64 h. ago Football Daily | Infantino awaits his ‘big bang’ as Club World Cup refuses to slide away

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!Like Dr John Hammond and his scientists in Jurassic Park, Gianni Infantino and his fawning Fifa lickspittles have spent recent years so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should. The upshot is that a preposterously lucrative tournament described by its creator as “a big bang” has been crowbarred into an already jam-packed calendar. And the largesse of its in-no-way unethically sourced prize-money for those participating now threatens to destroy several already under-threat footballing ecosystems around the world.I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. It’s the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever ...

Sport

4 d. ago Moment military helicopter explodes into ball of flames after crash as it arrived back at airport

The Mi-24 helicopter with eight people on board was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region before it plummeted to the ground and went up in flames.

Events

4 d. ago Fifa urged to stand up against Donald Trump’s immigration policies ahead of 2026 World Cup

An open letter to Fifa president Gianni Infantino is begging for the governing body to protect fans

Politics

4 d. ago Moment Diddy’s family arrives in court as jury resumes deliberations after reaching a verdict on most counts

Footage shows relatives of Sean “Diddy” Combs arriving at Manhattan federal court on Wednesday.

Events

1 week ago Money problems: have we had enough of TV shows about rich people?

Shows such as Sirens, The Better Sister, And Just Like That and Your Friends and Neighbours have found little to say about the uber-wealthyAs fun as it was, Mountainhead seems to have broken something in quite a lot of people. For some, it was simply too timely. After all, it’s one thing to release a film about tech billionaires fighting over the remnants of a world ravaged by war and AI, but quite another to do it while that exact thing was really happening.For others, Mountainhead marked the point where ultra-rich antiheroes reached full saturation. Writing in the AV Club last week, Saloni Gajjar made the argument that – between Mountainhead, Your Friends & Neighbors, The White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers – we have now arrived at a moment where television seems unable to tell stories that are about anything but the badly behaved rich. Continue reading...

Culture

1 week ago Cristiano Ronaldo 'to sign new contract' after awkward transfer tease falls flat

Cristiano Ronaldo is close to extending his contract with Al Nassr despite the forward claiming his "chapter is over" and FIFA boss Gianni Infantino hinting he could be on the move

Events

1 week ago The drug kingpin who made £2.5m a month: Gangland boss is hauled back to UK from Dubai after planning hit and being brought down by his own EncroChats

James Harding, 34, was arrested by counter terrorist specialist firearms officers at a London airport in May 2022 after being extradited from Switzerland on a private jet.

Events

1 week ago Drug kingpin who plotted gangland murder from Dubai and smuggled £100m of cocaine into Britain is convicted after EncroChat probe

James Harding, 34, was arrested by counter terrorist specialist firearms officers at a London airport in May 2022 after being extradited from Switzerland on a private jet.

Events

1 week ago New Zealanders hail Auckland City as "heroic" and "remarkable" after famous draw with Boca Juniors

It might not have been the shot heard around the world but it was a goal that reverbrated 8,000 miles away when Auckland City FC held Boca Juniors to a 1-1 draw at the FIFA Club World Cup

Politics

1 week ago Welcome back...good to see you! Moment counter terror cops arrested drug kingpin as he arrives back in Britain after he plotted gangland murder from his Dubai villa

James Harding, 34, was arrested by counter terrorist specialist firearms officers at a London airport in May 2022 after being extradited from Switzerland on a private jet.

Events

1 week ago Vincent Tan's response to the Gareth Bale interest as two big issues emerge

The Cardiff City Supporters' Trust have posted an update on where things currently stand

Politics

2 w. ago Chelsea star agrees with FIFA president Gianni Infantino over Club World Cup controversy

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has claimed that the players "love" the revamped Club World Cup and Chelsea star Pedro Neto seems to agree with that assessment

Politics

2 w. ago Cult of celebrity feels like a fundamental tension at the heart of the game

The individual walk-ons at Club World Cup underline Fifa’s failure to understand that football is a team sport – just ask PSGIt is in the details that the truest picture emerges. Quite aside from the endless politicking, the forever-war with Uefa, the consorting with autocrats and the intriguing broadcast rights and partnership deals, there has been, not a new, but growing sense during the Club World Cup that Fifa doesn’t really get football. There is something cargo-cultish about it, creating outcomes without engaging in processes.Perhaps that is inevitable with Gianni Infantino’s style of leadership; like all populists, he is big on vision and short on practical reality. It was there in the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Fifa’s embrace of cult of celebrity reveals a fundamental tension at the heart of the game | Jonathan Wilson

The individual walk-ons at Club World Cup underline Fifa’s failure to understand that football is a team sport – just ask PSGIt is in the details that the truest picture emerges. Quite aside from the endless politicking, the forever-war with Uefa, the consorting with autocrats and the intriguing broadcast rights and partnership deals, there has been, not a new, but growing sense during the Club World Cup that Fifa doesn’t really get football. There is something cargo-cultish about it, creating outcomes without engaging in processes.Perhaps that is inevitable with Gianni Infantino’s style of leadership; like all populists, he is big on vision and short on practical reality. It was there in the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Plymouth Argyle issue cryptic response to shock Gareth Bale takeover links

The Welsh football great is reportedly part of a consortium bidding to take over the League One side

Events

2 w. ago The first Lions match is about laying down a marker – but Pumas bring range of threats | Ugo Monye

Early days in a Lions camp can be nervy and everyone wants to play in Friday’s first match but Argentina provide a tough testEvery single member of the British & Irish Lions squad is in the perfect sweet spot at the moment. Blair Kinghorn aside, they all arrived into camp with a spring in their step and a smile on their face because their dreams have been realised. Speaking from experience, it is amazing how quickly you can leave national allegiances at the door.At this stage, there is no sense of what the Test team will be, no division, or feeling that you have to make do with being a midweek dirt-tracker – the thing you are probably most nervous about is who your roommate will be. You know it will be someone from a different country and my first roommate was Keith Earls. As the youngest member of the 2009 squad, he was responsible for looking after the Lions mascot and I felt like I needed to mind him. I soon realised there are few as competitive as Keith and he did not need m...

Events

2 w. ago EastEnders fans 'deeply obsessed' after spotting soap legend 'go northern' in accent slip

The light-hearted moment arrived during one of the more intense weeks on Albert Square

Politics

2 w. ago Baffled Juventus players hit out at 'weird' White House meeting with Donald Trump after president launched tirade on trans athletes and Iran

The bizarre interaction occurred at the Oval Office - with FIFA president Gianni Infantino also present - and no explanation has been given as to why the gathering took place.

Politics

2 w. ago FIFA's Club World Cup branded a 'disaster' with just over 3,000 fans in attendance at 25,500

Chelsea's opening match against Los Angeles FC, played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, was more than three-quarters empty with just 22,000 fans inside the 75,000-capacity venue.

Events

2 w. ago David Squires on gimmicks and surprise guests as the Club World Cup kicks off

Our cartoonist looks back at the opening games and empty seats as Gianni Infantino’s vanity project finally beganBuy a copy of David’s cartoons in our Print ShopDavid’s new book, Chaos in the Box: buy it now Continue reading...

Politics