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Post by rugbytoffee on Nov 16, 2021 16:21:56 GMT
Immigrant labourers in Qatar working on building stadiums in time for the 2022 World Cup are reportedly risking death while being paid a measly £12-per day.
The nation was chosen as the first Arabic-speaking nation to host the World Cup in 2010 and has continuously come under scrutiny following corruption scandals and the reported death of thousands of workers due to unsafe working conditions But the tournament is set to go ahead late next year with the Qatari government racing to complete the construction of the stadiums involved.
And despite protests from various national teams, The Daily Mail claims workers still receive just £12 a day despite risking their lives in the burning heat. A Reality Check report published by Amnesty International on Tuesday stated that workers were at “huge risk” due to “heat stress” which has caused an unquantifiable number of deaths.
Among the tragedies detailed in the report are six relatively young migrants whose deaths remain unexplained. They include Suman Miah, a 34-year-old construction worker who collapsed and died last year after a long shift in 38°C temperatures, and 34-year-old Tul Bahadur Gharti, who died after working outdoors in 39°C. Pipe fitter Sujan Miah was another that lost his life due to the catastrophic conditions, with the 32-year-old being found dead in bed after working in temperatures which exceeded 40°C. Yet, the cause of deaths remains vague in certificates due to descriptions like “cardiac arrest” making it hard to link them with working conditions, much to the devastation of the deceased’s families.
Leading pathologist and member of the World Health Organisation Dr David Bailey explained it by saying: “Essentially, everyone dies of respiratory or cardiac failure in the end and the phrases are meaningless without an explanation why.”
The 2.7million population of which 90% are foreigners, many of whom are working on building the country’s infrastructure, is yet to work towards solving the issue of sub-human work conditions.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Mar 31, 2022 18:08:42 GMT
Adidas has unveiled the Official 2022 FIFA World Cup Match Ball. Named "Al Rihla," which means "the journey," the ball will be used at each match of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
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Post by rugbytoffee on May 19, 2022 13:18:07 GMT
Female referees to feature for first time in men's competition
Female referees will make World Cup history this year by working games at a major men's tournament for the first time in Qatar.
Three female referees and three female assistant referees were announced on Thursday by FIFA among 129 officials selected for World Cup duty, including one man who caused controversy when refereeing a chaotic African Cup of Nations game in January while suffering with heatstroke.
French referee Stephanie Frappart officiated men's games in World Cup qualifying and the Champions League, after handling the 2019 Women's World Cup final. She also refereed the final of the men's French Cup this month.
"As always, the criteria we have used is 'quality first' and the selected match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide," said FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina, who worked the 2002 World Cup final. "In this way, we clearly emphasise that it is quality that counts for us and not gender."
Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga and Japanese official Yoshimi Yamashita are also on the list of 36 referees preparing for the 64 games at the tournament, which will be played from Nov. 21-Dec. 18.
The 69 assistant referees include Neuza Back of Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States.
"I would hope that in the future the selection of elite women's match officials for important men's competitions will be perceived as something normal and no longer as sensational," Collina said.
Among the male referees is Zambia's Janny Sikazwe, who blew the final whistle at an African Cup group match after 85 minutes and again 13 seconds before the 90 minutes were complete, with Mali leading Tunisia 1-0.
About 30 minutes after the match, officials ordered the teams back on the field to restart play but Tunisia refused. The result was later ratified by the Confederation of African Football despite an official protest by Tunisia.
The match was played in heat and humidity in Cameroon, and Sikazwe later explained he started to become confused in the intense conditions.
Sikazwe will be working at his second World Cup after handling two group games at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
The extreme heat in Qatar led FIFA to decide in 2015 to move the tournament to the cooler months in the Gulf emirate.
FIFA has picked 24 men to work on video reviews. The VAR system made its debut in 2018.
FIFA said 50 referee-and-assistant trios began preparing in 2019 for World Cup duty, with the project affected by limits on international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two referees were picked from each of Argentina, Brazil, England and France.
All the officials -- who were not allocated into specific teams of three -- face future technical, physical and medical assessments this year, FIFA said.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Jun 14, 2022 20:21:29 GMT
The composition of the groups of the final part of the 2022 World Cup
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, the Netherlands.
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales.
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland.
Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia.
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan.
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia.
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon.
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, Korea.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Aug 9, 2022 18:27:50 GMT
TOP TEAMS Brazil (No. 1 in FIFA ranking). Neymar, Vinícius Júnior and the rest of the flair-filled Selecao are peaking at the right time. Is a first World Cup title since 2002 on the horizon?
Belgium (No. 2). The "Golden Generation" is gradually breaking up but there's still Kevin De Bruyne leading the Belgian charge.
Argentina (No. 3). No World Cup title since the days of the great Diego Maradona. This will be the first World Cup since his death in November 2020 and Argentina is improving, with Messi still at its core.
France (No. 4). The defending champions. Still the country with the most depth to its squad. Now with Mbappé AND Karim Benzema leading the attack. No team has retained its World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.
England (No. 5). Semifinalist at the World Cup in 2018, finalist at the European Championship in 2021. Soccer's most underperforming national team is trending in the right direction.
BIG STARS Lionel Messi, Argentina. The seven-time world player of the year might have been saving his 35-year-old legs for one last push at a World Cup winner’s medal that, to many, would solidify him as soccer’s greatest player.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal. He has won the European Championship but the leading scorer in men's international soccer hasn't played in a World Cup final, let alone won one. He's 37 years old now — make the most of him while you can.
Kylian Mbappé, France. The star of the last World Cup at the age of 19 and he is only getting better. The speedy striker could match Brazil great Pelé in being a champion at his first two World Cups.
Kevin De Bruyne, Belgium. Widely regarded as the world's best midfielder, his driving runs are among the best sights in soccer. Belgium just has to hope he arrives healthy.
Neymar, Brazil. Increasingly overshadowed by Mbappé and Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, still the main man for Brazil. Watch out for tricks and flicks, and some histrionics, too.
HOW IT WORKS Get ready for a feast of soccer. There are eight groups of four teams, with the top two advancing to the 16-team knockout stage.
There will be four games back-to-back per day — yes, four! — for each of the first two sets of group games, then simultaneous kickoffs for the last two games in each group.
There'll be no break for the knockout stage, which begins the day after the group stage ends. The first day without soccer comes on Dec. 7 — the 17th day of competition.
MUST-SEE GAMES Senegal vs. Netherlands, Nov. 21. The first match of the tournament and always a date to save on the calendar. With Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk on the field, it's an interesting one, too.
Argentina vs. Mexico, Nov. 26. The first of the big continental rivalries in the group stage, with Messi potentially sealing his and Argentina's spot in the last 16.
Spain vs. Germany, Nov. 27. Surely there can't have been many bigger group-stage matches than this at a World Cup? Two recent champions, two giants of European and world soccer.
Iran vs. United States, Nov. 29. It has been labeled as " The Mother of All Games Part II." Just like at the World Cup in 1998, the two countries will meet in the group stage in a politically charged matchup. Diplomatic relations have yet to be restored between the nations since being severed in 1980.
Ghana vs. Uruguay, Dec. 2. Anyone remember the night of July 2, 2010? In the last minute of extra time in a World Cup quarterfinal match between Uruguay and Ghana, Luis Suarez deliberately stopped the ball with his hand on the goalline, got sent off, only for Ghana to miss the penalty and lose in a shootout as Suarez celebrated on the sideline. Revenge would be sweet for Ghana.
UPCOMING FRIENDLIES With this World Cup taking place in the middle of many countries' domestic seasons, there will not be the usual pre-tournament build-up of friendlies.
Indeed, for the European countries, the Nations League qualifiers taking place from Sept. 22-27 will represent the teams' final matches before the World Cup.
Among the big games are Italy vs. England (Sept. 23), Netherlands vs. Belgium (Sept. 25), England vs. Germany (Sept. 26), and Portugal vs. Spain (Sept. 27).
The United States will play Japan on Sept. 23 and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 27, with both friendlies taking place in Europe.
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