By Samindra Kunti in Al Khor, Qatar
November 20 – After a twelve-year wait and the most controversial build-up in history, Qatar and the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani opened the World Cup on Sunday with a message of unity, tinged with a political and religious overtone, after months of intense scrutiny of the host nation’s human rights record.
November 21 – France’s hopes of retaining the World Cup, already severely compromised by the loss of several key players, have suffered the most crippling blow of all with striker Karim Benzema ruled out of the tournament.
November 21 – Saudi Arabia is continuing its football charm offensive, signing an MoU with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), and on the ground in Qatar opening a dedicated pavilion showcasing the country’s culture and football history.
November 21 – With the addition of three last minute regional sponsors, FIFA has announced that all its sponsorship packages for the Qatar 2022 World Cup have been sold out.
November 21 – At last a positive story from Qatar. Concacaf, in support of its qualified teams Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and United States, and is opening its Concacafe – a pop-up cafe in the heart of Doha.
November 18 – In a last-minute u-turn by World Cup organisers and FIFA, alcohol will not be sold at the eight stadiums in Qatar.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 18 – Two days to go and counting to the first and most probably last winter World Cup, staged slap bang in the middle of the domestic season. Like it or not, it’s happening but rarely, if ever, has so much attention been focussed on matters off as well as on the field.
November 18 – The umbrella organisation representing Europe’s top leagues have agreed to allocate €2.3 million to Ukraine to allow domestic competition there to continue in the wake of the escalating Russian invasion.
November 18 – With impeccable and perhaps deliberate timing to gain maximum publicity on the eve of the World Cup, FIFA has announced that its president Gianni Infantino is getting four more years at the helm of the organisation.
November 18 – In a severe blow to Aliou Cisse’s team, Senegal star striker Sadio Mané has been ruled out of the World Cup with a leg injury.
November 18 – Having terminated their broadcast and commercial rights deal with Super Sports Media over non-payment, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has quickly found a new partner in China with Beijing Shinai Sports Media Technology Co. Ltd.
November 17 – The shirts worn by the Netherlands team during the World Cup will be auctioned afterwards to support migrant workers in Qatar.
November 17 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has signed an MoU with the Croatian FA (HNS) to explore collaboration across all levels of the game.
November 18 – Italy’s Serie A is to open an office in the UAE in Abu Dhabi in January 2023 with the launch of the affiliate Lega Serie A Mena FZ-LLC.
