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Good morning football fans. It’s Tuesday, August. 4 - UEFA is threatening legal action against all those involved in Fifa’s failed controversial plans, an unlikely Ballon d’Or top contender has emerged, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
TOP TALKING POINTS
UEFA Threaten Legal Action
UEFA has threatened Fifa with legal action over its failed plans to sell part of the World Cup to private investors. The European governing body wrote a letter, addressed to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, saying that it was “actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints.” The letter was also sent to others named in Fifa's announcement, including Thrive Eternal's Joshua Kushner, Bann Ventures' Greg Maffei, JP Morgan and OpenEconomics.
In the letter, Uefa urged the recipients to “take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your and Fifa’s possession, custody, or control.” Uefa has asked Infantino to acknowledge receipt of its letter in writing within five business days.
In related news, Wales became the first nation to publicly withdraw its backing for Gianni Infantino's bid to continue leading Fifa for the 2027-31 term. Following Wales’ announcement, the English FA and several others also withdrew their support for Infantino as president. Infantino was expected to run for the presidency unopposed before last week’s announcement of the controversial proposal.
Pochettino Extends
United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has extended his contract through to 2030. While financial details have not been reported publicly, Pochettino is expected to receive a raise on top of the $6m-a-year payout under his previous deal with US Soccer. Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin is thought to be the primary funder of the new deal, as he was for the previous contract, according to The Guardian.
Pochettino’s role will be expanded beyond the senior men’s team. The statement from US Soccer outlined that Pochettino and his staff will “advise and support” the federation on the “broader development of the full national team pathway, youth soccer, coaching education, professional league collaboration and other technical facets across the soccer community.”
Across 31 matches in charge, Pochettino has won 17, lost 12 and drawn twice. He experienced early troubles—namely, finishing fourth in the 2025 Nations League and a loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final—but he also led the USMNT to a record three wins and their first World Cup knockout-stage victory since 2002 at the 2026 tournament, before they were knocked out in the round of 16 with a 4-1 loss to Belgium.
Ballon d’Or’s New Contender
Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been placed firmly among the leading contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, according to French newspaper L’Equipe. The Ballon d’Or, which honours the player judged as the best in the world, is owned by L’Equipe’s parent company, Groupe Amaury. See how the Ballon d’Or winner is decided here.
L’Equipe, which had Kvaratskhelia on its front cover, argues that he played a crucial role in PSG’s Champions League title win and established himself as one of Europe’s most decisive attacking players. Despite his nation, Georgia, failing to qualify for the World Cup, the outlet says the tournament failed to produce a clear standout favourite for the Ballon d’Or. The Georgian winger scored eight goals and assisted four times in Ligue 1 during the 2025-26 season, though he achieved a more impressive 10 goals and six assists in the Champions League.
While L’Equipe does not vote for the winner, members of its editorial staff help compile the list of nominees. The outlet has frequently included the eventual winner among its leading contenders over the past five editions. It did, however, position Vinicius Jr as the “grand favourite” to win the 2024 edition, which Manchester City’s Rodri went on to win.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on October 26 in London.
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POLL
Do you think Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a leading contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> French president Emmanuel Macron reportedly called Infantino to voice his opposition to the plans to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors (More) | Paris Saint-Germain has announced a multi-year partnership with Google Gemini as the club’s official AI assistant (More)
> Jordan Henderson has completed his move to Chelsea on a two-year deal following his Brentford exit (More) | Fulham have signed striker Gonzalo Garcia from Real Madrid in a £34m five-year deal (More) | Newcastle have signed goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek from Braga for £25.7m (More); see every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues (More/live tracker)
> German football set a new ticket sales record in 2025-26, selling 21.4 million tickets in the season, with Borussia Dortmund recording the highest average attendance at 80,000 (More)
> Marc Skinner has left his role as Manchester United Women head coach (More) | Louis van Gaal, former Manchester United manager, is open to a fourth spell with the Dutch national team (More)
> Celtic have been drawn against Austrian champions LASK in the Champions League play-off round (More); see the full draw (More)
Americas
> The Leagues Cup rosters have been confirmed by 36 MLS and Liga MX clubs ahead of kick-off on Tuesday (August 4); see the Leagues Cup fixtures (More) and everything you need to know about the Leagues Cup 2026 (More) | LA Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz claims Casemiro told the club he “only wanted to play for the Galaxy” amid an MLS tampering investigation into Inter Miami's pursuit of him (More); learn more about Discovery rights (More)
> Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha has arrived in Chile to complete a move to Colo-Colo, aged 40 (More)
> Washington Spirit lost 1-0 to San Diego Wave in an NWSL upset, which has left Gotham FC top of the table (More); see the NWSL Standings (More)
Rest of the World
> Al Ansar clinched the Lebanese Premier League title with a 2-1 win over 10-man Nejmeh in the final round of the championship group after a war-delayed season (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Do you think Chelsea’s punishment for breaching agent regulations was sufficient?
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (24%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (74%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (2%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 K.P: “The new owners reported the payments following the takeover. Had they tried to hide or dispute the payments, then a points deduction would have been justified.”
🙅♂️ J.M: “Not even close! Other teams have had far worse punishments for far lesser crimes. Chelsea have clearly received a huge sporting benefit from their shady dealings, so to escape any sort of sporting sanction is absurd.”
🙅♂️ L.J: “As a fan of Liverpool, I can say, without it being sour grapes, that it does seem apparent that the smaller clubs are the ones who get deducted points whereas the bigger clubs are handed fines that they can easily afford.”
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GAME FACE ON
Question: Who is the most expensive Bosnian footballer of all time?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept.
Answer
Miralem Pjanic, who signed for Barcelona in 2020 for €60m.