The United States secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their FIFA World Cup opener. The match also featured a historic VAR decision, overturning a mistaken-identity yellow card issued to Tim Ream, marking the first time VAR corrected such a booking in the tournament.
Tim Ream became the oldest USMNT player at a World Cup and the first to benefit from the 'mistaken identity' rule change, where a yellow card was overturned and issued to an opponent for simulation.
VAR will rule on corners and second yellows at World CupPGMO fears change will put more pressure on officialsThe Premier League is to reject widening the scope of VAR next season after talks with the refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO). Under a regulation change approved by the International Football Association Board (Ifab) in February, the video assistant referee will be permitted to rule on the award of corners and second yellow cards from next month, with referees to use the powers at the World Cup after a request from Fifa.Ifab has made the new law discretionary, however, allowing leagues and competitions to decide whether to adopt it. The Premier League’s final decision will be made by the clubs at their annual general meeting next month, but PGMO has advised against extending the use of VAR. Continue reading...
Prices will rise by 3% next season but frozen for 2027-28Liverpool fans directed yellow cards against ownersLiverpool supporters have achieved a significant victory in their protests against ticket costs at Anfield after the club scrapped plans to increase prices for the next three seasons.Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), went against the wishes of their Supporters Board in March by announcing general admission tickets would rise by the rate of inflation, capped to 3%, in each of the next three seasons. Following widespread protests organised by several Liverpool supporters groups, the club have now confirmed those tickets will rise by 3% next season but will be frozen in 2027-28. Further discussions with the Supporters Board will be held over ticket prices for future seasons. The Premier League champions made record revenues of £703m in the year ending 31 May 2025 and ticket prices rises were costed to be worth an extra £1.2m. The club claimed the increases were necessary due to rising operational costs at Anfield. Continue reading...
Prices will rise by 3% next season but frozen for 2027-28Liverpool fans directed yellow cards against ownersLiverpool supporters have achieved a significant victory in their protests against ticket costs at Anfield after the club scrapped plans to increase prices for the next three seasons.Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), went against the wishes of the club’s supporters board in March by announcing general admission tickets would rise by the rate of inflation, capped to 3%, in each of the next three seasons. Following widespread protests organised by several Liverpool supporters groups, the club have now confirmed those tickets will rise by 3% next season but will be frozen in 2027-28. Further discussions with the supporters board will be held over ticket prices for future seasons. The Premier League champions made record revenues of £703m in the year ending 31 May 2025 and ticket prices rises were costed to be worth an extra £1.2m. The club claimed the increases were necessary due to rising operational costs at Anfield. Continue reading...
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will introduce changes to yellow card rules to suit its expanded 48-team format. With more matches and an added knockout round, FIFA plans two reset points, after the group stage and quarter-finals, to limit suspensions from accumulated bookings. The change aims to reduce players missing key matches while maintaining disciplinary fairness across a longer tournament structure.
FIFA is planning to introduce a second yellow card amnesty stage at the 2026 World Cup, wiping all bookings after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals. The rule change responds to the expanded 48-team format which increases matches from five to six before the semi-finals, raising suspension risks for players.
Sidemen FC charity match at Wembley Stadium raised a record £6.2 million for Bright Side and M7 Education charities. The YouTube Allstars defeated Sidemen FC 4-1 in a penalty shootout following a dramatic 10-10 draw. The seventh edition of the exhibition match saw team lineups mixed, with Sidemen members playing for both sides. Over two million viewers watched the livestream. Memorable moments included YouTuber Max Fosh setting his yellow card on fire and Tinie Tempah's half-time performance.
Hong Kong’s men’s team lived up to their own vow to exact revenge over Japan at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens with a 19-15 win over their arch-rivals at Kai Tak Stadium on Sunday. The thrilling win, just one day after their seven-point loss in the round-robin stage on Saturday, handed the city’s men their third Melrose Claymores trophy in as many years. And after doing so despite being shown a yellow card in each half, co-captain James Christie heaped praise on the team effort. “We gave them...
