CLUB WORLD CUP
Club World Cup a test of Chelsea’s elite credentials
After securing their return to the Champions League on the final day of the season, Chelsea have an early chance to show that they belong back among the elite this summer at the Club World Cup.
Enzo Maresca’s side beat Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League match to clinch fourth place after an inconsistent campaign, ending a two-season absence from Europe’s top competition.
The Blues, who reached FIFA’s revamped and expanded Club World Cup by landing a second Champions League triumph in 2021, have been handed a favourable opening raft of fixtures in the United States.
They begin their campaign in Group D on June 16 against Los Angeles FC, who battled through a play-off round against Club America to replace the disqualified Club Leon.
After that opening fixture in Atlanta, Chelsea head north to face Brazilian team Flamengo (June 20) and Tunisia’s Esperance (June 24), both in Philadelphia.
“We face formations from distant countries, with which there is no relationship (with us) like the other Premier teams or in Europe,” Maresca said.
“We prepare ourselves by trying to watch as many matches as possible of the opponents, analysing them in the smallest detail.
“We will play in America, in different stadiums and environments – it’s all a novelty, not only for us, it’s a new competition and anything can happen.”
Los Angeles boast former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, although the 38-year-old is not a regular starter.
Flamengo, who qualified by lifting the Copa Libertadores in 2022, are coached by well-regarded former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis.
Esperance have won eight of the last nine Tunisian league titles but are considered the weakest team in the group.
In the knock-out rounds, potential clashes against Bayern Munich and Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain may lie ahead.
Chelsea won the competition in its previous format in 2022, beating Brazil’s Palmeiras in the final.
There will be special interest in how new Chelsea signing Liam Delap fares after his recent move from relegated Ipswich Town.
The Blues beat Manchester United among other clubs in the race for the 22-year-old striker, who netted 12 times in 37 top-flight matches and moved for £30 million (S$52 million).
Chelsea lacked firepower up front this season with Nicolas Jackson inconsistent and Christopher Nkunku struggling badly for form.
Delap, the son of former Stoke midfielder Rory Delap, came through the Manchester City youth academy like Chelsea’s star player, Cole Palmer.
The England international’s revival towards the end of the season is a positive sign, with Palmer dazzling in the Conference League final win over Real Betis.
The 23-year-old missed Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the US last summer and Maresca said it was a chance for the playmaker to take the country by storm.
“Palmer is up there with the very best top players who can produce something at any moment, create something out of nothing,” said the coach.
“He wasn’t with me on the USA tour last summer, so it will also be a chance for him to experience the environment there and to introduce himself to North America.”
Beating Betis in Poland earned Maresca his first trophy as Chelsea manager and a deep run in the US would be another sign that the Blues are heading in the right direction.
Summer success is also important to the club’s co-owners, US businessman Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital, with nearly £100 million on the line for the winners.
While not among the set of top favourites, including English rivals City, 15-time European champions Real Madrid and PSG, Chelsea are still expected to reach the last eight.
With fans not fully sold on Maresca’s brand of possession football, and even Palmer saying he was “sick” of the ball going from side to side in the Conference League final, another trophy could help soothe any tension in south-west London.
-AFP
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Controversy has erupted following Chelsea’s dramatic victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup final, with reports suggesting that the trophy presented to the English club is a replica – and that the original remains in the possession of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Blues clinched the inaugural edition of the revamped tournament at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday, July 13, with captain Reece James receiving the silverware from Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
However, social media and the international press have been ablaze with claims that the trophy lifted during the celebrations was not the authentic one.
Videos from the post-match ceremony showed Trump lingering on the podium well after the presentation, standing beside James as he hoisted the trophy. This unusual move immediately drew attention.
Now, the intrigue has deepened following Trump’s own remarks in an interview with sports broadcaster DAZN, in which he admitted that the original trophy was currently “in his office at the White House.”
According to sources, Infantino unveiled the redesigned Club World Cup trophy at the White House shortly after Trump returned to office earlier this year, following his election win over Kamala Harris.
It now appears that the original trophy never left the presidential residence, prompting FIFA to commission a replica for the ceremony in New Jersey.
Adding fuel to the fire, Trump was also seen pocketing one of the winner’s medals during the event.
Infantino had handed him a medal, presumably for inspection, but the U.S. President was later spotted slipping it inside his blazer.
This led to online jokes among fans, with some suggesting he had taken the medal intended for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, who left the squad just before the final to complete a surprise move to Arsenal.
Madueke was reportedly seen partying with Jadon Sancho at the Wireless Festival in London while Chelsea celebrated across the Atlantic.
The incident has cast an odd shadow over what was otherwise a historic moment for Chelsea, marking their first triumph under the new Club World Cup format.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to take place in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and the final returning to MetLife Stadium, questions may linger over the relationship between football’s global leadership and its most controversial political host.
FIFA has yet to comment officially on the trophy replica claims.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
U.S. President Donald Trump paid homage to soccer great Pele after being met with boos and cheers from the crowd at the Club World Cup final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Chelsea walloped Paris St Germain 3-0 to close out the newly expanded version of the tournament, designed as a glittering curtain-raiser for the 2026 World Cup that the U.S. will co-host with Mexico and Canada.
Trump was seated next to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino in box seats at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where fans booed him when he appeared briefly on the jumbotron during the U.S. national anthem.
He was on his feet in the same VIP suite after Chelsea completed their thrashing of Paris St Germain, pumping his fist as congratulatory music blared.
Trump was met with boos from the crowd again as he posed with the match referees on the pitch during the trophy ceremony, as organisers kept the music pumping in the stadium.
He handed Chelsea their trophy and stood in the middle of the players for their team photo and celebration.
“I knew he was going to be there but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy so I was a bit confused,” said Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, who scored two goals during the match.
Asked in a TV interview who he believed was soccer’s “GOAT,” Trump named Brazilian icon Pele, who helped spark interest in the sport in the U.S. in his brief time playing for the New York Cosmos in the fledgling North American Soccer League in 1975.
“I came to watch Pele, and he was fantastic,” Trump told broadcaster DAZN. “That’s like saying Babe Ruth, but I would say Pele was so great.”
Trump has embraced sport’s super-sized spotlight during his second term, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl in February.
In May, he announced D.C. as the host for the 2027 NFL Draft from the Oval Office. He regularly attends UFC and has said he wants to host such fights at the White House next year.
FIFA announced last week that it had opened an office in New York’s Trump Tower ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. A record 48 national teams are set to take part.
Trump’s appearance at MetLife came a day after he threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union, an escalation of a trade war that has angered U.S. allies and rattled investors.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Cole Palmer produced a scintillating first-half masterclass as Chelsea demolished Paris St Germain 3-0 to win the Club World Cup final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The English attacking midfielder scored twice and provided an assist for Joao Pedro in a devastating display in the revamped tournament’s decider that left the European and French champions, who finished with 10 men, shell-shocked before the break.
Chelsea struck first in the 22nd minute when PSG fullback Nuno Mendes gifted possession to Malo Gusto. While his initial effort was blocked by Mendes, Gusto collected the rebound and found Palmer unmarked in the middle and the midfielder made no mistake, slotting a tidy finish just inside the left post.
Palmer doubled the lead after the 30th-minute cooling break with a goal of sublime quality. Latching onto a precise through ball from Levi Colwill, he cut inside before faking a pass to dummy a defender and firing into the bottom-left corner.
Palmer then turned provider, running up the channel before finding Joao Pedro, who took the ball in his stride and beat the offside trap before chipping his finish beautifully over keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG’s misery was completed when Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair in the 83rd minute.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
South Africa to Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility Case
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- World Cup1 week ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- U20 FOOTBALL1 day ago
Flying Eagles Bank on ‘Magic of October 8’ to overcome Argentina
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Two penalty appeal lost as Flying Eagles stumble at first hurdle
- World Cup5 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers
- World Cup7 days ago
Osimhen Returns as Chelle Names 23-Man Squad for Crucial World Cup Qualifiers
- U-20 FOOTBALL2 days ago
Nigeria, Argentina Renew Rivalry as Flying Eagles Target Quarter-Final Spot in Chile