The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Thursday, June 14

People of the world,

The World Cup is finally here! Let’s talk about it again.

Ramble of the Day

The Belgian team finally got to Russia yesterday. Take a look at a bunch of them getting off a plane.

You might be wondering why I am asking you to care. Well, they showed up in expensive and free tracksuits, which is obviously a very comfortable way to travel. I am not trying to judge people who travel comfortably, especially on planes. (Though they do travel in much more comfortable seats than most people, so plane attire is probably a little bit different.) However, when you compare the likes of Belgium, along with fellow sweatpants wearing team France, to almost all of the other teams competing in Russia, you’ll notice they did not get the memo.

Clearly, everyone else decided that arriving to the World Cup required being a bit dressier.

Japan went with a classic look here, going as standard as dressy can be. They may look like bankers heading to a conference, but it is a good jumping off point.

Panama did a better job of avoiding the banker look, and that is partly because they steered straight into politician territory. The most significant part of the outfit is the hat, which I am unsure totally works with the politician attire, but I do respect it.

No one, though, rocked the suits better than Iran, who went full model mode. I'm only guessing, but it seems like the strategy going into the World Cup was to make a grand arrival, even if the departure will lack the same glory.

Senegal opted for a different type of classic, but made some crucial updates. Here, the small pattern detail makes all of the difference, as do the choices of colors.

But, of course, there is no one that does the fashion side of the World Cup quite like Nigeria has this time around. Like Senegal, they’ve incorporated pattern, though this one is bolder. The shade of green plays very well against the crisp white backdrop. I would quibble with the hat choice, as I think that the shape could use a little adjustment, but I am just nitpicking. What a stylish national team.

See why I am giving the sweats-clad teams such a hard time now?

tl;dr: Coming to the World Cup in style — or sweats.

Links of the Day

Fernando Hierro will coach Spain at the World Cup following the firing of Julen Lopetegui.

AC Milan will compete in the women’s Serie A next season, but at the expense of two-time champion ACF Brescia.

Paris Saint-Germain has been cleared of breaking Financial Fair Play rules.

The World Cup will come to Canada, the United States, and Mexico in 2026.

Getty Images has compiled the most iconic photos in World Cup history.

Mini transfer roundup: Wolverhampton Wanderers have signed Raúl Jiménez from Benfica on a season-long loan; Greg Cunningham has joined Cardiff City from Preston North End

Today’s longer read: Jack Pitt-Brooke on Russia’s financial investment in football and how it has not resulted in a successful national team for The Independent