Football needs more expertise in the boardroom. The Manchester United keeper Tom Heaton has his A and B badges, a Uefa certificate in football management, and studied executive leadership at Oxford Uni. He's still playing at 40, still a leader in the United dressing room... 1/2
I was on a football space yesterday where the discussion was about Nigerian football, I sent a request to speak but I guess they were many requests
So I just stayed and listened. Most of the speakers were so apt!! Like I kept nodding my head like agama lizard!
I’m happy a lot more people are waking up !!!
This is the year when the game of two halves became the game of four quarters. And the greatest sport and event was damaged for fistfuls of dollars. Hydration breaks ruin the game’s flow and frustrates fans and viewers. If hydration breaks were solely about player welfare then they would be linked to the temperature in the stadia. It’s a nonsense having a three-minute break in an air-conditioned arena.
Fifa should long ago have established a working party of coaches, sports scientists, national team doctors and Fifpro to agree a set temperature at kickoff, say 25C, which triggers the breaks. That would prove the breaks were for player welfare. At the moment, and to nobody’s surprise, it is widely accepted that these breaks are for US TV to accommodate commercials. Big bucks for the small screen.
Fifa should have thought more about the effect on games and to fan (and viewer) experience when negotiating. Coaches’ desire for a mid-half tactical time-out masquerading as a drinks stop should be resisted anyway. Games have been played for 150 years without needing such intervention. Coaches can shout instructions. And who says that 22 mins and 67 mins is when a coach needs to intervene anyway. It’s nonsense. It’s about money.
Respected and sane footballing voices from Virgil van Dijk to Mauricio Pochettino have spoken out against the breaks. Fifa should listen to them not appear only to listen to the rustle of dollar bills. It’s important that there is resistance to this from all over. Because if we tolerate this, our TV games could be next. BBC can’t do ads, ITV says it won’t follow its US counterparts. But it has been discussed by TV people. It’ll come one day. #FIFAWorldCup.
You would recall that I once said that the VAR could not intervene in matters involving yellow cards.
Under the previous Laws of the Game, VAR could only correct a card shown to the wrong player when that player was on the same team as the actual offender. If a referee booked the right team but the wrong man, it could be reviewed.
But what if the referee booked someone from the wrong team entirely? Under the old wording, that did not clearly fall within the protocol.
However, now, under the Laws of the Game 2026/27, mistaken identity is now reviewable whenever the referee has shown the wrong player of either team a red card or yellow card, not just the offending one.
My name is Ajoje. I am a FIFA Licensed Agent and International Sports Lawyer. I write on the Law and Business of Football, a lot. Repost and Follow if you want to read more posts like this.
A reminder that Flo Balogun would not be on the US Men's National Team if Trump's birthright citizenship order was in place when he was born in NY. The first US man to score more than one goal in a World Cup match since the very first World Cup in 1930.
America has taught the World that You can Deny Visa to certain Athletes to the World Cup. Known Career Footballers & Officials with No Plans for Illegal Migration. 1 day a Host Country will Ban the strong Players from Others Nations to give their Team a Chance to Win it. Bet 😮💨🤐
MY SECOND ALBUM
OUT OF SIGHT - OUT OF MIND: VOLUME 1
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GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE THAT BROUGHT THIS BODY OF WORK TO LIFE!
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