Human Interest

KIGALI - Prize money for the 2023 Women's World Cup will be $150 million, 10 times what it was in 2015 and three times the amount of 2019, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced in his closing remarks to the 73rd FIFA Congress on Thursday.

The figure, however, is still considerably lower than the $440 million total prize money awarded at the men's World Cup in Qatar last year.

In what would be a first for women, Infantino wants some of the prize money to go to the players.

SURABAYA, Indonesia - An Indonesian court handed prison sentences to two soccer match officials on Thursday after finding them guilty of negligence over one of the world's deadliest stadium stampedes.

A boy from Syria who told rescue workers after a devastating earthquake in February that he wanted to meet Cristiano Ronaldo came face to face with his idol on Friday after being invited to watch his club Al Nassr play in Saudi Arabia.

Nabil Saeed made the request to rescue workers in Syria in a video shared on social media last month following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6.

More than 50,000 people have died as a result of the quake. The death toll in Syria is more than 5,900, authorities said.

ANKARA — Missing footballer Christian Atsu was scheduled to fly out of southern Turkey hours before last week's devastating earthquake, but Hatayspor's manager said the Ghanaian opted to stay with the club after scoring a winning goal in their Feb. 5 Super Lig match.

"Atsu wanted to play more and asked for permission from his coach to leave if he wasn't going to get it," Hatayspor manager Fatih Ilek told a radio channel on Friday.

"He bought a ticket to fly to Istanbul, and from there to France. He was going to look for a club to get more playing time."

Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto announced on Monday that he is gay, saying he wants to live his life “in freedom.”

Jankto, who plays for Sparta Prague on loan from LaLiga side Getafe, made his international debut in 2017.

The 27-year-old, who has 45 caps, is the highest profile current male footballer to publicly come out as gay.

Ghanaian soccer player Christian Atsu remains missing after two devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, Hatayspor director Volkan Demirel told Reuters on Wednesday

Atsu, 31, was reported to have been rescued from the rubble with injuries and transported to hospital following Monday's huge quakes.

"There is no information on his whereabouts yet, we don't know where he is," Demirel said. "It's not the case that he was pulled out or taken anywhere else."

The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 2,600 from two earthquakes that struck the countries within the space of 12 hours. That number is expected to increase rapidly with many people still missing and trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

One of those still unaccounted for is former Newcastle winger and Ghana international Christian Atsu after the collapse of an apartment building in Hatay, Turkey.