Serious questions have already been asked about FIFA’s decision to award the 2026 World Cup to the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.

Multiple controversies hit the biggest competition in world football before a ball had even been kicked, with many involving the President of the United States, Donald Trump. First, many European nations considered boycotting the tournament due to his attempted takeover of Greenland.

Then the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, whose participation at the World Cup has been in constant doubt ever since. In the days leading up to the opening game between Mexico and South Africa, there have been even more issues surrounding entry to the host nations.

FIFA ‘Contractual Guarantees’ Not Being Met By the United States

Top African referee, Omar Artan, was denied entry to America, while fans of various nations have faced visa issues. Iran have also failed to secure a training base in the US, despite their three group stage games being held in the country.

Instead, they’ve been forced to prepare for the World Cup in Mexico and will have to commute in and out of the US within 24 hours of all games they play. Being accessible to all participating nations is actually a ‘contractual guarantee’ considered by FIFA before awarding the World Cup to any country.

Journalist Miguel Delaney informed LBC that football’s governing body takes into account the accessibility of a host nation when considering bids for the World Cup. He said:

He then pointed out the close relationship between Trump and FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, stating: “FIFA, evidently, despite Infantino’s very craven relationship with Donald Trump, hasn’t been able to secure those guarantees.”

Henry Romero via Reuters

Infantino himself previously expressed the need for the biggest international competition to be available and accessible to everyone. Or else there would be ‘no World Cup’, in his eyes. Per Delaney (via The Independent), the FIFA president said in 2017:

FIFA have stated they are ‘not involved in host country immigration processes’, but stripped Indonesia of the Under-20s World Cup after they refused to allow Israel’s team into the country.

With the World Cup taking centre stage for the next five weeks, Premier League clubs are continuing their preparations for the 2026/27 campaign.

Aston Villa are no exception, as they look to continue their progress under Unai Emery. The Villa Park outfit lifted the Europa League last campaign and finished fourth in the table.

Winning a major trophy and qualifying for the Champions League puts Villa in a much stronger financial position as they aim to build a squad that can compete with Europe’s elite clubs.

However, there are poised to be exits as Villa still require some sales to balance the books and keep themselves on the right side of the Premier League and UEFA’s financial rules.

Emi Martinez agrees personal terms with Juventus

One player who could leave this summer is goalkeeper Emi Martinez. The 33-year-old is part of Argentina’s World Cup squad as they seek to defend their crown after winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

According to Corriere Dello Sport in Italy, Martinez has already reached a general agreement on a three-year contract with Serie A giants Juventus.

The Italian club had been interested in signing Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker but the Anfield club were resistant to losing the Brazilian this summer.

Juve have now turned their attention to Martinez, with Villa asking for £8.5million plus add-ons for the transfer to go ahead. However, the Old Lady are keen to reduce the asking price before proceeding with the deal.

Martinez is under contract at Villa until 2029, having penned a new five-year deal back in 2024.

Aston Villa should hold firm on Emi Martinez price

Rodrigo Valle via Reuters

He came close to leaving the club last summer as Manchester United weighed up a move before signing Senne Lammens.

Martinez retained his number one spot under Emery and went on to make 44 appearances in all competitions.

It was previously reported that Villa are open to selling the goalkeeper due to his £230,000-a-week wages.

However, Villa should resist any attempts from Juve to lower the £8.5million fee and the add-ons in the deal should be achievable ones.

Martinez is not getting any younger but, like many goalkeepers, he can still play at a high level for several more years. With Villa needing to sanction some sales, selling a regular starter for such a low transfer fee would be a mistake.

The Argentine still has several years to run on his contract and there will likely be more interest in the player if Villa are open to selling. A replacement is also likely to prove costly too, so Villa should be in no rush to push a deal through.

Everton remain in talks for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney and are prepared to pay around £20m, GIVEMESPORT understands.

The Toffees have already seen two bids rejected as Middlesbrough hold out for £25million for their highly-rated midfielder.

Although Everton are considered frontrunners, Crystal Palace are expected to make an offer in the coming days as they try and persuade the 23-year-old to join the Selhurst Park club instead.

Two other teams are also interested in signing Hackney this summer

Tottenham and Manchester United also have Hackney on their radar, but neither have yet decided to make their move as they prioritise other targets. Both clubs could go head-to-head for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, who is also appreciated by Liverpool and has other English clubs starting to make initial enquiries as well.

GMS understands that Hackney is currently prioritising Everton, but Crystal Palace can also offer him game time and his pathway to regular starts will be made easier if one or both of Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada depart.

Middlesbrough wish to keep Hackney, but that has been complicated by their failure to win promotion to the Premier League. The 23-year-old started 38 of Boro’s 46 Championship games this season, missing the last eight of the campaign and all but 20 minutes of the play-off final, due to injury.

Everton open talks over new deal for star man

Former Man Utd and Leeds midfielder Godon Strachan said of Hackney: “He’s been absolutely brilliant. He takes your breath away when you watch him and he’s matured in his play. People will ask if he’s for sale and really, everyone is for sale.”

Elsewhere, Everton are in talks with Iliman Ndiaye over a new deal. The France-born Senegal international is already contracted until 2029, but the club wants to offer improved terms.

There has been no breakthrough as of now, but Everton are still in talks and hoping to fend off interest from growing interest, including from Manchester United.

Ndiaye, who has been described as ‘one of the most exciting attackers in the Premier League’, enjoyed a fine season with the Toffees in the most recent campaign, registering six goals and three assists as they finished in mid-table. It has previously been reported that Old Trafford would be his ‘dream move’.