Hillsborough law will mean serious wrongdoing is punished, says Lammy

Deputy PM says legislation will ensure public officials have duty to act with ‘honesty and integrity at all times’

Public servants who deliberately cover up state-related disasters will face up to two years in jail under a new Hillsborough law, David Lammy has promised, following concerns from campaigners that it could be watered down.

Writing in the Guardian, the deputy prime minister and lord chancellor said legislation would ensure that state actors from “the bobby on the beat to the highest office in the land” will face “serious punishments for serious wrongdoing”.

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New legal challenge to plan for Spurs football academy in London park

Campaigners crowdfund £26,000 to seek judicial review of move to construct pitches in wildlife-rich area

Campaigners are mounting another legal challenge to the building of a women’s football academy by Tottenham Hotspur on wildlife-rich parkland in north London.

The Guardians of Whitewebbs group has successfully crowdfunded £26,000 to seek a judicial review of Enfield council’s granting of planning permission for the Spurs academy, which will include all-weather pitches, floodlights and a turf academy built on 53 hectares (130 acres) of Whitewebbs Park. Enfield council’s planning committee approved the proposals in February, despite local protests, on greenbelt parkland rich in bats, newts and mature trees.

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Russian football clubs secure €10.8m in Uefa ‘solidarity’ funds since Ukraine invasion

Exclusive: Five Ukraine clubs failed to win similar payments due to allegedly being located in ‘zone of military operations’

Uefa has paid more than €10.8m (£9.4m) in “solidarity” funds to Russian football clubs since they were banned from taking part in European tournaments after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Guardian can reveal.

The payments were made despite five Ukrainian clubs failing to receive similar such funds allegedly due to their locations being in a “zone of military operations”.

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‘Palestinian Pelé’ killed in Israeli attack in southern Gaza

Palestine Football Association says Suleiman al-Obeid, 41, died during attack on people waiting for humanitarian aid

A footballer known as the “Palestinian Pelé” has been killed in an Israeli attack in southern Gaza, according to the Palestine Football Association (PFA).

Suleiman al-Obeid was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces attacked civilians waiting for humanitarian aid, the PFA said.

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Lionesses set for London open-top bus parade after Euros triumph

Keir Starmer leads tributes to England women’s team along with figures including King Charles and Prince William

The Lionesses are set for an open-top bus parade in central London after they overcame Spain to win back-to-back European Championships.

The open-top bus procession along the Mall will start at 12.10pm on Tuesday, before a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.

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Indian FA confirms job applications from Xavi and Guardiola were hoaxes

  • Team director had previously announced Xavi interest

  • Statement reveals ‘email applications were not genuine’

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed on Saturday that a job application attributed to the former Barcelona manager and Spain midfielder, Xavi Hernández, for the India head coaching role was a hoax.

The Indian FA’s national team director told the Times of India on Thursday that Xavi’s name was on the list of applicants. The report also quoted an AIFF technical committee member saying that his candidacy was deemed too expensive to pursue.

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‘She’s an inspiration to the youngsters’: the rapid rise of Michelle Agyemang

Lioness has gone from prospect to superstar at Euro 2025 – and she’s got more than just football in her locker

Four years ago, Michelle Agyemang was a ballgirl at Wembley stadium, witnessing the Lionesses’ rule the pitch in a 4-0 victory against Northern Ireland. Now, at just 19 years old, she no longer finds herself retrieving balls that have veered out of play, but is an integral part of the team she once admired from the sidelines.

The forward, who football fans hope will be showing off her on-pitch magic on Sunday as the Lionesses’ face off against Spain in the Euros 2025 final, began her journey to the top of the sport in her Essex home town of South Ockendon.

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World Cup will use more indoor venues for day-time kick-offs to combat heat

  • Infantino acts after player welfare fears at Club World Cup

  • ‘Heat is definitely an issue. We have covered stadiums’

Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has said indoor air-conditioned venues will be used as much as possible for day-time kick-offs at the 2026 World Cup to combat expected high temperatures. Concerns have been raised about player welfare during the Club World Cup in the US, which will co-host next year’s tournament with Canada and Mexico.

Enzo Fernández described conditions during Chelsea’s semi-final against Fluminense, when the temperature was 35C, as “very dangerous”.

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BBC commentator Andrew Castle sorry for getting US footballer’s name wrong

Trinity Rodman, girlfriend of tennis star Ben Shelton, was repeatedly called ‘Tiffany’ during Wimbledon coverage

The BBC commentator Andrew Castle has apologised after repeatedly getting the name of a top American footballer wrong.

Trinity Rodman, who is the girlfriend of the American tennis player Ben Shelton, criticised the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage in which Castle called her “Tiffany” several times.

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Mourners gather in Portugal for Diogo Jota’s wake as Salah and Robertson pay tribute

Mourners gathered on Friday morning to honour Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota at a wake in Portugal

Mourners have gathered at a wake in Portugal to commemorate Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, following their deaths in a car accident.

Jota and his 25-year-old sibling died when the Lamborghini they were travelling in careered off a road in north-western Spain in the early hours of Thursday. The bodies of the two professional footballers were returned to Portugal later that day. Jota was 28 and had married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, 11 days before his death. They had three young children.

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China hosts first fully autonomous AI robot football match

Footage of three-a-side game shows humanoids struggling to kick the ball or stay upright

They think it’s all over … for human footballers at least.

The pitch wasn’t the only artificial element on display at a football match in China on Saturday. Four teams of humanoid robots took on each other in Beijing, in games of three-a-side powered by artificial intelligence.

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NWSL’s Angel City wear ‘Immigrant City Football Club’ shirts after Los Angeles raids

  • Team handed out 10,000 shirts bearing message

  • Protests have erupted across LA in response to raids

Angel City, Los Angeles’ NWSL team, wore shirts that proclaimed themselves “Immigrant City Football Club” before Saturday night’s game against the North Carolina Courage.

The team also printed 10,000 t-shirts bearing the same message, with “Los Angeles is for Everyone” on the back in English and Spanish, and gave them to fans at the game. The move was in solidarity with immigrants in the city who have been targeted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

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Mehdi Taremi to miss Club World Cup after Israeli strikes close Iran’s airports

  • Iranian forward remains in Tehran due to closed airspace

  • Inter to start Club World Cup campaign on Wednesday

The Inter forward Mehdi Taremi will not be able to join his teammates at the Club World Cup in the United States as he is stuck in Tehran because of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.

Flights from all Iranian airports have been grounded after an exchange of military strikes between Iran and Israel over the past two days. That meant the Iran international was unable to take his scheduled flight on Saturday to join his teammates in Los Angeles.

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Two people die and hundreds arrested in France after PSG Champions League victory

Vehicles torched in French capital and football supporters clash with police following match in Munich

Two people have died and hundreds have been arrested amid violence on the streets of France, which have marred Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final victory and provoked political recriminations.

Cars were torched as flares and fireworks were set off while supporters clashed with police in the French capital on Saturday night after the match in Munich.

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At least 81 arrested in Paris as fans celebrate PSG’s Champions League victory

Police on the Champs-Élysées use teargas and pepper spray to keep order after huge crowds had gathered for game

At least 81 people have been arrested after violent clashes in Paris after huge crowds of fans gathered to watch PSG’s victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final.

The club’s Parc des Princes stadium was transformed into a fan zone for the night to screen the match, which took place in Munich, with about 48,000 attending.

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Arne Slot pulls out of LMA awards dinner after Liverpool parade incident

  • Head coach was due to receive two awards in London

  • ‘A decision I have not taken lightly but is absolutely right’

Arne Slot pulled out of the League Managers Association’s annual awards dinner in London on Tuesday after the appalling incident at the end of Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade.

The Liverpool head coach was due to receive the LMA’s and the Premier League’s manager of the year awards at the event for winning the title in his first season in English football. However, in light of the incident in Liverpool city centre on Monday, when 65 people were injured when a car drove into a crowd on Water Street, Slot and a senior delegation of Liverpool officials decided they should not attend.

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‘Better than anything’: Tottenham fans toast Europa League win

Supporters gather in north London to celebrate end to football club’s 17-year wait for trophy

For the first time in nearly two decades, a trophy arrived in north London without any red ribbons attached. The streets were a sea of white as thousands of fans descended on the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to celebrate the team’s Europa League triumph.

It was a blissful atmosphere as supporters gathered to toast an end to the club’s 17-year wait for silverware, each one uttering the same seven-letter word: “Finally.”

Frank Hunter had been to Bilbao, not bothering to book a hotel and instead making use of the Basque city’s park benches for sleep as he and his friends endured what he called “the most excruciating experience” of his life. But he said it was all worth it.

“Words can’t describe what it means to see all the boys all together, celebrating – it’s the best day,” said Frank. “To have days like this with your family is unreal. Here’s to many more.”

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Five Valladolid fans given suspended prison sentences for Vinícius Júnior hate crime

  • Insults were directed towards Brazilian in December 2022

  • La Liga hails judgment as ‘unprecedented milestone’

  • Luka Modric to leave Real Madrid after Club World Cup

Five Valladolid fans who abused the Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior have been given suspended prison sentences, in what La Liga described as a landmark ruling that condemned racist insults hurled in a football stadium as a hate crime.

The case goes back to Madrid’s 2-0 win in December 2022 at Real Valladolid’s José Zorrilla Stadium, during which several fans hurled racist abuse at the Brazilian. The individuals were later identified using images and videos published on social media.

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Son Heung-min tells South Korean police he is victim of blackmail attempt

  • Spurs captain said to be target of false pregnancy claim
  • Kulusevski out of Europa League final after surgery

Son Heung-min has filed a complaint to South Korean police alleging he was the victim of a blackmail attempt, his agency said, after media reports that a woman had threatened the Tottenham captain with a false pregnancy claim.

“The police are currently investigating, so we will let you know the results as soon as they are available,” his agency, Son & Football Limited, said. “We’d like to tell you that Son Heung-min is clearly the victim of this incident.”

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Pressure grows on Fifa as reports warn of serious risk to workers amid Saudi World Cup building boom

Two reports published today catalogue ‘gruesome yet avoidable accidents’ on construction sites despite the Gulf kingdom’s claims that work-related deaths have fallen

Thousands of migrant workers are likely to die in Saudi Arabia as a result of a building boom fuelled by the 2034 Men’s World Cup and other major construction projects, human rights groups have warned.

The Gulf kingdom has seen a surge in demand for cheap migrant labour, with a significant increase in foreign workers since 2021, as it starts preparations for hosting the World Cup and drives forward projects including the futurist megacity Neom.

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