World news

LOS ANGELES – Obviously it couldn’t be straightforward – what else has been? When you have battled for visas, shaken off the slings and arrows of a US President and been forced to move countries to train, twice falling behind to New Zealand is small fry. Iran faced so much to get here. They scored two equalisers and each one felt like a mini-redemption.

But more on that a little later. If you’ll allow me, this one doesn’t start with football. It is two o’clock in Inglewood and Farhad, his wife and two children are walking around SoFi Stadium because the doors aren’t actually open for them to get inside. They live in California, and this World Cup draw made it possible for them to watch Iran play for the first time. That is why they are four hours early. They have facepaint on. They are wearing Iran shirts.

“We are here because we want the team to be a positive distraction from bad news,” Farhad says. “We want this tournament and the national team to be positive for all Iranians. To come together, one more time.”

That is the majority view of the people I speak to: let’s make this day count. Hussein is here with his son and friends, Reza with his group of mates. Some Iranian supporters didn’t wish to be photographed or give interviews, a lingering fear or mistrust of being captured on screen; entirely fair enough. But most were in celebration mode and happy to say so.

The pocket of intense opposition gathered on the corner of Pincay and South Prairie, within view of the stadium’s top tier through its vast pillars. A few hundred Iranian flags were still being waved, but with a different purpose.

Protesters believe that even playing for the national team is a tacit endorsement of the military dictatorship. Inside the stadium, a few of them tell me that they are cheering on New Zealand because the Iranian team supports the regime. It’s a multi-layered argument on a subject that I would never pretend to be an expert on. But team captain Mehdi Taremi says that footballers simply want to carry out their profession, in the same position as so many other Iranians: “We only think about our country. We are not political people.”

Iranian-American journalist Samson Tamijani says: “I think that fans that have stayed true to themselves and their culture understand that the majority of the players are just like them, as with most national teams in the world.”

I lean towards that view: nobody deserves to become an unwitting actor for a regime. Sardar Azmoun, a star player, was accused of “disloyalty to the government” and has not been picked. Coach Amir Ghalenoei says that he would like Azmoun to be with him. Football is never just football.

Perhaps one supporter, wandering around the third tier of SoFi two hours before kick-off, has it right. His face is painted in the colours of the flag. His T-shirt is a large football; the top half is the US flag and the bottom half the Iranian flag.

“My home,” it says over the top half of the football. “My roots,” it says over the other. This conflict has put people in an unpleasant, uncomfortable position. Perhaps this should just be a day for pride, unity and distraction. And many thousands of them are here to partake.

That the Iran team is in SoFi at all is progress. Donald Trump said that it was inappropriate for them to compete “for their own life and safety”. Staff members had visas rejected, as did many members of the media corps. The official supporters’ tickets were reportedly cancelled.

The Iran squad were forced to change their tournament camp from Arizona to Mexico and fly in and out for matches. After full-time in SoFi, Ghalenoei told the media that his team were being forced to leave that evening rather than recovering as planned. He talked of being “the most oppressed team in the tournament”.

“I have felt tension as soon as I arrived,” Taremi said on the eve of the game. “I don’t have the same beautiful experience as before. This World Cup could have provided a better atmosphere than it has but I hope in the future it will be better.”

But then, as Tamijani says, isn’t that always the way?

“We know nothing is ever cut and dry when it comes to Iran,” he says. “Nothing is easy. That is the grind that comes with being Iranian: many of us feel that nothing can ever be simple, modern or flawlessly dignified.”

As journalist Erfan Hoseiny points out, that complication extends to football’s own importance. He says that the players are now capable of compartmentalising and focusing on football, but it’s impossible for fans and media not to allow the creep of geopolitics.

And when that journey takes you literally into enemy territory, at least in the context of the current conflict, how could it not feel messy? This was arguably the most political match in the history of the World Cup. The notion that you could separate sport from the noise is patently ridiculous.

On The Road USA

Join Daniel Storey on his 7,200-mile odyssey across the US to tell the stories of a World Cup like no other.

Sign up to his free newsletter here and get it delivered to your inbox throughout the tournament.

But football can be a distraction. It can be a light relief. It can provide an arena where a diaspora come together, wear shirts, chant the name of their country and be intensely proud of a team, not a regime. Football can be everything for a day, even if it’s comparatively nothing yesterday and tomorrow.

“Nobody asked any football-related questions,” Taremi said with a smile before Iran played New Zealand. He knew why; few understand so more than him. And they likely won’t ask any for the rest of the tournament. That is the lot of this team and the complexities of their professional lives.

But on Monday in Los Angeles, there were football answers. Ghalenoei’s team were weak in parts, a little understandably undercooked. They also demonstrated fight, resilience and passion. How could anything else be true, in the circumstances?

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/IES51L8

The Rashford family have always adhered to a very common mantra: the cream always rises to the top.

Even through the darkest times, of which Marcus Rashford has had to endure more than most, their resilience never wavered.

Two years ago, Rashford was left out of the England squad for the 2024 European Championship. He was being booed not just by his own supporters, but by former United stars. His Manchester United dreams lay in tatters, without having garnered half the trophies he seemed destined for. Those closest to him even felt the once hometown hero was being unfairly targeted, even bullied, by opinionated ex-Old Trafford heroes.

A life-saving loan to Barcelona later, and the cream has surfaced once more. Rashford has not only earned a spot back in the England squad for the summer, but he has his No 11 shirt in tow, and a genuine chance of being in the starting XI against Croatia.

Rashford’s darkest days

Rashford was in a “bleak place” in early 2025. The club he adored had effectively washed their hands of him after the academy graduate admitted he’d be open to a new challenge. There were disciplinary problems. Then manager Ruben Amorim added to the embarrassment, insisting he would rather put his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach on the bench than the forward, due to lack of effort in training.

Often training away from the first team, Rashford’s astronomical wages, agreed 18 months previously after he had plundered 30 goals in a single season for United, meant his escape routes were limited.

A temporary loan to Aston Villa did not become the panacea to his stagnating career Rashford and his family had hoped. Hansi Flick and Barcelona, however, offered a final olive branch. It still seemed like a tall order: a supposed ill-disciplined forward on the wane, trying to break into one of Europe’s elite teams, in a foreign land.

Instead, through the hard graft that Rashford has never been shy of – despite the common misconception some online memes of him walking on the pitch have created – the brave move has given the 28-year-old a new lease of life. So much so he is desperate to stay.

Everyone at Barcelona wants the same. It is just the financials involved, with his huge salary to negate, that is preventing Barca from exercising the £26m option included in last season’s loan to make his stay in Catalonia a permanent one.

Nevertheless, what has happened over the past 12 months has saved Rashford’s career.

‘The cameras were always on him’

He needed the freshest of starts, something emigrating can do. Insiders bemoan how, back in Manchester, Rashford would have a tail on his car just going to training. Simple pleasures such as going to a shop were fraught with obstacles. A phalanx of photographers was never too far away.

In Barcelona, Rashford decided against living in the city and chose the quieter suburban life, on the beach, in Castelldefels. His family could visit, in peace, regularly – something very important to him.

“In Barcelona, he was just one of many stars,” an insider says. “In Manchester, all the cameras were always on him, good and bad.

“In Spain, he could do whatever he wanted in relative peace. Even when he did get recognised, there weren’t paparazzi everywhere. The press treat people very differently in Spain.”

Having his girlfriend, Lucia Loi, in Barcelona with him helped the settling-in process. The pair met in school but had separated after previously getting engaged. Little is known about their relationship, but Loi was there, with the Rashford family, on the pitch as Barcelona lifted the La Liga title at the end of the season – a success clinched thanks to a stunning Rashford free-kick, against Clasico rivals Real Madrid.

A tactical tweak

Rashford has been getting used to the language and even understands some Catalan, but the Barcelona dressing room tongue, from Flick and several players, is English, which has also aided the transition.

He has also been able to flourish in Spain as a result of being deployed, in the main, from wide positions. Contrary to popular belief, mainly as a result of that 30-goal season, Rashford has always been a winger. As well as plundering 15 goals in all competitions last season, despite not always being a regular starter, he also registered 11 assists.

Sashaying down the flank became his trademark. His mazy marauder for England in the last batch of friendlies was a rare moment where supporters got off their seats at Wembley.

Read more

• Transfer news: Five clubs considering £26m Rashford transfer – including Newcastle
• Mark Douglas: £14 beers and ludicrously priced footballs – my day at the World Cup fan zone

Thomas Tuchel is a huge fan. Since taking charge, the German instantly restored a player who had one cap in the previous 17 months to the squad. And while a host of bigger names have been left at home this summer, it is understood Rashford was one of the first to earn their ticket to the United States.

It is, ironically, between him and new Barcelona forward Anthony Gordon for a starting spot against Croatia. There will be no animosity from Rashford towards the man who could deny him a longer Barcelona stay, though.

“He will be the first to welcome Anthony, and say you will love it here,” a source close to Rashford says. Such is the inescapable fact that without Barcelona, Rashford wouldn’t be here now.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/9XDqu3b

Iran kicked off their World Cup in Los Angeles on Monday in front of a crowd that consisted of both fans cheering them on and Iranian Americans waving symbols of protest against the Tehran government.

The run-up to the ⁠match has been one of extraordinary drama off the pitch, with the team playing on US soil barely 24 hours after a peace deal was announced to end the war that began when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.

⁠Many Iranian American football fans – many of whom fled the country after the Islamic Revolution – say they are torn between excitement ​at ⁠seeing the team on the world’s biggest stage, anger at Tehran’s crackdown on protesters and concern about Washington’s bombing campaign.

Hundreds gather in protest

Around 300 to 500 protesters gathered outside the stadium, waving anti-Iranian government signs and flags. They said they did not ⁠want to attend the match as it would imply support for Tehran.

Others went into the game but took with them ​symbols of protest, ⁠including the pre-revolutionary Iran flag, which is the ‌same colours as the current official flag but has a different lion-and-sun motif.

Iran had threatened to halt matches if unofficial flags were brought in or slogans chanted, but the game against New Zealand on Monday proceeded as planned, finishing in a 2-2 draw.

Numerous people carrying the lion-and-sun flag or wearing t-shirts with the symbol passed through security without any issue on Monday. Dozens waved the flag ⁠from their seats.

Three people in the stands wearing white t-shirts emblazoned with the lion-and-sun motif said they had decided to wear them despite the warnings.

“This team is not the team of the people of Iran,” said one of the three, Farhad Jafargad. He and others said they were planning to cheer on New Zealand. Some booed during the Iranian national anthem.

‘Let go of the politics’

Other fans wrapped themselves in the official flag and complained that they had been heckled by the protesters. Some said they wanted to focus on their team – affectionately known as Team Melli – and forget the politics.

“I’m here to support Iran. We’re going to win this game,” said 57-year-old Mehdi Jafari, wearing an Iran soccer shirt, ‌going into the stadium ahead of the match.

“We’re very proud of our country. We’re here to support Iran. I think ​we should all let go of the politics and just go in and cheer on the Team Melli.”

Iran’s participation ⁠in the tournament has been beset by controversy against the backdrop of the war. That followed nationwide protests in January inside Iran in which thousands were killed in ‌a government crackdown.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/U1PtqIz

James Trafford has left the door open for a summer move after admitting that he will need to be first choice to fulfil his long-term England ambitions.

Trafford was speaking from England’s training base in Kansas City as the Three Lions prepare to kick off their World Cup campaign and you can see why Newcastle United – the most prominent of his summer suitors – are so drawn to the goalkeeper.

There’s a confidence about him that belies his young age and he coped with questions about his season of frustration at Manchester City, rules around grappling from set pieces and whether a summer move is on the agenda with the sort of aplomb that has kept him in Thomas Tuchel’s thinking despite playing second fiddle to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

He is one of a number of England players whose future is the subject of speculation and Tuchel has not stepped in to require them to have transfers sorted before the tournament kicks off.

The latest on Nick Pope’s future

For Newcastle that’s not a problem. They want to totally overhaul their goalkeeping department but – with the Magpies’ transfer strategy being one in, one out this summer – they will need clarification on Nick Pope’s future first. He has interest from Hull City among others and would be allowed to leave – either on loan or on a permanent basis.

Newcastle have maintained a good relationship with the Trafford camp and there was no ill will about him joining Manchester City, where he has largely played second fiddle this season. Informal talks – but no contact yet with City – mean the move is back on the agenda.

For Trafford, being No 1 for his club is critical for his long-term ambitions of being England number one.

So does that mean he is thinking about a move? “You never know, whether I move, whether I don’t move, I do what’s right for for me and my career,” he said.

At just 23, this will not be his last major tournament with England. For now he is happy to play a supporting role in the Three Lions’ “mission” to win the World Cup.

“I don’t think there is a different mindset [because I’m not No 1],” he said.

Read more

• Transfer news: Three Newcastle players up for sale – and four transfer targets
• Analysis: Newcastle’s striker overhaul: a £34m target, Osula’s new role and two for sale

“I want to win the day, improve every day and no one’s an idiot [here], the whole goal is to win the World Cup.

“So everyone is going to do their best to try and win the World Cup and whether that’s you play every single minute or don’t play a minute everyone wants to support each other to win the World Cup because what a massive achievement [that would be].”

Meanwhile, Newcastle sources are relaxed about head of recruitment Steve Nickson’s potential departure. He has told the club he wants to leave to pursue other opportunities and there’s a feeling his exit was “inevitable” given the restructure of the recruitment department.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/MbFCnJI

KANSAS CITY – Kansas City prides itself on being known as the “heart of America” – a boast about local hospitality that doubles up as a play on words given its location slap bang in the middle of the country.

That not-so-subtle message whacks you in the face the minute you walk into Kansas City’s spectacular Fifa Fan Fest to be greeted by a giant luminous red heart structure that frames the whole thing.

It feels suspiciously like a sop to the Instagram generation’s need to document their every move and sure enough, people have barely stepped foot inside the event before they are lining up to get their photos taken next to it.

I am a veteran of these things now – from the soulless half-empty Doha fan zone to the Munich version that ran out of beer a few hours after Scotland fans got in – and Kansas City’s offering sums up the vibe of this World Cup pretty nicely.

It is incredibly friendly, relentlessly enthusiastic, brilliantly organised and unapologetically corporate. It is free to get in but once you are inside, bring your credit card. It is really not cheap.

Football? I visited on the night the United States opened up with a fine 4-1 win against Paraguay and the locals were happy enough.

Fireworks set off from the towering First World War monument greeted every goal – and Folarin Balogun’s disallowed effort, for good measure – and it was a nice change of pace not to be showered in beer or performative “limbs”.

Everyone tells me Mexico feels more fervent – and the real party will be reserved for Argentina, who seem to have just as much support in these parts as Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

I took a stroll on Friday and it is nice that they have managed to put a local twist on things, despite the corporate boxes that needed to be ticked. There are puppies at the Purina stand that you can adopt – you can imagine how popular they are – and the Kansas City Royals baseball team are represented with a mini replica locker room.

Home Depot’s stand has been christened “Beckham’s Backyard” and you can queue up to have a go at a keepy up competition.

If you don’t fancy lining up, there are footballs dotted around the festival that kids are merrily dribbling around the park. You wonder how long they would last if we tried the same thing at an average Premier League match.

There are also loads of big screens and a stage for live music. But we have got to talk about those prices, which are truly eye-watering. It is $19 – more than £14 – for a pint of Michelob, Budweiser or Busch Light. Try £21 for a double vodka cocktail and £3.75 for a bag of crisps or Tortillas.

Food is just as expensive. I paid $25 (£19) for an admittedly delicious beef brisket from KC’s Best BBQ and $7 (£5) for an Americano from Mocha Point Coffee.

But here is where the hosts have hit up on something a little bit different – in a city that prides itself on its cuisine all the kiosks have been handed over to local vendors to push their restaurants. So you have got pizza, copious barbecue options, lobster roll, sushi and doughnuts. Lots and lots of doughnuts.

I shelled out $14 (£10) for a non-alcoholic Michelob during the first half to take the tab to £35 and that was before I had the chance to stroll through the Fifa fan store, where they are selling the “pro” version of the Trionda official ball for $200 (£148).

To be fair to local organisers, all of this is optional. It is free to get in – although you do have to register first – and they are putting on complimentary shuttle buses to ferry people to and from the field.

Kansas is making a big play to showcase the city and region this month as a home for world-class events and tourism and Mallory Cage, the Fan Fest director, tells me they want to rid themselves of their reputation as being a “fly-over state” and showcase “what makes the city great”.

The secret weapon is the people because the vibes here? They are immaculate.

Within five minutes of sitting down in the shade three locals tucking into Asian fusion – think steamed gyozas and fried chicken – have struck up a conversation and are offering tourist tips. One is a Tottenham Hotspur fan and seems genuinely impressed that I know Alasdair Gold, Football London’s Spurs correspondent and all-round nice guy.

A few minutes into our chat, I got the offer of playing in a “pick up” game on Saturday morning.

What did our intrepid reporter make of the food and drink?

KC Beef Brisket in a bun – $25 (£19)

• The stall claimed these are Kansas City’s best and it was absolutely delicious – tender beef dripping with barbecue sauce, served in a bun. They pride themselves on barbecue in Kansas City and you can see why. 8/10

Steamed pork dumplings with spinach salad – $18 (£13)

• Asian fusion seems to be a popular second behind barbecue in Kansas City and the dumplings were decent. I was advised to go pork rather than vegetable and they came with a spinach salad that had every bit of nutritious goodness zapped out of it by being drizzled with sauce. 6.5/10

Michelob Zero – $14 (£10)

• A World Cup sponsor so they have elbowed their way into this culinary journey. Weak, tasteless and ridiculously expensive. Steer clear. 0/10

It doesn’t end there. Queuing up in the line to get a free World Cup wristband at the Bank of America stand – for my two kids, honestly – I got chatting to a local who arrived in Kansas City 40 years ago via Mexico. He is also a mad Argentina fan but – true to form – has been massively priced out of the game at the Arrowhead Stadium next week.

“My son wanted to get me a ticket for Father’s Day. He was insisting but it’s $800 and he’s a nurse – so I’ll watch at home with a beer,” he tells me.

Kansas has tried, at least, to make the experience affordable. If only the wretched suits at FIFA were paying attention.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/Ha8xdri

Newcastle United‘s summer strategy involves two “pools” of targets, signifying a marked change in transfer plans from the club’s previous approach.

The first pool of players, regarded as priority deals, will form the bedrock of a summer in which Newcastle will significantly shift their squad profile, injecting tactical versatility and energy into a team that has grown stale.

The second – and this is where this summer will be different – comprises players that the club are ready to pivot to quickly if an opportunity arises. Having a plan B that insiders are comfortable with is a notable change from 12 months ago, when Newcastle hesitated over alternatives to the gold standard targets that they kept missing out on.

View Osasuna winger Victor Munoz and Ewen Jaouen – the highly promising goalkeeper Newcastle have just signed for a fee close to £18m with bonuses – as from the first pot. Zadok Yohanna, linked heavily last week but who ended up signing for Brighton, probably belongs in the second.

Had the opportunity arisen, Newcastle would likely have gotten involved. But the club suspect that given the market knows the kind of players they are targeting, they will be used to drive up prices and interest of stars they merely have as part of a longer list of names.

It feels like a more strategic way for Newcastle to do business – in and out. Deeper, more data-driven lists are the way forward. Crucially, there is “alignment” on what the club needs rather than different departments moving in different directions, which is what created some of last summer’s chaos.

Newcastle want quick business

After Jaouen, Newcastle want to expedite their move for an Anthony Gordon replacement, whose move to Barcelona has unlocked their ability to spend early in the summer window.

They are also keen on adding a “No 6”, a position Eddie Howe hasn’t considered a priority until recently and one that will give Newcastle greater flexibility and options to play different ways next year.

Although the World Cup has slowed the market, insiders are hopeful of another signing in the next couple of weeks, with “plenty of plates spinning”.

There is optimism around Munoz – with Newcastle working on the structure of the deal for weeks – and groundwork has been laid for a move for James Trafford, although that would require Nick Pope to leave.

Sources have given an insight to The i Paper of how they are working, pointing out that the idea of the club “slapping in bids” for players is an old-fashioned view of how the market works.

Instead, dialogue has been ongoing over Newcastle’s priority targets for “weeks if not months”, including assessing different structures for potential deals and doing due diligence on whether the player retains interest in playing for the club even without Champions League – or indeed any form of European football.

They know the markets they are operating in and it means the spectre of a succession of knockbacks – which sapped morale last summer – is unlikely.

Few – if any – offers these days are submitted “cold” without significant talks taking place before. Most of the preliminary work is done over WhatsApps.

But sources believe prices will generally be lower than last summer, when huge striker moves drove significant expenditure across the Premier League.

The latest on two targets

Newcastle do have “big deals” in them this summer and sought-after Lamine Camara, the Monaco midfielder, is one player in their crosshairs.

But they do not seem ready to trigger Munoz’s £34.5m release clause just yet though, with their summer budget heavily reliant on player trading to satisfy squad cost ratio rules that are imposed by Uefa.

The club are close to agreeing sanctions for breaching last year’s Uefa financial fair play rules and the sanction will include punishments if they record further significant losses. So, boxing clever is not just a preferred option, it’s the only one.

One more big sale ahead

It also means another big sale feels likely – a view that the club aren’t rebutting.

Nothing is close on that front although one source laughed at the prospect of Lewis Hall being sold for anything close to the £40m being mentioned in some Manchester United circles last week. If the amount got closer to double that, a conversation would likely start.

And Sandro Tonali’s future feels uncertain, too. The prospect of him leaving has been planned for at Newcastle but will depend on other movements in the market – when Elliot Anderson‘s future is certain, moves for Tonali may come. But if Anderson is worth £100m, Newcastle will not want a whole lot less for their star midfielder.

Read more

• Transfers: Inside Newcastle’s striker overhaul – including Osula’s new role
• Special report: Newcastle’s season was ‘unacceptable’ – so here’s what comes next

The rules have effectively forced the Magpies’ hand on this front, with insiders pointing out that every Premier League club has to sell big players now.

But there is also an element of realism about where Newcastle’s project now stands. Missing out on Europe has impacted plans – some of their stars expect to be playing in those competitions year in, year out and want to explore other opportunities if they come along. Some of the targets they had in the first “pool” have Champions League options that will now trump Newcastle.

Ambition, insiders stress, remains. But having a clearer identity to sell to targets has already helped them sign one of the biggest goalkeeping prospects in Europe. Similar deals seem likely.

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/fbGyRmT

Of all Fifa’s many World Cup crimes – the high ticket prices, the craven reaction to the banning of fans and referees from certain countries, or the needless expansion to 48 teams – it is hydration breaks which are the most heinous.

At first glance it seems like a reasonable enough rule. Formalising a water break to preserve player welfare? Fair enough, especially with temperatures set to hit 40 degrees in some places.

But as soon as you see it in practice the scales fall. They’re not about water, they’re about opening the floodgates to rampant capitalism. It’s no longer a game of two halves, it’s four quarters, and watching here in the US they’re not even trying to hide the fact.

Fox finds time to squeeze in an incredible six extra adverts during the water break (good news for Verizon, Modelo, Nerds sweets, Valvoline and jobs site Indeed during Sweden’s win over Tunisia).

So desperate are they to get in on the act they even missed the re-start of the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa because one of them overran. The commentators on American coverage now openly refer to it as “the end of the first quarter”.

That’s bad but what’s worse is that it’s having a direct impact on matches. Mexico scored a decisive second goal just after the break in the opener but other games have changed course because of it, too.

Morocco’s momentum was checked by the first hydration break in New York and New Jersey, allowing Brazil – managed by wily Carlo Ancelotti – to rally his troops.

Germany recovered from Curacao’s shock equaliser just after drinks, while in two England friendlies they’ve nearly conceded just after hydration was called. Australia scored shortly after both breaks in their 2-0 shock win over Turkiye.

And these things are mandatory: so even when a roof is closed over one of the gargantuan NFL stadiums hosting games, the players still trudge over to the sidelines.

Rhythm matters in football. The old idiom “a game of two halves” took hold because it’s true – half-time can radically change the way a match is going. Managers get a chance to impart knowledge, players mentally reset. Suddenly we have four quarters and a game that has multiple opportunities for momentum to swing.

This is a fundamental change that FIFA has ushered in and did they ask anyone? It wasn’t even put to a vote, never mind trialled for what impact it might have before they unleashed it on the biggest competition in the world.

Who is to say that the genie will ever be put back in the bottle at this level now? This is the summer World Cup so wherever it gets played it’s going to be hot. It was 37 degrees in Marrakesh on Sunday; 38 in Madrid. These hydration breaks aren’t going anywhere.

So far Uefa have been surprisingly feisty in their opposition to Fifa and we must hope they don’t follow suit. No matter how tempting it is to offer up to broadcaster space for more adverts, they must resist – or will face the consequences in 2028’s Euros.

Can you imagine the farce of players going to the side of the pitch to glug water on a rainy Glasgow afternoon? It will be the death of the game as we know it and must be opposed at all costs.

Read more

Mark Douglas: James Corden’s World Cup show is the 10th circle of TV hell

Daniel Storey: The match that exposed this World Cup’s two great hypocrisies

from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/ublIhap