D. Conti

Pennarossa · Midfielder · #0 · Italy · 33 yrs

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World Cup 2026: Canada and USA enter fray; empty seats; Mexico’s winning start; McTominay fitness boost – live

theguardian.com · 10 hours ago

⚽️ Canada tightens in anticipation | What is enough for US?⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail JohnFive takeaways from the World Cup opener. These come courtesy of Matt Hughes who was in the Azteca (I can’t bring myself to say Mexico City Stadium).How about this: you’re still tucking into your morning cornflakes and there’s already a World Cup daily pod to listen to. Jet-lag isn’t Jonathan Wilson’s friend but an evening in the Azteca lifted spirits, especially Raul Jimenez’s goal. Also, a glimpse behind the scenes at the first few days of Max and Barry living together in the US, insights from Barney Ronay and Jeff Rueter as well as your questions answered. Continue reading...

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Infantino’s rebrand and long haul games: five takeaways from World Cup opener

theguardian.com · yesterday

Mexico City played host to this year’s first game as an emotionally charged Azteca witnessed Shakira’s big returnMexicans have waited 40 years to witness a World Cup in their own country and the pride felt from becoming the first nation to stage three tournaments has been easy to sense in the city all week. Those fortunate enough to have secured tickets were not going to miss out. Despite road closures and multiple protests from striking teachers and families of the country’s 130,000 disappeared making travel challenging, all 83,000 seats at the Azteca were filled 90 minutes before kick-off, with Fifa’s fears of being forced to delay proceedings proving unfounded. Continue reading...

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Wolves sack Rob Edwards and close on Portuguese manager César Peixoto

theguardian.com · 2 days ago

Head coach failed to save club from relegationPeixoto led Gil Vicente to sixth in Primera LigaWolves have sacked Rob Edwards and are poised to appoint César Peixoto as his replacement. The 46-year-old Peixoto was most recently in charge of Gil Vicente, who finished sixth in the Portuguese top flight last season.The news came as a huge shock to Edwards, who was alerted to rumours on social media of a deal for Peixoto. Edwards, who is abroad on holiday, was informed in a phone call that his tenure was over after seven months, leaving even senior club staff stunned. Continue reading...

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Didier Deschamps: ‘Mbappé knows that when he speaks, he speaks for all the players’

theguardian.com · 3 days ago

Questioned in France but championed from afar, the departing head coach has forged a legacy that no one – bar, perhaps, himself – would dare disputeFollow the verdant path towards the Château de Clairefontaine and you are met by a three-metre replica of the World Cup trophy accompanied by two stars, representing France’s World Cup triumphs. Didier Deschamps had his hand in both of them, captaining his side to victory in 1998 before repeating the feat as manager in 2018.The ‘98 World Cup final was France’s first ever but Les Bleus have now participated in four of the last seven end games, with Deschamps involved in three of them. In North America, he will have one final shot at reaching another. These are the expectations, moulded by past success. Deschamps has taken France to three major finals in his 14-year stint as manager. “We’re among the favourites,” he says as he sits down for the interview. “It isn’t a taboo word for me. If we have this status today, which seems logical and legitimate to me, it’s because of everything that we have done, the results we achieved.” Continue reading...

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World Cup 2026 visa chaos: from referee Omar Artan to Iranian officials – who is affected?

theguardian.com · 4 days ago

Fifa has found its tournament squarely caught up in the second Trump administration’s aggressive border restrictionsFor successive men’s World Cup tournaments Fifa has managed to bulldoze its way through costly immigration and entry requirements. In 2014 Brazil passed a law granting free temporary visas to ticket holders, and for Russia and Qatar, the respective autocracies bypassed traditional border friction using Fan IDs and Hayya cards as makeshift visa entry documents that also provided free public transport. Not so in 2026, where Fifa has found its tournament squarely caught up in the second Trump administration’s aggressive border restrictions. Here are some of the people that have been affected. Continue reading...

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World Cup 2026: Norway label Scotland ‘unprofessional’, Somali referee denied entry to US: football news – live

theguardian.com · 4 days ago

Tuchel criticises England’s ‘freestyle’ approachPlayer guide | Bracketology | Wallchart | Mail WillIf you think Messi is knocking on a bit, he’s not even one of the 10 oldest players at the 2026 World Cup. Modern science, eh.FIFA published the top 20 last week and it’s an early win for Scotland. Continue reading...

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‘It can all end with one bad game’: the highs and lows of a World Cup referee

theguardian.com · 5 days ago

Even the finest miss out on a place at the finals and for those who do get there, decisions can make or break a dreamIsmail Elfath was taking his children to the park near his home in Texas when a message arrived. “Congratulations,” it read. Elfath hugged his wife. Fifa had selected him for his second World Cup. Relief and pride swept over him. “Going to a World Cup is the dream of every referee, but going to a second one means you have stayed consistent for eight years plus,” he said.For referees, the World Cup is the pinnacle. The tournament comes around only every four years, and only a tiny number make the cut. “First you have to be the best in your own country, and even then you might not be selected,” the former Swiss referee Urs Meier said. Continue reading...

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Scotland’s picture for World Cup opener clearer and brighter after Bolivia boost

theguardian.com · 5 days ago

Lawrence Shankland says there is a ‘club feel’ in the camp after eight goals in two confidence- building friendly winsScotland arrived at Euro 2024 with more questions than answers swirling around their squad. The team were on a poor run of form, with umpteen players looking jaded. What happened next proved grisly.While the level of Curaçao and Bolivia – plus the motivational levels of the latter – must be acknowledged, a Scottish side notching eight goals in back-to-back friendlies has altered grey areas for Steve Clarke. Scotland’s picture before Saturday’s World Cup opener against Haiti is now a clearer one. This time, they look far from jaded. Continue reading...

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Bolivia 0-4 Scotland: World Cup 2026 warm-up – live reaction

theguardian.com · 6 days ago

Minute-by-minute updates from 9pm UK timeEssential guide to all 1,248 World Cup playersYou can email John | Sign up for Football DailyOf those Bolivian players, the striker, Paniagua, plays for Wydad Casablanca, and Terceros plays for Santos in Brazil. It’s a real mix of home-based players and emigres.This is the first time Bolivia have met Scotland. Continue reading...

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Iran slams US ‘discriminatory treatment’ over World Cup visa refusals

theguardian.com · 7 days ago

Backroom staff denied entry visas for US, claims post on XTeam have moved training base from Arizona to MexicoIran has slammed World Cup co-hosts the United States over what it called “discriminatory treatment” by not granting visas for some members of the national team’s delegation to attend the tournament.“Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team?” the Iranian embassy in Turkey posted on X, referring to an earlier announcement by the US envoy Tom Barrack that visas had been granted to players. “You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran’s national football team to its highest level.” Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim reported that those who had not received visas included the executive director Mehdi Kharati, the secretary general of the football federation, Hedayat Mombini, and media director Mohsen Motamedkia. Staff members without visas would travel to Mexico with the team while efforts to obtain visas continue, the agency said. Continue reading...

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Relentless rise of VAR, new red card offences and more: those new World Cup rules in full

theguardian.com · 7 days ago

2026 tournament will be the biggest, longest and most expensive – and the most intricately refereed – ever seenThe 2026 World Cup will be the biggest, longest and most expensive. It will also feature a hefty number of rule changes. New responsibilities for video assistant referees, new red card offences and a number of initiatives to speed up the game will be put into effect. Here are the rule changes for the US, Canada and Mexico and why they have been implemented. Continue reading...

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Fifa backtracks on plastic water bottles ban at World Cup after fury from fans

theguardian.com · 7 days ago

Fans will now be allowed one sealed bottle at matchesKeir Starmer among critics of previous U-turn on policyFifa has again amended its water bottle policy for the World Cup in North America, allowing fans to bring in one sealed, disposable 20-ounce (590ml) bottle into stadiums.Ticket holders had previously been permitted an empty, transparent and reusable bottle up to one litre but an update earlier this week confirmed reusable bottles were no longer permitted. Continue reading...

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Power and glory: World Cup promises a spectacle impossible to ignore

theguardian.com · 7 days ago

Ten years in the making, the greatest show on earth is set for a six-week sprint through Trump’s AmericaThis is the end, of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that stands, the end. It seems fitting that football’s latest stopping point on its voyage upriver into the blank parts of the map, a mission so choice that when it’s over you may never want another one, should be a World Cup overseen by a haunted-looking man with a messiah complex, out there operating beyond the pale of acceptable sporting governance, the warrior-poet Swiss lawyer football never knew it needed.The 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada will finally kick off in earnest on 11 June at the Azteca Stadium. From there the tournament will unspool across 39 days, 16 host cities, 104 matches and a 6,000-mile span from Mexico City in the south to Vancouver in the north to Boston in the east. Ten years in the making, the end product of a century of powerplay and hyper-grift, this is by almost any metric not just the largest sporting event ever staged, but the largest event, as we say in America, period. Continue reading...

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Steve Clarke warns Scotland not to underestimate Haiti after New Zealand rout

theguardian.com · last week

Scotland face Haiti in Boston next SaturdayHaiti beat New Zealand 4-0 in Florida friendlyNapoli’s Billy Gilmour ruled out of World CupSteve Clarke believes Haiti’s routing of New Zealand could be useful as a means of dispelling Scottish arrogance towards their first World Cup opponents. The 4-0 win for Haiti in Florida turned heads in Scotland, when a victory for Clarke’s team over the 82nd-ranked team in the world seen as essential for progression from a Group C that also includes Morocco and Brazil. Scotland take on Haiti in Boston next Saturday.“They were good the other night, I think you could see that,” said Clarke. “We have a terrible habit, not just in Scotland but the UK in general, of looking at these nations and thinking they are not very good or looking at where they are ranked in the world. They play in a different section of the world. Maybe their section is really good. Continue reading...

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La Liga 2025-26 awards: the best players, team … and smelliest shirt of the season

theguardian.com · last week

It was another season to remember for Lamine Yamal and Barcelona, along with Getafe, Rayo and one naughty fanLamine Yamal wore the crown and flew the flag. With the last kick of the opening game of 2025-26, Barcelona’s new No 10 – the teenager handed the shirt Ladislao Kubala, Luis Suárez, Diego Maradona, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi once wore, the kid Spain coach, Luis de la Fuente, had claimed was “touched by God’s wand” and had been anointed by Him too – scored against Mallorca. It was his first goal as an adult and he celebrated by conducting his own coronation. La Liga’s title race had begun.The day after it had been run, nine months on, as Barcelona’s bus made its way through the streets, from the top deck of the victory parade Lamine Yamal held a Palestine flag. “This is something I don’t normally like but I spoke to him and if he wants to it’s his decision,” Hansi Flick said. “He’s old enough: he’s 18.” Coming of age in the public eye wasn’t easy – isn’t easy – and the season hadn’t been either. There had been injuries and, Lamine Yamal later admitted, an “internal abyss”, but he had his third league title. Flick, the father figure whose own dad died on the morning they won the league and chose to share that with his other “family”, had his second. Have you ever felt so much love, the coach was asked. “No, never,” he said. Continue reading...

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Millwall publish ‘Pride playbook’ to help clubs form stronger links with LGBTQ+ teams

theguardian.com · last week

Lions seek to help extend the reach of inclusive clubs78-page document is the first of its kind in footballMillwall have published a first-of-its-kind “Pride playbook” to help football clubs form stronger partnerships with LGBTQ+ teams across the country.The move comes during Pride month as the Lions seek to build on the success of their teams, Millwall Romans and Millwall Pride, and help extend the reach of LGBTQ+ inclusive football amid growing demand. Continue reading...

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‘Part machine’: World Cup success lies in the details for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic

theguardian.com · last week

As a player Popovic was relentless in being his best. But behind his ruthless reputation is a focused leader deeply committed to his playersWhere Tony Popovic goes, a culture follows. It’s been one of the most consistent themes of his time in dugouts across Australia. It was there at Western Sydney, when he was entrusted with the newly created side and turned them into Asian champions within two seasons. It was there when he was brought into Perth Glory and led them to their first piece of silverware in the A-League era. And it was there after he arrived at Melbourne Victory, who were reeling from their first wooden spoon, and delivered an Australia Cup and grand final appearance.It was visible, too, when he was parachuted into the Socceroos role in 2024, just days after Graham Arnold’s resignation and with only weeks to prepare before crucial qualifiers against China and Japan. The initial change wasn’t perhaps as wholesale as some might have expected. Popovic needed time to get his feet under him, observe what was taking place, and plan changes (lollies definitely did disappear from meetings, though). But a well-established reputation preceded him and a change of mood in the halls began as players adjusted to new expectations and demands – both stated and presumed. Continue reading...

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Liverpool agree deal in principle with Andoni Iraola for two-year contract

theguardian.com · last week

Negotiations with Spaniard have progressed quicklyAssistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper to join tooAndoni Iraola is close to being confirmed as Liverpool’s new head coach after agreeing a deal in principle to succeed Arne Slot.Iraola has been in talks with Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, over replacing Slot after the Dutchman was sacked on Saturday. As expected, negotiations have progressed quickly and the Spaniard is set to sign a two-year contract at Anfield. Continue reading...

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Mexico federation loses appeal against Fifa fines for fans’ homophobic chant

theguardian.com · last week

Fifa doled out heavy fines for repeated violationsMexico has campaigned to eradicate the chantWorld Cup opener features Mexico at the AztecaSign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletterThe Mexican soccer federation on Tuesday lost its latest appeal against Fifa punishments for fans chanting an anti-gay slur at opponents’ players.The latest ruling from the court of arbitration for sport (Cas) in a series of Mexico v Fifa appeal cases over more than 10 years comes as Mexico prepare to host South Africa in the World Cup opener on 11 June at Azteca Stadium, a venue where the chant is often heard. Continue reading...

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Six people stabbed in London after Arsenal’s victory parade

theguardian.com · 2 weeks ago

Met says non-fatal stabbings took place after most of the crowds had dispersed on Sunday eveningSix people were stabbed after Arsenal’s Premier League victory parade in north London on Sunday, police have said.The Metropolitan police said the stabbings took place in the evening after most of the crowds had dispersed. Twenty-four people were arrested. Continue reading...

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