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"Finally, ministers pointed out that communication during moments of crisis could further be reinforced through timely coordination and should be more coherent, especially to counter malicious external actors engaged in foreign information manipulation and interference." Amen.

Good article. Suggests separating the regulatory and commercial operations of FIFA. Would have avoided a lot of the worst excesses of the last World Cup, where rules were bent for financial gain.

"He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America,” said one insider briefed on the matter. “But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point.”

One for the pub quizzes of the future

Albanian coastline, football, Greenland: it is the same issue in all cases. Not everything should be for sale.

The UK press has been great on this. Here is another article in which we learn inter alia that Kushner’s staff “had no idea that it was going to generate this kind of reaction — there was genuine shock” Just the sort of knowledgeable people you want running football www.thetimes.com/article/abf1...

Gianni Infantino clinging to power as efforts to oust him intensifySupport is flooding away from the Fifa president, who will likely be asked to resign at emergency council meeting and is scrambling to establish base of backerswww.thetimes.com

Second FIFA official criticises proposal. apnews.com/article/cord...

Senior FIFA executive says staff were deceived over Infantino's World Cup sell-off planTwo senior FIFA officials have criticized Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan. One has resigned as a presidential adviser and the second says staff have been deceived by a project that must not...apnews.com

Meanwhile a US oil company pitches up in Greenland despite the government there telling them not to. There is a common theme to so many of today's news stories.

“I think a lot of the emotion is covering up the simple premise of what this is, which is how do you monetise better, just like any other company would want to do?” The simple premise is understood all too well, and the World Cup is not a company. www.ft.com/content/c81d...

How JPMorgan walked into another football firestormAfter getting caught up in the Super League controversy, the US bank has been instrumental in Fifa’s plans to raise billionswww.ft.com

I don't suppose that European clubs would be particularly inclined to release their African and Latin American players for a non-UEFA sanctioned tournament, either....

On s'en fout. www.ft.com/content/d280...

Fifa not ‘selling the World Cup’ in $20bn commercial plan, says adviserGreg Maffei defends contentious proposal he helped shape as body’s move to bring in outside investors is hit by backlashwww.ft.com

Between this, the backlash against huge data centres at a time of drought and global warming, & the struggle in Albania against Kushner and Trump, are we seeing the start of a backlash against the exploitation of the commons by the rich and greedy? www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Fifa World Cup: Uefa to boycott tournament if Gianni Infantino's investment plans go throughUefa's 55 member associations vote to boycott the World Cup if Fifa proceeds with its plan to sell stakes in its competitions.www.bbc.co.uk

This is very good on why the FIFA story really matters www.thetimes.com/article/390d...

FA must denounce Gianni Infantino swiftly to stop World Cup saleStatement issued in response to proposed carve-up of the tournament was woefully inadequate and governing body has to withdraw support for the Fifa presidentwww.thetimes.com

53 days for the associations to save the sport. Just because there's always been corruption doesn't mean you agree to a much greater level of corruption that's simply intolerable. Fans need to pressure their national associations to do the right thing @faiofficial.bsky.social @shamrockrovers.ie

As a US ambassador in some faraway country and a different time said, many years ago, "If you don't stop telling lies about us we will start telling the truth about you"

The academic in question was being too lenient in my view: the request should have been that the article be retracted, since to publish an article making reference to non-existing publications is to engage in academic fraud.

Norwegian FA to complain over Donald Trump interference in Balogun case Good for Norway. But why has no other national federation made a stand over this or the peace prize? Do you approve, FAI? Synes i at det er acceptabel, DBU? C’est bon pour vous FFF? www.thetimes.com/article/ad2b...

Norwegian FA to complain over Donald Trump interference in Balogun caseLise Klaveness says she won’t allow scandal to be swept ‘under carpet’ and calls on Gianni Infantino to admit decision to suspend USA striker’s ban was an errorwww.thetimes.com

RIP Kevin Keegan. Still remember Liverpool v St Étienne, what a tie. Looking at his cv I am also reminded of the British Home Championship which was great fun. Still convinced they abolished it because the English didn’t like losing to Northern Ireland.

Good. Too many bad things happened at this World Cup for it to be a question of business as usual. Football fans should make their feelings known to their national associations too. www.thetimes.com/sport/footba...

Aleksander Ceferin boycotts World Cup final after Folarin Balogun scandalUefa president’s decision not to attend Spain’s win over Argentina is more evidence of complete breakdown in relations between Fifa and European governing bodywww.thetimes.com

FIFA got the final it deserved