World Cup 2022

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      England star Eric Dier labels Gareth Southgate criticism ‘crazy’, as he recalls Euro 2016 disaster against Iceland

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      ERIC DIER knows what disaster looks like for England.At Euro 2016, he felt the chill of the shambolic Iceland defeat — one of the Three Lions’ lowest moments.
      Eric Dier has hit back against criticism of England boss Gareth SouthgateCredit: PA
      Southgate has guided England to the semi-finals and finals of the World Cup and Euro’s respectivelyCredit: Getty
      Then the Spurs star got redemption as a key man in the run to the semi-finals of the last World Cup.
      But the versatile defender failed to make the squad that reached the nation’s first major final for 55 years at the Euros last summer.
      So do not tell him Gareth Southgate deserves the berating he got for a dismal Nations League campaign this year.
      Dier said: “It’s crazy talk and perceptions change so quickly.
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      “You’ve got to remember what England were doing before.
      “He has taken England to a World Cup semi and the final of a Euros and we’re talking small margins that change the outcome of those results.
      “The criticism is crazy after a small run of results given how England performed at those tournaments — and he was at the forefront of that.”
      Dier is one of only seven survivors in Qatar from Roy Hodgson’s 23-man squad for Euro 2016.
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      He said: “I was 21 at that time and it was a great experience for me but a very disappointing tournament for England, so I learned a lot.
      “The World Cup in Russia was a great redemption for us after Euro 2016 and since then there has been an upward trend.
      “People ask if I was upset I didn’t go to the Euros and I say it was obviously the right decision because they got to the final! You have got to keep things in perspective.”

      Dier famously broke England’s penalty shootout hoodoo with the winning kick against Colombia in the last 16 four years ago (right).
      But before an 18-month exile from the  squad ended in September, his hopes of a recall  seemed to be in the balance.
      Dier said: “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think that was a possibility. Those thoughts go through your mind.
      “When I missed out on the Euros it was one of the worst moments in my career.
      “But I always say that I must have had a pretty good career if that’s one of the worst moments. My club manager Antonio Conte said in the summer I just have to play better.
      “I don’t think he was saying I was playing badly the season before — I think he was just saying I’d have to play even better!
      “Last season — especially since he arrived — I felt like it was some of the best football I’ve played and I feel like I’ve continued that this season.
      “So I’m just grateful to be here now and very proud of myself for how I managed to fight my way back in.

      “I’m also very thankful to the people who supported me and helped me get back here, my family, the manager and all his coaching staff at the club.
      “And also my team-mates at my club, because it was special how supportive they were of me trying to get back in and how happy they were when I did.”
      One of those Tottenham team-mates — and another of the survivors from England’s 2016 low point — is captain Harry Kane.
      The Three Lions talisman not only has to carry the weight of expectation of providing goals but has also found himself acting more and more as a spokesman on issues outside football.
      Dier said: “I have played pretty much all my career with him. One of the great things about him is that he hasn’t really changed. He is still the same.
      “I mean that in the nicest possible way as he  is extremely hard working and extremely humble.
      “I think he holds great values. He has been England captain a while and has had a lot of experience in the role.
      “The last couple of years have been the toughest for him, leading up to this tournament, but he handles it well.
      “The goals speak for themselves. That is down to him as a professional and the way that he works.
      “Seeing him up close, he is just extremely consistent in his behaviour in general and I think that is what leads to his consistency on the pitch.”
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      Until Southgate’s appointment in 2016, the only consistent thing about England for decades was underperformance.
      So it is no wonder Dier is so happy to be a part of the gang again. More

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      England’s Kalvin Phillips reveals World Cup dream was almost ruined by 5kg weight, days after overcoming shoulder injury

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      KALVIN PHILLIPS dropped a clanger that almost wrecked his Qatar hopes.The Manchester City star, 26, recovered from shoulder surgery just in time to be named in England’s World Cup squad.
      Phillips recovered from a shoulder injury just in time for the World CupCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      His World Cup dream almost ended when a weight fell on his footCredit: Getty
      Then he risked it all by letting a 5kg weight fall on his foot ahead of City’s clash with Brentford last week!
      The midfielder, who has cut up his left flip-flop to stop it rubbing on the wound, said: “It’s a good story to be honest!
      “So before that game, being the professional I am, I went to the gym before the match and was just doing loads of Achilles work on the leg press.
      “I’d gone to pull a weight off the rack and there must have been one stuck behind it and I pulled it off and it landed on my foot and cut it all.
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      “I stood for about ten seconds and thought, ‘Oh my God — what was that?’
      “If it wasn’t a 5kg plate, if it had been heavier, I think it would have been a lot worse.

      “Imagine that, that is what you get for being professional!
      “But it’s not too bad, the blisters from training hurt more.”
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      Phillips was on tenterhooks ahead of Gareth Southgate’s squad announcement when City team-mate Kyle Walker got the nod before him.
      The pair had both worked hard to recover from injuries and Phillips, who returned to action as a sub in the Carabao Cup against Chelsea earlier this month, said: “Kyle had been told the day before me.
      “I walked in the gym and Kyle said, ‘Gareth’s just rung me and said I’m in.’
      “I was thinking, ‘Well, if he’s ringing all the injured players telling him they’re involved, why hasn’t he rung me?’
      “Then I got a phone call about half-nine the next day when I was at City.
      “Gareth asked how I was and I asked him how he was and he said, ‘A lot better for seeing you play for 40 minutes’, and then told me I was involved.”
      It was advice from City boss Pep Guardiola which persuaded Phillips to have surgery in September on the shoulder he first dislocated at Leeds in 2020.
      Phillips said: “He didn’t force me to get the operation but said he felt it was the best thing to have the best chance to go to the World Cup.
      “And when Pep tells you something like that then you’re not going to ignore it.”

      Phillips is pleased with the results of the operation carried out by Manchester-based surgeon Dr Lennard Funk, whose previous satisfied customers include England and Newcastle keeper Nick Pope.
      Fans of a certain age will also remember what happened when another England midfield dynamo decided not to have surgery for the same kind of problem before a World Cup.
      Three Lions skipper Bryan Robson dislocated a shoulder in March 1986, then decided not to have an operation for fear of missing the tournament.
      But it popped out again in a friendly against Mexico and again in the second group game against Morocco, producing the famous image of him being helped from the field in agony.
      Southgate regards Phillips as a similarly important player and one he could not leave out — despite the fact he has not started a game for City since his summer switch from Leeds.
      The midfielder was England’s player of the year for 2021 and his ability to replicate his form from last year’s Euros may be crucial to the Three Lions’ hopes in Qatar.
      Phillips said: “It wasn’t a case of, ‘If you’re fit then you’ll go’ from Gareth.
      “He basically told me whatever decision I took, I needed to be 100 percent about it and if I recovered well there was always a chance I’d be involved.
      “So there was a little bit of reassurance.
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      “But I was thinking that if I’m not playing games — and other players in my position are competing and doing really well — then it would be tough. But thankfully I made it.”
      And thankfully for the star — it was only a 5kg weight he dropped on his foot. More

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      Qatar ready for World Cup curtain-raiser, but you wouldn’t normally bother opening them for this underwhelming kick-off

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      AFTER a dozen years of raging controversy over corruption, tragedies and hideous human-rights abuses, we finally get to the actual football.This may be a World Cup in a nation which is too small, played at the wrong time of year and in a culture alien to most of us.
      Qatar and Ecuador will meet in the World Cup curtain raiser at the Al Bayt StadiumCredit: Getty
      The 22nd World Cup gets underway in Qatar on SundayCredit: AP
      But, four weeks from now, that famous golden trophy will be lifted and champions will be crowned.
      Fifa’s increasingly-deranged boss Gianni Infantino — a man who staged a love-in with Vladimir Putin at the last World Cup — has been ordering us to concentrate on football rather than politics.
      So here we go then, at 4pm UK time, a curtain-raiser to the greatest sporting jamboree on Earth which you normally wouldn’t open your curtains to watch if it was being played in your back garden.
      Qatar, ranked 50th in the world, against Ecuador, 44th in the standings — two nations who possibly shouldn’t even be at the World Cup at all.
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      Hosts Qatar have never qualified for the finals, while their opponents have been up to their necks in bother over the eligibility of full-back Byron Castillo — an affair which almost saw them kicked out.
      And after this tournament, won by the Qataris under false pretences, was moved from summer to winter, this fixture was switched from Monday to Sunday in a World Cup that they are making up as they go along.
      At least the latest U-turn, the 11th-hour banning of alcohol inside stadiums — for rank-and-file supporters but not the corporate freeloaders, of course — could be seen as a minor triumph for human rights.
      Any beer lover will tell you that the inability to pay 12 quid for a Budweiser is a blessing rather than a curse.
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      To be in Doha in the build-up to this tournament is a deeply strange experience.
      This is a hastily-constructed, ultra-modern metropolis built around what was a small, traditional Arab city — at the cost of the lives of thousands of mistreated migrant workers — the skyscrapers as well as the tournament’s eight stadia, all within 30 miles of one another.
      But despite the cultural differences and the moral outrages, you can still discover pockets of World Cup fever.
      In central Doha, you will see thousands of locals walking around in replica Argentina shirts with Lionel Messi’s name and No 10 on their backs.
      As soon as their own team are dumped out — and Qatar are highly likely to follow South Africa as the only previous World Cup host nation to exit at the group stage — they will throw their weight behind Messi and Co.
      The little maestro’s move to Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain made sure of that.
      Downtown Doha is now starting to resemble the united-nations melting pot of previous World Cups — the Latin Americans, in particular, travelling in vast numbers as they always do.
      Scores of global TV companies have set up their studios in front of the Souq Waqif — the historic marketplace which gives their coverage a rare backdrop of authentic Arab culture in this marble-and-concrete jungle.
      Close by, dozens of soporific camels doze around.
      And at a neighbouring booth, tourists are invited to ‘Try On Qatari Dress — It’s Amazing!’
      But football fans must strive to find an oasis of western hedonism in this desert.
      On the 14th floor of a central hotel, there is an Irish bar serving Guinness at £15 a pint to supporters with deep pockets and raging thirsts from every corner of the globe.
      Qatar won the right to stage this World Cup, way back in 2010, thanks to Fifa corruption — with their crooked former boss Sepp Blatter recently admitting this had been a mistake due to the host nation’s inadequate size.
      As culture wars raged over migrant-worker deaths and the illegality of homosexuality in Qatar — as well as those beer prices — many who would normally follow England at major tournaments chose to stay well away.
      And that was before an appalling Qatari World Cup ambassador recently described homosexuality as a ‘damage of the mind’.
      These issues have completely overshadowed Qatar’s own footballing prospects.
      Their Spanish manager Felix Sanchez presides over a squad consisting entirely of players who compete in Qatar’s domestic league — and who have been frequently withdrawn from club matches to go on lengthy remote training camps.
      Sanchez said: “We consider ourselves very competitive and worthy of being here, even if the favourites, on paper, should be Ecuador.
      “We are a small country and have to work with what we’ve got. The players have spent long periods of time, making a massive sacrifice, being away from their families, outside of the country, to make sure we are as competitive as possible.”
      Given the brown-envelope culture which earned Qatar this World Cup, it was little surprise that Sanchez was asked about internet conspiracies suggesting Ecuador’s players had been offered bribes to throw Sunday’s opening match.
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      He replied: “There is a lot of dangerous misinform­ation on the internet but we have prepared for many years to prove we are strong and competitive.
      “Nobody will destabilise us, we are not affected by it and we are excited and motivated for this historic day.”
      The Al Bayt Stadium is ready to play host to the opening game of the World CupCredit: Getty More

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      Psychic camel Camilla picks England for victory in World Cup match with Iran

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      IT’S cam-ing home!The Iranian footie team are bound to have the hump after Camilla the psychic camel predicted a decisive win for the Three Lions.
      Camilla’s owners Jenny and Vernon insist she’s never wrongCredit: Paul Tonge
      The Sun on Sunday tasked ‘Mystic Millie’ with predicting the winner of tomorrow’s England vs Iran match.
      She walked straight over to the St George’s Cross without hesitating – making Gareth Southgate’s team the one to beat.
      Her estate agent owners Jenny and Vernon Moore, both 52, from Melton Mowbray, Leics, insist she’s “never wrong”.
      Vernon said: “It’s the best possible omen for Gareth and the boys. Getting past the group stage is in the bag.
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      “We asked her to choose between our and our opponents’ flags placed on easels a few yards in front of her and she marched straight up to the St George’s cross every time.”
      Camels hold a special status in the World Cup host city of Qatar, where they are bred for the hugely popular sport of camel racing.
      But unfortunately for the home nation, Camilla believes Ecuador will win the first match of the tournament tomorrow night.
      Jenny said: “Camilla is very strong willed and always seems to know when it’s food time so we have absolute faith in her ability to predict World Cup results.”
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      World Cup 2022 – injured players to miss tournament: Nkunku, James, Chilwell, Pogba, Benzema, Kante & Mane all RULED OUT

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      QATAR’s World Cup will see the most famous names in world football face off against each other over November and December.
      England will be hoping to bring home the trophy after reaching the semi-final stages in 2018 before suffering defeat to Croatia.
      France’s Paul Pogba will be sadly absent in QatarCredit: AFP
      The likes of Brazil, France, Spain and Germany will be standing in the way of Gareth Southgate’s men as the top-performing stars in football battle it out for international glory.
      However, there are set to be many noticeable absences as the tournament approaches.
      Here is a full list of absentees from Qatar, which SunSport will keep updated between now and November 20.
      Argentina
      AS Roma star Paulo Dybala suffered a freak injury against Lecce in October, with his boss Jose Mourinho, admitting: “The injury looks very bad. I’d say bad, but honestly after speaking with Paulo… I think very bad”.
      However, he has now been named in the squad for the World Cup as his dream of playing in Qatar is still alive.
      Paulo Dybala will miss the World Cup with injury

      However, former Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso was not as lucky as he has to undergo surgery on a hamstring injury suffered in action for Villarreal, and will miss the tournament.
      Australia
      Kye Rowles has returned from a foot injury in time to make the squad, while Harry Souttar was doubtful but has also returned in time to play in Qatar.
      Belgium
      Alexis Saelemaekers is out for the World Cup, with the AC Milan star ruled out for the remainder of 2022 after picking up a serious knee injury.
      Brazil
      Liverpool loanee Arthur Melo has been ruled out of the tournament also, suffering a long-term muscular injury after failing to nail down a starting spot during the beginning of his spell in England.
      Liverpool midfielder Arthur Melo, on loan from Juventus, will miss the World Cup
      Cameroon
      As it stands, Cameroon have a fully fit squad going into the World Cup as they look to impress at the tournament.
      Canada
      Alphonso Davies has been named in the Canada squad despite an injury scare which put doubts over his participation.
      He missed Bayern Munich’s last two matches heading into the tournament after sustaining a torn hamstring, but will hope to be ready to play for his country.
      Alphonso Davies will be going to the World Cup with CanadaCredit: AP
      Costa Rica
      The Central Americans go into the tournament also with a fully fit squad.
      Croatia
      Marcelo Brozovic has faced a spell out with injury but has returned in time to be named in the Croatia squad.
      Denmark
      Andreas Christensen was the only doubt going into the World Cup but has recovered in time to make it into the Denmark team.
      Ecuador
      Joao Rojas has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, but Gonzalo Plata has made the squad after being doubtful.
      England
      Ben Chilwell will officially not be heading to Qatar due to sustaining a hamstring injury in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb.
      The defender had struggled with an ACL injury in the past and was substituted in the dying minutes, appearing in some discomfort before leaving the stadium on crutches.
      Ben Chilwell was helped off by medical staff against Dinamo ZagrebCredit: Rex
      While Chelsea teammate Reece James has been told that he will not make the cut despite being optimistic, with The Sun exclusively revealing that he has been informed of this after sustaining a long-term injury.
      The England international took to Twitter to confirm his absence from the Qatar tournament, sharing his disappointment.
      Emile Smith Rowe was also unavailable for selection after surgery earlier this year but there is good news for Kalvin Phillips who managed to book his spot on the plane.
      Man City pair Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker are likely to be out of the England squad after requiring surgery
      And fellow City teammate Kyle Walker has also made it onto Gareth Southgate’s 26-man list despite in the process of shaking off a hamstring injury.

      France
      Paul Pogba will miss out for France after undergoing knee surgery which has prevented him from playing since moving to Juventus in the summer.
      While fellow midfield sensation N’Golo Kante will also not take to the biggest stage of them all, with the Chelsea star having undergone an operation on a hamstring injury.
      N’Golo Kante has suffered another injury setback for Chelsea
      Presnel Kimpembe did not make the squad after sustaining a hamstring injury which has seen him out for several weeks leading up to the tournament.
      And Christopher Nkunku has been RULED OUT following a reckless challenge by Eduardo Camavinga in training.
      But Manchester United star Raphael Varane has been named in the World Cup squad despite going off in tears against Chelsea with an injury.
      France announced their full squad but will now be without star Karim Benzema, who is out after suffering an injury in training and joins the long list of absentees for France.
      Germany
      Marco Reus is officially out of the World Cup after picking up an ankle injury which saw him miss Borussia Dortmund’s last four Champions League games.
      And he will join his German compatriot Timo Werner has been ruled out of the tournament due to sustaining the same problem in RB Leipzig’s Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk.
      Ghana
      Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott has been ruled out of the tournament with a finger injury, ending his World Cup dreams.
      Iran
      Allahyar Sayyadmanesh has missed out on the squad as the Hull City star looks to recover from injury.
      Iran’s hopes will be relying on the fitness of ‘the Iranian Messi’ Sardar Azmoun, who has suffered with calf injuries this season but has still been named in the squad for England’s group rivals.
      Al Wakrah midfielder Omid Ebrahimi picked up a groin injury and misses out on the squad.
      Sardar Azmoun will be hoping to fire Iran to gloryCredit: AFP
      Japan
      Former Arsenal winger Ryo Miyaichi has been ruled out with an ACL injury while Yuta Nakayama will miss the World Cup too.
      Damaging his Achilles tendon during Huddersfield’s match against Sunderland, he requires surgery and will not travel with his side to Qatar.
      Mexico
      Jesus Corona will be out of the tournament after Mexico confirmed an ankle injury will see him sidelined while Wolves striker Raul Jimenez will return from a long-term injury to play.
      Having only made three appearances in the Premier League this season, Jimenez was named in Mexico’s World Cup squad ahead of Javier Hernandez and will be hoping of playing his part.
      The striker has not been his usual self since fracturing his skull in 2020, but will look to put his injury woes behind him.
      Jesus Corona is another big name absentee for the World Cup
      Morocco
      Marseille midfielder Amine Harit was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a serious knee injury, seeing him stretchered off for the French side against Monaco.
      Netherlands
      Former Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum will miss the World Cup with a broken leg while Matthijs de Ligt is on the plane despite a recent groin injury.
      Poland
      Brighton’s Jakub Moder will miss the tournament with an ACL injury while Pawel Dawidowicz is also out.
      Portugal
      Portugal have been hit hard as Diogo Jota is the latest confirmed absentee for the tournament.
      Diogo Jota will miss the World Cup after being stretchered off for LiverpoolCredit: PA
      Pedro Neto and Ricardo Periera are also unavailable through injury.
      Qatar
      Host nation Qatar will be without Abdullah Al-Ahrak due to a cruciate ligament injury, ruling him out of the home tournament.
      Saudi Arabia
      Saudi Arabia have a fully fit team heading into the competition.
      Senegal
      Sadio Mane has been ruled out through an ongoing leg injury which he sustained on Bayern Munich duties.
      Senegal named the winger in their squad as they were optimistic that he could recover on time.
      But a statement has since confirmed that he will definitely miss the tournament.
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      Serbia
      Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrovic has been named in Serbia’s squad despite an ankle injury, and will hope to be fit and firing for his side.
      South Korea
      Son Heung-min has confirmed that he will travel to the tournament with his country despite suffering a fracture around his eye, which required surgery just weeks before of the tournament.
      Spain
      Luis Enrique’s side are without Mikel Oyarzabal, who is recovering from injury ahead of the tournament.
      The winger’s exclusion is one of the least surprising as Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, PSG’s Sergio Ramos and Liverpool’s Thiago all miss out despite being fit.
      Ansu Fati has been named in the squad despite suffering a host of injuries over the last couple of seasons while Kepa Arrizabalaga is out of the team due to injury concerns.
      Dani Olmo and Mikel Oyarzabal will hope to return in time for Spain
      Switzerland
      The Swiss go into the competition with a fresh squad and no injury concerns.
      Tunisia
      Tunisia are optimistic, with no absentees as of now.
      United States
      Miles Robinson’s Achilles injury has put him out of the World Cup but the rest of the USMNT are fit and ready to go.
      Uruguay
      Ronald Araujo was struck by injury, with his groin issue thought to have ruled him out of action.
      However, Director of National Teams of the Uruguayan Football Association, Jorge Giordano, has provided a positive update, stating that they expect Araujo to be fit for Uruguay.
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      Wales
      England’s final group stage opponents, Wales, have a fully fit side as they look to cause an upset in Qatar.
      Gareth Bale has had a few injury issues to deal with along the way, as has Aaron Ramsey, who is notoriously injury-prone.
      Who else will miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?
      The likes of Erling Haaland and Mo Salah will not be making the trip to the Middle East, having failed to qualify with their countries, while Italy also will not feature at the tournament.
      Alongside these noticeable absentees, other big names will miss out due to no fault of their own.
      We have you covered with all the latest injury news ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, missing through injury. More

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      Who are the BBC pundits for the 2022 World Cup?

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      THE BBC pundits for the 2022 World Cup have been announced and there are some big names involved.Taking place in Qatar, the tournament is the first of it’s kind as top leagues across the world will break for the World Cup.
      Doha has been hit with World Cup fever for the 2022 tournamentCredit: Getty
      England will be hoping that they can compete with the likes of France and Brazil but face a tough task if they are to bring home the trophy.
      Taking over the footballing calendar over November and December, there will be heaps of live coverage for the tournament – and now the BBC have announced their punditry line-up.
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      Who are the BBC pundits?
      Gary Lineker will lead the TV team broadcasting the action, alongside Gabby Logan as presenters.
      Gary Lineker will be presenting the tournament alongside Gabby LoganCredit: Getty
      Alan Shearer will join the pair in the studio along with ex-England stars Rio Ferdinand, Micah Richards and Jermaine Jenas.
      Alex Scott will also join the team alongside the likes of Danny Gabbidon, Ashley Williams and Liverpool legend Ian Rush, who is representing Wales.
      Premier League legend Vincent Kompany, who currently manages Burnley, will also be in Qatar with the BBC alongside his former Man City teammate Pablo Zabaleta.
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      Chelsea icon Didier Drogba will be part of the team also, although his Ivory Coast are not at the competition.
      Former France women’s star Laura Georges will be heading to the 2022 World Cup with the BBC also.
      The line-up is complete with the additions of Jurgen Klinsmann, former USMNT manager, Mark Schwarzer and Gilberto Silva. More

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      Harry Kane defies last-ditch bid by World Cup chiefs to stop him wearing rainbow ‘One Love’ armband

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      HARRY Kane today defied a last-ditch bid by World Cup chiefs to stop him wearing a rainbow “One Love” armband.His team-mate Eric Dier also became the first England player to speak out on Qatar controversies, calling stadium worker deaths “terrible”.
      Harry Kane will continue to wear the One Love armband over the alternative Fifa suggested at the last minuteCredit: Getty
      Harry Kane has worn the rainbow armband for the past two England games to ‘send a message against discrimination’Credit: Getty
      Fifa’s rattled chief Gianni Infantino had earlier launched into a bizarre defence of the World Cup, which kicks off tomorrow afternoon after a succession of cock-ups.
      Three Lions captain Kane will sport its anti-discrimination armband when England play Iran tomorrow after the FA rejected a late Fifa alternative yesterday.
      In its latest startling move, Fifa chiefs unveiled its own “approved” armbands including one emblazoned with: “NoDiscrimination.”
      But the FA hit back: “We respect the Fifa armband but are committed to the One Love armband and intend to wear it.”
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      Kane, 29, has worn the rainbow band for the past two England games “to send a message against discrimination of any kind”.
      It promotes gay rights but is not directly aimed at anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Qatar, where being gay can still be punished by death.
      A Three Lions source said last night: “Fifa will be furious but we have no intention of changing course now – particularly when the alternative is being offered so late in the day.
      “Our message is clear and will remain the same.”
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      The One Love campaign is also being backed by the captains of Holland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales.
      FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said a request had been sent for permission to wear the armband but Fifa did not respond.
      He went on: “I think there’s a possibility that we might be fined.
      “And if we are, then we’ll pay the fine. We think it’s really important to show our values.”
      Fifa’s alternative will feature a range of slogans for different rounds, including BringTheMoves and FootballUnitesTheWorld.
      Meanwhile, Spurs defender Dier, 28, criticised Qatar’s shameful record on migrant builders after more than 6,500 were reported to have died constructing stadia.
      He said: “A lot of things have happened that are disappointing … what has happened with the building of the stadiums. It is a terrible situation.”
      It came after Fifa supremo Infantino launched into a wild defence of Qatar’s already calamitous tournament.
      Fifa has been slammed for a sudden stadium beer ban, chaotic organisation plus mounting fury over Qatar’s human rights record.
      And Infantino began yesterday by rambling: “Today I have strong feelings. Today I feel Qatari, I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel gay, I feel disabled, I feel a migrant worker.”
      Swiss-Italian Infantino – who has now moved to live in Qatar – then accused the West of “hypocrisy” over human rights.
      In an extraordinary tirade which lasted for nearly an hour, Infantino, 52, said: “I am European. For what we have been doing for 3,000 years around the world, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before giving moral lessons.”
      The bald bigwig bizarrely cited his own discrimination experiences after being bullied as a boy for having red hair and freckles.
      He also defended Fifa’s decision in 2010 to let Qatar host the World Cup. He said: “This one-sided moral lesson is just hypocrisy. I wonder why no one recognises the progress made here since 2016.
      “It is not easy to take the critics of a decision that was made 12 years ago. Qatar is ready, it will be the best World Cup ever.”
      He was backed by pop star Robbie Williams who will perform during the World Cup.
      He said: “If we’re not condoning human rights abuses anywhere, then it would be the shortest tour the world has ever known: I wouldn’t even be able to perform in my own kitchen.”
      However Infantino was last night blasted by campaigners.
      Robbie de Santos from gay right group Stonewall said: “LGBTQ+ people in Qatar are criminalised and persecuted for simply existing and cannot compromise who they are.
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      “These comments serve only to trivialise the very real suffering and oppression faced on a daily basis by LGBTQ+ Qataris.”
      Amnesty International said: “If Fifa is to salvage anything from this tournament, it must announce it will invest a significant part of the $6billion it will make to compensate workers and their families.”
      PM SUPPORT FOR 3 LIONSRISHI Sunak has backed Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions to go “all the way” in the World Cup.
      The PM said ahead of Monday’s opening game with Iran: “I know our boys will do us proud and I’ll be cheering them on all the way.”
      Mr Sunak also celebrated the fact Wales are appearing at the tournament for the first time since 1958.
      He said: “To have two home nation teams qualify for the tournament is a big win for the domestic game.” More

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      Gareth Southgate will QUIT after World Cup no matter how England get on, says former Three Lions boss Sam Allardyce

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      SAM ALLARDYCE reckons Gareth Southgate will quit as England manager even if he wins the World Cup.The former Three Lions boss also cast doubt on Southgate’s attacking intent ahead of tomorrow’s opener against Iran.
      Sam Allardyce believes Gareth Southgate will leave England after the World CupCredit: Reuters
      He thinks the Three Lions boss will leave whether the Three Lions go all the way or notCredit: Getty
      Ex-Bolton and West Ham chief Allardyce said: “If Southgate doesn’t win the World Cup, he will step down from his role as England manager.
      “Even if he does win it, he will walk too as he can leave on a high.
      “It’d be a great way to bow out.”
      Allardyce, 68, was talking to William Hill and Footy Accumulators’ No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast.
      READ MORE WORLD CUP NEWS
      And he added: “It’s my big doubt about England not creating enough and scoring goals in these tournaments.
      “It’s been the same in the World Cup and the Euros last time out.”
      Allardyce was axed after just 67 days in charge of the Three Lions in 2016.
      That was after telling an undercover reporter it was possible to “get around” third-party player ownership rules.
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      He had previously enjoyed spells in charge of Bolton, Newcastle United, Blackburn and West Ham and Sunderland in the Premier League.
      Following his axing by the Three Lions he returned to the dug-out to save Crystal Palace from relegation.
      He did the same thing with Everton the following season.
      However, he failed to stop West Brom from slipping out of the top-flight during his last job.
      Allardyce was speaking at the live episode of William Hill and Footy Accumulators’ No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast’ More