Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said the FIFA Club World Cup has “been a great opportunity to showcase our venues,” and he thinks it is “another great example that we can host anything the world can bring us,” according to Ryan Gillespie of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. Compared to matches at Inter&Co Stadium, Dyer said that the two matches at Camping World Stadium “drew much better” attendance. According to FIFA, a match between LAFC and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Flamengo “drew about 33,000 fans,” and another between Premier League club Manchester City and Serie A club Juventus “drew more than 54,000.” Manchester City faced Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal last night at Camping World. Dyer said, “Having Manchester City for two consecutive games I think is helpful for our crowds.” On Friday, Orlando will host its final match, a quarterfinal at 3pm ET featuring Al-Hilal and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fluminense. Dyer mentioned that the SunRail -- the local rail system -- will run from 1pm ET until 11:30pm ET to “help accommodate the crowds” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/30).
PLEASE RECONSIDER: THE ATHLETIC’s Oliver Kay wrote soccer’s global players union has urged FIFA to “abandon plans for midday and afternoon kick-offs” to “avoid the heat in three ‘extremely high risk’ venues” at next summer’s World Cup. A report by FIFPRO, which represents more than 70,000 professional players worldwide, identified K.C. and Miami, along with Monterrey in Mexico, as cities that carried “extremely high risk” of heat-stress injury if World Cup matches are played in the afternoon. Atlanta, Dallas and Houston were also identified in that category “due to high temperatures and humidity, but FIFPRO expects retractable roofs and climate-control technology to be used there to reduce the risk to players and spectators.” Another five World Cup host cities were cited as “very high risk” (Boston, Philadelphia and Guadalajara, Mexico) or “high risk” (L.A. and N.Y./N.J.). Only S.F. and Vancouver were classed as “low risk” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/30).
CAN’T DENY IT NOW: In London, Martin Samuel notes Man City-Al-Hilal was the first competitive match-up between the EPL and Saudi Arabia’s Pro League that “ended in a devastating, humiliating defeat for the established order.” EPL CEO Richard Masters “condescendingly speaks as if all Saudi football collects is the Premier League’s cast-offs and has-beens.” Samuel adds, though, that “is not the case.” Samuel: “Forcing English clubs to sell talent to raise revenue to comply with arbitrary, artificial financial limitations was always going to have a consequence. And here it is. English football must wake up and smell the coffee.” Less than two years ago, Masters talked about “being ‘way off worrying’ about the Saudi Pro League.” Samuel noted it “seemed complacent then,” and “appears even more so this morning.” Samuel: “It is not so easy to dismiss the Pro League now” (London TIMES, 7/1).
