Latest news with #Wenger
eNCA
13-07-2025
- Sport
- eNCA
Kings of Europe in search of world glory
HANOVER, GERMANY - The inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup wraps up tonight with a blockbuster final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. READ | Final third ability keeping Europe ahead as gap narrows: Wenger Luis Enrique's PSG are the favourites after their dominant display against Real Madrid, while Enzo Maresca's Chelsea earned a solid win over Fluminense to book their spot in the decider. With global bragging rights on the line, we break down the clash with football analyst Oma Akatugba, spoke to eNCA.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Wenger loves the Club World Cup, but does anyone agree with him?
The inaugural Copa Gianni jamboree reaches its end game on Sunday as Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, two lavishly-backed super clubs based a short Eurostar trip apart, battle to be kings of the global game. PSG have undermined their rivals' complaints about packed schedules and player fatigue by flying in after Bigger Cup final and destroying better-rested teams. Chelsea, meanwhile, have benefited from a tournament that allows you to simply buy more players as you go – including those on opposing teams – in order to freshen things up. Whatever happens, football will be the winner, but has Copa Gianni been any good? Asked at the end of June, Jürgen Klopp was unequivocal in his criticism, calling it the worst idea ever implemented in football (and it has some serious competition – Football Daily Ed). Almost two weeks later, Arsène Wenger has bitten back. 'I am going to give a very boring answer to a very interesting question,' Wenger told salivating hacks. 'Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I don't share the view of Klopp at all.' With a full fortnight to prepare his riposte, we were expecting a Bielsa-esque PowerPoint takedown, but instead got the kind of unsubstantiated guff that may have earned Wenger the gig as Fifa's chief of global football development. 'If you make enquiries to all the clubs who were here, 100% [would say] they would want to do it again.' If by clubs, Wenger means the boardroom bean-counters and PSR plate-spinners who oversee things, he may be right. But what about managers, so often the public face of the team? We would ask Botafogo's Renato Paiva and Porto's Martín Anselmi what they thought, but they were both sacked for their Copa Gianni failures (which, in Paiva's case, included beating PSG). How did Pep Guardiola enjoy Manchester City's daring run to the last 16? 'Maybe [in winter] it will be a disaster, we are exhausted and [Copa Gianni] has destroyed us,' trilled Guardiola. Well, at least his players enjoyed it, right? 'My teammates are not exactly overjoyed about the tournament,' said Manuel Akanji, who joined the rest of City's back line in downing tools against Al-Hilal. Wenger also took on the issue of low fan turnout, saying 'we believe the attendances were projected as low and in reality were much higher,' while squinting up at an empty stand as invisible to him as a contentious decision in Arsenal's favour. 'We shouldn't underestimate the quality of the permanent pitches,' he added, rubbing a scorched blade of grass between forefinger and thumb. 'The grass is a bit harsher here. The pitches were flat. But once we watered the grass, everyone was happy.' Apart from PSG's Luis Enrique, of course, who complained of playing surfaces 'full of holes' that made the ball 'jump around like a rabbit'. And what about the heat, which made it 'almost impossible to train,' according to Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca? Well, it turns out he was doing the training wrong. 'I asked our analysts to analyse the impact of the heat,' Wenger added, while stuffing party packs of ice cubes inside his extra-long puffer jacket. 'We found heat of over 35C had an impact on high-speed running, so sprints, not distances.' So, it's simple – to succeed in this tournament, or next year's Stay Away World Cup, players need to stop running. After all it's not like this is an elite competitive sport, right? Wenger's verdict may be good news for Cole Palmer, but it also proves the Copa Gianni – recently described as a 'wake-up call' for player welfare – is a marathon, not a sprint. It's the final round of Group B fixtures, with Portugal needing to gain three points and several goals to overhaul Italy in second place. Join us for Italy 1-4 Spain and Portugal 3-1 Belgium to see how it all shakes down (both 8pm BST kick-offs). It is great to see and it's proof that women's footballers are great, and that is the way that game is going, so long may that continue' – England's Lauren Hemp weighs in on the news that Arsenal will make Canada forward Olivia Smith the first £1m signing in the women's game, as revealed in a Big Website exclusive on Thursday. Re: John Terry's revelation in yesterday's Daily that he would not have played against his old muckers at Chelsea left me pondering the eternal existential question with JT. Would he have sat on the bench in his full Aston Villa kit regardless?' – Justin Kavanagh. Sir Alex Ferguson was not afraid to dispense with David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo to rebuild Manchester United. Xabi Alonso has a similar task if he is to take Real Madrid back to the lofty heights that they are used to. Will he?' – Krishna Moorthy. Perhaps David Mack (Thursday's letters) should also have told Bryan Evans, Frankie Dodds and Barry Glendenning that the M1 (Republic of Ireland version) only starts at the Turnapin Interchange [OK, that's enough of that – Daily Ed]' – Frank Derwin. Send letters to Today's prizeless letter o' the day winner is … Justin Kavanagh. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here. Switzerland are into the quarter-finals of Euro 2025 after a stereotypical show of excellent timing. Riola Xhemaili's stoppage-time leveller sent the hosts through at Finland's expense, setting up a likely quarter-final against … oh, Spain. Elsewhere in Group A, Norway maintained their 100% record in style with a 4-3 win over Iceland, with Signe Gaupset and Frida Maanum bagging a double each. The Southport manager, Neil Danns, has been handed a suspended six-month ban after admitting placing 65 bets on football matches during his 15-year playing career. Jordan Henderson is poised to wear the famous red-and-white stripes of Sun, er, Brentford next season, signing a two-year deal after leaving Ajax. Another player swapping Amsterdam for London is Borna Sosa. The Croatian left-back has joined Crystal Palace for a cut-price £3m fee. Tottenham have sealed the signing of Mohamed Kudus from West Ham but their move for Morgan Gibbs-White is on hold after Nottingham Forest alleged that an illegal approach was made. Yikes! And Copa Gianni's ref cams could be coming to the Premier League, with a potential trial pencilled in for the upcoming Summer Series of friendlies in the USA USA USA. The Athletic Bilbao defender Yeray Álvarez has provided an unusual explanation for his provisional doping ban – claiming that he inadvertently used a hair-loss treatment which contained a banned substance. Álvarez, who failed a drug test after Athletic's Bigger Vase semi-final, first leg defeat to Manchester United, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016 and said he had been taking the medicine as part of his treatment for alopecia. 'After studying the case, we have established that I tested positive because I unintentionally took a hair loss prevention medicine containing a banned substance,' Álvarez wrote on social media. Finally, a footballer that we can truly relate to at Football Daily Towers. Winning a major tournament takes work, both on the pitch and back at the training camp, writes Emma Hayes in her latest Big Paper column. Xabi Alonso has got a job on his hands to rebuild Real Madrid and find the right formula for Kylian Mbappé, writes Spanish football doyen Sid Lowe. How will the Stay Away World Cup and Big Sports Day thrive in a country that is increasingly hostile to outsiders? It's Emma John on the USA USA USA. Tactical tweaks and keeping faith with Georgia Stanway: how Sarina Wiegman turned England's fortunes around against the Netherlands, by Tom Garry. And are Bayern set to swoop for Luis Díaz, with Alexander Isak replacing him at Liverpool? The Rumour Mill knows. The 80th edition of the Scottish League Cup kicks off tonight, with 40 teams playing four group games each across the dog days of summer. It's been more than 30 years since a team from outside the top flight lifted the trophy, when Raith Rovers stunned Celtic with a win on penalties in the 1994-95 final at Ibrox. Victory earned Kirkcaldy's finest a place in the Uefa Cup, where they lost 4-1 on aggregate to Bayern Munich.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wenger dismisses Klopp criticism, says Club World Cup 'is needed'
FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger stands in the stadium prior to the start of the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium. Robert Michael/dpa Arsène Wenger has dismissed sharp criticism from Jürgen Klopp on the Club World Cup in the United States and said that the tournament in its new expanded form was "needed" for global football. "Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I don't share the view of Jürgen Klopp at all," the BBC quoted Wenger as saying. Advertisement Former Liverpool manager Klopp had told German weekend paper Welt am Sonntag two weeks ago that the Club World Cup was the 'worst idea ever implemented in football'. Wenger, the former long-time Arsenal manager who is now Chief of Global Football Development at the world governing body FIFA, begged to differ. "I feel a Club World Cup is needed. If you make enquiries to all the clubs who were here then 100% of answers would be that they would want to do it again. That's the best answer of what the clubs think of a Club World Cup. "And the decisive question is do the fans like it or not? We believe the attendances were projected as low and in reality were much higher. The answer is there." Advertisement Some 2.5 million people attended the games of the 32-team event which culminates in Sunday's final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, with US President Donald Trump planning to be present. However, intense heat, early kick-off times to satisfy the European audience as well as less attractive teams and initial high ticket prices also meant that there were plenty of empty seats at several matches, especially in the early stages. The heat was a major factor and Wenger spoke of learning experience ahead of next year's World Cup the US co-hosts with Mexico and Canada. "The heat in some games was a problem but we tried to combat that with cooling breaks, watering the pitches during the break and overall I feel we learned a lot on that front," Wenger said. "Certainly next year in stadiums there will also be more with roofs and the TV times will be more sensitive. At the same time, the weather conditions can be a problem for everybody."
New Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Wenger defends Club World Cup amid Klopp criticism
NEW YORK: Arsene Wenger has dismissed Jurgen Klopp's criticism of FIFA's revamped 32-team Club World Cup, calling the tournament a "fantastic competition" and emphasising the support it has received from participating teams, players, and managers. Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, described the expanded summer competition as "the worst idea ever invented" in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt two weeks ago. Wenger, now FIFA's chief of global football development, countered these remarks on Thursday during a FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) briefing in New York. "Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I don't share Jurgen Klopp's view at all," Wenger told reporters. "I feel that a Club World Cup, a REAL Club World Cup was needed. If you make an inquiry today with all the clubs who were here at this competition, I'm basically sure that we have 100% of answers of people who want to do this again. So that's basically the best answer." Wenger also pointed to the unexpectedly high attendance figures as evidence of the competition's success. "The decisive question is, do the fans like it? Attendance projections were low, but in reality, they were much higher. The answer is there," he added. The tournament has provided FIFA with a testing ground ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place across North America. Wenger acknowledged that the summer heat in the United States posed challenges but said FIFA has learned valuable lessons to address these issues. "The heat in some games was a problem," Wenger admitted. "We tried to combat that with cooling breaks and watering the pitches during breaks. We learned a lot on that front." He singled out Orlando as one of the venues where pitch conditions proved difficult, though he praised the quality of natural grass pitches overall. Philadelphia's surface, he said, would serve as a benchmark for future competitions in the U.S. Looking ahead, Wenger said FIFA is considering using covered stadiums in cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Houston to host early matches in next year's tournaments. He also revealed that FIFA analysts have studied the impact of heat on player performance, finding that temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) affect high-speed running and sprints more than overall distances covered. "Certainly next year, there will be more roofed stadiums as we have to follow the TV schedule. We are learning to be better equipped to deal with these conditions," Wenger said. The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup concludes on Sunday, with Paris St Germain taking on Chelsea in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Arsene Wenger defends Club World Cup amid Jurgen Klopp criticism
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is now Fifa's chief of global football development. NEW YORK – Arsene Wenger has dismissed Jurgen Klopp's criticism of FIFA's revamped 32-team Club World Cup, calling the tournament a "fantastic competition" and emphasising the support it has received from participating teams, players, and managers. Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, described the expanded summer competition as "the worst idea ever invented" in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt two weeks ago. Wenger, now FIFA's chief of global football development, countered these remarks on Thursday during a FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) briefing in New York. "Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I don't share Jurgen Klopp's view at all," he told reporters. "I feel that a Club World Cup, a REAL Club World Cup was needed. If you make an inquiry today with all the clubs who were here at this competition, I'm basically sure that we have 100% of answers of people who want to do this again. So that's basically the best answer." He also pointed to the unexpectedly high attendance figures as evidence of the competition's success. "The decisive question is, do the fans like it? Attendance projections were low, but in reality, they were much higher. The answer is there," the Frenchman added. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business S'pore to launch new grant for companies, expand support for workers amid US tariff uncertainties World Trump to use presidential authority to send weapons to Ukraine, sources say World Trump nominates 'alpha male' influencer to be ambassador to Malaysia Opinion Whisper it softly, there's a new Japan rising Business Popiah king Sam Goi makes $123.5 million offer to buy rest of PSC Business Aster Chemicals in talks to buy Esso petrol stations in Singapore: Sources World The $12.8m bag: Original Birkin smashes records at Paris auction Asia Tariffs overshadow diplomacy as Asean foreign ministers press on with meetings The tournament has provided FIFA with a testing ground ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place across North America. Wenger acknowledged that the summer heat in the United States posed challenges but said FIFA has learned valuable lessons to address these issues. "The heat in some games was a problem," the 75-year-old admitted. "We tried to combat that with cooling breaks and watering the pitches during breaks. We learned a lot on that front." He singled out Orlando as one of the venues where pitch conditions proved difficult, though he praised the quality of natural grass pitches overall. Philadelphia's surface, he said, would serve as a benchmark for future competitions in the United States. Looking ahead, Wenger said FIFA is considering using covered stadiums in cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Houston to host early matches in next year's tournaments. He also revealed that FIFA analysts have studied the impact of heat on player performance, finding that temperatures above 35 deg C affect high-speed running and sprints more than overall distances covered. "Certainly next year, there will be more roofed stadiums as we have to follow the TV schedule. We are learning to be better equipped to deal with these conditions," Wenger said. The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup concludes on Sunday, with Paris Saint-Germain taking on Chelsea in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. REUTERS
