NOTTINGHAM FOREST FACE EUROPA LEAGUE PLAY-OFF NIGHTMARE AFTER DISASTROUS RYAN YATES OWN GOAL
Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 loss to Braga leaves Sean Dyche under fire as Lorenzo Lucca arrives for a medical to solve the striker crisis.
Sean Dyche and his players didn’t just hear the boos from Nottingham Forest fans in Portugal—they felt every bit of it. Ryan Yates’ own goal summed up a night that went from bad to worse, especially after Elliot Anderson picked up a red card late on. The mood? Flat, frustrated, and just about fed up.
Now Forest’s hopes of cracking the top eight in the Europa League group are hanging by a thread. They need a win over Ferencvaros at the City Ground next week just to make the play-off round. Even that doesn’t seem to be enough for the fans, who made it clear they’ve had it.
It all unravelled so quickly. Gibbs-White missed a penalty, and less than a minute later, Yates tried to cut out a cross and ended up scoring at the wrong end. You can forgive a freak goal if the team’s fighting, but the 2,100 Forest fans who made the trip weren’t buying it. They booed the players off at half-time and let them have it again in the second half. Some even started chanting, “Sideways and backwards, everywhere we go,” as Forest struggled to lay a glove on Braga.
The dig at Dyche’s style wasn’t subtle. He’s always drawn flak for his direct approach, but this was something else.
Yates’ own goal sealed the defeat. Braga’s subs piled onto the pitch to celebrate, while Gibbs-White could only think about his missed penalty. Nobody in a Forest shirt escaped the crowd’s anger. New signings Bakwa and McAtee were booed as they went off, and Dyche is desperate for a reaction at Brentford on Saturday to calm things down.
He brought on Anderson, Hudson-Odoi, and Williams in the second half, and honestly, all three look set to start at Brentford. Dyche had shuffled his eleven, making seven changes, and with Igor Jesus out hurt, Forest didn’t even have a real striker. That could change if Lorenzo Lucca’s loan from Napoli goes through—he might debut on Sunday, assuming he passes his medical.
The first half barely offered anything worth remembering. Gibbs-White forced a save from Hornicek, while Martinez should’ve put Braga ahead but headed wide. After the break, Horta missed a sitter for Braga, but then Forest nearly stole the lead. Martinez bundled McAtee over in the box, and after a long delay, Gibbs-White stepped up... and Hornicek saved.
And then, just seconds later, disaster. Horta found space, Yates got tangled up trying to clear, and the ball trickled into his own goal. Forest fans groaned louder. Gibbs-White tried to make up for it but blasted over, and Ola Aina rattled the crossbar with a thunderbolt. Braga hit the post on a counter, then in a chaotic scramble, Ndoye and Yates almost levelled things, but it just wasn’t their night.
Let’s be honest: Forest were poor. Braga weren’t much better. But with UEFA stretching these group stages to protect the big clubs and rake in more cash, you end up with nights like this—matches that feel almost pointless. Both teams knew losing didn’t really change much. That’s what hurts the most.
THE HIDDEN MATH BEHIND FIFA’S $33,000 WORLD CUP FINAL TICKET PRICE SURGE
Gianni Infantino defends $32,970 ticket prices at the Milken Institute, citing the US market as the world's most developed.
FIFA just tripled the price of its top tickets for the World Cup final, now charging $32,970 for the best seats at the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. On Thursday, those front-row “category 1” seats popped up for sale, right as members of Congress started pushing FIFA for answers about high prices and demanding more transparency on how tickets are being priced.
Before, the highest category 1 ticket for the final topped out at $10,990. Now, the only way to snag that price is if you need a wheelchair or special-access seat; otherwise, you’re looking at the new, much steeper cost.
Prices don’t stop there. For the July 14 semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Texas, seats are $11,130, $4,330, $3,710, and $2,705. The next day’s semifinal in Atlanta? $10,635, $3,545, and $2,725. U.S. group stage matches aren’t cheap either; opening night in California runs $2,735, $1,940, or $1,120 a seat. The June 19 clash against Australia in Seattle sits at $2,715. And for the finale against Türkiye back in LA, tickets range from $2,970 down to $840.
Representatives Nellie Pou and Frank Pallone Jr, both Democrats from New Jersey, fired off a letter to FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino, calling FIFA’s use of “dynamic pricing” too secretive and criticising practices that make it tough for regular fans to get seats. Their letter didn’t mince words: “We’re deeply concerned about FIFA’s opaque pricing and shifting rules. Fans are getting frustrated and feel misled. We want to know how FIFA ensures everyone can actually afford to attend and what’s being done to address these concerns.”
Gianni Infantino hasn’t backed down. On Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, he defended his price tags. “We have to look at the market,” Infantino said. “This is the most developed entertainment market anywhere, so we charge market rates. Tickets here can legally be resold, so if you price them low, people just flip them for more. In fact, even with what some call high prices, tickets end up reselling for twice as much or more.”
He also pointed out, “You can’t go to a college game in the U.S., never mind a pro one, without spending at least $300 for a decent ticket.”
Sure, tickets for huge events like the Super Bowl or the College Football Championship can hit these levels, but scores of seats at U.S. college and pro sporting events, even the NBA playoffs, still go for under $300.
When it comes to resale, FIFA doesn’t set those prices. On its official ticket exchange, final match seats were listed Thursday from $8,970 all the way up to a wild $11,499,998.85, the latter for a spot four rows from the top in the upper deck. FIFA takes 15% of each sale from both buyer and seller. Last month, somebody listed a final ticket for $2,299,998.85.
Infantino joked about those prices: “If people list final tickets for $2 million, number one, that’s not the actual price. Number two, who’s paying that? If someone does, I’ll personally deliver them a hot dog and a Coke.”
Ticket prices aren’t the only pain point for fans. Getting to the game, especially at MetLife Stadium, has its own sticker shock. NJ Transit originally set a $150 round-trip fare from anywhere to the stadium, way up from the normal $13-ish round trip from Manhattan’s Penn Station. After plenty of backlash, they cut it down to $105, but that’s still steep.
Governor Mikie Sherrill, via her spokesperson Steve Sigmund, said she’s pushing for more corporate contributions to lower fares for fans. “The governor is grateful for the companies helping reduce costs and will keep working to make the World Cup a win for both fans and New Jersey.”
FIFA, for its part, warned that these high transit prices could dampen turnout in New Jersey, while other host cities, LA, Dallas, and Houston, aren’t hiking fares for the games.
MetLife Stadium, usually home to the Giants and Jets, will host eight World Cup matches, including the final. Group stage games for powerhouse teams like Brazil, France, Germany, and England all kick off starting June 13.
FIFA EXTENDS PRESTIANNI BAN WORLDWIDE; WINGER SET TO MISS WORLD CUP OPENERS
Gianluca Prestianni will miss games against Algeria and Austria if selected by Scaloni. Get the full disciplinary breakdown.
FIFA has extended Gianluca Prestianni’s suspension for homophobic conduct to apply globally, which could sideline him for Argentina’s first two matches at the 2026 World Cup. The winger from Benfica, initially punished after a well-publicised incident with Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, will now have his ban affect not just club matches but international competitive games as well.
The disciplinary move by FIFA follows a request from UEFA, and the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has confirmed the six-match ban will take effect worldwide. According to a FIFA spokesperson, the committee agreed to broaden the suspension’s scope, impacting all levels of competitive play.
This decision carries serious implications for both Benfica and Argentina. What was once a suspension limited to UEFA competitions now bars the 20-year-old from participating in any FIFA competitive events, including the upcoming World Cup in North America.
If Prestianni makes Lionel Scaloni’s final Argentina roster for 2026, he will be forced to sit out the opening group stage games against Algeria and Austria. Despite this setback, he remains eligible for friendlies; he was actually called up earlier this year for matches against Mauritania and Zambia following his November 2025 senior debut.
While the ban totals six matches, half of those come with a two-year probationary clause. After missing a Champions League match against Real Madrid under a provisional suspension, Prestianni still has two active games left to serve. Notably, domestic games with Benfica this season are unaffected, since the worldwide ban targets only competitive international fixtures.
The incident that triggered this whole saga happened on February 17 during a Champions League knockout match at Estadio da Luz. Vinicius Junior accused Prestianni of racial abuse, prompting referee Francois Letexier to pause the game for eight minutes and activate FIFA’s anti-discrimination protocol.
Prestianni has denied these accusations and issued a statement saying he never directed racist insults at Vinicius Junior, suggesting the player misunderstood what was said. He also condemned the threats he received from Real Madrid players in the aftermath.
Despite his denials, UEFA’s investigation concluded that Prestianni engaged in discriminatory, specifically homophobic, conduct, leading to his suspension.
Questions remain about the length of the ban, as UEFA’s rules generally mandate a minimum 10-match suspension for offences against human dignity based on factors like race or sexual orientation. UEFA has not explained why the disciplinary body settled on a shorter six-match penalty.
Looking ahead, Prestianni faces a challenging path to regain standing under scrutiny. Should he violate conduct rules again within the probationary period, the remaining three matches of his ban could be enforced immediately, potentially harming his prospects with both Benfica and the Argentina national team.
