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Undercover observers track racism, discrimination at European soccer games

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Blend in. Stay alert. Feign excitement if you must.Among the thousands of fans in the stands at Europe’s biggest soccer games are a few people operating undercover. Trained volunteer observers listen for racist chants and watch for extremist symbols on banners.“You have to be aware of the environment and fit in without standing out. You have to be discreet,” one observer, who has worked at games involving some of soccer’s best-known clubs and national teams, told The Associated Press.“Obviously nothing gets published on social media. You have to be anonymous. You have to just sort of blend in. Don’t engage in conversations with anybody.”The observer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the job requires it, is part of a program run on behalf of European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, by the Fare Network, a prominent anti-discrimination group. Fare monitors about 120 games per season in Europe’s main three men’s club co...

Racism on the soccer field took a toll on Black players in England

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — When racism was rife in English soccer and hooliganism was on the rise, Black players were only just beginning to integrate into some of the league’s biggest teams.Liverpool, arguably the most famous soccer club in the world at the time, fielded its first Black player in 1980. Chelsea followed two years later by bringing in Paul Canoville.The Chelsea player was regularly called “the N-word,” often told to “go home” and had bananas thrown at him. “Why do they always throw fruit like a banana?” the British-born Canoville said in an interview with The Associated Press. “What, I’m going to act like an ape?”Even more astounding was the source of the vitriol.“It wasn’t the away fans that were racially abusing me. It was the majority of my own fans,” Canoville said. “I didn’t expect that at all.”Now 61, Canoville has become a reference point to a shameful period in Chelsea’s — and English soccer’s — past, and provides a constant reminder of the work the sport sti...

Grand Old Day returns to St. Paul

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

Grand Old Day returned to St. Paul on Sunday after a three-year absence.The festival drew large crowds to Grand Avenue, where festival-goers enjoyed food vendors, live music and a parade.Grand Old Day co-chairman Chris Jensen told WCCO-TV that the event’s return revived the street’s connection to the community.“We call it the main street of St. Paul,” he said.  “What it really does is get everyone back out in the community to celebrate each other, celebrate St. Paul and Grand Avenue, get people to see the businesses that are here, and maybe what they’ve missed and some of the new places that have opened in the last couple years.”The event included more than 200 vendors.Related ArticlesLocal News | Billy’s on Grand liquor license hearing draws dozens of residents Local News | The Jayhawks and Bad Bad Hats will provide tunes for revived Grand Old Day Local News | With its licenses in the balance...

Family of Fargo man killed in crash say charges reflect bias in case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

The family of a man killed in a crash last August is claiming prosecutors in the case are biased and justice is not being served.Washington Weanquoi, 47, of Fargo, was on his way home from his job at Bobcat in Gwinner on Aug. 27 around 2 a.m. when his Toyota Corolla was struck by a Nissan Altima driven by 19-year-old Kash Cutler, from Frederick, South Dakota, according to court documents.Cutler and his 19-year-old friend were leaving a barn dance near Fargo when Cutler’s vehicle slid into Weanquoi’s lane. Cutler fell asleep, he told troopers with the North Dakota Highway Patrol, and woke up to see headlights coming, according to court documents.Washington Weanquoi, 47, from Fargo, was killed Aug. 27, 2022, in a crash on Highway 13. (Contributed)Both drivers attempted to avoid each other, but Cutler’s Altima, traveling about 85 mph in a 65 mph zone, struck Weanquoi’s Corolla, which was going about 40 mph, according to court documents.Weanquoi, originally from Liberia, die...

Kiszla: Nuggets meekly cower in shadow of center Nikola Jokic’s 41 points in NBA Finals loss to Heat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

Let’s hope Nuggets coach Michael Malone saved room in his suitcase for that timeout to take with him on the trip to Miami. Or maybe he ate it as a midnight snack. For whatever reason, Malone took home a timeout from a 111-108 loss to the Heat in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.It is moments like this when a player, coach and team write basketball legacies. On this sad Sunday night, the Nuggets played like chumps instead of champs, failing to give the effort required to beat the desperate Heat.“It’s the (bleeping) Finals,” Nuggets veteran Jeff Green said. “Our energy has to be better.”Know what’s worse? This team’s mental fortitude could use a good swift kick in its tender feelings.Nikola Jokic was as good as any MVP can possibly be, scoring 41 points. But it wasn’t good enough, because guard Jamal Murray failed to come up big with a chance to send the game to overtime on a 3-point shot at the buzzer.“I think you guys have seen me ...

Keeler: Kevin Love, Heat wanted to punch Nuggets in the mouth. Mission accomplished. How will Denver respond? “We were a lot more aggressive.”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

The Nuggets have blood on their lips and a home loss on their NBA Finals resume. To hear Kevin Love tell it after Game 2, that first part was Miami’s masterplan from the stinking jump.“I think just getting into their paint a little bit more was good for us,” offered Love, the veteran power forward whose insertion into the Heat’s starting lineup, and his 10 rebounds, helped Miami hand Denver its first postseason defeat at Ball Arena this spring.“So we had those opportunities last game that we didn’t take advantage of. I think that’s why the free throws (in Game 1) were low. So again, I think we were a lot more aggressive in attacking.”No wonder Pat Riley was smirking as he left the visiting locker room Sunday night. The Heat wanted to punch the Nuggets in the mouth and see how they responded. So far? 0-1.Of reserve center Cody Zeller’s 6-foot-11 frame, 6-7 of it is made up of bony elbows. So of course it was Zeller, the former Indiana Hoosiers big man, who set the tone wi...

Nuggets disappear in second half against Heat, suffer first home loss since March 30

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Erik Spoelstra bristled at the suggestion the Miami Heat somehow solved Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets by allowing the superstar to score at will while taking away his passing lanes and his penchant to elevate his teammates.“Yeah, that’s ridiculous,” Spoelstra interjected after Miami’s 111-108 win Sunday night sent the series back to Florida tied 1-1 with the home-court advantage suddenly in possession of the eighth-seeded Heat.“That’s the untrained eye that says something like that,” the Miami coach added.Maybe so, but the top-seeded Nuggets are 0-3 this postseason when Jokic scores 40 or more points. Their last loss in the playoffs was at Phoenix in Round 2 when he scored 53.Jokic is averaging a triple-double in the playoffs. He had 41 points and 11 rebounds Sunday night but just four assists — a season low — as the Nuggets lost at home for the first time in 66 nights.“This guy is an incredible player,” Spoelstra said. “You know, twice in two seasons...

No. 1 Wake Forest dominant, joins Oral Roberts and 4 others moving on in NCAA Tournament

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

No. 1 national seed Wake Forest completed one of the most dominant runs through an NCAA Tournament regional Sunday and joined six others advancing to super regionals, including Oral Roberts of the Summit League.The Demon Deacons beat George Mason 15-1 in the final in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and outscored their three opponents by a combined 48-7.Oral Roberts extended its win streak to 21 games and became the eighth No. 4 regional seed since 2006 to make a super regional when it held off Dallas Baptist 6-5 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.No. 7 Virginia, No. 14 Indiana State, No. 15 South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas also wrapped up regionals.Virginia defeated East Carolina 8-3 in Charlottesville to make a super regional for the second time in three years. Indiana State, hosting a regional for the first time, won 11-8 over Iowa to make its first super regional. South Carolina, which entered the tournament with losses in 11 of 14 games, beat Campbell 16-7 and is back in supers for the f...

Stock market today: Asian stocks follow Wall St up after strong US jobs report

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks followed Wall Street higher on Monday after strong U.S. hiring data coupled with scant wage gains suggested a possible recession might be further away, but also that inflationary pressures are weakening.Tokyo’s benchmark gained almost 2%. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul also rose. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index leaped 1.5% on Friday, putting it on the verge of entering what traders call a “bull market” after rising nearly 20% in seven months.Government data on Friday showed employers hired more people than expected in May but wage gains are slowing. That suggests the economy is strong but upward pressure on inflation might be weakening, reducing the need for the Federal Reserve to cool business activity with more rate hikes.“Markets appear poised to ride last week’s upward momentum as bubbly risk appetite finds a comfort pillow in hopes for a U.S. soft landing,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a report.The Nikkei 225 in ...

Braves’ Marcell Ozuna benched after not hustling on 415-foot single

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:25 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Marcell Ozuna stayed at home plate way too long admiring his 415-foot single.The Atlanta Braves slugger spent most of the rest of the game watching from the bench.Ozuna was removed from the Braves’ 8-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning Sunday after he failed to hustle on his long hit in the fourth inning in his second at-bat.Ozuna’s towering shot off Zac Gallen looked as though it was either going over the wall or into the glove of Arizona center fielder Jake McCarthy.The ball instead hit an overhang just below the line for a home run. Ozuna was not running hard while watching the ball and had to stop at first.Braves manager Brian Snitker replaced him as Atlanta’s designated hitter with Sean Murphy.“I guarantee he feels worse than I do for having to take him out,” Snitker said.Ozuna, a two-time All-Star, is hitting .227 with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs in 44 games this season. —AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitt...