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Salah Wins PFA Player of the Year Award for Unprecedented Third Time 

Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah poses with the Men's PFA Players' Player of the Year award backstage during the 2024-2025 Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) awards, at the Opera House in Manchester, northern England, on August 19, 2025. (AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah poses with the Men's PFA Players' Player of the Year award backstage during the 2024-2025 Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) awards, at the Opera House in Manchester, northern England, on August 19, 2025. (AFP)
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Salah Wins PFA Player of the Year Award for Unprecedented Third Time 

Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah poses with the Men's PFA Players' Player of the Year award backstage during the 2024-2025 Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) awards, at the Opera House in Manchester, northern England, on August 19, 2025. (AFP)
Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah poses with the Men's PFA Players' Player of the Year award backstage during the 2024-2025 Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) awards, at the Opera House in Manchester, northern England, on August 19, 2025. (AFP)

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year on Tuesday, with the Egyptian becoming the first player to win the award three times.

Salah, who joined Liverpool in 2017, was the Premier League's top scorer last season, with his 29 goals, along with 18 assists, playing a key role in the club winning the league title, finishing 10 points ahead of runners-up Arsenal.

The 33-year-old had already clinched the Premier League Player of the Season award, the Golden Boot for most goals scored and the Playmaker award for most assists, making him the first player to win all three awards in the same season.

Salah first won the PFA award in 2018 after his first season at Liverpool, and again in 2022, and this year came out on top of a six-man shortlist, voted for by PFA members from the 92 Premier League and Football League teams.

That shortlist included his Liverpool teammate Alexis Mac Allister, along with Newcastle United's Alexander Isak, Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, Arsenal's Declan Rice and Chelsea's Cole Palmer.

Salah signed a two-year contract extension with Liverpool in April, ending months of speculation linking him with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

Aston Villa and England midfielder Morgan Rogers was voted Young Player of the Year, after the 23-year-old scored eight league goals in his 37 starts last season and netted four goals in the Champions League including a hat-trick against Celtic.

Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey was named Women's Player of the Year. The Spaniard scored nine league goals in her first season with the club along with eight goals in the Champions League where Arsenal beat her former club Barcelona to win the trophy.

Canadian 21-year-old forward Olivia Smith, Liverpool's leading scorer last season across all competitions with nine goals, picked up the Young Player of the Year award.

Smith has since joined Arsenal for a reported fee of one million pounds ($1.35 million), making her the first female player to break the seven-figure barrier.

Liverpool had four players from last season, including Salah, named in the Premier League team of the year, along with new signing from Bournemouth, Milos Kerkez.

Premier League Team of the Year:

Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest); Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth), William Saliba (Arsenal), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal); Declan Rice (Arsenal), Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Alexander Isak (Newcastle United), Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest).

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FIFA Launches $60 Ticket Tier amid Criticism of 2026 World Cup Pricing 

13 December 2024, Switzerland, Zurich: The FIFA logo is seen on the façade of FIFA headquarters before the draw ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. (dpa)
13 December 2024, Switzerland, Zurich: The FIFA logo is seen on the façade of FIFA headquarters before the draw ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. (dpa)
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FIFA Launches $60 Ticket Tier amid Criticism of 2026 World Cup Pricing 

13 December 2024, Switzerland, Zurich: The FIFA logo is seen on the façade of FIFA headquarters before the draw ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. (dpa)
13 December 2024, Switzerland, Zurich: The FIFA logo is seen on the façade of FIFA headquarters before the draw ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. (dpa)

FIFA introduced on Tuesday a small number of $60 "Supporter Entry Tier" tickets, aiming to make next year's World Cup more affordable for fans of qualified teams.

Football's governing body said that the discounted tickets would cover all 104 matches of the tournament, including the final.

The cheaper tickets will make up 10% of Participating Member Associations' (PMAs) allocations.

The PMAs, which represent competing national teams and manage dedicated fan ticket programs, will handle the ticket allocation process.

They will also define their own criteria to prioritize tickets for "loyal fans" closely connected to their national teams.

"In total, half of each PMA's ticket allocation will fall within the most affordable categories: 40% under the Supporter Value Tier and 10% under the new Supporter Entry Tier," FIFA said in a statement.

"The remaining allocation will be split evenly between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier," it added.

Fans who apply through PMA ticketing programs and whose teams fail to progress to the knockout stage will have administrative fees waived for refund requests.

The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of ticket pricing ahead of the 2026 tournament, set to take place from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Last week, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accused FIFA of imposing "extortionate" ticket prices that could prevent average fans from attending the event.

'STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION'

FSE director Ronan Evain told Reuters on Tuesday that while the new pricing was a step in the right direction, it was "clearly not sufficient".

He noted that following a team to the final would cost $480 under category four, but jumps to $6,900 for category three, meaning one fan "sitting in the same section" as another could pay 15 times more.

Evain also said there was a lack of transparency around ticket distribution.

"FIFA doesn't provide any guidelines or obligations for the PMAs. They have the freedom to choose how they distribute the tickets," he said.

According to the BBC, this will mean about 400 of the cheaper tickets will be available for England and Scotland in their group games, yet Evain said that most PMAs don't disclose the number of tickets.

FIFA said in its statement on Tuesday that PMAs were requested to ensure that these cheaper tickets were "specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams".

Evain also raised concerns about accessibility for fans with disabilities. "The cheapest they can get all the way to the final is $7,000 and they also must pay full price for companion seats, meaning that following a team to the final could cost $14,000," he said.

Reuters has put Evain's points to FIFA for comment.

Despite the backlash, FIFA reported strong interest in the sale's third phase draw, which began on December 11 and will remain open until January 13, driven by the release of match schedules, venues and kick-off times.

Sports

Norris Steps up as a Fresh Champion for Formula One’s New Era 

Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 7, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates after becoming the 2025 Formula One World Champion (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 7, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates after becoming the 2025 Formula One World Champion (Reuters)
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Norris Steps up as a Fresh Champion for Formula One’s New Era 

Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 7, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates after becoming the 2025 Formula One World Champion (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 7, 2025 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates after becoming the 2025 Formula One World Champion (Reuters)

Lando Norris stepped up as a first-time world champion in 2025 to end Max Verstappen's four-year reign and lead Formula One into a new era.

Whether the McLaren driver can do it again remains a big question.

The title did not come easy to the 26-year-old as he made a dream come true in a rollercoaster season of highs and lows, the wins accompanied also by mistakes and misfortune in a three-way battle.

Even as the Briton celebrated beating Red Bull's Verstappen by two points, and Australian teammate Oscar Piastri by 13, Norris recognized it could be a one-off.

Formula One, set to expand to 11 teams with the arrival of Cadillac, is facing a major reset next year with a new generation of engines and the biggest technical upheaval in decades.

The usual suspects are likely to stay competitive, but nobody really knows who will be ahead in 2026.

MCLAREN'S FIRST TITLE DOUBLE SINCE 1998

"It could be my only opportunity in my life that I get to do such a thing," Norris said of putting the champion's number one on his car next season.

"I have a lot of faith in my team and we've achieved a lot in the last few years together. And I'm confident we will achieve a lot more together. But Formula One is unpredictable. You never know how much things can change. You never know what can happen."

McLaren have won two constructors' crowns on the trot and this year sealed the team and driver's title double for the first time since 1998.

While Norris and Piastri were the only ones to lead the standings, and the Briton was a deserving champion, Verstappen provided some of the standout moments with one of the great comebacks in the sport's 75-year history.

"Championships are important, but they do not tell the whole story. Sometimes the best driver does not win the title," observed Damon Hill, who dethroned Ferrari great Michael Schumacher to take the 1996 crown.

Verstappen was at times in a league of his own against a backdrop of upheaval at Red Bull, who fired team principal Christian Horner in July and said farewell to consultant Helmut Marko in December.

The Dutch driver went from 104 points behind Piastri at the end of August to 11 ahead at the final flag and said it was probably the best he had driven in Formula One -- quite a statement from someone who won a record 19 of 22 races in 2023.

VERSTAPPEN WON MORE, PIASTRI LED LONGER

Norris did not win the most races or lead the championship longest, with Verstappen taking eight wins -- including the last three of the campaign -- to the McLaren drivers' seven apiece.

Piastri topped the leaderboard from April to the end of October.

The Australian will be even more determined in 2026, after a massive learning year that at one point looked sure to crown him Australia's first champion in 45 years.

Mercedes, who power McLaren and whose factory team finished runners-up with two wins from George Russell, could also provide far stiffer opposition.

The last time the sport had a major engine change, in 2014, Mercedes went on a dominant run of eight successive constructors' titles.

Winless Ferrari, without a title since 2008, will be under pressure to deliver with seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton absent even from the podium in a disappointing first year at Maranello.

Next year also sees the first Adrian Newey-designed Aston Martin, Verstappen racing a Red Bull powered by the energy drink company's own engine in partnership with Ford while Audi replaces Sauber.

Frenchman Isack Hadjar joins Verstappen at Red Bull after an excellent rookie season at Racing Bulls, with a first podium at the Dutch Grand Prix.

How the 21-year-old matches up, as Verstappen's fourth teammate since the end of 2024, will be another fascinating storyline when the season starts in Australia on March 8.

Sports

Maresca Says he is Happy at Chelsea After 3-1 Win at Cardiff

Football - Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Cardiff City v Chelsea - Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Britain - December 16, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge)
Football - Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Cardiff City v Chelsea - Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Britain - December 16, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge)
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Maresca Says he is Happy at Chelsea After 3-1 Win at Cardiff

Football - Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Cardiff City v Chelsea - Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Britain - December 16, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge)
Football - Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Cardiff City v Chelsea - Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, Britain - December 16, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge)

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said he is happy at the club after they booked a spot in the League Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win at Cardiff City on Tuesday, just days after he had voiced his frustrations over behind-the-scenes issues at the club.

Maresca had said after Saturday's 2-0 Premier League home win over Everton, which ended a run of four games without a win, that he had been through "the worst 48 hours" of his time at the club and complained about a lack of support.

At the final whistle on Tuesday, however, Maresca was celebrating with the crowd as they chanted his name after a brace from Alejandro Garnacho and a goal from Pedro Neto put his side into the last four.

"I'm just happy, we're going to play another semi-final and I think it's what the fans deserve," he told reporters, according to Reuters.

"It was a great moment. In some moments when you don't win games, they have been not happy, but it's normal. But overall, the fans have always been there.

"These are the kind of games that I fall in love even more with the players because you cannot imagine how easy it is to slip, to slide, because they are tricky games," added Maresca, who declined to elaborate on his comments from the weekend.

"I didn't speak with anyone. I didn't speak, no it's OK," Maresca said. "I always said that I've been happy since day one. So it's not that tonight I'm not happy." Chelsea, who are fourth in Premier League and eight points behind leaders Arsenal, will next travel to Newcastle United on Saturday.