Key events7d agoFifa introducing 'championship rings' for World Cup winners7d agoMore than 200 countries endorse Infantino for fourth Fifa term7d agoPreambleThat’ll do for today.Thanks everyone for joining us.Hope you enjoy all the footy this weekend. I can’t believe we’re down to the final two games of the World Cup.May the best teams win. Unless the team you support is actually the inferior team.Byeeee…Aston Villa have signed attacking midfielder Johan ⁠Manzambi from Freiburg, the Premier League club said on Friday, ⁠after the Switzerland ⁠international ​impressed at the World Cup where he finished as the ⁠country’s top goal-scorer.From Reuters.Ibrahima Konaté admits France’s bronze-medal match against England is “far from easy” to embrace.“No one of us” wanted to be in Miami, he said, echoing Thomas Tuchel’s claim that nobody wants to play the third-place playoff. But Konaté insists France must still “respect the jersey” and remember how many people dream of wearing it.Didier Deschamps, preparing for his final game after 14 years in charge, confirmed Kylian Mbappé is available and promised changes.“The French national team,” he said, “is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me.”Via PA.A few mails:“It is not just common people who are star struck. Sunil Gavaskar named his son Rohan after the legendary Rohan Kanhai. His contemporary Aravinda de Silva who was not familiar with first names and surnames ended up naming his son Sampras” – Krishna Moorthy“About your CB stats. Tackles made is a very reasonable one althoug Cristian Romero’s inclusion brought to mind others, e.g., fingers wagged, ankles clipped, ribs poked, insults whispered, nipples tweaked...” – Peter Oh“The fact that Trump will get booed like Arsenal playing at Spurs home pitch warms my heart. Instruct whoever wins that pulling the trophy away from Trump with as much force as needed will be applauded by the World.” – Mary WaltzA busy afternoon in the transfer market.Aston Villa are pursuing a loan move for Bayern Munich midfielder João Palhinha and have completed the signing of Johan Manzambi from Freiburg for a reported club-record £52m.Elsewhere, Leeds have paid a reported £34.1m for Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic, while Burnley’s Maxime Estève has joined RB Leipzig for more than £21m.Newcastle are in talks over Brighton goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, and Chelsea have rejected two Como bids for Trevoh Chalobah.Loans, records and rejected offers. The summer window is properly awake.Via PA.It’s been an enjoyable World Cup. There have flashes of brilliance. But there have been too many controversies to elevate it to truly great.Karim Zidan, one of the best on this, shines a light on some of the tournament’s darkest moments.The World Cup in memes.Do you really need me to sell that?Click here so you can add value at your Friday night dinner party:Wildfire smoke could impact Sunday’s World Cup final.Air quality around New York and northern New Jersey improved on Friday after reaching hazardous levels on Thursday, but forecasters remain unsure how much smoke may return after Saturday’s rain.Spain’s Mikel Merino said players can smell and see the haze but must “shut out external factors”. Experts were alarmed that Spain trained outdoors in hazardous conditions, while officials are expected to discuss the health risks with FIFA.Around 80,000 fans are due at MetLife Stadium.The weather forecast is clear but the smoke forecast is anything but.Via AP.Not only has Tarik Muharemovic made my entirely made-up World Cup XI, he’s just signed with Leeds.What a day for him!The 23-year-old centre ⁠back who made 41 clearances for Bosnia-Herzegovina joins the Premier League from from Serie A ⁠side Sassuolo ⁠on ​a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee.The World Cup ends on Sunday. The legal scrutiny of FIFA’s ticketing may not.New Jersey’s attorney general says her investigation will continue into allegations that FIFA raised prices, altered seating maps after tickets had been sold and created artificial scarcity. Some supporters reportedly paid for premium categories only to receive less desirable seats.New York, California and Texas are also examining complaints. Meanwhile, a German court has described FIFA’s practices on resale platform Ticombo as “manipulative” and threatened sanctions for non-compliance.The final whistle may sound at MetLife. The ticketing fallout could run well into extra time.Via Reuters/Field Level Media.Thomas Krantz shares some thoughts on tomorrow’s game: