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Austrian Skier Huetter Wins World Cup Downhill, World Champion Johnson Finishes 3rd

Cornelia Huetter of Austria in action during the Women's Downhill at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, 28 February 2025. EPA/Stian Lysberg Solum
Cornelia Huetter of Austria in action during the Women's Downhill at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, 28 February 2025. EPA/Stian Lysberg Solum
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Austrian Skier Huetter Wins World Cup Downhill, World Champion Johnson Finishes 3rd

Cornelia Huetter of Austria in action during the Women's Downhill at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, 28 February 2025. EPA/Stian Lysberg Solum
Cornelia Huetter of Austria in action during the Women's Downhill at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, 28 February 2025. EPA/Stian Lysberg Solum

Cornelia Huetter won the first women’s World Cup downhill since the Alpine skiing world championships on Friday to give new life to the battle for the discipline title.
The Austrian got her second downhill win of the season after beating Emma Aicher of Germany by 0.15 seconds. The 21-year-old Aicher secured her first career podium finish.
Downhill world champion Breezy Johnson finished 0.40 seconds behind in third as the American continued the wait for her maiden World Cup victory, The Associated Press reported.
Huetter also won the season opener in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in December and closed the gap on discipline leader Federica Brignone to 26 points with three races left this season.
Brignone placed fifth, shortly behind Italian teammate Sofia Goggia, a week after she got back-to-back wins in two giant slalom races in Italy.
Huetter won the downhill title last season.
Lindsey Vonn finished 1.15 seconds off the lead and outside the top 10 as the 2010 Olympic champion continued her comeback season after six years away from racing.
“Experimenting every day with my equipment and I think I’m making progress. Focused on trying to improve every day, even if it’s small,” Vonn posted on Instagram on the eve of the race.
After a freezing cold night, the snow surface was harder than during the training runs the past days, meaning skiers reached higher speeds and needed to judge their turns differently on a course they were not used to race on.
Kvitfjell is an annual stop on the men’s circuit but hosted only one women’s downhill over the past 22 years, when Kajsa Vickhoff Lie celebrated a home win in 2023.
Another downhill is scheduled for Saturday, followed by a super-G the next day.

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FIFA Fines Israeli FA for Anti-discrimination Rules Breaches

Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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FIFA Fines Israeli FA for Anti-discrimination Rules Breaches

Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

FIFA fined the Israeli Football Association (IFA) 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,700) on Thursday for "multiple breaches" of its anti-discrimination obligations.

A report by the disciplinary committee of world football's governing body found the IFA "failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem" for "persistent and well-documented racist behavior".

In October 2024, the Palestine Football Association reported allegations of discrimination by the IFA to FIFA, which began an investigation.

FIFA did not opt for the sanction requested by the Palestinian FA, which argued that the IFA should be suspended.

But the IFA was found to have failed to "abide by FIFA's statutory objectives", in a lengthy decision published by its disciplinary committee, which listed several racist incidents in Israeli football, AFP reported.

The disciplinary committee highlighted "deficient and substantively inadequate" sanctions against Beitar for racist and discriminatory behavior.

Supporters of the club "have engaged in persistent and well-documented racist behavior," the report said.

"The club's use of slogans such as 'forever pure', and the repeated chanting of ethnic slurs such as 'terrorist' directed at Arab players are not isolated incidents but rather form part of a systemic pattern of conduct that offends the basic rules of decent behavior and brings the sport into disrepute.

FIFA said the committee had stressed that Beitar Jerusalem were "only a small example of a general failure by the IFA."

The IFA was issued with a warning and was ordered to display a "significant and highly visible banner" at its next three FIFA competition home matches, stating "Football Unites the World -- No to Discrimination".

The IFA will also have to invest one-third of the fine towards implementing a plan to "ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents".

The report also said that the IFA's failure to respond to "political and militaristic messaging" by the CEO of the Israeli professional league and by Maccabi Netanya "further compounds its breach".

"The IFA has made no public statements condemning racism, has not launched any Anti Discrimination campaigns, and has not taken steps to foster inclusion of Arab or Palestinian players," the report continued.

"It has not used its platform to promote peace or to counteract the politicization of football by affiliated clubs and officials."

- 'No action' over Israeli teams in West Bank -

After a separate investigation, FIFA announced no action would be taken against the IFA over allegations that Israeli clubs based in the occupied West Bank were taking part in Israel's leagues.

FIFA's governance, audit and compliance committee based its judgement on the fact that "the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law".

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) welcomed FIFA's ruling, saying "it was a step in the right direction".

However it added: "The PFA observes that the findings do not fully address the scope and gravity of the violations raised in its original proposal."

In 2024, United Nations experts -- mandated by the Human Rights Council but not speaking on behalf of the UN -- said at least eight football clubs had been identified as playing in "Israeli colonial settlements" and called on FIFA to "fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights".

"The autonomy and self-regulation in sport must not be detrimental to fundamental human rights," the experts said.

In addition to roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

Sports

AFC Halts Bidding Process for 2031, 2035 Asian Cup Finals

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general‑secretary Windsor John speaks during a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia headquarters in Petaling Jaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 March 2026. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL 112526
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general‑secretary Windsor John speaks during a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia headquarters in Petaling Jaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 March 2026. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL 112526
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AFC Halts Bidding Process for 2031, 2035 Asian Cup Finals

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general‑secretary Windsor John speaks during a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia headquarters in Petaling Jaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 March 2026. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL 112526
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general‑secretary Windsor John speaks during a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia headquarters in Petaling Jaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 March 2026. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL 112526

The bidding process for the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cup tournaments has been halted due to pending changes in the global football calendar, the Asian Football Confederation announced on Friday.

The Malaysia-based regional body said the move had come after discussions with FIFA regarding a possible switch in the international match calendar that would see the Asian Cup played in even-numbered years.

"Given the far-reaching implications such a change would have on the scheduling and strategic planning of its premier national ⁠team competition, the ⁠AFC has initiated a broader review of its competitions calendar," Reuters quoted it as saying in a statement.

"As part of this process, it has been deemed appropriate to halt the current bidding cycles to provide greater clarity and ensure a more structured approach to future ⁠host selections."

Six bids had been submitted for the men's 2031 finals with Australia, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, South Korea and a joint offering from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan seeking to organize the 24-team event.

Australia, Kuwait and South Korea were also bidding to host the 2035 tournament alongside Japan.

The quadrennial Asian Cup was previously played in even-numbered years from its inception in 1956 but was moved for the 2007 edition, ⁠which was ⁠hosted by Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The tournament has been played in odd-numbered years since, with the exception of the most recent edition, which was hosted in Qatar in January 2024.

The Gulf state stepped in as a replacement for China, who had been slated to organize the tournament in June 2023 but gave up hosting rights due to the country's COVID-19 restrictions.

The next edition of the Asian Cup will be played in Saudi Arabia in January 2027, with Qatar the defending champions.

Sports

Morocco Fans Celebrate ‘Justice’ After AFCON Title Decision, but Appeal Worries Linger

A man holds a Moroccan newspapers following CAF’s decision to strip Senegal of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in Rabat on March 18, 2026. (AFP)
A man holds a Moroccan newspapers following CAF’s decision to strip Senegal of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in Rabat on March 18, 2026. (AFP)
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Morocco Fans Celebrate ‘Justice’ After AFCON Title Decision, but Appeal Worries Linger

A man holds a Moroccan newspapers following CAF’s decision to strip Senegal of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in Rabat on March 18, 2026. (AFP)
A man holds a Moroccan newspapers following CAF’s decision to strip Senegal of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in Rabat on March 18, 2026. (AFP)

Moroccan fans have welcomed their team's ‌controversial coronation as Africa Cup of Nations champions, though some urged caution as Senegal prepare to challenge the ruling that has sent shockwaves through African football.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) declared Morocco champions on Tuesday after ruling Senegal forfeited the January 18 final in Rabat by walking off the pitch for 14 minutes in protest at a potentially decisive penalty awarded against them.

Although Senegal later returned and secured a 1-0 extra-time victory, CAF's Appeal Board reversed the result, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory.

The Senegalese Football Federation said it would appeal the "unprecedented and unacceptable" ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), while the Royal Moroccan Football Federation said the "strict application" of the rules ‌would help African ‌football.

Reactions within Morocco were largely positive, with supporters hailing the ‌ruling ⁠as overdue justice.

"The ⁠surprise was that a fair decision was actually made, but if we look at the reasoning behind it, it is logical and does justice to the team that truly deserved the title. It also sets a precedent - walking off the pitch because a match is slipping away is not acceptable," said Abdelmalek Hamza, a fan in Casablanca.

"The decision was taken firmly, and the national team and the Moroccan people deserve this victory and ⁠this title."

Rabat-based Oussama Ouaddich, who attended the tournament, welcomed the ‌verdict, saying: "I am overjoyed. We deserved this trophy. After ‌a brutal injustice, justice is finally rendered to Morocco."

CAUTION AMID LEGAL CHALLENGE

However, some fans remained ‌cautious with a potential appeal to CAS still pending.

"Honestly, I am not happy yet. ‌We need to wait and see what happens with the appeal. The decision is not final," said Imane Fakhir, a university student.

Omar Fallouji, a football fan in Casablanca, added: "Thankfully, CAF was fair to us, and I hope the trophy will be given to us after the ‌Senegalese team appeal to CAS."

Others expressed little concern over the appeal.

"The Cup was stolen from us. CAF's decision corrected the situation ⁠and made justice ⁠to the Moroccan people," said Mohammed Akherraz, a lawyer in Rabat.

"Appealing the decision... is only to gain time but it is a right that would not alter the result."

Some Moroccans highlighted the need to avoid escalating tensions with Senegal.

"As a Moroccan, yes I am proud. But what I want even more is for this not to become a wound between our peoples," said Bilal Jouahri, an entrepreneur in Rabat.

"Let the lawyers, the committees, the institutions do their work. The anger and insults serve nobody. Football lives on emotion, but emotions pass. It is just a game and should not fuel hate," he added.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe defended the ruling on Wednesday, saying it was important that decisions by the organization's disciplinary and appeals bodies were respected while Senegal's players ridiculed the decision on social media.