The 2022 FIFA World Cup has been the subject of controversy from the moment that Qatar was announced as the host nation.
Concerns over the Arab state s human rights record have led to questions over its suitability to stage the showpiece event, while FIFA are also giving strong consideration to rescheduling the tournament from its traditional June-July time slot, owing to Qatar s searing summer heat.
Here we take a look at the timeline of events that have made the 22nd edition of the world-famous competition arguably the most controversial, and it is still eight years away
March 2009: Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, son of the Emir of Qatar, announces that he will lead Qatar s bid committee for the 2022 World Cup.
September 2010: A FIFA inspectio…
Oliver Glasner has been appointed manager of Crystal Palace.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach succeeds Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.
Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the 49-year-old.
Who is Oliver Glasner?
Welcome to Palace, Oliver Glasner
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC)
Glasner was born in 1974 in Austria. He spent his entire playing career, between 1992 and 2011, in his homeland. Aside from a loan spell with Linz-based LASK, the defender was a one-club man, playing 571 times for SV Ried. Glasner twice won the Austrian Cup with Ried and in 1995 helped the club reach the Austrian Bundesliga for the first time. His playing career ended just days short of his 37th birthday after he suffered a subdural haematoma following a…
Erik ten Hag has claimed Manchester United s new part-owner Jim Ratcliffe has told him he wants the Dutchman to stay at Old Trafford.
Reports on Friday suggested Ratcliffe, who now runs the footballing operations at United following INEOS 27.7 per cent purchase of the club, had decided to sack Ten Hag regardless of the result of Saturday s FA Cup final, with the Red Devils taking on Manchester City.
United finished eighth, their worst-ever Premier League finish, this season, with Ten Hag under increasing scrutiny.
However, while hitting out at his critics in an interview with Dutch publication Voetbal International, Ten Hag claimed to have the backing of INEOS.
INEOS told me that they want to change everything and that they want to rebuild with me, he sa…
South American football enthusiasts and Liga MX fans are fully aware of who Angel Mena is. However, the Leon winger has now gained the right to be considered as one of the best players not only in Mexico or the CONCACAF region, but in Latin America as a whole. His current is the best example of just how impressive he’s been playing.
Mena, 31, has either scored or assisted in his last nine Liga MX matches. The stats over that span certainly add context to the story, but also explain just how dominant the Ecuador international has been. Through those nine starts, Mena has 11 goals and eight assists. But he’s also added 25 shots (18 on target) while creating 23 scoring chances. If that’s not a dominant stretch then I don’t know how we could call it.
Reaching his prime…
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he will resign at the culmination of his next term at the helm, should he be re-elected in June.
The 75-year-old Swiss administrator is being challenged for world football s presidency by Mohamed bin Hamman, but should he be chosen to stay in the job for another four years when the FIFA delegates vote in Zurich later this year, Blatter has confirmed it would be his final stint in charge. You know very well that I will aspire to another four years, those will be the last four years I aspire to, Blatter said.Blatter is in his 13th year in charge at FIFA, and has worked at the football institution since 1975.Blatter s presidency came under scrutiny earlier this year when he made inappropriate jokes about homosexuality after FIFA awarded the 2022 Wo…
So that s it. But before I take a break and at least try to realise what happened over the last 17 years, I don t want to miss the opportunity to say thank you to everyone for accepting me as how and who I am, Kroos wrote on social media.
Thanks to all my fans around the world for your unconditional support. Thanks to all my clubs and coaches for believing in me. Thanks to all my team-mates for making me feel welcome anytime.
Thanks to my friends for always being honest with me no matter how successful I became. Thanks to my agents who became friends. Thanks to my parents for the best possible preparation to realise my dream.
Thanks to my brother for always being my number one fan. Thanks to my kids for being my biggest motivation to bring the best out of me…
Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette will miss Sunday s visit to Paris Saint-Germain after being ruled out for the rest of 2015.
The France international sustained a hamstring injury while scoring Lyon s second goal in their 2-0 Champions League win at Valencia on Wednesday.
Lacazette scored 31 goals in all competitions for Lyon last season and is their top scorer again this campaign, finding the net eight times.
But coach Hubert Fournier confirmed on Friday Lyon will be without their talisman for this weekend s trip to the capital to take on defending champions and league leaders PSG.
He will also be unavailable for next Wednesday s Coupe de la Ligue match with Tours, which will serve as their last game at the Gerland before Lyon move to the newly-built�…
As we approach the end of the year it is worth putting together a team of 2008. It is a very subjective choice and I would be surprised if any of us totally agreed on the best eleven players to put in the SoccerNews representative side, but I’ll have a go at making the selection and you can all shoot me down in flames and tell me why I have got it so horribly wrong!
In goal
In goal, there are a few decent candidates. Chelsea’s Petr Cech was really good but won nothing and made a mistake that cost his country dearly at Euro 2008. Without him, we need to look at keepers that won things.
Pepe Reine won the Golden Gloves award, but remained as second choice behind Casillas for Spain. Van Der Sar wan the Premier League and the Champi…
It’s been nothing but coal in the stocking for the Cleveland Browns. After losing on Monday with a ridiculously depleted roster mostly comprised of practice-squad players, they now travel to Lambeau (on a short week) to face the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day.
The Packers, who have the league’s best record at 11-3, are unsurprisingly NFL betting favorites at home, laying a touchdown against a 7-7 Cleveland team that is clinging to fleeting playoff hopes.
Here are our best free NFL picks and predictions for Browns vs. Packers on Saturday, December 25.
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Thanksgiving is a pile of leftovers in the fridge, which means we’re hitting the home stretch of the NFL schedule.
With the calendar flipping to December in NFL Week 13, the pressure is mounting. Not just on teams pushing for the postseason but also on NFL bettors. Beating the bookie gets harder every week, but as long as you’re getting the best of the number to back up your wagers, you’ve got a fighting chance.
We help you do just that, highlighting the best NFL Week 13 spreads and totals to bet right now and which one you may want to wait for adjustments to bet later.
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