Latest news with #FIFA
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Soccer Star Dishes On 'Weird' Oval Office Moment With Donald Trump
U.S. Men's National Soccer Team star Timothy Weah has opened up about what he described as the 'weird' experience of standing behind Donald Trump in the Oval Office while the president fielded questions on the Iran-Israel war and attacked the idea of transgender women competing in women's sports. Weah was at the White House with his Juventus teammates on Wednesday as part of a promotional event for the FIFA Club World Cup, ahead of the Italian side's 5-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates' Al-Ain FC. Advertisement Trump invited questions from reporters about the game and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the U.S. will host alongside Mexico and Canada. But the Juventus players stood uncomfortably behind POTUS as he instead answered queries about the more pressing political questions of the day. Weah, the son of former Liberian soccer star-turned-former president George Weah, later told reporters that the players had been made to attend the event. 'They told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go,' he explained, reported The Athletic. 'I was caught by surprise, honestly. It was a bit weird,' he added. 'When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it's kind of like, I just want to play football, man.' Related...
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Soccer Star Dishes On 'Weird' Oval Office Moment With Donald Trump
U.S. Men's National Soccer Team star Timothy Weah has opened up about what he described as the 'weird' experience of standing behind Donald Trump in the Oval Office while the president fielded questions on the Iran-Israel war and attacked the idea of transgender women competing in women's sports. Weah was at the White House with his Juventus teammates on Wednesday as part of a promotional event for the FIFA Club World Cup, ahead of the Italian side's 5-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates' Al-Ain FC. Advertisement Trump invited questions from reporters about the game and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the U.S. will host alongside Mexico and Canada. But the Juventus players stood uncomfortably behind POTUS as he instead answered queries about the more pressing political questions of the day. Weah, the son of former Liberian soccer star-turned-former president George Weah, later told reporters that the players had been made to attend the event. 'They told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go,' he explained, reported The Athletic. 'I was caught by surprise, honestly. It was a bit weird,' he added. 'When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it's kind of like, I just want to play football, man.' Related...
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Sport
- Business Recorder
Messi guides Inter Miami to historic victory over Porto at Club World Cup
Lionel Messi's stunning free kick secured Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Porto in their Club World Cup Group A clash on Thursday, marking the first time a CONCACAF team has defeated a European side in an official FIFA tournament. The Argentine great was pivotal as the Major League Soccer side bounced back from their disappointing goalless draw against Egyptian side Al Ahly in their opening match. Inter Miami's win over Porto boosts their chances of a deep run in a tournament designed to pit champion clubs from across the globe against one another. The competition is taking place in 12 stadiums across the United States. PSG stunned by Botafogo after Messi lights up Club World Cup After FIFA controversially granted Javier Mascherano's side a backdoor entry, Messi became front and center in the revamped competition, drawing crowds while continuing to elevate the sport in a country long lukewarm toward the world's game. The result also offers a glimpse at how North and South American sides stack up against traditionally dominant European sides.
Independent Singapore
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Is FIFA's Club World Cup flopping? Empty seats raise questions
FIFA has recently announced that the Club World Cup has sold close to 1.5 million tickets so far for the games. Spectators, however, are starting to notice that numerous stadiums had empty seats in some of the matches. This issue sparked a conversation on Reddit as one user asked if the Club World Cup is becoming a flop. The user wondered whether the competition is a 'good idea', given the half-empty stadiums and lack of fan interest — or if it might actually be 'bad publicity' for football. The user said, 'The Club World Cup may flop… Is soccer even popular in North America? The Club World Cup is compounded by political controversies surrounding the event. It seems disengaged audiences will diminish the competition's global appeal, failing to capture the excitement of football fans around the world and FIFA slashing Club World Cup ticket prices and offering free tickets to students and city workers due to low demand, just aiming at filling stadiums for tournaments, especially for television broadcasting.' Other Redditors commented on the post and expressed their opinions about this subject matter. One stated that the event should not have taken place in the United States, saying, 'America should not be hosting any football competitions. It would get more support if a South American country, a European country or even an African country. Americans aren't interested in football, and fans certainly don't want to travel to Trump's America. Too risky' Another commented about the location of the event. 'America is not exactly a top travel destination for foreigners anymore. Especially not from South America… Even if you aren't an immigrant, it's not exactly a safe travel destination.' Some commenters chimed in with their thoughts. One wrote, 'It's going to flop because it's another competition that nobody asked for. The previous format made it a lot more prestigious, but people are finally getting tired of FIFA's greed ruining the sport… It's no different to a preseason tour. Nobody cares about the results, and most of the fans are neutral.' Another added, 'I must say that I like the idea of a club World Cup but 32 teams is too many and the timing sucks.' See also Oil-rich Malaysian prince puts Valencia in his sights Another Redditor argued that the Club World Cup won't flop—not because of sporting merit, but due to its financial appeal. 'It won't flop because you've misjudged what it's designed to do. It's not designed to bring together the world's best teams. It's not designed to decide the best team in the world. It's not designed to bring a love of football to the USA. It's not designed to help America figure out how to run big sporting events,' they wrote. They added, 'Teams are taking part because there's a load of money in it. It might, potentially, knacker their pre-season preparations, but these clubs exist to make money rather than win trophies; winning trophies is simply a way of making money.' Despite these, FIFA declared that fans from over 130 countries have purchased Club World Cup tickets, and they are expecting more than 50,000 fans to attend the next couple of matches as the Cup continues.
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
A greedy BWF is pushing its shuttlers
ELITE sports is no longer about competition. It's about consumption. And the athletes? They're just the product. In a world where TV rights, sponsorship deals and bloated global calendars rule the roost, it's becoming painfully clear, nobody is protecting the athletes. Not really. This week alone has delivered two glaring reminders. The Badminton World Federation (BWF), in a sweeping revamp, wants to stretch its Super 1000 tournaments, including the Malaysia Open from six days to 11 starting in 2027. An Olympic-style group stage for singles players is also on the table. The idea, they say, is to boost fan engagement and player welfare. Sounds lovely. But read between the lines, it's all about one thing - money. More days mean more ticket sales. More exposure means bigger ad revenue. And longer tournaments to keep broadcasters happy. Whether the athletes themselves can stay healthy is secondary. Even former world champion Aaron Chia, who usually plays it safe with his words, expressed cautious optimism. Yes, the extra prize money is welcome, but as he rightly pointed out: "We haven't tried it yet, so let's see." That's athlete-speak for: This could be a disaster. Here's the kicker. The BWF isn't just extending tournaments, it's clamping down on player freedom. The top 10 ranked pairs and top 15 singles players must play in all four Super 1000 events — the Malaysia Open, All England, Indonesia Open and China Open — as well as all six Super 750 tournaments and at least two of the nine Super 500 events each season. That's 12 mandatory tournaments a year. Miss one? You're slapped with a US$5,000 fine. And that's just the Tour. Players also have to squeeze in the continental championships, World Championships, the World Tour Finals, Sudirman Cup, Thomas or Uber Cup and the Olympics, depending on the year. In all, a top shuttler plays around 15-20 tournaments in a year. So much for improving "player welfare". Across the globe, footballers are caught in a similar bind — trapped by a relentless calendar designed for one thing — maximum profit. The Club World Cup, FIFA's latest cash cow, features 32 teams. Matches have kicked off in the United States, barely a month after some players ended their seasons. For context, a single campaign for a top English team includes the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League. And by the time the Club World Cup wraps up on July 13, many stars will have just 24 days before the madness of the 2025-26 season begins. FIFPRO, the global players' union, has had enough. Backed by 70 medical experts, they've released a damning study recommending 12 safeguards, including a four-week off-season, a mid-season break, and workload limits for under-18s. And still, nothing changes. FIFA insists the Club World Cup "hasn't caused" fixture congestion Really? Tell that to Manchester City's Rodri, who was sidelined for eight months with ACL and meniscus injuries. Or to the Seattle Sounders, who turned up for training wearing shirts that read: "Club World Ca$h Grab". The suits say it's about growing the game. What it's really about is growing the bank account. And who gets left behind? The very people who make the product marketable — the athletes. The ones who run, sweat, collapse, bleed and break. The ones with shredded hamstrings, worn-out joints and mental scars no doctor can fix. But as long as they keep showing up, no one cares. This obsession with expansion has turned professional sports into a circus. One that never stops moving. No rest. No recovery. Just go, go, go. You've got footballers playing 70 matches a season. Tennis stars juggling ATP, WTA, Grand Slams, Laver Cup and the Olympics. Cricketers hopping from Tests to T20s to franchise leagues across continents. And now, badminton players are being lined up for the same treatment — marathon events, overloaded calendars, mandatory appearances. And financial penalties for skipping them. What happens when they burn out? When the knees give in? When the mental fatigue becomes too much? Well, that's someone else's problem. Organisers will simply move on to the next marketable name. The machine doesn't stop, it just reloads. Let's be absolutely clear, sports needs structure. It needs calendar stability. It needs to grow. But not like this. Because what we're seeing isn't growth — it's greed. A mad dash for global domination where players are reduced to content creators in jerseys, made to dance for fans and financiers, while their health — physical and mental — is traded for metrics. It's high time we said it out loud: modern sports is failing its athletes. And if the governing bodies won't act, don't be surprised when more players speak out. Or worse, walk away. Because when the games keep getting bigger, but the humans playing them are pushed to breaking point, we need to ask: Is this really the future we want? Or are we just watching greatness die, one tournament at a time?
