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UDINE, Italy: European champions Paris Saint-Germain began the new season by lifting more silverware on Wednesday as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup after producing a late comeback to draw the match 2-2.

Spurs looked set to get their hands on the trophy in their first competitive match under new coach Thomas Frank as they led 2-0 just after halftime at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy.

Micky van de Ven gave last season’s Europa League winners the lead on 39 minutes and Cristian Romero got their second goal three minutes into the second half.

However, PSG were rescued by two substitutes as Lee Kang-in pulled a goal back in the 85th minute and Goncalo Ramos headed in the equalizer four minutes into injury time.

That meant a penalty shootout, although it started badly for PSG when Vitinha put their first kick wide.

New Paris goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier then saved from Van de Ven and Mathys Tel missed the target, allowing Nuno Mendes to convert the winning penalty for PSG.

Dominic Solanke, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pedro Porro all scored from the spot for Spurs, in vain. Ramos, Ousmane Dembele and Lee converted for PSG before Mendes stepped up.

It is the first time PSG, or indeed any French club, have lifted the Super Cup, as they take their tally of trophies won in 2025 to five.

“I am proud. We have hadn’t much preparation but you could see that football is not only about the physical aspect — it is also about the mental aspect, being in the right place, having the right tactics,” PSG captain Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus.

“They sat back a lot after going 2-0 up and it is dangerous to invite PSG to come at you like that.”

It is the perfect start to the new campaign for Luis Enrique’s team, who had a shortened off-season break having lost the FIFA Club World Cup final to Chelsea exactly a month ago.

They only began pre-season training a week ago and played no friendly matches before this game.

PSG now begin the new Ligue 1 campaign on Sunday away to Nantes, while Spurs will turn their attentions to the start of the Premier League season as they take on Burnley at home on Saturday.

“I think we played a very good game against one of the best teams in the world — maybe the best in this moment in time,” Frank told TNT Sports.

“I think we had them exactly where we wanted them for 80-something minutes until the 2-1 goal. Then of course that shifted a little bit the momentum, but there was so much positive.

“I am so proud of the team, the players, the club, the fans. I think there is a lot to be happy with. It is a flip of a coin when you go into a penalty shootout.”

As well as Frank making his debut on the bench, new signings Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha both started for Spurs.

Chevalier made his debut in goal for PSG following his arrival from Lille, a move which has sidelined Italy ‘keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from Luis Enrique’s team.

The 23-year-old was called into action to tip over a Richarlison shot midway through the first half but he could not prevent Van de Ven giving the Premier League side the lead as the interval approached.

Chevalier did tip a Palhinha shot onto the bar after Spurs sent a ball into the Paris area, but there was nothing the goalkeeper could do to stop Dutch defender Van de Ven scoring the follow-up.

The new signing was then culpable as Tottenham scored again just after the break, with Chevalier too easily beaten by a header from the unmarked Romero.

It looked like it would not be PSG’s night as Bradley Barcola had an effort disallowed for an offside midway through the second half, but they saved the day with a remarkable late show.

Lee controlled a Vitinha pass before firing low into the far corner from the edge of the box, and Ramos then equalized in the 94th minute by heading in a driven ball across the face of goal by Dembele, setting PSG up for penalties.

ATLANTA: Human rights scandals have marred World Cup tournaments for years, but FIFA is testing a new protocol requiring all host committees to develop action plans to protect human rights for the 2026 games in North America.
With the games less than a year away, though, FIFA’s commitment to upholding human rights is still under scrutiny. Human rights advocates who wanted more enforceable standards and clearer directions for local officials say FIFA watered down a more robust model for the plans.
“Even though where we landed is very different than what we had consulted them on, the existence of the framework is in many ways unprecedented. Sports bodies have not had human rights frameworks that reflected the breadth of issues covered across so many jurisdictions. But the plan is just a plan. It’s not self-executing,” said Jennifer Li, director of the O’Neill Institute’s Center for Community Health Innovation at Georgetown Law and national coordinator of the Dignity 2026 Coalition, which is working with FIFA on human rights.
Adding to advocates’ unease, several US host committees said they couldn’t meet a March deadline for an early draft of their plans. A FIFA spokesperson said the governing body has been working closely with host cities and counties, which they say are on track to develop final action plans by the Aug. 29 deadline. Sixteen North American sites will host games, including 11 in the US
Human rights concerns in North America look different from those in other countries where FIFA has come under fire, which had few protections for workers and massive stadium and transportation construction projects. Migrant workers labored in Qatar’s scorching heat for more than a decade before the 2022 World Cup there, and human rights advocates worry migrant workers’ lives are again at risk in ��������, which will host the games in 2034.
FIFA’s suggestions for the 2026 plans include guidelines on nondiscrimination, security, preventing trafficking, protecting unhoused people and workers’ rights, including for migrant workers.
“The host communities are quite invested in their legacy, so they’ve stepped up,” said labor rights expert Deborah Greenfield, who is in an expert advisory group supporting FIFA’s human rights work for 2026.
Local tensions rise
US President Donald Trump has ramped up immigration enforcement across the country, stirring fears that federal law enforcement officers will arrest workers and even travelers during the games. Trump imposed a travel ban on 12 countries in June, and seven face restrictions.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has close ties to Trump. A FIFA spokesperson said it is working with a White House task force to “bring millions of people from different nations and communities” together in the US
Protesters in Miami-Dade County gathered outside FIFA’s offices in June to demand that the governing body protect travelers and workers and speak out against Trump’s immigration moves. That came after a Club World Cup event hosted in the area by Spanish-language TV network Telemundo was canceled after an unexpected Coast Guard inspection involving at least one Border Patrol agent, local outlets reported.
“There’s no guarantee that you might not have ICE posted up at the World Cup,” South Florida AFL-CIO President Jeff Mitchell said.
Local organizers don’t seem to have their human rights plan ready and haven’t agreed to meet with the union, Mitchell said. He noted that the region has a history of wage theft in a state with weak heat protection laws for workers.
“Organizations like FIFA like to say that they have these human rights efforts, but they aren’t pushing it,” Mitchell said. “They’re leaving it up to the locals to do it. What tends to happen is everybody gets their bag and then they turn a blind eye to making sure people are getting paid properly or not being harassed.”
Miami-Dade officials referred The Associated Press to the local host committee, which did not respond to requests for comment.
More than 9,000 unhoused people were arrested when Atlanta prepared to host the Olympics in 1996, and a plan to eliminate homelessness downtown before the World Cup worries advocates that unhoused people will be jailed again.
Atlanta officials and partners say the Downtown Rising plan is a part of the mayor’s larger investments in reducing homelessness and building affordable housing. The goal is to house people, not put them in jail, officials say.
In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called on cities to ban encampments in May and offered money for mental health and substance use treatment. Cities with impending sporting events have ramped up enforcement, including San Jose, where unhoused people who reject three offers of shelter will now be eligible for arrest on trespassing charges. The mayor said the policy would encourage people to move inside.
“This panic rush to disappear visible signs of poverty is very concerning,” said Dr. Mark Spencer, an Atlanta hospital physician involved in local advocacy. “Politicians and the business community know that visible signs of poverty are unpopular, and that’s the driving force behind what is happening. It’s not about human rights in any meaningful way.”
Working to address standards
FIFA’s human rights policy published in 2017 mandates bidders for the men’s 2026 World Cup to respect “international human rights and labor standards according to the United Nations’ guiding principles.”
A group of international lawyers filed a formal complaint to FIFA in May claiming the soccer body is failing to uphold its human rights policy with 2034 World Cup host ��������.
In North America, Greenfield said FIFA is taking the goal of having a tournament “that respects and promotes human rights” seriously and she wouldn’t be participating in the effort if she didn’t think that was possible.
Candace Stanciel, Atlanta’s chief equity officer, said the city was committed to human rights work before FIFA came in and launched efforts to combat human trafficking in airports, hotels and public transport. Officials are working on potential language tools, accessibility measures for people with disabilities and an app to report issues including human rights abuses.
One of Seattle’s largest labor organizations and the city’s organizing committee signed a labor standards agreement last year. The International Labour Organization called FIFA’s human rights framework “an important step forward in harnessing the power of sport to advance decent work globally,” adding that it aligns with international labor standards.