A football finance expert has provided a fresh update as the wait for a verdict on Manchester City’s alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules continues.

City were initially charged with 115 alleged breaches of FFP back in February 2023. That number increased to 130 and a hearing into the charges against the Premier League side concluded in 2024.

The charges relate to the:

• alleged failure to provide accurate financial information, including details for player and manager payments, from 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons
• alleged failure to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules from 2013-14 to 2017-18
• alleged breaches of Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) from 2015-16 to 2017-18.

City also face multiple charges accusing them of failing to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation between December 2018 and February 2023.

Wait For Verdict Goes On

It was rumoured in May that a verdict was set to ‘arrive within weeks’, but there’s still no sign of an imminent verdict two months’ later.

Indeed, Man City broke the British transfer record on July 2 after signing England international Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest in a deal worth £116 million.

Asked if it’s fair that City have signed Anderson despite the charges hanging over them, football finance expert Stefan Borson told talkSPORT: “Well, it’s fair because what do you want City to do? To stop everything whilst the whole case was ongoing?

“The case has been ongoing for many years. It’s not acceptable, but there’s no decision in the case.

“The last I heard was probably the end of June and there didn’t seem to have been a decision.

“It may have come since, but even so 19, 20 months, we are now at the edges of whatever happens in any of these cases.”

Verdict Could Still Be Several Months Away

Borson says it could still take several months before a decision is announced, with arbitration cases lasting up to 24 months in some instances.

He continued: “I spoke to a KC (King’s Counsel) recently and said, ‘have all your cases, all your litigation, courts of appeal, wherever, what’s the longest you’ve waited for a decision?’

“And he said, ‘five months’ and even that he had contact with the judges being in touch with him. Arbitration is different and some arbitration does go to 24 months.

“But it does put the judgement when it comes in a territory where if it goes against one of the parties, they may well say, ‘look, this is just unsafe now. This has just been too long. You’re not close enough to the evidence that you heard two years ago, nearly, to be able to conclude fairly on this case.’

“So it just opens up another issue for the panel. That’s obviously a very difficult appeal to win, but it’s the sort of thing that people are going to run these silly arguments or these challenging arguments if the case goes against them.

Man City, who won three of their eight Premier League titles during the period when the alleged breaches occurred, now prepare to begin the post-Pep Guardiola era under their new manager Enzo Maresca.

City begin the 2026-27 campaign with a clash against Arsenal in the Community Shield on August 16 before their opening Premier League fixture against Bournemouth one week later.

When football fans think of the term ‘idol’, one individual who usually springs to mind is the late great Pele. The Brazilian icon transcended the sport and transformed the ‘beautiful game’.

While Lionel Messi chases a second World Cup trophy, Pele sits in a league of his own. He is the only player to have won the tournament on three occasions, firing Brazil to glory in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Pele became football’s first Black global superstar and his attacking brilliance mesmerized fans around the world. More often than not, those who grew up during his era dreamed of following in his footsteps and becoming the next Pele-like talent for their country.

Just like Messi idolised Diego Maradona, Pele too held many greats of the game in high regard. He particularly admired the work of one of Britain’s most successful sportspersons.

‘My Idol for a Coach’ – Pele

Pele opted against entering the football coaching world after calling time on his illustrious playing career. There have been many managers whose names are viewed in the same way as those of the players who take to the pitch.

No individual who has entered the British managerial dugout has ever been as successful as Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot guided Manchester United to 13 Premier League titles during a dominant 26-and-a-half-year reign at Old Trafford.

Ferguson called time on his career in 2013, and Pele was among countless footballing legends to pay tribute. He wrote on X:

Paul Thomas via Action Images via Reuters

Ferguson was a serial winner who wrote his name into the history books at United and, first, with Aberdeen. He broke Celtic and Rangers’ stranglehold on the Scottish Premiership with three league titles.

Arguably his biggest feat came in 1983 when he led the Dons to a fairytale European Cup Winners’ Cup final victory over Real Madrid. That wasn’t the only time he got his hands on a European trophy, as he became the first manager in English football to win a continental treble in 1999.

When Sir Alex Chose Between Pele & Maradona

Unsurprisingly, Ferguson was a fan of Pele, perhaps why he instructed United to target the South American market during his era. No South American player came close to touching Brazil’s ‘King ‘, even Diego Maradona, if you ask the Scotsman.

Ferguson once weighed in on the debate over Pele and Maradona by revealing his admiration of the Santos hero. He said:

Pele unfortunately never graced European football during his playing days but made plenty of history at Santos. It would have been extraordinary to see the Brazilian rock up at Old Trafford on a UEFA Champions League night.

We are well and truly into the business end of the competition, so thoughts are beginning to turn toward the World Cup Final.

After 103 matches, only two nations will be left standing on the precipice of World Cup glory. But even as teams fall along the way, the eyes of a global footballing audience will remain glued to the spectacle.

There are firm favourites for the trophy, as well as a few dark horses, creating permutations for travel, ticket demand, and match times. So, here is everything you need to know to make your World Cup Final experience a memorable one.

When is the 2026 World Cup Final?

REUTERS/Paul Childs

The World Cup Final will take place on Sunday 19th July at 8pm BST. For fans in the United States, the final will be at 3pm Eastern Time and 12pm Pacific Time. For those watching from Europe and working to Central European Time, the final will begin at 9pm.

For South America, the start time will vary depending on your location within the continent. For those working to UTC-5 (Colombia, Ecuador, western Brazil) and UTC-4 (Paraguay, central Brazil), the final will begin at 3pm.

South American nations working to UTC-3 (Argentina, Uruguay, and eastern/coastal regions of Brazil) and UTC-2 (easternmost islands of Brazil), the final will start at 4pm.

And finally, if you are working to China Standard Time or Australian Western Standard Time, you may need to set your alarms. The final will begin at 3am on Monday 20th July.

Where is the 2026 World Cup Final?

Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The World Cup Final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The venue is roughly 5 miles west of New York City.

The stadium is the home of the NFL’s New York Jets and New York Giants, and is relatively new, having opened in 2010. With 80,000+ capacity and a distinct bowl-like architecture, the venue is designed to provide optimum viewing from every seat.

There are a number of sizeable parking lots within the vicinity of the stadium. However, due to the lots being regulated by parking passes, fans are advised to take advantage of public transport to access MetLife Stadium.

The stadium has its own train station and dedicated shuttle train which can be reached via connections from New York Penn Station or Newark Penn Station. There is also an express bus service that runs from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan directly to the Meadowlands Sports Complex where the stadium is situated.

However, it’s not all plain sailing for the modern stadium. France’s Adrien Rabiot and Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior both criticised the recently-laid natural grass turf after their country’s respective group games at the venue.

“In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly. The game becomes very sluggish, and we can’t get into our rhythm,” said the Brazilian star after his side’s 1-1 draw with Morocco.

Which Teams Will Be in the Final?

REUTERS

We will have to wait and see who reaches the 2026 World Cup final, but we have already seen some of the expected challengers drop out in the knockout stage. The likes of Germany, Portugal and Brazil have been sent home, while each of the tournament hosts have also bowed out early.

We will know the identity of the two finalists on July 15, when both semi-final games are concluded.

How to Watch the 2026 World Cup Final

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

In the UK, the World Cup Final’s broadcasting rights will be shared, allowing fans to access live match coverage without any subscription paywalls.

The final will be broadcast live on BBC1 and ITV1 in England and STV in Scotland. Fans will also be able to stream the final via BBC iPlayer and ITVX with a valid UK TV licence.

In the USA, coverage is shared between both English-language and Spanish-language networks, which will provide access for both cable and streaming viewers.

FOX and the network’s accompanying FOX One app hold the primary network rights for English-language users. Telemundo and Universo will provide the Spanish-language coverage in the United States. For those using live TV streaming services, FOX and Telemundo’s World Cup Final live feed will be available through YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu+Live TV, Sling TV (in select markets), and DirecTV Stream.

World Cup 2026 Final Tickets

Tickets for the final can be purchased legally through FIFA’s official Ticket Portal and its Resale/Exchange Marketplace. However, high demand has driven prices considerably beyond the original estimates. World Cup Final tickets have increased by as much as 38% when compared to the December 2025 sales phase.

The last-minute World Cup Final ticket launch has seen Category 1/Premium tickets priced at over $10,000. Fans looking for a deal can explore secondary ticketing platforms like StubHub and SeatGeek, but tickets purchased here are required to be transferred electronically into your official FIFA Mobile Tickets App account.

For those chancing their arms with a last-minute strategy, the FIFA Resale Marketplace remains open for buyers and sellers up until one hour before kick-off. FIFA have also been releasing small batches of returned and unallocated tickets via their website. However, this strategy will require digitally queuing to monitor the ticket portal.