Staying cool when the heat is on

There’s been a lot of moaning about the heat at the Club World Cup, and yes, it’s not exactly being played in ideal conditions, with storm breaks and searing temperatures the order of the day.

But let’s not pretend this is some new phenomenon invented in 2025.

Cast your mind back to the 1994 World Cup. Also in America. Also in the summer. Temperatures at stadiums from Dallas to Miami regularly nudged 40 degrees, and back then we didn’t have cooling breaks, electrolytes on tap or goalkeepers in ice vests.

You know what we had? Ray Houghton scoring a screamer for Ireland, Romario gliding through the heat like a knife through butter, and Maradona running down any white lines he wasn’t busy snorting.

Yes, conditions at this year’s generally pointless tournament are tough, and player welfare should never be brushed aside. But the outrage feels disproportionate, and a direct result of how incredibly pampered footballers have become.

Player welfare should never be brushed aside. But the outrage feels disproportionate, and a direct result of how incredibly pampered footballers have become

Of course, with the World Cup coming up in America next year, everyone has gone into panic mode trying to find ways to make next summer’s tournament a cooler, calmer and less sweaty affair.

The proposed solutions have ranged from interesting to horrendous.

Changing kick-off times make sense, although that is unlikely as it will reduce advertising revenue from the key European television market. And we know FIFA doesn’t do anything to reduce revenue.

How about finding ways of shading each stadium? You would think with modern technology, erecting the equivalent of giant, potentially air-conditioned, marquees would be doable.

Then we get to the weird proposals that push the boundaries a bit too far in my opinion.

I could just about live with extended half-time breaks, as that doesn’t really alter the dynamics of a match. But splitting the game into four quarters? No, no and no. You can’t fundamentally change the rules of football just to accommodate the weather.

Ultimately though, let’s not worry about it too much.

In 1994, the entire tournament was played in peak summer, in raging heat, in stadiums with far less facilities. Players were less fit, drank from a sponge and still managed to put on a show. Nobody asked for quarters, cooling zones or cryotherapy. They just got on with it.

If Roberto Baggio’s ponytail didn’t wilt, neither should the game.

A football tragedy

The death of Diogo Jota last week left football fans around the globe in a state of utter shock.

The Liverpool and Portugal striker was driving a Lamborghini in Spain when a tyre blew and, well, we all know the horrific consequences.

That Diogo had three young children and had got married just a few days ago adds another level of sadness to the story. As does the fact this his brother, André, died in the crash as well. Two young men with the world at their feet and the best parts of their lives ahead of them, gone in the blink of an eye.

Although you might not know a player personally, the fact that you see them regularly on television or on the pitch in front of you makes you feel considerably more connected than you actually are. It’s a strange reality of following football or any other sport, for that matter.

This tragedy is a stark reminder of the incredible fragility of life, and why we should make the most of every single day.

First Chelsea, now Villa

It was only a few weeks ago that I was commending Chelsea on finding new and interesting ways to beat football’s financial fair play rules.

First, they sold their hotels to themselves, and then followed that up by selling their women’s football team... to themselves as well.

Both moves were entirely aimed at keeping their finances in order without actually breaking any rules, although you would have to say they did bend them to within an inch of snapping.

My concern, especially with the second one, is that it would inspire other clubs to do the same thing. Fast forward a couple of months and, hey presto, guess what Aston Villa are doing?

Yep, selling their women’s team to themselves to help balance the books.

In their case, 90 per cent of the women’s team will be sold to Villa’s parent company, with the other 10 per cent going to American investors. It’s creative accounting disguised as strategic restructuring. Technically legal, morally murky, and now, thanks to Chelsea, basically a blueprint.

The worry isn’t just that clubs are doing it, it’s that the governing bodies are sitting back and watching it happen with a shrug. If selling your own assets to yourself is fair play, then the rulebook might as well be printed in pencil.

And let’s not pretend this has anything to do with investing in the women’s game. These moves aren’t driven by equality... they’re driven by spreadsheets.

If Villa follow Chelsea down this route, and it’s almost certain they will, how long before the same happens to the other 22 professional women’s teams...?

Aiming for the thousand

Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new contract with Al-Nassr, keeping him in Saudi Arabia for at least another two years.

At 39, he’s already redefined longevity at the elite level, but what he’s chasing now isn’t trophies or titles. It’s history. More specifically, 1,000 career goals and a record that will never be broken.

He’s currently on 932, including 138 for Portugal. And if there’s one thing Ronaldo’s career has taught us, it’s that he’s obsessed with numbers. Big ones.

But here’s the reality, he knows that getting another 68 goals in one of Europe’s top leagues would be a stretch. Same if he played in the US, where he would be a marked man.

In Saudi Arabia, he controls the narrative. The pace is slower, the spotlight is his, and he plays every minute if he wants to. Fewer injuries, fewer hours on the bench, more goals.

It’s a calculated move. He wants to walk away as football’s ultimate record-breaker, not just of his generation, but of all time.

The fact that this new contract comes with another pay cheque of gargantuan proportions is obviously a bonus that he isn’t going to reject.

But in truth I think this is more about getting those goals. And Ronaldo knows exactly where that 1,000th goal is most likely to come from...

E-mail: jamescalvertmalta@gmail.com

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