The Minas Gerais State Championship football final in Brazil turned into a historic scene of on-field violence after a mass brawl erupted between players from Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro in the final moments of the match, resulting in 23 players being sent off at once after the final whistle.

These events occurred after Cruzeiro defeated their rivals Atlético Mineiro 1-0 in the match held in Belo Horizonte, securing their first championship title since 2019.

Football match erupts

The chaos didn’t end with the final whistle. The celebrations turned to an uproar after the match, when a violent confrontation broke out in stoppage time. Cruzeiro player Cristian rushed towards Atlético goalkeeper Iverson while chasing a rebound inside the penalty area. His legs collided with the goalkeeper, who fell to the ground. Iverson retaliated by pushing Cristian and placing his knee on Cristian’s chest, which sparked a full-blown brawl involving the entire Cruzeiro team.

Tensions escalated dramatically when Cruzeiro’s Matheus Pereira attempted to capitalise on a weak ball inside the penalty area, colliding with goalkeeper Iverson. Veteran player Hulk (39 years old) then joined the fray, being struck by Atlético defender Lucas Villalabá. He retaliated with a powerful blow to midfielder Lucas Romero, amidst chaos that lasted for several minutes despite the intervention of security personnel and military police to separate the players.

According to the BBC, referee Matheus Delgado Candansan did not issue any red cards during the match itself, despite the tense atmosphere and nine yellow cards. However, the intensity of the brawl led the referee to later record 23 official dismissals in his report, a record number in the history of the domestic leagues. These included 12 Cruzeiro players, among them Caio Jorge, and 11 Atlético Mineiro players, most notably Hulk.

Between the joy of Cruzeiro’s historic victory and the players falling in the middle of the brawl, the final turned into an event that will be recorded in the annals of Brazilian football as one of the most controversial matches, highlighting the impact of emotion and collective violence on the reputation of the game even during times of great celebration.

Featured image via the Canary

Jamaican club Mount Pleasant suffered a major blow ahead of their highly anticipated match against Los Angeles Galaxy in the The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Champions Cup. The United States refused to issue visas to ten of their players, preventing them from participating in the first leg of the Round of 16 match against LA Galaxy on Wednesday.

The Jamaican team traveled to Los Angeles on Sunday with a squad of only 18 players, including five from the academy, to compensate for the absences caused by the visa crisis.

CONCACAF throws up inevitable problem

This incident highlights the restrictions imposed on citizens of certain countries entering the racist regime of the United States. Mount Pleasant has seven players who hold Haitian citizenship, and Haiti was among the 19 countries targeted by US President Donald Trump’s executive order as part of his campaign to tighten immigration procedures.

Last June, Trump issued an executive order suspending entry to the United States for Haitian citizens, casting a shadow over the participation of some of the team’s players in the continental tournament.

While athletes participating in major sporting events like the 2026 World Cup or the Olympics usually receive exemptions from such restrictions, the United States refused these exemptions, highlighting the depth of their commitment to racist border policies.

Visa obstacles.

The club’s sporting director, Paul Christie, said the visa obstacles put his team at a disadvantage before facing the 2024 MLS champions.

He told the Jamaica Observer:

We don’t want to participate just for the sake of it; we want to be able to compete, but we haven’t been given the opportunity to be at our best.

Featured image via the Canary

Striking Queen’s Hospital workers will demonstrate outside the office of their constituency MP Wes Streeting on Wednesday 11 March.

When: 9.30am, Wednesday 11 March 2026
Where: 12a Highview Parade, Woodford Avenue, Ilford, IG4 5EP

The workers initially took three days of strike action over a range of issues in February. Fresh strikes began on Monday 9 March and will end on Friday 13 March.

They are demanding that health secretary Streeting takes a more active role in ensuring Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust puts forward an acceptable offer to bring the dispute to end.

The strikes are causing disruption to blood tests and other laboratory services carried out by the pathology workers for the trust and GP services. The maintenance and management of medical technology carried out by the engineering workers is also being disrupted.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:

These workers are dedicated to serving the NHS but have been left with no alternative but to continue striking.

As both health secretary and the local MP, Wes Streeting must intervene to ensure the trust ends a damaging dispute it is solely responsible for causing by putting forward an acceptable offer.

Unite regional officer Sujata Virdee said:

While there has been some movement from the trust it has not been far enough to bring this dispute to an end.

Featured image via Unite

The Football Association which administers football in Iraq has requested FIFA postpone the national men’s team’s World Cup 2026 playoff match, scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey, Mexico.

The request for postponement stems from the security situation in the Middle East and the inability of the team to travel from Baghdad, according to a source cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The source explained that the Iraqi FA’s request was a result of the airspace closures and the current security risks in the region, which are preventing the team from leaving the capital.

Iraq coach Graham Arnold said:

About 60% of my players play in Iraq, all my backroom staff live in Iraq, all my medical staff live in Qatar and we’re having trouble getting Mexican visas at this moment.

Iraq: a team stranded

Meanwhile, Arnold himself remains stranded in Dubai, unable to travel to Baghdad to finalise the squad and begin preparations for the crucial match.

The Iraqi national team was scheduled to travel to Houston, Texas, for a training camp ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier against the winner of the Bolivia-Suriname match. However, these plans were canceled due to the current travel restrictions.

In an interview with CNN, Arnold suggested postponing the match, saying:

Let Bolivia play Suriname this month, and then a week before the World Cup, we play the winner in the United States. The winner of that match qualifies.

The coach concluded by emphasising the need for FIFA to make a swift decision on the matter, arguing that the current circumstances make the situation unfair to the Iraqi national team.

The intercontinental play-off is scheduled to determine the final two teams to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams, at a time of escalating tensions in the Middle East since late February following the US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.

Featured image via the Canary

Arsenal topped Opta’s list of favorites to win the UEFA Champions League title ahead of the Round of 16, a surprising result considering the London club has never lifted the continental trophy.

According to details published on The Analyst website, the network gave Arsenal a clear advantage of 26.7% to win the title, ahead of their rivals, before the anticipated match in the next round. This reflects the high level of confidence in the work being done by Spanish coach Mikel Arteta this season.

The supercomputer’s predictions were not much different from Opta’s, also predicting Arsenal to win the tournament with a 27.4% chance in the final to be held in Budapest, Hungary. Bayern Munich came in second with 14.28%, while Liverpool finished third with 12.83%.

Champions League: PSG in trouble

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain’s task of retaining their title appears more complicated this season. French radio network RMC reported that the team is well aware that retaining the continental trophy is much harder than winning it, especially given their inconsistent results recently.

The Parisian team ranked only seventh among the favorites to win the title, with a 4.3% chance, after delivering inconsistent performances in the group stage, before struggling to overcome Monaco in the play-offs.

Furthermore, Luis Enrique’s team suffered several setbacks domestically, with two heavy defeats against Rennes and Monaco (both by a score of 3-1), which has negatively impacted their chances in the European competition.

Bayern Munich and Liverpool trail the leaders.

According to Opta’s predictions, the top contenders to win the Champions League title are:

• Arsenal — 26.7%

• Bayern Munich — 16.4% (facing Atalanta)

• Liverpool — 11.4% (facing Galatasaray)

• Manchester City — 11.1%

• Barcelona — 9.7%

• Chelsea — 6.4%

• Paris Saint-Germain — 4.3%

Featured image via the Canary

From 7am on Tuesday 10 March, two activists from the People Against Genocide group scaled the front canopy above the front doors of Chubb Insurance’s Manchester office in Booth Street.

After climbing onto the platform, they covered the area in symbolic blood-red paint. Police removed and arrested the two action takers at 1.30pm. Firefighters had earlier refused to assist the police in removing the protesters.

Multiple actions against Chubb

This is the third action that People Against Genocide has undertaken against Chubb. The company provides insurance for UAV Engines, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, Israel’s biggest weapons company. Chubb took over this role after Aviva, UAV Engines’ previous insurer, dropped the company following a sustained direct action campaign.

At its site at Shenstone in Staffordshire, UAV produces engines for Israel’s huge killer drone fleet, of which Elbit Systems produces more than 85%. They include the R902(W) Wankel engine for Elbit’s Hermes 450 drone. This is the same model Israel used to kill seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen, including three British nationals.

Without the mandatory Employer Liability Insurance provided by Chubb, UAV Engines could not operate in the UK.

Last month, on 18 February, three activists from People Against Genocide targeted the London headquarters of Chubb Insurance. They sprayed blood-red paint all over the front of the building, and locked-on to shut it down.

A week later, on 25 February, the group targeted Chubb’s Birmingham offices, again using symbolic blood-red paint.

In addition to targeting Chubb, People Against Genocide has also recently targeted Aspen Insurance. Aspen took over providing cover for Elbit Systems UK, after its previous insurer, Allianz, also succumbed to pressure from pro-Palestine activists.

A spokesperson for People Against Genocide said:

While the Gaza Genocide continues, and civilians are killed by Israel on the Palestinian West Bank, Lebanon, and Iran, Elbit Systems are cashing in.

Elbit and UAV Engines can only manufacture deadly weapons in Britain because they are provided with Employer Liability Insurance by Chubb and Aspen.

Our action today, in Manchester, is aimed at disrupting the operations of Chubb Insurance, and exposing their role in profiting from war-crimes.

We will continue to target these greedy, amoral companies until they drop the Israeli weapons makers they are facilitating.

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Israel has used white phosphorus, an illegal chemical weapon, over homes in Yohmor al Beqaa, Lebanon.

NEW: The Israeli military unlawfully used white phosphorus over homes on March 3, 2026, in the Lebanese town of Yohmor.

The use of white phosphorus over residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians.

Read more: https://t.co/ulrNyd9Ceh pic.twitter.com/DlUTViKwo7

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) March 9, 2026

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Israel using chemical weapons again

Human Rights Watch verified and geolocated eight images, which show:

airburst white phosphorus munitions being deployed over a residential part of the town and civil defense workers responding to fires in at least two homes and one car in that area.

As the Canary previously reported, white phosphorus is a chemical substance which ignites instantly upon contact with oxygen. It’s incredibly hard to extinguish and sticks to surfaces like clothes and skin. White phosphorus is extremely harmful to people, no matter the route of exposure. It causes deep and severe burns – often down to the bone, breathing problems, and burning of the eyes and respiratory tract.

The human body can absorb the chemical, causing dysfunction in multiple organs, including the liver, kidneys and heart.

It burns at more than 800 degrees Celsius (nearly 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit). That is high enough to melt metal.

Importantly though:

The incendiary effects of white phosphorous can cause death or cruel injuries that result in lifelong suffering.

The use of chemical weapons in civilian areas is a war crime for exactly this reason. Generations of Lebanese people will now suffer the consequences of Israel’s indiscriminate and illegal attacks.

According to the World Health Organisation:

The use of white phosphorus may violate Protocol III (on the use of incendiary weapons) of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCCW) in one specific instance: if it is used, on purpose, as an incendiary weapon directly against humans in a civilian setting.

War crimes

There is plenty of evidence of Israel’s unlawful use of white phosphorus. Since October 7, Israel has carried out over 1,000 illegal white phosphorus strikes in Gaza.

According to the Euro-Med Monitor, in 40 minutes alone, the IDF launched 300 white phosphorus strikes on a packed residential square in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia.

That same evening, reports of multiple white phosphorus shells were recorded in a crowded area of Gaza City. Israel launched similar attacks in the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza, and the Jabalia town and camp in the Strip’s north.

But it’s not just Palestine. Amnesty International reported that the Israeli army fired artillery shells containing white phosphorus along Lebanon’s southern border in October 2023. 

Human Rights Watch also verified Israel’s use of white phosphorus on two locations along the Israel-Lebanon border and over Gaza City’s port.

US origins

As the Canary previously investigated, the US Army supplies Israel with white phosphorus-filled projectiles.

The chemical agent can be deployed through artillery shells, bombs, rockets or grenades.

The white phosphorus itself comes from Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL), which has a chemical manufacturing plant in St. Louis.

The US government contracted ICL to produce white phosphorus for the US Army, for:

a 5-year, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, fixed-price contract at $3,342,150.

ICL has 10 illegal quarries in the occupied West Bank, according to a report by the Israeli Ministry of Interior. Notably, ICL is also operating in the occupied Syrian Golan.

Of course, it is no surprise that a country with a history steeped in colonialism is supplying chemical weapons to a genocidal terrorist state.

Israel’s entire existence is based on colonialism, war crimes, and the displacement of indigenous populations.

So now Israel is once again using illegal chemical weapons to further its terrorist agenda at the expense of indigenous communities – we are not surprised. But Israel knows it can and will get away with it, which is why it’s even more important that international communities take a stand.

Featured image via FRANCE 24 English/ YouTube screenshot

The stars of Heated Rivalry are calling out their own fans for the sheer amount of horrific abuse being levelled at them

Hudson Williams and Francois Arnaud both posted on their respective Instagram stories:

Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/ homophobic/ biphobic/ misogynist/ ageist/ ableist/ parasocial/ bigoted comments of any kind

None of us need your hateful ‘love.’

They continued

We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side.

If you can’t accept that gtfoh [get the fuck outta here]

Heated Rivalry cast have to deal with parasocial weirdos

Though they don’t clarify, this is appears to be aimed at so-called fans who have been subjecting Arnaud to homophobic and biphobic abuse. Since he was pictured with co-star Connor Storrie, Arnaud has been subject to the sort of queerphobic rhetoric you’d usually get from right-wingers. Not so called fans.

It’s also seemingly aimed at the racism Williams has received, especially after his Letterboxd reviews were bizarrely analysed. He’s also been accused of queerbaiting, purely because he’s in a queer show and is close to his male co-stars while being in a relationship with a woman.

Apart from Arnaud, who is bi, none of the cast has disclosed their sexuality. And nor should they be expected to.  But as we’ve seen with other fandoms, this toxic obsession can push celebs to come out before they’re ready. This happened with Heartstopper’s Kit Connor, who was forced to come out as bi at just 18 in the same circumstances.

You’d think such a bold statement would stop many in their tracks, but they still found a reason to attack Arnaud, because Williams posted it slightly before him seemingly.

One “fan” posted on Threads claiming none of the team would defend Williams without him posting a statement.

To this, Williams replied:

It was Francois’ idea and I helped write it! I don’t scroll comments so I did not see the hate. I was vibing watching figure skating highlights.

On Instagram, Arnaud also responded to a fan who accused him of posting the statement but not crediting Williams and “acting like you drafted it’

Arnaud sarcastically replied:

I did draft this message and Hudson and I tweaked it together and wanted to make a joint statement. We thank you for your concern.

Fans need to remember this is a queer hockey show ffs

Heated Rivalry came out at the end of last year, and its success spawned a huge fandom in a very short amount of time. With that came a huge amount of parasocial and inappropriate fans who don’t like it when their ‘faves’ don’t act exactly as they want.

But really, these fans need to remember the true message of the show and grow up.

Featured image via the Canary

Israel has launched a new wave of attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon, taking the total number of people that the terrorist state has murdered in the country since February 2nd 2026 to at least 486.

On Tuesday 10 March 2026 Israel launched two air attacks on Tyre (Sour), a city in Southern Lebanon. Not long before the attacks, the Israeli army threatened attacks on both Tyre and Sidon (Saida). It urged residents to:

evacuate immediately and move at least 300 metres [about 1,000ft] away.

Since Israel assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, it has been increasing its illegal presence in Eastern Lebanon, whilst also bombing the country, including the capital, Beirut.

Israeli media are reporting that:

Israel wants to expand its presence in southern Lebanon, expand that buffer zone.

Which is, of course, illegal and entirely intolerable under international law.

Meanwhile:

Hezbollah says it has so far repelled advances on a number of axes.

Israel repeatedly claims it is expanding into Lebanon to defeat Hezbollah. Except that if that were the case, it would not be indiscriminately bombing civilians.

Talks of a ‘demilitarised area’ or a ‘temporary buffer zone’ mean one thing and one thing only – illegal occupation. In other words, Israel is stealing even more land, which it has no legal right to.

Israel intensify attacks

Overnight on Tuesday, Israeli warplanes launched attacks on the towns of Almajadel, Chaqra, Srifa and in the Bekaa Valley.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) also reported:

heavy Israeli attacks near the town of Ansariya as well as on the outskirts of Bint Jbeil and Ainatha.

Four people were killed in the Bint Jbeil district.

Other Israeli attacks included the southern Lebanese towns of Majdal in the Tyre district and Kafr Sasir in the Nabatieh district.

Israel also murdered a Maronite Catholic priest, Father Pierre al-Rahi, in the village of Qlayaa.

Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour reported that:

al-Rahi was killed after an Israeli tank fired on the home of a local couple a second time after several people had rushed there to try to help.

One day before his death, on the steps to his church, al-Rahi told France24:

We are forced to stay despite the danger, when we defend our land, and we do so peacefully. None of us carries weapons. All of us carry peace and goodness and love.

Resistance

In the last week, Israel has also targeted at least 30 sites belonging to the Al-Qard al-Hasan association, which provides interest-free loans and other financial services in Lebanon. It is doing so because it’s “affiliated with Hezbollah”.

But what we need to remember, and what the entirety of the West seems to forget, is that Hezbollah would not exist if Israel had not invaded Lebanon in 1982.

Additionally, armed resistance is not illegal under international law. A United Nations General Assembly resolution states:

The General Assembly,

Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial domination, apartheid and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle;

In December 2025, Canary writer Mohamad Kleit wrote:

I saw nothing but rubble. Destroyed houses, lost dreams, and graffiti in Hebrew promising an Israeli return to take over the border towns. This statement on the wall was accompanied by other racist, colonial slurs against Lebanon, drawn on what remained of houses and shops, by the Israeli occupation forces during the 2024 war.

This shows the current attacks on Lebanon are not some new attempt to disarm Hezbollah. They are part of a prolonged and systematic colonial attempt to invade the land.

Moreover, Israel’s ‘Greater Israel project’ was formally established in 1967. This was only one month after Israel illegally annexed the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War.

According to Middle East Eye:

It is often understood as a vision of territorial expansion to encompass Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan, along with significant parts of Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

So it is not surprising that, according to a Financial Times report, Israeli officials discussed launching a strike on Hezbollah before the attack on Iran even started.

Bombing Lebanon has never been about disarming Hezbollah – that’s the same bullshit we were fed about Hamas in Gaza while Israel carpet bombed the whole area.

Israel’s actions created Hezbollah, just as it did with Hamas. But as soon as Israel has to face the consequences of its actions, which let’s face it, are tiny in comparison, it plays the victim and cries terrorism.

Israel and the US simply do not like the idea of people in the Global South being able to defend themselves.

And from where I’m standing, there is only one terrorist.

Featured image via Hook Global/YouTube screenshot