More stories

  • in

    Who is Eric Dier’s fiancee Anna Modler and when are they going to get married?

    TOTTENHAM Hotspur defender Eric Dier is enduring a pretty chaotic season under Antonio Conte.However, things are a lot more settled in his private life, with the England defender ready to tie the knot with fiancee Anna Modler.
    Anna Modler shared this post on Instagram, confirming their engagementCredit: @annamodler
    The news comes just two months after the pair were reported to be datingCredit: @annamodler
    Anna previously dated former Arsenal star Alexis SanchezCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
    From topping their Champions League group to losing to relegation threatened Nottingham Forest, it’s not been a smooth start to the season for Spurs.
    The World Cup looks to have come at the right time for Dier, and fiancee Anna Modler will no doubt be cheering him on from the stands.
    Read More on Wags
    Who is Eric Dier’s fiancee Anna Modler?
    Anna Modler, who turned 24 this year, is of South African and Namibian heritage.
    The model, who boasts 110,000 followers on Instagram, previously dated former Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez, with the pair spending lockdown together in 2020.
    However, things didn’t work out between the two in Italy, and Modler subsequently found love with Dier.
    When are they getting married?
    The 28-year-old popped the question just two months after their relationship was made official.
    Modler confirmed the news on Instagram, posting a picture of her wearing the engagement ring.
    Most read in Football
    Back in September, a friend told The Sun that “Eric and Anna are blissfully happy. They have been seeing a lot of each other.
    “Eric has told pals it has been a great few weeks – getting back into the England squad and landing a stunning girl who was previously on the arm of an Arsenal star.
    “He can’t stop scoring on the pitch, and has netted a cracker off of it.
    “Anna is smitten and has told friends Eric could be ‘the one’. They are getting serious, so watch this space.”
    It’s got a lot more serious now, with the pair committing to each other once and for all.
    However, a date is yet to be set for the wedding, with Dier currently playing for England in Qatar.
    Eric and Anna are said to be blissfully happyCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk More

  • in

    How many games do players miss for a red card at the World Cup?

    A single moment of madness could see a player cost their nation the chance of success by receiving a red card at the World Cup. Watching the referee reach into his back pocket has become one of football’s most frustrating clichés.
    Zinedine Zidane receiving a red card during the 2006 World Cup final vs Italy after headbutting Marco MaterazziCredit: Reuters
    No player ever wants to be met with the infamous red card, however there is definitely no worse occasion to receive one whilst representing your nation at a major tournament.
    But for every Gary Lineker, who never received a single booking, there’s always a Sergio Ramos who has seen red 27 times in his career.
    How many games do players miss for a red card at the world cup?
    In club competitions, a second bookable offence will see a one-game ban whilst a straight red card can see a player suspended for three to four games depending on the severity of the situation.
    The World Cup will see little difference to these rules with a red card leading to a single game suspension, unless FIFA feel it necessary to add further sanctions.
    read more on world cup
    Coming into the tournament, any yellow cards from the preliminary group stages will be wiped from the record, meaning every player will begin on a clean slate.
    However any pending red card suspensions from the previous qualification stage will have to be served during the competition.
    Anyone who racks up two bookings in the run up from the group stage to the quarter-final will also be faced with a single game suspension, with the yellow card count resetting before the start of the semi-final.
    This rule is a relatively new one to the competition, with yellow cards being wiped after the group stage up until 2010.
    Most read in Football
    For any player who receives a red card in their last game of the competition like Wayne Rooney vs Portugal in 2006 or Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt vs Italy in the final of 2006, their suspensions will carry over into their next international game.
    Zidane’s red card in the final of 2006 was his second in a World Cup match, a record he shares with Rigobert Song, the now manager of Cameroon. More

  • in

    World Cup betting offer: Bet £10 and DOUBLE your odds with Grosvenor Sport

    GROSVENOR SPORT are offering punters the chance to DOUBLE THEIR ODDS on their very first bet on the World Cup.New customers who sign up now and stake a maximum of £10 will get 2x the odds on their opening punt — which includes the start of the World Cup and England vs Iran on Monday!
    Bet £10 and DOUBLE your odds with Grosvenor Sport
    Grosvenor: Bet £10 & Get Double Odds!*
    How to claim…Grosvenor Sport

    Head to the Grosvenor wesbite HERE*
    Register a brand new account
    Stake a maximum bet of £10 on ANY sport – including the World Cup
    Grosvenor will DOUBLE the fractional odds of the bet selected
    If it wins, extra winnings are paid in CASH
    Remember, only your first bet qualifies for this promotion

    Grosvenor: Bet £10 & Get Double Odds!*

    What’s the offer?
    Grosvenor Sport are offering new customers the chance to double their odds on their very first bet!
    How do I claim?
    Simply head to the Grosvenor Sport website by clicking HERE*.
    Register a brand new account — remember only new customers can claim this.
    Stake a maximum £10 bet on ANY sport – including the World Cup.
    Grosvenor will DOUBLE THE ODDS of your fractional odds, meaning twice the return.
    Extra winnings paid in cash — but remember, only your first bet qualifies for this promotion.
    Grosvenor: Bet £10 & Get Double Odds!*
    FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
    FOOTBALL OFFERS
    Remember to gamble responsibly
    A responsible gambler is someone who:

    Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
    Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
    Never chase their losses
    Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
    Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
    Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org

    For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.

    *Only valid for new registrations to www.grosvenorcasinos.com. Bet must be placed using real money in combination with the Odds Boost Token. Sport bets only. Maximum total stake is £10. Each way bets are a maximum of £5 each way.’Double the odds’ refers to fractional odds only. It is the profit from the eligible bet that is doubled. Extra winnings are paid in cash upon bet settlement. Customers have 60 days after registration to use the Odds Boost token. 1 offer per person, household, IP, device, e-mail address or payment details. Neteller or Skrill will not be eligible for this promotion. Member bet limits apply to Odds Boost token placement. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. T&Cs apply 18+ begambleaware.org
    Most read in Football More

  • in

    Who is Ben White’s fiancee Milly Adams and when did she get engaged to the Arsenal defender?

    BEN White could not have wished for a much better end to 2022, with the 24-year-old receiving a World Cup call-up while Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table.However, before all of that, the 24-year-old sealed the deal on his relationship with girlfriend Milly Adams, proposing in June.
    Ben White proposed to Milly Adams on holidayCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
    The pair made their relationship official in February this yearCredit: Instagram @milly_adams
    White has put in some stellar performances at right-back this season, establishing himself as a regular under Mikel Arteta.
    The former Brighton man will be hoping to take his club form into Qatar.
    Read More on Wags
    Who is Milly Adams?
    Milly Adams, who turned 25 this year, was born in Hertfordshire.
    The model, who boasts 14,000 followers on Instagram, also graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2019.
    Adams hinted at a relationship with the Arsenal ace after posting pictures holding a hand displaying the defender’s distinctive tattoos.
    Milly Adams posted this on social mediaCredit: Instagram @ milly_adams
    When did they get engaged?
    The pair are thought to have started dating earlier this year.
    And they confirmed their relationship in February, only a month after the Three Lions star was snapped kissing a mystery woman in Dubai.
    Most read in Football
    White wasted very little time before popping the question on a luxury holiday in May.
    The happy couple shared pictures of their engagement on social media, including one of their matching ‘I love you’ wrist tattoos. More

  • in

    Dehydration fears for fans at 2022 World Cup after Qatari organisers fail to install water fountains despite 33C heat

    WATER fountains for fans are not being installed in FIFA’s official fan park, fan zone and at the eight World Cup stadiums in Qatar.This has caused concern amongst supporters who will have to battle the high temperatures of the Qatari heat, which reached 33 degrees on Thursday.
    There will be no water fountains for football fans at the World Cup in QatarCredit: Getty
    Due to the lack of water fountains, there is now a higher reliance on bottled water, which has brought into question the sustainability of the tournament.
    Fans attending games and going to the FIFA Fan Festival will be able to buy the tournament’s official water Arwa for £2.30.
    However, there are no provisions for people to get refills, meaning that supporters will have to pay again for another bottle.
    The organisers have also not installed a water fountain at the fan park at the Corniche Waterfront.
    READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP
    The area has been turned into a 4.3mile long attraction for tourists wanting to go to a cafe or bar or to see the art installations that have been based on the 32 teams at the tournament.
    The fan park has free entry and will be open all day compared to the FIFA Fan Festival, but this has also missed out on having any drinking water facilities.
    FIFA had pledged that the World Cup in Qatar would be the first carbon-neutral one in history as 1,000 trees were planted in Doha.
    But the construction of the tournament stadiums has created 3.6million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
    Most read in Football
    PLAY OUR DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP FANTASY FOOTBALL GAME TO WIN A SHARE OF £50k
    Greenpeace has even accused the organisers of “greenwashing”.
    Greenpeace’s UK director Doug Parr said last month: “FIFA’s claims of a carbon-neutral event are highly misleading and can be considered greenwashing.
    “Not least because they appear to have grossly underestimated the emissions the World Cup in Qatar will actually cause”. More

  • in

    England sponsor Lucozade PULLS all branding from World Cup and bans bottles in snub to Qatar

    ENGLAND sponsors Lucozade has pulled all its branding from the World Cup in a snub to Qatar.The drinks maker says its bottles will not be seen at matches, in training or at press conferences following rows over the Gulf state’s brutal laws.
    England skipper Harry Kane sips from a Lucozade bottle during a match in 2019
    Goalie Jordan Pickford drinks from an unbranded bottle in training yesterday in DohaCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
    England’s James Maddison sips water in training todayCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
    Harry Kane and his teammates will still be given drinks but they will carry no branding or logos.
    The firm said today: “Lucozade is a proud long-term sponsor of the England team but we are not an official Fifa World Cup partner.
    “We continue to support all England teams, who celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion.
    “While the England team have access to our drinks for hydration purposes we will not have a brand presence at press conferences, training session or on pitches.”
    read more on the world cup
    England flew into Doha on a Gay Pride jet, showing the red card to Qatar’s anti-LGBT laws.
    Homosexuality still carries the death penalty in the repressive Muslim state.
    Campaigners also slammed Qatar’s abysmal record on human rights and the conditions of migrant workers who built the stadiums.
    Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate vowed to take a stand, and will also allow players to speak out against the hosts.
    Most read in Football
    He said it was “highly unlikely” he would follow Fifa’s guidance to focus solely on football during the tournament.
    He said: “We’re very strong on inclusivity. We understand the challenges that this tournament brings . . . the human rights challenges.
    “We’ve always spoken about issues we think should be talked about, particularly ones we feel we can affect.”
    Kane has already shown support for the LGBTQ+ community by wearing a rainbow armband while playing for his club, Spurs.
    The World Cup kicks off on Sunday but has already been rocked by controversy.

    Today it emerged the Qatari royal family ordered stadiums to ban the sale of alcohol, U-turning on a deal with Fifa.
    Tournament sponsors Buddweiser hit back with a brilliant tweet which was later deleted.
    It said: “Well, this is awkward…”
    Only Bud Zero will be allowed at the eight match venues.
    It means that the only official World Cup site where fans can have a drink will be the Doha city centre official Fan Festival.
    A Bud there costs almost £12 – and punters get less than a pint as it’s served in 500ml glasses.
    Alcohol is legal in Qatar but is normally only sold inside Western hotels where fans face paying up to £80 a pint.
    The cheapest boozer we found sells beer for £7.60 but fish and chips will set you back £20.
    But fans were warned they face being flogged or sent to jail for minor offences.
    Read More on The Sun
    Russia’s 2018 World Cup struggled to find brands willing to be associated with it following the Fifa bribery scandal and protests at Putin’s regime.
    Sony, Johnson & Johnson and Castrol pulled out of sponsoring the tournament as revenue fell by £179million from Brazil 2014.
    Kane leads the Three Lions team in training this week at the Al Wakrah Stadium in DohaCredit: AFP
    The team flew to Doha on a Gay Pride jet to take a stand on LGBT+ rightsCredit: Reuters More

  • in

    Qatar World Cup 2022 hotels evacuated and swept for bombs with guests turfed out in the middle of lunch

    HOTELS across Doha are being evacuated at a moment’s notice for security concerns.Any hotel hosting one of the nations competing in the World Cup is thoroughly swept for bombs just before the team bus arrives for the first time to set up base.
    Team hotels are the Qatar World Cup are being evacuated and searched for bombsCredit: AFP
    Today, the Double Tree Hilton in the Saad district of Doha saw guests in the middle of their lunch in the Streat Culture bar told to down their knives and forks and immediately leave the building with the Ghana team soon to arrive.
    Each of the 140 guest rooms – plus every office, bar and restaurant – was then thoroughly searched by a team with specially trained sniffer dogs.
    Guests were left outside for around 15 minutes before being allowed back in.
    And it shows that Qatari officials are leaving nothing to chance ahead of Sunday’s opening ceremony, followed by the host nation’s tournament opener against Ecuador.
    READ MORE ON WORLD CUP
    Meanwhile, Qatar has also banned all sales of alcohol at every World Cup stadium.
    Fans travelling to watch their country in action are in for a dry tournament.
    Fifa bowed to pressure after Qatar’s ruling Royal Family demanded the U-turn, with growing resentment against attempts to force through a more cosmopolitan approach to the tournament.
    It means that the only official World Cup site where fans can have a drink will be the Doha city centre official Fan Festival.
    Most read in Football
    PLAY OUR DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP FANTASY FOOTBALL GAME TO WIN A SHARE OF £50k
    That’s where a beer costs almost £12 – and it’s less than a pint with the lager being served in 500ml glasses.
    Official beer sponsor Budweiser are now due millions in compensation, with only Bud Zeros being sold at matches.
    And they issued a hilarious response to the news on Twitter… before promptly deleting the tweet.
    They wrote: “Well, this is awkward…” More

  • in

    Inside factory where the World Cup is made EVERY four years… as replica of famous trophy is given to winning nation

    ITALY may not be at the World Cup this year, but you can guarantee an Italian has already had their hand on the trophy.That’s because the 18 carat gold prize is remade in Paderno Dugnano, a small town near Milan, at trophy and medal manufacturers GDE Bertoni.
    France star Kylian Mbappe kisses the World Cup after their 2018 winCredit: AFP
    Silvio Gazzaniga created the current World Cup trophy in 1971
    A GDE Bertoni worker works on the replica trophyCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    Every four years, workers at the factory are tasked with creating a brass copy of the trophy that’s given to the football federation of the winning team.
    Standing some 36.8 centimetres high and weighing 6.1 kilograms, the original was designed by artist Silvio Gazzaniga in 1971, and presented at the 1974 World Cup to winners West Germany.
    Owned by FIFA, THAT trophy is handed out to the team who wins the World Cup final, after it’s engraved with the country’s name on the trophy’s base.
    But then, following the trophy presentation, it’s handed back to GDE Bertoni who have to restore it before returning it to FIFA, where it sits in their official museum before the NEXT World Cup.
    Read more in football
    Apparently, when players get their hands on it, all sorts of damage can be done when the trophy’s passed around during celebrations. So that’s why Bertoni have to preserve it.
    But how do GDE Bertoni make the replica World Cup trophy?
    First, the brass body is formed in the foundry. The metal is poured into a special container (which is the shape and design of the real World Cup) to produce a plaster cast.
    Once that’s done, it has to be chiselled by die grinders, which remove any excess metal.
    Most read in Sport
    Die grinders are used to remove any excess metalCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    The top of the World Cup trophy is polished so it’s more refinedCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    Now, comes the human element. Manual chiselling with a small hammer is required to refine and complete the necessary details on the trophy – specifically on the two human figures holding up the world.
    More refining is needed, so it’s polished with heavy machinery to get it looking just perfect after that.
    The trophy then reaches the galvanic department, who are responsible for ultrasonic cleaning and giving it a degreasing bath.
    That’s a process that uses ultrasound and an appropriate solvent to ensure the trophy is cleaned properly and it also enhances the effect of the metal.
    Next, the trophy is dipped into a gilding bath – gilding being a decorative technique for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces.
    Following that, it’s washed in distilled water, which again gives it a gleaming shine.
    Then, it’s off to the galvanic department who perform the next step in giving the trophy an ultrasonic cleaning and degreasing bathCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    The trophy is then given a gilding bathCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    Malachite green marble is applied to the base and the trophy is sprayed with a Zapon varnish, which ensures its preservation.
    The trophy is dried, cleaned once again and inspected one final time before it’s ready to be displayed come World Cup final day.
    The whole scientific process from start-to-finish takes around three months.
    As well as making the World Cup trophy, GDE Bertoni are also responsible for crafting the gold medals for the winners.
    And they’re a busy operation all-season long, having to produce other major trophies throughout the year.
    They create replicas of the Champions League, Europa League and even the Supercup trophies
    Gilding is a decorative technique for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfacesCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    Zapon varnish is applied to make sure the trophy is correctly preservedCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    Finally, the World Cup trophy is ready for final inspectionCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    GDE Bertoni staff display the trophies they’ve created through the yearsCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    GDE Bertoni are also in charge of restoring the World Cup after the World Cup final trophy presentationCredit: Paolo Vezzoli
    But it’s when the World Cup comes around that GDE Bertoni are at their busiest.
    The real World Cup trophy we see today was created for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany.
    Gazzaniga beat off 53 submissions from other sculptors determined to win the commission.
    Read More on The Sun
    The original is believed to be made of 75% gold and has been estimated to be worth around £10m.
    Is it any wonder why FIFA keep it under lock and key in their World Football Museum in Zurich. More