A possible boycott of the World Cup is among the options being considered by UEFA's 55 member nations, who will convene this afternoon to discuss a collective response to FIFA's plans to set up a separate $20bn (£15bn) company to run its competitions, with 20% of it to be offered to external investors. The lead investor in the subsidiary – to be called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) – is Joshua Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The plans, announced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday, have sparked accusations football is being "sold off" and drawn widespread criticism from the football community and beyond. UEFA said the proposal "crosses a line that football's governing institutions should never cross", while England's Football Association (FA) said it was "deeply concerned" about what it called a "lack of process and governance" and "the apparent substance and principles involved". 'Walk the walk and back boycott' Former FA chair David Bernstein told The Daily Telegraph that FIFA's plans "stink" and supported calls to boycott football's showpiece event, adding: "The FA have to back that, and we have to walk the walk." A number of regional governing bodies, including CONCACAF – which looks after football in North and Central America and the Caribbean – and the Asian Football Confederation, said they had not been consulted by FIFA ahead of the announcement. Football's 'soul' at risk On Wednesday, the European Leagues – an association that represents over 1,000 clubs in 31 countries across the continent – released a statement condemning the proposal. The Premier League, a founding member of the European Leagues, said it "fully supports this statement". Speaking to new agency Reuters, Sepp Blatter, who was FIFA president from 1998 until 2015, was also critical, warning that the plans risked football losing "its soul". Meanwhile, in a post on social media, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine." Read more from Sky News:FIFA opens disciplinary case over Falklands bannerBrazilian footballer gets unusual punishment There are those, however, who appear to support FIFA's proposal. David Trunda, the head of the Czech FA, told Sky's City editor Mark Kleinman it would provide valuable extra funding for grassroots football and infrastructure. "Of course we need more details, but my personal point of view is that I can see the positive impact of FIFA's intentions," Mr Trunda said. A string of controversies Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris said Mr Infantino has given national associations until 19 September to back his plan, with a boosted $40m incentive to accept. Mr Infantino made the offer in a letter to FIFA's 211 member associations, warning they would have much less cash for development, grassroots football and national teams if they did not support his plan. He said the launch of FFE needed the backing of its ruling council and more than 50% of its members. The plans follow a string of controversies surrounding the recent World Cup, which was held in the US, Canada and Mexico. FIFA's decision to suspend a red card ban for US player Folarin Balogun after Donald Trump had called Mr Infantino ahead of co-hosts' last-16 clash with Belgium garnered widespread criticism, and fuelled further accusations of the FIFA chief being too close to Mr Trump. Mr Infantino awarded the US president with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize earlier this year. The growing commercialisation of the World Cup, such as soaring ticket prices and the introduction of hydration breaks (which allow more adverts to be shown), has also been widely criticised. FIFA's boss said critics of this summer's tournament were "consumed by hate" and had spread "false rumours". In a statement on his own and FIFA's Instagram accounts on Monday, Mr Infantino said they missed all the "joy and happiness" the event had brought.

The 56-year-old, who shot to fame in The Commitments and later with his band The Frames, died following the single-vehicle crash near the Strawberry Beds area in Lucan just before 4.30am. Irish police did not name Hansard as the victim, but said in a statement that "the motorcyclist, a man in his 50s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced deceased a short time later". The statement continued: "The scene has been preserved for examination by Garda [Irish police] forensic collision investigators. Local traffic diversions are currently in place." Hansard, a married father-of-one, won an Academy Award for best original song in 2008, for Falling Slowly, co-written with Marketa Irglova. The song featured in the hit indie movie, Once, in which the pair starred. He played Outspan Foster in the cult hit The Commitments, the 1991 film based on Roddy Doyle's first novel. He performed as a musician with The Frames and the duo The Swell Season, and also as a solo act. During his career, Hansard collaborated with artists such as Eddie Vedder, Bono and Bruce Springsteen. A clip of him performing on stage with Springsteen in 2013 was shared on his Instagram account less than 24 hours before his death. He was well-known for busking with the U2 frontman on Dublin's Grafton Street every Christmastime, and was involved with various charitable and social causes. He also played a powerful rendition of Fairytale of New York during the funeral for Shane MacGowan in 2023. Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the crash to contact them, and have urged motorists who may have dashcam footage to come forward. Read more from Sky News:US singer set to face murder trialDoctor Who and Bond actor dies Ireland has seen a surge in road deaths in recent years. Another man, a motorist in his 40s, was killed in Co Clare on Wednesday morning and the Gardai have appealed for road users to slow down. Some 107 people have been killed on Irish roads this year, 15 more than at the same time last year, which itself saw the highest number of deaths in a decade.

Anne shares what she's been hearing about the new top team at the Foreign Office and Ed Milliband reveals what his grandfather would have said about his new job. Meanwhile, can Andy Burnham really fix Britain's social care system? That's the big question as the new prime minister hosts cross-party talks on one of the country's biggest challenges. There's just one problem: the invitations only went out on Tuesday, and neither Kemi Badenoch nor Ed Davey will be in the room. The Conservative leader is sending the shadow health secretary in her place, while Davey will join by Zoom. Nigel Farage and the Green Party's Zack Polanski weren't invited. Sam and Anne dig into what, if anything, today's meeting could achieve.

After preliminary talks with his representatives, Liverpool have prepared an opening offer and are set to formalise their interest with an official approach. Signing a winger has been a priority since the departure of Mohamed Salah and Barcola has been on Liverpool's radar for a number of years. Latest Liverpool newsGot Sky? Watch Premier League LIVE on your phone📱No Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 The 23-year-old has two years left on his PSG contract and has indicated he will not be signing a new one amid frustrations at a lack of game time. The opportunity to join Liverpool is said to appeal to the player. The key to getting any deal moving will be PSG's willingness to reduce the price tag on the man they bought for around £40m back in 2023. Valuations of top-level players this summer have been high. Sky Sports News reported on Tuesday that PSG value the France international as high as £145m (€170m). However other sources have now indicated it could be around £128.5m (€150m). The success of Andoni Iraola's teams at Bournemouth and Rayo Vallecano centred around the pace, energy and work-rate from his wingers, so Barcola could be a key piece of the Spaniard's new Liverpool jigsaw. The fact Barcola has won nine major trophies in the last two years, including two Champions League titles, shows the calibre of player they are trying to bring to Anfield. Arsenal also hold an interest in Barcola. Carra: Barcola is not the Salah replacement Liverpool need However, Jamie Carragher does not think Barcola is the player to replace Salah at Anfield. Carragher questioned why Liverpool were pursuing another left winger when, he says, they have no options on the right. "He plays on the opposite flank!" Carragher replied to a Sky Sports post on X asking if Barcola can be Salah's replacement. "LFC currently have three players who could play from the left in Rio Ngumoha/Cody Gakpo/Florian Wirtz and no one who plays from the right." Replying to a comment, which suggested Rio Ngumoha could play on the right, he added: "Rio has always played from the left so that's obviously his best position. "Gakpo should move really but who knows. I'm interested to see where Wirtz plays. If he's 10, Dom (Szoboszlai) plays centre mid. "I'm not sure about that. Need a right winger desperately!" Why is Barcola wanted by Liverpool and Arsenal? Sky Sports' Adam Bate: Bradley Barcola could be the most expensive transfer of this summer window with Liverpool and Arsenal among the clubs chasing the Paris Saint-Germain forward. But why is he so prized? He has achieved plenty already. But there is more to come. The 23-year-old France international has just won the Champions League with PSG back-to-back but had to be content with coming off the bench in both finals. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's arrival from Napoli in January of 2025 established him as first choice on the left. But just because Barcola is not a guaranteed starter in Paris does not mean that he is not a guaranteed star. This is a player with pace, physicality and intelligence, someone whose skills have been honed under Luis Enrique. With Barcola, the potential is as vast as the fee. Read Adam Bate's feature on Bradley Barcola here... Could Arsenal come in for Barcola amid Vinicius Jr blow? Vinicius Junior will be staying at Real Madrid beyond this summer, Sky Sports News has been told. The Spanish club have no intention of selling him and are confident he will agree a new contract. This is despite the interest of Arsenal, who are monitoring his situation closely with a year remaining on his current deal. Sky Sports News' Dharmesh Sheth said this week: "Arsenal will continue to keep an eye on Vinicius Jr's situation. He hasn't signed that new contract yet. As it stands, he has a year left on his contract. That's why they are exploring the conditions of a possible deal. "How Andrea Berta [sporting director] does his business at Arsenal is very clear. It's not about one target and then the risk of that target not coming. "They try to get their ducks in a row with three or four deals, get as far down the line as they can with as many targets as possible, and then decide which player they are going to go for. "One of those players is Bradley Barcola. He's intimated to PSG that he's not going to sign a new contract. That's primarily because in the biggest games last season, he was on the bench. "He doesn't want to go through that again. It looks like he could become available for a transfer."

Warning: Some readers may find this content distressing. Despite four-and-a-half years investigating the case, I still don't know the answer to two key questions: why did she lie? And was there any truth to what she was saying? And that is one of the many reasons I can't leave this story behind. There is no doubt Williams told some incredible lies. The teenager from the Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness had posted on Facebook in May 2020 that she was the victim of an Asian grooming gang. I was at her trial at Preston Crown Court as it emerged she had claimed she had been trafficked to Ibiza and sold at an auction in Amsterdam. CCTV was played during the court case showing her buying a hammer in Tesco that the prosecution said she used to inflict horrific injuries upon herself. Her lies would see her sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail in March 2023. But there is more to her story - evidence that wasn't heard in court, and people I have spoken to over the years, that would point to there being some truth buried beneath the deceit. Fresh questions in case The three-part Sky Documentaries series Groomed: The Truth Behind The Lie aims to get to the heart of some of those truths. Building on the journalism of the Sky News podcast series, Unreliable Witness, and with exclusive access to key contributors including Williams' family, it raises fresh questions about the case, and asks: what was actually happening in Barrow? And did the focus on proving that one teenager lied obscure the fact that grooming had been taking place? There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by any of the five men that Williams was convicted of lying about. However, another man that Williams had named as an alleged abuser would later, along with two of his brothers, be found guilty of the sexual exploitation of children in Barrow - the very town where she had claimed to be a victim. A perpetrator, known as Sarj (full name Shah Joman Miah), who was operating in plain sight and whose crimes had gone unpunished for more than 15 years. Rape and trafficking claims The series hears from survivors Ruth and Laura (not their real names), who describe the Miah brothers' predatory and controlling behaviour between 2008 and 2010 - carried out from a flat above the family takeaway - for which they were eventually jailed in February 2025. The series also tells the story of another young woman, Ellie Reynolds, who went to school with Ellie Williams. Ms Reynolds has waived her right to anonymity and alleges Sarj was one of three men who raped, trafficked and beat her over several years, beginning in 2014, when she was 13. The allegations were reported to police, but it was determined by prosecutors that no further action should be taken. Police have since reopened their investigation into Ms Reynolds' allegations that she was a victim of child sexual exploitation. Sarj has been approached for a response to her claims against him, but he declined to respond. Sarj is a man who Williams had written about in her diary, and who her mother Allison had emailed police about in late 2019 - months before he and his brothers were charged in August 2020 over historical allegations. Were all Ellie Williams' injuries self-inflicted? Williams was regularly going missing and then later being found badly injured and apparently drugged. The prosecution said the injuries were self-inflicted and she was "play-acting". In Groomed, though, we reveal evidence that would suggest not all of her injuries were caused by herself, including that from a psychiatric report, written by a forensic psychologist when she was in prison on remand. This had reviewed Williams' medical notes, and at one of her 18 visits to A&E in 2019, a medical professional had recorded "there is obvious bruising all over her body which I feel in my opinion is not self-inflicted". The psychiatric report concluded that Williams was "likely to have been the victim of child sexual exploitation" (CSE) with injuries the result of abuse in the context of CSE and "inflicted by other people." Missed opportunities It is not just the unanswered questions about Williams that have kept me on this story for so long. It is also because what happened in Barrow more widely reveals a troubling picture of missed opportunities and institutional failures, one that echoes cases up and down the country over decades. The women in Barrow had to fight and wait years for justice - some still don't have theirs. And the opaqueness of cases like this only breeds suspicion, and can therefore be co-opted and exploited by those who can use it to their political advantage. Simon Fell, the former local MP, told us the far-right now has a permanent foothold in Barrow as a result of this case. 👉 Listen above then tap here to follow Unreliable Witness wherever you get your podcasts 👈 How have police responded? Cumbria Police told Sky News: "All of Eleanor Williams' allegations were investigated thoroughly and there was no evidence of any involvement by the Miah brothers." The force said Williams' "allegations were proved to be lies with evidence fabricated in an attempt to support those lies, resulting in convictions for multiple offences of perverting the course of justice". It added it has made significant progress in strengthening its response to child sexual exploitation in recent years, with measures in place to prevent harm, support victims, and bring offenders to justice. Protecting children and young people is one of the force's top priorities, Cumbria Police said. Only Williams herself will be able to answer the question about why she lied. I hope to be able to ask her one day - after being released from prison she was placed under strict licensing conditions, preventing her from communicating with journalists. Her mum Allison told us: "Who will believe her now anyway?" I would still like the opportunity to ask her face-to-face. Groomed: The Truth Behind The Lie, produced by Sandpaper Films in co-production with Full Story Films, will be broadcast on Sky Documentaries at 9pm on 2 August and will be available as a box set on Sky and NOW.

Mitch Winehouse's own legal costs also amounted to at least £950,000 in the failed bid against Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay. He claimed the women had profited from selling dozens of the musician's items at auctions in the US in 2021 and 2023, and argued they had "deliberately concealed" their sale. But Judge Sarah Clarke KC dismissed the claim earlier this year, finding that he "knew all along" about the intended sale and only afterwards started to pursue them for money in an "aggressive and unpleasant way". In a judgment on Wednesday, the judge said: "The claimant chose to bring an inherently weak claim, pursue it aggressively and relentlessly to the end, and make serious and unfounded allegations against the defendants which significantly damaged their reputations, career prospects, financial security and health." As of April, Ms Parry's costs were estimated to be £715,361, while Ms Gourlay's were £487,132, Judge Clarke said. Mr Winehouse must pay interim payments to both women - £569,330 to Ms Parry and £394,521 to Ms Gourlay - within the next two weeks. He has also been ordered to pay their legal costs on an indemnity basis, which means those recovering their costs generally gain a higher percentage of what they spent than is usual. This is often awarded when one side has behaved particularly unreasonably. Read more from Sky News:Half of England in drought, Environment Agency saysSerial killer gets whole life order - as police probe four deaths Judge Clarke said that in pursuing his claim, Mr Winehouse had "deliberately turned this case into large-scale and expensive litigation, in circumstances calculated to exert commercial pressure on the defendants to settle on his terms". He also aimed to expand his claim "very late in the day", which caused the six-day trial in December and January to overrun by three days, while he "actively courted publicity for his serious allegations, including in the press and in court when he knew the press were present". Judge Clarke said: "This deliberate course of action was undertaken by the claimant with the aim of damaging the defendants' reputations and professional prospects in order to force them to settle the litigation on his terms and pay him the proceeds of sale of their items. "He did so, knowing that they were vulnerable both financially and in status, and that his public allegations and insinuations of impropriety would only increase their vulnerability. "The fact that he knowingly and deliberately did this to two young women who had stood faithfully by Amy, and also by him and his family, and who had demonstrated their honesty and integrity over many years, makes his unreasonable conduct particularly serious."

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The visitors chased down a below-par target of 123 with 28 balls to spare, Ben Duckett seeing the Rockets to victory with an unbeaten 52. The start of the Rockets' chase was not fluent by any means but the Fire bowlers were sloppy, giving away four free-hits in the powerplay and seven in total. Duckett faced the first four, only finding the boundary once, but he and Finn Allen (33) still managed to move the visitors onto 42-0 after 25 balls with little cause for concern. Scorecard: Welsh Fire men vs Trent Rockets menThe Hundred - latest men's and women's tables for 2026Watch The Hundred and more sport contract-free on NOW The explosive Allen began to accelerate, taking 17 runs off Sam Cook's first five. He and Duckett cruised along against an uninspired Fire attack, taking the score to 75 before Allen fell lbw to fellow Kiwi Rachin Ravindra for 33. Duckett, joined by Tom Banton (31), continued on his merry way, bringing up a second half-century in as many games, this time from 42 balls, as the Rockets made it two wins from three. Hosts Fire had earlier ended their batting powerplay on 26-2, having been asked to bat first. They lost Phil Salt and Joe Root for five runs apiece to the seam of Matt Henry (2-16), the latter failing to connect with a ramp. After reaching 59-2 at halfway, the Fire looked to push on, but proceeded to lose three wickets in the next 14 balls, including the set Matt Short for 36 from 26. Jordan Cox (33) countered by launching Mitchell Santner's left-arm spin for three consecutive sixes, but perished going for a fourth, spectacularly caught on the cover boundary by a diving Allen. Fire then limped to 122-7 with Asa Tribe (13no) and Chris Woakes (4no) failing to find the boundary off Mohammad Amir and Lewis Gregory in the closing stages of the innings. Their target would prove easily surpassable by Trent Rockets, who moved up to second in the table with their second win from three games. 'The bowlers take credit for the win' Meerkat Match Hero - Ben Duckett - on Sky Sports Cricket: "The bowlers were superb. Coming here, we spoke about adapting to the pitch as early as you can. They take massive credit for this win. "My aim was to try and get through the powerplay and then it might actually become easier. It's made a lot easier when you've got Finn Allen at the other end whacking it. "Four free-hits really help as well, but, to be honest, I really struggled to find rhythm throughout that whole innings. I'm pretty sure everyone saw that. Finn played beautifully and Bants came in and took all the pressure off me. Spirit beat MI London by seven wickets thanks to Pretorius heroics Twenty-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius smashed 64 from 28 balls to help London Spirit to a seven-wicket win over MI London in a hotly contested London derby. Chasing 165 to win, Jonny Bairstow and Pretorius flew out of the blocks with the left-handed Pretorius smashing Trent Boult out of the ground, a towering blow 106 metres over midwicket. The pair brought up the Spirit's 50 off just 18 balls and closed the powerplay on 61-0, breaking the back of the chase in brutal fashion. Bairstow departed for 23 from 12, but Pretorius kept up the momentum, reaching his first half-century in The Hundred from 23 balls, clearing the ropes seven times in total, as the Spirit cantered towards their target. He would fall to Boult with the score on 101 just before the halfway mark of the Spirit innings, but the damage was done as Dewald Brevis cracked 37 not out from 18 balls to see the Spirit climb off the bottom of the table with a first victory of the season with 11 balls to spare. MI London's innings hadn't featured the same lightning start. Will Jacks (65) and James Vince (26) had their work cut out for them against David Willey (0-22) and Adam Milne (0-21), reaching a modest 28-0 at the close of the powerplay against a moving ball. They were to be rewarded for their patience, moving up through the gears against Adam Zampa and Andrew Tye, England man Jacks moving to his half-century from 30 balls. Things then swung back in the favour of the visitors when Vince fell to James Coles for 26 and Jamie Overton (3-30) saw the back of Jacks and new man Nicholas Pooran in the space of three balls. Jacks departed for a fine 65 from 44 balls, becoming the highest run-scorer in the history of The Hundred men's competition in the process. Overton continued the Spirit's fightback, removing Jason Roy caught behind on review, the veteran batter back in the MI London side in place of skipper Sam Curran who sat out the match with muscle tightness as a precautionary measure. Late hitting from Sherfane Rutherford propelled MI London past the 160 mark before the West Indian fell for 41 off 19 from the final ball of the innings. Rutherford's lusty blows looked to have given the hosts something to defend but the big hitting of Pretorius made light work of the chase and kept Spirit in the competition. 'Let's carry this momentum forward' Meerkat Match Hero - Lhuan-dre Pretorius - on Sky Sports Cricket: "I'm glad we got over the line. It's really good to get off the mark and hopefully we can carry this momentum forward. "I batted for a while yesterday at training, I was working with DK [batting coach Dinesh Karthik] on that shot over short-fine and fine-leg and it paid off luckily. It also got me out but that's part of the game. I'm glad I could contribute to the team winning." What's next in The Hundred? Southern Brave host Birmingham Phoenix on Thursday, live on Sky Sports, with the women's match at 3pm followed by the men's fixture at 6.30pm. Watch The Hundred and more contract-free on NOW