12 h. ago The Club World Cup is a grubby, contrived vanity project of Gianni Infantino that was neither needed nor asked for

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: There are some nice angles to FIFA's Club World Cup . Here's one: Auckland City. Here's another: their goalkeeper. That would be a guy named Conor Tracey.

Politics

14 h. ago Shocking moment two women brawl in arrivals hall at Gatwick before it's broken up by airport staff

This is the shocking moment two women started throwing punches after arriving at Gatwick Airport. The video shows the women brawling on the floor beside a baggage carousel.

Events

23 h. ago Can Lionel Messi and Inter Miami really spring a surprise at the Club World Cup?

The Club World Cup will take Inter Miami from start-up to the global stage

Politics

28 h. ago Borrowed culture and a plasticine burger – welcome to the Club World Cup and almost

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami play in Saturday’s opener but people still look blank when asked about Fifa’s $1bn eventFire up the marching band. Rouse the majorettes from their state of indifference. Put out more flags. Put out some flags. Put out a flag. Er is anyone actually there? IShowSpeed? Can you hear me Pitbull? Welcome to the almost-World Cup, an almost-real almost-event that will perhaps, with a favourable wind, now begin to feel like almost-football.­This week Gianni Infantino described Fifa’s regeared tournament as football’s Big Bang, referencing the moment of ignition from which all the matter in the universe was dispersed out of a previously cold and indifferent void. And to be fair, Infantino was half-right. So far we have the void. Continue reading...

Politics

32 h. ago Football Daily | ‘Suited and booted’? Club World Cup lands in a furnace of political tension

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!After years of existing only as a fever dream inside the shiny, spacious cranium of Fifa’s greatest showman, Gianni Infantino, the first edition of an expanded, summertime Club World Cup that nobody asked for is finally here. Infantino’s most ambitious vanity project to date is about to collide with reality, and as students of the Swiss school of football farce, we’re excited. It’s not so much a question of what will go wrong over the next 30 sun-baked days in an increasingly dystopian USA USA USA, but what might actually go right. Saturday’s opener pitches Egyptian giants Al-Ahly (who qualified by winning the 2021 African Big Cup) against MLS middleweights Inter Miami (who qualified by having Lionel Messi in their team) at the 65,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium. Fifa has denied reports that fewer than 20,000 tickets have been sold for the game in Miami, but the tournament’s dynamic pricing model is trending in one direction: from $3...

Politics

36 h. ago Gianni Infantino arrives at his moment but football’s response is coming

As the ‘King of Soccer’ launches his Club World Cup alongside Donald Trump, opponents to the Fifa president are wondering whether he has pushed his power too far, writes Miguel Delaney

Sport

4 d. ago Why Cristiano Ronaldo's Club World Cup refusal is still a victory for Gianni Infantino

FIFA's president says the Club World Cup is the pinnacle of the game but absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the two defining players of the past 25 years, is now being framed as a major blow

Politics

4 d. ago Football transfer rumours: Gittens to Chelsea before first deadline closes?

This stuff is just looking for somethingThe summer’s first transfer window will close on Tuesday night at 7pm UK time ahead of the Fifa Club World Cup so watch out for some last-minute jobs to fill up squads for Gianni Infantino’s folly. Will Manchester City get Rayan Cherki signed in time? Chelsea are after a keeper in Milan’s Mike Maignan and want to add Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund to their winger collection. Both deals may go to the wire.When Bournemouth were flying high in mid-winter there was a fun game to play. Less fun if you were a Cherries fan, of course, but the game was to fit their unearthed gems with the clubs they would end up at. Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid was unexpected but then again Illia Zabarnyi to PSG, actual European champions, may well trump that. The club are prepared to sell, at the right price, but have demanded a £59m fee for the Ukrainian. Continue reading...

Sport

5 d. ago Scotland reaction: 'Hurt and anger' response as Steve Clarke hails 'big prospect' and confirms final goodbye

Scotland head coach reacts to 4-0 win over Liechtenstein

Politics

5 d. ago Nothing will change – Cristiano Ronaldo intends to remain at Al Nassr

There had been speculation the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could join a club competing in this summer’s Club World Cup on a short-term deal.

Politics

7 d. ago Cristiano Ronaldo REJECTS transfer offers as rivals fail with Club World Cup plan

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that he will not be at the Club World Cup, despite comments from FIFA president Gianni Infantino last month suggesting he would be

Events

7 d. ago Cristiano Ronaldo ‘will not be at the Club World Cup’ with future still unclear

The 40-year-old said a decision on his future is “almost final”.

Politics

8 d. ago Football Daily | Spain, France and the unexplainable magic of the Nations League

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!In common with the fiendishly complicated lunchtime TV quiz show Turnabout that was broadcast on the BBC during the 1990s, it is possible to watch and thoroughly enjoy the Nations League without having the foggiest idea what on earth is going on. Dreamed up by Uefa several years ago to eliminate the need for the kind of pointless international friendlies that – [Football Daily checks fixture list] – are taking place across Europe this weekend, the Nations League has managed to inveigle its way into the subconscious of most football fans to the extent that they know it is A Thing, even if the vast majority of them remain completely baffled by its format and are at a loss to explain why it exists.I can’t be doing with the Club World Cup, and I’ve never had much time for narcissism’s favourite goalhanger Cristiano Ronaldo (yesterday’s Football Daily). But I would love it, absolutely love it, if Gianni Infantino had no option but force ...

Sport

9 d. ago Emmerdale fans left emotional after seeing Jeff Hordley's reaction at British Soap Awards

The poignant moment at the event arrived during the In Memoriam segment

Events

9 d. ago FIFA signs another Saudi deal with sovereign wealth fund PIF backing Club World Cup

FIFA has taken another Saudi Arabian investment for the U.S.-hosted Club World Cup

Economics

9 d. ago Jack Grealish issues angry response after being left out of Man City's Club World Cup squad

Jack Grealish is set to miss out on Manchester City's Club World Cup squad and is frustration appeared evident in a comment he made on social media with his future unclear

Politics

1 week ago Viktor Gyokeres response sparks Man United transfer worry ahead of huge decision

Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres continues to be linked with a summer move to Manchester United as the Reds seek a reliable goalscorer up-front

Politics

2 w. ago Champions League final the calm before storm as Uefa and Fifa battle rolls on | Nick Ames

Club World Cup looms after powerbrokers from both governing bodies mingle in Munich for Europe’s biggest club gameIn regal Odeonsplatz, the finishing touches are being applied to a fan zone that will accommodate Inter’s travelling fans under an azure sky. It will surely be full to capacity given about 40,000 Nerazzurri are expected to arrive in time for Saturday’s Champions League final, even if under half that number will officially make it into Allianz Arena for the match itself. This is not only an appointment with history for their opponents, Paris Saint-Germain; Inter have blended silk with street-fighting qualities to stand on the verge of their first European title since 2010.Gianni Infantino is unlikely to be among the melee but the Fifa president’s sympathies are well documented. He will be quietly rooting for Inter from the VIP seats and perhaps it will be an opportune moment for some bridge building. There is a constituency of Inter fans in Uefa’s higher echelons, after a...

Sport

2 w. ago Cristiano Ronaldo sends cryptic message over next club after Al Nassr’s season ends

FIFA president Gianni Infantino claimed ‘discussions’ were happening over a move which would allow Ronaldo to feature in the Club World Cup this summer

Politics

3 w. ago Man United response sent after Paul Pogba drops next move hint with three

Ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba remains without a club after leaving Italian giants Juventus.

Politics