FIFA has abandoned controversial plans to sell stakes in the World Cup and its other tournaments to private investors following a fierce backlash from football’s governing bodies. The news leaves president Gianni Infantino publicly humiliated and facing serious doubts over his future.

The governing body confirmed on Saturday that the proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), “will not proceed” after three continental confederations rejected the plans, with UEFA warning that its member nations would boycott FIFA competitions if they went ahead.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the proposal had been designed to generate more investment for member associations around the world, particularly in developing football nations, but admitted it had become too divisive.

In a statement, Infantino said: “The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed.

“And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders.

“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.

“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve.

“As a result, this proposal will not proceed.

“Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.”

The proposal centred on the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise to manage the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups. The most contentious element was a plan to sell a 20 per cent stake in the company to private investors.

Thrive Eternal, a company founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been identified as the leading investor, although the firm declined to comment on the proposals.

The plans sparked widespread criticism across world football and led to the resignation of Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro. FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour also distanced himself from the proposal, telling the Associated Press it was “a project of one person”.

Political figures also joined the criticism, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham branding the proposal “an outrageous suggestion”.

“The idea that it could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, (Infantino) is the wrong man to lead the organisation,” Burnham said.

The Asian Football Confederation welcomed FIFA’s decision to withdraw the plans, with president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa saying any major reforms must be based on “proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game”.

He added: “The AFC stands ready to support any initiative that strengthens the unity of the football family, contributes to the continued growth of the game globally and delivers meaningful benefits to all stakeholders.”

Alongside UEFA’s threat of a boycott, the proposals had also been rejected by CONCACAF, while the AFC called for an urgent review of FIFA’s governance and decision-making processes. South American governing body CONMEBOL had also sought further information and clarification before FIFA ultimately withdrew the plans.

The Netflix period drama has viewers calling it the perfect Bridgerton alternative, combining period drama with dark comedy

If you’ve reached the end of Bridgerton and find yourself searching for something to fill that period drama void, this series is the ideal place to begin – and you won’t even need to switch streaming platforms.

Netflix subscribers have been heaping praise on this dark comedy series set in 14th-century Italy. What many are unaware of, however, is that its entertaining storyline is drawn from a collection of 100 tales penned by an Italian writer, dating back to that very same period.

The Decameron is a mini-series inspired by the work of the same name, which unfolds during the devastating Black Death pandemic. Its narrative revolves around a wealthy family as they go to extraordinary lengths to survive the outbreak, all handled with an abundance of humour.

It carries a 15 rating, as The Decameron boldly incorporates sexual content, strong language, violence, and graphic details within its darkly comedic narrative. These elements are precisely what set it apart from the rest and earn it a wealth of five-star reviews.

One viewer wrote on Rotten Tomatoes: “A strange and amusing limited series. Characters that once seemed irredeemable are likeable, if not lovable by the final episode. Absurd and enjoyable, the series manages to stay light while investigating the dark underbelly of humanity.”, reports Wales Online.

Another shared their thoughts on the show in relation to the original text, writing: “While the show is loosely based on a 700 year old book, I found The Decameron fresh and engaging.

“The plot and characters felt like it was faithful to the 1300s without being stodgy. The characters are absolutely absurd, but that is part of their charm.”

Viewers are whisked away on a journey, beginning in 1348 in a fictionalised retelling of events, as the Black Death tightens its grip on Florence. In response, a group of nobles and their servants retreat to a countryside villa in Tuscany, riding out further outbreaks while indulging in their luxuries and lavish lifestyle.

It isn’t long before the disease reaches the tranquil hills and they are left with little option but to battle for their survival.

Bringing these characters to life are Tanya Reynolds from Sex Education, alongside Zosia Mamet, best known for her role in Girls. Also appearing on screen are Lou Gala, Leila Farzard, Jessica Plummer and Amar Chadha-Patel.

The cast have garnered considerable praise amongst critics, with one saying that they delivered “enjoyable performances”. Their review reads: “A period historical series that throws all the comedy and romance tropes out of the window is escalated by the enjoyable performances of a diverse cast untangled from any political narrative.

“This series is proof that even a story with unpredictable direction and story arcs makes for a hilariously entertaining one.”

Others simply ssaid that it was “well acted”, while one viewer said that the script and actors had them “laughing out loud” throughout. The period drama encompasses a great deal in its concise eight episodes and was regrettably never commissioned for a second series following its release in 2024, making it the perfect binge-watch.

The Decameron is streaming now on Netflix.

Chrissy Bell is a senior advisor with Acas and spent 10 years working on its helpline.

Acas provides free, impartial advice to employees and employers on workplace rights and disputes.

“If someone is expecting their wages on a certain date and it doesn’t arrive or it doesn’t arrive in full, then if people haven’t got savings, even a small amount of difference can be the difference between them paying their bills and not being able to pay them,” says Chrissy.

She has this advice to anyone who believes they have not been paid the correct amount,

“Firstly, work out the amount you should have been paid. So check payslips, timesheets, contracts and the first step is to speak to the employers, as there may have been a genuine mistake.”

If this does not work, she suggests putting a more formal grievance in writing, setting out any evidence, including timesheets, and then giving the employer a reasonable chance to respond.

Finally, she says if it is not resolved internally after a reasonable amount of time then the person should consider making a claim to an employment tribunal if they are owed outstanding wages.

“If someone gets an award at an employment tribunal then there are systems in place to help them enforce it if necessary,” she says.

Martha Lindeque declined to provide a statement, but the BBC understands that her position is that she strongly denies the allegations made by her ex-staff.

Will said he could “see his sternum moving” before finding out his heart rate had skyrocketed to 227 beats per minute

A star rower whose heart rate soared to 227 beats per minute was rescued by the air ambulance. Will Young was rowing alone early one summer morning when he began losing his vision and the strength in his arms.

The 34-year-old began falling towards the river but managed to row 100m back to the boathouse and put his boat away. While resting on the second floor of the building, his heart rate skyrocketed to 227bpm.

“I’d never felt like that before,” Will said. “I felt weird and weak. I looked down at my chest and could see my sternum moving really fast. I put my heart strap on and, straight away, it showed my heart rate as 227bpm. I rang 999 and told the call handler I was having a serious cardiac event.”

Paramedics arrived and saw that Will was at immediate risk of a cardiac arrest with dangerously low blood pressure, so they requested support from the East Anglian Air Ambulance. A doctor and critical care paramedic arrived at the scene and sedated Will before delivering a controlled shock to his heart to reset it to a normal rhythm.

Will’s heart stopped briefly and the team needed to carry out CPR until his heart and breathing restarted. He had to be removed from the second floor of the building over the balcony due to its spiral staircase.

He was taken by land ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with the East Anglian Air Ambulance team. He is now raising awareness to ensure the charity can continue to save lives across the region.

Will said: “I’ve always known about the East Anglian Air Ambulance, but only later became aware that it was a charity; something I think many people don’t know. The service they provide is unbelievably important – critical in fact. I have since been able to meet the team from East Anglian Air Ambulance – it was really cool to meet the people who saved my life.”

Dr Nicola Ebbs, deputy medical director from East Anglian Air Ambulance, said: “At just 33 years old, Will faced a life-threatening situation, and thanks to the charity’s supporters, he was given urgent treatment and care at the scene. To see him now using his experience to support our new air base appeal is incredibly moving.

“People who have experienced first-hand the difference the service can make understand better than anyone why this appeal matters. Their stories help bring to life the impact that rapid, specialist pre-hospital care can have on patients and their families. We are immensely grateful to Will for lending his support to our campaign and for helping us raise awareness of the need for a new air base.”

Will returned to Cambridge in 2016 where he fell in love with rowing, competing at a national level. He had experienced a previous suspected episode of Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) – a dangerously fast heart rhythm that can lead to cardiac arrest.

During this first incident, his heart rate increased to 222 beats per minute for 20 minutes. After investigations at hospital, he learned that he had part of his heart was inflamed. He returned to the sport after time spent recovering, before the second incident which saw him rescued by air ambulance staff.

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Dr Ebbs continued: “We’d also like to extend our thanks to everyone who has donated to the Cambridge Air Base Appeal so far. Together, we’ve made an incredibly strong start and have been humbled by people’s generosity.

“But this is only the beginning. There’s still a significant amount of money to raise. As we push on with our fundraising efforts, every gift and every piece of support will be gratefully received – helping to ensure our crews can continue to reach critically ill and injured patients, in the quickest time possible, when every second counts.”

The East Anglian Air Ambulance relies entirely on charitable donations for its 24/7 critical care service. It also provides aftercare support for former patients and their families.

The Cambridge Air Base Appeal aims to fund the construction of a new and improved facility on land at New Shardelowes Farm, on the outskirts of the Cambridgeshire village of Fulbourn. A spokesperson said the new base will ensure the charity continues to deliver hospital-level critical care to patients in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, and Suffolk for decades to come.

They said: “Without a Cambridge base, East Anglian Air Ambulance’s lifesaving service would be cut in half, leaving just one air base in Norfolk and dramatically increasing response times to people like Will facing life-threatening emergencies across the region.”

You can find out more about the appeal here.

Brighton is preparing to welcome revellers for its annual Pride event this weekend, and it’s going to be a big one.

Brighton & Hove Pride 2026 starts today with a parade, where hundreds of thousands wearing their brightest rainbow gear will march through the coastal city.

Pride-goers will then pack into Preston Park for a joyous two-day concert with over 150 LGBTQ+ performers, including Diana Ross, Raye, Jessie J, and more.

This year’s theme is ‘the power of love’, as Pride organisers look back and honour the courage, protest, unity and love that carried the community through decades of change.

If you’re looking to attend the giant celebration, we’ve got all the details, including the full parade route, start and end times, Pride in the Park lineup, and everything else you need to enjoy the event.

What is the Brighton Pride parade route and when does it start?

The Brighton Pride parade will begin at Hove Lawns today at 11am and is expected to finish at Preston Park for the Pride on the Park concert, which starts around 1pm.

From the beachfront Hove Lawns, the parade will follow King’s Road before taking a left onto West Street, taking a right onto North Street at the clock tower, and then following London Road until the parade’s end at Preston Park.

Charities, community groups, local businesses, and blue-light service workers are expected to attend in what has been described as one of the ‘biggest and brightest’ events in Brighton and Hove’s calendar.

Who is performing at Pride on the Park?

Pride on the Park is a two-day ticketed festival that takes over Preston Park from 1pm, acting as the official fundraiser for local community groups.

Over the years, the festival has welcomed performances from international artists, including Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Grace Jones, Nile Rodgers and Chic, the Pet Shop Boys, Dua Lipa, Kylie Minogue, and more.

Both days consist of two main stages – main and dance – along with seven other stages available across the weekend, including a family area.

This year’s two-day festival will see a star-studded line-up of LGBTQ+ performers and allies, including:

On Saturday 

On the main stage, which is hosted by Jonny Woo and Rhys’ Pieces, the line-up includes:

• Raye
• Jessie J
• Self Esteem
• Leigh-Anne
• G Flip
• Moonchild Sanelly
• RuPaul (Icon slot, DJ set)

Meanwhile, on the dance stage you can expect:

• Purple Disco Machine
• Bimini
• Daniel Avery (Electro set)
• Oxylion & Danger
• Patrick Mason (House set)
• and more

On Sunday

On the Sunday, the main stage line-up includes:

• Diana Ross
• Five
• Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• Mel C (DJ set)
• Paris Hilton (Icon slot)

The dance stage includes performers:

• Armand Van Helden
• The Blessed Madonna
• Girls Don’t Sync
• Haai
• Hannah Wants
• I. Jordan
• and more

What about the Pride Street Party?

The Pride Street Party will also take place today and tomorrow on Marine Parade with drag queens, music zones and daytime clubbing all on hand for you to enjoy.

Day one of the Street Party will begin at 3pm and run through to 11pm, and it’ll include artists like Alex Fincher, Benji James, Baga Chipz, Bimini, Cherry Bomb, Gok Wan, DILF, Kerry Ellis, and more.

Day two of the event will begin at 2pm on Marine Parade. It’ll finish around 9pm and include performances from Absolute Britney, Cherry Liquor, Davina Sparkles, The Madame, Mary O’Kart, PXSSY PALACE, and more.

Travelling to and from Brighton Pride this weekend

With thousands of people expected to light up Brighton today and tomorrow, transport services have been modified to help manage the crowds.

By train

Brighton and Hove Pride has partnered with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), the operator of Thameslink, Gatwick Express, and Southern train services, which will run more trains and implement additional train carriages to assist travellers over the weekend.

Brighton and Hove Pride has urged revellers to allow plenty of time to get to and from events in the city and to use Brighton Station for travel, as Preston Park and London Road stations are closed.

Pride attendees have also been warned about the return journey home, with Brighton Pride suggesting party-goers give themselves an hour to get to Brighton station from any event due to the large crowds.

Like last year, a rainbow queue system will help facilitate passengers as they leave the event, directing people to the right queue for their train and destination before reaching the station.

By bus

Festival-goers can also travel to the event by bus. Anyone travelling from West Sussex can reach Brighton by using the 270, 271, 272 or 273 bus routes.

For those of you located in East Essex, you can take the Regency routes 28 and 29 or the Coaster routes 12, 12X, and 13X.

A bus shuttle service between Preston Park, Old Steine and Kempt Town will run, alongside a second shuttle service running between the Pride Campsite, Pride on the Park, and the City Centre.

By car

If you’re driving, please be aware that there will be a series of road closures taking place for the event. There’s also no parking at Preston Park and its surroundings, and parking is restricted on a large section of Madeira Drive.

Brighton and Hove Pride warns that parking in the city centre can be expensive and limited, and so suggests visitors take public transport when possible.

What’s the weather forecast for Brighton Park?

Like last year’s glorious event, we’re once again being treated to beautiful weather over the two-day Pride event.

The Met Office has predicted sunshine and clear skies for today with highs of 23°C. Tomorrow’s conditions will be similar, although a few degrees hotter and peaking at 26°C.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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The site at Pickaxe Mountain may have been chosen to protect it from air strikes with some analysts estimating, external the core of the facility could be roughly 100m (328ft) underground.

This would also mean it’s buried deeper than Iran’s two nuclear enrichment complexes at Fordo and Natanz which the US bombed last year using what are known as bunker buster bombs – the only known weapon that could conceivably reach such concealed sites.

The US GBU-57 bomb weighs about 13,000kg (30,000lb) and is reported to able to penetrate 18m (60ft) of concrete or 61m (200ft) of earth before exploding.

But even using these munitions, experts say the US would be unlikely to completely destroy Pickaxe Mountain.

“Obliterating every underground chamber would be extremely difficult because of the facility’s depth and uncertain layout,” says Arman Mahmoudian, a research fellow specialising in Iran at the University of South Florida.

However, the US could target tunnel entrances, communications systems, access roads, and other supporting infrastructure, Mahmoudian adds, which “could paralyse the facility’s operations even if some of its deepest underground sections survived”.

Meanwhile, Faragasso says the site may be potentially vulnerable and that “targeting the ventilation shafts would enable the weapons to reach deeper into the facility, and the tunnel portals can be collapsed using bunker buster weapons”.

Israelis in the West Bank are still subject to Israel’s civilian law and enjoy widespread freedom of movement, while Palestinians are subject to Israel’s military occupation and military courts, and are tightly restricted by road closures and checkpoints – a system described by some prominent human rights groups as “apartheid”.

Israel has rejected that label as “absurd and distorted”.

Asked about the Palestinian residents of the West Bank, Shimon laid out three options: live quietly under Israeli rule and ownership of the land; voluntarily emigrate to other Arab or Muslim nations; or “if you don’t want to make peace with us, and you don’t want to get out, I don’t have a choice: I must kill you, and I kill you all,” he said.

This vision from one radical settler seems strikingly close to a plan outlined by Israel’s now-Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, in a blueprint published in 2017, before he joined the government.

In it, he presented a plan for the West Bank in which Palestinians would be told to give up any struggle for a Palestinian state and live quietly under Israeli rule. Those who had “difficulty letting go of national ambitions” could leave the territory, he said at the time, and those who stayed and continued armed struggle against Israel would be killed by Israel’s armed forces.

More recently, while in government, he has pushed for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the re-settlement of Israelis there, and has described Palestinian identity as “an invention”.

One Palestinian living within sight of Havat Gilad told me she watched the outpost from her window constantly, for signs of an imminent settler attack.

Many Palestinians we spoke to said they felt unprotected – that Israel’s occupying army was focused on protecting Israeli settlers, that their own security forces were absent, and that the international community had abandoned them.

“It’s a very bad situation,” one told me. “Europe is busy, America is occupied with Iran, China doesn’t care, Russia is fighting Ukraine, the UN are finished and the Arabs have internal problems. We don’t know what we can do.”

From Havat Gilad, the nearest Palestinian villages are less than a mile away, but the landscape here is divided by Israeli law, Israeli power and mutual hostility.

Manchester United are in Stockholm today to face Atletico Madrid in their third pre-season fixture of the summer

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has selected a 23-man squad for the third pre-season fixture against Atletico Madrid. Exciting teenager JJ Gabriel has kept his place in the team, having been an unused substitute in the 5-0 thrashing of Rosenborg last week.

Altay Bayindir and Amad returned to Carrington this week after their World Cup break. Both have been included in the squad but the fixture comes too soon for Senne Lammens and Youri Tielemans, who arrived back on Thursday.

The smaller squad and returning senior players mean a quartet of academy players have not travelled to Stockholm. Toby Collyer, Dan Gore, Jacob Devaney and Chido Obi have all dropped out of the team.

MEN Sport’s United writers have picked their teams to face Atleti.

Tyrone Marshall

It feels like this is about partnerships at the moment for United and I would keep to the script on that front in a lot of positions, although I would give Heaton the start this week. He will be around longer than Vitek.

Yoro has started twice at right-back and it feels like that is worth sticking with, although I would want to see him at centre-back from next week onwards. Being able to do a job at right-back is just a bonus.

Santos and Mount have developed a good understanding in midfield and they can play again and ideally get more than an hour in the tank next to each other. Lacey did a good job as the No.10 last week and deserves another chance to shine in a strong team.

It’s too soon for Amad so Mbeumo starts on the right and Dorgu can continue on the left. Zirkzee can go through the middle again in what is the same team that started last week. I’d be bringing JJ Gabriel on for the last 20 minutes at least.

Steven Railston

United delivered a much-improved performance against Rosenborg last weekend, and there were signs of relationships beginning to build between players ahead of the new campaign.

Yoro should continue at right-back. He could be an option in that role this season, and it will do him no harm to play there again this weekend, given that Heaven and Maguire should also be given minutes.

Santos and Mount combined well together in Norway and there is clearly a connection developing between the pair. Lacey was great in the No.10 role and should keep his place. The only change I would make would be dropping Zirkzee to the bench in favour of starting Amad down the middle.

We know Zirkzee is not a striker, but Amad could have a role to play as a false nine if Sesko needs a rest.

Jack Flintham

Today should be the day that Yoro moves into his more preferred centre-back role. Kamason has shown positive signs this pre-season and considering Dalot and Mazraoui both look likely to stay in Manchester this summer, there doesn’t seem to be much point playing the Frenchman at right-back. I would also start him alongside Heaven. It would be good to test United’s defensive partnership of the future against stern opposition.

It is admittedly a risk starting Amad after he only returned to Carrington at the start of the week. But if he is struggling, he could always be replaced at the break. Lacey could start down the middle again but may just as easily interchange with the Ivorian. I also think Williams deserves a chance on the left after his goal against Rosenborg.

Leading the line, Mbeumo could be given an opportunity in that role considering Sesko is once again absent. Although you could easily see Zirkzee remaining as the starting centre-forward.

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