The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.

The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.

Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.

The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.

Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.

“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”

The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.

Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.

Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.

For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.

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By Kunle Solaja.

Nearly three decades after their landmark collaboration that produced the now-defunct Meridian Cup, Africa and Europe’s football governing bodies have rekindled their strategic partnership with a fresh Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The Confederation of African Football and UEFA on Tuesday signed a new agreement in Vancouver, Canada, marking a renewed commitment to deepen cooperation, drive development, and expand football’s social impact across both continents.

The agreement, signed by CAF President Patrice Motsepe and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, echoes the spirit of the January 1997 accord in Lisbon, Portugal, which led to the creation of the Meridian Cup. This intercontinental youth competition has since been discontinued.

The new MoU, which will run until June 30, 2031, sets out a broad framework for collaboration, anchored on shared values of inclusion, solidarity, integrity, and openness, while positioning football as a vehicle for social cohesion and development.

Motsepe noted that African football has recorded “significant growth” in recent years and stressed that the renewed partnership with UEFA would strengthen long-standing ties between the two regions.

“This partnership includes youth and women’s football, development, education and training of coaches and referees, as well as governance and institutional development,” Motsepe said. “By combining our expertise and resources, we will ensure that football remains a source of hope, joy, and unity for millions.”

Čeferin, on his part, highlighted the broader societal impact of football across Europe and Africa, describing both regions as home to “extraordinary football landscapes.”

“This agreement reflects our shared commitment to expanding opportunities for young players while advancing women’s football and promoting wellbeing,” he said. “By working closely with CAF, we aim to invest in people, share expertise, and strengthen football’s positive and lasting impact on communities.”

Under the agreement, both confederations will collaborate across several strategic areas, including youth and women’s football competitions, long-term development programmes, coaching education, refereeing exchanges, and institutional knowledge sharing.

The deal also provides for observer programmes at major tournaments, joint participation in conferences, and cooperation in football medicine and education pathways, alongside regular governance reviews to ensure effective implementation.

The renewed partnership is widely seen as a modern evolution of the 1997 collaboration, one that seeks to move beyond competitions like the Meridian Cup toward a more holistic and sustainable development model for the global game.

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Players covering their mouths during confrontations with opponents could receive a red card, and players who leave the field in protest at a referee’s decision may ​be red-carded, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) said on Tuesday.

Both of the FIFA-proposed ‌laws were unanimously approved by IFAB at a special meeting in Vancouver, Canada and will be implemented for this year’s World Cup.

“As was agreed at The IFAB’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in February, these decisions ​follow thorough FIFA-led consultations with all key stakeholders,” a statement read.

“At the discretion ​of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational ⁠situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card,” it said.

FIFA president ​Gianni Infantino said in February that players who cover their mouths while speaking to opponents ​during confrontations should be sent off.

His comments came weeks after an incident in a Champions League game in which Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making discriminatory slurs to Vinicius Jr after the Brazilian scored ​Real Madrid’s goal in a 1–0 win in Lisbon.

The incident, in which Prestianni covered his ​mouth with his shirt, prompted the referee to activate UEFA’s anti-discrimination protocol, halting the match.

Argentine winger Prestianni, ‌who ⁠denied the accusation, was earlier this month handed a six-match suspension by UEFA for discriminatory conduct that was deemed homophobic.

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