A court in Rio de Janeiro ordered the dismissal Thursday of Brazilian football federation head Ednaldo Rodrigues, citing problems in his employment agreement.
Rodrigues had already been temporarily suspended in 2023 after a court found irregularities with his 2022 election, but was reinstated on orders of a Supreme Court judge after FIFA threatened sanctions against Brazilian football.
On Thursday, a judge ruled that an employment agreement between Rodrigues and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), was “null” and void.
FIFA and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) had refused to accept Rodrigues’s 2023 ouster, warning the CBF it could be barred from international competitions if it allowed external interference in its affairs.
Rodrigues had been leading negotiations to sign Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti as coach, a bid that fell apart at the time.
READ ALSO: Yamal, Lopez Strike To Seal Barcelona La Liga Title Triumph At Espanyol
Ancelotti was finally appointed to the job just this week, replacing Zinedine Zidane.
In March, Rodrigues was unanimously reelected to his post until 2030.
But the Rio court said Thursday one of the signatories of Rodrigues’s 2025 contract had been mentally unfit to sign, meaning there had been “possible forgery.”
Uefa accused Gianni Infantino of prioritising “private political interests” after Fifa’s president turned up late for the world governing body’s own congress in Paraguay.
Infantino has been on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East alongside United States President Donald Trump and arrived two hours and 17 minutes past the scheduled 10:30 start time (14:30 BST) for the Fifa event.
Infantino said his trip prior to the congress had been crucial as it allowed him “to represent football” in “important discussions” with “world leaders in politics and economy”.
In protest at the 55-year-old Swiss-Italian’s delayed arrival, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin led a group of European delegates, joined by Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, in staging a walk-out during a break at the event.
It meant there were clearly empty seats at the Conmebol Convention Center in Luque, on the outskirts of the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, when the meeting resumed.
Uefa said in a statement the “last-minute changes” to the timings were “deeply regrettable” but “a point” had to be made.
“The Fifa congress is one of the most important meetings in world football, where all the 211 nations in the world’s game gather to discuss issues that affect the sport right across the world,” said European football’s governing body.
“To have the timetable changed at the last minute for what appears to be simply to accommodate private political interests, does the game no service and appears to put its interests second.
Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness added: “The annual congress is the single most important body to ensure good governance of international football.
“The situation is concerning. Member associations have travelled from all over the world to participate at this congress here in Paraguay, expecting professional leadership and dialogue at the highest level.”
A number of delegates from Concacaf – the North America, Central America and Caribbean confederation – also decided to leave the congress early.
Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom tried to defuse the tensions and said: “Fifa has an excellent relationship with Uefa and also with the European members.
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win at local rivals Espanyol on Thursday, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table.
Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble.
Only the Champions League escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2023.
Barcelona players pose before the start of their Spanish league football match between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat, on May 15, 2025. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP)
Back then, celebrating Barca players were chased from the field by angry home supporters but this time Espanyol turned on the sprinklers to soak the jubilant visitors, who headed down the tunnel quickly.
READ ALSO: Haaland Eyes FA Cup To Save Face After Man City’s ‘Horrific’ Season
Yamal opened the scoring after 53 minutes of a tense derby clash with a brilliant curling effort, before Lopez added another in the 95th minute to secure victory.
“You don’t win a league every day and you have to enjoy it and value it as it should be valued,” midfield star Pedri told Movistar.
“I think (Espanyol) here, knowing that we were playing for the title, are a team that when they sit deep and try to hit you on the counter, can do that well.
“I’m happy because in the end we got the victory and won the league, and that’s what matters.”
Outside the stadium before the match several Espanyol fans were hit by a car which drove into a big crowd, although none were seriously injured and police said it appeared to be an accident.
Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder #16 Fermin Lopez celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Spanish league football match between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat, on May 15, 2025. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP)
Barcelona were seconds away from sealing their title triumph on Wednesday but Real Madrid snatched a 95th-minute winner against Mallorca to delay the inevitable.
Flick’s side started slowly in Cornella, with Espanyol, 16th, looking dangerous on the counter-attack and keen to secure their top-flight survival.
Wojciech Szczesny made a fine save to deny Javi Puado who broke through on goal in Espanyol’s best chance of the opening period.
Barca dominated the ball but failed to create any clear opportunities themselves in the first half.
Yamal breaks through
The Catalan giants have often blown teams away this season, approaching a century of goals in La Liga, but with the title on the line and a hostile crowd against them, they needed something special to break through.
That came from 17-year-old wing wizard Yamal, who zipped inside off the right flank and unleashed a rocket into the top corner from outside the box, in a replica of his goal for Spain against France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
It was the teenager’s eighth La Liga strike of the season but with goals in both matches against rivals Real and also in the visit to face Atletico Madrid, he has a penchant for the big occasion.
Barca’s superb display in Sunday’s Clasico, in which they beat their rivals 4-3 in a thrilling battle, effectively won them the title.
They still had to get it over the line against their neighbours, though, and that became easier when Leandro Cabrera was sent off for an elbow into Yamal’s stomach.
Even though they had a player fewer, Espanyol pressured Barcelona heavily until Lopez drilled past Joan Garcia to end the hosts’ resistance.
Espanyol fans pelted Barcelona players with bottles as they celebrated the goal, but as the league’s youngest squad wrapped up a title that most believed was unlikely at best after Kylian Mbappe’s arrival at last year’s champions Real, they did not care.
President Donald Trump has hailed deepening ties between the United States and the United Arab Emirates and said that the latter will invest $1.4 trillion in the former’s artificial intelligence sector over the next decade.
“I have absolutely no doubt that the relationship will only get bigger and better,” Trump said on Thursday at a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on the final leg of his three-country tour of the Gulf region that saw him strike a series of lucrative tech, business and military deals that he said amounted to $10 trillion.
Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE remained “committed to working with the United States to advance peace and stability in our region and globally”.
The deal with UAE is expected to enable the Gulf country to build data centres vital to developing artificial intelligence models. The countries did not say which AI chips could be included in UAE data centres. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had earlier been seen in conversation with Sheikh Mohamed and Trump.
The AI agreement “includes the UAE committing to invest in, build, or finance U.S. data centres that are at least as large and as powerful as those in the UAE,” the White House said.
Reporting from Doha in Qatar, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra said such a deal had been “a national security concern” for Washington in the past. “But then they decided to change their mind under Trump, particularly when the UAE said that it was willing to invest $1.4 trillion,” he said.
Ahelbarra said the deal was a “significant step” for the UAE, positioning it as “the most important player in artificial intelligence, followed by Saudi Arabia”.
Before his departure for the UAE, Trump said in a speech to US troops at the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha in Qatar that defence purchases signed by Qatar on Wednesday were worth $42bn.
Other agreements signed during Trump’s four-day swing through the Gulf include a deal for Qatar Airways to purchase up to 210 Boeing widebody jets, and a commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest $600bn in the US and to buy $142bn worth of US arms.
The tour also brought a flurry of diplomacy, with Trump saying in Qatar on Thursday that the US was getting close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran. On Tuesday, he said the US would remove longstanding sanctions on Syria.
Trump said he would probably return to Washington on Friday, although he said it was “almost destination unknown because they’ll be getting calls ‘Could you be here? Could you be there?’”
Trump had previously hinted that he could stop in Istanbul for talks on the Russia-Ukraine war.
Newcastle are showing interest in Jamie Gittens over a summer move, Wrexham are set to offer Fulham’s Tom Cairney a deal worth £50,000-a-week, Liverpool expect Florian Wirtz to stay in Germany.
Newcastle have scouted Borussia Dortmund’s 20-year-old English winger Jamie Gittens, and could also make a summer move for his team-mate, Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, 27. (Mail – subscription required)
Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney, 34, is a target for Championship-bound Wrexham, with the former Scotland international set to be offered a deal worth £50,000 a week when he leaves the Cottagers on a free transfer. (Talksport)
Liverpool expect Florian Wirtz to stay at Bayer Leverkusen or join Bayern Munich but will make an approach if the 22-year-old Germany attacking midfielder wants to leave the Bundesliga. (Times – subscription required)
Veteran English forward Jamie Vardy will leave Leicester City this summer but the 38-year-old has no intention to retire and believes he could still play in the Premier League. (Sky Sports)
Fresh talks between Bayern Munich and their 26-year-old France defender Dayot Upamecano have begun over a new deal until 2030. (Sky Germany)
Lazio will pay Arsenal a fee worth 9m euros (£7.57m) to sign 25-year-old Portuguese left-back Nuno Tavares in a loan deal with an obligation to buy. (Fabrizio Romano)
Manchester United and Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford with boss Ruben Amorim having to sell players before he can buy this summer. (Telegraph – subscription required)
Bournemouth have set a £45m price tag for their 21-year-old Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez, who is wanted by Liverpool. (iSport)
Unknown gunmen have abducted a traditional ruler in Kogi State, Oba James Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke, from his residence in the early hours of Thursday.
The incident occurred around 2:00 a.m. in Okoloke, a quiet community in Yagba West Local Government Area, when a group of heavily armed men invaded the monarch’s palace.
A source, who identified himself as Lucky Omoyele, said the attackers overpowered palace guards before whisking the traditional ruler away to an unknown destination.
He revealed that the kidnappers have yet to make contact or issue any ransom demands.
READ ALSO: Bandits Kill Three In Taraba Community
Omoyele added that concerned residents have since gathered at the palace to pray for the monarch’s safe return and are calling on the government to take urgent action.
The abduction is one of several recent incidents that have heightened insecurity in the area and left residents in a state of anxiety.
The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the incident and said an investigation is ongoing.
A joint task force comprising security operatives and local vigilantes has reportedly launched a manhunt to locate and rescue the monarch.
Also reacting, the Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area, Tosin Olokun, condemned the abduction in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Adeyemi Sunday.
