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      What is stadium 974 and where will it be used?

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      MANY were confused when they heard that Qatar will demolish the World Cup’s stadium 974.Here is everything you need to know about the stadium, its demolition and where it will be used.
      stadium 974 will be demolished after the World CupCredit: Reuters
      What is stadium 974?
      stadium 974 is a football stadium used for the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar.
      It is found in Ras Abu Aboud in Doha and it opened on November 30, 2021, as a temporary venue which holds 44,089 spectators.
      It was made from 974 – which is also Qatar’s international dialing code – recycled shipping containers.
      It was opened in 2021 as the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium to host matches for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
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      Officially renamed stadium 974, it become the first stadium of its sort in FIFA World Cup history.
      The stadium hosted seven games during the 2022 World Cup:

      Where will stadium 974 be used?
      So far, there has been no concrete decision made on where the stadium might be used.
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      The Financial Times reported that the stadium might be moved to Uruguay to be used in the 2030 World Cup.
      Uruguay are planning to make a joint bid with Argentina, Chile and Paraguay to host a South American World Cup in 2030.
      Why did Qatar demolish stadium 974?
      Qatar’s aims were to deliver a World Cup with a very low rate of carbon footprint.
      That is why they came up with the idea of a recyclable football stadium, which can be used to host other events in different locations.
      Dismantling of stadium 974 already started.
      The organising committee said: “Qatar is on track to deliver the first carbon neutral Fifa World Cup.
      “That means all infrastructure projects – including the eight stadiums – must meet stringent sustainability benchmarks.
      “During their construction, we have recycled and reused wherever possible and implemented a vast range of energy and water efficiency solutions.
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      “In addition, materials from sustainable sources were used and innovative legacy plans have been implemented to ensure the tournament doesn’t leave any ‘white elephants’.”
      White elephants is the term used to refer to those stadiums built for the World Cup but rarely used again such as the case in South Africa, Brazil and Russia. More

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      ‘He will blink and stare at the ceiling’ – Alan Shearer fears Harry Kane will be haunted for rest of life by penalty

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      ENGLAND legend Alan Shearer has claimed that Harry Kane’s crucial penalty miss against France will haunt him forever.The Three Lions crashed out of the World Cup on Saturday after suffering a 2-1 defeat to the reigning champions.
      Kane missed his second penalty against FranceCredit: Alamy
      The striker fired his effort over the crossbarCredit: Getty
      Aurelien Tchouameni broke the deadlock just 17 minutes into the game with an excellent long-range strike into the bottom corner.
      Kane later levelled the score from the penalty spot after Bukayo Saka was fouled by Tchouameni in the box.
      Former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud then fired the French back into the lead following an inch-perfect pass from Antoine Griezmann.
      But, as England scrambled to get back into the game, France defender Theo Hernandez gave away another penalty for a clumsy challenge on Mason Mount.
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      Kane stepped up to the spot again, but this time he blazed his strike over the crossbar with just six minutes of normal time remaining.
      Reflecting on the England captain’s vital miss after the game, Shearer expressed fears that it will likely haunt him for the rest of his life.
      In his column for The Athletic, the Newcastle icon wrote: “Sometimes s*** happens and then sleep deserts you. Harry is an exceptional centre-forward, an exceptional player full stop.
      “I know his position and I know his mindset and I know he will put his head on the pillow on this night and the next and a few more besides and he will blink and stare at the ceiling.
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      Kane was consoled by Southgate after the gameCredit: Getty
      Shearer believes Kane could be haunted by the penalty miss foreverCredit: Pixel8000
      “He will re-live his penalty over and over. He will revisit it, he will re-take it and in his mind’s eye he will convince himself that this time, he’s scoring. And I promise you, it will stay with him forever.”
      During his post-match interview, England boss Gareth Southgate was quick to offer his full support to Kane, who was “very, very low” after the full-time whistle.
      Southgate said: “Tonight it is very difficult. When you get a second penalty and it’s a goalkeeper that knows you really well as well, there’s a lot involved in that situation.
      “He’s the best. But the best are still 85 per cent. So even the best are going to miss at times – and that’s football.
      “There is nobody I’d have rather had in that situation and, if we had one tomorrow, I’d feel exactly the same way.
      “For me, he has been a fantastic leader of this group through this tournament. I thought his performance tonight was his best of the tournament – his hold-up play, his link play, as well the first goal that he scored.
      “But in these tournaments, lots of countries have a similar situation frankly. It’s cruel for him, because he will feel disappointed in himself but he shouldn’t.
      “As I said, it’s 100 minutes of football and there’s a lot of things that can happen in terms of winning a game.
      “As you’d expect, he’s very, very low but he’s got nothing to reproach himself for. We’re in the position we are as a team because of his leadership, because of his goals over a long period of time.
      Read More on The Sun
      “Even if that goes in we’ve still got a lot to do to win the game. For us, no recriminations. We’ve always stuck together as a team. The group of players have been brilliant and we win and lose together.”
      Following Saturday’s result, France progress to the World Cup semi-final where they will take on Morocco. More

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      England’s World Cup heartbreaker vs France the most-watched TV show on any channel ALL YEAR as 23m tune in to ITV clash

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      ENGLAND’s World Cup quarter-final heartbreaker against France drew the biggest audience on any TV channel this year as 23million people tuned in on ITV.Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions lost the crunch match 2-1 and were sent packing by the reigning world champions.
      A huge audience of 23million watched England lose to France on ITVCredit: Rex
      Kane missed a late penaltyCredit: Getty
      The miss was much to the delight of Kylian MbappeCredit: Rex
      A peak ITV audience of 23m watched on as Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring early on in the first half – making the fixture the most-watched show this year.
      Kane grabbed the equaliser from the penalty spot but Olivier Giroud later restored France’s lead with an expert header.
      But with six minutes left on the clock, England were handed the chance to draw level, again from the penalty spot.
      This time, Kane made a mess of his effort and sent his shot flying over the crossbar.
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      ITV are continuing to smash rivals, the BBC, in their ratings war.
      However, the ITV curse came back to haunt England.
      England have played on ITV 30 times in major tournaments since 1998, including the World Cup that year.
      Out of those 30 games, the Three Lions have won just SEVEN times.
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      They have lost 10 and drawn 13 on the channel, including the quarter-final.
      In contrast they have played 27 times on the BBC since then, winning 19, drawing once and losing seven.
      England’s last-16 clash against Senegal ended in victory despite being shown on ITV. More

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      Defiant Man Utd star Marcus Rashford fires World Cup promise to England fans after France quarter-final heartbreak

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      MARCUS RASHFORD has vowed England “will come again” after last night’s World Cup heartbreak.The Manchester United ace came off the bench as the Three Lions went down 2-1 to reigning champions France in the quarter-finals.
      Marcus Rashford vowed England “will come again” after suffering World Cup heartbreakCredit: Reuters
      Rashford almost equalised for the Three Lions at the deathCredit: Getty
      Rashford replaced Phil Foden for the final five minutes, and came close to scoring a stunning equaliser with a free-kick that skimmed the roof of the net in stoppage time.
      The 25-year-old was superb in Qatar, and was the Three Lions’ joint top scorer with Bukayo Saka on three goals.
      Taking to social media the morning after the defeat, Rashford thanked fans for their support and vowed that England will return better than ever.
      He wrote on Twitter: “The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions, each and every one of our team gave everything we had to be ready for what was thrown at us, we got close, but not close enough.
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      “I’ll make a promise that we will come again!
      “Thank you for the unconditional support.”
      Rashford has enjoyed a resurgence this season for the Red Devils after a difficult last campaign.
      The forward carried that form with him into the World Cup, although the 3-0 win over Wales in the final group game was his only start of the tournament.
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      The Old Trafford ace came off the bench in all four of England’s other games.
      A number of England stars posted messages on social media after their quarter-final heartbreak.
      Harry Maguire wrote: “Last night hurt. Absolutely gutted. Special thanks to Gareth and you amazing fans who kept belief in me.
      “I love my country and I hope we made you proud.”
      While skipper Harry Kane said on Twitter: “Absolutely gutted. We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for.
      “There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport.
      “Now it’s about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge.
      “Thanks for all the support throughout the tournament – it means a lot.” More

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      Fans blaming Jonny Wilkinson for Harry Kane miss as video of him teaching England ace to kick ball OVER bar resurfaces

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      ENGLAND fans are doing their best to see the funny side as they try get over Saturday’s painful World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.Supporters have joked that Jonny Wilkinson is to blame for the 2-1 loss after a video of the rugby legend teaching Harry Kane to kick the ball OVER the bar resurfaced online.
      The England sporting heroes came together in 2018 to film a skit for Sport ReliefCredit: BBC
      Jonny Wilkinson taught Harry Kane how to take a penalty – insisting that you have to kick the ball OVER the crossbarCredit: BBC
      Kane then copied Wilkinson’s techniqueCredit: BBC
      Fans have jokingly blamed Wilkinson for Kane’s penalty miss against FranceCredit: Getty
      Kane skied a late penalty over the crossbar for the Three Lions that would have made the game 2-2, having earlier netted perfectly from the spot.
      The two England heroes came together in 2018 to film a skit for Sport Relief, which also included comedian John Bishop.
      It saw Wilkinson, who won the 2003 Rugby World Cup with a last-gasp drop goal, teach Kane how to score a penalty.
      After the Three Lions skipper buried a perfect spot-kick, Wilkinson said: “No, no… you’ve got it all wrong.”
      Read More On England
      Wilkinson then proceeded to place the ball on a tee and smash it over the bar, rugby style.
      He turned to Kane and said: “That’s how you do it.”
      The confused football star replied: “You just put it over by a mile.”
      But Wilkinson hit back: “Yes, but that’s how I won a World Cup though with England.”
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      Kane then lined up and smashed an effort over the bar, drawing applause from Wilkinson.
      And devastated England fans, desperate for some light-hearted relief, have joked that the ex-rugby ace is to blame for Kane’s miss.
      After the video resurfaced, one wrote on Twitter: “I blame Jonny Wilkinson!”
      Another quipped: “This is why Harry Kane missed the penalty! We have to blame Jonny Wilkinson.”
      Ans a third added: “Definitely blame Jonny.”
      England football legends rallied around Kane after his penalty miss on social media.
      The brave Three Lions captain admitted it will “take some time” for him to get over last night’s defeat.
      He wrote on Twitter: “Absolutely gutted. We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for.
      “There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport.
      Read More on The Sun
      “Now it’s about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge.
      “Thanks for all the support throughout the tournament – it means a lot.”
      A devastated Kane is consoled by James MaddisonCredit: Getty More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo and Man Utd duo Fernandes and Dalot will not return to Lisbon and stay in Qatar despite World Cup exit

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO and ex-Manchester United team-mates Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot will NOT return to Lisbon and will stay in Qatar despite Portugal’s World Cup exit. Portugal missed out on a semi-final date with world champions France after they fell to a historic 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco.
      Ronaldo burst into tears at full-timeCredit: Rex
      The football icon had to be ushered down the tunnelCredit: Rex
      Fernandes and eight others are staying in Qatar, as is RonaldoCredit: Reuters
      Dalot leaving separately from his team-matesCredit: Reuters
      Portugal’s team bus departing their base in QatarCredit: Reuters
      Ronaldo was a second half substitute and was unable to save his country from disaster, like he has so many times before.
      The Portuguese FA has announced Ronaldo and nine other team-mates, including United duo Fernandes and Dalot, will stay in Qatar.
      Other names include Bernardo Silva, Ruben Neves, Rui Patricio, Raphael Guerreiro, Rafael Leao, Joao Cancelo and  Maheus Nunes.
      Only 14 players will be returning to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon following their World Cup disappointment.
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      The tournament was a complete disaster for 37-year-old Ronaldo.
      On what could be his final World Cup, he managed just one goal, which came from the penalty spot against Ghana in the group stages.
      He also found himself benched by Euro 2016-winning boss Fernando Santos for the knockout stages, and he may well end up without a World Cup knockout goal.
      The disaster in the Middle East followed his explosive interview with SunSport columnist and TalkTV main man Piers Morgan.
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      Ronaldo slammed Man Utd, accusing his then employers of betrayal, while declaring he did not respect manager Erik ten Hag.
      The interview pushed Ronaldo beyond the point of return and United ripped up his contract before Portugal’s first group game.
      Where he plays his club football next is yet to be decided.
      Ronaldo is said to have a lucrative offer on the table from Saudi side Al Nassr.
      Ronaldo had a day to forget against Morocco More

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      Declan Rice thinks the ‘negativity’ around England will only end when they win something as he backs Southgate to stay

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      DECLAN RICE reckons the “negativity” surrounding England will only disappear once the Three Lions actually win something.Yet with the next major tournament in Germany just 19 months away, the West Ham midfielder is desperate for Gareth Southgate to stay as manager.
      Declan Rice takes in England’s defeatCredit: The Mega Agency
      He hopes Southgate will stay onCredit: Reuters
      England’s next game is on March 23 and a trip to Naples to face Italy in a Euro2024 qualifier.
      Rice said: “We’ve come so far. I think that’s credit to the manager, the spirit that he’s brought to this team and togetherness that we’ve got. Personally, I hope he stays.
      “There’s a lot of talk around the manager. I think he’s been brilliant for us. I think there’s a lot of criticism that’s not deserved. I think he’s taken us so, so far. Further than what people expected.
      “I really hope he stays because of the core group that we’ve got and what he’s made for us. It’s so special to be a part of, I love playing under him and I love playing for England.
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      “We weren’t overly-confident over here but we were confident enough that we really could win this tournament and that is not the mentality England have had over the years.
      “I think we’ve handled it so well, if you look at the squad we are so young, but we’ve got so many top players.
      “We’ve got to a semi-final, Euros final, obviously crashed out here at a quarter-final but in my opinion the better team lost and that shows how far we have come.
      “I think sometimes the negativity surrounding us will go away once we have won something again. I think there will always be that pressure on us but I feel like it’s starting to sway that way that we’re getting back to a level where people are believing in us and the country is backing us.
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      “A few years ago, it wasn’t like that. So we can be really proud of ourselves as a group. But we need to go again because ultimately, international football is based on what you win, we haven’t won for years so that is what we want to try and do.”
      Rice, 23, who already has 39 caps, delivered a strong midfield performance against France after a difficult start.
      Asked about what Southgate said to the players afterwards, he said: “He was so proud of us as a group because of how we’ve been, how we’ve applied ourselves to the last month and what we’ve given in training sessions. Some of the lads that haven’t even had a minute, every day around the group.
      “Against France, he got everything spot on again. It’s not on him. It’s not on him at all – the tactics were right, we played the right way.
      “I think you can see on my face right now that I’m distraught because we really believed this year that it could be a year.”
      Defender Harry Maguire also backed Southgate to stay.
      He said: “Over the last six years, with Gareth in charge, you can really see the development. I know being an England manager is so tough, they get every decision they make scrutinised, every squad they make it is ‘he should be in’ or ‘he shouldn’t be in’.
      “Every team he picks it is ‘he should play’ or ‘he shouldn’t play’. That is being an England manager. He knows how to handle it and tactically he gets all the big decisions right and he has proven that again this tournament. Gareth has been amazing with myself. Amazing with every player in the team.
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      “I know we lost. But it’s probably the best performance we’ve had against a big team. They are the world champions and I feel like they will go on to lift the cup. And if we are being totally honest, we were a lot better than them in a lot of areas.
      “This is tournament football and you can only look after the performance. Four years ago against Croatia we didn’t play well enough to progress through to the final. In this game we lost but we did everything right and sometimes this in football, the best team doesn’t win. That is why everyone loves the game.” More

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      Adrien Rabiot says Harry Kane’s penalty miss was ‘justice’ as France star makes bizarre claim about penalty

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      FRANCE midfielder Adrien Rabiot has bizarrely claimed “justice” was served when Harry Kane missed his second penalty.The world champions saw off Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions with a 2-1 victory in the World Cup quarter-finals.
      Kane missed a golden opportunity to draw England levelCredit: Rex
      Kane has taken responsibility for England’s early exitCredit: Getty
      Rabiot (right) – celebrating with match winner Giroud (left) – says Kane’s miss was ‘justice’Credit: PA
      Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring early on in the first half.
      Kane grabbed the equaliser from the penalty spot but Olivier Giroud later restored France’s lead with an expert header.
      But with six minutes left on the clock, England were handed the chance to draw level, again from the penalty spot.
      Theo Hernandez went through the back of Mason Mount but it took for VAR to intervene for the spot-kick to be awarded.
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      This time, Kane made a mess of his effort and sent his shot flying over the crossbar.
      Such an outcome was “justice”, according to France ace Rabiot, who says “hundreds of actions” similar aren’t awarded.
      The Juventus man said: “First of all, I’m not sure that it’s really a foul.
      “We’ve seen hundreds of actions like that that aren’t given.
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      “Of course, when he’s missed, we were happy, it was justice because there was no penalty.”
      France will now face dark horses Morocco next Wednesday for a place in the final.
      Morocco became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup after beating Portugal 1-0.
      On the opposite side of the tournament knockout tree, Croatia are hoping to make back-to-back World Cup finals.
      But they’ll have to beat an Argentina team willing to die for their captain, Lionel Messi. More