Everton have been ordered to pay an English club a staggering £40 million after The Toffees lost a legal battle over PSR issues this week, with the Premier League continuing to haunt them.
Wednesday afternoon’s ruling is an unprecedented legal punishment, just three years after the Merseysiders were handed a 10-point deduction by the Premier League in 2023 after falling foul of regulations in the 2021-22 season.
The punishment was then reduced to six points on appeal at the start of 2024. However, the knock-on effect has continued well beyond then, with the ‘what ifs’ of Sean Dyche’s team of that time now having been taken to court by one club it affected more than the Toffees themselves.
Burnley argued, as per The Sun, that if the points’ deduction happened in 2022 – the year they were relegated – Everton would have gone down instead, leading to further retrospective punishment this week.
Everton finished 16th in the 2021-22 season after picking up 39 points – leaving them just points clear of 18th-placed Burnley. The Clarets believe they missed out on millions as a result of going down a division and the case has now gone in their favour.
Joao Cancelo cut a frustrated figure as he marched back to the dressing room while waiting to be presented to the Camp Nou crowd on Wednesday.
Every member of Barcelona’s squad was introduced individually ahead of the annual Joan Gamper Trophy fixture. The Catalan giants secured a 2-1 win over Egyptian side Al-Ahly in the pre-season fixture, with 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim scoring the opening goal against his former club in the 30th minute.
Raphinha doubled Barcelona’s advantage from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time. Zizo pulled a goal back for the visitors early in the second half, while Anthony Gordon spurned the chance to make it 3-1 before full-time after Barca were awarded a second spot-kick.
New Barcelona signing Rodri received the biggest ovation from the crowd prior to kick-off. The World Cup winner, who was named best player of the 2026 World Cup after guiding Spain to victory over Argentina in North America, signed a four-year contract with the La Liga outfit earlier this week after completing a £65 million move from Manchester City.
Another player who was poised to be unveiled to the crowd was Joao Cancelo, who was seen wearing the No. 2 shirt in the tunnel.
However, the Portugal international was filmed storming back to the dressing room as his puzzled teammates asked what had happened. Watch the footage below:
Per GOAL, Spanish journalist Victor Navarro said Barcelona intended to unveil Cancelo but were unable to because the full-back’s registration remained incomplete.
Press reports confirmed Al-Hilal had agreed with Cancelo to terminate his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season, in exchange for waiving the rest of his dues.
However, the deal with Barcelona has not yet been finalised, meaning Cancelo officially remains an Al-Hilal player at the time of writing.
Cancelo, the former Manchester City defender, spent the second half of last season on loan at Barcelona, playing 23 times and winning the 2025-26 league title in the process.
The 32-year-old is poised to become Barcelona’s new No. 2 but must wait for his unveiling after being denied the opportunity at the last minute on Wednesday.
It’s currently unclear whether the Netherlands international will stay at Camp Nou following Rodri’s arrival. The 29-year-old signed a four-year contract extension with the Catalan club in October.
One of Gianni Infantino’s vice presidents at FIFA has turned against him, as an explosive letter sent to football’s vilified leader was leaked this week. The Swiss millionaire has felt intense heat in office ever since his idea to sell stakes in the World Cup he unveiled last month backfired on him.
Infantino, FIFA’s president since 2016 after he gazumped Sepp Blatter to power, is under significant pressure following his failed Football Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme – which would have seen stakes in the World Cup sold to private investors, resulting in a major cash windfall for the beautiful game’s shot-callers.
His biggest opponents throughout the saga have been UEFA and CONMEBOL, European and South American football’s governing bodies. Aleksander Ceferin’s series of statements – which have read more like written attacks – has prompted England and several other nations to withdraw their support for the 56-year-old, while it appears increasingly likely that Infantino will lose power at March’s election.
That was once seen as unthinkable. He previously had no serious challengers for the role and enjoyed the written backing of 200 nations following the hugely profitable 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Now, though, even his own council members are turning on him after his decision to sack Kevin Lamour following his criticism of Infantino’s leadership.
FIFA Vice Presidents Turns Against Infantino in Explosive Leaked Letter
REUTERS/Carl Recine
According to the Guardian, Infantino has lost the support of another high-ranking FIFA official, with the Hungarian football federation chief, Sandor Csanyi, criticising the president’s “professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership”.
In an explosive letter sent to Infantino on Tuesday, which was first obtained by the news agency Agence France-Presse, Csanyi states that he has “lost the confidence I previously placed in you” and describes the “unexpected dismissal” of Fifa’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, as the “final straw”.
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Lamour was sacked by FIFA on Monday after breaking ranks last month by criticising Infantino over his aborted plan to sell off shares in the World Cup to private investors. Csanyi’s letter continues the trend of senior global football figures deserting Infantino, with the Hungarian banker the fifth of Fifa’s eight vice-presidents to call for him to stand down.
“My conviction that you are capable of continuing to lead Fifa successfully and effectively in accordance with the shared values that previously formed the basis of our cooperation has been undermined,” Csanyi also wrote. “The final straw was the unexpected dismissal of Kevin Lamour.”
The letter also cited “a number of controversial decisions” at this year’s World Cup, including Infantino’s involvement in “plans to outsource FIFA competitions and place them in the hands of external parties”.
Infantino’s Support Network Is Toppling Around Him Like Dominoes
REUTERS/Lee Smith
The UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, Victor Montagliani of CONCACAF – the North and Central American and Caribbean Confederation – and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of the Asian Football Confederation have all made their positions clear, as has the Football Association chair, Debbie Hewitt.
Of the Fifa vice-presidents, only Alejandro Domínguez of South America’s Conmebol, Patrick Motsepe of the Confederation of African Football and Oceania’s Lambert Maltock are supporting Infantino. Csanyi is also a member of the 37-strong FIFA council, which is its main decision-making body, but has been repeatedly overlooked by Infantino, making any breakaway decision all the more easy.
Tottenham Hotspur are currently undergoing a major summer of change, and it now looks likely that there will be yet another big departure before the transfer window slams shut.
Spurs have made six signings so far, bringing in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali, while Luka Vuskovic, Djed Spence, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Will Lankshear, Manor Solomon, and Guglielmo Vicario have all departed the club.
“There will be a big competition to play because, at the end, I think we will be two players for each position. If he wants to stay, I will be happy.” – De Zerbi on Bergvall
But with Fernandes, Tonali, Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Conor Gallagher likely making up the manager’s midfield options for the season, it means that Pape Matar Sarr may have already played his final game for the club.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
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£50m Sarr Has No Spurs Future
Reports have suggested that Spurs have put a £50m asking price on the Senegal international, and they have received enquiries from Saudi Arabia, Brentford, and Aston Villa about his availability.
Sarr has also been a reliable servant, but with limited game time this season and the transfer business the club has done, he’s way down the pecking order. De Zerbi has clearly made his mind up on the midfield too, with Sarr featuring for just 87 minutes during pre-season – less than every other midfield option in the squad.
De Zerbi’s decision to keep two players for each position means it would be a long way back for him, and it now looks clear that he has already played his final game for the club.
