Injury-free France captain Mbock 'impatient' for Euro 2025 debut in quarterfinal

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Injury-free France captain Mbock 'impatient' for Euro 2025 debut in quarterfinal

2025-07-19 03:53 Last Updated At：04:21

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — France captain Griedge Mbock is “impatient” to get going as she prepares to make her first appearance at the Women’s European Championship.

Les Bleues have been boosted by the return of Mbock for Saturday’s quarterfinal against Germany after the experienced defender missed the whole of the group stage due to a calf injury.

Although it’s not as if they fared too badly without her. France topped one of the toughest groups in the tournament with three wins, including over defending champion England.

“I feel really good, actually I’m really impatient because I was away from the pitch for quite a long time,” Mbock said on Friday. “But today I feel good and I’m going to be back to the pitch. I took all the energy that the team gave me, that helped me to hold on for this time of absence.

“I’m impatient to start this competition on the pitch and, simply, to be able to contribute.”

The winner will face world champion Spain or Switzerland in the semifinals.

The 30-year-old Mbock has 92 appearances for France — starting 81 of them — since her debut 12 years ago.

But at Euro 2025 she has been restricted to a place on the substitutes bench and only then so she could cheer on the team from the sidelines.

“It’s very good news,” France coach Laurent Bonadei said. “She suffered a bit in silence for all this time, far away from the pitch.

“However, she was present with her teammates in order to give very good advice, that is why I included her on the bench, because she’s captain, she’s very precious in the locker room also and she’ll be ready to start the game tomorrow.”

France is on an 11-match winning streak but the quarterfinals have always been somewhat of a stumbling block for Les Bleues.

France has only twice made it into the semifinals of a World Cup or Euros: The 2011 World Cup where it lost to the United States, and at Euro 2022 where it fell to Germany.

Les Bleues have been eliminated in the quarterfinals in six of the past eight World Cups or Euros.

“I like talking about overcoming barriers and I think that since October this team has been overcoming barriers at each step,” Bonadei said. “We had the friendly games, we had the Nations League and now our group here, which was labelled the group of death and this team advanced and managed to overcome barriers.

“So I have a lot of confidence in this team to overcome this next barrier.”

As well as being boosted at the back by Mbock, France knows it can rely on its ruthless attack.

France bagged 11 goals in its three group stage matches — scored by nine different players.

Moreover, Germany will be weakened in defense. Captain Giulia Gwinn was ruled out of the tournament after injuring her knee in her team's opening win and her replacement, Carlotta Wamser, is suspended for the quarterfinal after being sent off in Germany's 4-1 thrashing by Sweden.

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Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.