Atlanta, July 16 (IANS) Argentina risks disciplinary action from FIFA after La Albiceleste players celebrated their FIFA World Cup semi-final win against England by holding a banner that supports their country’s claims to the Falkland Islands. After the holders Argentina staged a stunning late fightback with two late goals to defeat England 2-1 and advance to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, Argentine players celebrated while holding a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates…
Latest FIFA News & Updates
New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) Dutch football referee Rob Dieperink has died weeks after he was removed from officiating at the World Cup following a police case in Britain that was later dropped. Dieperink was selected to be a VAR official at the FIFA World Cup 2026 but was removed from FIFA’s list of World Cup officials in May. His cause of death has not been disclosed. The Netherlands’ football association said they were “shocked and deeply saddened” by Dieperink’s death.”We are shocked …
Madrid, July 13 (IANS) FC Barcelona began preseason training ahead of the 2026-27 La Liga season on Monday as they look to win a third consecutive domestic title. Barcelona returned to work without players such as Lamine Yamal, Eric Garcia, Pedri, Ferran Torres, and Jules Kounde, who are still competing at the FIFA World Cup and are entitled to a three-week holiday after the tournament ends.The players arrived at 9 a.m. local time to undergo medical checks, with new signing Hamza Abdelkarim pres…
New York, July 12 (IANS) FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said the possibility of expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 edition will be formally considered after the ongoing 2026 tournament, opening the door to another major increase in the size of football’s biggest competition.The 2026 World Cup, being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first to feature 48 teams, up from the 32-team format used in every edition from 1998 to 2022.Under the current…
New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) Norway striker Erling Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, publicly questioned the officiating after Norway’s 2-1 extra-time defeat to England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final in Miami, accusing the referee of influencing the outcome. His reaction came moments after England overturned an early deficit to seal a place in the semi-finals, with the former Manchester City midfielder alleging that crucial decisions went against Norway during one of the country’s biggest match…
Buenos Aires, July 12 (IANS) Antonio Ubaldo Rattin, one of the greatest captains and midfielders in the history of Argentine football, died at the age of 89. He wrote one of the most memorable chapters in World Cup history and played at the 1962 and 1966 World Cups and represented Argentina from 1959 to 1969. “The Argentine Football Association, through its President Claudio Tapia, deeply mourns the passing of Antonio Ubaldo Rattín, one of the greatest symbols in the history of the Argentine Na…
Miami, July 12 (IANS) FIFA has stated that there was “no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire” in Jude Bellingham’s equaliser in England’s 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win against Norway in Miami. Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland’s goal kick appeared to clearly strike a camera wire late in the first half, allowing England to quickly surge forward on the attack and Bellingham scored the tying goal. As per the rule, if the ball had been noticed hitting the wire, play would have st…
New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) FIFA chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina has strongly defended the integrity and independence of match officials at the 2026 FIFA World Cup following criticism that emerged after Argentina’s 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 stage.Speaking amid calls from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) for an investigation into the officiating and the removal of the refereeing team from the tournament, Collina dismissed the allegations and reiterated FIFA’s confid…
Foxborough, July 9 (IANS) Morocco have been dealt a big blow ahead of their crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter-final clash against a strong France side, as their prime forward Ismael Saibari has been ruled out of the match due to injury. Morocco head coach Mohammed Ouabhi confirmed Saibari’s exit in the pre-match press conference on Thursday. According to Ouabhi, the forward could not recover on time after picking a hamstring injury during Morocco’s round of 16 victory against Canada. However, …
Foxborough, July 9 (IANS) France head coach Didier Deschamps is unfazed by the appointment of all Argentine officials for their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal against Morocco, saying their “opponent is Morocco, not the referee.” FIFA has sparked a massive debate ahead of the World Cup quarter-finals by appointing an entirely Argentine officiating crew for France’s clash against Morocco, marking the first time in the 2026 tournament that a match will be handled exclusively by officials from a s…