Real Madrid's David Alaba suffers knee injury setback
Real Madrid defender David Alaba has suffered a meniscus injury in his left knee and is unlikely to feature again before the Club World Cup.
Alaba is Madrid's third defender to have been confirmed as facing a layoff on Tuesday, with left-back Ferland Mendy set to miss the rest of the season after sustaining an injury during Saturday's 3-2 Copa del Rey final defeat by Barcelona and Antonio Rudiger expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear.
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Carlo Ancelotti's side are also without long-term defensive absentees Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao.
Like Rudiger, the club expect Alaba, who will undergo minor surgery, is expected to return to selection for the revamped Club World Cup. Madrid get their tournament underway against Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal on June 18.
32-year-old Alaba's season has been restricted by injury problems that have limited him to just seven appearances in La Liga across 2024-25.
The Austria international started in both Madrid's Champions League quarter-final leg defeats against Arsenal earlier this month and most recently started in the league victory at Getafe on April 23.
Alaba is now set to miss the remaining five matches of Madrid's La Liga campaign, including a potential title-deciding match away to Barcelona on May 11.
Madrid's current central defensive options are limited to Raul Asencio and Aurelien Tchouameni, a midfielder by trade, with Castilla defender Jacobo Ramon another option.
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New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
Extreme heat at the Club World Cup: Players and fans voice concerns as temperatures soar
As temperatures rose towards 90F at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium on Saturday while Borussia Dortmund played South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns, the German team posted on social media: 'Our subs watched the first half from inside the locker room to avoid the blazing sun — never seen that before, but in this heat, it absolutely makes sense.' The message was accompanied by a picture of players who would usually be pitchside instead sitting in shorts and T-shirts around a table stocked with drinks. Players, coaches and supporters were already concerned about high temperatures during matches in the opening week of the Club World Cup, and now a heatwave across the United States in the coming days will cause temperatures to rise even further, with participants expressing their worries to The Athletic and experts suggesting FIFA take proactive moves. Advertisement 'The match was clearly influenced by the temperature,' said Luis Enrique, manager of the European champions Paris Saint-Germain, after their opening game against Atletico Madrid in Los Angeles on the weekend kicked off at 12pm local time. 'The time slot is great for European audiences, but the teams are suffering.' Over the next week, parts of the country are set to get even hotter, including locations where football games are taking place. Eight of the 11 host cities (there are two venues in Orlando) are located on the East Coast, and it is the northeast of the country that is expected to experience the worst of the heatwave. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the temperature in New York is expected to pass 100F (37.8C) by Tuesday and an extreme heat warning has been in place for Philadelphia from Sunday until the end of the week. In Nashville, Tennessee, which hosts Auckland City vs Boca Juniors on Tuesday at 2pm local time, the temperature could get to 98F (36.7C). There is a similar forecast on Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Benfica take on Bayern Munich at 3pm local time (99F, 37.2C). Afternoon kick-offs on Wednesday and Thursday in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Washington, D.C, respectively, could take place in heat in the mid-90s, too. The timing of matches in this tournament is a concern, with 35 of the 63 fixtures kicking off earlier than 5pm, and 15 of those starting at midday. Only two of those 12pm games are being held in Atlanta, where the roof can provide some protection for players. The National Weather Service recommends that, during heatwaves, people should stay hydrated and look for areas of shade when outdoors. It also suggests limiting strenuous outdoor activities. Given this tournament is something of a trial run before the 2026 World Cup, which will be played across the U.S, Canada and Mexico at the same time of year, FIFA's approach in terms of the safeguarding of players and fans in such circumstances is set to come under increased scrutiny. Advertisement 'It's difficult, but we have to get used to it because the tournament is here and next year the World Cup will be here, too,' France and Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni told The Athletic. So, what are the rules around playing in high temperatures? What impact does it have on players and how are teams preparing for this? What are FIFA doing to protect those involved and those attending games? And is it enough? The Athletic explains… Before the opening weekend on June 14-15, the National Weather Service predicted 'moderate' heat risk for Miami and Los Angeles, with temperatures likely to exceed 86F (30C). For the tournament's opening game between Inter Miami and Al Ahly, an 8pm ET kick-off at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium meant the peak heat of the day had passed. But on Sunday afternoon, Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid kicked off at midday in the open-air Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles amid temperatures reportedly nearing 104F (40C) on the pitch. Both PSG and Atletico made it clear that the heat was a factor. Luis Enrique's sentiments were echoed by PSG midfielder Vitinha, who said: 'It's hot at this time. I'm all red. It was really difficult. We just have to try to recuperate as much as possible, whether it's using compression boots or cold treatment.' The Atletico midfielder Marcos Llorente went into more detail after the match, saying: 'It's impossible, terribly hot. My toenails were hurting; I couldn't slow down or speed up. It was unbelievable.' Of the 12 stadiums across the United States being used in the Club World Cup, only one, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, has a roof that can be closed, which is done when the temperature is above 80F, as it was for Manchester City's 6-0 win over Al Ain on Sunday night. Advertisement Five of the remaining 11 stadiums have no coverage at all, while the other six have partial coverage, mainly for spectators to protect them from the elements. In Cincinnati, the TQL Stadium (which hosted Bayern's 10-0 thrashing of Auckland City on the tournament's opening weekend in temperatures of around 83F/28C) has a canopy roof that covers all seats but is designed to allow ample sunlight to reach the field. Good for the grass, not so great for the players exerting themselves in the midday sun. Cooling/ice towels have been widely in use, with players (and coaches) applying them to the backs of their necks or over their heads during cooling breaks and at half and full time. During Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Al Hilal in Miami on Wednesday afternoon (a 3pm ET kick-off), the Madrid coach Xabi Alonso could be seen picking up a wet towel and placing it around his neck in a bid to cool down. For his players, it was tougher. Alonso revealed after the game that Vinicius Junior was having cramps 'because of the heat, because of the pitch', while Gonzalo Garcia said after the game: 'It was very hot, the match was at an hour that we are not used to playing at. It would have been better to play at a different time.' At Real Madrid's training base in Miami, the club included heated tents among the temporary structures they put in place before the team's arrival to mimic the kind of conditions players will face. Heat lamps can even be used inside these tents to help recreate the feeling of the powerful rays of the sun. Temperatures inside the tents can range from 35 to 50C (95 to 122F) and the humidity rises from around 30 per cent to 80 per cent by the end of the session. Teams including Manchester City and Juventus have been using training sessions to deliberately try to speed up the adaptation process, with City manager Pep Guardiola holding long training sessions in the searing Florida heat at their base in Boca Raton. Last Friday's session lasted nearly two hours in temperatures surpassing 90F. Phil Foden, the City midfielder, said after the win over Wydad (a noon kick-off in Philadelphia) that he and his team-mates had tried to play more of a possession game to cope in the conditions. Juventus have been mirroring their training times to match kick-off times, with defender Lloyd Kelly telling the media after their opening game that they had trained 'the past 10 days in the hottest times of the day'. That match against Al Ain was a 9pm kick-off on Wednesday evening, but despite the later hour, temperatures in Washington were still hot and sticky enough that after the match (a 5-0 victory for the Italians), USMNT forward Timothy Weah told reporters: 'I only played a half, and it was like, I was dying out there. It was really hot.' Advertisement Dortmund's post about their substitutes sheltering was characterised in some replies as being another European team finding an excuse for their performances at a tournament in which South American teams have had an early edge. But Dortmund won the game in question 4-3, and after Palmeiras' 2-0 win over Al Ahly at MetLife Stadium on Thursday (a midday kickoff), the Brazilian midfielder Mauricio told The Athletic: 'The heat definitely had an impact today. We couldn't play with the same intensity we showed against Porto. We had to slow things down and manage the tempo.' His team-mate Joaquin Piquerez echoed those thoughts: 'Today was too hot and the time of the day when we played did not help. I asked Egyptian players what they thought of the heat and even they said it was hot, even though they are used to playing in a hot climate.' As well as the teams suffering, those attending matches have been struggling with the heat, too. The biggest issue comes in the open stadiums, where there is little to no shade for supporters. At PSG against Atletico in the uncovered Rose Bowl stadium, one journalist said they had collapsed after transport issues left them having to walk two miles to the stadium in the searing sun, and a girl was seen being treated by medical staff. There were also reports of 45-minute queues for water at concession stands. At the Palmeiras match against Al Ahly on June 19, which kicked off at midday in New York, supporters moved seats to try to be in shaded areas and at half-time flooded inside for shelter and to access water. There are water fountains on the concourses at MetLife and bottled water is for sale from concession stands. Some people who complained to stadium staff about the heat during the match, particularly elderly fans, were directed towards Club 50, an air-conditioned VIP area with a bar and screens showing the match. Brazilians are no strangers to high temperatures, but Palmeiras fans who made the trip to New York still weren't thrilled about the early kick-off, with one fan telling The Athletic: 'Back home, our league matches don't start until after 4 or 5pm. This is not a good time.' Al Ahly followers echoed the sentiment. Many had brought children to the game and spent parts of the match ducking into air-conditioned areas to escape the heat. On top of that, there were grumbles about the concession prices: $15 for a beer and $5 for water. At half-time, a long line formed in front of the water fountain as fans waited to fill their cups. A sporting director for one of the teams at the tournament — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect their position — told The Athletic during the opening week that the conditions so far and the forecast for the coming days have made their sports science team and players very worried about their remaining group games. Advertisement The only reference to extreme weather in FIFA's regulations for the tournament refers to the use of cooling breaks. These breaks in play are implemented around the 30th and 75th minute of play in cases when the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT; an overall thermal strain measure achieved by combining temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation) exceeds 32C/89.6F on the pitch and allow players to hydrate and use cooling measures such as ice towels. These breaks can last anything from 90 seconds to three minutes. Christopher Tyler is a reader in Environmental Physiology at the University of Roehampton. His research focuses on human responses to extreme hot and cold environments, specifically how to minimise the performance impairments observed in such conditions. He believes that FIFA's heat protocol should be implemented earlier. 'When you take into consideration other factors the elite footballer faces, such as total game load, 32C/89.6F is probably too high as a break — this is a preventative break,' he says. 'FIFA would argue that it works because they haven't seen enough medical complications at that temperature or above, but the argument against that is that players are probably slowing down and changing how they are playing, so they're not getting ill. 32°C/89.6F is high compared to many other sports as a threshold from a safety point of view, but also, it will eventually compromise the quality of the game as well.' Tyler says there is data to show that stopping at 32C/89.6F and taking on fluid does decrease the strain afterwards because players have time to lose a bit of heat and not continue to gain more, but says 'there is no real reason why that couldn't be lowered'. In response to questions from The Athletic, FIFA said its medical experts 'have been in regular contact with the clubs to address heat management and acclimatisation'. It said it was working with local medical authorities regarding heat management. People briefed on the organisation's position said that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that lowering the threshold for cooling breaks improves safety and that there are no plans to do so. Advertisement 'FIFA's current approach is reactive, not preventative,' says Tyler. 'We urgently need more robust, science-led heat mitigation strategies, or we risk seeing performance suffer and health compromised on the world's biggest stage.' FIFA did not respond directly when asked by The Athletic if it would consider moving matches or kick-off times during the incoming heatwave but people briefed on the organisation's thinking say that the conditions will be considered in the same way that storm threats have been, though there is no specific guidance as to what happens if it gets too hot. Four matches in four days have had weather-related delays that have at times suspended play for as long as two hours. In each case, FIFA has worked in unison with the relevant local authorities on the decisions. The organisation is not monitoring the weather across the competition but does receive reports and updates from the stadium. In a statement shared with The Athletic, FIFPro, the organisation that represents professional footballers across the globe, said: 'FIFPro has consistently advocated for comprehensive heat protection measures including mandatory cooling breaks, adjustments to kick-off times to avoid the most intense heat, and the postponement of matches when conditions pose a serious health risk to players… FIFPro will closely monitor the situation in the coming weeks with a view to prioritising player welfare over other considerations.' In a statement to The Athletic, FIFA said: 'From a broader player welfare perspective, besides having the right to make a maximum of five substitutions, teams can make an additional substitution if a match goes into extra time (regardless of whether the team has used its maximum number of substitutes or not), as well as a concussion substitution. Additionally, all teams have a minimum of three rest days between matches to facilitate recovery.' And regarding people attending the games: 'Fans are welcome to bring empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles, up to one (1) litre/33.8 oz. capacity into the stadiums. In venues where temperatures are extreme, local authorities may implement additional measures such as hydration reminders via stadium announcements, cooling buses and water stations. Furthermore, in coordination with the World Health Organization, 'beat the heat tips' will be shared with all ticket holders. 'FIFA will continue to monitor the weather conditions in coordination with the venue teams to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.' Advertisement The issues are particularly relevant because the United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the World Cup next year, the biggest sports event on the planet that will involve 48 teams and their travelling supporters. The Athletic reported on Sunday that the National Weather Service has been working with FIFA to develop plans for all 11 U.S. cities preparing to host World Cup games next year. One advantage is that some venues not in use this summer, such as the AT&T Stadium in Dallas and the NRG Stadium in Houston, are indoor stadiums. The agency will also have meteorologists in each city who will work closely with local leaders, Ben Schott, the operations chief with the National Weather Service, told The Athletic. Their main goal as a federal agency is to protect 'life and property.' He explained that FIFA, meanwhile, will likely have its own meteorologist who will prioritise forecasting related to players and the tournament. Here are when and where games are taking place in the next seven days and the forecast temperature on each day. All forecasts are per the National Weather Service's NOAA and are correct as of June 22. Friday, June 27, is the only day during the tournament with no matches. MetLife, New York, New Jersey Monday, June 21: Porto vs Al Ahly (9pm ET) – high of 98F in the day, low of 78F at night Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Tuesday, June 24: Esperance de Tunis vs Chelsea (9pm ET) – high of 102F in the day, low of 81F at night Thursday, June 26: Salzburg vs Real Madrid (9pm ET) – high of 93F in the day, low of 71F at night Saturday, June 28: First match of last 16 (12pm ET) – high of 86F in the day, low of 72F at night Audi Field, Washington, D.C. Thursday, June 26: Wydad vs Al Ain (3pm ET) – high of 96F in the day, low of 76F at night Advertisement TQL Stadium, Cincinnati Wednesday, June 25: Dortmund vs Ulsan (3pm ET) – high of 96F in the day, low of 75F at night Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles Monday, June 23: Atletico Madrid vs Botafogo (12pm PT) – high of 78F in the day, low of 55F at night Wednesday, June 25: Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey (6pm ET) – high of 83F in the day, low of 60F at night Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte Tuesday, June 24: Benfica v Bayern Munich (3pm ET) – high of 99F in the day, low of 77F at night Saturday, June 28: Second match of last 16 (4pm ET) – high of 94F in the day, low of 73F at night Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Sunday, June 29: Third match of last-16 (12pm ET) – TBC GEODIS Park, Nashville Tuesday, June 24: Auckland City vs Boca Juniors (2pm CT) – high of 98F in the day, low of 77F at night Thursday, June 26: Al Hilal vs Pachuca (8pm CT) – high of 98F in the day, low of 76F at night Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Monday, June 23: Inter Miami vs Palmeiras (9pm ET) – high of 90F in the day, low of 80F at night Wednesday, June 25: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense (3pm ET) – high of 90F in the day, low of 79F at night Sunday, June 29: Fourth match of last 16 (4pm ET) – TBC Lumen Field, Seattle Monday, June 23: Seattle v PSG (12pm PT) – high of 77F in the day, low of 56F at night Wednesday, June 25: Inter vs River Plate (6pm PT) – high of 69F in the day, low of 56F at night Camping World Stadium, Orlando Tuesday, June 24: LAFC vs Flamengo (9pm ET) – high of 94F in the day, low of 75F at night Thursday, June 26: Juventus vs Man City (3pm ET) – high of 94F in the day, low of 75F at night The Gold Cup is also in progress in the U.S. this summer, while other competitions, such as the Premier League's Summer Series, have also taken place in the country at this time of year before without significant issues. However, heat controversies are not new in football. At the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, 34 of the 52 matches were scheduled to kick off at noon despite oppressive temperatures (over 100F in Monterrey, northern Mexico, where England were due to play). The Argentina forward Jorge Valdano called the midday kick-off times an 'attack against the players… This World Cup shows clearly that the interests of television are put on top of those of soccer'. Advertisement There were concerns at the 1994 tournament in the U.S, too, where the heat in Dallas and Orlando was expected, but a heatwave also brought scorching temperatures to Chicago and California. During the tournament, The New York Times reported that, in Orlando, 106 fans were treated for 'mostly minor heat problems', while in Chicago, 43 were treated for heat exhaustion and 13 hospitalised on the tournament's opening day. Last year's Copa America was heavily impacted by the heat, too. During a match between Canada and Peru at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, assistant referee Humberto Panjoj collapsed while running the line at the end of the first half. Temperatures in the stadium were as high as 91F, with a feels-like temperature of 101F at the time, with 51 per cent humidity. 'It's gotta be an 8 or 9 o'clock kick-off. Because honestly, it's not even safe for the fans,' Canada defender Alistair Johnston said. Contributing reporters: Dan Sheldon, Jack Lang, Adam Crafton, Mario Cortegana, Felipe Cardenas (Top photos: Jonathon Moscrop/Getty, Alex Pantling/Getty, Stu Forster/Getty, Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty, Darren Walsh/Getty; design: Kelsea Petersen)
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
Antonio Cordero: What are Newcastle getting and what is their plan for him?
Antonio Cordero boasts unique talent and promise — his former coach, Isaac Jimenez, describes his attacking instincts as 'innate' — and Newcastle United insiders believe he has greater potential than Ayoze Perez did when he was signed 11 years ago. Yet Newcastle's vision is for the 18-year-old winger to be just one in a long line of exciting youngsters they recruit early and develop into top-level stars. Advertisement Ideally, Cordero, Vakhtang Salia, Baran Yildiz et al will in time populate Eddie Howe's first team, saving on vast transfer fees in a footballing landscape increasingly shaped by financial fair play (FFP) regulations. But, should they fall short, Newcastle's model aims to sell such players on for a profit which can then be reinvested. For as much excitement as Cordero is understandably generating — following his teenage exploits with Malaga, plus well-documented interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona — he is not going to be immediately parachuted into Howe's senior squad once he officially joins on July 1. Instead, a loan destination is currently being identified, with a move to another of Europe's big-five leagues preferred by some inside Newcastle, given it would represent an ideal step up from Spain's Segunda Division (second tier). La Liga clubs have expressed an interest, which would suit Cordero culturally but may not challenge him enough physically, and he is also on the radars of top sides in the Netherlands and Belgium. Cordero played 60 first-team matches for Malaga, 39 of them in the second tier, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists. As impressive as that is for a teenager, there is an acknowledgement that the jump from there to an elite European league is still sizeable. Newcastle will not rush into a decision and are determined to find a club where Cordero can play regularly, test himself at a higher level and develop robustness and further tactical understanding. It will form part of a (minimum) 24-month plan which Newcastle are looking to implement for their young recruits, having learnt lessons from Garang Kuol's stuttered progression after he was signed at age 18 and then having seen the hugely significant Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR) benefits of selecting the perfect loan to rapidly grow Yankuba Minteh's worth. Advertisement Cordero, nicknamed 'Antonito', is deemed to be above Newcastle Under-21s level and does not yet automatically qualify for a British work permit. Rather than use one of the four exemptions each club holds, Newcastle believe his development is best served by returning to continental Europe for 2025-26, before his situation is assessed this time next year and either another loan is selected or he pushes for inclusion in Howe's first-team setup. Reaching a point where he can compete for Premier League minutes inside 12-to-24 months will be challenging for him, however. That is despite Cordero's unquestionable potential and his eye-catching performances at the ongoing Under-19 European Championship, where he scored and assisted in a 3-1 group-stage win against host nation Romania last Monday, helping Spain into a semi-final with Germany today (Monday). Steve Nickson has been critical in the identification of emerging talent and, just as the head of recruitment spotted Perez at Tenerife over a decade ago, he was influential in luring Cordero to Tyneside, despite fierce competition. Cordero was still on the 'cadet' contract at Malaga which he signed just after his 16th birthday and, while the club are believed to have attempted to renew, they are in a complex financial situation. The player recently joined Pini Zahavi's Gol International agency — the Israeli has dealt with Newcastle before, including agreeing a contract extension for Sean Longstaff in 2022 — and the decision was made to run down his Malaga deal. Barcelona made contact last summer, alongside reported interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, while Real Madrid were scouting him as recently as April. That is not to suggest he was going to join either of their Champions League squads. For the two Spanish giants, Cordero was initially seen as an option for Castilla and Barcelona Atletic (Madrid and Barcelona's respective 'B teams'), who compete in Spain's third and fourth tiers respectively. Advertisement While those were viewed as backwards moves in Cordero's career — given he's already had a standout season in the second division — the youngster was impressed by Newcastle, who presented the most attractive and realistic pathway to immediate top-tier European football and, it is hoped, eventually into their first team. Financially, their offer was also said to be better than those of the Clasico clubs. 'I am a person who likes to aspire high,' Cordero told Newcastle's website when his signing was confirmed this month. 'Why not come to one of the best places in the world to do it?'. Paul Mitchell, the club's outgoing sporting director, has placed additional focus on sourcing top young talents during his 12-month tenure. Dan Ashworth, his predecessor, increased the budget for signing youngsters, while Mitchell has championed even greater emphasis on this area, telling others at Newcastle it is about 'safeguarding the club's future'. It will form a key part of his successor's remit, too. Newcastle recognise that the average age of many European squads is dropping and that places greater importance on signing younger players earlier, thereby theoretically reducing transfer fees further down the line. Alongside Nickson and Mitchell, Jack Ross, the head of strategic technical football partnerships, also played a part in convincing Cordero of the long-term strategy Newcastle would put in place for him during visits to southern Spain. Shola Ameobi, loan coordinator, and Peter Ramage, assistant loans manager, report into Ross and that department leads the handover process for emerging talent. They are conducting due diligence on potential temporary destinations — Mitchell said earlier this month that it's vital Cordero gets loaned to a club where he can be 'challenged and build on his experiences' — while the loans department now has a dedicated physio, strength-and-conditioning coach and psychologist who will work closely with all loanees. A right-footed attacker, Cordero operated largely from the left last season, but he can play on both flanks and as a No 10. He is renowned for his creativity and for having an eye for a goal. His first of those at senior level was a 121st-minute strike against Tarragona in extra time of the play-off final to secure Malaga's promotion to the second tier last year. Advertisement Speaking about Cordero's strengths, his former Malaga youth coach Jimenez says: 'The gesture of facing and putting the ball inside, the one-on-one, those technical gestures, knowing how to choose the moment to be vertical or to have a pause, that is innate — since he was a little boy.' Physically, Cordero has grown significantly. He was deemed slight at Sevilla and neighbours Real Betis, the club Malaga poached him from almost four years ago. 'When he arrived, he was very skinny,' Jimenez says. 'But right now he is one of the best physical players in the Spanish second division.' His mental fortitude and resilience was also noted by Newcastle during their scouting trips. Cordero was booed inside his own club's stadium, La Rosaleda, once it became an open secret that he would be leaving. Rather than be cowed by the negative environment, Cordero responded by asking to take a penalty against Granada in March, which he scored. 'The boy has a winning character, is competitive and is not afraid of challenges,' says Jimenez. 'He is not a footballer conditioned by the environment. In fact, he comes out on top.' That is certainly the hope at Newcastle. The big idea is that Cordero, like Minteh before him, either generates a huge profit or joins their first-team squad. Crucial to that is plotting his development perfectly, with a European loan the first step of their 24-month plan.
New York Times
18 minutes ago
- New York Times
What Brazil's early success at the Club World Cup says of its status as a football power
This is a public service announcement. You may think that this Club World Cup is an American affair. You probably looked at the host cities, saw FIFA president Gianni Infantino glad-handing with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, noted the distinctive bombast of those grating individual player walk-ons, heard the U.S. anthem being played before each of the 32 matches so far. Advertisement All very American, fair enough. Hence your confusion. But sorry, no. Appearances have deceived you. This is actually a Brazilian tournament. The rest of the world just hasn't realised it yet. First there are the demographics. 508 players took to the field in the first round of group matches. 70 of them — 14 per cent — were from Brazil. Argentina had 57 players on that list. Next was Spain with 26. There are, granted, four Brazilian clubs in the U.S. this summer. But the reach of the diaspora is remarkable. There are Brazilians at Manchester City, Real Madrid and Los Angeles FC, but also at Esperance de Tunis and Urawa Red Diamonds, Pachuca and Al-Hilal, Ulsan and Mamelodi Sundowns. Some countries sell oil, grain or circuit boards to the wider world; Brazil exports footballers. This, though, is only a footnote to the bigger story. The Brazilian teams have played eight matches between them. They have won six of them, drawn two, lost zero. Each tops their group after two rounds of games. It's not because they've only had easy fixtures, either. Flamengo duffed up Chelsea. Fluminense went toe-to-toe with Borussia Dortmund. Botafogo defrocked Paris Saint-Germain, the European champions and any rational person's idea of the best team in the world right now. 'No one has defended better against us this season,' an admiring Luis Enrique said after that match. The results have been greeted with a mixture of humour and excitement in Brazil. 'The Europeans are sending a petition to FIFA,' went one typically catty gag doing the rounds on Brazilian WhatsApp. 'They want Vasco da Gama (the fourth of the big Rio de Janeiro sides) in the competition so they have a chance of winning.' Writing in the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, former Brazil international Tostao — usually a fairly sober observer of the game — allowed himself to dream, just for a sentence: 'Can you imagine the euphoria and pride if a Brazilian team ends up becoming champion?' Take a long view of history and this may appear quite normal. In the early 1960s, Pele's all-conquering Santos side enjoyed back-to-back victories in the Intercontinental Cup, a competition established in 1960 to pit the European champions against their South American counterparts. Flamengo thrashed Liverpool in the same competition in 1981; Gremio and Sao Paulo (twice) also tasted glory. Advertisement When FIFA first dreamt up the Club World Cup in 2000, Brazil's clubs thrived. Corinthians won the inaugural edition, beating Vasco in an all-Brazilian final,. The next two editions went to Sao Paulo and Internacional. The years since, though, have been cruel. In 2010, Internacional were knocked out by Congolese side TP Mazembe. Santos were hammered by Barcelona a year later. Gremio, Flamengo, Palmeiras and Fluminense have all lost to European teams in the final. Before this current tournament began, no Brazilian club had beaten a European side in a competitive match since 2012, when Corinthians famously overturned Chelsea. You could write a book on the factors underpinning that drift. The short version is that European football — the top leagues at least — left Brazilian domestic football behind in a number of areas, from commercialisation and investment to infrastructure and tactical innovation. It is no coincidence that Brazil's last World Cup win came in 2002. Nor did the decline go unnoticed: lamentations about the growing quality gap were a staple of the Brazilian media for decades. Where, then, have the results of the past nine days come from? In the first instance, a little context is probably due before we get too excited. Dortmund and Porto — held to goalless draws by Fluminense and Palmeiras respectively — are not great teams. Fluminense also made extremely heavy work of Ulsan. Flamengo fans were thrilled with the win over Chelsea but dedicated watchers of the Premier League may not have viewed it as quite such a coup. Even Botafogo's result against PSG came with a minor caveat: Luis Enrique rested a number of key players. None of which to say it isn't an eye-catching pattern, or not worth zooming in on. Indeed, even those involved have been struck by the novelty of it all. 'I'm surprised by these results,' Flamengo manager Filipe Luis said after the Chelsea match. 'I know the quality of European clubs, especially the elite.' Advertisement There are three circumstantial factors at play. One is the climate: the Brazilian clubs are more accustomed to playing under a roasting sun. 'We're used to it,' Botafogo right-back Vitinho said last week. 'I hope that it works in our favour.' Another is that the Brazilian teams are midway through their season, which runs from January until December. The national league only kicked off at the end of March. Compared to the European sides, many of whom look exhausted at the end of a long campaign, there is a level of freshness there. Motivation is also relevant. There has been scant evidence to suggest that the European sides are phoning it in, but are they committing to the competition with every last drop of energy? That's up for debate. Rightly or wrongly, the Club World Cup is not currently seen as being on the same level as the Champions League or even domestic competitions. For the Brazilian clubs, like many others from outside Europe, this is a priority. Even if they are just half a percentage point more motivated, it can make a big difference. 'You can see the teams are playing every game like it's a final,' Filipe Luis said on Friday. 'That makes a lot of difference.' There are wider trends at work here, too. Brazilian football has evolved a lot in the last 10 years, particularly behind the scenes. A number of the country's big clubs — Flamengo and Palmeiras in particular — have gone to great lengths to become more professional and stable. Their training facilities are every bit as good as those found at the best European clubs; their marketing departments have finally found a way to leverage the colossal fanbases that exist in a country as big as Brazil. In 2021, Brazil's government passed a law that introduced a new ownership model for the country's football clubs, promising to make them more corporate, more sustainable and even — whisper it quietly — profitable. In has come foreign investment: John Textor, the co-owner of Crystal Palace, acquired Botafogo; Red Bull has put significant resources into Bragantino; the City Football Group added Bahia to its roster of clubs. Advertisement As recently as 15 years ago, most Brazilian squads were filled with players at the bookends of their career: youngsters destined for Europe and veterans in the twilights of their careers. The very best youngsters still leave but clubs can afford to sign and pay players in their prime. The 28-year-old midfielder Gerson, bought by Flamengo from Marseille for €15 million in December 2022, is the most obvious example of this trend but far from the only one Nor is it just a question of quality. 'You look at the Palmeiras squad and they have two or even three high-level players in every position,' Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said on Sunday, before his side's game against the São Paulo side. 'It's the same with Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo. They have invested a lot of money.' Alongside the spending has come greater openness to new ideas. A wave of foreigners has freshened up the local managerial scene, challenged old notions. Four of the past six Brazilian championships have been won by Portuguese coaches. Little wonder that public opinion over the possibility of a non-Brazilian manager of the national team softened considerably over that time frame. The result of all this? Brazil has begun to dominate the Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League equivalent, like never before. The past six editions have been won by clubs from the Campeonato Brasileiro. Four of those finals were all-Brazilian affairs. That might not be good for the overall health of the South American game. For Brazil, though, it's a signal that they are doing something right. So too is the growing ease with which they are able to scout and sign youngsters from other South American nations. 'They clearly have an economic strength that the rest of the countries do not,' Mascherano said. The next step is unclear. There are some who see huge potential, just waiting to be harnessed by good governance, the right global TV deal. 'Brazilian football looks like the next Premier League,' ran a headline in The Economist in December. Textor, the Botafogo owner, has been bullish in his championing of the Brazilian game. Hurdles remain, however. The calendar remains bloated: the most successful teams play 70 or 80 matches a season, many of them in the outmoded, low-wattage state championships. This affects the quality of the football, as do poor pitches. Working conditions for coaches have improved but there is still a culture of short-termism and churn. Advertisement The Club World Cup, though, is providing hope that the chasm is bridgeable. Not even the most one-eyed Botafogo fan thinks her team is better than PSG's. But maybe they're not as far off as some would have assumed before the tournament began. 'I think there's an elite in football, formed of eight or ten teams,' Filipe Luis, the Flamengo coach, said last week. 'They're far superior. Beyond that elite group, I think the Brazilian clubs are on the second rung.' Renato Gaucho, his Fluminense counterpart, echoed that view. 'There's no way we can compete with the European teams financially,' he said on Saturday. 'They can buy the best players and build incredibly strong teams. But football matches are decided on the pitch. The Brazilian people should be really proud of what our clubs are doing at this Club World Cup.'
