The San Jose Earthquakes signed goalkeeper Angus Gunn, the starter for Scotland’s World Cup squad.
The 30-year-old free agent, who previously played for England’s Nottingham Forest, is signed through the 2029-30 season and will occupy an international roster slot.
“It feels incredible to join the Earthquakes,” Gunn said. “Coming off the World Cup which was an unbelievable experience, I’m just really excited and grateful for the opportunity to come to San Jose and show the best version of myself. We’re in a really good position for the playoffs, so hopefully we can focus on that with the right mentality.” Reuters
England might be hot favourites to channel their Azteca-generated momentum and sweep into the semi-finals, but Norway and Martin Odegaard will have something to say about that.
In tournaments past the idea they could beat Brazil would have seemed implausible; they did it in style and Odegaard, speaking before they trained at Inter Miami’s stadium in the sweltering heat of the midday sun, is eyeing a repeat performance.
“It’s going to be a big test for us but I think Brazil was the same,” he said. “We were the underdogs but, as you saw, anything can happen in football. We’re going to give it a good try, see what we can do and are looking forward to it.
“[England have] unbelievable players, it’s a massive test. We’re looking forward to it and hopefully we can make even more history.”
Rumours had swept Norwegian media of sickness in the camp but Odegaard and the head coach, Stale Solbakken, both played it down. The scratchy throat that can result from constant in-and-outs of air conditioned rooms and venues appears to have been the sum of it and there are no concerns ahead of Saturday.
Newcastle are bracing themselves for a fight to hang on to skipper Bruno Guimaraes amid speculation he has told them he wants to leave for Arsenal.
The Press Association understands there has been no formal contract between the two clubs and that no bid has been submitted for the highly-rated Brazil international.
Indeed, sources on Tyneside have indicated that no potential suitor has registered an interest in the 28-year-old midfielder. The Gunners are long-time admirers of the man the Magpies signed from Lyon for £35million in January 2022 and who became one, if not the, central character in the club’s return to prominence after their Saudi-backed owners completed a takeover in October 2021.
However, Newcastle have no desire to see their captain follow star strikers Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon and fellow midfielder Sandro Tonali out of the door, and have an option to extend his contract until the summer of 2029.
Guimaraes, who missed a penalty as Brazil went out of the World Cup against Norway in the last 16, has established himself as a huge crowd favourite and was the man who lifted the club’s first domestic trophy in 70 years when he led them to Carabao Cup glory two seasons ago.
Head coach Eddie Howe will be desperate to retain one of his most important players and will not want a repeat of the saga which saw Isak force a £130m switch to Liverpool last summer after going on strike. PA Media
Caption competition …
Who will top the charts come the end of the quarter finals?
Chelsea complete Quenda deal
Chelsea have signed Portuguese winger Geovany Quenda from Sporting Lisbon, with the 19-year-old agreeing a contract until 2034, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.
Quenda arrives at Stamford Bridge after an impressive rise at Sporting, where he helped the Lisbon club to secure a domestic double last season, winning both the Portuguese league title and cup.
“Chelsea is a great team and I am excited to play here at Stamford Bridge. The club has shown faith in players like me and I am proud to be here, proud to be part of this club,” Quenda said in a statement.
Quenda was named the Primeira Liga’s Young Player of the Season in 2025 and made 86 appearances across all competitions for Sporting in two years. He became Sporting’s youngest-ever goalscorer and also the youngest Portuguese player to score in the Champions League.
He has represented Portugal at Under-21 level and was named in the Team of the Tournament at the 2025 European Under-21 Championship. PA Media
Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel praised his side’s “incredible, incredible achievement” after their 4-3 penalty shoot-out win over Colombia in Vancouver on Tuesday took them into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years.
The Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper, playing at his first World Cup, kept out Cucho Hernandez’s spot-kick with a stunning save to his right to take the Swiss into a meeting with defending champions Argentina after three straight exits in the last 16.
“I don’t think you can overstate what a huge achievement this is for us, for this team, for Switzerland,” said Kobel. “For such a small country to be among the top eight teams in the world in the biggest sport on the planet is unbelievable.
“I’m incredibly happy for every individual, for the supporters, for everyone who gets to experience a moment like this.
“And when I think about all the lads who’ve been part of this team for years, and all the people who are here today, it’s impossible to put into words.
“You can’t praise it highly enough. It’s an amazing feeling and an incredible, incredible achievement.” Reuters
Deschamps on quarter-final officials: 'I trust the referees'
The France manager, Didier Deschamps, has insisted he is not concerned by the appointment of Argentinian officials to oversee his team’s World Cup quarter-final against Morocco on Thursday, with a repeat of the 2022 final against Argentina still possible.
“We have to deal with it,” Deschamps said. “I trust the referees. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee.” He couldn’t resist a jibe at those who had criticised the French official François Letexier’s performance during the last-16 game between Argentina and Egypt on Tuesday, adding: “Let’s hope our [referees] are as good as Monsieur Letexier was.”
Norway captain Martin Odegaard is keeping the banter with his Arsenal teammates to a minimum as his side prepare to face England in a World Cup quarter-final showdown that will pit club friends against each other on football’s biggest stage.
Odegaard, who also captains Arsenal, will face his fellow Premier League-winning teammates Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze when Norway play England at the Miami Stadium on Saturday. The midfielder said he had spoken to a few of them during the tournament but was focusing on the task ahead..
“Not too much (banter). I’ve spoken to a few of them a little bit during the tournament,” a smiling Odegaard told reporters on Wednesday. “Obviously we know the quality they have. I know them really well. Outstanding players, world-class players, playing for probably one of the best national teams in the world at the moment, so it’s going to be a big test for us.”
Odegaard reserved special praise for Rice, who anchors England’s midfield, which could prove to be a key battleground in the quarter-final clash. “He’s someone who always gives absolutely everything for the team, always fighting for every single ball, bringing his energy to the pitch, to the team, driving the team forward. He can do so many things on the pitch. He can defend, he can attack, he can be physical, he can be good on the ball. He’s a very complete player, so it’s going to be a good test for all of us.
“And it’s not just about Declan, but the whole team has unbelievable players. It’s a massive test and we’re looking forward to it. Hopefully we can make even more history.” Reuters
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Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s World Cup task force, has defended Donald Trump’s lobbying of Fifa to lift the suspension of US player Folarin Balogun for Monday’s game against Belgium.
The US president claimed that Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun a red card in a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was “a little bit suspect if you check his past”. This was apparently a reference to a match-fixing investigation by Brazil’s senate in 2024 that examined how referees were assigned to games but did not accuse Claus of wrongdoing.
Giuliani told reporters at the Foreign Press Center in Washington: “We found it highly suspicious that there was a referee who had been investigated for match-fixing previously, and specifically for irregular red cards - issuing irregular red cards. Then when you add the fact that the process was misapplied by how VAR was initiated: for contact fouls, you cannot actually utilse the slow motion in the VAR, and they did that.
“So when you add those two facts together there we found it was very, very highly suspicious. And look, the US government, whether it’s at the ballot box or whether it is on the playing field, we want fair play, right?”
Challenged by a reporter who said Claus had merely given testimony to the match-fixing investigation, and was not a target of it himself, Giuliani admitted: “He was not accused of crimes - we understand that - but what I’m telling you is that he was akin to a match-fixing investigation a few years ago in Brazil where they were giving out, I quote, ‘irregular red cards’. So that’s the facts of it. He was akin to that investigation.”
The US lost 4-1 to Belgium and exited the tournament. Fifa has defended Claus. It said in a statement this week: “Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.”
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Manchester United agree Santos deal
Manchester United will sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea after agreeing to pay £48m plus a further £2m in add-ons.
I told you they wanted him …
Guehi, James and Rice train separately
Reece James is still not training with the England squad while Declan Rice and Marc Guehi also worked individually in Kansas City this morning. James has missed England’s last three matches with a hamstring injury and Thomas Tuchel would desperately like him to be back for Saturday’s quarter-final against Norway in Miami to full the problem position of right-back. James continues to look touch-and-go. Rice has battled through the pain of a nerve issue in his hamstring but has consistently said he is fine to play.
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Colombia left the World Cup unbeaten in normal time but broken-hearted after their latest penalty shootout defeat, and the national team’s all-time top scorer Radamel Falcao was in no mood to offer soothing words.
The South Americans were knocked out in the round of 16 on Tuesday after Switzerland won 4-3 on penalties following a tense 0-0 draw in Vancouver, ending Colombia’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. The country was also eliminated on penalties at the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 and 2021 Copa America tournaments. Falcao, working as an ESPN pundit during the tournament, said the defeat exposed deeper problems in the country’s football system.
“It’s a shame given the chances we had; we didn’t know how to capitalise on them,” Falcao said. “At this stage of a competition like this, the opposition are of a standard where they won’t let you off the hook, and it’s been from the penalty spot – as on so many other occasions – that our football has had its wings clipped.
“We have to work on our football, in our clubs and in the national team. We have to pay close attention to this because there have been so many disappointments.”
Falcao then turned his fire on Colombia’s domestic structure, noting that it has only 36 professional teams, with 20 in the top flight and 16 in the second tier. “Our youth development programmes need to improve,” he said. “It’s unacceptable that we don’t have a third tier. It’s a disgrace that our football lacks competitiveness and fosters mediocrity and laziness, with teams that don’t invest because they know they won’t be relegated.” Reuters
France coach Didier Deschamps revealed Wednesday that an appeal against a yellow card shown to Michael Olise in the World Cup last-16 win over Paraguay had been rejected by Fifa.
Olise, who has been one of the tournament’s standout stars, was booked in the final minutes of the bad-tempered clash against Paraguay in Philadelphia after an altercation with Matias Galarza.
“The yellow card has not changed. We were notified by Fifa this morning, it has been maintained,” Deschamps told reporters in Foxborough, on the eve of France’s quarter-final showdown with Morocco at the Gillette Stadium.
Returning Premier League club Ipswich Town have made Brazilian forward Emersonn their record transfer signing. Ipswich said the 21-year-old has signed a five-year contract without stating the fee paid to French club Toulouse. The transfer fee was reported to be £24m.
Ipswich start the Premier League season at home to Sunderland on 22 August, then go to Manchester United before hosting Liverpool. It is a first major signing for new Ipswich coach Gary O’Neil, who saw his then-club Strasbourg beaten by Emersonn’s late winning goal in May in a Ligue 1 game. AP
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France have scored a tournament-leading 14 goals in the World Cup so far but coach Didier Deschamps urged his players on Wednesday to achieve even greater attacking efficiency when they take on Morocco in Thursday’s quarter-final.
The meeting is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France ended Morocco’s historic run in Qatar, but this time the North Africans are no longer the surprise outsiders but a confident side aiming for the title.
“We have to be efficient, offensively speaking,” Deschamps said. “In all the areas both teams have strong assets.“
“We are efficient but we could have done better on this front. Sometimes you have six chances and score two goals and sometimes you have two chances and score twice. It is more important to be efficient.”
France edged past Paraguay in the round of 16 with a scrappy 1-0 win courtesy of a Kylian Mbappe penalty. The France captain has seven goals in the tournament, second behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who has eight. Reuters
I would suggest being rigid with his formation and not playing Kobbie Mainoo were his two biggest mistakes.
Ruben Amorim has admitted to making mistakes during his time as Manchester United boss but said he learned a lot at Old Trafford.
Speaking at his first press conference since taking over as AC Milan’s head coach, Amorim admitted there were things he got wrong during his ill-fated 14-month spell in the Premier League, which ended when he was sacked by United in January.
“It’s hard to explain the mistakes because for that I would have to explain all the context of the last adventure,” Amorim said. “It’s hard to say to you every mistake. The only thing to say is I learned a lot and I did some mistakes.
“I didn’t have the opportunity, and I’m sorry for that, to say something to the Manchester United fans, I’m really proud to be their coach for a year in that time.
“But now is a different history. There are a lot of things I could do better in the last experience but sometimes it’s like that. You need to learn to find the right spot to reach a different level and that’s my thinking here.” PA Media
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How do England stop Erling Haaland? That is the question. Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi will have their hands full, that’s for sure.
I tried to come up with an answer last year. I am sure Thomas Tuchel will be reading.
Uefa could block Russia returning to football in potential new clash with Fifa
Uefa is prepared to block the return of Russian teams to international football after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted the country’s suspension from global competition.
Fifa has indicated it will review its position after imposing a ban on Russian teams in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago. It said on Tuesday that it would “analyse the decision before deciding on next steps”, and Uefa’s stance sets up another potential clash with the world governing body.
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Which is the game of the upcoming round? I think France v Morocco is the one you should make time for. Admittedly, I am going out for dinner tomorrow night so will miss it.
Fifa investigates alleged racist abuse targeting streamer IShowSpeed
Fifa has launched a probe into alleged racist insults directed at the streamer known as IShowSpeed at last week’s World Cup match between Argentina and Cape Verde.
The global football body said in a post Tuesday on X that it was “made aware of an incident involving a supporter and #IShowSpeed at Miami Stadium during the Argentina vs Cabo Verde match on 3 July 2026 and immediately initiated an investigation.”
The African-American streamer, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, has over 57 million subscribers on YouTube, with tens of millions more on other video platforms.
The boisterous 21-year-old has been attending and streaming live from World Cup matches under a special deal with Fifa, YouTube, and US broadcaster Fox Sports.
“Fifa strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms. These actions have no place in football, at the Fifa World Cup, or anywhere in society,” the statement added.
IShowSpeed was also reportedly targeted by more racist abuse during Tuesday’s match between Argentina and Egypt, with an Argentine fan imitating a monkey during an encounter with the streamer. AFP
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Jordan Henderson staying with England despite injury
Further to Jordan Henderson’s Instagram update on his surgery, it is worth noting that he has returned to the England camp in Kansas City rather than head home to England. The midfielder’s tournament is over but he still wants to help out off the field, offering the benefit of his leadership and experience. Henderson had stayed behind in Mexico City after damaging his arm in a freak fall following England’s last 16 win over Mexico.
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Thanks Taha. The show must go on.
Time for me to wrap up – Will Unwin’s here for the next few hours.
France v Morocco may well be part of that new order. They met in the 2022 semis and are back at it again tomorrow.
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Alexia Putellas joins London City Lionesses
We break away from the World Cup for some big transfer news. A two-time Ballon D’Or winner is off to the WSL.
An update from Jordan Henderson after his injury during England’s celebrations at the Azteca.
What do we do now? Stare numbly at a blank wall for the next 24 hours? Finally get some shut-eye? Endlessly re-watch Sidny Lopes Cabral’s curler against Argentina and his Pat Cash-style climb into the stands to celebrate? Work on our stutter penalties in the park? This is a dark moment, the first scheduled day of rest at the Geopolitics World Cup. We’re 96 matches down, just seven to go – eight if you are, for some reason, heavily invested in who finishes third. But maybe we do need a moment to chill, to decompress, after Argentina’s desperate comeback win over Egypt, an emotional cracker that even left Lionel Messi in tears at full-time. There’s so much to discuss: another spurned penalty by Messi before his redemption act; the wall that was Mostafa Shobeir; the anger felt by the Egyptians after Enzo Fernández’s winner. Space must, however, be given to the greatest goal that never was.
Portugal confirm departure of Roberto Martínez
The Portuguese Football Federation has released a statement confirming the departure of Roberto Martínez after three-and-a-half years in charge of the national side. His team won the Nations League last year … but they went out in the quarters of Euro 2024 and in the last 16 of this World Cup.
8 July 2014: the most gobsmacked I’ve ever been watching a game of football. Also, how good was Andre Schürrle’s second?
Brazil had not lost a competitive match at home since 1975 but they were not just removed from their own World Cup. They were embarrassed in a way that will make them look back on this tournament and want to shelter their eyes.
Joe Hart has definitely had a decent World Cup.
A few massive names in here.
This is a very heartwarming piece by Jesse Gerritsen.
Norway will try to make history again on Saturday by reaching the semi-finals. There is a version of their story that is just about football, about a team that beat the odds, and then there’s a better, quieter one. One where a small nation chose to let its children be children – to play, to wander between sports, to enjoy it.
Hello, hello, hello. Anyone else still thinking about that disallowed Egypt goal – the greatest that never was – or it just me? My new favourite footballer is Haissem Hassan, who was magical down the right wing, setting up Mo Salah, who set up Mostafa Ziko.
I am off now. Taha Hashim is up next. Ciao!
The mystery deepens. Two US Soccer staff members were suspended by Fifa for their team’s World Cup defeat to Belgium on Monday.
Team manager Sam Zapatka and US Soccer vice-president of security Frank Pannell weren’t allowed at the match. Fifa has not given a specific reason for the suspensions.
US Soccer didn’t address the cause behind the punishment, although it did say it was unrelated to the federation’s work in getting Folarin Balogun’s red card suspended.
According to ESPN, the pair were sanctioned because of a violation of Fifa match protocols as well as people having access to areas where they shouldn’t have been. The suspensions were not due to any physical disputes or confrontations.
Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever, whose cat Maximus has been vocal about the World Cup on Instagram, has had another dig at the US over the Folarin Balogun red card issue, this time right in front of Donald Trump.
Speaking at the Nato summit in Ankara, discussing financial aid to Ukraine and sitting at the same table as the US president, De Wever said “This is also a very strong ‘red card’ to Putin. You can’t just take back a red card. You know that.”
People have been making fun of Kylian Mbappé since he was a kid, and he’s been having the last laugh almost as long. As a three-year-old growing up in the Parisian banlieue, Mbappé would sing the Marseillaise with hand on heart, and draw indulgent giggles whenever he announced – as he would often – that he was destined to play for France; he’s now the leading goalscorer in French football history. His parents’ friends once bought him a model of the Bernabéu in teasing response to his claims that he would play for Real Madrid; he’s now Madrid’s most important player. On Saturday, Mbappé spent the final minutes of a bruising last-16 encounter against Paraguay, in which he scored the decisive penalty, sauntering around the pitch with a big, stupid smile on his face. Wherever this man treads in the world of football, the result is always the same: Mbappé wins. And he’s laughing!
Read more from Aaron Timms here: Statesman, comedian and dealer of hard truths: how Kylian Mbappé became the king of this World Cup
Some words from Zlatko Dalić via AFP about his decision to step down from the Croatia job:
As much as I still feel the ambition and desire to achieve new successes with Croatia, I feel that this is the right moment to bring this incredible era to a close. I am leaving with a full heart and proud that I have made my contribution to the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian football.
Under Dalić, Croatia were runners-up at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and finished third in Qatar in 2022.
Genuinely, if you are actually starved for international football on this, the World Cup’s first rest day, there is still some to be had. The Uefa’s U19 mens/boys championship has reached the semi-final stage. Both matches are on today and will be live-streamed on the Uefa website. Spain face Croatia in Denbigh, Wales at 5.30pm BST followed by Ukraine v Germany in Wrexham at 8pm.
Here is the video clip of Egypt’s manager, Hossam Hassan, vowing not to watch any more of the World Cup in protest at the refereeing decisions in his side’s defeat to Argentina. On the bright side, I guess that meant he didn’t have to sit through Colombia v Switzerland like the rest of us.
Zlatko Dalić steps down as Croatia head coach after nine years
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalić has stepped down after nine years in charge, the Croatian Football Federation said on Wednesday.
The move comes less than a week after his side’s exit from the World Cup following a 2-1 loss to Portugal in the Round of 32. Under Dalic’s tenure, Croatia finished runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and third in the 2022 edition in Qatar, but the team exited the tournament early this time around.
“Following nearly nine years, head coach Zlatko Dalic has decided to close his incredibly successful chapter with Croatia,” the federation said in a statement, Reuters reports.
“Head coach, thank you for everything – the victories, the achievements, the qualifying berths, the medals, the unity, the respect, and your unwavering commitment to fight for Croatia, both on and off the pitch.”
Megan Swanick is on the case with this week’s Moving the Goalposts newsletter, which asks what does Sam Kerr’s return to the NWSL mean for the league, Gotham FC and the player herself?
In non-World Cup(-ish) news: Marcus Rashford is set to be re-integrated at Manchester United following the World Cup, with the forward currently expected to start next season as part of Michael Carrick’s squad. Jamie Jackson has the details for you:
Well that was a game yesterday between Argentina and Egypt wasn’t it? Mystic Belam here said to his better half when it was 2-0 that I still backed Argentina to win, so I got to feel smug for the rest of the evening. Well, at least until I committed us to also watching Colombia v Switzerzzzzzzzz.
That’s my cameo complete. Time now to hand you to Martin Belam.
A line from Jeremy Boyce’s email perhaps echoes my feelings about Brazil (11:47). “What’s more certain is a point Leander Schaerlaekens made the other day. Isn’t it time for Brazil to stop entering competitions they are clearly no longer capable of winning, convert themselves into the soccerball Harlem Globe Trotters, taking the original Jules Rimet with them everywhere they travel and scoring for fun in an endless tour of exhibition games ? Those of us old enough to remember will always have Carlos Alberto at the Azteca 1970.”
An email from krishnamoorthy. “It was a tremendous fightback from Argentina but one feels they won ‘with a little help from my friends’. They could have won it fair and square but one feels sorry for Egypt. This is not some romanticizing of an underdog. I do like Argentina. I only wish they had won it differently. As a comeuppance I would love to see a 5-1 drubbing of Argentina by France on 19th July.”
It was an epic game. Both teams’ second and third goals were absolutely superb. A shame Egypt’s (initial) second didn’t actually count.
Something from the Guardian Community team. Tell us: do you support a national football team that you have no link to?
For me, it would be Brazil. I’m from the generation of youngsters that fell in love with the 1982 team and then bought the ‘Boys from Brazil’ video, watching in awe at the exploits of Pele’s 1970 team. That dummy that bamboozles the Uruguayan goalkeeper! Clodoaldo’s step over and jink prior to Pele’s caressed pass to Carlos Alberto to make it 4-1 in the final. I was desperate to witness a Brazil World Cup win but felt short-changed by the Dunga-led 1994 triumph as it was achieved with European pragmatism despite Romario adding a bit of gloss. Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho delivered my winning-with-flair wish in South Korea/Japan 2002 but since then there’s been a pattern: I start every World Cup cheering on Brazil but then have to admit to myself that I’m clinging to the past as they throw in a series of mediocre performances. It can’t ever be the same I guess. Gone forever is the feeling that Brazil could just grab players off the beach and they’d be superstars – Eder in 1982 the prime example. Now I look at Brazil and think players like Bruno Guimaraes would have been fifth choice back in the day.
Having waffled away, I do ultimately (and passionately) support England in a World Cup. Brazil are/were my exotic alternative if the Three Lions were rubbish. How about you?
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Anthony Gordon has gone from being ‘not all that’ to ‘one of England’s key performers’ in the space of few World Cup days. Social media, eh. Fancy a player performing better in one game than the other. Unheard of!
Regardless of the noise (that hopefully he’s not listening to), the player himself is having a blast with Thomas Tuchel’s England.
“Camplife is amazing. I am absolutely loving it,” the England winger said on the latest episode of Extra Time. “We have got an unbelievable group, the best England group I have been a part of by a country mile, in terms of chemistry, in terms of connection, not just on the pitch but off the pitch.
“In terms of standards off the pitch, we are holding each other accountable, which is really important for any team that wants to be successful.”
Gordon assisted both Harry Kane’s goals against DR Congo and also won what proved the decisive penalty which his captain converted against Mexico. But the Barcelona wideman admits he wants to get on the scoresheet more often himself.
“I love finishing, it’s a big part of my game, I want to be a goalscorer. The only way I can truly get to where I want to be is by practising every single day. The more practice allows you to become free in the mind on game day,” he said.
“I have been speaking to H (Kane) and trying to gain as much knowledge as I possibly can because he can do it on both feet, doesn’t matter the angle, doesn’t matter off his touch, the ball finds a way into the net. I have been trying to pick up a little bit off him.”
Are we heading towards another France v Argentina final? There are certainly some similarites between this tournament and Qatar 2022. Take the Golden Boot…
Qatar 2022
8 Kylian Mbappe
7 Lionel Messi
USA/Canada/Mexico 2026
8 Lionel Messi
7 Kylian Mbappe (+ Erling Haaland of course)
Perhaps we get the reverse this time. Messi wins the Golden Boot but his team are beaten in the final.
Thanks Tom. Happy with those power rankings? I have to say I’m in absolute agreement until the very end. Both sides lost by a three-goal margin but I think Canada performed better in their loss than the USA did.
Here you are for yer power rankings: now the dust has settled – well, kind of – on the last 16, Will Unwin assesses the state of the participants.
And with that, I’ll hand you over to David Tindall. Catch you’se later.
For all the welcome eclecticism of this World Cup, it feels crushingly unsurprising that six of the eight quarter-finallists are European, a tally only exceeded in 1934 (eight, when travel, and arguments over travel, were factors in the lack of South American representation), 1958 (seven) and the last time we were in the USA in 1994 (seven). As recently as 2010, there were only three European sides in the last eight, though two of them made the final.
Egypt lodge complaint with Fifa over referee
This one isn’t going away. This just in from AFP:
The Egyptian football federation said on Wednesday it had asked for the officiating team who handled the Pharoahs loss 3-2 last-16 to Argentina to be thrown out of the World Cup.
“Hany Aburida, President of the Egyptian Football Federation, filed a complaint with Fifa, demanding an investigation into the French referee Francois Letexier... after the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the team of referees and double standards, which caused the Egypt team to lose the match and leave the World Cup,” said a statement from the federation.
On Tuesday evening, Letexeier ruled out a Mostafa Ziko goal ruled out when they were leading 1-0 after VAR intervened to spot a foul on Lisandro Martinez much earlier in the move.
A few minutes later, Ziko did put Egypt 2-0 up and on the brink of a place in the last eight for the first time but there was further controversy in added time, after Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi had brought the champions level.
In the buildup to Argentina’s winner scored by Enzo Fernandez, Egypt believe they should have instead been awarded a penalty for a pull by Alexis Mac Allister on Hamdy Fathy.
“Aburida demanded the investigation of the entire team of referees, including the video technology referees, because of the blatant errors and insisting on not reviewing some of the footage that we believe are in favour of the Egyptian national team, and we see in it the Pharaohs’ right to a correct goal and a penalty,” said the Egyptian statement.
It added that the president had also “demanded the exclusion of the referee and the entire crew from the World Cup after investigating these mistakes and proving the crime of discrimination against the Egyptian national team”. AFP
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Foy backs World Cup referees: we’ve all had our say on the officials; here’s someone who’s actually been a Premier League ref on how the people in the middle have got on.
The intervention of Donald Trump and Tuchel’s comments mean there is heightened noise around refereeing. As a referee you have to ignore that, and in elite officiating sports psychologists are there to help. I was never the best at getting rid of a bad decision – it would stay in my system for three to four days – but that’s different from letting it affect your performance. You have to be boring, and focus on the here and now.
There have been 13 red cards at this World Cup, after four at each of the previous two, but I don’t think there can be too many complaints. Player safety is paramount and Quansah and Balogun are a good example of where to draw the line. VAR has been used correctly for red cards not given on the field.
Perhaps Lionel Messi could do with a look at this video – our own Nikhita Chulani sifts the data in search of the perfect penalty.
EU lawmakers call for investigation of Infantino over Trump call
Just in, from AP.
Dozens of European lawmakers are gathering support to launch an investigation in the European Parliament of Fifa boss Gianni Infantino over his involvement in the decision to permit USA striker Folarin Balogun to play despite an earlier red card.
Balogun was shown a red card during the U.S. victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup on July 1, which normally would make him ineligible to play in the team’s next game, but Fifa lifted his suspension for a match on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened with Infantino on behalf of the 25-year-old striker.
European Parliament lawmakers Barry Andrews, Lara Wolters and Niels Fuglsang said in a joint statement that the decision by soccer’s world governing body to “change the rule on red card suspensions mid-tournament is a disgrace and a perversion of justice.”
“Once again, we’ve seen Infantino and Fifa surrender to the demands of the Trump administration,” the statement said.
The lawmakers are asking the national football associations of the EU countries to spur the Fifa Ethics Committee to investigate Infantino and whether pressure from the Trump administration was a factor in the lifting of the suspension, as well as “other potential breaches of political neutrality” like awarding Trump the FIFA Peace Prize.
FIFA has said the lifting of the suspension was the decision of a disciplinary committee.
The lawmakers said that 35 colleagues have so far signed the letter.
“The beauty of sport is that it is based on impartial and transparent rules. When Infantino allows political pressure to determine who gets to play, this sense of fairness goes out the window,” they said. AP
World Cup Daily has dropped. Get your ears around Max, Barney, Archie and Barry chewing the fat over yesterday’s action.
On this day in World Cup history, 1990. It’s a toss-up between this final and that of 2010 as to which was the most shithousey World Cup final of all, but the tournament got its deserved winners overall, West Germany beating a petulant Argentina with Andreas Brehme’s late penalty.
“Neymar’s consolation penalty against Norway at the World Cup means his first international goal, scored on his first cap, was in the same stadium (MetLife) as his last international goal on his final cap,” writes Griffin Cant. “Are there any other players who have bookended their international career in a similar way?”
Find out the answer to this and more in this week’s Knowledge:
Time for a first delve BTL, and the various Argentina-Egypt talking points are unsurprisingly dominating.
Here’s MarkWatson1:
Well, you can bet your house on Argentina (Messi) winning the World Cup again. In the last few days we’ve seen it all collapse as a sporting spectacle. First the rescinded red card by Donald Trump and now the daylight robbery of Egypt. VAR was supposed to be used to ensure fairness but instead it’s just being used to tip the scales in favour of whoever is scheduled to go into the next round.
And nomiddlename:
The Egypt goal was rightly chalked off, I was looking at the hip/leg contact and thinking it was never a foul but replays showed the clear shirt pull. The trip on Salah immediately before the Argentina goal is slightly different, it looked like foul play and if the ref had given it VAR would almost certainly not have overturned it, but he didn’t and VAR didn’t try to re-ref the incident, was hoping for a penalty to be given there, and quite possibly it should have been given but once it’s accepted that not every contact is 100% foul play then maybe not, and it wasn’t to be
Great comeback byArgentina though
Whatever your view, it shows how Trump’s and Infantino’s conduct over the Balogun red card has intensified suspicion over everything else that happens at this tournament. And it also shows – for the millionth time – that VAR does not bring certainty or consistency. Fire it into the sun.
You may have missed … here’s a withering critique of Fifa’s handling of the Folarin Balogun red card case by Barney Ronay:
Frites 4 Cheats 1. Tintin 4 Tonto 1. Some good news here, perhaps. It seems Gianni Infantino was right after all. Football has united the world. Mainly football has united the world in gleeful satisfaction at the USA exiting its own World Cup tournament as soon as possible following the great and glorious Donald Trump Mr-Fix-It intervention.
This was the tone of the immediate global reaction to the USA’s invertebrate defeat in Seattle on Monday night, soundly beaten by a righteous and highly motivated Belgium: land of beer, waffles and sporting vigilante justice. Ghent 4 Bent 1. Antwerp 4 A twerp 1. Mayonnaise 4 May-have-interfered-in-due-process 1. I can go on. How long have you got?
So far much of the domestic US response has focused on an interesting but essentially irrelevant part of this, albeit one with a natural appeal to the polarised heart of the nation. Did the noise around Trump’s intervention, the admission, which is denied by Fifa, of prima facie attempted sporting corruption over Folarin Balogun’s ban (Trump’s exact words: “I was the one who got them to do it”) deplete the team’s chances?
Was this a case of Trump Exposed Reactor Core Phenomenon, a term I have just invented for the dynamic whereby Trump melts everything he touches while remaining indestructibly in place, still burping his dark energy into the skies?
The first quarter-final, Morocco v France, might be the most alluring and intriguing of the four ties, with Mohamed Ouahbi’s side – again the only African team to reach the last eight – chasing a second consecutive semi-final. Osasu Obayiuwana has more.
Over the past six decades, Morocco have achieved several performance milestones for Africa at the World Cup. The first country to qualify directly, for the 1970 finals in Mexico, they returned in 1986 and became the first team from the continent to make the last 16, then made that impressive semi-final run in Qatar four years ago.
Even if the Atlas Lions fail to match their 2022 performance, by losing to France on Thursday, they have made tournament history as the first African team to reach the quarter-finals at successive World Cups.
“The general feeling, amongst Moroccans, is pride and contentment in this team,” says Amine El Amri, a football journalist who, from his base in Casablanca, has been closely observing fans’ attitudes toward the team’s performance. “The main goal before the competition was to reach the quarter-finals, given the context, given the change of manager, with the departure of Walid Regragui and the coming of Mohamed Ouahbi. I think the victory over the Netherlands cemented the reputation of Ouahbi as a trustworthy coach. Many doubts about him were cleared up after that match.
“Beating Canada in the way we did, despite having a very difficult first half, has also added to that confidence. You have to be in Casablanca, in Marrakech, in every city and little town, to just measure how happy people are [with the team]. Our Saturday night was crazy – no one slept.”
Fulham confirm Arbeloa appointment
Fulham have named Alvaro Arbeloa as their new head coach on a three-year deal. He’ll hope for a less fractious dressing room than the one he had to grapple with at Real Madrid. Here’s the story.
Alvaro Arbeloa has been appointed as Fulham’s new head coach on a three-year contract.
The 43-year-old former Spain full-back, who finished last season in charge of his long-time club Real Madrid, succeeds Marco Silva after the Portuguese coach departed for Benfica at the end of his contract.
He said: “It is a real honour for me to be embarking on this new stage at Fulham FC, the oldest club in London.
“I feel a great sense of responsibility and I’m deeply grateful to Mr (Shahid) Khan and Tony Khan for the trust they have placed in me with Fulham in the Premier League.
“I am really looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere at Craven Cottage with Fulham fans.”
Fulham co-owner Shahid Khan said: “Alvaro was an original candidate who built an exceptional case through our meetings in June to become our next Head Coach, and it quickly became quite clear that he was – and is – the right choice.
“I am delighted that Alvaro has accepted the challenge to push Fulham forward, and I have no doubt that our squad, staff and fans will resonate with what his appointment means for the present and future of our club.”
He continued: “Alvaro is, by his own admission, very ambitious.
“He has spent quality time around the best players, clubs and methods in the game, experiences which will serve him well here at Fulham.” PA Media
Preamble
Greetings everyone. Welcome to the kind of day we’ve not had for four weeks – a day with no World Cup football! Time to finally tackle that pile of plates in the sink, that layer of dust on all work surfaces, that sock drawer. Or you could just stare blankly at the screen until the quarter-finals start on Thursday, or talk about it all here.
And we now know the identity of all those quarter-finalists after one of those days that all World Cups have – a thriller around which swirl rancour and accusations of bias towards big teams/players, followed by a frustrating, deadening 0-0 in which the side that missed the most presentable chances in 120 minutes inevitably lose the shootout. So commiserations Colombia and Egypt, and congratulations Switzerland – in their first quarter-final for 72 years – and Argentina.
Here’s that last eight schedule:
9 July France v Morocco (Boston, 4pm local/9pm BST/6am 10 July AEST)
10 July Spain v Belgium (Los Angeles, 12pm local/8pm BST/5am 11 July AEST)
11 July Norway v England (Miami, 5pm local time/10pm BST/7am 12 July AEST)
12 July Argentina v Switzerland (Kansas, 8pm local time/2am BST/11am AEST)
And here’s yesterday’s reports:
