Fifa won’t fix itself – scrap it now and set up a World FA, led by Uefa and South America July 31, 2026 Football’s world governing body Fifa is beyond reform; a better idea is to abolish it and replace it with a new organisation, argues ethics expert Thomas Beschorner. The games are over, but the aftertaste remains. As wonderful as the matches on the pitch were, Fifa, as organiser of this summer’s World Cup, has once again [...]
Chelsea fined £10m, avoid points penalty and receive Mykhailo Mudryk boost July 31, 2026 Chelsea have been fined a further £10m by the Football Association but avoided a points deduction after admitting more than 70 charges of breaking financial rules. The breaches took place under the previous ownership of Roman Abramovich and related to secret payments to agents, including in the signings of Eden Hazard, Willian and Samuel Eto’o. [...]
Padel chief: A sport which succeeds in London gets noticed around the world July 31, 2026 Ahead of the London Premier Padel P1 in August Luigi Carraro makes the case for the capital and why sport loves the city. What I have always loved about London is that it knows a sport worth watching when it sees one. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was no better example of that [...]
Burnham says Infantino ‘wrong man’ to lead Fifa as Brits back World Cup boycott plans July 31, 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Gianni Infantino is the “wrong man” to lead Fifa as Brits back Uefa plans to boycott the next World Cup. The football-loving Prime Minister told reporters in Sheffield on Friday that Fifa’s plans to sell of stakes in the World Cup to private investors, spearheaded by Infantino, “was an [...]
Darts star Beau Greaves gets eyes insured by Specsavers for £1m July 31, 2026 Women’s darts sensation Beau Greaves has had her eyes insured for £1m by opticians Specsavers. The stunt came after Greaves, a 22-year-old from Doncaster who wears glasses, won a third Women’s World Matchplay at the weekend when she beat Fallon Sherrock 6-5 in the final at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Like Littler won the [...]
Fifa crisis: Uefa exec Nasser Al-Khelaifi ‘not interested’ in ousting Infantino July 31, 2026 Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the Paris Saint-Germain president and high-ranking Uefa executive, has no interest in leading a Fifa coup against Gianni Infantino, according to his camp. Infantino’s future as Fifa president has been plunged into doubt by the civil war triggered by plans to sell off stakes in a new commercial subsidiary to private investors, including [...]
Swansea buck gambling trend as Snoop Dogg’s club sign green wellness brand July 31, 2026 Snoop Dogg’s English football club has announced a green wellness brand as its front-of-shirt sponsor, bucking a trend of Championship clubs siding with gambling firms. Swansea City – part owned by Snoop, footballer Luka Modric and American businesswoman Martha Stewart – will play in the Championship with gut health firm AG1. The wellness brand – [...]
Everton Friedkin Group owners inject £38m, reportedly to pay Burnley July 31, 2026 Everton owners The Friedkin Group have injected £38m into the club, reportedly to cover compensation owed to Burnley. The club was deemed to owe Burnley close to £40m after a landmark ruling earlier this year but the Premier League Independent Disciplinary Commission after the Clarets successfully argued that the Toffees’ breach of Profitability and Sustainability [...]
Fifa refuses to back down on World Cup sell-off in face of European boycott July 31, 2026 Fifa has refused to abandon its plans to sell off stakes in a new $20bn commercial vehicle despite all Uefa nations vowing to boycott future World Cups if it proceeds. All 55 European nations in Uefa, including England’s Football Association, yesterday voted to support a boycott of all Fifa tournaments in protest at the divisive [...]
Fifa want to sell the family silver but should World Rugby do the same? July 31, 2026 Selling stakes in commercial entities is like selling the family silver. So should World Rugby copy Fifa? Selling stakes in commercial entities – much like Fifa announced it wanted to do with the World Cup – is like selling the family silver. Global tournaments are pillars of sports with revenues and reach that soar during [...]