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    David Beckham to Be Knighted by King Charles III

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    The British news media reported that the on-field golden boy and international celebrity will receive the honor from King Charles III.It was perhaps the biggest moment of David Beckham’s decorated soccer career. England needed to score against Greece in 2001 to qualify for the World Cup, and he stood over a free kick with little time left.He duly bent the ball into the net, setting off paroxysms of joy throughout England. The announcer Gary Bloom spoke for the nation when he shouted, “Give that man a knighthood!”It took 24 years, but now he’s getting one.How do you get a knighthood?In the modern age, knighthoods are conferred by the British royal family upon citizens who have achieved great success in their fields and served their country in one way or another.“Recipients range from actors to scientists, and from school head teachers to industrialists,” the royal family’s website says. It might now add “impossibly handsome and famous ex-football stars.” Those conferred with a knighthood get the title “sir.”Let’s hear the credentials of Beckham, er, Sir David.Mr. Beckham, 50, was a brilliant soccer player, most memorably for Manchester United and England’s national team. His famous right foot had the uncanny ability to curl balls through the air and into the net, inspiring the title of the 2002 film “Bend it Like Beckham.”His post-football career has included co-ownership of Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer team. He has been a UNICEF ambassador, and his charisma helped London secure hosting duties for the 2012 Summer Olympics.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Jubilant PSG Fans Cause Chaos in France

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      Police arrested hundreds of people overnight after Paris St.-Germain fans celebrated a Champions League victory. Amid the celebrations, one person died in a traffic incident and another was stabbed to death.France erupted in scenes of jubilation as Paris St.-Germain became the first French team in 32 years to win the Champions League, Europe’s most coveted club soccer trophy, but the joy descended into violence that left two people dead and more than 200 injured.The Interior Ministry said Sunday that a car crashed into a young man driving a scooter in Paris, killing him, and a 17-year-old man was stabbed to death as supporters rejoiced in Dax, a town in southwestern France. It was not immediately clear if the stabbing was linked to the celebrations over P.S.G.’s victory on Saturday night.In Grenoble, a city in southeastern France, a car plowed inadvertently into a crowd of celebrants, seriously injuring four people from the same family, the police said. The driver fled before handing himself over to the authorities.In all, the Interior Ministry said 22 security personnel and seven firefighters were injured, in addition to 192 injuries among people thronging the streets. One policeman sustained a serious eye injury in Normandy and was placed in an artificial coma. The ministry added that 320 people had been detained — 254 of them in Paris — and said 692 fires were recorded across France, including 264 burned vehicles.A human tide flooded into the streets of Paris immediately after a young P.S.G. team demolished an aging Inter Milan club, 5-0, in its first victory in the tournament. The score was the most overwhelming in any final of the competition. Standing on scooters, leaning out of cars, honking, singing and shouting, fans gave full voice to their elation as the Eiffel Tower twinkled red, white and blue.It was a cathartic moment for a France in a state of political paralysis and widespread discontent, and one the country had awaited for a long time. With its flowing, electric style of play, its teenage stars, its creative brilliance and its players reflecting a diverse French society, P.S.G. has become an inspiration, particularly to French youth.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      How the Liverpool Parade Car Crash Unfolded

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      After a car plowed into crowds celebrating their team’s Premier League title, camaraderie and jubilation dissolved into dread.The mood in Liverpool had been jubilant. Paul O’Brien and his family had flown in from Ireland to celebrate their soccer team’s Premier League title. “Everyone’s singing all day, everyone having a good time, everyone talking to one another,” Mr. O’Brien recalled.“And then…”Standing along Water Street in the heart of Liverpool on Monday, Mr. O’Brien, his son and his parents suddenly found themselves being shoved, hard, by a surging crowd. Out of nowhere, a dark-color car was barreling down a street jammed with pedestrians. Had it not been for the people pushing them out of the way, Mr. O’Brien said on Tuesday, they might have been in the car’s path.“We didn’t realize until we were pushed,” Mr. O’Brien said. “And then we actually realized, ‘Oh, something went on here.’ There were people lying on the ground. But the people of Liverpool were amazing. Those people were very brave to push kids and people out of the way.”The parade for the Liverpool soccer team before the disaster.Owen Humphreys/Press Association, via Associated PressIn an instant, the joyful day had turned dark. At around 6 p.m. on Monday, police said, a 53-year-old British man plowed his vehicle into the crowd, injuring more than 50 people, including 27 who were sent to one of several hospitals in the area. Two people, including a child, were seriously injured. A fire department spokesman said that four people had to be pulled from underneath the car.The impact of the vehicle slamming into the sea of pedestrians quickly rippled through this proudly working class city on England’s northwestern coast. More

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      Liverpool FC Victory Parade: Driver Plows Into Crowd, Injuring 47

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      The driver, a 53-year-old British man, was arrested, but the event was not being treated as terrorism, the police said. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the scenes as “appalling.”Local police said they detained a man in connection with a car that was driven through a crowd of people attending a soccer parade on Monday.Darren Staples/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesA driver slammed a car into a crowd celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League victory, seriously injuring a child and an adult and sending more than two dozen people to hospitals, officials in England said on Monday.The crash created chaos at the end of a festive day in which hundreds of thousands of sports fans had gathered for a parade through the Liverpool city center to celebrate their team. More

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      What to Know About the Liverpool FC Parade Car Crash

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      Almost 50 people, including four children, were injured on Monday after a driver plowed into a crowd that had been celebrating Liverpool F.C.’s Premier League title.A driver plowed a car into a crowd of pedestrians in England who were celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League victory at a parade on Monday attended by hundreds of thousands of people.Here is what we know.What happened?The Merseyside Police said they were contacted about 6 p.m. on Monday local time after reports that a car had hit the crowd.Video shared on social media shows a dark-color vehicle with a broken rear window swerving into the crowd and hitting parade-goers, leaving people on the ground. The video shows people rushing to aid the victims, including some who were trapped beneath the vehicle, and surrounding the vehicle once it stopped.Video also shows witnesses attempting to stop the vehicle, with one person prying open the driver’s-side door before a man in the driver’s seat slams the door shut and accelerates into the crowd.At a news conference on Monday night, Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims of the Merseyside Police said: “What I can tell you is that we believe this to be an isolated incident and we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”Who is the suspect?The police said that a 53-year-old British man from the Liverpool area had been arrested after the car stopped at the scene. “We believe him to be the driver of the vehicle,” Ms. Sims said at the news conference.What do we know about the injured?At least 47 people were injured in the crash, including four children, the ambulance service said on Monday night. Twenty-seven of them were taken to hospitals, two of whom — including one child — had sustained serious injuries.Twenty others were treated at the scene with minor injuries. A paramedic on a cycle was also struck by the vehicle, but did not sustain any serious injuries.Four people — including a child — were temporarily trapped under the vehicle, the fire and rescue service said.Officials did not identify any of the victims.Where did it happen?The ramming happened along Water Street in the Liverpool city center, near the end of the 10-mile parade route. More

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      FIFA to Consider Expanding World Cup to 64 Teams

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      Soccer’s governing body will look into another expansion of its marquee event, the most lucrative in sports, after a request by one of its 2030 co-hosts.FIFA, the governing body for global soccer, is considering a plan that would increase the number of teams in the 2030 World Cup to 64 for a one-off expansion to mark the centenary of the event, the organization said on Thursday.The proposal, which was made toward the end of a FIFA board meeting on Wednesday, would upend a tournament that already figures to be unwieldy and complicated because it will be played across three continents for the first time in its history.The World Cup is the most lucrative and most watched event in sports, bringing in billions for FIFA, but the coveted nature of the competition has led to battles among nations to host it, as well as widespread allegations in the past of corruption.The decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia was criticized by good governance organizations, after FIFA changed its own rules to allow the country to effectively secure rights without facing any competition.The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, has already overseen the expansion of the World Cup once during his nine-year tenure, bringing the number of teams up to 48 from 32 at the next edition in 2026, which will be mostly played in the United States but also include matches in Mexico and Canada.According to four people with direct knowledge of the discussions, the proposal for a 64-team tournament came as the meeting that was drawing to a close and had reached the section of the agenda earmarked for “miscellaneous” issues.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Clashes at Soccer Match Kill Dozens in Guinea

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      It was unclear on Sunday how many people were killed, but at least one estimate neared 100 people.Dozens of people were killed on Sunday in clashes during a soccer match in Guinea, according to media reports.The violence occurred during a game between the Labe and Nzerekore soccer teams in the city of Nzerekore, the second-largest city in the West African nation.It was unclear on Sunday how many people were killed. Agence France-Presse, citing local hospital sources, said there were “dozens dead,” with one doctor estimating the death toll was closer to “around 100” people.Prime Minister Bah Oury of Guinea condemned the violence in a statement on X on Sunday.“The government deplores the incidents that marred the football match between the Labe and Nzerekore teams this afternoon in Nzerekore,” Mr. Oury said.The government called for calm “so that hospital services are not hindered in providing first aid to the injured,” Mr. Oury said.More information will be released when it becomes available, Mr. Oury said.It’s unclear exactly what led to the violence. Agence France-Presse spoke to a witness who said the clashes erupted after a disputed call by a referee that led to fans invading the field.One doctor at the local hospital told Agence France-Presse that the facility and morgue were filling up with bodies.The game was part of a tournament honoring Col. Mamady Doumbouya, Guinea’s military leader, who seized power in 2021.Nzerekore, which has a population of about 200,000 people, is about 555 miles southeast of the capital.This is a developing story. More

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      A Whole New Ballgame

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      What soccer, a recent foray into coaching and years of writing this newsletter taught our columnist about the game, and himself.A few weeks ago, the soccer team that occupies rather more of my thoughts than is healthy had a problem. Well, strictly speaking, it had several. One was that all of the players, including my son, were under the age of 7, which it turns out is something of a tactical limitation. Another was that I had been roped into being one of the coaches.More urgently, though, we kept conceding goals. Avoidable goals. Silly goals. Goals wrapped up in gift paper and presented to the opposition, accompanied by a heartfelt card.Technically, when children start playing formal soccer in England — at the age of 6 — the games are not competitive. There is no league table. The results are not even recorded. That arrangement is not quite the same, though, as nobody knowing what the results are. And it was apparent, to anyone who could count, that our results were not good.It was at this point that I hatched a plan to limit the damage. It seemed to me quite a good plan. We had spent two years encouraging the children to play soccer the way it is meant to be played. They pass out from the back. They take a touch. They rely on their technique to avert danger. They express themselves.But it had become very clear, very quickly, that this approach had not really survived first contact with reality. We were conceding goals in great bucket-loads because we kept creating problems for ourselves: dribbling across our own box, passing aimlessly into the middle of a congested field, turning not into space but into trouble. We kept losing games. And while winning or losing was not supposed to matter, we worried that, sooner or later, the children would start losing enthusiasm.What we needed, I thought, was just a dash of the ancient wisdom that had been passed down to me, when I was taking my first tentative steps in soccer. Geoff — my first and only youth coach, whose son took all the free kicks and corners — had given us two instructions, and only two: Play the way you are facing and, if in doubt, boot it out.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Gaza War Strains Europe’s Efforts at Social Cohesion

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      Institutions meant to promote civility, from soccer to song, have come under severe stress from rising antisemitism and anti-immigrant politics.The various institutions of postwar Europe were intended to keep the peace, bring warring peoples together and build a sense of continental attachment and even loyalty. From the growth of the European Union itself to other, softer organizations, dealing with culture or sports, the hope has always been to keep national passions within safe, larger limits.But growing antisemitism, increased migration and more extremist, anti-immigrant parties have led to backlash and divisions rather than comity. The long war in Gaza has only exacerbated these conflicts and their intensity, especially among young Muslims and others who feel outraged by Israeli bombings and by the tens of thousands of deaths in Gaza, a large proportion of them women and children.Those tensions were on full display in the recent violence surrounding a soccer match between an Israeli and a Dutch team in Amsterdam, where the authorities are investigating what they call antisemitic attacks on Israeli fans, as well as incendiary actions by both sides. Amsterdam is far from the only example of the divisions in Europe over the Gaza war and of the challenges they present to European governments.The normally amusing Eurovision Song Contest, which was held this year in Malmo, Sweden, a city with a significant Muslim population, was marred by pro-Palestinian protests against Eden Golan, a contestant from Israel, which participates as a full member.The original lyrics to her song, “October Rain,” in commemoration of the 1,200 Israelis who died from the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, which prompted Israel’s response in Gaza, were rejected by organizers for their political nature, so were altered to be less specific. Her performance was met with booing and jeering from some in the audience, but she did receive a wave of votes from online spectators, pushing her to fifth place.It was hardly the demonstration of togetherness in art and silliness that organizers have always intended.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More