Monika Staab hails Saudi tournament as ‘hugely important’ for women's game in Kingdom

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The head coach of Saudi Arabia's women's team Monika Staab said on Tuesday an upcoming tournament in the Kingdom was hugely important for developing the female game in the Kingdom. (Supplied)
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The head coach of Saudi Arabia's women's team Monika Staab said on Tuesday an upcoming tournament in the Kingdom was hugely important for developing the female game in the Kingdom. (Supplied)
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The head coach of Saudi Arabia's women's team Monika Staab said on Tuesday an upcoming tournament in the Kingdom was hugely important for developing the female game in the Kingdom. (Supplied)
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The head coach of Saudi Arabia's women's team Monika Staab said on Tuesday an upcoming tournament in the Kingdom was hugely important for developing the female game in the Kingdom. (Supplied)
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The head coach of Saudi Arabia's women's team Monika Staab said on Tuesday an upcoming tournament in the Kingdom was hugely important for developing the female game in the Kingdom. (Supplied)
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The head coach of Saudi Arabia's women's team Monika Staab said on Tuesday an upcoming tournament in the Kingdom was hugely important for developing the female game in the Kingdom. (Supplied)
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The head coach of Saudi Arabia's women's team Monika Staab said on Tuesday an upcoming tournament in the Kingdom was hugely important for developing the female game in the Kingdom. (Supplied)
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Updated 11 January 2023
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Monika Staab hails Saudi tournament as ‘hugely important’ for women's game in Kingdom

  • Saudi Arabia's women are participating in a tournament with Pakistan, Mauritius and Comoros

RIYADH: The head coach of Saudi Arabia's women's team Monika Staab said on Tuesday an upcoming tournament in the Kingdom was hugely important for developing the female game in the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia's women are participating in a tournament with Pakistan, Mauritius and Comoros.

The tournament starts on Wednesday (Jan. 11) and each team will play with other once in the round-robin format.

“We had an eight day preparation camp to get the best results out of this tournament, and the Saudi Women's Football League has added a lot for us and to the players who kept in good shape,” Staab said about her Saudi team.

Collet Marie, head coach of the Mauritius team, said: “Our national team is ready for this tournament, participating in such matches benefits the team a lot, we are back after two years of not playing a game, so we will try our best to achieve positive results in this tournament.”

Pakistan coach Adeel Rizki thanked the Kingdom for its hospitality and for hosting a women's tournament of a decent standing.

“Thank you to Saudi Arabia for the good hospitality,” he said. “We had participated in the South Asian Championship, but haven't played a match for eight years in any international tournament, so we have many youth players in this tournament and this is a good thing.”

Choudjay Mahandhi, the head coach of the Comoros national team, said: “The Saudi federation was very welcoming and we would like to thank them for this tournament, we have a good team and our only goal is to win the tournament and bring back the cup to our country.”


US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues

Updated 13 January 2026
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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.