Set to the theme of “A New Era Begins”, the opening ceremony of the Club World Cup featured performances by assorted Fifa-approved rappers and crossover artists we’d never heard of before. As a daily email of a certain age our knowledge of the Miami music scene begins and ends with the 80s legend that is Gloria “Paging Dr Beat!” Estefan, whose husband produced this spectacular track but apparently couldn’t find a place for her in it. Boo! Billed as “a vibrant prelude to a competition where one champion will rise to claim one goal, one dream and eternal glory”, Gianni Infantino had probably hoped the match that followed wouldn’t end without any goals but as stalemates go the opener between Al Ahly and Inter Miami could have been worse.
What’s more, any fears the Fifa chief suit had about it being played in front of tens of thousands of unoccupied plastic seats were miraculously allayed by a near-capacity crowd of almost 61,000, many of them local students who are reported to have been sold tickets originally priced at $200 for just a few bucks. While they didn’t get to see Leo Messi score a goal, they were at least treated to the sight of Miami’s star turn firing a couple of speculative shots from distance against the woodwork, a feat that had proved beyond all of the special celebrity guests and former pros who participated in the half-time crossbar challenge except Alessandro Del Piero.
While Palmeiras and Portoserved up another goalless damp squibin Group A’s other match, Bayern Munich were merciless in their demolition of Auckland City, the New Zealand side whose players are without exception amateurs, many of whom have taken unpaid leave from their day jobs to enjoy the experience of a lifetime that is getting slaughtered by the German champions. Already encumbered with the reputation of being a big-game bottler, Harry Kane proved that he cannot be relied upon to deliver in the small games either, the England striker somehow managing to avoid getting his name on the Copa Gianni scoresheet in a matchhis team won 10-0. Auckland City’s almost heroic determination to play the ball out from the back despite all available evidence that it was a truly foolhardy idea called to mind Russell Martin-era Southampton. Asked after the game if he had felt a little bit sorry for the part-timers, Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise said: “Nope” and “no”.
Bigger Cup champions Paris Saint-Germain laid down a marker with their emphatic opening win against Atlético Madrid in the California furnace of Pasadena. In shimmering early afternoon heat,PSG spanked four past Jan Oblakwithout reply in a match paused for two “cooling breaks”, which several players used to completely cover their heads in wet towels. The world players’ union Fifpro has already voiced its disquiet at the inadequacy of these measures, saying they “do not do enough to protect the health and performance of players”. Noon kick-offs in searing heat do, however, protect the health and performance of TV viewing figures in Europe and, for Fifa’s chief suit, that’s really all that counts.
Join Daniel Harris at 8pm (BST) for updates on Chelsea 3-0 LAFC in the Copa Gianni.
Football, the game that we all love, we have it here because of immigrants. It’s played the way it is because of immigrants. This club that is such a huge part of me wouldn’t be here without immigrants” – Angel City captain Ali Riley explains why her team wore shirts that proclaimed themselves“Immigrant City Football Club”amid protests in LA over Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Re: Friday’s Memory Lane (full email edition). When I was a student at Loughborough in the late 1980s I went along one afternoon to watch the first team play Leicester City (at the time struggling in the First Division under David Pleat, plus ça change). We were used to local Midlands clubs sending along reserve teams with perhaps two or three first-teamers playing to gain fitness. After 20 minutes or so with the students 2-0 up and giving Leicester a good run around I turned to a Leicester-supporting friend and asked how many first-team players were playing: with a forlorn look he replied ‘this is the first team’ – Brendan Mackinney.
Re: Bayern 10-0 Auckland City. Maybe the A-League, which contains a proper professional Auckland FC in contrast to part-time Auckland City, should be moved from Asia to Oceania as far as Copa Gianni is concerned” – Jim Geissman.
If you do have any, please send letters tothe.boss@theguardian.com.Today’s winner of our letter o’ the day competition is… Brendan Mackinney,who gets some Football Weekly merch. We’ll be in touch. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewedhere.
The Football Weekly pod squadlook back on the opening weekend of the Copa Gianniand have a Frank discussion about Spurs.
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