Daily Archives: July 13, 2026

Spain, France, Argentina and England beware: Demons haunt the World Cup semi-finals – Jonathan Wilson

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“World Cup games mean more. England have only ever played 80 games in the finals, which is to say, not much more than two Premier League seasons in the 76 years since they first entered. Those games draw huge audiences: more than 17 million in the UK watched Saturday’s win over Norway, even though it was after midnight by the time it finished. In most countries, World Cup matches are more discussed, more analysed, than any other in sport, perhaps any other cultural phenomenon. They are rare moments that bring vast numbers of people together, hoping, agonising, celebrating, commiserating. They become part of the culture. Moments from games become touchstones. …”
Guardian

Racism row overshadows France-Spain World Cup semi-final

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“A fresh row over racism towards the French team has broken out in the build up to Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final showdown between France and Spain after a former Madrid prime minister described the team as not French. Former conservative leader Mariano Rajoy wrote in a newspaper column that the French team was ‘of a very high level, certainly, though without French players’, setting off a furious reaction. ‘France has no skin colour. Any statement to the contrary is either stupid, racist or a combination of both. This exceptional team shows the best side of France,’ foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French television. Barrot said he was confident the performance of the French team in the match would deliver the best response. …”
The Irish Times
YouTube: France opens probe over racist comments on Mbappé, Spain’s Racism Shame: France Targeted Ahead Of FIFA WC Clash

African results justify World Cup slots increase amid criticism

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Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi (L) and France forward Kylian Mbappe fight for the ball during a World Cup quarter-final. 
“When four-time World Cup winners Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament, then head coach Gennaro Gattuso lamented that Africa had so many places at the global showcase. ‘Africa deserves fewer World Cup slots,’ he said, referring to the number of automatic qualifying places allocated to that continent rising from five to nine in an expanded 48-nation event. It became 10 when the Democratic Republic of Congo won an inter-continental play-off and returned to the World Cup after 52 years. Was Gattuso, a midfielder in the Italian 2006 World Cup-winning team, correct? Was Africa over represented in the United States, Canada and Mexico? Apart from a disastrous showing by Tunisia, who axed coach Sabri Lamouchi after their first group game and lost all three matches, African flag-bearers proved competitive, justifying their presence. …”
Yahoo
African teams are making World Cup history, 60 years after boycotting

Ghana’s Inaki Williams celebrates after a scoreless draw against England in the World Cup in Foxborough last month.