theSIGNAL SPORT
7 September 2026
"Power is not given; it is either taken or surrendered."
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Sport

Hughes Swaps Anfield for Riyadh

Richard Hughes, the man who hired Arne Slot and watched Liverpool lift the Premier League title, is heading to Saudi Arabia. Al-Hilal, the Riyadh club currently leading the Saudi Pro League, confirmed on Sunday that the 47-year-old Scot has been appointed as their new sporting director. He arrives at a club that has aggressively recruited Premier League talent this summer, adding Gabriel Martinelli, Crysencio Summerville and Ollie Watkins — with Italian tactician Simone Inzaghi directing operations on the touchline. Hughes will not be travelling alone. Two colleagues from Liverpool's recruitment department — Mark Burchill and Craig McKee — are set to follow him to Riyadh, just as they followed him from Bournemouth to Merseyside two years ago.…
  • Should top football executives be free to move to Saudi Arabia like players?
Sport

Alcaraz Storms Into US Open Quarters

Only four matches into his comeback from a wrist injury that wiped out both Wimbledon and the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz dismantled 20th seed Tommy Paul 6-4 6-3 6-4 at the US Open — extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches. No golf on rest days this year; recovery comes first. Ben Shelton, serving at 149mph, awaits.
  • Can an athlete truly peak at a major tournament while managing a serious injury?
"
Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election.
Fifa Spokesperson
Photo: Emilio Garcia / Unsplash
Gianni Infantino faces mounting opposition from major confederations ahead of the 2027 Fifa presidential election.
Sport

Infantino Digs In: The Fight for Football's Throne

Under fire from Europe, Asia and the Americas, Fifa's embattled president refuses to blink ahead of the 2027 election.

The Women's Under-20 World Cup in Poland should have been a moment of celebration for world football's governing body. Instead, on Saturday in Gdańsk, reporters crowded around Gianni Infantino with one question on their minds: are you stepping down? The 56-year-old Swiss said nothing. He walked on.

And then, hours later, Fifa answered for him — loudly and without ambiguity. "Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election," a spokesperson confirmed, making it the clearest signal yet that football's most controversial president is not going anywhere. The backlash against Infantino has been building for weeks, ever since a plan to sell private stakes in Fifa tournaments — including the World Cup itself — was made public and then hastily scrapped. Uefa, which governs European football, has led the calls for his resignation.

The Asian confederation has added its voice. So has Concacaf, the body representing North and Central America and the Caribbean, whose president, Victor Montagliani, is now widely regarded as Infantino's most likely challenger in the March 2027 election. The two men were once close allies; they are allies no longer. Yet Infantino is far from isolated.

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Fifa federations whose votes will decide the election
Discuss
  • Why might Uefa and Concacaf oppose Infantino while Caf and Conmebol support him?
  • What are the risks of allowing private investors to own stakes in major sporting tournaments?
  • Is it fair that a candidate can stand for re-election while under active calls to resign?
  • How much power should regional confederations have over the leadership of a global body like Fifa?
  • Should football fans have any direct say in who leads the organisation that runs the World Cup?
AMERICAS · Sport
Williams sisters exit US Open but excite - what does future hold?
EUROPE · Sport
Taylor crowns career in stylish Croke Park triumph
OCEANIA · Sport
Kyrgios given one-month ban for positive cocaine test
AFRICA · Sport
South Africa finish strongly to take 2-1 series lead against All Blacks
theSIGNAL IN THE LAB
1VOCABULARY
ambiguitybacklash
hastily scrappedisolatedaggressively recruited
dismantledconfederation
2GRAMMAR FOCUS
Reported speech — statements, questions, commands with tense shift
When reporting what someone said, verbs shift back one tense (e.g. 'is' becomes 'was', 'will' becomes 'would'), and pronouns and time references change to match the new context.
would · had · was · were · whether · had been · confirmed
  1. A Fifa spokesperson confirmed that Mr Infantino standing for re-election.
  2. Reporters asked Infantino he was planning to step down.
  3. Uefa announced that it led the calls for Infantino's resignation for several weeks.
  4. Al-Hilal confirmed that Hughes appointed as their new sporting director.
  5. Infantino's office stated that he not going anywhere.
  6. Al-Hilal explained that two of Hughes's colleagues from Liverpool set to follow him to Riyadh.
3IDIOMS
Define each idiom in your own words. Then write one in a sentence of your own.
  1. digs in (headline: 'Infantino Digs In')
  2. without ambiguity ('loudly and without ambiguity')
  3. have time on his side ('he has time on his side')
  4. step forward ('who else is willing to step forward')
  5. on their minds ('with one question on their minds')
4CRITICAL THINKING
Infantino's support comes largely from confederations in Africa, South America, and the Gulf, while opposition is concentrated in Europe and North America. What does this geographic split reveal about who has historically controlled football governance — and who wants that to change?
5CREATIVE · HEADLINES
Write a headline for the top story in each of the following styles. One line each, no explanation:
  • TABLOID NEWSPAPER
  • LUXURY MAGAZINE
  • ACTIVIST BLOG
6WRITING
Richard Hughes helped build one of Europe's most admired recruitment operations at Liverpool, yet chose to leave for Saudi Arabia. Write a short opinion piece arguing whether the movement of elite football talent — players and executives alike — to the Saudi Pro League ultimately strengthens or weakens the global game.
7DEGREES OF EXTREMITY
Complete each ladder from mild to strong. Fill in the missing word or phrase at each level using context from the articles.
  • questioned→→
  • friendly→→
  • concerned→→
  • recruited→→
  • beat→→
  • uncertain→→
8SPEAKING
  1. What does Infantino's silence in Gdańsk reveal about his character?
  2. Could Al-Hilal's recruitment model ever threaten European football's dominance?
  3. Is an 18-match Grand Slam winning streak more impressive after injury?
  4. What does Hughes's move suggest about Saudi football's long-term ambitions?