A second nation has come out and defended Gianni Infantino in an eye-opening new statement about the FIFA president’s plans to sell stakes at the World Cup. The walls have begun to close in on the 56-year-old as his vision for football is far removed from most other leading figures within the sport.

UEFA has been among his most vocal opponents, having released a series of critical statements about his plans, with the latest calling on European nations to withdraw their vote for him to be re-elected in March’s crucial FIFA election. Infantino was previously tipped to win by a landslide, with no real opponent for his position emerging.

But after announcing his plans to sell stakes at the World Cup – which he has since made a U-turn on – his greed has given way to an almighty demise. However, that hasn’t stopped two nations from defending him still.

Second Nation Defends Gianni Infantino With Eye-Opening Statement

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

In a surprising statement that makes them the second to give Infantino their vote of confidence after the Czech Republic, Qatar wrote (see below):

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Infantino’s FFE Plans Still Backfired Spectacularly

REUTERS/Lee Smith

FIFA had announced on Tuesday that it was seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bring together the sale of FIFA’s commercial rights – including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing – with the operational delivery of its tournaments.

Infantino had then given football associations until September 19 to back his proposals to sell off part of FIFA to private investors with a £30.1m incentive to accept. But the controversial proposals received fierce criticism from UEFA, CONCACAF (the North American, Central American and Caribbean association) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The backlash forced Infantino to abandon his plans, and he now faces the increasing threat of losing his position at football’s throne. His close relationship with Donald Trump were the first alarm bells following his decision to overturn Folarin Balgoun’s red card at the World Cup, but his incredible lack of care in trying to monopolise a working-class game should be the final nail in the coffin in any attempts to reconcile.

Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with Inter Milan for defender Cristian Romero, according to ESPN Argentina.

Spurs have had a very busy summer window, bringing in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali, while the club are also pushing ahead with moves for Man City star Savinho and Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo.

But the club are also looking at sales to balance the squad and trim the fat, and they have now reached a verbal agreement for their captain to move on after months of speculation.

Tottenham and Inter Agree Romero Deal

Romero, who has been described as ‘world-class’, has been on the brink of an exit for a while after growing frustrated in north London. The defender missed the run-in at the end of the campaign with a knee injury, but recovered to help Argentina reach a second consecutive World Cup final during the summer.

Despite his performances there, and the fact that Tottenham stayed in the Premier League, a move away had still been anticipated, and manager De Zerbi admitted that he had accepted the player’s decision to move on, and he had not tried to convince him to stay.

Now, after weeks of talks with Serie A side Inter Milan, a deal worth £34.2m has been agreed for the World Cup winner to return to Italy.

Romero had initially been keen to join a club in Spain, with Barcelona understood to be interested. But the Catalan side needed to make a major sale to be able to afford the 28-year-old, and that hasn’t materialised.

Now, the central defender is closing in on an agreement on personal terms, and just the formalities are needed to seal a move away from Spurs.

Romero Already in the Past at Spurs

While Romero is still considered to be one of the best defenders in the world, it makes sense for everyone that this move goes through. The price is low, but it’s no surprise considering the fact everyone knows they want to go their separate ways.

Spurs were clever enough to get their business for the defence done early too, with Senesi and van Hecke already brought in as direct replacements, while Kevin Danso and Micky Van de Ven make up the other centre-back options, while veteran Ben Davies is also capable of filling in if necessary.

Tottenham have made their decision, and now the club can turn all of their focus towards bringing in the forward additions that they are so desperate for.

The World Cup is as big as it gets in football. That was obvious by the passion on display this summer as Spain went all the way, beating Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 final.

Even before the tournament begins, there is great debate over which players will be called up, and who will be left behind. England manager Thomas Tuchel made plenty of headlines with his selection, leaving behind some huge stars.

The absence of players like Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and others certainly sparked a strong response. Maguire’s mother even went on social media to say she was ‘absolutely disgusted’ by the omission.

Chelsea star Palmer has now spoken about how he has dealt with the rejection, explaining his experience of watching England from afar this summer.

Palmer Reflects on World Cup Experience After Tuchel Left Him at Home

One issue fans had to deal with when watching games from the United Kingdom was the time difference. Indeed, some matches were played at the dead of night. This was a big issue for England supporters when their Last 16 match against Mexico started at 2am (GMT), having been pushed back an hour due to storms.

It turned out to be a thrilling encounter, with the Three Lions winning 3-2 thanks to a brace from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane’s penalty, with Jarell Quansah’s second-half red card adding to the drama. Despite all the excitement, Palmer has revealed to the press that he fell asleep during the game:

When asked if he watched the Mexico game, he admitted:

Palmer Motivated After World Cup Snubs Leads to ‘Strange’ Summer

All in all, it sounds like Palmer had a bit of a sleepy summer, with Premier League action with Chelsea finishing back on 24 May, almost 10 weeks ago. With no World Cup call-up, he’s been able to take a lengthy break but has admitted to getting tired of his time off.

Having competed at the Club World Cup, the European Championship and the European Under-21 Championship in each of the three summers since turning professional, this was the first time he got a proper end-of-season break. The midfielder said he went to Marbella with his family but found the experience “strange” at first, admitting he “got bored after six weeks” and was eager to return.

“I never thought I’d think that. I was checking when I was back in [for pre-season at Chelsea],” he noted.

He also was asked if missing the World Cup would provide extra motivation this season. Palmer replied: “Yes, naturally it’s going to. It’s like anything. If someone tells you you’re essentially not good enough to get in the squad, then you’re going to think, ‘All right then, I’m going to try to go that extra bit harder’.”

The 24-year-old scored 11 goals and claimed three assists for the Blues in 34 games across all competitions.