Sports
Apology but ‘no answers’ from Infantino at meeting over World Cup plan
FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave “no satisfactory answers” when grilled Thursday during a meeting to discuss his attempts to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, senior members of football’s global governing body said, but he did offer an apology for the failed project.
“We asked a great many critical questions, but there were no satisfactory answers from my point of view,” said Bernd Neuendorf, the head of the German Football Association (DFB), who is also a member of the FIFA Council.
Neuendorf was speaking after the Council met behind closed doors at the body’s Zurich headquarters, where Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal was one of the main topics on the agenda.
Infantino has been under severe pressure since his announcement in late July that he wanted to open FIFA’s premium competitions such as the World Cup to private investors.
That plan was ultimately abandoned in the face of widespread criticism, with a rebellion led by European governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, which runs the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
“I apologized for the mistakes that we made in relation to the communication and consultation process related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project,” Infantino said in a video published by FIFA.
“But what is important to remember is that it was a proposal, so in no way a done deal, just a proposal, that actually intended to enable FIFA to invest more in our member associations.”
However, the FIFA chief reaffirmed that the FFE initiative “has been permanently withdrawn and will not reappear in any form.”
Infantino has headed FIFA since 2016 and is running for reelection next March, despite calls for him to stand down in the wake of the FFE plan.
For the moment, no heavyweight candidate has put themselves forward to run against him.
Debbie Hewitt, the chair of the English Football Association who is also a FIFA vice president, told reporters that Infantino is “not fit to be FIFA president” unless he releases all documents pertaining to the failed sell-off plan and answers key questions.
Hewitt and Neuendorf are among the 36 members of the FIFA Council, along with Infantino.
“We were asked to submit our questions,” in relation to the plan which was not put to the FIFA Council before the July announcement, Hewitt said.
“One of the disappointing things was we didn’t get answers. We didn’t get answers to anything we had specifically requested, for example getting the papers from FFE, and so we asked the question why and why not.”
Nothing has shifted
Many leading European national associations have withdrawn their support for Infantino in the upcoming election because of the uproar caused by FFE and other controversies, including his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Chief among those were Infantino’s decision to create a FIFA Peace Prize and award it to Trump at last December’s World Cup draw, and the decision to suspend a ban for United States striker Folarin Balogun following a red card during the World Cup after Trump intervened directly by phoning Infantino.
“I speak for myself as a Council member – from my position nothing has shifted,” Hewitt added. “I have no new information that makes me feel any differently to how I felt when I went in, other than we do have a president of FIFA who is apologetic about what has happened, and secondly a promise again that we will get the information that we have requested.”
FIFA confirmed its intention to set up a $6.35 billion development fund for the next four years, a plan which is expected to be finalized by the Council at its next meeting in December.
To finance the fund, which would allow money to be distributed to FIFA’s 211 federations as well as to the regional confederations, it would draw in part on its financial reserves after a commercially successful 2026 World Cup.
The plan would allow for the payment of $25 million to all 211 member federations.
Infantino may hope the latest plan reinforces his position ahead of the election.
The deadline for submitting candidacies is Nov. 18.
Oh Hyeon-Gyu scored twice and provided an assist as Beşiktaş beat struggling Hoffenheim 3-2 away on Thursday to make it two wins from two games in the Europa League.
Bundesliga strugglers Hoffenheim almost had a dream start when Koki Machida headed against the right post three minutes into the game, and Adam Hlozek hit the side netting a little later.
Beşiktaş had their first major chance in the 56th minute, but Ilhan Fakılı’s low shot from the right side of the penalty area narrowly missed the far post.
A minute later, Trossard broke through the defense and went one-on-one with goalkeeper Baumann, but his shot from the left side of the box went wide.
The game came to life in the second half, and the large Turkish fan contingent at the Sinsheim stadium had reason to cheer on the hour when Michael Amir Murillo converted from short range off Oh to put the visitors 1-0 up.
Hoffenheim fought back and silenced the Beşiktaş fans again in the 68th from Fisnik Asllani’s shot into the left corner for the equalizer.
But the Germans’ hopes were short-lived as South Korea’s Oh restored Beşiktaş’s lead four minutes later on the counter and then slid in to convert Fakılı’s cross from the right for 3-1 in the 79th.
Machida pulled one back with an 88th-minute header, but Hoffenheim were unable to avoid a second defeat.
Thursday’s results
Salzburg 0-4 Milan Lyon 3-2 Crystal Palace Torreense 1-2 Sunderland Az Alkmaar 2-1 Hapoel Beer Sheva Lech Poznan 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen Sparta Prague 1-1 Lillestrom Celje 0-3 Omonia Nicosia Union Saint-Gilloise 1-1 Real Sociedad Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Anderlecht Jagiellonia Bialystok 3-1 Ararat-Armenia Bournemouth 3-0 Sturm Graz Celta Vigo 1-2 Juventus Nijmegen 1-1 Levski Sofia Ferencvaros 2-1 Viktoria Plzen Benfica 4-1 Celtic Marseille 0-1 Olympiacos Rennes 2-1 OFI
Aryna Sabalenka’s struggles continued Wednesday as the Belarusian top seed suffered a shock 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) defeat to unseeded American Ann Li in the Wuhan Open round of 32.
The loss extended a frustrating spell for the four-time Grand Slam champion, who has not won a title since completing the Sunshine Double with victories at Indian Wells and Miami earlier this year.
Sabalenka reached the U.S. Open final last month but lost to Elena Rybakina, leaving the 28-year-old facing her first season without a Grand Slam title since 2022.
She also suffered a third-round exit at the China Open earlier this month and surrendered the No. 1 ranking to Rybakina following the U.S. Open.
The early exit came at a tournament where Sabalenka has enjoyed considerable success. She won the Wuhan title in 2018, 2019 and 2024. The WTA 1000 event was not held from 2020-23 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Li, ranked 31st in the world, earned the biggest win of her career after recovering from a 4-2 deficit in the second set to force a deciding set.
Sabalenka’s hopes appeared all but over when she fell 4-1 behind in the final set and took a medical timeout. However, she mounted a late fightback, saving five match points before holding serve to make it 5-3.
Li kept her composure to finally convert her 10th match point and seal a memorable upset.
Sabalenka’s error-strewn display proved costly, as she hit 44 unforced errors compared with Li’s 28 during the two-hour, 27-minute match.
Earlier Wednesday, American second seed Jessica Pegula also exited the tournament, with 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko rallying from a set down to secure a 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3 victory.
Shakhtar Donetsk secured their first win of the season in the UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 victory over AEK on Wednesday, giving coach Arda Turan a memorable milestone at Stamford Bridge.
The Ukrainian side came from behind to beat the Greek club in the second round of the competition, with Pedrinho equalizing from the penalty spot before Vinicius Tobias and Gleiker Mendoza scored late goals to seal the victory.
The result lifted Shakhtar to four points after two matches, while AEK remained on three points after suffering their first defeat in four European games without conceding a goal.
AEK made the stronger start in front of their vocal supporters and nearly took the lead in the third minute. Lovro Majer delivered a corner from the left, and Harold Moukoudi rose above the defense to head against the post.
Shakhtar gradually settled into the contest and began testing goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli from distance. Alisson Santana forced a sharp save from the AEK goalkeeper in the ninth minute, with Brignoli turning his effort behind for a corner.
AEK broke the deadlock in the 28th minute after capitalizing on a Shakhtar mistake. Vinicius Tobias lost possession, allowing the Greek side to launch an attack down the left. Stavros Pilios carried the ball forward before picking out Majer, who finished low into the net to put AEK ahead.
Shakhtar responded quickly and were awarded a penalty after a VAR review. Filipe Relvas brought down Santana inside the penalty area, prompting English referee Chris Kavanagh to point to the spot.
Pedrinho took responsibility in the 34th minute and sent Brignoli the wrong way to restore parity at 1-1.
Both sides created opportunities as the match opened up, but neither could find the decisive finish until the final 10 minutes.
Shakhtar took the lead in the 80th minute when Santana picked out Tobias on the right side of the penalty area. Tobias fired from a tight angle, and the ball deflected off Brignoli’s foot before crossing the line.
Six minutes later, Mendoza put the result beyond doubt. The Shakhtar forward broke into the penalty area from the left and produced a composed finish into the top-right corner to complete the 3-1 victory.
The win marked a significant step for Turan, who claimed his first Champions League victory as a coach in only his second match in the competition. Shakhtar had opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw away to PSV Eindhoven.
Turan returns to Stamford Bridge for another milestone
Stamford Bridge provided a fitting setting for another memorable European night for Turan, who scored at the stadium 12 years earlier while playing for Atletico Madrid.
Atletico defeated Chelsea 3-1 in the second leg of their 2013-14 Champions League semifinal, advancing to the final after a goalless draw in the first leg. Turan scored Atletico’s third goal in the 72nd minute to help secure their place in the final.
More than a decade later, the former Turkey international returned to the same ground in a different role and secured his first Champions League win from the dugout.
After drawing his managerial debut in the competition against PSV, Turan now has four points from his first two matches as Shakhtar continue their European campaign.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has been handed a four-match suspension for pulling an opponent’s hair and aggressively protesting his subsequent red card, ruling him out of the upcoming El Clasico against Barcelona and prompting a furious response from coach Jose Mourinho.
The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee announced the punishment Wednesday, just hours before Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Roma in the Italian capital. Mourinho criticized the timing, arguing that the decision unnecessarily disrupted his team’s preparations for a crucial European fixture.
Vinicius was sent off in the 73rd minute of Saturday’s 1-0 La Liga victory over Villarreal after pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba as the two players sprinted down the field. Vinicius had scored shortly before the incident, but his goal was ruled out.
The disciplinary committee imposed a two-match suspension for the hair-pulling incident and an additional two matches for his conduct toward referee Isidro Diaz de Mera after the dismissal.
According to the referee’s match report, Vinicius protested the decision aggressively, raising his voice while moving toward the official and having to be restrained by teammates.
The suspension comes at a difficult time for Real Madrid, who face a demanding stretch of league fixtures that includes their meeting with bitter rivals Barcelona. The Catalan club hold a six-point lead over Madrid at the top of the standings, increasing the importance of the upcoming Clasico.
Real Madrid were expected to appeal the decision, although Spanish media reported that an initial appeal had already been rejected.
Timing issues
Mourinho, whose team recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Roma 4-3, made little effort to conceal his frustration with the announcement.
The Portuguese coach questioned why the federation had chosen to reveal the punishment so close to kickoff, particularly when a Spanish club was preparing for a European match that could affect the country’s standing in continental competition.
“Do you think it’s normal for a player from a Spanish team, preparing for an important match that’s also crucial for Spanish football, to find out about his four-match suspension just two hours before kickoff?” Mourinho said after the game.
“Couldn’t they have announced the decision now or tomorrow morning? We were on the bus about to arrive at the stadium when we found out.”
Mourinho went further, accusing the authorities of showing a lack of respect toward the club and its player.
“They’ve started doing things without any shame,” he said.
The coach also argued that the announcement could have affected Vinicius mentally ahead of the match, describing the timing as difficult to understand given the importance of the fixture.
“A Spanish team that has earned three points for Spanish football, for the rankings, for the prestige of Spanish football,” Mourinho said. “You want to kill a player two hours before the match. It doesn’t seem normal to me.”
Despite the controversy, Vinicius started against Roma as Madrid produced a dramatic late comeback to secure victory.
Fixture schedule
The suspension was not the only issue Mourinho raised after the match. He also criticized the scheduling of Madrid’s upcoming domestic and European fixtures, questioning why his team had been assigned a demanding turnaround between matches.
Madrid are scheduled to face AEK Athens in Greece on Nov. 4 before traveling to Valencia for a La Liga match on Nov. 7. Mourinho argued that the travel demands and limited recovery time would put his players at a disadvantage ahead of an already difficult league encounter.
“At the very least, it’s a lack of respect,” he said when asked about the scheduling.
Mourinho pointed to the prospect of returning from Athens in the early hours of Thursday morning before preparing for Saturday’s match in Valencia, which he described as an especially difficult away fixture.
He also dismissed explanations that television broadcasters were responsible for the scheduling decisions.
“The usual excuses, I don’t buy them, because this wasn’t 25 years ago,” Mourinho said. “The excuses from TV, that it was TV that decided, that it was TV that chose the match for Saturday, I don’t buy this anymore. I’m too old to swallow this.”
Mourinho said he intended to challenge what he viewed as unfair treatment of the club and its supporters.
“And this Vinicius story, two hours before a match, knowing that he has a four-match suspension, doesn’t deserve comment,” he said. “Real Madrid fans aren’t stupid, and I will do everything possible to open people’s eyes.”
Late comeback
While Mourinho was critical of the authorities, his team delivered one of the most dramatic moments of the night on the field.
Madrid trailed 3-1 after Donyell Malen scored twice for Roma, leaving the visitors facing defeat with seven minutes remaining. Mourinho’s substitutions then helped transform the contest, with Endrick and Carlos Espi scoring during the late rally while Arda Güler supplied two assists.
The comeback secured a 4-3 victory and offered Madrid a valuable result in their Champions League campaign, even as the controversy surrounding Vinicius threatened to overshadow the performance.
Mourinho rejected suggestions that the turnaround had been part of a carefully planned strategy, but said he believed his substitutes could make a difference late in the game.
“I’m not going to be a genius and say I had prepared everything for a 3-1 to 4-3 victory, it’s not true,” he said.
“But I genuinely thought that in the last 20 minutes I had substitutions I could make, and I had substitutions that could change things.”
Beşiktaş will look to extend their winning run in the UEFA Europa League when they visit Hoffenheim on Thursday, with the Turkish side aiming to capitalize on the German club’s difficult start to the season.
The matchday two league-phase encounter will take place at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, also known as SNP Arena.
Under coach Vincenzo Italiano, Beşiktaş have made an encouraging start to their European campaign and will seek another victory against a Hoffenheim side struggling for consistency in both domestic and continental competition.
Hoffenheim, coached by Christian Ilzer, enjoyed a strong 2025-26 campaign but fell short of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League through the Bundesliga. Their current season has been far less convincing, with four defeats in five league matches.
Their latest setback came Saturday, when they lost 3-2 to Hamburger SV after surrendering a second-half lead. Hoffenheim went ahead 2-1 early in the second half but conceded twice late on after Bernardo was sent off.
Their European campaign also began with disappointment, as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to OFI Crete despite creating chances worth 1.74 expected goals. Hoffenheim will hope to respond on home soil, where their only victory of the season so far came in a 2-1 win over Stuttgart on Sept. 12.
Beşiktaş, meanwhile, opened their Europa League campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Marseille. İlhan Fakılı, Michael Murillo, Ernest Poku and Vaclav Cerny scored in a result that underlined the Turkish side’s attacking potential.
The Black Eagles have also won five of their six matches preceding Thursday’s fixture, although their away form remains a concern. They have lost three of their last four away games and kept only one clean sheet across all competitions since mid-August.
Cerny ruled out
Beşiktaş will be without Cerny, who sustained a thigh injury during Sunday’s 2-1 Super Lig victory over Kocaelispor.
An MRI scan revealed a strain and swelling in the hamstring area of the Czech winger’s left thigh, ruling him out of the trip to Germany.
His absence could open the door for İlhan Fakılı and Leandro Trossard to operate on the wings, with Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic leading the attack.
Hoffenheim also have an injury concern, with versatile forward Patrick Wimmer recovering from a hamstring problem. Bambase Conte, Adam Hlozek and Adam Daghim are expected to compete for attacking roles behind striker Tim Lemperle.
At the back, Turkish international Ozan Kabak is expected to feature in central defense alongside Koki Machida, with Vladimir Coufal and Mats Rots potentially filling the fullback positions.
Kökçü and Vlahovic lead Beşiktaş attack
Beşiktaş will rely heavily on captain Orkun Kökçü and Vlahovic, both of whom have been productive in front of goal this season.
Kökçü has scored five goals in 13 appearances, while Vlahovic has found the net six times in eight matches. Their form gives Italiano two important attacking options as Beşiktaş seek to maintain their momentum in Europe.
Salih Özcan is expected to anchor the midfield, with Kökçü and Junior Olaitan operating further forward. Fakılı and Trossard could provide width in support of Vlahovic.
Hoffenheim’s defensive organization will be tested by Beşiktaş’ attacking movement, although the visitors must also guard against a response from the hosts, who will be eager to recover from their disappointing European opener.
Six out of seven
Beşiktaş’ recent European record offers further encouragement ahead of the trip to Germany.
The Turkish club have won six of their seven European matches this season, defeating Midtjylland 1-0 and 2-0 before recording two 1-0 victories over Hradec Kralove.
They also beat Kauno Zalgiris 3-0 before losing the return leg 1-0, then opened the Europa League league phase with their 4-1 triumph over Marseille.
Across those seven matches, Beşiktaş have scored 12 goals and conceded twice, demonstrating their effectiveness at both ends of the pitch in European competition.
Hoffenheim, however, will offer a different test, particularly with the German side playing at home and looking to revive their campaign.
The match will also feature a familiar face for Turkish football fans in Kabak, the Hoffenheim defender who has made seven appearances this season and scored once.
Eight Turkish Süper Lig clubs, Kocaelispor coach Selçuk İnan, Trabzonspor midfielder Melih Kabasakal and Eyüpspor forward Ahmed Abdullahi have been referred to the Turkish Football Federation’s (TFF) Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) following incidents during league matches.
The TFF announced the referrals on its official website, citing alleged improper chants, crowd disturbances, a breach of stadium safety regulations and conduct by individuals during or after matches played between Oct. 9 and 12.
Galatasaray and Kasımpaşa were both referred over alleged improper chants during their match on Oct. 9. Galatasaray also faces disciplinary proceedings over crowd disturbances.
Gençlerbirliği was referred for alleged improper chants during its Oct. 10 match against Amed Sportif Faaliyetler, while Amed was referred over crowd disturbances during the same game.
Samsunspor and Trabzonspor were both referred for alleged improper chants following their Oct. 10 encounter. Trabzonspor also faces disciplinary proceedings over crowd disturbances, while midfielder Melih Kabasakal was referred separately for an alleged rule violation during the match. His referral took effect on Oct. 11 under precautionary measures.
Beşiktaş and Kocaelispor were both referred following their Oct. 11 match. Beşiktaş faces charges relating to alleged improper chants and crowd disturbances, while Kocaelispor faces additional scrutiny over spectator access routes that were not kept clear, in violation of the federation’s stadium regulations.
Kocaelispor coach Selçuk İnan was also referred to the disciplinary board without precautionary measures over comments he made during a postmatch flash interview and news conference. The TFF cited statements allegedly damaging the reputation of Turkish football.
Eyüpspor forward Ahmed Abdullahi was referred under precautionary measures for an alleged rule violation during the club’s Oct. 12 match against Göztepe, with his referral taking effect on Oct. 13.
The referrals will be assessed by the PFDK, which determines disciplinary sanctions under the federation’s regulations. The referrals themselves do not constitute final rulings.
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