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      I’ve been moaning about this World Cup for nearly 12 years but here’s why it’s time to stop the whining and back England

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      I HAVE been moaning non-stop for 11 years, 11 months and 17 days.That’s an awful lot of moaning.
      The decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup has never felt rightCredit: Rex
      Now it’s here we should embrace the World Cup, says Adrian ChilesCredit: aecanter
      My moan-a-thon commenced on the afternoon of Thursday, December 2, 2010 — the day Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup.
      To be fair, for the first eight years I also had the award of the 2018 World Cup to Russia to moan about.
      But ever since that one was done and dusted, I’ve been able to focus my fury ­exclusively on Qatar. And I’m not the only one.
      Just about everyone else has weighed in, with good reason, on more or less every single aspect of it.
      READ MORE ON QATAR WORLD CUP
      The human rights record of the Qatari regime; the carbon footprint; the ­timing . . . you name it.
      Fifa has been good enough to give us plenty to go on.
      More came thick and fast this week as the hordes of journalists arrived in Doha and started whingeing about the pricey pints and soaring ­temperatures.
      To be fair, if I was lucky enough to be there, I’d ­probably have the nerve to be having a whinge of my own.
      Most read in The Sun
      But really, what else was anybody expecting in a dry state in the Middle East?.
      Even some fans lucky enough to be there were at it.
      Some old boy was on the radio saying how he was being forced to fly in to watch every Wales match from nearby Dubai. Cue an orchestra of tiny violins.
      I think we call these gripes First World problems nowadays.
      Because the truth of the ­matter is — as ever — that the vast majority of fans won’t be at the World Cup.
      DESERVE BETTER
      They’ll be where they ­usually are every four years.
      They’ll be somewhere far more familiar, where it costs much less for a bevvy and you can drink it pretty much whenever you like.
      They call it home . . . or the pub.
      It’s time to blow the whistle on the Qatar complaints. Enough now. It’s happening.
      Let’s hold our noses and enjoy the party.
      This is what I’ve resolved to do, having frightened myself working out that I’ll probably only experience another six World Cups in my lifetime.
      And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Fifa or anyone else ruin any one of them for me.
      Sepp Blatter announced Qatar would host the World Cup way back in 2010Credit: AFP
      If I make it to 80, my last major tournament will be the 2046 World Cup, held God knows where. Mars, probably.
      I’ll be making the trip, no matter what the political ­situation is there.
      I feel sorry for the players. Extravagantly paid they might be, living lives of great luxury, but time stops for no man and they’ll be lucky to have the chance of playing in any more than three World Cups.
      If we’re not careful we’ll have them feeling like soldiers sent off to fight in an ­unpopular war, unheralded and uncelebrated.
      They deserve better from us. None of this is their fault.
      And yet they are now the only ones who can change everything about our attitude to this World Cup.
      As the old saying goes, when your team’s winning matches, even the pies taste good.
      Yes, they can turn it all round for us, and we’ve got to start getting right behind them to help them do it.
      A good start for our boys, followed by progress in the knockout stages accompanied perhaps by a few late dramas,, and nigh-on 12 solid years of moaning will all be forgotten.
      When it does, you can bet everyone over there will stop their whining.
      They’ll be popping corks on million pound bottles of ­champagne. Maybe.
      My mind goes back to ­something Gordon Strachan said to me at the World Cup of 2014.
      We were broadcasting from Copacabana Beach.
      Luis Suarez biting Giorgio Chiellini was one of the World Cup’s craziest momentsCredit: Pixel8000
      The story of the day had been Luis Suarez trying to make a snack out of Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.
      One player actually biting another? ­Disgraceful!
      The Uruguayan was in a world of trouble. A lifetime ban was even mooted.
      I suggested to Gordon that Suarez might never play again.
      “Of course he will,” laughed Gordon. “Because there is no morality in football.”
      He was right. It’s the worst thing about the game, but also the best.
      Yes, terrible transgressions of decent, human behaviour may be forgiven or overlooked, because brilliant football trumps everything.
      The Suarez-Chiellini chompfest is a case in point.
      SOMETHING SPECIAL
      Chiellini himself wrote in his memoir that not only did he forgive Suarez the bite, he actually admired him for it.
      Football will always win out. It’s bigger than all of us, as we’ll see in the coming weeks.
      It’s bigger than Fifa or Qatar or Russia or whichever referee or players offend our sensibilities this time round.
      Once it gets going, I believe we’ll all get going.
      And once England get going, the sky will be the limit.
      Qatar — quite unjustly — will feel like the most normal place on Earth, and back home it’ll be like winter isn’t happening.
      But we, the fans at home, need to do our bit to get England out of the starting blocks.
      Ahead of the women’s Euros this summer I had a hunch our team was going to do something special.
      For once — and I mean once — in my football life, I was right. (I had to be right sooner or later. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.)
      Almost out of superstition, I hereby repeat the words I wrote in The Sun about England’s women before that tournament started.
      I said that it was important to get behind them from the beginning, because it would be no good jumping on the bandwagon when they got to the final and won it.
      Read More on The Sun
      So, in the spirit of that, I pray to you, myself and all other interested parties: Let the moaning stop and the cheering commence as a ­joyous English march to the final begins.
      Bring it on.
      The nation will be backing England to end their long wait for the trophyCredit: AFP More

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      Meet England’s Brainbox WAGs from stunning Lucia Loi to Paige Milian who all have a surprising thing in common

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      THIS year’s World Cup Wags are in a premier league of their own when it comes to brains.Many of the footie wives and girlfriends who have travelled to Qatar to support their partners have earned good degrees and gone on to build top-class careers to rival their famous footballing fellas’ efforts on the pitch.
      England players warm up ahead of the World Cup in QatarCredit: PA
      Many of the England Wags earned good degrees and have gone on to build top-class careersCredit: PA
      Here, Yasmin Harisha reveals the wise Wags who really know the score.
      Katie Kane – Wife of Harry Kane
      Degree in Sports Science
      England Captain Harry Kane’s wife Katie is a fitness instructorCredit: PA:Press Association
      Mum Katie has a sports science degree
      ENGLAND Captain Harry’s wife Katie is a fitness instructor, with a sports science degree.
      The pair, both 29, have gone from childhood sweethearts to happily married and living in Chingford, Essex, where they now even have a team of their own – children Ivy, five, Vivienne Jane, four, and one-year-old Louis.
      Read More on Wags
      They also have two dogs called Brady and Wilson, named after NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson.
      The pair have watched each other grow, and Harry said of Katie: “We went to school together, so she’s seen my whole career.
      “Of course, she’s finding it a little crazy.”
      We’re proud to say she is One Of Our Own.
      Most read in Football
      Milly Adams – Fiancée to Ben White
      2:1 degree in Childhood Studies
      IT’S been quite a year for Arsenal defender Ben – in June he proposed to girlfriend Milly, then this month he got the call-up for England’s World Cup squad.
      Milly, from Herts, is now an Instagram model, boasting 14.9k followers, but before that she proved her brain power by graduating in 2019.
      Ben White’s fiancée Milly Adams is an Insta model with 14.9k followers
      Milly has a 2:1 degree in Childhood StudiesCredit: milly_adams/instagram
      The pair, who are both 25, confirmed their relationship in February this year – and since their engagement, it appears they are a really solid team.
      Charlotte Trippier – Wife of Kieran Trippier
      Degree in Interior Design
      AS defender Kieran prepares to play for England in his second World Cup, his wife Charlotte will be cheering him on all the way.
      She and the 32-year-old Newcastle star have been married since 2016, and are parents to Jacob, five, and Esme Rose, two.
      Charlotte Trippier – wife of Kieran has an Interior Design degreeCredit: Instagram / @ktrippier2
      As well as being known for her fashionable outfits, Charlotte, 33, is also a member of The Style Sisters, a super-successful home interior business, and she has more than 270k followers on Instagram.
      She started the brand with her sister Gemma, 32, after obtaining her interior design degree.
      The pair call themselves the “Trinny and Susannah” of home makeovers and charge up to £995 per room, which covers a full renovation.
      Fern Maguire – Wife of Harry Maguire 
      First class honours degree in      Science and  Physiotherapy
      THE couple have gone from lovestruck Sheffield teenagers to husband and wife, and are each other’s rock.
      Not only has Fern, 28, been watching from the sidelines supporting 29-year-old Harry on his World Cup mission, but she has also been making sure she qualifies in her own league.
      Harry Maguire’s wife Fern became a physiotherapist after graduating in 2017Credit: Tim Stewart
      Fern regularly posts endorsed snaps on Instagram to her 100k followers – netting her up to £5,000 per postCredit: Tim Stewart
      After graduating in 2017 she became a physiotherapist.
      The pair, who have a three-year-old daughter, Lillie Saint, live in Manchester, where Fern regularly posts endorsed snaps on Instagram to her 100k followers – netting her up to £5,000 per post.
      Megan Pickford – Wife of Jordan Pickford
      2:1 degree in Childhood Studies
      CHILDHOOD sweetheart Megan proved to be a keeper for Jordan, and they tied the knot at a register office in Crewe in June 2020, having had to postpone their lavish Maldives ceremony due to the pandemic.
      The 28-year-old England goalie met Megan when she was 14 and they were at St Robert of Newminster RC secondary school in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
      Jordana Pickford met his wife Megan when they were at school in Washington, Tyne and WearCredit: INSTAGRAM/MEGAN DAVISON
      Megan graduated in 2017 and gave birth to the couple’s son Arlo George in 2019Credit: meganpickford_/instagram
      She graduated in 2017, and gave birth to the couple’s son Arlo George in 2019.
      Megan appears to work on her blogging, with 93.3k Instagram followers and lots of endorsements from luxury brands such as Hermes and Alexander Wang.
      Paige Milian – Fiancée to Raheem Sterling
      Degree in Property Development
      IT’S all about playing forward for Raheem, and not just on the pitch.
      The Chelsea star and his fiancée Paige, 25, who has a degree in property development, snapped up an entire road of houses in 2019 for £1million after setting up their own property firm.
      Raheem Sterling’s fiancee Paige Milian has a degree in property development
      Paige, who is mum to Thiago, five, and Thai-Cruz, three, with 27-year-old Raheem, announced on Instagram that the couple had bought the homes.
      She wrote: “After months of studying property development, I achieved my qualification to become a property developer in 2018.
      “We then started a search of properties to add to our portfolio and was then successful in purchasing six brand new houses.”
      She added: “We plan to add more projects to our portfolio in the future.”
      Paige, who has 103k followers, has also endorsed posts from high-end fashion designers including Jacquemus and Fendi, which could also bring in a nice bit of extra income.
      Top marks to her.
      Lucia Loi – Girlfriend of Marcus Rashford
      First class honours degree in Advertising and Brand Management
      AFTER three years of study at Manchester Metropolitan University, Lucia’s qualification and her top grade led to a job as an account executive at Manchester PR firm Sugar.
      She and Manchester United forward Marcus, 25, started dating when they were at school.
      Marcus Rashford’s childhood sweetheart Lucia Loi has a First class honours degreeCredit: Getty
      Lucia and Marcus started dating when they were at school
      Lucia, 22, was spotted cheering him on from the stands when he played for England against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
      And with that degree, she has shown she can be a first-class supporter this year. More

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      Underworld crooks who stole the 1966 World Cup finally unmasked – but did Britain’s most powerful men let them off?

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      THE two villains suspected of masterminding the theft of the World Cup in 1966 have remained under the radar for 56 years.But as Gareth Southgate and his England squad prepare to bring it home again, The Sun unmasks the crooks who attempted one of the past century’s most notorious thefts.
      England captain Bobby Moore holds the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy as he sits on his teammate’s shouldersCredit: Popperfoto – Getty
      Thief Edward Betchley was the only man convincted over the break-inCredit: Supplied
      Underworld fence Bernard ‘The Pole’ MakowskiCredit: Supplied
      We can reveal how crooked Hatton Garden diamond dealer Gerald Sattin and underworld fence Bernard “The Pole” Makowski were strongly suspected of being architects of the plot to steal the Jules Rimet trophy.
      Our investigations also expose how the pair — both now dead — escaped scot free after an apparent Downing Street deal to retrieve the cup.
      Historic confidential police intelligence documents list both men as associates of Edward Betchley, the only one of the three to be convicted of the theft of the cup from a display case at an exhibition in London.
      The files reveal a witness saw Sattin, then 34, at the exhibition at Westminster’s Methodist Central Hall.
      Read More on The Sun
      The witness, a solicitor who asked for anonymity, urged police “to make as full an investigation into this line of inquiry as I believe this to be more than a coincidence”.
      Professional thief Betchley, also now dead, was arrested four days after the theft following a ransom attempt — but the cup remained missing.
      Betchley told police he was acting on behalf of a man he knew only by the nickname The Pole.
      A Scotland Yard index of nicknames turned up Warsaw-born Makowski, then 40.
      Most read in Football
      The World Cup remained missing for a week until it was found in a South London hedge by a dog called Pickles — and England went on to win it in July that year.
      We can now reveal that before Pickles became an unlikely hero, a deal was hatched for the trophy’s return, backed by Downing Street.
      It led to charges being reduced against Betchley and no action being taken against Sattin and Makowski.
      A previously undisclosed document in Betchley’s police file reveals how Michael Halls, Principal Private Secretary to PM Harold Wilson, contacted the Director of Public Prosecutions over the case.
      Former Scotland Yard Flying Squad commander John O’Connor said last night: “There was clearly a deal with the DPP, police and Betchley to get the cup back.
      “But this document strongly suggests for the first time that it was done at the behest of Harold Wilson.
      “He wouldn’t get his hands dirty, but he would let his secretary do exactly that. It was skulduggery but it was also in the public interest to get the cup back.
      “It was even more important for Wilson, as it was days away from the General Election. Finding the cup could well have affected the outcome of the election.”
      ‘It was skulduggery’
      The 14in, gold-plated Jules Rimet trophy of the winged goddess Nike had arrived in London under tight security on January 5, 1966.
      The following day it was on display at the live TV screening of the tournament draw in West London.
      Two officials from previous winners Brazil handed the cup to Fifa president Sir Stanley Rous, who quipped: “Whether they leave it here permanently or just temporarily will be seen in July.”
      His words came back to haunt him when it was stolen on March 20.
      The FA had loaned it to stamp company Stanley Gibbons for an exhibition.
      The show was closed on the Sunday of the theft but the building was open for Methodist services.
      Gerald Sattin and girlfriend Maureen Flanagan in Las Vegas in the early 1970sCredit: Supplied
      Thames boatman David Corbett with Pickles, the collie who found the newspaper-wrapped cup under a bush in his owner’s front garden in South LondonCredit: PA:Press Association
      Two thieves broke into the first-floor hall, where the cup was on display, and the theft was discovered just after noon.
      With 11 days until the General Election, Harold Wilson, who believed a successful World Cup tournament could rescue the ailing Pound, told Home Secretary Roy Jenkins to call in the Yard’s top brass.
      Files reveal Jenkins spoke to then Met commissioner Sir Joseph Simpson and Commander Ernie Millen, who put his best thief-taker on the case, Tommy Butler, Scourge of the Great Train Robbers.
      There were two witnesses. Churchgoing Margaret Coombes spotted Betchley on the first floor at 11am and picked him out at an identity parade following his arrest.
      One of the guards, Frank Hudson, spotted a second man loitering near where the World Cup was on display.
      The suspect was never traced, though his description bore a striking resemblance to Makowski.
      The next day, the solicitor witness, who The Sun is not naming, came forward to say he had spoken to Sattin at the exhibition.
      Files show married father-of-three Sattin was questioned by police and admitted being at the exhibition.
      Sattin had a taste for high living, glamorous women, luxury cars and crime.
      Five years after the World Cup theft he began an 18-month affair with former Sun Page 3 model Maureen Flanagan.
      Now 81, Maureen said: “I knew nothing about him being involved with stealing the World Cup. He wasn’t even a football fan.
      “After we split up he was jailed for fraud and he had been to prison before he met me but it was not something he ever spoke about. All I’d say is that if you met him you’d trust him with the world — if not the World Cup.”
      As police questioned Sattin they were already moving in on Betchley, a known associate of his, who had anonymously called FA chief Joe Mears the day after the theft.
      He promised to send a parcel that would “be of interest”.
      England manager Sir Alf Ramsay, captain Bobby Moore and teammates at a lunch the day after they won the trophyCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Two days later the lid of the World Cup was delivered with a typed ransom demand for £15,000 — around £300,000 now — for its return.
      Mears rang the police and Detective Inspector Jack Buggy posed as his assistant and spoke twice to the crook by phone.
      Investigators traced the second call to a phone box near Betchley’s South London home.
      DI Buggy met the crook — Betchley — at Battersea Park and showed him “bundles of cash” in a briefcase — though it was mostly scraps of paper.
      Former soldier and dock labourer Betchley, 47, got in DI Buggy’s car and told him to drive, but in Camberwell he got spooked and ran. He was quickly captured by Buggy.
      A search for the cup at his home proved fruitless and raids on the nearby Camberwell homes of two associates, brothers Sidney and Reginald Cugullere, drew a blank.
      Relatives later said the brothers had hidden the cup in a coal shed.
      Betchley denied two charges of theft and also demanding money with menaces.
      He told police he had been offered £500 to act as an intermediary by “The Pole”, calling the nameless figure “one of his customers”.
      Two days after his arrest, magistrates bailed Betchley on a surety of £5,000, worth £100k today.
      The next day Pickles found the World Cup wrapped in newspaper in the front garden of a house in Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, South London.
      His owner, Thames barge worker David Corbett, lived in a flat at the address.
      He went on to claim £6,000 in insurance rewards — six times the amount England’s players each received for winning the cup.
      A memo marked “confidential” and obtained by The Sun casts a further cloud of mystery around the case.
      The empty display where the cup had been keptCredit: PA:Press Association
      Thieves removed eight screws from a door to get into the exhibition hallCredit: PA
      It stated that Harold Wilson’s PPS Michael Halls asked that an unspecified matter “be given immediate consideration . . . ” and added that it was being copied to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
      Then on April 12, just over a fortnight after the cup was found, the more serious offences of theft were dropped against Betchley, despite a wealth of evidence against him.
      He later admitted two counts of demanding money with menaces and was jailed for two years.
      Police took no further action in the case.
      Ex-Flying Squad chief Mr O’Connor said: “This new information strongly suggests Sattin, Makowski, Betchley the thief and other associates were all in it together.
      “Sattin planned it and used Betchley as a professional thief, probably by going through Makowski. It was a murky old world in those days and it doesn’t get much murkier than this.
      “There was clearly a deal with Betchley and the police agreed by the DPP and which went through Harold Wilson’s private secretary.
      “We were being embarrassed by these criminals in front of the world and they would have done anything to get the cup back. It would have soured the whole World Cup tournament if the trophy had not been found.”
      The trophy went back to Brazil in 1970 when they won the World Cup in Mexico.
      As three-times winners, they got to keep it permanently — though it was stolen again in 1983 and has never been found. Its replacement, the Fifa World Cup Trophy, has been awarded ever since.
      After it was pinched in London, a replica was commissioned from London silversmith George Bird, who was sworn to secrecy.
      The copy was sold at Sotheby’s to a mystery bidder in 1997 for £240,500 — almost 25 times its estimated value.
      Read More on The Sun
      It later emerged the bidder was a representative of the FA acting on behalf of Fifa, whose secretary Sepp Blatter authorised the purchase at any price.
      The copy was later given to the National Football Museum in Manchester, where it remains on display.
      Harold Wilson believed a successful World Cup tournament could rescue the ailing PoundCredit: Rex
      The 14in, gold-plated Jules Rimet trophy of the winged goddess Nike arrived in London under tight security on January 5, 1966Credit: PA:Empics Sport More

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      I went inside £1bn ‘HMS Wag’ where England’s girlfriends will stay at World Cup – it’s more bonkers than you’d imagine

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      WITH £400 bottles of bubbly, Swarovski crystal staircases and sub-zero snow rooms, this is a booze cruise like no other.England’s top Wags will want for nothing on the incredible £1billion MSC World Europa, where a glamorous fleet will stay to cheer on our Three Lions during the Qatar World Cup.
      The £1billion, 1,093 ft floating hotel MSC World Europa — dubbed HMS WagCredit: Getty
      Eric Dier’s fiancee Anna Modler
      Jack Grealish’s girlfriend Sasha AttwoodCredit: Instagram @sasha__rebecca
      I went aboard for an exclusive look and to check out its dazzling array of facilities which include seven pools, luxury watch shops, an exclusive range of £6,000 “royal” suites — and an 11-deck drop slide.
      England wives and girlfriends thought to be spending the tournament on the 22-deck ship include models Sasha Attwood, 26, girlfriend of Manchester City ace Jack Grealish, and Anna Modler, 24, engaged to Spurs man Eric Dier, as well as Harry Maguire’s wife Fern, 27.
      Captain Harry Kane’s wife, Katie, 29, is also tipped to be staying on MSC’s largest ever ship, where the alcohol will flow despite Qatar’s strict rules on land.
      The 1,093 ft floating hotel — dubbed HMS Wag — was christened in a glittering ceremony in Qatar over the weekend as it prepared to welcome its VIP guests at capital city Doha.
      Read More on England WAGS
      As I was led into the ship’s exclusive Yacht Club, it’s clear the Wags won’t have to worry about privacy.
      This intimate zone at the very top of the ship comes with its own exclusive restaurant and lounge bar — linked by a stunning staircase stacked with more than 8,000 octagon and pear-cut Swarovski crystals.
      By day, our Wags will be able to relax on two vast private sun decks with a large pool and two Jacuzzis, surrounded by plush loungers and beach club-style cabanas.
      There’s a bar and grill for cocktails and lazy lunches.
      Most read in Football
      MSC’s Yacht Club director Cristian Comirla said: “The needs of every Yacht Club guest are anticipated 24 hours a day by our elite team of highly-trained butlers. They will greet everyone by name and provide a totally personalised service.”
      All-inclusive suites in the Yacht Club will set the Wags back up to £6,000 each, with the grandest Owners and Royal suites the ones to covet.
      They come with hot tubs, walk-in wardrobes and Italian designer superking beds.
      Duplex suites feature double-height ceilings and two stories of luxury with Nespresso machines and free minibars stashing bottles of premium spirits and mixers.
      Christian added: “Every day the chef will prepare special treats to deliver to each suite, from delicious sweets to savoury specialities based on where the ship is docked.”
      But it would be a mistake for the Wags not to explore the rest of this vast pleasure palace.
      There are 13 restaurants plus 20 bars and lounges waiting for the 6,762 passengers to enjoy, spread out over 22 decks of unrivalled luxury.
      Qatar’s strict laws on booze include a zero-tolerance policy for drinking or appearing drunk in public.
      But with the ship docked off-shore, guests will be free to make the most of its extensive drinks menu.
      The Wags will feel right at home in the Fizz Champagne Bar where the most expensive bottle of bubbly – Armand de Brignac – will set them back a whopping £400.
      I settled down with a slightly more down-to-earth but equally delicious glass of rose champagne that cost just £13.
      And all the Brits will feel right at home in the Masters of the Sea pub, where a microbrewery will serve up Oceanic beers created using sea water.
      The Sun’s Lisa Minot sampling the good life on MSC World EuropaCredit: MSC Cruises
      Lisa braves the ship’s snow roomCredit: MSC Cruises
      All matches will be screened live here throughout the tournament, which kicks off on November 20.
      The pub is linked by spiral stair-case to the Gin Project, with expert bartenders serving up classic cock-tails from more than 70 craft gins.
      Cooling down in the fierce Qatari sunshine will be a breeze in one of the seven swimming pools – including the infinity-edge Zen – while 13 bubbling hot tubs will soothe away the stress of England’s World Cup journey.
      Wags wanting to indulge in a bit of retail therapy are in luck.
      Shops and restaurants line the World Galleria, where thousands of LED lights in the domed ceiling create stunning cinematic displays, switching from shifting desert sands to whales swimming in deep oceans.
      The heart of the ship features bars, lounges, restaurants and shops including Fine Jewellery where I got to try on the most expensive gem — a £22,000 1.02- carat yellow diamond ring. Unlike the Wags, though, I had to give it back.
      The Galleria leads to the stunning out-door Prom-enade with yet more shops, bars and restaurants.
      Wags wanting to reward their men for a job well done could splash out on a £53,000 solid gold Hublot timepiece in one of the two watch emporiums.
      The promenade is THE place to be at sunset where you can sip a cocktail or two while looking out over the Doha skyline and admire views of the 974 World Cup stadium, named after the exact number of shipping containers used to create the unique venue.
      I joined the adrenaline-addicts to tackle the ‘Venom Drop’ – the longest dry slide­ at sea that corkscrews down 11 decks to the promenade and pops out by the Malt bar where we indulged in a restorative tot of whisky.
      To calm my nerves, it was a far more Wag-tastic activity next – the peaceful Balinese-style Aurea Spa.
      Donning a huge fluffy bathrobe I soothed away aches and pains with a journey through the thermal area, dipping into the bubbling pools and experiencing the steam rooms, saunas overlooking the sea and even the sub-zero snow room with frozen ice floors and walls.
      Lisa relaxes at the spa on HMS WagCredit: MSC Cruises
      The Wags will feel right at home in the Fizz Champagne BarCredit: SUPPLIED
      The ladies can pamper themselves with £150 massages, facials and body wraps or indulge in a manicure, blow dry and even lash extensions.
      It’s not the only thing on board to amuse the Wags – by night there are West End-style shows and nightclubs featuring Ibiza-style raves as well as DJ parties on deck by the pool.
      But the most exclusive venue on the ship is an invite-only intimate speakeasy, hidden in plain sight and reserved for only the most VIP of guests.
      I got special access to this top-secret joint and can guarantee it will give the girls the chance to let their hair down and relax away from prying eyes.
      More than 14,000 England and Welsh fans have also booked rooms on the luxury liner.
      But England’s football stars may unfortunately not be able to join their other halves onboard.
      Last week, Qatar reported 307 new Covid cases and Gareth Southgate could be forced to keep his team in a strict bubble.
      The Three Lions boss and his squad will stay at the Souq Al Wakra hotel near Doha ahead of their first match against Iran on November 21.
      Read More on The Sun
      Other partners are expected to stay in five-star hotels in Dubai and commute in for matches.
      It remains to be seen if football’s coming home, but after a couple of weeks on HMS Wag its lucky guests definitely won’t want to.
      The Wags will be able to relax on two vast private sun decks with a large pool and two Jacuzzis, surrounded by plush loungers and beach club-style cabanasCredit: SUPPLIED
      Adrenaline-addicts can tackle the ‘Venom Drop’ – the longest dry slide­ at sea that corkscrews down 11 decksCredit: SUPPLIED
      The stunning staircase is stacked with more than 8,000 octagon and pear-cut Swarovski crystalsCredit: SUPPLIED More

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      World Cup will be a superspreader event – I know the best way you can protect yourself from a flu outbreak

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      YES, I know, I know. It’s happening at the wrong time of year in the wrong kind of place and we’ll doubtless end up with the wrong result.But once it gets going, all that will be forgotten.
      Social distancing will be long forgotten as bars pack out for the World CupCredit: Reuters
      We’ll be watching and we’ll want to be watching it together.
      Because — despite Fifa’s best efforts to mess things up — this is what football does and it’s what the World Cup does in spades.
      And the great nation coming together is one aspect of this World Cup which could be really special, precisely because the timing is all wrong.
      The atmosphere, as we crowd into pubs and so on to watch the games, is going to be something else.
      READ MORE WORLD CUP
      It’s always great during the usual summer tournaments but, crammed indoors with winter raging outside, it’s going to be so much more intense.
      While frosty winds will blow their worst outside, inside we’ll be heating ourselves up to fever pitch watching the football together.
      This will be the 28th international football tournament in my lifetime.
      The other 27 I’ve watched over long summer days and evenings. And I’ve loved them.
      Most read in The Sun
      DELIGHTING AND DESPAIRING
      Now I’m really looking forward to being part, for once, of some wintry World Cup fervour.
      But, but, but. As ever in football, there is a big but.
      If we can catch football fever from each other jammed in pubs delighting and despairing at the drama, there will be other bugs we can pick up from each other too.
      When Covid came along we had to learn a whole new way of living and new vocabulary to go with it.
      There was that thing called social distancing, and the notion of certain environments being great vectors for infection, and certain occasions becoming known as superspreader events.
      I don’t think you need to be very highly qualified in epidemiology to work out that hundreds of football fans, in a confined space, shouting, chanting, jumping around, kissing and crying, will facilitate the passing of germs.
      They’ll be getting sprayed around the place like nobody’s business.
      But, whatever, the craic will be so great that a few coughs and colds will be a price worth paying.
      Some catarrh thanks to Qatar? So what?
      Except, if we’re not careful, it could be about a whole lot more than an outbreak of winter sniffles.
      Covid is always threatening to send a new wave to break over us, quite possibly in the form of worrying new variants.
      And then there’s that annual killer, winter flu.
      Something we don’t worry about enough, which is daft, because it’s not rare and it’s well worth not getting because it’s extremely unpleasant and could even finish you off.
      If only there was something we could do to keep us safe from all this, freeing us up to whip up our football passions and hug and kiss strangers without fear of spreading anything other than joy or despair.
      If only the NHS that we applauded so loudly could somehow help us out.
      If only more of us realised that, of course, the NHS not only can vaccinate us but is desperate to do so.
      Yes, join The Sun’s campaign and get jabbed for Covid and jabbed for the flu. Do The Double.
      If you haven’t done that, then ask yourself why not, especially if you’re planning to spend large parts of the next month in confined spaces with others like you, shouting at TV screens.
      I’m sorry, but if you stood and applauded the NHS but now don’t help them out by doing the double, this winter of all winters, then you’re possibly a bit of a hypocrite.
      It really isn’t hard. It can’t be that hard. Because I’ve done it.
      First I got the flu one done, then the Covid booster a week later.
      The only challenging thing was explaining to jabber number two why I still had the plaster on covering jabber number one’s work a full week earlier.
      I assured him I did wash regularly, just not very thoroughly.
      GLORIOUS WORLD CUP
      As one of Britain’s leading hypochondriacs and a serial sufferer of terrible man-colds, I’m happy to report that the side-effects amounted to not very much at all.
      I felt a little bit rough after the Covid jab but it can’t have been so bad because that very afternoon I went to see West Brom at QPR.
      And we won, which restored me to rude health anyway.
      So come on, let’s do this. Let’s get right behind England and Wales in what yet could be a glorious World Cup for us.
      Read More on The Sun
      Let’s Do The Double, then get ourselves down the pub, shut out the bleak mid-winter and enjoy the ride.
      Or, to put it another way, Do The Double so if and when the football does end in tears, you don’t have flu or Covid adding to your misery.
      Do the double and get jabbed for Covid and the winter flu More

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      Rio Ferdinand reveals he has blazing rows with wife Kate – and admits it’s always over the same thing

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      RIO FERDINAND has confessed he and wife Kate have full-blown rows — and most of the time he is to blame.Though the former no-nonsense Manchester United and England footballer thanks Towie’s Kate for his reinvention, teaching him how to talk about his problems.
      Rio Ferdinand revealed he has rows with wife KateCredit: PA
      But former Man Utd footballer Rio thanks Towie’s Kate for his reinventionCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      The 44-year-old’s told of his troubles in the podcast Football Ramble, broadcast this week to mark the launch of his new three-part TV documentary series Tipping Point.
      He shared on it: “My missus will tell me a problem that she’s got going on, and I talk about it from my point of view.
      “Most men are like this, we try to help them solve the problem. And she’s going ‘I don’t want you to try and solve it’.
      “And I end up having arguments with her. We only argue about stuff like this. We get into a full-blast row because you’re trying to solve it.
      Read More on Rio Ferdinand
      “She says, ‘I don’t want you to solve my problem for me. I just want to be able to vent, and you listen, and just help me that way’.
      “As a man you’re sitting there going ‘Well why are you telling me then if it can’t be solved? Just solve it’.
      “Men feel ‘don’t discuss it if you’re not trying to make a solution’.
      “What’s the point in discussing it if there’s no solution-based foundations of why you’re making that conversation’, which is probably the wrong way to look at it.”
      Most read in Football
      Rio has become concerned about mental health in football, especially among young players.
      While playing for Queen’s Park Rangers in West London he would drive to training with team-mate Bobby Zamora.
      But Rio refused to confide to fellow players that his first wife Rebecca Ellison was dying with breast cancer.
      She passed away, aged 34, in May 2015, leaving him to look after their three children Lorenz, Tate and Tia, then aged nine, six and four respectively.
      Two years later he started dating Kate, now 31. They married in Turkey in 2019.
      But Rio said he has become a better communicator since meeting Kate, with whom he has a 23-month-old son Cree.
      He said: “I think that’s an important factor in feeling good, when you communicate how you feel to someone else or people around you that you care about.
      “It’s since I met my missus. I was never really a good communicator before that.
      “Then I met Kate. She’s really good and has got really open lines of communication, and she’s pushed me into that way of thinking.”
      Talking about why he did not tell his team-mate about Rebecca’s condition, Rio said: “A big part of my make-up as a football player was you don’t show emotion, you don’t show weakness, especially.
      “If you’re going to show any type of emotion, weakness isn’t the one you show.”
      Rio continued: “Young men in our generation, we were definitely brought up to have a stone face and a hard exterior. If you did have those feelings of vulnerability or emotions you better make sure you quash them quickly.
      Rio with Kate and dad Julian with his OBE at Windsor CastleCredit: AP
      “I very much became that, quite hardened. I had no real empathy for some people when they had issues. I wasn’t where I am today.
      “I saw people come into the dressing room who, when I look back now and I think about it, they were going through a tough time.
      “I didn’t even have any time in my headspace to even think about addressing that because I thought they were a negative impact on our team’s quest to try and win.
      “And it was such a backwards way of looking at it.
      “If you’d looked and taken an interest and spoken to those people and paid a bit more attention to those things you might have been able to help those people get back on track and then become a positive impact on your team’s chances of winning.
      “Mental health wasn’t even part of any sentence.
      “I remember Carlos Queiroz, Manchester United’s Portuguese former assistant manager, and his approach to training was very different to us English lads.
      “We were 100 miles an hour in training every day and he used to just chill in training. Come a game, he was an animal.
      “I remember one day, as we walked out to training, he was actually laying face down on the bed getting a massage.
      “I went to the coach ‘What’s going on with Carlos, what’s he doing having a massage, he’s not injured?’
      “He said ‘No, he’s not injured, he’s just had a baby and he’s a bit tired, a bit drained’.
      “Looking back now, mentally and physically, that was the right way to approach it.
      Once you open up about how you’re feeling from your mental standpoint, how light you feel after you’ve had that conversation, you can’t put into words.Rio Ferdinand
      “Whereas us English guys would just bat on, got to be hard, got to get through this, and we all kind of laughed at Carlos about that.
      “We were like ‘this is a joke’, with disbelief really, ‘we’ve all had kids mate. Jesus, what makes you special?’
      “Everyone’s case is very individual, everyone deals with things very differently.
      “My previous wife was passing away and the fella I went to training with every day in the same car, Bobby Zamora, didn’t know for a long time.
      “My team-mates, that I shared a dressing room with, didn’t know.
      “That’s football, that’s a place where I go to work and no one needs to hear that. No one needs to be a part of that.
      “I can deal with this outside. I don’t want to put any more strain and pressure on those guys, they’ve got enough pressure to win a football match. So I didn’t really feel it was a place to do it.
      “You don’t want to put an extra burden on anyone else’s shoulders when they’ve got enough going on in their life.
      “With situations like that, with hindsight, you think people would actually embrace that more.
      “They’d want to help you, they’d want to open their arms and give you a cuddle and bring you in and have a coffee together and just discuss how you’re feeling and help you along the way.”
      The angry Rio is a long way from his apparently perfect family depicted on social media.
      This week the couple were photographed outside Windsor Castle, where the once England centre back received his OBE from Prince William.
      Rio and Kate pose on the beach on holidayCredit: Instagram
      Kate gushed: “I am so proud. An inspiration to us all, my husband. I love you.”
      Tipping Point covers racism in football and sexuality and mental health in soccer academies.
      The ex-player believes many professional footballers struggle when they retire.
      He said: “I’d get up every day at 7.30, sort the kids out, drop them to nursery, go to training, get home by two o’clock. Routine, routine. All of a sudden that disappears.
      “You start seeing your missus another six, seven hours a day, ‘hold on, this is someone I don’t even know, didn’t know she was like this, didn’t know she had these habits’.”
      Rio now urges people to open up if they’re suffering mentally.
      He said: “One bit of advice I’d always give to people in workplaces, in schools or at home, is every now and again to just ask someone ‘How you doing?’ — not once, twice.
      “Because normally people can get away with going ‘I’m all right, I’m all right’.
      “And you go ‘Really, is everything all right for real?’.With that second one you might get a different answer and then a conversation could start that might help that person.
      Read More on The Sun
      “Once you open up about how you’re feeling from your mental standpoint, how light you feel after you’ve had that conversation, you can’t put into words.
      “It’s just a beautiful feeling.”

      Rio with first wife Rebecca Ellison who died from cancer in 2015Credit: Getty – Contributor
      Rio and Kate pose for a family Christmas photo on the beach More

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      Meet the World Cup WAGS – from a professional karate expert to an ex-Hooters waitress and a stunning Miss Belgium

      by

      WITH less than three weeks until the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, it’s not just the planet’s top soccer stars who are gearing up to try to beat the rest and be crowned the best – but their wives and girlfriends are too.From November 20, the glamorous WAGs from all over the globe will be facing off in the stands as they cheer on their famous footballer fellas in the ultimate footie and fashion showdown – but do you know who they are?
      It’s less than three weeks until the 2022 World Cup kicks off in QatarCredit: AFP
      From the wife who is a karate expert to an ex-Hooters waitress, former beauty queens and acting stars, here is your ultimate guide to the 2022 World Cup WAGs.
      Argentina
      Oriana Sabatini is one of Argentina’s biggest pop stars and has been compared to MadonnaCredit: instagram/ orianasabatini
      Oriana has been dating Roma and Argentina forward Paulo Dybala since they met at an Ariana Grande in concert in 2017Credit: AP:Associated Press
      ORIANA Sabatini is unlikely to stray from the spotlight in Qatar, as she is one of Argentina’s biggest pop stars and has been compared to Madonna.
      The stunning 26-year-old girlfriend of Roma and Argentina forward Paulo Dybala is also a model and actress, and niece of tennis star Gabriela Sabatini.
      She met 28-year-old Paulo while supporting Ariana Grande in concert in 2017.
      READ MORE ON WORLD CUP 2022
      England
      Sasha Attwood is the high school sweetheart of England and Man City star Jack Grealish
      Jack and Sasha have reportedly just closed the deal on a £5.6million mansion in the North WestCredit: Getty
      WITH past cheating allegations aplenty (him, not her), England and Man City star Jack Grealish may be hoping for an easier time on the pitch at the World Cup than he has had away from it.
      Jack, 27, has been with his former school sweetheart Sasha Attwood for years and they have reportedly just closed the deal on a £5.6million mansion in the North West.
      Meanwhile Sasha, 26, has signed to an A-list modelling agency and is believed to have secured a multi-million-pound deal with L’Oreal.
      Most read in World Cup 2022
      Belgium
      Noémie Happart won the Miss Belgium title in 2013 and was a runner-up in the Miss World and Miss Universe contests the same yearCredit: instagram/noemiehappart
      Noémie has been married to winger Yannick Carrasco for five yearsCredit: AFP
      LIKE her husband, winger Yannick Carrasco, Noémie Happart is also used to representing her county on the international stage.
      After winning the Miss Belgium title in 2013, the 29-year-old model was a runner-up in the Miss World and Miss Universe contests the same year.
      Noémie hit headlines when Yannick, also 29, scored a goal in the 2016 UEFA Champions League final, then ran into the crowd and kissed her.
      They have been married for five years.
      Spain
      Pilar Rubio is married to Spain’s Sergio Ramos and has 8.6million social media followersCredit: Splash
      Pilar and Sergio married three years ago after dating for a decadeCredit: Getty – Contributor
      SERGIO Ramos’s wife will certainly be ready for the World Cup spotlight – as she is a TV presenter back home in Spain.
      Pilar Rubio, 44, keeps her 8.6million social media followers entertained with a mix of lingerie shots and adrenalin sports such as skydiving and waterskiing.
      The mum of four has been married for three years and previously dated PSG defender Sergio, 36, for a decade.
      Uruguay
      Uruguay striker Luis Suarez is married to Sofia Balbi, who he met when he was a 15-year-old street sweeper
      Luis and Sofia have three childrenCredit: Getty
      URUGUAY striker Luis Suarez described wife Sofia Balbi as the “girl of my life”.
      They met when he was a 15-year-old street sweeper in Montevideo, and in their late teens they had a long-distance relationship after she moved to Spain.
      When Sofia, now 32, isn’t posing with her three kids on social media, she is snapped cheering for Luis, 35.
      Poland
      Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski’s wife Anna is a professional karate expertCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Robert has been married to Anna since 2013Credit: Getty
      IT might not be wise to yell anything nasty about Poland and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski in the stadium – because his wife is a professional karate expert.
      Anna Lewandowska, 34, earned three World Championship medals before becoming a nutritionist and launching her own cosmetics line.
      She has been married to Robert, also 34, since 2013.
      France
      Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is dating former Hooters waitress Jordan OzunaCredit: Getty
      Jordan supported her partner’s club-level football matches and was there when he won the Ballon d’Or in OctoberCredit: AFP
      KARIM Benzema has scored some beauties on the pitch – and off it too, it seems.
      The 34-year-old Real Madrid striker is dating Jordan Ozuna, 32, a former Los Angeles Hooters waitress who is now a rising star in the modelling world.
      She has supported her partner’s club-level football matches and was there when he won the Ballon d’Or in October, alongside Benzema’s ex-girlfriend Cora Gauthier.
      Germany
      Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller is married to semi-professional equestrian LisaCredit: Instagram/ @lisa.mueller.official
      Thomas co-owns a horse named Dave with wife LisaCredit: Getty
      UNLIKE the stereotypical Wag, it’s clear that Lisa Muller doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty by doing a hard day’s work.
      That’s because the 33-year-old works on a farm and is a semi-professional equestrian.
      She has won medals for dressage events and co-owns a horse named Dave with her husband, Bayern Munich star Thomas, 33, whom she wed in 2009.
      Netherlands
      Model Annekee Molenaar is the daughter of former Ajax defender Keje MolenaarCredit: instagram/annekeemolenaar
      Annekee has been dating Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt, since 2018Credit: Getty
      AS the daughter of former Ajax defender Keje Molenaar, model Annekee Molenaar is certainly used to spending time in the soccer stands.
      She works with Hugo Boss and Armani and has dated her boyfriend, Netherlands and Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt, since 2018.
      This summer they featured on the cover of Vogue Living’s Young Love special.
      Last week 23-year-old Annekee flashed her bum in a nude black and white photo on Instagram.
      Portugal
      Georgina Rodriguez is mother to two of Cristiano Ronaldo’s six children and has 30 million fans on InstagramCredit: Getty
      Georgina met the Portugal and Man United wonderboy while working as his personal shopper at GucciCredit: AP
      SHE was the woman who showed she could tame Cristiano Ronaldo – and even he admitted his surprise that it was getting “so serious”.
      Now Argentinian-born model Georgina Rodriguez is mother to two of his six children, has 30 million fans on Instagram and even a documentary about her life on Netflix.
      She met the Portugal and Man United wonderboy while working as his personal shopper at Gucci.
      The 28-year-old is also a talented ballerina and performs at events.
      Brazil
      Raiane Lima is an influencer and the girlfriend of Arsenal and Brazil striker Gabriel JesusCredit: raianelima8/instagram
      Raiane and Gabriel welcomed daughter Helena in May this yearCredit: Getty
      INFLUENCER Raiane Lima’s relationship with Arsenal and Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus was hit last year by false claims that she had had a fling with a married Brazilian MP.
      But since the birth of their daughter Helena in May this year 21-year-old Raiane has deluged her 374,000 Insta-gram fans with loving snaps of the couple and their newborn.
      Read More on The Sun
      WALES
      Emma Rhys-Jones is the wife of Welsh wonderboy Gareth Bale
      Emma grew up two miles from Gareth and they attended the same secondary schoolCredit: Getty
      THE wife of 33-year-old Welsh wonderboy Gareth Bale will be rooting for him in probably his last international campaign.
      Childhood sweetheart Emma Rhys-Jones, 31, grew up two miles from her future husband and they attended the same secondary school.
      They married three years ago and have four kids – Alba Violet, Nava Valentina, Axel and Xander. More

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      in Soccer

      Keep politics and virtue-signalling out of the Qatar World Cup so we can enjoy it – if players don’t like it, don’t go

      by

      THE World Cup is nearly upon us, and the wall of negative noise around this year’s tournament is increasingly deafening.
      Many are appalled it’s being held in Qatar at all given the alleged corruption that is believed to have won them the rights to hold international sport’s richest and most prestigious event, and the country’s mistreatment of migrant workers and non-existent LGBT rights.
      England skipper Harry Kane will wear a OneLove rainbow armband during the World CupCredit: PA
      It all kicks off in Qatar on November 20 – but criticism of the event has become ‘increasingly deafening’Credit: Reuters
      Piers reckons if footballers are really offended by Qatar’s human rights failings, then they shouldn’t go
      Last week, Australia’s Socceroos team released an earnest video expressing concern about the “suffering” of migrant workers and the inability for gay people in Qatar “to love the person that they choose”.
      Separately, England captain Harry Kane declared he’s going to wear a OneLove anti-discrimination armband during the games to register his own protest.
      And now, Ukraine’s Association of Football has demanded that Iran be banned from taking part due to its reported kamikaze drone support for Vladimir Putin in his illegal war on their people, and also cited Iran’s “systematic human rights violations” including a brutal crackdown on domestic protests.
      So, there’s a lot of high moral outrage flying around, and there will be a lot of on-field halos glinting in the ferocious Qatar heat come November 20 when the World Cup starts.
      READ MORE FROM PIERS MORGAN
      But I can’t be the only one wishing we could just keep all the politics and virtue-signalling out of it so we can just enjoy the football?
      The time for proper serious debate about Qatar’s suitability to host the tournament was surely during the bidding process twelve years ago, not three weeks before it starts?
      And if the argument against them running it is that they have a poor human rights record, which is an undeniable fact, then what about the other 31 countries taking part?
      Specifically, if persecution of gay people is deemed a disqualifying barrier to being involved in the World Cup, then shouldn’t we be similarly outraged by the participation of Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia where it’s also illegal to be homosexual?
      Or by Ghana, whose parliament is pushing through a new bill demanding prison sentences for anyone even expressing support or “sympathy” towards gay people?
      Or by Cameroon which according to a recent report “currently prosecutes consensual same sex conduct more aggressively than almost any country in the world”?
      Most read in Football
      And don’t get me started on Saudi Arabia, where if you’re caught in a gay act, you can be chemically castrated, given life imprisonment or even executed.
      A closer look at other World Cup nations reveals further distinctly ‘problematic’ human rights issues.
      Costa Rica has serious human trafficking problems, Brazil has shocking levels of unlawful police killings and torture, Argentina is bedevilled by government and judiciary corruption, and Serbia continues to oppress Roma gypsies.
      Many of the countries already mentioned operate ongoing wars on free speech, jailing dissident citizens and journalists who criticise the government – or, in Saudi Arabia’s case, chopping them up with bone saws – and also have terrible records of mistreating migrant workers.

       Watch Piers Morgan Uncensored weekdays on Sky 526, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237, Freesat 217 or on Fox Nation in the US

      And if modern morality failings are truly our new World Cup qualification byword, then why should either England or America be allowed to play given our invasion of Iraq in 2003 and all the subsequent global terrorism hell that illegal war unleashed on the world?
      You get my point…
      Once you play the morality card in sport, I’m not sure where you can ever end up playing it without appearing to endorse human rights abuses.
      To single out Qatar for such exaggerated horror when so many other competing countries are just as morally bad, if not a lot worse, is hypocritical.
      We’ve witnessed similar double standards in golf where leaders of the PGA Tour have berated the new Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Tour for putting money before morals – despite they themselves hosting events in places like China which has a horrendous human rights record.
       And frankly, as a sports fan, I’m sick of all the disingenuousness.
      ‘Pointless virtue-signalling ‘
      If footballers are really that offended by Qatar’s human rights failings, then they shouldn’t go and play in the World Cup.
      It’s all very well wearing armbands or issuing critical videos, but if you still go then you’re just dabbling in pointless virtue-signalling that will have zero impact on effecting any change.
      I feel the same way about all the sports journalists suddenly jumping on the anti-Qatar bandwagon and saying it shouldn’t be happening.
      You can bet your life most of them will be holding their indignant noses long enough to get on a plane to Doha for six weeks as they cover the event they are pretending to want cancelled.
      I’ll be there too for some of it, as a pundit for Fox in America during the group stage which has pitted England against the US.
      And I feel no moral dilemma about going because I understand that many of the countries playing in this World Cup make Qatar look almost benign by comparison when it comes to human rights.
      That doesn’t excuse Qatar’s problems, but it puts them into perspective.
      I also think it’s crazy that this is the first time the World Cup has ever been staged in the Middle East given the huge popularity of football in the region, and we should celebrate that fact, not ruin the party with very selective judgement.
      Read More on The Sun
      So, my message to the morality moaners is this: put your cracked halos away and just let me watch the bloody World Cup without trying to make me feel shameful or guilty about it.
      Oh, and come on England!
      The Socceroos last week became the first World Cup team to criticise Qatar’s human rights recordCredit: Getty
      Piers wants the ‘morality moaners’ to stop making fans feel guiltyCredit: PA
      This is the first time the World Cup has been staged in the Middle East – a fact we should celebrateCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More