England face France in their final game of the tournament (Picture: PA)
England will bring their World Cup campaign to an end against France in a third-place play-off in Miami.
Just three days on from their crushing semi-final defeat to Argentina, the Three Lions take to the field in a bronze final as they look to secure their best finish at a World Cup since 1966.
Thomas Tuchel is expected to rotate his side after a gruelling six-week campaign across North America, while France will look to give Didier Deschamps a fitting send-off in what his last match in charge of the national team.
Perhaps the only noteworthy storyline is that of Kylian Mbappe, who will look to edge ahead of Lionel Messi in the race to win the tournament’s Golden Boot.
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Thomas Tuchel has been told he ‘isn’t important’ in the grander scheme of the World Cup (Photo: Getty)
Davor Suker says Thomas Tuchel is ‘talking nonsense’ after the England manager claimed his team ‘don’t want to play’ the World Cup Bronze match against France.
England kick-off against France in Miami at 10pm UK time tonight, with a chance to record their best finish at the World Cup since winning it in 1966.
Understandably, the hype for the third-place play-off, which has been rebranded by FIFA as the Bronze match, is not high, with both the Three Lions and Les Bleus still reeling from losing their semi-finals against Argentina and Spain.
Some have called for the match to be axed, and it remains to be seen whether Tuchel will names as strong a side as possible or rotate his squad.
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Ahead of the match, the German claimed that neither nation were looking forward to it, saying: ‘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.’
While he has backtracked somewhat since that press conference, expressing a desire to end the tournament on a high, his comments have irked Croatia legend Suker.
Davor Suker (centre) finished third at the 1998 World Cup and won the Golden Boot (Photo: Getty)
Suker has told Tuchel to ‘be quiet’ over downplaying the Bronze match (Photo: Getty)
The former Real Madrid and Arsenal striker fired his country to third-place back at the 1998 World Cup, scoring the winning goal in the play-off which also secured him the Golden Boot ahead of Ronaldo.
Asked about Tuchel’s comments, Suker replied, as quoted by Goal.com: ‘I think the rich don’t want to play when they lose.
‘Some have so many trophies and are so rich that this match means nothing to them.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane could win the Golden Boot if they score several times against France tonight (Photo: Getty)
‘My message to them is to be quiet, to respect all 211 participants, and to understand that the world doesn’t belong only to them. The world also belongs to the medium-sized nations, the small ones, and those who simply enjoy football.’
England stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham find themselves in a similar position to Suker, where a few goals in the Bronze match could earn them the Golden Boot.
Both are two goals behind their rival tonight Kylian Mbappe, who in turn trails Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s tally of eight goals and four assists, with the final still to play.
‘This match can be very important,’ Suker continued. ‘After 1998 and the game against the Netherlands, we fought for third place, and today I can speak about it with pride.’
‘Whoever wins third place, I assure you that in 20 years, when they are older, they will certainly remember that bronze medal.
‘That’s why, in this whole story, coach Tuchel isn’t important. He’s talking nonsense.’
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'I am deeply heartbroken to see that the man who taught me the value of hard work, family values, and education will no longer spend an evening on his porch.'
Campaigners have called for rent controls to lower the cost of living (Picture: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
For a brief period at the end of April this year, speculation was bubbling that Chancellor Rachel Reeves might announce a rent freeze to help with the cost of living.
The suggestion was quickly and comprehensively hosed down by Downing Street, who said that is ‘not the approach we will be taking’.
Speaking to Metro at the time, Housing Secretary Steve Reed went further, suggesting he didn’t think ‘anyone sensible’ would want to see controls on rent introduced anywhere in the country.
‘I can see why it sounds attractive, but you’ve got to look at what happens in practice, and it did the opposite of what people thought it would do so that isn’t the right way to go,’ he said.
Just over four months later, the picture is looking very different.
Sir Keir Starmer has resigned as Prime Minister, and the man almost certain to replace him has made no secret of his interest in rent controls.
As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham called on the government to freeze private sector rents in a 2023 letter to then-Housing Secretary Michael Gove.
The move would ‘immediately relieve pressure on millions of people and halt an eviction crisis that would have a devastating social impact’, the letter – also signed by the mayors of Liverpool and London – argued.
And while not explicitly pledging to introduce controls, Burnham lamented that the government is ‘forced to chase rents in the private-rented sector through the benefits system’ in his speech at the People’s History Museum in Manchester last week.
He also said he believed ‘public intervention where necessary’ could ‘kickstart the process of change’.
Andy Burnham speaking about his plans for government last week (Picture: Reuters)
Burnham’s words have energised campaigners for rent controls, including the Renters’ Reform Coalition which was at the forefront of the push for measures later passed in the Renters’ Rights Act.
Director Clara Collingwood said rising rental costs ‘drain spending out of our high streets and local businesses to sit in landlords’ bank accounts’.
She told Metro: ‘Any attempt to improve living standards that doesn’t tackle this head on is like trying to fill a leaking bucket.
‘The government must introduce a cap on rents to give people security in our homes and support happier, more stable communities.’
A spokesperson for London Mayor Sadiq Khan, also a long-term advocate for rent controls, pointed towards the 6,000 rent control homes for key workers that are planned for the capital.
Keir Starmer’s government brought in the Renters’ Rights Act (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He added: ‘The next step is for ministers to devolve the power to cap rents so we can tackle the capital’s problems of both affordability and supply.
‘And the evidence is clear – Londoners would overwhelmingly back new plans to put a cap on rent increases in the capital.’
Burnham, who could become PM as soon as July 20, has put devolution at the heart of his plans for government – meaning he may prefer to give local mayors the power to cap rents rather than impose it from No 10.
However, not everyone is keen for him to make the move.
Chris Norris of the National Residential Landlords Association said the ‘fastest way to cripple investment and deepen the UK’s ongoing supply crisis would be to introduce rent controls in any form’.
He added: ‘Wherever these measures have been introduced the consequences have been the same: reduced investment in rental properties, less choice, and worse outcomes for tenants.
‘The most effective way to address the chronic shortage of available rented accommodation is for the Treasury to put effective, impactful pro-growth policies in place which encourage landlords to stay in the market to let the rental properties so many tenants need.’
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In his interview with Metro from April, Reed argued that rent controls introduced by the SNP and Greens in Scotland led to a ‘massive increase in rents’ each time tenants moved out, as well as a reduction in available homes.
He said: ‘We’ve got a housing crisis, we’ve got a cost of living crisis – the last thing we want is rents going up and fewer homes becoming available for people to live in.’
Some campaigners call for a cap on rent rises between tenancies, similar to the rule in the Renters’ Rights Act preventing hikes in rent for sitting tenants, to avoid that scenario.
A spokesperson for Andy Burnham said: ‘Andy has been clear that Britain needs a fundamental shift of power out of Westminster and into its regions and nations, giving local leaders the tools they need to grow their economies, improve public services and tackle the pressures facing their communities.
‘He believes London should have a new devolution settlement, alongside stronger powers for every part of the country.
‘The detail of any new powers will be worked through and Andy will not be setting out specific proposals at this stage.’
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