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Ex-England youth international Ashleigh Plumptre insists it was a simple choice to switch allegiances to Nigeria, who on Monday night could knock her native country out of the World Cup. Leicestershire born and raised Plumptre, 25, has represented England from under-15 to under-23 level, but in January 2022 received FIFA’s approval to join the Super Falcons. Plumptre, who three weeks ago left Leicester after making 79 appearances for the Women’s Super League side, grew up with a half-Nigerian dad whose own father was born in Lagos. The defender said: “For me, it wasn’t difficult because I knew exactly what I wanted from football and I think that just came down from understanding who I am. On my journey, I’ve learned more about myself and I know what I want from football. “And I always say, ‘for me, it’s more than just playing.’ It sounds really weird but I always say I’m not obsessed with football, specifically, I’m obsessed with what I can learn about myself from playing. “And that’s why playing for Nigeria would probably be the most fulfilling thing I could do. “Not to say that my experiences were ever bad with England, they never were, but it was just more that my life went on a different course. “And I’m like, hmm, this is important for me, for my sister, for my family and for the young people who identify as being mixed heritage.” In an interview for the Nigerian Football Federation, Plumptre describes her younger half-sister Bayleigh Bisi as having a darker skin tone and different hair texture, which initially led to her more strongly resonating with their Nigerian heritage. Plumptre feels her own journey is entwined with her sibling’s – going so far as to say that the road to this World Cup, which saw world number 40 Nigeria oust Olympic champions Canada en route to the knockouts, is one shared by them both. She added: “I feel like people have different reasons for wanting to play for a different country. “For me, obviously, I grew up playing for England and I enjoyed my time with them but I always say it was always more of a life decision than a football decision. “I felt like I had a responsibility to try and play for Nigeria, if I could. “And that just came from experiences within family. I’ve got my younger sister, I used to coach an under-12s team with girls with mixed heritage girls, and I feel like I have a responsibility to learn about my heritage and I have the privilege of being able to play football and use that to be able to learn, so it came about like that for me.” Nigeria have contested all nine World Cups, reaching the quarter-finals in 1999. Should they wish to equal or better that feat they will have to find their way past European champions England. Plumptre is prepared to face the Lionesses, a side which includes several former team-mates. She said: “I was like, ‘it’s gonna end up that way’. I know a lot of the players, I grew up playing with a lot of them, play against them. So I would completely relish that opportunity. I would love to play them.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Harry Kane puts speculation to one side with four goals in Tottenham friendly Dozens of triathletes stuck down with diarrhoea and vomiting after ‘swimming in s**t’ Finn Russell expects different challenge from full-strength France next week

"Barbie" has answered the billion-dollar question with a resounding "yes." Barely three weeks into its run, writer-director Greta Gerwig's blockbuster has raked in an astounding $1.03 billion at the global box office, Warner Bros. reports. This makes Gerwig the first female director with a billion-dollar movie.

Disappointment is an unfamiliar emotion for the US when it comes to women's soccer. This is a team that had not lost a Women's World Cup match for 12 years, had never finished worse than third in the tournament, and was aiming for a historic World Cup three-peat, a near impossible feat never achieved in men's or women's soccer.

Donald Trump attacked Mike Pence as “delusional” days after the former vice president was revealed to play a central role in the latest federal indictment against him. Mr Trump appeared to be trying to do damage control on Truth Social after he was charged with four federal charges related to his alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and the subsequent attack on the Capitol. After attacking Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Department of Justice, Mr Trump turned his attention to his former vice president and current 2024 White House opponent. “Liddle’ Mike Pence, a man who was about to be ousted as Governor Indiana until I came along and made him V.P., has gone to the Dark Side,” Mr Trump wrote on Saturday. The statement appeared to be in reference to Mr Pence’s more recent outspoken condemnation of Mr Trump’s behaviour leading up to the 6 January riot. “I never told a newly emboldened (not based on his 2% poll numbers!) Pence to put me above the Constitution or that Mike was ‘too honest.’ He’s delusional, and now he wants to show he’s a tough guy,” Mr Trump added. The ex-vice president and 2024 candidate has begun selling merchandise that says “Too honest” – something Mr Trump allegedly told Mr Pence after he refused to engage in a scheme to unlawfully decertify election results. Then in a statement released after Mr Trump’s third criminal indictment, Mr Pence said: “Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.” While giving a speech in New Hampshire this past week, Mr Pence also responded to a group of Trump supporters who questioned his loyalty to the United States for refusing to unlawfully decertify election results. The ex-president has maintained that he upheld his duty to the Constitution on 6 January. Seemingly, Mr Pence is capitalising on Mr Trump’s bad press to make himself appear as the more stable conservative candidate for president. As Mr Pence tries to appeal to GOP voters, Mr Trump is attempting to discredit the indictment and Mr Pence’s character. In his Truth Social post, Mr Trump continued: “I once read a major magazine article on Mike. It said he was not a very good person. I was surprised, but the article was right. Sad!” Mr Pence and Mr Trump worked closely together for the four years they were in office. Mr Trump’s latest attack comes after prosecutors in the Department of Justice (DoJ) appealed to Judge Tanya Chutkan to issue a protective order preventing Mr Trump and his attorneys from sharing information about the case. The proposed order directly mentioned Mr Trump’s love of ranting and attacking others on social media as a cause for concern that he could release sensitive information. At his arraignment on Thursday, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya reminded Mr Trump: “It is a crime to intimidate or retaliate against anyone for providing information about your case to the prosecution or otherwise obstruct justice.” When asked if he understand the warning, Mr Trump nodded affirmatively. Read More Trump attacks indictment, ‘deranged’ Jack Smith and long showers in South Carolina speech - latest news Mike Pence heckled by Trump supporters at town hall after rolling out mocking merch DoJ requests protective order after Trump threatens revenge in Truth Social post DoJ requests protective order after Trump threatens revenge in Truth Social post

In just three weeks in theaters, “Barbie” is set to sail past $1 billion in global ticket sales, breaking a record for female directors that was previously held by Patty Jenkins

Megan Rapinoe wanted a different finish for her final Women’s World Cup

Former President Donald Trump's lawyer in the 2020 election subversion case on Sunday criticized the protective order requested by prosecutors that would put some restrictions on what Trump and his team can do with evidence shared with them.

The MLB trade deadline may be behind us, but the MLB rumors keep on flowing. Today we have updates on the Dodgers getting denied and the Mets future.The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, with teams now left with few options to upgrade their roster if they still need to.The race to the po...

Anthony Rizzo was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome months after he suffered a related injury. Here's why it went so long undiagnosed.A not-so-funny running joke about the New York Yankees is their injury luck and a perceived lack of competence of its medical department.While thos...

The United States exit the Women's World Cup earlier than they ever have done before after penalty shootout defeat to Sweden.

By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON A lawyer for Donald Trump on Sunday argued that any actions the former president

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund reported a $15.6 billion comprehensive loss for 2022 after the value of its