Japanese players wear black armbands at Women’s World Cup to remember royal family member

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — Japanese players have worn black armbands in their Women’s World Cup opener against Zambia following the death of Fumiko Tottori, the mother of Japanese Princess Takamado. The princess is the honorary patron of the Japan Football Association and her mother, Tottori, 96, died Tuesday in Tokyo. FIFA granted the association’s request to wear the armbands. The Japanese team wore the armbands just days after New Zealand and Norway held a moment of silence ahead of the tournament’s opening match after two men were killed in a shooting in downtown Auckland.