One World Cup referee will be hoping for a quieter time of things when the 2026 tournament kicks off

Wilton Sampaio is the man in charge of the opening game of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa – four years on from his divisive performance in Qatar. The Brazilian match official has refereed over 250 games across domestic and international competitions, including England’s 2022 quarter-final loss to France.

This match drew major criticism from the English players and fans alike, despite Sampaio awarding two penalties in the Three Lions’ favour. Observers believed the ref had missed multiple incidents throughout the game, including fouls on Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane that would’ve ruled out France’s opener.

Sampaio did not award a free-kick in either instance at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, although he did point to the spot in the second half after Saka was fouled in the box.

Minutes after Olivier Giroud restored France’s lead, the referee awarded another penalty in England’s favour.

Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!

The second spot-kick was only awarded, however, after Sampaio consulted the VAR monitor pitchside to see the foul on Mason Mount. Kane fired his strike over the bar, and England were out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals – but some players felt hard done by thanks to the match official.

Speaking post-match, veteran defender Harry Maguire was open about his issues with Sampaio’s performance. He said: “Really poor, very poor. From minute one: five, six fouls in the first 15 minutes, not one yellow card.

“For me, it’s a foul for the first goal, on Bukayo. I can’t really go into explaining how bad [Sampaio’s] performance really was. I don’t want to go into too much, because I’ll end up getting fined, but it was really, really poor.”

Advertisement

Maguire wasn’t the only one who had qualms with the Sampaio. Gary Neville, working for ITV, also stuck the boot in. He said: “The referee, I thought he had an absolute nightmare,” Neville said on ITV. “An absolute joke of a referee.

“I am not saying that was all down to England’s defeat, people will say that’s excuses, but he was just a bad referee. Rank, bad.”

Despite that performance gaining widespread criticism – from England fans, at least – Sampaio has been awarded the opening match at this year’s World Cup. The Brazilian will be joined by fellow countrymen Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia as assistant referees, with Paraguayan Juan Gabriel Benítez serving as the fourth official.

The VAR will be led by Colombian official Nicolas Gallo, with Frenchman Jerome Brisard and Chilean Juan Lara as support in the video room.

Mexico vs South Africa will kick off on Thursday, June 11 at 8pm to kick off the major tournament. This will follow an opening ceremony featuring Shakira and Burna Boy, alongside a host of other music artists.

Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

from £4.50

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.

Advertisement

You are scrolling through your feed when a screenshot appears showing a public figure saying something surprising or controversial. Within minutes, it is everywhere. Some are angry, others defend it, memes parody it, and arguments spread across platforms.

Later, you discover the person never quite said that exact quote. The words came from a longer interview, the clip was shortened or an incorrect caption was added. But the screenshot has travelled faster and further than the original video ever did. What people reacted to was a version of the message created through circulation, rather than the message as originally delivered. Sound familiar? This pattern can be seen across nearly every viral moment, from political speeches to celebrity interviews.

Research in media and communication studies has long shown that meaning rarely remains fixed once a message enters circulation.

My work examines how these small shifts accumulate as messages move through digital environments. I describe this process as “message drift”, where content becomes separated from its original context as it is clipped, reposted and reframed across digital platforms.

Message drift rarely occurs in a single dramatic moment. Rather, it emerges through a series of small transformations. Evidence suggests this is driven both by limited user attention, and by platforms that prioritise content which is quick to consume and easy to share. Studies of digital attention show that people engage with information in short, fragmented bursts. Social media platforms tend to amplify content that is easily processed and widely circulated.

My research suggests that audiences interpret statements through contextual cues such as captions, commentary and surrounding visuals. The same words can appear sarcastic, alarming or definitive depending on how they are presented.

During the defamation trial between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, short clips and reaction edits spread rapidly across TikTok and other platforms, with viewers often forming strong opinions from fragments of much longer courtroom proceedings. Different clips, captions and reposts pushed audiences toward opposing interpretations of the same events. Fan culture on social media further intensified online reactions around the case.

The circulation of AI-generated images during the 2024 US election cycle also demonstrated how quickly visual content can detach from its original context. Edited campaign images, parody posts and reposted screenshots spread rapidly across platforms and were repeatedly mistaken for authentic political material. Fabricated visuals were shared and debated at speed before people could verify where they came from or whether they were real.

À lire aussi :
What is AI slop? Why you are seeing more fake photos and videos in your social media feeds

Short clips of political speeches are frequently shared with captions that emphasise a particular interpretation, even when the full speech suggests a different tone or meaning. For instance, in 2021, images of a crowded House of Commons circulated online with captions claiming MPs were debating their own pay. The image was used to suggest MPs were paying more attention to their own salaries than to other political issues. In reality, at least one of the images was taken during a different debate and mislabelled.

In older media environments, such as broadcast television, newspapers or official press releases, authority depended on who said something and where it appeared. Online, authority increasingly depends on repetition. The version of a message encountered first, or most frequently over time, often becomes the version people treat as the most accurate or authoritative account.

In my own ongoing research, I have asked participants to respond to edited clips, screenshots and images to test how they interpret messages in different formats. When these differing versions conflict, participants have defended their initial interpretations and challenged others, causing disagreement to escalate into argument.

Why this matters

Conflict is not always about competing interpretations of a single statement, where people disagree about what the same message means. Instead, it often arises because people encountered different versions of that statement in the first place.

Digital platforms themselves further intensify this. Studies of online behaviour show that emotionally engaging content is more likely to attract attention and be shared. These versions are more likely to dominate what audiences encounter. As a result, simplified or emotionally charged versions of messages often travel further than the original. It is quicker to process, easier to repeat and more likely to trigger emotional reactions, all of which are linked to higher engagement.

Over time, this can contribute to wider problems in online communication, including polarisation and misinformation. New digital tools, such as generative AI, make it easier to produce realistic but altered images, video and audio at speed and scale, increasing the likelihood that misleading or context-shifted content can circulate widely.

Next time you come across a clip that you have the urge to share or comment on, ask yourself a few key questions. Where did this message first appear? What context might be missing? And how many different versions of it might now be circulating?

Understanding message drift does not resolve these problems on its own, but it can help people recognise what is happening when online debates escalate.

David Bell, 66, took on the challenge in support of Anxious Minds, a charity supporting ex-serving personnel and their loved ones across the North East.

The retired fusilier began training earlier this year before walking an average of 20 to 30 miles per day.

David Bell, 66, completes a 100-mile charity walk to raise funds for Anxious Minds, which supports veterans and their families (Image: Supplied)

His journey concluded outside Anxious Minds‘ counselling services in Wallsend.

Anxious Minds CEO, Edward Dean, said: “It is absolutely amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

“David has done an amazing thing, both to support the charity and the veterans we serve.

“We cannot thank him enough from the bottom of our heart.”

David Bell, 66, completes a 100-mile charity walk to raise funds for Anxious Minds, which supports veterans and their families (Image: Supplied)

Mr Bell’s 100-mile effort has helped raise funds to provide “life-changing” mental health support to veterans and their families.

Anxious Minds serves individuals across the wider region.

The charity offers counselling services and mental health support for veterans and their families.

David Bell, 66, completes a 100-mile charity walk to raise funds for Anxious Minds, which supports veterans and their families (Image: Supplied)

Its dedicated veteran support work aims to address the unique pressures faced by military personnel returning to civilian life.

The organisation has received multiple awards for its services, including the Making a Difference Award at the 2025 Markel 3rd Sector Care Awards and the English Veteran Awards’ Leader of the Year title in 2024.

It also earned gold in the Health and Wellbeing category at the English Veteran Awards in 2022.

The report emphasises that by the time children are at the end of Year 6, they leave as ‘kind and considerate young people’, ready to make ‘positive contributions to their community’

A primary school has been rated ‘strong standard’ in all areas accessed by Ofsted. John Clare Primary School in Helpston, Peterborough has been praised by inspectors for its “‘remarkably well’ achieving pupils who display “impeccable” behaviour.

The school underwent an Ofsted inspection in April and has been rated ‘strong standard’ across seven areas. These areas are: Inclusion, leadership and governance, achievement, curriculum and teaching, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing and early years.

Inspectors praised the school for having an “ambitious and coherent curriculum” which means all pupils achieve “remarkably well” as well as “learn and develop to an equally impressive standard”.

The report emphasises that by the time children are at the end of Year 6, they leave as “well-rounded, kind and considerate young people, ready to make positive contributions to their community”.

A spokesperson for John Clare Primary School said: “I am absolutely delighted with this outcome. Ofsted saw what I see every day at school, confident, supportive and ambitious learners who thrive in our safe and supportive school environment.”

Inspectors praised leaders’ ambition to guide each pupil to become a ‘good human’ and highlighted that students’ behaviour is “impeccable”.

The report adds: “From youngest to oldest, they work in classrooms that are highly conducive to learning. Staff expect pupils to live up to their high expectations and pupils do just that. The school is not only filled with hard work and concentration, but fun, smiles and laughter.

“Pupils delight in the company of their friends, with kindness characterising these relationships. The oldest pupils keep a keen eye on their younger ‘buddies’, helping them to navigate the ways of the school as they begin their first steps in education.”

John Clare Primary School has five mixed-age classes: Buttercross for reception and year one, Woodgate for years one and two, Broadwheel for years three and four, Swaddywell for years four and five as well as Torpel for year six.

The spokesperson for John Clare Primary School added: “The report reflects the closeness in the school and our ambition to nurture confident and considerate learners. Our pupils are truly at the heart of every decision we make, and I am proud that Ofsted has recognised this. It’s a pleasure to work alongside dedicated teachers and staff members who constantly exceed expectations, helping us to better our school year on year.”

NEW YORK (AP) — A record-breaking comeback, capped off by what could go down as a legendary play.

The long road back to the top of the NBA is almost complete for the New York Knicks, and the step they took Wednesday night was unforgettable.

The Knicks came from 29 points down and moved to the brink of their first championship since 1973 by beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 on OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.

“That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.

It’s certainly high on the list — as high as Anunoby leaped when Jalen Brunson’s long 3-point shot bounced on the front of the rim, with his right hand stretching high to softly flick it in.

“Right hand from God,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.

The Knicks, who have just two titles in their 80-year history and hadn’t even been in the finals since 1999, have three chances to win the title, starting with Game 5 on Saturday night in San Antonio.

It looked impossible early, when the Spurs rolled to a 27-point halftime lead. But Brunson helped bring the Knicks back with 36 points and Anunoby finished with 33.

No team had come from more than 24 points down in a finals game, when Boston did it against the Lakers in 2008, since the NBA began keeping detailed play-by-play for all four quarters in 1997. The Spurs led 81-52 in the third quarter.

“We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot,” Anunoby said. “We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated.”

The only bigger comeback on record in any playoff game was 31 points by the Los Angeles Clippers against Golden State in Game 2 of a first-round series in 2019.

“You look at it when you’re down 29 of, ‘OK, let’s get it to 20.’ There’s three minutes left in the third quarter, we’re down 18, you’re thinking, ‘Let’s get it to 10,” forward Josh Hart said.

“In the fourth quarter, you’re like, this is winning time. Anything can happen.”

And it did.

The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak snapped in Game 3 and seemed headed for a second straight defeat throughout the first half, when Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs opened the biggest halftime lead by a visiting team in the finals.

But the young Spurs, who made 11 of their first 16 3-pointers, went cold in the second half, going 3 for 17 behind the arc as the Knicks outscored them 58-30.

“We got on our heels — we missed some shots,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s disappointing, to say the least.”

Delirious fans inside Madison Square Garden sang along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” a few minutes after watching something that seemed almost impossible.

Wembanyama had 24 points and 13 rebounds but shot just 9 for 25 from the field.

Road teams had won the first three games, only the second time that had happened in the finals. San Antonio was well on its way to making it 4 for 4.

Knicks scrap watch party and fans have nothing to cheer early

President Donald Trump wasn’t at this game — Taylor Swift was — but the same restrictions remained around Madison Square Garden as when he attended Game 3. That angered the Knicks, who decided not to go forward with plans to hold an outdoor watch party outside the arena.

Inside the building in the first half, there wasn’t much for the hosts to be happy about, either.

But the Knicks gave themselves a chance by limiting the Spurs to 14 points on 4-for-20 shooting in the third quarter, using a 13-0 run to get back in it and cutting it to 90-75 heading to the fourth.

These Knicks, who erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, just don’t quit. Even when the comeback seemed for naught when Stephon Castle was fouled after the Knicks had taken the lead and made two free throws to put San Antonio back ahead with 30 seconds left, the Knicks had one more rally in them.

Dylan Harper scored 21 points and De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell each had 18 for the Spurs, who will try to regroup and send the series back to New York for Game 6 on Tuesday. Only one team — Cleveland in 2016 — has recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

“I think it began before (the fourth quarter),” Wembanyama said of the Spurs’ collapse. “I can’t really explain it right now. I don’t know. … We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half.”

Fans booed Wembanyama when he came on to the floor to warm up about an hour before the game and the Knicks tried to get rough with him, with Mitchell Robinson called for a flagrant foul for hitting him above the shoulders and Jose Alvarado reviewed for one after going below the belt.

Wembanyama — who was also called for a flagrant — stood up OK against the Knicks but will regret the two free throws he missed with 1:47 left and San Antonio leading 104-103.

The Spurs broke to a 12-2 lead, giving them a double-digit advantage in the first quarter of all four games. They kept pouring it on and led 41-22 after one, then extended it to 57-32 when Julian Champagnie’s 3-pointer made them 11 for 16 behind the arc.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Earlier on Wednesday, Amanda Anisimova sailed past Siegemund as she returned to the grass for the first time since her heavy Wimbledon final defeat last year.

The American reached her first Grand Slam final at the All England Club but suffered an excruciating 6-0 6-0 loss against Poland’s Iga Swiatek.

It was the first time a woman had won a Wimbledon final with a double bagel – the name given to a victory without dropping a game – since Dorothea Lambert Chambers in 1911.

But the 24-year-old Anisimova, a finalist at Queen’s last year, showed why she is so effective on grass with a commanding 6-1 6-3 win over world number 44 Siegemund.

“It was an incredible year for me last year,” said Anisimova, who also finished as runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 US Open.

“A lot of highs, a lot of low moments where there were some tough lessons I had to learn, but those are the ones that shaped me as a person and a athlete.

“I’m trying to carry that into this year – everything that I learned.”

The second seed, who received a first-round bye, will face fellow American Iva Jovic in the quarter-finals.

Eighteen-year-old sixth seed Jovic defeated her good friend Alexandra Eala, 21, for the second time in two weeks with a 6-2 6-2 victory on Andy Murray Arena.

“There is no bad blood. We were just talking in the locker room. It’s all good. We’re back to being friends now off the court,” said Jovic, who also beat Eala in the first round of the French Open.

The final singles match of the day, between former Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic and Czech player Marie Bouzkova, was suspended because of rain with Vekic 6-5 up in the first set.

On Thursday, all three remaining British players play their last-16 matches – Emma Raducanu facing in-form Sorana Cirstea, Katie Boulter taking on Romanian Jaqueline Cristian and Harriet Dart playing lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova – after her initial opponent Belinda Bencic pulled out with a “small” ankle injury.

Mr Trump had previously alleged electoral fraud over the delay in counting ballots, which is notoriously slow in California, because of the predominance of postal voting, the verification process and the size of the state’s population, with some 23 million eligible voters.

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

Formula 1 has agreed a two-step plan to change engine design in response to criticism of this year’s new rules.

Drivers have complained that the near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power this year and need for energy management has diminished the challenge in qualifying.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen was so upset by the new engines he said he would quit F1 if changes were not made, but all other drivers were in agreement the issue needed to be addressed.

The engine suppliers have agreed to change the ratio to 60-40 in favour of the internal combustion engine by 2028 and will do so in two steps.

The compromise agreement comes after a month of talks in which Ferrari and Audi were leading a push to prevent the move to 60-40 being made in one step for 2027.

A statement from governing body the FIA said: “The proposed changes are intended to address issues related to energy management and fuel energy-flow characteristics and make qualifying more flat-out while not impacting the positive and exciting racing generated by the new regulations.”

The agreed plan will see the split changed to 58-42 in 2027 before moving to 60-40 in 2028.

The changes will be made by increasing the fuel-flow to the internal combustion engine (ICE) by 5% in 2027 and 13% in 2028.

This will increase the power from the ICE from about 400kW (536bhp) this year to 420kW (563bhp) in 2027 and 450kW (603bhp) in 2028.

Power produced by the electrical part of the engine will be reduced from 350kW (470bhp) this year to 300kW (402bhp) from next year.

The maximum power available in overtake mode, which gives a driver within one second of a car in front the ability to recover and use an extra 0.5MJ of energy per lap will remain at 350kW.

But the maximum harvesting power of the electrical part of the engine will be increased from 350kW this year to 375kW in 2027 and 400kW in 2028.

This last move will allow teams to recover energy more quickly, reducing the amount of time spent doing so.

The biggest criticism of the new cars this year has been the engines were energy starved because it was too difficult to recover sufficient energy around a lap to meet the maximum allowance.

In the early races, this led to unusual behaviour, such as drivers lifting off the throttle and coasting on qualifying laps, as well as recovering energy while on full throttle.

This diminished the ‘flat-out’ nature of qualifying and led to bitter criticisms from some drivers.

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso has said fast corners have become the “charging station for the car” as a result of the new rules.

A first step to address the criticisms was made after the opening three races, when the maximum amount of energy that could be recovered on a lap was reduced, and the power of recovery when on full throttle was increased.

All the drivers have agreed this was a welcome change but only a small step in the right direction.

In addition to the rules agreement, the FIA has informed the power-unit manufacturers of the ranking of engine performance.

This is important because it opens the door to manufactures deemed to be more than 2% behind the most powerful engine to upgrade their engines this year and next.

The FIA has not published its verdict, but sources have said Red Bull have been found to have the most powerful engine.

Only the power of the internal combustion engine is measured. The effectiveness of the recovery and deployment of the electrical system is not taken into account.

Mercedes have been awarded one permissible upgrade this season and another next, while all other manufacturers – Ferrari, Audi and Honda – can make two in both this season and 2027.

Those permitted upgrades are also allowed to spend extra money under the engine budget cap, on a sliding scale depending on the performance deficit.

Honda was classed as the worst engine, as expected, but a source close to the FIA said they had been categorised in the bracket of 8-10% behind the most powerful.

That means they miss out on the extra chunk of funding that had been made available to any manufacturer classed as more than 10% behind, which was as much as $19m (£14m).