EARLY DOORS
With a minimum of 25 matches still to be played before the 2024 winners of the biggest prize in American men’s soccerball are identified, Sunday’s announcement that Inter Miami will be handed the “host nation” spot that is up for grabs at next summer’s all-singing, all-dancing and newly bloated Fifa Club World Cup came as something of a surprise. At least it did until it became apparent that it was a decision made by the tournament organisers. We implore you to fasten your seatbelts, reader, because Gianni Infantino is at it again. While the shiny-domed Fifa chief is invariably up to something when it comes to commercial opportunism and the cause of personal advancement, his declaration that Miami had “qualified” for the tournament via a process for which there were no obvious criteria beyond having Lionel Messi in their squad seemed a little cheeky, even by his snakebelly-low standards.
Conveniently, Infantino happened to be in Fort Lauderdale over the weekend to see Inter Miami receive the MLS Supporters Shield, a trophy that is awarded annually to the best team across the “regular season” but is a largely meaningless bauble because there are still so many playoff games to get through before the MLS Cup is won. While they may very well go on to claim it, for now Inter Miami are nothing more than the best team in the Eastern Conference, but will still take their country’s allocated spot at the Club World Cup even if they don’t go on to be crowned champions of the entire USA USA USA.
Like many commercially beneficial decisions Fifa is in the habit of plucking out of the hive backside, this one has been greeted with a fair degree of cynicism due in no small part to the presence on the Miami roster of Messi, whose participation next summer will inevitably be good for business. While few football fans would dispute that the Argentinian maestro’s presence at any tournament is to be celebrated, not since the late Queen Elizabeth II leapt out of a helicopter with James Bond at the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony has anyone been parachuted into a major sporting event with such naked cynicism.
“Congratulations on your wonderful 2024 Supporters’ Shield success,” whooped Infantino to Miami’s players and fans as he hijacked their trophy-lift. “You have shown that in the United States, you are consistently the best club on the field of play. Therefore, I am proud to announce that as one of the best clubs in the world, you are deserved participants in the new Fifa Club World Cup 2025 as the host club representing the United States.” Due to kick off next June then, the inaugural Fifa Bigger Club World Cup will feature 31 of the best sides in the world … and Inter Miami.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The UK Saudi ambassador spoke to the Crown Prince this morning” – ah yes, it’s one of the leaked WhatsApp messages from former Newcastle United minority co-owner Amanda Staveley suggesting that Saudi overlord Mohammed bin Salman was heavily involved in the takeover of the club after all.
Quoted before Saturday’s game against Brentford, Erik ten Hag said of Manchester United fans: ‘We are on the same page and in the same boat.’ Presumably that’s the Titanic and, in the meantime, Erik can rearrange the deck chairs so at least some of those fans can avoid the water cascading down from the Old Trafford roof” – Adrian Irving.
Aston Villa having their best start to a season after eight games in 26 years, or ‘not since the 20th century’ as Big Website puts it, sounds an awful lot better than Aston Villa having made their best start to a season since John Gregory was in charge (and said he would have shot Dwight Yorke if he’d had a gun), Julian Joachim was top scorer, Villa won nothing and even finished outside the European places. It depends on the way you look at it and all that” – Noble Francis.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … Noble Francis, who lands a Football Weekly scarf. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.
