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Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana out for remainder of World Cup with torn ACL

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana, who injured his right knee in the 19th minute of Monday’s 4-1 win against the United States in the round of 16, will miss the remainder of the World Cup.

In a statement released by the Belgian soccer federation, team doctor Brahim Hacene said medical examinations confirmed that Onana ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee.

“This is devastating news,” Hacene said, “both for him personally and for the team.”

The 24-year-old Onana appeared in four games at the World Cup for Belgium, and made his second start of the tournament against the Americans. Onana also played in two games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and scored a goal in a 5-2 blowout win over the U.S. in a World Cup warmup match in March. He was replaced in the 21st minute on Monday by Hans Vanaken, who scored one of Belgium’s four goals.

Onana has been with Aston Villa of the Premier League since 2024, and previously played for Everton.

“We immediately consulted with Amadou and with Aston Villa to agree on the best approach to his recovery,” Hacene said. “Over the coming days, we will jointly determine the next steps in his medical treatment and rehabilitation. Throughout this process, we will continue to provide Amadou with our full support.”

Onana will stay with the Red Devils for their quarterfinal match against 2010 champion Spain on Friday at Inglewood, California, for a semifinal berth against France or Morocco. There are no other significant injuries to Belgium’s roster, according to the statement.

Midfielder Jérémy Doku, who didn’t start for Belgium on Monday but came off the bench as his fitness remains an issue, participated in Tuesday’s training session. So did midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who did not play on Monday.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Hawaii Health Department’s enforcement of hemp retailers is helping compliance

Click here for updates on this story    HONOLULU (KITV) -- It's been two weeks since the Department of Health (DOH) began enforcement of Hawaii's hemp retailers. Some critics of the new rules said it's driving them out of business."Millions in damage has already been done," said hemp retailer Lance Alyas.This is one of dozens of hemp retailers here in the islands now at risk of being shut down under new rules being enforced by the Department of Health."Twenty to 30 businesses closed down and a majority of them have stopped selling these products completely," he said.The owner of Oahu Dispensary and Provisions said hemp retailers are living in fear. The DOH began enforcing new laws in July, requiring businesses to register with DOH in order to sell hemp products and ensure operators are complying with limits on THC — the psychoactive compound in pakalolo."That's a crackdown. That's enforcement in and of itself," Alyas said. "It's intimidating when the Department of Health comes to your business and says you can't sell this, you can't sell that, or else we'll close you down or we'll criminally enforce on you."For some businesses like Alyas', that's about 90% of inventory.He's one of almost 60 licensed retailers selling manufactured hemp products, but is suing the state to reverse the new rules."We face revenue loss. We've had employees leave because they don't want the uncertainty," he said. "When we closed down we had countless people — cancer patients included — crying to us because they don't know where to get their medicine."Medical marijuana dispensary Aloha Green Apothecary said previously the state had no real regulations and relied on the federal rules for selling hemp products."What legislators didn't know was that hemp cannabinoids could be manipulated to create higher THC products and these higher THC products can be euphoric and cause intoxication," said Ty Cheng, president of Aloha Green Apothecary. "The issue that many hemp retailers face right now is that they're uncomfortable with the level of regulation that they're being subjected to."The DOH has visited almost 30 registered businesses and said so far compliance has been good. But there are still other businesses likely not following the rules."The THC limits they've been in place for a long time okay and some of the products like the vapes and the smokeables you were never allowed to sell in Hawaii," said Andrew Goff, DOH Office of Medical Cannabis Control and Regulation program manager. "Our goal is not to crack down on people selling hemp. Our goal is to make sure people are compliant. So we're starting with education and with warnings, and to make sure that everyone knows because it is a confusing area."DOH is urging consumers and businesses to read the labels on products that you are buying or selling.Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
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