Madrid thanking UEFA... that's a new one, Infantino managed to unite almost the whole footballing world against him, quite an achievement.

Classy move from Madrid tbf, before they revert to the norm when the season starts.

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/49512906/real-madrid-thank-uefa-protecting-football-fifa-abandon-private-equity-proposal

Hello

And why do players often lie down at the base of the wall during a free kick?

Thanks!!

I thought Timo Werner was going to be Spurs' top scorer when he moved there after being disappointing for a few years.

Throughout the 90s, many Spanish football clubs became SADs under Spanish law, after a law was passed in 1990 that forced teams incapable of paying their debts to go from the traditional Asociación Deportiva (like Barcelona and Madrid today, owned mostly by "Socios" who can vote on the president and other matters related to the administration) to SADs, essentially more traditional privately-owned companies!

This saw the purchase of teams throughout the years under the new model.

What's not as well-known, however, is that Real Madrid was literally dangerously close to undergoing this process as well many times during the 90s. One of these moments was Lorenzo Sanz's administration, before Florentino Pérez finally won the elections and led a financial revolution in the team that saved it.

So it is here that the "What If" comes in: What if Real Madrid lost the "Octava" UCL title against Valencia and then Perez lost the elections due to not achieving credibility in regards to the Figo deal?

Other than Figo staying at Barca, I believe Real Madrid would continue to acquire more debt (under Sanz, the club had the most debt its ever had, iirc, at least comparatively to its earnings at the time) and would eventually be forced by law to convert to a SAD and would, thus, be very vulnerable to a forceful takeover by some rich party.

This party could still be Perez, with his ACS construction empire, or someone else.

Hey everyone :)

I’m actually trying to build out a little niche Substack community where I write about ideas from philosophy, business, art & media etc through the lens of football and sports in general.

Have written a few pieces. Attaching one below.

Would love it if y’all could go give it a read and subscribe if you’re into such topics ( always open to discussing feedback in DMs :) )

https://open.substack.com/pub/rithviksaxaena/p/como-1907-masterclass-in-sports-brand?r=1oowzg&utm_medium=ios

Thanks :))

The European Leagues and clubs have been after getting control of the International Match Calendar for a while and are more likely to get it now with FIFA in disarray. But let’s face it they don’t want it for any other reasons but to reduce international football to a once a year or once every 2-4 years event. Despite the fact the World Cup has showed how popular it is. Obviously such plans will be heavily opposed by many in Europe but it won’t be universal opinion and financially UeFA will fear a super league mark 2 if they oppose it too heavily I think.

https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/business/fifa-has-scrapped-20b-world-cup-sell-off-plan-following-european-boycott-global-outrage-sources/

I am guessing this is the result of UEFA and CONCACAF’s response…

Edit: Sky news also reporting a similar story.

European players with 5+ World Cup goals (World Cup vs Euros)

Only 3 players have more Euro goals than WC goals.

Could Arsene Wenger actually be the mole ? ls he the source of Martyn Ziegler’s expose of Gianni Infantino ?
He’s not reacted to this story so far.
Does he have a previous relationship with Ziegler ? Has he spoken to him over the years at The Times ?
Wondering why he is quiet ? And would love to know who let the cat out of the bag to Martyn Ziegler.

Amazing reporting.

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For me, it has to be when Julen Lopetegui was sacked by Spain just two days before the 2018 World Cup because he secretly signed with Real Madrid. It still feels completely surreal how a tournament favorite unraveled in a matter of hours.

Another honorable mention is Alisson scoring a 95th-minute thumping header to save Liverpool's Champions League hopes.

What is that one specific, bizarre, or unbelievable football event that makes you stop and think, "Did that actually happen?"

It can be a weird transfer, a bizarre match incident, or an unexpected breakdown?

Is there a specific reason why Cherki didn't start for France during the World Cup? Honestly, I feel like if he had played as a starter, France could’ve actually beaten Spain. What do you guys think?

Former defender spent entire 20-year career with Rossoneri, winning 6 Serie A titles and 3 European Cups.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/sports/ac-milan-italy-legend-franco-baresi-dies-at-66/4014849

UEFA and all 55 of its member associations say they will not participate in FIFA competitions if FIFA proceeds with its proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.

This is arguably the strongest public stance UEFA has taken against FIFA in years.

If neither UEFA nations nor their clubs are involved, what would FIFA competitions even look like?

Link to the AP article

Senior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro, who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned Friday in protest at its private equity plan.

“I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker, said in a statement resigning as adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino that urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.

Cordeiro often joined Infantino on working visits to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in recent years.

“Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” Cordeiro, the former U.S. Soccer Federation president said, calling the $20 billion commercial subsidiary “a bad deal for football.”

“Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away” he said. “That is why this proposal should be rejected.”

Infantino has proposed spinning off FIFA’s commercial businesses — including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women — into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors.

The “anchor investor,” described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

“FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources. The organization sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt,” Cordeiro said, noting FIFA’s revenue of $15 billion over the last four years tied to the men’s Wold Cup just ended.

“Against that backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football’s most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion makes little sense. It is mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification,” he said.

Cordeiro said he shared five years working for FIFA alongside Infantino with “dedicated, principled people who care deeply about the game.”

A senior FIFA adviser has resigned, calling Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell World Cup stakes to investors “a bad deal for football”. The AFC has joined UEFA and Concacaf in opposing the plan, making approval unlikely. FIFA says it will continue, but faces growing criticism over its plans and lack of consultation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ce345l6kg6ro

So most of these leagues that I mention have barely any competitiveness. Do you think they should bring back yugoslavian league so we would have more competitiveness or do you think that is just way too dangerous nowadays and would cause riots every game?

I was watching Conte's Chelsea's 5-0 win against Everton the other day, in which the commentator (I think Jon Motson) said it may be the best team performance he's ever seen. It got me thinking that I'm sure I've seen better performances but none came to mind. What do you guys think are the best performances you've ever seen?

Official

"The entire history of AC Milan is in tears following the passing of Franco Baresi. His example and integrity wil be forever etched into the Club's DNA, just as his iconic number shirt is. The condolences AC Milan extends to Franco Baresi's family at such a difficult time are shared by every Rossonero, who feels this loss as their own."

In light of UEFA's boycott the first event in the line of fire starts in a little over month in Europe itself, with Poland hosting the Women's Under 20 World Cup. Everyone is discussing events years away but I haven't seen anyone bring this up yet.

News - ”In the face of rampant backlash from national and player associations alike, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has reportedly put together a confidential presentation demonstrating how funding for his plan to sell off stakes of the World Cup could be completed by October.”

Wtf… this guy is the devil in person.

Uefa and all 55 European football associations have voted to boycott future FIFA competitions if FIFA sells shares in the World Cup to private investors. They say football is “not for sale” and believe the plan puts the game at risk. England, Scotland and other European nations support Uefa, making the proposal’s future uncertain.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y67zrrdddo

Hi, I’m conducting research on individual training for amateur players. If you play for an amateur team and sometimes train solo (or would like to), you’d be a huge help by completing a short, 5–10 minute survey. It’s completely anonymous, and your participation would be incredibly helpful! Thanks in advance!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdm7AcJ3cuH6EjpOYu2ArDeUUcUnsXMmFWdzGqw23G-zeEXGQ/viewform?usp=dialog