World Cup 2022

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      Steven Gerrard tipped to replace Gareth Southgate as England manager despite being sacked as Aston Villa boss

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      STEVEN GERRARD has been tipped to become the next England manager, despite his recent sacking as Aston Villa boss. Gerrard was relieved of his duties at Villa Park after a 3-0 defeat to Fulham which left his side teetering just above the relegation zone.
      Steven Gerrard has been tipped to become the next England managerCredit: Getty
      However, that has not stopped him from being earmarked as the next man to take on the England job when current manager Gareth Southgate steps down or is removed from the role.
      Speaking on talkSPORT, former England striker Darren Bent said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if he was one of the candidates for the England job next.
      “I’m not saying that he should get it, but you know what the FA are like.
      “They like people who have been in the system before.
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      “He’s obviously played for England and he’s very much a company man, isn’t he?
      “It wouldn’t surprise me. I just think that he could be one, certainly.”
      England are going into the World Cup in just under a month’s time in less-than-ideal form.
      The Three Lions have not won any of their last six matches, and plans beyond the upcoming tournament are far from set in stone.
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      Southgate has admitted his desire to continue in the role, but simultaneously he understands football is a results-based business.
      Chelsea boss Graham Potter and out-of-work Thomas Tuchel have also both been linked with taking over should Southgate leave after the tournament. More

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      Robbie Williams faces fury over plan to perform in Qatar for World Cup – after gig at Russia 2018 opening ceremony

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      ROBBIE Williams has faced fury over plans to perform at the World Cup in anti-gay Qatar. The singer, 48, will have scored a “huge own goal” if he sings in the repressive host country, one disappointed fan said. 
      Robbie Williams performing at the 2018 World Cup opening ceremony in RussiaCredit: Getty
      CEO of the Qatar World Cup 2022 Nasser Al Khater and Director General of Qatar’s World Cup Organising Committee Yasir Al JamalCredit: Getty
      Another said it would be “incomprehensible” for the showman, long perceived to be a supporter of the LGBT community, to play there, the Mirror reported. 
      It comes after it was announced Williams would be among the big acts playing at the Qatar Live concerts in December. 
      Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and gay people face fines or up to seven years in jail. World Cup chiefs had to give assurances that gay fans won’t be persecuted when they arrive next month.
      The country has also been condemned for its treatment of women and migrant workers. 
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      TV’s Paul O’Grady, 67, said: “I’m surprised at Robbie. There’ll be a backlash by the LGBTQ community if he does perform.
      “No amount of money would get me there.”
      Williams, currently on his XXV tour, also performed at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He is set to play at the Doha Gold Club on December 8.
      Phil Dann wrote on a fan page: “How do fans make an official protest?
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      “I’m sorry but the Qatar World Cup is wrong on many levels and I am disappointed that Robbie feels it is ­acceptable to so blatantly support it. It is a huge own goal for him.”
      Nic Schwarten added: “His opinion seems to be clear, otherwise he wouldn’t appear there. It’s really incomprehensible that he appears there.”
      Robbie Williams’ reps have been approached for comment.
      Today we revealed England’s World Cup build-up is in a heap of rubble — with the team hotel a construction site just a month before kick-off.
      The Sun witnessed migrant builders in overalls toiling in 35C heat to finish a swimming pool for Three Lions stars.
      A pool bar and changing room were still being hewn from bare breeze blocks.
      Outside the hotel entrance camels watched welders and workmen start turning a dusty site into a car park.
      But bosses at the Souq Al Wakra Hotel, where the Football. Association has booked all 101 rooms, insist work will be completed before Gareth Southgate’s team arrives next month.
      Meanwhile, a cockroach-ridden £650-a-night hovel is among filthy rip-off flats on offer to England fans at the Qatar World Cup.
      We posed as Three Lions followers to view the tiny concrete box described by its owner, Hilal, as “adorable” on rental site Airbnb.
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      The flat, with its cracked walls, soiled mattress and at least five ’roaches in the kitchen, was next to a noisy building site in Doha.
      Another Airbnb host, Riham, was offering digs in the capital with stained walls and a lounge kitchenette for £534 a night.
      The Lusail Stadium in Qatar, which is hosting this year’s World CupCredit: AFP More

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      I posed as Three Lions fan to view filthy rip-off flats in Qatar – I was disgusted with what I found

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      A COCKROACH-ridden £650-a-night hovel is among filthy rip-off flats on offer to England fans at the Qatar World Cup.We posed as Three Lions followers to view the tiny concrete box described by its owner, Hilal, as “adorable” on rental site Airbnb.
      We posed as Three Lions followers to view a tiny concrete box described by its owner, Hilal, as ‘adorable’ on rental site AirbnbCredit: Dan Charity
      A cockroach-ridden £650-a-night hovel is among filthy rip-off flats on offer to England fans at the Qatar World CupCredit: Dan Charity
      The flat, with its cracked walls, soiled mattress and at least five ’roaches in the kitchen, was next to a noisy building site in Doha.
      Another Airbnb host, Riham, was offering digs in the capital with stained walls and lounge-kitchenette for £534 a night.
      Mohammad showed us snaps of his “lovely” three-room property near Khalifa Stadium — a World Cup ground — at £1,789-a-night.
      They were among dozens of grubby homes advertised by landlords hoping to cash in as fans fear a looming Cup accommodation crisis.
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      A million are expected to descend on the Yorkshire-sized oil-rich state.
      Qatar 2022 chiefs insist there will be plenty of Fan Village Cabins to be had and urge fans to avoid the private rental market.
      Omar Al-Jaber, Supreme Committee accommodation boss, said: “We’ll cope. There’s no crisis.”
      They were among dozens of grubby homes advertised by landlords hoping to cash in as fans fear a looming Cup accommodation crisisCredit: Dan Charity
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      England facing World Cup headache with base close to nightly rave spot with DJ sets from Calvin Harris and Fatboy Slim

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      ENGLAND’S World Cup base is situated close to a “nightly rave” festival, it has been revealed.The Three Lions begin their campaign in Qatar against Iran on November 21, before games against USA and Wales over the following eight days.
      England’s World Cup base is situated just two miles away from the electronic festivalCredit: Ray Collins
      It is thought that the noise should not disturb England’s campCredit: Getty
      They are staying south of Doha at the Souq Al Wakra in Al Wakrah.
      According to The Telegraph, that is just TWO MILES away from the electronic music festival Aravia by MDLBEAST.
      And this year it is set to feature the likes of Calvin Harris, Fatboy Slim, Tinie Tempah and Jorja Smith.
      It begins on the same day as England’s World Cup opener against Iran – with 5,500 fans set to be in attendance.
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      However, the report does state that Gareth Southgate’s men are thought to be far away enough that they will not be disturbed by noise.
      Their residence also has high walls to offer privacy to those inside.
      It comes after David Beckham recently claimed England’s base was in a “quiet area”.
      Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, he said: “It feels it is in the middle of nowhere and it’s on the beach. What more do you want?

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      “What you look for is tranquillity more than anything.
      “As much as you want a little bit of atmosphere around the hotel, at a tournament, all you care about is the games and it is the perfect set-up.”
      On Friday, SunSport revealed witnessing migrant builders in overalls toiling in 35C heat to finish a swimming pool for the England squad.
      A pool bar and changing room were also being hewn from bare breeze blocks.
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      Outside the hotel entrance, camels watched welders and workmen start turning a dusty site into a car park.
      But bosses at the Souq Al Wakra Hotel, where the Football Association has booked all 101 rooms, insist work will be completed before Southgate’s team arrives next month. More

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      Reece James aims to be shock World Cup inclusion with injured Chelsea ace not giving up on playing for England in Qatar

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      CHELSEA star Reece James is not giving up on going to the World Cup as he hopes to make a shock recovery in time to join England in Qatar.James, 22, suffered a knee injury last week in the Champions League against AC Milan at the San Siro and was told he will be sidelined for two months.
      Chelsea star Reece James issued an update on his recovery after surgery
      Reece James is determined to recover in time to join England in the World CupCredit: Getty
      That should mean he will miss next month’s World Cup, which starts on November 20 with Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate expected to announce his squad just before the final deadline of November 13.
      Despite that, the 22-year-old posted a short update on his recovery from surgery and vowed to do “everything he can” to recover in time to join England.
      The Chelsea full-back did add however that he is “devastated” by the fact he looks more than likely to miss out on his first opportunity to play in the esteemed tournament.
      James said in a YouTube clip: “Last week against AC Milan, I went in for a tackle and got injured. I didn’t think it was too bad.
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      “After the game, I stayed an extra day in Milan and just thought maybe it was a little niggle.
      “A day or two later I saw a surgeon, and he told me that I was going to be out for around two months.
      “Yeah, it’s obviously devastating. The World Cup is only one month away.
      “As a kid growing up, I always wanted to go and this is my first opportunity.
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      “I’ll do everything I can to be there, but I’m obviously devastated. You know, the injury came at the wrong time.
      “But every day we need to be grateful and thankful. But yeah I’ll keep you updated with what’s happening on a day-to-day basis. And yeah I’ll touch base soon guys.”
      Southgate is facing quite a crisis at right-back with Manchester City star Kyle Walker also dealing with a groin injury while Liverpool ace Trent Alexander-Arnold has struggled on the pitch this season. More

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      Calls to kick Iran out of World Cup grow after sending military experts to help Russian troops in Ukraine

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      CALLS to kick Iran out of the World Cup are growing after it deployed military experts to Ukraine to help Russian troops.The strict Islamic state sent personnel to Crimea to assist with the deadly bombardment of Ukraine’s towns and cities with kamikaze drones.
      Calls to kick Iran out of the World Cup are growing after it deployed military experts to Ukraine to help Russian troopsCredit: AFP
      Iran sent personnel to Crimea to assist with the deadly bombardment of Ukraine’s towns and cities with kamikaze drones, aboveCredit: AP
      Protests are also raging after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, arrested for not wearing a headscarf correctly, died in custodyCredit: Newsflash
      The country is already under fire for killing more than 200 protesters including 23 children. They rose up over the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, arrested for not wearing a headscarf correctly.
      Campaigners also urged Fifa to act because of its ban on women attending football matches, imposed in 1979 by clerics who said that letting them watch men play in shorts “promotes promiscuity”.
      Iran are due to face England on November 21 but a petition urging Fifa to kick them out has more than 22,000 signatures.
      One campaigner said: “Iranians believe the team is not representing them but a regime which is hurting its own people and violating their rights.
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      “Fifa claims to ‘Strive to promote the protection of human rights’ — so start striving Fifa and protect us and our rights.
      “Many countries have been banned from the World Cup before for the violation of human rights.
      “It’s time the Iranian regime pays the price.”
      This week it emerged Iranian IT experts were deployed to Crimea to help Russia operate the Shahed-136 drones which have blitzed power plants and residential areas.
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      The Iranian-made weapons destroyed almost a third of the country’s power stations and killed at least four people.
      White House national security spokesman John Kirby said: “We assess that Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations.
      “Tehran is now directly engaged on the ground, and through the provision of weapons that are impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. The US will pursue all means to expose, deter and confront Iran’s provision of these munitions against the Ukrainian people.”
      The Iranian regime is facing its biggest threat since the 1979 revolution after weeks of violence since student Mahsa died.
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      Fifa kicked Russia out of their World Cup semi-final play-off in February after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.
      Fifa has been contacted for comment. More

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      Inside England’s shambolic World Cup hotel which is still a building site in Qatar just 30 days until kick off

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      ENGLAND’S World Cup build-up is in a heap of rubble — with the team hotel a construction site just a month before kick-off.The Sun witnessed migrant builders in overalls toiling in 35C heat to finish a swimming pool for Three Lions stars.
      A pool bar and changing room were still being hewn from bare breeze blocksCredit: Dan Charity
      The Sun witnessed migrant builders in overalls toiling in 35C heat to finish a swimming pool for Three Lions starsCredit: Dan Charity
      Outside the hotel entrance camels watched welders and workmen start turning a dusty site into a car parkCredit: Dan Charity
      A pool bar and changing room were still being hewn from bare breeze blocks.
      Outside the hotel entrance camels watched welders and workmen start turning a dusty site into a car park.
      But bosses at the Souq Al Wakra Hotel, where the Football. Association has booked all 101 rooms, insist work will be completed before Gareth Southgate’s team arrives next month.
      And hotel chiefs promised an oasis of calm between games as they showed off sumptuous seaside suites.
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      General manager Emad Nabulsi said: “There is a building site now but I can guarantee everything will be finished long before the team arrives. They will be very happy.
      “The hotel is modelled on the site of a traditional fishing village and until now had an ornamental fountain but no pool.
      “But the fountain will become a beautiful pool for the players to enjoy. Work is ahead of schedule and it will be ready on time.
      “I can assure you the players will not see any workmen or building materials.”
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      England team bosses selected the tranquil low-rise site — 30 minutes drive from the glitzy skyscrapers of Qatar’s capital Doha — to de-stress stars between games.
      But there was concern at the lack of a pool after players including captain Harry Kane were snapped having a splashing time with inflatable unicorns at the last World Cup in Russia in 2018.
      Fifa made an urgent request for a pool to be installed. But plans had to be drawn up to ensure it stayed in keeping with the rest of the traditional site. 
      Planning consent was obtained from the tiny Muslim state’s authorities before work began on September 25.
      Mr Nabulsi said: “The workers were given a month to complete the project but we added a five-day extension which means it will be ready by November 1. 
      Harry Kane and his World Cup England team-mates will be kicking-off in a monthCredit: Getty
      The Sun’s Nick Parker alongside the unfinished poolCredit: Dan Charity
      “It will be thoroughly tested and finished to a very high standard.”
      Pergolas which once adorned the hotel’s old fountain are being cleaned and restored to become part of the new pool area.
      The pool bar will also be rendered to match the sandy colour of the rest of the complex. 
      But it will not serve booze as the hotel is alcohol-free. England’s hotel choice contrasts sharply with rival teams including Group B opponents USA who snapped up exclusive access to the glitzy high-rise Marsa Malaz Kempinski Hotel in Doha.
      Souq Al Wakra rooms cost only about £110 a night in a modest low-key setting beside a traditional market and public beach looking out on the Arabian Gulf.
      But the Americans have bagged the most lavish retreat on Doha’s man-made island, the Pearl, where stunning suites with spa bath and a butler can cost £15,000 a night. England’s first opponents, Iran, will move into the chic but booze-free Hilton AlRayyan Hotel adjoining one of central Doha’s biggest shopping malls.
      And their other group opponents, Wales, will stay at the Delta Hotels City Centre in the bustling West Bay area and boasting five-star restaurants and bars, a spa, fitness centre and swimming pool.
      England’s hosts yesterday took The Sun on a guided tour of their stylish site — stressing that building work will not affect the rest of the spotless hotel. The complex was once an Arab fishing and pearl hunter’s village but was remodelled in 2018 into a smart boutique hotel retaining a host of homely features.
      Players will live in luxurious low-rise clusters of rooms complete with air conditioning and satellite TV and set around stone-paved courtyards.
      Boss Southgate is expected to take one of the best suites — featuring a lounge with beamed ceilings and two huge TVs.
      Framed family photos will be placed in individual rooms and beds will be adorned with towel art decorations. 
      Communal areas will be emblazoned with inspiring pictures of England’s greatest sporting victories, including the 1966 triumph.
      The hotel also features a traditional Qatari tented area, perfect for the players to gather around Southgate to talk tactics.
      Souq Al Wakra manager Zoheb Khan told The Sun: “Hotels in the centre of the city will not match our welcome or attention to detail.
      “Our aim is to create a home from home where the players will wake up to the sound of birdsong and relax fully between games. 
      “Every comfort will be offered and we are looking forward to welcoming the team. And hopefully they will be with us all the way to the final.”
      The hotel has drafted in 60 extra staff to welcome the squad.
      An England source said: “A great deal of care was taken over the choice of hotel, which looks to be a great fit for the team.
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      “The focus on keeping the players and staff as relaxed and happy as possible between games. 
      “It paid dividends in Russia 2018 and made us real contenders — and will hopefully do the same in Qatar.”
      Bosses at the Souq Al Wakra Hotel, where the FA has booked all 101 rooms, insist work will be completed before Gareth Southgate’s team arrives next monthCredit: Getty
      No fans, just camels watching as the workers attempt to get the hotel ready for the arrival of the Three LionsCredit: Dan Charity More

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      Beware of my old friend Aliou Cisse, his Senegal team can go AT LEAST as far as England at the World Cup

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      SADIO MANE’S second place in the Fifa player rankings is another sign that Senegal is fast becoming the lion’s den of African football.It will show whether the growl is bigger than the bite at the World Cup starting next month.
      Sadio Mane of Senegal during a friendly against IranCredit: Getty
      Whatever the success of its team, though, the current African champions will owe plenty to chief coach Aliou Cisse, seven years in the job with proven ability of moulding useful parts into a formidable machine.
      Mane is the player with claws — darting, challenging and quick to expose loose defending.
      Undoubtedly, he’s the headline act, but the script is being written by ‘El Tactico’ the boss who played for Birmingham and Portsmouth not so many years back.
      I remember him at St Andrews. He was smart, friendly and an absolute professional.
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      His character was tested to the limit during his time with the Blues.
      Tragically, he lost 11 relatives in a ferry that sank crossing from Gambia to Senegal.
      He kept the terrible news to himself for days before the facts emerged.
      Naturally we invited him to take indefinite leave but that wasn’t his way of mourning.
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      He stayed with us for all but a few days, going about his business with dignity, asking for no favours, showing incredible mental strength.
      If there is such a person as a natural manager, the beloved Cisse is close.
      First though he was a natural captain, leading Senegal to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002.
      In a curious parallel with England’s Gareth Southgate, he too had to live with missing a vital penalty kick.
      Both eventually shrugged off the constant reminders of failure (not much of one really) and use it to explain to failing takers that it is by no means the end of the world.
      Already a nation of football obsessives, winning the African pennant became a yearning hunger among the 17 million Senegalese.
      It was finally satisfied last January by the defeat of Egypt whose Real Madrid-like domination had brought seven previous triumphs.

      And Cisse wasn’t slow to point out the tournament’s top three sub-Sahara nations, Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal, are managed by former internationals.
      No fewer than 16 African countries currently have local coaches.
      Cisse’s football education was gained as young boy whose family had moved to the suburbs of Paris.
      He grew into a committed defender, receiving five cards in six matches early in his two-season stint with City.
      However, he is always realistic about punishment.
      When Senegal were eliminated from the 2018 World Cup group under the absurd fair-play tiebreaker rule — they lost by six to four yellow cards — he said: “It’s a sad day for us but we knew these were the regulations.”
      Senegal’s group opponents in Qatar are Ecuador, Holland and the host country. Nothing to be frightened of.
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      I doubt very much whether they will be crowned champions but their team overall is good enough to go at least as far England or Wales.
      Africa these days is no pushover and the welcome fact is that her teams are mostly run by Africans. El Tactico is leading the pack.
      Senegal manager Aliou CisseCredit: Getty More