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Football fans are not happy with UEFA after it was announced who had been awarded player of the match for the Super Cup.

On Wednesday night, Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain faced off against Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udinese, Italy.

Despite boasting a 2-0 lead over the Ligue 1 winners heading into the final 10 minutes of the match, Spurs failed to see out the match, with goals from substitutes Lee Kang-in and Goncalo Ramos taking the match to a penalty shootout.

After Vitinha missed the opening penalty of the shootout, PSG managed to come back and win the shootout 4-3, therefore winning the UEFA Super Cup.

Post-match, UEFA took to social media to announce who they had selected as the player of the match, and fans were truly baffled by the decision.

Ahead of their Ligue 1 opener against FC Nantes on Sunday, PSG manager Luis Enrique named a full strength starting team in the Super Cup, handing a debut to new goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier.

But, despite his heroics in the shootout, it wasn't Chevalier who took home the player of the match award, as UEFA instead decided to give it to teammate Ousmane Dembele.

Although he started the match and played until the final whistle, Dembele failed to register a goal involvement until he set up Ramos for the equaliser in the 94th minute, leading to many fans saying he didn't deserve the award.

Reacting to the decision on X, one fan wrote: "Ghosted 85 minutes and got 1 assist, this PR is crazy. Lee or Fabian Ruiz were the best players, they changed the game."

While a Spurs fan claimed: "That's a f****** joke. Was missing for half the game. Spurs may have lost, but more Spurs players deserving of the recognition, Spence for starters."

And one fan suggested that the decision may have been influenced by the upcoming Ballon d'Or ceremony, writing: "Can't lie he's absolutely not deserving of this one. I guess they've made their mind up he's Ballon d'Or winner then."

As it stands Dembele is the favourite to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or after his crucial role in PSG securing a quadruple including both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

Who else could win the Ballon d'Or this year?

Although Dembele is now a relatively heavy favourite to win the Ballon d'Or at the ceremony on September 22nd, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, several other players are in contention for the award.

Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal could win his first of what is expected to be several career Ballon d'Ors in September should he be credited for establishing himself as one of the biggest names in the sport this season.

Savinho’s agent has reportedly made clear how much it will cost Spurs to sign the Brazil winger from Manchester City.

Savinho, 21, was the subject of an approach from Spurs on Monday despite signing for Man City just last summer.

It was reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein that dialogue took place between the clubs concerning a package worth €50million (£43.3m).

City have supposedly expressed that they do not want to sell the player this summer, but the Brazilian is "open to the possibility" of a move.

The 21-year-old cost City around £30.8m when he joined from French side Troyes in July of last year.

During his first season in England, the winger made 48 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, producing three goals and 13 assists, helping City finish third in the Premier League and reach the FA Cup final.

On Wednesday (August 13), Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola revealed that he has spoken to Savinho’s agent, Frederico Moraes, who confirmed that an offer of €50m (£42m) from Spurs had already been turned down.

Nicola reports that an asking price of €80m (£67m) has been placed on Savinho, and it is unclear if the north London outfit are willing to meet the valuation.

Savinho, who plays predominantly as a right winger, would likely fill the void left by the departure of Son Heung-min if he were to join Spurs.

The Korean joined Major League Soccer outfit LAFC last week, after a decade with the Lilywhites. If Savinho were to join Spurs, he would become the club’s seventh signing of the summer, with Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic, Kota Takai and Joao Palhinha (loan) also arriving during the transfer window.

Spurs have also opened talks with Crystal Palace regarding a move for Eberechi Eze.

Thomas Frank on Spurs' transfer dealings

Earlier this month, the Dane explained how his squad "needs to be big and robust enough so we can compete in all four tournaments".

"But I can’t have too many players," Frank told The Athletic. "It’s just so difficult to keep everyone happy. It’s almost impossible.

“Then we want to see if we can add quality. We don’t want to sign players we don’t think can really improve the squad. I would want to wait. We have talented players who can grow. I’m not here for the short-term fix; I want to build something that can last. We need to think longer-term, but we need to compete now.

“I’m constantly learning about (the players). Finding out… are they good enough? Can they raise their ceiling? And do they fit the culture? Those are the three big things.”

UEFA could be set to make a huge change to the Super Cup format ahead of next season.

On Wednesday (August 13), Europa League winners Spurs will take on last season’s Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in Udine, Italy.

The first UEFA-sanctioned Super Cup took place in 1974 and has been a fixture ahead of the subsequent campaigns.

Real Madrid boast six titles – the most of any club – while AC Milan and Barcelona have won the prize five times, with Liverpool securing four.

Currently, the match is a one-off fixture contested at a neutral venue between the winners of the Europa League and Champions League.

The competition is also different to other UEFA-sanctioned tournaments as it is decided via a penalty shootout without extra time if the 90-minute match ends in a draw.

The way the tournament works could be set to change with UEFA proposing a huge shake-up to how the competition is formatted.

The Telegraph reports that the Super Cup could be turned into a four-team tournament before the start of the 2026/27 campaign. Venues in the Middle East and the US could also stage the fixture.

UEFA previously raised the prospect of re-jigging the Super Cup back in 2022, intending to sell TV rights for the 2024-27 cycle as well as the competition acting as an “opening tournament” ahead of the yearly Champions League.

This comes after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin revealed that the prospect of playing Champions League games outside of Europe was discussed by the body in 2023.

Speaking to Men in Blazers, Ceferin said: "It’s possible. We started to discuss about that but then one year it was the World Cup."

He added: "Football is extremely popular in [the] United States these days. Americans are willing to pay for best and nothing for the less. So they will follow European football as basketball lovers in Europe follow NBA.

“it’s a very important promising market for the future. The thing is that we are selling rights very well. Sponsorship is so-so for now from the US, but here [in the US] commercialisation is completely different than in Europe. "They [Americans] are much more talented for that than us [Europeans].”

The revamped version of the competition would involve two semi-finals and a final. The Telegraph’s report claims that the previous proposal was dropped but could resurface ahead of the new round of bidding rights.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, the Spanish FA approved plans to host a La Liga fixture between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami in December of this year. The RFEF will now seek permission from FIFA and UEFA to move the game to the Hard Rock Stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain or Spurs will have to follow a strict rule if they get their hands on the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night.

The Champions League and Europa League winners lock horns at Bluenergy Stadium, home of Serie A side Udinese, in what is the 50th edition of the annual fixture.

PSG, who left out Gianluigi Donnarumma out of the squad, have appeared in the game before back in 1996 when they won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and ended up losing 9-2 in a two-legged thrashing at the hands of Champions League winners Juventus.

It is Spurs' debut after they ended a 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United in the final in Bilbao but both sides need to be aware of a regulation put in place by UEFA.

The winner will of course get their hands on the trophy, which is 58cm and 12.2kg, as well as 50 gold medals.

But they only have that piece of silverware for the official presentation as that is kept in UEFA's clutches. Instead, the winners get a full-size replica that belongs to them.

However, if the club plan to leave their country of residence with the trophy - they must receive written permission from UEFA.

In addition , there are strict regulations in place for any trophy-related activities involving any sponsors and commercial partners.

Article 9.02 in the regulations of the UEFA Super document states: "Replica trophies awarded to winners of the competition (past and current) must remain within the relevant club’s control at all times and may not leave the club’s country without UEFA’s prior written consent (in this respect, clubs must comply with any request from the UEFA administration to confirm the location of the club’s replica trophies).

"Clubs must not permit a replica trophy to be used in any context where a third party (including sponsors and other commercial partners) is granted visibility or in any other way that could lead to an association between any third party and the trophy and/or the competition. Clubs must comply with any trophy use guidelines that the UEFA administration issues."

Spurs received apology from UEFA in last final appearance

James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin are all absent for Spurs, though Dominic Solanke is fit after recovering from an ankle injury.

When Spurs beat United to win the Europa League, there was confusion regarding their medals as some did not wear the full kit as is required by UEFA - instead wearing Nike sports socks.

Spurs actually received an apology from UEFA after captain Son, Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero did not have medals on for the trophy presentation due to an "unexpected discrepancy" which meant Alexander Ceferin didn't have enough to give out.

The trio didn't end up missing out as they received their mementos in the dressing room instead.

James Maddison has spoken out following surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in pre-season.

The Spurs star was stretchered off in the closing stages of last week's 1-1 draw against Newcastle following an innocuous challenge.

Maddison is set to miss the majority of the 25/26 season which significantly dents his chances of making his first international tournament with England next summer.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that the 28-year-old's injury will force the London club into the transfer market with Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze heavily linked.

Maddison has undergone successful surgery on his knee, and will begin his road to recovery as soon as possible.

James Maddison calls out haters in post surgery statement

On Tuesday, Maddison broke his silence on the situation claiming it has been the 'lowest low' of his career in an extremely honest statement.

"Lowest low I’ve ever had," he wrote on X.

"Heartbroken at the fact this injury has occurred at this time in my career. With the Super Cup tomorrow, the Premier League season on the horizon, the exciting Champions League campaign & it being a World Cup year for England it all feels very very cruel but nevertheless the ACL reconstruction surgery was successful.

"To all my close friends and family, your support and love means absolutely everything to me to those of you who have gone out of your way to message on social media platforms in support of me and my recovery even when we don’t know each other personally, I appreciate you all more than you’ll ever know so thank you.

Maddison also had a word for those who haven't been supportive following the injury and emphasised the hate only makes him stronger.

He continued: "And lastly to those of you who doubt, hate & mock. You truly motivate me to levels I didn’t know I had inside of me so again, thank you.

"See you all on the other side."

Thomas Frank has axed Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma ahead of the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday for disciplinary issues.

The European curtain raiser will be Frank's first competitive game in charge since his move from Brentford, having won two of his six pre-season games in charge.

It's been a far from an ideal pre-season for the London club, who lost 4-0 to Bayern Munich in their final preparation match.

Frank has also suffered a huge injury blow with James Maddison rupturing his ACL against Newcastle United in Seoul.

Maddison isn't the only midfielder absent for the season opener, with Bissouma left out of the squad to face PSG in Italy.

When asked about the Mali international, Frank revealed he had been left out after repeatedly reporting late to duty.

“He's been late several times and now this latest time was one too many," he told reporters.

"There needs to be demands and consequences. This time there was a consequence.”

Bissouma had featured in all but one of Spurs' pre-season outings until this point, starting once in a 0-0 draw with Luton Town.

PSG will also be missing a key midfielder with Portugal international Joao Neves forced to sit on the sidelines due to a red card in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea.

The 20-year-old was handed a straight red in the US after VAR intervened for pulling on Marc Cucurella's hair during the second half.

Although the dismissal came in a FIFA match, the suspension will carry over domestically and in Europe, meaning Neves will also miss the Ligue 1 opener against Nantes.

Thomas Frank 100% ready for PSG

Speaking following Spurs' final pre-season match last week, Frank insisted his players are fully prepared and focussed on bringing home another trophy.

“We will 100% be ready for that game. I’m not in doubt about that," he told reporters.

"There are six days ahead… then we will be ready against PSG.

“The lesson I want to learn is that we won. That game will be about winning.

"If, for whatever reason, we shouldn’t win, then we will learn from it. We don’t see it as a test. We see it as two good teams against each other, and we want to win,"he added.

Spurs could see their chances of beating Paris Saint-Germain bolstered by taking advantage of a little-known UEFA rule ahead of the Super Cup on Wednesday.

Thomas Frank’s Spurs side qualified for the UEFA Super Cup due to their victory over Manchester United in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League final, while PSG defeated Inter in the UEFA Champions League to book their place.

The match will be played at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, where Serie A side Udinese play their home matches.

Of course, PSG, fresh off the back of a treble-winning campaign last term, will come into the game as favourites.

However, Frank, who spoke to UEFA in the build-up to the clash, is seemingly not fazed at the prospect of facing Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Co.

Frank said: “We're playing in a final; it's fantastic. Hopefully we can use some of the experience we have from the last final that the team played against Manchester United. [Paris] are the best team in Europe. They won the treble, and it looks like they are extremely strong in all 11 starting positions.

“It's a fantastic challenge to have in the first game, but, of course, we believe in ourselves. We're going to a final and there will be one objective – try to win it. We don't see it as a test; we see it as two good teams against each other, and we want to win.”

And containing such talent will undoubtedly prove a test for Frank’s side, but they could benefit from a little-known UEFA rule.

In other UEFA-ruled competitions, such as the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, knockout games which do not conclude in 90 minutes continue for 30 minutes of extra time.

However, this is not the case during the Super Cup.

As per UEFA’s regulations, “if the result stands as a draw at the end of normal time, no extra time is played at the end of the match. A penalty shoot-out determines the winner”.

Therefore, tired Spurs players will get at least some respite after facing PSG’s world-class operators during normal time.

Both Spurs and PSG have never won the UEFA Super Cup.

Tottenham have submitted their 22-man squad list for Wednesday’s Super Cup showdown with PSG and the inclusion of one man will come as a boost for supporters.

Spurs face the Parisian powerhouse in Udine on Wednesday night as they look to build upon their Europa League success in May. Brennan Johnson’s scrappy first half strike proved the difference in Bilbao as Spurs ended their 17-year wait for a trophy, claiming a 1-0 win over Premier League rivals Manchester United in the process.

In winning a first piece of European silverware since 1984, Spurs were automatically entered into the Super Cup, where they take on PSG.

The Ligue 1 giants were in fine form as they trounced Inter in the Champions League final earlier this year, as goals from Achraf Hakimi, Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Sunny Mayulu secured a 5-0 win in Munich.

While PSG were unable to follow up success in Germany with the Club World Cup in America last month, Luis Enrique’s side crashing to a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, the French outfit will be confident of kicking off the campaign with a first piece of silverware.

Spurs boost as key PSG man missing

The absence of Joao Neves, the Portuguese midfielder suspended, is a blow for PSG, the former Benfica man forging a fine partnership with compatriot Vitinha and Spain international Fabian Ruiz in Enrique’s favoured 4-3-3 setup.

Even so, PSG head into the midweek meeting with Spurs as favourites as Thomas Frank gears up for his first competitive match as head coach.

Frank succeeded Ange Postecoglou at the Spurs helm earlier in the year, and the former Brentford man faces a real baptism of fire.

The north London side were humbled in their final pre-season game before the domestic campaign gets underway later this week, losing 4-0 to Bayern Munich.

Dominic Solanke has hardly kicked a ball in pre-season

Dominic Solanke missed that heavy defeat due to injury sustained against Reading last month and fans were concerned the England international wouldn’t be ready for the new season.

Richarlison has been preferred as focal point of the Spurs attack but the Brazilian has come in for criticism for missing a couple of sitters in pre-season, notably close-range headers against Arsenal and Bayern.

However, Solanke has been included in Spurs’ 22-man squad list for the meeting with PSG, which will have come as a boost for the club even if he has barely featured in pre-season

In addition, Destiny Udogie has made the cut, with the Italian recently struggling due to injury.

Tottenham's 22-man Super Cup squad list

Goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Brandon Austin

Defenders: Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies

Midfielders: Joao Palhinha, Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr

Forwards: Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke

Fans will hope to see Lucas Bergvall make his first competitive appearance the 5-1 loss to Liverpool in April after the Swedish midfielder suffered an ankle injury to miss the final games of the campaign.

Injured sextet James Maddison, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Kota Takai, Bryan Gil and Manor Solomon all miss out on the squad list, while the latter pair have been linked with summer exits.

Tottenham have been handed a boost ahead of the UEFA Super Cup as a key PSG player will be forced to miss the game through suspension.

Thomas Frank will get his Spurs career underway in Italy on Wednesday, as his inherited Europa League winners face Champions League-winning PSG.

The European curtain raiser will be Frank's first competitive game in charge since his move from Brentford, having won two of his six pre-season games in charge.

It's been a difficult pre-season for the London club, losing 4-0 to Bayern Munich last time out, as well as suffering a huge injury blow with James Maddison rupturing his ACL.

PSG will also be missing a key man on Wednesday with midfielder Joao Neves forced to sit on the sidelines due to his red card in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea.

The 20-year-old was given his marching orders in the US after pulling on Marc Cucurella's hair during the second half as the Premier League side ran away with the match.

Despite the dismissal coming in a FIFA match the suspension will carry over to both PSG's European and domestic matches, meaning Neves will also sit out the Parisians' Ligue 1 opener against Nantes.

According to French outlet RMC Sport, PSG manager Luis Enrique will use the Portuguese international's suspension to his advantage by implementing a new training plan.

With the Club World Cup offering players little to no rest ahead of the new season, Neves will gradually build up his fitness with PSG players only returning to training on the 6th of August.

Thomas Frank 100% ready for PSG

Speaking ahead of the match, Frank insisted his squad are prepared for the challenge and focussed on bringing home another trophy.

“We will 100% be ready for that game. I’m not in doubt about that," he told reporters.

"There are six days ahead… then we will be ready against PSG.

“The lesson I want to learn is that we won. That game will be about winning.

"If, for whatever reason, we shouldn’t win, then we will learn from it. We don’t see it as a test. We see it as two good teams against each other, and we want to win,"he added.

America’s media have already had their say on Son Heung-min after the former Spurs man made his MLS debut on Saturday (April 9).

Son, 33, joined LAFC on a two-year contract from Spurs for a reported fee in excess of £20m earlier this week, bringing his decade-long stay in north London to an end.

Upon his arrival in the States, the popular Korean admitted that the club were not “my first choice” but also stressed how he was “more than happy” and “excited” to get going.

"It's a dream come true. LA - what a city," said Son on Wednesday.

"If I'm honest, it was not my first choice. But the first call I had with [LAFC co-president] John [Thorrington] after my season finished, he changed my mind, changed my heart, my brain.

"He showed me the destination where I should be. Now I'm here, I'm more than happy, I'm so excited."

And it didn’t take long for the veteran to make his first appearance for LA as he was introduced as a second-half substitute during the side’s 2-2 draw against Chicago Fire at the SeatGeek Stadium.

Son made an instant impact and won a penalty kick within 20 minutes of his debut before the ensuing spot kick was dispatched by Denis Bouanga with just nine minutes left to play.

Despite his positive contribution, Son explained how he was “disappointed” after the match.

He said: "A bit disappointed not getting three points, but I think everybody put in a lot of effort, happy I made my debut, and I hope the goals come soon."

So, what did the US media make of his 29-minute cameo in Chicago?

Sports Illustrated wrote: “Son Heung-min is going to be good for LAFC in Major League Soccer.”

The outlet added: "Overall, it was a strong performance from Son, and LAFC would not have been able to get the point without him given that he drew the penalty for Bouanga to score and secure the 2–2 result."

Son has even earned himself a new nickname in States with the commentators often referring to him as 'Sonny' during his debut .

Meanwhile, The Athletic wrote: “He was active and dangerous in his first minutes with his new club, and his run into space on a counterattack provided the decisive moment of the game.”

AOL explained: “In his first minutes in an LAFC uniform, Son quickly made an impact: In addition to drawing the penalty, he had three shots in the draw. Son had a few clear opportunities, but Chicago keeper Chris Brady was able to get the relatively easy saves on those chances.”

LAFC return to action with a trip to New England on August 17.