Captain Millie Bright cleared to start England’s Women’s World Cup opener
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — England captain Millie Bright has been cleared to start out the Lionesses’ Women’s World Cup opener in opposition to Haiti on Saturday in a big increase for coach Sarina Weigman.
Bright injured her knee in Chelsea’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg with Lyon in March, limiting her preparation time for the match being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
“I’m grateful that I’m able to play and super excited to be here,” she mentioned Friday. “I was surrounded by the best people, so I was very confident in my recovery. I’ve been given absolutely everything that I needed to be in this position.”
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Injuries have plagued the Lionesses, who gained the European Championship final 12 months, of their lead as much as the Women’s World Cup. Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and Leah Wiliamson, who have been all projected starters for the crew, have been dominated out.
“Unfortunately, injuries are a part of football,” mentioned Bright, who changed Williamson as captain for the match. “We have to look forward and move forward. We have an amazing group of players and staff, and everyone has stepped up. We’re ready to go.”
While accidents have been a disruption to preparations, a dispute with the English Football Association relating to bonus funds and business preparations has additionally hung over the squad.
This week, England’s gamers launched a collective assertion saying negotiations had been paused in an effort to think about the match. But they mentioned they might nonetheless search a decision over a problem that was “key for the growth of women’s football in England.”
“Obviously it’s not a situation everyone wants to be in, but I think as players we are not just programmed to play football,” mentioned Bright. “Sometimes we’ve to have these conversations, however we’ve a really skilled group and soccer is all the time on the entrance of every thing.
“We’ve accepted everything is on hold with those discussions and we will address the situation at a later date. For now it is all about the tournament.”
Her feedback have been echoed by Wiegman, who guided England to victory on the Euros final 12 months and is aiming to finish a trophy double on the World Cup.
“When on the pitch, we are on the pitch and everyone is aligned and everyone is focused on football,” she mentioned. “I haven’t seen any other behaviour.”
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