Samuel Meade

Former Aston Villa coach Austin MacPhee, now part of Xabi Alonso's Chelsea staff, was seen confronting a member of Johor Darul Ta'zim's coaching team after a heavy tackle on Chelsea striker Liam Delap during a 3-3 pre-season draw. Alonso intervened to restrain MacPhee, while Delap continued playing and Johor later scored an own goal. Chelsea are returning from their Far East tour and preparing for the new season under Alonso, who previously won the Bundesliga and German Cup with Bayer Leverkusen.

FIFA confirmed that England’s World Cup last‑16 match against Mexico in Mexico City will proceed at the original 1am BST kick‑off time despite earlier consideration of moving it forward due to a potential storm. Mexico manager Javier Aguirre criticised the proposed change, while Marcus Rashford said England remained prepared regardless. The UK government extended pub opening hours, and some schools relaxed Monday morning attendance rules to accommodate fans watching the match.