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    Shocking moment Hungarian thugs chase cops and force them back as they riot at Wembley

    THIS is the shocking moment Hungarian football thugs attacked cops at Wembley on Tuesday.Police made six arrests as crowd trouble marred England’s World Cup qualifying draw – including one for voyeurism. 
    Police clashed with Hungary fans at Wembley during the World Cup qualifier with EnglandCredit: Rex
    Police were forced back by Hungarian supporters at Wembley after arresting a visiting fan for racist abuseCredit: Twitter
    Police had to use batons to regain control during the World Cup qualifierCredit: Rex
    A clip of the disgusting scenes has now been sharedCredit: Rex
    Officers were attacked after going into the crowd to take care of a Hungarian accused of racially abusing a steward. 
    A video clip emerged showing hooligans waded in on the police and forcing cops backwards before having to use batons in an attempt to regain control.
    Riot police eventually calmed the situation having been forced back under the stands, where around 1,000 visiting fans were in place. 
    The fan who racially abused the steward was arrested – with two more collared for affray and attacking an emergency worker. 
    Now the Metropolitan Police say a further three arrests were made at Wembley – one more for affray, another for drunk and disorderly and the last on suspicion of voyeurism. 
    Fifa will now wait on reports from the match, with the FA promising to pass on all information they have. 

    Meanwhile Albania’s clash with Poland in Tirana was suspended after home fans pelted Robert Lewandowski and Co with bottles.
    The away side were celebrating as Karol Swidersky gave them a priceless 77th minute 1-0 lead.
    But celebrations were soured as objects including bottles were hurled onto the pitch.
    Kamil Glik reacted furiously to the dangerous actions of some home fans, while a bemused Lewandowski waved his hands in disgust.
    Poland left the field following the disgraceful incident.
    The match was then suspended for around 20 minutes, before play finally resumed with 13 minutes left on the clock.
    World football’s governing body is currently analysing reports of last night’s qualifier matches in order to determine the most appropriate action.
    A statement from Fifa said: “Fifa strongly condemns the incidents at England v. Hungary and Albania v. Poland and would like to state that its position remains firm and resolute in rejecting any form of violence as well as any form of discrimination or abuse.
    “Fifa has a very clear zero-tolerance stance against such abhorrent behaviour in football.”
    Poland’s players were forced to duck for cover as they were pelted with missiles by Albanian fansCredit: AP
    Fans began hurling things at the Polish side after the visitors had scoredCredit: Reuters
    Fifa are now investigating the angry scenes at Wembley and in AlbaniaCredit: Twitter
    The bad-tempered scenes marred England’s 1-1 draw with HungaryCredit: Rex
    Gareth Southgate slams ‘not fluid’ England flops after dreadful 1-1 home draw against Hungary More

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    Hungary slapped with two-match stadium ban and massive fine after fans racially abused England stars

    HUNGARY have been handed a two-match stadium ban and a massive fine after fans racially abused England’s stars.Fifa have dished out the punishment – which includes a £160,000 fine – due to the trouble in the stadium during England’s 4-0 win in Budapest on September 2.
    Hungary have been handed a two-game stadium ban after fans racially abused England players earlier this monthCredit: Reuters
    Manchester City ace Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham were targeted with vile abuseCredit: Reuters
    Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham were among the players racially abused while fans also threw objects onto the pitch during the match.
    Supporters will be banned from the World Cup qualifier against Albania on October 9 while the second match ban will be suspended for a period of two years.
    In a statement, FIFA said :“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a ban and a substantial fine on the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) in relation to the racist behaviour of numerous supporters during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying match between Hungary and England on 2 September 2021.
    “After analysing and taking into consideration all the circumstances of the case, specifically the seriousness of the incidents (racist words and actions, throwing of objects, lighting of fireworks, blocked stairways), the Committee decided that the MLSZ would play its next two home matches in FIFA competitions without spectators, the second match being suspended for a probationary period of two years.
    “In addition, the Committee imposed a fine of CHF 200,000 (£160,000).”
    The size of the fine is particularly large considering Hungary’s previous Fifa fines for issues in 2016 were £10,000 and £20,000.
    Hungary have also been slapped with a £160,000 fine after supporters launched objects onto the pitchCredit: Getty

    Fifa have reacted after accusations they are not punishing clubs enough.
    In the statement, Fifa added: “FIFA’s position remains firm and resolute in rejecting any form of racism and violence as well as any other form of discrimination or abuse.
    “FIFA takes a clear zero tolerance stance against such abhorrent behaviour in football.”
    Commenting on the abuse immediately after the clash, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham demanded authorities to crack down on racism in football.
    He tweeted: “Thank you for all the messages of support from last night.
    “Part of the game and always will be until proper punishments are put in place by those with the power. We can’t let hate win, keep smiling!”
    And Welsh winger Gareth Bale stated that countries with racist fans should be kicked out of competitions.
    Speaking of the abuse England players receives, he said: “It is frustrating. I don’t know why they launch these investigations that take so long. It is clear to see.

    “It has been picked up on camera, by journalists, I really don’t get why there needs to be such a big investigation. It is clear that it happened.
    “It does not matter if it happened a little or a lot. The action needs to be taken to stop it.
    “Whether you ban the fans from the stadium or if they keep repeatedly doing it, which seems to be what is happening, then you ban the country from the competition.
    “I think it kicks it out straight away. If that country keeps making these horrible gestures, then maybe the best thing to do is to get rid of them, give them a suspension and hopefully they will learn their lesson that way.”
    Raheem Sterling shows off his skills in training More

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    England ranked third best team in the world ahead of both World Cup AND Euro winners France and Italy

    FIFA have confirmed England’s rise into the top three of the world rankings – for the first time since 2012.SunSport revealed last week that Gareth Southgate’s side were set to leapfrog France and take a place on the rankings “podium”.
    Harry Kane and his England team-mates are now the world’s third-best international team
    England’s third position in Fifa’s table is their highest ranking since the system began in the 1990s
    Despite conceding that injury-time equaliser to Poland in their third September World Cup qualifier, England are now a single point above the world champions, with Belgium leading the way and Brazil clear in second.
    Third spot equals England’s all-time best ranking since the system was introduced in the early 1990s, matching the spot held for two months in the immediate aftermath of Euro 2012.
    And it is likely that the Three Lions will stay third for another month –
    However, a triumph for France in Belgium in their Nations League semi-final match could change this.
    Expected wins over Andorra and Hungary – which would be enough to clinch qualification for the 2022 World Cup if Albania and Poland draw on October 12 – would earn England 7.5pts.

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    France could then only overtake England with a victory in either 90 minutes or in extra-time in Brussels. 
    The 2018 World Cup winners would stay a point behind Southgate’s men with a penalty shoot-out triumph.
    Other giants in Fifa’s top 10 best men’s teams include Copa America finalists Brazil and Argentina who are in second and sixth the rankings. 

    Italy, who defeated England in the finals of Euro 2020, currently occupy fifth place. 
    Four-time World Cup winners Germany are fourteenth in Fifa’s table and one place behind the United States.  
    And Wales are the second-highest ranked side from the British isles after England in nineteenth place.

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    England manager Gareth Southgate comments on the possibility of having a FIFA World Cup every two years More

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    Arsene Wenger’s plan to have a World Cup every two years is greed mixed with madness

    BUOYED by the support of smaller nations, Fifa may well get their own way and later in this decade there will be a World Cup every two years.Enticing? Sounds to me more like greed with a touch of madness.
    European clubs ae ‘horrified’ by Arsene Wenger’s ‘attack on the football calendar’Credit: Getty
    The man behind it is Arsene Wenger, who left Arsenal in 2018 and is now Fifa’s Chief of Global Football Development.
    It was said Wenger’s thoughts outside the box became rather stale at the Emirates, although in hindsight I’m not sure Arsenal supporters now see it that way.
    But with the whole football planet his responsibility he has managed to put Europe, and Uefa in particular, on the defensive. 
    The continent’s clubs are horrified by his  attack on the football calendar.
    They believe, as I do, that a biennial World Cup is no more than a bid for Europe’s riches.
    Fifa have made several previous attempts to undermine Uefa but none of them close to this.

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    They tried with the Club World Cup and there were suspicions the world body was supportive of the crushed European Super League.
    Uefa responded by filling some of the shrinking summer space with their new Nations League.
    Wenger knew all too well the calendar of competitions was fuller than a call girl’s diary and proposed an extra World Cup  to kill off a few of them — football competitions, that is, not call girls.
    The Frenchman is acquainted with money matters. It’s said he was the one that helped balance the books during the rebuilding of the old Highbury.
    So, I wonder if President Gianni Infantino and his Fifa committee were behind the assault on their rivals’ monopoly of three summers out of four — which produces mountains of TV money —  rather than Wenger himself.
    Aleksander Ceferin, holed up in Nyon, Switzerland, would like to shoot down Arsene’s ambitions.
    The Uefa president’s problem is that  Infantino has the ammunition.
    President Gianni Infantino and his Fifa committee promoted the Club World Cup, undermining UefaCredit: Reuters
    Simply, Fifa is highly popular with delegates from other nations, from Tuvalu to Tajikistan.
    No surprise. Each country, no matter how big or small, has one vote in Congress.
    Bear in mind, that delegates at World Cups and Fifa events are treated like kings — the finest hotels, big cars, the best seats, no wonder so many of them know exactly who butters their bread. And how to vote.
    Uefa have one defence. Their clubs generate all the money.
    When it comes down to it, though, they are close to powerless.
    I doubt there was a Uefa country that voted for the  2022 finals to go to Qatar. What’s more, it is to be held in October and November.
    Appeals are being made — once every four years provides gloss and rarity, there’s too much football already, players will be exhausted and risk injury, clubs will continue to pay wages that are surely a responsibility of the federations.
    Infantino promises corruption  has been eliminated. I’d like to believe in fairies, too. 
    Patrick Vieira compares Ian Wright and Harry Kane but adds Thierry Henry is still the greatest in the world More

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    England to move up to third in world international rankings despite disappointing last-gasp draw with Poland

    ENGLAND will move up to third place in the new Fifa world rankings – despite Poland’s injury-time equaliser in Warsaw.Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 finalists will leapfrog France to move into the top three for the first time since September 2012.
    Boss Gareth Southgate and goalscoring skipper Harry Kane had to settle for a draw in Poland after Damian Szymanski’s late equaliserCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
    Roy Hodgson was the boss in the immediate aftermath of Euro 2012 when England were last so high – for just two months – on the only previous occasion since the rankings were introduced in 1992.
    Belgium remain top of the pile, with Brazil second and England – 47 points adrift of the South Americans – ahead of France by a single point.
    But the new rankings table, to be confirmed next week, demonstrates the advances England have made under Southgate, who took over in 2016 with the team down in 12th after the Euro 2016 fiasco.
    European champions Italy, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Mexico and Denmark will complete the top 10.
    And with Fifa expected to use the rankings to determine the seven nations who will join hosts Qatar at the top of the seeding pots for the 2022 World Cup, it means Southgate’s men are almost certain to be in the elite group.
    Of the other Home Nations, Wales will stay 19th, Scotland rise three to 46th and Northern ireland are also up three, to 48th, while the Republic of Ireland will drop four to 51st.
    The Three Lions had only been denied six straight wins in their World Cup qualifying group when Damian Szymanski’s header sparked Polish delight by cancelling out Harry Kane’s superb opener.
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    And Southgate has defended failing to make any substitutions – despite England seeming to fade in the closing stages.
    He said: “We were playing well, we were in control.
    “At those moments, it’s not easy to come on as a substitute and we would be taking people off for the sake of it, frankly.
    “We were in total control, there was no issue, why disrupt it when you’re in control?”
    Gareth Southgate reacts to heated England game against Poland More

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    Fifa want to stage World Cup every two years – but not everyone’s convinced

    EVERY four years, life stands still as the greatest show on earth – the football World Cup – unfolds.After a month of drama, tension and joy, a record 3.6billion people – half the planet’s population – watched the 2018 final between France and Croatia.
    Fifa want to stage the World Cup every two years insteadCredit: PA:Press Association
    Billions around the world tuned in to watch England and other countries playCredit: Getty
    Now moneybags organisers Fifa want to change it from 2026.
    Led by their chief of global football development, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, they want to stage the tournament every two years instead.
    It left many fans wondering whether, even for the World Cup, you can get too much of a good thing.
    England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed he is “open-minded” about the proposal.
    But Gareth Bale, the Wales forward, is not keen.
    “I like the tradition of every four years,” he said.

    “It has the prestige, like the Olympics, coming around every four years.”
    And Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets said decision-makers “do not care enough about the players”.
    So is Wenger’s plan a work of genius or will it ruin the magic of the cup?
    Here, The Sun’s Head of Sport Shaun Custis and England goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton argue for and against the divisive proposal.
    YES – says The Sun’s Head of Sport Shaun Custis
    YES, let’s get on with it. As Alan Partridge might say: “Back of the net.”
    A World Cup every two years gets my vote for one big reason – there will be more meaningful, competitive England matches and less of the nonsense we had to suffer at the weekend.
    Shaun says: ‘A World Cup every two years gets my vote for one big reason – there will be more meaningful, competitive England matches and less of the nonsense we had to suffer at the weekend’Credit: The Sun
    We’ve had to put up with one-sided games against the likes of Andorra in qualifying ­campaigns for far too long.
    Part of the biennial World Cup plan is that the minnows will have to pre-qualify to earn the right to mix it with the big boys, and that’s how it should be.
    There would also be fewer friendlies where nobody is the slightest bit interested in the result. Hurrah to that.
    Over the past three years we’ve had a World Cup, a Euros and two extremely competitive Nations League competitions which have whetted the appetite for proper games – and no more of those glorified kickabouts.
    Whatever football supporters say about how they love their club far more than England, when the major tournaments come round they pack the pubs and the fan parks (Covid permitting) and scream themselves hoarse for the national team.
    Arsenal loyalists cheer on Harry Kane, Manchester United ­supporters hail Raheem Sterling.
    They don’t like to admit it but they do. And while Uefa is raging against the idea, watch them go for a Euros every two years too if the World Cup plan succeeds.
    Then we’ll have a high-profile competition every year – happy days.
    You could have put your house on the top European clubs kicking up an almighty stink.
    They claim all this will affect players’ welfare but that’s a smokescreen.
    What they are really upset about it is the effect on their lucrative pre-season tours, because players will have to get time off after the World Cup.
    They don’t care much about welfare when they are dragging their stars half- way around the world to fulfil sponsors’ demands.
    The mastermind behind the plan is ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, now Fifa’s head of global football development.
    Mind you, when he was Arsenal boss he never stopped moaning when any of his players were away on international duty and came back late or injured.
    The poacher has truly turned gamekeeper and is making no ­apologies for it.
    So here’s to England winning the 2028 World Cup – after we’ve won it in 2022 and 2026, of course!
    NO – says Peter Shilton, who played in three World Cups
    WHEN I first heard talk of holding the World Cup every two years I thought it was a wind-up
    But former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and football’s governing body are serious about the idea.
    Peter Shilton says: ‘I played in three World Cups for England and it is the ultimate moment in your career’Credit: Louis Wood News Group Newspapers Ltd
    The World Cup is already the biggest tournament in sport, so there is no need to make it any bigger.
    Lifting the golden trophy is what every football player dreams of.
    As a young player, my ambition was to represent my country on the biggest stage.
    I played in three World Cups for England and it is the ultimate moment in your career.
    You know the chance has to be grabbed because it doesn’t come round very often – and that adds to the incredible tension every time the ball comes close to the goal.
    If you get knocked out, you may never get another chance.
    Making it a biennial event would reduce the fervour and devalue this clash of nations.
    As a player I would be totally against it.
    Top-class footballers are playing almost the whole year round as it stands.
    Those England stars that reached the final of the Euros this summer hardly enjoyed any rest before they were thrown back into the cut-and-thrust of the Premier League.
    The domestic game just keeps expanding with more and more competitions, leading to more injuries.
    How will they squeeze in twice as many World Cups? It doesn’t sound workable.
    The Euros is very special, as we saw this summer, so that shouldn’t be shoved to one side
    There needs to be ample time to qualify for both the World Cup and Euros and build up excitement around these events.
    I can see the point of the lowest-ranked teams such as Andorra having pre-qualifying games for World Cup qualifiers because they have no chance of reaching the finals.
    But that should be introduced to the current four-year schedule.
    Generally, fiddling with formats produces no clear benefit to fans and is instead about money.
    The 2026 World Cup held in Canada, the US and Mexico will be the largest ever, with 48 countries taking part.
    Doubling the number of big ­tournaments is an idea too far.
    We shouldn’t be fixing something that isn’t broken.
    The ­current system is perfect.
    We are in danger of reaching a saturation point and need to ­realise you can have too much of a great thing.
    England manager Gareth Southgate comments on the possibility of having a FIFA World Cup every two years More