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Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
FIFA raises questions by shying away from anti-racism, anti-discrimination campaigns during Club World Cup
FIFA is raising questions from fans after deciding not to use any of its anti-racism and anti-discrimination videos, signage and marketing assets during the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States. The competition began across the U.S. this week, but the football governing body has not used the platform to challenge all forms of discrimination, as they have formerly done across all competitions. The Athletic's Adam Crafton reported that FIFA developed anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaign materials for the tournament, which have not been seen in the opening games. Advertisement The campaigns have been quiet on social media since the competition started. FIFA has also not made its anti-racism protocol announcements in stadiums or performed the "universal anti-racism" gesture, which was to be applied to all competitions after its initial announcement in September. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, FIFA heavily advocated for inclusion in several avenues, including captains' armbands, in-stadium announcements and on-screen at game venues. In 2022, FIFA kept several teams from wearing 'OneLove' armbands as it was said to challenge homophobia, while Qatar criminalizes same-sex marriage. Among the slogans permitted during the World Cup were: No Discrimination, Save the Planet, Protect Children, End Hunger, Education for All and Be Active. In the first days of this year's club competition, the only visible signage has been "Football Unites the World" on captains' armbands and a "Be Active" dance cam in partnership with the World Health Organization. Advertisement FIFA is yet to comment on the decision, and its reasons for the change remain unknown. The controversial decision notably comes as FIFA President Gianni Infantino developed a relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. Infantino attended a pre-inauguration rally, was at Trump's inauguration and brought the Club World Cup trophy to the Oval Office during a White House Visit. According to The Athletic, FIFA did not respond when asked if their decision was influenced by the political climate in the United States, which has experienced nationwide rallies combating mass deportation. The association referred to its statutes, which state that FIFA will "remain neutral in matters of politics." Advertisement In May, Infantino called for policymakers and global legislators to impose criminal policies on those violating FIFA's anti-racism and anti-discrimination efforts. "FIFA's Global Stand Against Racism called for the football world to take action, to educate, to raise awareness and, when necessary, to punish," Infantino said. "Racism and discrimination — they are not just wrong, they are crimes." A FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic, "FIFA has a firm, zero-tolerance stance against all forms of discrimination and racism. "This commitment was recently reinforced through the unanimous approval by the FIFA Council of the revised FIFA Disciplinary Code, which introduces new measures to fight racist abuse - including increased minimum bans for racist incidents and enhanced financial penalties as duly informed to the 75th FIFA Congress in Asuncion in May 2025." Advertisement The spokesperson added that FIFA's "three-step anti-discrimination procedure" will be implemented if incidents occur during the Club World Cup. FIFA is set to hold the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
New York Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Battle to stage league games in U.S., Ronaldo – from ‘God' to ‘devil', Vardy era over
The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic's daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox. Hello! Foreign league matches in the United States are (almost) go. We're wondering who'll be first to cross the threshold. On the way: Bureaucratic barriers remain but assuming the many stakeholders can clear them, we're beyond the point of asking whether foreign league matches can be staged on U.S. soil. The question now is who will take their roadshow there first — because the race to secure American eyeballs is well under way. TAFC has written repeatedly about official overseas fixtures heading for the States, and the prospect is no longer at an impasse. The resolution of litigation there has set the hares running, with European leagues itching to enter U.S. airspace and people queuing up to help. Advertisement Those wheels have been suspended in the background since 2018, when FIFA blocked a U.S. promoter, Relevent Sports, from hosting a Spanish La Liga clash between Barcelona and Girona in Miami, saying it contravened FIFA rules. Subsequently, U.S. Soccer put up the same opposition to a match involving Ecuadorean teams. Relevent took both parties to court — but earlier this month, the anti-trust lawsuit was settled. The suspension of legal action wasn't an invitation for Europe's governing bodies to cross the Atlantic immediately — FIFA still has to revise regulations which prevent clubs playing league fixtures outside of their home countries — but it wasn't far off. The movers and shakers are mobilising, with the intention of using games in the States to tap deeper into the market there. Everyone from FIFA down wants a cut of the U.S. coin. Adam Crafton's read on the current state of affairs highlights two things: one, that there's unlikely to be any turning back. And two, that the range of competing interests is vast. Premier League matches in the U.S. would be the golden goose. It's the world's richest football league with by far the biggest audience. But previous attempts to take matches out of England have been controversial, and it's not yet at the forefront of the drive to go foreign. La Liga is the frontrunner, but it's not that simple. Real Madrid, for instance, are sceptical about the idea. Spain could also be beaten to the punch by Italy's Serie A and Mexico's Liga MX, both of whom are ultra-keen. As Serie A executive Michele Ciccarese told Adam: 'It's always a race to try to be the trendsetter. The trendsetter is the one who benefits more.' MLS, America's home league, is understandably worried about foreign divisions encroaching and diluting its audience. It's especially concerned about Liga MX. The Mexican population in the U.S. is some 37million, and Club America pull in the highest audiences on U.S. television. It's a threat. Advertisement There are other global players too. Saudi Arabia, which has already hosted certain competitions including Italy's Super Cup, is as willing as the U.S. to host foreign league games there. Likewise Australia. And none of this can be formalised until a FIFA working group agrees on parameters for what can and can't happen. How popular this will be with matchgoing supporters is moot, and a comment from La Liga official Nicolas Garcia explains how the deference to traditional fans is fading. Those who pay for TV subscriptions to watch La Liga in the States, Garcia claimed, are as important as those attending matches in the flesh. 'To think about our fans as only the ones that go to the stadium will be a big disservice for the sport,' he said. With that mantra in place, it's clear which way the wind is blowing. On Monday he called it a 's*** show' and in no time, he'll be out of there. After 11 seasons, a Premier League title, an FA Cup and a veritable fairytale of a career, Jamie Vardy is leaving Leicester City. His presence and personality has helped to define the Premier League's past decade and alongside his reputation as a preeminent troll (something I'll miss), he's a dying breed: a £1m signing from non-League who climbed to the very top. Major clubs just don't recruit like that anymore. Yesterday, TAFC chewed the fat about the best Premier League XI of all time, and I won't pretend that Vardy earns a place in that. But I do wonder if any forward in the league has ever been more adept at beating the offside trap, bursting in behind and scoring at pace. It was Vardy's trademark — and he leaves behind the memory (above) of that half-volley against Liverpool in 2016, which only ever needs to be described as 'that half-volley against Liverpool'. There and then, you knew Leicester's 5000-1 bid for the title was about to come in. He hosted the celebration party at his house. Of course he did. Go well. In his pomp, Ronaldo Nazario (R9 to the cool kids) was a finisher without peers. If we're talking about pure killer instinct, very few players rank above him historically. His talent was God-given and inherent. What isn't inherent in the former Barcelona and Real Madrid striker, however, is the ability to run a club. As president of Spain's Real Valladolid, making friends and influencing people appears to be a long way beyond him. Advertisement Real Valladolid's name might ring a bell because a couple of weeks back, we featured two of their players scrapping on the bench. It's easy to sympathise. They're at the foot of La Liga with 16 points, they've lost 13 of their last 14 matches, and were relegated last night after a 5-1 loss at Real Betis. Weirdly enough, the fans want Ronaldo out — and Dermot Corrigan encountered a tinderbox when he went to see how the mess looks first hand. Ronaldo is facing banners and chants calling for his departure. One fan described him as 'one of the worst club owners ever… before he was seen as a God, and now he's like the devil.' But with his investment standing at £30million, can he afford to walk away? Name the seven London venues which have hosted FA Cup semi-finals since the competition's inception. Answers here later today and in Monday's TAFC. (Selected games, times ET/UK) Friday: Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain vs Nice, 2.45pm/7.45pm — beIn Sports, Fubo/Ligue 1 Pass. Saturday: Premier League: Chelsea vs Everton, 7.30am/12.30pm — USA Network, Fubo/TNT Sports. FA Cup semi-final: Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa, 12.15pm/5.15pm — ESPN+/BBC One. Copa del Rey final: Barcelona vs Real Madrid, 4pm/9pm — ESPN+, Fubo/Premier Sports. League One: Wrexham vs Charlton Athletic, 12.30pm/5.30pm — Paramount+/Sky Sports. Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs Mainz, 9.30am/2.30pm — ESPN+, Fubo (U.S. only). Sunday: Premier League: Bournemouth vs Manchester United, 9am/2pm — USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports; Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur, 11.30am/4.30pm — Peacock Premium/Sky Sports. FA Cup semi-final: Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City, 11.30am/4.30pm — ESPN+/ITV. Serie A: Inter vs Roma, 9am/2pm — CBS, Paramount+, Amazon Prime, Fubo/TNT Sports, OneFootball; Napoli vs Torino, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Paramount+/OneFootball. MLS: Inter Miami vs Dallas, 5pm/10pm — MLS Season Pass/Apple TV. We gave a shout to arguably the worst long throw ever yesterday, prompting a colleague of mine to chastise me for overlooking an all-timer of a miss. So here it is, from this month's Ligue 1 game between Angers and Montpellier. Farid El Melali (for it was he), take a bow.
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
United 'will have to significantly sell to buy' if no European place
There is a lot riding on European success for Manchester United this season a disappointing domestic campaign, United will need to win the Europa League to secure a place in next season's Champions League. Qualifying for Europe's elite competition would not only be a silver-lining in a poor season, but it would also bring in much-needed money this on their financial situation, Athletic journalist Adam Crafton said: "It's not impossible they finish 17th in the Premier League. You look at the table now, they're three points above Wolves and if they get to the semi-finals of the Europa League they're probably going to drop more points in the Premier League because they'll be building up for these big games in Europe as well."Even between 17th in the table and 13th - there's an £11m difference in terms of the merit payments you get for finishing in those positions. That's probably the savings that United were going to make from the latest wave of redundancies, so that would be swept away straight away."It's going to come down to what they do in Europe this season. If they get back in the Champions League, for sure they'll get money to spend. But if not, they're going to have to sell to buy in a really significant way and that's why people keep mocking when United players leave the club on loan and do well."But actually someone like Antony doing well at Real Betis or Marcus Rashford doing a little bit better at Aston Villa, that's exactly what they need to happen because they're going to need to cash in on some of these players."Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Moyes has been able to do so well because of Dyche'
The Athletic's Adam Crafton says it is important for Everton fans to remember the contributions of Sean Dyche as they move into a new era at the on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Crafton said: "One of the reasons why David Moyes has been able to do so well is that he inherited a defence that has been will-drilled for years under Sean Dyche, and if it wasn't for Dyche then Everton would probably be in the Championship."Once they get into that stadium and everything starts to look rosy under the new ownership, they shouldn't forget the job that he did last season with point deductions, and even this season." Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'There is definitely a bit of heat on Maresca'
The Athletic's Adam Crafton believes Chelsea "cannot afford to be out of the Champions League again" next season and says it is going to be "a difficult few months" for head coach Enzo Maresca. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Crafton added: "They just shouldn't be finishing below Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth. As well as those teams have performed, with the level of investment that Chelsea have made, I don't think it's unreasonable for the owners to have expected Enzo Maresca to do better. "Given the position they were in during November and at the start of December, they have got to finish in the Champions League spots. It is a bit of a disaster if they end up sixth. "The club won't accept things continuing as they have been in their past few games - two wins in nine in the Premier League. There is definitely a bit of heat on him." Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds
