“UEFA Champions League”: Shakhtar Donetsk from London “carries the hopes” of Ukraine

Mikel Arteta, coach of the English football team Arsenal, dedicated the victory over Lille, France, by three clean goals in the Champions League, to Ken Fryer, the honorary president of the club, who died at the age of 92, praising his exceptional legacy and his role in the club’s history.

British news agency PA Media reported that Arsenal players wore black armbands during the match held yesterday (Tuesday), in mourning for Freyer, who played a prominent role in the club’s move from Highbury Stadium to Emirates Stadium in 2006.

Urian Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka scored 3 goals within 7 minutes during the second half, as Arsenal achieved its 14th successive victory in the league or group stage of the Champions League, a series that extends for nearly two years, and scored 6 points from its first two matches in the tournament this season.

Before receiving any questions in the post-match press conference, Arteta said: “Before we start, I would like to say a few words about Ken Fryer.” He added: “It is a very sad day for everyone who loves Arsenal Football Club.” He continued: “I had the honor and privilege to know him, spend time with him and learn from him. There are people in clubs who perform specific roles, and there are others who create the club’s identity, embody its values, and set a vision for its future, and Kane’s legacy will remain forever.” He explained: “I want his family and relatives to know that our feelings towards him can only be described as exceptional. I'm sure he's happy with what the players did tonight. This victory is for him. “I know how proud he is of what we have built.”

Arteta had challenged Saka on the eve of the match that was held yesterday, by scoring 3 goals in every match he played. The England international responded by setting up Eze's goal, before scoring himself just 5 minutes after coming on as a substitute. The Spanish coach said: “After the press conference yesterday, Saka was on the massage bed, and I said to him: Bukayo, I was very harsh on you in the press conference. I wish you good luck tomorrow.” He added: “He was laughing, because he knows me well.” “He accepts this because he wants to become the best possible version of himself.” He continued: “He did not feel at his best yesterday, nor today, because he was ill. He wasn't ready to start, but he was very keen to help the team. When he participated, he left a big mark and gave a distinguished, high-quality performance.”

Iga Szwiłtek, ranked ninth in the world, began her journey to 1,000 points with a crushing victory over Magdalena Frisch, 6-2, 6-1, in an all-Polish match in the second round, on Wednesday.

It is the 40th victory this year for the woman who has won six Grand Slam titles, and she is still on her way to a possible confrontation in the quarter-finals with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, ranked “first” in the tournament and second in the world, who has won the title three times (2018, 2019, and 2024).

Shevuntek, ranked seventh in the tournament, who needed an hour and 42 minutes to win against her compatriot, who qualified for this round as the “lucky loser,” said: “We know each other well, so I wanted to focus on consistency and providing the best performance possible.”

The Polish woman, who is seeking to qualify for the season-ending WTA Masters Championship, scheduled to be held in Indian Wells between November 8 and 15, added: “I know that she always runs to every ball, and sometimes takes advantage of her opponent’s strength, so I wanted to play with consistency and balance, and I am happy that I did that.”

Despite the overwhelming result, the first set was close, and lasted for more than an hour and required Świjontek to recover from a 0-2 deficit and save 7 chances, out of 8, to break her serve, before she finally took the lead on the fourth set point.

By constantly pressing with her powerful forehand, Švūntek won the tenth game in a row and took a 4-0 lead in the second set.

The former world number one briefly lost her momentum, as Frisch broke her serve, but she regained her balance to qualify for the round of 16, where one of the two qualifying players awaits among the lucky losers, Thai Lanlana Tararudi or American Ashlyn Kruger.

British Sunay Kartal, ranked 170 in the world, who missed six months this year due to a stress fracture in her spine, surprised Swiss Belinda Bencic, ninth, and beat her 6-0 and 7-5 to secure a date with either Italian Jazmine Paolini or Czech Nikola Bartonkova.

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is preparing to present an unprecedented financial proposal to distribute more than $6 billion to national and continental federations during the financial cycle extending from 2027 to 2030, in a step that would double the allocations that were previously allocated to develop football around the world, months before the presidential elections during which Gianni Infantino is seeking to retain his position.

According to “The Athletic,” the proposal expected to be presented to the FIFA Council on Thursday includes raising the financial allocations for each national federation to $25 million over four years, an increase of $15 million from the previously planned amount of $10 million, in addition to allocating $99 million to each of the six continental federations during the same period.

The plan is based on the unprecedented commercial success achieved by the 2026 World Cup, with the participation of 48 teams, which was hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, after the tournament’s revenues reached about $15 billion, exceeding initial expectations of $11 billion, which were later raised to $13 billion.

In order to finance this huge increase, FIFA intends to withdraw more than $3.5 billion from its financial reserves, while maintaining a cash reserve of $1.7 billion, according to a source familiar with the details of the proposal, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he does not have permission to speak publicly.

The proposal represents a major shift in the amount of funding that national federations have received since Infantino’s arrival to the presidency of FIFA in 2016, as the allocations for each federation amounted to one million dollars, before it gradually increased, reaching $25 million in the next session, if the new plan was adopted.

These moves come after a letter sent by Infantino last September to the presidents of the six continental federations, during which he opened the door to increasing the funds distributed to the member federations, at a time when he was facing mounting pressure against the backdrop of an investment project that sparked a crisis within the international institution.

The “FIFA Forward Enterprise” project, which was later abandoned, was to provide a 20 percent stake in the international federation’s commercial operations and event organization to private investors, which raised widespread objections within international football circles and placed Infantino under intense scrutiny.

The repercussions of the crisis reached the point that the President of the European Football Association, Alexander Ceferin, and the President of the North, Central American and Caribbean Federation, Victor Montagliani, called on Infantino to resign, in a position that reflects the extent of the division that the project caused among football leaders.

The President of the Asian Football Confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, also adopted a position in support of Infantino stepping down, before signs emerged of him retreating from his previous extremism, including abandoning his demand that an independent body review the governance system within FIFA.

On the other hand, Ceferin and Montagliani had sent letters to Infantino asking him to release part of the International Federation’s financial reserves and distribute them to the national federations, an approach that intersects with the content of the new financial proposal.

On Thursday, the FIFA Council is scheduled to discuss the plan to increase funding in its first meeting since the crisis of the canceled investment project. If it is initially approved, it will be subject to a consultation process before it can be approved by the Council next December.

The plan will then need final approval from the FIFA Congress, which is scheduled to be held next March, before the new allocations enter into force during the 2027-2030 financial cycle.

On the electoral level, neither Ceferin nor Montagliani translated their demand for Infantino’s resignation into direct competition for the presidency of the International Federation, as they both decided to remain in their continental positions, without presenting an alternative candidate to run in the upcoming elections.

Thus, Infantino is heading to run in the presidential race without a competitor for the third time in a row, unless another candidate comes forward before the nomination period closes on November 18, at a time when electoral preparations overlap with one of the largest redistribution of financial resources in the history of the International Federation.