GM football fans. It’s Wednesday, July. 02 - Fifa is being warned of the risks of midday kick-offs for next year’s World Cup, YouTubers are racking up millions of views based on fake Club World Cup highlights, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
CONCACAF Gold Cup, Semi-Finals. United States vs. Guatemala, 19:00 ET / 00:00 BST. Guatemala entered the tournament as the third-lowest ranked Fifa team, but now find themselves in the semi-final for the first time since 1996. The USMNT has advanced to the semifinals in 17 of 18 total Gold Cups and will have a chance to reach its 11th title match. Mexico vs. Honduras, 22:00 ET / 03:00 BST. Mexico, unbeaten in this year’s competition, have been victorious in six of their previous eight meetings with Honduras, including a 4-0 win in the Concacaf Nations League last November.
TV Channels: Premier Sports (UK), fuboTV (US), fuboTV Canada (Canada)
Results…
Club World Cup: Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus (Report) | Borussia Dortmund vs. Monterrey to be concluded shortly after publication (See Results)
TOP TALKING POINTS
Midday Kick-Off Concerns
Football players’ union FIFPro has urged Fifa to abandon plans for midday and afternoon kick-offs at next summer’s World Cup to avoid the heat. Six of the 16 World Cup host cities next year in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are judged by FIFPro as “extremely high risk” for heat-stress injury to players.
Experts independent from FIFPro have also argued that if conditions are similar to those of the Club World Cup, then the “best and safest” solution would be to hold kick-off exclusively in the morning. Kick-off times will be announced in December’s draw, but insiders expect matches in the Eastern Time Zone to start at 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, and 21:00 local time, taking into account European audiences as well as broadcaster, advertiser, and sponsor interests.
Additionally, FIFPro’s medical director told reporters that one proposal being trailed is the extension of half-time breaks, from 15 to 20 minutes. He also suggested shorter but more frequent in-game cooling breaks, as the two three-minute breaks used at the Club World Cup were seen as less effective.
Fake Match Highlights
Egyptian YouTubers have racked up over 14 million views on fake Club World Cup highlights posted before matches even started, a new report has found. These videos, published 24 to 48 hours before kick-off, used repackaged clips from old games, targeted popular teams, and leaned heavily on Lionel Messi clickbait. The channels generated advertising revenue before YouTube removed their posts. See an example of the fake match highlights here.
The creators manipulated YouTube’s algorithms by posting videos from channels with large subscriber bases and the seeming authority of “fresh” content. This was despite clear inconsistencies in the videos—incorrect player names, outdated footage, and Pep Guardiola in a puffer jacket, supposedly in Florida’s humid conditions.
The report estimates that around 40% of viewers were unaware that the content was fake, based on an analysis of comments. While the stakes are low, some viewers may have placed bets based on these fabricated clips.
Toronto’s Culture Shift
Major League Soccer club Toronto FC have terminated the contracts of two of the league’s highest-paid players, Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. This move is part of a long-term rebuild aimed at changing the club’s culture.
Toronto, once an MLS powerhouse, has spiralled downwards, missing the playoffs for four consecutive years and currently sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference. Since the start of the decade, the squad has been seen as imbalanced, with many older, injury-prone players tied to expensive deals. Insigne and Bernardeschi were perceived to be at the heart of the club’s fractured culture, having pushed for a managerial change in 2023 amid dissatisfaction with then-manager Bob Bradley’s training methods.
Last week, it was revealed that Insigne was the league’s second-highest-paid player, with guaranteed compensation of $15.44m—over double that of the next-highest-paid player. The Italian joined a year after winning Euro 2020 but has suffered recurring calf injuries, limiting him to 76 appearances for the club.
POLL
Has the Club World Cup made you think non-European teams are more or less competitive than you expected?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> The first Women’s Euro 2025 fixtures will take place today with Iceland vs Finland and Switzerland vs Norway (Fixtures); dive deeper into Euro 2025 projections (Previous Write-up)
> Crystal Palace are considering legal action over their possible Europa League ban (More) | Sheffield Wednesday’s first-team players were not paid on time for the third month this year, with the club set to face disciplinary action from the EFL (More)
> Jhon Duran is set to join Turkish side Fenerbahce on loan just six months after joining Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr for £70m from Aston Villa (More) | Tammy Abraham is set to join Besiktas from Roma (More)
> In the same week of signing Paul Pogba, French club Monaco have signed former teen prodigy Ansu Fati on loan from Barcelona (More)
Americas
> Columbus Crew owner has sold 10% of the club to the Edwards family at a franchise valuation of $900m (More)
> Aaron Ramsey is finalising a move to Liga MX side Pumas UNAM, who begin their new campaign on July 13 (More)
> NWSL’s Angel City FC have cut two players on roster relief contracts, Hannah Johnson and Bre Norris, from the team (More)
> Argentina’s FA launches investigation into antisemitic acts by fans of second division club All Boys (More)
Rest of the World
> Al Nassr may soon change ownership, potentially becoming one of three clubs in Saudi Arabia to no longer be controlled by the Public Investment Fund (More)
> The number of spectators killed after falling from an upper stand of a stadium following MC Alger's victory in the Algerian top-flight league has risen to four (More)
PRESENTED BY AFTER DINNER CONVERSATION
Short Stories For Long Discussions…
Delight in intriguing, thought-provoking conversations about ethics, philosophy, and social issues. After Dinner Conversation is a monthly literary magazine publishing short fiction.
After Dinner Conversation’s newsletter is completely free. Join 150k+ readers now.
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Guardiola believes the Club World Cup could derail City’s season. Do you think the tournament will cause problems for clubs next year?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 😰 Yes... (72%)
🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope... (24%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other... (2%)
Your punditry takes:
😰 E.A: “This is the time of year when European club players should be recuperating, resting, and rehabilitating. These are human beings, not robots. They need a break from the game, both physically and mentally.”
😰 M.G: “They will basically play for 22 months without a break. Tired legs are an issue at the 10-month point. Injuries will amass. It will be a tough season for the European teams, but the teams competing in the middle of their seasons now will be fine.”
🙅♂️ J.T: “This is sour grapes by City due to underperforming in the CWC. They have a huge payroll and should be able to put enough talent out there to compete easily, alternating players game to game.”
EXTRA TIME
English clubs with the highest transfer income.
What scoring a world-class free-kick at 7ft3 looks like.
Gold Cup quarter-finals best XI.
Ranking every new Premier League kit.
Trent’s first assist in a Madrid shirt.
Analysing this week’s shock Club World Cup defeats.
Wayne Rooney will get his own reality TV show.
GAME FACE ON
For which club have each of the following pairs of players been teammates?
Pedro Neto & Vitinha.
Cody Gakpo & Donyell Malen.
Ben White & Yves Bissouma.
Scroll below for the answer.
ON TODAY
Women’s Euro 2025
Iceland vs. Finland (17:00)
Switzerland vs. Norway (20:00)
*All times in UK. ET -5. CDT -6. PDT -8. MDT -7. CET +1.
Answer
Wolves. PSV. Brighton.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
Anyone who wants to stay at Inter, fine, let's fight. But anyone who doesn't want to stay can leave.
