Sports
Argentina ‘Make Special Request to FIFA’ Before England World Cup Clash
Argentina have reportedly made a special request to FIFA ahead of their 2026 World Cup semi-final clash against England on Wednesday.
The reigning world champions secured their place in the semi-finals courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium. Lionel Scaloni’s side took an early lead when Alexis Mac Allister headed home Lionel Messi’s corner in the 10th minute.
However, Switzerland began to dominate the match in the second half and Dan Ndoye’s 67th-minute equaliser was no less than the European nation deserved.
The game’s turning point occurred five minutes later when Switzerland forward Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card, following a mistaken identity VAR review, for a cynical dive.
Argentina went on to win the quarter-final 3-1, with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez both scoring in the second half of extra-time.
England and Argentina: Old Rivals
The South Americans now prepare to take on their old rivals England at the Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday night.
The two nations haven’t faced each other since the 2002 World Cup group stages, when England secured a 1-0 win thanks to a David Beckham penalty. Four years earlier, Beckham was famously sent off for kicking Diego Simeone as Argentina advanced to the quarter-finals.
But the most famous clash between the two countries happened at the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico. Legendary forward Diego Maradona netted the most infamous goal in football history – his ‘Hand of God’ goal where he punched the ball into the net after out-jumping Peter Shilton – before scoring the ‘Goal of the Century’ four minutes later.
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Argentina’s Request to FIFA
Ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final, Argentina have made a special request to FIFA in the hope that it may work in their favour.
Journalist Gaston Edul, per The Mirror, claims that Argentina have asked world football’s governing body if they can wear their all-blue kit as opposed to their iconic blue and white strip.
La Albiceleste have worn their traditional blue and white striped kit in all but one of their six 2026 World Cup matches. The exception was their 3-1 win over Jordan in the group stages.
Argentina wore navy blue during their two most famous wins over England at the 1986 and 1998 World Cup finals.
It seems the South American nation believe wearing navy blue once again could prove to be a lucky omen.
On this occasion, Argentina will be led by talismanic captain Messi, who has never faced England during his long career so far.
“Playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against powerhouses are always special,” the 39-year-old, who is a contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, told ESPN Argentina.
“It’s the first time I’m going to play against them. I’ve played against everyone except England, so it will be nice for that reason too.
“We’ll experience it for what it is: a World Cup semi-final against a great team, and we’ll try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again.”
Sports
Aston Villa Make Contact to Sign Man Utd Star Mason Mount
Aston Villa have been rocked in the transfer market this week, and they are now keen to try and make it right with new arrivals.
The club saw midfield star Amadou Onana suffer a ruptured cruciate knee ligament injury at the World Cup which will see him miss the majority of the season, while Man Utd moved to trigger Youri Tielemans’ £35m release clause to take him to Old Trafford against Villa’s wishes.
Unai Emery has been handed some reinforcements, with Johan Manzambi set to arrive in a £52.4m deal from SC Freiburg, following his excellent World Cup campaign, and now the club are pushing for more signings to help fill the gaps.
According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa have made contact with Man Utd about a deal to sign midfielder Mason Mount this summer.
Mount, who joined Man Utd from Chelsea back in 2023 for £60m, has had a torrid time at Old Trafford with injuries, restricting him to just 72 appearances across his three seasons, scoring seven goals in the process.
The England international has now entered the final two years of his contract, which sees him earn £250,000-a-week, and with Michael Carrick overseeing a midfield rebuild this summer, there was some speculation that Mount could be allowed to move on.
However, while Villa made an enquiry into the 27-year-old’s availability for the summer window, they were met with a swift rejection, as Man Utd intend to keep Mount at the club for the upcoming campaign.
Mount is also understood to be very happy at the club and wants to stay and prove himself, with more game time opportunities available this season due to them reaching the Champions League.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Aston Villa Need to Be Active
Emery has done a magical job at Villa since arriving, and last year the club won the Europa League and finished fourth in the Premier League. But the squad is now weaker following the midfield developments, plus the fact Jadon Sancho has left after his loan spell.
Financially, they are not in the best spot. But the club need to find a way to get active in the market and find replacements that are needed. Manzambi is an exciting addition, but he doesn’t have much top-flight experience.
Mount would have been a good replacement for Tielemans, but after being told that there is no scope for a move, the recruitment department must get busy quickly, or risk throwing the season under the bus before it has even begun.
Sports
Fan Footage Shows Max Holloway Brutally Mocking Conor McGregor After Fight Was Waved Off
New crowd footage has been posted on social media of Max Holloway brutally mocking Conor McGregor following the anti-climatic ending of their UFC 329 contest.
Like any McGregor fight, fans all across the world were eagerly anticipating the bout. A rematch between two of the most well-known fighters, who have taken dramatically different paths since the first time they met.
In the end, though, it was a disappointing finish, with an injury leaving the Irishman compromised and unable to fight back. Eventually, the referee stepped in, giving Holloway his revenge and a much-needed win.
Although the two shared words in the Octagon, Holloway soon mocked his opponent with a celebration similar to the Irishman’s trademark walk.
Conor McGregor’s Return Ends in Injury
The long-awaited return of McGregor couldn’t have ended more disappointingly for the fans. He immediately opened the clash up by leaping into a head-kick, a move which instantly brought an end to any competition.
From then on, any time he put any pressure on the right leg, it buckled, which allowed Holloway to land a barrage of shots, while McGregor couldn’t provide any answers due to his compromised leg.
Holloway was in control and was even questioning why the referee didn’t stop the fight. He could clearly see something was wrong and that his rival was struggling to continue.
Max Holloway Mocks Conor McGregor After Fight
Once the fight was brought to a halt, the two shared some words. Though, after the chat, Holloway began to do the ‘Billionaire Strut’ across the Octagon, something which McGregor became known for during his prime years.
It was something he did once he stepped into the Octagon after his cage-walk. One of the most legendary examples was when he did it against Eddie Alvarez; oozing confidence and calmness as a sold-out Madison Square Garden watched on.
What Next For Conor McGregor & Max Holloway
Following the main event, there are plenty of questions over McGregor’s future. He is now 37 years old and with just one win since 2016. In addition to this, he could be left on the sidelines yet again with an injury that has brought an abrupt end to the fight. While it may not be as bad as the Dustin Poirier leg break, it still isn’t ideal when he is trying to become more active.
Meanwhile, Holloway didn’t shut off the idea of a third fight in the future.
“He was talking about this 170 domain, he was talking about this different world. I wanna feel it. I’m down to come back in 2027.”
Outside of this, there will also be plenty of match-ups that could be made at lightweight. He has a win over the current champion, Justin Gaethje, and there are others like Paddy Pimblett, who would be open to the fight.
Sports
Leandro Trossard Offered “Mega Contract’ to Leave Arsenal as Bid Made
Arsenal are looking for ways to freshen up their squad in the coming weeks, and that means there are expected to be some exits.
The reigning Premier League champions are looking to win back-to-back league titles for the first time in their history, while they are also keen to go one step further in the Champions League, having been beaten in the final by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.
But the north London club are currently in a position where they must sell some stars to create space for new arrivals, and it has now emerged that one key first-team star is set to depart north London.
Trossard Offered ‘Mega Contract’ to Leave
According to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Gunners winger Leandro Trossard has been offered a ‘mega contract’ to leave the club and join Besiktas.
The Turkish outfit had a €20m (£17m) offer accepted for the Belgian winger last month, but a deal had been on hold until Belgium’s run at the World Cup came to an end – which it did last week following their 2-1 defeat to Spain.
Talks are now ongoing between the player and club over a deal, and it has been reported that Besiktas has done everything possible to get a deal done for the 31-year-old.
Trossard, who has been described as a ‘little magician’, is expected to make a final decision on a move away in the coming days. Besiktas are optimistic of getting his green light for a deal, but it’s understood that the player has several options on the table at this stage.
Arsenal are keen to bring in a new winger this summer, with Morgan Rogers and Bradley Barcola understood to be the top candidates, and Trossard’s exit is likely to trigger a step up in their interest.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Right Decision for Arsenal to Sell
Trossard has been a top servant for Arsenal since joining the club from Brighton back in January 2023, making 174 appearances for the club, scoring 36 goals and registering 34 assists in the process.
He was also key to them winning the Premier League title in the last campaign. However, his age and the fact that he has entered the final 12 months of his contract at the Emirates Stadium means that it’s the right decision to let him move on.
He’s not going to get any better, and Arsenal are able to earn a decent fee from a player they want to upgrade on. Now they just need to wait for him to give the green light to a move to Turkey.
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