Sports
Ben White booed in return — but he did more than flat England teammates in Uruguay draw
LONDON — However Ben White imagined his return to the England setup would play out, not once could he have pictured this.
Booed by some supporters when introduced as a 69th-minute substitute, he then marked his comeback after a four-year absence with his first international goal — only to be booed even more.
And just when it looked as though his efforts had salvaged victory from a thoroughly abject collective display, White conceded a stoppage-time penalty, which Federico Valverde converted to give Uruguay a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium.
Even before White stepped onto the field, his presence in the England squad for this window was not without controversy.
He declined to play for England ever since leaving the 2022 World Cup early for what the Football Association described at the time as “personal reasons.” Various outlets, including ESPN, reported at the time that White had in fact fallen out with a member of the coaching staff, and although Gareth Southgate later publicly denied any bust-up, the Arsenal defender subsequently refused a call-up and did not play for England again.
That was, until Friday.
England manager Thomas Tuchel did not select White in his initial expanded 35-man squad for this camp, but Jarell Quansah‘s injury triggered a surprise late inclusion. Tuchel justified the decision by saying “everybody deserves a second chance” following talks with White in recent months, but there were many among the 80,581 crowd who clearly did not agree.
“I [was told] that he was booed,” Tuchel said. “I didn’t hear it on the field because I was involved in the changes and instructions. It cannot be the majority. There were some boos and some mixed reception for him, which I am disappointed about because, of course, protect our players.
“He was excellent in camp. He deserved to come on. He deserved also to start and got us almost the winner. But I also understood that it happened to other players before here.
“He needs to take it on the chin,” Tuchel said. “We will always protect him, and hopefully we can put it behind [us] because he is ready to write some new chapters. We are ready to give him the chance, so hopefully everyone can move on and accept it.”
White’s roller-coaster cameo contrasted markedly with England’s flat-line performance that preceded it.
Tuchel had talked up the merits of his split-squad idea — 11 players were given this week to rest and occupied a Wembley box together here before resuming training ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Japan — by framing this as a key audition for a “plane ticket” to the World Cup.
1:44
Burley slams ‘awful’ England after draw with Uruguay
Craig Burley reacts to England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley.
What greeted the players instead were paper planes. In many ways, this was a throwback to the dark days of years gone by: desperately uninspired football and fans expressing their discontent by throwing folded paper at the pitch, waving phone lights like they’re at a Coldplay gig and booing whichever player they had in their crosshairs.
Southgate worked exceptionally hard to move England on from nights like this, and although there were the occasional nonevents, by and large he achieved it.
And Tuchel will hope White is a unique case. Perhaps part of it was that his selection came at the expense of Trent Alexander-Arnold, a popular and decorated player for Liverpool and Real Madrid yet one who has never fully been trusted by Southgate and now Tuchel.
But more likely, it is White’s perceived indifference in playing for his country. The accusation of insouciance is difficult to shake, and these supporters, many of whom are facing bills running into the tens of thousands to follow England at this summer’s World Cup, do not take kindly to any ambiguous loyalty.
2:09
Tuchel: Trent must accept England squad decision
Thomas Tuchel explained why he left Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the latest England squad.
The team’s overall level of performance did not help the mood, either. Phil Foden was given a chance — perhaps his final chance — to stake a claim for the No. 10 role, but he could not get England playing. What he got for his trouble was an appalling tackle early in the second half from Ronald Araújo that left Tuchel incensed but somehow went entirely unpunished. Foden was subsequently substituted due to injury.
England were equally irate at the decision to award a spot kick after VAR review for White’s challenge on substitute Federico Viñas, a decision Harry Maguire branded a “ridiculous penalty.”
German referee Sven Jablonski appeared to give Manuel Ugarte two yellow cards but not send the Manchester United midfielder off, with the officials later saying the second one was in fact rescinded.
“I think it was not a good performance [from the referee] at all throughout the match,” Tuchel said.
“And I cannot understand that the tackle like this [on Foden] is not even checked. I think the penalty in the end was very, very soft and then there were like debates that a player got two yellow cards in the match and not being sent off. OK, bad day at the office.”
But once the refereeing row subsides, England will reflect on an evening when few individuals pressed their claims. James Trafford and James Garner made their debuts. Fikayo Tomori appeared for the first time in 2½ years, Maguire for the first time in 18 months, Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a substitute for the first time in almost five years.
Garner and Maguire were probably the standouts on a very ordinary night. Tuchel has vowed to harness the Premier League trend of set-piece prowess, and so in that context, England’s goal coming from a corner will be a source of encouragement.
He was, in fact, quite upbeat about the performance as a whole, aside from Foden and Noni Madueke both leaving the field prematurely, the latter seen wearing a knee brace as he departed the stadium.
“I learned a lot because it was a tough opponent — you just see it in the details, you learn a lot and you see the level,” Tuchel said. “We knew it would be a difficult opponent, and we needed this kind of test.”
It might have been one Tuchel anticipated but White, for certain, did not.
Sports
Alexi Lalas dreading thought England could win World Cup on America’s 250th birthday: ‘Cannot have that’
Alexi Lalas previews 2026 FIFA World Cup, ‘Summer of ’94’ film
U.S. Soccer legend Alexi Lalas joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Lalas highlights the event’s cultural significance and reflects on the 1994 US World Cup team. Fox Sports announces a $250,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, matched by Fox Corporation, aimed at growing soccer grassroots.
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There is no clear-cut favorite heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but if you ask Fox Sports analyst Alexi Lalas who he believes will lift the trophy at the end of the tournament, he’ll give you one answer.
“I don’t care who wins as long as it’s not England,” he said during Fox Sports’ FIFA World Cup 2026 Media Day on Wednesday in New York City. “I can abide by a lot of things happening this summer, but one thing I cannot is having England come over on our shores, on our 250th birthday of what I feel is the greatest country in the world, and for them to win a World Cup.
“If you think they’re insufferable now, could you imagine they came over and won that World Cup and it’s coming home through our country. I cannot have that, so anybody but England.”
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Alexi Lalas, Fox Sports soccer analyst and U.S. men’s national team legend, appears animated on stage at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on April 14, 2023. (Michael Janosz/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
The U.S.-England rivalry in soccer was in full force in 2022, when they were pitted against each other in their group stage in Qatar. It was a 0-0 draw in a hard-fought match for both sides, but in 2026, they’ll have to get out of their respective groups if they are to meet in the tournament.
But Lalas couldn’t imagine England taking home its first World Cup since 1966 — the country’s only victory in the tournament of all tournaments.
US SOCCER GREAT THINKS AMERICAN TEAM CAN SHOCK THE WORLD AT UPCOMING WORLD CUP
There is no denying, though, how great the English squad will be this year, as Lalas knows.
“They’re really good,” he said. “As much as it pains me to say, they are very, very good. The soccer gods have a wicked sense of humor. Please not England, anybody but England.”
Lalas’ Fox Sports colleague, host Rebecca Lowe, is a West Londoner who has dreamed of her country winning it all since she can remember.
“Every four years of my play since 1990, I think about England winning the World Cup,” she said after Lalas’ rant. “So, I’m now getting to a stage where if I now go against them, they’re going to do it.
“I’m going to be courageous. It is going to come home.”
Commentator and former player Alexi Lalas looks on before the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2025 final between the United States and Mexico at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on July 6, 2025. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Lowe and Lalas said that they will have a bet in place once the tournament begins where, if England does indeed win it all, the latter will have to do something and vice versa.
Carli Lloyd, Stu Holden, and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez also gave their predictions about who would win. Hernandez was on Lowe’s side believing England could win it all, though he hopes his home country, fellow host site Mexico, can do so instead.
Lloyd and Holden both think France, which fell in penalties to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup Final, will get the job done at MetLife Stadium in July.
“The French, I just look at this team, they continue to get stronger. When they go down a generation, the next generation comes,” Holden said.
Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas speaks at the FOX Sports 2018 FIFA World Cup Celebration on Sept. 26, 2017, at ArtBeam in New York City. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for FOX Sports)
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“I’m going to go with France as well,” Lloyd added shortly after. “The depth, the experience. I know firsthand losing in 2011 at the World Cup, coming back and really having that desire to really want to win in 2015. There’s something about that.”
The panel was hopeful the U.S. men’s national team can make a run on home soil, but it’s hard to deny the talent level elsewhere as the best players and countries in the world converge on North America in just a few weeks.
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ISLAMABAD: Renowned climber Salman Ateeque on Thursday successfully scaled Mount Everest, becoming the 13th Pakistani to reach the world’s highest peak.
Ateeque reached the 8,849-metre summit at approximately 11:39am during the ongoing 2026 Himalayan climbing season, which has drawn hundreds of climbers from across the world.
Around 464 climbing permits were issued this season to mountaineers from 80 countries, with the largest contingents coming from China and India, said sources privy to the matter.
Ateeque was reportedly the only Pakistani climber to obtain an Everest permit this year.
The climber, who has a professional background in electrical engineering and over two decades of experience in the telecommunications sector, previously summited Mount Manaslu — the world’s eighth-highest mountain — in Nepal last year.
Officials familiar with the expedition said Ateeque successfully navigated the hazardous Khumbu Icefall and made his summit push during a favourable weather window.
His ascent adds another chapter to Pakistan’s growing presence in high-altitude mountaineering.
It is pertinent to mention here that Nazir Sabir became the first Pakistani to summit Everest in 2000, while Samina Baig made history in 2013 as the first Pakistani woman to reach the top of the mountain.
Other notable Pakistani Everest summiteers include Hassan Sadpara, Mirza Ali Baig, Abdul Jabbar Bhatti, Shehroze Kashif, Sirbaz Khan, Sajid Ali Sadpara, Naila Kiani, Wajidullah Nagri, Abdul Joshi and Saad Bin Munawar.
Sirbaz Khan is recognised as the first Pakistani to scale all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, while Sajid Ali Sadpara became the first Pakistani to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen.
The Pakistani mountaineering community and sports enthusiasts are now awaiting Ateeque’s safe descent to Everest Base Camp following the successful summit.
Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was handed a surprise recall to Germany’s 26-man World Cup squad on Thursday, coming out of international retirement to play in the tournament for a fifth time.
The 40-year-old retired from international duty in 2024 but coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed the World Cup winner will be the number one option ahead of Oliver Baumann at this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Everyone knows the aura and quality Manu has, what he brings to a team,” Nagelsmann said at a squad announcement in Frankfurt.
“We’re planning with him as our number one.”
Joshua Kimmich will retain the captaincy despite the long-time skipper’s return.
Former Manchester City and Bayern winger Leroy Sane, now at Galatasaray, has retained his spot.
Bayern Munich’s Neuer is the only remaining member of the squad that won the World Cup in 2014.
Matthias Ginter, another 2014 World Cup winner who was instrumental in Freiburg’s run to the Europa League final, failed to make the cut, with Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw preferred in central defence.
Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig was dropped from the squad after being called up for the March friendlies, but will travel with the side to help in training during the tournament.
Munich’s Jamal Musiala returns to the squad after missing Germany’s March friendlies as he recovered from a broken ankle.
Nagelsmann named a Premier League-heavy attacking contingent, which includes freshly minted English Premier League champion Kai Havertz of Arsenal, Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz and Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade.
Bayern youngster Lennart Karl, 18, was also called up to a major tournament for the first time.
Germany’s World Cup struggles
As expected, Bayern forward Serge Gnabry misses out with a thigh injury, as does Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Recent regulars Niclas Fuellkrug and Robert Andrich were not called up.
The German FA (DFB) began sharing video snippets announcing the squad player by player on social media early on Thursday, with Kimmich the first confirmed.
Neuer was the standout player as Germany won their fourth World Cup in 2014, but since then the team’s form has plummeted.
Germany crashed out at the World Cup group stage in 2018 for the first time since 1938 and repeated the feat four years later in Qatar.
The Germans have not fared much better in other international tournaments. Since making the semi-finals of Euro 2016, Germany have won just one knockout game in the tournament— a 2-0 success against Denmark on home soil at Euro 2024.
Neuer has impressed this season for Bayern, winning man-of-the-match honours in the quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, but comes into the tournament under an injury cloud due to a recurring calf complaint.
He is in doubt for Saturday’s German Cup final against Stuttgart in Berlin.
The Germans will have one final match on home soil, against Finland on May 31, before facing World Cup co-hosts the United States in Chicago on June 6.
Germany will be based in North Carolina during the tournament.
They are in Group C alongside debutants Curacao, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Germany squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nuebel (Stuttgart)
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle/ENG)
Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion/ENG), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool/ENG)
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal/ENG), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray/TUR), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade
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