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Marcus Rashford said he would like to play football without his "name being mentioned every day" after Gary Neville tried to start a conversation about the Manchester United forward on a podcast.Rashford replied to a clip of the Stick to Football podcast in which Jamie Carragher expressed his frustration when former United defender Neville asked for thoughts on Rashford."Can we do a podcast without mentioning Rashford?" Carragher said."Stop it. Oh my God. It's like the Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Rashford… like a little part of the podcast. The Trent part or the Rashford part."Rashford replied to the clip in a post on X, saying: "Thanks, Jamie. It would be great to be able to get my head down and play football without my name being mentioned every day."The 28-year-old looks set to stay at United after spending last season on loan at Barcelona, with whom he won the La Liga title.His last competitive appearance for United came under former manager Ruben Amorim in December 2024, but he could feature in their Premier League opener against Hull on Saturday.Speaking after United's 4-2 friendly defeat by AC Milan on Saturday, defender Harry Maguire said he hoped Rashford would stay at Old Trafford because he is a "big asset" and a "huge threat".Pre-match, post-match and topical United contentListen on SoundsSubscribe and listen for everything you love about the Red DevilsHow Carrick's Man Utd are shaping up for Premier League seasonMan Utd's decision to make Baleba their 'third midfielder'Signings impress but squad issues remain - learnings from Man Utd's summer

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France World Cup midfielder could cost £50mTottenham discussing £150m double deal for forward pairManchester City have identified Roma’s Manu Koné as a potential target to further strengthen Enzo Maresca’s options in midfield.While City have already bought Elliot Anderson for £116m and are closing in on the £85m signing of Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Maresca also admires Koné for his dynamic mode of play. He would be expected to cost around £50m.The 25-year-old impressed for France at the World Cup, playing five of their eight matches. France won all four of the games he started.If signed, Koné would add elite-level experience to Maresca’s squad, which is now without Rodri after Spain’s World Cup-winning captain was sold to Barcelona for around £65m on Tuesday.While Anderson was first choice alongside Declan Rice for England at the World Cup and made his Premier League debut for Newcastle in 2021, at 18 Bouaddi is still relatively inexperienced.On Wednesday, another City midfielder departed when Tijjani Reijnders was sold to Al-Qadsiah in a deal worth around £51m after only a season at the club. While the Dutchman operates as a No 8, Nico González who plays as a defensive midfielder may also follow before the window closes on 1 September.City are still expected to make an official bid for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández, though they are thought to value him less than the west London club’s £120m asking price.City’s busy summer also includes their ongoing talks with Tottenham regarding the sale of Savinho and Omar Marmoush in a double deal worth around £150m. Savinho has previously been linked with Spurs, while Marmoush has now emerged as a target for Roberto De Zerbi.No agreement has been reached but negotiations are understood to be progressing well for the Brazilian winger and Egyptian forward, with De Zerbi believing each will add depth to his squad.

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Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle says the club are aligned on the need for "adjustments" to the squad in the final few weeks of the summer transfer window.It has been another turbulent summer for the Magpies, losing key players like Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon as well as Eddie Howe's departure.The club has focused on bringing in young talent to replace their outgoing stars, with new boss Jaissle also recently landing one of his former players, Amar Dedic, from Benfica. "We will count on him," he said.And when asked how many more he might like through the door, the German was non-committal, telling Sky Sports News: "I would love to answer that with a clear number, but it's depending also if players are leaving as well."For sure, there will be adjustments made, the needs are clear. The management knows about the needs and we are all aligned."We will use the remaining time [in the transfer window] in the best possible way, but also we trust the players who are already here."Stream the Premier League with no contractJaissle does not seem overawed by the task at hand - including the rebuilding of a club who see themselves as top four contenders."I tried to not overthink beforehand," he explained. "I was aware of the challenge... and among such a journey there will always be stones among the path, but we need to get rid of them. We need to see the opportunities, the chance in all these things."This is something we mentioned already, and I feel that the players are committed towards these challenges in the transition period right now. I'm really optimistic for the future."Four of Newcastle's seven summer signings are under the age of 21 - Sean Steur from Ajax is only 18 - and Jaissle has asked for time for them to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League."You know that usually you need to have the adaptation time, therefore I said that you need to be patient with them and give them the time. It's always a process," he said."We should not give them too much pressure in the beginning. That's a goal from the club to work with young talents, to develop them and this is nice to see because that's a clear identity of the club."That's also the reason why I'm here because I'm used to working with young talents in my time in Salzburg and I also used to work with stars in Saudi Arabia, so it's a great fit and you can build on something."Fans will be able to find out more about Jaissle and his new squad when Newcastle host Liverpool on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports - something of a baptism of fire for the 38-year-old who will have been at the club for three-and-a-half weeks when he steps out at St James' Park.Reflecting on his time at the club so far, Jaissle added: "You are aware, like I am, that we need to fix things in a short amount of time."The timing was not ideal, but in football you cannot always have the perfect timing, so we need to do the best out of it."In a short amount of time, we need to be efficient, we need to implement the philosophy as much as possible, how the lads should enter the pitch and deliver the messages."They are doing an amazing job so far. They are really committed, they learn fast, but it will be a process."We are for sure not 100 per cent against Liverpool, but with the fans in the back, with the support from the stands, we can do special things here at St James' Park. I could feel that already in the friendly matches."The match will also be a meeting of two former clubs of Kevin Keegan - the Newcastle and Liverpool legend who passed away over the summer. There are plans for a series of tributes to the former forward before the game.Jaissle added: "With the tributes, it's already a special game. It will be an outstanding atmosphere. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it so I can't wait."

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Hungary’s Sandor Csanyi highly critical of Fifa presidentHe cites dismissal of COO Kevin Lamour as ‘final straw’Gianni Infantino has lost the support of another one of Fifa’s vice-presidents, with the Hungarian football federation chief, Sandor Csanyi, criticising the president’s “professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership”.In an explosive letter sent to Infantino on Tuesday, which was first obtained by the news agency Agence France-Presse, Csanyi states that he has “lost the confidence I previously placed in you” and describes the “unexpected dismissal” of Fifa’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, as the “final straw”.Lamour was sacked by Fifa on Monday after breaking ranks last month by criticising Infantino over his aborted plan to sell off shares in the World Cup to private investors.Csanyi’s letter continues the trend of senior global football figures deserting Infantino, with the Hungarian banker the fifth of Fifa’s eight vice-presidents to call for him to stand down.The Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, Victor Montagliani of Concacaf – the North and Central American and Caribbean Confederation – and Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of the Asian Football Confederation have all made their positions clear, as has the Football Association chair, Debbie Hewitt.Of the Fifa vice-presidents, only Alejandro Domínguez of South America’s Conmebol, Patrick Motsepe of the Confederation of African Football and Oceania’s Lambert Maltock are supporting Infantino.Csanyi is also a member of the 37-strong Fifa council, which is theoretically its main decision-making body, but has been repeatedly overlooked by Infantino.“My conviction that you are capable of continuing to lead Fifa successfully and effectively in accordance with the shared values that previously formed the basis of our cooperation has been undermined,” Csanyi wrote. “The final straw was the unexpected dismissal of Kevin Lamour.”The letter also cited “a number of controversial decisions” at this year’s World Cup, including Infantino’s involvement in “plans to outsource Fifa competitions and place them in the hands of external parties”.

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All you have to do it log-in with your free Sky ID above to catch up with all the latest incomings and outgoings from across the leagues. There's no need to be a Sky subscriber to watch.Remember, you can follow the latest transfer news with the dedicated Sky Sports Transfer Centre.Looking for dedicated news about your club? Bookmark your Premier League club's page here for live updates and transfer developments.Club news, transfers and gossip: Arsenal | Aston Villa | Bournemouth | Brentford | Brighton | Chelsea | Coventry | Crystal Palace | Everton | Fulham | Hull City | Ipswich | Leeds | Liverpool | Man City | Man Utd | Newcastle | Nottingham Forest | Sunderland | TottenhamFollow an EFL club? Track the latest news from the Championship, League One and League Two. For WSL news, Sky Sports has you covered with a dedicated live blog, and you will find Scottish Premiership live news right here.

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Tottenham are in talks with Manchester City over a potential double deal for Savinho and Omar Marmoush.Talks between City and Spurs are understood to be progressing, but no agreement has been reached so far, while Savinho is ready to join Tottenham.City have targets in mind for any player that leaves and will aim to replace them with less than two weeks to go in the window.Spurs are also waiting for Liverpool to sign Bradley Barcola and, potentially, his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Ibrahim Mbaye before they bid for Gakpo on top of Savinho.Stream the Premier League with no contractIf they cannot get Gakpo, Spurs are believed to be ready to pursue other targets, with interest in Pedro Neto at Chelsea.There has been speculation that Gakpo could also be deployed as a No 9 under Roberto De Zerbi; however, while he would be considered for the role if he joins, he is not their primary option.Spurs want to sign a new out-and-out goalscoring centre-forward and someone who can also link up the entire forward line.In theory, that means Spurs could make up to nine first-team signings this summer, despite having already spent more than £200m.Tottenham have spent more than £200m on six first-team players already this summer. They spent £185m on two midfielders, Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes, from Newcastle and West Ham respectively.Jan Paul van Hecke, meanwhile, joined from Brighton for £52m to replace Cristian Romero. Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka all arrived on free transfers.

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Steven Rosen’s company liquidated after high court hearingPrevious owner claims it is owed fees from 2024 saleThe Sheffield United co-chair, Steven Rosen, is facing disqualification as a director by the English Football League after the company through which he bought the club two years ago, COH Sports Bidco Limited, was liquidated.The winding-up order issued by the high court in London is the result of a dispute between United’s owners and their predecessor, Prince Abdullah’s United World, which claims it is owed £35m by Rosen and his business partner Helmy Eltoukhy in unpaid fees resulting from the £110m sale of the Championship club in December 2024.Abdullah filed the winding-up petition last month after Rosen and Eltoukhy transferred ownership of the club to a new parent company, 1919 Partners LLC, which he alleged was part of an attempt to avoid paying the outstanding debt.1919 Partners concede £35m is outstanding to United World, but insist the debt is not behind the restructure. A spokesperson declined to comment after Wednesday’s hearing.“Sheffield United Football Club is aware of today’s hearing at the high court,” read a club statement. “This is a matter between the current owners and former owner.”Nevertheless, there could be ramifications for United. Under EFL regulations, any club official who is the subject of two insolvency events is prevented from acting as a controlling owner or director. In 2023, Rosen was a director of a US medical manufacturer, Invacare, that filed for bankruptcy, so he could be forced by the EFL to stand down and reduce his shareholding in United.The EFL is also likely to launch a formal investigation into the allegations that the club’s owners are deliberately seeking to avoid paying fees owed from their purchase of the club, which would result in a points deduction if they are found guilty. EFL sources with knowledge of its rule book confirmed that an insolvency overseas would count as a disqualification event.“The EFL notes the high court’s decision to issue a winding-up order on COH Sports Bidco Limited,” a spokesperson said. “The league will consider the implications of that development in line with its regulations, including whether any further action is required.“In addition, the EFL continues to consider other regulatory matters following changes to the club’s ownership structure and developments within the wider group. As these issues remain ongoing, the EFL will make no further comment at this stage.”United World claimed the club’s owners have refused repeated requests to reach a mediated settlement. “United World made every effort to resolve this matter amicably and tried until the morning of the hearing to give the owners a final opportunity to find a solution and spare Sheffield United the consequences of their conduct,” read a statement. “That approach, like everyone before it, received no response.“It appears that Helmy Eltoukhy and Steven Rosen are simply not concerned about what this means for the club. What happens to Sheffield United now is the result of their choices.”

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Tough start awaits for promoted trio, with Premier League matches against last season’s top three and European qualifiersCoventry signed off their previous Premier League campaign with a match against Bradford City, the one team to finish below them in 2000-01. They pick up again in the top flight away to Arsenal; last season’s champions, favourites to retain the crown and the No 1 ranked side in the world according to Opta.At least they will have played what should be the hardest fixture of their 38 first. Except that their next away trip takes them to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.Coventry’s home game with fellow promoted side Hull, which falls between these daunting trips, will feel very welcome, even if both meetings last season ended in goalless draws. It will be just as vital to the visitors. Hull begin the season by hosting Manchester United, then welcome Aston Villa to the MKM Stadium in week three.Those sides are a step below Arsenal and City but they will be competing in the Champions League this season. While Hull’s opponents in weeks four and five are not in Europe, they are Chelsea and Newcastle. It makes for a tough opening five games before the first international break of the season.In light of them facing big clubs who underachieved in 2025-26, a look at wage bills may be a fairer way to assess the difficulty of opponents. It does not make the opening five fixtures appear any easier for the promoted sides, who all feature in the seven hardest sets by this measure.Opta’s average opponent rating gives Ipswich the easiest first five matches of the promoted sides. Yet unlike Coventry or Hull, their first three are all against clubs that finished in the top seven of the 2025-26 Premier League: Sunderland, Manchester United and Liverpool. However you choose to assess opposition strength, the start of the season looks ominous.Such matches are often portrayed as unimportant to top-flight new boys. That they are a free hit, an opportunity to collect unlikely points. If you lose, so what? It’s what everyone expected anyway. Beating your direct relegation rivals is what matters. Recent history suggests the harder games are more important than cliche dictates, even if we cannot be certain at this point which clubs will be in the European qualification places next May.Leeds took a very creditable 10 points from matches against the top seven last season. That was five fewer than Arsenal, albeit from two extra games. Seventh-placed Sunderland also did well, taking nine points from the sides that finished above them. Even Burnley, who were unable to retain their Premier League status, earned eight points in 14 clashes with the top seven.The six promoted sides from the preceding two seasons, all of whom were relegated, did not perform as well. Ipswich won six points from the leading seven sides in 2024-25, though Leicester and Southampton took one apiece. It was a similar story the season before, as Luton claimed five points while Sheffield United (two) and Burnley (one) took very little of note from the top teams. If you are keeping count, you will have noticed each trio collectively earned eight points, fewer than Leeds or Sunderland alone last season.Maybe this is irrelevant. Burnley’s eight points from the top seven counted for little when they took 14 from their other 24 matches. Wolves, while not promoted, had a nine-11 points split between the facing the top septet and the teams eighth or lower too. But starting badly increases pressure on a manager, no matter the level of expectation. The fixture computer has not treated Coventry, Hull or Ipswich kindly.

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Two of the most powerful men in English football have joined forces to hit out at FIFA and the U-turn which allowed USA striker Folarin Balogun to play on at the World Cup last month, despite the red card which should have led to an automatic ban.Richard Masters, the chief executive of the Premier League and Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer in England, say the decision undermines faith in football at all levels of the game.Balogun was sent off in the last 32 match against Bosnia & Herzegovina which led to an automatic ban under World Cup rules, without the opportunity for appeal, or for the ban to be reduced.However, US president Donald Trump then called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to complain, which led to the decision being overturned and Balogun was allowed to play against Belgium in the last 16.Webb said: "I was really troubled by it. I don't know the ins and outs of the process, but what we know is: a red card was shown. You can form an opinion about the validity of the red card, I can understand why it was given."We know that there was pressure placed by a politician onto FIFA, because that was admitted. We know that the suspension was taken away for that particular tournament, and suspended, through a process which seemingly didn't exist before the tournament started."Decisions that had been taken previously were viewed as correct or incorrect, based on your judgement. Far too often now, decisions are viewed as correct or corrupt by people who want to type all over social media.Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract"They try to draw inferences around decisions they don't agree with and what the motivation is behind that decision. But that is borne out of no fact, no evidence."And when you get that situation, it opens up the space for people to think 'this sort of thing is happening all the time behind the scenes' - and it's not."Masters, who on Tuesday called on FIFA to sack Infantino, agrees.He said: "We should be looking back on the World Cup, the football that was played, Spain being the best team, and England's agonising semi-final defeat. But we're not, we are talking about other issues, and that's a huge shame."The Balogun issue stands alone in that isolated incident which is very difficult to comprehend when you look at it. I think it is, again, a self-inflicted moment (by FIFA)."Why do FIFA not have a red card review process like the one that exists in many other leagues, including the Premier League, where if there has been a miscarriage of justice - not that I'm saying Balogun's red card was a miscarriage of justice - but it can be dealt with on that basis, rather than use a system which is only about the length of suspension which there is no option to overturn?"That created controversy unnecessarily in my view."Masters went on to say that he hopes the Balogun controversy will not undermine confidence in referees and the disciplinary process in the Premier League, insisting the competition is completely honest and legitimate."Coming back to the issue of do people do believe their eyes, I do scroll through social media every now and then and I do bump into some of the stuff that some people are saying and thinking out there," he added."But I do believe that fans, when they turn up and we have 99 per cent sold out, and they watch what's going on on the pitch, it's everything that it should be. It's just the same. It's English football, everyone's trying their best, referees are trying their best, there's lots of controversy, but it is what it says it is."

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Harry Kane says "the itch isn't there as much anymore" to one day return to England from Germany and try and break the all-time scoring record in the Premier League.The striker left Tottenham to join Bayern Munich in 2023 having scored 213 goals in the English top flight, 47 goals short of Alan Shearer's tally of 260.Kane has been in sensational form for club and country since moving to Munich, and last season hit a total of 73 goals.He has entered the final 12 months of the four-year deal he signed after his £86.4m move from Spurs three years ago, but is set to begin discussing a new contract at Bayern.After receiving the Golden Shoe for finishing top scorer in the Bundesliga on Wednesday, the England captain stressed how settled he feels at Bayern.Kane said: "When I first left, for sure it was something I thought - I would definitely be coming back. That itch isn't there as much anymore."I am extremely happy here in Munich, it opened my eyes to a totally different world of football outside of England and it has made me appreciate European football even more."I just think the team we have here and the manager, my family is really settled here, it is just about being in the best place possible."Never say never, but for now I am concentrating on Bayern Munich and we will see what the future holds."Kane scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern last season as Vincent Kompany's side completed a league and cup double.Kompany took charge of Bayern in 2024 and Kane credits the ex-Manchester City defender with taking his game to another level."I think this is the best version of myself for sure," he added."I think last season speaks for itself, from that sense the best season in my career no doubt."Since the boss has come in he has elevated my game to another level. That is down to the style of play, the way we attack and the way we defend, the way he gives players freedom to sometimes receive the ball deeper and sometimes arrive late in the box."I also had a lot of this and these kind of different positions during my Tottenham career as well, especially from the Mourinho stage onwards, it was the same sort of thing - I had freedom to come deep and get the ball and I had a great relationship with Son Heung-min."It has been building but I think this season with the team I have around me, the players we have and the system we play with the coach, it has just elevated me to another level."Kane set to begin talks over new Bayern contractListen to the latest Football Daily podcastSoundsGet football news sent straight to your phone

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The arrival of Patrick Vieira as the new coach of Senegal comes at a particularly difficult time for the national team - so much so that there is the possibility the former France captain may not even take charge of the Teranga Lions.The 50-year-old's appointment has been announced despite him not having signed a contract, and the date of his official presentation remains unknown.Senegal's football federation (FSF), which is currently riven by off-field issues, said discussions regarding the "administrative and contractual arrangements" for Vieira are continuing between the two parties.The ex-Arsenal and Inter Milan midfielder was unanimously approved as the man to succeed Pape Thiaw at an FSF meeting on Monday, with former Netherlands international Patrick Kluivert among the other names considered.However, uncertainty surrounding the termination of Thiaw's deal remains.Vieira's predecessor was sacked following the dramatic last-32 exit to Belgium at the Fifa World Cup without Senegal's government, which funds the national team, formally endorsing the decision.He is demanding the payment of several months' worth of outstanding wages as well as various bonuses, with the total reportedly amounting to almost $815,000 (£600,000).Meanwhile, a ruling on the election of the current FSF leadership - which has been contested for the past year - is expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) by Friday.With the FSF leadership increasingly isolated, without the backing of the government or the general public's support, and constrained by the impending Cas ruling, it nevertheless had little choice but to act quickly to fill the Teranga Lions hotseat.The calendar will not wait, with Senegal back in action in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) on 23 September when they travel to Mozambique in their Group J opener. A meeting with Ethiopia follows days later.The Cas ruling in Lausanne could call into question the legitimacy of the FSF hierarchy and potentially even the choice of Vieira as head coach.Moreover, for all his achievements as one of the greatest footballers of the modern era Vieira's record in management has been less impressive.Beyond all of that, Vieira's connection with Senegal carries a deeply symbolic significance.Born in Dakar in June 1976 to a Cape Verdean mother and a Gabonese father, Vieira began kicking a football around the sandy streets of the capital until the age of eight.His family moved to France and his life went in a different direction, becoming a Premier League icon during his time with Arsenal, amassing over a century of France caps, and helping Les Blues to the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.He faced Senegal only once as a player, in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup when France suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against a generation led by Aliou Cisse and including Thiaw - the two men whose coaching legacy he is now following.But Vieira never truly severed ties with the country of his birth.Indeed, one of his most significant contributions came towards the end of his playing career when he made a major investment in the creation of the Diambars Institute.It would go on to become one of Africa's leading football academies and, less than two decades later, one of the foundations of Senegal's recent success.Diambars has produced players including Idrissa Gana Gueye, Bamba Dieng and Abdoulaye Seck, all of whom have played a part in Senegal's story since 2018.Crowned champions of Africa for the first time in February 2022 at the delayed 2021 Afcon, the Teranga Lions secured a second title with a 1-0 win after extra time in January's Afcon final. However, the ultimate destination of the trophy will be settled by Cas after Thiaw called his side off the pitch following a controversial penalty awarded to hosts Morocco in stoppage time.The challenge facing Vieira is the rebuild of a team attempting to look towards the future after one of the most successful chapters in its history.There is plenty of promising young talent coming through but those players will have to carry the weight of a formidable legacy left by the old guard of Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Gana Gueye.The shortlist for the new coach included Kluivert, Vieira's compatriot Patrice Carteron and two former Senegal internationals in Habib Beye and Oumar Daf.The Frenchman dropped a series of hints that he was in the running to take charge, most notably during the unusually high-profile coverage of his recent holiday in Senegal.Vieira amassed a glittering list of honours as a player but has found similar success hard to come by as a manager.He began his coaching career with New York City FC in 2016, leading them into the play-offs in both of his two seasons at the helm, only to see his team lose twice in MLS conference semi-finals, including a 7-0 aggregate hammering by Toronto FC.He then guided Nice to creditable seventh- and fifth-placed finishes in Ligue 1 before being sacked in December 2020 and joining Crystal Palace in July 2021.Vieira earned praise for an attacking style as he led the Eagles to a 12th-placed finish in the Premier League and the FA Cup semi-finals in 2021-22, but was dismissed in March 2023 when Palace were three points above the relegation zone following an 11-match winless run in the league.Then-chairman Steve Parish said the decision was taken with "enormous regret" but in order to keep the Selhurst Park side in the top flight.Then came a year at Strasbourg and another mid-table finish in Ligue 1. The Frenchman's most recent job was at Italian side Genoa, whom he departed by mutual consent last November with the team winless and bottom of Serie A.International management presents its own challenges and, with defeated candidate Mady Toure contesting last August's election of FSF president Abdoulaye Fall, Vieira may find his long-awaited return to Senegal far more dramatic than he intended.

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USA striker missed no matches after sending-off‘Far too often now decisions are viewed as corrupt’Howard Webb was “really troubled” by the decision of Fifa’s disciplinary committee to suspend Folarin Balogun’s ban for a red card during the World Cup, warning of a growing belief in refereeing conspiracies among supporters. Webb, English football’s chief refereeing officer, was speaking before the new Premier League season, where, among a series of new measures, independent assessments of key refereeing decisions are to be made public for the first time.“I was really troubled by it,” Webb said of the reprieve for the USA striker Balogun, which followed a direct appeal from the US president, Donald Trump. “What do we know? We know for sure that a red card was shown. I understand why it was given. We know that there was pressure placed by a politician on to Fifa, because that was admitted. And we know that the suspension was taken away for that particular tournament and suspended through a process which seemingly didn’t exist before the tournament started.”Webb said the scandal would only reinforce a change that has already taken place, whereby spectators watch a referee make a mistake and see conspiracy rather than human error. “We live in a world now which is different to the one that I occupied as a referee,” he said. “Decisions were previously viewed as correct or incorrect, based on your judgment. Far too often now decisions are viewed as correct or corrupt by people who want to type all over social media. They try to draw inferences around decisions that they don’t agree with and draw a motivation behind that decision which is borne out of no facts, no evidence.”Webb’s feelings on the Balogun scandal were echoed by the chief executive of the Premier League, Richard Masters. “We should be talking about looking back on the World Cup and the football that was played, and Spain being obviously the best team and England’s agonising semi-final defeat,” Masters said. “We’re not. We’re talking about other issues. I think that’s a huge shame. The Balogun issue … is very difficult to comprehend really when you look at it.”English football’s refereeing body has announced a series of measures and targets for the new season, including a rebrand. Now known as Pro Ref, it has committed to publish each week the assessments of an independent key match incident (KMI) panel, which assesses the biggest decisions taken by Premier League referees. As reported by the Guardian, Pro Ref will also publish audio of conversations between referees and players during matches, and it will continue to use X to publish real-time information during games.Pro Ref has expanded the pool of specialist video assistant referees working at Stockley Park as it seeks to reduce the length of time taken on interventions – which averaged 41 seconds last season – and eliminate incidents where VARs intervene and should not. “I’d rather have missed interventions than over-interventions,” Webb said. “I’d rather VAR not get involved wrongly to rectify something that wasn’t wrong in the first place, because that’s a damaging effect on the game.” In a further attempt to improve the speed of decision-making, the protocol behind semi-automatic offside technology has also been streamlined.Webb said fans and players alike can also expect to see more penalties awarded for holding at set pieces. “More situations will be penalised, not only in August or September, but throughout the season,” Webb said. “[But] I’m not going to commit to say we’re going to go from here to penalising lots of contact. Contact is still part of the game, we still maintain a high threshold, but this time next year, all being well, we’ll be able to reflect on a season where more offences have been penalised.”