We've all seen controversial penalty shootouts – but never quite like this. The FIFA esports World Cup has ended in scandal this week after a penalty shootout which was branded a “disgrace” by the losing side. K esports organisation Futwiz lost the tournament’s grand final after their player’s controller overlay was shown on the main screen during the shootout, meaning everybody could see which way he was aiming. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Futwiz’s Australian player, Mark11, raised his arm several times to let officials know about the situation. However, the issue wasn’t resolved and he lost 5-4 overall, with admins deciding not to retake the penalties. Mark11 received the $150,000 second-place prize and his opponent, Team Gullit’s Dutch player Bachoore, left with the $300,000 top prize. Dan Bellis, the CEO of Futwiz, told Esports News UK: “The players are instructed to raise their hand if there’s an issue and it will be dealt with – but to keep on playing until then (stopping the game results in a disqualification). “In the 2v2 Club World Cup Semi-Final one of our players’ console was freezing after kick off – he raised his hand and the game was nullified and restarted. The protocol is communicated to the players and they’ve bottled it in the biggest occasion. “Just to clarify – this is nothing to do with EA, the world finals (for the last time as the partnership is ending) are handed over to FIFAe and the agency they use – ‘The eSports Company’.” A spokesperson for FIFA said: “All players have been informed at the start of the FIFAe World Cup 2023 that if they actively decide themselves to show the input overlay, it might be displayed on broadcast and in the arena. “Throughout the entire competition, the feed of the home console was visible on the stream and within the arena. This also included games with the input overlay. “The same situation occurred during the semi-finals including a penalty shootout and no further concerns have been raised by the players prior to the start of the final. After thorough review of the footage, we can also confirm that no player received a competitive advantage as the opposite team only watched their own screen.” But fellow esports players did not agree. British FIFA pro player Tom Leese described it as “the lowest day in FIFA esports history”. Pro FIFA player for Burnley, Jack Sharp added: “You’ve got a guy who’s communicating to the refs multiple times that something isn’t right and he’s being ignored? Scandalous.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Jadon Sancho’s future at Manchester United appears uncertain after a public falling-out with manager Erik ten Hag. It is the latest instalment in what has been a frustrating spell at Old Trafford for the England international. Here, the PA news agency looks at where it has gone wrong. What has happened? Ten Hag did not include Sancho in his squad for Sunday’s game at Arsenal, saying the player had not reached the required “level” in training. This was quickly disputed by Sancho in a strong statement on social media. The 23-year-old claimed he had been made a “scapegoat” for a long time and that claims about his conduct in training were “completely untrue”. Coming after two difficult years at the club, it raised questions over his future. What were the previous issues? Sancho’s United career does not seem to have ignited. Considered one of England’s brightest young prospects, he arrived amid much fanfare in the summer of 2021, but illness initially restricted his involvement. Then there was the turbulence of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being replaced by Ralf Rangnick before Ten Hag’s arrival last summer. Confidence clearly suffered and Sancho was unable to find any consistent form. What has happened under Ten Hag? Sancho’s performances did not significantly improve after Ten Hag’s arrival last summer and he was consequently overlooked for England’s World Cup squad. Ten Hag went on to criticise his “fitness state” and revealed he spent time training away from the squad on an “individual programme”. Since then opportunities have been restricted by the form of Marcus Rashford and further competition from Antony and Alejandro Garnacho. Is wasn’t meant to be this way was it? Absolutely not. Sancho was highly rated in Manchester City’s academy and the club were disappointed to lose him when he opted to join Borussia Dortmund in 2017. Some questioned whether that move was wise and suggested he should have stayed to work under Pep Guardiola, as Phil Foden did, but it seemed to pay off. Sancho had four highly fruitful years in Germany and became an established international. He seemed ready for the move in 2021, but it has simply not gone to plan. What happens next? After going public with his grievances in the way he did, it seems unlikely he will be back in the United side any time soon. He would need to settle his differences with the manager and then convince him he is playing well enough to be selected. That could take time. There have been suggestions a Saudi Arabian club could offer an immediate way out, but there has been no firm interest reported. It could be a quiet few months ahead. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Leeds release prop Zane Tetevano to return to New Zealand after heart surgery Chris Dobey keen to bring major darts trophy to St James’ Park Artificial intelligence could replace referees within 30 years – expert

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