Ex-Liverpool and Belgium goalie Simon Mignolet retiring at season's end

BRUGGE, Belgium (AP) — Former Liverpool and Belgium goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will retire at the end of the season.

Mignolet's current team, Club Brugge, said his final game will be on May 24 at home against KAA Gent on the final day of the Belgian league playoffs.

“The end result is not completely in my control, but my commitment, willpower and determination will be there every day until my very last moment at Club Brugge," the 38-year-old veteran said. “There are still 10 important games ahead of us with one clear goal, to become champions.”

Mignolet retired from international soccer in 2023. He played 35 times for Belgium, featuring at three World Cups and two European Championships.

Mignolet joined Brugge in 2019 after a six-year spell with Liverpool that included more than 200 appearances for the Reds and a Champions League title as a backup to Alisson Becker. He also played for St. Truiden in Belgium and Sunderland.

Local media reported Mignolet will start a new career in September in a management role at the Belgian Football Association.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Christian Benteke of Crystal Palace FC, top, jumps as he is blocked by Simon Mignolet, goalkeeper of Liverpool FC, bottom, during a day one match at the Premier League Asia Trophy soccer tournament in Hong Kong, July 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - Brugge's goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, right, celebrates after Brugge's won the Champions League Group B soccer match between Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid at the Jan Breydel stadium in Bruges, Belgium, Oct. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

FILE - Liverpool's goalkeeper Simon Mignolet catches the ball during their English Premier League soccer match against Newcastle United at St James' Park, Newcastle, England, Nov. 1, 2014. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)

FILE - From left, Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos, Brugge's Simon Deli and Brugge's goalkeeper Simon Mignolet go for the ball during the Champions League group A soccer match between Real Madrid and Club Brugge, at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Oct.1, 2019. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

“The Great American State Fair” is a series of concerts, exhibits, tributes and other programs scheduled to take place June 25 to July 10 on Washington’s National Mall. It was organized by Freedom 250, which is billed as a nonpartisan organization but was launched last year by President Donald Trump and is headed by a Trump State Department appointee from his first term, the businessman-philanthropist Keith Krach.

On Wednesday, Freedom 250 announced that Bret Michaels, the Commodores and Martina McBride would be among the musical performers, some of whom were slated for an “I Love the ’90s” show on June 26.

But by late Thursday, Michaels, the Commodores and McBride had dropped out, as did Morris Day and Young MC.

Michaels and others have said that they were misled about the theme of the shows or were otherwise wary of being caught up in a political fight. In an Instagram post, Michaels wrote that he had thought his show would be a chance to “honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life.” But he concluded that the event had “evolved into something much more divisive” and referred to “threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”

McBride also issued an Instagram statement, saying she had been “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.” Young MC expressed similar sentiments in an Instagram post, while the Commodores released a brief statement saying they chose “not to publicly affiliate with any single political party.”

As of Friday morning, performers still expected to appear include Flo Rida, Vanilla Ice and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli, the Grammy-winning duo from the late 1980s-early 1990s who were discredited after reports that Morvan and fellow front man Rob Pilatus did not sing on the records and lip-synced on stage. (The actual singers, including sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco, told The Associated Press that they were not invited).

Morvan told the AP in an emailed statement that he was "here to entertain and unite people, not divide them.”

"Let’s celebrate life & music and take a trip down memory lane,” he said.

A representative for Vanilla Ice told the AP in an email that the “Ice Ice Baby” rapper was “proud to help celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary!"

"Everyone is welcome to attend and celebrate USA’s Birthday and our Freedom!” the representative said.

A Flo Rida representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Freedom 250 organizers have yet to respond to AP requests for comment. Freedom 250 spokeswoman Rachel Reisner told The New York Times in a statement that “Freedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans.”

Trump, a Republican, has some prominent supporters in the entertainment industry, including Sylvester Stallone and Nicki Minaj, but many more have shunned him. Taylor Swift, Robert De Niro,Billie Eilish and Bruce Springsteen are among those who have endorsed Democrats and/or condemned Trump, while Elton John, Kenny Loggins and others have objected to their music being used for Trump rallies or Trump videos. After the president ousted the leadership last year at the Kennedy Center and had his own name placed on the building’s facade, numerous artists, including Bela Fleck, Renée Fleming and Issa Rae, called off scheduled appearances.

FILE - Martina McBride performs, Oct. 28, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

FILE - Young MC performs during the "I Love The 90's" tour on Aug. 7, 2022, at RiverEdge Park in Aurora, Ill. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 1992 file photo, Fabrice Morvan, left, and Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli perform during the taping of the Arsenio Hall Show in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Craig Fujii, File)

FILE - Singer Brett Michaels performs at halftime of an NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz., Sept. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)