Alan Shearer slams ‘pathetic’ FIFA decision over England vs France Bronze match

Alan Shearer has blasted FIFA over their decision to hold a ‘pathetic’ World Cup Bronze match ahead of England vs France on Saturday night.

Before all eyes turn to New Jersey for the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, the losing semi-finalists will battle it out for third-place in Miami.

Kick-off is at 10pm UK time but, unsurprisingly, there is little hype for the game, with both the Three Lions and Les Bleus still reeling from missing out on the final.

While the third-place play-off, which has been rebranded as the Bronze match for this summer, has been a feature of the World Cup since 1934, there have been increasing calls for it to be axed.

Former England captain Shearer believes the upcoming game will only do further damage to players’ fitness and is nothing more than a money making scheme by FIFA.

‘Nonsense, rubbish, pathetic,’ the former striker said on the Rest is Football when asked for his thoughts on the Bronze match.

‘FIFA are going on about player welfare, hydration breaks and all that. Do you think player welfare is taken into account when both teams have lost and within three or four days they’re being asked to play a meaningless third and fourth-place play-off?

‘Not only that, in Miami, in the heat. So talk to me about player welfare, where is it there?

‘What is it played for? It’s only played for one reason: to make more money. So, it’s pathetic.

‘You’ve heard the managers, what they feel, and I’m pretty sure if you speak to any of the players, they’d rather be home now and getting over the disappointment and trying to get a holiday.’

The game will prove important in the race for the coveted Golden Boot, with France captain Kylian Mbappe (eight goals and three assists) trailing Lionel Messi (eight goals and four assists) who will lead Argentina out in the final.

England’s talismen Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are also in contention for the prize with six goals each.

‘From personal experience, it’s better than going out in the group stage but it’s not the game you want to play,’ England legend Gary Lineker, who lost the 1990 World Cup third-place to Italy, added.

‘When you go onto the pitch your competitive edge kicks in and you want to win the game anyway. The performance is probably important for Thomas Tuchel.’

After a barrage of criticism over his defensive tactics in the semi-final defeat to Argentina, Tuchel is reportedly determined to beat France and achieve England’s best result at the World Cup since triumphing in 1966.

But even the German manager admitted it was hard to raise morale for the game, saying pre-match: ‘None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,

‘They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but that’s how it is.’

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