Chelsea facing 'Heat Health Emergency' with temperatures soaring to 39C in final Club World Cup group game as Philadelphia declares Code Red
Chelsea have been warned of the dangers of playing in scorching 39C heat on Tuesday night — with the city of Philadelphia declaring a 'Heat Health Emergency' ahead of the Londoners' next Club World Cup clash.
Enzo Maresca 's side are using Philly as their training base and will face the Tunisian club ES Tunis in their final group game at the Philadelphia Eagles ' Lincoln Financial Field, when local temperatures in Pennsylvania 's largest city are forecast to soar.
Juventus will face Wydad of Morocco at the same stadium at noon today, which is when Philadelphia's emergency will officially kick in.
Among their instructions is a warning to 'avoid, as much as possible, working or playing in the hot sun or other hot areas'.
FIFA told Mail Sport yesterday that their medical experts are contacting their counterparts at Club World Cup sides regarding the rising heat and humidity, and that their top priority is the safety of everyone involved.
Maresca has had to adapt to the temperatures by limiting the minutes he hands to Chelsea players with histories of muscular issues, such as Reece James and Romeo Lavia. The squad were having a rest day yesterday, with the Blues trying to manage workloads.
Whereas Chelsea's win over Los Angeles FC was held at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium — where the closed roof and big air-con units made it feel like football in a fridge — the Lincoln Financial Field is an open arena. Both venues will be used for the 2026 World Cup, and that will also take place at the height of summer in the United States.
England manager Thomas Tuchel is currently in the US, and was in Miami on Friday to see Bayern Munich beat Boca Juniors 2-1, with Harry Kane scoring the opener. FA insiders say Tuchel is more concerned with visiting facilities and training bases than assessing how players cope with the scorching weather.
Kane, speaking after Bayern's win, said England's players will benefit from getting an early taste of the climate. 'You have to be able to adapt,' he said. 'It's a great experience for me and some of the other England guys who are playing this year and who will be playing next summer.
'There's always something special about these World Cup games and next year will be the same. When you come off that pitch and you're dripping and you're cramping and you've given everything out there, there's a special feeling inside, especially when you win.
'We (the England players) are not in touch with each other right now but it's something we'll talk about at upcoming camps — how we adapted to it and what training methods we used.
'All of this is good experience because it's going to be tough next summer, without a doubt. And we must use our experiences as an advantage.'
Kane and Tuchel will have noted that the South American sides dealt with the heat better than their European counterparts. Botafogo beat Paris Saint-Germain and Flamengo overcame Chelsea at this Club World Cup.
The Lincoln Financial Field is an open arena and there is no air-con when temperatures hit 39C
Flamengo manager and ex-Chelsea star Filipe Luis said his team are more used to the climate
Kane said England's players will benefit from getting a taste of the heat before the World Cup
Flamengo manager Filipe Luis, the former Chelsea left back, admitted that his players are more used to this climate. 'Sometimes, the weather, they're not used to this,' Luis said of European sides. 'But the South American clubs are very competitive and not always the best win the Copa Libertadores. There's different grass, altitudes, so we have a lot of adaptations and we are used to that.'
The Philadelphia authorities have set up a 'Heatline' so those in need can phone for help, with cooling centres and home visits by special field teams. The Office of Homeless Services also declared a 'Code Red'. Locals are being encouraged to check in on loved ones.
FIFA told Mail Sport: 'FIFA's top priority is the health of everyone involved in football, and FIFA's medical experts have been in regular contact with the clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 to address heat management and acclimatisation.
'FIFA has also deployed medical officers who work closely with the local medical authorities to address key health matters, including heat management.
'As successfully applied at previous tournaments and as referenced in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Regulations, FIFA is implementing a sound preventative concept at all venues, including cooling breaks in the 30th and 75th minutes, in accordance with protocols.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
9 minutes ago
- Reuters
Rangers place 1B Jake Burger (oblique) on 10-day injured list
June 22 - The Texas Rangers placed first baseman Jake Burger on the 10-day injured list on Saturday because of a left oblique strain. In a corresponding move, the Rangers recalled rookie first baseman Justin Foscue from Triple-A Round Rock. Burger, 29, felt tightness on his left side on a swinging strikeout in the seventh inning of the Rangers' 6-2 win in Pittsburgh on Friday night. "I was hopeful going into the scan that it was just some sort of cramp kind of thing," Burger said Saturday. "I think, for me, I've dealt with this in the past, and it's been pretty quick. My mind's on 11 days. I'll let my body tell me and work with the training staff and strength staff, but my mind's on that 11th day, and getting back as soon as I can." Burger is batting .220 with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs in 65 games. He is second on the team with 13 doubles. For his career, Burger is a .246 hitter with 82 homers and 214 RBIs in 409 games for the Chicago White Sox (2021-23), Miami Marlins (2023-24) and Rangers. He was sidelined for about three weeks last season with the Marlins because of a left intercostal strain. He missed about 10 days with a mild oblique strain while playing for the White Sox in 2023. Foscue, 26, played in 15 games last season for the Rangers and batted .048 (2-for-42) with one RBI. Texas selected him 14th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State. He has hit .269 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs in 50 games for Round Rock. Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran, who is hitting .143 (7-for-49) in 24 games, could get the nod at first base, manager Bruce Bochy said. "I'd like to give Zeke some runway here," Bochy said. "I think he's been swinging better, and he gives us a good option there at first base. It's been good to see him make some adjustments." --Field Level Media
Reuters
44 minutes ago
- Reuters
Fernando Tatis Jr.'s HR backs Dylan Cease as Padres top Royals
June 22 - Fernando Tatis Jr. broke open a close game Saturday with a three-run homer and the San Diego Padres evened their weekend series vs. the visiting Kansas City Royals, earning a 5-1 win. Tatis broke a streak of 101 plate appearances without a homer, dating back to May 27, by lining a Taylor Clarke fastball an estimated 380 feet into the seats in left-center field with two outs. It was his 14th homer of the year, scoring Jose Iglesias and Bryce Johnson, who singled with one out. Dylan Cease (3-6) picked up the win, allowing just three hits and a run in 6 2/3 innings, with three walks and four strikeouts. Noah Cameron (2-3) absorbed the loss, permitting two runs on five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings while whiffing two. San Diego initiated the scoring in the second. Gavin Sheets led off with a double to the wall in left-center and reached third on Xander Bogaerts' single. Jake Cronenworth then hit into a fielder's choice that scored Sheets. The Royals tied it in the third when Drew Waters led off with a single and scored on John Rave's double to right-center. But they failed to capitalize on a chance for a bigger inning. Maikel Garcia drew a two-out walk, but Vinnie Pasquantino grounded out to second, stranding men at second and third. The Padres countered in their half of the third. After Martin Maldonado and Tatis worked one-out walks, Luis Arraez poked a single into center that scored Maldonado, putting them ahead for good. Kansas City missed on a good opportunity in the fourth when Jac Caglianone was clipped by a pitch with one out and Mark Canha singled. But Waters lined out and Rave flied out, starting a stretch that saw Cease retire 10 of the last 11 men he faced before Jeremiah Estrada relieved him in the seventh. Bogaerts finished with two hits, giving him 10 hits in his last 12 at-bats dating back to Wednesday night. He was the only player in the game with multiple hits. --Field Level Media
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Ji So-Yun shines in Reign FC rout of Royals
June 22 - Ji So-Yun had one goal and two assists and Emeri Adames scored two second-half goals to help Seattle Reign FC post a 4-1 victory over the Utah Royals on Saturday afternoon at Sandy, Utah. Maddie Dahlien also scored as Seattle (6-4-3, 21 points) stretched its unbeaten streak to three matches (2-0-1). Bianca St-Georges scored on a rebound for last-place Utah (1-10-2, 5 points), which lost its fourth straight match and fell to 0-7-1 over its last eight games. Ji put the Reign on the board in the sixth minute when she sent a right-footed shot into the left corner of the net. Ten minutes later, Dahlien tapped a right-footed shot toward the net that Royals defender Ana Tejada was unable to keep from going in. Utah scored in the 31st minute when Ally Sentnor's right-footed shot from outside the box was partially stopped by Seattle's Claudia Dickey and hit the left goalpost. The unchecked St-George easily knocked it in. Seattle pulled away in the second half as Ji was surrounded by three defenders in the 66th minute and slid a pass to the wide-open Adames, who drilled a left-footed shot into the net. The 19-year-oid Adames added a left-footed penalty-kick goal in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. Gotham FC 2, Bay City FC 1 Geyse scored the tiebreaking goal and Esther Gonzalez also found the back of the net as Gotham rallied to knock off Bay City at Harrison, N.J. The go-ahead goal came in the 55th minute after Nealy Martin sent a long pass upfield. Geyse and Gonzalez were both chasing the ball and Geyse got there first and lifted a short right-footer over the hand of Bay City goalkeeper Emmie Allen. The win was the second in a row for Gotham (5-5-3, 18 points). Penelope Hocking scored for Bay City (4-6-3, 15 points), who lost their second straight game. A wide-open Hocking had a chance for her second goal in the 76th minute, but she sent a right-footer just wide left of the net. Hocking's goal in the 11th minute gave Bay City a 1-0 edge. She chased a ball close to the net and tipped it past Gotham goalie Ann-Katrin Berger and then tapped it into the net. Gotham tied the score in the 30th minute after Sarah Schupansky stole the ball inside the Bay City box. She immediately fed Gonzalez, who sent a right-footed shot past Allen. Gonzalez extended her NWSL goal-scoring lead to 10. Courage 2, Dash 1 Jaedyn Shaw scored the tying goal in the 71st minute and Hannah Betfort provided the winner 10 minutes later as North Carolina rallied for the victory over Houston at Cary, N.C. Avery Patterson scored for the Dash (3-8-2, 11 points), who lost their third straight match and stand 0-4-1 over their past five games. Both North Carolina goals came after Houston's Sarah Puntigam drew her second yellow card of the match, exiting in the 69th minute with the automatic upgrade to red and leaving the Dash with just 10 players. First, Malia Berkely dribbled forward and sent a pass over to Shaw, who drilled a right-footed shot into the right corner of the net. In the 81st minute, Manaka Matsukubo sent a cross toward the net and Betford tipped in into the net as the Courage (5-5-3, 18 points) won their second straight match. Houston struck in the opening minute as Patterson drove a left-footed shot to the left of North Carolina goalie Casey Murphy. --Field Level Media
