Aadi Nair

Mexico and Argentina have joined the Confederation of African Football in backing Gianni Infantino's FIFA presidency, weakening efforts by UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian football confederation to force his removal. The support follows criticism of a shelved proposal to sell World Cup commercial rights, which FIFA acknowledged had involved mistakes in process and communication. Argentina criticised the proposal but endorsed FIFA's broader work, while Mexico rejected any removal process outside FIFA's formal institutional framework. UEFA continues to threaten a boycott of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions, and several national associations, including Croatia, England and Albania, have withdrawn support. Infantino's expected fourth-term re-election is therefore more contested, although no challenger has emerged.

Brazil’s Superior Court of Sports Justice suspended Internacional defender Victor Gabriel for up to 180 days, or until Cruzeiro forward Gabriel Pec is able to return to training after suffering a fractured left tibia. The suspension followed a challenge during a Serie A match and may be appealed. Victor Gabriel expressed remorse and said he had no malicious intent. The court also challenged the authenticity of VAR audio submitted by Internacional, prompting the club and its law firm to acknowledge an error and request that the recording be removed from the case.