LONDON (AP) — United States defender Chris Richards said it “won't be long” until he's back for Crystal Palace.
The American was taken off on a stretcher with a nasty cut to his right foot in the second half of Palace’s match against Arsenal in the English League Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“Thanks everybody for the messages, won't be long til I'm back,” Richards wrote on his Instagram account Wednesday.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner didn't have a timetable for when Richards would return.
Palace hosts Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, then welcomes Fulham on New Year’s Day.
“He got a knock on his foot, a stamp on his foot, and it had to be stitched,” Glasner said about Richards after the game against Arsenal. “I don’t know how many stitches, but a few.
“The doctor told me it doesn’t look so bad. I’m always hopeful. We have to be hopeful. I don’t know if he will be OK for the Tottenham game, but I’m still hoping that he will be back against Fulham.”
The 25-year-old Richards has been a regular starter for the U.S. He missed the 2022 World Cup because of a leg injury.
Arsenal beat Palace 8-7 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
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Crystal Palace's Chris Richards, left, and Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus jump for the ball during the English Football League Cup quarter-final soccer match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace in London, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly in action during the English Football League Cup quarter-final soccer match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace in London, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
GENEVA (AP) — Voters in Switzerland are casting final ballots Sunday on an initiative championed by the top right-wing party to cap the rich Alpine country's population at 10 million.
The populist Swiss People's Party, which has the most seats in parliament, has stirred up and fostered anti-migration sentiment over the years, notably about an influx of workers from the neighboring European Union.
Critics call the bid a self-inflicted wound, saying the boom in migration over the last generation has brought foreign labor and skills to sectors such as healthcare, finance, pharmaceuticals, and technology. Some also worry the proposal, if approved, will weaken critical ties with Brussels. The EU is Switzerland’s top trading partner.
Recent polling from the gfs.bern agency suggested that it could be a close contest.
The Swiss People's Party put forward the “sustainability initiative” measure, saying Swiss infrastructure, housing, social programs, natural resources and way of life have been strained by demographic growth.
The federal government and Parliament oppose the idea.
Swiss democracy gives voters a direct say in policymaking through referendums typically held four times a year. Most ballots are cast through the mail, and in-person voting ends at noon local time on Sunday.
A “yes” vote would require the Swiss government to take action to cap the population by 2050.
If the population reaches 9.5 million before then, the government would be forced to restrict asylum, family reunification and residency permits, and may have to scrap Switzerland’s EU deal on the free movement of people.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has reported that Switzerland had a foreign-born population of 32% as of 2024, behind only Luxembourg and Australia among the group's 38 member countries.
International migration has long been a sensitive issue in Europe, as nations grapple with an aging population and increasing anti-foreigner sentiment. While that sentiment in other European countries centers on migrants from the developing world, most foreigners in Switzerland are Europeans.
Since Switzerland and the EU eased restrictions on citizens living and working across their borders in 2002, the Swiss population has grown by 23%, to 9.1 million as of the end of last year. Economic output has also increased, up 24% over the same period, government data show.
Swiss voters have repeatedly tackled the immigration issue over the last half-century. Only one such referendum — “Against mass immigration” in 2014 — narrowly passed, after campaigners stoked fears about overpopulation and rising numbers of Muslims in the country.
While many countries have limits on immigration, none has ever voted to limit its population, Swiss experts say.
A poster reading "Isolate ourselves from Europe? Certainly not now! - No to the SVP/UDC Chaos initiative" featuring images of President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, urging people to vote against the Swiss People's Party (SVP) referendum titled "No to a Switzerland with 10 million inhabitants" photographed in Lausanne, May 27, 2026. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)
