Boca Juniors defender Ayrton Costa will be able to take part in the Club World Cup in the United States following a u-turn by U.S. immigration officials who had previously rejected his visa application, the Argentine club said on Friday.

“Ayrton Costa has been granted a 26-day special visa,” a club spokesperson told Reuters.

Costa’s visa application was subject to a criminal complaint in his native Argentina, relating to an aggravated robbery in 2018, which he avoided trial for by accepting a probationary sentence in 2023.

However, U.S. officials previously ruled that he could not enter the country as he was still serving his sentence.

The press office at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina told Reuters that they cannot discuss individual visa applications.

Boca Juniors will open the tournament in Miami on Monday against Portuguese side Benfica.

-Reuters

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Inter Miami will have to rely heavily on Lionel Messi’s firepower as they prepare for Saturday’s Club World Cup opener against Al-Ahly, with coach Javier Mascherano forced to re-shuffle his backline due to a string of injuries.

Fullback Jordi Alba, fellow defender Gonzalo Lujan and defensive midfielder Yannick Bright have all been ruled out of the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium.

“They are not available for this game, hopefully they will be for the second game,” Mascherano told a press conference on Friday.

Alba, one of Messi’s former Barcelona teammates, is sidelined with a hamstring issue.

There were also concerns regarding the fitness of centre back David Martinez.

“David had some kind of pain yesterday and we did not want to take any risks,” said Mascherano.

“The reality is that throughout the season, the team have dealt with injuries, but the players who stepped in rose to the challenge. That gives us peace of mind,” he said.

Miami have conceded 16 goals in their last six competitive games.

Much of Miami’s chances rest on Messi’s shoulders.

“He’s in good shape this season. There were moments when we had to give him some time to rest, but he’s played the last 15 games, except for the match against Dallas when we rested the entire squad,” said Mascherano.

“We were also fortunate he was able to rest during Argentina’s last two games,” he added referring to Messi playing 111 minutes in Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia earlier this month.

“It’s our responsibility to create the right environment for him to shine.”

Miami will also take on Porto and Palmeiras in the 32-club competition.

Al Ahly coach Jose Riveiro, who took charge last month following the departure of Marcel Koller, believes Messi still has what it takes to shine.

“He is a player who can turn the game around at every moment. He’s a player you cannot forget at any moment,” Riveiro told a press conference.

“His skill has always been his vision of the game and that has not changed. He is not a coach but he guides the players around him, he’s surrounded with young talent.”

Al Ahly have won four the last six African Champions League titles.

-Reuters

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the Club World Cup kicks off this weekend. He states it marks a historic “new era” for the game. Infantino compares it to the first World Cup held in 1930.

In an interview with AFP, Infantino also took aim at critics of FIFA’s ticketing policy. He said that sceptics who had questioned the need for the tournament would quickly change their minds.

The 32-team competition includes clubs from all continents. It gets underway with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami facing Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium on June 14.

“It starts a new era of football, a new era of club football. A little bit like when, in 1930, the first World Cup, right, started,” Infantino told AFP.

“Everyone today speaks about the very first World Cup. That’s why it’s also, this World Cup here is historic.”

FIFA president Infantino highlighted that the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay featured only European and South American teams, contrasting this with the Club World Cup’s mission to provide clubs from non-traditional football regions a platform to compete on the global stage

 “We want to be inclusive. We want to give opportunities to clubs from all over the world,” he said.

“It’s really about globalising football – making it truly worldwide. We call it the world’s number one sport. It is. However, when you look deeper, the elite level is concentrated among very few clubs in very few countries,” he said.

The Swiss official was general secretary of European body UEFA before taking the helm at FIFA in 2016. He said that the club tournament also offered chances to players from over 80 countries.

“Countries who would never have a chance to play in a World Cup are suddenly part of a World Cup and they feel to be part of it, the fans of these players and of these clubs,” added Infantino, who noted several great players of the past who never played in a World Cup,

“A very good friend of mine is George Weah… former legend, great player, Ballon d’Or winner, only African player who ever won the Ballon d’Or, by the way.

“He never played in a World Cup. He would have been playing in a Club World Cup and made not only his club and also his country proud,” he added.

Infantino dismissed concerns that the tournament added to fixture congestion but acknowledged that some fans were yet to be sure of the value of the tournament, saying, though, that it would quickly change.

“I believe, I’m convinced that, you know, as soon as the ball starts rolling, the whole world will realise what is happening here. It’s something special,” he said.

Reports of low uptake of tickets for same games has led to criticism of FIFA’s ticketing policy with “dynamic pricing”, increasingly common in the United States, allowing for prices to rise and fall according to demand.

But Infantino defended the approach and the decision to offer heavy discounts to students in Miami.

“When I was a student and I didn’t have money, I would have loved FIFA to come to me and say, you want to come and watch a World Cup match?”

“We don’t want to see empty stadiums. I believe the stadiums will be pretty full,” he said.

The FIFA president said that the tournament, which secured a global broadcasting deal with DAZN reported to be worth US$1 billion, was already an economic success and stressed that all the money generated from commercial deals would be ploughed back into the game.

Asked how he would judge whether the tournament had been a success, Infantino said he would feel it in his “heart” but said he was confident.

“In terms of inclusivity, in terms of economy, in terms of fan interest, you take all of these criteria, we’ll speak again at the end of the Club World Cup, but already now, I (feel positive), when I look at the number of tickets sold, and I look at the TV rights,” he said, noting that the games were available on DAZN’s streams for free.

“Tell me one top competition today, where you can watch football for free?“ he asked.

The Club World Cup has also been caught up in the fierce debates over immigration control in the US, with games being held near Los Angeles, scenes of violent clashes between protestors and immigration officers.

But Infantino said security is always a top priority, and they are monitoring the situation and are in constant contact with the authorities.

-AFP

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