Infantino awaits his ‘big bang’ as Club World Cup refuses to slide away

Like Dr John Hammond and his scientists in Jurassic Park, Gianni Infantino and his fawning Fifa lickspittles have spent recent years so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should. The upshot is that a preposterously lucrative tournament described by its creator as “a big bang” has been crowbarred into an already jam-packed calendar. And the largesse of its in-no-way unethically sourced prize-money for those participating now threatens to destroy several already under-threat footballing ecosystems around the world.

Excessive heat, often sparse crowds, overambitious stadium bookings, concerns over immigration raids, exhausted players, that Juventus video from the Oval Office, Saudi money, individual player walk-ons, discordant mismatches, lengthy weather delays – the list of snags that need to be ironed out in the inevitable future editions of Copa Gianni goes on and on. But if you can see past the Fifa overlord’s self-aggrandising and disingenuous bombast, this brain-fart of his is a wheeze that’s not entirely without merit. And with the quarter-finals upon us, the tournament might finally live up to the garrulous hype with which Fifa’s equivalent of The Simpsons’ monorail guy Lyle Lanley has long been trying to sell it to us marks.

First up are Al-Hilal and Fluminense in Orlando, the stuff of lurid Infantino fantasies that will ensure either a Saudi Pro League side or a Brazilian team will make the final four. One of two remaining Brazilian sides left in the competition, Fluminense have thoroughly enjoyed their stateside sojourn and are favourites to see off the self-styled plucky Saudi underdogs who have spent just £412m on transfers over the past two years. While most of their fans will be in bed, Chelsea take on Palmeiras, but may have to make do without one of their players of the tournament, Pedro Neto, who is mourning the sudden loss of his great friend Diogo Jota. “In terms of Pedro, he is very sad,” said Enzo Maresca. “Probably more than sad. I had a chat this morning with Pedro. We support him. Any decision he will take is the correct one.”

In what would certainly have been billed as the Bellingham Brothers derby if Jobe hadn’t gone and earned himself a spell on the Naughty Step, Dortmund play Real Madrid at the MetLife Stadium in Noo Joyzee, while Bigger Cup winners Paris Saint-Germain go toe-to-toe with Bayern in Atlanta. “We feel that when we’re at our best, we can beat anyone,” chirruped Harry Kane, reading from his Big Book of Pre-Match Platitudes. “We’ll approach this match with the same feeling.” As for the plodding dinosaurs who’ve been brought back from extinction? Well, their eagerly-awaited reunion tour kicks off later in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and, unlike at Copa Gianni, the dynamically priced tickets are sold out.

Join Barry Glendenning at 5pm (BST) for Euro 2025 updates on Denmark 0-0 Sweden and Scott Murray will be on hand at 8pm for Germany 0-0 Poland.

I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. It’s the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever met. I can’t believe we’re saying goodbye. It’s too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better” – Liverpool’s Andy Robertson remembers his friend, Diogo Jota. And Miguel Dantas reports on how the deaths of Jota and his brother André Silva have shaken Portugal, where mourners are gathering in Gondomar for the funeral on Saturday.

Diogo Jota, an opponent that you’d have in your team in a heartbeat, and that’s from a Toffee” – Ian Taylor.

Regarding Chinese third-tier club Changchun Xidu and the superstitious paper charms (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). Are they effective if you want to put off a co-worker competing for the same promotion? Asking for a friend” – Steve Mintz.

Please send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com.

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Football agent Jonathan Barnett is being sued in an American court over allegations of human trafficking, torture and rape.

Sheffield Wednesday’s crisis has deepened with some players handing in their notice after wages were not paid for a second month in succession. Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts says owner Dejphon Chansiri is holding the crisis club “hostage” and “must accept that he needs to sell Wednesday to prevent the complete collapse of the club … we as fans deserve better.”

Lucy Bronze insists facing France first at Euro 2025 will ensure there are “no surprises” about what it will take for England to defend their title in Switzerland. “If we lose that game, everyone says it’s the worst. If we win that game, it’s the best thing,” she cheered.

Meanwhile, axed former France captain Wendie Renard has revealed she gave a number-busting – and impossible – level of commitment during her time with Les Bleues. “I have always given 30,000, 40,000% for this shirt, which I hold above everything else,” she roared. “And that will always be the case because I believe my career is not over.”

Five Manchester United players want out. You may or may not be surprised to learn their identities.

Newcastle are optimistic of making off with Nottingham Forest forward Anthony Elanga after throwing in an improved offer worth about £55m.

And hot on the heels of Neco Williams signing a new four-year contract at Nottingham Forest, his almost-namesake Nico Williams has only gone and put pen to paper on a bumper 10-year deal at Athletic Bilbao. “I am where I want to be, with my people, this is my home,” cheered Nico.

4 February: “I can’t wait to get out of Morecambe. In a positive way, I no longer want to be the owner of the club. But I will support the club until such a time as someone else is the owner” – Morecambe owner Jason Whittingham says he can’t wait to see himself out of the door marked Do One amid the protracted takeover by Panjab Warriors.

23 April: “The process of selling the club is ongoing and, as things stand today, there appears to have been real, positive and recent progress within the last two weeks” – the club’s board of directors indicate that Whittingham is still keen to sell.

28 April: “The board of directors and the owner need to start planning. They don’t have a plan. Until they get a plan, then we’ve got a problem. They are the ones that are the custodians” – with the club heading for relegation to the National League, manager Derek Adams makes a plea for the higher-ups to secure the future of the Shrimps.

6 June: “This is more than a business venture; it’s a commitment to the fans, the town, and the future of Morecambe FC” – Gurpreet Singh, head of communications for Panjab Warriors, reacts to news the EFL has finally given takeover clearance.

1 July: “Unless Bond Group’s shares are sold to Panjab Warriors by 4pm today, the board of directors will be left with no option but to begin the process of putting the club into administration” – Morecambe’s board issues a statement saying a deal must be done or the club face ruin.

2 July: “[The club have] started the process to dismiss the board of directors with immediate effect in order that we can take control over the situation … the notion that Bond Group Investments is stalling is not true [we] need to ensure that any transfer of shares, in a sale, is done in a way that holds no recourse for either the club or Bond Group. The safety of the club’s future is paramount” – with the club teetering on the brink, Whittingham claims to have sacked the board with the takeover still not complete.

France are looking to end years of hurt and internal conflicts at Euro 2025, writes Anna Carreau.

Here’s Will Unwin on the trialists feeling the pressure and pain in the ultimate test to win the golden ticket.

The Copa Gianni, by numbers: attendances, heat and head-to-heads. By Alexander Abnos.

Get quizzical, here.

And check out all the latest men’s and women’s moves in the summer window.

10 November 1982: Here’s Allan Simonsen looking very happy to be at The Valley before playing for Charlton reserves against Swansea. It was quite a step down from Barcelona, where the tricky Danish striker had scored the winning goal in the Cup Winners’ Cup final earlier that year, but they had to sell him when Diego Maradona arrived at Camp Nou. Simonsen said the lack of attention was what attracted him to the second-tier Addicks, whose chairman, Mark Hulyer, gambled that the £300,000 fee might increase gate receipts. The punt didn’t work and the club couldn’t afford his wages. Simonsen left shortly after to sign for boyhood club, Vejle BK, Charlton faced bankruptcy in 1984 and moved out of their stadium in 1985.