World Cup news: Harry Kane weighs in on England row as Gianni Infantino departs

World Cup news: Harry Kane weighs in on England row as Gianni Infantino departs Harry Kane insisted England manager Thomas Tuchel is "trying to drag" the best out of his players after Jude Bellingham appeared to be annoyed over comments made following the dramatic win over Norway FIFA is facing a massive backlash, while Harry Kane has weighed in on Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham's 'row'. FIFA is feeling the heat following the controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's one-game ban after the move was reportedly solely made by the chairman of its disciplinary committee, without consulting the other 17 members. The American striker was shown a straight red card during his country's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 16, and he was due to be banned for the World Cup tie against Belgium. But FIFA deferred Balogun's punishment, making him eligible to face Belgium after US President Donald Trump asked FIFA to review the ban. The European football governing body UEFA later accused FIFA of "crossing a red line" in a strongly-worded statement. It comes as Harry Kane insisted Thomas Tuchel is "trying to drag" the best out of England players by being ultra critical. Three Lions captain Kane was effectively playing peace after Judge Bellingham was clearly annoyed by Tuchel's remarks following England's heroic win over Norway. That clinched England's place in the second semi-final this week. France will face Spain in the first semi final on Tuesday, while England take on rivals Argentina on Wednesday. Losers from those games will meet for the third-place play-off on Saturday. The winners will then go head-to-head on Sunday. Key Events That's all from our coverage on this blog today. Below is a selection of today's top stories... Argentina may have Lionel Messi. But Jordan Pickford believes the reigning World Cup champions should worry about red-hot Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and England's unbreakable dogged mentality. While the 39-year-old veteran is the joint leading goalscorer at this World Cup (eight) alongside France captain Kylian Mbappe, the Three Lions also have huge firepower in their ranks with electric Bellingham, in particular, in the form of his life. Pickford said: "I'll talk about Messi because he's one of the greats of the game but you can't look past the ability and the talent we've got in the squad going forward, defensively, togetherness. We've got it all there and that's what we need to put on show on Wednesday. "We also can't just talk about Messi. They're a good side and they're reigning champions, so yeah, they're a good side but we've got so much ability in our squad going forward and we're also hard to break down. "We've got that resilience, we've got that togetherness and we've got that mentality. That's what makes a good team." Jordan Pickford insists England will not fall for Argentina's dark arts - like David Beckham did in 1998. La Albiceleste will have no qualms utilising dirty tricks as they seek to defend their World Cup crown but Pickford believes Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions are too streetwise for that. He said when asked how important it is that England keep their heads: "Yeah, I think you've seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles but we haven't gotten into any scuffles or anything. We've been very respectful within the game. "Decisions go our way, they don't go our way, we just reset, we go again and we let the football do the talking. I think that's what we've done throughout the tournament. Apart from Jarell [Quansah], we've not had any suspensions or second yellow cards or anything like that. "It just shows the mentality that we have and we don't get wrapped up in sort of things like that. We stay focused and we stay together." Discussing the ‘Hand of God’ goal with Diego Maradona himself was a particularly bizarre experience. But, of course, the player who scored one of the most controversial goals of all time was more than happy to chat about it… with an Englishman. But, he refused point blank to apologise for the goal. He told me simply: “You have to use any advantage you can on the football field.” After our interview he was about to take part in a coaching session with some youngsters. I asked him what he would say if one of them punched the ball in the net to score a goal. He said, with a twinkle in his eye: "I would say 'good, very good.'” The Times report that Sir Keir Starmer will make his final trip as Prime Minister to the US to watch England in the World Cup final, just hours before tendering his resignation to the King. The tight timeline is logistically feasible due to the time difference. With the final kicking off at 3:00 PM local time (8:00 PM BST), the match should conclude by 11:00 PM UK time. From there, Starmer will head to Newark Liberty Airport for a seven-hour overnight flight back to London. Upon arrival, he will deliver his final address on the steps of Downing Street before visiting Buckingham Palace to recommend that Andy Burnham form the next government. Additionally, if England defeats Argentina on Wednesday, the government will announce plans for a conditional bank holiday on Friday, July 24, granted only in the event of a World Cup victory. Holding it on Friday would give businesses time to prepare and likely coincide with the team's victory parade. England will face Argentina in a World Cup semi-final simmering with history, hostility and more than 60 years of footballing hurt. Thomas Tuchel’s side meets the reigning champions in Atlanta on Wednesday night in a match carrying the weight of history, politics and national pride. Argentina’s players have already poured fuel on the rivalry by chanting an obscene song about the Falklands after reaching the last four. Now, thousands of rival supporters are heading for Georgia, carrying flags, drums, old grievances and decades of anger. Police are braced for flashpoints around what threatens to become the most explosive night of the tournament. Minor scuffles have already been seen between England and Argentina fans, one inside the stadium in Miami during the quarter-final with Norway. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has dramatically left the 2026 World Cup and crossed the Atlantic to pay his respects to the late ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. On Sunday a private jet linked to the Fifa president departed Miami, where Infantino had watched England’s 2-1 defeat of Norway in the tournament’s quarter-finals, for Doha. It arrived in the Qatari capital the following day. Infantino has been seen among the mourners for the late father of the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. When Thomas Tuchel picked his World Cup squad, there was a magic number in his mind. The Football Association had done the research, Tuchel had looked at previous tournaments and the sums appear to be adding up. England boss Tuchel told his coaching staff that history suggests that 21 players of the 26 man squad will get game time at a World Cup. That includes two reserve keepers but therefore means that only three outfield players are likely not to get even a kick at the tournament. So far, Kobbie Mainoo, Ivan Toney and Trevor Chalobah are the only players not to have seen any action in England’s six games at this World Cup. Reserve keepers Dean Henderson and James Trafford have not got off the bench either. has demanded ‘hand-them-over’ talks about the Falkland Islands ahead of its World Cup clash with England. Foreign minister Pablo Quirno branded Falklands Islanders an ‘artificially implanted’ population in a rant staking the South American nation’s claim to the South Atlantic archipelago. Quirno said the 2013 referendum in which 99.8% of islanders voted to stay British was illegitimate and demanded negotiations over their future. He wrote in La Nacion newspaper: “Time does not transform an illegitimate occupation into sovereignty. Nor will it divide the territorial unity of the Argentine Republic.” He claimed the 1982 war - which claimed 907 lives - and the later vote had failed to resolve the dispute, adding sovereignty should not be decided by a ‘population artificially implanted by the occupying power’. Quirno laid out Argentina’s legal claim over the territory which sits 300 miles east of the nation but has been under Brit control since 1833. “This commitment is coupled with an unwavering certainty - our claim will not be relinquished, resigned, or abandoned,” Quirno wrote. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer rejected Quirno’s claims. His spokesman said: “The Falkland islanders are British with a right to determine their own future. The UK's position is clear. The islanders have repeatedly expressed their wish to remain a British overseas territory and their right to self-determination is paramount. “In 2013 the people of the Falkland Islands voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory.” He said the PM believed football ‘should be about a game and about bringing people together’, adding: “That's what fans want to see.” Our reporter Jerry Lawton writes: England fans could pile on up 4st watching the World Cup, boffins say. Couch potatoes lounging around drinking beer and watching the matches from their sofas face monumental weight gain. They may even need fat jabs to shift their football flab. Experts reckon by the end of the tournament supporters will have drunk 14.4 billion beers over the 104 matches - enough to fill 2,736 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Online medics ZAVA reckon that will have taken its toll on the nation’s waistlines. During Euro 24 the average football fan supped eight pints daily.Based on similar booze consumption the average fan will pile on a stone-and-a-half taking in over 60,000 calories during the knockout games alone. Anyone who watched all 104 matches while supping eight beers-a-game could put on 4st.ZAVA’s Dr Kathryn Basford said: “Drinking alcohol means adding ‘empty calories’ - calories that don’t come with nutritional benefits - to your total intake. These extra calories are converted to fat and stored in the body which leads to weight gain over time. "When consuming these beverages becomes a habit the risk of obesity and diabetes type 2 increases. When you start breaking down the alcohol in your body through your liver it stops releasing glucose. This can cause low blood sugar. "High alcohol intake, especially on an empty stomach, lowers your blood sugar levels, causing you to feel lightheaded or dizzy, shaky, irritable and tired.”Dr Basford said there were ‘heightened risks’ when drinking alcohol in summer heat - including ‘exhaustion’ and ‘heatstroke’"Both alcohol and heat can put extra strain on your heart by causing a drop in blood pressure,” she warned. "You may also notice that in hotter weather you experience worse effects of alcohol and a faster intoxication with poor judgement which could lead to dangerous behaviour including staying too long in the sun, skipping meals and hydration opportunities.”She said some fat-busting jabs could reduce the desire to booze and eat. But they can also reduce alcohol tolerance.The best way to dodge football fat was to avoid booze, the medic said. "Alcohol adds calories to your daily total which makes losing weight harder. It can also make you hungrier, making it harder to stick to your diet and potentially causing you to eat more calories than you would otherwise,” she concluded. Hopeful England fans are forecast to guzzle up to 10 million extra pints for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina. After the heroic win over Mexico, and the nail-biting quarter final against Norway, a nervy nation is preparing for Thomas Tuchel and the team’s biggest game yet of the tournament. With football fever is sweeping the nation, as many 26.2 million are expected to tune in for England’s high-stakes semi-final clash against Argentina, according to latest predictions from discount website VoucherCodes. Number 10 is finally flying the flag for England at the World Cup - but looks more like an old East End boozer. Two flags of St George hung limply in the front windows of the Prime Minister’s Downing Street residence ahead of tomorrow’s (wed) semi-final showdown with Argentina. England bunting - made up of dozens of mini-St George’s crosses - was strung across the iron railings either side of the most famous front door in the land. But unimpressed fans moaned it was ‘too little’ and ‘way too late’. The England team boasts a 76% win rate while Sir Keir Starmer has been in office - the best record under any serving Prime Minister in history. But No10 appears to have struggled to show its backing for Thomas Tuchel’s boys return. The bunting remained boxed away for the Three Lions’ opening matches against Croatia, Ghana and Panama. It was only after England topped the group - and Tory Party chairman dubbed the PM a ‘plastic patriot’ - that flags began to emerge. Starmer, a keen football fan, has repeatedly tweeted his support for the team. And after Saturday’s quarter-final victory fired off a cheeky message to his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store, saying: “Your boys took one hell of beating.” It mocked radio commentator Bjørge Lillelien’s triumphant ‘Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me’ rant after Norway beat England 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier in 1981. But England fans seem unconvinced by Downing Street’s show of patriotism. One fan moaned: “It looks like a pub. Too little, too late. Downing Street should have been covered in flags before a ball was kicked.” Another said: “St George’s Cross? Not half he is - he’d be bloody livid. What a half-a***** effort. They’ll need to sharpen up if we win.” A spokesman for No 10 has said: “The Prime Minister is incredibly proud to support England and to see the whole country come together behind the team.” The temperature has already begun to rise ahead of England'sWorld Cup semi-final against Argentina after comments from several former Three Lions stars provoked an angry response in Buenos Aires. Thomas Tuchel's side face Lionel Messi and the defending champions on Wednesday with a place in Sunday's final at stake. The fixture will mark the first time England and Argentina have clashed since a friendly in 2005. But the fixture remains one of international football's fiercest rivalries, fuelled by decades of memorable moments including David Beckham's red card, Michael Owen's wondergoal and Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal. England are in the World Cup semi-finals! Harry Brent and a jude-bulant John Cross break down a game full of controversial calls, and quotes as the Vikings are sent rowing back to Norway. Watch the full video of our Make Football Great Again podcast below! France and Spain will observe a minute of silence before their World Cup semi-final match in Dallas on Tuesday, marking the 10-year anniversary of the Nice truck attack. President Emmanuel Macron announced the tribute on Monday to honor the 86 people killed and more than 400 injured during the July 14, 2016, Bastille Day tragedy. “Before France-Spain, a minute of silence will be observed in tribute to the victims of the Nice attack, ten years after July 14, 2016,” Macron said in a post on X before going on to thank FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “Thank you to the President of FIFA for responding to the request of France and of all French people who have mobilised. We will never forget.” David Beckham has insisted wife Victoria was ‘celebrating inside’ after a clip of her muted reaction to England’s nail-biting World Cup quarter-final clash went viral. The ex-Three Lions captain and his children Romeo, 23, Cruz, 21, and Harper, 15, all went wild when Jude Bellingham fired home the equaliser against Norway. But a photo of the moment showed unmoved Victoria, 52, still seated, expression-free with her chin resting on her hand. Fans turned it into an instant meme which swept round the world. Stand-up comedian Jenny Johnson wrote online: “There’s nothing like cheering your heart out for England from home, then they cut to Victoria and we see that classic Posh Spice smile! It’s so infectious!' “I used to think I got animated while watching sports, but Victoria blows my enthusiasm out of the water! “Each time I see her I shout, ‘SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!!!!’ because her energy is electric!!!” David, 51, fired back a string of crying laughing emojis. He wrote: “She was celebrating inside I promise her reactions were slightly slower than mine.” Victoria did warm up to the energy inside Miami Stadium and was later seen getting into the spirit by clapping along as England won the match 2-1 after extra-time to set up tomorrow’s (wed) semi-final against Argentina. The former Spice Girl has admitted she was not fan of football when she met David at a Manchester United match in 1997. Ever the doting wife, she ensured she attended every game she could but confessed she did not enjoy the sport because she did not feel ‘wanted’ when she was pitchside. But she claims she had recently had a change of heart since David hung up his boots and set up his own club Inter Miami in the US. She told the Financial Times: “I never enjoyed watching football. I never felt necessarily wanted. I'm not saying this as in, poor me, but it was never the fun that it is now. Now, when we're in Miami, I feel wanted. I'm friends with the families of the players.” After England’s victory over Norway shared images in her socials including some of her hugging David. She wrote: “Special moment tonight in Miami with my family and for our country xxxx.” Below are the odds for the rest of this year's tournament, courtesy of our partners at Betway. World Cup - outright - France - 6/4 - Spain - 10/3 - England - 10/3 - Argentina - 9/2 To qualify for the final - France - 4/6 - England - 4/5 - Argentina - 10/11 - Spain - 6/5 A White House advisor has admitted he hopes to see England celebrating its second World Cup win at MetLife Stadium come July 17th. The semifinals of the World Cup are now set, with Thomas Tuchel's side set to take on defending champions Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday, following a dramatic extra-time win over Norway, which saw Jude Bellingham lead the Three Lions to a 2-1 victory. In the other half of the draw, tournament favorites France will face Spain in a rematch of their Euro 2024 semifinal for a place in the World Cup final. While there will be plenty of fans rooting for Argentina to defend its World Cup crown, given what it will mean for Lionel Messi's legacy, Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House's World Cup taskforce, has admitted he hopes England wins the tournament this summer. FIFA were right to not intervene and disallow England's controversial first goal against Norway with new evidence of several camera angles showing that the spidercam cables were not struck. Norway and goalkeeper Orjan Nyland were adamant that the trajectory of his goal kick was altered which allowed Elliot Anderson to pluck the ball from the sky and feed Anthony Gordon who in turn got the assist for Jude Bellingham's goal. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has suggested U.S. President Donald Trump has been too busy to attend World Cup matches, but confirmed that he will be at the final. Despite playing a huge role in the build-up to this year's tournament, Trump has been nowhere to be seen at matches. While football fever has been sweeping North America amid a thrilling tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Trump has yet to attend a single game. It has been unclear whether he would even attend the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, and so far, the White House has offered no explanation for his conspicuous absence. Argentina will play in blue against England in their World Cup semi-final after their 'special request' was granted. This means the Albiceleste will wear the same colour they wore for their famous victories over the Three Lions in both 1986 and 1998. Lionel Scaloni's side wore their traditional blue and white home kit when they won the 2022 final in Qatar. However, the colours previously brought bad luck against England at the 1966 and 2002 World Cups. According to Argentinian outlet TN, the approval has brought excitement among fans of the reigning world champions. The dark blue away kit has only been worn once in 2026, for the group stage victory over Jordan. Now, FIFA have confirmed the colours for the semi-final. While Argentina have been granted their wish, England will wear all white for the clash. READ MORE: Argentina have 'special request' for World Cup semi-final vs England granted by FIFA Away from the World Cup, fresh odds have come in for Manchester United to finish in the top 4 or win the Premier League next season. United have are hoping to bolster their chances with new signings ahead of the 26/27 season opener. The Reds are reportedly in advanced talks to sign Youri Tielemans, while alos annoucing the signing of Andrey Santos. Betway now has United down 6/1 for winning the Premier League and 5/8 for a top 4 finish. For more betting opportunities with Betway, click here. Slaven Bilić, who previously led Croatia between 2006 and 2012, has been appointed again following the side's exit from the World Cup. Croatia were dumped from the competition after a 2-1 loss to Portugal in the round of 32. Bilić said in a post on the team's social media page: "I have the complete confidence in our players, and it is my responsibility to bring energy, ambition, and determination to ensure that Croatia remains among football’s elite. "I am genuinely happy to start this challenge and I feel fully prepared for it – as a more mature and experienced coach than in 2006, yet with the same motivation and desire to see Croatia stay powerful, bold, and successful." Millions will tune in to the semi final matches on Tuesday and Wednesday to see who progresses to the World Cup final, but what channel are they on? France v Spain will air on ITV1 and ITVX from 8pm on Tuesday UK time. England will face their biggest test against Argentina at 8pm on Wednesday UK time with the match airing on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer. The race for the golden boot is heating up with just four more matches left in this year's World Cup. Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi lead tthe charge with eight goals each. Norway's Erling Haaland netted seven before the side were eliminated by England. Speaking of which, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham sit in joint third place with six goals each. England are still cooling down after their red-hot victory over Norway in Miami on Saturday, and their next stop is Atlanta. Thomas Tuchel's side will play Argentina in a World Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday at the futuristic Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Both teams have experienced playing in Atlanta, with England having beaten DR Congo there in the round of 32 before Argentina overcame Egypt in the last 16. Since their last visit to the state of Georgia, the Three Lions have had to deal with some serious weather concerns. England swapped sunshine for a soak in the rain of Mexico City a week ago, with a thunderstorm forcing kick-off to be delayed by one hour. Then in Miami, the scorching heat and high humidity made beating Norway an even harder task. The Three Lions got through it, however, and have been rewarded with a return to a climate-controlled stadium. With temperatures expected to range between the high 20s and low 30s around the time of kick-off at 3pm local time on Wednesday, the stadium's retractable roof should keep things pleasant for the players and spectators. READ MORE: England vs Argentina weather: Could World Cup semi-final kick-off be delayed? England players were seen relaxing ahead of their crucial match against Argentina on Wednesday. Players were seen playing table tennis, chilling in the pool and getting some fitness in as they aim to wind down before the pressure piles up. England have been sent an alarming warning about referees ‘giving Argentina everything’ at the World Cup. The Three Lions face the reigning World Champions in the semi-final of the tournament in Atlanta on Wednesday night (8pm kick-off). England booked their place in the final four with a 2-1 extra-time win over Norway. Argentina also needed the extra 30 minutes to overcome 10-man Switzerland in their quarter-final, eventually coming out as 3-1 winners. The match saw Switzerland’s Breel Embolo sent off in the second half, after a VAR intervention. Argentina’s Leandro Paredes was initially booked for a foul on Embolo, but the new ‘mistaken identity’ rule came into play, with replays showing that there was no contact. The yellow card was therefore transferred from Paredes to Embolo for simulation. The Swiss striker had already been booked, meaning that he was forced to leave the field. READ MORE: ‘One-sided’ World Cup referees ‘giving Argentina everything’ as England get chilling warning We’ve got just two more days until England’s next World Cup match, which will see them take on Argentina in the semi-finals. But if you’ve not yet snapped up a team football top to show your support, there’s still time to get your hands on one. And even though there are only two more potential games to go before the World Cup is over, if you get your hands on a good jersey, it’ll see you through plenty more football occasions over the years. To make sure your new top arrives before Wednesday’s 8pm kick off, we’ve picked out favourite football tees for both women and men that all offer next day delivery. For something easy and affordable, this relaxed-fit T-shirt from New Look is ideal and is available with next day delivery or click and collect to your nearest store. The tee has an oversized silhouette, with an England flag in a heart-shaped motif on the chest for a more laid back football look. READ MORE: Best England football tops that will arrive in time for the Three Lions’ next World Cup match Micah Richards has revealed he plans to walk away from television punditry within the next eight years. The 38-year-old has become one of football’s most popular broadcasters since hanging up his boots in 2019, winning over viewers with his infectious laugh and natural chemistry with fellow pundits. Richards is now a familiar face across the BBC, Sky Sports and CBS Sports. He also co-hosts the hugely successful The Rest Is Football podcast alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, with Netflix paying a reported £14million sum to stream the show during this summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America. Despite enjoying a highly lucrative second career in broadcasting, Richards insists he has no intention of remaining on television forever and wants to step away while he is still at the top of his game. “I’ll be out of all this by the time I turn 46,” he told The Telegraph. “You won’t see me on any mainstream media beyond the 2034 World Cup. That will be the last time I am on the BBC or Sky or CBS. I’ve told them all this and they think I’m joking. I’m not.” READ MORE: Micah Richards announces plan to quit BBC and Sky Sports