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Blatter Recommends USA for Hosting 2022 World Cup

Posted on May 12, 2020 by index Posted in World CupLeave a comment

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter claims that the United States has the potential to host the World Cup 2022 if it was snatched from the hands of Qatar at the last moment. The Middle East outfit is facing fresh charges of corruption and bribery. Furthermore, a fixture congestion is starting to look likely due to the coronavirus pandemic suspending all leagues across the world. As a result, the Euro 2020 has already been moved to the next year. It may not be easy for the World Cup to be switched, as this World Cup will be held as a winter event in order to overcome the heat of Qatar.

Qatar has already invested huge amount of money in order to develop several new stadiums, which have been air-conditioned in order to prevent the heat from getting to the players and fans. Yet, the nation may not be able to hold the event if it was postponed, as the postponement would clash with several other events across the world. Hence, there is a possibility that the event could be moved to a different location – especially with Qatar facing bribery charges. This World Cup in Middle East will be the last to include 32 teams, as it will expand to 48 for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held jointly by the United States and Mexico.
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NO ANNOUNCEMENT ON POSTPONEMENT OF WC 2022 YET

Posted on April 12, 2020 by index Posted in World CupLeave a comment

With the Euro 2020 moved to 2021 and the Tokyo Olympics moved to 2021 as well, there were certain calls to move the World Cup from 2022 by a year as well. However, as at press time FIFA was yet to give such announcement.

Corona Virus has pretty much disrupted major plans for 2020 and already impacting the year after. There are concerns the leagues that need to be completed would have a different timeline, then the next league season, the 2021 plans being made which might impact 2022 in a number of ways including funding and availability.
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Bob Bradley expects USA to qualify for the 2022 World Cup

Posted on February 29, 2020 by index Posted in World CupLeave a comment

Los Angeles FC manager Bob Bradley has backed the United States to comfortably qualify for the next World Cup in Qatar. The North American giants were not present during the previous edition of the global tournament and that was certainly a shock, given they had failed to reach the group stage for the first time since 1986.

In an interview covered by ESPN, Bradley, who managed USA between 2006 and 2011, said that he is confident about the country’s prospects of qualifying for the next World Cup. He added that there needs to be a settled environment during the qualifying phase and stated that the dismissal of Jurgen Klinsmann contributed to the nation’s failure to make the previous edition of the World Cup.

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Didier Deschamps urges World Cup winner to part ways with Chelsea

Posted on January 14, 2020 by index Posted in World CupLeave a comment

France head coach Didier Deschamps has urged Olivier Giroud to part ways with Chelsea in January. The former Arsenal man has been limited to just seven appearances for the Blues this term and reports have recently emerged that the marksman could push for a fresh challenge during the winter transfer window.

Speaking to ESPN, Deschamps revealed that he had a private chat with Giroud back in November and he has advised him to secure another club where he can be guaranteed with regular minutes on the field, he told: “I spoke with Olivier during the last international camp [November]. Even during the one before, he already knew what is best for him. Olivier is not happy at this moment, based on the little playing time he is getting. It is not his fault; he is suffering through the situation. It is up to him to decide in order to have the best sporting conditions on a daily basis at club level.”

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India Confident of Putting Strong Fight against Oman

Posted on December 22, 2019 by index Posted in World CupLeave a comment

India’s national team coach Igor Stimac has claimed that the path taken by India in the recent World Cup qualification remains good despite only managing a 1-1 draw with Afghanistan in the latest game. India have been unable to win any of the qualification matches so far. After starting the campaign with a defeat against Oman, they have gone on to draw the recent encounters against Qatar, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Even though these have been stalemates, there has not been a huge fight from India in recent games. As India prepares to play against Oman for the second leg,Stimac has had to fend off questions about complacency within the team.

At this rate, India will be able to make it to the next round of qualification. Only the top team qualifies to the next round automatically, while the second placed team in the group may or may not reach the third round. At present, Qatar occupies the top spot with 10 points whereas Oman are just behind with nine points. India are at risk of being cut off from these teams as a result of dropping seven points behind leaders. The game against Oman is the last for India in 2019 and they take on Qatar in March 2020.

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Marc Wilmots insists Iran have plenty of work to do after Cambodia rout

Posted on November 18, 2019 by index Posted in World CupTagged Marc WilmotsLeave a comment

Iran head coach Marc Wilmots has said that the country have plenty of work to do in order to progress to the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers. Team Melli have started off their qualifying with back-to-back wins and their most recent came against Cambodia, who were beaten by a staggering 14-0 scoreline.

Speaking after the game, Wilmots said that he was pleased with the intent shown from the players but stressed that the team are still in a transition phase. He added that the squad need to retain their concentration, given they have an important match against Bahrain which could be crucial to deciding their qualification fate.

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Qatar Will Have No Blockade on Gulf State Visitors and Alcohol

Posted on October 19, 2019 by index Posted in World CupTagged QatarLeave a comment

Qatar has opened up doors for football fans from other Gulf states to attend the World Cup 2022. The head of the organising committee has confirmed that there will be no blockade on fans from UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt for the special event. Qatar has been involved in a fight with these countries since 2017 and even trade services have been disrupted. However, the World Cup 2022 will be the first time such a grand event is being held in the Middle East and preparations have been in full swing for a while. Qatar will be constructing brand-new stadiums that are air-conditioned in order to prevent the desert heat from hitting players and spectators.

A number of fans are likely to descend upon Qatar. Crucially, fans of Egypt and Saudi Arabia are also likely to be amongst them. Among the four teams that are involved in a battle with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are likely to qualify for the tournament. Spectators will also need not worry about the availability of alcohol, which is a difficult topic since Qatar is a conservative Muslim country with strict laws about alcohol. A majority of the 1 million visitors expected to visit the country will demand alcohol and the organising committee has confirmed that they are discussing the potential of lowering this product’s price.

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Kurt Zouma determined to represent France at Euro 2020

Posted on October 7, 2019 by index Posted in World CupTagged Marco, ZoumaLeave a comment

Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has said that he wants to be playing regularly with the Blues in order to enhance the prospects of making the national team for Euro 2020. The France international was recently called up for the European qualifiers in June following a successful long stint with Marco Silva’s Everton.

Speaking to reporters, Zouma indicated that he has worked hard to get into contention for the national side and he wants to continue making a good impression such that he can represent Les Bleus at next summer’s European Championships, he said: “That is very important for me. It was one of my targets to get into the France team. I had been there before and wanted to come back. “I managed to do that. Now the target is to play at the Euros – but to be there you have to be playing at your club. So I am working very hard – and let’s see what is going to happen.”

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IS ROHR THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE SUPER EAGLES?

Posted on September 27, 2019 by index Posted in World CupTagged Samuel Chukwueze, Samuel Kalu, Wilfred NdidiLeave a comment

The 2022 World Cup is in three years and different nations have signed new managers to execute the set of campaigns. While some nations have already begun preliminary qualifiers for the tournament. One of the major problems that affect national teams especially in Africa is the lack of continuity in the coaching staff.

There is this common tendency of coaches to be replaced after international tournaments or after a poor run of results. This has led to the issues of teams having new coaches few months or weeks before major tournaments. Nigeria typically falls into that category but the West African nation has been a beckon of stability in the past three years.

The German tactician has held on to the top position despite discontent within the country over his managerial acumen. However a look back at Rohr’s tenure as head coach is that of improvement and development of talents.

Since the German took over in 2017, he has been able to nurture the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, Samuel Kalu and Samuel Chukwueze into the first team. Prior to his arrival the Super Eagles always had to wait until the last hour to know their World Cup qualification status.

Rohr was able to achieve World Cup qualification with a game to spare in a group that contained three African heavyweights in Cameroun, Zambia, and Algeria. He was able to qualify the team for the 2019 Afcon tournament after a four-year absence.

He is far from perfect as some of his substitutions can be questionable at times but he has been able to achieve all that was set by the football federation. With the qualifiers for the World Cup on the horizon, Nigeria will do well to support him in his quest to lead the team to Qatar in three years time.

Kurt Zouma determined to represent France at Euro 2020

Posted on September 18, 2019 by index Posted in World CupTagged Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Kurt ZoumaLeave a comment

Zouma has spent the past two campaigns on loan with Stoke City and Everton, but it appears unlikely that he would go through the same route this summer. Blues boss Frank Lampard has already confirmed that he wants to work with the 24-year-old and that should prove a blow for the Toffees, who have expressed the intention to land the defender on a permanent deal.

In pre-season, Zouma has been a regular presence at the heart of the defence and he could get the chance of making the starting XI alongside David Luiz for the league opener. Still, nothing is assured and he needs to produce a consistent level of performance to ward off the competition from Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who is currently recovering from a knee problem. Chelsea start their league season with an away game at Manchester United.