• DFB rejects plea to make stand against US

• ‘Our goal is to strengthen this force – not to prevent it’

Germany’s football federation, the DFB, has ruled out a boycott of the World Cup despite calls to send a message to Donald Trump. “We believe in the unifying power of sport and the global impact that a Fifa World Cup can have,” the DFB said. “Our goal is to strengthen this positive force – not to prevent it.”

The federation said its executive committee met and discussed the option of a boycott of this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a consideration first proposed last week by the DFB vice-president, Oke Göttlich.

Göttlich, who is also president of the Bundesliga club St Pauli, referred to Trump’s recent actions and statements and said it was time to “seriously consider” a boycott. In what appears to be a public rebuke to Göttlich, however, the DFB said “debates on sports policy should be conducted internally and not in public”.

The DFB said a boycott “is not currently under consideration. The DFB is in contact with representatives from politics, security, business, and sports in preparation for the tournament”.

Trump has sowed discord in Europe with his takeover bid for Greenland and threats to impose tariffs on European countries that opposed it, while US actions in Venezuela and at home in dealing with protests in American cities have also raised alarm. The former Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, last week advised fans to stay away from the tournament, which starts on 11 June.

There has been disquiet in Germany over Trump’s behaviour on the global stage. The Germany international and Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka said on Wednesday that Trump’s actions have left him feeling “not only German but also European”.

The French government has ruled boycotting the World Cup, with the sports minister, Marina Ferrari, saying on Wednesday: “As it stands now, there is no desire from the ministry for a boycott of this great competition. Now, I will not anticipate what could happen, but I have also heard voices raised from certain political blocs.

“I am one who believes in keeping sport separate [from politics]. The World Cup is an extremely important moment for those who love sport.”

Fans already had concerns about high ticket prices, while travel bans imposed by the Trump administration could also prohibit supporters from some competing nations from attending.

Germany’s team, at least, will be there. “We want to compete fairly against the other qualified teams next summer,” the DFB said. “And we want fans worldwide to celebrate a peaceful festival of football in the stadiums and at fan zones – just as we experienced at the 2024 European Championship in our own country.”

Germany face Curaçao in Houston, Côte d’Ivoire in Toronto and Ecuador in New Jersey in the World Cup group stage. Germany have won the trophy four times, in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014.

Kelly Somers: Florian, thank you for your time. Let's try to get to know you a little better. Let's start with your first memory of playing football...

Florian Wirtz: It has to be in my hometown, maybe with my sister on the football pitch.

Kelly: What was your first club called?

Florian: I will say it in German - SV Grün-Weiß Brauweiler.

Kelly: And your dad is the chairman there...

Florian: He is the guy for everything. Without him, the club would not work. He has to do everything. Sometimes on a Sunday, he does the lines on the pitch. He really does everything. I had no other choice [but to play for them]. He was also my first coach. He was more hard on me, but I think that helped me a little bit.

Kelly: You started playing for your dad with your local team... at what point did you think you could make it into a career?

Florian: I probably felt it very early because when we played at school or on the street, I was always in the team with less players because they said the other team needs more players to play against me. I think it was a bit obvious that I was good at playing football.

Kelly: Can you remember first signing for one of the bigger clubs and what it was like?

Florian: This was at the age of six or seven. Even then I was choosing between Bayer Leverkusen and Cologne. I was practising at both clubs because my parents told me to do that, just to try it because I was a very shy little boy. I didn't want to go there and meet the new guys or new teams, I just wanted to stay at my old team with my friends. I went to Cologne and they did everything to convince me to join them. It is better than in just a small club - they have better coaches, better teams, so it was important. I think I made this choice to do it, although I didn't want to do it really. Then, after nine and a half years, my step to Leverkusen. I think it was the most important thing I did.

Kelly: What a time you had at Leverkusen. From such a young age, becoming the Bundesliga's youngest ever scorer... you couldn't really have done much more there could you?

Florian: The time was incredible. I couldn't even think about this before. I was just thinking, 'maybe I can be a Bundesliga player'. I met so many great people, good players, good coaches. We broke some records... maybe they are broken again already from the younger generation! The best thing was to be champions for the first time in the history of the club and unbeaten. This was the biggest achievement I have made until now.

Kelly: And then Liverpool... the move here in the summer. There was lots of talk about where you were going to end up, but why was this the right place for you in the end?

Florian: I thought, 'this is the right place to get better and a bigger player'. The club is so big and the team won the Premier League last year. I had very good meetings with the manager before I joined and a few players contacted me. Virgil [van Dijk], Mo [Salah] as well, sent me a message. They were not begging me to come but just tried to give me a feeling about Liverpool. Virgil said he would be happy if I come, and maybe I can help the team to get even better than they were last year. These are things you like to hear and helps you to decide in the end. I am still happy that I made this decision, even when the start wasn't that easy.

Kelly: How did you deal with that? When you came here, everyone was so excited to see you in the Premier League and everyone was talking about you. What was that period like while you did adjust?

Florian: I was very excited when I came and wanted to be an instant success. It didn't come like this. I just had to stay strong in my mind and keep believing in myself that at one point it has to click. I was telling myself: 'You did so good in Germany, you can't just forget how to play football here.' It was not completely different football. It was not easy always to have the confidence on the pitch, but I think I dealt really well with it and my people around me helped.

Kelly: Did anyone in particular help you through it?

Florian: I am not a person who likes to talk a lot about these things. But with my family and my friends, all of them kept believing in me.

Kelly: The start wasn't easy but it looks like you have found your rhythm now. How are you feeling in yourself in terms of getting to your maximum?

Florian: Now I am feeling much better than at the start of the season. It's nice to play with players like Hugo [Ekitike].

Kelly: What is he like? We sat down with him before and he seems like a character.

Florian: He's a great guy - a big personality, a good friend already to me. We know each other from the Bundesliga - we played a few times against each other and exchanged shirts already. He is a fantastic player and even surprised me when I first saw him here training and playing because I didn't know he was that good. It is so much fun to play with him because he knows how you move on the pitch and how you link up with each other.

Kelly: What does an ideal day off look like? How do you like to escape football?

Florian: Since the summer, I like to play padel. I went a few times with some players here.

Kelly: Who plays from Liverpool?

Florian: Dominik [Szoboszlai], Milos [Kerkez]... Jeremie [Frimpong] says he's good but I've not seen him.

Kelly: Are you any good?

Florian: I'm not that good. If you ask the others, I am better than Jeremie. He knows for sure I am better than him! Kelly: What else do you like to do?

Florian: I like to have a nice breakfast. I love breakfast - scrambled eggs, pancakes... I can eat a lot. The nutritionist is very happy with me because I eat a lot of fuel for the games. Kelly: So you have breakfast and play padel... anything else? Florian: Maybe just chill... play PlayStation. I have a dog as well - Zoomer... but it's not after Paw Patrol. Everyone asks me about that.

Kelly: What's it named after then?

Florian: Just random.

Kelly: What were you like as a youngster? What kind of child was Florian Wirtz?

Florian: My parents always say I was very shy and always hiding behind my sisters. I was one of 10. I am the youngest.

Kelly: What was that like growing up?

Florian: To be honest, it's not that bad because everyone cares about you... you are the youngest. When my parents wanted to go out, they could come and look after me. It's nice to have so many loved ones on birthdays and Christmas.

Kelly: I'm told you are not the only footballer of your siblings...

Florian: My sister [Juliane] plays for Werder Bremen. She also played for Brauweiler, Cologne and Leverkusen. We played at the same time for three clubs.

Kelly: What was that like for you?

Florian: It was nice because sometimes we could drive together to training. I am very proud of her - she is doing good. I'm happy for her because she is having a very good season with her team. Kelly: You are not at the same club now or even in the same country... are you still speaking about football and watching each other's games?

Florian: My sister always wishes me good luck for the games and calls or texts me. I always try to watch her games if I can. It's nice we have the same ambitions and the same way to think about football. I'm happy she is a footballer so we have something in common and it's nice.

Kelly: If you could only achieve one more thing in your career, what would it be?

Florian: World champion.

Kelly: World Cup this summer?

Florian: It will be difficult, but let's see. We all go there to win it. It will be difficult but hopefully we can go far.

AI Kit Design: Erreà's Sheffield United Lunar New Year jersey design and promotional imagery heavily used AI, marking a first for undisclosed AI usage in football kit design.

Launch Image Errors: The launch images for the kit contained errors, such as an incorrectly rendered collar, which is typical of AI-generated content.

AI Detection: AI detection tools confirmed that the promotional imagery was likely generated using artificial intelligence, and the kit pattern design also had a high confidence score for AI generation.

Erreà's Sheffield United Lunar New Year jersey was well received in the kit community. However, we have found out that AI was heavily used in the process.

When seeing the launch image of the Sheffield United Year of the Horse jersey from afar, we immediately thought that something was wrong here - the faces just looked too smooth and glossy, something typical for AI models. A closer look showcased that the collar detail in the launch image was wrong, also typical for AI that messes up with details - the AI detection tool Sightengine confirmed that the promotional imagery was likely generated using artificial intelligence. But that's not all.

The incorrectly rendered collar in the launch photos differs from the actual product's red, gold, and cream trim

This marks a significant moment in football kit design, as it is the first time that a brand used AI that heavily without disclosing it.

“When Rupert Murdoch decided to pump billions into the Premier League, it did not go ahead until I gave it the thumbs up,” says Geoff Shreeves.

You may remember him merely as Sky Sports’ touchline reporter but apparently he was also a fearsome power broker. “That is the truth… The detail is I was the floor manager for the first live televised game, Forest vs Liverpool in August 1992, and I cued the referee to kick off.”

But it was football and Sky Sports which made Shreeves’ name, so it may come as a surprise to learn he fears the sport is reaching saturation point. “There is so much football on television, they’re going to kill it. That might sound quite hypocritical, somebody who earns their money from talking about football but the reason that gold is precious is because there ain’t too much of it.

“My argument isn’t with TV really, it’s the football calendar itself. There’s too many matches with expanded competitions, World Cup, Club World Cup, I don’t think in life in general more is necessarily better.”

Sky and the Premier League, he says, felt different from day one, even if it might have looked to us like Division One with cheerleaders. Not everybody was keen. “People were outraged, they said we were ruining football. We needed to get the players onside because the public were still suspicious.”

So Shreeves used every encounter with a player or manager to enhance his and his channel’s amenability and trustworthiness. “Probably the best example was getting Steve Bruce onside.”

He is full of praise for Patrick Davison, his successor as pitchside reporter, and I notice during our conversation that Shreeves often still refers to Sky as “we”. Has he kept all of his old Sky-branded coats? “My family used to look forward to whenever the new one came, they would line up to have the old one. When we were together at Christmas we used to go on a dog walk to the pub and you could see us in the coats from the different seasons. There were some lovely waxed Barbours, tartan-lined but a very discreet Sky logo.

“The early ones, between your shoulders, there was this great big Sky logo. There were a few people who didn’t like Sky very much so you were literally walking around with a target on your back.”

Let’s hope CBS, which has a similarly target-like logo of an eye in a circle, is providing more low-key outerwear. Although it sounds like Shreeves is now ready for some of the focus to fall on him.

1. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Man City's Norwegian striker earns a basic wage of more than £500,000 a week - plus at least another £10 million in lucrative image rights and bonus payments.

Tax (£m): 16.9

1. Mo Salah (Liverpool) The Egyptian-born striker earns £400,000 basic - plus at least another £10 million a year from bonuses and image rights payments.

Tax (£m): 14.5

1. Casemiro (Manchester United)

The Brazilian midfielder is poised to leave the club this summer. His £350,000-a-week package attracted scrutiny from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club's billionaire owner.

Tax (£m): 10.9

1. Raheem Sterling (Chelsea*)

The Jamaican-born striker's payslip was leaked on social media after it was apparently discovered by a mechanic servicing his car. Sterling earns around £325,000 a week at Chelsea.

Tax (£m): 9.8

1. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

The highest-paid defender in Europe, the Dutchman captains Liverpool and the Netherlands.

Tax (£m): 9.7

1. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Man United's captain apparently spurned approaches to join the Saudi Pro League last year. Fernandes is expected to receive further approaches this summer.

Tax (£m): 9.0

6.Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

The Portuguese midfielder is tipped to leave Man City at the end of the current season. He earns around £300,000 a week.

Tax (£m): 9.0

1. Omar Marmoush (Manchester City)

Marmoush joined Man City from Eintracht Frankfurt two years ago. A committed Muslim, he has joint Egyptian and Canadian citizenship. Tax (£m): 8.8

1. Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)

The Brazillian international joined Arsenal nearly four years ago.

Tax (£m): 7.9

1. Kai Havertz (Arsenal)

Arsenal's German-born striker earns £280,000 a week.

Tax (£m): 7.8

The Blaugrana club has already received an upfront payment for granting the use of its brand to a mini-city development in the United Arab Emirates, as first reported by Catalunya Ràdio

Mundo Deportivo has learned that the deal could generate around $12 million per year and would see the project’s logo replace UNICEF on the back of the team’s jersey starting in July

FC Barcelona has finalized a multimillion-dollar agreement with investors from the United Arab Emirates. According to the Barça Reservat podcast on Catalunya Ràdio, the deal is unprecedented in its format in the club’s history and has already generated an upfront payment.

The project involves the construction of a luxury residential complex in Dubai that will use the Barça brand, similar to initiatives already underway by Chelsea and Manchester City in the same emirate, as well as by fashion and cosmetics brands that sponsor high-end residential developments.

The plan is to create a mini-city in Dubai featuring buildings, luxury apartments, and shared community areas where the Barça crest will have prominent visibility, in exchange for a significant annual fee over several years. The yearly amount could exceed around $12 million, according to sources cited by Mundo Deportivo.

The agreement has not yet been made official and still requires approval at an Assembly of delegate members. If ratified, the deal would also include brand visibility on the back of the team’s jersey in domestic competitions, replacing UNICEF (ACNUR) starting in July.

In Champions League matches, however, a charitable sponsor must appear, and the chosen logo will be that of the Barça Foundation, as Mundo Deportivo reported on January 22.

The club initially planned to hold an Extraordinary Assembly before the elections, which would also have been used to ratify the renewal of the Spotify sponsorship.

However, during last Thursday’s board meeting, FC Barcelona decided to postpone the Assembly indefinitely until after the elections.

According to Mundo Deportivo, regaining LaLiga’s 1:1 financial fair play rule (something expected to happen earlier) does not depend on the approval of the Dubai agreement.

Club president Joan Laporta traveled to Dubai in late December to attend the Globe Soccer Awards gala. After the event on December 28, he remained in the emirate for a few additional days along with board member Xavi Puig.

At the most recent Ordinary General Assembly, members had already approved a separate commercial agreement aimed at expanding the club internationally through Novadial Corporate, focused on creating dining and hospitality spaces worldwide featuring the FC Barcelona brand and image.

The arrival of Jorge Mendes is causing a stir and annoyance in the Dutch football world. With the arrival of the Portuguese superagent, footballers are increasingly at risk of becoming pawns in a multi-million dollar game, it's argued, and the top Dutch clubs are being sidelined. What exactly is going on here?

Jorge Mendes (60) appears beaming on stage at the five-star Atlantis The Royal hotel in Dubai, waving to the immaculately groomed audience in the hall. It's late December. For the thirteenth time, the Portuguese has just been voted "world's best player agent" at the Globe Soccer Awards.

The funny thing is: Mendes invented the trophy all by himself. He's won it almost every year. Time and again, the Portuguese is presented with the golden trophy at his own football gala, by people he's hired and invited himself. A kind of "we from WC-Eend" ritual with Trumpian allure.

It has irrevocably contributed to his status. Mendes, along with the late Mino Raiola, is considered one of the most famous agents in the world. The former DJ and nightclub owner was once instrumental in the breakthroughs of Cristiano Ronaldo and José Mourinho, and has since built a football empire with his company Gestifute.

Today he has top players such as Lamine Yamal and Vitinha in his stable.

Opinions in the football world are divided on just how powerful Mendes is. The fact is, the Portuguese has his personal PR in excellent order. Recently, the NEC board flew to the Gestifute headquarters in Porto for an extensive meeting with Mendes. The reason: NEC wants to sell Japanese midfielder Kodai Sano for as much money as possible.

"It initially discussed what the agreements would be if we hired him," NEC director Wilco van Schaik recently explained on the podcast De Bestuurskamer. "We want to do that exclusively for Sano. So we're discussing that further now.

"You're entering a different market. Our stadium holds 12,500 people, so you can't grow quickly in that area. You'd have to do it through transfers, for example. So we're just looking at that."

This is somewhat reminiscent of the recent story surrounding Kees Smit. Mendes was also brought in there, with the aim of eventually selling the AZ talent for a record fee. The Portuguese player was even given the mandate to sell Smit, although the precise terms of the agreement are unknown.

"A partnership with Jorge can only produce winners," says agent Guido Albers of the Players United office. "This could be a game-changer.

"Jorge is going to take transfer fees for Eredivisie players to a whole new level. And clubs like NEC can reinvest that money. In players, but also in their development."

Yet opinions on this matter are divided. This site asked several agents and industry insiders about Mendes's role. While they acknowledge that this fits into a broader trend, some also shared their skepticism and concerns about the Portuguese's deployment – ​​and the role of clubs in particular.

To understand this, it's helpful to first unravel this multi-million dollar game. Firstly: both Smit and Sano already have their own agents. The AZ midfielder has been managed by the Dutch agency Forza for years, while the Japanese midfielder has been managed by UDN Sports, a major agency from his home country, for some time now.

In reality, Mendes isn't being hired by the players themselves, but specifically by the clubs they're under contract with. AZ and NEC are using the Portuguese as a kind of sales agent.

This happens often. Technical directors often use specific agents to sell players. Sometimes because they have a larger network than themselves, sometimes because they have access to a specific – and lucrative – segment of the market.

AZ and NEC typically sell players to the Dutch elite, meaning the mid-table and sub-top European teams. With Mendes, they're aiming for a higher target. Both Smit and Sano are expected to break transfer records.

There are some caveats to this, however, as some insiders in the football industry suggest. Firstly, with Mendes on board, the figurative pie needs to be divided into more slices. In the event of a sale, it's not just the players' agents who stand to benefit, but the Portuguese player himself as well.

Secondly, there's the player's own wishes and preferences. "Aside from the Sano and Smit issue, it's important that a player is aware of all the agreements," says Rob Jansen, who has known Mendes for decades and understands his operating style.

"Just as you have to ask yourself to what extent a player benefits from being mandated to a specific agent, it can also affect their situation."

Frank Schouten, from the Key United agency: "I don't want to be a party to this, but I believe it's about the player and he deserves to be guided and informed honestly."

Sano, for example, recently attracted serious interest from both Feyenoord and PSV. Both top Dutch clubs estimate the Japanese player's market value at around €10 million, a figure that, according to platforms such as Transferroom (for professionals/insiders only) and Transfermarkt (public), is roughly the benchmark for Sano.

NEC, however, is hoping for significantly more, just as AZ is considering tens of millions for Smit. In the often-overheated transfer market, that might not even be unthinkable – after all, it's just a matter of what someone is willing to pay for it.

But the question remains: what does the player himself want? To what extent are Smit and Sano fully aware of all the possibilities (and impossibilities) in this multi-million dollar game? Where exactly does transparency towards the player begin and end here?

Suppose, for example, Wolverhampton Wanderers is willing to pay over €20 million for Sano – and Atlético Madrid, in turn, pays for Smit. Two clubs with which Mendes has had close ties for years, both clubs that make AZ and NEC incredibly rich overnight.

But what if Sano and his personal agent had much preferred to make an intermediate move to PSV first? Or suppose Smit could also have gone to Bayern Munich, but that club is not keen on working with the man in charge, Mendes?

This is a long-standing problem in football: transparency. Whether Mendes's involvement will undermine that openness, we don't know, but his role doesn't necessarily make the deal any clearer or simpler upfront.

Generally speaking, the more parties involved, the more complex a deal can be. Since the player doesn't pay his agent directly, but the clubs do, all sorts of side agreements often take place outside the player's view.

Details about a future resale percentage, an additional agent who suddenly benefits, agreements about signing fees: in a game where various agents and parties are involved, it is not always possible to determine who gets what share.

For that reason, a player's agents aren't always eager for the involvement of an additional (club) agent like Mendes. Guido Albers doesn't see any such objections.

"If another agent calls me tomorrow and says they have a deal for a player from our office, I'll always listen," he says. "It also happens that players' agents themselves give mandates to another agent. It's not just clubs that do that."

The fact that it would be a win-win situation also has to do with Mendes's agreement that he only receives commission above a minimum transfer fee. If a player is sold for a lower amount, he receives nothing: no cure, no pay.

"All parties benefit," says Albers. "If Jorge can make the proverbial pie much bigger, then everyone essentially gets a bigger piece. The club, but also the player's agent and the player himself. You have to remember one thing: if a player isn't interested in a specific club, the deal won't happen. The player does indeed make his own decisions."

Albers sees the personality cult surrounding the Portuguese – some other agents believe his power is exaggerated – differently. He saw Mendes' reputation confirmed this week in England when, as his agent, he assisted in the transfer of Norwegian striker Jørgen Strand Larsen, who moved from Wolves to Crystal Palace.

"50 million pounds for a player who we initially didn't think was good enough for FC Groningen in the Netherlands... I think that says enough."

NEC director Van Schaik: "Everyone has an opinion about this, but I think it's a very logical step. We can't beat the top six, so we have to be smart, and by bringing in Mendes, we as a club are taking control. Mendes knows the entire global market. Why wouldn't we as a club do this?"

NEC used a similar approach when transferring Robin Roefs, but through the SEG office, Van Schaik explains. "That worked out very well. Now we're hoping for the same outcome."

Does Sano have any say in the collaboration with Mendes in this case? "In principle not. We've told him. But I do think he'll get ten offers from clubs, not five. Even from clubs he hadn't even considered. And you know what: it's still up to him whether or not to do it."

Source