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Donald Trump experienced the agony and the ecstasy of football on Sunday as he was booed at the final of the FIFA Club World Cup — even as he joined in some high-spirited celebrations with champions Chelsea.

The US president was front and centre as the winners took to the stage, grinning broadly in his red tie and clapping and jumping with the players as the jubilant Blues lifted the gleaming trophy, which he had presented to captain Reece James.

But moments earlier, loud booing could be heard among cheers and applause as Trump walked onto the pitch for the presentation with FIFA president Gianni Infantino — before the music in the stadium was turned up.

READ ALSO: Club World Cup Final Scuffle ‘Should Have Been Avoided’ — Luis Enrique

Earlier, the Republican billionaire was also applauded as he and First Lady Melania Trump arrived for the match at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey, just outside New York City.

But when a jumbotron screen briefly showed Trump saluting to the US national anthem, yet more boos could be heard in the giant stadium, before the camera quickly cut away.

The scorn did little to dampen the president’s spirits as he handed out trophies to the star players including the Golden Ball for best player to Cole Palmer, followed by handshakes and medals to the defeated Paris Saint-Germain.

He later called the crowd “tremendous.”

“We had a great time,” he told reporters as he landed at Joint Base Andrews outside the US capital Washington after the match.

The Republican’s appearance at the game also came on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt that he survived at an election rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump has made no secret of his desire to use this year’s club championship and next year’s 2026 World Cup as symbols of the “Golden Age of America” during his second term in the White House.

Next year’s World Cup, the final of which will be held at the same stadium, will coincide with the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.

Trump has even set up a White House task force to ensure next year’s championship — hosted jointly with Canada and Mexico — goes smoothly.

‘He loves it’

Trump has fostered a close relationship with Infantino, who has been a frequent visitor to the White House.

The president has kept the Club World Cup trophy next to his desk in the Oval Office since the FIFA president dropped by in March.

Infantino, who is no stranger to dealing with hard-nosed world leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin ahead of the 2018 World Cup, thanked Trump for his support on Saturday.

He said Trump had “embraced immediately the importance of the FIFA Club World Cup, and of course of the World Cup next year.”

Infantino also joked that Trump “certainly loves as well the trophy” — whose gold-plated curves match the gilded makeover that the president has given the Oval Office.

But Trump’s fondness of football, or soccer as he would say, is also personal.

The president’s 19-year-old son Barron is a fan, as Infantino pointed out in a press conference at FIFA’s new office in Trump Tower in New York on Saturday.

Asked if Trump liked the game, Infantino replied: “Well I think he does. In his first term as president of the United States, there was a soccer goal in the garden of the White House.

“He then explained to me that his son loved football, and that he loved the game. And of course when you are a parent, you love what your children love, so I think that he loves it.”

As a boarding school student at the New York Military Academy, Trump himself also reportedly played the game for a season.

‘Go home’

But in typical form, Trump has also mixed political controversy with his football fandom.

Hosting Italian side Juventus in the Oval Office in June, he delivered a diatribe on transgender people in sports before asking the players: “Could a woman make your team, fellas?”

Most of the players looked bemused before Juventus general manager Damien Comolli replied: “We have a very good women’s team.”

“He’s being very diplomatic,” said Trump.

Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown — part of his “America First” policy — has meanwhile sparked fears that football fans will be discouraged from coming to the United States for the 2026 World Cup.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said he was “just trying to separate the players” after being caught up in a scuffle on the pitch at the end of his team’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.

Television footage showed the PSG boss raising his arm to the neck of Joao Pedro, who had earlier scored Chelsea’s third goal following a Cole Palmer brace at the MetLife Stadium.

“There was pushing and shoving, a lot of tension and pressure. The situation obviously should have been avoided,” Luis Enrique told reporters.

“My intention was clearly to just try to separate the players.”

READ ALSO: Rampant Chelsea Thrash PSG To Clinch Club World Cup Title

He admitted that Chelsea were deserved winners as he urged his team to enjoy a short summer break at the end of a remarkable campaign.

Defeat for PSG denied them what would have been a stunning clean sweep of trophies as they failed to add the Club World Cup to the UEFA Champions League and French league and cup double they claimed in May.

“I think over the course of the game they deserved their win. They played very well,” Luis Enrique said.

“I said beforehand that Chelsea were a very good team and they deserve their victory and the trophy.”

A historic season for PSG ends after 11 months and 65 matches, and they now have exactly one month before returning to action in August — there will be another trophy on the line in their next game, against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup.

“I think is important for us to enjoy our holidays. They will be very short. But we need to make the most of them,” he said.

PSG’s victory in this year’s Champions League also means they will have another crack at winning the Club World Cup when they participate in the next edition, which is due to take place in 2029.

“I think this tournament was born out of the need to know who the best team in the world is. I think it is an interesting format and I think it could become a real top-level competition,” said the Spaniard.

Jannik Sinner downed Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title, gaining sweet revenge for his painful defeat in the French Open final.

The world number one is the first Italian to win at the All England Club and now has four Grand Slams to his name at the age of 23.

The tennis world has been captivated by the emergence of the new rivalry to follow the storied “Big Three” era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Sinner and two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz have now shared the past seven Grand Slam titles between them, with the Italian winning four of those.

Defeat in Paris last month was a bitter blow for Sinner, who led by two sets and squandered three match points in the final.

Prior to Sunday’s victory, he had lost five consecutive times against Alcaraz, including the final of the Italian Open in the first tournament he played after returning from a three-month doping ban.

But this time he turned the tables in impressive fashion.

Both players were solid on serve until the fifth game, when Alcaraz sprayed a forehand long to hand Sinner the first break of the match.

But the Spaniard leveled at 4-4 to the delight of the Centre Court crowd, which included Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Sinner double-faulted to hand Alcaraz a second set point.

READ ALSO: Tennis World Number One Sinner Accepts 3-Month Doping Ban

The Italian laced a searing forehand down the line, but Alcaraz produced a magical backhand winner, pointing his finger to his ear as the crowd rose to their feet.

Momentum Shift

Sinner, still wearing a protective white sleeve after his nasty fall in his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, broke in the first game of the second set and led 3-1 after play was briefly halted by a flying cork.

Sinner shook his racquet after winning the first point as he served for the set and was rewarded with cheers before leveling the match with a whipped forehand.

The third set was a tense affair that went with serve until the ninth game, when Sinner broke as Alcaraz slipped over on the baseline, and he went 2-1 up.

The momentum was now all with Sinner and he broke again in the third game of the fourth set to take the match by the scruff of the neck.

The chance was always there that Alcaraz would produce the magic he found at Roland Garros, but Sinner stayed ice-cool.

The Spaniard had two break points to hit back in the eighth game, but Sinner shut the door impressively.

Sinner stepped up to serve for the championship amid a cacophony of noise, staying focused to seal the deal on his second championship point.

The Italian cruised through the first three rounds at Wimbledon, losing just 17 games—equaling an Open Era record set in 1972.

But he got lucky in the fourth round against inspired Bulgarian 19th seed Dimitrov, who was leading by two sets when he suffered an injury that forced him to quit.

Sinner got back into the groove against 10th seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals before demolishing seven-time champion Djokovic in the last four.

Alcaraz had been aiming to become just the fifth man in the Open era to win three consecutive Wimbledons after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Federer, and Djokovic.

Donald Trump will on Sunday showcase his unexpected attachment to a sport in which “America First” remains a dream, for now.

The US president is attending the final of the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup in his latest use of the beautiful game as a soft power political weapon.

His appearance at the MetLife stadium in New Jersey, where Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea, is very much a trial run for the World Cup final, which will take place in the same stadium next year.

Trump has made it clear he sees both tournaments, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as showpieces for what he calls the “Golden Age of America” during his second term.

The billionaire Republican’s close friendship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, a frequent visitor to the White House, is also a factor in his appearance.

Trump has kept the Club World Cup trophy next to his desk in the Oval Office since Infantino dropped by in March.

But Trump’s embrace of football, or soccer as he would say, is also personal.

The president’s 19-year-old son Barron is a fan, as Infantino pointed out in a press conference at FIFA’s new office in Trump Tower in New York on Saturday.

Asked if Trump liked the game, Infantino replied: “Well I think he does. In his first term as president of the United States there was a soccer goal in the garden of the White House.

“He then explained to me that his son loved football and that he loved the game. And of course, when you are a parent, you love what your children love, so I think that he loves it.”

As a student at the New York Military Academy, Trump himself also reportedly played the game for a season.

READ ALSO: [MATCH PREVIEW] PSG, Chelsea Set For Club World Cup Final Showdown

‘Go home’ 

Trump’s apparent fondness for football may seem unusual for a country where, despite growing popularity, the sport still lags behind American football, basketball, and baseball.

The former reality TV star has, however, always had an eye for popularity, powe,r and influence. And football in its own way brings all three.

Trump pointed out when Infantino visited the White House in March that the United States won the right to host the 2026 World Cup in 2018, during his first term as president.

He said he was “so sad” because he assumed he would not be president when the tournament came around — but his 2020 election loss meant that he would after all.

The FIFA Club World Cup has meanwhile proved more successful than its critics predicted, with around 2.5 million people attending games across the country and some gripping games.

Infantino, who is no stranger to dealing with hard-nosed leaders around the world, thanked Trump for his support on Saturday.

He said Trump “embraced immediately the importance of the FIFA Club World Cup, and of course of the World Cup next year.”

Infantino also joked that Trump “certainly loves as well the trophy” — whose gold-plated curves match the gilded makeover that the president has given the Oval Office.

But in typical form, Trump has also mixed political controversy with his football fandom.

Hosting Italian side Juventus in the Oval Office in June, he delivered a diatribe on transgender people in sports before asking the players: “Could a woman make your team, fellas?”

Most of the players looked bemused before Juventus general manager Damien Comolli replied: “We have a very good women’s team.”

“He’s being very diplomatic,” said Trump.

Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown — part of his “America First” policy — has meanwhile sparked fears that football fans will be discouraged from coming to the United States.

In May, Vice President JD Vance said that 2026 World Cup fans were “welcome to come… but when the time is up, they will have to go home.”

Diogo Jota was hailed “a champion” on Sunday by Liverpool manager Arne Slot as the Reds returned to the field for the first time since the Portuguese’s death in a pre-season friendly at Preston.

Father of three Jota, who married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso 11 days before the accident, died alongside his brother Andre Silva on July 3 after their car came off the road and burst into flames in northern Spain.

A rendition of Liverpool’s anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was played before kick-off at Deepdale and Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the away supporters.

A minute’s silence was then observed and both teams wore black armbands.

READ ALSO: Liverpool To Retire Diogo Jota’s Number 20 Shirt

“I think what I take comfort in is that in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything,” Slot said in an interview ahead of the match.

“A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married.

“A champion for his country because he won the Nations League with a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations.

“And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League.”

Mohamed Salah was among the Liverpool starting line-up and captain for the day as other first-team stars such as Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson were left out of the playing squad but were still in attendance.

Multiple renditions of Jota’s song, proclaiming him to be better than Portugal legend Figo, were belted out by the Liverpool supporters before a ball was even kicked.

In the crowd, flags emblazoned with “forever our number 20” paid tribute to the man from just outside Porto, who died at just 28.

Liverpool announced on Friday that the club will retire Jota’s number 20 in his memory.

Earlier this week Slot and his wife joined several players in attending the tributes that have appeared to Jota and his brother outside Anfield.

“We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go,” added Slot.

“Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened. It’s very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate.

“I’ve said to them (the players), maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was.

“And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself.

“It didn’t matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well.”

The curtain comes down on the first edition of FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup when reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea in Sunday’s final at the MetLife Stadium, with Donald Trump among those set to be in attendance.

It is the kind of glamour match-up that FIFA president Gianni Infantino would have been hoping for to wrap up the tournament, which on Saturday he labelled as marking the start of “the golden era of club football”.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca acknowledged ahead of the game that PSG are “probably in this moment the best team in the world”, and the French side are hoping to cap off the most remarkable of seasons by completing a stunning clean sweep of trophies.

PSG won a French league and cup double before claiming the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history with a record-breaking 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the final at the end of May.

Luis Enrique’s side have carried that form over into the Club World Cup, putting four goals past Atletico Madrid in the group stage and four more past Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami before defeating Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

They then produced a masterclass in a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

“It has been a fantastic season and for us it is very important that we end it in the best possible manner,” Luis Enrique said as he spoke to reporters on Friday.

It would be a shock if Chelsea claimed the trophy against a PSG side led by Ballon d’Or candidate Ousmane Dembele.

However, the Stamford Bridge side came to the United States fresh from finishing fourth in the Premier League and winning the UEFA Conference League.

“They are one of the hottest teams in the world at the moment, but this is the final, a one-off game,” said Chelsea’s Reece James.

“Everyone has them down as strong favourites, but I have been in many finals before where we have been favourites and we have not come out on top.

“That doesn’t mean too much to me, and I don’t really care that everyone is bigging up the opposition.”

Chelsea were hoping that midfield lynchpin Moises Caicedo would recover in time from a twisted ankle picked up in the semi-final victory over Fluminense on Tuesday.

READ ALSO: Liverpool To Retire Diogo Jota’s Number 20 Shirt

Heat and huge prize money 

The match will be played at the 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. The home of NFL sides the New York Giants and New York Jets will also be the venue for the 2026 World Cup final.

It goes ahead at 3:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) amid ongoing concerns about the impact of high temperatures during the tournament, with Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez warning on Friday that playing in the middle of the afternoon was “very dangerous”.

There are also concerns about the long-term impact on players of the match calendar – the final will be the 65th game for PSG since their season began last August, and the 64th for Chelsea.

However, the financial rewards for all teams involved in the Club World Cup are enormous, especially for the finalists.

Chelsea and PSG are assured to go home with over $100 million in prize money, with the definitive amount to become clear after the final – that money will be particularly welcome for Chelsea after they were recently fined by UEFA for breaching financial rules.

Infantino, meanwhile, was in a buoyant mood as he spoke to the media at Trump Tower in New York City on Saturday.

“We created something new, something which is here to stay, something which is changing the landscape of club football,” he said of the 32-team tournament, the next edition of which is set to take place in 2029.

“It is already the most successful club competition in the world.”