The FIFA World Cup 2026 may have been branded as the ‘biggest’ of them all with 48 teams and a whopping 104 matches, but all are certainly not welcome. The rigid US visa rules — which saw a leading African referee on the panel being the latest to be denied entry — and the controversy over ticket distribution and pricing has left thousands of fans bitterly disappointed.

Close on the heels of the Iranian football team’s complaint of delays in receiving visas while its support staff, including the Iranian Football Federation chief, were denied entry came the news that FIFA had to drop Omar Artan — set to be the first Somalian referee in the showpiece — from the officials’ list.  Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.

In another shocking development, Iran complained on Tuesday, 9 June that FIFA has now revoked the country's share of tickets for travelling fans, which means Iranian fans cannot be present at the venues. FIFA regulations state that each federation involved in the World Cup receives 8 per cent of tickets for each of their matches to distribute to supporters.

The Iran football federation added that it had already begun selling tickets but can no longer provide them to fans, some of whom have already made travel arrangements. ''Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit of governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries," the statement said.

Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) men’s referee of the year, was barred from entering the country at Miami International Airport and is currently in Turkey. A helpless FIFA gave in after speaking to US authorities as their statement read: ‘’FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.’

‘’FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present. In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.’’

Speaking in a statement to Reuters, Artan said despite the circumstances he was in a positive mood and focused on the next challenge. ‘’I would like to thank FIFA and CAF for all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future,’’ he said. ‘’I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best success during the World Cup and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions.’’

The world governing body has so far betrayed a weak-kneed attitude in terms of earning any kind of bandwidth from the US, leading many to question the logic of them wooing Trump with a peace award last December. FIFA’s greed to maximise profits from ticket sales — despite expanding the event by 16 teams at one go as well as the number of matches — has also faced a heavy flak as they introduced ‘variable pricing’ for the first time, whereby prices can fluctuate based on real or perceived demand.

Between October 2025 — when they threw open the ticket window — and April, FIFA hiked prices in at least one ticket category for 95 of the World Cup’s 104 matches: the average increase being 35 per cent. Media reports say that a Category 1 ticket to the final now costs $10,990, up from $6,730 back in October. Group-stage prices ranged from $140 in Category 3 for less important games to $890 in Category 1 (Colombia vs Portugal) and nearly $3,000 for the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa. 

Ticket prices, as of April, were more than twice that of equivalent tickets in Qatar 2022. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino had, on his part, justified the prohibitive pricing by calling the US a very special market when ‘’no one complains’’ about ticket prices “when you go to a concert or an NFL game”.

The huge backlash from fans worldwide has led FIFA to a damage control measure of alloting $60 tickets for around 1,000 supporters per match. This is, of course, a drop in the ocean as many were still left staring at prices far beyond any they’d ever seen — while FIFA continued to defend its pricing as a reflection of “existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events” in North America.

The run-up to World Cups has often not been smooth — be it reports of human rights abuse in Qatar in 2022 or public outrage about extravagance on the eve of Rio 2014. However, when the 'Big Brother' hosts an event of this magnitude, one expects better.

A berth in the FIFA World Cup may continue to be a pipe dream for India, but news of four Indian-origin players being part of different teams in the upcoming edition in North Americas hasˀ created a stir on social media.  Tahsin Mohammed, Nishan Velupillay, Sarpreet Singh and Samuel Moutoussamy are set to emulate French midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo, who appeared in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Tahsin, born to Malayali parents in Doha, will represent 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, Nishan is part of the Socceroos, Sarpreet represents the Kiwis while Samuel dons the colours of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lauding the feat of 20-year-old Tahsin and Nishan, Congress MP Dr Shashi Tharoor posted on social media: ‘’A historic moment for Indian football fans! As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, we will have two players of Indian heritage gracing the global stage. 19-year-old winger Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid makes history as the first player of Indian origin selected for the Qatar national team, carrying the immense pride of his family roots in Kannur, Kerala.

‘’Meanwhile, Australia’s 26-man squad features Melbourne Victory’s dynamic 25-year-old winger Nishan Velupillay, whose origins are in Tamil Nadu. Seeing the global Indian diaspora make its mark on football’s grandest platform is an absolute joy. Best of luck to both young men as they head to North America!’’

Tahsin Mohammed: Tahsin, the youngest of the lot who turns 20 on 16 June, was born in Doha to Malayali parents who moved to Qatar from Kannur in 2006. He honed his footballing skills at the Aspire Academy in Doha, becoming the first Indian-origin player to feature in the Qatar Stars League, the top-tier competition of the country. He currently plays for Al Duhail SC.

A winger, Tahsin made his international debut against Afghanistan in 2024 during the Asian qualifiers group match of the 2026 World Cup. That group also included India, then coached by Igor Stimac, and Tahsin was on the bench when Qatar beat India 2-1 via a controversial goal in Doha in June 2024.

Nishan Velupillay: Born in Melbourne to an Anglo-Indian mother and a Malaysian father of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, the 25-year-old winger Nishan is one of 17 players in the Socceroos’ 26-member squad who will be making their FIFA World Cup debut. He plays for Melbourne Victory in the Australia top-tier A-League.

He made his Australia debut in October 2024 during the 2026 World Cup qualification round, scoring in his maiden appearance as a substitute against China. Since then, Nishan has gone on to collect seven more senior caps for Australia. He has scored thrice — all his goals coming in World Cup qualifiers.

He grew up in Melbourne and attended Mazenod College in Mulgrave. He began his football journey in the youth ranks at Glen Eira FC and worked his way into the Melbourne Victory academy.

Sarpreet Singh: Sarpreet, meanwhile, even played in India during the Intercontinental Cup in 2018 in Mumbai, taking the pitch against the likes of Sunil Chhetri after making his New Zealand debut earlier that year. He was part of an Under-23 development side and provided both the assists in New Zealand’s 2–1 win against India. India won the title while NZ finished third in the four-nation tournament.

A year later, Sarpreet became the first player of Indian descent to play in Bundesliga when he made his debut for Bayern Munich. He joined the club from Australian A-League side Wellington Phoenix and came on as a substitute against Werder Bremen. Initially, the 27-year-old attacking midfielder was with Bayern’s reserve team in the third division, but his impressive performances earned him a first team debut under then-manager Hansi Flick.

Sarpreet made his first senior start for Bayern Munich on 20 June 2020 against SC Freiburg. He was part of the squad that won the Bundesliga title in the 2019–20 season.

After his stint in Germany, Sarpreet was with Uniao de Leiria in Portugal for one season before moving to Serbian SuperLiga side FK TSC in 2025. Incidentally, the 27-year-old also played for New Zealand in the 2017 and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cups.

Samuel Moutoussamy: Samuel was born in France to a Congolese mother and Indo-Guadeloupean father of Tamil origin. Indo-Guadeloupeans are mostly descendants of indentured workers who came mostly from south India in the late 19th century.

The 29-year-old midfielder is an experienced campaigner as he is currently playing for Greek Super League club Atromitos and has earned 57 DR Congo senior national team caps after making his debut in 2019. He earlier played for FC Nantes in France and the Turkish side Ozbelsan Sivasspor.

With PTI inputs 

The FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday night saw geopolitics rearing it’s head when the Palestine and Israel football officials did not shake hands despite an effort from Gianni Infantino to bring them together on stage. It sparked off an awkward moment in full gaze of the delegates at the Vancouver Convention Centre while the Iranian officials’ absence for the conclave was also brought up during their roll call.   

 Palestine Football Association (PFA) President Jibril Rajoub refused to shake hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman, the vice president of Israel’s national football governing body, despite Infantino’s appeal. Both addressed the Congress but when the FIFA boss tried to orchestrate a handshake between the two, Rajoub moved away from Suliman – protested loudly away from microphones before walking away from the stage.

 “President Rajoub, Vice President Suliman, let’s work together. Let’s work together to give hope to the children. Let’s work together for that,” Infantino said on a night he also confirmed that he would be running for re-election.

Rajoub, on his part, urged FIFA to address the Palestine Football Association’s allegations that Israel has breached anti-discrimination regulation by allowing clubs based in the West Bank settlements. He also said that PFA had knocked on the doors of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after FIFA ruled in March not to suspend Israel over its West Bank clubs.

The PFA official also questioned whether Israel has “the right to even be part of FIFA. “From my side, I still respect and follow all the legal procedures through FIFA institutions but I think it’s time to understand that Israel should be sanctioned because of the violations of the statutes of FIFA, the human rights,” he said.

Meanwhile, Yariv Teper, acting general secretary of the Israel Football Association, said that they were willing to work with the Palestinian counterparts. “We are in the FIFA Congress,” Teper said. “Our mission is to promote football and a better future for all regions, and this is our mission.”

Earlier in the day, Infantino opened his remarks by addressing the absence of the Iranian delegation. “Let me start at the outset confirming straight away for those who maybe want to say something else, or write something else, that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026,” he said.

“And of course Iran will play in the United States of America. The reason for that is very simple, dear friends. It’s because we have to unite. We have to bring people together.”

Iranian soccer federation president Mehdi Taj and other officials had arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport on Tuesday night but were denied entry into Canada. Taj had previously served as a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which Canada listed as a terrorist entity in June, 2024.

Commenting on the row, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said it was her understanding that the Iranian delegation had received permission to enter Canada but it was then revoked. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not respond to questions about reports that Taj had been issued a temporary resident permit, which allows foreign nationals who are otherwise inadmissible to Canada to enter the country temporarily if there is a ‘compelling’ reason.

The wait was worth it for Alexander Zverev, who finally captured his first Grand Slam title at the French Open after two near misses and three appearances in major finals over the years. There will be no shortage of critics pointing to the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic as factors that eased his path. However, his five-set final against Italy's Flavio Cobolli had all the ingredients of a Roland Garros classic.

 “If anyone asks me who deserves this title, I would say you,” Cobolli told Zverev after the duel – and it was not just a manner of speaking. What has often gone under the radar is that Zverev had been a child diabetic from the age of four – Type 1 – and even the final in Paris saw him taking a timeout to check his blood sugar and inject an insulin before returning to action.

He is not the first elite sportsperson to battle the silent killer with controlled diet and fitness regimen, with former Pakistan cricketing great Wasim Akram being the most famous name in Indian sub-continent to cope with it ever since he was only 31.  Football has seen the likes of Nacho Fernandez, a Spanish international and stalwart Real Madrid defender who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 12. Nacho, in fact, became the first player with the condition to score in a FIFA World Cup.

 Much like Akram, Zverev had been a crusader against diabetes and created a foundation to help the cause of children diagnosed with diabetes. He also joined hands with Medtronic Diabetes as their global ambassador to the champion the ‘Life without Limits’ campaign. In a signed article for Medtronic, Zverev had once said: “Becoming a professional tennis player was always my dream. Early on, I was told that competing at the highest level with diabetes was impossible — but my family and I refused to accept that. That’s why I’m partnering with Medtronic Diabetes: I want every person with diabetes to feel empowered to live the life they want.”

  In 2022, Zverev teamed up with his brother Mischa and parents, Irina and Alexander Zverev Sr., to launch the Alexander Zverev Foundation, which supports children with type 1 diabetes around the world. Zverev’s brother and parents have also played professional tennis. “Olympic champion and two-time ATP world champion Alexander Zverev launched the Alexander Zverev Foundation in 2022, based in his hometown of Hamburg. He is supported by his brother Mischa and his parents Irina and Alexandr Zverev. The foundation is mainly committed to children with type 1 diabetes. Among other things, the life-saving insulin and other essential drugs are provided – also in developing countries.”

The French Open crown was nothing short of redemption for Zverev, for long being termed as the nearly man in tennis. In the 2024 final against Alcaraz, he squandered 2-1 sets lead while back in 2020 US Open final, he famously blew a two-set lead to Dominic Thiem to eventually lose in a deciding tie-break. However, nothing could possibly match his heartbreak of the 2022 French Open semi-final when Zverev had to retire mid-match against Rafael Nadal after suffering a freak ankle injury.

Kane Williamson, former New Zealand captain and one of the most beloved figures in contemporary cricket, dropped a bombshell when he announced his retirement from all international cricket on Friday, with immediate effect. This means he will not be available for the two remaining Tests against England in the ongoing series, with the Kiwis losing the first one at Lord’s by 115

'I’ve always felt a strong drive and hunger for international cricket and I take pride in knowing I’ve given it my all in every match I’ve played for New Zealand,' the 35-year-old Williamson said in a statement. 'Continuing with anything less wouldn’t be right and I feel fortunate to step away on my own terms. I leave feeling optimistic about where this group is heading. There’s a huge amount of talent, and a real desire to do something special with this New Zealand team.'

There is no denying the fact that Williamson, the country’s highest ever international run-getter across all formats with 19,346 runs, had not been in the best of form in recent years, with injuries also robbing him valuable game-time. He is hence the first of the Fab Four ot batters of this generation comprising Virat Kohli, Williamson, Steve Smith and Joe Root to call time from all formats as Kohli is still in the mix for ODIs.

The graceful batter made his debut in the longest format against India in November 2010 in Ahmedabad and played 110 Tests in all, scoring 9,515 runs at an average of 54.06. He is New Zealand’s all-time leading international rungetter with 19,346 runs, including 48 centuries and six double-centuries across all formats.

Williamson led the Kiwis as captain across formats between 2016 and 2024, leading the Test side for 40 matches and guided them to the title in the 2021 World Test Championship — beating India in the final. He won 22 Tests, and scored 11 hundreds as captain before stepping down from the role in 2022. His list of accolades includes being named the ICC Cricketer of 2015 and Test player of 2019, while winning the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal on a record four occasions.

Kiwi coach Rob Walter said in a tribute: “Anyone who’s had the privilege of working with Kane understands he is a very special player and person. Kane’s always put the team first and although we’re disappointed to see him go, we’re happy to know he’s content and at peace with his decision. He’s an incredible player, awesome teammate, a wonderful leader and a fantastic ambassador for our sport.”

India's 'Blue Tigers', whose last international fixture was a dead rubber in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier in March, have returned to English soil after 24 years — this time for a four-nation Unity Cup at The Valley, London. Later tonight, they take on Jamaica for the semi-final while the other teams in the fray are Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

The last time the senior Indian men’s team played on English soil was in 2002, also against Jamaica, when the sides met twice in friendly matches in Watford and Wolverhampton. This time around, the invitation tournament offers the team guided by Khalid Jamil a unique opportunity to test themselves against higher-ranked opposition from the opposite ends of the globe.

The winners of the semi-finals will advance to the final on 30 May while the remaining teams will contest the third-place play-off on the same day. ‘’We have selected players who performed well in the ISL. Based on that, we will continue to build the team and whoever performs well gets selected,” the head coach said. 

The Blue Tigers arrived in London on Sunday with 17 players after the withdrawal of Mohun Bagan SG players. Goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari joined a day later while Jamil has also called up midfielder Macarton Nickson and defender Nikhil Barla, who reached the camp on Tuesday.

Forward Edmund Lalrindika, a member of the ISL champions East Bengal, felt that the tournament represents both exposure and an important benchmark for the team’s progress. “This is a very good exposure for us and a great experience. It is an opportunity to test ourselves against higher-ranked teams. We will try our best to get positive results,’’ said Lalrindika.

The 27-year-old also called on the Indian expats to rally behind the team in London. “To all the Indian fans, I hope they come in big numbers and support us,” he said. 

Currently ranked 136th in the FIFA chart, India enter the contest as underdogs against a 71st-ranked Jamaica side that came within a game of qualifying for the upcoming World Cup. The Reggae Boyz lost to DR Congo in the qualifying play-offs in March.

“It is very good for us to be here and play in this tournament,’’ said Jamil, before adding:  ‘’Jamaica are definitely a stronger team, but we will try our best to do well. It is important for us to make a good start. We are focused on the opening match. Then we will think about the next game. We want to go step by step,’’ said Jamil.

Jamaica, however, have arrived with one of the youngest squads in the competition, carrying an average age of 22.8 years. Some experienced names in the Jamaican squad include captain and defender Damion Lowe, right-back Dexter Lembikisa, defender Joel Latibeaudiere, a member of the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup in India in England colours and midfielder Isaac Hayden.

The Norway Chess 2026 title will remain a major signpost in R. Praggnanandhaa’s short but stellar career. Not only did the 20-year-old make history to become the first Indian to win the Classical event, he did so in the seemingly invincible Magnus Carlsen’s backyard by beating him twice during the tournament, as well as turned the tables on reigning world champion D. Gukesh.

When he sealed the title with a must-win game in the final round against German grandmaster Vincent Keymer on Friday, 5 June, it capped a rally which saw him win four games in a row in the 10-round event after losing two on the trot. The three other crucial wins came against Alireza Firouzja, Carlsen and Gukesh over the last four days.

After his victory over compatriot Gukesh on Thursday, Praggnanandhaa summed up his reaction on clawing back from the bottom of the table. “I’m happy that I’m still in the race because three days back, I was fighting for the last spot,” Pragg had said. “And now I have a chance at fighting. So I’ll take it,” he said as he kept his date with the first title of the year.

The Gukesh victory was, admittedly, one of the standout moments for Pragg in what has been an extraordinary campaign. “Quite proud about this game (versus Gukesh) honestly, because this is how I usually lose to him. He does some weird creative stuff. I end up overthinking and somehow doing something myself and losing. I thought I managed my time well and I was also calculating well. So I thought it was a good game overall,” he said in a post-game interview on Norway Chess’ official broadcast.

“I felt I played well in this tournament There were a couple of positions I could have probably… even the game against Gukesh, when I was playing with white, I was just winning, I outplayed him and then I messed up in time trouble. So there were few games where I could have converted and could have had more points. I thought I was playing well. I just had to try and keep some time in reserve,” added the Indian chess hero.

The 2026 edition marked the tournament’s 14th year, with Oslo stepping up as host for the first time since the high-profile tournament’s inception in the city of Stavanger. It had been a flagship tournament for Carlsen, with this year's venue barely 10 km from the world no. 1's residence.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order that permitted star wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for the Asian Games 2026.

The matter is listed before a bench of justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe, which is scheduled to hear the Federation’s plea on Friday.

The legal dispute stems from a 22 May order of a division bench of the Delhi High Court, which allowed Phogat to compete in the upcoming selection trials. The court observed that the WFI’s selection policy appeared “exclusionary” as it did not allow any discretion to consider exceptional cases, particularly athletes returning after a maternity break.

The high court noted that Phogat, an “iconic athlete”, should be given a fair opportunity to compete and directed that she be allowed to take part in the trials scheduled for 30–31 May.

To ensure transparency in the selection process, the court also directed that the trials be video-recorded by the WFI. It further ordered the presence of independent observers from both the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The WFI, however, has contested the order, arguing that selection procedures must strictly follow established criteria to maintain fairness and consistency in team selection.

The case has now moved to the apex court, where the federation seeks to overturn the high court’s decision ahead of the scheduled trials.

The outcome of the hearing is expected to have significant implications for selection norms and the participation of returning athletes in high-performance sporting events.

With PTI inputs

Rishabh Pant has stepped down as captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), with the franchise confirming on Friday that it accepted his request to relinquish the role with immediate effect after another disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Pant’s exit comes after LSG endured a poor IPL 2026 campaign, finishing at the bottom of the points table and missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year. The wicketkeeper-batter, signed ahead of the 2025 season for a record Rs 27 crore fee, had been expected to lead Lucknow into title contention but instead oversaw two underwhelming seasons.

In a statement posted on X, LSG said Pant himself had approached the franchise seeking relief from captaincy responsibilities. “Rishabh approached the franchise with this request, and we have respectfully accepted it. These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for everything Rishabh has brought to this dressing room as captain. Our focus now is on the collective — rebuilding and restructuring to reach the best standards,” the franchise said.

The move marks one of the first major leadership changes following IPL 2026 and could be followed by others across the league.

Questions over captaincy have also surfaced at Mumbai Indians after another turbulent season under Hardik Pandya. Reports have suggested the five-time champions may be reassessing their leadership structure after crashing out of playoff contention. Hardik, who led Gujarat Titans to a title before returning to Mumbai in a high-profile move, has overseen a mixed tenure marked by a last-place finish in 2024, a playoff appearance in 2025 and another disappointing campaign this year.

Against that backdrop, LSG’s decision to accept Pant’s resignation appears part of a broader trend of franchises reconsidering leadership models after inconsistent results.

Pant’s own season reflected the uncertainty surrounding Lucknow’s campaign. He scored 312 runs in 14 matches at an average of 33.61 and a strike rate of 146.79 — an improvement on his 2025 numbers but still below expectations for one of the tournament’s most expensive acquisitions.

LSG repeatedly altered his role with the bat. Pant opened the innings in the season opener before shifting to no. 3 and later moving further down the order as the franchise searched for balance. The team’s performances failed to improve. Lucknow managed only four wins in 10 matches, while Pant frequently appeared subdued during post-match media interactions as pressure mounted on the side.

Director of cricket Tom Moody had hinted at a possible reset after LSG’s final game, acknowledging that leadership would come under review. “From a captaincy point of view, he’s found it challenging, and the results reflect that,” Moody said after the team’s seven-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings. "But certainly we haven’t lived up to the expectation or the standard that we expect of ourselves… it certainly looks like we’re needing to consider a reset.”

The season was also punctuated by speculation over internal dynamics within the Lucknow camp. At different points, Pant hinted that the support structure involved “too many coaches”, remarks that triggered discussion about decision-making and the dressing-room environment.

Attention will now turn to who succeeds him. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh are understood to be among the leading contenders for the captaincy.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians too could face significant decisions in the months ahead if speculation around Hardik’s future gathers pace. With Rohit Sharma approaching the latter phase of his IPL career and Suryakumar Yadav enduring an inconsistent season, reports have even floated younger names such as Tilak Varma as potential long-term leadership options.

For LSG, however, the immediate task is clearer: rebuild after two failed seasons and determine whether a change in captaincy can revive a franchise that entered the Pant era with far greater expectations.

Former Mohun Bagan Super Giant president Swapan Sadhan Bose, fondly known as “Tutu Babu” in Kolkata’s Maidan circles, died late Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 79.

One of the most influential football administrators in Indian football history, Bose had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kolkata for multiple health complications. According to family sources, he breathed his last around 11.45 pm.

Bose is survived by his sons, Srinjay and Soumik Bose. Srinjay currently serves as secretary of Mohun Bagan.

His mortal remains will be kept at the Mohun Bagan club tent on Wednesday to allow fans, former players and sports lovers to pay their final respects. The cremation is scheduled for 4.30 pm later in the day.

“It is with deepest sorrow that we announce the passing of Tutu Bose. He was the best father and grandfather one could ever have, a remarkable administrator, and the strongest pillar of support for everyone around him. A true banyan tree in our lives,” his grandson Arinjoy Bose wrote in a Facebook post.

Known for his administrative acumen and strong influence in Kolkata football, Bose played a defining role in shaping Mohun Bagan’s modern identity. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he served the club in multiple capacities, including secretary and president, becoming synonymous with the green-and-maroon institution.

During his tenure, the club navigated several financial and administrative crises while also embracing transformative changes that altered the landscape of Indian football. Bose was instrumental in opening the doors for foreign footballers at Mohun Bagan, breaking the club’s century-old tradition of fielding only Indian players.

One of the landmark decisions under his administration was the signing of Nigerian striker Chima Okorie, who went on to become one of the most iconic foreign footballers in Indian football history after being brought in from arch-rivals East Bengal FC.

Bose had risen to prominence in Mohun Bagan administration after defeating veteran administrator Dhiren De in a closely watched club election, eventually emerging as one of the most powerful figures in the Maidan.

He also played a key role in the merger of Mohun Bagan with ATK Mohun Bagan FC — formerly ATK or Atletico de Kolkata — in 2020, ushering in a new corporate era for the club and helping it transition into the Indian Super League age.

Tributes poured in from across the Indian football fraternity, with former players, club officials and supporters remembering Bose as a visionary administrator who left an indelible mark on the sport in the country.

With PTI inputs

The spectre of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh came back to haunt the sport again with Olympian Vinesh Phogat identifying herself as one of the six female wrestlers who were sexually harassed by the official.

The admission made by the wrestler in a video statement on Sunday, 3 May was part of a tirade in which Vinesh said Brij Bhushan was trying to scuttle her comeback bid in the Asian Games later this year. She alleged that the WFI’s decision to hold ranking tournaments and trials in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh — a personal stronghold for Brij Bhushan — is not going to provide her a level playing field under any circumstances.

‘’He (Brij Bhushan) has his own private college and this competition is being organised there. That every hardworking athlete will get their due there — this is something very unlikely and almost impossible,’’ said Vinesh, who missed out on a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 after being ‘overweight’ by 100 grams in the weigh-in. A tearful Vinesh then bid adieu to the sport and took a plunge into politics before announcing her comeback from retirement.

Vinesh further alleged that despite Brij Bhushan's official removal, the federation remains under his de facto control through current chief Sanjay Singh. ‘’Who will referee whose match, how many points a referee will give... all of this will be controlled by Brij Bhushan and his people. And the government and our sports ministry are watching this as silent spectators.

‘’You can imagine — going to his place, to his own college where every person would be connected to him... going there and competing in such a situation is extremely difficult. Even after that, whether I will be able to go there and give my 100 per cent — I do not think so."

The cases against Singh first made global headlines in 2023 when three top wrestlers — Vinesh and Olympic medallists Sakshi Mallik and Bajrang Punia — led months of sit-in protests at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which took a dramatic turn when police detained them during a march to India’s new Parliament building. Footage of the Olympic medallists being dragged through the streets sparked international condemnation, including a rare rebuke from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

Brij Bhushan, a former BJP MP, was cleared in a separate sexual harassment case filed by an underage female wrestler. A Delhi court accepted a police report recommending the cancellation of that specific case after the complainant reportedly withdrew her statement last year.

However, Brij Bhushan — who has consistently denied all allegations — still faces serious charges of sexual harassment and stalking in the ongoing case involving Vinesh and five other adult female wrestlers. ‘’The Supreme Court guidelines say that the identity of any victim should not be revealed because it concerns their dignity and honour,’’ Vinesh said, before adding: ‘’But today, due to certain circumstances, I want to tell you all something. I did not want to speak while the case is still pending... But I want to say that I myself am one of those six victims who filed a complaint, and our testimonies are still ongoing.’’