🚨 Joint-statement from Cape Verde, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Congo, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire expressing their “profound disappointment” following the recent comments made by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin arguing the expanded World Cup will create “uninteresting” games.
“We respectfully but firmly reject these comments.
“For our countries, there is no such thing as an unimportant World Cup match.
“For Cape Verde, Curaçao and Uzbekistan, qualification for the FIFA World Cup represents a historic achievement and the realization of a dream shared by generations.
“For nations such as Congo and Haiti, returning to football’s biggest stage after a long absence carries a special meaning for millions of supporters who have waited years, and in some cases decades, for this moment.
“To suggest that these matches are somehow less important is deeply disappointing and fails to recognize the efforts, sacrifices and aspirations of players, coaches, clubs, football leaders and supporters across the world.
“Behind every qualification stand years of work and investment. Behind every national team stand entire communities and millions of people who see football as a source of pride, hope and unity.
“Football does not belong to a select group of nations. Its strength comes from its universality. The FIFA World Cup is the world’s greatest football competition precisely because it brings together different cultures, different histories and different football journeys.
“For many countries, participation in the FIFA World Cup is not only a sporting achievement. It is a moment that inspires a generation, accelerates football development and creates memories that last a lifetime.
“We believe that every nation that qualifies deserves respect. Every team has earned its place on merit. Every supporter has the right to dream. Every match carries meaning for millions of people around the world.
“We therefore reject the UEFA President’s comments and reaffirm our belief that the growth of football must continue to create opportunities, inspire new generations and strengthen the truly global nature of our game.
“Every team qualified on merit.
“Every match matters.”
The Premier League title race would have entered the final match round with Manchester City two points clear of Arsenal, according to The Athletic’s analysis of key match decisions made by referees and their video assistants.
■ Arsenal, Chelsea and Sunderland benefitted the most from errors
■ Bournemouth earned four fewer points than they should have
■ Fulham should have qualified for the Europa League
■ An extra 17 red cards and 36 penalties should have been awarded
@Refsplaining analyses every key match decision to evaluate how on-field and VAR refereeing decisions shaped the Premier League in 2025-26.
Free to read here ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/aCM0ROTHLY
According to @lequipe,
Sir Alex Ferguson texted PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi:📱
"Nasser, this is Alex Ferguson. Well done, it was a tough night for you, but you played against a boring team that did nothing but defend. Enjoy your holidays, you deserve it."
“Arsenal have been blocking the opponent’s goalkeeper all season long, they would NEVER be on top of the league if we disallow these goals!”
Peter Schmeichel thank you for calling them out. have your cheating title VARSENAL. 👏
🚨 Toni Kroos tells Marca: “Luis Enrique subbed out Ousmane Dembélé, his best player, in the 65th minute of a Champions League semi-final and nobody complained. He exits the pitch, shakes his coach’s hand and sits on the bench cheering his teammates. There are some counter examples to this.”
“You look at Ousmane Dembélé, and how he's yelling at his teammates to keep fighting, from the bench. That's not what 90% of players who think they're stars would do. They start to do bad gestures on the pitch, then sit on the bench sulking.”
Those of us who have known the truth about Bruno Fernandes have said 'there's him & then there's everyone else'? Here is the proof of that quote.
In a league where goals are so hard to come by, he is a living, breathing hub of creation.
This is absurd.