Qatar 2022 signs deal to open up construction sites for inspection

November 16 – Widely criticised over the treatment of migrant workers employed on construction sites, organisers of the World 2022 in Qatar have given the green light for its stadiums to be inspected by officials of the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), a global federation of some 300 trade unions in the building industry that has a combined membership of more than 12 million workers.

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Asian leagues mount commercial challenges to European imperialists

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By Paul Nicholson

November 15 – Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nations have made major efforts with their professional leagues to narrow the gap with their Western counterparts. A new analysis by Football Benchmark, the sports data and analysis arm of KPMG, finds that it s not a case of if but “when and which of its (Asia’s) leagues will be able to compete and eventually challenge the game’s traditional superpowers in the long term.”

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Hahn wins Constantin power play but legal issues and fraud probes loom

By Paul Nicholson

November 15 – Dieter Hahn (pictured), the controversial and secretive boss of German media corporation Constantin Media and a key figure behind the scenes in the alleged cash for votes scandal around the Germany 2006 World Cup bid, has engineered a stunning boardroom coup that leaves him in control of Constantin which is to restructure as a sports only business.

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