Republic of Ireland midfielder Denise O’Sullivan is less than a week away from making her World Cup debut in front of more than 80,000 people – but confesses it was perhaps the fanfare-filled Knocknaheeny farewell in front of far fewer that will ultimately prove the more intimidating atmosphere. O’Sullivan’s name will go down in history as one of the 23 women who were chosen to represent the Girls in Green at their maiden World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where they will take on the Matildas in their July 20th tournament opener at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia. When the North Carolina Courage captain steps onto the pitch in front of that cauldron of Aussie support she will particularly feel the absence of a few familiar faces in the crowd. Though her family was unable to make the trip, they did their best to compensate with a spectacular home send-off in front of the hundreds who descended on her mum’s house and decorated the neighbourhood to wish her luck. O’Sullivan said: “I was mortified, but it was class to be fair. A few weeks before that I got permission from (manager) Vera (Pauw) just to go home to see the family because unfortunately, they weren’t coming over here to the World Cup. “The minute I told them that, they were organising something and I knew it! But I didn’t know they were organising to that extent, to be quite honest – band and everything. “Rappers, bands, oh my goodness. It was mad. My family have always been a great support and you can see what football does. It just brought the whole community and everyone together that night to support me. It was a great send off.” O’Sullivan, 29, was speaking at Brisbane’s Meakin Park a few days before the Republic’s final friendly against Colombia. Group B encounters with Olympic champions Canada and Nigeria follow the opener against FIFA world no 10 Australia, with the top two from each group advancing to the last-16 knockout round. The long journey is now behind Vera Pauw’s squad, who have been adjusting to the nine-hour time difference through a strict training regimen of shifting start times. On Wednesday, they hosted an open session and invited local Irish fans to watch the team in action. Those kids in the crowd sporting tiny green kit – whether in Queensland or Cork – are what motivate O’Sullivan to keep going. She said: “In that field where I was that night with my family and everyone, that’s where I grew up playing football. That’s where I played street football with my brothers and all the boys. That night, I was there signing autographs for kids sitting in that same field, so just to look forward and look how far I’ve come and what I’m doing now. “Look, I have a platform to inspire people and I think that’s what this team is doing. I want to leave this green shirt in the best condition I can for when I’m about to retire – not anytime soon [laughs], but that’s definitely what it’s all about. It’s about inspiring the next generation.” O’Sullivan was just a young girl herself when father John brought her to a bar early in the morning to watch the Republic face Germany in the 2002 World Cup, when Robbie Keane scored his historic equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time. In 2016, O’Sullivan, who was preparing to move to America to play for Houston Dash, lost her beloved dad just five weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer. Her World Cup debut is the realisation of a long-held dream shared by them both. She added: “He was the biggest supporter for me in my journey to get to where I am. Obviously, to have him here would be a dream but I know he’s looking down. He’s proud anyway. He pushed me along the way to get to where I am today.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rory McIlroy returns to Hoylake looking to end nine-year major drought at Open From Lauren James to Sam Kerr – Players set to light up Women’s World Cup 5 talking points ahead of the Women’s World Cup

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Part of Donald Trump’s indictment in Georgia was televised after a judge decided in the media’s favour. The Fulton County superior court judge presiding over the grand jury in the case, Robert McBurney, told reporters that “if a grand jury presents an indictment, that’s usually in the afternoon, and you can film and photograph that,” The Messenger reported. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis presented her case to the jury on Monday, which voted to indict Mr Trump for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. There are 13 felony charges against Trump, including RICO, conspiracy to commit forgery, filing false documents, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer and more. In addition, 18 Trump associates have also been indicted, including former White House chief of staff mark Meadows and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. When Mr Trump was indicted on the federal level, cameras weren’t allowed in court. Ms Willis has been investigating Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state and was expected to seek an indictment from a grand jury this week. It would be Mr Trump’s fourth indictment within the span of five months. There was plenty of confusion regarding possible charges against Mr Trump in the Georgia election interference case. Reuters reported on Monday that a document outlining the charges against Mr Trump had been posted and then removed from the Fulton County website. Mr Trump then used the document to ask for donations from his supporters, arguing that he was being denied due process. The Office of the Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts then issued a statement on Monday afternoon saying that a “fictitious” document had been shared online. “While there have been no documents filed today regarding such, all members of the media should be reminded that documents that do not bear an official case number, filing date, and the name of The Clerk of Courts, in concert, are not considered official filings and should not be treated as such,” the court said. They added that “Media members can expect to be notified of any/all filings in real-time and will be provided access to filings via equitable communication”. Read More Trump’s Georgia case hit by chaos as court accused of posting and deleting charge sheet - latest How prosecutors could charge Trump with racketeering in Georgia case Can Donald Trump pardon himself?

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