Why Concacaf Nations League may get political, Chelsea’s unbeaten run ends, DAZN’s burger deal

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Hello! The Concacaf Nations League finals kick off tonight. We’re hoping to avoid three brawls in nine seconds.

On the way:

Political Powder Keg: Diplomatic tensions as U.S., Canada, Mexico and Panama clash

The four-team line-up for the Concacaf Nations League finals is entirely in line with North American football’s pecking order. Mexico, Canada and the USMNT are top of the tree. Panama carry less clout, but have shown themselves to be competitive; credible qualifiers.

Business as usual, then, as the semi-finals get going in Los Angeles, California tonight (Thursday). Or it would be, had the tournament not brought together these specific four countries; nations who, politically speaking, might prefer not to share the same room. This is sport, with a diplomatically-charged backdrop staring it in the face.

No doubt you’re aware of the global news cycle: the United States administration imposing tariffs on Canada, and Canada responding in kind; U.S. President Donald Trump talking about turning Canada into his country’s 51st state and seeking to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America; Trump threatening to retake control of the Panama Canal. All of that, and more besides.

It’s got nothing to do with football, you’d counter, and in theory you’d be right. But look at the press conferences leading into this evening’s two semi-finals at SoFi Stadium. Every coach was forced to contend with questions about the political climate:

• The USMNT’s Mauricio Pochettino warned it was “a big mistake” to get drawn into that topic because “people are not waiting for us to talk that way. We need to play for us.”
• Panama’s Thomas Christiansen attempted to bat the subject away too. “The political situation, it’s not my business,” he said. “Football systems, tactics, I’m glad to talk about that.”
• Javier Aguirre, their Mexico counterpart (below), was guarded but did say the Gulf of Mexico should continue to be called that, and defended those emigrating from his country to the States: “I identify a lot with these people who came looking for the American dream.”
• Canada boss Jesse Marsch, who is an American, also bit his tongue, having previously criticised Trump’s comments about Canada as “unsettling and insulting”.

It presented a united front between the men on the touchline, and that’s no bad thing. USMNT captain Christian Pulisic says he will refrain from reprising the Trump dance if he scores. But can these games avoid the stench of international friction? Adam Crafton has been asking himself that.

(Pedro H. Tesch/Getty Images)

Bigger picture

Again, it would sound like a daft question were it not for the events at ice hockey’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last month. When the U.S. and Canada met in the round-robin stage in Montreal, the American national anthem was booed beforehand. When the game started, three fights broke out in the first nine seconds.

We’re unlikely to see chaos like that on the pitch in the Nations League but the bigger picture here is that Canada, Mexico and the U.S. are jointly hosting the men’s World Cup next year. It would suit most of those concerned to be free of outside influences and without unhelpful distractions.

This, after all, is what one of those behind the Mexican arm of the three countries’ joint bid to FIFA to stage the 2026 finals, Arturo Sarukhan, told Adam: “I saw it as a vehicle to deepen societal ties and send a very powerful message to the rest of the world about this unique bilateral relationship between two countries that are singularly important for one another.”

Nice words, and the right sentiment as the next few days promise to show us how well these nations can rub shoulders together.

Catch a match

(Selected games, times ET/UK)

Concacaf Nations League semi-finals, first legs (both Paramount+, U.S. only): USMNT vs Panama, 7pm/11pm; Canada vs Mexico, 10.30pm/2.30am.

UEFA Nations League quarter-finals (all 3.45pm/7.45pm): Croatia vs France — Fox Sports, Fubo/Viaplay; Denmark vs Portugal — ViX/Viaplay; Italy vs Germany — ViX/Viaplay; Netherlands vs Spain — Fox Sports, Fubo/Viaplay.

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier Brazil vs Colombia, 8.45pm/12.45am — Fubo, ViX/Premier Sports.

News round-up

• Strong words from former England manager Gareth Southgate, who used a keynote lecture in the UK to warn about the risk of “toxic influencers” to society and the male population in particular. “They’re as far away as you could possibly get from the role models our young men need in their lives,” Southgate said.
• Saad Al Lazeez, a highly influential Saudi Pro League executive, has quit his duties there. He was responsible for facilitating the raft of mega-money moves to Saudi Arabia. Look out for him rocking up in another prominent role elsewhere soon.
• The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the players’ union in England, has spoken out to criticise the “sub-standard” conditions of some pitches in the women’s game following complaints after League Cup and Champions League matches in the past week. Chelsea Women boss Sonia Bompastor thinks her side of the sport is being short-changed.

• Bompastor, however, has other things to dwell on in the wake of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at Manchester City in their Champions League quarter-final first leg last night. Two Vivianne Miedema goals ended a 28-game unbeaten run and inflicted Chelsea’s first loss since the French coach succeeded Emma Hayes last summer. Holders Barcelona, meanwhile, routed Wolfsburg 4-1, helped by a cracking finish from Sydney Schertenleib (above). You don’t stop those.
• A new tournament is coming to the women’s game: a seven-a-side event branded as World Sevens Football. It’s promising a prize fund of $5m and top-tier competitors. It will take place in Portugal in May.

Griller marketing: Broadcaster offers Ligue 1 streaming for McDonald’s customers

(Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)

French football has a myriad of problems, and public relations is one of them.

At face value, there’s a lot to like about Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain’s rebirth, Roberto De Zerbi’s impact as Marseille manager, Lille and Brest making inroads in the Champions League, and so on. But despite those narratives, too many of the stories coming out of France cast the game there in a chaotic light.

TAFC has covered the ongoing struggle by Ligue 1, France’s domestic top flight, to acquire top dollar for its TV rights. Only last month, broadcaster DAZN — which pays a £335m ($434m) a year to show French matches — temporarily withheld half of a scheduled payment in an argument over digital piracy. Unlike the Premier League, it’s not a market TV firms are killing themselves to grab a piece of.

As if to prove the point, DAZN has taken a (dare we say) desperate step in attracting new viewers — by offering a three-month subscription in return for the purchase of a McDonald’s meal. Buy a cheeseburger or similar through France’s McDo+ app and the rest of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season is yours to enjoy.

It’s one way of bumping up the numbers but the optics are unflattering, and don’t bode well.

Around The Athletic FC

• It’s Arsenal’s turn to get the BookKeeper treatment. Their points-per-game versus wage-bill performance (graph, above) shows a pretty linear improvement under Mikel Arteta — albeit without securing a Premier League title.
• Paul Tenorio has gone deeper into yesterday’s story about United Soccer League owners embracing the promotion and relegation model. What I’d love to know is: what is Major League Soccer making of all this?
• All aboard for a cracking interview by Seb Stafford-Bloor with RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Henrichs. He ruptured an Achilles tendon last year and has looked to a rock climber, a breakdancer and the late Kobe Bryant to aid his recovery.
• Irish football is turning into an attractive shopping aisle for English clubs. One youngster has gone to Tottenham Hotspur for a League of Ireland record fee. A kid who made his debut at 13 is off to Chelsea. The trend might be Brexit-related. Michael Walker reports.
• We decided to devote The Athletic FC podcast to Raphinha, because his form for Barcelona is immense and he’s giving off Ballon d’Or vibes. Listen on Apple and Spotify.
• The Tifo video team have gone back in time to remind us of the day Manchester City played their goalkeeper David James as a centre-forward.
• Most clicked in Wednesday’s TAFC: the USL’s pro-rel plunge.

And finally…

Spain meet the Netherlands in UEFA’s Nations League quarter-finals this evening and in his pomp, Sergio Ramos would have been a stick-on to start for them.

Prime Ramos, a man-eating centre-back, was a walking red card — except when playing for his country. At no stage in his international run, which ended in 2021 after 180 appearances in the Spanish shirt, was he ever sent off.

Which is funny because his disciplinary record in club football has been dreadful, straight off the bat. And now in Mexico, with his latest club Monterrey, he took his career red-card tally to 30 this week by flagrantly kicking a Pumas UNAM player up the a**e.

Monterrey were seconds from an easy 3-1 win when Ramos lashed out, which made the dismissal entirely indefensible. I’d say ‘Never change, Sergio’, but at age 38 you know he won’t.

(Top photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)