Sports
Spanish Football Chief To Quit Over Kiss Scandal
The leader of Spanish football, Luis Rubiales, will step down from his role. This comes after he was strongly criticized by the football community for kissing a player on the lips and making inappropriate gestures.
He will officially resign on Friday as the head of the Spanish football federation. This decision follows Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final.
Rubiales faced immense pressure to leave due to criticism from various sources, including the Spanish prime minister, women’s league, La Liga clubs, and others worldwide.
FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales earlier Thursday. FIFA said the incident “may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA disciplinary code”.
Spain star Hermoso released a joint statement with union Futpro on Wednesday, which called for action to be taken against the RFEF president.
“We are working to ensure that acts such as those we have seen never go unpunished, that they are sanctioned and that the exemplary measures are adopted to protect women footballers from actions that we believe are unacceptable,” the statement said.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International offered their backing to Hermoso on Thursday.
“Amnesty International wants to show their support for the demands of the player, who has asked the (RFEF) to set underway ‘exemplary measures’ regarding the non-consensual kiss,” said the organisation in a statement.
“(We) underline that this behaviour is a form of sexual violence like any other, and cannot be justified in any way.”
Rubiales laughed off the incident earlier in the week, branding his critics “idiots” for reading too much into what an RFEF spokesman initially described as a “spontaneous celebration”.
However he later issued an apology which was also criticised, with prime minister Sanchez saying it was “insufficient”.
Earlier Thursday Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admonished Rubiales for his conduct as the criticism continued to mount.
“It’s a very delicate topic, like most people it was behaviour that I obviously did not like,” Ancelotti told a news conference.
“It was not the behaviour of a president of the federation.”
Further Spanish clubs joined the wave of dissent against Rubiales on Thursday, following Getafe president Angel Torres the day before.
“We must all be consistent with what we do and say, that’s a fundamental thing,” Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo told TV show Jugones on Spanish channel Mega.
“He will have to do what he considers appropriate, but I think that what he has to do is present his resignation.”
Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay also positioned himself against Rubiales.
“This should have been over days ago, it’s a shame that we are here and this has not been concluded,” he told Radio Euskadi.
In May 2018, Rubiales was elected president of the RFEF. Since then, he has been at the centre of several disputes.
Two days before Spain’s 2018 World Cup campaign got underway, he fired Julen Lopetegui as coach and shifted the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
In the midst of a larger conflict involving 15 female athletes who refused to represent Spain, Rubiales supported controversial coach Jorge Vilda. Several of the athletes eventually caved, and three were called up to the World Cup-winning group.
The 2026 summer transfer window ended in spectacular fashion, with Premier League clubs once again rewriting the record books after spending close to £3.5 billion on players.
The spending surpassed the previous record of £3.14bn set in 2025, with the final two days of the window producing a frantic series of deals.
According to reports, Premier League clubs spent about £506.5 million on deadline day alone.
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Among the deals that grabbed the biggest headlines were the deadline-day moves involving Enzo Fernández, Gabriel Jesus and Ibrahim Mbaye.
Enzo Fernández completes £125m Manchester City move
The biggest headline deal was undoubtedly Enzo Fernández’s £125 million transfer from Chelsea to Manchester City.
The Argentina international’s move matched the British transfer record and made him the first player to have been transferred for more than £100 million on two separate occasions during his career.
Fernández signed a five-year contract with City after completing the move on deadline day.
The 25-year-old had enjoyed an impressive 2025/26 campaign with Chelsea, scoring 15 goals and providing seven assists.
His move also reunites him with Enzo Maresca, who previously worked with him at Chelsea.
The transfer was part of a massive rebuilding exercise at Manchester City. The club also signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m and Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for around £86m, among other additions.
City ultimately emerged as the Premier League’s biggest spenders, with their total expenditure reported at about £457.5m.
Gabriel Jesus makes surprise Barcelona switch
Another major deadline-day story was Gabriel Jesus’ move from Arsenal to Barcelona.
The Brazilian striker completed a permanent transfer to the Spanish champions for a reported £8.6m (€10m) and signed a contract running until June 2029.
The move brought an end to Jesus’ four-year spell at Arsenal, where he made 123 appearances and scored 32 goals after joining from Manchester City for £45m in 2022.
The 29-year-old was part of Arsenal’s Premier League title-winning squad last season but found his opportunities limited, making only three Premier League starts during the campaign.
Barcelona moved for Jesus after their efforts to sign Atlético Madrid striker Julián Alvarez failed to produce a deal.
The Brazilian now arrives as another attacking option for manager Hansi Flick.
Interestingly, reports indicate that Barcelona’s pursuit of Alvarez and the Jesus deal were treated as separate operations, meaning the Catalan club could still have been interested in the Argentine forward.
Aston Villa land teenage sensation Ibrahim Mbaye
Aston Villa also completed a significant deadline-day deal by signing 18-year-old Senegal international Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain for £47m (€55m).
Mbaye spent eight years at PSG after joining the club’s academy at the age of 10. He made history in 2024 by becoming PSG’s youngest-ever Ligue 1 starter at just 16 years, six months and 23 days.
The winger was also part of the PSG squad that won successive Champions League titles and Ligue 1 championships in 2025 and 2026.
On the international stage, Mbaye switched his allegiance from France to Senegal and featured at the 2026 World Cup, scoring against France.
His arrival formed part of a dramatic squad overhaul at Villa Park under Unai Emery. Aston Villa made 10 major additions during the summer while also allowing several key players to leave.
Premier League clubs smash spending record
The three deals were part of a transfer window that demonstrated the extraordinary financial power of the Premier League.
By the close of the window, English top-flight clubs had spent approximately £3.49bn, comfortably surpassing the previous record of £3.14bn set the previous summer.
Four Premier League transfers alone exceeded the £100m mark during the window: Enzo Fernández, Bradley Barcola, Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson.
Manchester City led the spending, while Chelsea and Tottenham were also among the clubs to invest heavily.
The extraordinary spending ensured that the 2026 summer window ended as one of the most expensive and dramatic transfer periods in football history, with clubs continuing to spend huge sums in their pursuit of domestic and European success.
Portuguese football tactician Carlos Queiroz has made a surprise return as head coach of Ghana’s senior national team, the Black Stars.
The Ghana Football Association announced the 73-year-old’s reappointment on Thursday, weeks after he appeared to signal his departure from the team following their exit from the FIFA World Cup.
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Queiroz took charge of Ghana in April and guided the Black Stars to the last 32 of the tournament before they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia.
Shortly after the loss, the Portuguese coach appeared to announce his departure on social media.
However, following subsequent discussions, the Ghana FA has decided to bring him back for another spell.
The duration of Queiroz’s new contract was not disclosed, but the football association said he would be tasked with preparing the Black Stars for “a successful new phase on the international stage.”
The GFA said Queiroz’s extensive international experience, technical expertise and knowledge of the Black Stars made him the right man to lead the team into its next chapter.
Queiroz has managed several national teams, including Portugal, Iran, Egypt, South Africa, Colombia and Qatar.
He also had two spells as assistant manager at Manchester United under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
His immediate priority will be Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, with the qualifiers scheduled to begin later this month.
The Black Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Somalia, although the dates and venues for their opening two matches are yet to be announced.
The Ghana FA said further details on Queiroz’s mandate would be released in due course.
Nigerian winger Femi Azeez has completed a remarkable rise from non-league football to the Premier League after joining Brighton & Hove Albion from Millwall on a four-year contract.
The transfer, for an undisclosed fee, was completed after Brighton and Millwall submitted a deal sheet before the initial 11pm transfer deadline, extending the window until 1am on Wednesday.
Azeez, 25, joins Brighton following an outstanding 2025/26 campaign with Millwall, where he played a key role in the club’s push for the Championship play-offs.
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The Nigerian made 77 appearances for Millwall, scoring 15 goals and registering 13 assists. His impressive performances also earned him places in the PFA and EFL Championship Teams of the Season.
Brighton sporting director Mike Cave welcomed Azeez to the club, describing him as one of the most exciting attacking talents in the Championship.
“We are delighted to add Femi to the squad. He arrives off the back of an excellent season with Millwall, having played a key role for them as they finished in the playoffs,” Cave said.
“He was one of the most exciting attacking talents in the Championship, and we’re delighted to have finally agreed his transfer, and we now look forward to working with him.”
Azeez’s journey to the Premier League has been unconventional. After spending time in Watford’s youth setup, he moved into non-league football with Northwood before spells at Wealdstone and Hanwell Town.
He subsequently earned a move to Reading in 2019 before joining Millwall in 2024, steadily working his way up the English football pyramid.
The winger has also made a strong start to his international career with Nigeria. On his senior debut in June, Azeez scored both goals in the Super Eagles’ 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe.
Four days later, he provided an assist as Nigeria defeated Jamaica 3-0.
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