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The Gaffer
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Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA since 2016. He has been heralded as a hero by many African and Asian football federations as he has been key to expanding the World Cup to 48 teams and growing funds for the game in parts of the world that previously felt left out. To European and South American eyes, Infantino has become synonymous with a corrupt FIFA, becoming the centre of attention rather than the administrator the FIFA president should be as head of a non-profit organisation.
Days prior to the opening match at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Infantino gave an on-the-cuff press conference where he bizarrely claimed that “today I feel gay. Today I feel like a women. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel like a migrant worker”. This was in response to heavy criticism of the choice of Qatar as host due to the poor treatment and deaths of migrant workers in the country when building the stadiums for the World Cup, alongside worries for the LGBTQ+ community in a country where homosexuality is illegal.
Italian for “biscuit”, it is a term used when two teams enter a final group game or league fixture knowing a particular results – usually a draw – eliminates a third side and suits both the teams playing just fine. It originates from historical horse-racing cheats, where targeted horses were fed a ‘biscuit’ laced with sedatives prior to a race. In football, sometimes teams genuinely play for a point and there is no outright collusion. If a scoreline suits both sides it’s natural they play to that result. The term is rooted in Italian football but applies wherever groups are involved.
The classic biscotto – before the word existed – was West Germany 1-0 Austria at the 1982 World Cup. When West Germany scored early, both sides knew a 1-0 scoreline would send them both through to the next phase at Algeria’s expense. The crowd booed, the Algerian FA lodged a complaint but the result was upheld. It led to future tournaments changing format where all last group matches kick off simultaneously. A modern twist saw Algeria play Austria at the 2026 World Cup, where a 2-2 going into injury time would send both teams through. Instead, Algeria scored in injury time, before a dramatic 96th minute equaliser from Austria locked in the script. 3-3, both went through.
If a match in a knockout tournament ends level after 90 minutes it will then move into extra time in most cases (some competitions like the English League Cup now go straight to a penalty shootout). This notches up the drama and anxiousness for fans, especially at big tournaments like the World Cup, Euros, or AFCON. Extra Time is made up of two 15-minute periods. If the tie is still level after that, a penalty shootout takes place.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, FIFA introduced the Golden Goal, first goal wins in extra time. Instead of making games more dramatic, most teams sat back in a low block and played for penalties. They then introduced the Silver Goal rule, where if a team scored in the first half of extra time the game didn’t end immediately, but at half time if the score remained the same. There was only one Silver Goal scored; Greece beating Czech Republic at Euro 2004.
Traditionally, hydration breaks are used during games when temperatures hit a certain threshold, typically 32°C or above. It’s a short break for players to take on liquids. For the 2026 World Cup, a new, mandated hydration break was brought in. There is one hydration break halfway through each half when the ball goes out of play, and they last for three minutes each. It’s a big talking point, a stealth way for more advertising to be shown during matches, frustrating viewers in the stadiums and at home.
The hydration breaks during the ’26 World Cup are so frustrating. It kills the momentum of the game and it’s led to an Americanisation of the sport with some US commentators calling the match by quarters instead of a game of two halves. There has been plenty of booing, especially in air-conditioned stadiums where there’s no need for a break in play.
The pinnacle of club football – the European Cup. The best clubs in Europe qualify through performance in their domestic league the previous season. Historically, before the rebrand to the Champions League in 1992 the tournament was a straight knockout, home and away legs each round, and only champions from each country. Now, the format is a large league table of 36 teams, multiple clubs from the top leagues. Each team plays 8 matches before progressing to a home and away knockout phase. The final is the biggest game of the season. It's all about the glory. The Champions League brand is used for every other continent apart from South America (the top competition is called Copa Libertadores de América).
Maybe the greatest European final of all was AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool in Istanbul, 2005. A World Class Milan team went 3-0 up at half time only to be shaken in a special 6 minutes in the second half. An average Liverpool team created the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’, winning a 5th European Cup on penalties.