Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, Alfie Whiteman has retired from football at the age of 27 to pursue a new career in photography and film directing.

Whiteman is already working as a director signed to a production company, Somesuch and has previously worked on Nike campaigns and documentaries in Norway and Ukraine.

Alfie Whiteman has been at the club since he started his career, going on loan stints to Swedish first-tier side Degerfors IF to seek decent playing time.

The third-choice shot-stopper made only one appearance for Spurs in an eight-minute cameo in the UEFA Europa League match against Ludogorets in 2020.

The club’s official statement featured an open explanation from Whiteman himself, offering insight into his reasoning.

“It got to the point where I preferred to end my career on my own terms rather than join a club I simply didn’t want to go to,” he stated.

“When I was younger, I always said I didn’t want to play in the lower leagues; only the highest level ever mattered to me. Otherwise, I’d rather do something different.

“So I just took this step into the unknown and thought: ‘Oh, damn. I’m really doing this.’ Anything can happen.“I’m in complete control of my life, and it’s both really exciting and really scary,” the statement ended.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Friday suspended 149 referees accused of betting on matches.

The TFF said in a statement that its disciplinary committee had handed out suspensions ranging from eight to 12 months, the TFF said, adding that investigations are continuing into three other referees.

An investigation by the federation into 571 referees in the Turkish professional leagues revealed on Monday that 371 of them had sports betting accounts and 152 were actively betting.

“Refereeing is a profession of honour,” said TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu on Thursday. Anyone who tarnishes that honour…will never again be involved in Turkish football.”

The TFF said on Monday that 22 of the officials (seven match referees and 15 assistants) work in the top league.

Ten of the referees listed by the TFF placed more than 10,000 bets, with one of them alone placing 18,227 bets. Forty-two referees each bet on more than 1,000 football matches, the head of Turkish football said on Friday.

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), in collaboration with hosts Morocco, has officially confirmed the match venues and schedule for the African Qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Inter-Continental Playoff tournament.

The high-stakes mini-tournament will take place from 13 to 16 November 2025 in Rabat, Morocco, featuring four African powerhouses: Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).

The semi-finals will be played on Thursday, 13 November 2025, at El Barid Stadium and the Prince Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex.

A draw scheduled for 30 October 2025 will determine which fixture is assigned to each venue.The opening semi-final will see Nigeria’s Super Eagles take on Gabon at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT