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Gary Neville Calls Out FIFA ‘Dictatorship’ After World Cup Incident

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Up to this point at the 2026 World Cup, most of the controversies have come off the pitch. Indeed, plenty of headlines have been made about Gianni Infantino and the way he runs FIFA.

Under his watch, the United States have made it extremely difficult for fans, staff members, journalists, officials and even players to come into the co-hosting nation. Most infamously, Somali referee Omar Artan was sent home from Miami, despite having a visa to do his job this summer.

Thankfully, the action in the group stages of the World Cup so far has largely gone smoothly (albeit with some notably empty seats in certain matches, likely due to costly ticket prices). However, there was one controversial incident during the 1-1 draw between Qatar and Switzerland in Group B.

Gary Neville Fumes Over ‘Ridiculous’ FIFA Incident

Switzerland took the lead via a penalty in the 17th minute, converted by Breel Embolo, but could not hang onto the points, with Qatar levelling thanks to an own goal from Miro Muheim in the 94th minute. While the Swiss would have felt robbed to concede so late, having dominated the game, there were plenty of question marks regarding their goal.

The penalty was awarded after Remo Freuler was bundled over by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada. The contact was obvious, and the referee quickly pointed ot the spot. However, replays appeared to show the Swiss player standing in an offside position before he pounced onto the ball to win the foul.

Despite this, VAR checked and cleared the penalty, allowing Embolo to put Switzerland in front from 12 yards. The incident sparked a strong reaction, with English pundit Gary Neville leading the dissenting voices.

The Manchester United legend questioned FIFA on ITV as there were also no alternative angles of the incident shown on the live broadcast. As quoted by the Daily Mail, Neville even called the organisation a ‘dictatorship’, saying:

“We all think it here and everybody will think it at home [that it was offside]. FIFA are the host broadcaster. They’ve got the evidence of the automatic decision which they can show us.

“Why are they not showing us? They did this in the last tournament. Fans are already distrusting of FIFA and technology to start with. There is a massive question mark over that because that is offside in my eyes until they prove differently.

“Why aren’t FIFA showing us when there’s already such distrust for them? It’s a dictatorship this: the idea that they hold this data internally and not show fans, it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Fellow pundits Ian Wright and Duncan Ferguson, who were sat alongside Neville in the ITV studio, also agreed that Freuler looked offside to the naked eye. Adding to that, former England defender Lee Dixon, who was commentating on the game, insisted it would be ruled out:

“There’s no doubt about the penalty but he’s offside. This won’t count.”


Switzerland vs Qatar | 2026 World Cup


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FIFA Respond To World Cup Offside Controversy

FIFA President Gianni Infantino with the FIFA World Cup trophy during a press conference FIFA President Gianni Infantino via REUTERS/Henry Romero

In response to the controversy, FIFA have now shared a statement online, with images, as they defended the offside decision. It’s interesting to note that they claimed the usual supporting animation graphic was not shown due to a ‘technical outage’, although they add that this did not have an impact on the call:

“During the Qatar vs. Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute. The issue was quickly resolved.

“The workflow of the VAR was not affected by this issue and followed the normal procedure in checking the on-field decision. The lines used by the VAR to check the position of the relevant players did not show the attacking player to be in an offside position in either of the two situations immediately before the penalty decision.”

Some fans have questioned just how helpful the supporting images actually are, as they feel as if they simply prove that Freuler was offside, despite FIFA’s claims.

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What Jordan McCann Said After Biting Him

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Ibiza Final Boss has revealed exactly what his opponent Jordan McCann said to him after sensationally biting him during their grudge boxing match on the undercard of Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall in Manchester.

Final Boss, whose real name is Jack Kay, shot to fame on social media while on holiday in the iconic destination. On Saturday night, he laced up the gloves for the very first time as he took on Salford-based rapper and content creator McCann in a four-round bout.

Their contest will live long in the memory, but not for the technical skill on show. Both men were exhausted by the end of the first round as they winged punches at each other.

Ibiza Final Boss was the slightly more accurate fighter, despite McCann having trained alongside former unified world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. ‘The Gypsy King’ even accompanied Jordan on his ring walk at the AO Arena.

Once the opening round was over, the fight truly descended into chaos, with McCann headbutting his foe and even rugby tackling him through the ropes before the end of the bout.

Jordan McCann Bites Ibiza Final Boss

However, the fight’s most viral moment came when Jordan channelled his inner Mike Tyson and bit the Ibiza Final Boss’ ear, mirroring Iron’s Mike infamous foul against Evander Holyfield in 1997.

While Tyson was disqualified in that instance, McCann’s bite went unpunished by the referee. Justice was done, in a sense, when the Final Boss was awarded a majority decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.

After the fight, McCann had plenty to say to the crowd who were loudly booing him, but apparently didn’t have many words for his opponent, even after trying to take a chunk out of him.

Jordan McCann Bites Ibiza Final Boss

Jordan McCann’s Words to Ibiza Final Boss After Biting Him

Following his debut victory, Ibiza Final Boss sat down with iFL TV to reflect upon the events of the evening. Asked whether McCann had said anything to him after the bout, the victorious fighter confirmed:

“I passed him in the corridor. He shook my hand and said: ‘Respect. You just beat me in my home town.’

Despite the controversial nature of the fight and the fact that the capacity crowd in Manchester couldn’t get enough of the spectacle, neither man called for a rematch afterwards.

McCann confirmed that financial gain was his main motivation for taking the fight as he revealed his salary to the crowd in a post-fight rant.

“Whoever boos me is a scruff. All your birds are fat sl***. I’ll sh** all your birds. I got paid 50 grand, and now I’m gonna marry my girlfriend and buy my mam a new kitchen!”

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BBC Make Apology Over World Cup Coverage During Scotland 1-1 Haiti

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This summer at the 2026 World Cup, two British teams will compete. England are hoping to win their first major trophy since 1966, while Scotland are back in the tournament once more, after a 28-year absence.

Thomas Tuchel’s men are yet to play, but the Scots got off to the perfect start as they beat Haiti 1-0 in their game of Group C. In the end, John McGin’s strike in the 28th minute was enough to hand the Tartan Army only their fifth win in all World Cup history.

Steve Clarke’s team were not at their best, as they picked up all three points in a somewhat unconvincing manner, but there were positive signs amid the nerves. Crucially, the win leaves Scotland top of their group, with tougher games against Morocco and Brazil (who played out a 1-1 draw) to come.


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BBC Apologise for World Cup Coverage Issue

As Scottish fans gathered to watch their team compete at their first World Cup since 1998, there would have been one huge moment of frustration among the supporters, which didn’t relate to anything happening on the pitch. Indeed, at one point, the BBC were forced to apologise for a loss of picture during the game against Haiti.

Midway through the first-half, viewers lost coverage of the match, which was being played in Boston, the United States. For a short period, a patchy screen with a harsh buzzing sound appeared on screen.

However, this was not due to any direct issues with the BBC, but rather a problem with the world feed, which saw a testcard shown along with the words ‘ESF UHD C’ appearing, as the whole thing lasted around five seconds.

Fortunately, no major incidents were missed in the game, but the BBC reacted with an immediate statement, which was given by commentator Liam McLeod. As per the Mirror, he explained live on air:

“Apologies again if there’s a loss of picture, it’s a World Feed problem so everyone suffered it. But you’re back with us now.”

At the same time, a message at the top of the screen read: “Sorry for the loss of picture.”

This isn’t the only technical error at the tournament so far either. During BBC coverage of Brazil’s draw 1-1 with Morocco, a bizarre conversation, likely from the BBC production team, could be heard over the commentators. An unexpected voice said: “Guest feed is good if you’re happy with that, thank you,” before counting up to 10 quickly and shouting “GOAL, GOAL, GOAL!” despite not goal happening in the match at that point.

Steve Clarke Believes Pressure is off Scotland Ahead of Morocco and Brazil Fixtures

Steve Clarke Scotland

After the win, Scotland manager Clarke spoke to the press and chose to focus on the positives, insisting that the pressure has now been eased on his squad. He explained:

“I am absolutely delighted with my players. Resilience, character had to be on the pitch tonight. There is no relief. Everyone told us it was a must-win game and we won. When you win a must-win game, you have to be happy with yourselves.”

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Looking toward the games against Morocco and then Brazil, he went on to add:

“We go into them with less pressure than everybody put on to us going into this game. If we defend as well as we did here, hopefully play a little bit better with the ball and create more, we will be OK. It’s not about raising the performance, it is about a different approach against a different opponent.

“Towards the end, you know you are 1-0 up and have something to hang on to so that is what you do. The players deserve a lot of credit. I thought Haiti were terrific at denying us time and space, which made it difficult. So the other characteristics that get you three points come out. That is why we are sitting here with three points and Haiti are empty handed.”

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Man Utd in Intense Battle to Sign Hoffenheim Winger Bazoumana Toure

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Manchester United are now in an intense battle to sign a Bundesliga forward ahead of the summer transfer window, facing competition from rival Premier League clubs.

A lot of the talk surrounding Manchester United over the last few weeks has been around potential midfield signings, but they are also in the market to reinforce other positions.

The World Cup is always an interesting time to try to do deals, with players occupied by the international tournament and clubs reluctant to sell in case the player’s value can increase.

Thankfully for United, it looks as though they managed to secure the signing of Brazilian midfielder Ederson before he jetted off to the tournament.

A deal for Ederson has yet to be officially confirmed, but reports suggest that a move has been completed.


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Man Utd in Intense Battle

Manchester United Manager Michael Carrick

According to a report from German outlet Bild, via Sport Witness, Manchester United are one of three clubs in an intense battle to sign Hoffenheim winger Bazoumana Toure ahead of the summer transfer window.

It’s claimed that the tricky winger could cost at least £35m, with Brentford and Newcastle the other clubs showing an interest in securing his signature.

Toure has a contract with the Bundesliga club until 2029, and there is no release clause, meaning Hoffenheim are under no pressure to sell.

The report describes the 20-year-old as a player with ‘blistering pace’ and a ‘carefree attitude’, with Premier League clubs now pushing to sign him this summer.

England World Cup Quiz

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Added Pace Could Suit Michael Carrick

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick looks on after Premier League win against Nottingham Forest

Adding someone of Toure’s directness and pace could be hugely beneficial to United due to the style that Michael Carrick has implemented.

The Red Devils like to transition from defence to attack as quickly as possible, and someone like Toure would take them to the next level in terms of that.

The 20-year-old, tipped as a “future Ballon d’Or contender”, is unlikely to come in and be a guaranteed starter, but when United are looking to protect the lead and hit teams on the counter-attack, Toure could be a real weapon off the bench.

United won’t want to pay an awful lot for a player who is unlikely to start, but if they can pick him up for a reasonable fee, it could be a smart signing.

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