I never thought it would truly happen. At least, not until this week, when events suggested for the first time that even the most protected figures may not be beyond reach. Gianni Infantino is under mounting pressure. He has faced intense scrutiny for nearly six weeks, following reports about a secretive proposal to sell shared […]
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It was 6pm on 5 July in Mexico City, and Alireza Faghani, a 48-year-old Australian-Iranian referee, was sleeping and snoring in the changing room. His assistants had lowered the music. Without the distant sound of almost 90,000 supporters filtering through the concrete walls of the Estadio Azteca, he might have remained asleep until morning. Faghani […]
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Real Madrid’s flawless opening to the La Liga season came to an end on Friday as Real Betis claimed a 1-0 victory. Substitute Troy Parrott scored with nine minutes remaining, while goalkeeper Alvaro Valles denied Kylian Mbappé from the penalty spot in added time. The match started at a lively pace, although the intensity faded […]
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David Moyes has revealed that he has not communicated with Everton owner and chairman Dan Friedkin during the 20 months since returning as manager. On Friday, Moyes also responded firmly to the club’s disastrous conclusion to the transfer window, suggesting the setback could unite the players and supporters in pursuit of “something special” this season. […]
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Chelsea believed they had almost no hope of recruiting Morgan Rogers when the summer began. Xabi Alonso and the recruitment department had identified the England international as a leading target, but completing a transfer appeared unrealistic. After a poor campaign in which Chelsea finished 10th and failed to qualify for Europe, the club expected Rogers […]
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1. Carrick says United cannot be transformed overnight Michael Carrick acknowledged that a single transfer window would not solve all of Manchester United’s problems, although he remained broadly satisfied with the club’s recruitment. United invested £155m in central midfielders but did not add a left-back, meaning Luke Shaw remains their only senior option in that […]
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A little over an hour into Hull City’s Premier League opener against Manchester United, Lucas Herrington was called from the bench. With Hull leading 2-0, Sergej Jakirović introduced the 18-year-old Australian after goalscorer Nobel Mendy suffered an injury, giving the young defender a specific task. “I understood exactly what I needed to do,” Herrington says, […]
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Daniel Kretinsky is poised to become West Ham’s largest shareholder after reaching an agreement with David Sullivan, weakening Amanda Staveley’s attempt to acquire a stake in the Championship club. Staveley attended West Ham’s 4-2 victory over Wolves at the London Stadium earlier this week while pursuing Vanessa Gold’s 25.1% holding. The British businesswoman, who previously […]
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Lawyers acting for Fifa have challenged Uefa’s discovery application submitted to a US federal court earlier this week. They described Uefa’s legal action as essentially a series of public statements intended to advance a campaign against Fifa and its senior officials, and asked the judge overseeing the matter to reject the application. The submission asks […]
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Amid growing criticism of Fifa from several confederations and supporters, Thierry Henry has urged footballers to speak up as a political struggle over the leadership of the international game develops. The former Arsenal and Barcelona attacker, now a television analyst, discussed the issue on Tuesday with Kate Scott and Jamie Carragher ahead of this season’s […]
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