The Guardian

Under-pressure Fifa president seeks out allies in Africa Heading to South America to get Conmebol support Gianni Infantino is continuing to fight for his future after holding crisis talks with senior officials in Rabat on Wednesday. The under-pressure Fifa president has spent the last week in Morocco after attending Throne Day celebrations to mark the 27th anniversary of King Mohammed VI’s access…

Document shows Fifa staff were involved in project Fifa was prepared to sideline member associations Gianni Infantino held talks about rebranding the ill-fated European breakaway competition the “Fifa Super League”, with ­negotiations going as far as the term sheet for an agreement that would have changed the face of European football. The term sheet, whose full contents can be revealed for the f…

Forward becomes most expensive African player Club are in positive talks with Vinícius Júnior Real Madrid have agreed a club-record fee of €135m (£115.7m) with RB Leipzig for Yan Diomande and are confident of warding off Arsenal’s interest in Vinícius Júnior after offering an improved contract to the Brazil forward. After several weeks of negotiations that saw Paris Saint-Germain pull out of the …

Incident occurred after Pumas were denied a late try Albornoz’s ban begins against South Africa on Saturday Tomás Albornoz, the Argentina fly-half, has been banned for four matches for intimidating the referee after the full-time whistle of England’s controversial victory against the Pumas last month. Albornoz accepted allegations of misconduct at a disciplinary hearing, and that his behaviour wa…

Federation leaders are massing forces at the gates, but years after the first proposed selling off of its commercial legacy and the Qatar World Cup In recent decades the city of Salé, just across the river from Rabat on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, has undergone a remarkable transformation. At the start of this century it was a gritty working-class area, whose old town was still weathered enough to …

Australian officials touring clubs to gauge mood Wigan and Warrington set date for Dublin clash NRL officials have arrived in England to hold talks with clubs as the prospect of a groundbreaking deal with Super League nears completion while two of the competition’s heavyweights, Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves, confirmed they will lead an on-the-road weekend to Dublin in 2027. Rugby league’s…

In this exclusive book extract, Melissa Reddy documents the Egyptian King’s sacrifice and dedication to make his vision a reality The entrance to Al Mokawloon Al Arab’s youth sector feels imposing. At first it is confusing to pinpoint the reason. Is it the facade; a mesh of thick concrete slabs, a marble-like trim that alters in colour depending on the light, and the no-nonsense black steel gate?…

German officially announced as Howe’s successor ‘This an incredibly compelling place to be’ Matthias Jaissle has described Newcastle “as an incredibly compelling place to be” after finally formalising his managerial move from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli. The 38-year-old German has been with his new players at their training camp in La Manga, southern Spain, since last Saturday but, despite also fallin…

LIV chief refuses to disclose new funders’ identities Scott O’Neil hopes DeChambeau and Rahm will stay LIV Golf has secured a “lead investor” to safeguard its existence until 2030, although the agreement is unlikely to prevent a batch of high-profile players from departing by the end of this year. Scott O’Neil, LIV’s chief executive, announced basic plans for the “next generation” of the tour on …

Three outstanding riders in race broke clear of peloton Padding row intensifies after footage of male inspection Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s defence of her Tour de France Femmes title unravelled among the Beaujolais vineyards as the French rider lost even more ground to rivals Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma. The three outstanding riders in this year’s race broke clear of the pel…

Portugal legend calls for Fifa president to stand down ‘Too late to save his dignity, not too late to save football’ The Portugal legend Luís Figo has described Gianni Infantino’s ill-fated scheme to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors as “the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed” and called on the Fifa president to resign. Infantin…

United impressed by her ability to develop players Spaniard signs two-year deal after guiding Hearts to glory Eva Olid has described being appointed as the Manchester United Women head coach as a dream come true, after signing a two-year contract until 2028 with the option of a further year. The Spanish coach will replace Marc Skinner, whose surprise departure was announced on Monday morning . Co…

In a blow for the league, Tata Steel has pulled the plug on the club saying it wants to ‘focus more intensely on grassroots development’ “Please don’t let this be the final whistle for Jamshedpur FC,” the defender Pratik Chaudhari said, looking into the camera as teammates looked on disconsolately . “We would like to say on behalf of all the players, please do rethink about this. Because if this …

The Wigan prop only took up the sport in her 20s when she moved north to work for the Home Office but now hopes to play at the World Cup There was something old-school about the England women’s team that beat France 38-4 in Toulouse last week. With eight players from Wigan, five from Leeds and three from St Helens, it looked like a Great Britain side of the early 2000s. But among the Wigan contin…

‘My provisional suspension is lifted and I’ll ​be back soon’ British Boxing confirm news but gave no details Joseph Parker, the former heavyweight world champion, ⁠said on Wednesday he had been cleared to fight ⁠again after failing ⁠a ​dope test last October . The 34-year-old New Zealander, ⁠who held the WBO title from 2016 to 2018, had denied ⁠taking a prohibited substance but ​risked a two-year…