Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has been appointed as the new head coach of the France national team, ending years of speculation about his future.

The 54-year-old replaces Didier Deschamps, who stepped down after France lost to Spain in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, bringing an end to his 14-year spell in charge.

Here are the key things to know about Zidane’s appointment:

World Cup winner takes charge

Zidane is one of France’s greatest footballers. He helped the country win the 1998 FIFA World Cup on home soil and also played a key role in their success at Euro 2000.

Returns to coaching after five years

The Frenchman has not managed a team since leaving Real Madrid for a second time in 2021. During his time with the Spanish giants, he won three straight UEFA Champions League titles and several domestic trophies.

Contract runs through 2030 World Cup qualifiers

The French Football Federation confirmed that Zidane has signed a deal that will keep him in charge through the qualification campaign for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Zidane proud to lead France

Speaking after his appointment, Zidane described the role as a dream come true.

“I’ve often said it: there’s nothing greater than the French national team. So it’s a joy and obviously a great source of pride to become the manager of this French national team,” he said.

He also thanked French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo and paid tribute to Deschamps and his coaching staff.

“I want to thank president Philippe Diallo, the executive committee, and the French Football Federation for their confidence and acknowledge the 14 years of service from Didier and his staff. I also have a special thought today for all my coaches. Needless to say, I have high ambitions for the French national team.”

French FA hails appointment

French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo described Zidane as one of the game’s greatest figures.

“The appointment of Zinedine Zidane as head coach of the French national team is a source of immense pride for the French Football Federation,” Diallo said.

“It marks the meeting of a legend in the history of Les Bleus, who has become one of the most decorated and respected coaches of his generation.”

Deschamps leaves after successful reign

Zidane succeeds Didier Deschamps, France’s longest-serving coach. During his 14 years in charge, Deschamps guided France to three major tournament finals, including winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

First match in charge

Zidane’s first competitive game as France coach will be a UEFA Nations League away match against Turkey on 25 September.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has strongly criticised Fifa’s proposal to establish a private company to manage its competitions, asserting that the World Cup “was never anyone’s to sell”.

The football governing body confirmed plans for Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new entity designed to consolidate the sale of commercial rights with the operational delivery of its tournaments.

Fifa said that Thrive Eternal, a company formed in April this year with connections to the extended family of US president Donald Trump, is slated to lead the proposed investor group for FFE. The move immediately sparked considerable backlash from fans and Uefa alike, with the European football body warning that the plan “crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross”.

Mr Burnham joined the chorus of disapproval, taking to X to declare: “The World Cup is not a product.”

He elaborated: “Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine. The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out. Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will.”

Fifa, however, maintains that it will retain “exclusive authority” over football governance, competitions, the match calendar, and all regulatory and sporting decisions.

The organisation added that the creation of FFE would significantly boost football development funding for national associations, projecting an expenditure of more than 10 billion US dollars (£7.5 billion) on development over the next four years.

Thrive Eternal, expected to spearhead the proposal, is run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Mr Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Reports from The Times suggest that Fifa president Gianni Infantino could potentially assume the role of commissioner or chief executive of the new venture from 2031. Mr Infantino is currently seeking re-election for a four-year term as Fifa president next year.

In a statement, Uefa reiterated its grave concerns: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross. Uefa takes it extremely seriously. So should every national football association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game. The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not Fifa’s to sell.”

Atlético Madrid star Julián Alvarez has been advised by sources close to him to take into consideration issuing a personal apology to his employers.

This comes after the Argentine went public with his desire to depart the Metropolitano amid interest from La Liga rivals Barcelona.

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The name of frontman Alvarez has of course positioned itself centre stage in the media headlines throughout Spain across the summer to date. After Robert Lewandowski was allowed to depart the aforementioned Barcelona on a free transfer, the 26-year-old was identified as the ideal replacement.

Desperate to secure a Camp Nou switch, Alvarez therefore confirmed whilst on international duty that:

“I spoke with ​people at the club, with those I had to speak with and the ​best thing for everyone is ‌a transfer. I want to fulfil my dream.”

To date, however, Atlético have refused to open the door to a transfer, leaving club and player alike in an awkward position.

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With as much in mind, as alluded to above, Alvarez has this week therefore been urged to kickstart efforts to repair his relationship with the Rojiblancos.

As per a report from journalist Achraf Ben Ayad:

‘There are those advising Julián to offer an apology to Atletico.’

Conor Laird – GSFN

FILE– Gilas Pilipinas prospect Sedrick Barefield during a PBA game with Blackwater Bossing. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Blackwater’s Sedrick Barefield is honored to be considered part of Team Philippines for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with his name listed in Gilas Pilipinas’ initial pool of players.

Barefield, along with Meralco’s Brandon Bates, was among those named to the 30-man pool for the quadrennial meet, where Gilas will defend the gold medal it won three years ago.

Barefield said he only knew of his inclusion when Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy mentioned their names during her appearance at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday.

“I’m hoping that it’s a possibility,” Barefield said after Blackwater’s 102-93 loss to Phoenix in the PBA Governors’ Cup at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

While Barefield is ineligible to represent the Philippines as a local in Fiba competitions, there’s a chance of him playing in the Asian Games with organizers only requiring a Philippine passport to be eligible.

The prospect of becoming a Gilas player, at least for the Asiad, is something Barefield hopes would come to fruition.

“It’ll be a dream come true, just to go out there and compete with those guys representing the country,” said Barefield. “It would mean the world, it would mean everything. That’s high-level basketball that you always want to be a part of, that you dream of being a part of.”

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food business licences of the Cricket Club of India (CCI), MIG Cricket Club in Bandra East, and three other clubs in the city for alleged violations of food safety and hygiene norms, officials said on Tuesday.

The CCI’s kitchen lacked segregation between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food preparation areas, and FDA inspectors also found a large number of cockroaches and flies near food handling and waste disposal areas, said an official statement.

The FDA under its newly appointed commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has taken action against several famous eateries and food establishments in the city and elsewhere in the state over the last two months.

At the CCI, water was found dripping on stored food inside cold storage, drains were clogged, cutting boards were unhygienic, rotten vegetables, overripe mushrooms and expired food items were stored, and FIFO/FEFO (‘First In, First Out’ and ‘First Expired, First Out’) 
Practices and proper food labelling were not followed, it said. 
Check CWG 2026 DAY 5 (July 28) LIVE UPDATES, MEDAL NEWS AND INDIA FULL SCHEDULE here

Utensils were placed directly on the floor, and grease, sludge and stagnant water was found accumulated around food preparation areas, the statement further claimed.

It also cited the absence of colour-coded chopping boards which increases the risk of cross-contamination. These violations warranted immediate suspension of the club’s food licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act and related regulations, the authority said.

The food licence of MIG Cricket Club was suspended as an unauthorised catering agency without a valid FSSAI licence was operating from the premises, the FDA said.

The inspection at MIG Cricket Club also found live cockroaches and cobwebs in the kitchen, it said.

Other violations included improper handling and storage of raw, cooked, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, failure to conduct periodic food and water testing, unauthorised structural and management changes without informing the licensing authority, and the absence of qualified technical personnel and mandatory health records of food handlers, the FDA said.

Food licenses of RK Juhu Gymkhana, The Aparna Juhu Gymkhana and The Willindon Sports Club were also suspended for various violations, the release said.

FIFA plans to create a new commercial subsidiary valued at $20 billion (roughly €17.5 billion) and sell non-controlling minority stakes to investors, world football’s governing body announced on Tuesday. 

It called on its 211 member federations to back the plan, saying that if they voted in favor they “would benefit immediately from increased funding.” 

As soon as the news emerged, European football federation UEFA issued fierce criticism of the plan, saying it “crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross.” 

The push comes immediately after this summer’s World Cup hosted primarily in the US, with FIFA listing a series of potential investors and advisors from the country. Infantino’s close relationship with US President Donald Trump had already prompted criticism in some corners prior to Tuesday’s announcement, which came a day after Infantino issued a fiery statement defending the tournament in the US and the controversies that accompanied it. 

What did FIFA say about the plan? 

FIFA said that it planned to set up a “new FIFA-owned and controlled subsidiary consolidating FIFA’s commercial and event operations” that it would call the FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE. 

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It said this company would be valued at $20 billion and that FFE would aim to raise up to $4.2 billion “this year” by “carefully selecting long-term investors who will purchase minority, non-controlling interests in FFE.”

FIFA claimed that “all net benefits of FFE will be reinvested back into football worldwide,” without clarifying what constituted “net benefits,” or what gains investors then stood to make.

FFE would be responsible for FIFA’s commercial rights like broadcast, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing contracts, the statement said. By far the most valuable of these for FIFA are those connected to the World Cup, although other competitions like the recently and controversially relaunched FIFA Club World Cup also apply. 

Ahead of this month’s World Cup final in New York, FIFA President Gianni Infantino had told member associations that he wanted to “unleash the commercial potential and opportunity” of the organization. 

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Infantino tried to portray the changes as seeking to more evenly spread out football funding and to “democratize” the game, seemingly in a pitch aimed at less wealthy (and more numerous) football associations in particular. 

“As its global governing body, FIFA is responsible for making sure the game reaches every corner of the world, and that the value it creates supports federations and communities everywhere. Our next stage of growth needs a structure built for it, one where the commercial side of the game operates as a focused, dedicated business, with its value shared more and better all around the world,” Infantino said in FIFA’s press release. 

“We intend to invest heavily even in the smallest or most remote parts of the footballing world, places that are too often passed over,” Infantino said, championing the new investment scheme dubbed the FIFA Fast Forward Programme, or FFFP.

2026 World Cup, the tournament that changed football forever

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How did UEFA react? 

FIFA’s press release was published soon after an article on the website of UK newspaper The Times — followed soon after by the Financial Times, Bloomberg and others — began attracting international attention. 

The European football federation UEFA issued a scathing response online soon after the news broke. 

“This crosses a line that football’s governing insitutions should never cross,” it said. “UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments, and everyone who cares about the future of the game.” 

UEFA said that the “soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially.”

UEFA and FIFA have clashed repeated in recent months and years under Infantino’s stewardship, including during the World Cup this summer. 

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“None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell,” UEFA argued. 

UEFA, however, only represents around one quarter of FIFA’s member associations, so its opposition is by no means guaranteed to halt the plan. 

Cape Verde’s World Cup journey sparks national pride

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What do we know about the proposed investors and advisors? 

FIFA said its structure would be similar to “other sports governing bodies with dedicated commercial subsidiaries,” and said that investors would be selected “against clear long-term, governance and strategic criteria.” 

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It described ideal investors as long-term partners who could contribute capital and commercial expertise to help FIFA’s goal of growing the game. 

“Subject to these final agreements and required approvals, Thrive Eternal, a permanent capital holding company, is expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE,” FIFA said, referring to the holding company set up this year by Joshua Kushner, brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior negotiator Jared Kushner.

Infantino’s relations with Trump came under scrutiny more than once amid the World Cup process — perhaps most notably when FIFA overturned the red card suspension of US striker Folarin Balogun ahead of defeat against Belgium, and when Donald Trump was given the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” in a much-mocked event last December. This came weeks before the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and then the war with Iran. 

FIFA also said that Greg Maffei, the CEO of BANN Ventures and formerly “the CEO of Liberty Media during its acquisition and ownership of Formula 1” motor racing, “has been a key commercial advisor and will remain involved in the establishment of FFE in this next phase.”

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It said that investment bank JP Morgan was engaged to work alongside FIFA, and Rome-based economic consulting firm OpenEconomic were also “engaging with prospective long-term investors.” 

FIFA said that it was trying to set up a geographically diversified investor group and said it had received expressions of interest from every major region in the world. 

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

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Roberto Mancini has returned as Italy’s head coach for a second spell after a dramatic few days that saw Andrea Pirlo withdraw from the race and technical director Paolo Maldini resign.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed the appointment on Tuesday, just one day after Pirlo ruled himself out because of controversy surrounding his links to a Russian betting company.

FIGC president Giovanni Malago said Mancini was always his preferred choice.

“I believed that the best person to become head coach was Roberto Mancini,” Malago said.

Mancini takes over from Gennaro Gattuso, who left the role in April after Italy failed to qualify for a third straight FIFA World Cup. Under-21 coach Silvio Baldini had been in temporary charge.

The appointment comes during a period of major changes within the national team. Paolo Maldini, who had been named technical director only two weeks earlier, resigned after the decision not to appoint Pirlo. Adviser Leonardo also stepped down, while Claudio Ranieri has been named as the new technical director.

Mancini is no stranger to the Italy job. He first took charge in 2018 and guided the Azzurri to victory at Euro 2020, beating England in the final at Wembley. He also led Italy on a world-record 37-match unbeaten run.

However, his first spell ended in 2023 after Italy failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, losing to North Macedonia in the play-offs.

Before returning to the national team, Mancini managed Saudi Arabia and later Qatari club Al Sadd, where he won the Qatar Stars League before leaving the club in June.

At club level, Mancini enjoyed success with Inter Milan, Lazio and Manchester City, where he guided City to their first Premier League title in 2012.

His second spell as Italy coach begins with a UEFA Nations League home match against Belgium on 25 September, followed by an away game against Turkey three days later.