Riccardo Ball

Daryl Mitchell refuses to face Usman Tariq 😂 #QTGVRWP

This is pathetic. No consistency, no accountability and yes clowns are running VAR #headinthecloud

@RisingStarXI @sidlowe That game should’ve been 4 or 5, they may regret that At Anfield

🇫🇷🤯 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗘! For 𝟲 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗦 last night (from the 59th minute to 65th minute) in the PSG vs Liverpool, PSG chained 𝟴𝟵 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦 without Liverpool touching the ball… After those 89 passes, Kvaratskhelia scored.

This has been weighing heavily on me, and I can’t stay quiet about it any longer. I am 71 years old. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend five World Cups, starting in 1986. Those tournaments weren’t just events to me, they were life chapters. They were about connection, about culture, about standing shoulder to shoulder with people from every corner of the world, united by the game we love. But what I’m seeing now breaks my heart. The current dynamic pricing strategy for the upcoming World Cup feels completely detached from the very soul of football. Yes, this tournament is being played mostly in the United States, and yes, it’s a premium market. But football was never meant to be a luxury product reserved for the highest bidder. It belongs to the people. Always has. I looked back fondly at USA 94 and everything we did then to fill stadiums and bring the game to life for Americans who were just dipping their toes into the water of the beautiful game. Right now, it feels like the average, passionate supporter, the ones who save for years, who travel across continents, who bring the color, the noise, the spirit, are being pushed out. Replaced by a model that prioritizes revenue over reality. That’s a dangerous road because once you lose the authentic fan, you lose the essence of what makes the World Cup special. I say this not just as a fan, but as someone who has spent a lifetime in and around the game. During my time at EA SPORTS, we stood shoulder to shoulder with FIFA when they needed it most. Our game kept millions of fans connected to football and to the World Cup when trust in the organization was at its lowest. We helped carry the flame. Which is why this moment feels even more disappointing. This may well be one of the last World Cups I have the chance to attend and I find myself wondering if the game I’ve loved all my life is slowly drifting away from people like me, and far more importantly, from the next generation who deserve to feel what I felt in 1986. The World Cup should unite the world. Not divide it by price. Football deserves better. And so do the fans. Come on @FIFAcom , sort this out… It’s not too late.

Chris Wood has travelled to Porto for Forest's Europa League quarterfinal first leg tomorrow and is set to play his first proper match in 173 days

Kees Sims wants that World Cup selection, folks #FlyingKiwis

@pineynz Not quite Schumacher on Battison but close

The absolute grievous bodily harm by Benjamin Massing on Claudio Caniggia will always be iconic.

@henrywinter But but but best fans in the world YNWA etc etc

Sight of so many Liverpool fans leaving the Etihad early was telling and very damaging for Arne Slot. Usually defiant fans now voting with their feet. Understandable frustration: results poor, performances poorer, stars fading, team drifting, manager struggling. Slot rightly has some remaining credit in the bank because of last season but he has to get Liverpool into the Champions League either through winning it - unlikely as PSG up next - or league finish - not easy with Everton, Manchester United and Villa away. Champions League qualification is vital to owners. Huge financial return. Whatever happens against PSG, the decision on Slot’s future should be taken in the summer - when CL future decided. #LFC

@johnnyddavidson The looming NRL takeover, is the signing of RTS from Wakefield the first signs of investment in high caliber antipodean players?

Myself and Lee Addison will be recording a new episode of the Super League 360 podcast soon. What do you want us to talk about? Get in touch.

IPL isn’t cricket anymore. Tiny grounds, flat tracks, Tim David smashing sixes like it’s his backyard. This isn’t cricket anymore. It’s a six-hitting competition with flat pitches and zero respect for bowlers. #RCBVCSK

Named after Manchester City's trophy record

Liverpool getting pumped 4 nil by anyone is fun but Slot claiming Man City ‘massively out performed their XG’ might be the most desperate spin I’ve ever heard 😂 Sounds like the host of one of those desperate fan YT channels

@JamieWall2 Should always be Rugby League Park

Stop calling Apollo Projects Stadium a ‘temporary stadium’. It’s been anything but - the Crusaders have been there almost as long as they were at Lancaster Park

@pineynz Who have ever thought that Sepp Blatter was the lesser of two evils eh

Outrageous. Dynamic pricing pain: Fifa’s top World Cup final seats soar to $19,225 nzherald.co.nz/sport/football…

@BumbleCricket Remember watching him play on Englands 1983 tour to NZ - terrific player

Great character, great fun .. and a very fine player

Chelsea’s precarious project further rocked by Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernández comments irishtimes.com/sport/2026/04/…

@danielstorey85 Interesting to see Cucurella and Fernandez making noises about moving to Barca/Real already. The two most experienced and reliable players in the squad wanting out can’t be a good sign.

Football's finances are broken if you can lose £262m in a year and crack on. Football's rules are broken if you can loophole your way to spending power. inews.co.uk/sport/football…

Port Vale's Ben Waine gets an FA Cup surprise from his goalscoring hero @alanshearer @BBCMOTD @NZ_Football Click link to watch in full: bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0n…

Was a real treat having @SpursOfficial legend and ambassador @LedleyKing in for the #StudsUp podcast on @SportNationNZ today - check it out here sportnation.nz/article/studs-… #Spurs