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Arteta: Arsenal in High Spirits for Run-in

(FILES) Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta arrives ahead of kick-off in the UEFA Champions League, last 16 second leg football match between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium in north London on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
(FILES) Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta arrives ahead of kick-off in the UEFA Champions League, last 16 second leg football match between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium in north London on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
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Arteta: Arsenal in High Spirits for Run-in

(FILES) Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta arrives ahead of kick-off in the UEFA Champions League, last 16 second leg football match between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium in north London on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
(FILES) Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta arrives ahead of kick-off in the UEFA Champions League, last 16 second leg football match between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium in north London on March 17, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

Arsenal's season appeared on the brink of collapse last month but a run of good results has worked wonders for their mood, with manager Mikel Arteta saying on Thursday that his team are entering the season's final games in the perfect state of mind.

A League Cup final defeat by title rivals Manchester City in March was followed by a FA Cup quarter-final loss to second-tier Southampton, which ended Arsenal's pursuit of a quadruple.

They were also briefly knocked off the top of the Premier League by City, but four wins in five games across all competitions means the London club enter their penultimate league fixture with a two-point lead.

They ⁠have also sealed ⁠a spot in the Champions League final, where they will take on holders Paris St Germain.

"The team is really present. It's living the moment. It's emotionally in a really good state. The energy level is the right one," Arteta told reporters ahead of a home game against Burnley on Monday.

"We have most players available now. OK, ⁠we lost Ben White the other day but the other ones are coming back as well. Everyone is so enthusiastic and so positive about the way we can finish the season."

Arteta confirmed that defender White had suffered a long-term injury, leaving Arsenal short-staffed at right back with Jurrien Timber also sidelined.

"We need to look at alternatives. The two players we have are not available at the moment. So we need to look and do something else," the Spanish manager added.

"The good thing is that we have experienced that all over the ⁠pitch this ⁠season, because when we have had issues, normally they've been in the same position as well, and we have still managed to find the right level of performance and consistency, so I'm sure we will do that."

Arsenal lead the standings with 79 points from 36 games, two ahead of City, but Pep Guardiola's side have a superior goal difference.

Asked if Arsenal needed to score more in the event that goal difference decided the title, Arteta said: "First we have to earn the right to win the game. Obviously if you can make a difference with more goals, that's even better...

"But we know ideally that scoring goals is going to be important."

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Dembele Says Criticism of France Captain Mbappe Has Gone Too Far

France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe takes part in a training session during the 2026 World Cup football tournament at Bentley University in Waltham, Boston on June 11, 2026. (AFP)
France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe takes part in a training session during the 2026 World Cup football tournament at Bentley University in Waltham, Boston on June 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Dembele Says Criticism of France Captain Mbappe Has Gone Too Far

France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe takes part in a training session during the 2026 World Cup football tournament at Bentley University in Waltham, Boston on June 11, 2026. (AFP)
France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe takes part in a training session during the 2026 World Cup football tournament at Bentley University in Waltham, Boston on June 11, 2026. (AFP)

France forward Ousmane Dembele has defended captain Kylian Mbappe, saying criticism of the Real Madrid striker has become excessive as the national team prepare for the World Cup.

Dembele, who has emerged as a key figure for France at the tournament and is a contender for this year's Ballon d'Or after helping Paris St Germain win the Champions League, told Spanish newspaper Marca that some commentators had gone too far in their assessment of his long-time teammate.

Mbappe remains one of the most scrutinized figures in French football since ‌leaving PSG and ‌joining Real Madrid in 2024.

Despite still being a prolific ‌scorer, ⁠the France captain ⁠came under criticism during a season in which Real failed to win either La Liga or the Champions League, while some pundits and supporters have questioned his leadership with the national team since he inherited the captaincy following Hugo Lloris's retirement from international football.

Mbappe's performances, public appearances and even minor aspects of his behavior regularly attract intense debate in France.

"The criticism towards him is very, very unfair," Dembele said before ⁠France start their World Cup campaign against Senegal on Tuesday. "Some ‌people go a bit too far with the ‌criticism of Kylian.

"He's an incredible player and a very good person off the pitch. ‌Some people overdo the criticism because he's Kylian Mbappe. They shouldn't keep going ‌after him. Whether he ties his shoelaces or not, whether he pulls up his socks or not... it's too much. He's still a human being.

"With the France team, he's very good with us, he's a leader."

The pair have developed a close relationship during their years ‌together with Les Bleus. They are expected to play central roles in France's bid for a third World Cup ⁠title in the ⁠United States, Canada and Mexico.

Dembele also paid tribute to coach Didier Deschamps, who has announced that he will step down after the World Cup following more than a decade in charge of the national side.

"He's simply an exceptional coach," Dembele said. "He will forever remain a legend among French national team coaches."

Deschamps guided France to World Cup glory in 2018 and another final four years later.

Asked about the prospect of former France great Zinedine Zidane succeeding Deschamps, Dembele welcomed the idea.

"We hope to welcome him one day to the France bench," he said. "I'm convinced he would do a fantastic job."

Zidane, who won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and later enjoyed major success coaching Real Madrid, has long been linked with the France job but has repeatedly declined to discuss the position while Deschamps remains in charge.

Sports

F1 Sensation Antonelli Has Teammate Russell Against the Wall Heading Into Barcelona

Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli is seen during the first practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya ahead of the Catalonia Formula One Grand Prix in Montmelo, on the outskirts of Barcelona on June 12, 2026. (AFP)
Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli is seen during the first practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya ahead of the Catalonia Formula One Grand Prix in Montmelo, on the outskirts of Barcelona on June 12, 2026. (AFP)
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F1 Sensation Antonelli Has Teammate Russell Against the Wall Heading Into Barcelona

Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli is seen during the first practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya ahead of the Catalonia Formula One Grand Prix in Montmelo, on the outskirts of Barcelona on June 12, 2026. (AFP)
Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli is seen during the first practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya ahead of the Catalonia Formula One Grand Prix in Montmelo, on the outskirts of Barcelona on June 12, 2026. (AFP)

This was supposed to be George Russell ’s chance to shoot for the Formula 1 title.

Coming into the season as Mercedes’s presumptive lead driver, with his team producing the best car after a rulebook overhaul, Russell looked perfectly positioned to compete for the world championship after winning the year’s opening race in Australia.

That was when his second-year teammate Kimi Antonelli blew past him and took the Formula 1 circuit by storm.

Antonelli has made F1 history on several counts this season. At age 19, he became the youngest pole-sitter en route to his first win in China, followed by becoming F1’s youngest points leader after a win in Japan.

The bushy-haired Italian just kept going, sweeping the alliterative triple of Miami, Montreal and Monaco to make it five in a row and tie the longest winning streak ever managed by F1 victory leader Lewis Hamilton.

He will now try to make it six of six at the newly renamed Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix — the race formerly known as the Spanish GP — on Sunday.

And while he's perfectly aware that he is now the driver to beat, Antonelli is trying not to let it get to him.

“About the championship, I am not really worrying about it," he said on Thursday at the Montmelo track. "I know the opportunity that is on the table and I want to make the most out of it, but at the same time I don’t want to drive a race thinking about it.

"I want to enjoy the weekend as much as possible and drive as fast as possible and we will see at the end of the season where we are.”

Russell needs to make up for lost ground

While F1 discovered its new star driver, Russell found himself floundering for the first time with Mercedes, where he had managed to better Hamilton before the British driver left for Ferrari two years ago. That huge move opened the door for Antonelli to join the Silver Arrows.

The 28-year-old Russell, who is liked for his schoolboy charm and chatter on team radio that has included gems such as “Yabba Dabba Doo” and “get the kettle on,” now faces his most difficult moment since joining Mercedes four years ago.

Last season, Russell outperformed Antonelli, scoring two victories and earning 319 points, the fourth-most points of the grid, while his new partner was seventh with 150 points and no victories.

Now, Antonelli’s winning run has him leading the championship with 156 points after six races. Hamilton, who is enjoying a resurgence at Ferrari, is next with 90. Russell is third with 88.

“The pressure feels off, to be honest. I’m just going to try and enjoy every race, not even thinking about a championship,” Russell said on Thursday. “It’s so far out of reach right now that it’s just go and enjoy the races and have fun, drive fast and do what I know I’m capable of doing and what I’ve done for my whole career in Formula 1.”

Could Barcelona, an old-school, permanent, high-speed track that drivers know well from their years of racing and testing here, give Russell the chance he needs?

Russell has never been on the podium here in seven tries with Mercedes and Williams. But he has come close with three fourth-place finishes, including the past two years. That is partly because he has never had a top-three finish in qualifying either, so a strong Saturday will be key.

Another triumph by Antonelli would have him match Russell’s career victory haul of six races won.

Russell said he has come to the conclusion that he needs to stop overthinking, obsessing about data, and get back to “driving by instinct.”

“I don’t want to chase the dream, I want it to come toward me. And it will come towards me if I take it race by race,” he said.

Barcelona to take a break next year

From 1991 until last year, the race at the circuit located half an hour by car from Barcelona (on a normal day without F1 fan traffic) was called the Spanish Grand Prix.

Now it is called the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, while the Spanish GP name has been given to the new race to be held for the first time in Madrid in September.

The future of the Barcelona race was in doubt until F1 announced a deal struck in February to continue holding it, but every other year while it alternates with the Belgium GP. The Barcelona race will be held in 2028, 2030 and 2032.

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Head of Palestinian Football Not Granted US Visa to Attend World Cup

Demonstrators place missing person flyers on the trailer of a mounted police truck during a protest outside Azteca Stadium ahead of the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City, Mexico, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Demonstrators place missing person flyers on the trailer of a mounted police truck during a protest outside Azteca Stadium ahead of the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City, Mexico, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Head of Palestinian Football Not Granted US Visa to Attend World Cup

Demonstrators place missing person flyers on the trailer of a mounted police truck during a protest outside Azteca Stadium ahead of the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City, Mexico, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Demonstrators place missing person flyers on the trailer of a mounted police truck during a protest outside Azteca Stadium ahead of the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City, Mexico, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)

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 2026 FIFA 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.

The US State Department had no immediate comment on Rajoub’s visa, but last year implemented new restrictions on Palestinian passport holders, including on anyone who had been employed by the Palestinian Authority.

It revoked a visa to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to the United Nations General Assembly last September.

Rajoub and other Palestinian football officials have long argued that Israel violates statutes by allowing teams from settlements in the occupied West Bank play in Israel’s national league. They have pushed FIFA to sanction Israel, also decrying restrictions on the movement of Palestinian players and how war in the Gaza Strip has destroyed 80% of sports facilities there.

Last month, Rajoub refused to shake hands with the head of Israel’s football federation at Infantino’s behest because he said the gesture would not heal wounds but instead whitewash Israel’s actions.

Rajoub pointed out that when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, it did not implement comparable visa restrictions for people who were invited to the tournament.