Mikael Antonio has joined Watford on a one-year free transfer as the former West Ham United striker returns to English football.
The 36-year-old player, who is West Ham's all-time top scorer in the English Premier League, was involved in a serious car accident in December 2024 when his car collided with a tree on his way home from training. He suffered a fracture in his femur in 4 places, and did not play with the team again.
Antonio left West Ham in August 2025 after the London club decided not to renew his contract. The team was relegated to the First Division after finishing 18th in the English Premier League last season.
Antonio joined Qatari club Al Sailiya in March, the first club he joined since undergoing surgery following the accident.
Antonio said in a statement on Friday: “There is a wonderful group of players here... They are fully focused and ready to show their abilities this season.”
He added: “Watford is a big club, and I am in the process of joining it, and I hope to achieve success and help in all I can.”
He continued: “I scored some goals against Watford!” So hopefully I can score some goals for Watford now when I'm at my best.”
Watford ranks twelfth in the First Division with 8 points from 6 matches.
The Danish Football Association's battle with Gianni Infantino moved to the heart of the corridors of FIFA, after the Federation's president, Jesper Muller, left a meeting of the International Federation's Legal Committee, accusing the organization's officials of avoiding answering questions related to one of its most controversial projects.
According to Reuters, Mueller was surprised that the “Viva Forward Enterprise” project was not included in the committee’s agenda, despite the widespread crisis it caused before it was withdrawn. The project aimed to introduce private investors into the commercial activity of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
Mueller said that he tried during the meeting to obtain answers regarding the procedures that preceded the proposal, but he stressed that it was “impossible” to obtain them, after FIFA preferred to postpone the discussion to its council meeting in October.
The crisis is no longer limited to the project itself. The Danish Federation announced its loss of confidence in Infantino, and pledged to work with European federations to search for an alternative candidate in the FIFA presidential elections scheduled for Rabat on March 18, 2027. The circle of opposition is expanding; France and Austria withdrew their support for Infantino, while Reuters reported that UEFA, the Asian Confederations and CONCACAF were among the parties that demanded a change in FIFA’s leadership following the project crisis. But Infantino, according to sources who spoke to the agency, still enjoys the support of federations that is sufficient for him electorally so far.
Luis Enrique urged Paris Saint-Germain players to turn the criticism directed at them into positive motivation, as they seek to end their faltering streak at the beginning of their French League campaign when facing Brest.
Paris Saint-Germain put its domestic problems aside when it swept Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in the Champions League in midweek, but the defending champion has only two points from its first 3 league matches, after losing 1-2 at home to Monaco last week.
In a press conference held on Saturday, Enrique was asked about the criticism that has targeted the player Elia Zabarny in recent weeks, and he replied that everyone in the club should expect criticism and use it as fuel to motivate them.
“This is normal,” Enrique said, according to the British news agency PA Media. When you are at a club like Paris Saint-Germain, there is always criticism. Even if you win 6 matches, there may be criticism about goalkeepers, left-backs, centre-backs or strikers not scoring; "This is normal."
He added: “It is positive that there is a buzz or conversation around us; Because that means we are in a big club. If we look at what happened last year, we will find that there was criticism directed at Ousmane Dembélé, and directed at me personally, as well as Desiree Doue, who was said to have not been at the required level.
He continued, saying: “This is all natural, and I think it is fair.” You have to realize that you are in one of the biggest clubs in the world; “So it is natural that there are requirements and expectations from players individually, and you have to know that you can improve every day.”
He added: “I am not saying that it is unfair, but I think it is fair. “It should push you to become better.”
