November 10 – Qatar Airway CEO Akbar Al Baker (pictured) has hit back at the critics of the World Cup host nation, stressing that his nation will “always rub salt into the wound” of its adversaries.
November 10 – Romelu Lukaku will be heading to Qatar, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez confirmed on Thursday, naming his 26-men World Cup squad. The Spaniard also sprang a few surprises at the back, including Zeno Debast, Wout Faes and Arthur Theate.
November 10 – Unsurprisingly, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have pulled their weight behind Gianni Infantino’s highly controversial ‘shut-up-and-play’ message to the 32 World Cup finalists on the eve of the tournament.
November 10 – A French judge has placed Vinci Construction Grands Projets, a unit of French construction group Vinci, under formal investigation over allegations it violated the rights of migrant workers in Qatar.
November 10 – French coach Didier Deschamps has named only a 25-man squad for the World Cup, despite being able to select one more, and has included Raphael Varane even though the Manchester United defender tore his hamstring last month.
November 10 – Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Authority has extended its own use of the Hayya Card – the mandatory card that allows fans entry to Qatar for the World Cup – to include three more people travelling with the car holder (‘Hayya with Me (1+3)’).
November 9 – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has added his once powerful voice to criticism of Qatar staging the World Cup by saying the decision 12 years ago was a mistake.
November 9 – In the latest rebuttal of the constant criticism faced by host nation Qatar, World Cup CEO Nasser Al Khater (pictured) has claimed that Europeans think they hold a monopoly on the tournament.
November 9 – In an analysis that will surprise few observers, data scientists from KU Leuven have calculated that Brazil have a one in five chance to win the World Cup, confirming their status as top favourites in Qatar.
November 9 – There are five or six teams that wouldn’t be a surprise to see win the World Cup, but early on an arguably more interesting talking point will be which teams among the world’s elite, and who are at short odds in World Cup betting, will end up falling at the first hurdle?
November 8 – World Cup organisers and FIFA president Gianni Infantino have been at pains in recent weeks to promise that everyone will be welcome in Qatar regardless of sexual orientation.
November 8 – In a move highlighting how football is closing ranks against the constant barrage of criticism of World Cup hosts Qatar, South America’s governing (Conmebol) said it is time to focus on football and for “disagreements to take a back seat”, echoing FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
November 8 – Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino will not play at the World Cup after Brazil coach Tite picked Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli over him. The 39-year-old Daniel Alves was also included among the 26 players who will go in search of a sixth world title for Brazil in Qatar.
November 8 – Argentine authorities have drawn up a list of 6,000 fans who will be banned from attending the World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 7 – Ten European countries, including eight at the World Cup, have brushed aside FIFA’s request to shut up and stick to football by demanding “concrete answers” over issues relating to human rights and Qatar’s migrant workers.