Former England Test match captain Ben Stokes has taken to social media to react to the news that the International Cricket Council have taken action over the manner in which he resigned from the role.

The 35-year-old called time on his international career in a truly unique manner during the third and final Test with New Zealand last month. With the help of his management team, Stokes made the news public while he was out in the middle, coming towards the end of a marathon spell of bowling.

The Durham man had the ball in his hand when a statement was released at 3:25pm confirming that he would be walking away from international cricket. As the news began to spread around Trent Bridge, the crowd rose to their feet to acknowledge Stokes, willing him to take a wicket.

Ben Stokes’ Retirement Announcement Caused A Stir

As it turned out, he did just that with his very next ball. The legendary all-rounder found the edge of Zak Foulkes’ bat, allowing Harry Brook to take a fine catch at second slip.

While those few minutes were the stuff of fairytales, the ICC was very unhappy about another element of Stokes’ retirement. After the news became public, England posted a video of their departing captain informing his teammates of his decision in the dressing room before the start of the day’s play.

Although the footage was seemingly released in order to give England fans an inside look at the emotion of the day, the ICC have not reacted well to it.

England In Trouble Over Stokes Retirement Announcement

In a letter sent to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), world cricket’s governing body stated that the footage broke its rules relating to international matches.

Primarily due to concerns over match fixing, no video or audio from a team dressing room is allowed to be broadcast during an ongoing match.

ICC rules state that there should be “no fixed or temporary video cameras or other recording equipment set up within any dressing room used by the teams for the purposes of broadcasting video or audio footage.”

Despite the controversy, the footage remains online and has been viewed 3.5 million times.

Ben Stokes Reacts to Retirement Rule Break

Andrew Boyers via Reuters

BBC Sport have noted that England have already been warned over breaking this rule in the past. The ECB has yet to respond to the ICC over the incident. However, Stokes himself has gone viral on social media for his two-word reaction on the situation.

The exiting skipper quote-tweeted the story, mockingly writing “sack him” as he took a light-hearted approach to the matter.

While Stokes, who has been tipped to make millions on the global T20 circuit following his international retirement, can afford to see the funny side, the same can’t be said for his former bosses.

England could face formal sanctions over the dressing room footage at a time when the Test match set-up is in a state of disarray. With just over five weeks to go until the start of a home Test series against Pakistan, no decision has been made on who will replace Stokes as captain.

Manchester United are still working to get their major summer transfer over the line despite reports the deal has been called off.

The Red Devils swiftly agreed a fee of £34million plus add-ons to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson this summer, kicking off their business before the player flew to North America with the Brazil squad for the World Cup.

Man United chiefs then flew to the US to hold a medical with the player, but Brazil’s medical staff were present to monitor and police the testing, given they understandably wouldn’t want the player’s body to be put under any demands that would risk injury and overload during the tournament.

That seems to have complicated the deal a little, and there are reports that the deal has been called off, but Fabrizio Romano is claiming otherwise.

Romano Provides Ederson to Man Utd Update

According to transfer guru Romano, United’s stance remains the same in that they want a second medical to be held at their own base before they sign off on the deal. He said on his YouTube channel: “Ederson will undergo a medical this week, so it will be this week at Manchester United. There will be Ederson taking a medical in the UK, because Man United made the first check in the US, and they want to do more checks with their own staff in England. At the moment, the deal is still not confirmed.

“So today I can tell you, Ederson to Man United, here we go. In the sense of what I told you in June, agreement between all parties, the player is having a medical, it’s all agreed verbally, but to tell you, is Ederson to Manchester United closed, signed, completed? Not yet at this stage, not yet. And we have to be careful, because there is a medical to do in England, and Man United will then communicate to Atalanta and to the player what they feel about that medical.”

Can Man Utd afford to cancel Ederson deal?

United have already had trouble signing transfer targets this summer, missing out on Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham, and they are yet to find the marquee holding midfield signing they are looking for to replace Casemiro.

Michael Carrick wants two midfield signings this summer, and given how hard it has been to find a second, it would be a bold move to call off the deal for the first. That would leave United in a tricky position with the summer already flying by.

If there is a medical issue, then that is another question, but most fans will likely be pleased that the Red Devils will do their due diligence and that they are still planning to go ahead with the deal as long as all goes well during the medical.

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer, has spoken out about the controversial decisions made during Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt amid claims the 2026 World Cup last 16 clash was ‘rigged’.

Egypt’s players and coaching staff were incensed after several decisions went against them at the Atlanta Stadium.

The Pharaohs led 2-0 on 67 minutes after Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko found the net, but Argentina completed the comeback of the tournament so far thanks to goals in the 79th, 83rd and 92nd minutes from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez, respectively.

Egypt had a goal controversially disallowed in the 58th minute for a foul on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez at the opposite end of the pitch, while the African nation were convinced a penalty should have been awarded moments before Fernandez scored the winner when Mohamed Salah went down inside the box following a challenge by Julian Alvarez.

A series of serious accusations followed, with Ziko claiming the tournament was “rigged” in favour of reigning champions Argentina. Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan added: “They want Argentina and Messi to stay in the World Cup for marketing.”

FIFA’s Pierluigi Collina Issues Statement

Collina, one of the most respected referees in football history, has now jumped to the defence of French official Francois Letexier following the accusations over his integrity.

“Let’s start by saying that we have now played 50% more matches than at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and there are still eight more huge games to be played,” the Italian told FIFA’s official website.

“Overall, we are happy. However, with such a high number of matches played in a relatively short period of time, it is normal that some things do not go as expected. When that happens, they are ready to work even harder to ensure they are fully prepared for the next match.

“Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA President [Gianni Infantino]. He has always shown his full support for FIFA Team One while trusting us to work with complete independence. Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best.”

Collina Explains Controversial Argentina vs Egypt Decisions

REUTERS/Paul Childs

Collina then went into detail about the decisions that sparked most debate during Argentina’s win over Egypt.

He continued: “Usually, during a competition, we prefer not to focus on specific incidents. However, as we recently clarified what match officials would be looking for when attacking players try to prevent the opposing goalkeeper from moving and being able to defend the goal, we also wanted to clarify another topic that has generated debate.

“After every goal is scored, the VAR checks the attacking possession phase (APP). If a foul is identified in the build-up and is deemed to have had an impact on the goal, the VAR will recommend an on-field review. There is no defined limit regarding either the distance from goal or the amount of time between the incident and the goal.

FIFA

“We believe that a foul is a foul. Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’, if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene.

“Equally, if no foul is identified in the build-up to a goal, the VAR will advise the referee accordingly. Stepping on an opponent’s foot is a foul, whereas a defender who touches the ball first and then makes normal football contact has not committed a foul. Again, an example of this came at the end of the same game.

FIFA’s website provided a fresh angle of Alvarez’s tackle on Salah, showing the Argentina forward won the ball. Rather than appeal for a penalty, Salah got up and ran back as Lionel Scaloni’s side launched their match-winning counter-attack.

FIFA

“Of course, there will always be an element of subjectivity in some decisions,” Collina concluded, “but we are happy with how this principle has been applied throughout the tournament.”

Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals before a potential return to the Atlanta Stadium on July 15 to face either Norway or England.