Thursday cannon fodder: bizarre cultural silence

World Cup

Women’s World Cup: Hosts France edge past Norway in Nice - BBC Sport
France all but secure a place in the knockout stage of the Women’s World Cup after striker Valerie Gauvin marks her return with a goal against Norway.

Nigeria 2-0 South Korea: Women’s World Cup 2019 – live! | Football | The Guardian
Asisat Oshoala helped to give Nigeria their first win of the tournament and boosted their hopes of making the knockout stages.

Sara Däbritz bundles Germany winner against Spain in Women’s World Cup | Football | The Guardian
Sara Däbritz scored the only goal of the game as Germany closed on the knockout stages.

Women’s World Cup: Fifa revises attendances in France - BBC Sport
Fifa says 14 of 52 Women’s World Cup matches have sold out, having previously said it was 20.

Can the Reggae Girlz find their rhythm and get a win for the underdogs? | StatsBomb
Jamaica’s journey to the World Cup is a story in itself, but they equipped themselves well against Brazil. Could they make the knock-outs?

Farewell, to the greatest women’s player of them all: Marta - Football365
Simply the greatest. The best of all time. She has done more for women’s football than anyone.

Pity the poor man who’s had the Women’s World Cup shoved down his throat | Marina Hyde | Football | The Guardian
From Mr Inferior Product to Mr I Prefer Parks, the tournament has caused a cosmic imbalance that we must redress.

Premier League/England

Remembering West Ham United’s bizarre 1999 Intertoto Cup campaign - Planet Football
The InterToto Cup has always carried a mysterious air about it, at least when glancing at it from England.

Norwich cap home tickets at £30 for Premier League return | Football | The Guardian
Norwich have capped ticket prices for Carrow Road at £30 on their return to the top flight. Sort of.

Tottenham open talks with Lyon over Tanguy Ndombélé but clubs far apart | Football | The Guardian
Tottenham’s pursuit of the Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is being complicated by his €75m price tag.

Europe

Real Madrid sign Ferland Mendy from Lyon in £47m deal - BBC Sport
Real Madrid sign left-back Ferland Mendy from Lyon in a deal worth up to £47.1m, which takes their summer spending close to £300m.

La Liga fined over app that spied on illegal match screenings | Football | The Guardian
La Liga has been ordered to pay a €250,000 fine its official app was used to identify bars showing games illegally.

Griezmann to sign with Barca says Atleti CEO
Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin says Antoine Griezmann will be playing for Barcelona next season.

Euro 2020: Former England captain Ferdinand named FA’s lead ambassador - BBC Sport
With one year to go, ex-England and Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand has been named the FA’s lead ambassador for Euro 2020.

Matthijs de Ligt considers options after £340,000-a-week offer from PSG | Football | The Guardian
The Ajax captain, Matthijs de Ligt, has been offered a five-year deal worth £340,000 a week by Paris Saint-Germain.

MLS/Americas

Undocumented Americans find a cultural lifeline through Liga MX soccer and social media - FMF State Of Mind
Guerreros sin fronteras is more than just a slogan to DREAMer Astrid Silva.

MLS salaries: Ibra earning record $7.2m in ‘19
MLS releases salary information twice a season, and this is the spring release.

Other

“With a single touch, he silenced a stadium.” Why I love… Hatem Ben Arfa | FourFourTwo
Scorer of incredible goals, and playing like a kid in the street, there was one year when Alan Pardew got the best out of the Frenchman.