🚨BREAKING: Didier Drogba says if the USA didn't want other Countries citizens in the US they shouldn't have bid for the Fifa world cup 2026 and says denial of Iran supporters and Somali referee Omar Artan is totally unacceptable, Football should be separated from politics
"When a country bids to host the biggest football tournament on the planet, it knows exactly what comes with it. Players, referees, officials and supporters from every corner of the world are part of the package."
"I look at the situation involving Somali referee Omar Artan and I feel disappointed for him. FIFA selected him because he earned that opportunity on merit, yet he was unable to participate after being denied entry."
"Then you hear about Iran's football federation claiming that its supporter ticket allocation was withdrawn just days before the tournament. If true, that leaves ordinary fans paying the price for issues that have nothing to do with football."
"The people suffering are not politicians. They're supporters who save money for years hoping to follow their national team at a World Cup."
"Football has always been one of the few things capable of bringing different cultures together. The moment politics starts deciding who gets to be part of that experience, everyone loses."
"I played in World Cups and international tournaments. The beauty of those events is seeing supporters from dozens of countries sharing the same streets, the same stadiums and the same passion."
"No fan should be judged because of their nationality, and no referee should miss the biggest moment of his career because of political circumstances beyond his control."
"FIFA, governments and football authorities need to find solutions because the headlines right now are about visas, travel restrictions and disputes instead of the football itself."
"The World Cup should belong to the world. That's what makes it special. The game must always come first, and politics should never be allowed to overshadow football's greatest celebration."
Amorim isn’t failing, he’s dismantling a decade of shortcuts, misprofiling & entitlement.
Some fans want him gone to rush the rebuild forgetting that rushing deepened Manchester United’s decline.
Media & rivals want him out for a simpler reason. They know what follows when the work is finished.
Rebuilds aren’t rushed, they’re endured.
Casemiro is the perfect example of how crucial the right mentality is in football.
He was literally last in the midfield pecking order, even behind Toby Collyer. Do you realise how humiliating that is for someone who’s won five Champions League titles?
But what did he do? He stayed quiet and worked his ass off. That’s what an elite mentality looks like. No interviews, no drama, nothing. He simply worked so hard that he forced the manager to change his mind.
If there’s one thing a manager loves, it’s a player who proves him wrong and that’s exactly what happened with Casemiro under Amorim.
Every young player should take note. If someone with five Champions League titles can humble himself, work harder and earn his place back, then you should too.
But this tells you about the character of the players we have. Recruitment has been very disgraceful, an embarrassment that a club of Manchester United stature has failed several managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired starting with David Moyes who they failed to back,
🚨🗣️ Sir Jim Ratcliffe on friction towards him from Manchester United fans:
“It can be unpleasant and I’ve probably failed on the having fun front.
“I mean, I can put up with it for a while. I don’t mind being unpopular because I get that nobody likes seeing Manchester United down where they are, and nobody likes the decisions we’re having to make at the moment.
“If I draw a bit of the ire, I can put up with that. But I’m no different to the average person. It’s not nice, particularly for friends and family.”
[@TimesSport] #MUFC