04/03/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAR 4, 2026

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Real title blow Flat Madrid fall four points behind Barcelona

Real Madrid’s Antonio Ruediger (top) vies for the ball with Getafe’s goalkeeper David Soria (centre) during the La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabeu yesterday. – AFPPIC

after defeat to Getafe R EAL MADRID fell to a damaging 1 0 defeat by Getafe at home in La Liga yesterday, leaving them four points behind leaders Barcelona. Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, beaten by a superb volley from Martin Satriano, suffered a sec ond consecutive loss in the Spanish top flight for the first time since 2020. Madrid forward Franco Mastantuono was sent off in stoppage time for apparent dissent to make a bad night worse for Los Blancos . “Obviously it’s a match where we could have done things better, but I think my play ers tried and we had more clear chances than them,” Arbeloa told reporters. “However in football deserving isn’t enough, and Getafe played a great game. “Nobody here is throwing in the towel, this is Real Madrid, you don’t give up until the last game,” added Arbeloa. “Four points is a distance that we can cut back and we will fight for that.” With French superstar Kylian Mbappe in France to treatment, Madrid lined up with Gonzalo Garcia in attack alongside Brazil star Vinicius Junior at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid were beaten at Osasuna the previous weekend, allowing rivals Barca to overtake them in the title race, and Hansi Flick’s side stretched their lead by thrashing Villarreal on Saturday. Vinicius, in excellent form in 2026 after an inconsistent start to the season, spurned a fine early chance. The winger burst through on goal but David Soria saved well with his leg. A brilliant roulette from Arda Guler nearly earned Madrid the breakthrough but Soria tipped over the Turkish forward’s strike. Getafe were upset by a painful collision between Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger and Diego Rico, in which the German’s knee knocked the Spaniard’s head.

Uruguayan forward Satriano broke the deadlock with a delicious strike from the edge of the box after compatriot Mauro Arambarri nodded the ball into his path. Soria, who had a fine game, saved from Vinicius in the second half and the Brazilian called for more support from Madrid’s fans. However the team were not giving them much to get excited about, although Rudiger came close to levelling with a header. It was a disjointed display from a Madrid side who visit Celta Vigo on Saturday in La Liga, before hosting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League last 16, unsure if top scorer Mbappe will be fit to play. Mbappe has been struggling with an injury to the external ligament of his left knee since the end of 2025 and missed last week’s Champions League playoff second leg against Benfica due to “persistent pain” in training, sources close to the player said. His entourage insisted there was no dis agreement regarding the treatment required by the player between his club and the French national team, who will be des perate to have Mbappe fully fit for the upcoming World Cup. “It was a bit of a consensus between eve ryone (Mbappe, the coach and the doctors), and we think the best thing is that he stops, that he recovers and comes back at 100%,” Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar . “It’s not going to be a question of days, it will be a bit longer, but I can’t say how long, hopefully not too long.” Jose Bordalas’s Getafe rose to 11th and were able to celebrate their first win at the Bernabeu since 2008. “It’s very hard to get points when you come here, I have to congratulate the team for the work in defence, then we got our goal and we could even have scored another in the end,” said Getafe defender Kiko Femenia. – AFP

Will Iran boycott the World Cup and who might replace them? Ű BY JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

host countries. And the situation has only escalated since then. Athletes, teams members and family mem bers were previously excluded from Trump’s travel ban but the US government could also decide to restrict Iran from competing at all if they cited security risks. What could happen if Iran don’t play? In Fifa’s World Cup regulations, published last year and before the qualifying stage of the tour nament was complete, it states: “If any Participating Member Association withdraws and/or is excluded from the World Cup 26, Fifa shall decide on the matter at its sole discretion and take whatever action is deemed necessary. “Fifa may decide to replace the Participating Member Association in question with another association.” Iran qualified automatically for the World Cup, with the United Arab Emirates losing out on an automatic qualification spot and subsequently going out in the playoff rounds. In the event of Iran not playing in the World Cup, they would be the closest replacement. Iraq could only be an option, if they do not come through their intercontinental playoff against either Bolivia or Suriname in Mexico

later this month. But the uncertainty in the Gulf as a result of the US strikes means that replacing Iran with either the UAE or Iraq could be far from straight forward, and Fifa’s regulations indicate that they could do whatever they would like, anyway. There is some precedent from last summer when Mexican side Club Leon were kicked out of the Club World Cup due to multi-club ownership rules. Fifa then announced a playoff between Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and Mexican team Club America which was won by LAFC, granting them access to the tournament. Fifa’s World Cup regulations also state:“Fifa has the right to cancel, reschedule or relocate one or more matches (or the entire Fifa World Cup 26) for any reason at its sole discretion, including as a result of force majeure or due to health, safety or security concerns.” Seemingly, there is therefore possibility that Iran’s games could be moved from the US; but there is also the possibility that the US and Iran could play each other at the tournament. This would happen if both teams were run ners-up in Group D and Group G respectively, with that fixture scheduled to be played in Arlington, Texas. The Independent

games in Los Angeles and another in Seattle. They will face New Zealand and Belgium in LA on June 15 and June 21, followed by the match against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. There has never been a boycott of the World Cup on political grounds and the last World Cup boycott was 60 years ago, when African teams refused to play in protest of receiving just one third of a qualifying berth. But there has never before been a situation where a World Cup host has attacked a qualified team so close to the start of the tournament, with just four months to go before the opening game. Several European countries discussed a World Cup boycott when the United States threatened to annex Greenland in January. Even before the strikes, there was political ten sion over Iran’s involvement in the tournament due to visa restrictions. The country’s football federation followed through on a threat to boycott Novembers’s World Cup draw in Washington DC. At the time, Iranian Football Federation spokesman Amir Mehdi Alavi said the US had granted visas to four members of the Iranian delegation, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei, but had not issued one to its football president Mehdi. The boycott of the World Cup draw, Alavi said, followed “unsportsmanlike actions” by one of the

THE president of Iran’s football federation has suggested the country could boycott the World Cup following the US and Israeli strikes on the country. According to multiple outlets, including the Associated Press , Mehdi Taj told sports news por tal Varzesh3 : “What is certain is that after these attacks, it’s hard to look at the World Cup with hope.” The tournament takes place across multiple cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada this year. Iran’s group games are scheduled to be played in the US, between Los Angeles and Seattle. “It’s not possible to say exactly, but there will certainly be a response,”Taj also said, according to Reuters . “This will surely be studied by the coun try’s high-ranking sports officials and there will be a decision on what’s going to happen.” Fifa are monitoring the situation. Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said on Sunday: “It’s too early to comment, but we will monitor devel opments around the world that could affect the tournament.” Could Iran boycott the World Cup? Iran are scheduled to play two World Cup