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      Argentina set to be handed spot in major tournament despite NOT QUALIFYING

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      ARGENTINA are set to play at the Under-20 World Cup this summer, despite not qualifying.The Albiceleste didn’t initially make the cut after failing to get out of their group in last month’s South American U-20 Championship.
      Argentina’s Under-20 side failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup under Javier MascheranoCredit: AFP
      Managed by former Liverpool and Barcelona star Javier Mascherano, Argentina fell to fourth in their five-team group after defeats to Paraguay, Brazil and Colombia.
      They have been offered a reprieve, however, as HOSTS of the competition.
      Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, were initially scheduled to put on the event this summer.
      But the Asian nation were stripped of hosting duties by Fifa after refusing to host participating side Israel following protests that saw civilians march with Indonesian and Palestinian flags.
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      According to Israeli sports reporter Dor Hoffman, Argentina have quickly been selected by Fifa to replace Indonesia as hosts for the tournament, which is due to begin on May 20.
      This will also see the Albiceleste replace Indonesia in the competition.
      Mascherano resigned as coach after his side’s South American Championship flop – but the Argentine federation will reportedly try to convince him to return as boss.
      Fifa came to their decision to relieve Indonesia of hosting duties after a meeting between its president Gianni Infantino and Indonesian FA chief Erick Thohir.
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      Following confirmation of the devastating blow for Indonesian football, Thohir said: “Indonesia is a Fifa member, so for any international soccer matters, we have to abide by the rules.
      “I ask all football lovers to keep their heads held high over this tough decision by Fifa. It’s time we proved to Fifa to work harder to transform soccer, towards clean and high-achieving soccer.”
      The tournament had been set to be Indonesia’s first appearance at an Under-20 World Cup since 1979.
      Many Indonesians protested against Israel’s participation in the Under-20 World CupCredit: Getty More

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      Crucial England tournament CANCELLED in huge blow to Gareth Southgate’s plans to see stars of the future

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      ENGLAND’S Young Lions have been left up in the air after Fifa stripped the upcoming Under-20 World Cup from Indonesia less than two months before it was due to start.Ian Foster’s team, including Spurs duo Alfie Devine and Dane Scarlett, Juventus midfielder Samuel Iling-Junior and Borussia Dortmund striker Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, were supposed to discover their group opponents on Friday.
      Fifa have taken the decision to strip Indonesia of the Under-20 World CupCredit: EPA
      It has left the young Three Lions in a lurchCredit: PA
      But the draw in Bali was cancelled after the island’s Governor said he would not accept the presence of the Israel side, one of five Uefa qualifiers.
      That sparked a series of urgent conversations between Fifa and organisers, with the decision taken to “remove” Indonesia after a meeting in Zurich.
      Officially, the decision was because Indonesia has not recovered from the massive earthquake that hit the world’s most populous Islamic-majority nation.
      But the row over Israel was the final straw as Fifa would not allow itself to be told who could play in its own competitions.
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      It means a scramble to find a stand-in host at short notice, although Fifa remain adamant the tournament will take place.
      On the decision, a Fifa statement said: “Fifa has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the Fifa U20 World Cup 2023.

      “A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged.
      “Potential sanctions against the PSSI (Football Association of Indonesia) may also be decided at a later stage.”
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      The U20 tournament is due to start on May 20 and run until June 11.
      Indonesia, who have no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, were awarded the tournament in 2019.
      The country has seen increased criticism towards Israel as protesters recently held marches against their participation in support of Palestine.
      Just half an hour before the announcement, Arya Sinulingga, an executive committee member of PSSI, said he was “very pessimistic” about the country keeping the rights to host.
      He added: “If we make political requirements in sports, it’ll always be like this. We will be exiled from the football ecosystem.
      “It’s very tough for all of us. We’re headed into a calamity in sports. We have to separate football or sports and politics.” More

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      I play in UK’s smallest footie league – I filled in as Beckham’s body double and we lost a game because of runaway cows

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      PLAYING in the UK’s smallest football league brings it’s own place in history, but being David Beckham’s body double brings a whole new level of fame.The Isles of Scilly Football League sees the Woolpack Wanderers do battle against the Garrison Gunners 17 times every season.
      The changing rooms for both teams in the Scilly IslandsCredit: Getty
      The Garrison Gunners and Woolpack Wanderers make up the two teams in the Isles of Scilly Football LeagueCredit: Getty
      The league see the two teams play each other 17 times a seasonCredit: Getty
      And its fame led to superstars such as David Beckham visiting the IslandCredit: Getty
      Then Real Madrid star Beckham visited the island in 2007Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      The fame of the island’s league soon saw a host of big name stars arrive on the island in 2007, including David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Patrick Vieira, Anderson Daniele De Rossi and Michael Ballack.
      The group had arrived on the island for a training session with young footballer before kicking back to relax on the beach with some fish and chips.
      But as the press arrived Beckham and Co soon had to leave, which led to league chairman Anthony Gibbons’ unique claim to fame.
      In an interview with the BBC, Gibbons said “A guy from St Martin’s phoned the press to say Beckham was here, so a load of helicopters came over and he had to go.
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      “They still needed one last shot over the bay so I filled in for Beckham.”
      Will Lethbridge, who grew up on the island and is a veteran player in the league, added: “Someone did send a message to the production company to see if they wanted to do a revisit recently, but I don’t think there’s been a response.”
      “We do get odd things come up and usually we’ll find some time to do it because it’s all good fun and it’s good for Scilly because the islands rely on tourism and wanting people to come here and visit us, so any exposure helps with that.”
      The uniqueness of the league can hardly be matched, and with the small population of the island, sometimes emergencies take precedence.
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      Indeed, one game was even lost because of COWS.
      Gibbons explained: “There’s a guy called Dave Mumford – or Chuffer – who’s a farmer and a few years ago his phone started going at half time and they said ‘oi, your cows have escaped’, so he had to run off to find them.
      “We were 2-0 up at that point and had to go down to 10 men, so we ended up losing 3-2. In the end, it turned out they weren’t even his cows.”
      The league itself has retained the same format since 1920, but with two annual cup competitions there are plenty chances for the respective teams to lift some silverware.
      The two teams are never the same either, with players literally being picked with the toss of a coin.
      But the island even plays host to a semi-regular match against Penzance amateur side Dynamo Choughs for the Lyonesse Trophy.
      The trophy in question caught the attention of Fifa, who wanted to display it in it’s official museum in Zurich, due to it being dubbed as the world’s smallest cup.
      Gibbons added: “We started playing Dynamo Choughs on our football tours in the early 2000s and one of their players is a metal worker, so he decided to make the smallest trophy he could.
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      “When Fifa came over and said it’d be great in their museum, he made a replica and they’ve got it at the moment.
      “Even though it’s only about one centimetre tall, people have still tried to put beer in there when they’ve won it, but it’s not a big drink.” More

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      Chelsea will be handed whopping £50million cash injection thanks to Fifa decision

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      CHELSEA are in line for a massive £50million cash boost – after Fifa confirmed the Blues have qualified for the first expanded version of the Club World Cup.World chiefs meeting in Rwanda agreed the qualification format for the 32-team event, starting in 2025 and likely to be held in China.
      Stamford Bridge chief Graham Potter has the prospect of more games and more cash next season, via the Club World CupCredit: Alamy
      Europe has been given the largest share with 12 slots with Fifa’s ruling Council agreeing that qualification would run over the four year cycle from the 2020-21 to 2023-24 seasons.
      It means the four Champions League winners over those seasons, plus the next eight leading sides on Uefa’s four-year coefficient rankings system, will earn berths for the money-laden new competition.
      Chelsea’s 2021 Final win over Manchester City means they are now guaranteed a spot, alongside Real Madrid, to be joined by the next two winners of Europe’s biggest prize.
      No country can have more than two places through the coefficient table but as it stands Liverpool and Manchester City would qualify.
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      However, if Liverpool miss out on a European spot for next season, that would open the door for Manchester United to replace them by reaching the knock-out stage of the Champions League. 
      Fifa is also revamping its current smaller version of the Club World Cup, which will continue to be played annually but rebranded and with the Champions League winner automatically through to the Final.

      World chiefs also finally agreed the “International Match Calendar” dates for international qualifiers to start in 2025.
      It will mean a four-match and 16-day window for games stretching between late September and early October from 2026, rather than the current two separate breaks.
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      Nine day breaks, for two matches, will continue to be held in March, June and November, meaning 10 international games outside of tournaments per year.
      Meanwhile, recalled Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella hopes to revive his Spain career too.
      Cucurella hopes to take on Erling Haaland’s Norway in the opening Euro 2024 qualifier on Saturday, March 25. More

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      Fifa to approve expanded World Cup with new 48 team format and extra games while being longest in history

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      FIFA will today confirm the 2026 World Cup will be the longest and biggest in history.World chiefs under President Gianni Infantino have agreed on the final structure, to be rubber-stamped at the meeting of the organisation’s ruling Council in Kigali, Rwanda.
      FIFA president Gianni Infantino is set to make some major changesCredit: Rex

      More teams are set to join the World Cup competition come 2026Credit: Getty
      It will mean a tournament expanded from the 64 games in Qatar to a massive 104 split across the venues in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
      And while Qatar 2022 was played over 29 days to squeeze it into the smallest possible window, the next World Cup will be played over 39 days, a fraction over five and a half weeks.
      That will not go down well with the clubs who supply the players, although Fifa will cut the preparation period to a maximum 17 days rather than the 24 days specified for the last summer World Cup in Russia in 2018.
      Instead of the much-criticised initial plan of 16 groups of three teams – which saw many experts voice fear of potential collusion in the final set of games – Fifa will stick with four team groups.
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      It means the top two in each of the 12 opening groups will go through to the knock-out phase, along with the eight best third-placed teams.
      That will see the knock-out stage starting with the round of 32.
      For the first time in World Cup history, the winners will have to play EIGHT games to lift the trophy. 
      The decision to expand the competition to 48 teams for the first time caused controversy when it was made in 2017.
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      Since then, Fifa has looked at various options before reverting to 12 groups of fours.
      LIKELY 2026 World Cup timetable
      Jun 11 Opening matches – one each in Canada, Mexico and USA (3 matches)
      Jun 12-27 Group stage games. Final round of group games played over six days (total 69 more matches)
      June 28-Jul 1 First knock-out round (16 matches)
      Jul 2-3 Rest days
      Jul 4-7 Last 16 (eight matches)
      Jul 8-9 Rest days
      Jul 10-11 Quarter-finals (four matches)
      Jul 14-15 Semi-finals (two matches)
      Jul 18 3rd place game
      Jul 19 World Cup Final
      Total 104 matches in 39 days

      Ideas that were considered and then rejected included penalty shoot-outs at the end of drawn group games and a “winner’s” bonus of the team topping the group staying in the same city for the opening knock-out tie.
      But the drama of the final group games in Qatar, including the incredible night in which, at points in the games, all four of Spain, Japan, Germany and Costa Rica were both going through and going home, saw Infantino add his weight to the new format. More

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      Spain and Portugal set to DUMP Ukraine from World Cup 2030 bid and announce completely new country

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      SPAIN and Portugal are set to up the ante on their 2030 World Cup bid – by DUMPING Ukraine and enlisting Morocco.The Iberian-led bid is the official European standard-bearer ahead of the vote due from Fifa’s 211 member associations next year.
      Football representatives of Spain, Portugal and Ukraine had put together a World Cup bidCredit: AFP
      But just five months after announcing Ukraine would be added to the bid and house two groups if it was successful, the war-hit nation is on the verge of being replaced by the North African state.
      Morocco bid unsuccessfully to host the 2010 and 2026 tournaments and had mooted a standalone campaign or heading a three-nation option involving neighbours Tunisia and Algeria for 2030.
      But the success of the Morocco team on the pitch in their run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar saw further discussions about being recruited to the Iberian bid.
      That is now part of active discussions with the Spanish and Portuguese FAs, alarmed at being linked with the corruption, fraud and money laundering allegations aimed at Ukrainian FA chief Andriy Pavelko.
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      While Pavelko has vehemently denied all the claims against him there is growing pressure on Ukraine to announce it is no longer able to join the Iberian campaign, leaving the door open for Morocco to walk through.
      While the Iberian bid will have the total support of Uefa and its President Aleksander Ceferin it is facing an uphill battle to secure the 106 votes needed in the likely second stage of voting.
      England and the other Home Nations plus Ireland represent five certain votes for Spain and Portugal, with other major European countries likely to fall into line.
      But the four nation South American bid by Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, officially launched last month, is the sentimental pick.
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      Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario, which hosted the inaugural final in 1930, would also fulfil the same role 100 years later.
      And Fifa President Gianni Infantino is more likely to put his unofficial weight behind the front-runner, the three nation bid led by Saudi Arabia.
      The Saudis have planted their flag already in both Africa and Europe, with games promised in co-hosts Egypt and Greece.
      Including Greece is an attempt to break open the 55-nation Uefa bloc vote.
      Russia, still a Fifa member and with the same vote as any other nation, is likely to use its influence to back the Saudi-led cause, far easier with Greece part of the bid.
      Including Morocco would be a way for the Spain-Portugal team to try to attract African support which would otherwise be likely to be mandated to go with the Saudi bid because of Egypt’s involvement. More

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      Man Utd were FORTUNATE to only lose 7-0 against Liverpool as referee blunder is revealed

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      FIFA say ref Andy Madley should NOT have put Manchester United out of their Anfield misery by blowing up early.Madley only allowed three minutes of second half stoppage time in the 7-0 mauling despite Liverpool scoring six and the teams making substitutions in five separate windows between them.
      Two-goal Liverpool ace Mo Salah should have had more time to complete a trebleCredit: PA
      Bruno Fernandes and Co came under heavy fire after capitulatingCredit: Rex
      And while Fifa refs’ chief Pierluigi Collina understood the decision he said: “There should have been more time.
      “I can understand that giving the right amount of additional time when it is 7-0 is difficult to understand in this specific match.
      “But if the regulations of the competition say that goal difference is relevant for the ranking at the end, even one goal scored or not scored can make the difference.”
      Prem chiefs will be ordered to ensure extra additional time is added in matches next season.
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      But the World Cup-style approach, which saw a staggering 27 minutes added to England’s opener against Iran, does not have to be followed.
      Collina explained: “Referees should add all the time for injuries, penalties and red cards, goal celebrations, substitutions and VAR checks.
      “They should also add on some time for free-kicks, goal kicks and corners, although we are looking at getting nearer 60 minutes of actual playing time, not 90.”
      United only trailed at the break to Cody Gakpo’s 43rd minute opener after an even first period.
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      But once Liverpool went 3-0 up after 50 minutes it was only a question of how many more the home side would get.
      Red Devils’ boss Erik ten Hag labelled his team’s capitulation as “unprofessional”.
      Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah bagged doubles before sub Roberto Firmino got Liverpool’s seventh.
      And chances were flowing so fast late on it’s a real possibility United would have suffered more if the game had been extended much longer. More

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      Man Utd in huge Qatari takeover boost with Fifa refusing to ban nation states from owning clubs

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      FIFA chiefs have NO intention of intervening to prevent nation states buying clubs.Prem clubs are demanding action from League chief executive Richard Masters about Newcastle’s Saudi overlords.
      Fifa chief Gianni Infantino is unlikely to ban nation states from owning clubsCredit: Getty
      Court documents in the US revealed lawyers for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Newcastle chairman Yasir al-Rummayan claimed they were both part of the state’s government.
      That appeared to fly in the face of the “legally binding assurances” about the control of the club given when the £300m takeover was approved in 2020.
      But Sun Sport has been told by senior Fifa figures that there is no reason to expect any moves by world chiefs to intervene.
      And in a boost to the Toon Saudis as well as the Qatari bid for Manchester United, Fifa President Gianni Infantino has made it clear he is entirely relaxed about the state ownership debate.
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      A source close to the Fifa President said: “Gianni has the same view now that he had when he was at Uefa.
      “He said then that he believed any investment in football is good, wherever it comes from, provided that it is good investment.
      “That position has not changed.
      “He is the President of Fifa now and he believes what the game needs is investors, good people who want to put money into football, provided it is good.”
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      Infantino’s stance is no real surprise given his close links to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
      It is believed by many that the Fifa President is actively seeking to aid Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup, although Zurich insists Infantino is entirely neutral on that matter.
      But the news may be a relief for the Newcastle leadership especially with Masters feeling plenty of heat from rival club bosses who are demanding some form of action before this month’s next meeting of the Prem’s 20 “shareholders”. More