Former FIFA and Premier League referee Keith Hackett gave a positive reaction to West Ham United striker Michail Antonio’s complaints about VAR.
The Lowdown: Antonio’s comments
The Hammers forward took to The Footballer’s Football Podcast last week to shares his frustrations over the awful VAR decision that took place in his side’s clash against Chelsea.
In the dying moments of the game, Maxwel Cornet thought he had struck an equaliser for the Irons after he pounced on a mix-up between Reece James and Edouard Mendy.
Referee Andy Madley was then sent to the monitor by VAR official Jarred Gillet to observe an apparent challenge on the Chelsea goalkeeper by Jarrod Bowen. Consequently, the goal was disallowed.
Taking to the podcast after the incident, Antonio quite bluntly claimed that VAR should be ‘binned’.
The Latest: Hackett’s claim
Whilst Hackett understands Antonio’s frustrations with VAR, he believes the system is here to stay, but the Premier League need to get it right to avoid further mistakes.
Speaking with Football Insider, the former referee said:
“Realistically, is anybody happy with VAR and how it works in England? They can’t be after last weekend.
“As I’ve said before, they have to get it right because they are not helping the game.
“For me, I can understand why clubs and managers and players want to get rid of VAR.
“I think VAR is here to stay. The only way it would change is if the board of directors of the Premier League which is the 20 clubs do something.
“If Steve Parish is able to convince the rest of the Premier League clubs to think they want to dump it.”
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates-2/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
The Verdict: Doesn’t help West Ham
Despite PGMOL’s acceptance that the VAR intervention to disallow West Ham’s goal against Chelsea was wrong, the aftermath of the situation has in no way benefitted the east London club.
The Irons lost the game 2-1, with Cornet’s goal disallowed as the equaliser.
In spite of a rocky start to the Premier League campaign, David Moyes will still be hoping his side can push for a top-six finish – something the Hammers missed out on by two points last season.
The referee’s mistake could have a serious effect on that desire.
Celtic have seemingly only gone from strength to strength during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure thus far, although the Hoops were brought crashing back down to earth on Sunday afternoon, following a dismal 2-0 defeat away at St Mirren.
After an initial slow start to life in the dugout at Parkhead, the 57-year-old has since sparked a real turnaround in fortunes over the past 12 months, having overseen a stunning 38-game unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership.
Almost exactly a year on from their last league loss away to Livingston, that remarkable streak came to an end yesterday in Paisley, with goals from Mark O’Hara and Jonah Ayunga powering Stephen Robinson’s side to a deserved victory.
With it seemingly having been plain sailing in the early weeks of the season for the Old Firm outfit domestically, alarm bells will seemingly be ringing for Postecoglou following that limp display, as his much-changed side struggled to contend with their spirited hosts.
In the aftermath of that loss, the former Yokohama boss accepted responsibility for the performance as a result of his team selection, admitting that he potentially got it “wrong” after making six changes from the side that drew with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League in midweek.
The Greek-Aussie had only recently lauded the strength in depth at his disposal following an impressive window that saw nine major deals completed, although there may well now be concern over the quality of those in reserve as the few handed a rare chance to impress failed to deliver.
Summer arrival Aaron Mooy was one who notably underwhelmed on what was his first league start for the club, having come under fire from club legend Stylian Petrov for failing to track his runner in the build-up to O’Hara’s opener.
Academy graduate Stephen Welsh was another who was unable to take his chance after replacing the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers in the backline, with the defensive unit as a whole having been simply “bullied” by opposition striker, Curtis Main.
While Postecoglou suggested there was no obvious villain on the day as the collective performance was simply lacking, he may well have his eye on a few disappointing stars who have subsequently failed to warrant a more prominent role.
Such a woeful outing should well serve as a warning to the Hoops boss moving forward that he may not be able to rotate his squad quite as freely as he may have hoped, with the Buddies proving to the champions that they won’t get any easy ride in the defence of their title.
Manchester United appear to be planning ahead for the future, with Erik ten Hag keen on adding a youngster to his squad next year who is currently setting the continent alight.
What’s the news?
German journalist Christian Falk has claimed that Bayern Munich are looking to bring Barcelona midfielder Gavi to Germany, although United and Liverpool are also believed to be after the youngster.
The 18-year-old’s contract expires at the end of this season, with the aforementioned trio sniffing around due to his reluctance to sign a new deal, it could be a nervy few months for Blaugrana boss Xavi.
Ten Hag could unearth the next Totti
Gavi has been a revelation since breaking through at Barcelona last season, making 51 appearances in all competitions and contributing two goals and six assists, proving to the world that he is a “wonderkid” (as hailed by journalist Charlotte Coates) and could reach the very top.
He has even been likened to the former AS Roma and Italy forward Francesco Totti by Demetrio Albertini, who said: “Gavi is an exception, he’s Francesco Totti, let’s call him that.
“But in Spain players can come through at second teams, where talent is confronted with experience. A talented player can be seen right away, there he has the courage that when you give him the opportunity, he takes it without fear.”
This is high praise indeed, and the parallels between the two players are very similar. Both made their debuts as shy teenagers for two of the biggest clubs on the continent (Totti got his first-team bow at 16) and Gavi certainly has all the talent in the world to follow in the Italian’s footsteps.
With the European heavyweights of Bayern and United sniffing around, the 18-year-old might not stay a one-club man like Totti, but Barcelona should be doing all that they can to keep him.
His creative guile allowed him to create eight big chances for his team-mates in La Liga last season, while also making 0.6 key passes per match and taking 51.4 touches each game. This shows that, despite his tender age, Gavi has a willingness to constantly get involved with the play and wants to create plenty of chances for his team.
Ten Hag will surely be desperate to add such a gifted player to his squad, especially as he looks to build for the future, and with the way things are going, Gavi looks like he can be the future of world football.
Ainda sem dirigentes no Departamento de Futebol, o Internacional tem duas pessoas analisando o mercado. E entre os nomes avaliados por Ricardo Caco Sobrinho, gerente de mercado e Felipe Dallegrave, diretor de futebol, gestão e jurídico, para o comando técnico da equipe está o argentino Martín Palermo, que fez boa campanha de recuperação no Fortaleza, mas são salvou a equipe cearense do rebaixamento. O Lance! conta o que sabe sobre a situação de Palermo e o Inter.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasInternacionalGigante argentino está de olho em lateral do InternacionalInternacional12/12/2025InternacionalInternacional e meia confirmam renovação de contratoInternacional12/12/2025InternacionalO que o Lance! sabe da situação de Odair Hellmann e o InternacionalInternacional12/12/2025
➡️Tudo sobre o Colorado agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Internacional
De acordo com informações divulgadas pela imprensa cearense, o técnico argentino estaria entre os profissionais observados pelo clube para assumir a equipe na próxima temporada. Segundo a publicação, tanto o Inter quanto o Remo, que garantiu retorno à Série A, realizaram sondagens ao treinador. O Lance! apurou que o nome agrada os gabinetes do Beira-Rio.
A situação de Palermo
Palermo chegou ao Leão em setembro, com a equipe afundada na zona de rebaixamento. Sob sua batuta, o time ensaiou uma campanha de recuperação. Em 17 partidas, o argentino conquistou oito vitórias e quatro empates, atingindo um aproveitamento de 54,9%, desempenho que, isolado, representaria um sétimo lugar no Brasileirão.
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Apesar do descenso, o Fortaleza deseja a permanência do treinador, que construiu carreira vitoriosa como centroavante do Boca Juniors. Para seguir no comando, entretanto, Palermo teria de aceitar uma redução salarial compatível com o orçamento da Série B, negociação ainda não resolvida.
– Por mim, o Palermo fica. De forma bem objetiva. É saber se ele quer ficar para disputar uma Série B – afirmou o CEO do Fortaleza, Marcelo Paz.
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No Beira-Rio, a busca por um treinador passa por outro processo: a reorganização do Departamento de Futebol, que perdeu o vice José Olavo Bisol, o executivo André Mazzuco e o diretor esportivo Andrés D’Alessandro, todos na terça-feira (9).
Tudo sobre
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Prices in phase one of the ticket sales start at INR 100 and LKR 1000
ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2025
Jasprit Bumrah with the trophy after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup•ICC/Getty Images
Tickets for the 2026 T20 World Cup will go on sale at 18.45 IST and Sri Lanka time (13.15 GMT) on December 11, with the tournament slated to begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.Prices for phase one of the ticket sales start at INR 100 (USD 1.1) at some venues in India and LRK 1000 (USD 3.2), the ICC said on Thursday. The dates for phase two of the ticket sales will be announced soon. Tickets can be purchased at tickets.cricketworldcup.com.”Phase I of ticket sales is an important milestone in our journey towards delivering the most accessible and global ICC event ever staged,” ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta said. “Our vision for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is clear: every fan, regardless of background, geography or financial means, should have the chance to access an in-stadia experience of world-class marquee cricket.”With tickets starting from just INR 100 and LKR1000, we are putting affordability at the centre of our strategy. This is about opening the gates wide and inviting millions to be part of a global celebration of cricket, not as spectators from afar, but as active participants in the energy, emotion and magic that only a stadium can offer.”The 2026 T20 World Cup will be contested by 20 teams and comprises 55 matches. The games start at 11am (0530 GMT), 3pm (0930 GMT) and 7pm IST (1330 GMT). The format for the tournament is the same as the previous edition in 2024, where the teams were divided into five groups of four each.The first-round groups are as follows: Group A: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia Group B: Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy Group D: New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE The top two teams from each of the groups progress to a Super Eight phase, where they will be further divided into two groups of four each.The Super Eight groups are as follows, assuming these teams qualify from the first round; if another team qualifies, they will take the place of the team from their group that failed to make it: Super Eight Group 1: X1 (India), X2 (Australia), X3 (West Indies), X4 (South Africa) Super Eight Group 2: Y1 (England), Y2 (New Zealand), Y3 (Pakistan), Y4 (Sri Lanka) Each team will play the other three in their Super Eight group, with the top two from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The two semi-finals are in Kolkata – or Colombo if Pakistan qualify – on March 4, and Mumbai on March 5. The final of the tournament will be played in Ahmedabad on March 8 – if Pakistan qualify, it will be held in Colombo..
World Cup-winning opener last featured in the format in Bob Willis Trophy in 2020
ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-2025
Jason Roy hasn’t featured in red-ball cricket since 2020•Getty Images
Jason Roy, England’s World Cup-winning opener, has made a surprise comeback to red-ball cricket, after being named in Surrey’s XI to take on Warwickshire in the County Championship at Edgbaston*.Roy, 34, averages 36.46 in 87 previous red-ball matches in the course of his career, with nine centuries including a best of 143 against Lancashire in 2015. However, he has not played the format since making scores of 4 and 14 in a one-off Bob Willis Trophy appearance for Surrey against Hampshire in the Covid-hit summer of 2020.That, in turn, was Roy’s first and last outing since his short-lived England Test career in the summer of 2019. Fresh from his starring role in that summer’s World Cup victory, Roy was picked to open the batting in five Tests against Ireland and Australia. However, his hard-handed technique was found out by Australia’s seamers in particular, and despite moving into the middle-order for his final appearance at Old Trafford, he was dropped ahead of the series decider after averaging 13.75 in eight innings.His return to the format comes with Surrey looking to fill the gap created by the absence of the club’s ECB-contracted batters, Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith, who are rested for this fixture alongside Gus Atkinson ahead of the impending Test against Zimbabwe later this month.Roy’s availability also reflects his declining stock on the global T20 circuit. Despite being one of the pivotal figures of England’s white-ball revolution from 2015 onwards, Roy was the notable omission from the team’s World Cup defence in India in 2023, and was overlooked for this year’s IPL after withdrawing for personal reasons on three occasions in 2020, 2022 and 2024. With his final 50-over match for England coming in Bangladesh in March 2023, it is now more than two years since he played anything longer than a 20-over innings.Surrey, the three-times County Champions, are currently third in the Division One table – one place behind Warwickshire and ten points adrift of table-topping Nottinghamshire. However, they found their form in the last round with a three-day victory over Somerset at the Kia Oval. Their prospects have been boosted by the arrival of their overseas players Nathan Smith and Kurtis Patterson, while Tom Lawes also returns for the first time this season.May 9, 11am GMT – This story was updated with confirmation of Surrey’s XI
It’s advantage Arsenal in the Premier League title race after Liverpool’s recent slips and former player Jack Wilshere believes that one player will be the “key” for Mikel Arteta.
Arteta provides latest Odegaard injury update
On a day that saw the Gunners go top of the Premier League, it wasn’t an afternoon without one frustrating moment.
Yet again, captain Martin Odegaard was forced to depart in the first-half after picking up another injury concern. The Norwegian has already had a stop-start opening to the current campaign and could now be set for another spell on the sidelines.
Providing an update on Odegaard’s injury, Arteta told reporters in his post-match reaction: “With Martin it was a clash knee to knee. It’s not looking very positive at the moment.”
The Spaniard was also forced to provide an update on Declan Rice, who asked to come off after discomfort in his back. The Arsenal boss said: “With Declan he was struggling with back pain and he asked me to come off. Let’s see what the doctor says now and what is best for him.”
Unlucky Arsenal star is very quickly becoming the new Jack Wilshere
The new Jack Wilshere may have emerged for Arsenal.
ByMatt Dawson Oct 5, 2025
In truth, despite sitting top of the Premier League and in excellent form, the international break comes at a good time for the Gunners. It provides them with the perfect opportunity to ensure that Rice is fully fit and Odegaard finally recovers from recent injury woes.
Alas, even if they’re left with no choice but to go on without those two, Wilshere believes that it’s another player who’s going to be “key” to Arsenal’s title hopes.
Wilshere: Timber the "key" for Arsenal
For all of Bukayo Saka’s excellent work and the solid partnership between Gabriel and William Saliba, it is another star who stands out for Wilshere. According to the former midfielder, Jurrien Timber is the “key” to Arsenal’s title hopes after making such an impressive start to the current campaign.
Wilshere’s praise is certainly justified, too. Timber has been a revelation ever since returning from injury at Arsenal and the West Ham game was no different. The Dutchman had six touches in the West Ham box, wasn’t dispossessed once and made six tackles in another complete performance from the versatile fullback.
As time goes on, the £90,000-a-week star looks more and more important for Arteta and Arsenal as they look to build on their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Com um golaço no jogo de ida e outro na partida de volta, Samuel Xavier foi o principal nome do Fluminense nas oitavas de final da Libertadores. Nesta terça-feira, o Tricolor venceu o Argentinos Juniors no Maracanã por 2 a 0 e avançou de fase na competição sul-americana. Autor de um dos gols, o camisa 2 vive, aos 33 anos de idade, o seu momento mais artilheiro da carreira.
Desde que chegou às Laranjeiras, no início de 2021, Samuel já estufou as redes adversárias seis vezes. Em 2023, já são quatro tentos anotados em somente 37 jogos disputados. Com uma média superior a um gol a cada 10 partidas, Xavier supera os números alcançados em 2014, pelo Ceará, quando também marcou em quatro oportunidades. Naquele ano, porém, o jogador entrou em campo 62 vezes, 25 a mais do que na atual temporada.
A mudança ocorreu principalmente após a chegada de Fernando Diniz ao clube, em 2022. Em seu primeiro ano de Fluminense, sem o treinador, Samuel Xavier disputou 45 jogos, não marcou nenhuma vez e deu somente uma assistência. Já com Diniz, são 77 atuações, seis gols marcados e cinco passes para seus companheiros anotarem, tendo uma média de uma participação direta em gol a cada 11 confrontos disputados.
SAMUEL XAVIER EM 2023
37 jogos 3170 minutos em campo 4 gols 3 assistências 7 cartões amarelos 1 cartão vermelho
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Celtic supporters may not have been very pleased with how the summer transfer window ended, but there was plenty of promising work done by the club up to when they signed Kelechi Iheanacho.
Some fans decided to boycott the opening 12 minutes of the 2-1 win over Kilmarnock last weekend. Podcaster John Dykes claimed that it was partly down to the lack of quality recruitment work and the club’s failure to qualify for the league phase of the Champions League.
Despite the concerns of the fanbase, Celtic were still able to muster up three points in their Scottish Premiership clash, thanks to a 96th-minute penalty from one of their new signings, Iheanacho.
The Nigeria international, who joined on a free transfer the day after the summer window officially slammed shut, was the 11th first-team signing made after the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Brendan Rodgers and the recruitment team will be hoping that supporters will look at the window a little more favourably by the end of the season, if the players brought in kick on and deliver high-quality performances.
The concern, though, will be if they fail to really kick on and prove their worth on a consistent basis, as has been the case for winger Hyun-jun Yang.
Why Hyun-jun Yang is in an awkward position at Celtic
The South Korea international was signed from Gangwon FC for a fee of £2m in the summer of 2023 to bolster Rodgers’ options on both flanks in his first season back in Scotland.
Unfortunately, Yang has been unable to establish himself as a regular starter for the Scottish giants on the wing. He currently finds himself in an awkward position where he does not seem to be fully trusted by the manager.
In fact, the forward was reportedly close to a move to English Championship side Birmingham City on deadline day, only for the Blues to pull out of a deal because they were unwilling to wait for Celtic to finalise their own move for Sebastian Tounekti.
The Hoops, of course, signed Tounekti from Hammarby late on deadline day, but the timing of that move meant that they brought the Tunisia international in and Yang had to remain at Parkhead.
This has left the 23-year-old winger in a position where he knows that the club and Rodgers were willing to let him move on in the summer, yet he now has to stay until at least January.
25/26 Premiership
Hyun-jun Yang
Appearances
3
Starts
2
Unused substitute
2
Goals
0
Key passes per game
0.3
Big chances created
1
Assists
0
Dribbles completed per game
0.3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Yang has already been an unused substitute in two of the opening five Premiership matches, failing to provide a goal or an assist in the three games he has featured in.
Ultimately, the South Korean attacker has never shown real consistency in his end product in the final third, with seven goals and nine assists in 71 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
Yang has shown signs of improvement during his time at the club, progressing from one league goal in the 2023/24 campaign to five league goals last season. However, it has not been enough for him to establish himself as a star in Glasgow.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
It is incredibly early on in his Parkhead career, but summer signing Michel-Ange Balikwisha needs to ensure that he does not end up becoming the next Yang for Celtic on the wing.
Why Balikwisha could be the next Yang for Celtic
The Hoops swooped to sign the Belgian forward from Royal Antwerp for a fee of £5m during the summer transfer window to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.
Balikwisha, like Yang, is a versatile winger who can play on the left or the right flank. He also showed some promise in the final third with his performances for his former club.
The 24-year-old flanker scored four goals and created seven ‘big chances’ in 12 starts in the Pro League for Royal Antwerp in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, which shows that he offered quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals in Belgium.
This is why Balikwisha, as Yang was when he arrived from Gangwon, is an exciting addition to the squad. However, he has yet to show any real drive at the top end of the pitch after two flat performances in the Premiership.
The right-footed winger has been thrown in at the deep end with starts against Rangers and Kilmarnock, playing on the left wing in the former and on the right in the latter, but failed to impress in either outing.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha
Vs Rangers
Vs Kilmarnock
Minutes
65
58
Shots
0
0
Key passes
0
1
Big chances created
0
0
Dribbles completed
0/0
0/1
Crosses completed
0/1
1/2
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha did not register a single shot on goal and only attempted one dribble, which he failed to complete, in over two hours of football in his first two appearances for the Scottish giants.
Motherwell midfielder Andy Halliday has been unimpressed with the winger. The experienced Premiership player said: “I think Balikwisha has started really, really slowly. I’ve never seen a winger turn down one versus one opportunities so much.
“It was exactly what I seen against Rangers and I thought it was the exact same at Kilmarnock at the weekend. I think he’s too passive in terms of getting the ball in one v one situations, turning and passing it back.”
You could put it down to the fact that he is settling into life at Celtic and may have been nervous to really attack those two games, but fellow new signing Tounekti stepped in for his debut against Kilmarnock and delivered four chances created and five dribbles completed, per Sofascore.
As Halliday put it, Balikwisha was too passive in both games and that is a worrying sign because that has been one of Yang’s biggest problems during his time at Celtic, averaging just 0.7 completed dribbles and 0.4 shots on target per game in the Premiership last season, per Sofascore.
The South Korea international’s Parkhead career reached a point where the club were willing to let him join Birmingham, in part because he has failed to asert himself on the pitch to be a consistent performer in the final third.
Worth more than Tounekti: Celtic are brewing the new Reo Hatate at Parkhead
Celtic have a brilliant midfield star who could be the club’s next Reo Hatate in the middle of the park.
ByDan Emery Sep 16, 2025
Hopefully, Balikwisha’s first two appearances for the Hoops are not a sign of things to come, because he will need to offer far more at the top end of the pitch week-in-week-out to avoid becoming the next Yang in Glasgow.
Josh Hazlewood sat the RCB vs CSK game out, and missed a chance to earn the Purple Cap back from Prasidh Krishna
ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-20253:50
Why have spinners been better than fast bowlers this season?
Orange Cap tableIt didn’t take Virat Kohli long. After B Sai Sudharsan, the Gujarat Titans (GT) opener, won it back from Kohli on Friday, Kohli snatched it right back when he scored 62 in 33 balls for RCB against CSK at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Not much between them, though, Kohli is on 505 runs from 11 innings, while Sai Sudharsan is one run behind, from one fewer innings.The line-up below them remains unchanged: Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai Indians, 475 runs), Jos Buttler (GT, 470 runs), Shubman Gill (GT, 465 runs), Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals, 439 runs) and Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants, 404 runs).Now, while Kohli is the top run-getter, RCB’s next most prolific run-scorer is Devdutt Padikkal with just 247 runs, down at No. 26.Purple Cap tableJosh Hazlewood didn’t play the game against CSK, and that means he remains one wicket behind table-topper Prasidh Krishna of GT. Prasidh has 19 wickets from ten games, while Hazlewood has 18 from ten.Khaleel Ahmed’s wicketless – and very expensive – outing meant he remained at 14 wickets for the season, but his team-mate Noor Ahmad got back on level terms with MI’s Trent Boult at 16 wickets to be joint-third. Krunal Pandya picked up one wicket for RCB against CSK, and that took him to 14, the same as Khaleel as well as GT’s Mohammed Siraj and Delhi Capitals’ Mitchell Starc.You can also take a look at what ESPNcricinfo MVP table looks like at this stage.Here are some other IPL 2025 tables.Highest batting strike ratesBest bowling economy ratesMost sixesBest bowling figures in a match