Football Daily | Infantino awaits his ‘big bang’ as Club World Cup refuses to slide away

9 hours ago 3

ROLL WITH IT

Like Dr John Hammond and his scientists in Jurassic Park, Gianni Infantino and his fawning Fifa lickspittles have spent recent years so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should. The upshot is that a preposterously lucrative tournament described by its creator as “a big bang” has been crowbarred into an already jam-packed calendar. And the largesse of its in-no-way unethically sourced prize-money for those participating now threatens to destroy several already under-threat footballing ecosystems around the world.

Excessive heat, often sparse crowds, overambitious stadium bookings, concerns over immigration raids, exhausted players, that Juventus video from the Oval Office, Saudi money, individual player walk-ons, discordant mismatches, lengthy weather delays – the list of snags that need to be ironed out in the inevitable future editions of Copa Gianni goes on and on. But if you can see past the Fifa overlord’s self-aggrandising and disingenuous bombast, this brain-fart of his is a wheeze that’s not entirely without merit. And with the quarter-finals upon us, the tournament might finally live up to the garrulous hype with which Fifa’s equivalent of The Simpsons’ monorail guy Lyle Lanley has long been trying to sell it to us marks.

First up are Al-Hilal and Fluminense in Orlando, the stuff of lurid Infantino fantasies that will ensure either a Saudi Pro League side or a Brazilian team will make the final four. One of two remaining Brazilian sides left in the competition, Fluminense have thoroughly enjoyed their stateside sojourn and are favourites to see off the self-styled plucky Saudi underdogs who have spent just £412m on transfers over the past two years. While most of their fans will be in bed, Chelsea take on Palmeiras, but may have to make do without one of their players of the tournament, Pedro Neto, who is mourning the sudden loss of his great friend Diogo Jota. “In terms of Pedro, he is very sad,” said Enzo Maresca. “Probably more than sad. I had a chat this morning with Pedro. We support him. Any decision he will take is the correct one.”

In what would certainly have been billed as the Bellingham Brothers derby if Jobe hadn’t gone and earned himself a spell on the Naughty Step, Dortmund play Real Madrid at the MetLife Stadium in Noo Joyzee, while Bigger Cup winners Paris Saint-Germain go toe-to-toe with Bayern in Atlanta. “We feel that when we’re at our best, we can beat anyone,” chirruped Harry Kane, reading from his Big Book of Pre-Match Platitudes. “We’ll approach this match with the same feeling.” As for the plodding dinosaurs who’ve been brought back from extinction? Well, their eagerly-awaited reunion tour kicks off later in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and, unlike at Copa Gianni, the dynamically priced tickets are sold out.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. It’s the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever met. I can’t believe we’re saying goodbye. It’s too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better” – Liverpool’s Andy Robertson remembers his friend, Diogo Jota. And Miguel Dantas reports on how the deaths of Jota and his brother André Silva have shaken Portugal, where mourners are gathering in Gondomar for the funeral on Saturday.

A memorial for Diogo Jota at the Gondomar Sport Clube stadium, where the late footballer started his career, on the outskirts of Porto.

Diogo Jota, an opponent that you’d have in your team in a heartbeat, and that’s from a Toffee” – Ian Taylor.

Regarding Chinese third-tier club Changchun Xidu and the superstitious paper charms (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). Are they effective if you want to put off a co-worker competing for the same promotion? Asking for a friend” – Steve Mintz.

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