Fifa

THIS was the awkward moment that Kai Havertz was forced to pose with his Man of the Match trophy just seconds after suffering World Cup heartbreak.The Chelsea striker scored twice as Germany came from behind to beat Costa Rica 4-2 in their final group game.
Kai Havertz scored twice as Germany defeated Costa Rica but were still dumped out of the World CupCredit: Getty
This was the awkward moment he was asked to pose with his Man of the Match trophyCredit: Twitter @AbsoluteChelsea
However, the 23-year-old and his team-mates will still be on the next flight home after Japan secured a thrilling victory over Spain.
That result left the Adian side top in Group E, while La Roja also advanced despite the setback ahead of Germany courtesy of goal difference.
Havertz only came off the bench in the 67th-minute for the four-time world champions in place of Thomas Muller.
But his quickfire double to fire his nation ahead from 2-1 down, albeit ultimately being in vain, was enough to earn him top marks from Fifa sponsors Budweiser.
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And that led to him being forced to pose with his Man of the Match trophy looking completely drained.
Even though it must have been an agonising moment for Havertz, rival supporters found the picture and whole situation hilarious as they showed no mercy on Twitter.
One tweeted alongside a host of laughing emojis: “His face says everything!”
Another commented: “He looks over the moon haha.”
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A fellow fan wrote: “Imagine the camera man trying to get a smile out of him after being knocked out of the World Cup though.”
While another tweet read: “Hahaha i feel bad for him. So lowkey.”  More

SENEGAL have been fined £8,700 for breaking Fifa rules ahead of their World Cup last-16 clash with England.Aliou Cisse’s men booked themselves a tie with the Three Lions on Sunday after beating Ecuador 2-1 in their final group game.
Aliou Cisse’s Senegal have been punished by Fifa for failing to provide a player for pre-match media dutiesCredit: AP
England’s last-16 World Cup opponents have been fined £8,700Credit: Getty
But they found themselves in hot water with football’s governing body following due to their actions before the match.
The charge was due to boss Cisse attending his pre-match press conference WITHOUT a player from his squad.
Fifa rules dictate that the day before a game every team must conduct a presser in one of two press conference rooms at the main media centre.
The team’s head coach must attend, along with one player from his squad.
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And now the Senegalese Football Federation has been hit in the pocket.
A Fifa statement confirmed: “The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the Senegalese Football Federation with a fine in the amount of CHF 10,000 and a warning for breaches of article 44 of the Regulations for the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022™, article 2.7.2 of the Media and Marketing Regulations and article 8.5.3 of the Team Handbook.
“The potential breaches relate to the mandatory press conference that took place on 28 November ahead of the Ecuador v. Senegal Fifa World Cup™ match.”
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Before their first two games, Cisse went to the press conferences with Krepin Diatta and Kalidou Koulibaly respectively.
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But ahead of the Ecuador clash he opted to come alone – defying the Fifa regulations.
 Germany were hit with an £8,800 penalty for the same offence before their draw with Spain.
German head coach Hansi Flick claimed he did not bring a player with him to the press conference because his squad are based in the north of Qatar.
And he did not want to force an individual to make the three-hour round trip to the media centre the day before their huge match. More

FIFA chiefs are plotting another major overhaul of the World Cup by introducing PENALTY SHOOTOUTS to group matches.Footie’s global governing body is already planning to expand the competition from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 tournament – which will take place in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
FIFA are expanding the 2026 World Cup from 32 teams to 48Credit: GETTY
Footy chiefs are weighing up the possibility of introducing group-stage penalty shootoutsCredit: Reuters
FIFA’s chief officer for technical development, Marco van Basten, is a proponent of the ideaCredit: GETTY
And according to reports, they’re trying to put an end to drawn group matches with the introduction of additional shootouts.
That’s according to The Athletic, who claim FIFA are “considering” introducing shootouts to determine whether or not teams should be awarded a bonus point if matches are drawn.
The potential introduction of group-stage penalty shootouts is due to the possibility of groups being made up of three teams.
The bonus-point shootouts could take place before kick-off or following the full-time whistle.
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The potential introduction of group-stage penalty shootouts isn’t a new idea by any stretch of the imagination.
It was first mooted back in 2017 and championed by FIFA’s chief officer for technical development, Marco van Basten.
The Dutchman said: “Shootouts could indeed be an option for tournaments with groups of three in which you play against two opponents.
“It can get pretty tight.
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“If one team for instance draws one match 0-0 and wins the other 1-0, there’s a high risk that all three teams are level on points and goals in the end.”
Former Bayern Munich boss Ottmar Hitzfeld is a proponent of three-team groups.
The 73-year-old said: “The third match in the group stage in the World Cup is often boring since the big nations are usually already through.
“With this format, tension would be guaranteed from the beginning and we would swiftly move to the knockout stage.”
The group stages of Qatar 2022 are coming to an end.
The Netherlands, Senegal, England, France, Brazil, Portugal and the USA have already qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament.
Teams could bag a bonus point with victory in group-stage shootoutsCredit: Getty More

CRISTIANO Ronaldo did NOT score Portugal’s opener against Uruguay – and Fifa have published the unanswerable proof.The ex-Manchester United claimed he had made the slightest contact with Bruno Fernandes’ cross as it sailed into the Uruguay net.
The moment Bruno Fernandes crosses the ball, the sensor shows a spike
Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the goal against Uruguay but the technology shows there was no contact
The ball contains a sensor which did not pick up any touch from Ronaldo
Even Bruno suggested afterwards he believed it was Ronaldo’s goal, despite Fifa changing the “original” scorer, while the Portuguese superstar told Piers Morgan directly it was his.
Fernandes said:“I don’t think it really matters who scored.
“My feeling at the time was that Cristiano touched the ball. I was crossing to him. I celebrated as if it had been Cristiano’s goal.”
The Sun’s Piers Morgan, whose interview with Ronaldo saw the player led to his United exit, also revealed the forward privately claimed the goal too.
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Morgan tweeted: “Ronaldo confirmed to me that his head touched the ball. Even Bruno agrees.”
That would have taken Ronaldo one above arch-rival Lionel Messi on nine World Cup goals, claiming a joint share of the Portuguese record with Eusebio.
But Fifa have now published the images and snicko-style technology to prove that the ball did not flick Ronaldo on its way into the net.
The Semi Automated Offside Technology in use in Qatar includes a chip in the centre of the ball that can determine any contact by any player.
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And while the contact made by Bruno is shown by a spike, there is a flat line at all stages as the ball approaches and then passes Ronaldo’s head.

A spokesman for ball manufacturers adidas said: “In the match between Portugal and Uruguay, using the Connected Ball Technology housed in Adidas’s Al Rihla Official Match Ball, we are able to definitively show no contact on the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo for the opening goal in the game. 
“No external force on the ball could be measured as shown by the lack of ‘heartbeat’ in our measurements and in the attached graphic. 
“The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be highly accurate in our analysis.”
The definitive statement answers and refutes all of Ronaldo’s claims and means rival Lionel Messi has the chance to nudge in front of him when he takes on Poland in Argentina’s final group game on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo tried his best to make contact on the ballCredit: Getty
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates and believes he had scoredCredit: Rex More

KYLIAN MBAPPE is set to be hit with a fine after refusing to speak to the press despite winning the Match of the Match award against Denmark.Fifa rules state a player who wins the Man of the Match award must be prepared to talk to the media after the game.
Kylian Mbappe is set to be slapped by a fine from FifaCredit: Alamy
Mbappe shows off his Man of the Match award after his brace against DenmarkCredit: Getty
However, Mbappe refused to speak to the press after his match-winning brace against Denmark and is now likely to face action.
The Paris Saint-Germain ace also refused to speak to the press following his nation’s 4-1 win over Australia.
Mbappe and the French Football Federation (FFF) were warned about the consequences of it happening a second time.
And according to ESPN the FFF will now share the incoming fine with Mbappe.
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Instead of Mbappe, France captain Hugo Lloris was joined by compatriots including Matteo Guendouzi, Aurelien Tchouameni, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele, Raphael Varane and others in the press zone.
Both Mbappe and the FFF are aware of the speculation regarding Mbappe’s club future.
And this could be the reason behind the 23-year-old’s refusal to speak to the press in the first place.
He is said to be unhappy at PSG after being unable to have the amount of control in club decisions as he was promised when he signed his new deal.
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Nevertheless, Mbappe has not allowed his off pitch drama to taint his performances on the pitch.
Mbappe has already scored three times in Qatar and netted 19 times in all competitions for PSG this season, including seven from six games in the Champions League. More

GERMANY are the subject of a Fifa investigation for allegedly breaching World Cup rules before their clash with Spain.Hansi Flick’s men earned a crucial draw on Sunday evening as Niclas Fullkrug’s late equaliser kept alive their hopes of reaching the last 16 in Qatar.
Flick attended the pre-match press conference without a player from his squadCredit: Reuters
Germany clinched a draw with Spain to bounce back from defeat to JapanCredit: Getty
They now know a win over Costa Rica on Thursday could be enough to see them progress through the group.
However, off the pitch they could be in trouble for failing to adhere to Fifa regulations prior to the match.
According to German outlet MDR Aktuell, Flick disobeyed rules by attending the pre-match press conference without a Germany player.
All teams are required to send their manager and a member of their squad to the presser ahead of each World Cup game.
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The fact that Germany failed to do so may now leave them in trouble with football’s governing body.
And that is not the only concern Flick has on his mind.
The Germany boss admitted after the Spain performance that, while they did manage to snatch a point, he is still worried about the team’s mentality.
He said: “I think that the team needs more self confidence.
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“I think that things start to develop when you start to win but maybe this will give us a boost to have the self confidence to get more goals.
“We need the determination of Niclas Fullkrug.”
Germany are looking to avoid exiting the World Cup before the knockout stages for a second successive time.
In 2018, Joachim Low watched his side lose to Mexico and South Korea as they finished bottom of Group F. More

FIFA has confirmed the stadium air conditioning WAS switched off for England’s bore draw with the USA.But World Cup chiefs insist they were simply following the policy that has been in place throughout the Qatar 2022 tournament.
England players were feeling the heat as they drew 0-0 with USACredit: PA
The Al Bayt Stadium does have the option for the air conCredit: Getty
The groundbreaking climate technology in place at seven of the eight World Cup venues – the exception is the dismountable Stadium 974 opposite the towering skyscrapers of Doha’s West Bay – allows tournament bosses to ensure the same temperature on the pitch at every match.
However, some England players are understood to have complained that they felt much hotter during the match at the Al Bayt Stadium than during the 6-2 thrashing of Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday.
But senior Fifa figures confirmed to SunSport that there were no issues with the air-conditioning and that the procedure that has been in place throughout the tournament was followed.
It was agreed before the tournament that all stadium conditions would be considered on a match-by-match basis.
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However, there was an understanding that, in the air-conditioned grounds, the 1pm and 4pm kick-off matches would have the climate set at 24 degrees Celsius.
To ensure consistency, final temperature readings and measurements are taken at the start of the game.
But for the later matches, starting at 7pm and 10pm, Fifa agreed that the air-conditioning would be turned off an hour before the start of play, as long as the stadium temperature at that point was below the 24 Celsius threshold.
Those conditions were met on Friday, when the outside air temperature at kick-off was around 26 Celsius, but only after the air-conditioning had been on for a number of hours ahead of the game to bring the desert heat down.
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There is no question of any complaint being submitted by the FA.
But if England do win Group B they would potentially play their first three knock-out matches back at Al Bayt, all kicking off at 10pm Qatar time. More