Cristiano Ronaldo looks to make history by becoming the first player to score a goal in six World Cups when Portugal meets Congo on Wednesday.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo has scored in each tournament dating to 2006.

His debut comes one day after Lionel Messi opened his sixth World Cup for Argentina.

Messi had 13 goals on 105 shots entering this World Cup, and Ronaldo had eight goals on 103 shots. However, Ronaldo has scored in all five previous World Cup appearances, while Messi failed to find the net in 2010.

“Well, I wish him the best — I hope that he scores but not against us,” Congo coach Sébastien Desabre said.

Ronaldo’s focus has been on his team’s success.

“We go match by match, but not with the expectations of winning it all,” Ronaldo told reporters in Portugal last week before the team’s departure. “It has to be step by step. A good start is the most important thing,”

Some Portugal supporters question whether the aging star will be a help or a detriment to the team.

After scoring just once in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo was upset after he subbed off against South Korea and benched for the club’s first knockout-stage match against Switzerland. He also failed to score in the 2024 European Championship — the first time that has happened at a major international tournament.

But Ronaldo has also shown signs of his old productivity.

He scored eight goals during Portugal’s 2025 UEFA Nations League title, including an equalizer in the final against Spain. And, he recently won his first Saudi Pro League title with Al-Nassr, scoring a club-high 28 goals.

What to watch on June 17

— Portugal vs. Congo, 1 p.m. EDT in Houston (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

— England vs. Croatia, 4 p.m. EDT in Arlington, Texas (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Ghana vs. Panama, 7 p.m. EDT in Toronto (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, 10 p.m. EDT in Mexico City (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

Kane, England seek strong World Cup start vs. Croatia

Harry Kane, one of the world’s dominant goal scorers, leads England into its first match against Croatia with the Three Lions seeking their first World Cup title since 1966, when they won on home soil.

Kane has been a force over the past year with 61 goals in 51 matches for Bayern Munich across all competitions. The 32-year-old striker has eight goals in two previous World Cups and won the Golden Boot in 2018 by scoring six times in Russia.

But he didn’t score in England’s semifinal loss to Croatia in 2018. In 2022, he missed a penalty late against France in a 2-1 semifinal loss in Qatar when he sent the ball over the crossbar.

Kane’s eight World Cup goals are two shy of Gary Lineker’s England record.

Ghana to be without Partey for opener after appeal denied

Ghana will play its opening match against Panama without midfielder Thomas Partey after a Canadian judge on Tuesday rejected a bid to allow him into the country as he awaits trial on rape charges.

Partey’s visa application was denied last week.

He will remain in the United States while his teammates play in Toronto on Wednesday. He will be eligible to play in Ghana’s next two matches — both in the U.S.

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had criticized the visa denial, calling it a “high-handed and extremely unfair decision.” Its appeal was heard by the court earlier Tuesday.

Partay is awaiting trial in Britain while facing allegations from several women dating to his time playing for Arsenal from 2020-25. He has pleaded not guilty.

England’s Livramento will miss tournament with injury

England fullback Tino Livramento was ruled out of the World Cup on Tuesday because of a calf injury, forcing coach Thomas Tuchel into a late squad change ahead of his team’s opener against Croatia.

Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah was called up as a replacement and due to head to the England training camp in Kansas City. Livramento was injured during training on Sunday.

“A subsequent scan and medical assessment on Monday unfortunately confirmed he could play no further part in England’s tournament,” it said in a statement.

Uzbekistan ready to make World Cup debut

Uzbekistan will mark the biggest moment in the country’s soccer history on Wednesday when it participates in its first World Cup, facing Colombia.

Coached by Fabio Cannavaro, Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning captain and a former Ballon d’Or winner, Uzbekistan finished second in Asian qualifying to earn its way into the expanded 48-team field.

Colombia is back in the World Cup after failing to qualify in 2022.

More World Cup news

— France striker Kylian Mbappé scores 13th and 14th World Cup goals, moving into tie for 3rd all time

— US official says Iran knew team would have to leave shortly after match

— Social media star Tim Payne leaves New Zealand for Paraguay’s Olimpia

— Tunisia fires coach Sabri Lamouchi after 1 match at the World Cup and appoints Herve Renard

— US forward Christian Pulisic practices on his own in calf injury rehab, team says he is ‘day to day’

— This Sweden defender at the World Cup isn’t your typical soccer player: He’s a baron!

— Highlights from Day 6 in photos

Stats of the day

England has struggled against European opposition at the global showcase, losing six of its last eight matches. Its overall record versus UEFA teams at the World Cup includes 14 wins, 12 losses and 13 ties.

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AP Sports Writers Jim Vertuno and Kristie Rieken contributed to this report.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

The popular event is expected to draw around 1,000 students from across County Durham for an evening of athletics at the open-air museum on June 17.

The Dash Athletics event is a staple of the school calendar and has been encouraging children to get active since 2012 through friendly competition held in a unique and historic setting.

Andrew Scothern, manager of the Durham & Chester-Le-Street School Sport Partnership (DCSSP), said: “The Dash is a fantastic celebration of sport and physical activity for the whole community – a shared experience that highlights the many benefits of an active lifestyle.

“Since 2012, it has been one of the most highly anticipated and enjoyed events of the school year.

“Children look forward to it every year, and some even train beforehand.

“It gives me great joy to see previous participants wearing their Dash! t-shirts with pride at other sports events, months and even years later.

“The Dash is unique – it gets more young people active, builds confidence and encourages resilience.”

(Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Organised by the DCSSP, the event offers children the chance to compete in running and field events.

Rhiannon Hiles, chief executive officer of Beamish Museum, said: “Beamish Museum’s unique setting will provide an amazing venue for the Dash on June 17.

“We’re proud to work with Durham & Chester-Le-Street SSP to give all the children of North Durham a brilliant opportunity to stay fit and active.

“It’s a fantastic way to continue the legacy of the 2012 Olympics and keep the Dash! as a key date in the school sports calendar.”

The event is supported by Ramside Hall Hotel, Swinburne Maddison, MGL Group, Believe Housing, Radisson Hotel.

It also receives support from 12 Durham county councillors.

Ms Cox, who was shot and stabbed by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair in her Batley and Spen constituency on June 16, 2016, days before the EU referendum, had famously spoken against division in her maiden speech in parliament a year earlier.

Cllr Anna Baxter, Hull Road ward councillor, said she was 13 when Ms Cox was murdered, but “knew something was deeply wrong”.

“A woman had been killed while carrying out her duties as an MP. It felt impossible to understand,” said the Labour councillor, writing in The Press.

Cllr Anna Baxter (Image: Supplied)

Cllr Baxter said she never met Ms Cox but continues to “feel her legacy every day … Ten years later, I still find myself thinking about what she stood for.”

The former City of York Council executive member, who is part of the Jo Cox Women in Leadership programme, said the “spirit of supporting one another” is “very true to Jo’s legacy”.

She called for unity on the anniversary, echoing the words from Ms Cox’s maiden speech in the commons that “we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us”.

“I don’t think we have any grand answers to the problems facing the world. I just think we’d all be better off if we spent a little less time assuming the worst of each other,” Cllr Baxter said.

“Disagree by all means. Argue your corner. Stand up for what you believe in.

“But remember there’s another human being on the other side of that conversation.”

“Today is first and foremost a day to remember Jo, and to think of the family, friends and colleagues who lost someone they loved,” Cllr Baxter added.

“And when I look around Yorkshire, at the people who quietly support one another day in, day out, I still believe her message matters.

“At a time when it can feel easier to retreat into our own corners, we need to keep finding ways to support one another, listen to one another and pull together as communities.”

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central (Image: UK Parliament/PA Wire)

Meanwhile, York Central MP Rachael Maskell, who was friends with Ms Cox, said the country “reeled with shock and the deepest sadness as Jo Cox MP’s life was taken”.

“For someone so full of life, it is her spirit that has brought people together again today with hope that ‘we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us,” Ms Maskell said.

York Outer MP Luke Charters described Ms Cox as a “woman of extraordinary kindness, compassion and humanity” who was an “inspiration to so many”.

Luke Charters, MP for York Outer (Image: Supplied)

“Whether fighting for her constituents or speaking up for the vulnerable, Jo was always guided by a sense of profound service,” he said.

“A decade on, she will never be forgotten.”

Keir Mather, MP for Selby (Image: Supplied)

Selby MP Keir Mather said his “thoughts are with Jo’s family and friends, and with everyone who continues to work for a more compassionate politics, inspired by the legacy she created”.

Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume said Ms Cox was an “inspiration to me and so many others”.

Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby (Image: Nikki Hirst)

“On the 10th anniversary of her death, we remember Jo as a mother, sister, daughter, wife, friend and campaigner. My thoughts are with all of her loved ones,” Ms Hume said.

“Not only is this a day of reflection, it is also one to reconnect with the principles which drove her to enter parliament and humbly serve the people she was elected to represent.”

The Education Department is handing off two of its most important functions, giving oversight of special education and civil rights to other agencies. With the latest moves, the department will have offloaded the vast majority of its duties.

Dissolving the department entirely requires an act of Congress. Still, the latest developments bring the administration significantly closer to fulfilling President Donald Trump‘s pledge to shut down the Education Department, which he says will give education “back to the states.”

The administration is framing Tuesday’s moves as a partnership between federal agencies intended to reduce bureaucracy. The Justice Department will handle civil rights enforcement in schools, and the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee special education. The Justice Department will also manage work involving student privacy protections.

How the Education Department handles civil rights, special education

When parents believe their child is facing discrimination at school, and when local officials fail to fix it, families often turn to the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights as a last resort. The office investigates complaints filed by students, parents and advocacy groups alleging civil rights violations at schools, colleges and universities that get federal money. It also occasionally will initiate an investigation on its own.

Based on an investigator’s findings, the department may force the school to fix the problem. Schools that refuse risk losing federal money.

The office investigates a wide range of complaints, including allegations of discrimination based on race, sex, religion and disability status. As examples, a complaint may point to unequal treatment of girls and boys in sports, or it may claim a school mishandled sexual assault allegations. It might say a school is disciplining students of one race more harshly than another.

The Trump administration has used the Office for Civil Rights for its own purposes, forcing schools to comply with its views on diversity, equity and inclusion. Some schools and colleges have closed DEI offices and abandoned efforts to close achievement gaps between white students and their Black and Latino peers. The Office for Civil Rights also has enforced the administration’s efforts to push transgender athletes out of sports.

For special education, the Education Department indirectly plays a critical role in the lives of students with disabilities, distributing billions of dollars to schools.

The department’s special education office ensures states comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which guarantees access to education for disabled students. It also supports special vocational programs and career counseling for young people with disabilities. The office once employed around 200 people and now employs about 121.

Which education programs have gone to other agencies

Trump campaigned on dismantling the department. Last March, shortly after the confirmation of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the administration enacted major reductions in the Education Department workforce, cutting its staff roughly in half.

The Education Department has since been handing off various operations, including massive grant programs, through a series of interagency agreements.

Work that’s already been reassigned includes Title I funding for schools serving low-income communities, as well as smaller funding pools for teacher training, English instruction and a college-access program known as TRIO. These programs are now at the Labor Department.

The federal student loan portfolio is being handed over to the Treasury Department in phases. And the Department of Health and Human Services took grant programs related to safety, community engagement and parents attending college, plus foreign medical school accreditation.

Foreign language programs and a portal that tracks foreign gifts to universities have gone to the State Department. And the Interior Department is now overseeing Native American education.

What’s left at the Education Department

Many of the program transfers have at least nominally kept the Education Department in charge of oversight and policy while moving everyday operations to the other agencies. The department’s biggest functions are effectively now reassigned, and what remains is a skeleton of what it once was.

Functions still at the department include the agency’s research arms, though they’ve been heavily downsized. The Institute of Education Sciences evaluates and collects statistics, and the National Center for Education Statistics administers the Nation’s Report Card and other federal tests.

The Office of the Education Secretary remains intact, including her staff who’ve been executing agreements with other agencies. The department is working to approve requests for waivers that give states more flexibility for spending federal money. Finally, legal oversight of major grants remains with the department, even though day-to-day operations have been transferred to other agencies.

What changes for students and families

A Trump administration fact sheet promises: “This partnership will not impact students, parents or families who believe they have experienced discrimination. Anyone who believes discrimination has occurred in an education program or activity may file a complaint with ED-OCR” — the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights.

However, advocates worry the movement of key functions to other agencies will complicate the process for enforcing disability and civil rights. Currently, for example, if a student with a disability is denied school accommodations, her parents can often appeal to a single federal agency — the Education Department — to handle the violation. Now, parents might have to navigate multiple bureaucratic systems to get answers.

With special education work transferred to Health and Human Services, students with disabilities could be viewed through a medical lens and not in terms of their educational needs, advocates said.

In a medical model, “disability is treated as a diagnosis to manage instead of a natural part of human life,” said Robyn Linscott, who directs education policy at The Arc of the United States, a major disability rights group. “When that mindset drives education decisions, students are more likely to be segregated, underestimated or treated as separate from the school community.”

What we still don’t know

It’s possible a group might file a lawsuit or amend existing lawsuits to stop these changes, at least temporarily.

It’s also unclear what will happen with staff at the Office for Civil Rights or those who oversee special education. If any remain, how exactly will responsibilities be divided, especially between the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights and the Justice Department? Who will handle existing cases?

The office has had quite the case backlog, which started before Trump took office but has grown during his presidency. In April, a report from Sen. Bernie Sanders found the Office for Civil Rights had reached zero resolution agreements since March 2025 over sexual harassment, sexual violence, seclusion and restraint, racial harassment or discriminatory school discipline. The report from Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, also found more than 2,700 pending cases in those categories.

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AP Education Writer Annie Ma contributed from Washington. _____

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Thomas Partey will miss Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama after wrongly telling officials in Canada he had never been arrested or charged with a crime.

Partey, 33, was denied entry to Canada before Wednesday’s match in Toronto because of ongoing criminal proceedings in the UK.

The Ghanaian government sought permission for him to enter the country briefly to take part in the game but that appeal was rejected at a federal court in Ottawa.

The appeal ruling said there was “no serious issue in the underlying refusal” of the visa and “the applicant failed to disclose that he is the subject of multiple criminal charges for sexual violence in the UK”.

Former Arsenal player Partey pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022 and is due to stand trial next year.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told the BBC: ”Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada’s immigration laws.

“Every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available and the law that applies.”

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited Haiti on Tuesday, where surging gang violence has left more than 1 in 10 people homeless.

New statistics released by the U.N. reveal that 2,300 people have been killed across Haiti so far this year, with another 100 kidnapped, while 1.5 million have been displaced. Among those abducted is James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defense Ministry, who was kidnapped last week in one of the few relatively safe areas of the capital.

Guterres’ one-day visit to Port-au-Prince comes after more than 30 people were killed, injured or missing last weekend in Cité Soleil, a seaside slum, according to Cooperative for Peace and Development, a local human rights organization.

His convoy sped past a neighborhood once fully controlled by gangs that left in their wake decimated car dealerships, abandoned homes and dozens of concrete buildings pockmarked with bullet holes. A colorful bus known as a tap-tap rumbled past, its windshield peppered with bullet holes.

Graffiti scrawled on a crumbling concrete wall read: “Down with Viv Ansanm, long live the police.” Viv Ansanm is a powerful gang federation that the U.S. government designated a foreign terrorist organization. It is estimated to control 70% of Port-au-Prince.

Guterres traveled past dozens of Haitians who fled the clashes and now live in makeshift homes under large pieces of canvas strung up with frayed rope.

They are among the more than 300,000 people displaced by gang violence across Port-au-Prince — a record. Among them are more than 18,000 people who fled the Cité Soleil slum in May, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration.

“Haiti’s displacement crisis is entering an even more alarming phase,” Gregoire Goodstein, IOM chief of mission in Haiti, said in a recent statement.

Guterres’s first stop was the headquarters of the new gang-suppression force, which the U.N. Security Council approved in September. It replaces a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police that aimed to help Haiti’s National Police fight gangs but remained underfunded and understaffed. So far, Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador and Guatemala have deployed troops that number less than 1,000 to form part of the growing force, which is due to start operations in the coming weeks.

They are expected to work with Haiti’s National Police and its growing Armed Forces, with hundreds of Haitian men and a couple of women lining up on a dusty road hoping to interview to join.

Guterres then met behind closed doors with Prime Minister Alix Didier-Fils-Aimé, who is under pressure to hold elections in the country of nearly 12 million people that hasn’t had a president since Jovenel Moïse was killed at his private residence in July 2021.

“We had a frank conversation about what’s happening in Haiti, the vision the government has for the future,” Fils-Aimé told The Associated Press after the meeting.

He said security is a priority so the transitional government can hold elections and “get back to republican rule.” Fils-Aimé added that Guterres can help with that effort by ensuring that the countries backing the gang-suppression force “live up to their engagement.”

Forced to flee to makeshift shelters

Guterres also stopped by a makeshift shelter in a former school where dozens of the people living there crowded around him.

Forced to flee their homes after gangs shot up their community and set fire to it, some had been living there for up to four years.

“Solino is not ready,” 31-year-old Clifford Lala said of going back to his community. It was one of the last holdouts in Port-au-Prince until gangs overran it.

Guterres ducked into a hot classroom and met privately with a group of six women who decried the lack of privacy at the shelter, even to shower or use the bathroom, and said they worried about their young children.

“It’s skin-to-skin and mouth-to-mouth,” said one woman.

The shelter houses more than 1,200 people who sleep side by side, and only one meal a day is guaranteed.

“We’re going to do our best,” Guterres told the women.

Outside, a man began to slap the building’s metal siding and bellowed, “We want to go back home!” His voice grew louder and angrier as security walked into the room and whisked Guterres away.

Wendy Cejour, 26, told the AP that he and his family have been living at the school for a year and a half.

“As long as we’re alive we have hope, but … things are difficult,” he said. “We ask … to return to our neighborhood to live better, because we don’t have a life here.”

A day before Guterres’s visit, Human Rights Watch published a letter urging him to protect the population and target the root causes of violence and human rights abuses. Guterres said he was deeply impacted by what he saw.

“What I saw will not leave me,” he said. “Each day is a fight to survive. … The women and the children pay the highest price.”

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

England’s late wobble, in which Kemp was run out for two, comes with the caveat of the confusion caused by Sciver-Brunt’s retirement.

Earlier, faced with a low total, Wyatt-Hodge and Jones continued to attack but chipped catches to the ring for 16 and nine respectively. Capsey was bowled by a fine yorker by Orla Prendergast for five.

Afterwards, Sciver-Brunt and Knight’s composed partnership steered England to the brink of victory, until Knight was pinned lbw by Prendergast for 26.

The only England player who had a real off day was seamer Lauren Bell. She conceded a boundary with the first delivery of Ireland’s innings and was hit for four fours by Louise Little in a final over that cost 17 and boosted Ireland’s score.

In between, Ireland were unable to counter as England mixed spin with seam through the middle. Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets and Dani Gibson and Dean two apiece, as England dominated much of Ireland’s innings of 118-9.

Dean bowled accurately and found turn to induce false shots with 36% of her deliveries.

Ecclestone mixed her pace to have Rebecca Stokell stumped with a quicker ball and Arlene Kelly and Cara Murray gave looping catches and Gibson, who took 2-10 in two overs, had Ireland’s Prendergast bowled via an inside edge for 25.

Ireland, who limped on from 57-5, have now lost 19 T20 World Cup matches from 19, but this performance was more encouraging than Saturday’s defeat by Scotland.

They were good with the ball, but did not have enough runs to defend.

The officer is also accused of failing to comply with tax obligations after receiving more than £20,000 through online sales

A Cambridgeshire Police officer has been accused of unauthorised business activities. PC Awuah will face a misconduct hearing into allegations that he failed to comply with tax obligations after receiving more than £20,000 through online sales between 2018 and 2023.

PC Awuah faces four allegations against him, including receiving a £5,000 bounce back loan for a business – with inaccurate information regarding turnover submitted in the application. Allegedly, the funds were used for non-business purposes.

The officer is also accused of selling items online between December 2022 and April 2024, following the refusal of two business applications in May 2021. It is alleged that this breached the business interest and secondary employment procedure.

He is also accused of breaching the relevant notifiable association policy in regards to one of the four allegations.

The hearing, on Monday, June 22, at Lysander House in Tempsford will consider whether the officer breached the standards of professional behaviour to the level of gross misconduct. This is in areas of honest and integrity, orders and instructions, duties and responsibilities and discreditable conduct.

He had previously been convicted of a sex offence in 2009

A man who sexually assaulted a Good Samaritan who tried to help him after he had collapsed from drink and drugs has been jailed. Brenden Clarke, 33, has been locked up for a year after an incident where he collapsed on Bourges Boulevard in Peterborough on February 4 this year.

Two women who had spotted Clarke while driving past pulled over to help and called an ambulance. As he came round, one of the women helped Clarke sit against a wall and remained with him to monitor him.

But Clarke, who was previously convicted of a sexual offence in 2009, began making sexual gestures towards her and tried to kiss her. The victim immediately stood up to create distance and told him to stop.

Clarke then made further sexual comments and, unsteady on his feet, attempted to walk into the road, forcing traffic to come to a halt. The victim encouraged him back onto the pavement.

Clarke said he did not want to wait for medical help and claimed he was going to the probation office. Concerned he may walk into the road again the two women walked with him.

However, while walking, Clarke again approached the same victim, sexually assaulted her and attempted to kiss her. She removed his grasp and loudly told him to stop and keep his distance. He repeated this behaviour before the victim pushed him towards a wall and he stopped.

On June 10 at Peterborough Crown Court, Clarke, of no fixed abode but from the Peterborough area, was sentenced to one year in prison and placed on the Sex Offender Register for ten years. He had pleaded guilty to sexual assault and failing to comply with notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register.

PC Niamh Skipworth, who investigated, said: “This was a distressing incident for the woman was trying to help someone she believed needed medical attention. Clarke’s behaviour was disgraceful and left the victim shaken.

“I would like to commend the victim for her courage in reporting what happened and for the support she provided to officers throughout the investigation. This case demonstrates that sexual offending of any kind will be taken seriously, and we will continue to work to bring offenders before the courts.”

Donny Strathie, from Grangemouth, had travelled to the United States to support Scotland in the World Cup but he died suddenly in Boston on Sunday, June 14, aged 76

A devoted member of the Tartan Army has died in Boston while following Scotland at the World Cup – passing away before he got to see his beloved team kick a ball at the tournament.

Donny Strathie, from Grangemouth, Falkirk, passed away suddenly in Boston on Sunday, June 14, aged 76, reports the Daily Record.

The lifelong Scotland supporter had made the journey to the United States to cheer on Steve Clarke’s men on the grandest stage in football, and had even secured his ticket for Friday night’s fixture against Morocco. Heartbreakingly, he never lived to see the match he had longed to attend.

Now, his family, friends and fellow supporters are calling on the Tartan Army to unite and pay their respects during the game. A poster circulating on social media is urging Scotland fans to join in a minute’s applause during the 76th minute of the World Cup clash, in tribute to Donny’s age.

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It reads: “One minute applause tribute to Donny Strathie. Tartan Army footsoldier who died in Boston on Sunday, June 14. Share and spread the word: One minute applause tribute in the 76th minute of Scotland v Morocco.

“Donny sadly passed away suddenly in Boston on Sunday aged 76. He had his ticket to the match and it was his dream to see Scotland in the World Cup but he never got the chance. Lets make him proud.”

Donny was a well-respected figure in his local community and served as captain of the Bowhouse Pool team. His daughters, Denise Strathie and Cheryl Strathie, have both shared cherished photographs of their father in his honour as an outpouring of love and support continues to pour in for the beloved man.

Cheryl Strathie shared the appeal, saying: “Please share on any platform. Let’s see if we can all make this happen Dad.”

Lynne Easton responded to a tribute photo posted by Denise Strathie, saying: “So so sorry about your Dad. We are all gutted and sending our love. A great guy who lived life the right way from his parish walks to his football and his family. Love to you all and here to help in any way.”

Karen Keegan McPheat said: “So very sad. He was so lovely and cheery. He was saying last week to watch out for him on tv. He will be missed.”

Posting in the Falkirk Chit Chat Pool League group, David Jerrett wrote: “Just heard sad news Donny Strathie, a stalwart of the pool league for years, captain of the Bowhouse has passed away. He was in Boston watching his beloved Scotland. Rest easy pal from the pool world.”

Lee Stevenson said: “Oh that’s so sad. I’m glad the last thing he did was doing something he loved. I hope he saw Scotland win their first match.”

Graham Rae added: “Such a shock. He was in ours just before he went away? Great guy as well. RIP.”