John Duggan

[Tancredi Palmeri @tancredipalmeri]

Questa è arte cazzo.

Papà del Vasco da Gama litiga con mamma della Fluminense sugli spalti durante Fluminense-Vasco da Gama.

E in mezzo il figlio sconsolato con la prima maglietta metà e metà della storia del calcio a essere giustificata

[Out of Context Football Manager @nocontextfm1]

🚨 THEY RELEASED THE FOOTAGE 🚨

Incredible… 😅

[Tom Byerトム•バイヤー @tomsan106]

To understand Japanese football, you have to understand Japan’s education system and culture.

The foundations are built around discipline, structure, repetition, and long-term development. These principles extend directly into football, where players learn early the importance of teamwork, roles, and operating within a collective system.

A key part of Japan’s success is the connection between schools, universities, and football development. The school system is not only a pathway for players, but also for coaches. Universities, particularly institutions such as the University of Tsukuba, have played a major role in shaping coaching education, sports science, and national methodology.

This has created a consistent coaching pipeline where ideas and principles are passed from university programs into schools, youth teams, and national development pathways.

High school football is also central to this ecosystem. The All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, with over a century of history and finals attracting crowds of 60,000+, is not simply a competition, it is a major part of Japan’s football culture and talent development.

The result is a system built on continuity. From schools to universities to youth national teams, Japan has created a clear and connected pathway that produces consistent results at U17 and U20 level across both men’s and women’s football.

Japan’s success is not accidental. It is the product of a long-term relationship between culture, education, and football development.

[Mike Brady @mbradycf]

How should each player at the WSOP Final Table approach the biggest spot of their life?

A poker player who is much better than me at tournaments put together a detailed ICM breakdown.

Here are 3 notable findings...

[The Sunday Game @TheSundayGame]

75 YEARS AND THE WAIT IS OVER!!!!!

MAYO ARE FINALLY ALL-IRELAND FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

📺 Watch on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
📻 Listen on RTÉ Radio 1
#SundayGame

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

Just when I was trying to drag myself away from this great city that never sleeps and never stops, I walk into a Soho diner in NYC and they’ve got the Clash on. Rudy Can’t Fail. Not a Clash classic (don’t @ me) but clearly a diner with taste. Anyway, time to go, airport beckons, London’s calling.

But a few thoughts on the way home from my 10th World Cup (and already looking forward to 2030, the World Cup remains the greatest sports event on earth). 2026 has been a good World Cup - Rodri, Messi, Mbappe, Haaland, Bellingham, Spain worthy winners, some epic games, some special stories of unknowns becoming global names.

But it’s been a tournament of two halves. The negative part: the ticket greed, the tampering with much-loved traditions that work and the damage of external political interference in the game - all on President Infantino’s watch.

These negatives contrast with the joy of much of the football and the joy of the fans partying in USA, Canada and Mexico. Mixing with each other, whatever the rivalry, mixing with locals in all three host nations. The Tartan Army set the tone of fun and games. Norway’s rowers took it on (I fancy them for the LA Olympics, maybe they were simply acclimatising). England fans played their part with their flags and the unforgettable Wonderwall.

Football doesn’t belong to Infantino. It belongs to Rodri and Bellingham, to Olise, Vozinha and all those who have given their all and entertained us so wonderfully over these past few memorable weeks.

It belongs to the selfless stadium volunteers from local soccer clubs and all stadium staff who have worked so hard to make match-day run smoothly. Football belongs to the people. Not the presidents.

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

Of all the things I worry about with Gianni Infantino the colour of his shoes is the least of them. OK, white trainers looks like he thinks he’s a player, he’s a 56-year-old suit trying to be cool and it actually cheapens the office of FIFA president. All true. But, really, I’m more concerned about Infantino’s relationship with the White House than love of white trainers.

I’m more concerned about his allowance of external interference in disciplinary matters; his wooing of politicians when a governing body should be above that; his consideration of the idea (not his) of expanding the World Cup to 64, destroying qualifying for a start, let alone the obvious voting appeal an expansion would mean for him; and the accelerating commercialisation of the game through hydration breaks.

I'm more concerned about the scandalous price of World Cup tickets (only partly a FIFA issue); the fact that Infantino makes things about him, and his love of being with rich, famous and powerful people, when really everything at FIFA should revolve around the good of the game. It's almost comical his swooning around wealth and power.

So, no, I wouldn't put white shoes as his worst behaviour. I’m more frustrated for the good people working hard at FIFA, doing incredible work in countries and communities around the world, and seeing the organisation they represent with such pride and industry be associated with a president who’s lost sight of the heart and soul of football.

Infantino may well be a decent guy, far removed from the mockery online. I don't know. But I do know that he needs to re-find the respected young lawyer he once was at UEFA. He's changed. That maybe him or FIFA culture.

Infantino should remember that FIFA is a sporting institution, not a political one. He should remember that FIFA should be all about the game, not about him. It's been a great World Cup overshadowed at times by wretched decisions and own goals of Infantino's making or shaping. Do better.

[BBC Sport @BBCSport]

"What did you think of the World Cup final half-time show?"

Wayne Rooney:

[John Duggan @johnkduggan]

What the fuck is this shite. Fuck off fifa

[Adam Crafton @AdamCrafton_]

The game, gone gone, beyond gone, the gonest it will ever get

[John Duggan @johnkduggan]

What an absolute shitshow this pre match is. Welcome to first football Super Bowl to be held every 4 years from now. Ticket prices have been an absolute joke. Horrible corrupt bastards fifa. Give the sport back to the people.

[HLTCO @HLTCO]

Biggest game of both sets of players’ lives and they’re going to have their usual half-time rhythm completely disrupted. FIFA are a shambles.

[England🎟️ @england_tic]

On FIFAs market place $60 'supporters value tier' tickets are being listed from $3,737.50.

The 15% fee charged by FIFA to both buyer and seller would come to $1,121 on the cheapest ticket.

FIFA don't want supporters to attend they want them to sell thier tickets. #greed

[England🎟️ @england_tic]

And here we are.... the big games.

Once in a lifetime. Bucket list stuff.

The games where FIFA can exploit 'the beautiful game' and it's passionate fanbases.

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[Harrison Lee @HarrisonCLee]

Thierry and Zlatan saying they wouldn't have become soccer players because of the costs of the American youth system, then seeing Lalas say it's a great system because it makes a lot of money for some people really sums it all up nicely

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

In Germany, a talented 14-year-old earns his club money. In America, his parents pay the club $15,000 a year.

That single inversion explains why "we will not" is the most accurate line ever written about US soccer.

FIFA built a global system for this. Training compensation and solidarity payments send a cut of every transfer fee back to the clubs that developed the player, from age 12 onward. Develop one future pro and your academy gets paid for a decade. Barcelona's La Masia, Ajax, every Bundesliga academy runs on this logic. The kid is the asset.

US Soccer refuses to enforce those rules. When Seattle's Crossfire Premier claimed its $60,000 share of DeAndre Yedlin's transfer to Tottenham, it got nothing. Claims on the Dempsey and Bradley transfers died partly because the federation couldn't even produce the youth training records.

So American clubs earn zero dollars when a kid turns pro. They earn when a kid enrolls. Which makes the parent the customer, and the product is whatever keeps the parent writing checks: travel tournaments, hotel weekends, $500 showcase events, private training at $100 an hour. Elite pathways run $8,000 to $20,000 a year. A comparable academy spot in Italy costs about 120 euros.

Follow the incentive one level deeper and it gets darker. A club dependent on fees can't cut its weakest paying players, so rosters optimize for retention over development. The scouting pool shrinks to families who can afford the cliff, which appears around age 11, exactly when development matters most. The country runs a talent filter sorted by household income instead of ability.

Every four years someone proposes fixing this. The proposal always requires the people profiting from the $15,000 model to vote themselves out of business.

They will not.

[Kevin Clark @bykevinclark]

Oh just one more thing, Belgium.

[Football on TNT Sports @footballontnt]

Jurgen Klopp was asked about the White House calling FIFA’s Gianni Infantino to review Folarin Balogun’s red card 🗣️

[Jamie Carragher @Carra23]

Unbelievable this 😂
He thinks he’s helping (Janni) Infantino but every word he mutters his ruining him even more 😂😂

[Dale Johnson @DaleJohnsonBBC]

Uefa statement released on Folarin Balogun's ban being suspended. Very strong stuff. Some snippets.

"A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted.
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