The Madrid club Real has sent a proposal for a new contract to the Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior. According to ESPN, after the World Cup concluded, the Madrileños resumed negotiations that had been paused almost a year ago.
The Madrid club Real has sent a proposal for a new contract to the Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior. According to ESPN, after the World Cup concluded, the Madrileños resumed negotiations that had been paused almost a year ago.
According to the information, Real offered the footballer improved financial terms. The new agreement could stipulate an annual salary of 22 million euros, which is higher than the previous offer.
However, this offer has not yet satisfied the player. According to available data, the 26-year-old Brazilian aims to earn around 30 million euros per year, while his current annual income is 17.5 million euros.
Vinicius's current contract with Real is valid until the end of the current season. If the parties cannot reach an agreement on a new contract, the footballer will have the right to negotiate with other clubs and sign an initial contract in January.
Furthermore, according to ESPN, Vinicius and his representatives consider this contract the most important in the player's career. Therefore, they hope that Real will value not only the athlete's age but also his contribution to the team's success since 2018.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino held emergency meetings with other FIFA directors in Morocco on Wednesday. This came amid a wave of criticism sparked by the withdrawal of his previously proposed plan to attract private investment to the World Cup.
Infantino faced growing pressure, not only from external forces but also within FIFA itself, regarding his handling of this proposal. Calls for his resignation intensified after he abandoned the plan last Saturday.
Among the attendees of this meeting was reportedly FIFA Secretary General Matthias Grafstrom, whose internal email criticizing the plan was leaked on Tuesday. Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss lawyer, conducted the meeting at the FIFA regional office in Africa in Salé, near Rabat. He was in Morocco to mark the Accession Day celebration, which took place last week.
Morocco is a co-host country for the 2030 World Cup, and the head of Moroccan football, Fouzi Lekjaa, became one of the few to publicly support Infantino following this humiliating retreat. Last Saturday, Lekjaa highly praised Infantino's decision to abandon the plan in the interest of 'unity and cohesion.'
He also reaffirmed his support for Infantino in all 'initiatives aimed at developing world football' during his ten years in leadership. Previously, Infantino had enjoyed success after hosting a highly successful World Cup—the largest in history with 48 teams participating and jointly hosted in Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
His desire to serve a fourth and final term seemed likely in Rabat next March, as no one else had put forward a candidate to challenge him. However, everything changed last Tuesday.
FIFA, the governing body of world football, put forward this plan, claiming it could attract up to $4.2 billion based on an estimated $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). This entity was supposed to organize events such as the World Cup and the Club World Cup.
It was stated that if approved, the project could provide each of FIFA's 211 affiliated associations with a one-time payment of $20 million in early 2027, and also increase their financial support for the 2027–2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.
Instead of serving as an incentive, it provoked a fierce negative reaction. The European football body UEFA resorted to a 'nuclear option' on Thursday—boycotting the sport's main event, the World Cup. By Saturday, Infantino backed down and withdrew his plan.
Infantino stated: 'Our goal has always been and always will be unity and improvement.' However, if he hoped this would be enough to strengthen his authority, he was quickly disappointed. UEFA called the proposal a 'pitiful, backroom, non-transparent deal' devised by Infantino.
In its statement, UEFA reported that 'the current FIFA leadership has lost the trust of UEFA, as well as many other members of the football family.' Furthermore, the North and Central American football governing body CONCACAF went further, calling for a 'comprehensive review of this presidency,' condemning Infantino's 'poor management and leadership.'
The leak of Grafstrom's email only added fuel to the fire. He characterized the fiasco associated with the proposal as a 'sad and reprehensible series of events.' He added: 'Individuals, unstable moments, and unpleasant episodes come and go. The institution, its mission, and its responsibility to world football continue.'
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane believes his team has finally gained the necessary squad depth for sustained participation in the MTN8 tournament. The first test will be the home quarter-final match against Sekhukhune United on Sunday.
Arthur Zwane admitted that he is still studying his team's potential this season, but noted that increased competition for spots in the squad has given him the desired headache in player selection ahead of the MTN8 quarter-final, which will take place on Sunday against Sekhukhune United at Chatsworth Stadium (the match starts at 15:00).
During the press day at Kings Park Stadium on Wednesday, Zwane stated: 'Honestly, I would lie if I said I knew where we stand. The more we play, the better it is for us. Pre-season can be deceiving.'
The Usuthu team advances to the playoffs after defeating Stellenbosch early in the Betway Premiership campaign. They face a demanding schedule, including a mid-week fixture against Orlando Pirates and another league match next week against Siwelele.
Nevertheless, Zwane is confident that he now has more players available than last season. He emphasized: 'I have a headache—a good headache. When I looked at our bench after the first match, I thought these were real game-changers. Any of them deserves a spot in the starting lineup.'
Unlike last season, when injuries to key players limited his options, Zwane believes AmaZulu now possesses the squad balance needed to handle the tight schedule. 'We play on Sunday, then again on Wednesday, and then next week. Everyone will get a chance because these matches are very draining on the players.'
Zwane also reported that the club's recruitment efforts focused on signing players who fit the AmaZulu style, rather than just chasing big names. 'We don't enter the market just because players perform well for their teams. We look for players who suit our playing style.'
Although Usuthu exited in the quarter-finals last season due to Stellenbosch, Zwane believes his young squad has matured and is ready to go far in the tournament this season. 'We won more matches last season, and now we believe in ourselves even more. We want to make it to the next round. We will do everything possible and hope to get there.'
According to information regarding the UEFA Champions League, PSG is the reigning champion. The first matches of the third round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers for the 2026/27 season took place on August 4th.
The following match results were recorded: 'Ararat-Armenia' defeated 'Sele' with a score of 2:1; 'Mielbu' lost to 'Slovan' from Bratislava with a score of 1:2; 'Hapoel' beat 'Crvena Zvezda' with a score of 1:0; 'Levski' won against 'Kairat' with a score of 1:0; 'Sparta Prague' defeated 'Lion' with a score of 2:1; the match between 'Olympiacos' and 'NEC Nijmegen' ended in a 0:0 draw; 'Union' drew with 'Bodø/Glimt' with a score of 3:3; and 'Dinamo Zagreb' convincingly defeated 'Kauno Jalgiras' with a score of 5:0.
It is emphasized that the current UEFA Champions League champion is PSG. The final of the current season is scheduled for June 5, 2027, at the 'Metropolitano' stadium in Madrid.
