Platini sues Fifa and president Infantino over alleged plot to topple him June 9, 2026 Former Uefa president Michel Platini is suing Fifa boss Gianni Infantino, accusing him and two others of plotting against him and ending his chances of landing football’s top job. Platini’s lawyers have announced that they are bringing legal action in Paris against Infantino and two former Fifa officials, legal director Marco Villiger and audit chair [...]
Sovereignty has replaced ownership as the real currency of power in football June 4, 2026 The Morning Wire Football Power List illustrates the shifting sands of the sport ahead of the 2026 World Cup, writes one of its judges, Amar Singh. We are days away from a truly super-sized Fifa World Cup – 48 teams, three host nations, and a tournament that will be watched by more people than any [...]
Fifa boss Infantino pips PSG chief Al-Khelaifi in Morning Wire Football Power List June 4, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has topped the inaugural Morning Wire Football Power List, a week before the biggest ever men’s World Cup is due to kick off. The ranking, compiled with a 16-strong panel of expert judges drawn from across the sports industry, is designed to be a snapshot of who controls the most popular [...]
Morning Wire Football Power List shows that systems, not individuals, control sport June 4, 2026 Ed Warner, one of the judges for the Morning Wire Football Power List, gives his take on what the rankings reveal about the game. Here’s your gentle starter for 10: who’s the most powerful man in world football? Easy, right? Gianni Infantino. But who are the 24 people you’d rank immediately behind Fifa’s president? I’ve [...]
Morning Wire Football Power List 2026: Who really runs the world’s most popular sport? June 4, 2026 The Morning Wire Football Power List seeks to answer a simple question: ahead of the 2026 World Cup, who really runs the planet’s favourite sport? To answer it, we assembled a panel of experts from across the sports industry and picked their brains for nominations and, ultimately, a top 25. You can read more about [...]
Madonna, Shakira and BTS announced for Fifa World Cup half-time show May 14, 2026 Madonna, Shakira and BTS will perform in the first ever World Cup half-time show, curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The three global superstar acts are set to appear on the pitch at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during an extended interval to the final on Sunday 19 July. Martin announced the line-up today [...]
Fifa’s World Cup model is grotesque and will drive away credible future hosts May 14, 2026 The FA and other potential future World Cup hosts should take Fifa to task over an event model that makes no sense for rational bidders, says Ed Warner. Great news! It’s just got cheaper to get to the World Cup. NJ Transit has slashed the price of a return train from Penn Station to the [...]
Fifa suffers legal setback just weeks before 2026 World Cup kick-off May 8, 2026 Fifa has suffered a legal blow just weeks before the World Cup after the French footballers’ union UNFP achieved a landmark decision in the European courts. The UNFP has successfully advanced a complaint about the health and safety of players’ working conditions and a lack of collective bargaining as a result of decisions made by [...]
Fifa defends World Cup ticket prices: ‘We had to apply market rates’ May 6, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has defended the price of tickets at this summer’s World Cup, insisting football’s world governing body “had to apply market rates”. Tickets for the tournament are the most expensive in its history and have triggered a wave of criticism, including a formal complaint from a fans’ group to the European Commission. [...]