with a second yellow card. Belgium will compete in Group G at the World Cup against Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand. Tunisia, managed by Sabri Lamouchi, is in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Japan, and Sweden.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
Argentina faced criticism for perceived dirty tactics and poor sportsmanship during their 1-0 loss to Spain, solidifying a 'World Cup villain' image that developed throughout the tournament. While critics, including former Germany player Thomas Hitzlsperger and British television personality Piers Morgan, described their performance as "disgusting" and "tetchy, petulant and distasteful," Argentines argue their actions stem from passion. Lawyer Leo Simone stated, "They confuse arrogance with pride," while construction worker Maximiliano Heredia noted, "We鈥檝e always been criticized, we鈥檙e used to it." Journalist Pedro Rosemblat embraced the criticism, stating, "Our rebelliousness irritates them, enrages them鈥hey call us cocky, cheaters, dirty. And we love it." Sports journalist Ezequiel Fernandez Moores acknowledged some criticism was justified, noting that local football codes of provocation and mockery do not translate globally, though he found the team turning their backs on Spain during the trophy presentation "not right." Simone defended Argentina's physical play, comparing it to other South American football and suggesting Spain also used tactical fouls. Venezuelan neurologist Evelio Rubio highlighted the unique passion for football in Argentina. The team and fans also faced accusations of racism, including past chants mocking French players and an incident during the World Cup where an Argentine supporter made a racist remark to a Black US influencer. FIFA condemned rac
Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel secured victory in Tuesday's 26.1km individual time-trial at the Tour de France, finishing 28 seconds faster than reigning champion Tadej Pogacar. This win, Evenepoel's second successive stage victory and fourth overall in the Tour, reduced Pogacar's overall lead to 4 minutes 32 seconds. Denmark's Mattias Skjelmose placed third, over a minute behind. The victory was particularly special for Evenepoel as it occurred on Belgium's national holiday, with his family present. However, the day was bittersweet for Evenepoel's Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team as his teammate Florian Lipowitz crashed out of the race while in fifth place overall, sustaining an injury to his left arm. Both Pogacar and Isaac del Toro, who is now more than two minutes behind Evenepoel, also had close calls at the same bend where Lipowitz fell but managed to stay upright. Evenepoel gained significant time on the uphill section of the course, maintaining his lead through the descent and flat run to the finish.
Namibia is awaiting South Africa to enact enabling legislation, anticipated by mid-2027, to facilitate the mutual transfer of sentenced prisoners between the two nations. Commissioner General of the Namibian Correctional Service, Raphael Hamunyela, stated that Namibia has finalized its part of the agreement, but South Africa currently lacks the domestic law required for such transfers. The South African government announced that its Ministry of Correctional Services signed an agreement on cooperation with Namibia, similar to a recent one with Botswana, to advance interstate prisoner transfers. However, transfers will only commence once the necessary legislation is in place, with proposed amendments to the Correctional Services Act currently under review. South Africa's Minister of Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, and Namibia's Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Lucia Iipumbu, signed the agreement during the fourth session of the South Africa-Namibia Binational Commission. This framework also includes technical cooperation in areas like training and exchange of best practices. The South African ministry noted that foreign nationals often prefer to serve sentences in their home countries for rehabilitation, and such transfers could ease budgetary pressure. Namibia already has transfer arrangements with Angola and Botswana. As of February 17, 465 foreign nationals, including 450 from the SADC region, are detained in Namibian prisons, contributin