England's Premier League teams withdrew from the European Super League on Tuesday, leaving the project in tatters just 48 hours after it was launched.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea signed as founding members of the 12-team league, but all have now withdrawn.
Reports on social media also suggested that Spanish club Atletico Madrid were considering leaving.
There has been huge opposition to the plans in English football and fans celebrated in the streets around Stamford Bridge as the news was reported before the team's home game with Brighton.
Should Chelsea's withdrawal be confirmed it would be a major blow to the plans for the competition set up to rival Uefa's Champions League.
The BBC reported that Blues owner Roman Abramovich is understood to have been behind the decision.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, now the club's technical adviser, had come out of the stadium to persuade fans to clear the roads as the home side's team bus was held up, causing kick-off to be delayed by 15 minutes.
Cech was heard shouting "give us time" before being drowned out by angry protesters.
Liverpool footballer Jordan Henderson took to Twitter to reassure fans.
"We don't like it and don't want it to happen," Henderson said.
"This is our collective position. Our commitment to this football club and its supporters is absolute and unconditional. You'll never walk alone."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday commended Chelsea and Manchester City for their reported withdrawal and called on the other clubs to pull out.
"I hope the other clubs involved in the European Super League will follow their lead," Mr Johnson said, after his government threatened a range of measures to block the English teams from taking part.
Tuesday's developments came shortly after the Super League won a preliminary ruling from a Madrid court to stop European soccer body Uefa and the sport's global governing body Fifa from imposing sanctions to stop the new formation.
The court said that Fifa, Uefa and all its associated federations must not adopt "any measure that prohibits, restricts, limits or conditions in any way" the Super League's creation.
It was not immediately clear what authority the Madrid court, which adjudicates corporate disputes, had over the Swiss-based soccer bodies and a source close to Uefa said the organisation was "relaxed" about the ruling.
The Super League has been hoping that a mix of defensive court action and momentum would lead soccer's authorities to accept their new competition within the game.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said that the clubs could not be "half in, half out" of the established framework.
Earlier, the Premier League met with the 14 clubs not involved and said they had "unanimously and vigorously" rejected plans for a European Super League.
It said it was considering all "actions available to prevent it from progressing".
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin told the clubs on Tuesday that it was not too late to admit they had made a mistake.
"Gentlemen, you made a huge mistake," Ceferin said. "Some will say it is greed, some complete ignorance of England's football culture.
"There's still time to change your mind. Everyone makes mistakes."
Reaction to the scheme has been scathing, with politicians and football authorities threatening to take legal action against the "dirty dozen" and possibly ban them from domestic leagues.
Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona were the other five clubs who agreed to the plan.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Mekhbat, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
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Range: Up to 610km
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