In a defiant response to mounting criticism, FIFA unleashed a fierce critique on the press amid widespread outrage over its contentious proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

In a statement released late at night, FIFA accused the media of circulating ‘erroneous reporting’ that, according to the organization, has disrupted their ‘planned consultation process.’ However, the statement stopped short of identifying which specific reports it deemed inaccurate.

Despite facing a storm of criticism from numerous international bodies within the sport, FIFA remains determined to push forward with a vote on the contentious FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative. The proposal has been met with considerable resistance from a slew of global sporting organizations.

FIFA’s statement continued: ‘Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports,’ it said, emphasizing that the process will continue to ensure each FIFA Member Association (MA) can cast its vote grounded in facts.

Moreover, the statement from FIFA firmly refutes claims that it is compromising the integrity of the sport: ‘Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.’

The response from FIFA came after European nations agreed to boycott future World Cups over FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plan. CONCACAF, including USA and Canada, followed by rejecting the proposal.

‘We have heard the feedback provided by the respective confederations in relation to the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and would like to address the issues that have surfaced since the initial media reporting on Tuesday,’ the FIFA statement began.

‘We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation.

The statement concludes with a mention of the ‘principles’ that ‘underpin the FFE proposal,’ including ‘unprecedented development funding, truly global ownership of the commercial opportunities of our sport, and full self-determination through a democratic process for all MAs.’

FIFA’s statement was released in the early hours of Friday morning at the organization’s headquarters in Switzerland. 

The widely condemned proposal was in disarray almost immediately as England joined 89 other nations in boycotting future World Cups. By Thursday afternoon, England and the other 54 UEFA nations were in unanimous agreement on the proposal aimed at generating $4 billion (£3.1billion) in investment for FIFA tournaments.

UEFA was backed by the 35 FIFA-registered nations of CONCACA, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, who also rejected the plans – although they stopped short of threatening to withdraw from FIFA competitions.

Sources told The Daily Mail that opposition to Infantino’s FIFA presidency is growing within CONCACAF, as the vast majority of member associations have already lost confidence in his leadership.

To pass the proposal, Infantino would need the backing of 106 member associations. Currently, 90 FIFA members are publicly opposed to the plans. Sixteen more rebels would make it impossible for Infantino to pass his plans.

‘UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,’ the European soccer body said after an urgent online meeting of its 55 member nations.

The next scheduled FIFA tournament is within weeks in Europe – the Women’s Under-20 World Cup hosted by Poland from September 5.

‘Some things are simply too important to sell,’ UEFA said in a statement. ‘The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.’

The strategy meeting was called to counter Infantino’s offer of $20 million to each of FIFA’s 211 global members, which has to be accepted by mid-September.

Infantino’s secret project was revealed Tuesday to spin off its commercial operations in a new $20 billion subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) 20 percent owned by private investors. The core investor would be a New York investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Infantino wrote Tuesday to the 211 members – already the effective owners of FIFA as a non-profit association under Swiss law – that if they approve FFE, their promised $10 million basic funding for the next four years will double to $20 million. He projected FIFA funding through 2038 would be $86 million each, instead of about $36 million.

‘This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football,’ said UEFA, where Infantino was a long-time staffer and its CEO-like general secretary when he was first elected to lead FIFA in 2016.

Infantino’s high-stakes financial gambit now could threaten his previously secure 11-year presidency of FIFA as anger and frustration with him rise among soccer stakeholders, including three of the six continental bodies.

FIFA has set a November 18 deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members scheduled next March in Rabat, Morocco. 

Meanwhile, officials have said privately that Infantino is eying a lucrative commissioner-like role at the FFE spinoff beyond 2031.

An in-depth probe into the tragic events of March at Old Dominion University has surfaced a startling oversight: federal authorities did not alert the school that a student, who later committed a shooting on campus, had once been found guilty of aiding ISIS.

It was on March 12 that Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, reportedly shouting “Allahu Akbar,” unleashed gunfire in an ROTC classroom at ODU. The chaos resulted in the death of an Army veteran instructor and left two students injured before he was ultimately taken down by ROTC personnel.

Back in 2016, Jalloh was convicted for attempting to supply material assistance to ISIS, with plans aimed at targeting U.S. military members.

According to a report ordered by the university, there was no communication from his federal probation officer, the FBI, or any other state or federal agencies to notify ODU of his prior conviction.

“Had ODU known about Jalloh’s criminal history, it is highly likely that ODU would have sought his removal from campus due to the risk he posed, particularly to military-affiliated individuals,” the independent report said.

The FBI told News Media Thursday it is not the agency responsible for notifying colleges.

“The FBI does not serve as a notification authority for colleges or universities regarding an individual’s criminal history – that is a shared responsibility across state, local, federal and community partners,” the FBI said. 

Additionally, the bureau noted that Jalloh’s terrorism-related convictions were widely publicized by the Department of Justice in 2016 and 2017, with at least three press releases detailing his case still available on the agency’s website.

“Furthermore, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia issued several press releases and publicly available information, including a press release when Jalloh was sentenced in 2017 for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” the agency said. 

“The release remains on the Department of Justice website and can be found through an internet search with multiple links available.”

ODU said that, under Virginia law enacted in 2022, public universities are prohibited from asking applicants about their criminal history during the admissions process. 

In compliance with the law, ODU said it removed criminal history questions from its applications, leaving the university dependent on voluntary student disclosures or outside law enforcement notifications.

Under Jalloh’s federal supervised release, his probation officer reportedly had the authority to require him to disclose his criminal record to third parties.

However, no such notification was provided to any university office or campus police, according to the report.

“Given that Virginia law requires universities to rely on student self-disclosure, it is even more important that other law enforcement agencies ensure that information that universities need to know to safeguard their students is shared with universities. This critical failure led to tragic consequences here,” the ODU report said.

Jalloh also never voluntarily disclosed his 2016 federal terrorism conviction to ODU, according to the report.

While Virginia law allows public universities to inquire about criminal history after an applicant is admitted, ODU’s policy at the time only sent post-admission background questionnaires to first-time students, excluding readmitted returning students such as Jalloh.

According to the campus report, Jalloh first enrolled at ODU as an undergraduate student in 2007. After being academically suspended in 2010, he was readmitted in 2011 after serving in the Army National Guard. 

He briefly took classes through spring 2012 before stopping for unknown reasons and was later convicted on federal terrorism charges in 2016.

He then served eight years in prison before being released in December 2024. Afterward, Jalloh applied for readmission as a returning student and was re-enrolled at ODU in 2025.

After Jalloh’s case exposed a gap in the university’s post-admission screening policies, ODU said it officially expanded its post-admission criminal history questionnaire to include readmitted students alongside first-time students.

Additionally, the report said nothing else on Jalloh’s readmission application raised any concerns.

Jalloh’s application reportedly listed a private residential address in Sterling, Virginia, rather than a federal prison address. Two professors who taught him in the months before the attack also reported no behavioral concerns.

The United States Probation and Pretrial Services Eastern District of Virginia did not immediately respond to a request for comment from News Media. 

In a significant ruling, the New Mexico Supreme Court has determined that prosecutors cannot use a teenager’s confession, captured via bodycam, after she abandoned her newborn in a hospital trash can. This decision is rooted in doctor-patient confidentiality laws, the court decided on Thursday.

The state’s top justices reached a unanimous decision to exclude any statements made by Alexee Trevizo, who was 19 at the time, from her 2023 trial. These comments were made in a hospital setting in the presence of police, but the court concluded that they are insulated by doctor-patient privilege, as reported by People.

The footage captures Trevizo expressing remorse, stating, “I’m sorry, it came out of me. I didn’t know what to do,” as she faced the situation’s aftermath.

In her recorded exchange with nursing staff, Trevizo admitted, “I was scared” and noted, “it was not crying or nothing,” referencing the newborn.

The highest court in New Mexico also confirmed the protections from the Fifth Judicial District Court, ruling that all surveillance and police bodycam recordings involving Trevizo within the hospital are inadmissible in court due to doctor-patient confidentiality, according to the outlet.

Prosecutors previously argued that any conversations between Trevizo, her mother and medical staff that happened in front of police in her hospital room should be allowed at trial.

Police had not yet read Trevizo her Miranda rights prior to those conversations — but prosecutors tried to argue that the teen had made the comments in front of police, not directly to an officer and therefore she did not need to be Mirandized.

The high school cheerleader was also receiving medical treatment when the cops entered her hospital room wearing bodycams. 

“Despite her unresolved medical crisis, Dr. [Heather] Vaskas, without authorization, ambushed Defendant, bringing with her two armed officers who stood in the doorway of her hospital room, and disclosed her personal medical information to all persons in the room without warning,” the court stated in an opinion written by Justice Michael E. Vigil.

The opinion added that because Trevizo was “not given the opportunity to exclude anyone from the room before Dr. Vaskas discussed her condition in the presence of others,” and was in a “compromised medical condition,” the court “cannot conclude that Defendant’s waiver of her physician-patient privilege was voluntary.”

The now-22-year-old was charged with first-degree murder on May 10, 2023, after her newborn baby was found dead in a hospital trash bin.

Months earlier, on Jan. 27, Trevizo went to the Artesia General Hospital complaining of severe back pain, and hiding her pregnancy from her mother and doctors even as she was actively in labor.

Trevizo is seen in security footage running out of her hospital room toward a hallway bathroom while clutching her bum. 

Her mother followed Trevizo toward the bathroom and knocked multiple times but was not allowed in and waited with nurses for around 20 minutes. 

Before a nurse was able to unlock the door, Trevizo opened the bathroom door and was found cleaning up a heavy amount of blood on the floor.

Doctors originally thought the bloody mess was from the teen attempting to terminate her pregnancy.

But a custodian sent to clean up the bathroom discovered a newborn baby boy inside the trash that was no longer breathing. 

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator later determined the newborn died by homicide.

While Trevizo maintained the baby was stillborn, the district attorney’s office filed charges against Trevizo based on her confession as well as video taken from hospital security cameras that showed the teen coming and going from the bathroom where the newborn was discovered.

Following her arrest, Trevizo was released from jail and permitted to finish the school year without an ankle monitor or house arrest while waiting for trial. 

She attended prom and had planned to walk in her high school graduation while awaiting trial, but the school ultimately asked that she not attend the ceremony. 

Trevizo was allowed to attend New Mexico State University, where at one point, students launched a petition that amassed over 30,000 signatures demanding she be banned from campus. 

It is unclear whether Trevizo is still enrolled at NMSU.

Trevizo’s long-awaited trial has experienced a number of delays as prosecutors continue to fight for the right to use the footage and confessions in court. 

A tense scene unfolded during Tuesday’s WNBA game between the Seattle Storm and Indiana Fever as several fans vocally confronted young supporters of Sophie Cunningham. These young fans were there to express their protest against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports.

The atmosphere turned hostile when one man loudly jeered, “Garbage! Take the trash out!” while pointing at the girls and journalist Brandi Kruse, who spearheaded the Seattle protest.

Although the commotion prompted onlookers to call for security intervention, the altercation persisted according to a video shared by Fox News. The footage captured the rising tensions as fans remained fervently divided over the controversial issue.

In conversation with Fox News Digital, Kruse recounted the ordeal, saying, “Some of the fans were relentlessly booing at them. I turned around to remind everyone, ‘Look, they’re just teenage girls.'”

Moreover, social media buzzed with another video allegedly depicting an irate Storm fan spitting towards a Fever supporter following Indiana’s 105-95 victory. However, this incident remains unverified.

The game drew national attention when Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was accused by the unidentified girls of calling them ‘f***ing insane.’ Keaton has since been fined and banned from attending the team’s next five home games over the incident, while Storm spokespeople have also issued an apology.

In addition to Keaton’s comment, Kruse said the girls faced abuse from players, who gave a ‘thumbs down’ sign, and a number of other fans. At one point, Kruse said, she noticed one of her two subjects was crying.

‘I look over at halftime, and she’s sobbing,’ Kruse said of one of the girls, both of whom were wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts. ‘They were so excited for those seats, like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of their favorite players. They stayed up the night before making signs.’

The young fans were seen holding signs at the game thanking Indiana’s Cunningham for her objection to transgender athletes in women’s sports.

‘Thank you Sophie for speaking up for girls,’ read the sign.

The pair defended their actions to Kruse.

‘We’re not being hateful,’ one of the unidentified girls told Kruse. ‘Maybe they should work on being more kind to people, even though our opinions differ. We were being respectful and kind to people, even though I don’t care if you think something else.’

Cunningham broke her silence on the incident, writing on X on Wednesday night: ‘I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table!

‘You can disagree and still be kind. Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon. Yay for gifts.

‘Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.’

There was also an anti-trans rally near the arena in support of Cunningham before Tuesday’s game.

A crowd of a few dozen had gathered outside Climate Pledge Arena to both support Cunningham and promote statewide initiatives 638 and 011, which would bar transgender students from participating in girls’ athletics at Washington schools.

Media members asked to speak to Cunningham and Caitlin Clark postgame, but neither player was made available. Kelsey Mitchell and Monique Billings addressed the media instead, alongside head coach Stephanie White.

When White was asked about the rally and Cunningham’s recent comments, a Fever public relations representative intervened with the following statement:

‘Neither our organization nor Sophie had any knowledge of this demonstration and no contact with its organizers,’ the statement said. ‘Our only goal as a team, whether at home or away, is to win basketball games and make Fever fans for life, and we are united in that mission.’

A mysterious figure is being celebrated as a hero after saving a Las Vegas family from a house fire by waking them up and assisting in their escape, before vanishing without leaving a trace of his identity.

The grateful family is on a mission to find this unknown savior who banged on their door, alerted them with cries of “Fire!” and courageously used a garden hose to combat the blaze, then quietly departed. They wish to express their gratitude to the person they credit with saving not only their lives but possibly those of their neighbors too.

This dramatic incident unfolded just before 5 a.m. on July 5, at the family’s residence in the Las Vegas Valley.

Home surveillance footage shared with News Media captures the terrifying spread of flames as they engulfed the backyard in the early morning darkness.

Speaking with News Media, homeowner Danna Shabtai said she had gone to bed after asking children across the street to stop setting off fireworks near her home on the night of July 4. Hours later, at 4:51 a.m., she woke to someone frantically ringing the doorbell and pounding on the front door.

“My dog started barking, so I woke up and I stumbled to the door,” Shabtai said. “I opened the door and the gentleman was yelling, ‘Fire! Fire!'”

“He pointed toward the back of the house, and I turned around and I could see the French doors to the backyard. I just saw orange — like a wall of orange.”

After realizing the fire was far more serious than she initially thought, Shabtai said her sister grabbed the family’s garden hose and rushed outside to fight the flames while she scooped up her 14-month-old son and ran next door to wake her neighbors.

“I started banging on their windows and their door trying to make noise, like, ‘Wake up! Wake up!'” Shabtai said.

She said two women joined her in pounding on the neighbors’ door until everyone inside made it out safely.

Meanwhile, the stranger grabbed a hose from the neighboring home and tried to keep the flames from spreading.

“He went to those neighbors’ house and grabbed their hose from the front yard, and he was trying to put out their fire,” Shabtai said. “So not only did he wake us up, he was trying to put out the fire with my sister.”

Shabtai believes the man’s actions prevented an even greater tragedy.

“If he wasn’t driving by at that time, I don’t know. It would have been a lot worse before we would have even noticed or woken up that there was a fire,” she said.

The family has since taken to social media in hopes of identifying the mystery man so they can thank him in person.

“You’re an angel. You saved our lives, and I’m really thankful for everything that you did,” Shabtai previously told Fox 5 Las Vegas. “You didn’t have to stop. You could have driven by and said, probably someone already called it in. But no, you took the time, and you woke us up, and you’re a hero.”

Speaking directly to the mystery man, Shabtai thanked him for stopping when others may have driven by.

“You saved probably two households and a bunch of pets because it would have been way too far gone before we would have realized,” she said. “You saved our lives. You’re a hero.”

Shabtai said she believes the fire began after children across the street continued setting off fireworks despite being asked to stop.

She said she heard debris landing on a neighbor’s gazebo and believes she saw a glowing ember drift over a roof toward the neighboring property before everyone went to bed. She believes the ember may have smoldered for hours before igniting the fire, though officials have not determined an official cause.

In a Facebook post after the fire, Shabtai credited the unidentified passerby with saving multiple families and expressed frustration over what she believes caused the blaze.

“This is why you leave fireworks to the professionals,” she wrote. “This guy who just happened to drive by saved our lives and our neighbors’ lives. Next year I’ll be standing outside with my garden hose and hosing down any feral kids lighting up fireworks in my neighborhood.”

She later shared a video of the aftermath, writing that while her family was fortunate to remain in its home, others were not.

“Aftermath of fire. Neighbors are displaced now because of fireworks. Luckily we don’t have to leave,” she wrote.

News Media reached out to the North Las Vegas Fire Department for additional information about the cause of the fire but did not immediately receive a response.

Arizona Cardinals’ running back Tyler Allgeier recently shared his sentiments about welcoming rookie Jeremiyah Love to the team, emphasizing their amicable connection.

Just a month after Allgeier secured a two-year contract worth $12.25 million with the Cardinals to become their primary running back, the team selected Love as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, adding a fresh talent to their roster.

“There’s no reason to be, I guess, a jerk about it,” Allgeier remarked, highlighting his perspective. “That’s not really going to get you anywhere in life, in this business, or in this sport. But I’m just super humble anyways,” he added, displaying a mature and grounded attitude.

As it stands, Allgeier is poised to take charge of the Cardinals’ running back position as the new season approaches, leading the pack with his experience and skills.

In training camp, Allgeier has been consistently practicing with the first-team squad. Comments from Nathaniel Hackett, the Cardinals’ new offensive coordinator, suggest that while Love shows promise, he still has some ground to cover in his development.

“He’s definitely a rookie, and as we’ve talked about, he’ll keep growing every single day,” he said. “Very excited for him. All those guys, not just him. I’m very excited about this room. There are a lot of guys that have a lot of carries, a lot of experience. Guys that can do multiple things.”

Allgeier said he and Love are building a relationship and are “feeding off each other on and off the field.”

The former Falcons 2022 fifth round draft pick also mentioned the competition is bringing out the best from both of the backs.

“Whenever that chance comes, you just have to execute and take advantage of your opportunity,” Allgeier said. “So that’s just the biggest thing for me. It’s just a mindset.”

Allgeier also said he plans on keeping his “stardom mentality” and that he’s used to being an underdog, given this is Allgeier’s second time in this situation.

After rushing for 1,035 yards as a rookie with the Falcons in 2022, Atlanta took Bijan Robinson with the eighth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Allgeier continued to produce in a congested backfield, rushing for at least 500 yards and three touchdowns in each of the next three seasons while behind Robinson.

Though Allgeier joined the Cardinals to leave Robinson’s shadow, he praised Arizona for how they have treated him through the offseason.

Allgeier said while he found out about the Cardinals drafting Love, head coach Mike LaFleur called him right after the selection to explain he thinks the two will be a “really good tandem.”

Allgeier expressed his respect for LaFleur’s “really good communication” because not every coach or organization would have done that.

Deebo Samuel is making his way back to familiar turf in the Bay Area.

A spokesperson for the San Francisco 49ers confirmed late Thursday to The Daily Mail that the dynamic wide receiver, now 30, has decided to return to the team after spending a year with the Washington Commanders.

The specifics of Samuel’s new contract are still under wraps. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported that the agreement includes a one-year deal potentially worth up to $7 million. The Daily Mail has reached out to Samuel’s representatives for additional comments.

Samuel’s comeback occurs amidst some turmoil for the 49ers. The team is navigating challenges with Brandon Aiyuk, a receiver who is currently sitting out of training camp due to a trade request, and Ricky Pearsall, another seasoned receiver, faces the prospect of knee surgery that could end his season prematurely.

While Samuel may not replicate his explosive 2021 performance, where he amassed 1,770 yards and 14 touchdowns earning All-Pro honors, his stint with Washington last season demonstrated his continued effectiveness. Over 16 games, the versatile receiver gathered 727 yards and scored five touchdowns across 72 receptions, proving his enduring value on the field.

It should be interesting to see if Samuel becomes a threat out of the backfield again in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Between 2021 and 2024, the South Carolina product ran the ball 180 times for the 49ers, racking up 958 yards and 17 touchdowns. 

‘Kyle Shanahan already drawing up those Deebo gadget plays as we speak,’ one fan wrote on X.  

Aiyuk, meanwhile, has faced significant criticism for a number of recent actions, including the crude jokes he made about Shanahan’s recent car crash.

‘You can’t win the race if you crash out,’ Aiyuk said about Shanahan, who suffered a broken hand, three broken ribs and a concussion in a crash that nearly cost him his eye.

Aiyuk has been lashing out on social media for months and was recently the subject of an arrest warrant in California over a December YouTube post purportedly showing him driving a Cadillac at over 100mph. It was around that time the team placed Aiyuk on the reserve list with a ‘left squad’ designation as Shanahan admitted he had not seen Aiyuk ‘in forever.’

Things have only gotten worse for Aiyuk, who was slammed recently for posting video in which he appeared to kick one of his dogs. He also recently fired his agents.

Aiyuk’s career was undeniably impressive from 2020, when he was a third-round pick by the Niners out of Arizona State, and 2024, when he signed a four-year, $120 million extension only to tear his ACL and MCL.

He’d go on to miss the entire 2025 season and has since ordered the team to trade him, while demand for his services has yet to materialize.

One thing is clear: Aiyuk is done with the 49ers.

‘I will not be reinstating with them or ever doing any kind of business with them,’ he wrote on Instagram. 

As for Shanahan, he remains away from the team as he recovers from the July 14 crash. In his place, long-time 49ers assistant Chris Foerster has assumed Shanahan’s role.

Foerster has worked extensively with Samuel since the two first arrived in the Bay back in 2019.

Samuel was a cap casualty after the 2024 season when 49ers President John Lynch traded him to the Commanders, who guaranteed the receiver’s $17 million 2025 salary. 

‘What a reunion!’ one fan wrote on X. ‘Deebo back in a 49ers uniform is going to be exciting to watch.’