Swap the Azzurri kit and slip into something maple-flavored: The Canadian Soccer Association spent Saturday tempting Toronto’s Italian diaspora to trade blue for red and rally behind the home team at the FIFA World Cup.
Italy suffered the agony of missing out on a third straight World Cup last week after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in a playoff. Had they qualified, the four-time world champions would have been in Group B along with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. Canada are cohosting the tournament with the US and Mexico.
For several hours on Saturday, fans lined up outside a coffee shop in Toronto’s “Little Italy” neighborhood to exchange their blue or white jerseys. They left with Canada’s new red home shirt, but were still allowed to keep their original Italy tops.
Photo: EPA
“Soccer in Canada has been built by generations of players, fans and communities including Italian Canadians who have helped bring the passion for our game to life,” Canadian Soccer Association chief communications and content officer Paulo Senra said. “We want every Canadian — no matter their historic allegiances — to join the momentum around our men’s national team, because this time, it’s Canada.”
About 1.5 million people of Italian origin are living in Canada, 4.3 percent of the population, according to the 2021 census.
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.” Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement. “But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.” Axelsen retires as one
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
RSS