Iceland soccer team plays Romania amid sex abuse crisis

RREYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland’s national soccer team played Romania in the first match since the team was rocked by a series of sex abuse scandals that saw the country’s entire soccer association board resign after it was accused of covering assault allegations. Outside the Laugardalsvöllur stadium in the capital Reykjavík, protesters held banners expressing solidarity with victims of sexual abuse ahead of kickoff. Romania won 2-0. Iceland prides itself on gender equality, and the many tickets left unsold for Thursday’s 2022 World Cup qualifying match suggested that the team’s popularity had taken a hit. The chairman of Iceland’s football association stepped down earlier this week, followed by the resignation of the governing body’s entire board of 16 members.