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MALAYSIA SEEK WORLD CUP SOLUTION

Malaysia are looking for a solution to their World Cup 2022 qualification schedule due to the dreaded virus known as Covid-19. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has advised countries to negotiate with one another to reach an amicable agreement on the dates for the remaining World Cup 2022 qualifiers.


According to the general secretary of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)Stuart Ramalingam, the country wants to play the remaining three World Cup 2022 matches in the second round of theAFC qualifiers in June and at one venue. FAM officials are negotiating with their counterparts in Vietnam about the possibility of moving their qualifier from March to June as a result of Covid-19 since the AFC has given the go ahead for such to happen. Read more

AMIR SHEIKH AND INFANTINO DISCUSS 2022 WORLD CUP

 

With just a little over a year left until the next FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar, fans and lovers of football have been left drooling and can’t wait for the first official match of the tournament to hold. Some people have gone as far as setting reminders and marking their calendars even though it is still a lot of time before all the fun starts.


It has been a busy couple of months for host nation Qatar, as officials and organizers have been working tirelessly to provide the perfect atmosphere and create a great platform for not just the footballers and international stars, but also the fans and spectators that would be coming to experience the World Cup joy and adventure. Read more

Qatar Remains Safe for World Cup 2022, Says Organising Committee

 

Qatar World Cup does not have any security concerns and issues even as tensions in the Middle East have risen over the last few weeks. There has been a lot of military action over the last few weeks, as U.S.-led strikes have increased tension in the region. There is an increased risk of a direct war taking place between Iran and the United States for the first time. As a result, concerns have been raised about the upcoming World Cup 2022, which will be held in Qatar. However, World Cup organisers have reassured that Qatar remains as one of the safest regions in the region.


Interestingly, these statements come at a time when Qatar is still facing a lot of sanctions from the neighbouring countries over support to terrorism and related activities. Clubs have been trying to acclimatise to the surroundings with winter training camps and competitions. A lot of development has gone into the infrastructure and facilities to ensure that the competition is not affected by the intense heat that the region is known for. Qatar has been subject to intense scrutiny from neighbours like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt since 2017. The recent completion of the Club World Cup in a safe and a dignified manner showed that Qatar is capable of hosting the big events with little problem.
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OPINION: QATAR SHOULD GO ON TO HOST THE WORLD CUP 2022

Qatar has showed its readiness in hosting the world in 2022. They announced how much work had been done on the stadiums, the host cities and other preparations before the pandemic. Despite the fresh corruption claims against Qatar regarding the World Cup 2022, talks about the United States hosting is misplaced.


There is a worldwide pandemic that no one knows the extent of damage to the global economy, with the United States and Europe being some of the hardest hit nations. Mind you, these are the nations that can hastily put up an impressive showing if Qatar is stripped of the hosting right this late.
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STERLING UNDERWHELMING THIS SEASON?

Manchester City star Raheem Sterling had been underwhelming this term? Well many would agree, when compared to his stellar 2018/2019 season. Bringing in some facts, while the performances in both terms can seem wildly apart, Sterling’s individual contribution is 0.46 goals per 90 this season compared to 0.52 last season.


Looking at his stats for assists, he had a better 2019. This term it has dropped to 0.04 from 0.28 per 90. This might seem like a huge drop but then the assist metric also depends on if the other party converts the opportunity. For example, there were some games (like against Spurs) that his passes would have led to goals. So, assists should be tied to the team conversion rateespecially when the player keeps creating big chances. Sterling has the most touches in opposition penalty area with 7.6 per 90, showing how focused he is on being a threat.
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BOATENG CLASH WITH GORETZKA DURING TRAINING

Bayern Munich were treated to an odd morning on Wednesday when news broke that Leon Goretzka got punched by Jerome Boateng after the two got into a heated debate at the club’s training ground.


Goretzka has been having a fine season with the Bavarians so far while Boateng has been forced to watch from the sidelines.
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SOUTHGATE CAUTIONS ENGLAND AGAINST EXPECTATION

As the World Cup 2022 draws closer, with different continents using their intercontinental qualifies to distract themselves in the meanwhile, England head coach Gareth Southgate has come out to say the constant obsession of UK fans for the Three Lions to bring the trophy home is simply overbearing.


According to the former Tottenham Hotspur player, chants of “it’s coming home” come World Cup 2022 should be died down as much as possible citing that the Three Lions doing their best possible was what the nation could hope for.
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IRAN TO LET WOMEN WATCH 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Iran will allow women access to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in October according to reports from the country. There has been a blanket ban on women entering football stadiums in the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Football governing body FIFA has been trying to apply pressure on the country’s football association FFIRI to lift the ban. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had writing a letter to the FFIRI to seek a resolution towards the ban ahead of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
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After a Period of 4 Months, Marcello Lippi Makes a Comeback as China Manager

Marcello Lippi who bought the World Cup as the coach has now been reappointed as the head coach of the national football team of China, and this news was proclaimed by the ‘Football Association of China’ on the morning of Friday. The Italian Netizen who is now 71 year old, stepped down from his post following the exit of China from the quarter-final of Asian Cup which held in the month of January, has now returned to guide & nurture the team all through the qualifying round for the upcoming World Cup which is to be held in 2022.

China will be looking forward to fixing a spot at the World Cup for the maiden time since the year 2002 when they manage to make the one & till date only appearance at finals. Marcello who led his nation Italy to the World Cup in the year 2006, was earlier appointed to the post of coach in the month of November in 2016 but, after some bad fortunes, in the beginning, the former coach of Juventus wasn’t able to take China to the finals of the World Cup which was held in Russia in 2018.
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RUSSIA TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH QATAR

According to reports from the media Russia have offered to share Qatar information on its experience in hosting the World Cup. This was revealed in a joint press conference between the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Qatar Foreign Minister Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

Russia successfully hosted the 2018 World Cup in what was seen by foreign observers as a well-organized tournament. Pre-tournament fears were put to rest as the hosts ensured that security and total experience was put in place for thousands of travelling fans.  Qatar as the next host of the Tournament have been plagued with logistic issues as some of the Stadiums have not reached the level of completion expected.
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