“How did you become bankrupt?” one character asks another in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. “Little by little, and then all at once,” is the answer. Fifa president Gianni Infantino now appears to be undergoing a comparable collapse in his authority. Since assuming control of football’s global governing organisation in 2016, Mr Infantino […]
Continue Reading
Uefa has reinforced its warning that it could withdraw from Fifa-organised competitions, while confirming that it no longer has confidence in Gianni Infantino’s leadership. European football’s governing body said Wednesday evening’s public show of support for Infantino “changes nothing”. It added that it has received no firm guarantees that a crisis like the one seen […]
Continue Reading
Argentina’s football governing body is marking the national team’s World Cup semi-final victory against England last month. Following an executive board meeting on Wednesday, the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) designated 15 July—the date of the 2-1 triumph in Atlanta—as its “National Football Teams Day”. “This date was selected to honour Argentina’s memorable World Cup semi-final […]
Continue Reading
Mauricio Pochettino, head coach of the United States men’s national team, has reached an agreement with the US Soccer Federation on a contract extension that will keep him with the program through 2030, the organization announced Monday. Both parties had been negotiating the extension for several months, with talks beginning well before the USMNT’s disappointing […]
Continue Reading
European football associations are preparing to increase pressure on Gianni Infantino by collectively withdrawing the letters that endorsed his campaign for another term as Fifa president. Infantino’s leadership is facing a serious threat following the failure of his privately funded proposal to sell parts of the World Cup. The plan was largely derailed after Uefa […]
Continue Reading
What has taken place? Football has endured a turbulent week after unexpected reports emerged on Tuesday afternoon. The sport’s global governing body was said to be preparing a company that would manage the World Cup’s commercial rights, with part of the business offered to outside investors. Even members of the organization’s main decision-making council reportedly […]
Continue Reading
Pressure intensified around Gianni Infantino after a turbulent day in which a senior adviser stepped down and FIFA’s chief operating officer issued a severe public criticism of his leadership. Infantino is facing growing resistance over his proposal to sell private investors stakes connected to the World Cup. European associations have warned that they could boycott […]
Continue Reading
During an era celebrated for the strength and sophistication of Italian defending, Franco Baresi, who has died aged 66 following a period of poor health, represented its finest attributes. Throughout his 20-year professional career with AC Milan, and while playing for an Italy side that reached the 1994 World Cup final, he was elegant, intelligent, […]
Continue Reading
Harry Kane Seventy-three goals across 64 appearances for club and country made this the second-highest-scoring season ever recorded by a player, behind only Lionel Messi’s 82-goal haul in 2011-12. It is a remarkable achievement for someone who once shared a Championship substitutes’ bench with Jamie Vardy. Kane was not considered a teenage sensation like several […]
Continue Reading
The proposal presented to members regarding the sale of the World Cup’s commercial rights says future financial expansion would rely on organizing additional competitions, increasing ticket prices and using debt-based funding. A 25-page presentation called “Fifa Forward Enterprise Member Materials” outlines plans to establish a separate company responsible for Fifa’s commercial activities. Under the proposal, […]
Continue Reading