Brighton expect second Spurs bid for Van Hecke

No outfield player in the Brighton squad played more Premier League minutes last season than Jan Paul van Hecke’s 3,211

Brighton are expecting Tottenham to return with another bid for defender Jan Paul van Hecke after rejecting their initial offer.

Van Hecke, who is part of the Netherlands’ World Cup squad, has a year left on his contract and new Spurs boss Roberto de Zerbi is keen to be reunited with the 25-year-old after working with him at Brighton.

Brighton signed Van Hecke from Eredivisie outfit NAC Breda in 2020 for a relatively modest sum.

He is reported to be valued now by Brighton at £70m.

After loan spells at Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers, the centre-back has gone on to make 131 appearances for Brighton, including 36 starts in the Premier League last term.

Chief executive Paul Barber was placed in charge of outgoing transfers by Brighton in the wake of the unexpected exit of sporting director Jason Ayto, which was confirmed on Wednesday.

Brighton are known for their hard-line bargaining stance having received fees in excess of £50m for Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro in recent years, and also their forward planning.

Given Van Hecke’s contract situation, it is likely Barber and owner Tony Bloom have a contingency in mind if a deal is eventually agreed.

Fans banned from taking water bottles into games

Fans will not be allowed to take reusable water bottles into World Cup stadiums due to safety concerns, Fifa said in a late policy change.

The official stadium code of conduct previously stated: “For the avoidance of doubt, empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles, up to (1 litre in) capacity, may be brought into the stadium.”

But seven days before the tournament kicks off on 11 June, bottles - along with cups, jars and cans - have been prohibited, with Fifa saying it will lower the risk of injury caused by fans throwing missiles.

“Fifa is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers, and staff,” football’s world governing body said in a statement.

Fans will be able to buy water in the stadium and Fifa has promised not to charge above their usual venue prices.

The U-turn follows warnings by scientists that Fifa’s heat safety measures for the tournament are “inadequate”, with temperatures at 14 of the 16 host venues set to exceed dangerous levels.

“Fifa works closely with each host city committee and local authorities on heat mitigation factors for fans travelling to the stadium, which can include resources such as misting stations, fans, hydration stations, cooling tents and more around the stadium footprint,” Fifa’s statement said.

“Inside the stadium footprint, pricing for water bottles for the Fifa World Cup 2026 will remain consistent with other events held at each stadium.”

The change in policy comes amid complaints that fans are being hit by “extortionate” ticket prices and inflated train fares.

Fans were also prevented from taking bottles into stadiums at the last World Cup in Qatar.

The Free Lions England fans’ group called the move a “strange, late change”.

In a statement posted on X, it added: “In all of our discussions, free water availability in stadiums was a key one and we were assured by Fifa that this would be the case and that fans will have the ability to bring their own water bottle.

“Naturally, the immediate thought from supporters is this is just the latest money-grab. For how hot the stadiums will be, many in open air, just let fans bring a bottle if they want to.

“We hope the water fountains in stadiums will still be free, hopefully you aren’t charged in the queue!”

Man City consider legal action after Haaland claim

Manchester City are contemplating taking legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate promised to sign their striker Erling Haaland.

Enrique Riquelme - a renewable energy magnate who is challenging current president Florentino Perez for the position - unveiled a Real Madrid shirt bearing Haaland’s name while on television on Wednesday, saying: “He has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid. If I become president, he will play for Real Madrid.”

A swift denial was issued in a joint statement by Haaland’s father and agent, before City rubbished the suggestion.

“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” the statement read. “There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it.

“We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context.”

Enrique also pledged to sign City midfielder Rodri, adding: “He is a great player, in a position where Madrid need to strengthen.

“We have spoken to his agent. We have to respect his club, but if I’m president he will play for Madrid. I will do everything possible.”

Haaland’s father Alfe Inge and agent Rafaela Pimenta said in their joint statement: “All very entertaining but not true.

“We wish all the best for both candidates in the Real Madrid elections.”

Riquelme has challenged Perez in the election – the first time in 20 years Perez has not stood unopposed – following two seasons in which the club has won no major trophies.

The 37-year-old has run on a campaign of vast giveaways, including a promise to build a members’ city for fans of the club in the area surrounding the training base featuring swimming pools, padel courts and a basketball arena.

He has also suggested reducing the annual membership fee by up to 50% if the team does not win the Champions League next season.

Riquelme also opposes Perez’s decision to hire Jose Mourinho as the club’s manager. That appointment can only be formally confirmed if Perez wins the election.

The team behind Riquelme’s campaign has hinted that former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is their main target for the position.

“My coach is the one Real Madrid fans wants,” he said on Wednesday, without revealing a name.

When asked about Klopp in an interview with The Athletic last month, Riquelme said: “Naturally, I would love for profiles of that calibre, and others like them, to coach this club.”

The Perez campaign has sought to dismiss Riquelme’s strategy of immediately bringing in superstar names as unrealistic.

Rodri, 29, recently said he will resolve his future after the upcoming World Cup.

“When a player is approaching the final stage of his contract, it’s normal for names to be mentioned,” he added.

“I’m very calm, I know exactly where I stand, and I’ll tell you that perhaps if there hadn’t been a World Cup, things might be different now.”

Perez, meanwhile, has pledged to reinvigorate the squad with new signings of his own and to reduce the inter-team disputes which marred the second half of the season after Alvaro Arbeloa replaced the sacked Xabi Alonso as manager.

If he is confirmed as the election winner, the club will confirm the signings of former Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate and Inter full-back Denzel Dumfries, in deals which have already been agreed.

“I always say that in football you don’t always win,” Perez said on Wednesday.

“We haven’t achieved the expected results, but we’ve identified the problems. The team couldn’t have a pre-season due to the Club World Cup, and that hampered us all year.

“We had almost 30 injuries in the first half of the season and that was a decisive factor.

“We’re already working to face the challenges of the new season.”

The campaign has been characterised by repeated attempts from both sides to ridicule the opposition.

The team backing 79-year-old Perez purchased advertising space during Riquelme’s appearance on El Hormiguero - a long-running chat show featuring puppets and novelty variety acts - in which they announced Mourinho as the team’s new manager and called on members to back their candidate.

Real Madrid has been owned by its members throughout its history. The process of electing a president is seen as the most democratic way for its members to have a say in how the club is governed and how its strategy for the future should work.

Just under 100,000 members are eligible to vote in the election, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 7 June.

Each member pays an annual fee of around £130, generating around £10m in income for the club.

The vote was called early by Perez himself, in an attempt secure a renewed mandate following a period of on-field unrest and disapproval in the stands at the Santiago Bernabeu. He is considered the overwhelming favourite to win.

Club legends have come out to support both candidates. Though the majority - including Karim Benzema, Casemiro, and Roberto Carlos - are backing Perez, former captains Iker Casillas and Fernando Hierro have pledged their support for Riquelme.

Perez first became president in 2000, having himself promised to usher in a new era of success by building a team of ‘Galacticos’ comprising new superstar signings.

His pledge to sign Barcelona’s Luis Figo played a crucial role in his victory over incumbent Lorenzo Sanz, who had twice overseen Champions League wins during his tenure, and was followed up by the signings of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Michael Owen in each of the following summers.

Perez resigned in 2006, amid diminishing results for the team, but returned in 2009 when he stood unopposed for the presidency.

What is happening with World Cup ticket prices?

Fifa promised a sold-out World Cup but there are still tickets available for over half the games

Falling prices, fluctuating availability and a lack of clarity. With one week to go until the 2026 World Cup kicks off, many questions remain unanswered about match tickets.

Fifa promised the event would be sold out, but there are thousands of tickets available for sale across several platforms.

BBC Sport has found tickets for matches involving the smaller nations are now available well below face value - across Fifa’s own resale site and secondary marketplaces.

World football’s governing body has itself been accused of dumping inventory it now cannot sell on SeatGeek.

So just how ‘sold out’ are the matches? Will we see a repeat of last summer’s Club World Cup when tickets were sold off at knock-down prices to fill stadiums?

Could the biggest World Cup ever see swathes of empty seats?

When it comes to Fifa and World Cup tickets it might be easier to frame this as what we don’t know.

There has been so much secrecy that it seems impossible to be certain what a fair and reasonable price for a World Cup ticket truly is.

Only last week, the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey officially launched an investigation into Fifa’s ticket practices.

Football’s governing body was subpoenaed to answer allegations of “artificially inflating prices” and “misleading fans”.

The ticket buying process has been like a game of pin the tail on the donkey, one where you do not know how much it costs to play.

According to the subpoena, some fans who were successful and paid for tickets in one price category were ultimately issued tickets of a lower value further away from the pitch.

Even those who won in the ballot did so with the blindfold on - at no stage was a pricing structure published. The astronomical price of tickets only became clear when fans were asked to pay.

Fifa deployed variable pricing, rather than dynamic pricing, which sees prices changed at each sales point based on previous demand.

Fifa’s final, open sales window began in April. At the time it said that more tickets could be released right up to kick off.

But for which matches? When? And at what prices?

Stadium maps were altered and more expensive categories added, of which supporters were unaware.

These were usually in the first few rows and priced about 50% higher than the seats behind them.

They were not made available to fans in the ballot period.

The attorneys general claimed it was all part of a deliberate attempt to withhold information and leave fans guessing about how they could buy tickets.

“Every match is already sold out,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said in February. “We keep some tickets back for some last-minute sales, of course, but every match is sold out.”

Like most things about this World Cup, the reality appears to be different.

Fifa should not have a problem selling out the games featuring the marquee teams - Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany and Spain, to name a few.

We should be able to say the same about the host nations, but Fifa has priced these games so highly that only two of the nine matches featuring Canada, Mexico or the United States are officially sold out.

Even the opening match between Mexico and South Africa still has over 500 seats left on Fifa’s face value site - though they will cost you $2,273 (£1,725) each.

Fifa’s issue is the games featuring countries which do not have wider appeal - matches like Bosnia-Herzegovina v Qatar, Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia and Congo DR v Uzbekistan.

So how many games are truly sold out?

TicketData, an independent site which tracks major sporting events in the United States, has painted an intriguing picture.

It suggests that on Saturday there were close to 74,000 tickets available across 86 of the 104 matches.

This will be only part of the story. There are thousands more on Fifa’s own resale site, genuine availability but at an even higher price - many likely bought to make a profit with no intention of attending the game.

Then something strange seemed to happen.

Within a few hours, TicketData reported that the number of tickets on Fifa’s face value site dropped by more than half to about 32,000. By Tuesday, this had fallen to 22,000 with 66 games on sale.

Had there really been a late flurry of demand for these games?

Fifa has been eager to push fans to its own resale site. And you can imagine why, considering they take 15% from both the buyer and the seller.

On its FAQ page, world football’s governing body says it “strongly encourages you to purchase all types of tickets” through its official platforms.

Fifa also warns that tickets bought via other routes “may be invalid and may be subject to cancellation without notice”.

But on Tuesday, shortly after the inventory on Fifa’s own site fell, the availability on SeatGeek appeared to increase markedly.

Not just random, single seats but batches of seats in rows of specific blocks.

This was highlighted on social media, and within 24 hours the availability on SeatGeek seemed to decrease again.

TicketData says that on Wednesday the number of tickets on Fifa’s own site jumped back up to 37,000.

It is impossible to verify who listed the tickets, and why. Or why the numbers changed on the Fifa site.

As well as SeatGeek, there are thousands of listings on sites such as StubHub and VividSeats.

Anyone can make listings on these external sites, and the tickets themselves might not even exist.

SeatGeek has denied any direct role but this does not mean Fifa, or one of its partners, could not be operating and listing independently.

A statement read: “SeatGeek is a trusted marketplace that gives fans secure access to tickets across tens of thousands of live events, including the World Cup. We do not have a partnership or distribution agreement with Fifa.”

Fifa has been approached for comment but, as has been the case throughout the ticket sales process, no response has been received.

There are other indicators on SeatGeek, too.

Rather than the cost of seats being random, they seem to be set at regular, incremental prices row by row - getting more expensive the closer you get to the front.

Looking at two blocks behind the goal for Uzbekistan v Congo DR, there are 60 listings of multiple tickets priced between $250 (£190) and $296 (£225) across blocks 102 and 103.

When Fifa released its more expensive ‘front’ tickets in April, it sent a clear message that it felt the closer you were to the pitch, the more valuable the ticket was.

The price increases by a few dollars, row by row. All priced well below the face value of $380 (£289).

So either a lot of people are losing a lot of money, or it is a plan to shift inventory.

Regular, incremental pricing row by row on a secondary marketplace could indicate deliberate, structured policy listed by the same company or individual.

So why would Fifa allegedly be trying to sell on these sites?

Fifa is just like any other promoter. The last thing it wants is loads of unoccupied seats - not just for the optics but also because any empty seat means a value of $0.

The figures show that fans are not prepared to pay the high prices for tickets for the less desirable games.

BBC Sport picked out five matches which would expected to see a lower level of demand, and found that tickets in the more desirable lower bowl seats are now well below face value.

Jordan v Algeria in Santa Clara showed the greatest fall.

Two tickets comparable in block 121 with a face value of $620 (£471) could be bought for £171 on Fifa’s own resale site - 64% cheaper.

On SeatGeek, the tickets were listed for £192, and £172 on StubHub.

For the Czech Republic v South Africa, tickets for block 122 with a face value of £342 were below £190 on SeatGeek and StubHub.

This suggests Fifa cannot get the high face value on its own site, leading to the speculation it is trying to sell the tickets elsewhere - without reducing the prices itself.

And, after tickets for Chelsea’s Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras dropped to just £8.17 ($11.15), the prices may still be some way from bottoming out.

Iraola will make Liverpool fans excited again - Murphy

Andoni Iraola is set to be announced as the Liverpool head coach this week - but what is the feeling around the city to his impending arrival?

Liverpool took the decision to part ways with Arne Slot on Saturday and have moved quickly to secure his replacement - reaching a verbal agreement with the Spaniard on Tuesday.

Iraola is set to move to Anfield after an impressive season in which he led Bournemouth to sixth in the Premier League, securing European football for the first time in the club’s history.

But there are some reservations about his lack of ‘big club’ and European experience.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy feels the Reds will be in a much better position next season than they were under Slot.

“I’m quite excited because after watching Bournemouth play, there’s no reason to think he’s not going to try and play the same way - in terms of being courageous and on the front foot and trying to press teams with high energy and play attacking football,” Murphy said.

“When a fanbase becomes disillusioned with a manager and his style of play - and then start turning on him - you’re delaying the inevitable. I do believe Liverpool are better placed now and that’s not all down to Slot.

“Bringing in Iraola was the best option because the fans go into a new campaign with hope and excitement, rather than fear. You do not want to start the season where the players are feeling the anxiety from the outset, and this was the best way for Liverpool to do it.”

Managers have often struggled to make the step up in the Premier League in the past, the most recent example when Thomas Frank joined Tottenham from Brentford.

But will Iraola - who moved to Bournemouth from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano - succeed where others have not?

“I do have a couple of reservations because he’s never managed a club of this size before and he will be a little bit surprised at how intrusive it will be on his life, when you manage Liverpool,” added Murphy, who is a Match of the Day pundit and BBC Sport columnist.

“Even as a player, that changes overnight because it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and everything you do will be scrutinised and talked about, locally and globally.

“The only other reservation is whether he will be able to play high-intensity football every few days because that will require a certain level of fitness - which we saw with Jurgen Klopp’s teams with the flying full-backs, the midfield dynamism and the work-rate of the attackers.

“It’s difficult to see how to create that with what he’s got at the moment so the summer transfer window is huge for Liverpool in that respect. The current squad lacks legs and dynamism and isn’t filled with brilliant players off the ball.”

So is Murphy right? Will Iraola’s appointment bring hope and excitement rather than the fear of another underwhelming campaign?

Slot’s side cantered to a record-equalling 20th league title in his first season in charge, but finished fifth (25 points behind champions Arsenal) in his second.

Peter Bolster - from the Spion Kop podcast - told BBC Radio Merseyside: “I’m very excited and I’m a little bit surprised with how excited I am.

“Large parts of last season I wasn’t excited to watch Liverpool. I wasn’t excited to go to Anfield and I certainly wasn’t excited for pre-season or the start of next season. And whatever happens from this point onwards, I am excited.

“Iraola might be the perfect replacement. We might be sitting in this situation in two years, saying it didn’t really work, but I’m excited with the project and that’s what all fans want to be.”

Following Slot’s departure, Liverpool were keen to make an appointment at the earliest possible opportunity and wanted a manager who fits their preferred playing style, which is to deliver front-foot, aggressive football.

A style more aligned to how they played under former boss Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool fan Ian Walker said: “I have mixed feelings. That awful style of play [under Slot last season] had to be turned around as soon as possible, but the role has proved to be too much for some, both in terms of consistently securing results or in coping with the expectations and pressures of the media and the fanbase.

“I can still see Roy Hodgson tearing at his face on the bench when things weren’t going well. Even Jurgen Klopp - adored by the fans, the players and the club - had to stop after great success and an exciting style of football. Good luck to Iraola.”

The Redmen TV’s Ste Plunkett told BBC Radio Merseyside: “Of the talent pool that was out there and the managers that were available, it seems an obvious fit in terms of what he does with his team and what we really want a Liverpool manager to do with our team.

“I think the construction of the squad last summer - and potentially with the additions we do this year - we have to find a manager for the squad and I very much think we didn’t have that last season.

“You would have liked to have seen [Iraola] have some experience in Europe, but then he’s never really worried about reputation or who he’s playing against.

“That doesn’t seem to bother him, so I think the fact that he’s fresh to all of that, he’ll go into it invigorated and there won’t be a hangover over previous campaigns where things have gone wrong.”