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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

When Turkey changed to Türkiye in 2022, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced it was because the new name was “the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilisation, and values.” The rebrand, though, also had a less lofty reason. “The association with the bird genuinely annoys Erdoğan and the people around him,” explained Selim Koru of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, while even state broadcaster TRT conceded that the loose-necked Christmas bird was at least a factor in the revamp.

And although getting names right is important – just ask the good folk at Starbucks – some things never change. Save for the 2002 tournament in which the country finished a remarkable third, Turkey/Türkiye have an absolutely dreadful record when it comes to the World Cup – with 2026 being just their third appearance at a finals – and now they are out again after two miserable defeats to the flamin’ Socceroos and Paraguay. The latter was made all the more painful by the fact that the South American side played for more than a half with 10 men, after former Newcastle scuttler Miguel Almirón became the first player to be shown a red card for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent. “We should have won these games … everybody’s sad, everybody’s crying,” sobbed umlaut enthusiast/Turkish wonderkid Arda Güler, who alongside Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz, it had been hoped might inspire his nation to come good on their “dark horses” tag. “We tried very hard ‌but it didn’t work. But we should have scored some goals.”

Paraguay’s Matías Galarza struck the GWC’s fastest goal with a stunning ping after just 65 seconds, before Turkey/Türkiye laid siege to their opponents. But La Albirroja survived despite enduring more shots than a busy vaccination centre. In all there were 32 Turkish attempts on Paraguay’s goal, adding to their 30 fruitless shots against Australia in their opening match – the 62 shots combined are the most without a goal in any two-match span in the World Cup on record. “Somehow the ball didn’t go in,” ⁠wailed Vincenzo Montella, Turkey/Türkiye’s Italian manager. “It’s really shocking to say goodbye ‌to the [Geopolitics] World Cup ‌after only two matches. Perhaps, even unconsciously, the pressure of playing in a major tournament after such a long absence affected us.”

The fallout to elimination is yet to be established. Heads will surely roll, but does the rebrand now need a rebrand? Not everyone can enjoy the same generational reboot as Football Daily. But then our name isn’t also a domesticated flightless bird as well as being a Cambridge English Dictionary’s definition of both “something that fails badly” and a “silly person”. Hard luck, Turkey/Türkiye. See you again in four years. Maybe.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

John Brewin blasts off our minute-by-minute coverage with the Netherlands 2-2 Sweden at 6pm BST (1pm EDT) before Will Unwin relishes the thrills of Germany 1-0 Côte d’Ivoire from 11pm (6pm EDT). Alexander Abnos will then deliver updates from Ecuador 3-0 Curaçao (8pm EDT, Sun 1am BST) before Jonathan Howcroft is your party host for Tunisia 1-3 Japan (midnight EDT, Sun 5am BST).

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I am deeply ashamed ⁠to have been the vehicle for this pain. I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast as verified ​by the production team of the show, and I trusted ‌it. Even so, I take responsibility for ‌being part of the mistake, and that’s why I decided to step aside and end my participation. I apologise again ‌from the heart; I was wrong” – Argentinian host Florencia Peña resigns and issues an apology, blaming the crew for feeding incorrect ⁠information via her earpiece, after announcing on air that Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge, had died and that the player would not play any further matches at the tournament.

RECOMMENDED BOOKMARKING

If our shiny GWC Golden Boot page wasn’t enough for you, we’ve now only gone and built an all-time World Cup top goalscorers page too.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

When did it become a thing for the refereeing team to have their names on the backs of their shirts? I’m amazed that Fifa isn’t looking to cash in by selling replicas” – Phil Taverner.

Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. Please, up your game! Australian rules football and American football do not play with anything egg-shaped. It’s a prolate spheroid. How different the game would be (could it even exist?) if it were” – Kate Clements.

Re: Trevor Wastell and US commentary (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). I am lucky to speak Spanish but, even if I did not, anyone who would watch football in the USA USA USA (or anywhere else) in any other language is off their rocker. Also, one needs only the barest anglicised Spanglish to get the gist. Luckily for United Statesians, Peacock TV are showing my home nation’s characteristic enthusiasm for multilingual audiences, with the basic subscription having thrown in streaming of every GWC partido en Español, much like they would reruns of ‘Betty la Fea’ or ‘María la del Barrio’. I almost hear NBC suits saying: ‘Who would be watching this? I can’t even understand it!’ Highly recommended” – Thad Brown.

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Thad Brown. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here. 

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

It’s day nine in the Big Brother Football Weekly house – Join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and the rest of the pod squad for their latest offering from LA.

RECOMMENDED WATCHING

Soccer and fandom. Jack Snape checks out the flamin’ experiences for supporters on different sides of the Pacific.

ZLAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT

Zlatan Ibrahimovic loves to make headlines with his boasts, bragging and big talk. “Lions don’t compare themselves to humans”. “I won’t be the King of Manchester, I will be the God of Manchester.” “Ask the goal how it felt to be scored by me”. But at least when he was playing, he was tooting his own horn. But over at the GWC, the big man has been loading up expectations on USA USA USA by claiming the impressive co-hosts can go on to win the whole thing. Yikes! It put Mauricio Pochettino’s players in the unenviable position of having to whoop along with the Swede while still hyped from their dominant 2-0 win over the flamin’ Socceroos. “I don’t think it’s ridiculous – we want to lift a trophy by the end of this,” yelped Chris Richards. “That’s our mindset,” whooped Auston Trusty. “I don’t think you enter this tournament not to have that mindset. To have [Ibrahimovic] say that about us, that’s amazing. But I’m sure he knows as well, it’s game-by-game.” With the free-scoring USA USA USA safely in the knockout round – with huge home backing, a good coach and a young, motivated, talented team – does Football Daily also sense they could go on to be victorious at the party they are co-hosting? Behave.

NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

Steve Clarke had that rueful look on his face as he bemoaned Scotland not being awarded at least one penalty during their 1-0 defeat by Morocco. “Morocco have got away with one there,” sighed Clarke. “But we need to be better and create chances from open play, not rely on referee’s decisions.”

Matheus Cunha’s double helped to inject some much-needed joga bonito into Brazil as they sent Haiti home with a 3-0 win. “It was a complete match, much better in the first half,” soothed Carlo Ancelotti. “In the second half we had more control, but we created plenty of chances and could have scored more goals.”

Iran plan to lodge a complaint with Fifa over GWC travel restrictions facing their team in the USA USA USA. “These restrictions are inconsistent with ⁠the principles of providing equal conditions for participating teams,” said Iran’s football federation.

Hervé Renard has played down expectations that he will easily revive Tunisia’s fortunes with his international football management sorcery when he takes the reins against Japan. “It is easy to talk. I heard that I’ve been named a wizard. I am no wizard,” he blathered. “In football, there is a lot of work done.”

Netherlands midfield metronome Frenkie de Jong is a doubt for the match against Sweden later, with Ronald Koeman getting fresh and funky when pushed on the nature of his knack. “Quinten [Timber] tripped and this caused an injury for Frenkie,” he barked. “I have already explained quite a lot about [it] … below his abdomen.”

And Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece has poured a glass of cold water on those hoping for a cricket score against Curaçao. “First, we’re not ⁠Germany,” he yelped. “Second, as we’ve done over these years, we always have respect ​for the opponent – matches are played on ‌the pitch.”

STILL WANT MORE?

“I don’t like the World Cup hydration breaks but trust me – they help the coaches.” Emma Hayes is here with her latest column.

Spain’s David Raya gets his chat on with Sid Lowe.

Spaceship stadiums and Ronaldo-mania: Big Website writers’ first impressions of the GWC.

It’s Cold War Steve on … the arrival of the GWC superheroes.

“That penalty changed my life”: Antonín Panenka talks of his pride 50 years on from his special spot-kick.

And here’s Paul MacInnes on how defeat by Morocco offers new US friends a quick lesson and tour of the Scottish psyche.

BEYOND THE GWC

Gary O’Neil is heading back to the Premier League as head coach of Ipswich, with the 43-year-old expected to bid au revoir to Strasbourg.

Enzo Maresca is just a financial settlement away from succeeding Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Arsenal have had an opening offer for 16-year-old forward Jeremy Monga turned down by Leicester. But they’ll be back …

And former Chelsea and Newcastle striker Demba Ba has been appointed as sporting director of Le Havre.

MEMORY LANE

Italia 90. West Germany had beaten England on penalties in the semi-finals and it would take a spot-kick from Andreas Brehme (left) to settle the final against Argentina at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. It was an infamously forgettable, bad-tempered game in which Gustavo Dezotti and Pedro Monzón became the first players sent off in a final. Edgardo Codesal, a Uruguayan-born Mexican referee, brandished the cards. There was some spectacularly acrobatic diving by Jürgen Klinsmann, too, but few could argue that it was West Germany who deserved to take the trophy – four years after losing the final 3-2 to Diego Maradona and co.

AMEN, THAD, AMEN