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FIFA news: England captain accuses media of "creating division"
SEN • July 15th, 2026 12:19 pm
- England v Argentina Thursday Juley 16, 5am AEST
World Cup daily news. We will bring you the latest from around the world as the FIFA World Cup 2026™ finally gets under way (All times AEST).
England captain Harry Kane has hit out at broadcasters and media for trying to create tensions and rifts within the squad following his side's victory over Norway in the quarter-finals.
After securing a semi-final showdown against Argentina, Thomas Tuchel said he was disappointed by his side's performance and they were lacking in all areas.
His negative stance and criticism of his side were in stark contrast to Jude Bellingham's assessment of the match.
Asked about Tuchel's suggestion England were "lucky" to reach the final four, Bellingham said" “Whatever. It’s difficult out there, it’s a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players who are out there, putting in a great shift out there."
Bellingham later told Sky Sports: “Maybe he (Tuchel) doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa, Sorloth... They’re not an easy team to play against.”
Kane told the BBC that the the line of questioning and squaring off of player and manager was unfair on all parties.
“When you are playing a game like that and to be asked a question five minutes after the final whistle, and he Bellingham) didn’t really know what the manager has said, what do you want Jude to say?
“We had just been through a battle. It was really tough out there.
“It is easy to try and create this division – it seems like an English mentality, an English thing to do at these major tournaments.
“But it is the complete opposite. The group is where we are because of our togetherness – not just the players, the coach and the staff.
“Things sometimes get made out to be more than they are.”
England play Argentina at 5am AEST Thursday morning for a place in the final against Spain.
HALF-TIME FARCE
World Cup fans with a ticket to the final have been told to arrive four hours before kick-off amid speculation the event will have plenty of surprises in store.
Broadcasters and players plus coaches are bracing for chaos amid speculation FIFA has a 30-minute half-time show planned - double the regular interval length.
The rules of the game stipulate that the break cannot exceed 15 minutes but FIFA has already broken this at the Club World Cup last year.
Justin Bieber, Shakira, Madonna, BTS, Burna Boy and Gustavo Dudamel are among the names set to headline the show which is being directed by Chris Maretin of Coldplay.
Robbie Williams will also be involved in a 90 minute pre-match closing ceremony along with Tom Cruise.
Taking everything into account, the entire match could go more than three hours if penalties is how things are decided.
OFFICIAL COMPLAINT AGAINST INFANTINO
A complaint over political neutrality regulations being breached by Gianni Infantino and FIFA at the World Cup has been officially submitted to the International Olympic Committee, according to reports.
The UK Times claims that Human rights Campaign Group Fairsquare has called on the IOC to investigate Infantino and the Folarin Balogun red card scandal that erupted in the knock out stages of the tournament.
Infantino is an IOC member.
There was fury from around the globe after Balogun’s red card ban was suspended following a series of phone calls from the White House and Donald Trump calling for a review.
The one-match ban was subsequently delayed and the USA star was given the green light to play against Belgium in the round of 16.
The latest breach allegation claim: “Gianni Infantino has repeatedly breached the IOC’s rules on political neutrality by offering his political support for the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
“The evidence suggests that Mr Infantino has committed five clear breaches of IOC rules on political neutrality through statements or other clear expressions of support for the US President.”
Balogun has also broken his silence on the furore saying he knew the saga that it would create.
“My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team,” Balogun said on CBS. “But when I started to reflect I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see with my team-mates a bit of nerves because it was something that was so unique.
“The closer we got to the (Belgium) game I just tried to focus as best I could — but it was difficult, there was a lot of outside noise and that’s difficult to avoid.
“I was in shock, it wasn’t even a tackle. I just had to accept the decision and just be there for my team. For sure, when something is not intentional it should never be a red card, it was just an unfortunate situation.”
