International Football
Bye Bye Qatar, hosts to one-of-a-kind World Cup
Wadae Qatar 2022! Farewell Qatar 2022! After 32 days in the State of Qatar, it is time to leave. A World Cup initially embrolled in pre-tournament controversies have come and gone.
What a tournament! It was a one-of-a-kind World Cup! Even as FIFA also admitted, there may be none of that kind again.
It was the first time it was possible for media men to watch two matches in a day. It was the first time the World Cup had taken place in the Middle East and the Arab world.
It is also going the to be the last time the World Cup will have 32 teams. So as we say bye bye to Qatar 2022, so also it is adieu to the 32-team format which had been in place since France ‘98.
From the “United” – US, Canada and Mexico 2026, an akward 48-team format will debut.
Undoubtedly bye bye Qatar 2022 also means adieu to the duo of stars that have captured global attention in the past 15 years.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will undoubtedly be glarring absentees at the 2026 edition. Who then will pair Kylian Mbappe to set up anothe rivalry worth of getting global attention?
Goodbye also to La’eeb, Qatar 2022 World Cup’s mascot, an anthropomorphic ghutra (traditional Arabic headdress) that appears to be omnipresent in Qatar.
La’eeb, according to Fifa, can be credited with a part in Diego Maradona’s Hand of God goal, and is “indescribable”. Everyone is invited to interpret what it looks like.
To some, the mascot represnts a floating white sheet. On the day after the final match, there was a dramatic change in human traffic.
Did the crowd just disappear overnight? In the previous days, the metro was a beehive of activities. Crowd, mostly football fans would mimick the event attendants in sky blue tracksuit who were directing and assisting passengers to navigate their ways through the metro lines.
Armed with hand-held public address system, the event managers would blare “Metro this way!”, pointing to a particular direction. Soon, like a theatre, the crowd would also mimic them.
The scenes at the beautifully constructed 37-stop metro network feature also features convenience stores, artisanal cafes and even a bubble tea joints were very thrilling.
But on Monday, the metro looked deserted, making one to feel lonely. No more “Metro, this way”.
Even the ever bubbling Media Centre was deserted. The security personnel that screened every entrant had suddenly disappeared. The facilities had been dismantled. The ever bubbling massive structure which is the Qatar National Convention Centre have suddenly become a ghost arena.
No televison sets, no internets no printer and no snacks and drinks. The personnels have disappeared.
Yet the previous day, the naratives were different. The beautiful city of Lusail bubbled all through Sunday before and after the final match of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
No doubt, the State of Qatar has exceeded the wildest imaginations.
Those who doubted the ability of the Gulf state to host a competition of that magnitude were roundly proved wrong.
The state of facilities were excellent. Yet, most of the stadiums are scheduled to be dismantled or scaled down.
The Stadium 974, ingenously built with maritime containers were already being dismantled at the close of the Round of 16.
Yet, that stadium would have been a dream facility in most parts of the world.
On Sunday, Lusail was figuratively under siege by army of fans. Most of course are from Argentina, the country with most travelling fans. It would have been a monumental disaster had fate failed them.
At the Lusail metro station, the disembarking thousand of pasengers crammed the the U-shaped overhead bridge linking the two terminal buildings to the Lusail Stadium.
Yet the metro runs every three minutes making the station heavily congested ahead of the titanic Argentina-France final match.
The surging crowd at the station formed densely column of moving objects, making movement of a 50 metre passage to take nearly 20 minutes to transverse.
Former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has been named new coach of the United States men’s team, U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday.
Pochettino, who parted ways with Premier League side Chelsea in May after one season in charge, will take the reins of the national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States.
The Argentine, a former Paris St Germain and Tottenham Hotspur manager, said his decision to join U.S. soccer was not just about football, but about the journey the country was on and he could not pass up the opportunity.
“The energy, the passion, and the hunger to achieve something truly historic here – those are the things that inspired me,” he said in a statement.
“I see a group of players full of talent and potential, and together, we’re going to build something special that the whole nation can be proud of.”
U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker said Pochettino was a “serial winner with a deep passion for developing players”.
“His track record speaks for itself, and I am confident that he is the right choice to harness the immense potential within our talented squad. We are thrilled to have Mauricio on board as we embark on this exciting journey to achieve success on the global stage.”
The U.S. have been without a permanent coach since a humiliating early exit from the Copa America on home soil in July led to the sacking of Gregg Berhalter after his second stint as head coach.
The 51-year-old boss was first appointed in 2018 and led the Americans to the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup, but just weeks later found himself embroiled in a bitter public row with one of the team’s brightest emerging talents, Gio Reyna.
U.S. Soccer’s search for a new coach when Berhalter’s contract expired at the end of 2022 included names such as Canada coach Jesse Marsch, but they ultimately rehired Berhalter in June last year with the full support of the players.
However, it proved unsuccessful as the U.S. failed to progress beyond the group stages of the Copa America after a shock 2-1 defeat to Panama and a crushing 1-0 loss to Uruguay.
Pochettino will take over after Mikey Varas, who has been appointed interim coach, oversaw friendlies against Canada last Saturday and New Zealand on Tuesday.
The U.S. drew 1-1 with New Zealand in Cincinnati after Christian Pulisic’s goal was cancelled out by Ben Waine’s late equaliser.
The U.S. will next play friendlies against Panama on Oct. 12 and Mexico three days later.
-Reuters
At last, Nigeria’s striker Victor Osimhen is out of the limbo. He has accepted to join Galatasaray on loan.
He is now asking for a release clause at Napoli to become €75m instead of €130m
He also wants a break clause for January in case top clubs approach him over move.
The final points are being discussed. He has been videoed celebrating with the Turkey club’s fans.
Uruguay striker Luis Suarez announced his international retirement on Monday, ending a 17-year career with his national team as their top scorer with 69 goals.
The 37-year-old, who has 142 caps for his country, made his international debut in 2007 and was key in the squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and won the Copa America a year later.
“Friday will be my last match with my country’s national team,” an emotional Suarez told a press conference.
“The fact that is my decision to retire and that I’m not retired because of injuries or that they stop calling me for one thing or another, that gives me a lot of comfort, it helps me individually.
“It’s difficult but it gives me peace of mind that until the last game I have given my all, and that flame has not been extinguished little by little,” the striker added.
Uruguay take on Paraguay at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on Friday in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup before facing Venezuela four days later.
Suarez scored the stoppage-time goal against Canada that secured third place at the Copa America in July and the striker added that one of his aims was to show he could continue to contribute to the national team.
“My dream was for my children to see me win something important with the national team … that last goal was very nice for them and even though it wasn’t a trophy to take home, it was very nice for them,” he said.
“I wanted to show people again that I can continue to contribute to the national team and, well, I had the Copa America and yes, I could have done it (retired) perfectly after that, but having analysed the situation, I want to do it with my people, in my stadium.
“I want my children to live this experience. Saying goodbye with the people here is something that I don’t know if many have done.”
Suarez has already said Inter Miami will be his last club after joining the Major League Soccer side last year to reunite with former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
-Reuters
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