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Fifa president Gianni Infantino says ‘no way’ with idea set to be scrapped

Gianni Infantino has ruled out the introduction of blue cards as part of a sin-bin trial, stating: “It is red card to the blue card.”

Football’s rule-makers are set to approve sin-bin trials, but an idea to use blue cards is likely to be ditched.

It is understood senior figures within the game were taken aback by the proposals of a blue card when it emerged last month.

“This is a topic that is non-existent for us,” Fifa president Infantino said.

Plans of a sin-bin trial are due to be discussed by the International Football Association Board (Ifab) – the game’s rule-making body – at its annual general meeting at Loch Lomond in Scotland on Saturday.

However, Infantino says the blue card plan is a non-starter.

“Fifa is completely opposed to blue cards. I was not aware of this topic, the president of Fifa – and I think Fifa has a say in Ifab. No way,” he said.

“We have to be serious. We are always open to look at ideas and proposals and everything has to be treated with respect of course.

“But once you look at it you also have to protect the essence and tradition of the game. There is no blue card.”

Caution was also expressed at which levels of the game the sin-bin trials might be applied.

Further discussion on the subject will take place at the meeting, although debate is more likely to centre around whether sin-bins should just be issued for dissent and not cynical fouls, which had been thought likely.

The Premier League has already distanced itself from any sin-bin trials with numerous managers, including Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou, saying they were a terrible idea.

BBC Sport has been told the intention is to introduce them at much lower levels, although this will also be clarified at the Ifab meeting.

Discussion around ‘cooling off periods’ will also take place, with a press conference due to take place at around 13:00 GMT.

Infantino is expected in Scotland for the meeting, before going to watch the Scottish Premiership game between St Mirren and Aberdeen in the afternoon.

VAR is part of football’s future

VAR will also be discussed at the AGM, although that will centre around an extension of the current trial of referees confirming what decisions have been reached rather than any in-stadium access to real-time discussions in the VAR Hub.

“It will be difficult in a stadium to hear what is happening in the VAR booth,” said Infantino. “But explanation by referee is an important step in the right direction in explaining to the public and people in the stadium why he took a certain decision.

“VAR isn’t that old. It has made a lot of progress and will make more.”

Asked whether he still believed in the concept, Infantino said: “Very much so. You can’t imagine football anymore without VAR. Nobody can do that.”

Temporary concussion subs is ‘PR’

Infantino also rejected the idea of temporary concussion substitutes, which many feel would be a good way of dealing with head injuries amid concerns some players do not leave the pitch currently.

“We will not introduce temporary concussion subs because, we care about the health of the players and concussion is an important topic for us,” he said.

“We have invested a lot of money, £1.5m, in research. We have an expertise in this area now.

“And medical experts are saying it is simply impossible in a few minutes to be able to determine whether there has been a concussion and if it is serious, or not.

“That’s why, in case of a suspected concussion, the player has to be substituted. If you want to care about the health of the player, the players goes out and another player comes in. That’s the end of it.

“All the rest is not protecting the heads of players, just making some PR announcements.”

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King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”