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• AP, BEIJING

While China’s men’s soccer team has not generated much excitement in recent years, humanoid robot teams have won over fans in Beijing based more on the artificial intelligence (AI) technology involved than any athletic prowess shown.

Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in fully autonomous 3-on-3 soccer matches powered entirely by AI on Saturday night in China’s capital in what was touted as a first in China and a preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games, set to take place in Beijing.

According to the organizers, a key aspect of the match was that all the participating robots operated fully autonomously using AI-driven strategies, without any human intervention or supervision.

Photo: EPA

Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the robots were able to identify the ball and navigate the field with agility

They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling. However, during the match several still had to be carried off the field on stretchers by staff, adding to the realism of the experience.

China is stepping up efforts to develop AI-powered humanoid robots, using sports competitions such as marathons, boxing, and football as a real-world proving ground.

Photo: EPA

Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, the company that supplied the robot players, said sports competitions offer the ideal testing ground for humanoid robots, helping to accelerate the development of both algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems.

He also emphasized safety as a core concern in the application of humanoid robots.

“In the future, we may arrange for robots to play football with humans. That means we must ensure the robots are completely safe,” Cheng said. “For example, a robot and a human could play a match where winning doesn’t matter, but real offensive and defensive interactions take place. That would help audiences build trust and understand that robots are safe.”

Booster Robotics provided the hardware for all four university teams, while each school’s research team developed and embedded their own algorithms for perception, decisionmaking, player formations, and passing strategies — including variables such as speed, force and direction, according to Cheng.

In the final match, Tsinghua University’s THU Robotics defeated the China Agricultural University’s Mountain Sea team with a score of 5-3 to win the championship.

Mr Wu, a supporter of Tsinghua, celebrated their victory while also praising the competition.

“They [THU] did really well,” he said. “But the Mountain Sea team [of Agricultural University] was also impressive. They brought a lot of surprises.”

China’s men have made only one World Cup appearance and have already been knocked out of next year’s competition in Canada, Mexico and the US.

Source: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2025/06/30/2003839481

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Italian striker Mario Balotelli is reportedly set to join his 13th club when his contract expires with Serie A side Genoa.

Balotelli joined Genoa in October last on a one-year contract that is set to expire on Monday, 30 June.

Read: NEW: Barca Star ‘To Take’ Iconic No.10 Jersey

Reports in Spain claim that Balotelli’s agent is in discussions with Spanish third tier side Real Murcia over a potential deal ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The 34-year-old striker did not make a good impression with Genoa, where he made just six appearances in the Italian top-flight without scoring a single and collecting two yellow cards.

Balotelli was also frozen out by Patrick Vieria, having had a fall-out with the coach during their time in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice.

Real Murcia, meanwhile, were relegated to the fourth tier of Spanish football in 2022 due to reported financial issues but are now in the third division ahead of the new campaign.

Balotelli has previously played in England, Italy, Turkey, France and Switzerland, but will now be playing for his first Spanish outfit.

Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images

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Source: https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/international/international/mario-balotelli-offers-himself-to-spanish-side

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Amidst criticism of Orlando Pirates appointing Abdeslam Ouaddou ahead of local coaches, Soccer Laduma has insight on what gave the Moroccan an upper hand.

When a foreign coach is hired at the big clubs like Pirates, he is expected to come with a huge or reasonably impressive pedigree, especially taking over with the bar high, after former coach Jose Riveiro won five trophies in three seasons and finished second in the Betway Premiership in all the three campaigns.

Read: ‘When Scouts See Downs Winning PSL Title 8 Years In A Row…’

With indications that The Ghosts might not have met demands from local coaches such as Rulani Mokwena and Pitso Mosimane, the appointment of Ouaddou has raised eyebrows, especially since he only had his first job as a head coach in 2020 and his only reputable club he has managed is AS Vita, where he lasted only nine months before he was appointed by Marumo Gallants in March this year.

A debate has surfaced that are there not enough local coaches with a far better experience in the country that could have been given a chance at Pirates than the former Morocco defender?

“The perspective that I heard was the fact that he knows how Pirates want to play you know, first and foremost,” a source close to the situation told the Siya crew.

“Pirates always when they look at the CVs, they go for someone who’s willing to play their style of play.

Read: Pirates Eye City’s Fitness Guru

“And again Pirates play CAF Champions League, in the Champions League you cannot sit on the bench if you don’t have a CAF A Licence and coach Ouaddou has got a UEFA Pro Licence.

“So it’s much easier. That’s one of the things that gave him an upper hand when it comes other coaches, especially comparing locally,” the source added.

Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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Source: https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/local/orlando-pirates/how-pirates-were-convinced-by-ouaddou-x-factor-revealed

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PARIS (AP) — France’s union of professional soccer players launched a scathing attack on the Club World Cup on Sunday, saying it is “urgent to stop this massacre” amid ongoing concerns about extreme player workloads.

The UNFP also accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of living “in an ivory tower” by ignoring the impact congested calendars have on players worldwide.

“The incongruity of the situation is not lost on anyone, except, of course, Gianni Infantino and his flatterers. From the height of his ivory tower, which he parades around the world, the FIFA president is not bothered by the fate that the international calendar reserves for the game’s leading players,” the UNFP said in a statement early Sunday morning. “His (Infantino’s) Club World Cup proves, to the point of absurdity, that it is urgent to stop this massacre game. He flouts the physical and mental health of players for a few more dollars.”

The UNFP statement said the Club World Cup comes at the end of an already exhausting season, and thereby ignores “collective bargaining agreements (which) almost everywhere, provide for an incompressible period of three weeks of rest for footballers between two seasons.”

FIFA was approached for comment by The Associated Press.

Days before the start of the month-long Club World Cup, which ends on July 13, soccer chiefs faced renewed calls to safeguard players over growing fears of injuries and burnout.

The newly expanded tournament involving 32 of the world’s best teams has faced pushback since FIFA announced it would be added to an already saturated calendar. The tournament will be played every four years, sandwiched in between the men’s World Cup, European Championship and Copa America.

It went ahead against the backdrop of legal challenges in Europe, strike threats and repeated concerns over players’ mental and physical welfare due to too many games.

“The UNFP, like FIFPRO and FIFPRO Europe, has been protesting for years against the drastic increase in workloads,” The UNFP added. “But also against the harmful repercussions for domestic football of a calendar that FIFA is still alone in building today.”

Last September, Manchester City midfielder Rodri suffered a severe knee injury soon after saying players were close to going on strike over excessive workloads.

No rest for PSG

Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain is one of the biggest sides involved in the Club World Cup.

After winning the Champions League on May 31, key PSG players like Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué played for France and then went to the United States soon after for the Club World Cup.

Some French clubs have already resumed training for the upcoming Ligue 1 season, which begins mid-August, while others start next week. PSG was not able to push back its start to the Ligue 1 season.

“We don’t see how or why the Parisians should not benefit from the three weeks of complete rest they are entitled to,” the UNFP said, adding that the toll of extra games for PSG’s players could impact the national team in early September.

“A delay in preparation that must also worry (France coach) Didier Deschamps ahead of two qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup,” the UNFP said, before concluding. “What do you say, Mr. Infantino?”

FIFA hopes the event will be to club soccer what the World Cup is to international soccer and establish itself as one of the biggest and wealthiest tournaments in sport.

The old version of the Club World Cup, which was played yearly, was dominated by European teams in recent times. Only Brazilian team Corinthians broke Europe’s winning run in 17 years.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Source: https://apnews.com/article/club-world-cup-player-workload-f9a9c4ae55edcf303b1b583ee80149f9

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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Tobin Heath might know something about what makes soccer resonate within the U.S.

Her resume, in part: She won NCAA titles in college at North Carolina, then went on to win two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women’s national team and two World Cup titles as well, all of that coming after she was inspired by the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

And so far, she thinks the Club World Cup could have a similar effect.

Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger, former German star and U.S. men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann and others — said Saturday that a match she attended earlier this month between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors, with a full and jammed stadium in South Florida playing host to that matchup, shows what could be possible in this country.

“As an American, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life to witness that passion and energy,” Heath — during a FIFA briefing with the technical group — said. “It’s something I never believed I could see in my own country. And the stadium was literally shaking. You could feel it, and the fans were absolutely incredible.

“So, I know the power of these home competitions. … I know the power of these games in our country, to change the landscape of this game in our country.”

The attendance for the games in the Club World Cup has varied widely; some stadiums are jammed, some pretty much empty. With the tournament entering the knockout round and some strong matchups ahead — including Lionel Messi and Inter Miami taking on his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, on Sunday in Atlanta — there should be plenty of good crowds throughout the remainder of the event, as FIFA looks to build momentum toward the World Cup that’s coming to North America next year.

“This is a fantastic dress rehearsal for us,” Heath said.

Only one U.S.-based team made the knockout stage: Messi’s Inter Miami, though some wonder if that’s a club that will have a true pronounced effect on soccer in this country. Messi is the biggest name in the sport and has an enormous following everywhere, one that obviously existed long before he came to Miami two years ago.

Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said after his team played a scoreless draw there earlier in the tournament against Fluminense.

Source: https://africa.espn.com/football/story/_/id/45604487/uswnt-tobin-heath-club-world-cup-soccer-growth-us

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Former Manchester United and Juventus star Paul Pogba has officially joined a new club ahead of the 2025/26 season.

The French midfielder has joined Ligue 1 side AS Monaco on a free transfer.

Read: Mourinho Backed To Make Shock Move

“AS Monaco are delighted to announce the arrival of Paul Pogba,” the club announced their website.

“The French World Champion has signed a two-season deal, having signed with the Principality until 30 June 2027.”

The 32-year-old will be playing competitive football in the French top-flight for the first time in his career, having spent all of his career with United and Juventus so far.

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Source: https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/international/international/official-paul-pogba-joins-as-monaco

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