International Football
48-TEAM WORLD CUP IN QATAR GETS MORE SUPPORT, SAYS FIFA BOSS
BY DANIEL ETCHELLS.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has claimed that most football associations support expanding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from 32 teams to 48, with some matches to be played in neighbouring countries.
According to Inside the game publication, Infantino made the declaration while speaking after a FIFA Executive Football Summit in Marrakesh in Morocco. The Swiss-Italian said the Qataris were open to the larger format.
He added that world football’s governing body would make a decision no later than June, once a feasibility study is complete.
Forty-eight teams have already been confirmed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted in North America by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Since that was voted on in 2017, Infantino has repeatedly stressed that the change could be brought forward to 2022, while suggesting that other countries in the Middle East could host some matches.
“Most football associations across the globe hope for opening up the World Cup to more teams,” he was reported as saying by Reuters.
“If it is possible to organise a 48-team World Cup in Qatar with some games in neighbouring countries, that will be great.”
A number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, have severed all diplomatic ties due to Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism.
Qatari officials have denied wrongdoing.
“We are doing football not politics,” Infantino added.
In June of last year, a 48-team World Cup in 2022 was taken off the agenda of the FIFA Congress in Moscow, which preceded the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Infantino revealed FIFA would only proceed with the plan with the support of the host nation.
He also said that the ruling Council, rather than the full Congress consisting of up to 211 Member Federations, would make the final decision on the matter.
Qatar are building eight stadiums for 2022.
Critics have claimed a 48-team tournament is too large and could lead to a lower standard of football, with FIFA accused of being motivated by money.
A 32-team World Cup also provides a neater and easier to understand route of progression throughout the event.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
BREAKING: At last FIFA’s Axe falls on South Africa!
- World Cup1 week ago
South Africa to Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility Case
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Super Eagles Set for Double Friendly Showdown with Venezuela and Colombia in USA
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- World Cup6 days ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- CAF Confederation Cup1 week ago
Asante Kotoko End Kwara United’s Confederation Cup Campaign in Abeokuta
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Two penalty appeal lost as Flying Eagles stumble at first hurdle
- World Cup4 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers