Business

BOGOTA/LAGOS — Colombian food vendor William Abella had been counting on the World Cup 2022 as an opportunity to offset his losses from long COVID-19 lockdowns.

When the national team plays, his small corner shop and snack bar in central Bogota usually turns into a sea of yellow as football fans wearing the squad's official shirt gather to drink and chat, lifting beer sales by up to 80%.

But like many small traders in footballing countries that unexpectedly failed to qualify, his hopes for bumper business from fans cheering on their side have been dashed.

DOHA - Gianni Infantino has stepped sharply back from hotly contested plans for a biennial World Cup, telling world soccer’s leadership that FIFA had never proposed such an idea.

The FIFA president has been under fire for the past year, particularly in Europe, for proposals to increase the frequency of the global extravaganza from every four years, to every two.

The Women's FA Cup prize fund will increase to three million pounds ($3.92 million) from next season, England's Football Association said on Monday.

The FA did not specify how the new amount will be allocated but said a disproportionate part of it will be invested in the early rounds of the competition.

We can today announce a new landmark investment into the Vitality Women’s FA Cup that will see the competition’s prize fund receive a significant uplift to £3m per year.

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