Author: AFP

Haiti have been forced to change their jersey design just days before their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Scotland after the governing body banned a depiction of a war scene on the shirts.

An illustration of the Battle of Vertieres in 1803, which secured Haiti’s independence, with the Haitian flag had been embedded on the shirts worn by the players in two warm-up friendlies in Florida.

Colombian manufacturer Saeta said on Wednesday that they have modified the kit to meet FIFA’s regulations.

“The final design presented by Saeta was intended as a tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future and was not intended as a political statement,” Saeta said in a statement posted on Instagram.

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“During the review process, FIFA determined that certain visual elements could be interpreted differently under its equipment regulations and ultimately requested modifications to the design.

“While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final requirements communicated by FIFA.”

Haiti begin their first World Cup campaign in 52 years against Scotland in Boston on Saturday.

The Caribbean minnows, ranked 83rd in the world, then face the might of five-time winners Brazil and African champions Morocco in Group C.

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Haiti’s qualification is one of the most inspiring tales of the tournament.

Despite a backdrop of domestic chaos, with the impoverished nation grappling with gang violence that meant they were unable to play home qualifiers in the country, they have reached their second World Cup in their history.

“We know people might have a bad image of our country, that it has lots of problems, but this will do the country, the people, my family so much good,” star midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde told AFP.

READ: FIFA boss Infantino comments on Somali referee’s deportation

FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday described as “unfortunate” the case of Somali referee Omar Artan, who was refused entry to the United States of America for the World Cup 2026.

“It is unfortunate as well what happened to… Omar, the referee from Somalia. But again, we don’t control everything,” Infantino said at a press conference on the eve of the tournament.

“We try always to find solutions, but then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces, we are a sports organisation,” he added.

Artan, voted Africa’s top men’s referee last year, insisted he had the correct visa to enter the United States, but he was turned back at Miami International Airport and then put on a flight back to Turkey over the weekend.

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A US State Department official said the referee was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations”, therefore “making the traveller ineligible for admission to the United States”.

Artan would have been the first match official from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup finals.

Infantino was asked by a British reporter if he felt FIFA had “lost control” of its own tournament because of the case of Artan and also Washington’s decision to refuse visas for 15 members of the Iran team’s support staff.

“In 2035, I think, we hope, the women’s World Cup will be in the UK. Would you find it normal that FIFA would dictate to the British government who to let into the country and who not to let in the country? I don’t know, maybe you find it normal?” Infantino asked.

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Gianni Infantino called on the media to “chill and relax,” clarifying later that he did not mean to imply that FIFA was not doing anything about issues such as visas.

“When I say chill, I don’t mean to chill and do nothing, I mean to trust us that we are working behind the scenes, trying to understand,” he said.

“Our world is a very aggressive world; security rules above everything.”

The FIFA president stated that the governing body successfully brought Iran to the USA for the mega-event, despite the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

“It has been successful to bring Iran to play in America, I don’t know who would’ve managed to do that … we don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth, and we try our best,” he stated.

READ: World Cup 2026 opening ceremony: Pakistan time, date, performer list

Michael Vaughan has backed Ben Stokes to retain the England captaincy despite being investigated for breaking the team’s curfew.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced they were looking into Stokes’ involvement in a nightclub incident on Monday morning following England’s win in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.

England team-mate Gus Atkinson and Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa were also involved. Media reports on Tuesday suggested Stokes may resign as Test skipper.

The second Test against New Zealand at the Oval gets underway in a week’s time.

But former England captain Vaughan said Stokes had sufficient “credit in the bank” to avoid being sacked.

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“Yes, Ben Stokes broke a curfew,” Vaughan wrote in the Daily Telegraph. “Yes, he made a mistake. But is that a sacking offence as England’s Test captain? I do not think som” he added.

“Stokes has a lot of credit in the bank for all he has done for England as captain and all-rounder. There is no way that those making the big decisions at the England and Wales Cricket Board have the same credit in the bank.”

“I do not see how you can tell Stokes he is not captain anymore just for going over the curfew by a couple of hours after a win.”

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“A short suspension would be fine, but this is not a big enough incident over which to lose the captaincy,” Vaughan concluded.

It is the latest controversy concerning the England team after the tour of Australia where the side faced allegations of a drinking culture during a 4-1 Ashes series loss.

Earlier, England announced the squad for the second New Zealand Test, leaving out Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, with Joe Root named as interim captain.

England Squad for Second Test

Joe Root (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.

READ: Hampshire chairman exits after Delhi Capitals co-owner takeover

Rod Bransgrove has stepped down from his role as Hampshire chairman, following the completion of the takeover by GMR Global, the English county cricket side announced on Wednesday.

The 76-year-old businessman saved the county from financial collapse when he bought the club in 2000, and led the move to the Rose Bowl from Hampshire’s old Northlands Road headquarters in Southampton.

Bransgrove has long campaigned for the Rose Bowl to stage a Test against Australia and his dream will be realised during the 2027 Ashes in England.

GMR, who co-own Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals, have now finalised the staged acquisition of the Hampshire Sport and Leisure Holdings Group, a process that began in 2024.

GMR’s Kiran Kumar Grandhi will take over from Bransgrove, who becomes honorary life president and a director on the board.

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“This moment brings to a close a chapter that has meant more to me than words can express,” said Bransgrove.

“What we have built at Hampshire has been a collective effort, driven by incredible people, loyal supporters and partners who believed in a shared vision.”

He added: “I have immense pride in what we have achieved here and unequivocal confidence that, under GMR’s full ownership, the club and venue are in the safest of hands. The future is incredibly exciting, and I will be watching closely.”

Grandhi, meanwhile paid tribute to Bransgrove’s “extraordinary leadership and vision”, saying GMR were “excited to build on the remarkable legacy that has been established here, investing in long-term growth and innovation”.

For the unversed, GMR is an Indian consortium and has e

GMR, an Indian infrastructure conglomerate, has greatly expanded its cricketing interests in recent years. Besides the IPL and Women’s Premier League (WPL) with Delhi Capitals, it also manages Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 and Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket.

READ: ICC reveals Men’s Player of the Month nominees for May 2026

Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States for the FIFA World Cup 2026, returned to a hero’s welcome in Mogadishu and vowed to take part in the next tournament in 2030.

More than 100 supporters lined up outside the VIP section of Mogadishu’s main airport, waving national flags as Artan disembarked from a Turkish Airlines flight to cheers.

“I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud… Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged,” Artan told journalists.

Artan’s rejection has sparked outrage at home.

“They wronged him in a way that hurts everybody who is concerned about humanity,” Mohamed Said, a Mogadishu government official, said at the airport.

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Artan, who in 2025 was named men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was barred from entering the USA on Saturday after arriving at Miami International Airport.

A US State Department official told AFP late Tuesday that the referee was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations”, therefore “making the traveller ineligible for admission to the United States”.

FIFA also confirmed that he would no longer be part of the World Cup, set to start on Thursday.

Artan’s appointment to the 52-strong roster of referees for the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States had been a huge source of pride for his compatriots.

Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in April he was “a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis”.

READ: World Cup 2026 opening ceremony: Pakistan time, date, performer list

Lionel Messi scored within minutes of making his return from an injury scare as Argentina beat Iceland 3-0 in their final FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-up in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday.

Messi started on the bench as the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is eased back to fitness after exiting Inter Miami’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia with muscle fatigue on May 24.

He was joined on the sidelines at the start by Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister as Lionel Scaloni named an experimental line-up in front of an 88,000 capacity crowd.

Messi is set to feature in his sixth World Cup and allayed fears he may not be ready for the start of the tournament in a supreme 20-minute cameo.

Argentina begin their defence of the World Cup against Algeria on June 16 before also facing Austria and Jordan in Group J.

Iceland should have taken the lead inside the first few minutes when Mikael Egill Ellertsson blasted over with the goal gaping.

Instead, the three-time world champions took an early lead. Iceland could only partially clear a goalmouth scramble inside their box, and the ball broke to Strasbourg defender Valentin Barco to fire into the bottom corner.

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Nico Paz failed to make the most of his chance to shine in Messi’s absence and wasted a big chance to make it 2-0 before half-time when his powerful hit was repelled by the face of Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson.

Fernandez and Mac Allister were introduced among five Argentine changes at the break.

Lautaro Martinez was another to make his entrance at half-time and twice hit the post when he should have doubled Argentina’s advantage.

The expectant crowd had to wait until the final quarter for Messi to make his appearance.

With his first involvement, Messi’s brilliant pass played in Martinez, who was wiped out by Olafsson as he chipped the ball wide.

Messi made no mistake by slotting in his 117th international goal on his 199th cap.

He was involved again for Argentina’s third goal as Messi’s pass fed Rodrigo De Paul, who squared for Thiago Almada to tap in.

READ: Benfica say farewell to Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid return nears

Benfica on Tuesday parted company with coach Jose Mourinho, who is close to returning to Real Madrid, and announced an agreement with Fulham boss Marco Silva to replace him.

The Lisbon club said Real Madrid had “formalised their intention to sign Mourinho for a fee of 15 million euros ($17.25 million)” in a statement sent to Portugal’s financial markets regulator.

The amount corresponds to the release clause in Mourinho’s contract.

Benfica subsequently announced they had struck a two-year deal with Silva, who left Fulham last week after five seasons at the Premier League club.

Florentino Perez’s re-election as Real Madrid president at the weekend paved the way for Mourinho to return to the Spanish capital.

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Mourinho, 63, first joined Real Madrid in 2010, spending three seasons at the club.

During his tenure, he won one La Liga championship, one Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during a period of fierce rivalry with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.

Appointing the divisive Mourinho will be a gamble on the part of president Perez after Los Blancos finished without a major trophy in 2025/26, making it a second consecutive barren season.

Real Madrid confirmed the departure of coach Alvaro Arbeloa earlier on Tuesday.

Arbeloa, who arrived in January to replace Xabi Alonso, had announced last month that he would be leaving his post at the end of the season.

READ: Iran to travel to USA one day before first World Cup match

The Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) on Tuesday announced that their team will fly to Los Angeles the day before their opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against New Zealand.

The Iranian team will be based in Tijuana, Mexico, throughout the tournament, despite playing their first three round matches in the United States.

Iran will open their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, before facing Belgium in the same city on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Their involvement has been overshadowed by the military conflict between Iran and the United States.

While the players obtained the visas necessary to enter the United States of America (USA), 15 members of their support team in management and administrative roles did not receive them.

The visa dispute erupted just days before the World Cup kicks off on Thursday. The tournament is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

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“In accordance with FIFA’s programme, the team delegation will travel to the United States on a charter flight,” the Iranian federation’s spokesperson Amir Mehdi Alavi said in a statement carried by Iran’s ISNA news agency.

“The team will travel to the host city one day before the match against New Zealand, and for the following two matches, we will be at the host venue two days before the game,” he added.

Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali separately warned against the display of certain symbols during matches.

“If, in the stadiums where we play, we see any flag or symbol other than that of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or if norm-breaking slogans are chanted, the team official will certainly have a duty to stop the match,” he was quoted by Iran’s official IRNA news agency as saying.

“It is the responsibility of the organisers to rectify the situation,” he added.

FIFA rules prohibit political symbols at World Cup matches.

READ: Real Madrid’s 150 million offer rejected for Julian Alvarez

Real Madrid said on Tuesday that Atletico Madrid had rejected the club’s offer of 150 million euros ($173 million) for Argentine forward Julian Alvarez.

“After reviewing and evaluating the offer, Club Atletico de Madrid has expressed its gratitude for the proposal… and has rejected it,” Real Madrid said in a statement.

A World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022 and formerly of Manchester City, the 26-year-old Alvarez joined Atletico in 2024. He is under contract until June 2030, with a release clause estimated at 500 million euros.

Included in Argentina’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, Alvarez scored eight goals last season in La Liga and 10 in the Champions League, where Atletico were eliminated in the semi-finals by Arsenal.

“After studying and evaluating it, Atletico de Madrid thanked the club for the offer made, in keeping with the good relations between our two clubs, but rejected it,” Real Madrid said in a statement.

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Atletico Madrid scoffed at the Real statement.

“You may have confused politeness with gratitude, but to be clear: we don’t thank you for anything. We neither studied nor considered any offer for Julian. You make us laugh even more than Barcelona do,” Atletico said in reply to Real in a social media post.

Re-elected on Sunday as Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez had promised during his election campaign that he would make a big-name signing.

Spanish media had reported that the target was Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise; however, the German club said they would not be selling their French international.

“If Florentino Perez wants to send us an offer, which has not happened so far, he can save himself the trouble,” said Bayern president Herbert Hainer.

READ: Neymar feels like a ‘kid’ at his last FIFA World Cup

Brazil star Neymar said he feels like a “kid” ahead of what will be the fourth and “final” FIFA World Cup, which could yet risk being derailed by a nagging calf injury.

The 34-year-old is a doubt for the start of Brazil’s World Cup campaign and is expected to miss their tournament opener against Morocco in New Jersey on Saturday.

But Brazil’s all-time record scorer is said to be “recovering well” and will hope to play a part for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the United States.

The five-time champions play Haiti on June 19 and face Scotland five days later in their final Group C match.

“Even though it’s my fourth World Cup, it’s a different feeling because of everything involved and, obviously, because it’s the final one,” Neymar said in a preview of the feature-length documentary “Vai, Brasil” (Go, Brazil), due to be released on Wednesday.

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Neymar has been an integral part of Brazil’s last three World Cup campaigns but there was some surprise at his inclusion this time as injuries have prevented him from playing for his country at all since 2023.

“I’m here feeling like a kid, like an 18-year-old going to his first World Cup,” said the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward.

“I’m very proud, very happy to be here. I’m going to enjoy every second, every moment of this World Cup and I hope it will be special as well,” he added.

Neymar made his World Cup debut on home soil in 2014 but was sidelined by injury when Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany in the semi-finals. They were knocked out in the quarter-finals at the past two tournaments.

READ: ICC hands Gaddafi Stadium and Lord’s pitches demerit points