ST JAMES, Jamaica — Ahead of a formal signing ceremony scheduled for 11:30 a.m. this Friday, Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Christopher Tufton has announced details of a new, comprehensive accountability framework aimed at tackling deep-rooted challenges in the country’s public health system. All four of Jamaica’s regional health authorities are set to put their signatures to the policy, which targets long-running administrative inefficiencies and procurement delays that have hampered service delivery for years.
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‘Back on track’
Two years after their last home T20 International series victory, the West Indies men’s cricket team has broken their drought, defeating Sri Lanka 2-1 in a dramatic three-match series that head coach Daren Sammy calls a critical stepping stone toward the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup hosted in Australia.
The deciding third match at Kingston’s Sabina Park on Sunday delivered all the tension and drama that has become synonymous with elite T20 cricket. After young fast bowler Shamar Joseph delivered a sensational maiden five-wicket haul to bowl Sri Lanka out for just 169, the Windies found themselves in deep trouble early in their chase, slumping to 54 runs for the loss of four top-order wickets.
What followed was a controlled, match-saving stand that turned the tide of the game. Jamaican captain Rovman Powell and all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford forged a crucial 81-run partnership that steadied the West Indies innings and brought the target back within reach. With late runs still needed, veteran all-rounder Jason Holder delivered a blistering finish, smashing 21 runs off only five deliveries to guide the Caribbean side across the line with two full deliveries remaining. Rutherford closed the innings unbeaten on 54, while Powell contributed a steady 33 to the match-winning effort.
In a post-match press conference, Sammy praised the team’s disciplined, intelligent approach to the pressure game, singling out the match-winners for special credit. “It was a lot more thoughtful and smarter cricket, especially by Rovman and Sherfane and followed by Jason Holder,” he said. “But I think the game was set up front when we bowled — Shamar Joseph, he continues to impress. We needed a victory. It’s been a while since we won a T20 series at home in front of the Jamaican fans, I know they wanted a victory for us so I’m glad that we could finish the series on a high.”
Joseph, who was honored with both player-of-the-match and player-of-the-series honors after finishing the three matches with a stunning 11 wickets, said he was just focused on doing his job for the team. “I just enjoy taking wickets, I cannot ask for better coming out here, that’s my job,” he said. “Bowling in the death is one of the hardest overs to bowl in any T20 game so coming and executing and getting wickets, I enjoy it. Sometimes we fall short but we always bounce back. It’s the West Indies at the end of the day, we play good cricket and T20 is our game.”
This series win marks a key milestone for the West Indies program: it is their first T20I series victory since their quarter-final exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup in March, and their first home T20I series win since they defeated South Africa at Sabina Park earlier in 2024.
Sammy acknowledged that the team still has room to improve as they build toward the 2028 World Cup, but emphasized that the win and the manner of the comeback is a promising foundation for future progress. “You could have a plan in the dressing room, but you’ve got to go out there and be able to execute the plan, and today we did that more often than not and it was enough to win the series,” he said. “Still areas and skills we’ve got to develop, but it’s something that we as the coaching staff and players will continue to work on. Getting a series win after, I think, almost two years is something to be proud especially after a World Cup and building for Australia 2028. Being under pressure today and having the nerve and the calm and the cricket smarts to do what it takes to come out over the line, that was special.”
Following the win, most members of the squad departed Jamaica on Monday to shift focus to the next stage of the tour: a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka hosted in Antigua. The first Test is scheduled to get underway next Thursday.
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MISSING AGAIN!
Jamaica’s Public Accounts Committee has launched formal contempt proceedings against the chief executive officer of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), after Fitzgerald Mitchell skipped a third summoned hearing for a parliamentary probe into an critical Auditor General’s audit of the hospital’s operations. The disciplinary step was finalized on Tuesday, when Mitchell failed to appear at the committee’s sitting without any advance notice or explanation, despite receiving an official parliamentary summons on June 8.
Committee chair Julian Robinson confirmed that the panel had received no communication from either Mitchell or his legal representation regarding his absence. “In view of his absence from this meeting, there is a process that will be triggered,” Robinson told the assembled committee members.
Mitchell’s repeated refusal to appear has drawn fierce condemnation from cross-party committee members, who specifically asked for his testimony to address red flags raised in the audit. The Auditor General’s performance review uncovered major systemic vulnerabilities at the hospital, including flawed procurement practices, weak institutional governance, and poor record-keeping protocols that create major risks for public funds and patient care.
In a notable contrast to Mitchell’s noncompliance, two other senior former leaders called to give evidence as part of the probe — former UHWI CEO Kevin Allen and former board chair Wayne Chai Chong — have already appeared before the committee and answered questions fully. Robinson highlighted this cooperation to underscore the unacceptable nature of Mitchell’s ongoing refusal to engage with parliamentary oversight.
“It is very concerning that a public official who is in a position of authority, having been invited first, not responded, having been summoned, no response either from himself nor his lawyer, is in contempt and in breach of the Parliament,” Robinson said.
Senior Legislative Counsel Tiffany Stewart confirmed to the committee that all required legal and administrative steps to serve the summons were completed in full compliance with the nation’s Senate and House of Representatives Powers and Privileges Act, as well as the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. She confirmed that Mitchell’s unexcused failure to attend meets the legal definition of contempt of Parliament, clearing the way for the House to initiate formal penalty proceedings.
However, Stewart also drew the committee’s attention to a major gap in the current legislation: the maximum penalty laid out for contempt of Parliament is widely recognized as outdated and insufficient. Under existing law, a person found guilty of contempt only faces a top fine of 200 Jamaican dollars, equivalent to less than 1.50 USD, or up to 12 months of imprisonment only if the fine is not paid.
Robinson emphasized that this weak penalty is clearly inadequate, and directly undermines Parliament’s core constitutional mandate to conduct oversight of public institutions. He warned that allowing senior public officials to ignore formal parliamentary summonses without meaningful consequence erodes the entire system of public accountability. “It can’t be that a committee designed to ensure accountability, transparency, and good governance will have its work subverted simply because a public officer refuses to appear before it,” Robinson added.
After closed deliberations, the committee voted unanimously to move forward with the process. The panel will prepare a formal report for the Speaker of the House of Representatives that details Mitchell’s repeated noncompliance with the summons, and formally request that the House initiate the full contempt process laid out under existing law.
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Mandeville Hospital performs first scar-free vaginal surgery in Jamaica
In a landmark achievement for Jamaica’s public healthcare system, Mandeville Regional Hospital (MRH), located in the country’s Manchester parish, has recorded a historic first: the nation’s inaugural scar-free minimally invasive gynecological surgery using the cutting-edge Vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES) technique. The groundbreaking milestone was achieved during a three-day targeted surgical outreach held between June 9 and 11, 2026, forged through a partnership between local MRH clinicians and volunteer specialist surgeons from the Jamaica Awareness Association of California (JAAC), a U.S.-based nonprofit that runs annual capacity-building medical missions across the island.
Unlike traditional gynecological and abdominal procedures that require external incisions through the abdominal wall, vNOTES enables surgical teams to complete operations entirely through the vaginal canal, using specialized miniature instruments and a high-definition endoscopic camera. This approach eliminates any visible external scarring, reduces post-operative pain, cuts down on recovery time, and lowers the risk of post-surgical infection, making it a transformative option for Jamaican patients.
Over the course of the mission, the combined U.S.-Jamaican clinical team successfully completed 21 complex advanced procedures spanning multiple surgical specialties. These procedures included three variations of advanced laparoscopic hernia repair (Transabdominal Preperitoneal, Totally Extraperitoneal, and Intraperitoneal Onlay Mesh), laparoscopic gallbladder removals, and a range of minimally invasive gynecological surgeries — including hysterectomies, bilateral salpingectomies, and ovarian cyst excisions, with the gynecological cases marking the first vNOTES applications in the country.
Dr. Ashok Kotagiri, Senior Resident in MRH’s Department of Surgery, emphasized that the procedures completed during the mission represented a step up in complexity from the standard operations regularly performed at the facility. “Even in the United States and across Europe, not all practicing gynecologists have the specialized training and skills required to perform this type of advanced laparoscopic gynecological surgery,” Kotagiri noted. “We are incredibly proud that our team at MRH is the first in Jamaica to master and deploy this technique.”
Dr. Sharon Shiraga, Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Southern California and a long-serving volunteer physician with JAAC, explained that the annual mission’s core goals extend far beyond direct patient care: its central mission is to build long-term local capacity through hands-on, mentorship-driven training for Jamaican clinicians. “We’re here to help our local colleagues sharpen their laparoscopy skills across a range of advanced procedures, from hernia repairs to gallbladder surgeries and beyond,” Shiraga explained. She highlighted a standout moment from the mission, where a junior resident successfully led a complex procedure with guided mentorship from the volunteer team, noting that the immersive experience helped local clinicians build confidence in their ability to independently perform advanced techniques moving forward.
For Dr. Toshikah Wheatley-Williams, Senior Resident in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at MRH, the introduction of vNOTES represents nothing less than a paradigm shift for women’s healthcare in Jamaica. “This is going to be a total game changer for our patients,” she said. “Beyond the inherent benefits of minimally invasive surgery, women will be able to return to their daily lives, work, and family responsibilities far faster than with traditional open or even standard laparoscopic procedures.”
In addition to training and clinical work, the JAAC team made a substantial material contribution to expanding MRH’s care capacity, donating specialized laparoscopic and surgical supplies valued at approximately 5 million Jamaican dollars. The donated equipment and consumables will enable the hospital to continue offering advanced procedures to low-income patients who would otherwise be unable to afford the specialized supplies required for these life-changing operations, cementing the mission’s long-term impact on Jamaican healthcare access.
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Blackout bite
A widespread, island-wide power outage that struck Jamaica on June 5 has left hundreds of small businesses across the nation still tallying steep financial losses, more than a week after grid operations were partially restored. The crisis has reignited long-simmering calls for accountability from the national utility provider, 13 years after an official regulatory recommendation for stronger penalties against major system failures was never enacted.
Energy Minister Daryl Vaz confirmed last week during a parliamentary sitting that the Jamaican government will move forward with adding mandatory compensation clauses to all future electricity operating licenses, noting that a simple public apology from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) — the nation’s primary power provider — is insufficient for customers and enterprises that have sustained measurable financial damage. Vaz emphasized that small and medium-sized businesses across the country have already proven tangible losses from the unprecedented outage, making formal compensation and penalty structures non-negotiable moving forward.
“An apology is not enough for people who lost real income and inventory because of this outage,” Vaz stated. “The commitment I am making today is that all new electricity licenses, and the accompanying revised legislation governing the sector, will explicitly require mandatory compensation for customers affected by large-scale outages, with formal sanctions for non-compliance.”
This policy shift comes 13 years after a technical committee convened by Jamaica’s Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) delivered the exact same recommendation following an island-wide grid collapse in 2012. The committee’s 2012 report specifically flagged the severe economic risk of total system outages that disrupt all commercial and residential activity across the country, arguing that the regulator needed formal authority to impose penalties when utility providers violate operating standards or fail to comply with regulatory directives. Despite the 2012 recommendation, the policy was never implemented by successive administrations.
For small business owners still reeling from the June 5 outage, the promise of future regulatory reform comes too late to recoup their current losses. Howard Nelson, owner of Northside Barbers in the Liguanea neighborhood, told reporters the sudden blackout forced him to shut his shop mid-day and turn away already seated customers, dragging down his daily revenue far below normal levels.
“It hit us really hard out of nowhere,” Nelson said. “We had customers in the chair already, and we had to send them home. The whole day’s income was wiped out.”
Althea Morgan, general manager of Shoppers Delight Supermarket in downtown Kingston’s Chancery Street, added that even with a backup generator on-site, the rolling outages that continued into the following day forced early closures and repeated operational disruptions that tanked weekly sales. “We had to close for 20 minutes just to refuel the generator, and even with power, sales were way down. It was incredibly frustrating, we definitely took a loss,” Morgan explained.
In the Seaview Gardens community, Susan Barrett, who runs Mizzy Wholesale and Retail, reported that many local customers chose to stay home rather than travel through the blackout, leading to a double-digit drop in sales and lost regular patronage. “This is a neighborhood where people don’t want to walk around in darkness, so they just stayed home. We lost customers and sales straight out,” Barrett said.
A small number of businesses fared better: Family Pride Supermarket in Havendale reported minimal disruption thanks to a fully operational backup generator, though a staff representative noted that even with backup power, internet connectivity failures blocked card payment processing, leading to some lost sales.
Garnett Reid, president of the Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ), called the blackout a major step backward for Jamaica’s small business sector, which is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Melissa. Reid noted that more than 425,000 small businesses operate across Jamaica, most of which rely entirely on consistent grid power to operate, with the weekend timing of the outage hitting particularly hard — when small retailers, food vendors, barbershops, and bars earn the majority of their weekly revenue.
Beyond lost sales, Reid highlighted the additional losses from spoiled refrigerated and frozen goods for businesses without backup power, a cost that many small operators cannot absorb. He also criticized JPS for failing to release a full public explanation of the outage’s cause and concrete plans to prevent future collapses, calling for full transparency from the utility provider.
“To date, we have not received an official, detailed report on what happened, why it happened, and what will be done to make sure this never happens again,” Reid said. “Small business owners are still digging out from Hurricane Melissa, and this is just another major blow they don’t deserve.”
The JPS has attributed the June 5 islandwide outage to system damage on the Hunt’s Bay-Rockfort transmission line caused by severe weather, with a second partial outage affecting multiple parishes just four days later on June 9.
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Neymar back in training with Brazil at World Cup
In a promising development for Brazil’s World Cup campaign, star forward Neymar has taken his first major step toward a comeback, holding his first on-field training session at the tournament Tuesday, months after he suffered a right calf injury that sidelined him for much of 2024.
Diagnosed with the injury back in late May, the 34-year-old all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil has followed a strict rehabilitation routine ever since the Brazilian squad touched down in the United States for the tournament. Tuesday’s light running session at the team’s New Jersey training base marked a clear milestone in his gradual recovery from the prolonged layoff.
Neymar has not yet cleared the hurdle to rejoin full team training, and was forced to sit out Brazil’s opening Group C match against Morocco this past Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw. His inclusion in the final tournament squad already raised eyebrows across global football circles: consistent fitness problems have kept the veteran winger from making a single appearance for the Brazilian national side since the start of 2023. This year alone, recurring injury issues have limited him to just 50 percent of his club’s matches across domestic league, cup, and Copa Sudamericana competitions.
Brazil now turns its attention to its second group stage fixture, scheduled to take place this Friday in Philadelphia against Haiti. The team will close out its Group C campaign against Scotland on June 24 in Miami, with Neymar’s recovery timeline remaining a key talking point heading into the critical next phase of the tournament.
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‘Competitive animal’ Messi set for sixth World Cup
KANSAS CITY, U.S. – As defending World Cup champions get set to kick off their 2026 tournament campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, all global eyes are fixed on Argentine icon Lionel Messi, according to head coach Lionel Scaloni. The 38-year-old legend is on the cusp of making history, set to become the first player in modern history to compete at six men’s World Cup tournaments, a full four years after he lifted the iconic golden trophy in Qatar to deliver Argentina’s third world title.
Last month, a wave of concern washed over the Argentine camp after Messi was forced to exit Inter Miami’s 6-4 victory over Philadelphia Union early with muscle fatigue, sparking fears over his fitness ahead of the expanded 48-team World Cup. Those worries have since been put largely to rest, however: Messi made his successful return to the pitch last week during Argentina’s final pre-tournament warm-up friendly against Iceland, coming off the bench to turn in a sharp 20-minute performance that included a converted penalty goal in a winning effort.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on the eve of the opening group stage clash, Scaloni emphasized that Messi’s appeal stretches far beyond Argentina’s borders. “Everyone wants to see him out on the pitch, not just Argentinians, because of the impact he has on people,” the coach said. “He has always been crucial for us and now he will be even more so. He looks good.”
Veteran center-back Nicolas Otamendi, who will be playing in his fourth World Cup alongside Messi, echoed that sentiment, highlighting the captain’s relentless competitive drive that has lifted the national team for more than a decade. “He’s a competitive animal,” Otamendi said of Messi. “He makes you keep trying, he doesn’t let you relax. We enjoy every moment with him. He is a humble person who enjoys the team gatherings and training sessions.”
While Messi’s fitness is no longer a major question, Scaloni did face other last-minute injury concerns surrounding starting goalkeeper Emi Martinez and star forward Julian Alvarez. According to the coach, both players have recovered sufficiently and are cleared to start Tuesday’s matchup in Kansas City.
Argentina enters the opening match with hard-won perspective from their 2022 Qatar run, when they suffered a shocking opening group stage defeat to Saudi Arabia before rallying to claim the title. Scaloni stressed that the opening result is not the final word on a team’s tournament hopes, even as he acknowledged its importance. “The last World Cup taught us that the opening game isn’t decisive. It’s important, sure, but we have the peace of mind of knowing it doesn’t end there,” he said. “We’re about to face a very good team with great players, but we’re in good shape, we’re confident and we’re arriving in good form.”
The first matches of the expanded 48-team World Cup have already served as a warning to top European and South American sides, as African nations have proven their ability to compete with the world’s elite. On Monday, tournament debutants Cape Verde held 2010 World Cup champions Spain to a goalless draw, while 2022 semi-finalists Morocco secured a 1-1 draw against five-time World Cup winners Brazil.
Scaloni drew a direct parallel between Algeria and Morocco, noting that the African side poses a similar tough test for the defending champions, and warned his squad against complacency. “Algeria is an opponent similar to Morocco. They have great players and a great coach. The Brazil-Morocco match is a good example of why we can’t be overconfident. We’ve already seen with Spain that there are no easy opponents. Those teams have earned their place at the World Cup, and Algeria concerns us because they are a great team.”
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Serena Williams defeated in Berlin ahead of Wimbledon return
BERLIN, Germany — Just hours after officially confirming she will team up with sister Venus for Wimbledon doubles, 44-year-old tennis icon Serena Williams faced a straight-set exit at the Berlin Open on Tuesday. Williams and her Czech partner Karolina Muchova fell 6-4, 6-4 to the pairing of Giuliana Olmos of Mexico and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe, in only Williams’ second outing since her surprise comeback announcement earlier this month.
The opening set slipped away from Williams and Muchova after Williams dropped serve in her second service game. In the second set, a mid-set break of Muchova’s serve proved decisive, leaving the pair unable to mount a comeback and close out the match in Olmos and Routliffe’s favor.
Despite the loss, Williams offered a notably positive assessment of her physical performance post-match. “I felt pretty good out there. I felt actually more nimble and more sturdy and quicker than the first match in Queens,” she told reporters, adding that she felt solid overall in terms of physical conditioning and speed — two attributes she noted are critical for fast-paced grass court play.
This Berlin run marks Williams’ second tournament appearance since she ended a two-year retirement and announced her return to competitive tennis in June. Her first comeback match at London’s Queen’s Club last week ended in a opening-round win, but her run was cut short when doubles partner Victoria Mboko suffered an injury that forced the pair to withdraw.
When asked why she opted to pair with Muchova, a top Czech player, for the Berlin event, Williams delivered a characteristically witty response: “Czech players have given me nothing but trouble throughout my whole career. So if you can’t beat them, join them.”
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion originally stepped away from professional tennis in 2022, saying she wanted to prioritize time with her family. When she announced her comeback, she cited a desire to compete in front of her two young daughters as the core motivation for her return.
Though flashes of the dominant power game that made Williams a generational force in women’s tennis for 20 years were visible on court, the nearly four-year break from full-time competition left Williams searching for rhythm, particularly in the early stages of the match. She steadily improved as the contest progressed, however, refining her footwork and unleashing the blistering serve and powerful forehand that were the hallmarks of her historic career.
With the All England Club set to name one final singles wildcard for Wimbledon, which kicks off on June 29, speculation has mounted that Williams could pursue a singles run at the iconic Grand Slam. The tennis legend quickly shut down those rumors, however. “You think I’m ready for singles?” she asked reporters. “I need to get to work.”
Williams last claimed a Grand Slam singles title at the 2017 Australian Open, and her most recent Wimbledon singles win came in 2016. When she takes the court at Wimbledon next month alongside Venus, the pair will be defending a legendary doubles legacy: together, the Williams sisters have claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles crowns, six of which have come at the London grass court major.
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The New Wedding MVP? Dad!
Not long ago, the role of a father at his child’s wedding boiled down to a short, clear list of ceremonial duties: escort the bride down the aisle, pose for formal portraits, deliver a heartfelt toast, and hold back tears during the traditional father-daughter dance. That decades-old template no longer reflects reality. Today’s wedding fathers have stepped into a far more dynamic, demanding, and vital role that blends half a dozen full-time job descriptions: part logistics coordinator, part personal financial advisor, part on-site security, part emotional therapist, and even an unpaid, on-call event planner when needed.
Somewhere between the first venue walkthrough and the final invoice deadline, fathers have quietly claimed the title of the Most Valuable Player of the entire wedding celebration. Yet this critical shift has flown largely under the radar, with far too little attention paid to their expanding contributions.
Modern weddings have grown into large-scale, complex productions that rival small corporate events in planning and coordination. Couples must navigate strict timelines, binding vendor contracts, intricate seating arrangements, unpredictable weather risks, guest transportation schedules, and delicate family dynamics that can be as tense as high-level diplomatic negotiations. While engaged pairs focus on fun, personal choices like picking signature wedding cocktails and debating the necessity of an elaborate champagne tower, fathers are most often working behind the scenes to keep the entire operation from falling apart.
Even with the constant stress that comes with last-minute changes and unexpected hurdles, the vast majority of fathers fully embrace their expanded role, whether they are troubleshooting logistical snags or calming a nervous bride moments before the processional.
Need someone to step in and renegotiate with a vendor that suddenly hiked their invoice just three weeks before the big day? Dad is already on the call. Need a person to hold the bridal party’s bags, track down a missing uncle who wandered off before the ceremony, straighten a crooked groomsman’s tie, soothe a panicking bride, and quietly cover an unexpected extra charge without drawing attention to the added cost? Once again, dad steps up to handle it.
What makes this shift even more striking is that most fathers downplay their work, brushing off their contributions with a casual line that they are “just helping out.” One of the most fascinating transformations of wedding planning is watching fathers gradually become deeply invested in small details they once claimed meant nothing to them.
The same man who initially shrugged and said “I don’t care what flowers you pick” will suddenly develop strong, well-reasoned opinions about where the reception tent should be placed, how guest parking should be organized, and whether guests will be uncomfortable during cocktail hour on a hot day. He may not be able to tell the difference between ivory and champagne table linens, but he will absolutely insist that the backup generator be tested hours before the first guest arrives.
Nor can we overlook the financial flexibility and careful budgeting that modern wedding dads bring to the table. Many go into the planning process assuming they will just contribute to a small, intimate celebration. But a few months in, they find themselves poring over line-item invoices like a seasoned corporate accountant, trying to process how floral arrangements can cost as much as a used car. At some point during the planning process, almost every wedding dad asks the same quiet, disbelieving question: “People pay that much just for chairs?”
Yet even with all the stress, sticker shock, and last-minute fires to put out, most fathers show up fully committed to making the day perfect for their child. They quickly develop professional-grade event management skills, memorize vendor arrival times better than many professional wedding planners, and check weather updates with the same obsessive focus as a veteran meteorologist tracking a hurricane. While mothers have long been celebrated for the emotional labor they put into wedding days, fathers are increasingly stepping into quiet, consistent roles as emotional support systems for the couple.
Juggling overwhelming pride, bittersweet nostalgia, constant pressure, and deep love, fathers have emerged as the unsung unexpected heroes of modern weddings. It shows up in the quiet, reassuring conversation outside the ceremony venue before the processional. It shows up in the calm, steady presence when everything seems to be going wrong. It shows up in the soft, unspoken check-in that asks “Are you okay?” without needing to say the words out loud.
Underneath all the spreadsheets, last-minute payments, logistical checks, and jokes about sky-high wedding costs, there is a father coming to terms with the fact that the little girl he once carried on his shoulders is about to start a whole new chapter of her life. That is the core reason why they have stepped into this role as unsung heroes: they balance all the pressure and work with equal parts love, responsibility, and nostalgia.
As Father’s Day approaches, it is long past time that these modern wedding dads get the public recognition they have earned. They deserve more than credit for just walking their daughter down the aisle. They deserve recognition for being chauffeurs, tough negotiators, forensic accountants, emergency first responders, family peacemakers, and the steady hand that holds everything together during one of the biggest celebrations of a family’s life.
This commentary comes from Shikima Hinds, Managing Director of Shikima Hinds Events Concierge.
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Infantino celebrates ‘1 million fans’ so far at World Cup matches
LOS ANGELES – Just six days after the historic expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup kicked off across the United States, Canada and Mexico, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced a striking early milestone: more than one million fans have already passed through stadium turnstiles to watch the tournament’s matches.
Infantino shared the milestone with his social media followers on Instagram Tuesday, expressing enthusiastic gratitude for the ongoing turnout from fans around the world. “Wow! 1 million fans in stadiums!” he wrote in the post, adding that the packed crowds had turned this iteration of the men’s World Cup into the most inclusive edition in the tournament’s history. “A huge thank you to all our passionate supporters who continue to fill the stadiums — you have brought the most inclusive FIFA World Cup to life,” his post read.
As of Infantino’s announcement, 16 of the tournament’s 104 total scheduled matches have been completed across the three host nations. The landmark 1 million fan mark comes despite widespread controversy that marred the lead-up to the first-of-its-kind expanded World Cup. Leading up to kickoff last Thursday, tournament organizers faced fierce backlash over exorbitant match ticket prices that put attendance out of reach for many casual fans. Additionally, strict U.S. visa entry policies created significant barriers for fans from several countries, preventing many supporters from traveling to the North American tournament to see their teams compete.
The early attendance milestone offers a point of optimism for FIFA as the tournament enters its second week of group-stage play, even as organizers continue to address the pre-existing concerns that overshadowed the tournament’s opening.