theSIGNAL SPORT
24 July 2026
"Sport is where the desire for revenge becomes something almost noble."
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Sport

Norway to challenge Trump's Balogun ban reversal

Norway's football federation is preparing a formal ethics complaint to Fifa after Donald Trump personally intervened to lift Folarin Balogun's mandatory red-card suspension, allowing the US striker to face Belgium in the World Cup quarter-finals. Federation president Lise Klaveness — a lawyer, judge, and former Women's World Cup player — says the decision, unprecedented in 60 years of tournament history, came from "external forces" and followed no proper process. Belgium then demolished the United States 4-1, apparently energised by the controversy. Klaveness, who sits on Uefa's executive committee, warns that bending fundamental rules puts "the whole game at risk." Human rights group FairSquare has already filed a parallel complaint to the International Olympic Committee, where Fifa president Gianni Infantino holds elected membership.…
  • Should a head of state ever have the power to overturn a sporting ban?
Sport

Italy's Coach Hunt: Ancelotti First, Then Guardiola

Italy approached Carlo Ancelotti before opening talks with Pep Guardiola to fill the Azzurri's vacant manager role, FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini confirmed Thursday. "We spoke to Carlo first — we started with who we consider the best," said Maldini, a former club and international team-mate of Ancelotti. The 67-year-old, however, is committed to Brazil until the 2030 World Cup, leaving Italy's rebuild wide open.
  • Should a national team ever hire a coach who has never played for that country?
"
The men will not play any Tests in the north of England after Emirates Old Trafford and Headingley were not selected to host matches.
ECB Schedule Announcement, 2023
Photo: Aksh yadav / Unsplash
England and Australia players walk onto a sunlit Trent Bridge ahead of an Ashes Test match.
Sport

Ashes 2026: England's Summer of Redemption Begins

England face Australia across two historic Ashes series in 2026, seeking revenge after humiliating defeats on both sides of the game.

Trent Bridge, 18 June 2026. That is the date circled in red for every England cricket fan who watched their men's team lose 4-1 in Australia last winter. The ECB confirmed the full schedule on Wednesday, and the stakes could hardly be higher: a side without a Test coach — Brendon McCullum was sacked earlier this year — chasing an urn they have not held since 2015. The five-Test men's series moves from Nottingham to Lord's (30 June), Edgbaston (8 July), Southampton's Utilita Bowl (21 July) and finally The Kia Oval (29 July).

Southampton's ground becomes only the tenth UK venue ever to host a men's Ashes Test — a milestone that comes at a cost. Emirates Old Trafford and Headingley have been left off the schedule entirely, a decision that drew sharp criticism from Andy Burnham, now Prime Minister, when it was first announced in 2023. The north of England will watch from the sidelines. Running alongside the men's series, the multi-format Women's Ashes opens at Headingley on 24 June.

England's women arrive carrying an extraordinary weight: a 16-0 points defeat in Australia in 2025 and a wait stretching back to 2014 for their last Ashes Test win. Three T20s and three ODIs follow, with each white-ball victory worth two points and a Test win worth four. Before any of that, England's men face Bangladesh in a warm-up Test at Lord's from 28 May, while Australia will sharpen up against England Lions at Old Trafford from 7–10 June.

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16-0
Women's Ashes points defeat in Australia 2025
Discuss
  • Why might hosting an Ashes Test be so economically and culturally important to a city like Manchester?
  • How does playing without a head coach affect a team's preparation and morale, in cricket or any sport?
  • Is it fair that the Women's Ashes uses a points system across formats rather than a single winner-takes-all series?
  • What does England's 4-1 loss in Australia suggest about the gap in men's Test cricket between the two nations?
  • Should historic venues always be given priority for major fixtures, or should commercial factors decide?
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theSIGNAL IN THE LAB
1VOCABULARY
drew sharp criticismfrom the sidelines
unprecedentedmandatorycommitted to
interveneddemolished
2GRAMMAR FOCUS
Wish and if only — expressing regret
Use 'wish' or 'if only' + past perfect (had + past participle) to express regret about past events that cannot be changed. Use wish/if only + past simple to express regret about present situations.
had held · had kept · were · had filled · had not intervened · had won · hadn't lost
  1. England fans wish their team the Ashes urn more recently than 2015.
  2. If only the ECB the coaching vacancy before the summer began.
  3. England's women wish they an Ashes Test more recently than 2014.
  4. If only Trump in the red-card suspension — many fans feel the process was completely undermined.
  5. Andy Burnham wishes Old Trafford and Headingley on the Ashes schedule.
  6. England's men wish they 4-1 in Australia last winter.
3DEPENDENT PREPOSITIONS
Complete each phrase with the correct preposition. All from today's articles.
  1. The stakes could hardly be higher ___ England's men.
  2. The decision drew sharp criticism ___ Andy Burnham.
  3. England's women arrive carrying a wait stretching back ___ 2014.
  4. The complaint came ___ no proper process.
  5. Maldini is committed ___ Brazil until 2030.
4CRITICAL THINKING
Lise Klaveness warns that overriding fundamental rules puts 'the whole game at risk.' If governing bodies like Fifa cannot enforce their own decisions against political pressure, what mechanisms — if any — could realistically hold powerful figures accountable in international sport?
5CREATIVE · HEADLINES
Write a headline for the top story in each of the following styles. One line each, no explanation:
  • TABLOID NEWSPAPER
  • LUXURY MAGAZINE
  • ACTIVIST BLOG
6WRITING
Italy chose to approach the 'best' coach available rather than prioritise a candidate with personal ties to the national team. Using examples from sport or another field, argue whether excellence or emotional connection should be the primary criterion when appointing a leader.
7DEGREES OF EXTREMITY
Complete each ladder from mild to strong using words from the articles or related vocabulary.
  • disappointed→→
  • questioned→→
  • setback→→
  • interested→→
  • notable→→
  • concerned→→
8SPEAKING
  1. How might the 2025 women's defeat change Australia's preparation for 2026?
  2. Can a points-based format ever truly reflect which nation is better overall?
  3. What risks arise when personal relationships influence major governing body decisions?
  4. Should a country prioritise rebuilding domestically or hiring the world's best coach?