‘Coward’ slur lands USA keeper a six-month ban

USA goalkeeper Hope Solo has been handed a six-month ban by her national federation after labelling Sweden ‘cowards’ following her side’s Olympic quarter-final defeat. The 35-year-old hit out after Sweden defeated the USA 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw on August 12. At the time she said: ‘I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down, I’m very proud of this team. And I also think we played a bunch of cowards.’ As a result of the suspension, Solo would not be eligible for national selection until February 2017, but the player later confirmed on her Facebook page that her national-team contract had been terminated.