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The Pitch Inspection

@thepitchinspection.bsky.social

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A football journal bringing you investigations & stories on the good, bad & ugly sides of the game we love. Subscribe: http://thepitchinspection.substack.com Watch us here: www.Youtube.com/@ThePitchInspection Contact us: [email protected]

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The Pitch Inspection @thepitchinspection.bsky.social · Aug 20

🎥 Gaza’s Vanishing Stadiums

The football story that is being ignored.

Hundred’s of footballers killed, stadiums destroyed, illegal matches in occupied territories and almost complete silence from FIFA.

Please watch and share our latest film here 👇

youtu.be/cfjDXFif8Yw?...

Gaza's Vanishing Stadiums. The Football Story That Is Being Ignored.

YouTube video by The Pitch Inspection

youtu.be

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The Pitch Inspection @thepitchinspection.bsky.social · 11h

💲 FIFA 💲

www.nytimes.com/athletic/670... Fans bought the ‘right to buy’ 2026 World Cup tickets. Now they feel ‘ripped off’

Fans bought the ‘right to buy’ 2026 World Cup tickets. Now they feel ‘ripped off’

Fans were left disgruntled as details of the connection between FIFA collectibles and World Cup game tickets emerged

www.nytimes.com

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Barney Ronay @barneyronay.bsky.social · 19h

I liked Gary Neville’s speech even though he fucked up part of it
www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Flag alert! Gary Neville may not be Orwell but he is a very English type of patriot | Barney Ronay

An easy target for accusations of luxury hypocrisy, Neville has at least tried to address an issue that has everything to do with aggressively flag-draped and militarised modern sport

www.theguardian.com

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 1d

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner for mayor of New York City, said on Thursday that he would install a “World Cup czar” to make sure that the city benefits from hosting the global soccer event with New Jersey next summer.

Mamdani Proposes a World Cup Czar to Boost Tourism

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner for mayor of New York City, said a “czar” would make the soccer tournament better for fans and could maximize tourism benefits.

nyti.ms

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The Pitch Inspection @thepitchinspection.bsky.social · 2d

This is how FIFA “unites the world”:

WC 2022: Over 6500 workers die building World Cup stadiums

WC 2026: ICE, Trumps “war from within” & dynamic pricing rort

WC 2030: GenZ protests in Morocco, games across 3 continents

WC 2034: Human rights issues, Infrastructure projects blowing out and now ⤵️

The Athletic | Football @theathleticfc.bsky.social · 2d

Gianni Infantino believes the football industry needs to be more open-minded about when it stages its biggest tournaments.

No dates have been announced for the 2034 World Cup but it is expected to be another winter tournament, with a strong possibility it will actually be held in early 2035.

Gianni Infantino says football should be open-minded over diverging from traditional World Cup calendar

Infantino said a global game cannot only play World Cups during the northern-hemisphere summer.

www.nytimes.com

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The Pitch Inspection @thepitchinspection.bsky.social · 2d

www.insideworldfootball.com/2025/10/09/f...

In-fighting over Miami match: De Jong speaks out against Villarreal-Barcelona - Inside World Football

October 9 – Barcelona midfielder Frankie de Jong has criticised the decision by LaLiga to host a league meeting between his club and Villarreal in Miami on December 20, 2025. After years of wrangling...

www.insideworldfootball.com

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Tariq Panja @tariqpanja.bsky.social · 2d

Nasser al Khelaifi nods to Gianni Infantino’s busy Instagram account during his speech at the European Clubs Association general assembly. Says it is like a communications department. Fair to say the actual FIFA Communciations department often also only find out what’s going on through his Insta.

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Nick McGeehan @ncgeehan.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks to @playthegame-org.bsky.social for this platform and @stevemenary.bsky.social for the write-up!
www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-is...

"FIFA is so badly governed that all we can do is continue to highlight the rottenness"

From FIFA’s opaque development funding to club-level political interference and the repression of fan expression, panellists at Play the Game detailed how football’s global institutions continue to be...

www.playthegame.org

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Charles Boehm ⚽️ @cboehm.bsky.social · 2d

I've gotten confirmation of this - Argentina vs. Puerto Rico is being relocated OUT of Chicago due to ongoing upheaval caused by ICE, National Guard.

Albiceleste will stay in Leo Messi's backyard (metaphorically) for both of this month's matches

Tim Hotze @thotze.bsky.social · 2d

Mailbox: Event promoters say that the friendly between Argentina and Puerto Rico for Oct 13 has been moved to Ft. Lauderdale for 10/14

No notice on socials or website from promoters or AFA.

Tickets remain on sale at pretty astronomical prices on Ticketmaster's website

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Play the Game @playthegame-org.bsky.social · 2d

More articles from #ptg2025 are now live❗

If you’ve missed parts of the conference or want to dive deeper into the key discussions, our talented journalists
@karimzidan.com, Steve Menary, and Lars Jørgensen have you covered👇

www.playthegame.org/news/

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The Pitch Inspection @thepitchinspection.bsky.social · 2d

www.washingtonpost.com/sports/socce...

European soccer clubs group unveils new name at peak of its powers dealing with UEFA, FIFA

After 17 years as the European Club Association, the network of hundreds of soccer teams is at peak influence over UEFA in shaping the Champions League

www.washingtonpost.com

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Miguel Delaney @migueldelaney.bsky.social · 3d

Sort of incredible the hullaballoo about the ECA's rebrand to EFC. It's just a club lobbying group*

*except, at this point, it's evolving into a third major body and potentially a future competition organiser.

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bylinepodcast.bsky.social @bylinepodcast.bsky.social · 5d

"It is a fact that the VIP Lane was unlawful, and it is a fact that being on the VIP Lane did offer some advantage..."

@russellscott1.bsky.social investigates the #PPE scandal and calls for accountability.

@goldbergradio.bsky.social @bylinetimes.bsky.social

podfollow.com/byline-podca...

Byline Podcast: PPE, The Pandemic and Cronyism with Russell Scott

Adrian Goldberg hears from Russell Scott, author of 'VIP Lane – Cronysim and the Pandemic', which is out now via Byline Books.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Learn mor...

podfollow.com

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Tariq Panja @tariqpanja.bsky.social · 3d

Paying the piper. Calling the tune.

Not a word from FIFA on this.

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

How did Qatar and Saudi Arabia get home advantage and more rest than rivals in World Cup qualifiers?

The Oman coach, Carlos Queiroz, is among those who are questioning the AFC’s decision for the upcoming games

www.theguardian.com

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Global Reporting Centre @globalreportingcentre.org · 3d

She continued, “Here in Tampere, Finland, at the #PlaytheGame2025 conference, I’m meeting some of the super-brains who research and report on these issues, including @ncgeehan.bsky.social, director of @fairsq.bsky.social, who spoke on the need for radical reform of #FIFA.”

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Global Reporting Centre @globalreportingcentre.org · 3d

The GRC's @andreacrossan.bsky.social and @sharonnadeem.bsky.social are currently in Finland for the @playthegame-org.bsky.social conference, an initiative by the Danish Institute for Sports Studies that promotes democratic values in world sports. www.playthegame.org

Play the Game

www.playthegame.org

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Cas Ⓜ️udde @casmudde.bsky.social · 3d

“Gen Z protesters are uniting under an unlikely symbol”

Why Gen Z protesters worldwide are flying an anime pirate flag

Gen Z protesters from Indonesia and Nepal to Madagascar and Morocco, are rallying behind an unexpected banner: a grinning skull in a straw hat.

www.npr.org

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Barry Glendenning @barryglendenning.bsky.social · 3d

As an immigrant who has come over here, etc and so on, I support Gary Neville on this one.

He has infuriated and enraged all the right racists and media outlet gobshites, in a state of affairs which suggests every word he said was spot on.

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Barry Glendenning @barryglendenning.bsky.social · 3d

Simon Jordan on TalkSport, unchallenged yet again.

As a Talksport employee, I am embarrassed by this rebuttal of what Neville said. This moron pontificates without question. It is bonkers.

And yeah, i'll probably be sacked. Fuck it.

youtube.com/watch?v=FrXr...

"APPALLING STANCE!" Simon Jordan rages at "COWARD" Gary Neville after Union Jack REMOVAL admission!

YouTube video by talkSPORT

youtube.com

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David Storey @davidstoreygeog.bsky.social · 3d

Uefa and Fifa’s failure to sanction the Israel Football Association is a moral and political failure
@ncgeehan.bsky.social & @antoineduval.bsky.social
@josimarfootball.bsky.social
josimarfootball.com/2025/10/06/m...

More political theatre while Gaza burns - josimarfootball.com

Uefa and Fifa’s failure to sanction the Israel Football Association is a moral and political failure.

josimarfootball.com

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Karim Zidan @karimzidan.com · 4d

In my speech at @playthegame-org.bsky.social 2025 in Finland, I delved into Donald Trump’s bond with the UFC and reveal the cast of power players shaping his sports agenda.

You can reach the speech and watch the entire session here: www.sportspolitika.news/p/speech-tru...

Speech: Trump, the UFC, and the new world order in sports

In my speech at Play the Game 2025, I delve into Donald Trump’s bond with the UFC and reveal the cast of power players shaping his sports agenda.

www.sportspolitika.news

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Matt Slater @mjslater.bsky.social · 4d

More bangers than Taylor’s latest…
🤝 Post-Diarra transfer market will hinge on clever release clauses
🏧 Late-pay disputes explode as clubs exploit Bank of FIFA
💸 America/AI dominate Leaders
🎗️ Tom Wagner’s plea to save poor ol’ PL
🇺🇸 MCO investor Paul Conway released

www.nytimes.com/athletic/668...

Business of Football: The future is release clauses, the Bank of FIFA, and Leaders takeaways

The football transfer market has a new issue to contend with after Lassana Diarra's landmark win over FIFA. Could this be a solution?

www.nytimes.com

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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 4d

Let us hope these "discussions" lead to nothing but the termination of this indefensible commercial relationship with Kagame's dictatorship. As to you, fellow Arsenal fans, why parade shirts which promote it? We too share responsability here.

The Athletic | Football @theathleticfc.bsky.social · 4d

Arsenal are in discussions over extending their sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda.

Arsenal fan group Gunners For Peace said discussions over extending the deal brought the club’s values into question.

✍️ @gunnerblog.bsky.social and @dansheldon.bsky.social

🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/668...

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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 4d

The proof that UEFA is dead against staging domestic league games abroad is that is has just authorised (albeit "reluctantly") two of them to take place. "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength". via @tariqpanja.bsky.social

"UEFA confirms its opposition to domestic league matches played abroad

Two requests approved on an exceptional basis amid regulatory gaps at the global level.

UEFA committed to anchor integrity of domestic competitions and fans' perspective in forthcoming FIFA rules

UEFA has today reiterated its clear opposition to domestic league matches being played outside their home country.

After the meeting of its Executive Committee in Tirana last month, UEFA undertook further consultations with stakeholders to assess the extent of the implications of the issue, following the applications it received from the Spanish and Italian national football associations.

That consultation confirmed the widespread lack of support that had already been raised by fans, other leagues, clubs, players, and European institutions around the concept of domestic league matches being relocated abroad

However, given that the relevant FIFA regulatory framework currently under review is not clear and detailed enough, the UEFA Executive Committee has reluctantly taken the decision to approve, on an exceptional basis, the two requests referred to it. UEFA will actively contribute to the ongoing work led by FIFA to ensure that future rules uphold the integrity of domestic competitions and the close bond between clubs, their supporters, and local communities.

In parallel, all UEFA national associations confirmed their commitment to engage with UEFA before submitting any future requests. In doing so, they voiced their collective determination to safeguard the wider interests of European football.

Announcing the decision, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said:

"League matches should be played on home soil; anything else would disenfranchise loyal match-going fans and potentially introduce distortive elements into competitions. Our consultation confirmed the breadth of these concerns. I would like to thank the 55 national associations for their constructive and responsible engagement on such a sen…

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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 4d

FIFA’s just fine with that, though, huh?

State Department reportedly denies visas for Iran delegation ahead of December's World Cup draw in Washington, D.C.

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Miguel Delaney @migueldelaney.bsky.social · 4d

Only in modern football can you announce you’re against something by allowing it

www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...

Uefa’s ‘reluctant’ agreement to games abroad blows the future of football wide open

The governing body has agreed to two ‘exceptional’ requests and warned they will not set a precedent - but ripping up the rulebook opens the door to every disruptor to come

www.independent.co.uk

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