FIFA World Cup 2026: “They are doing excellent job”, Argentina’s Lisa…

Missouri [US], July 11 (ANI): Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez dismissed concerns over refereeing at the FIFA World Cup 2026, praising match officials and insisting that his team’s focus remains solely on its performances on the pitch, according to Reuters.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Argentina’s quarterfinal clash against the Switzerland, Martinez rejected suggestions of controversy surrounding officiating during the tournament. tbzikra.org

“No, absolutely nothing," Martinez said when asked whether he had anything to say about the refereeing in the tournament, as quoted by Reuters.

The defending champions advanced to the quarterfinals after staging a remarkable comeback from two goals down in the final 11 minutes to secure a 3-2 victory over Egypt.

The match drew also saw a controversy from the Egyptian Football Association, which questioned several officiating decisions, including the Video Assistant Referee’s (VAR) decision to disallow a goal by Mostafa Zico in the 62nd minute. Had it stood, the goal would have given Egypt a 3-0 lead before Argentina mounted their comeback.

However, the Argentine defender credited the referees for their performances and suggested that debates over officiating are often amplified by the media.

“I think they are doing an excellent job. That’s something for you (the media), who sometimes generate the controversies. We concern ourselves with giving our best on the pitch and nothing more," he added, as quoted by Reuters.

When asked about upcoming clash againsy Switzerland, Martinez said his side will not underestimate, stressing that the South American champions respect every opponent and are expecting a difficult contest.

“As always, what identifies this team is respecting the opponent," Martinez said. “If Switzerland are at this stage, it’s because they have a lot of merit. We watched their match against Colombia and they always try to play. They are very strong physically and also in set-pieces. I think it will be a great spectacle because both teams try to play." (ANI)

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World Championships finalist Sarvesh Kushare walked into Monaco’s Stade Louis II on Friday night for his Diamond League debut, carrying little more than belief and the confidence that came from breaking India’s high jump record just weeks earlier at National Interstate Championship.

“2.31m is a mark that can help me reach the podium on the global stage,” Kushare told RevSportz in Bhubaneswar after his record-breaking feat.

The Indian national record holder took another step towards proving that belief. He finished third in the stacked men’s high jump field with a best clearance of 2.26m in Monaco. Ukraine’s reigning World Indoor champion and world leader Oleh Doroshchuk won the Monaco Diamond League with a best effort of 2.32m, while Britain’s Jack Kimani, who has shown incredible improvement this season, finished second after clearing 2.30m.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympic joint gold medallists Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar endured disappointing outings, finishing sixth and eighth with best clearances of 2.23m and 2.20m respectively.

The competition marked the second biggest stage of Kushare’s career after the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, where he became the first Indian high jumper to qualify for the final.

The 31-year-old from Maharashtra, who entered the Monaco Diamond League ranked fourth on the season’s world list and as Asia’s No. 1 in 2026, looked composed on his debut. He cleared 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.23m and 2.26m flawlessly at the first attempt before failing to clear 2.28m.

The result made Kushare the first Indian athlete to finish in the top three on his Diamond League debut. It is another milestone in a breakthrough season for the Maharashtra athlete, who recently became the first Indian high jumper to clear the elusive 2.30m mark at the National Inter-State Championships, soaring over 2.31m to break the long-standing national record of 2.29m set by Tejaswin Shankar in 2019.

Kushare also entered an exclusive club, becoming only the fourth Indian to finish in the top three at a Diamond League meeting, joining Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and long jumper Murali Sreeshankar.

Animesh shatters personal best

India’s second-fastest sprinter and 200m national record holder, Animesh Kujur, clocked an impressive 10.14s in the men’s 100m at the PUMA Fast Arms Fast Legs Meet in Germany to begin his European campaign.

The performance improved his personal best by one-hundredth of a second and also made him the fastest Indian ever over 100m outside India.

Earlier in the day, he had clocked 10.19s in the heats before improving to 10.14s in the final, where he finished second behind South Africa’s Retshidisitswe Milenga, who clocked 10.03s to set a new meet record.

The national record is held by Gurvindervir Singh, who clocked 10.09s at the Federation Cup in Ranchi earlier this year.

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Prabhsimran Singh has finally earned his maiden India call-up after back-to-back impressive IPL seasons with Punjab Kings. In this exclusive interview, the opener recalls his father's emotional reaction, explains how consistency and converting starts into big scores changed his career, and reflects on the role of Shreyas Iyer, Ricky Ponting and Yuvraj Singh in shaping his journey to the Indian team.

Spain advanced to the World Cup semifinals after a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Belgium. Goalkeeper Unai Simon's record 650-minute shutout streak concluded when Charles De Ketelaere scored. Mikel Merino secured Spain's win with a late goal, his second crucial strike in the tournament. Belgium's hopes were dashed after their goalkeeper sustained an injury during the match. This victory extended Spain's impressive unbeaten run to thirty-seven games.