DUBAI: The ball used in Saturday’s Champions League soccer final between Liverpool and Real Madrid will be auctioned after the game with the proceeds going to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), ball maker adidas said on Tuesday.
The German sportswear company said the white and silver panelled ball will be inscribed with the word ‘peace’ in English and Cyrillic script and would not be on sale to the public.
Saturday’s final is taking place at the Stade de France in Paris after being moved earlier this year from original host city St. Petersburg due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a ‘special operation’.
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Champions League final ball to be auctioned for UN refugee body
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Champions League final ball to be auctioned for UN refugee body
- The white and silver panelled ball will be inscribed with the word 'peace' in English and Cyrillic script
US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues
The US will invest $115 million in counter-drone measures to bolster security around the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th Anniversary celebrations, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday, the latest sign of governments stepping up drone defenses.
The FIFA World Cup will be a major test of President Donald Trump’s pledge to keep the US secure, with over a million travelers expected to visit for the tournament and billions more watching matches from overseas.
The threat of drone attacks has become a growing concern since the war in Ukraine has demonstrated their lethal capabilities. And recent drone incidents have worried both European and US airports.
“We are entering a new era to defend our air superiority to protect our borders and the interior of the United States,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. Defense companies are developing a range of technologies aimed at countering drones, including tracking software, lasers, microwaves and autonomous machine guns.
The DHS did not specify which technologies it would deploy to World Cup venues. The announcement comes weeks after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sits under DHS, said it granted $250 million to 11 states hosting World Cup matches to buy counter-drone technologies.
Last summer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, called on Trump, a Republican, to bolster federal support for defending against drone attacks.
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