Fluminense, the last surviving team in the Americas, falls to Chelsea

▲ João Pedro, a youth player at Flu , ended the Brazilians' dream by scoring both goals in the English side's 2-0 victory. After the goals, the striker didn't celebrate and apologized. Photo AP

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, p. a12

Ast Rutherford. A homegrown player ended Fluminense's dream. Brazilian forward João Pedro, who came through the youth ranks of the Rio de Janeiro club—the last surviving player in the intercontinental dispute between Europe and American football—scored both goals that qualified Chelsea (2-0) for the Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New York, with 70,556 spectators in the stands.

Signed last week for a fee close to $80 million, the Blues ' newest signing interrupted his vacation in Rio to play in the final stages of the tournament at the request of coach Enzo Maresca. In his first game as a starter, he transformed the talent, speed, and striking that continues to blossom in the Southern Cone into performances (18 and 56 minutes) that sealed the farewell of the last of the Mohicans of South America.

While the American clubs initially contested the dominance of their European rivals, the Mundialito final restored the old order without any surprises. Of the six participants from Mexico (Monterrey), the United States (Inter Miami), and Brazil (Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, and Palmeiras) that advanced to the second round, only the last two reached the quarterfinals. In that instance, Chelsea eliminated Verdao (2-1) and exerted the same power over Flu in the semifinals.

The Londoners will face the winner of Wednesday's match between Real Madrid and the reigning UEFA Champions League champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in the title decider on Sunday at East Rutherford Stadium.

The elimination was doubly painful for the tricolor team, because a player of their very own character ended their hopes of reaching the final. João Pedro made the most of his first appearance in Chelsea's starting XI. The 23-year-old striker, who scored 10 goals in 27 games in last season's Premier League, outplayed Senegalese Nicolas Jackson and made the most of his opportunity.

It was a dream start. I know this tournament meant a lot to Fluminense. I'm sorry, but I'm a professional and Chelsea pays me to score goals , said the star of the match.

The Brazilian didn't celebrate either goal and apologized with his hands, but the Rio de Janeiro fans felt the blow. Having defeated Inter Milan in the round of 16 and Al-Hilal in the quarterfinals, Flu thus concluded its participation, and with it, its hopes of South American football vindicating itself in Europe.

Power struggle

The rivalry between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, semi-final contenders, also takes place behind the scenes with a power struggle and egos between two presidents: Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Florentino Pérez, a conflictive relationship that reached its peak with the cases of the Super League and Kylian Mbappé.

On one side is Al-Khelaifi, a 51-year-old former tennis player, close friend of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who has become the face of the kingdom's sporting power. On the other is Florentino Pérez, a 78-year-old Spanish businessman who heads the giant ACS, one of the world's leading construction groups, and the architect of Real Madrid's return to the international stage beginning in the 2000s.

Their animosity stemmed from business, as Pérez and ACS secured numerous contracts in the Gulf gas emirate at the start of the Qatari era at PSG in 2011. Ten years later, they clashed over Florentino Perez's proposal to create a continental tournament, the Super League, outside of UEFA competitions.

In 2024, as if that weren't enough, the Merengues signed French star Kylian Mbappé as a free agent without leaving a single euro to the Parisians. Old scores are at stake this Wednesday.

▲ Former Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo, director of the technical department at the Referees Commission. Photo by Conmebol

Alberto Aceves

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, p. a12

Argentine Horacio Elizondo, technical director of the Referees' Commission, believes that a referee can make dozens of decisions in a match, but not always in the way fans expect. The model with which he attempts to rebuild the foundations of the union in Mexican soccer is based on the premise of providing straightforward and simple refereeing , easy to understand for anyone unfamiliar with the old spirit of the rules. We want strong referees with strong decisions. VAR isn't there to decide everything .

Remembered for officiating the France-Italy final at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the match in which he sent off Zinedine Zidane for a headbutt to Italy's Marco Materazzi, Elizondo has been working since May to modify certain practices that undermined referees' credibility, from the use of VAR to transparency in decisions. Sometimes we become intoxicated by becoming so technically inclined. We need to make people better understand the rules of the game, reduce intervention times, and standardize the criteria for similar plays .

With the support of the Mexican Football Federation, the Commission chaired by former soccer player and executive Juan Manuel Herrero, along with the coaching staff assembled by the Argentine, will begin a series of meetings today with the 18 Liga MX clubs to present the current model, the modifications approved in March to the rules of the game by the International Football Association Board, and the regulatory criteria that support these adjustments regarding tackles and disputes, incidents in the penalty area, tactical fouls, handballs, and offsides.

We had a profound crisis last season , the FMF acknowledges, regarding the number of incidents and controversies arising from the referees' performance. As part of the reform measures, the Referees' Commission intends to eliminate the concept that a player can avoid being penalized in a violent play by touching the ball first. Now, not only the point of contact is measured, but also the additional movement of the foul.

Refereeing is sometimes boxed in, and outsiders can't see or identify what's being done. "We'll build it along the way ," says Elizondo, 61, who will be accompanied by Jorge Pérez Durán, former referee for Liga MX, in training referees in the different categories.

Suspended for match fixing

The Costa Rican Football Federation (FCF) announced the suspension of three players involved in an alleged case of match-fixing in the local Liga de Ascenso. Among those implicated are Mexican players Ernesto de la Torre and Enrique Valencia, as well as Costa Rican José Rolando Pereira.

In a statement released on its social media, the FCF reported that the three players received five-year bans from all activities related to the sport.

▲ Tijuana native Jonathan Aranda will arrive at the All-Star Game next Tuesday with a flaming bat. The Tampa Bay first baseman hit his 11th home run of the season yesterday in his team's 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The 27-year-old continues his strong performance in the Major Leagues in what has been his long-awaited breakout season. AP Photo

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, p. a30