England 'given reassurances' over safety in Turkey
#England women's team#World Cup qualifier#Turkey safety#Ukraine conflict#Middle East tensions#Sarina Wiegman#Women's football
📌 Key Takeaways
England women's team has received safety reassurances for Turkey match
Match against Ukraine relocated due to war in Ukraine
Team monitoring Middle East situation while preparing for game
Ukraine's inability to play at home described as 'really sad' by Wiegman
Match is crucial for World Cup qualifying with only top team advancing automatically
📖 Full Retelling
England women's football team manager Sarina Wiegman confirmed on Tuesday that the Lionesses have received official reassurances about safety for their Women's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine being held in Antalya, Turkey, at 17:00 GMT, despite escalating tensions in the Middle East following US military strikes against Iran. The match is taking place in Turkey because Ukraine is unable to host games in their home country due to the ongoing war with Russia, now in its fifth year. Wiegman stated that the team is in constant contact with authorities and while they remain concerned about global events, they have received no signals indicating that the current situation is unsafe for them to continue with their plans in Turkey. The team traveled to Turkey last Wednesday for a training camp, though it remains unclear how many fans will attend the match following recent developments, with some supporters and media outlets already choosing to withdraw. The geopolitical context has added complexity to what should have been a straightforward World Cup qualifying match, with Turkey bordering both Iran and Iraq and being in close proximity to Cyprus, where an Iranian drone crashed into a British RAF base over the weekend. Despite the challenging circumstances, Wiegman expressed that the situation is allowing for excellent preparation facilities and weather conditions, though she lamented that the reason for being in Turkey—Ukraine's inability to play at home due to conflict—is 'really sad.' The match carries significant importance as England, Ukraine, Iceland and Spain are in the same qualifying group, with only the top team automatically advancing to the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.
🏷️ Themes
International football, Geopolitical conflicts, Sports diplomacy
The following is a list of major conflicts fought by Ukraine, by Ukrainian people or by regular armies during periods when independent states existed on the modern territory of Ukraine, from the Kievan Rus' times to the present day. It also includes wars fought outside Ukraine by Ukrainian military....
Sarina Petronella Wiegman (Dutch pronunciation: [saːˈrinaː peːtroːˈnɛlaː ˈʋixmɑn]; born 26 October 1969), also known as Sarina Wiegman-Glotzbach, is a Dutch football manager and former player who has been the manager of the England women's national team since September 2021. She is the first-ever m...
The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team plays in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup.
Qualifying tournaments are held within the six FIFA continental zones, each organi...
England 'given reassurances' over safety in Turkey By Emma Sanders BBC Sport women’s football news reporter Published 1 hour ago Manager Sarina Wiegman says England have been given reassurances there are no safety concerns about their Women's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine being held in Turkey as the conflict in the Middle East widens. The Lionesses play in Antalya at 17:00 GMT on Tuesday because Ukraine are unable to play in their home country as a result of the war with Russia , which is in its fifth year. On Saturday the US attacked Iran as part of a joint operation with Israel, sparking retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. The Iranian regime has responded with attacks on US assets and countries in the region with a US military presence, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq. Turkey borders Iran and Iraq and is close to Cyprus, where an Iranian drone crashed into a British RAF base on Sunday. Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have also exchanged strikes. "Yes, we did have reassurances. We are in close contact with the government and the people here that are responsible," said Wiegman. "We're fine here but we're keeping an eye on it. We're in contact all the time with the responsible authorities. "Of course, you're concerned about what's happening in the world. When we think, or our government thinks it's unsafe, we will go back. At this moment, we don't have signals of that." England travelled to Turkey last Wednesday for a training camp but it is unclear how many fans will attend the match following the weekend's developments, with some supporters and several media outlets already choosing to withdraw. Wiegman says the fact Ukraine are having to host the match in Turkey because of conflict in their home country following Russia's invasion is "really sad". "We have great facilities here and the climate is really good so we can prepare really well. But the reason we're here is not nice," she added. "You want Ukraine to be ab...
