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Messi, Argentina Set to Pull a Big Crowd in Beijing Exhibition Game

Chinese fans hold a photo of Lionel Messi while they cheer to a camera, as they wait to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi and other members of the Argentina national soccer team outside a hotel in Beijing, China June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Chinese fans hold a photo of Lionel Messi while they cheer to a camera, as they wait to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi and other members of the Argentina national soccer team outside a hotel in Beijing, China June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
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Messi, Argentina Set to Pull a Big Crowd in Beijing Exhibition Game

Chinese fans hold a photo of Lionel Messi while they cheer to a camera, as they wait to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi and other members of the Argentina national soccer team outside a hotel in Beijing, China June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Chinese fans hold a photo of Lionel Messi while they cheer to a camera, as they wait to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi and other members of the Argentina national soccer team outside a hotel in Beijing, China June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Lionel Messi and his World Cup-winning Argentina teammates are expected to draw almost 70,000 fans to Beijing Worker’s Stadium for an exhibition against Australia.

With tickets starting at around $80 for Thursday’s game, local supporters are excited to see Messi and continue the World Cup celebrations. Fans have flocked to all opportunities to see the Argentine star since the team arrived in China, with large crowds angling for photographs and chanting his name.

Messi’s move to “continue my path” in Miami last week made global headlines.

He said that after winning the World Cup, it was his time to go the United States and “live football in another way.”

Before then, he’s with the Argentina squad that is scheduled to play Australia in the Chinese capital and take on Indonesia in Jakarta four days later.

Australia coach Graham Arnold said he was looking forward to giving a selection of young players some valuable experience.

“There's no better team to test yourself against than he best in the world,” Arnold said in an interview for Chinese TV. “It's going to be great for the players — not only the players, but for everyone here in China and back in Australia — to see Lionel Messi play.

"He's such a wonderful player and obviously best in the world. To have those privileges to test yourself against him, it's important.”

Messi led Argentina to a 2-1 win over the Australians in the Round of 16 at the World Cup last year in Qatar.

For the Socceroos, though, this rematch is not about revenge for a defeat but more the journey to the next Asian Cup, at Qatar in January, and beyond.

“It’s a younger squad but I’m also looking with one eye on the World Cup in 2026 and getting players ready for that,” Arnold said. “I don’t believe there’s a better way to test them out."

Australia, which joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006 and won the regional title on home soil in 2015, will take on India, Syria and Uzbekistan at the Asian Cup.

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UEFA to Distribute €31.5 Million to Clubs for Nations League

Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Group B4 - Romania v Bosnia and Herzegovina - National Arena, Bucharest, Romania - September 28, 2026 General view during the match Inquam Photos via REUTERS/Eduard Vinatoru
Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Group B4 - Romania v Bosnia and Herzegovina - National Arena, Bucharest, Romania - September 28, 2026 General view during the match Inquam Photos via REUTERS/Eduard Vinatoru
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UEFA to Distribute €31.5 Million to Clubs for Nations League

Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Group B4 - Romania v Bosnia and Herzegovina - National Arena, Bucharest, Romania - September 28, 2026 General view during the match Inquam Photos via REUTERS/Eduard Vinatoru
Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Group B4 - Romania v Bosnia and Herzegovina - National Arena, Bucharest, Romania - September 28, 2026 General view during the match Inquam Photos via REUTERS/Eduard Vinatoru

UEFA will distribute €31.5 million ($35.7 million) to clubs who released their players to compete in the 2024-25 season of the Nations League, European soccer's governing body said on Tuesday.

The payment is the first under the UEFA Club Benefits Program cycle, which is part of ⁠a memorandum of ⁠understanding between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC), which represents over 800 clubs across Europe.

"The payments form part of the €104 million allocated to ⁠clubs releasing players for the 2024-25 and 2026-27 UEFA Nations League and the qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2028," UEFA said in a statement, according to Reuters.

"The program benefits 611 clubs across all UEFA's member associations, including several amateur clubs. RB Leipzig of ⁠Germany ⁠will receive the highest total compensation in this payment, with approximately €353,000 for releasing 16 of its players," it added.

Portugal defeated Spain on penalties in the 2025 final. The 2026-27 edition of the tournament began last week.

Sports

FIFA Accuses UEFA of 'Misinformation Campaign' in Bid for World Cup Papers

(FILES) FIFA President Gianni Infantino holds an official ball of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, on May 1, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
(FILES) FIFA President Gianni Infantino holds an official ball of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, on May 1, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
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FIFA Accuses UEFA of 'Misinformation Campaign' in Bid for World Cup Papers

(FILES) FIFA President Gianni Infantino holds an official ball of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, on May 1, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
(FILES) FIFA President Gianni Infantino holds an official ball of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, on May 1, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

FIFA has accused European football's governing body UEFA of a "misinformation campaign" in its bid to access documents related to Gianni Infantino's plan to sell off parts of the World Cup.

In FIFA's response in a court case in Florida, it says that UEFA's attempt to force the world body to hand over the documents is designed to "influence" the FIFA presidential election scheduled for next year.

In the 26-page legal filing, FIFA says UEFA is acting "for purposes of harassment, rather than out of any legitimate need for discovery" in pursuing its case against world football's governing body.

It accuses UEFA of acting "in bad faith".

FIFA president Infantino caused uproar in July with proposals to create a commercial subsidiary to run its biggest events, such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

The plan would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in a company created under the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative. The backlash that followed led to the proposals being quickly shelved.

FIFA says in its court filing that UEFA makes "numerous false or misleading statements" about Infantino and the world governing body, including that he "sought to profit personally from the FFE proposal".

FIFA's court filing says that UEFA's application "fails on both the facts and the law", and should therefore be denied.

UEFA said it had no comment to make when contacted by AFP.

UEFA has filed a request in Florida for permission to gather evidence for a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland, where both UEFA and FIFA are based.

European football's governing body said last month that alongside "other interested parties" it was "preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisors for criminal mismanagement".

UEFA, the federation that represents World Cup holders Spain and football powerhouses such as France, England and Germany, is leading the opposition to Infantino, calling openly for his removal.

FIFA confirmed this month that Infantino will stand again for president in the election next March, despite the backlash over his now-abandoned private investment plan.

Infantino sent a letter to FIFA's 211 members this week indicating that a greater amount of money could be distributed to FIFA members from its vast cash reserves.

Earlier this month, UEFA urged FIFA to make $10 million available to each of its member associations -- a total of $2.1 billion -- "for investment in infrastructure and football development".

In the letter seen by AFP, Infantino said he would support "the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered".

Infantino insisted in the letter that the abandoned proposal to sell off World Cup commercial rights had been intended to generate additional money for football.

"The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable FIFA to invest more in football," Infantino wrote.

FIFA has an estimated $6 billion of unused cash reserves and UEFA argued that Infantino did not need to try to raise capital given how much money his organization was already holding onto.

Sports

Tunisia’s Miserable Run Continues After Botswana Draw in AFCON Qualifiers

Tunisia's Montassar Talibi (R) fights for the ball with player of Botswana's Thero Setsile (L) during the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying Group H match between Tunisia and Botswana in Tunis, Tunisia, 28 September 2026. (EPA)
Tunisia's Montassar Talibi (R) fights for the ball with player of Botswana's Thero Setsile (L) during the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying Group H match between Tunisia and Botswana in Tunis, Tunisia, 28 September 2026. (EPA)
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Tunisia’s Miserable Run Continues After Botswana Draw in AFCON Qualifiers

Tunisia's Montassar Talibi (R) fights for the ball with player of Botswana's Thero Setsile (L) during the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying Group H match between Tunisia and Botswana in Tunis, Tunisia, 28 September 2026. (EPA)
Tunisia's Montassar Talibi (R) fights for the ball with player of Botswana's Thero Setsile (L) during the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying Group H match between Tunisia and Botswana in Tunis, Tunisia, 28 September 2026. (EPA)

Tunisia’s poor ‌form continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Botswana in their Africa Cup of Nations Group H qualifier in Rades on Monday, extending their winless run to eight games.

It is a second successive draw for the North African side at the start of the continental qualifiers having been held to a 1-1 home draw by Uganda on Thursday.

Botswana lead the pool with two points from as many matches, the same as Tunisia, while Libya and Uganda have a point ‌each. They ‌meet in Hoima on Tuesday.

Thatayaone Kgamanyane put ‌Botswana ⁠ahead on 37 ⁠minutes but two goals from Hazem Mastouri either side of halftime turned the fixture in the favor of the hosts.

But Tunisia were denied victory when Lebogang Ditsele equalized for Botswana on the hour mark and the sparse home crowd left disappointed once again.

Yoane Wissa was on target as the Democratic Republic of ⁠Congo claimed a 2-1 win over Zimbabwe ‌in Harare to move top of ‌Group E with a full haul of six points.

Wissa opened the ‌scoring before turning provider for Samuel Moutoussamy to net a ‌second on the stroke of halftime. Marshall Munetsi scored his third goal in two games late on for the hosts, but the Congolese hung on for the win.

Equatorial Guinea defeated Sierra Leone 1-0 ‌in the other match in the group thanks to a strike from Spanish-born forward Loren Zuniga ⁠inside the ⁠first minute in neutral Yaounde.

DR Congo head Group E with six points from their two games, followed by Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea with three each, while Sierra Leone are yet to get off the mark.

Burkina Faso moved to the top of Group F as they defeated Central African Republic 1-0 in neutral Casablanca.

RB Salzburg teenager Aboubacar Camara scored the only goal of the game on the hour-mark in his second appearance for the senior national team.

The top two nations in each pool qualify for the 24-team continental finals that will be staged in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17 next year.