Explainers

ALL eight stadiums are ready to host the 2022 Qatar World Cup, however one in particular has caught the attention of the fans for the wrong reason.The Al Janoub stadium located in Al Wakrah, 12 miles south of Doha, was the first of the new stadiums to be completed in the run up to the Qatar World Cup.
The Al Janoub stadium has caught the attention of fans due to it’s resemblance to a vagina
However the stadium instantly caught the attention of fans in 2019 due to it’s similarities in appearances to female genitalia.
The 40,000 seater was designed by Dame Zara Hadid, who was also involved in designing the Aquatic Centre for the London 2012 Olympics.
Her inspiration for the aesthetic was the flowing shape of a dhow sailing boat as well as traditional Arabian pearl diving and a fishing vessel.
Hadid was quick to bite back at fans comparing her work to the female genitalia saying: “It’s really embarrassing they come up with nonsense stuff like this.
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“What are they saying? Everything with a hole in it is a vagina? That’s ridiculous.”
The stadium will be used to host five group stage games, the first of which being France vs Australia, as well as one round of 16 fixture.
The Al Janoub stadium will also play host to Ghana vs Uruguay in a repeat fixture from the 2010 quarter finals which saw Luis Suarez handle the ball on the line to help push Uruguay through.
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Despite the crude remarks, the stadium will be equipped with fully functioning air-conditioning help keep the players and spectators cool in the Qatari winter heat.
Once the competition is over, the top of the stadium will be dismantled and passed onto the developing world as part of the tournaments legacy. More

RENOWNED for his iconic “Siu”, Cristiano Ronaldo has debuted his new ‘sleeping’ celebration which has got the world talking.CR7’s trusty ‘Siu” celebration has become a fan favourite, often echoing around stadiums after scoring for both club and country.
Cristiano Ronaldo performing the ‘Siu’ in front of the Old Trafford faithfulCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Spectators in Qatar will be hoping to witness the celebration live and in person, however it seems as though Portugal’s star man has found a new way to celebrate.
After introducing the world to his new ‘sleeping’ celebration earlier on in the season, Ronaldo has fans in speculation on what it could mean.
Why does Ronaldo do his new ‘sleeping’ celebration?
After first performing the celebration after netting the winner during Manchester United’s 2-1 win against Everton in October, fans believed the celebration could be a nod to him finally scoring his 700th club career goal or even a dig at manager Erik Ten Haag for making him a regular on the bench.
However club media at Manchester United has since revealed the pose to be an inside joke between the club legend and the other players, with the position replicating how Ronaldo sleeps when travelling with the squad.
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United released a statement reading: “We can now reveal that Ronaldo’s celebration was a self-deprecating in-joke with his fellow team-mates, highlighting the strong bonds among the players in Erik ten Hag’s squad.”
They continued “CR7’s celebration at Everton was amusingly a nod to the position in which he sleeps when travelling with the squad, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by his team-mates who are all eager to learn from him.”
Just like the “Siu”, fans and players have copied the icon’s new pose, including teammate Alejandro Garnacho who asked Ronaldo personally if he could use the celebration.
With this now in his locker, fans will be left to speculate which celebration he will use if he is able to score for Portugal during the World Cup.
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Ronaldo isn’t the only player at the world cup with an iconic celebration however, as Kylian Mbappe’s arms crossed as well as Lionel Messi’s point to the sky.
All three will be strong contenders looking to claim the golden boot, showing off their much loved celebrations in the meantime. More

THE World Cup gets underway in a matter of days and SunSport have been taking a look at what we can expect from each group.Group A kicks off the competition as hosts Qatar take part in their first ever World Cup match.
This will be Qatar’s first ever appearance at a World CupCredit: Reuters
Netherlands lost the 2010 World Cup final 1-0 in extra timeCredit: Getty
Ecuador are Qatar’s first opponents, who will be hoping to use their previous tournament experience to progress through the group stages for only the second time in their history.
This year’s Africa Cup of Nations winners Senegal, will be keen to continue their form in Qatar, but face a tough task against 2010 World Cup finalists Netherlands.
Louis van Gaal’s men are looking to make up for lost time having not qualified for the 2018 tournament, and are overwhelming favourites to top the group.
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Group A teams

Qatar
Ecuador
Senegal
Netherlands

Group A fixtures
Sunday November 20

Qatar vs Ecuador (4pm)

Monday November 21

Senegal vs Netherlands (4pm)

Friday November 25

Qatar vs Senegal (1pm)
Netherlands vs Ecuador (4pm)

Tuesday November 29

Ecuador vs Senegal (3pm)
Netherlands vs Qatar (3pm)

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What TV channel are they on?

Qatar vs Ecuador – BBC One
Senegal vs Netherlands – ITV
Qatar vs Senegal – BBC One
Netherlands vs Ecuador – ITV
Ecuador vs Senegal – ITV
Netherlands vs Qatar – ITV

World Cup 2022Everything you need to know about the World Cup More

A single moment of madness could see a player cost their nation the chance of success by receiving a red card at the World Cup. Watching the referee reach into his back pocket has become one of football’s most frustrating clichés.
Zinedine Zidane receiving a red card during the 2006 World Cup final vs Italy after headbutting Marco MaterazziCredit: Reuters
No player ever wants to be met with the infamous red card, however there is definitely no worse occasion to receive one whilst representing your nation at a major tournament.
But for every Gary Lineker, who never received a single booking, there’s always a Sergio Ramos who has seen red 27 times in his career.
How many games do players miss for a red card at the world cup?
In club competitions, a second bookable offence will see a one-game ban whilst a straight red card can see a player suspended for three to four games depending on the severity of the situation.
The World Cup will see little difference to these rules with a red card leading to a single game suspension, unless FIFA feel it necessary to add further sanctions.
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Coming into the tournament, any yellow cards from the preliminary group stages will be wiped from the record, meaning every player will begin on a clean slate.
However any pending red card suspensions from the previous qualification stage will have to be served during the competition.
Anyone who racks up two bookings in the run up from the group stage to the quarter-final will also be faced with a single game suspension, with the yellow card count resetting before the start of the semi-final.
This rule is a relatively new one to the competition, with yellow cards being wiped after the group stage up until 2010.
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For any player who receives a red card in their last game of the competition like Wayne Rooney vs Portugal in 2006 or Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt vs Italy in the final of 2006, their suspensions will carry over into their next international game.
Zidane’s red card in the final of 2006 was his second in a World Cup match, a record he shares with Rigobert Song, the now manager of Cameroon. More