messi: FIFA Qatar: Messi centre stage as Argentina, France begin World Cup title bids

Lionel Messi will surely have his last chance to win the World Cup on Tuesday, with both Argentina and holders France in action in Qatar.

After England showed their title credentials by thrashing Iran 6-2, the third day of the most controversial World Cup in history will see four matches.

Messi and his ardent supporter Argentina top Group C when they face Saudi Arabia, followed by Denmark versus Tunisia in Group D.

The evening matches are Robert Lewandowski’s Poland against Mexico in Group C and the last game of the day is Kylian Mbappe-led defending champions France versus Australia in Group D. Much of the focus will be on forward Messi.

The 35-year-old has won it all and is one of the greatest footballers of all time, but World Cup glory has eluded him and it surely is past time to rectify that glaring blunder.

“This is probably my last World Cup, my last chance to make this great dream come true,” Messi told reporters in Doha on Monday.

“I don’t know if it’s my happiest moment, but I feel great.

“I’m older, more mature, I want to make the most of everything, live it with maximum intensity and enjoy every moment I have.”

In recent days, Messi has twice trained apart from the rest of the squad, but he went on to quell any concerns among Argentines that he might not be fit for Saudi Arabia.

“I trained separately because I had a knock, it was precautionary, but nothing unusual,” he said.

Argentina entered the tournament as the Copa América holders and as of 2019 are unbeaten in 36 matches.

mbappe difference
If Messi is inching towards the end of one of football’s greatest careers, his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Mbappe is yet to make his debut.

And the 23-year-old could be in for a field day against Australia, which lack the stars of the past and need one more qualification to reach Qatar.

As for when Argentina face Saudi Arabia, anything other than a victory for holders France would be a huge blow.

Didier Deschamps is missing Paul Pogba and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, both ruled out of the tournament through injury, and the French coach said it puts even more pressure on Mbappe.

“He has always had the ability to make a difference and we will need that,” Deschamps said.

“Unlike many other players, he has the ability to be decisive at any moment.”

Mbappe, who will turn 24 next month, will spearhead a French attack in which Olivier Giroud is now expected to start in Benzema’s absence.

Lewandowski is the third of three world-class attackers to feature on Tuesday, but for all his goalscoring exploits over the years, the 34-year-old has yet to score at the World Cup.

The Barcelona predator has struck 25 times in the last two World Cup qualifying campaigns, but is yet to open his account in the finals.

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczecny believes Lewandowski will break his duck in Qatar as Poland aim to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 1986.

“I think it’s definitely important for him (to score),” Szczecny told reporters on the eve of Poland’s opening game against Mexico.

“He is very motivated ahead of the World Cup. There is no doubt that Robert is one of the best players in the world at the moment.”

Originally published at Pen 18

iran: Iran make a statement

England made a spectacular start to their World Cup challenge with a 6-2 thrashing of Iran after Iranian players decided not to sing their national anthem in apparent support of anti-government protests in the country. Ahead of their opening match of the tournament in Qatar’s capital Doha. More than two months of protests in Iran, sparked by the death of a young woman in police custody, are one of the boldest challenges to Iran’s clerical leaders since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iranian state television, during its live broadcast, censored footage of players lining up before the match as the national anthem was played. On the eve of the match, captain Ehsan Hajjafi, who plays in Greece, became the first member of the Iranian team to speak out on the situation from the World Cup at home, “We are with them. And we support them. And we sympathize with them.” Despite a build-up to a game dominated by questions about protests in their homeland, Iran gave England the lead after 35 minutes before 19-year-old rising star Jude Bellingham scored. Gareth Southgate’s side took a 4-0 lead thanks to two goals from player of the match Bukayo Saka and a fine strike from Raheem Sterling, before Iran came back late on through Mehdi Taremi.

England put the result beyond doubt as Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish each netted before Taremi scored a consolation penalty. “We haven’t had our best in the tournament. There was a lot of talk and speculation about our form but we showed everyone what quality we have and what we can do.

Originally published at Pen 18

FIFA World Cup 2022: Saka, Rashford help England rout Iran 6-2 – The Economic Times Video

When Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford walked off the field at a major international football tournament for the last time, they were showered with racist abuse. His immediate response was three goals for England in the team’s opening match at this year’s World Cup. Saka scored two goals before giving way to Rashford, who added another in the second half of England’s 6-2 defeat on Monday.

Originally published at Pen 18

India football: Alleged match fixing in football matches: CBI seeks cooperation of Indian football clubs

The CBI has registered a preliminary inquiry into alleged match-fixing in football matches in the country, officials said on Monday. During the investigation that began about 15 days ago, the CBI sought and collected documents from the Delhi-based All India Football Federation on several Indian football clubs.

He said the role of an alleged Singapore-based match-fixer in rigging the results of the matches was under investigation. Officials declined to give any details about the suspects named in the preliminary investigation and details of the charges as it could hamper the investigation which is still in its initial stages.

He said the agency has received some documents while some are still awaited.

The agency has also sought cooperation from several Indian football clubs to join the probe. Citing the law, he said that the CBI cannot inquire through search, arrest or summons as part of the preliminary inquiry.

He said the central probe agency depends on the cooperation of the stakeholders during the preliminary investigation and registers the FIR when it has prima facie material indicating offence.

Originally published at Pen 18

fifa: Qatar FIFA World Cup: Revenue expected to surpass all previous records

With the official launch of the once in four year and much awaited FIFA World Cup, football fever has engulfed the whole world.

Football’s biggest event began in Qatar on 20 November and will go on till 18 December. Eight stadiums in Qatar will host 64 matches of this showpiece event.

Global audiences set the stage for memorable sporting achievements on and off the field, as well as commercial and prestigious opportunities in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors, according to a new analysis by global financial information and analytics services provider S&P Global Market Intelligence. Huh. ,

Based on its analysis, it is estimated that Qatar is expected to generate US$6.5 billion, more than all previous tournaments combined and four times the figure seen in Korea and Japan in 2002. Federation FIFA acts as the custodian of the game, with all income distributed back. In play. Expenses include event-related costs, development payments to member states, governance and other administrative costs.

During the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia, a revenue of USD 5.2 billion was generated, it said in its analysis report.

“An analysis of the last four-year World Cup cycle leading up to Russia 2018 shows that half of FIFA’s revenue came from broadcasting rights fees,” the report said.

“An additional 26 percent came from marketing rights, with sponsors signing contracts to be associated with the event. Hospitality and ticket sales increased by 11 percent, indicating that media exposure and a global relationship with the sport are driving overall revenue.” increases,” it said.

Notably, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held during the fourth quarter of a calendar year for the first time. The scheduling was reported to be due to extreme weather conditions in Qatar during June and July, the months in which the tournament is normally held.

“This delayed scheduling means the matches will take place within the most lucrative TV advertising period of the year,” said an S&P Global Market Intelligence report.

Talking about the FIFA World Cup 2022, a total of 32 teams from five confederations are competing in Qatar. 64 matches will be played during 29 days.

Teams hosts are Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands, England, Iran, USA, Wales, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland, France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia, Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Canada. , Morocco and Croatia, Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon, Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.

Notably, the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament is the last with 32 participating teams, as Canada, Mexico and the United States will host the 2026 tournament, when the field will increase to 48 teams.

France is the defending champion, having won their second title in 2018 after defeating Croatia in the final.

Most notably, this is likely the last World Cup tournament for Argentina striker Lionel Messi – widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. It is also highly likely that 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo will don the Portuguese colors for one last time.

This is the first time the Middle East is hosting the event. It is the first time the World Cup is being held outside the normal June-July window to escape the desert heat during the summer in Qatar.

Originally published at Pen 18

England launch bid for World Cup glory after Qatar slump to defeat

European heavyweights England and the Netherlands began their World Cup campaigns on Monday as the tournament in Qatar shifted into a higher gear following a disappointing defeat for the hosts.

Asian champions Qatar became the first home nation to lose their opening World Cup match as Ecuador won 2-0 on Sunday, with veteran forward Enner Valencia scoring twice.

England, who meet Iran in Group B, will be desperate to start strongly as they aim to end their decades-long trophy drought after two near misses in recent years.

Gareth Southgate’s men made a stunning run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia before reaching their first major final for 55 years at last year’s European Championships. Despite his success as England boss, Southgate faced criticism for his perceived negative tactics and increased pressure after a string of poor results.

“The first thing for a coach is to enable (the team) win,” he said. “Then of course you want to play football that excites people, that the players enjoy.

“Our challenge is to give the supporters a tournament to remember. We have given them a great ride in the last two tournaments.”

With tough matches against the United States and Wales coming up, England can’t afford to get off to a slow start against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium.

England’s opening comes against a backdrop of deadly demonstrations in the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s clerical leadership has been rocked by more than two months of women-led protests over the custodial death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman of Kurdish origin who was arrested by morality police in Tehran.

Defender Ehsan Hajsafi said: “They should know that we sympathize with them,” adding that “the conditions at home are not good”.

In the second game in Group B, the United States face Gareth Bale’s Wales, playing in their first World Cup since 1958.

Captain Bell said he hoped to inspire a new generation of Welsh footballers.

“Everyone dreamed of it for so long,” said the former Real Madrid forward. “We’ve had so many close calls. For us to be a team to get over the line was incredible.

“But more importantly, it is to inspire another generation, to develop football in our country. Hopefully, by doing so, we are going to have a stronger national team in the future.”

The Netherlands will take on Senegal in Group A, with the African champions missing their talisman Sadio Mane to injury.

The Dutch failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia but the three-time runners-up have bounced back under experienced manager Louis van Gaal, who led the team to the semi-finals in 2014.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk said, “We have to believe in our ability and ourselves and be confident.”

“We have a fantastic manager, an experienced manager. We have players who play at the highest level, the biggest clubs in the world.”

Despite Mane’s absence, Senegal coach Aliu Cisse was upbeat about his team’s prospects.

“Of course we will not hide the importance of Sadio Mane to the Senegalese team – he is very important, a coach builds his team around his best players.

“But there’s also a group of experienced players with young players ready to step up. We’ve got to play the first game without Sadio Mane.”

Originally published at Pen 18

formula one: Formula One champion Max Verstappen ends season with record 15th win

Max Verstappen capped off one of the most impressive seasons in Formula One history by winning a record-extending 15th race of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

A year after Verstappen’s tense and controversial victory over Lewis Hamilton to seal his maiden title, there was little drama at the Yas Marina circuit.

Verstappen stayed ahead of teammate Sergio Pérez at the start and was never seriously challenged on his way to victory thereafter.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc kept his drivers first and second, fending off Pérez’s challenge for second on the old tires and Red Bull’s bid to take second place in the championship standings. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel finished 10th for Aston Martin as he retired from F1 after 16 years. A hydraulic problem ended Lewis Hamilton’s race for Mercedes as the seven-time champion ended the F1 season without a win for the first time in his career.

Originally published at Pen 18