Author: Rowan Clarke

France’s attempt to have Michael Olise’s yellow card rescinded has been rejected by Fifa ahead of their quarter-final clash against Morocco on Thursday. The Bayern Munich winger was booked during stoppage time in France’s 1-0 last-16 victory over Paraguay in Philadelphia last weekend. Olise clashed with Matias Galarza during the altercation, with Galarza falling to the ground after Olise grabbed his shirt. France manager Didier Deschamps confirmed the news on Wednesday, speaking ahead of the game at Boston Stadium in a brief but direct update. “The yellow card has not changed. We were notified by Fifa this morning, it has…

England fans could be handed an extra bank holiday if the national team go all the way and win the World Cup this summer. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has strongly hinted the government would grant workers a day off to mark such a historic achievement. England, managed by Thomas Tuchel, face Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday night as they continue their World Cup campaign. The final is scheduled to take place on 19 July, giving the nation just over a week to dream of what could be possible. When pressed on the prospect of a bank holiday, Sir…

Arsenal have accelerated their pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes after the Newcastle United captain formally asked to leave the club this summer. The Brazil international joined Newcastle from Lyon in 2022 and has since established himself as the team’s captain and undisputed talisman at St James’ Park. Arsenal had been weighing up moves for either Guimaraes or his former Newcastle team-mate Sandro Tonali, who has since joined Tottenham for an initial £92.5m. During early discussions around the financial conditions of a potential deal, a fee of around £60m was initially intimated with the 28-year-old’s representatives. Although Newcastle have not received direct…

After impressing with his last-16 picks, BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has turned his attention to the World Cup quarter-finals. Sutton got seven of eight last-16 ties correct, with only Switzerland’s penalty shootout win over Colombia catching him out. AI fared worse in the previous round, incorrectly predicting Brazil would beat Norway and that the USA would survive their tie with Belgium. BBC users matched Sutton and AI with six correct picks from eight, but still lead the overall standings with 68 correct results from 96 matches, equating to 71 per cent accuracy. Both Sutton and AI have each…

Chelsea have officially confirmed the signing of Sporting winger Geovany Quenda in a deal reported to be worth £40 million. The 19-year-old has put pen to paper on an eight-year contract, representing a significant long-term commitment from the Premier League club. Quenda becomes the second high-profile arrival under new manager Xabi Alonso, following the £42 million acquisition of Atalanta full-back Marco Palestra. The deal itself is not entirely new business, with the Portugal under-21 international having agreed to join Chelsea as far back as March 2025 under former manager Enzo Maresca. Quenda is expected to feature regularly for the first…

Lionel Messi and Argentina are battling to retain their World Cup crown, but their path through the tournament has attracted significant controversy along the way. Egypt were eliminated by Argentina 3-2 in the last 16 and immediately called on Fifa to remove the match officials from the rest of the competition. Coach Hossam Hassan was blunt in his assessment after the defeat, stating Egypt had been “treated unfairly” and had “suffered injustice” at the hands of French referee Francois Letexier. Hassan went further, directly questioning the motives behind the officiating, saying: “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in…

Glasgow-born Robbie Ure has emerged as one of European football’s most exciting young strikers after a stunning run of form in Sweden’s top flight. The 22-year-old fired all four goals in a remarkable 4-4 draw with defending champions Mjallby at the weekend, becoming the Allsvenskan’s leading scorer in the process. His performances have shot unfashionable IK Sirius into a nine-point lead at the top of the Swedish top flight, raising serious questions about his international future. Ure has 11 goals in 11 games for Sirius this season, taking his total to 22 in 41 appearances since moving to Uppsala in…

France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina and Switzerland will all compete across four quarter-final ties beginning on Thursday evening. Six European nations plus one side each from Africa and South America remain in contention, with all but the final quarter-final kicking off at a sociable hour for UK viewers. France face Morocco in Atlanta on Thursday at 21:00 BST, revisiting a 2022 semi-final that ended in heartbreak for the Atlas Lions but this time carries a very different complexion. Morocco, who are Africa Cup of Nations champions, fielded just four players against Canada who featured in that Qatar semi-final…

Arsenal have identified Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers as their primary transfer target this summer, with the club keen to secure his signature. The 23-year-old England international has caught the eye at Villa and is now firmly in Arsenal’s sights as they look to strengthen their midfield options. Liverpool are also active in the market, having made enquiries about 17-year-old Mexico midfielder Gilberto Mora from Club Tijuana. The teenage talent has attracted significant attention from the Merseyside club, who appear eager to bring him to Anfield despite his young age. Everton are looking to bolster their defensive ranks by pursuing…

History suggests European nations struggle at World Cups hosted outside their continent, with only Spain in 2010 and Germany in 2014 ever lifting the trophy away from home. That record could well be broken this summer, with six of the eight quarter-finalists coming from Europe at the 2026 tournament in North America. Belgium, England, France, Norway, Spain and Switzerland have all reached the last eight, joined by Argentina and Morocco as the only non-European representatives. This marks the highest number of European sides to reach a World Cup quarter-final outside of Europe since 1994, underlining the continent’s overwhelming dominance this…