FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted a mistake may have been made in the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Qatar beat the likes of the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia to win the hosting rights in December 2010.
But ever since the Middle East country was given the event, doubts have raged over its viability to stage it in the traditional months of June and July.
These concerns are based on the oppressive weather in Qatar at that time of year, with average temperatures of above 40°C sure to make life difficult for players and fans.
A cornerstone of Qatar s successful bid was that all stadiums would be air-conditioned, but despite that, the tournament is almost certain to be moved to a different time of year.
When quizzed if FIFA s…
Cesc Fabregas – Barcelona bound?
We’ve all heard of these pre-contract agreements whereby everybody knows a transfer is going to take place at a certain time. The most famous case involved the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United to Real Madrid. When the move fell through in Summer 2008 it was a badly kept secret that a deal had been made for the transfer to go through in Summer 2009.
Planning
There have been other examples of this forward planning and agreement between players and clubs, but I have never before heard of a club agreeing not to try to buy a player in the future! That is exactly what the Arsenal chairman claimed yesterday speaking to ESPN Soccertnet.
He was talking about the possible transfer of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and c…
Two calamitous errors from Joe Hart proved costly as Torino and in-form Inter battled-out a thrilling 2-2 draw in Serie A.
In an enthralling contest at Olimpico Grande Torino, it was the visitors who took the lead 27 minutes in, Hart allowing Geoffrey Kondogbia s tame strike to squirm under his grasp.
Torino fought back through Daniele Baselli, and after a string of impressive stops from Samir Handanovic Stefano Pioli s side found themselves behind midway through the second half when Afriyie Acquah netted in terrific fashion.
However, Inter who recorded 5-1 and 7-1 wins in their previous two matches wasted no time in levelling proceedings, Hart again at fault as he flapped at a cross, enabling Antonio Candreva to steer home into an empty net.
Hart di…
France boss Didier Deschamps believes Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud still has a valuable role to play with the national team.
Giroud has served as France s main striker since Karim Benzema s exile began in late 2015 and he led the line as the hosts finished as runners-up at Euro 2016, scoring three times.
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old continues to divide opinion in his homeland and has been restricted to seven Premier League starts with Arsenal this season.
He has managed eight goals in England s top flight and, with Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe in Deschamps squad for the first time, Giroud offered a timely reminder of his talents with a brace in Saturday s 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over Luxembourg.
He can play tomorrow, like the other ones, Desch…
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed Jadon Sancho has a gentlemen s agreement over a possible transfer, but that is not the case for fellow star Erling Haaland.
Sancho was heavily linked with Premier League giants Manchester United at the start of the season, while English rivals Liverpool have now emerged as a possible suitor for the Dortmund attacker.
It comes as Europe s elite – including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona, United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain – reportedly queue up to sign Haaland, who has a release clause that is not valid until next year.
Zorc discussed the futures of Dortmund duo Sancho and in-demand forward Haaland.
8 – are the first team to go on to the final of the for the 8th conse…
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Having ended in places three and four in the 2019/20 English Championship final standings, Brentford and Fulham saw of Swansea City and Cardiff City, respectively, in the semifinals of the promotion play-offs, and they re now set to do battle in the final, seeking that last place which leads into the Premier League next season.
The two teams will face each other behind the closed doors of the Wembley Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Brentford
Brentford won 24 of their 46 league games of the season, more than West Bromwich Albion (22) who finished second, and it was the 13 defeats, compared to the Baggies mere seven, that saw miss out on that second place and direct promotion.
The play-offs didn t start too well for Thomas …
Spanish champions Barcelona posted a loss last season of around 77 million euros, its first deficit in seven years, instead of a profit as claimed by the previous board, the club said on Tuesday.
The previous board, led by former Barcelona president Joan Laporta, announced at the end of their mandate in late June that the Catalan side had made a profit of 11 million euros (14.2 million dollars) in the 2009-10 season.
But an external audit carried out by Deloitte for new Barcelona president Sandro Rossel who took over on July 1 determined that Barcelona are actually 77.1 million euros in the red.
The new audit puts Barcelona s total net debt at a record 442 million euros.
The figures presented by the former board don t reflect the real image, said Barcel…
(GSM) Ludovic Giuly has stated that he has no desire to leave PSG, despite speculation linking him with a move away from Parc des Princes.
The Ligue 1 giants are believed to be ready for a massive sell-off of their biggest earners, including Giuly.
The 34-year-old had penned a lucrative contract upon his arrival from Roma in 2008 with 12 months left to run on that deal.
Trimming him from the wage bill would help PSG to cut costs, but there has been no official word from the club that they are looking to sell.
Giuly is also adamant that he does not want to move on and is confident that he will remain in the French capital for some time yet.
I am very happy here, the former France international told L Equipe.
If I wasn t, I would have alr…
Saham reached the GCC Champions League final after a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout win at Al Shabab on Tuesday.
The Omani side – in the competition for the first time since 2011 – were pre-match favourites after winning the first leg 3-1.
But a 10-man Al Shabab claimed a 3-1 win of their own to force a shootout, only to run into the inspired Saham goalkeeper Sulaiman Al Bariki.
Al Bariki made two penalty saves in the shootout to give his side victory, meaning they will face either Al Nasr or Al Nahda in the final.
UAE Pro League side Al Shabab took just 35 minutes to level the aggregate score at 3-3 after strikes from Carlos Villanueva and Esam Dahi.
Saham responded through Mohsin Jahar on the stroke of half-time, but their lead was short-lived, as Dahi…
Liverpool remain in the dark over reports Luis Suarez has suffered a knee injury while on international duty with Uruguay.
Reports surfacing in the Uruguayan media on Thursday suggested that Suarez will require surgery on a problem picked up in training.
The 27-year-old is said to have damaged his meniscus and could be out for four to six weeks putting his FIFA World Cup participation in serious doubt.
However, when contacted by Perform, Liverpool revealed they have heard nothing from the Uruguayan Football Association about the injury, and are unlikely to have any input on any subsequent treatment Suarez requires.
Suarez s absence from the World Cup would represent a severe blow to Uruguay s hopes of emulating their superb performance at the tournament four yea…