Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé both sank to the ground after losing the semifinal, knowing they had to wait four years to touch the ultimate prize in soccer. But they have to pick themselves up and head to Miami for a Bronze Final. This is what infuriated a former legendary English striker, who slammed FIFA for enforcing a third-place playoff at the World Cup.
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Alan Shearer, who holds the record for most Premier League goals, was the latest to condemn the Bronze Final that will take place between England and France.
“It’s ridiculous. FIFA goes on so much about player welfare that they’re now out of the tournament, they can’t win, yet they’re making them travel to Miami, playing in 37-38 degree heat for a third-place playoff,” he spoke on Betfair’s channel.
FIFA regularly speaks to FIFPRO, the player body, about player welfare and mandates mandatory rest periods between games. But with the 2024/25 season getting extended due to the Club World Cup and the 2025/26 season having the FIFA World Cup, few players like Reece James and Ousmane Dembele have had little to no off-season for two years.
Combined with the intense heat in North America, Shearer felt this match was absolutely not needed. He even highlighted how difficult it would be for players to find motivation after losing in the semifinals.
“It’s absolute nonsense; the players should be on the way, if not home now or on a holiday, rather than hanging around for 3-4 days to play in a meaningless game which is only there to make more money; it’s ridiculous,” Shearer slammed the monetary reasons behind the third-place playoff.
The Bronze Final has almost been a regular occurrence at the World Cup since its introduction in 1934. Not many teams play their full-strength lineups in the game, as they feel a bronze medal will not add much value to their campaigns.
The game between the semifinals and the World Cup final usually sells tickets and brings greater revenue in adverts for FIFA, and that has been cited as a reason for the body not to do away with it.
However, a few players who chase records at the World Cup will never say no to an extra game to add to their tallies.
Ahead of the England-France Bronze Final, England coach Thomas Tuchel said no players from either France or England wanted to play this match, and it was just a matter of professional courtesy for them.
France’s Ibrahima Konate also accepted Tuchel’s choice and termed the game at the World Cup as the “Chocolate Medal” and claimed they didn’t need to play the game.
Before the World Cup final, the third-place playoff will kick off in Miami on July 18.
