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Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
From attendances to NBA-style walkouts: Club World Cup talking points
Flamengo players celebrate during their victory over Chelsea in Philadelphia on Friday (FRANCK FIFE) The opening week of the first 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in the United States has been played under a political shadow, while South American sides impress and some games struggle to attract fans. AFP Sport looks at some of the main talking points at the tournament so far: Advertisement Political shadow FIFA have faced criticism for their increasingly close links to US President Donald Trump and his administration. Ahead of the tournament, UEFA accused FIFA chief Gianni Infantino of prioritising "private political interests" after he turned up late for FIFA's own congress because he met with Trump in the Middle East. Infantino was in the Oval Office again on Wednesday with a delegation from Juventus, as they shared an awkward exchange with Trump as he questioned them on transgender athletes. "It was a bit weird," said Juventus and USA forward Timothy Weah. Advertisement "When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it's kind of, like... I just want to play football, man." Meanwhile some fans were worried by reports ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers were providing "security" at Club World Cup stadiums. Plainclothes ICE officers have been targeting what they say are "undocumented" migrants. To this point they do not appear to have apprehended any match-going supporters. European teams not getting it all their own way Europe's leading clubs are the richest in the world and it would be a surprise if the winner of the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup came from a different continent. Advertisement However, the evidence so far is that Europe's representatives are not having it all their own way. Up to Friday, clubs from Europe had won only half of 16 games against opponents from other continents, with South America showing it can more than hold its own. Paris Saint-Germain lost to Botafogo, while Chelsea were blown away by Flamengo. Real Madrid could not get the better of Saudi side Al-Hilal, but Europe sent far more clubs (12) than any other continent and it still looks likely that over half of the teams in the last 16 will be European. Attendances hold up despite empty seats There has been a lot of talk about empty seats, with the low point being the attendance of 3,412 in Orlando for Mamelodi Sundowns against Ulsan HD. Advertisement There were also barely 22,000 at Chelsea's win over Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, leaving around 50,000 empty seats in the stadium in Atlanta. Yet the average attendance over the first seven days at the tournament was 36,135. That is higher than the average in La Liga, Serie A or Ligue 1 over the last season. The games featuring South American teams have seen some incredible atmospheres, especially in Miami for Friday's clash between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors. "Amazing, amazing," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany when asked about the crowd, with passionate Boca fans making up the vast majority of the 63,587 attendance. Advertisement "It is one of these things: if you are not here it is sometimes hard to understand, but being here is an experience, a privilege." Waiting for the weather Several matches have been held up because of inclement weather. Common public safety protocols in the US mandate that outdoor sports events are suspended for at least 30 minutes if lightning or thunder is seen or heard in the nearby area. Two matches in Orlando, a regular location for tropical storms, have been suspended, while games in East Rutherford and Cincinnati have also been interrupted. National team coaches preparing for the 2026 World Cup must consider the best way to prepare their players to cope with such delays. Advertisement Climate change has been linked to an increase in frequency and intensity of storms and extreme weather conditions. 'Showbiz' NBA-style walkouts Organisers have jumped on the chance to make each game a show in the style of a traditional American sporting event, including having players come out onto the field one by one as their names are announced, like in the NBA. "Why not bring it to the Premier League," replied Chelsea's Romeo Lavia when asked if it could become a thing in England. "It's a bit of a showbiz thing, isn't it? I quite like it." Not everyone agrees with Lavia. "It's a bit slow. I find it a bit strange. It seems like putting on a show for the sake of it. It seems a bit pointless," said the Porto coach, Martin Anselmi. as-rbs/iwd
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What to expect on day 8️⃣ of the 2025 Club World Cup
What to expect on day 8️⃣ of the 2025 Club World Cup The group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup reaches the second round for groups E and F. Check out what to expect from this Saturday's (21st) matches in the United States, with a special highlight on Fluminense! Advertisement You can sign up for DAZN to watch all the FIFA Club World Cup matches for free. Who's playing today? 👀 📸 Stu Forster - 2025 Getty Images Mamelodi Sundowns and Borussia Dortmund kick off the day of football in the USA at 1pm (BR)/5pm (PT), followed by Inter vs Urawa Reds at 4pm (BR)/8pm (PT), for groups F and E, respectively. At 7pm (BR)/11pm (PT), it's time to see Fluzão on the field against Ulsan HD, for group F, while River Plate vs Monterrey, with Sergio Ramos, close out the day in group E at 10pm (BR)/2am (PT). Player to watch 🔎 📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors Well, by now there must be some Germans still looking for Jhon Arias at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey. Advertisement The Colombian star put Dortmund's defenders in his pocket, tormenting the defense of the powerful German team, in the draw – which felt like a win – for Flu against BVB in the opener. Now it's time to see the Colombian in action against a theoretically weaker opponent. Will the star put on another show? Unmissable video 🎥 The energy of the fans at the Club World Cup is unmissable! Even more so with supporters like those of Mamelodi Sundowns, current leaders of group F! It's also worth highlighting the Botafogo fans, celebrating the victory over the Champions League winners, PSG. Interesting facts 📊 Did you know that Ulsan has already faced Fluminense in a friendly? It was in 1994, when the Tricolor was preparing for the Carioca tournament. The two teams faced off at Laranjeiras, and Fluminense won 1-0, with a goal from Rogerinho. Thirty-one years later, the two teams meet again – now in an official match. Borussia Dortmund should keep a close eye on Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners, who has scored seven goals in his last nine matches, in addition to scoring in the opener and having two other goals disallowed. Inter and Urawa Red Diamonds have faced each other only once before – at the Saitama City Cup in 2004, where the Nerazzurri sent a reserve team coached by Fernando Orsi to participate, while the rest of the squad was in pre-season in Italy. They lost 1-0. River Plate heads into their match against Monterrey having scored an impressive 28 goals in their last 10 games. Our predictions 🔮 Mamelodi Sundowns 0-2 Borussia Dortmund Inter 1-0 Urawa Red Diamonds Fluminense 4-0 Ulsan River Plate 1-1 Monterrey Recommended reading 📲 🥇 The best of Friday at the Cup: European 'revenge' and 'La Bombonera' in Miami Advertisement This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. 📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal live updates: Club World Cup 2025 predictions, team news, latest score
Good day and welcome to the latest match of our FIFA Club World Cup coverage — specifically, a Group H opener between Real Madrid and Al-Hilal. Real Madrid are the one of the two La Liga representatives to get going at this tournament, and will be formidable opponents as they look to capture another world title. They are up against Saudi Pro League representatives in the competition, Al-Hilal. The Riyadh-based club qualified for the tournament courtesy of their 2021 Champions League (Asia) win. We have full build-up and match updates on the way for you, as well as all the insight you could wish for from our team of correspondents on the ground. Don't go anywhere — we've got you covered from here.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Manchester City vs Wydad live updates: Club World Cup 2025 predictions, team news, latest score
Good day and welcome to the latest match of our FIFA Club World Cup coverage — specifically, a Group G opener between Manchester City and Wydad. Manchester City are the second of the two Premier League representatives to get going at this tournament, and with the small task of defending their title as world champions won in 2023. They are up against Moroccan representatives in the competition, Wydad AC. The Casablanca-based club qualified for the tournament courtesy of their 2023 win in the CAF (African) Champions League. And they have a steep task ahead of them as they look to cause an early upset against Pep Guardiola's Premier League giants. We have full build-up and match updates on the way for you, as well as all the insight you could wish for from our team of correspondents on the ground. Don't go anywhere — we've got you covered from here.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Chelsea vs LAFC live updates: Club World Cup 2025 predictions, team news, latest score
Good day to you all and welcome to the latest match of our FIFA Club World Cup coverage — specifically, a Group D opener between Chelsea and LAFC. Chelsea are the first of two Premier League representatives to get going at this tournament, and fresh from their UEFA Conference League success last month. They are up against our third MLS representatives of this competition, with LAFC sneaking in via the hastily arranged play-in following Club Leon's expulsion from the tournament for breaching FIFA's multi-club ownership rules. It's been a curious start to this revamped Club World Cup so far but this one has the chance to really get things going, all in the impressive surrounds of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. We have full build-up and match updates on the way for you, as well as all the insights you could wish for from our team of correspondents on the ground and watching on. So don't go anywhere, because we've got you covered from here.
