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Organizers Postpone Imane Khelif’s April 23 Paris Fight after Shoulder Injury

Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo
Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo
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Organizers Postpone Imane Khelif’s April 23 Paris Fight after Shoulder Injury

Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo
Paris 2024 Olympics - Boxing - Women's 66kg - Final - Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. Imane Khelif of Algeria in action against Liu Yang of China. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo

Olympic champion Imane Khelif injured her left shoulder while training over the weekend and was forced to postpone a professional fight scheduled for later this month in Paris.

Organizers said Monday that her April 23 fight at the iconic Salle Wagram in the French capital against German boxer Julia Igel was delayed to a date yet to be announced, The AP news reported.

“This decision follows the injury sustained by Imane Khelif during a training session this weekend in Paris,” the organizers said in a statement.

A medical examination carried out Monday revealed “a painful syndrome in the left shoulder,” they said. “Due to the intensity of the biomechanical demands involved in high-level boxing, the medical team deemed the athlete’s condition temporarily incompatible with competition.”

The event was also set to feature two bouts for WBA titles and organizers decided to reschedule the entire evening.

“The health and physical integrity of our athletes remain our absolute priority. We wish Imane Khelif a speedy recovery. At an event of this level, including WBA championships, it was essential to guarantee optimal conditions for all participating boxers,” said former boxer Brahim Asloum, the promoter of the gala.

Tickets already purchased will be refunded, organizers added.

Khelif won the Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting — another gold medal winner — and misconceptions over both boxers’ sex.

Both fighters were allowed to compete by the IOC after being disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association. The IBA claimed the women failed unspecified eligibility tests.

However, the IOC applied sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics and said Khelif and Lin passed.

World Boxing took over as the sport’s governing body last year, and it implemented a sex eligibility policy last August requiring all fighters to take a one-time genetic test designed to identify the presence of a Y chromosome. Khelif has not competed in World Boxing-sanctioned events since the implementation of the test.

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Saudi Arabia’s Failure to Create Chances Sealed Fate, Coach Says

Saudi Arabia head coach Giorgos Donis before the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, USA, 26 June 2026. (EPA)
Saudi Arabia head coach Giorgos Donis before the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, USA, 26 June 2026. (EPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Failure to Create Chances Sealed Fate, Coach Says

Saudi Arabia head coach Giorgos Donis before the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, USA, 26 June 2026. (EPA)
Saudi Arabia head coach Giorgos Donis before the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, USA, 26 June 2026. (EPA)

Saudi ‌Arabia's inability to hold the ball and create attacking chances doomed the team in a goalless draw with Cape Verde at Houston Stadium on Friday in their final World Cup Group H match, coach Georgios Donis said.

"We were very poor ‌in creating ‌actions. One cannot win ‌a ⁠game this way," ⁠he said.

He added that Saudi Arabia had problems putting pressure on Cape Verde's backline aside from a short period of time in the ⁠second half.

"Our line of ‌attack was ‌not doing well. Our greatest problem ‌today was creation and this ‌was self-evident."

Donis praised his players, saying the World Cup journey was a good experience, but ‌he would need to reassess the performance down the ⁠road.

"It ⁠was not what we wanted because when playing in such a match against a team more or less the same level of us our level was not good. This gives cause for concern," he said.

"The journey was good and I would like to thank the players."

Sports

Uruguay Crash Out of World Cup as Spain Avoid Argentina Clash

Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (23) is beaten by a shot from Spain's Alex Baena (15) for the opining goal during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP)
Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (23) is beaten by a shot from Spain's Alex Baena (15) for the opining goal during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP)
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Uruguay Crash Out of World Cup as Spain Avoid Argentina Clash

Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (23) is beaten by a shot from Spain's Alex Baena (15) for the opining goal during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP)
Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (23) is beaten by a shot from Spain's Alex Baena (15) for the opining goal during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP)

Uruguay bowed out of the World Cup as goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's howler gifted Spain a 1-0 win in Guadalajara to secure top spot in Group H.

Alex Baena's weak shot slipped through Muslera's grasp for the only goal as Spain avoided a last-32 showdown against Argentina.

The European champions will instead face Austria or Algeria next in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Uruguay's defeat allowed debutants Cape Verde to secure second place and a meeting with Lionel Messi and the defending champions thanks to a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia.

Two-time winners Uruguay become the highest ranked side to crash out in the group stages as the defeat rounded off a miserable tournament for Marcelo Bielsa and his squad.

After draws against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, reports of a revolt in the Uruguay camp emerged with leading players, including Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, clashing with Bielsa over his tactics.

Bielsa controversially substituted Valverde on the hour mark and said the decision to replace Muslera at half-time had been taken by the player himself.

"Journalists and fans of Uruguayan football legitimately want to pin the blame on me. I'm the person responsible and I have to accept it," said Bielsa.

Spain's King Felipe was among those in attendance but the only clash between two former winners of the World Cup in the group stages was a huge disappointment.

Lamine Yamal's to the starting line-up had sparked the Spanish attack into life in a 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia after La Roja began in underwhelming fashion with a goalless draw against Cape Verde.

But another labored attacking performance leaves Luis de la Fuente with plenty to ponder before the knockout stages begin on Sunday.

- Spain's injury concerns -

To add to Spain's concerns a shoulder injury suffered by Yeremy Pino may have ended his tournament, while Nico Williams also ended a bruising encounter with a muscle problem.

"In football, you can't always play with the brilliance you wish for, or that we are capable of showing at other times," said De la Fuente.

"We maintained an incredibly high level of concentration, responsibility, and composure, and we avoided rising to the many provocations that could have led to serious trouble."

A hero of Uruguay's run to the semi-finals in 2010, Muslera was at fault for both Cape Verde's goals in a 2-2 draw.

And in Guadalajara, Spain had barely threatened the Uruguay goal before the 40-year-old allowed Baena's shot to dribble over the line from Marcos Llorente's cross on 42 minutes.

Muslera was replaced at half-time by Sergio Rochet and the Uruguay boss made an even bolder call when Valverde was taken off on the hour mark.

Yamal was replaced 15 minutes from time as his minutes continue to be managed after a hamstring injury ended his club season prematurely.

His replacement Ferran Torres should have doubled the lead five minutes from time but hit the bar with just the goalkeeper to beat.

Uruguay's miserable tournament was summed up when Agustin Canobbio was shown a straight red card in stoppage time for a wild lunge on Pau Cubarsi.

Hyped as one of the pre-tournament favorites, Spain are now 34 competitive games unbeaten and are yet to concede a goal at the World Cup.

But in stark contrast to some of the scintillating attacking play on show from the likes of France, Argentina and the Netherlands, La Roja are yet to convince in their quest for a second World Cup triumph.

Sports

Coach Bubista Hails Cape Verde’s Fearless Dreamers After World Cup Leap

Cape Verde players celebrate with fans after qualifying for the knockout stage following a 0-0 draw in the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, USA, 26 June 2026. (EPA)
Cape Verde players celebrate with fans after qualifying for the knockout stage following a 0-0 draw in the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, USA, 26 June 2026. (EPA)
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Coach Bubista Hails Cape Verde’s Fearless Dreamers After World Cup Leap

Cape Verde players celebrate with fans after qualifying for the knockout stage following a 0-0 draw in the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, USA, 26 June 2026. (EPA)
Cape Verde players celebrate with fans after qualifying for the knockout stage following a 0-0 draw in the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in Houston, USA, 26 June 2026. (EPA)

Cape Verde coach Bubista walked into his press ‌conference draped in his country's flag, a man of few words tasked with explaining how one of football's smallest nations had barged into the World Cup knockout rounds at the first attempt.

Their 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia completed a group stage journey of three stalemates that left them on three points, nervously dependent on Spain beating Uruguay to secure their passage.

So the players stayed on the pitch with mobile phones in hand, watching the final minutes of Spain's 1-0 victory before tension burst into celebration.

For Bubista, however, this was no fairytale, but an achievement built on hard work, discipline and a refusal to wilt under pressure.

"I'm proud of what they've achieved," the 56-year-old former defender said. "To finish the first phase without losing a single match, we have to be pleased. It was down ‌to organization and ‌team spirit.

"Our fans deserve all of this. We were one goal ‌short ⁠of being even ⁠better, of being even happier. The team did everything they could to win and I'm pleased."

'A BIT OF A SHOCK'

Cape Verde, the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockouts, finished second in Group H, earning them a round-of-32 meeting with holders Argentina, a prize that felt improbable even as it came into view.

"It's a bit of a shock, although we'd always had it in mind that we might reach this stage after the first two matches," Bubista said.

"The team was really keen ⁠to show the whole world what we're made of; we were proud ‌of what we'd already achieved. We're a small country, but ‌we fight for what we want to achieve. For us, nothing is impossible."

Cape Verde were anxious as ‌they waited for news from the Spain v Uruguay match, but their coach said the ‌ordeal revealed the true substance of his squad.

"The key? Our team's unity and resilience," he said. "We've always talked about our organization, but also about our determination to do things without fear.

"It was a very difficult match that demanded a great deal of mental strength, as we were dependent on the result of the other ‌match, but our team showed incredible character."

'WORK GIVES A PERSON DIGNITY'

Bubista said his players deserved praise not only for their football but for ⁠the way they carried ⁠themselves through the group stage.

"Work gives a person dignity," Bubista said. "All the players understood the importance of day-to-day work.

"We told the players they had to work hard and have confidence because the reward would come. And here we are. The people of Cape Verde should be proud of what this team has done so far. It's something incredible."

Looking ahead to facing Lionel Messi's Argentina, Bubista framed the encounter as an honor.

"It's a country with which we have a long-standing connection, as many Cape Verdeans have emigrated there," he said.

"We'll play our game with the right attitude and a sense of responsibility, but also with our own personality and character. They have Messi, who needs no introduction.

"We represent our island, but we also represent Africa. It's a source of immense pride. One of our objectives was to showcase the quality of our football and our country. This shows that even the smallest countries can prove that nothing is impossible when you have strength, determination, focus, willpower and resilience."