Wayne Rooney, England's former striker, has praised Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid as a player the Three Lions cannot do without, after the midfielder helped secure England's place in the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup.

Bellingham scored both goals in England's 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the pre-quarterfinal round on July 12, Thai time.

Rooney lavished praise on the young midfielder, saying: "Tonight was a difficult match. We lacked quality, pace, and rhythm, but when you have a player like Jude Bellingham, you always have a chance."

"I said before the tournament started that there would be games where we would need Jude Bellingham," Rooney added. "I point to Steven Gerrard in the 2005 Champions League final—a match where people needed him most, and he delivered brilliantly."

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 8 match held on the morning of July 12, 2569 at Miami Stadium in the United States, Norway faced England. In the 36th minute, Norway took a 1-0 lead with a goal from Andreas Sjelderup. Jude Bellingham then scored for England.

Pierluigi Collina, head of FIFA's refereeing division, has firmly denied that referees at the 2026 World Cup face any external pressure or influence in their decision-making, regardless of who is involved. Heavy criticism has previously surrounded refereeing decisions at this World Cup, particularly in the Round of 16 match where defending champion Argentina narrowly beat Egypt 3-2, with allegations of bias favoring Argentina. Additionally, FIFA President Gianni Infantino's influence came under scrutiny in the case of American forward Folarin Balogun, who received a red card and later had his one-year suspension overturned, with Infantino admitting he had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump about the matter. In his latest statement, Collina said: "No one should question the integrity of World Cup referees. When such incidents occur, it could lead to threats against officials or their families. Similarly, no one can claim that decisions result from anyone's influence—not even the FIFA President."

The BBC reports that FIFA's disciplinary committee chairman declined to answer journalists' questions regarding England defender Jarrell Quansah's two-match suspension. Quansah received a red card in England's 3-2 Round of 16 victory over co-hosts Mexico, after which England appealed the ban following the case of US forward Folarin Balogun, who received a one-year suspension. FIFA subsequently upheld Quansah's two-match ban, sparking further criticism including from England manager Thomas Tuchel, who stated he has received no explanation for the punishment. Most recently, BBC editor Dan Roan confronted FIFA disciplinary chairman Mohammad Al Kamali with questions about both Quansah and Balogun's cases, but Al Kamali provided no answers. FIFA previously issued an 871-word statement on Balogun's ruling, emphasizing that the decision was made after considering all relevant circumstances and evidence, though it declined to specify what factors were actually considered.

Ken Bates, the businessman and former owner of Premier League clubs Chelsea and Leeds United, has passed away peacefully at the age of 94 while residing in Monaco on July 11. Chelsea released a statement saying: "With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Ken Bates, former owner and chairman of Chelsea Football Club. We will never forget Ken's determination to fight for Chelsea during difficult times and his drive to lead the team to major trophies." Bates became renowned during his ownership of Chelsea, having purchased the club in 1982 when it was in the old second division and heavily in debt. He managed the club for many years before selling it to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2003. Under Bates' stewardship, Chelsea claimed the FA Cup in 1997, the club's first major trophy in 26 years. The club also won the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup during his era.

Linda Noskovà captured her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon 2026 after defeating fellow Czech player Carolina Mukovà in the women's singles final.

The Wimbledon 2026 tournament, the third Grand Slam event of the year, took place in London on July 11. The women's singles final featured a battle between two Czech tennis players: Linda Noskovà faced Carolina Mukovà.

Noskovà, 21, was seeded ninth and was making her first Grand Slam final appearance. Mukovà, 29, was seeded tenth and had achieved her best Grand Slam result by reaching the runner-up position at the 2023 French Open.

In the first set, Noskovà displayed superior form, holding her serve firmly and preventing any breaks before winning 6-2 to take a 1-0 set lead.

In the second set, Noskovà continued to play well and led 5-2, appearing on track for the title. However, Mukovà mounted a comeback, winning five consecutive games and capturing the set 7-5 to level the match at 1-1.

In the decisive third set, Noskovà returned to excellent play, holding all her service games and breaking Mukovà's serve once before winning 6-3. Noskovà claimed victory 2-1 in sets with a final score of 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, with the match lasting 2 hours and 28 minutes.

Noskovà thus claimed her first Grand Slam title in her career and received prize money of 3.6 million pounds. Mukovà received 1.8 million pounds as the runner-up and continues to wait for her first Grand Slam championship.

Additionally, Noskovà became the third female tennis player from the Czech Republic to win Wimbledon in the past four years, following Marketa Vondrousovà in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.