Sports
UEFA: We’ll ban players in Super League from World Cup, others
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says all players that play in the Super League will be banned from the World Cup, European competitions and other global football events.
The threat followed the decision by 12 top European football clubs to found a Super League, which was announced in a joint statement late on Sunday.
The founding clubs of the mid-week league were listed as English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea. The others are Italy’s Juventus and Milan clubs AC and Inter, and the Spanish trio of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
“It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable,” the 12 clubs said in the statement.
Reported to be financially very lucrative, the project does not have the support of football’s governing bodies.
UEFA and football leagues and federations from England, Italy and Spain described it as “a project that is founded on the self-interest of a few clubs at a time when society needs solidarity more than ever.”
Fifteen of the 20 participating clubs are to be permanent members, and the remaining five will “qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season,” the statement said the 12 clubs involved in the Super League had “spat in the face of football.
“The players that play in the Super League will be banned from playing in the World Cup and Euros.”
He also said, “We will take all the sanctions that we can. I cannot stress more strongly how everyone is united against this disgraceful, self-serving proposals, fuelled by greed above all else.
“We urge everyone to stand tall with us as we do everything in our power to ensure this never ends up in fruition.”
According to the New York Times the new league would “generate hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue for the participating teams.”
The club’s are already the richest clubs in the sport.
It was however reported that 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League winners Bayern Munich and finalists Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were not among the clubs that had signed up or expressed interest.
In a statement UEFA and football leagues and federations from England, Italy and Spain said, “As previously announced by FIFA and the six federations, the clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level.
“Their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams.
“We thank those clubs in other countries, especially the French and German clubs, who have refused to sign up to this.”
Before the announcement the Premier League in England said it “condemns any proposal that attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit. These are at the heart of the domestic and European football pyramid.”
German Football League chief Christian Seifert spoke of his body’s opposition, saying, “We reject any kind of European Super League concept” which would “irreparably damage the national leagues as the basis of European professional football.”
The latest development comes on the eve of a UEFA executive committee meeting.
The meeting, apart from finalising the host cities for the summer’s Euro tournament, is also to approve a Champions League reform from 2024 onwards.
The powerful European Club Association (ECA) and UEFA’s club competitions committee were reportedly in agreement Friday about the reform.
Under this, the elite event is to be increased from 32 to 36 teams and each team plays 10 instead of six group games in what is known as “the Swiss model.”
Two of the additional four clubs are to controversially come via historic results not through qualification via domestic action.
The large number of additional matches is a threat to domestic competitions.
Fan groups have also voiced their dissent, with an even bigger outcry expected if a Super League becomes reality.
The reports said that European officials were discussing counter measures which could include banning Super League clubs from next season’s Champions League.
Sports
Galatasaray Stun Juventus 5–2 in UEFA Champions League
Galatasaray Stun Juventus 5–2 in UEFA Champions League
Galatasaray delivered a remarkable comeback to defeat Juventus 5–2 in the Champions League knockout playoff first leg at Rams Park, Istanbul, giving the Turkish side a commanding three-goal advantage ahead of the second leg in Turin on 25 February 2026. The match was a thrilling spectacle of attacking brilliance, defensive lapses, and key disciplinary moments that turned the game in favor of the hosts.
Juventus initially took the lead after Gabriel Sara opened the scoring for Galatasaray in the 15th minute, only for Teun Koopmeiners to equalize immediately and then score again in the 32nd minute, giving the Italian side a 2–1 advantage at halftime. The Serie A giants appeared in control, but the second half saw Galatasaray shift momentum dramatically.
Just minutes into the second half, Noa Lang scored to level the game at 2–2, followed by Davinson Sánchez heading in a set-piece goal in the 60th minute to give Galatasaray the lead. Juventus’ hopes were further dented when Juan Cabal, a second-half substitute, was shown a second yellow card in the 67th minute, reducing the visitors to 10 men and giving Galatasaray a clear numerical advantage.
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Exploiting their superiority, Noa Lang netted his second goal of the evening in the 74th minute, and Sacha Boey sealed the emphatic 5–2 victory with a late strike in the 86th minute, completing one of Galatasaray’s most memorable Champions League performances in recent years.
The win marks a historic European night for Galatasaray, boosting confidence and positioning the Turkish side strongly for progression to the round of 16. Juventus, meanwhile, faces a challenging second leg in Turin, needing a near-perfect performance to overturn the three-goal deficit.
The match showcased Galatasaray’s attacking prowess, tactical discipline, and resilience, highlighting their ability to exploit opportunities and capitalize on numerical advantage while keeping pressure on a historically dominant European side.
Galatasaray Stun Juventus 5–2 in UEFA Champions League
Sports
Vinicius Jr’s Wonder Goal Gives Real Madrid Victory Over Benfica
Vinicius Jr’s Wonder Goal Gives Real Madrid Victory Over Benfica
Vinicius Jr scored a stunning match-winning goal to secure Real Madrid’s 1–0 victory over SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League play-off first leg at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon on Tuesday. The Brazilian winger’s brilliance, however, was overshadowed by a racism controversy that marred the game.
The decisive moment came five minutes into the second half when Vinicius Jr curled a magnificent strike into the top corner, breaking the deadlock against a resilient Benfica defence. The goal put Real Madrid in a strong position ahead of the return leg in Madrid next week.
The celebrations quickly sparked tension when Vinicius ran toward the Benfica supporters after scoring. According to reports, Gianluca Prestianni, an Argentinian winger for Benfica, allegedly directed a racial slur at Vinicius. The referee, François Letexier, paused the game for about 10 minutes under UEFA’s anti-racism protocol as players and coaches conferred on the field. (goal.com)
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Television footage showed Prestianni covering his mouth while speaking to Vinicius, which many interpreted as an attempt to conceal a racist comment. Real Madrid players, including Kylian Mbappé, confronted the Benfica player, calling for disciplinary action. Mbappé later said Prestianni “doesn’t deserve to be in the Champions League.”
The crowd reacted with hostility toward Vinicius, frequently booing him and even throwing objects on the pitch. Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold described the alleged abuse as “a disgrace to football,” reflecting widespread frustration over persistent racism in European competitions.
Vinicius responded strongly on social media, calling the abusers “cowards” and emphasising that racism remains a serious issue in football. He urged stronger measures to protect players and ensure zero tolerance for racial discrimination.
Benfica manager José Mourinho defended his club, insisting Benfica is not racist and pointing to its history of diversity and iconic Black players. Mourinho acknowledged the tension around Vinicius’s goal celebration but urged players and fans to exercise restraint.
Despite the off-field drama, Real Madrid emerged victorious thanks to Vinicius Jr’s technical brilliance, taking a crucial advantage into the second leg. The match will be remembered both for the goal of the night and the alleged racial incident, which continues to spark debate across football communities.
Vinicius Jr’s Wonder Goal Gives Real Madrid Victory Over Benfica
Sports
X Restored After Global Outage Disrupts Millions Worldwide
X Restored After Global Outage Disrupts Millions Worldwide
The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has been fully restored after a global outage that left millions of users unable to access the service across several countries on Monday.
The disruption, which began earlier in the day, affected users in the United States, United Kingdom, Nigeria, India, and parts of Europe and Asia, with widespread complaints of blank timelines, login failures, error messages, and inability to post or refresh feeds. Both the mobile application and web version of the platform were impacted.
Online outage-tracking platforms recorded a sharp spike in user complaints, confirming that the issue was global rather than country-specific. Many users reported seeing messages such as “Something went wrong” while attempting to access their accounts.
After roughly two hours of downtime, services were gradually restored, with users regaining access to timelines, posts, messages, and other core features. By mid-afternoon GMT, functionality had largely returned to normal worldwide.
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While the platform confirmed restoration through improved service performance, X did not issue an official explanation for the outage. There was also no immediate public statement from the company’s owner, Elon Musk, regarding the cause of the disruption.
Industry observers described the incident as an international technical failure, stressing that it was not linked to government restrictions or localized internet shutdowns. The outage adds to a growing list of service disruptions experienced by the platform in recent months, raising renewed concerns about platform stability and infrastructure resilience.
X remains one of the world’s most influential social media platforms, widely used for breaking news, public discourse, business communication, and real-time updates, making the outage particularly disruptive for users and organizations that rely on it for timely information.
X Restored After Global Outage Disrupts Millions Worldwide
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