By Tony Westbury

It is no shock that José Mourinho has been sacked by Manchester United. The results on the pitch said it all. The most commercially successful club in the world is having its worst season in 28 years – with its playing assets inevitably depreciating in value as a result.

Mourinho has spent around £390m building this team since his appointment in 2016, yet he recently described it as nowhere near his ideal. In truth, he has roundly failed to create an environment where the players could perform. A new generation of coaches led by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool have developed a high-tempo attacking style which made Mourinho’s more pragmatic approach look dated.

They also have a more collaborative approach to coaching, alongside the likes of Mauricio Pocchetino’s Tottenham and Unai Emery’s Arsenal. These are environments in which trust, honesty and mutual respect are the key building blocks of their teams’ culture.

In contrast, both Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea (2013-15) and his reign at Manchester United have been marred by poor relationships with key players, the media and sometimes, it appears, with himself. From a career zenith in 2010, when he was acclaimed as the FIFA World Coach of the Year, the “Special One” increasingly looks like a man who has come to believe his own hype.

So is there a way back? I believe there is, but it won’t be easy. Self-belief is a prime asset for any consistent high performer in sport, whether athlete or coach. Unlike many struggling sports stars, however, Mourinho has no shortage of this. Though Mourinho’s record in numerous countries certainly entitles him to a sense of satisfaction, his self-aggrandisement appears to know no limits.

I should declare I am not a clinical psychologist, nor have I ever worked in any capacity with Manchester United or Mourinho. But as a sport psychologist who has worked with personalities at the top of numerous sports, Mourinho’s behaviour shows some worrying signs.

Understanding Mourinho

The accepted rubric for diagnosing narcissistic personality disorders is set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as follows:

<ul>
	<li>Grandiosity with expectations of superior treatment from other people;</li>
	<li>Fixated on fantasies of power, success, intelligence, attractiveness, etc;</li>
	<li>Self-perception of being unique, superior, and associated with high-status people and institutions;</li>
	<li>Needing continual admiration from others;</li>
	<li>Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others;</li>
	<li>Exploitative of others to achieve personal gain;</li>
	<li>Unwilling to empathise with the feelings, wishes, and needs of other people;</li>
	<li>Intensely envious of others, and the belief that others are equally envious of them;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Pompous and arrogant demeanour.</li>
</ul>

In the past five years, Mourinho’s public behaviour has displayed hints of some similar characteristics. Take the start of this season, after Manchester United lost two of their opening games, including a 3–0 home defeat to Spurs. Mourinho held a bizarre press conference where he demanded more respect from the media. He held three fingers aloft – indicating not how many goals Spurs had scored but how many English championships he had won – “I won more alone than the other 19 managers together. Three for me and two for them”. It was directed specifically at his rival across Manchester, Pep Guardiola.

Mourinho has long had an antagonistic, self-justificatory relationship with journalists. He also shows little empathy with the demands of their job: later the same week, for instance, he held a press conference that many journalists missed because he started it half an hour early. Mourinho dismissed any questions about his relationship with Ed Woodward, the chief executive at Manchester United, and left the room after just four minutes and 19 seconds.

There are also many more examples of arrogant behaviour towards other managers. Famously, for instance, he described Arsene Wenger, one of the most successful managers in English football, as a “specialist in failure”. At the same time, there have also been numerous high-profile fallings out behind the scenes, such as with Chelsea doctor Eva Caneiro in 2015, or more recently the Manchester United star midfielder Paul Pogba.

What next?

Some of Mourinho’s public behaviour could be part of the “act” that high-performance sport arguably demands of managers nowadays. His lack of humility and unwillingness to accept responsibility for any setback, in public at least, are what made him such a successful manager in the first place. For any clinical assessment, the key question is how someone behaves in private.

Treatment for a personality disorder is slow and challenging. It requires specialist support to facilitate a fundamental reassessment of habitual behaviours. The approaches to the type of narcissistic behaviours set out above are based around talking therapies. A good option might be Cognitive Analytic Therapy, which involves a clinician working in collaboration with the patient to identify problems and come up with ways to change behaviour, with particular emphasis on the importance of relationships.

Priorities would include getting the patient to accept responsibility for his actions and learning to relate to people in new ways; showing empathy, tolerating failure and using criticism and reflection as a means of self-improvement; developing a way of regulating emotion so that it doesn’t go from zero to 100 in seconds; and recognising and celebrating the achievements of others.

Pogba could have been the lynchpin of a United team, for instance, but Mourinho appears to have undermined and antagonised him. In my view, Mourinho would greatly benefit from working with a sport psychologist. He appears stuck in 2010, or even before that, when players had less power and football was played in a different way. Most clubs have embraced the term “culture” now – the strongest ones develop from the “bottom up”, not the “top down”. Managers need to adapt to this nowadays.

I would begin by challenging him to work on every aspect of his thinking, feeling and behaving – to relearn how to interact with people without demanding admiration or respect, and in return not labelling others as unworthy or weak. I would anticipate a long involvement since these are well-established habits.

Whatever is going on behind the scenes, I believe it would be very wrong for José Mourinho to try and make another quick return to management. At the very least, he needs to reflect and develop. If there is a way back, he must change. He must want to change and he must work hard at changing. Should he succeed and claw his way back to the top, his place among the greatest managers of all time will be beyond any doubt.

(Tony Westbury is Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Edinburgh Napier University) 
 
(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-there-a-way-back-for-jose-mourinho-as-a-sport-psychologist-i-see-a-hard-road-ahead-109096">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

By Tony Westbury It is no shock that José Mourinho has been sacked by Manchester United. The results on the pitch said it all. The most commercially successful club in the world is having its worst season in 28 years – with its playing assets inevitably depreciating in value as a result.

By Tony Westbury It is no shock that José Mourinho has been sacked by Manchester United. The results on the pitch said it all. The most commercially successful club in the world is having its worst season in 28 years – with its playing assets inevitably depreciating in value as a result. Mourinho has spent around £390m building this team since his appointment in 2016, yet he recently described it as nowhere near his ideal. In truth, he has roundly failed to create an environment where the players could perform. A new generation of coaches led by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool have developed a high-tempo attacking style which made Mourinho’s more pragmatic approach look dated. They also have a more collaborative approach to coaching, alongside the likes of Mauricio Pocchetino’s Tottenham and Unai Emery’s Arsenal. These are environments in which trust, honesty and mutual respect are the key building blocks of their teams’ culture. In contrast, both Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea (2013-15) and his reign at Manchester United have been marred by poor relationships with key players, the media and sometimes, it appears, with himself. From a career zenith in 2010, when he was acclaimed as the FIFA World Coach of the Year, the “Special One” increasingly looks like a man who has come to believe his own hype. So is there a way back? I believe there is, but it won’t be easy. Self-belief is a prime asset for any consistent high performer in sport, whether athlete or coach. Unlike many struggling sports stars, however, Mourinho has no shortage of this. Though Mourinho’s record in numerous countries certainly entitles him to a sense of satisfaction, his self-aggrandisement appears to know no limits. I should declare I am not a clinical psychologist, nor have I ever worked in any capacity with Manchester United or Mourinho. But as a sport psychologist who has worked with personalities at the top of numerous sports, Mourinho’s behaviour shows some worrying signs. Understanding Mourinho The accepted rubric for diagnosing narcissistic personality disorders is set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as follows: Grandiosity with expectations of superior treatment from other people; Fixated on fantasies of power, success, intelligence, attractiveness, etc; Self-perception of being unique, superior, and associated with high-status people and institutions; Needing continual admiration from others; Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others; Exploitative of others to achieve personal gain; Unwilling to empathise with the feelings, wishes, and needs of other people; Intensely envious of others, and the belief that others are equally envious of them; Pompous and arrogant demeanour. In the past five years, Mourinho’s public behaviour has displayed hints of some similar characteristics. Take the start of this season, after Manchester United lost two of their opening games, including a 3–0 home defeat to Spurs. Mourinho held a bizarre press conference where he demanded more respect from the media. He held three fingers aloft – indicating not how many goals Spurs had scored but how many English championships he had won – “I won more alone than the other 19 managers together. Three for me and two for them”. It was directed specifically at his rival across Manchester, Pep Guardiola. Mourinho has long had an antagonistic, self-justificatory relationship with journalists. He also shows little empathy with the demands of their job: later the same week, for instance, he held a press conference that many journalists missed because he started it half an hour early. Mourinho dismissed any questions about his relationship with Ed Woodward, the chief executive at Manchester United, and left the room after just four minutes and 19 seconds. There are also many more examples of arrogant behaviour towards other managers. Famously, for instance, he described Arsene Wenger, one of the most successful managers in English football, as a “specialist in failure”. At the same time, there have also been numerous high-profile fallings out behind the scenes, such as with Chelsea doctor Eva Caneiro in 2015, or more recently the Manchester United star midfielder Paul Pogba. What next? Some of Mourinho’s public behaviour could be part of the “act” that high-performance sport arguably demands of managers nowadays. His lack of humility and unwillingness to accept responsibility for any setback, in public at least, are what made him such a successful manager in the first place. For any clinical assessment, the key question is how someone behaves in private. Treatment for a personality disorder is slow and challenging. It requires specialist support to facilitate a fundamental reassessment of habitual behaviours. The approaches to the type of narcissistic behaviours set out above are based around talking therapies. A good option might be Cognitive Analytic Therapy, which involves a clinician working in collaboration with the patient to identify problems and come up with ways to change behaviour, with particular emphasis on the importance of relationships. Priorities would include getting the patient to accept responsibility for his actions and learning to relate to people in new ways; showing empathy, tolerating failure and using criticism and reflection as a means of self-improvement; developing a way of regulating emotion so that it doesn’t go from zero to 100 in seconds; and recognising and celebrating the achievements of others. Pogba could have been the lynchpin of a United team, for instance, but Mourinho appears to have undermined and antagonised him. In my view, Mourinho would greatly benefit from working with a sport psychologist. He appears stuck in 2010, or even before that, when players had less power and football was played in a different way. Most clubs have embraced the term “culture” now – the strongest ones develop from the “bottom up”, not the “top down”. Managers need to adapt to this nowadays. I would begin by challenging him to work on every aspect of his thinking, feeling and behaving – to relearn how to interact with people without demanding admiration or respect, and in return not labelling others as unworthy or weak. I would anticipate a long involvement since these are well-established habits. Whatever is going on behind the scenes, I believe it would be very wrong for José Mourinho to try and make another quick return to management. At the very least, he needs to reflect and develop. If there is a way back, he must change. He must want to change and he must work hard at changing. Should he succeed and claw his way back to the top, his place among the greatest managers of all time will be beyond any doubt. (Tony Westbury is Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Edinburgh Napier University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Is there a way back for Jose Mourinho?

With the 2018 World Cup in Russia behind it, the soccer world’s focus shifts to the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Politics and the Gulf’s internecine political and legal battles have already shaped debate about FIFA’s controversial awarding of World Cup hosting rights to Qatar. The battles highlight not only the sport’s dominance in the Middle East by autocratic leaders but also the incestuous relationship between politics and sports that is at the root of multiple scandals that have rocked the sports world for much of this decade and compromised good governance in international sports.

Three men symbolise the importance of soccer to Gulf autocrats who see the sport as a way to project their countries in a positive light on the international stage, harness its popular appeal in their cultural and public diplomacy campaigns, and leverage it as a pillar of their efforts to garner soft power: Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his nemeses, United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi sports czar, Turki al-Sheikh, one of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s closest associates.

To be sure, the tension between Qatar and its Gulf detractors was spilling onto the soccer pitch long before the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt took their opposition to Qatari policies to a new level with the imposition in June 2017 of a diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar. Since then, debate about the Qatari World Cup has been further politicised with the Gulf crisis driving efforts to deprive Qatar of economic and soft power benefits it derives from its hosting of the tournament, if not of the right to host the mega-sports event.

The UAE-Saudi efforts took on added significance as Qatar and its detractors settled in for the long haul. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt will likely face difficult choices if the Gulf crisis persists when the World Cup, the first such mega-tournament to be held in the Middle East, kicks off in Doha in late 2022.

Difficult choices

The choice would involve potential political risk. It would be between maintaining the boycott that has cut off all air, sea and land links between Qatar and its detractors at the expense of fans in a soccer-crazy part of the world in which little evokes the deep-seated emotions associated with religion and football or effectively breaching the embargo to evade political backlash and ensure that supporters have access to a sports milestone in the region’s history. The starkness of the boycotting states’ dilemma would be magnified if any one of them were to qualify for the Qatar World Cup and would be enhanced if they were to play the host country or, for example, Iran.

The issue of ability to attend is magnified by expectations that the demography of fans attending the World Cup in Qatar may very well be different from that at past tournaments. Qatar is likely to attract a far greater number of fans from the Middle East as well as Africa and Asia. The Asian Football Confederation’s Competition Committee has already urged governments to exempt football teams from travel bans and would almost certainly do the same for fans.

As a result, the UAE-Saudi effort to undermine the Qatar World Cup is about more than seeking to deliver a body blow to Qatar. It is also about avoiding being further tied up into knots in an anti-Qatari campaign that has so far failed to break the Gulf state’s resolve, force it to concede, and garner international support. The campaign is multi-pronged and doesn’t shy away from violating laws as is evident in Saudi bootlegging to deprive beIN, the sports franchise of Qatar’s state-owned Al Jazeera television network, of the fruits of acquired rights to broadcast World Cup tournaments and European competitions at the risk of being penalized and/or taken to court by the likes of FIFA and the English Premier League. Saudi media reports that the government has launched an anti-piracy campaign, confiscating more than 4,000 illegal receivers that hacked beIN failed to put an end to the bootlegging.

Signalling the political importance that men like the crown princes and Sheikh Tamim attribute to sports, a former top UAE security official, Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan, suggested that the only way to resolve the Gulf crisis would be for Qatar to surrender its World Cup hosting rights. "If the World Cup leaves Qatar, Qatar's crisis will be over ... because the crisis is created to get away from it," Khalfan said.

Khalfan spoke at a time that leaked documents from the email account of Yousef Al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador in Washington and a close associate of the country’s crown prince, revealed a UAE plan to undermine Qatar’s currency by manipulating the value of bonds and derivatives. If successfully executed, the plan would have allowed Qatar’s distractors to argue that the Gulf state’s financial problems called into question its ability to organize the World Cup.

Serving national interests

Al-Sheikh, the chairman of the kingdom’s General Sport Authority, makes no bones about harnessing sports to serve the kingdom’s interests. With a career in security rather than sports, he was unequivocal in his assertion on the eve of Saudi Arabia’s debut in the 2018 World Cup in Russia that he made decisions based on what he deemed “Saudi Arabia’s best interest,” reaffirming the inextricable relationship between sports and politics.

Barely 24 hours before the World Cup’s opening match, Saudi Arabia made good on Al-Sheikh’s assertion that the kingdom’s international sports policy would be driven by former US President George W. Bush’s post 9/11 principle of “you are either with us or against us.”

With Morocco’s bid for the 2026 World Cup in mind, Mr. Al-Sheikh had warned that "to be in the grey area is no longer acceptable to us. There are those who were mistaken in their direction … If you want support, it'll be in Riyadh. What you're doing is a waste of time…," &nbsp;Al-Sheikh said. &nbsp;Al-Sheikh was referring to Morocco’s refusal to join the anti-Qatari campaign. Adopting a Saudi Arabia First approach, Mr. Al-Sheikh noted that the United States “is our biggest and strongest ally.” He recalled that when the World Cup was played in 1994 in nine American cities, the US “was one of our favourites. The fans were numerous, and the Saudi team achieved good results.”

Al-Sheikh was manoeuvring at the same time to ensure that the kingdom has greater say in international soccer governance, including issues such as the fate of the Qatari World Cup and a push to extend international isolation of Iran to the realm of sports. To do so, Saudi Arabia backed a proposal to speed up the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams from 32, which is scheduled to kick off in 2026, by making it already applicable to the 2022 World Cup. Saudi Arabia hopes that the expansion would significantly complicate Qatari preparations for the event. Implementing the expansion in 2022 would strengthen UAE and Saudi efforts to petition FIFA to force Qatar to agree to co-hosting of the World Cup by other Gulf states, a proposal that was incorporated in the UAE plan to undermine Qatar’s currency.

In an indication of things to come, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in early 2018 thwarted a UAE-Saudi attempt to get Asian tournament matches that were scheduled to be hosted by Qatar moved to a neutral venue. The AFC warned the two countries that they would be penalized if they failed to play in Doha or host Qatari teams.

Al-Sheikh’s moves were part of a two-pronged Saudi-UAE effort. Global tech investor Softbank, which counts Saudi Arabia and the UAE among its largest investors, is believed to be behind a $25 billion proposal embraced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to revamp the FIFA Club World Cup and launch of a Global Nations League tournament. If approved, the proposal would give Saudi Arabia a significant voice in global soccer governance.

Complimenting the Saudi FIFA bid is an effort to expand the kingdom’s influence in the 47-nation AFC, the largest of the world soccer body’s constituent regional elements. To do so, Saudi Arabia unsuccessfully tried to create a new regional bloc, the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF), a potential violation of FIFA and AFC rules. The federation would have been made up of members of both the AFC and the Amman-based West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) that groups all Middle Eastern nations except for Israel and is headed by Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, a prominent advocate of soccer governance reform.

The initiative fell apart when the Asian members of SWAFF walked out in October 2018 in the wake of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The killing could also jeopardize Saudi efforts to gain control of the AFC with the Al-Sheikh-backed candidacy of Saudi Football Federation chief Adel Ezzat, who resigned in August 2018 to run for the office.

Benefits outstrip reputational risk

Al-Sheikh and his boss, Prince Mohammed, share with the crown prince’s UAE counterpart and namesake, a belief that the public diplomacy and soft power fruits of harnessing sports outstrip reputational risks. Simon Pearce, Abu Dhabi’s director of strategic communications and a director of Manchester City, the British club bought by UAE Crown Prince Mohammed’s brother but controlled by the de facto Emirati ruler’s men, said as much in leaked emails to Al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador in Washington.

The emails discussed the UAE’s registration of a new soccer club, New York City Football Club, as the United States’ Major League Soccer newest franchise. Mr. Pearce argued that Abu Dhabi’s interests in the US political environment are best served by associating New York City FC with City Football Group, the Abu Dhabi government’s soccer investment vehicle, rather than the government itself to evade criticism stemming from the Emirates’ criminalization of homosexuality, its less than stellar record on women’s rights and its refusal to formally recognize Israel despite maintaining close security and commercial relations with the Jewish state.

The UAE’s sports-related investments, guided by the crown prince, much like the acquisition of important Qatari sports stakes on the behest of Sheikh Tamim also give Gulf states political leverage and create additional commercial opportunity. The investments constitute the flip side of large amounts of Gulf money being channelled to influential think tanks, particularly in Washington. In a series of notes in 2012, Mr. &nbsp;Pearce advised Prince Mohammed, a man obsessed with perceived threats posed by any form of political Islam and a driving force in the campaign against Qatar, to tempt than British prime minister David Cameron to counter what he described as Islamist infiltration of the BBC’s Arabic service in exchange for lucrative arms and oil deals.

To illustrate the UAE and Qatar’s sway in European soccer, Nicholas McGeehan, an independent researcher and former Human Rights Watch executive focussed on the region, looked at recent bookies odds for the Champions League. Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City was the favourite followed by Qatar’s Paris Saint-Germain. Third up was Bayern Munich, whose shirts are sponsored by Qatar, fourth was Barcelona, which recently ended a seven-year sponsorship deal with Qatar, and fifth Real Madrid that sold the naming rights to its new stadium to Abu Dhabi.

Saudi and UAE public relations efforts to generate public pressure for a deprival of Qatari hosting rights were at times mired in controversy. The launch in May of the Foundation for Sports Integrity by Jamie Fuller, a prominent Australian campaigner for a clean-up of global soccer governance, backfired amid allegations of Saudi and UAE financial backing and Fuller’s refusal to disclose his source of funding.

Saudi and UAE media together with UK tabloid The Sun heralded the launch in a poche London hotel that involved a reiteration of assertions of Qatari wrongdoing in its successful World Cup bid. Media like Abu Dhabi’s The National and Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya projected the launch as pressure on FIFA to deprive Qatar of its hosting rights. “It is no secret that football’s governing body is rotten to the core. (FIFA) will rightly come under renewed pressure to strip Qatar of the competition and carry out an internal investigation in the wake of the most recent allegations. The millions of fans eagerly anticipating 2022’s festival of football deserve better,” The National said. Saudi-owned Ash-Sharq Al Awsat newspaper reported that a June 2018 FIFA Congress would hold a re-vote of the Qatari hosting. The Congress didn’t.

Qatar remains vulnerable

Despite so far successfully having defeated efforts to deprive it of its hosting rights, Qatar remains vulnerable when it comes to the integrity of its winning bid. The bid’s integrity and Sheikh Tamim’s emphasis on sports as a pillar of Qatari soft power is at stake in legal proceedings in New York and Zurich involving corruption in FIFA and potential wrongdoing in the awarding of past World Cups. Qatar has suffered reputational damage as a result of the question marks even if the Gulf crisis has allowed it to enhance its image as an underdog being bullied by the big boys on the block.

To Qatar’s credit, it has introduced reforms of its controversial kafala or labour sponsorship system that could become a model for the region. In doing so, it cemented the 2022 World Cup as one of the few mega-events with a real potential of leaving a legacy of change. Qatar started laying the foundations for that change by early on becoming the first and only Gulf state to engage with its critics, international human rights groups and trade unions.

Even so, Qatar initially suffered reputational damage on the labour front because it was relatively slow in embracing and implementing the reforms. Qatar’s handling of the Gulf crisis suggests that it has learnt from the failure of its initial response to criticism of its winning 2022 bid when it acted like an ostrich that puts its head in the sand, hoping that the storm will pass only to find that by the time it rears its head the wound has festered, and it has lost strategic advantage.

The integrity issue remains Qatar’s weak point. For activist critics of the awarding of hosting rights to Qatar, there are two questions. One is, who do they want to get in bed with? Qatar’s detractors, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia hardly have stellar human and labour rights records. If anything, their records are worse than that of Qatar, which admittedly does not glow.

The second question critics have to ask themselves is how best to leverage the World Cup, irrespective of whether the Qatari bid was compromised or not. On the assumption that it may have been compromised, the question is less how to exact retribution for a wrongdoing that was common practice in global football governance. Leveraging should focus on how to achieve a fundamental reform of global sports governance that has yet to emerge eight years into a crisis that was in part sparked by the Qatar World Cup. This goes to the heart of the fact that untouched in efforts to address the governance crisis is the corrupting, ungoverned, and incestuous relationship between sports and politics.

Siamese twins: Sports and politics

The future of the Qatar World Cup and the Gulf crisis speaks to the pervasiveness of politics in sports. The World Cup is political by definition. Retaining Qatar’s hosting rights or depriving the Gulf state of the right to host the tournament is ultimately a choice with political consequences. As long as the crisis continues, retaining rights is a testimony to Qatar’s resilience, deprival would be a victory for its detractors.

As a result, the real yardstick in the debate about the Qatari World Cup should be how the sport and the integrity of the sport benefit most. And even then, politics is never far from what the outcome of that debate is. Obviously, instinctively, the optics of no retribution raises the question of how that benefits integrity. The answer is that the potential legacy of social and economic change that is already evident with the Qatar World Cup is more important than the feel-good effect of having done the right thing with retribution or the notion of setting an example. Add to that the fact that in current circumstances, a withdrawal of hosting rights would likely be interpreted as a victory of one side over the other, further divide the Arab and Muslim world, and enhance a sense among many Muslims of being on the defensive and under attack.

The silver lining in the Gulf crisis may be the fact that it has showed up the fiction of a separation of sports and politics. FIFA, the AFC, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), seeking to police the ban on a mixing of sports and politics, have discovered that it amounts to banging their heads against a wall. Despite their attempts to halt politics from subverting Asian tournaments, domestic and regional politics seeped into the game via different avenues.

As a result, FIFA and its regional confederations have been tying themselves up in knots. In a bizarre and contradictory sequence of events at the outset of the Gulf crisis, FIFA president Infantino rejected involving the group in the dispute by saying that “the essential role of FIFA, as I understand it, is to deal with football and not to interfere in geopolitics." Yet, on the same day that he made his statement, Mr. Infantino waded into the crisis by removing a Qatari referee from a 2018 World Cup qualifier at the request of the UAE. FIFA, beyond declaring that the decision was taken “in view of the current geopolitical situation,” appeared to be saying by implication that a Qatari by definition of his nationality could not be an honest arbiter of a soccer match involving one of his country’s detractors. In FIFA’s decision, politics trumped professionalism, no pun intended.

Similarly, the AFC was less principled in its stand towards matches pitting Saudi Arabia and Iran against one another. Iranian club Traktor Sazi was forced in February to play its home match against Al Ahli of Jeddah in Oman. It wasn’t clear why the AFC did not uphold the principle it imposed on Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the case of Iran. “Saudi teams have been able to select host stadiums and cities, and Saudi teams will host two Iranian football representatives in the UAE and Kuwait. In return, Iranian football representatives should be able to use their own rights to choose neutral venues,” said Mohammad Reza Saket, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Football Federation in a letter to the AFC.

Soccer governance bodies have long struggled to maintain the fiction of a separation in a trade-off that gave regulators greater autonomy and created the breeding ground for widespread corruption while allowing governments and politicians to manipulate the sport to their advantage as long as they were not too blatant about it. The limits of that deal are currently being defined in the Middle East, a region wracked by conflict where virtually everything is politicised. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

With the 2018 World Cup in Russia behind it, the soccer world’s focus shifts to the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Politics and the Gulf’s internecine political and legal battles have already shaped debate about FIFA’s controversial awarding of World Cup hosting rights to Qatar.

With the 2018 World Cup in Russia behind it, the soccer world’s focus shifts to the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Politics and the Gulf’s internecine political and legal battles have already shaped debate about FIFA’s controversial awarding of World Cup hosting rights to Qatar. The battles highlight not only the sport’s dominance in the Middle East by autocratic leaders but also the incestuous relationship between politics and sports that is at the root of multiple scandals that have rocked the sports world for much of this decade and compromised good governance in international sports. Three men symbolise the importance of soccer to Gulf autocrats who see the sport as a way to project their countries in a positive light on the international stage, harness its popular appeal in their cultural and public diplomacy campaigns, and leverage it as a pillar of their efforts to garner soft power: Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his nemeses, United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi sports czar, Turki al-Sheikh, one of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s closest associates. To be sure, the tension between Qatar and its Gulf detractors was spilling onto the soccer pitch long before the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt took their opposition to Qatari policies to a new level with the imposition in June 2017 of a diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar. Since then, debate about the Qatari World Cup has been further politicised with the Gulf crisis driving efforts to deprive Qatar of economic and soft power benefits it derives from its hosting of the tournament, if not of the right to host the mega-sports event. The UAE-Saudi efforts took on added significance as Qatar and its detractors settled in for the long haul. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt will likely face difficult choices if the Gulf crisis persists when the World Cup, the first such mega-tournament to be held in the Middle East, kicks off in Doha in late 2022. Difficult choices The choice would involve potential political risk. It would be between maintaining the boycott that has cut off all air, sea and land links between Qatar and its detractors at the expense of fans in a soccer-crazy part of the world in which little evokes the deep-seated emotions associated with religion and football or effectively breaching the embargo to evade political backlash and ensure that supporters have access to a sports milestone in the region’s history. The starkness of the boycotting states’ dilemma would be magnified if any one of them were to qualify for the Qatar World Cup and would be enhanced if they were to play the host country or, for example, Iran. The issue of ability to attend is magnified by expectations that the demography of fans attending the World Cup in Qatar may very well be different from that at past tournaments. Qatar is likely to attract a far greater number of fans from the Middle East as well as Africa and Asia. The Asian Football Confederation’s Competition Committee has already urged governments to exempt football teams from travel bans and would almost certainly do the same for fans. As a result, the UAE-Saudi effort to undermine the Qatar World Cup is about more than seeking to deliver a body blow to Qatar. It is also about avoiding being further tied up into knots in an anti-Qatari campaign that has so far failed to break the Gulf state’s resolve, force it to concede, and garner international support. The campaign is multi-pronged and doesn’t shy away from violating laws as is evident in Saudi bootlegging to deprive beIN, the sports franchise of Qatar’s state-owned Al Jazeera television network, of the fruits of acquired rights to broadcast World Cup tournaments and European competitions at the risk of being penalized and/or taken to court by the likes of FIFA and the English Premier League. Saudi media reports that the government has launched an anti-piracy campaign, confiscating more than 4,000 illegal receivers that hacked beIN failed to put an end to the bootlegging. Signalling the political importance that men like the crown princes and Sheikh Tamim attribute to sports, a former top UAE security official, Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan, suggested that the only way to resolve the Gulf crisis would be for Qatar to surrender its World Cup hosting rights. "If the World Cup leaves Qatar, Qatar's crisis will be over ... because the crisis is created to get away from it," Khalfan said. Khalfan spoke at a time that leaked documents from the email account of Yousef Al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador in Washington and a close associate of the country’s crown prince, revealed a UAE plan to undermine Qatar’s currency by manipulating the value of bonds and derivatives. If successfully executed, the plan would have allowed Qatar’s distractors to argue that the Gulf state’s financial problems called into question its ability to organize the World Cup. Serving national interests Al-Sheikh, the chairman of the kingdom’s General Sport Authority, makes no bones about harnessing sports to serve the kingdom’s interests. With a career in security rather than sports, he was unequivocal in his assertion on the eve of Saudi Arabia’s debut in the 2018 World Cup in Russia that he made decisions based on what he deemed “Saudi Arabia’s best interest,” reaffirming the inextricable relationship between sports and politics. Barely 24 hours before the World Cup’s opening match, Saudi Arabia made good on Al-Sheikh’s assertion that the kingdom’s international sports policy would be driven by former US President George W. Bush’s post 9/11 principle of “you are either with us or against us.” With Morocco’s bid for the 2026 World Cup in mind, Mr. Al-Sheikh had warned that "to be in the grey area is no longer acceptable to us. There are those who were mistaken in their direction … If you want support, it'll be in Riyadh. What you're doing is a waste of time…," Al-Sheikh said. Al-Sheikh was referring to Morocco’s refusal to join the anti-Qatari campaign. Adopting a Saudi Arabia First approach, Mr. Al-Sheikh noted that the United States “is our biggest and strongest ally.” He recalled that when the World Cup was played in 1994 in nine American cities, the US “was one of our favourites. The fans were numerous, and the Saudi team achieved good results.” Al-Sheikh was manoeuvring at the same time to ensure that the kingdom has greater say in international soccer governance, including issues such as the fate of the Qatari World Cup and a push to extend international isolation of Iran to the realm of sports. To do so, Saudi Arabia backed a proposal to speed up the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams from 32, which is scheduled to kick off in 2026, by making it already applicable to the 2022 World Cup. Saudi Arabia hopes that the expansion would significantly complicate Qatari preparations for the event. Implementing the expansion in 2022 would strengthen UAE and Saudi efforts to petition FIFA to force Qatar to agree to co-hosting of the World Cup by other Gulf states, a proposal that was incorporated in the UAE plan to undermine Qatar’s currency. In an indication of things to come, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in early 2018 thwarted a UAE-Saudi attempt to get Asian tournament matches that were scheduled to be hosted by Qatar moved to a neutral venue. The AFC warned the two countries that they would be penalized if they failed to play in Doha or host Qatari teams. Al-Sheikh’s moves were part of a two-pronged Saudi-UAE effort. Global tech investor Softbank, which counts Saudi Arabia and the UAE among its largest investors, is believed to be behind a $25 billion proposal embraced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to revamp the FIFA Club World Cup and launch of a Global Nations League tournament. If approved, the proposal would give Saudi Arabia a significant voice in global soccer governance. Complimenting the Saudi FIFA bid is an effort to expand the kingdom’s influence in the 47-nation AFC, the largest of the world soccer body’s constituent regional elements. To do so, Saudi Arabia unsuccessfully tried to create a new regional bloc, the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF), a potential violation of FIFA and AFC rules. The federation would have been made up of members of both the AFC and the Amman-based West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) that groups all Middle Eastern nations except for Israel and is headed by Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, a prominent advocate of soccer governance reform. The initiative fell apart when the Asian members of SWAFF walked out in October 2018 in the wake of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The killing could also jeopardize Saudi efforts to gain control of the AFC with the Al-Sheikh-backed candidacy of Saudi Football Federation chief Adel Ezzat, who resigned in August 2018 to run for the office. Benefits outstrip reputational risk Al-Sheikh and his boss, Prince Mohammed, share with the crown prince’s UAE counterpart and namesake, a belief that the public diplomacy and soft power fruits of harnessing sports outstrip reputational risks. Simon Pearce, Abu Dhabi’s director of strategic communications and a director of Manchester City, the British club bought by UAE Crown Prince Mohammed’s brother but controlled by the de facto Emirati ruler’s men, said as much in leaked emails to Al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador in Washington. The emails discussed the UAE’s registration of a new soccer club, New York City Football Club, as the United States’ Major League Soccer newest franchise. Mr. Pearce argued that Abu Dhabi’s interests in the US political environment are best served by associating New York City FC with City Football Group, the Abu Dhabi government’s soccer investment vehicle, rather than the government itself to evade criticism stemming from the Emirates’ criminalization of homosexuality, its less than stellar record on women’s rights and its refusal to formally recognize Israel despite maintaining close security and commercial relations with the Jewish state. The UAE’s sports-related investments, guided by the crown prince, much like the acquisition of important Qatari sports stakes on the behest of Sheikh Tamim also give Gulf states political leverage and create additional commercial opportunity. The investments constitute the flip side of large amounts of Gulf money being channelled to influential think tanks, particularly in Washington. In a series of notes in 2012, Mr. Pearce advised Prince Mohammed, a man obsessed with perceived threats posed by any form of political Islam and a driving force in the campaign against Qatar, to tempt than British prime minister David Cameron to counter what he described as Islamist infiltration of the BBC’s Arabic service in exchange for lucrative arms and oil deals. To illustrate the UAE and Qatar’s sway in European soccer, Nicholas McGeehan, an independent researcher and former Human Rights Watch executive focussed on the region, looked at recent bookies odds for the Champions League. Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City was the favourite followed by Qatar’s Paris Saint-Germain. Third up was Bayern Munich, whose shirts are sponsored by Qatar, fourth was Barcelona, which recently ended a seven-year sponsorship deal with Qatar, and fifth Real Madrid that sold the naming rights to its new stadium to Abu Dhabi. Saudi and UAE public relations efforts to generate public pressure for a deprival of Qatari hosting rights were at times mired in controversy. The launch in May of the Foundation for Sports Integrity by Jamie Fuller, a prominent Australian campaigner for a clean-up of global soccer governance, backfired amid allegations of Saudi and UAE financial backing and Fuller’s refusal to disclose his source of funding. Saudi and UAE media together with UK tabloid The Sun heralded the launch in a poche London hotel that involved a reiteration of assertions of Qatari wrongdoing in its successful World Cup bid. Media like Abu Dhabi’s The National and Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya projected the launch as pressure on FIFA to deprive Qatar of its hosting rights. “It is no secret that football’s governing body is rotten to the core. (FIFA) will rightly come under renewed pressure to strip Qatar of the competition and carry out an internal investigation in the wake of the most recent allegations. The millions of fans eagerly anticipating 2022’s festival of football deserve better,” The National said. Saudi-owned Ash-Sharq Al Awsat newspaper reported that a June 2018 FIFA Congress would hold a re-vote of the Qatari hosting. The Congress didn’t. Qatar remains vulnerable Despite so far successfully having defeated efforts to deprive it of its hosting rights, Qatar remains vulnerable when it comes to the integrity of its winning bid. The bid’s integrity and Sheikh Tamim’s emphasis on sports as a pillar of Qatari soft power is at stake in legal proceedings in New York and Zurich involving corruption in FIFA and potential wrongdoing in the awarding of past World Cups. Qatar has suffered reputational damage as a result of the question marks even if the Gulf crisis has allowed it to enhance its image as an underdog being bullied by the big boys on the block. To Qatar’s credit, it has introduced reforms of its controversial kafala or labour sponsorship system that could become a model for the region. In doing so, it cemented the 2022 World Cup as one of the few mega-events with a real potential of leaving a legacy of change. Qatar started laying the foundations for that change by early on becoming the first and only Gulf state to engage with its critics, international human rights groups and trade unions. Even so, Qatar initially suffered reputational damage on the labour front because it was relatively slow in embracing and implementing the reforms. Qatar’s handling of the Gulf crisis suggests that it has learnt from the failure of its initial response to criticism of its winning 2022 bid when it acted like an ostrich that puts its head in the sand, hoping that the storm will pass only to find that by the time it rears its head the wound has festered, and it has lost strategic advantage. The integrity issue remains Qatar’s weak point. For activist critics of the awarding of hosting rights to Qatar, there are two questions. One is, who do they want to get in bed with? Qatar’s detractors, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia hardly have stellar human and labour rights records. If anything, their records are worse than that of Qatar, which admittedly does not glow. The second question critics have to ask themselves is how best to leverage the World Cup, irrespective of whether the Qatari bid was compromised or not. On the assumption that it may have been compromised, the question is less how to exact retribution for a wrongdoing that was common practice in global football governance. Leveraging should focus on how to achieve a fundamental reform of global sports governance that has yet to emerge eight years into a crisis that was in part sparked by the Qatar World Cup. This goes to the heart of the fact that untouched in efforts to address the governance crisis is the corrupting, ungoverned, and incestuous relationship between sports and politics. Siamese twins: Sports and politics The future of the Qatar World Cup and the Gulf crisis speaks to the pervasiveness of politics in sports. The World Cup is political by definition. Retaining Qatar’s hosting rights or depriving the Gulf state of the right to host the tournament is ultimately a choice with political consequences. As long as the crisis continues, retaining rights is a testimony to Qatar’s resilience, deprival would be a victory for its detractors. As a result, the real yardstick in the debate about the Qatari World Cup should be how the sport and the integrity of the sport benefit most. And even then, politics is never far from what the outcome of that debate is. Obviously, instinctively, the optics of no retribution raises the question of how that benefits integrity. The answer is that the potential legacy of social and economic change that is already evident with the Qatar World Cup is more important than the feel-good effect of having done the right thing with retribution or the notion of setting an example. Add to that the fact that in current circumstances, a withdrawal of hosting rights would likely be interpreted as a victory of one side over the other, further divide the Arab and Muslim world, and enhance a sense among many Muslims of being on the defensive and under attack. The silver lining in the Gulf crisis may be the fact that it has showed up the fiction of a separation of sports and politics. FIFA, the AFC, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), seeking to police the ban on a mixing of sports and politics, have discovered that it amounts to banging their heads against a wall. Despite their attempts to halt politics from subverting Asian tournaments, domestic and regional politics seeped into the game via different avenues. As a result, FIFA and its regional confederations have been tying themselves up in knots. In a bizarre and contradictory sequence of events at the outset of the Gulf crisis, FIFA president Infantino rejected involving the group in the dispute by saying that “the essential role of FIFA, as I understand it, is to deal with football and not to interfere in geopolitics." Yet, on the same day that he made his statement, Mr. Infantino waded into the crisis by removing a Qatari referee from a 2018 World Cup qualifier at the request of the UAE. FIFA, beyond declaring that the decision was taken “in view of the current geopolitical situation,” appeared to be saying by implication that a Qatari by definition of his nationality could not be an honest arbiter of a soccer match involving one of his country’s detractors. In FIFA’s decision, politics trumped professionalism, no pun intended. Similarly, the AFC was less principled in its stand towards matches pitting Saudi Arabia and Iran against one another. Iranian club Traktor Sazi was forced in February to play its home match against Al Ahli of Jeddah in Oman. It wasn’t clear why the AFC did not uphold the principle it imposed on Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the case of Iran. “Saudi teams have been able to select host stadiums and cities, and Saudi teams will host two Iranian football representatives in the UAE and Kuwait. In return, Iranian football representatives should be able to use their own rights to choose neutral venues,” said Mohammad Reza Saket, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Football Federation in a letter to the AFC. Soccer governance bodies have long struggled to maintain the fiction of a separation in a trade-off that gave regulators greater autonomy and created the breeding ground for widespread corruption while allowing governments and politicians to manipulate the sport to their advantage as long as they were not too blatant about it. The limits of that deal are currently being defined in the Middle East, a region wracked by conflict where virtually everything is politicised. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Gulf rivalries spill onto the soccer pitch

Happy World Cup day!

The day has come for which we all were waiting, it's June 14 and the football World Cup will start from today. The event will start with a glitzy opening ceremony followed by the first match of the tournament which is between the host <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-world-cup-2018-russia-saudi-arabia-square-off-in-opener-144156">Russia and Saudi Arabia</a> at Luzhniki Stadium.

Thirty-two countries from different confederations have qualified for the tournament and will go for the kill to clinch the most decorated trophy in the sporting world, the golden hand-and-ball.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-2018-world-cup--schedule-venue-timings-participating-countries-squad-list-134023">FIFA 2018 World Cup | Schedule, venue, timings, participating countries, squad list</a>

A month-long carnival has attracted tourists from all over the world and the matches will be played in 12 beautiful stadiums of Russia and the finale will take place on July 15 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. All of the stadium venues are in European Russia to keep travel time manageable.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/all-you-need-to-know-about-stadiums-hosting-fifa-world-cup-2018-matches-142851">All you need to know about stadiums hosting FIFA World Cup 2018 matches</a>

All eyes are on the host country Russia as they will play the first match on day&nbspone of the tournament. Amidst several controversies and adversities, the most awaited tournament is finally underway.

Five-time winners Brazil are there, as are defending champions Germany, plus Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and Uruguay set to claim the title of world champions.

Each FIFA World Cup since 1966 has its own mascot, similarly, Russia also unveiled their mascot for the upcoming World Cup. The mascot designs represent a characteristic feature of the host country.

This year's official mascot is a wolf named Zabivaka which means "the one who scores" in Russian. Zabivaka is charming, confident and social and has always dreamt of becoming a football star.

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/fifa%202018%20Russia.jpg" width="770" />

Thirty-two countries from different confederations have qualified for the tournament and will go for the kill to clinch the most decorated trophy in the sporting world

Happy World Cup day! The day has come for which we all were waiting, it's June 14 and the football World Cup will start from today. The event will start with a glitzy opening ceremony followed by the first match of the tournament which is between the host Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium. Thirty-two countries from different confederations have qualified for the tournament and will go for the kill to clinch the most decorated trophy in the sporting world, the golden hand-and-ball. FIFA 2018 World Cup | Schedule, venue, timings, participating countries, squad list A month-long carnival has attracted tourists from all over the world and the matches will be played in 12 beautiful stadiums of Russia and the finale will take place on July 15 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. All of the stadium venues are in European Russia to keep travel time manageable. All you need to know about stadiums hosting FIFA World Cup 2018 matches All eyes are on the host country Russia as they will play the first match on day&nbspone of the tournament. Amidst several controversies and adversities, the most awaited tournament is finally underway. Five-time winners Brazil are there, as are defending champions Germany, plus Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and Uruguay set to claim the title of world champions. Each FIFA World Cup since 1966 has its own mascot, similarly, Russia also unveiled their mascot for the upcoming World Cup. The mascot designs represent a characteristic feature of the host country. This year's official mascot is a wolf named Zabivaka which means "the one who scores" in Russian. Zabivaka is charming, confident and social and has always dreamt of becoming a football star.

FIFA World Cup 2018: 32 countries, 1 trophy and 1 dream

Time lost due to the use of the Video Assistant Referee will be added to stoppage time in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the head of FIFA's refereeing department announced Tuesday. 
 
Massimo Busacca made his remarks at a media briefing at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, just two days ahead of the first World Cup to employ VAR, a decision that has polarized opinion in the soccer world. 
 
"Every second lost by using the VAR is going to be added at the end of the match," Busacca stressed. 
 
Busacca was joined by the president of the UEFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, as well as referees Sandro Ricci of Brazil and Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan. 
 
FIFA's referee chief gave assurances that above all, VAR has a preventive task, as any and all unsportsmanlike behavior that is detected will not go unpunished. 
 
Busacca added that VAR is another tool for refereeing, in which the human element also has an influence. 
 
For his part, Collina said the aim of using VAR was about achieving fair results, and confirmed that the public, in stadiums, will be able to see the VAR decisions. 
 
The 2018 World Cup kicks off Thursday with the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia, and will be refereed by Argentina's Nestor Pitana.

Time lost due to the use of the Video Assistant Referee will be added to stoppage time in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

Time lost due to the use of the Video Assistant Referee will be added to stoppage time in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the head of FIFA's refereeing department announced Tuesday. Massimo Busacca made his remarks at a media briefing at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, just two days ahead of the first World Cup to employ VAR, a decision that has polarized opinion in the soccer world. "Every second lost by using the VAR is going to be added at the end of the match," Busacca stressed. Busacca was joined by the president of the UEFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, as well as referees Sandro Ricci of Brazil and Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan. FIFA's referee chief gave assurances that above all, VAR has a preventive task, as any and all unsportsmanlike behavior that is detected will not go unpunished. Busacca added that VAR is another tool for refereeing, in which the human element also has an influence. For his part, Collina said the aim of using VAR was about achieving fair results, and confirmed that the public, in stadiums, will be able to see the VAR decisions. The 2018 World Cup kicks off Thursday with the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia, and will be refereed by Argentina's Nestor Pitana.

FIFA World Cup 2018: Time lost due to VAR will be added to stoppage time, FIFA says

Manuel Neuer, popularly known as the 'Sweeper-Keeper', is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains both, Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all times. Under his guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014. Here are some lesser known and very interesting&nbspfacts that you did not know about Manuel Neuer:

1. He has grown up following his childhood hero, former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. He is also compared with the likes of former German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, and even said to be the 'right hands' to fill the Van Der Sar’s gloves. But Neuer says that Lehmann is the greatest of all time.

2. He won €500,000 in November 2011 on "Wer wird Millionar?" The German version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."

3. He was born as a football freak, something that comes from his 'genes', and got his first football when he was only 2. He and his brother Marcel used to spend hours playing in the streets of their hometown. Now, Neuer is the goalkeeper of Germany's national side and also, of Bayern Munich. And Marcel is currently a referee in the Verbandsliga. Neuer played his first game when he was 4 years and 341 days old, on March 3, 1991.

4. An amazing fact about him is that he is known as “sweeper-keeper”. His teammates have given him this name because of his great goalkeeping skills.

5. Another impressive fact about him is that, falling behind only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo he grabbed the third slot in FIFA Ballon d'Or Award in 2014.

6. He has won Footballer of the Year in Germany Award twice. The first time he grabbed the title in 2011 and second time in the year of 2014.&nbsp

7. He has been the winner of UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year Award due to his impressive performance in UEFA Champions League. Even noticeable fact is that he has grabbed the title thrice in a row for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively.

8. He holds the record of being the second most expensive goalkeeper of all time only behind Gianluigi Buffon. In 2011, he was picked up by Bayern offering him a five-year contract and an amount worth €22 million. This made him second most expensive goalkeeper of all time.

9. A very inspiring fact about Manuel is that he runs a charity foundation for children titled Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation which actively works for the betterment of children.&nbsp

"I want to give back to disadvantaged children in my home region something of what I was lucky enough to have in my own youth: opportunities and prospects in life," said Neuer.

10. His career at international level is quite sound. He has won 1 FIFA World Cup for the year 2014 and 1 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship for the year 2009.

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Under Neuer's guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014

Manuel Neuer, popularly known as the 'Sweeper-Keeper', is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains both, Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all times. Under his guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014. Here are some lesser known and very interesting&nbspfacts that you did not know about Manuel Neuer: 1. He has grown up following his childhood hero, former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. He is also compared with the likes of former German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, and even said to be the 'right hands' to fill the Van Der Sar’s gloves. But Neuer says that Lehmann is the greatest of all time. 2. He won €500,000 in November 2011 on "Wer wird Millionar?" The German version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." 3. He was born as a football freak, something that comes from his 'genes', and got his first football when he was only 2. He and his brother Marcel used to spend hours playing in the streets of their hometown. Now, Neuer is the goalkeeper of Germany's national side and also, of Bayern Munich. And Marcel is currently a referee in the Verbandsliga. Neuer played his first game when he was 4 years and 341 days old, on March 3, 1991. 4. An amazing fact about him is that he is known as “sweeper-keeper”. His teammates have given him this name because of his great goalkeeping skills. 5. Another impressive fact about him is that, falling behind only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo he grabbed the third slot in FIFA Ballon d'Or Award in 2014. 6. He has won Footballer of the Year in Germany Award twice. The first time he grabbed the title in 2011 and second time in the year of 2014. 7. He has been the winner of UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year Award due to his impressive performance in UEFA Champions League. Even noticeable fact is that he has grabbed the title thrice in a row for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. 8. He holds the record of being the second most expensive goalkeeper of all time only behind Gianluigi Buffon. In 2011, he was picked up by Bayern offering him a five-year contract and an amount worth €22 million. This made him second most expensive goalkeeper of all time. 9. A very inspiring fact about Manuel is that he runs a charity foundation for children titled Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation which actively works for the betterment of children. "I want to give back to disadvantaged children in my home region something of what I was lucky enough to have in my own youth: opportunities and prospects in life," said Neuer. 10. His career at international level is quite sound. He has won 1 FIFA World Cup for the year 2014 and 1 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship for the year 2009. ×

Here are 10 lesser-known facts about German 'sweeper-keeper' Manuel Neuer

The poster of the upcoming film Project K, which stars Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani, recently graced the iconic billboards of Times Square in New York City.

The display serves as a precursor to the preview of the film at San Diego Comic-Con on July 20. The film is one of the highly-anticipated projects in India owing to its illustrious star cast.

Produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, Project K&nbsp;has been directed by Nag Ashwin. It is an epic science fiction film set in the future.

The film is reportedly being made on a budget of Rs 600 crore, making it one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-study-finds-how-dietary-restraint-reduces-effects-of-genetic-risk-of-obesity-616547">Study finds how dietary restraint reduces effects of genetic risk of obesity</a>

The film's music score is composed by Santhosh Narayanan with cinematography by Djordje Stojiljkovic and production design by Nitin Zihani Choudhary.

The film was announced in February 2020 coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Vyjayanthi Movies. However, the production was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film also marks Deepika's debut in the Telugu film industry.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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England have appeared in 14 World Cups, including the last five. Their best performance was 1966

The poster of the upcoming film Project K, which stars Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani, recently graced the iconic billboards of Times Square in New York City. The display serves as a precursor to the preview of the film at San Diego Comic-Con on July 20. The film is one of the highly-anticipated projects in India owing to its illustrious star cast. Produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, Project K has been directed by Nag Ashwin. It is an epic science fiction film set in the future. The film is reportedly being made on a budget of Rs 600 crore, making it one of the most expensive Indian films ever made. Also read: Study finds how dietary restraint reduces effects of genetic risk of obesity The film's music score is composed by Santhosh Narayanan with cinematography by Djordje Stojiljkovic and production design by Nitin Zihani Choudhary. The film was announced in February 2020 coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Vyjayanthi Movies. However, the production was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film also marks Deepika's debut in the Telugu film industry. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of England

Colombia are playing in their fifth World Cup, with their quarter-final appearance at Brazil 2014 -- where they lost to the hosts -- their best performance. The Andean country is best remembered for its 1990s team featuring characters such as eccentric goalkeeper Rene Higuita and blond-locked Carlos Valderrama.

<hr />
Coach: Jose Pekerman

The silver-haired Argentine has led Colombia since 2012, pulling the "cafeteros" (coffee-makers) out of a lean period and propelling them to their first consecutive World Cups. He put faith in the talented squad's attacking instincts and most notably in striker Radamel Falcao. Pekerman, 68, also had a two-year stint as coach of the Argentina team that went to the 2006 World Cup but lost to hosts Germany in the quarter-finals. He has a close link to Colombia, however, having played half his career as a midfielder for Independiente Medellin.

<hr />
Key players:

James Rodriguez: Fresh from clinching a sixth successive Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich, the 26-year-old Rodriguez will be hoping to keep up his winning streak in Russia. "Hamez," as his adoring Colombian fans pronounce his first name, was top scorer at the 2014 World Cup and won over many in the public with his dazzling goals and dancing celebrations. There is much more pressure on the left-footed midfielder this time around, however, but 'James-mania' may well strike again.

Radamel Falcao: Monaco striker Radamel Falcao, 32, missed out on the 2014 World Cup due to a ligament injury. But "El Tigre" (The Tiger) is planning to roar back in Russia and has confessed to daydreaming about the goals he wants to score for the canary-yellow team.

Juan Cuadrado: The Juventus winger is feared for his fierce counter-attacks and goals from near-impossible angles. Cuadrado, 29, was unable to play for Juve for three months due to a groin injury but when he returned against AC Milan in March, he scored barely 15 minutes in to set his side on the way to a 3-1 win.

<hr />
Form guide:

Colombia had a disappointing qualifying campaign but their attacking prowess and ability to turn games has been on display since. Trailing 2-0 in a friendly against France in March, they clawed back to beat "Les Bleus" 3-2 at the Stade de France. But Colombia were unable to beat Australia a few days later in a goalless draw that highlighted the South American team's sometimes erratic form.

How they qualified:

Colombia did just enough to secure the fourth spot in the South American group but they scored only 21 goals and limped over the line with three draws and a defeat in their final four games. Pekerman fielded 45 players in their 18-match qualifying campaign as he struggled to find the right formula to overcome an unexpected shortage of goals in a team brimming with top forwards.

<hr />
Prospects:

With a formidable attack and a relatively manageable group, Colombia are highly competitive. Group H, where Colombia will face Japan, Senegal, and Poland, is the only one to lack a World Cup winner and should provide opportunities for the South Americans to rack up a few goals.

<hr />
Colombia's fixture:

June 19

05:30 PM | Colombia vs Japan | Mordovia Arena, Saransk

June 24

11:30 PM | Poland vs Colombia | Kazan Arena, Kazan

June 28

07:30 PM | Senegal vs Colombia | Cosmos Arena, Samar&nbsp

<hr />
Squad:

Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Arsenal/ENG), Camilo Vargas (Deportivo Cali), Ivan Arboleda (Banfield/ARG), Jose Fernando Cuadrado (Once Caldas)

Defenders: Yerri Mina (Barcelona/ESP), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham/ENG), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Farid Diaz (Olimpia/PAR), Bernardo Espinoza (Girona/ESP), Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors/ARG), Stefan Medina (Monterrey/MEX), Johan Mojica (Girona/ESP), Oscar Murillo (Pachuca/MEX), William Tesillo (Leon/MEX), Cristián Zapata (Milan/ITA)

Midfielders: James Rodríguez (Bayern Múnich/GER), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate/ARG), Abel Aguilar (Deportivo Cali), Wilmar Barrios (Boca Juniors/ARG), Edwin Cardona (Boca Juniors/ARG), Yimmi Charrá (Junior), Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (Juventus/ITA), Gustavo Cuellar (Flamengo/BRA), Jefferson Lima (Levante/ESP), Giovanni Moreno (Shangai Shenhua/CHN), Sebastián Pérez (Boca Juniors/ARG), Carlos Sanchez (Espanyol/ESP), Mateús Uribe (América/MEX)

Forwards: Radamel Falcao García (Mónaco/FRA), Carlos Bacca (Villareal/ESP), Luis Fernando Muriel (Sevilla/ESP), Miguel Borja (Palmeiras/BRA), Teófilo Gutierrez (Junior), Jose Heriberto Izquierdo (Brighton/ENG), Duván Zapata (Sampdoria/ITA)

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/fifa%202018%20Russia.jpg" width="770" />

Colombia are playing in their fifth World Cup, with their quarter-final appearance at Brazil 2014 -- where they lost to the hosts -- their best performance

Colombia are playing in their fifth World Cup, with their quarter-final appearance at Brazil 2014 -- where they lost to the hosts -- their best performance. The Andean country is best remembered for its 1990s team featuring characters such as eccentric goalkeeper Rene Higuita and blond-locked Carlos Valderrama. Coach: Jose Pekerman The silver-haired Argentine has led Colombia since 2012, pulling the "cafeteros" (coffee-makers) out of a lean period and propelling them to their first consecutive World Cups. He put faith in the talented squad's attacking instincts and most notably in striker Radamel Falcao. Pekerman, 68, also had a two-year stint as coach of the Argentina team that went to the 2006 World Cup but lost to hosts Germany in the quarter-finals. He has a close link to Colombia, however, having played half his career as a midfielder for Independiente Medellin. Key players: James Rodriguez: Fresh from clinching a sixth successive Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich, the 26-year-old Rodriguez will be hoping to keep up his winning streak in Russia. "Hamez," as his adoring Colombian fans pronounce his first name, was top scorer at the 2014 World Cup and won over many in the public with his dazzling goals and dancing celebrations. There is much more pressure on the left-footed midfielder this time around, however, but 'James-mania' may well strike again. Radamel Falcao: Monaco striker Radamel Falcao, 32, missed out on the 2014 World Cup due to a ligament injury. But "El Tigre" (The Tiger) is planning to roar back in Russia and has confessed to daydreaming about the goals he wants to score for the canary-yellow team. Juan Cuadrado: The Juventus winger is feared for his fierce counter-attacks and goals from near-impossible angles. Cuadrado, 29, was unable to play for Juve for three months due to a groin injury but when he returned against AC Milan in March, he scored barely 15 minutes in to set his side on the way to a 3-1 win. Form guide: Colombia had a disappointing qualifying campaign but their attacking prowess and ability to turn games has been on display since. Trailing 2-0 in a friendly against France in March, they clawed back to beat "Les Bleus" 3-2 at the Stade de France. But Colombia were unable to beat Australia a few days later in a goalless draw that highlighted the South American team's sometimes erratic form. How they qualified: Colombia did just enough to secure the fourth spot in the South American group but they scored only 21 goals and limped over the line with three draws and a defeat in their final four games. Pekerman fielded 45 players in their 18-match qualifying campaign as he struggled to find the right formula to overcome an unexpected shortage of goals in a team brimming with top forwards. Prospects: With a formidable attack and a relatively manageable group, Colombia are highly competitive. Group H, where Colombia will face Japan, Senegal, and Poland, is the only one to lack a World Cup winner and should provide opportunities for the South Americans to rack up a few goals. Colombia's fixture: June 19 05:30 PM | Colombia vs Japan | Mordovia Arena, Saransk June 24 11:30 PM | Poland vs Colombia | Kazan Arena, Kazan June 28 07:30 PM | Senegal vs Colombia | Cosmos Arena, Samar Squad: Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Arsenal/ENG), Camilo Vargas (Deportivo Cali), Ivan Arboleda (Banfield/ARG), Jose Fernando Cuadrado (Once Caldas) Defenders: Yerri Mina (Barcelona/ESP), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham/ENG), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Farid Diaz (Olimpia/PAR), Bernardo Espinoza (Girona/ESP), Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors/ARG), Stefan Medina (Monterrey/MEX), Johan Mojica (Girona/ESP), Oscar Murillo (Pachuca/MEX), William Tesillo (Leon/MEX), Cristián Zapata (Milan/ITA) Midfielders: James Rodríguez (Bayern Múnich/GER), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate/ARG), Abel Aguilar (Deportivo Cali), Wilmar Barrios (Boca Juniors/ARG), Edwin Cardona (Boca Juniors/ARG), Yimmi Charrá (Junior), Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (Juventus/ITA), Gustavo Cuellar (Flamengo/BRA), Jefferson Lima (Levante/ESP), Giovanni Moreno (Shangai Shenhua/CHN), Sebastián Pérez (Boca Juniors/ARG), Carlos Sanchez (Espanyol/ESP), Mateús Uribe (América/MEX) Forwards: Radamel Falcao García (Mónaco/FRA), Carlos Bacca (Villareal/ESP), Luis Fernando Muriel (Sevilla/ESP), Miguel Borja (Palmeiras/BRA), Teófilo Gutierrez (Junior), Jose Heriberto Izquierdo (Brighton/ENG), Duván Zapata (Sampdoria/ITA)

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Colombia

Portugal will be appearing at their eighth World Cup and sixth in a row. Their best performance was on their debut in 1966 when they finished third after losing to England in the semi-finals and they reached the semi-finals in 2006 before losing to France. They went out in the group stage in 2002 and 2014 and lost to Spain in the round of 16 in 2010.

<hr />
Coach:

Fernando Santos: The 63-year-old is a former defender who played for Estoril and Maritimo. After retiring, he intended to pursue a career in electrical engineering, in which he is qualified, but a twist of fate took him into coaching. He has managed all of Portugal's big three, Benfica, Porto and Sporting, and led Greece to Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup. He replaced Paulo Bento after Portugal lost their opening Euro 2016 qualifier at home to Albania, led them to the Euro 2016 title and has lost only once in 29 competitive internationals.

<hr />
Key players:

Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal's captain, most capped player, and all-time leading scorer remain, at the age of 33, a fundamental presence for Portugal -- even when not playing, as he showed by encouraging the team from the touchline during the Euro 2016 final.

Some feel his habit of hogging free kicks and penalties is not healthy and that his presence is a burden for his teammates, but his record of 81 goals in 149 games speaks for itself.

Pepe: The linchpin of the defence for the best part of a decade although his rash tackles, explosive fits of temper and liberal use of gamesmanship make him many people's pantomime villain.

He let down the team when he was sent off in the first half of the 4-0 defeat by Germany in the 2014 World Cup but held the back line together magnificently in the Euro 2016 final against France. Born in Brazil and moved to Portugal as an 18-year-old.

William Carvalho: Known as "Sir William" by fans of his club Sporting, Carvalho was born in Angola and moved to Portugal as a child.

Physically imposing, he forms a defensive wall in front of the Portugal defence and is remarkably calm in possession, providing excellent distribution, though he sometimes looks cumbersome and slow.

<hr />
Form guide:

Portugal have won their last nine competitive internationals although their form in friendlies since qualifying has been more erratic, with two wins, a draw and an embarrassing 3-0 defeat by the Netherlands.

How they qualified:

Portugal topped their group on goal difference ahead of Switzerland. After losing to the Swiss in their opening match, they won their remaining nine fixtures.

<hr />
Prospects:

Along with neighbours Spain, Portugal appear to be favourites to progress from Group B which also contains Morocco and Iran. But facing Spain in their opener could complicate things as defeat would leave them playing catch-up. Their second match against Morocco will stir unhappy memories of a 3-1 defeat by the North Africans at the 1986 finals while the Iran match brings them face to face with their former coach Carlos Queiroz. Russia, Egypt, Uruguay or Saudi Arabia await in the second round while France and Argentina are among possible quarter-final opponents.

<hr />
Portugal's fixture

June 15

11:30 PM | Portugal vs Spain | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi

June 20

05:30 PM | Portugal vs Morocco | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

June 25

11:30 PM | Iran vs Portugal | Mordovia Arena, Saransk

<hr />
Squad:

Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon/FRA), Beto (Goztepe/TUR), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon)

Defenders: Bruno Alves (Rangers/SCO), Cedric Soares (Southampton/ENG), Jose Fonte (Dalian Yifang/CHI), Mario Rui (Napoli/ITA), Pepe (Besiktas/TUR), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Ricardo Pereira (Porto), Ruben Dias (Benfica)

Midfielders: Adrien Silva (Leicester/ENG), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting Lisbon), Joao Mario (West Ham/ENG), Joao Moutinho (Monaco/FRA), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon)

Forwards: Andre Silva (AC Milan/ITA), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/ESP), Gelson Martins (Sporting Lisbon), Goncalo Guedes (Valencia/ESP), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas/TUR)

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia_0.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/fifa%202018%20Russia_0.jpg" width="770" />

Portugal will be appearing at their eighth World Cup and sixth in a row

Portugal will be appearing at their eighth World Cup and sixth in a row. Their best performance was on their debut in 1966 when they finished third after losing to England in the semi-finals and they reached the semi-finals in 2006 before losing to France. They went out in the group stage in 2002 and 2014 and lost to Spain in the round of 16 in 2010. Coach: Fernando Santos: The 63-year-old is a former defender who played for Estoril and Maritimo. After retiring, he intended to pursue a career in electrical engineering, in which he is qualified, but a twist of fate took him into coaching. He has managed all of Portugal's big three, Benfica, Porto and Sporting, and led Greece to Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup. He replaced Paulo Bento after Portugal lost their opening Euro 2016 qualifier at home to Albania, led them to the Euro 2016 title and has lost only once in 29 competitive internationals. Key players: Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal's captain, most capped player, and all-time leading scorer remain, at the age of 33, a fundamental presence for Portugal -- even when not playing, as he showed by encouraging the team from the touchline during the Euro 2016 final. Some feel his habit of hogging free kicks and penalties is not healthy and that his presence is a burden for his teammates, but his record of 81 goals in 149 games speaks for itself. Pepe: The linchpin of the defence for the best part of a decade although his rash tackles, explosive fits of temper and liberal use of gamesmanship make him many people's pantomime villain. He let down the team when he was sent off in the first half of the 4-0 defeat by Germany in the 2014 World Cup but held the back line together magnificently in the Euro 2016 final against France. Born in Brazil and moved to Portugal as an 18-year-old. William Carvalho: Known as "Sir William" by fans of his club Sporting, Carvalho was born in Angola and moved to Portugal as a child. Physically imposing, he forms a defensive wall in front of the Portugal defence and is remarkably calm in possession, providing excellent distribution, though he sometimes looks cumbersome and slow. Form guide: Portugal have won their last nine competitive internationals although their form in friendlies since qualifying has been more erratic, with two wins, a draw and an embarrassing 3-0 defeat by the Netherlands. How they qualified: Portugal topped their group on goal difference ahead of Switzerland. After losing to the Swiss in their opening match, they won their remaining nine fixtures. Prospects: Along with neighbours Spain, Portugal appear to be favourites to progress from Group B which also contains Morocco and Iran. But facing Spain in their opener could complicate things as defeat would leave them playing catch-up. Their second match against Morocco will stir unhappy memories of a 3-1 defeat by the North Africans at the 1986 finals while the Iran match brings them face to face with their former coach Carlos Queiroz. Russia, Egypt, Uruguay or Saudi Arabia await in the second round while France and Argentina are among possible quarter-final opponents. Portugal's fixture June 15 11:30 PM | Portugal vs Spain | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi June 20 05:30 PM | Portugal vs Morocco | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow June 25 11:30 PM | Iran vs Portugal | Mordovia Arena, Saransk Squad: Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon/FRA), Beto (Goztepe/TUR), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon) Defenders: Bruno Alves (Rangers/SCO), Cedric Soares (Southampton/ENG), Jose Fonte (Dalian Yifang/CHI), Mario Rui (Napoli/ITA), Pepe (Besiktas/TUR), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Ricardo Pereira (Porto), Ruben Dias (Benfica) Midfielders: Adrien Silva (Leicester/ENG), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting Lisbon), Joao Mario (West Ham/ENG), Joao Moutinho (Monaco/FRA), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon) Forwards: Andre Silva (AC Milan/ITA), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/ESP), Gelson Martins (Sporting Lisbon), Goncalo Guedes (Valencia/ESP), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas/TUR)

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Portugal

Spain have played in 14 World Cups and qualified for every edition since 1978. They have won it once, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the 2010 final in South Africa with an extra-time strike from Andres Iniesta.

Before then they had reached the quarter-finals in 1934, 1986, 1994 and 2002 but lost every time. As holders they suffered a shock elimination from the group stage in 2014.

<hr />
Coach: Julen Lopetegui

Former goalkeeper Lopetegui spent most of his career with Logrones and Rayo Vallecano and had brief stints at Real Madrid and Barcelona. He made one appearance for Spain and was an unused substitute at the 1994 World Cup.

He coached Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid's reserve team before going into Spain's youth team set-up, leading the under-21 team to glory at the 2013 European Championship with a side containing future first teamers Isco, Koke and David de Gea.

After being sacked following a trophy-less 18 months at FC Porto he was named Vicente del Bosque's successor in July 2016. He has rejuvenated the squad with many of his former charges from the under-21 side and helped them to recover their attacking flair, refocusing on a possession-based style of play but making them faster and more dangerous on the counter-attack.

<hr />
Key players:

Isco: Lopetegui knows how to get the best out of the Real Madrid playmaker. He can play across midfield, behind the striker or even as a deep-lying centre-forward and ran riot in impressive wins over Italy and Argentina.

Andres Iniesta: The Barcelona veteran has conducted Spain's all-powerful midfield for more than a decade and was the heartbeat of their world dominance between 2008 and 2012. Still, as masterful on the ball as ever at 34 years of age, he will be looking for one last hurrah in Russia before quitting international football and leaving Barca.

Sergio Ramos: The centre-back and captain has developed a win-at-all-costs mentality and knows exactly how to manage the biggest games. An unforgiving opponent for attackers due to his physical presence and never-say-die attitude, Ramos's experience of four Champions League finals with Real Madrid and five major tournaments will be vital to Spain's hopes.

<hr />
Form guide:

Spain have not lost since their Euro 2016 last-16 defeat to Italy and have won 13 out of 18 games with Lopetegui, drawing five. They comprehensively beat France and Belgium in international friendlies and proved their credentials by ripping apart Argentina 6-1 in their last outing.

How they qualified:

Spain breezed their way through qualifying by winning every game aside from a 1-1 draw away to Italy, whom they outclassed 3-0 at home to finish above them and top of their group, scoring 36 goals in 10 games.

<hr />
Prospects:

Spain will face a testing opener against European champions Portugal which is likely to determine whether they finish top of Group B, which also contains Iran and Morocco.

If they win the group they are likely to face either Uruguay or Egypt in the last 16, with a possible quarter-final against Argentina, Croatia or France coming next.

Given the talent in the squad and their form under Lopetegui, a semi-final appearance should be the minimal target, although they will feel confident they can go all the way.

<hr />
Spains's fixture:

June 15

11:30 PM | Portugal vs Spain | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi

June 20

11:30 PM | Iran vs Spain | Kazan Arena, Kazan

June 25

11:30 PM | Spain vs Morocco | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad

<hr />
Squad:

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Manchester United/ENG), Pepe Reina (Napoli/ITA), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao/ESP)

Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona/ESP), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea/ENG), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal/ENG), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid/ESP), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid/ESP), Gerard Pique (Barcelona/ESP), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid/ESP), Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad/ESP)

Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich/GER), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona/ESP), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/ESP), Koke (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid/ESP), David Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid/ESP), Isco (Real Madrid/ESP)

Forwards: Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo/ESP), Rodrigo (Valencia/ESP), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid/ESP)

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/fifa%202018%20Russia.jpg" width="770" />

Spain have played in 14 World Cups and qualified for every edition since 1978. They have won it once, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the 2010

Spain have played in 14 World Cups and qualified for every edition since 1978. They have won it once, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the 2010 final in South Africa with an extra-time strike from Andres Iniesta. Before then they had reached the quarter-finals in 1934, 1986, 1994 and 2002 but lost every time. As holders they suffered a shock elimination from the group stage in 2014. Coach: Julen Lopetegui Former goalkeeper Lopetegui spent most of his career with Logrones and Rayo Vallecano and had brief stints at Real Madrid and Barcelona. He made one appearance for Spain and was an unused substitute at the 1994 World Cup. He coached Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid's reserve team before going into Spain's youth team set-up, leading the under-21 team to glory at the 2013 European Championship with a side containing future first teamers Isco, Koke and David de Gea. After being sacked following a trophy-less 18 months at FC Porto he was named Vicente del Bosque's successor in July 2016. He has rejuvenated the squad with many of his former charges from the under-21 side and helped them to recover their attacking flair, refocusing on a possession-based style of play but making them faster and more dangerous on the counter-attack. Key players: Isco: Lopetegui knows how to get the best out of the Real Madrid playmaker. He can play across midfield, behind the striker or even as a deep-lying centre-forward and ran riot in impressive wins over Italy and Argentina. Andres Iniesta: The Barcelona veteran has conducted Spain's all-powerful midfield for more than a decade and was the heartbeat of their world dominance between 2008 and 2012. Still, as masterful on the ball as ever at 34 years of age, he will be looking for one last hurrah in Russia before quitting international football and leaving Barca. Sergio Ramos: The centre-back and captain has developed a win-at-all-costs mentality and knows exactly how to manage the biggest games. An unforgiving opponent for attackers due to his physical presence and never-say-die attitude, Ramos's experience of four Champions League finals with Real Madrid and five major tournaments will be vital to Spain's hopes. Form guide: Spain have not lost since their Euro 2016 last-16 defeat to Italy and have won 13 out of 18 games with Lopetegui, drawing five. They comprehensively beat France and Belgium in international friendlies and proved their credentials by ripping apart Argentina 6-1 in their last outing. How they qualified: Spain breezed their way through qualifying by winning every game aside from a 1-1 draw away to Italy, whom they outclassed 3-0 at home to finish above them and top of their group, scoring 36 goals in 10 games. Prospects: Spain will face a testing opener against European champions Portugal which is likely to determine whether they finish top of Group B, which also contains Iran and Morocco. If they win the group they are likely to face either Uruguay or Egypt in the last 16, with a possible quarter-final against Argentina, Croatia or France coming next. Given the talent in the squad and their form under Lopetegui, a semi-final appearance should be the minimal target, although they will feel confident they can go all the way. Spains's fixture: June 15 11:30 PM | Portugal vs Spain | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi June 20 11:30 PM | Iran vs Spain | Kazan Arena, Kazan June 25 11:30 PM | Spain vs Morocco | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad Squad: Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Manchester United/ENG), Pepe Reina (Napoli/ITA), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao/ESP) Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona/ESP), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea/ENG), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal/ENG), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid/ESP), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid/ESP), Gerard Pique (Barcelona/ESP), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid/ESP), Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad/ESP) Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich/GER), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona/ESP), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/ESP), Koke (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid/ESP), David Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid/ESP), Isco (Real Madrid/ESP) Forwards: Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo/ESP), Rodrigo (Valencia/ESP), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid/ESP)

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Spain

Belgium have appeared in 12 World Cups, with their qualification for the 2014 edition in Brazil coming after a gap of 12 years. The Red Devils lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals in Brazil and their best performance remains their semi-final appearance in 1986 when they fell to the eventual champions, also Argentina.

<hr />
Coach: Roberto Martinez:&nbsp

The 44-year-old Spaniard was a surprise successor to Marc Wilmots, who was dismissed after Belgium lost to Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals. Martinez was then himself out of work after being sacked by Everton following a frustrating season in which they finished 11th in the Premier League. The former Swansea City manager, however, led unfancied Wigan Athletic to their only FA Cup victory in 2013 when the club beat Manchester City in the final. Under him Belgium cruised to the top of their qualifying group for Russia with an unbeaten record, becoming the first European nation to secure their spot for the 2018 finals.

<hr />
Key players:

Kevin de Bruyne: The 26-year-old Manchester City midfielder has been the driving force in Pep Guardiola's record-breaking side. De Bruyne's work rate and ability to produce a procession of pinpoint passes took City to a new level, leaving all other title aspirants lagging way behind.

Eden Hazard: The Chelsea playmaker had a similar impact in Chelsea's Premier League-winning campaign a year ago, much like De Bruyne's this time around. Hazard's dribbling and movement, on and off the ball, constantly pose questions for defenders and the 27-year-old can carve through the toughest of defences when in form.

Romelu Lukaku:&nbspThe 24-year-old striker, who joined Manchester United at the beginning of the season, is a proven goalscorer with more than 100 strikes in the Premier League and is already Belgium's all-time top scorer with 33. With a dazzling midfield featuring De Bruyne and Hazard, Belgium will depend heavily on Lukaku to find the net.

<hr />
Form guide:

After drawing 3-3 against Mexico in Brussels last November, Roberto Martinez's side went on to beat Japan 1-0 four days later and then picked up a confidence-boosting 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia towards the end of March. They will play three more warm-up matches in June before kicking off their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 18.

How they qualified: The Red Devils cruised through their qualification group, becoming the first European nation to secure their spot for the finals in Russia. Belgium finished as Group H winners, with nine wins and a draw, scoring 43 goals in the process.

<hr />
Prospects:

Like four years ago in Brazil, Belgium will once again arrive on the world stage in Russia replete with talent who ply their trade in top leagues across Europe. They showed what they are capable of during World Cup qualification. While few doubt their attacking prowess, the jury is still out on their defensive organisation. They will be expected to top Group G which includes England, Panama and Tunisia, but will need a solid backline to ensure the campaign does not end up as another missed opportunity.

<hr />
Belgium's fixture:

June 18

08:30 PM | Belgium vs Panama | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi

June 23

05:30 PM | Belgium vs Tunisia | Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow

June 28

11:30 PM | England vs Belgium | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad

<hr />
Provisional 28-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea/ENG), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool/ENG), Matz Sels (Anderlecht), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg/GER)

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen (both Tottenham Hotspurs/ENG), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic/SCO), Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC/USA), Christian Kabasele (Watford/ENG), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City/ENG), Jordan Lukaku (Lazio/ITA), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona/ESP)

Midfielders: Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang/CHN), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/ENG), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United/ENG), Eden Hazard (Chelsea/ENG), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach/GER), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad/ESP), Youri Tielemans (Monaco/FRA), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian/CHN)

Forwards: Dries Mertens (Napoli/ITA), Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/ENG), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace/ENG), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United/ENG)

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia_9.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/fifa%202018%20Russia_9.jpg" width="770" />

&nbsp

&nbsp

Belgium have appeared in 12 World Cups, with their qualification for the 2014 edition in Brazil coming after a gap of 12 years

Belgium have appeared in 12 World Cups, with their qualification for the 2014 edition in Brazil coming after a gap of 12 years. The Red Devils lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals in Brazil and their best performance remains their semi-final appearance in 1986 when they fell to the eventual champions, also Argentina. Coach: Roberto Martinez: The 44-year-old Spaniard was a surprise successor to Marc Wilmots, who was dismissed after Belgium lost to Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals. Martinez was then himself out of work after being sacked by Everton following a frustrating season in which they finished 11th in the Premier League. The former Swansea City manager, however, led unfancied Wigan Athletic to their only FA Cup victory in 2013 when the club beat Manchester City in the final. Under him Belgium cruised to the top of their qualifying group for Russia with an unbeaten record, becoming the first European nation to secure their spot for the 2018 finals. Key players: Kevin de Bruyne: The 26-year-old Manchester City midfielder has been the driving force in Pep Guardiola's record-breaking side. De Bruyne's work rate and ability to produce a procession of pinpoint passes took City to a new level, leaving all other title aspirants lagging way behind. Eden Hazard: The Chelsea playmaker had a similar impact in Chelsea's Premier League-winning campaign a year ago, much like De Bruyne's this time around. Hazard's dribbling and movement, on and off the ball, constantly pose questions for defenders and the 27-year-old can carve through the toughest of defences when in form. Romelu Lukaku: The 24-year-old striker, who joined Manchester United at the beginning of the season, is a proven goalscorer with more than 100 strikes in the Premier League and is already Belgium's all-time top scorer with 33. With a dazzling midfield featuring De Bruyne and Hazard, Belgium will depend heavily on Lukaku to find the net. Form guide: After drawing 3-3 against Mexico in Brussels last November, Roberto Martinez's side went on to beat Japan 1-0 four days later and then picked up a confidence-boosting 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia towards the end of March. They will play three more warm-up matches in June before kicking off their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 18. How they qualified: The Red Devils cruised through their qualification group, becoming the first European nation to secure their spot for the finals in Russia. Belgium finished as Group H winners, with nine wins and a draw, scoring 43 goals in the process. Prospects: Like four years ago in Brazil, Belgium will once again arrive on the world stage in Russia replete with talent who ply their trade in top leagues across Europe. They showed what they are capable of during World Cup qualification. While few doubt their attacking prowess, the jury is still out on their defensive organisation. They will be expected to top Group G which includes England, Panama and Tunisia, but will need a solid backline to ensure the campaign does not end up as another missed opportunity. Belgium's fixture: June 18 08:30 PM | Belgium vs Panama | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi June 23 05:30 PM | Belgium vs Tunisia | Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow June 28 11:30 PM | England vs Belgium | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad Provisional 28-man World Cup squad: Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea/ENG), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool/ENG), Matz Sels (Anderlecht), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg/GER) Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen (both Tottenham Hotspurs/ENG), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic/SCO), Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC/USA), Christian Kabasele (Watford/ENG), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City/ENG), Jordan Lukaku (Lazio/ITA), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona/ESP) Midfielders: Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang/CHN), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/ENG), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United/ENG), Eden Hazard (Chelsea/ENG), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach/GER), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad/ESP), Youri Tielemans (Monaco/FRA), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian/CHN) Forwards: Dries Mertens (Napoli/ITA), Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/ENG), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace/ENG), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United/ENG)

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Belgium

Football legend Pele, 77, &nbsptoday cast doubts about Brazil's chances in the World Cup saying that former champions still did not have the "right team".

Pele under whom Brazil won three World Cups, said Brazil has individual players but still don't have a team.

"My worry is about one thing there are only a few days until the World Cup starts and we still don't have the right team. Individually all the players are very good. But we're not a team," Pele told newswire Reuters.

Although Brazil has lost just one match in the last two years but haven't exuded&nbspconfidence of a World champion with Neymar still recovering from injury with days away from the World Cup coach Tite's worries have increased.

"I have the utmost confidence in Tite's ability," the Brazilian legend said.

"Neymar is to me&nbspis one of the best players in the world," Pele said. "Today he is more mature and he has more experience but he isn't going to win the World Cup on his own. It’s teams that win the World Cup," he said.

Pele said the 1970 Brazilian World Cup team was the "greatest" asserting that Tostao, Rivellino, Gerson and he himself had spent more than six months together "that's why it worked." 
&nbsp 
Brazil begins their World Cup campaign against Switzerland on June 17.

Pele said the 1970 Brazilian World Cup team was the "greatest"

Football legend Pele, 77, &nbsptoday cast doubts about Brazil's chances in the World Cup saying that former champions still did not have the "right team". Pele under whom Brazil won three World Cups, said Brazil has individual players but still don't have a team. "My worry is about one thing there are only a few days until the World Cup starts and we still don't have the right team. Individually all the players are very good. But we're not a team," Pele told newswire Reuters. Although Brazil has lost just one match in the last two years but haven't exuded&nbspconfidence of a World champion with Neymar still recovering from injury with days away from the World Cup coach Tite's worries have increased. "I have the utmost confidence in Tite's ability," the Brazilian legend said. "Neymar is to me&nbspis one of the best players in the world," Pele said. "Today he is more mature and he has more experience but he isn't going to win the World Cup on his own. It’s teams that win the World Cup," he said. Pele said the 1970 Brazilian World Cup team was the "greatest" asserting that Tostao, Rivellino, Gerson and he himself had spent more than six months together "that's why it worked." Brazil begins their World Cup campaign against Switzerland on June 17.

Neymar cannot win World Cup on his own: Pele

The president of the Palestinian Football Association on Wednesday accused Israel of trying to use superstar Lionel Messi and the Argentinian national soccer team as political tools, following the cancellation of the Argentina-Israeli friendly. 
 
Speaking at a press conference, Jibril Rajoub accused Israel mixing sports with politics, alluding to the fact that the game was to be held in Jerusalem, the eastern half of which is considered occupied by Israel under international law. 
 
"Israel sought to use the game to send a political message that has nothing to do with sports," Rajoub was quoted as saying in the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. 
 
"It wanted to use Messi to 'sport-wash' its crimes against the Palestinian people and Palestinian sports."

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/israeli-minister-slams-argentina-team-over-football-cancellation-142582">Israeli minister slams Argentina team over football cancellation</a> 
 
Rajoub stressed that moving the match to Jerusalem, after it was originally planned to take place in the city of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast, was a violation of United Nations resolutions and international law. 
 
"We took the initiative right from day one and exerted all efforts to work according to FIFA rules in order to prevent the game from taking place in Jerusalem," he said. 
 
The change in venue was promoted by the Israeli minister of culture and sports, Miri Regev, who announced that the Argentinean team would tour the Old City of Jerusalem and that Messi would kiss the Wailing Wall, the most important place of prayer in Judaism, which is considered Israeli-occupied territory. 
 
After the press conference, Rajoub went to the Consulate of Argentina in Ramallah, where dozens of Palestinians gathered to thank the national team for their decision not to play the game in Jerusalem. 
 
Palestinians see East Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed in 1980, as the capital of their future state.

The president of the Palestinian Football Association accused Israel of trying to use superstar Lionel Messi and the Argentinian national soccer team as political tools

The president of the Palestinian Football Association on Wednesday accused Israel of trying to use superstar Lionel Messi and the Argentinian national soccer team as political tools, following the cancellation of the Argentina-Israeli friendly. Speaking at a press conference, Jibril Rajoub accused Israel mixing sports with politics, alluding to the fact that the game was to be held in Jerusalem, the eastern half of which is considered occupied by Israel under international law. "Israel sought to use the game to send a political message that has nothing to do with sports," Rajoub was quoted as saying in the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. "It wanted to use Messi to 'sport-wash' its crimes against the Palestinian people and Palestinian sports." Israeli minister slams Argentina team over football cancellation Rajoub stressed that moving the match to Jerusalem, after it was originally planned to take place in the city of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast, was a violation of United Nations resolutions and international law. "We took the initiative right from day one and exerted all efforts to work according to FIFA rules in order to prevent the game from taking place in Jerusalem," he said. The change in venue was promoted by the Israeli minister of culture and sports, Miri Regev, who announced that the Argentinean team would tour the Old City of Jerusalem and that Messi would kiss the Wailing Wall, the most important place of prayer in Judaism, which is considered Israeli-occupied territory. After the press conference, Rajoub went to the Consulate of Argentina in Ramallah, where dozens of Palestinians gathered to thank the national team for their decision not to play the game in Jerusalem. Palestinians see East Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed in 1980, as the capital of their future state.

Palestinian football chief accuses Israel of using Messi as political tool

Soccer's ruling body FIFA has filed a criminal complaint against online ticket reseller Viagogo, saying it wanted to protect fans and prevent unauthorised ticket resales at the World Cup in Russia starting next week.

Zurich-based FIFA said on Tuesday it had filed a complaint, based on the law on unfair competition, with the public prosecutor's office in Geneva after receiving complaints about the Swiss company's practices.

Viagogo did not reply immediately to a request for comment.

"FIFA's ultimate objective in the fight against the secondary ticket market is to prioritise the safety and security of fans and enforce a fair 2018 FIFA World Cup ticketing pricing scheme," it said in a statement.

FIFA said that its own website was the only legitimate place to buy World Cup tickets, which are on sale until July 15 - the final day of the tournament.

"FIFA regards the illicit sale and distribution of tickets as a serious issue," it said.

"Tickets purchased via unauthorised distribution channels, including all tickets purchased through viagogo AG, will be canceled once identified. FIFA reserves the right to refuse entry to the stadium to any holder of such tickets."

FIFA has filed a criminal complaint against online ticket reseller Viagogo, saying it wanted to protect fans and prevent unauthorised ticket resales at the World Cup in Russia

Soccer's ruling body FIFA has filed a criminal complaint against online ticket reseller Viagogo, saying it wanted to protect fans and prevent unauthorised ticket resales at the World Cup in Russia starting next week. Zurich-based FIFA said on Tuesday it had filed a complaint, based on the law on unfair competition, with the public prosecutor's office in Geneva after receiving complaints about the Swiss company's practices. Viagogo did not reply immediately to a request for comment. "FIFA's ultimate objective in the fight against the secondary ticket market is to prioritise the safety and security of fans and enforce a fair 2018 FIFA World Cup ticketing pricing scheme," it said in a statement. FIFA said that its own website was the only legitimate place to buy World Cup tickets, which are on sale until July 15 - the final day of the tournament. "FIFA regards the illicit sale and distribution of tickets as a serious issue," it said. "Tickets purchased via unauthorised distribution channels, including all tickets purchased through viagogo AG, will be canceled once identified. FIFA reserves the right to refuse entry to the stadium to any holder of such tickets."

FIFA files criminal complaint against online ticket seller Viagogo

FIFA ranking: 5 (till June 7)

Argentina have played in 16 World Cup tournaments and have won the title twice -- at home in 1978 and in Mexico eight years later when a Diego Maradona-inspired side got past England on their way to a thrilling 3-2 win over West Germany in the final. Argentina have also reached the final on three other occasions -- at the first World Cup in 1930, in Italy in 1990 and four years ago in Brazil where they lost in extra time to Germany.

<hr />
Coach: Jorge Sampaoli: Sampaoli, 58, got the job as coach only a year before the finals in Russia, taking over at a troubled time and becoming the third man to lead the team since Alejandro Sabella left after the 2014 World Cup. The diminutive coach guided Chile to their first international title, winning the Copa America in 2015 with a fast pressing style which reflects his own hyperactive pacing along the touchline. But Sampaoli has struggled to organise Argentina in the same way and one win in four competitive games, plus recent hammerings by Nigeria and Spain, show he has his work cut out.

<hr />
Key players:

Lionel Messi: Messi will celebrate his 31st birthday during the tournament and this could be his last chance to win the one big title he lacks. Few people doubt the five-times World Player of the Year will score goals. The big question is whether his teammates will be inspired enough to approach his level.

Gonzalo Higuain: Higuain is Argentina's enigma, a player who seems to score at will for his club Juventus but labours to hit the target when wearing the national shirt. Higuain's recent record for Argentina –- one goal in nine World Cup qualifiers -– is so poor that he is not even a certainty to go to Russia under Sampaoli. However, another fine season for Juve suggests Sampaoli cannot afford to leave him out. If Higuain can reproduce his club form Argentina will be dangerous. &nbsp &nbsp

Nicolas Otamendi: Unsung hero Otamendi is the only ever-present in Sampaoli's line up since Argentina qualified for the World Cup back in October. The Manchester City defender provides much-needed reliability in a national side that has changed both names and formations with alarming regularity since Sampaoli took over. How he is utilised, and who will play alongside him, will be of vital importance to the double world champions.

<hr />
Form guide:

Argentina struggled in the qualifiers and they have barely improved since, with inconsistent results and a porous defence. They lost a November friendly 4-2 against Group D opponents Nigeria and although a 2-0 win over Italy in March briefly raised their spirits, they lost 6-1 to Spain a few days later in one of their worst performances in years.

<hr />
How they qualified:

Argentina booked their ticket to Russia largely due to the brilliance of Messi, who scored a hat-trick in their final game against Ecuador. The Argentines needed to win the match to guarantee qualification, and the 3-1 victory lifted them into third place in the 10-team group. Most surprisingly for a team with Messi, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria and Higuain in their ranks, they scored just 19 goals in the 18 qualifying matches. Only Bolivia scored fewer.

<hr />
Prospects:

Argentina reached the World Cup final in 2014 and the Copa America final in 2015 and 2016, but it has been downhill ever since for the twice champions. They are in the hardest group of all, Group D, alongside Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria. If they qualify they will at least be in the side of the draw that would keep them apart from Brazil, Germany and England before the final. Another advantage for Argentina is that they begin their campaign early, just three days into the tournament on June 16 against Iceland, giving the players more time to rest.

<hr />
Argentina's fixture:

June 16

06:30 PM | Argentina vs Iceland | Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow

June 21

11:30 PM | Argentina vs Croatia | Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod

June 26

11:30 PM | Nigeria vs Argentina | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

<hr />
Twenty three-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Nahuel Guzman (Tigres Monterrey/MEX), Wilfredo Caballero (Chelsea/ENG), Franco Armani (River Plate)

Defenders: Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla/ESP), Federico Fazio (Roma/ITA), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City/ENG), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United/ENG), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax/NED), Marcos Acuna (Sporting/POR), Eduardo Salvio (Benfica/POR), Cristian Ansaldi (Torino/ITA), Javier Mascherano (Hebei Fortune/CHN).

Midfielders: Ever Banega (Sevilla/ESP), Lucas Biglia (AC Milan/ITA), Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Manuel Lanzini (West Ham/ENG), Giovani Lo Celso (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Maximiliano Meza (Independiente).

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ESP), Paulo Dybala (Juventus/ITA), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/ENG), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus/ITA), Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors).

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia_4.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/fifa%202018%20Russia_4.jpg" width="770" />

Argentina have played in 16 World Cup tournaments and have won the title twice

FIFA ranking: 5 (till June 7) Argentina have played in 16 World Cup tournaments and have won the title twice -- at home in 1978 and in Mexico eight years later when a Diego Maradona-inspired side got past England on their way to a thrilling 3-2 win over West Germany in the final. Argentina have also reached the final on three other occasions -- at the first World Cup in 1930, in Italy in 1990 and four years ago in Brazil where they lost in extra time to Germany. Coach: Jorge Sampaoli: Sampaoli, 58, got the job as coach only a year before the finals in Russia, taking over at a troubled time and becoming the third man to lead the team since Alejandro Sabella left after the 2014 World Cup. The diminutive coach guided Chile to their first international title, winning the Copa America in 2015 with a fast pressing style which reflects his own hyperactive pacing along the touchline. But Sampaoli has struggled to organise Argentina in the same way and one win in four competitive games, plus recent hammerings by Nigeria and Spain, show he has his work cut out. Key players: Lionel Messi: Messi will celebrate his 31st birthday during the tournament and this could be his last chance to win the one big title he lacks. Few people doubt the five-times World Player of the Year will score goals. The big question is whether his teammates will be inspired enough to approach his level. Gonzalo Higuain: Higuain is Argentina's enigma, a player who seems to score at will for his club Juventus but labours to hit the target when wearing the national shirt. Higuain's recent record for Argentina –- one goal in nine World Cup qualifiers -– is so poor that he is not even a certainty to go to Russia under Sampaoli. However, another fine season for Juve suggests Sampaoli cannot afford to leave him out. If Higuain can reproduce his club form Argentina will be dangerous. Nicolas Otamendi: Unsung hero Otamendi is the only ever-present in Sampaoli's line up since Argentina qualified for the World Cup back in October. The Manchester City defender provides much-needed reliability in a national side that has changed both names and formations with alarming regularity since Sampaoli took over. How he is utilised, and who will play alongside him, will be of vital importance to the double world champions. Form guide: Argentina struggled in the qualifiers and they have barely improved since, with inconsistent results and a porous defence. They lost a November friendly 4-2 against Group D opponents Nigeria and although a 2-0 win over Italy in March briefly raised their spirits, they lost 6-1 to Spain a few days later in one of their worst performances in years. How they qualified: Argentina booked their ticket to Russia largely due to the brilliance of Messi, who scored a hat-trick in their final game against Ecuador. The Argentines needed to win the match to guarantee qualification, and the 3-1 victory lifted them into third place in the 10-team group. Most surprisingly for a team with Messi, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria and Higuain in their ranks, they scored just 19 goals in the 18 qualifying matches. Only Bolivia scored fewer. Prospects: Argentina reached the World Cup final in 2014 and the Copa America final in 2015 and 2016, but it has been downhill ever since for the twice champions. They are in the hardest group of all, Group D, alongside Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria. If they qualify they will at least be in the side of the draw that would keep them apart from Brazil, Germany and England before the final. Another advantage for Argentina is that they begin their campaign early, just three days into the tournament on June 16 against Iceland, giving the players more time to rest. Argentina's fixture: June 16 06:30 PM | Argentina vs Iceland | Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow June 21 11:30 PM | Argentina vs Croatia | Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod June 26 11:30 PM | Nigeria vs Argentina | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg Twenty three-man World Cup squad: Goalkeepers: Nahuel Guzman (Tigres Monterrey/MEX), Wilfredo Caballero (Chelsea/ENG), Franco Armani (River Plate) Defenders: Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla/ESP), Federico Fazio (Roma/ITA), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City/ENG), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United/ENG), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax/NED), Marcos Acuna (Sporting/POR), Eduardo Salvio (Benfica/POR), Cristian Ansaldi (Torino/ITA), Javier Mascherano (Hebei Fortune/CHN). Midfielders: Ever Banega (Sevilla/ESP), Lucas Biglia (AC Milan/ITA), Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Manuel Lanzini (West Ham/ENG), Giovani Lo Celso (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Maximiliano Meza (Independiente). Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ESP), Paulo Dybala (Juventus/ITA), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/ENG), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus/ITA), Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors).

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Argentina

FIFA ranking: 2 (till June 7)

Brazil is the only country to appear in every World Cup and the only nation to win the trophy five times. After losing at home in the final match in 1950 they won back-to-back titles in 1958 and 1962 and then made it three in Mexico in 1970 with what many consider to be the greatest team of all time.&nbsp;

After a 24-year drought that included heart-breaking eliminations in 1982 and 1986 they won again in 1994 with Romario and Bebeto starring. A rejuvenated Ronaldo, back from a series of knee injuries, helped them win the title in Japan in 2002 but they have disappointed since, not least in losing 7-1 to Germany in the semi-final at home four years ago.

<hr />
Coach: Tite: Like his three predecessors as manager, Tite is from the rugged southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Coaches there are known for their disdain of frippery and the 56-year-old (real name Adenor Leonardo Bachi) is no exception. He first rose to fame at Caixas and Gremio but it was his second spell at Corinthians that really cemented his reputation as a top-class coach when he took the underperforming Sao Paulo side to the league title in 2011 and the Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup the following year. Always dignified but firm and precise, he is popular with the media, a valuable asset in Brazil.

<hr />
Key players:

Neymar: So much of Brazil's hopes rest on Neymar's slim shoulders. The greatest player of his generation is capable of winning any game with a moment of brilliance but he will be returning from three months out with a foot injury and it remains to be seen whether the rest is positive or negative. He coasted through his debut season at Paris St-Germain where he was rarely tested. How influential he will be for Brazil could depend on how he copes with the huge pressure he will face.

Philippe Coutinho: This has been a rollercoaster season for Coutinho, who started at Liverpool and ended up at Barcelona. The 25-year-old has nevertheless become a regular in Tite's side, in either a wide role or as a deeper lying central midfielder, and his long-range shooting is a powerful weapon.

However, he can sometimes drift out of the action and his challenge is to take more games by the scruff of the neck and lessen the creative burden on Neymar.

Paulinho: With a superb defence and a scintillating attack, Brazil's midfield is often overlooked. Paulinho is a key cog in Brazil's engine room and a trusted lieutenant of coach Tite, who oversaw his rise at Corinthians. When he is on form Paulinho is an old-style box-to-box midfielder, but the Barcelona player is notorious for blowing hot and cold. One of the key questions for Brazil is which Paulinho will turn up -- the rampaging bull who helped them to a stunning Confederations Cup win in 2013 or the timid player who disappeared a year later.

<hr />
Form guide:

Brazil's form going to Russia could hardly be bettered. Since Tite took over as coach in mid-2016 they have lost once in 19 games, in a friendly against Argentina in Australia. The key to their form is at the back. They have conceded just five goals in those 19 games.

<hr />
How they qualified:

Brazil were the first team to qualify for the tournament as they walked away with South America's famously competitive 10-team group. The campaign, though, was not without its hiccups. Brazil were languishing in sixth place, outside the qualification spots, after six matches but coach Dunga's sacking and Tite's arrival turned things around. Brazil won 10 of their next 12 games to top the section 10 points ahead of Uruguay.

<hr />
Prospects:

This tournament is an unusual one for Brazil, who will arrive as joint favourites and as a side that need to prove themselves all over again after their disastrous 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 semi-finals. They should sail through Group E against Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia but, with little experience playing competitively against top European sides, a question mark still exists. One mouth-watering prospect could come as early as the last 16. If Brazil or Germany qualify in second place from their groups, the two heavyweights will slug it out much earlier than they would like.

<hr />
Twenty three-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma/ITA), Ederson (Manchester City/ENG), Cassio (Corinthians)

Defenders: Danilo (Manchester City/ENG), Fagner (Corinthians), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Miranda (Inter Milan/ITA), Marquinhos (Paris SG/FRA), Thiago Silva (Paris SG/FRA), Geromel (Gremio)&nbsp;

Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid/ESP), Fernandinho (Manchester City/ENG), Paulinho (Barcelona/ESP), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan/CHN), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona/ESP), Willian (Chelsea/ENG)&nbsp;

Forwards: Neymar (Paris SG/FRA), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City/ENG), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool/ENG), Douglas Costa (Juventus/ITA), Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR)

<hr />
Brazil's fixture:

June 17

11:30 PM | Brazil vs Switzerland | Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don

June 22

05:30 PM | Brazil vs Costa Rica | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

June 27

11:30 PM | Serbia vs Brazil | Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia_1.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/fifa%202018%20Russia_1.jpg" width="770" />

Brazil is the only country to appear in every World Cup and the only nation to win the trophy five times

FIFA ranking: 2 (till June 7) Brazil is the only country to appear in every World Cup and the only nation to win the trophy five times. After losing at home in the final match in 1950 they won back-to-back titles in 1958 and 1962 and then made it three in Mexico in 1970 with what many consider to be the greatest team of all time. After a 24-year drought that included heart-breaking eliminations in 1982 and 1986 they won again in 1994 with Romario and Bebeto starring. A rejuvenated Ronaldo, back from a series of knee injuries, helped them win the title in Japan in 2002 but they have disappointed since, not least in losing 7-1 to Germany in the semi-final at home four years ago. Coach: Tite: Like his three predecessors as manager, Tite is from the rugged southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Coaches there are known for their disdain of frippery and the 56-year-old (real name Adenor Leonardo Bachi) is no exception. He first rose to fame at Caixas and Gremio but it was his second spell at Corinthians that really cemented his reputation as a top-class coach when he took the underperforming Sao Paulo side to the league title in 2011 and the Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup the following year. Always dignified but firm and precise, he is popular with the media, a valuable asset in Brazil. Key players: Neymar: So much of Brazil's hopes rest on Neymar's slim shoulders. The greatest player of his generation is capable of winning any game with a moment of brilliance but he will be returning from three months out with a foot injury and it remains to be seen whether the rest is positive or negative. He coasted through his debut season at Paris St-Germain where he was rarely tested. How influential he will be for Brazil could depend on how he copes with the huge pressure he will face. Philippe Coutinho: This has been a rollercoaster season for Coutinho, who started at Liverpool and ended up at Barcelona. The 25-year-old has nevertheless become a regular in Tite's side, in either a wide role or as a deeper lying central midfielder, and his long-range shooting is a powerful weapon. However, he can sometimes drift out of the action and his challenge is to take more games by the scruff of the neck and lessen the creative burden on Neymar. Paulinho: With a superb defence and a scintillating attack, Brazil's midfield is often overlooked. Paulinho is a key cog in Brazil's engine room and a trusted lieutenant of coach Tite, who oversaw his rise at Corinthians. When he is on form Paulinho is an old-style box-to-box midfielder, but the Barcelona player is notorious for blowing hot and cold. One of the key questions for Brazil is which Paulinho will turn up -- the rampaging bull who helped them to a stunning Confederations Cup win in 2013 or the timid player who disappeared a year later. Form guide: Brazil's form going to Russia could hardly be bettered. Since Tite took over as coach in mid-2016 they have lost once in 19 games, in a friendly against Argentina in Australia. The key to their form is at the back. They have conceded just five goals in those 19 games. How they qualified: Brazil were the first team to qualify for the tournament as they walked away with South America's famously competitive 10-team group. The campaign, though, was not without its hiccups. Brazil were languishing in sixth place, outside the qualification spots, after six matches but coach Dunga's sacking and Tite's arrival turned things around. Brazil won 10 of their next 12 games to top the section 10 points ahead of Uruguay. Prospects: This tournament is an unusual one for Brazil, who will arrive as joint favourites and as a side that need to prove themselves all over again after their disastrous 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 semi-finals. They should sail through Group E against Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia but, with little experience playing competitively against top European sides, a question mark still exists. One mouth-watering prospect could come as early as the last 16. If Brazil or Germany qualify in second place from their groups, the two heavyweights will slug it out much earlier than they would like. Twenty three-man World Cup squad: Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma/ITA), Ederson (Manchester City/ENG), Cassio (Corinthians) Defenders: Danilo (Manchester City/ENG), Fagner (Corinthians), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Miranda (Inter Milan/ITA), Marquinhos (Paris SG/FRA), Thiago Silva (Paris SG/FRA), Geromel (Gremio) Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid/ESP), Fernandinho (Manchester City/ENG), Paulinho (Barcelona/ESP), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan/CHN), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona/ESP), Willian (Chelsea/ENG) Forwards: Neymar (Paris SG/FRA), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City/ENG), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool/ENG), Douglas Costa (Juventus/ITA), Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR) Brazil's fixture: June 17 11:30 PM | Brazil vs Switzerland | Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don June 22 05:30 PM | Brazil vs Costa Rica | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg June 27 11:30 PM | Serbia vs Brazil | Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Brazil

The tradition of numbering players has gone on to become one of the most symbolic things in the world of football.&nbsp

Whenever a new signing is announced by the club, fans look forward to the jersey number that is given to him.&nbsp

Whatever may be the role, the footballing world has seen the best players ever to grace the field don the number 10 jersey for either their club or country or both.&nbsp

The No. 7 was often associated with a fast, pacy winger or the No. 9 was a number reserved for a goalscorer, the No. 10 is associated with the best, most influential player of the team.

So, let's look at the all-time greats to have donned the number 10 jersey

1. Lionel Messi: The Argentine forward might not have played in a traditional number 10 position in his career but he embodies the fundamental idea of having the number 10 on his back. It is said that the best player in a team usually wears the coveted 10 and who else is better than "La Pulga". However, many critics have said that Messi cannot be termed 'the best of all-time' without a World Cup to his name.&nbsp

2. Diego Maradona: The retired Argentine footballer was a saviour to his country, and to his clubs, Napoli and Boca Juniors. Maradona was a one-man army and he succeeded in becoming one of the best ever to grace the world. Sporting the number 10 jersey, he scored many magical goals which included the 'goal of the century' against England in 1986. The Argentinian legend was a classic number 10, a perfect player whose dribbling was second to none.&nbsp

3. Pele: The Brazilian footballer who played as a forward was the first superstar of world football and captured the imagination with his brilliant goal scoring feats and amazing trickery. He donned the number 10 jersey for Brazil for whom he won a record three World Cups. Brazil with Pele in the side is often termed as the best team of all-time, and the attacking quality in that team is still unmatched by any team since then. Pele was called the 'King of Football' for his sublime goal tally coupled with his trophy cabinet

4. Zinedine Zidane: The Frenchman was as elegant a footballer as one ever saw and was one of the best-attacking midfielders of his generation. His goal for Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 still remains one of the best goals ever. Late legend Alfredo Di Stefano once described the former Real Madrid great: "He makes it worthwhile going into the stadium." Such was the aura and elegance of the man who sadly ended his career with a sending off in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy.&nbsp

5. Zico: He was one of the best playmakers to ever play football. His vision coupled with his brilliant finishing made him Brazil's talisman in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, he was considered the best player in the world by football fans and critics. The Brazil team of the 70s and 80s put on quite a show with their flair and class, and Zico was at the helm of the side playing as a number 10. Zico played in a number 10 position for Brazil but remains one of the best players to have never won the World Cup.&nbsp

6. Ronaldinho: He donned many jersey numbers throughout his career but his standout years came at Barcelona where he sported number 10. The silky, flashy playmaker was an idol to an entire generation and also brought out a change in fortunes for the Catalans. He was FIFA's Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 and also won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. Ronaldinho did not score 30 goals a season or brilliant work rate in his career, but he was everyone's favourite whenever he entered the ground.&nbsp

7. Michel Platini: His prolific goalscoring made him one of the best footballers of his generation. Playing in the number 10 role, Platini achieved great heights at Saint-Etienne and Juventus while also playing a major role in France's 1984 Euro win. The Frenchman won three consecutive Ballon d’Ors from 19083-85 and was also adjudged French Player of the Century in 1999.&nbsp

With 10 more days to go, here is the significance of jersey number ten

The tradition of numbering players has gone on to become one of the most symbolic things in the world of football. Whenever a new signing is announced by the club, fans look forward to the jersey number that is given to him. Whatever may be the role, the footballing world has seen the best players ever to grace the field don the number 10 jersey for either their club or country or both. The No. 7 was often associated with a fast, pacy winger or the No. 9 was a number reserved for a goalscorer, the No. 10 is associated with the best, most influential player of the team. So, let's look at the all-time greats to have donned the number 10 jersey 1. Lionel Messi: The Argentine forward might not have played in a traditional number 10 position in his career but he embodies the fundamental idea of having the number 10 on his back. It is said that the best player in a team usually wears the coveted 10 and who else is better than "La Pulga". However, many critics have said that Messi cannot be termed 'the best of all-time' without a World Cup to his name. 2. Diego Maradona: The retired Argentine footballer was a saviour to his country, and to his clubs, Napoli and Boca Juniors. Maradona was a one-man army and he succeeded in becoming one of the best ever to grace the world. Sporting the number 10 jersey, he scored many magical goals which included the 'goal of the century' against England in 1986. The Argentinian legend was a classic number 10, a perfect player whose dribbling was second to none. 3. Pele: The Brazilian footballer who played as a forward was the first superstar of world football and captured the imagination with his brilliant goal scoring feats and amazing trickery. He donned the number 10 jersey for Brazil for whom he won a record three World Cups. Brazil with Pele in the side is often termed as the best team of all-time, and the attacking quality in that team is still unmatched by any team since then. Pele was called the 'King of Football' for his sublime goal tally coupled with his trophy cabinet 4. Zinedine Zidane: The Frenchman was as elegant a footballer as one ever saw and was one of the best-attacking midfielders of his generation. His goal for Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 still remains one of the best goals ever. Late legend Alfredo Di Stefano once described the former Real Madrid great: "He makes it worthwhile going into the stadium." Such was the aura and elegance of the man who sadly ended his career with a sending off in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy. 5. Zico: He was one of the best playmakers to ever play football. His vision coupled with his brilliant finishing made him Brazil's talisman in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, he was considered the best player in the world by football fans and critics. The Brazil team of the 70s and 80s put on quite a show with their flair and class, and Zico was at the helm of the side playing as a number 10. Zico played in a number 10 position for Brazil but remains one of the best players to have never won the World Cup. 6. Ronaldinho: He donned many jersey numbers throughout his career but his standout years came at Barcelona where he sported number 10. The silky, flashy playmaker was an idol to an entire generation and also brought out a change in fortunes for the Catalans. He was FIFA's Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 and also won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. Ronaldinho did not score 30 goals a season or brilliant work rate in his career, but he was everyone's favourite whenever he entered the ground. 7. Michel Platini: His prolific goalscoring made him one of the best footballers of his generation. Playing in the number 10 role, Platini achieved great heights at Saint-Etienne and Juventus while also playing a major role in France's 1984 Euro win. The Frenchman won three consecutive Ballon d’Ors from 19083-85 and was also adjudged French Player of the Century in 1999.

Football and the significance of Jersey #10

Brazil star Neymar made a stunning return from injury with a superb goal in their 2-0 friendly victory over Croatia on Sunday.

Just 98 days after suffering an injury he feared would keep him out of the upcoming World Cup in Russia, Neymar was back with a bang at Anfield.&nbsp

The Paris Saint-Germain forward appeared as a half-time replacement for Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho as the Selecao stepped up their World Cup preparations.

And Neymar needed just 23 minutes to prove how important he is to Brazil's hopes of a sixth world title.

Receiving a pass from Philippe Coutinho, Neymar cut into the area, beating Sime Vrsaljko and Duje Caleta-Car with impressive close control and dribbling, before burying a shot into the roof of the goal, via the crossbar, from the edge of the six-yard area.

Neymar ran behind the goal, in front of Anfield's legendary Kop End, and punched the air in obvious delight as he was mobbed by team-mates.

The sublime strike leaves Neymar on 54 goals for his national team, one behind Romario, who is third on the country's all-time list, and with only Pele and Ronaldo ahead of him in the Brazil record books.

Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, on his home ground, completed the victory in stoppage time when he controlled a through ball on his chest and calmly beat the advancing keeper with a delicate lob.

Neymar, the world's most expensive player following his blockbuster move from Barcelona last year, had been sidelined since the end of February when he fractured his foot playing for PSG in a league victory against Marseille.

He sprained his ankle and fractured his fifth metatarsal, requiring an operation which had left the 26-year-old facing a battle to be fit in time for Brazil's opening World Cup match with Switzerland in Rostov-on-Don on June 17.

Biggest challenge

Neymar had spoken last month of his concerns about winning that race and described his rehabilitation as the biggest challenge of his career.

He also sat out training with the national team at Tottenham's London base on Thursday as a precaution.

But Brazil coach Tite had announced his intention to use Neymar against Croatia, with the Brazilians having just one more warm-up game - against Austria in Vienna on June 10 - in which his asset can gain much-needed game-time.

True to his word, Tite brought on Neymar at the interval and he appeared comfortable, steering an early shot, from a wide angle on the edge of the area, directly at goalkeeper Danijel Subasic who saved well.

It was a notable afternoon also for former Liverpool striker Coutinho, who made his first appearance at Anfield since his transfer to Barcelona in January, and received a smattering of boos from some of his old club's supporters.

He formed part of a potent three-man forward line that also featured Chelsea's Willian and Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus, who was named captain for the day, the 15th player to wear the armband under the reign of manager Tite.

Despite the looming spectre of the World Cup, now less than two weeks away, the game proved a physical one.

Croatia's Andrej Kramaric and Ivan Perisic were both cautioned by English referee Michael Oliver in the first half, along with Brazilian Fernandinho whose high-footed challenge left Vrsaljko needing a large bandage to a head wound.

Neymar's introduction at the start of the second half drew an enthusiastic reaction, from the Anfield crowd and his team-mates alike.

He joined Jesus and Willian in attack, with Coutinho dropping into the midfield place vacated by Fernandinho.&nbsp

Brazil instantly appeared more threatening, with the PSG man linking up quickly with Jesus.&nbsp

Before Neymar's brilliant opener, Croatia might have struck first when Ante Rebic's header forced a fine save from Alisson.

Brazil star Neymar made a stunning return from injury with a superb goal in their 2-0 friendly victory over Croatia on Sunday

Brazil star Neymar made a stunning return from injury with a superb goal in their 2-0 friendly victory over Croatia on Sunday. Just 98 days after suffering an injury he feared would keep him out of the upcoming World Cup in Russia, Neymar was back with a bang at Anfield. The Paris Saint-Germain forward appeared as a half-time replacement for Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho as the Selecao stepped up their World Cup preparations. And Neymar needed just 23 minutes to prove how important he is to Brazil's hopes of a sixth world title. Receiving a pass from Philippe Coutinho, Neymar cut into the area, beating Sime Vrsaljko and Duje Caleta-Car with impressive close control and dribbling, before burying a shot into the roof of the goal, via the crossbar, from the edge of the six-yard area. Neymar ran behind the goal, in front of Anfield's legendary Kop End, and punched the air in obvious delight as he was mobbed by team-mates. The sublime strike leaves Neymar on 54 goals for his national team, one behind Romario, who is third on the country's all-time list, and with only Pele and Ronaldo ahead of him in the Brazil record books. Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, on his home ground, completed the victory in stoppage time when he controlled a through ball on his chest and calmly beat the advancing keeper with a delicate lob. Neymar, the world's most expensive player following his blockbuster move from Barcelona last year, had been sidelined since the end of February when he fractured his foot playing for PSG in a league victory against Marseille. He sprained his ankle and fractured his fifth metatarsal, requiring an operation which had left the 26-year-old facing a battle to be fit in time for Brazil's opening World Cup match with Switzerland in Rostov-on-Don on June 17. Biggest challenge Neymar had spoken last month of his concerns about winning that race and described his rehabilitation as the biggest challenge of his career. He also sat out training with the national team at Tottenham's London base on Thursday as a precaution. But Brazil coach Tite had announced his intention to use Neymar against Croatia, with the Brazilians having just one more warm-up game - against Austria in Vienna on June 10 - in which his asset can gain much-needed game-time. True to his word, Tite brought on Neymar at the interval and he appeared comfortable, steering an early shot, from a wide angle on the edge of the area, directly at goalkeeper Danijel Subasic who saved well. It was a notable afternoon also for former Liverpool striker Coutinho, who made his first appearance at Anfield since his transfer to Barcelona in January, and received a smattering of boos from some of his old club's supporters. He formed part of a potent three-man forward line that also featured Chelsea's Willian and Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus, who was named captain for the day, the 15th player to wear the armband under the reign of manager Tite. Despite the looming spectre of the World Cup, now less than two weeks away, the game proved a physical one. Croatia's Andrej Kramaric and Ivan Perisic were both cautioned by English referee Michael Oliver in the first half, along with Brazilian Fernandinho whose high-footed challenge left Vrsaljko needing a large bandage to a head wound. Neymar's introduction at the start of the second half drew an enthusiastic reaction, from the Anfield crowd and his team-mates alike. He joined Jesus and Willian in attack, with Coutinho dropping into the midfield place vacated by Fernandinho. Brazil instantly appeared more threatening, with the PSG man linking up quickly with Jesus. Before Neymar's brilliant opener, Croatia might have struck first when Ante Rebic's header forced a fine save from Alisson.

World Cup friendlies: Neymar scores after comeback from injury as Brazil beat Croatia 2-0

England striker Jamie Vardy believes the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) leaves players and fans with little idea of "what is going on" just three months before the system is to be used at the World Cup.

Vardy's first-half strike had England on course for another fine World Cup warm-up friendly result against four-time world champions Italy on Tuesday, until the visitors were awarded a penalty three minutes from time on video review.

German referee Deniz Aytekin overturned his original decision not to point to the spot when Federico Chiesa tumbled under the challenge of debutant James Tarkowski.

Aytekin came to the side of the pitch to review the decision himself and took less than two minutes to change his mind before Lorenzo Insigne dispatched the spot-kick to earn a 1-1 draw for the visitors.

However, Vardy believes the process still needs to be improved for those inside the stadium.

"They say they are using it at the World Cup so we have used it tonight," said Vardy. "Most of it is down to players and supporters not knowing what is going on.

"It is okay to come up and say VAR is in use but no-one knows what it is going on. It is obviously taking time as well, there were five minutes added on."

England manager Gareth Southgate complained Aytekin's initial decision wasn't a case of a "clear and obvious" error.

According to the rules regarding VAR, only clear and obvious mistakes should be reviewed.

And Southgate also called for better communication with fans inside the stadium, claiming those watching at home are currently more informed than the paying public.

"A better way of communicating with fans in the ground (is needed)," said Southgate.

"That was a little better tonight because at least they knew something was going on, but I think ideally in other sports there is a clearer communication with those in the stadium.

"When those at home have a better idea of what is going on than those in the stadium, I'm not sure that's the right thing."

England striker Jamie Vardy believes the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) leaves players and fans with little idea of "what is going on"

England striker Jamie Vardy believes the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) leaves players and fans with little idea of "what is going on" just three months before the system is to be used at the World Cup. Vardy's first-half strike had England on course for another fine World Cup warm-up friendly result against four-time world champions Italy on Tuesday, until the visitors were awarded a penalty three minutes from time on video review. German referee Deniz Aytekin overturned his original decision not to point to the spot when Federico Chiesa tumbled under the challenge of debutant James Tarkowski. Aytekin came to the side of the pitch to review the decision himself and took less than two minutes to change his mind before Lorenzo Insigne dispatched the spot-kick to earn a 1-1 draw for the visitors. However, Vardy believes the process still needs to be improved for those inside the stadium. "They say they are using it at the World Cup so we have used it tonight," said Vardy. "Most of it is down to players and supporters not knowing what is going on. "It is okay to come up and say VAR is in use but no-one knows what it is going on. It is obviously taking time as well, there were five minutes added on." England manager Gareth Southgate complained Aytekin's initial decision wasn't a case of a "clear and obvious" error. According to the rules regarding VAR, only clear and obvious mistakes should be reviewed. And Southgate also called for better communication with fans inside the stadium, claiming those watching at home are currently more informed than the paying public. "A better way of communicating with fans in the ground (is needed)," said Southgate. "That was a little better tonight because at least they knew something was going on, but I think ideally in other sports there is a clearer communication with those in the stadium. "When those at home have a better idea of what is going on than those in the stadium, I'm not sure that's the right thing."

Video Assistant Referee confuses players and fans: Jamie Vardy

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/cambridge-analytica-ceo-claims-influence-on-us-election-facebook-questioned-36557" target="_blank">Suspended Cambridge Analytica CEO claims influence on US election, Facebook questioned</a>

The suspended chief executive of Cambridge Analytica said in a secretly recorded video broadcast on Tuesday that his UK-based political consultancy&rsquo;s online campaign played a decisive role in US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s 2016 election victory.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/team-rahul-gandhi-set-to-take-charge-of-congress-top-leaders-resign-36565" target="_blank">Top leaders resign as Team Rahul gets set to take charge of Congress</a>

Resignations in the Congress have begun ahead of party President Rahul Gandhi&#39;s announcement of his new team.&nbsp;

Actor-politician Raj Babbar has quit as chief of the party&#39;s UP unit.&nbsp;

News reports added that Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki is also believed to have tendered his resignation to the party&#39;s central leadership. The reports added that a number of further resignations are expected.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-playboy-model-karen-mcdougal-sues-to-break-silence-on-alleged-trump-affair-36563" target="_blank">Now, ex-Playboy model wants to talk about </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-playboy-model-karen-mcdougal-sues-to-break-silence-on-alleged-trump-affair-36563" target="_blank">affair</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-playboy-model-karen-mcdougal-sues-to-break-silence-on-alleged-trump-affair-36563" target="_blank"> with Trump</a>

A former Playboy model who said she had an affair with President Donald Trump filed suit in California on Tuesday to release her from a legal agreement requiring her to stay silent, becoming the second woman this month to contest an arrangement to keep quiet about an alleged extramarital relationship with Trump.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-renews-pervez-musharrafs-passport-fearing-he-may-not-return-36558" target="_blank">Pakistan renews Pervez Musharraf&#39;s passport fearing he may not return</a>

Pakistan&#39;s former dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf&#39;s diplomatic passport was renewed two months before its expiry as the government feared that he might not return to face the high treason case, the country&#39;s Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/nobody-is-better-than-me-on-pitch-cristiano-ronaldo-36564" target="_blank">Nobody better than me on the pitch: Cristiano Ronaldo</a>

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed the secret of his success ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

In a recent media interaction, he said, &quot;We should always believe we are the best.&quot;

&quot;You need to think big. I always believe that nobody is better than me, out on the pitch at least,&quot; he said.

Suspended Cambridge Analytica CEO claims influence on US election, Facebook questioned The suspended chief executive of Cambridge Analytica said in a secretly recorded video broadcast on Tuesday that his UK-based political consultancy’s online campaign played a decisive role in US President Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory. Top leaders resign as Team Rahul gets set to take charge of Congress Resignations in the Congress have begun ahead of party President Rahul Gandhi's announcement of his new team. Actor-politician Raj Babbar has quit as chief of the party's UP unit. News reports added that Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki is also believed to have tendered his resignation to the party's central leadership. The reports added that a number of further resignations are expected. Now, ex-Playboy model wants to talk about affair with Trump A former Playboy model who said she had an affair with President Donald Trump filed suit in California on Tuesday to release her from a legal agreement requiring her to stay silent, becoming the second woman this month to contest an arrangement to keep quiet about an alleged extramarital relationship with Trump. Pakistan renews Pervez Musharraf's passport fearing he may not return Pakistan's former dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf's diplomatic passport was renewed two months before its expiry as the government feared that he might not return to face the high treason case, the country's Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said. Nobody better than me on the pitch: Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed the secret of his success ahead of the FIFA World Cup. In a recent media interaction, he said, "We should always believe we are the best." "You need to think big. I always believe that nobody is better than me, out on the pitch at least," he said.

WION Morning News Brief, March 21, 2018

The 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

Security was tight around the Kremlin&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;(December 1) as the&nbsp;Russian capital prepared for the 2018 World Cup finals draw.

The draw is <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/fifa-world-cup-2018-the-journey-has-started-566">featuring 32 teams</a>&nbsp;and it will take on 1 December at 8:30 IST in Moscow.

The draw will be held in the concert hall at the State Kremlin Palace, which has a capacity of 6,000.

Former England forward Gary Lineker will conduct the Final Draw.

World Ranking has been used to allocate the qualified teams to the four pots according to their ranking in descending order, after hosts Russia, who take the top seeding spot.

The four pots will be emptied by drawing the eight teams they each contain one by one and placing them in the eight groups of four teams (Groups A to H).

Russia will occupy the top position in Group A as they are hosting the event, while the seven other seeds will occupy the top spots in Groups B to H.

Local soccer fans, asked about their expectations for the tournament, named high-ranking teams such as Argentina as opponents they would like to see for the&nbsp;Russian national team.

Russia&nbsp;is set to host the tournament in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/fifa-world-cup-2018-stadiums-are-gearing-up-for-the-big-event-572">12 venues spread across 11 cities</a> including Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi.

&nbsp;

The final draw for the 21st FIFA World Cup?will take on 1 December at 8:30 IST in Moscow

The 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. Security was tight around the Kremlin on Friday (December 1) as the Russian capital prepared for the 2018 World Cup finals draw. The draw is featuring 32 teams and it will take on 1 December at 8:30 IST in Moscow. The draw will be held in the concert hall at the State Kremlin Palace, which has a capacity of 6,000. Former England forward Gary Lineker will conduct the Final Draw. World Ranking has been used to allocate the qualified teams to the four pots according to their ranking in descending order, after hosts Russia, who take the top seeding spot. The four pots will be emptied by drawing the eight teams they each contain one by one and placing them in the eight groups of four teams (Groups A to H). Russia will occupy the top position in Group A as they are hosting the event, while the seven other seeds will occupy the top spots in Groups B to H. Local soccer fans, asked about their expectations for the tournament, named high-ranking teams such as Argentina as opponents they would like to see for the Russian national team. Russia is set to host the tournament in 12 venues spread across 11 cities including Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi.

Watch: High security around Kremlin in Russia ahead of FIFA World Cup final draw

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