Omar Marmoush scored his first goal for Tottenham Hotspur as they beat Coventry City, ending their six-match winless start to the season.

The Egyptian forward struck in the 59th minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, restoring Spurs’ lead shortly after Coventry had equalised.

The victory gave Roberto De Zerbi’s side their first league win of the campaign. Tottenham moved onto six points after seven matches, having previously recorded three draws and three defeats.

Marmoush’s goal also ended his personal wait for a first competitive strike since joining Spurs from Manchester City in August.

James Maddison gave Tottenham the lead in the 14th minute with a long-range strike, marking his first competitive start in 536 days.

Mohammed Kudus provided the assist as Maddison celebrated his return from a lengthy injury absence.

Coventry responded five minutes after the restart when Jack Rudoni finished a move involving Brandon Thomas-Asante to make it 1-1.

However, Marmoush restored Tottenham’s advantage nine minutes later. Andy Robertson supplied the Egyptian, who curled a shot beyond goalkeeper Carl Rushworth from outside the penalty area.

As the match came to a close, Ben Davies scored a third goal in the 96th minute. Coventry had pushed for another equaliser in the closing stages, but Spurs held on to claim all three points.

Marmoush joined Tottenham on August 27 on a season-long loan from Manchester City, with an obligation to make the transfer permanent next summer.

He had since struggled to make an impact in front of goal as Tottenham endured a difficult opening to the season. Before the international break, Marmoush acknowledged that Spurs’ attacking players were still adapting to De Zerbi’s demands.

Spurs next travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on October 24.

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FIFA suspended Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan and director Ibrahim Hassan for three matches each, and Mostafa Ziko for five.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said it had requested the detailed reasons behind the Disciplinary Committee’s decisions to assess its legal position and prepare an appeal under FIFA’s regulations.

Its announcement confirmed the length of the suspensions but did not set out the committee’s detailed findings or specify the fixtures covered.

The bans would rule all three out of November’s two AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Malawi. The Hassan brothers would also miss the March qualifier against Angola, while Ziko’s suspension would cover Egypt’s four remaining qualifying matches and one further game.

FIFA opened proceedings in August over comments surrounding Egypt’s 3-2 last-16 defeat by Argentina at the 2026 World Cup. The case concerned statements questioning the integrity of the competition, FIFA and the match officials.

Hossam Hassan alleged that commercial interests favoured Argentina and Lionel Messi, claiming that organisers wanted the defending champions to remain in the tournament.

The correspondence concerning Ibrahim Hassan cited his allegation that Argentina’s victory had been decided beforehand, while Ziko accused the referee of influencing the result and claimed the tournament favoured Argentina.

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Mohamed Salah scored as Trabzonspor beat Beşiktaş 2-0, finding the net against the club that pursued him in the summer.

The Egypt captain struck in the 71st minute after Ozan Tufan’s first-half opener, taking his league tally to eight goals and moving clear at the top of the scoring charts.

The victory lifted Trabzonspor to fourth on 16 points, one ahead of Beşiktaş, who dropped to fifth. They sit three points behind leaders Galatasaray after eight matches.

Tufan opened the scoring in the 21st minute, volleying home the rebound after Alexander Nübel saved Ernest Muçi’s shot. Trabzonspor carried that advantage into the break.

Beşiktaş threatened an equaliser before half-time when André Onana saved from Leandro Trossard, and the follow-up struck the post before the defence cleared.

Salah then gave the hosts breathing space, meeting Franculino Djú’s cross from the left with a finish through Nübel’s legs.

Onana made seven saves as Trabzonspor protected their clean sheet, despite Beşiktaş having the greater share of possession. The hosts followed league wins over Galatasaray and Samsunspor with a third successive Süper Lig victory.

Salah’s goal came less than three months after Beşiktaş was close to signing him.

However, after talks stalled, sporting director Önder Özen announced that Beşiktaş had shelved the talks and would not improve their offer, although they remained open to a positive response on the existing terms.

Özen said he had spoken to Salah twice about the project, but negotiations stalled over commission and proposed shares of commercial income.

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FIFA has fined Spain and ordered a partial stadium closure after supporters sang Islamophobic chants during a clash against Egypt in March.

The ruling, confirmed on Friday by FIFA’s appeals committee following an initial verdict by disciplinary judges, requires Spain to shut down at least 15% of seating capacity.

The governing body noted that the Spanish federation may avoid leaving the affected sectors vacant if it reallocates those tickets to designated groups such as families, students, and anti-discrimination organizations, subject to prior approval.

The disciplinary case stems from a match staged on March 31 at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium in Barcelona as part of preparations for the 2026 World Cup. During the contest, sections of the Spanish crowd bounced and chanted “whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim” in both the 10th and 47th minutes, prompting stadium authorities to broadcast public warnings and flash anti-bias notices across venue screens.

Spanish officials attempted to contest the charge by arguing that the word “Muslim” is not pejorative and petitioned to have the matter evaluated under Article 17, which covers offensive messaging, rather than Article 15, which punishes discriminatory and xenophobic misconduct.

FIFA’s disciplinary panel flatly dismissed the defense, determining that Article 15 does not require explicit profanity and ruling that invoking a religious identity to taunt opponents serves as an “objective marker of exclusion and ridicule.”

The Spanish football federation announced today that it intends to challenge the penalty before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Spanish forward Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, had previously spoken out against the behavior of the fans, calling the chants completely intolerable and disrespectful.

Following the match, the Egyptian Football Association condemned the chants as an unacceptable act of discrimination while maintaining that the actions of a small pocket of supporters would not harm relations between the two national federations.

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Younes Ibrahim marked his Brighton first-team debut with an assist seconds after coming on in a 4-0 Conference League victory.

The 18-year-old, who has Egyptian heritage, replaced Ibrahim Osman in the 67th minute with Brighton already three goals ahead.

He immediately crossed for Matt O’Riley to head home the fourth, registering his first goal contribution for the senior side within moments of entering the pitch.

Ibrahim had previously been an unused substitute in Brighton’s 5-0 Premier League win over Coventry City in September.

Georginio Rutter scored twice for Fabian Hürzeler’s side, with Jack Hinshelwood also on target as Brighton opened the league phase with three points.

Rutter broke the deadlock in the 41st minute after a VAR check confirmed that Osman had kept the ball in play during the build-up.

Hinshelwood doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, before Rutter added his second after the break. O’Riley then completed the scoring from Ibrahim’s delivery.

Ibrahim arrived in the first team after scoring five goals and providing an assist in nine appearances for Brighton’s development sides this season.

The left-footed attacking midfielder, who can also play out wide, spent time in Luton Town and Chelsea’s youth systems before joining Brighton.

Egypt’s senior and youth national team staff are reportedly monitoring Ibrahim following his inclusion in Brighton’s Premier League squad.

The youngster has Egyptian parents and a Moroccan grandmother, alongside English and Australian citizenship.

Brighton next travel to Czech side Jablonec in the Conference League on October 22.

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Haissem Hassan registered his first European assist for Celtic, crossing for Camilo Durán to score against Benfica in the Europa League.

The Egypt winger came off the bench after the break and delivered from the right for Durán to head home in the 63rd minute.

The contribution was Hassan’s second assist since joining Celtic, coming in his 11th competitive appearance for the club.

Benfica had already built a three-goal half-time lead at Estádio da Luz. Jhon Durán converted a fifth-minute penalty and scored again in the 36th, either side of Alexander Bah’s 23rd-minute strike.

Hassan’s delivery briefly reduced the deficit to 3-1, before Vangelis Pavlidis added Benfica’s fourth in the 89th minute to seal the win.

Celtic had opened their league-phase campaign with a 3-1 home defeat to Ferencváros.

Haissem Hassan entered the Benfica match still waiting for his first Celtic goal after 10 competitive appearances.

His first Celtic assist came against St Johnstone on September 9. He beat his marker on the right and supplied Mika Baur for the 52nd-minute winner in a 1-0 victory.

Celtic signed Hassan from Oviedo on a four-year contract in August, with an option for another season.

They return to Scottish Premiership action against Hearts at Celtic Park on October 18.

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Mohamed Salah scored and provided an assist as Trabzonspor beat Finland’s KuPS 4-2 on artificial turf in their Conference League opener.

The Egypt captain helped secure three points at Tammela Stadium in Tampere, less than three weeks after missing an international qualifier over concerns about an artificial pitch.

Salah also took the Trabzonspor captain’s armband after Paul Onuachu went off injured early in the match, before making way for Noah Saviolo in the 55th minute.

Trabzonspor needed only three minutes to break through. Salah slipped a pass behind the defence for Onuachu, who finished past goalkeeper Johannes Kreidl.

Onuachu’s evening ended shortly afterwards through injury, with Franculino Djú replacing the Nigerian striker.

Salah doubled the lead in the 44th minute, collecting the loose ball after Aral Şimşir’s effort came back off a defender and firing into the top corner.

The goal was Salah’s first in the UEFA Conference League, adding to his scoring record in the Champions League and Europa League.

Franculino made it 3-0 in the 47th minute before Petteri Pennanen pulled one back seven minutes later. André Onana then saved Piotr Parzyszek’s penalty to protect Trabzonspor’s two-goal advantage.

Franculino scored again in the first minute of stoppage time. Gustav Engvall replied five minutes later, but KuPS could not prevent an opening defeat.

Salah’s participation followed questions over whether he would play on Tammela’s synthetic surface.

On September 26, the Egyptian Football Association had announced that Hossam Hassan’s staff rested Salah from the September 29 qualifier against South Sudan because of Juba Stadium’s playing surface.

The federation said the coaching staff and Salah had agreed on the decision before Egypt’s preceding match against Angola, with the aim of protecting the player.

Egypt went on to beat South Sudan 5-0 without their captain.

Trabzonspor will host Hearts in their next match in the UEFA Conference League on October 22.

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Mohamed Hany and substitute Monsef Bakrar scored as Al Ahly beat Zamalek 2-0 to move provisionally top of the Egyptian Premier League.

Hany opened the scoring in the 39th minute before Bakrar doubled the lead in the 80th, settling the sixth-round derby.

The victory took Al Ahly to 16 points, one ahead of Pyramids, who have a game in hand. Zamalek dropped to third on 13 points.

Hussein Ammouta’s side remain unbeaten with five wins and a draw. Zamalek suffered their first league defeat after entering the match level on points with their rivals.

Al Ahly threatened early, with Emam Ashour heading over before Soufiane Benjdida missed a clear chance from Ahmed Sayed Zizo’s cross.

Hany eventually broke the deadlock with a powerful effort from outside the penalty area that took a deflection before beating El-Mahdi Soliman.

Zamalek had opportunities to respond. Chico Banza missed a chance shortly before half-time after Ahmed Sherif found him inside the area.

Mostafa Shobeir then preserved Al Ahly’s lead early in the second half, saving Sherif’s header from Mahmoud Bentayg’s cross.

Ammouta introduced Bakrar for Benjdida midway through the second half as Al Ahly searched for a second goal. The Algerian received a pass from Zizo and struck a low shot from outside the area past Soliman.

Zamalek assistant coach Ibrahim Salah received a red card after protesting to referee Rade Obrenović following the second goal.

Following the victory, Al Ahly are now leading the league, one point ahead of Pyramids.

Pyramids can reclaim first place when they host Ceramica Cleopatra on Monday. They entered the round with a perfect record of five wins from five matches.

Sunday’s derby marked the league’s return after the international break, following several changes at the top during the previous round.

Before the Premier League returned from the international break, however, Al Ahly had defeated Abu Qir Fertilizers on September 15, when Zizo and Hussein El-Shahat scored to send the Red Devils temporarily top.

Zamalek then overtook them with a late win at Ghazl El-Mahalla the following day, thanks to Ahmed Sherif’s penalty.

Pyramids reclaimed the summit on September 17 after coming from behind to beat El Sharkia ENPPI, leaving them two points clear heading into the break.

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Saudi Arabia has indefinitely shelved plans to build NEOM Stadium, one of the 15 venues proposed for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Two sources familiar with the project told Reuters that plans for the 46,000-seat stadium have been put aside following delays and the scaling back of The Line development.

The stadium had been one of the most ambitious elements of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid.

Its pitch was planned more than 350 metres above ground within “The Line,” the futuristic city under development in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia proposed the venue for matches from the group stage through to the quarter-finals. The original bid listed 2032 as its planned completion date.

However, construction industry database MEED Projects now lists NEOM Stadium as “on hold”, Reuters reported. MEED estimates the project would cost around $2.5 billion and currently gives it no completion date.

Saudi authorities have not publicly announced that NEOM Stadium has been removed from the World Cup programme.

When asked, the Ministry of Sports referred questions to the World Cup 2034 Hosting Higher Authority.

The authority said Saudi Arabia had already achieved “substantial delivery” on construction milestones. However, it did not directly address questions about NEOM Stadium or its cost.

No replacement venue has yet been publicly announced.

The development marks a significant change from the plan FIFA evaluated before awarding Saudi Arabia the tournament in December 2024.

The uncertainty follows a wider reassessment of NEOM and other major Saudi development projects.

The kingdom has increasingly shifted investment away from some costly “giga-projects” towards projects offering more immediate economic returns.

Saudi Arabia also faces growing fiscal pressure. Its finance ministry recently projected a larger deficit and a 3.6% contraction in real GDP following a decline in oil activity.

Still, Saudi Arabia plans a major construction programme ahead of the tournament.

MEED estimates the combined value of World Cup stadium and related infrastructure projects at around $22.7 billion.

As KingFut previously reported, the state-backed ROSHN Group was seeking outside investors for the Aramco stadium as Saudi Arabia looked to draw more private capital into its World Cup infrastructure programme.

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Egyptian Football Association vice president Khaled El-Darandaly has called for an apology to resolve his dispute with Egypt’s coaching staff.

El-Darandaly, who headed the Egyptian delegation in Juba, said the EFA plans to meet head coach Hossam Hassan and his staff over the incident.

The dispute began before Egypt travelled to South Sudan for their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

El-Darandaly said members of the coaching staff arrived at Cairo airport but headed towards the aircraft without greeting him. He had arrived around 30 minutes before the rest of the delegation.

“There are 100 ways to deal with what happened because the situation cannot simply be overlooked,” El-Darandaly told ON Sport.

He said an apology and a commitment not to repeat the incident represented possible solutions.

“There is a difference between the player, administrator, coaching staff and official,” he added. “Everyone has to know their limits.”

However, El-Darandaly stressed that the dispute does not place Hassan’s Egypt job under immediate threat.

He will submit his customary report on the South Sudan trip to the EFA board, but said it would not recommend dismissing the technical staff.

“The coaching staff will continue,” El-Darandaly said. “We do not settle scores.”

He added that the EFA prioritises stability and does not intend to make a rushed decision over the incident. Still, El-Darandaly maintained that the EFA would address the breach of protocol.

He also criticised official federation posts surrounding the trip which referred to the delegation travelling under the leadership of the technical staff rather than its designated head.

El-Darandaly said the national team’s media coordinator works closely with the coaching staff and described the omission as unacceptable.

“This is wrong and cannot happen,” he said. “Whoever did it will be held accountable,” El-Darandaly added, saying he deliberately avoided confronting the coaching staff during the trip.

He also said there was no discussion with Hassan after Egypt’s match in Juba.

The Pharaohs beat South Sudan 5-0 to record their first win of the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign.

Omar Marmoush scored twice after Mostafa Ziko opened the scoring, while Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdelkarim completed the rout.

The victory took Egypt to four points from two Group B games following their goalless opening draw against Angola.

El-Darandaly has rejected reports of a direct confrontation or personal insults during the South Sudan trip.

He instead described the incident as a failure to observe the hierarchy and protocol governing national-team delegations.

The EFA board will now review his report, with a meeting between federation officials and Hassan’s staff expected as both sides seek to close the dispute.

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