World Cup
England Also Played ‘Dirty’ in 2018 World Cup Bid
It is getting increasingly difficult to get people who were clean during the controversial bids and double awards of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Sports Village Square recalls that when the results of the bids were announced on December 2, 2010, it was the first and only time FIFA ever awarded two final competitions at the same time. The awards have a lot of casualties including almost the entire FIFA executive committee that was in place as at December 2010.
Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, Chelsea owner, Abramovich among others have been embroiled in the World Cup award scandal.
Now, the English royal family and the former British Prime Minister, David Cameron have been cited in the scandal that is fast expanding. England failed in the bid for the 2018 World Cup. The released report has it that Prince William and the former Prime Minister, Cameron were at a meeting in which a vote –swapping deal between England and South Korea was discussed.
Cameron reportedly asked the South Korean delegation to support England’s bid, only to be told England would have to do the same for South Korea as it bid for the 2022 World Cup.
According to the Michael Garcia report, such a vote-swapping deal would have been in “violation of the anti-collusion rules”.
The report says Mr Cameron met FIFA vice-president Mong-Joon Chung (South Korea) in Prince William’s suite at a Zurich hotel the night before the vote for the 2018 hosting rights in December 2010.
“The Prime Minister asked Mr Chung to vote for England’s bid, and Mr Chung responded that he would if Mr (Geoff) Thompson (chairman of England’s bid) voted for Korea (to host the 2022 tournament),” the report claims.
England officials in charge of organising the country’s bid arranged jobs for the “adopted son” of FIFA vice-president Jack Warner at Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur (football clubs), and they were reportedly asked to engineer a meeting with the Queen for one FIFA official from South Africa. This official also raised the possibility of an honorary knighthood.
The report slams England’s attempt to court Warner, who was also president of North, Central American and Caribbean football, alleging officials considered twinning his hometown in Trinidad and Tobago with an English village.
In 2009 the English Football Association also covered the costs of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-20 team when it stayed in Sheffield.
“England 2018’s response shows an unfortunate willingness, time and again, to meet that expectation (of Mr Warner),” the report says.
England’s hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup were ended swiftly when its bid received only two votes, knocking it out of contention in the first round.
The report states there was “conduct by England 2018 that may not have met the standards set out in the FCE (FIFA code of ethics) or the bid rules.
“In many cases England 2018 accommodated or at least attempted to satisfy, the improper requests made by these Executive Committee members.
“While the bidding process itself, and the attitude of entitlement and expectation demonstrated by certain Executive Committee members in the exchanges discussed in detail above, place the bid team in a difficult position that fact does not excuse all of the conduct.”
The first set of revelations from the so-called Garcia report painted a bleak picture of the background to the infamous 2010 vote that gave the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Garcia had resigned as head of FIFA’s investigatory body in December 2014 in protest after FIFA released a 40-page sanitised summary of his report which he disowned, describing it as “incomplete and erroneous”.
The full report referred to an array of suspect financial dealings including the sum of $2 million allegedly sent by a consultant for Qatar, Sandro Rosell, to the 10-year-old daughter of a FIFA official.
Garcia’s investigation also revealed that one former FIFA executive committee member thanked Qatar by mail for a transfer of several hundred thousand euros just after Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament.
The report also documents that three executive members of FIFA were flown to Rio de Janeiro for a private party ahead of the vote to decide who would host the 2022 World Cup.
Ghana have appointed Carlos Queiroz as head coach, the country’s football association said on Monday, with the Portuguese set to make his fifth consecutive World Cup appearance.
Queiroz, 73, left his role as Oman coach last month after the side failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Ghana were left without a coach 72 days before the World Cup kickoff after parting company with Otto Addo following friendly defeats by Austria and Germany in March.
“The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association, working with all key stakeholders, has appointed Carlos Queiroz as head coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars,” the GFA said in a statement.
Queiroz led Portugal to the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup and later coached Iran at the last three editions of the tournament, recording three wins in 13 matches.
Born in Mozambique, the former goalkeeper has also held coaching positions with Egypt, Japan, Colombia, and South Africa, and previously led Portugal in the early 1990s.
Ghana have been drawn in Group L alongside Croatia, England and Panama
-Reuters
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Nike is investigating a design issue affecting several national team kits ahead of this year’s soccer World Cup, British media reported on Friday, after problems with the shirts became visible during last month’s international break.
Bulging around the shoulder seams was visible on shirts worn by teams including England, France and Uruguay during the international window.
International Friendly – England v Uruguay – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – March 27, 2026 England’s Cole Palmer reacts Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo
A Nike spokesperson told The Guardian newspaper that the company had identified a “minor issue” with the kits, adding that performance was unaffected but the “overall aesthetic is not where it needs to be.”
The issue is present on both match shirts worn by players and replica versions sold to supporters, according to the BBC, with some fans raising concerns.
The American sportswear giant produces kits for a number of World Cup teams, including co-hosts the United States and Canada, as well as Brazil, the Netherlands and Croatia.
The kits have been designed with cooling technology to help players cope with high temperatures expected at the tournament, which kicks off on June 11 and is also co-hosted by Mexico.
The issue comes as the struggling company faces questions over its product innovation and works through excess inventory after a string of weak earnings.
Chief Executive Elliott Hill has pledged to refocus Nike on core sports, and the company said on Friday it had appointed Andy Caine as chief innovation officer.
Nike did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
-Reuters
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Jean-Jacques Ndala has been dramatically dropped from the list of match officials for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in what many observers are describing as a “career-defining red card” following the fallout from the controversial AFCON 2025 Final.
The Congolese referee, once regarded as one of Africa’s elite officials, has reportedly been excluded from FIFA’s final World Cup roster just two months before the tournament—despite having been part of the preparatory pool.
From Centre Stage to Sidelines
Ndala’s fall from contention is closely tied to his handling of the explosive final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat—a match that has since become one of the most disputed in recent African football history.
The encounter was riddled with controversial decisions, eventually leading to a temporary walk-off by Senegalese players. Matters escalated further when the result was later overturned, placing Ndala’s officiating under intense scrutiny.
Unverified reports have also alleged that the referee may have acted under “institutional instructions,” including directives not to issue red cards to Senegal players after the disruption—claims that remain unproven but have added to the controversy surrounding the match.
In the immediate aftermath, the Confederation of African Football cleared Ndala of any wrongdoing and continued to appoint him to matches, signalling institutional confidence in his competence.
FIFA, however, appears to have taken a different view.
By omitting Ndala from its final list of referees for the World Cup, world football’s governing body has effectively overruled CAF’s stance—raising questions about alignment between continental and global football authorities on refereeing standards and accountability.
With Ndala out, Africa’s central refereeing representation at the 2026 World Cup will now include:
- Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)
- Amin Mohamed Omar (Egypt)
- Pierre Ghislain Atcho (Gabon)
- Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
The list reflects FIFA’s emphasis on consistency and recent performance, particularly in high-stakes matches.
For Ndala, a FIFA-listed referee since 2013, the decision represents a significant personal and professional setback. Once seen as a strong candidate to officiate at the World Cup, his exclusion underscores how a single high-profile match can reshape a referee’s trajectory.
More broadly, the development highlights the growing scrutiny of officiating in African football and the increasing willingness of FIFA to take independent decisions—even when they diverge from continental bodies.
In the end, while players receive red cards on the pitch, Ndala’s has come off it—issued not in a moment, but in the lingering shadow of a final that refuses to fade from memory.
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