A 12-year-old boy from Nigeria who set a world record for the most consecutive soccer ball touches in one minute while balancing a second ball on his head is planning to take his skills global when he grows up.

Nigerian boy hopes for future in soccer after setting freestyle world record

An Emirati offer to invest in Israel’s most controversial soccer club could serve as a figurative litmus test of hopes that Arab recognition of the Jewish state may persuade it to be more empathetic towards Palestinian national aspirations.

It was not immediately clear whether the offer was to acquire or co-invest in Beitar Jerusalem, notorious for its links to the ruling Likud party and the Israeli far-right as well as racist anti-Arab, anti-Muslim sentiments among an influential segment of its fan base.

Israeli sources suggested that the offer was made by a businessman with close ties to the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG).

ADUG, owned by UAE deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a half-brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, has a majority stake in Football City Group that controls soccer clubs on four continents, including Manchester City FC.

Israeli media reports said that the offer was made to club owner Moshe Hogeg.

Mr Hogeg has been struggling to confront La Familia, a militant hard right fan group that has stopped Beitar from hiring Israeli Palestinian players, denounced the contracting of Muslims, and regularly chants ‘Death to Arabs’ and ‘Death to Muslims’ during matches.

Mr Hogeg last year faced down La Familia who demanded that a new hire, Ali Mohamed, change his Muslim name, even though he is a Nigerian Christian.

UAE officials have argued that establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel stopped the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from annexing parts of the West Bank, occupied since Israel conquered it in the 1967 Middle East war.

Mr Netanyahu said he had suspended, not cancelled his annexation plans.

A UAE stake in Beitar would take the Gulf state’s soft power ploy to an arena that is both the Likud’s heartland as well as football that evokes deep-seated passion in a soccer-crazy country.

Founded during the period of the British mandate in Palestine to create the ‘New Jew’ who would be able to build and defend the Jewish state, Beitar initially drew many of its players and fans from Irgun, an extreme nationalist, para-military Jewish underground group.

Among the club’s fans were throughout the years right-wing Israeli leaders. Today, they include Mr Netanyahu and multiple members of his government.

In interviews with the Israeli media, the Emirati businessmen hinted at the soft power aspect of the UAE initiative.

“Fanaticism is rooted in ignorance and fear of the other. If there is a spirit of tolerance, we can create &nbsp;an atmosphere of pure friendship between us and others. Sports is an international language graced with the ability to promote tolerance and peace between nations and people,” Israeli TV channel Sports 5 quoted him, as saying.

The businessman made no explicit reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but his remarks appeared to refer to it.

Emiratis appear to hope that a UAE stake in Beitar will boost the club’s more moderate fans, weaken its more militant fan base, and help shape a public opinion that is more willing to compromise with the Palestinians.

They count on fans like Yitzhak Megamadov who told Al-Monitor in response to the UAE bid: “I tell our fans to open their hearts and minds and receive them with open arms. They are our cousins. They want real peace and solidarity. We have gotten used to knowing about Palestinian Arabs through terrorist attacks and war. We need to educate ourselves and change our perspectives.”

It’s an approach that worked when Sheikh Mansour bought Manchester City in 2008 in what critics described as a reputation laundering operation. The English club’s fans embraced its new cash-flush owners, rejecting human rights activists’ concerns about the UAE’s regular abuse of human rights.

Winning over fans is likely to prove a lot easier than changing Israeli policies, something &nbsp;more powerful players like the United States and Europe have unsuccessfully tried.

The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, voted down an amendment that would have added equality for minorities to a controversial law defining Israel’s Jewish character just days after Israel signed agreements establishing diplomatic relations with the UAE and Bahrain at the White House.

In other words, there is little reason to believe that the businessman and the UAE together with Bahrain can achieve what others did not.

Fact of the matter is that the carrot of recognition has not helped solve the Palestinian problem or fundamentally change Israeli policy in the 18 years since Saudi Arabia first unveiled an Arab peace plan that offered recognition in exchange for land.

Neither did the earlier peace treaties between Israel, Egypt, and Jordan, two states that, unlike the UAE and Bahrain, had and still have a direct stake in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Nor did it stop US President Donald Trump from accepting the legitimacy of annexation of occupied Palestinian land. Mr Trump has endorsed Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem as well as the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967.

What an Emirati stake or acquisition in Beitar will do is enhance Israeli empathy for the UAE.

Without a tangible political fallout beneficial to Palestinians, it will also reinforce critics’ assertion that the UAE is using the Palestinian issue as a fig leaf for a move that serves Emirati issues with no Palestinian dividend.

The Emiratis may find that time does not work in their favour. They appear to be playing a long game on an unstable board that could prove incapable of sustaining it.

-- A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, Podbean, Audecibel, Patreon and Castbox --

(Dr James M Dorsey is an award-winning journalist and a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. He is also a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute of Fan Culture.)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

An Emirati offer to invest in Israel’s most controversial soccer club could serve as a figurative litmus test of hopes that Arab recognition of the Jewish state may persuade it to be more empathetic towards Palestinian national aspirations.

An Emirati offer to invest in Israel’s most controversial soccer club could serve as a figurative litmus test of hopes that Arab recognition of the Jewish state may persuade it to be more empathetic towards Palestinian national aspirations. It was not immediately clear whether the offer was to acquire or co-invest in Beitar Jerusalem, notorious for its links to the ruling Likud party and the Israeli far-right as well as racist anti-Arab, anti-Muslim sentiments among an influential segment of its fan base. Israeli sources suggested that the offer was made by a businessman with close ties to the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG). ADUG, owned by UAE deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a half-brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, has a majority stake in Football City Group that controls soccer clubs on four continents, including Manchester City FC. Israeli media reports said that the offer was made to club owner Moshe Hogeg. Mr Hogeg has been struggling to confront La Familia, a militant hard right fan group that has stopped Beitar from hiring Israeli Palestinian players, denounced the contracting of Muslims, and regularly chants ‘Death to Arabs’ and ‘Death to Muslims’ during matches. Mr Hogeg last year faced down La Familia who demanded that a new hire, Ali Mohamed, change his Muslim name, even though he is a Nigerian Christian. UAE officials have argued that establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel stopped the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from annexing parts of the West Bank, occupied since Israel conquered it in the 1967 Middle East war. Mr Netanyahu said he had suspended, not cancelled his annexation plans. A UAE stake in Beitar would take the Gulf state’s soft power ploy to an arena that is both the Likud’s heartland as well as football that evokes deep-seated passion in a soccer-crazy country. Founded during the period of the British mandate in Palestine to create the ‘New Jew’ who would be able to build and defend the Jewish state, Beitar initially drew many of its players and fans from Irgun, an extreme nationalist, para-military Jewish underground group. Among the club’s fans were throughout the years right-wing Israeli leaders. Today, they include Mr Netanyahu and multiple members of his government. In interviews with the Israeli media, the Emirati businessmen hinted at the soft power aspect of the UAE initiative. “Fanaticism is rooted in ignorance and fear of the other. If there is a spirit of tolerance, we can create an atmosphere of pure friendship between us and others. Sports is an international language graced with the ability to promote tolerance and peace between nations and people,” Israeli TV channel Sports 5 quoted him, as saying. The businessman made no explicit reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but his remarks appeared to refer to it. Emiratis appear to hope that a UAE stake in Beitar will boost the club’s more moderate fans, weaken its more militant fan base, and help shape a public opinion that is more willing to compromise with the Palestinians. They count on fans like Yitzhak Megamadov who told Al-Monitor in response to the UAE bid: “I tell our fans to open their hearts and minds and receive them with open arms. They are our cousins. They want real peace and solidarity. We have gotten used to knowing about Palestinian Arabs through terrorist attacks and war. We need to educate ourselves and change our perspectives.” It’s an approach that worked when Sheikh Mansour bought Manchester City in 2008 in what critics described as a reputation laundering operation. The English club’s fans embraced its new cash-flush owners, rejecting human rights activists’ concerns about the UAE’s regular abuse of human rights. Winning over fans is likely to prove a lot easier than changing Israeli policies, something more powerful players like the United States and Europe have unsuccessfully tried. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, voted down an amendment that would have added equality for minorities to a controversial law defining Israel’s Jewish character just days after Israel signed agreements establishing diplomatic relations with the UAE and Bahrain at the White House. In other words, there is little reason to believe that the businessman and the UAE together with Bahrain can achieve what others did not. Fact of the matter is that the carrot of recognition has not helped solve the Palestinian problem or fundamentally change Israeli policy in the 18 years since Saudi Arabia first unveiled an Arab peace plan that offered recognition in exchange for land. Neither did the earlier peace treaties between Israel, Egypt, and Jordan, two states that, unlike the UAE and Bahrain, had and still have a direct stake in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Nor did it stop US President Donald Trump from accepting the legitimacy of annexation of occupied Palestinian land. Mr Trump has endorsed Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem as well as the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967. What an Emirati stake or acquisition in Beitar will do is enhance Israeli empathy for the UAE. Without a tangible political fallout beneficial to Palestinians, it will also reinforce critics’ assertion that the UAE is using the Palestinian issue as a fig leaf for a move that serves Emirati issues with no Palestinian dividend. The Emiratis may find that time does not work in their favour. They appear to be playing a long game on an unstable board that could prove incapable of sustaining it. -- A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, Podbean, Audecibel, Patreon and Castbox -- (Dr James M Dorsey is an award-winning journalist and a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. He is also a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute of Fan Culture.) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Controversial Israeli soccer club may be litmus test for UAE soft power ploy

Madrid streets dressed up in La Liga colours on Wednesday (June 10) as competitive soccer is set to return on Thursday (June 10) after the coronavirus pandemic brought Spain's La Liga to a halt.

Madrid dresses up in La Liga colours as soccer set to return to action

Atletico Mineiro return to training under strict hygiene regulations with Brazil suffering high casualties from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazil soccer club Atletico Mineiro step up hygiene rules in return to training

FIFA has recommended that all international matches scheduled to be played in March and April be postponed because of the coronavirus and said that clubs would not be obliged to release players for any games that go ahead.

Also read: <a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/south-america-asks-fifa-to-delay-world-cup-qualifiers-due-to-coronavirus-285853">South America asks FIFA to delay World Cup qualifiers due to coronavirus</a>

The South American and Asian World Cup qualifiers which were due to be played have already been postponed. However, European body UEFA has not yet called off the Euro 2020 playoff matches which involve a total of 16 teams.

Also read:&nbsp; <a href="http://13.235.153.162/sports/cfa-proposes-club-world-cup-to-be-held-on-june-17-next-year-fifa-to-decide-273153">China proposes Club World Cup to be held in June 17 next year; FIFA to decide</a>

Several of the teams involved in those games have already asked for postponements and the matches would not be viable without club co-operation. UEFA will stage a meeting on Tuesday where a decision is likely to be taken.

FIFA said that holding matches under current circumstances could present health risks to the players and the public.

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&nbsp;

"It would also, most likely, compromise the sporting integrity of such matches insofar as certain teams may be deprived of their best squads whilst others may not," said FIFA.

"To avoid any unnecessary health risks and also situations of potential sporting unfairness, we, therefore, recommend that all international matches previously scheduled to take place in March and April should now be postponed."

It said that "the general football rules which normally oblige clubs to release players for national team matches will not apply for the up-coming international windows in March/April."

FIFA said it would study the possibilities for re-scheduling with the continental confederations, players and clubs. It said that "appropriate solutions will be found to allow the matches to take place in due course and with minimal disruption" provided there was goodwill and flexibility on all sides.

&nbsp;

FIFA has recommended that all international matches scheduled to be played in March and April be postponed because of the coronavirus and said that clubs would not be obliged to release players for any games that go ahead.

FIFA has recommended that all international matches scheduled to be played in March and April be postponed because of the coronavirus and said that clubs would not be obliged to release players for any games that go ahead. Also read: South America asks FIFA to delay World Cup qualifiers due to coronavirus The South American and Asian World Cup qualifiers which were due to be played have already been postponed. However, European body UEFA has not yet called off the Euro 2020 playoff matches which involve a total of 16 teams. Also read: China proposes Club World Cup to be held in June 17 next year; FIFA to decide Several of the teams involved in those games have already asked for postponements and the matches would not be viable without club co-operation. UEFA will stage a meeting on Tuesday where a decision is likely to be taken. FIFA said that holding matches under current circumstances could present health risks to the players and the public. × "It would also, most likely, compromise the sporting integrity of such matches insofar as certain teams may be deprived of their best squads whilst others may not," said FIFA. "To avoid any unnecessary health risks and also situations of potential sporting unfairness, we, therefore, recommend that all international matches previously scheduled to take place in March and April should now be postponed." It said that "the general football rules which normally oblige clubs to release players for national team matches will not apply for the up-coming international windows in March/April." FIFA said it would study the possibilities for re-scheduling with the continental confederations, players and clubs. It said that "appropriate solutions will be found to allow the matches to take place in due course and with minimal disruption" provided there was goodwill and flexibility on all sides.

FIFA recommends March, April internationals be postponed

Argentina's female soccer league has long tackled stereotypes in the soccer-mad nation. Now, a first-division women's team in the country is breaking new barriers in the sport with a first-division transgender player.

Tackling discrimination: Meet Argentina's transgender soccer player

Chelsea remain in pole position to claim fourth spot in the Premier League and a return to the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season.

However, a slump in form from Frank Lampard's men has left the door open for Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal to secure a much-needed return to Europe's top competition, while Wolves and Sheffield United are also aiming to reach the promised land for the first time.

AFP Sport looks at all six sides' ambitions heading into the final 15 league games of the season.

Chelsea - 39 points

The Blues still have a five-point cushion, but should already be out of sight for the chasing pack.

Chelsea have won just four of their last 11 league games, a poor run that includes defeats to Bournemouth, West Ham, Southampton, Newcastle and Everton.

Arsenal at home on Tuesday is followed by Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester United, giving them the chance to finally pull clear, but it could also hand those behind them another lifeline.

<h6><img alt="oooo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e3ecf015-cf44-4f52-915b-82219eaba814" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/123531-untitled-design-2.jpg" /> 
Chelsea's Mason Mount in action with Burnley's Jack Cork |&nbsp;Reuters 
&nbsp;</h6>

Man Utd - 34 points

United's challenge for the top four will depend largely on what business they do before the end of the January transfer window.

Top scorer Marcus Rashford will be out for at least six weeks due to a stress fracture in his back, while long-term injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay have already left the Red Devils light in midfield.

United have what looks like the most appealing fixture run-in for the final seven games after the March international break.

However, they have to ensure they are still in the running by then with Wolves, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Sheffield United all to come before Rashford returns.

Wolves - 34 points

Wolves' stunning fightback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at in-form Southampton on Saturday reignited their Champions League challenge, which had stalled in recent weeks.

Nuno Espirito Santo's men face Liverpool in their 40th game of the season on Thursday and a short squad could well run out of steam, particularly as they return to Europa League action next month.

But as they proved in beating Manchester City twice and running Liverpool close with a much-changed side last month, Wolves are a match for anyone on their day and go to Stamford Bridge on the final weekend of the season in what could be a winner-takes-all clash for fourth.

Sheffield United - 33 points

Most Blades fans would have settled for survival in their first top flight season for 13 years, but United manager Chris Wilder demands much more of his players.

Wilder has led the club up from League One to seventh in the Premier League and was scathing of his side's performance for most of Saturday's 1-1 draw at Arsenal.

Another daunting task awaits when City visit Bramall Lane on Tuesday, but even Pep Guardiola is a big fan of Wilder's ways.

"If you can improve watching other games and other teams and other managers, then this is the one," said the City boss.

After City, a run of games against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton, Aston Villa, Norwich and Newcastle could propel Wilder's men further up the table.

<h6><img alt="iiiii" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4a5afe47-9e94-4249-9f6a-08e0e333b590" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/119579-untitled-design-10.jpg" /> 
Champions League - Group H - Chelsea v Lille - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 10, 2019 Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta celebrates scoring their second goal with Tammy Abraham and teammates | Reuters 
&nbsp;</h6>

Tottenham - 31 points

Spurs are almost back to where they started under Jose Mourinho as early optimism and an upturn in results has fallen away in recent weeks.

The loss of Harry Kane for potentially the rest of the season is being felt in a lack of goals, with Mourinho's men taking just two points from their last four matches.

A return of 31 points from 23 games is 20 less than at the same stage last season.

Spurs have grown used to Champions League football over the past four seasons, but there has been little evidence from Mourinho's first two months in charge that they will put together the sustained run needed to overhaul his old club Chelsea.

Arsenal - 29 points

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted Tuesday's trip to Stamford Bridge is a must-win to maintain any hope of a top-four finish.

The Gunners' performances have improved since the Spaniard took charge last month, but they have won just one of five league games under Arteta.

1-1 draws with Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United have been symbolic of what has held Arsenal back this season.

Other than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a lack of clinical finishing at one end has been compounded by consistent errors from an unsettled defence.

Chelsea remain in pole position to claim fourth spot in the Premier League and a return to the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season. However, a slump in form from Frank Lampard's men has left the door open for Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal to secure a much-needed return to Europe's top competition, while Wolves and Sheffield United are also aiming to reach the promised land for the first time.

Chelsea remain in pole position to claim fourth spot in the Premier League and a return to the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season. However, a slump in form from Frank Lampard's men has left the door open for Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal to secure a much-needed return to Europe's top competition, while Wolves and Sheffield United are also aiming to reach the promised land for the first time. AFP Sport looks at all six sides' ambitions heading into the final 15 league games of the season. Chelsea - 39 points The Blues still have a five-point cushion, but should already be out of sight for the chasing pack. Chelsea have won just four of their last 11 league games, a poor run that includes defeats to Bournemouth, West Ham, Southampton, Newcastle and Everton. Arsenal at home on Tuesday is followed by Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester United, giving them the chance to finally pull clear, but it could also hand those behind them another lifeline. Chelsea's Mason Mount in action with Burnley's Jack Cork | Reuters Man Utd - 34 points United's challenge for the top four will depend largely on what business they do before the end of the January transfer window. Top scorer Marcus Rashford will be out for at least six weeks due to a stress fracture in his back, while long-term injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay have already left the Red Devils light in midfield. United have what looks like the most appealing fixture run-in for the final seven games after the March international break. However, they have to ensure they are still in the running by then with Wolves, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Sheffield United all to come before Rashford returns. Wolves - 34 points Wolves' stunning fightback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at in-form Southampton on Saturday reignited their Champions League challenge, which had stalled in recent weeks. Nuno Espirito Santo's men face Liverpool in their 40th game of the season on Thursday and a short squad could well run out of steam, particularly as they return to Europa League action next month. But as they proved in beating Manchester City twice and running Liverpool close with a much-changed side last month, Wolves are a match for anyone on their day and go to Stamford Bridge on the final weekend of the season in what could be a winner-takes-all clash for fourth. Sheffield United - 33 points Most Blades fans would have settled for survival in their first top flight season for 13 years, but United manager Chris Wilder demands much more of his players. Wilder has led the club up from League One to seventh in the Premier League and was scathing of his side's performance for most of Saturday's 1-1 draw at Arsenal. Another daunting task awaits when City visit Bramall Lane on Tuesday, but even Pep Guardiola is a big fan of Wilder's ways. "If you can improve watching other games and other teams and other managers, then this is the one," said the City boss. After City, a run of games against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton, Aston Villa, Norwich and Newcastle could propel Wilder's men further up the table. Champions League - Group H - Chelsea v Lille - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 10, 2019 Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta celebrates scoring their second goal with Tammy Abraham and teammates | Reuters Tottenham - 31 points Spurs are almost back to where they started under Jose Mourinho as early optimism and an upturn in results has fallen away in recent weeks. The loss of Harry Kane for potentially the rest of the season is being felt in a lack of goals, with Mourinho's men taking just two points from their last four matches. A return of 31 points from 23 games is 20 less than at the same stage last season. Spurs have grown used to Champions League football over the past four seasons, but there has been little evidence from Mourinho's first two months in charge that they will put together the sustained run needed to overhaul his old club Chelsea. Arsenal - 29 points Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted Tuesday's trip to Stamford Bridge is a must-win to maintain any hope of a top-four finish. The Gunners' performances have improved since the Spaniard took charge last month, but they have won just one of five league games under Arteta. 1-1 draws with Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United have been symbolic of what has held Arsenal back this season. Other than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a lack of clinical finishing at one end has been compounded by consistent errors from an unsettled defence.

Premier League wobbles leave top four chase wide open

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-manchester-united-sevilla-and-celtic-into-europa-league-last-32-260697">Sevilla</a>&nbsp;squandered the&nbsp;chance&nbsp;to go level on points with second-placed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/barcelona-real-madrid-draw-as-clasico-marred-by-violence-269061">Real&nbsp;Madrid</a> in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/la-liga-real-madrid-frustrated-by-athletic-and-fall-behind-barca-269641">La Liga</a> as they could only&nbsp;draw&nbsp;1-1 at home to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/la-liga-real-madrid-frustrated-by-athletic-and-fall-behind-barca-269641">Athletic&nbsp;Bilbao</a>&nbsp;on Friday in their first game back after a two-week winter break.

The Basque side went ahead in the 15th minute after a bright start when Ander Capa pounced on a loose ball inside the area and slid it under&nbsp;Sevilla&nbsp;keeper Tomas Vaclik into the bottom corner.

Sevilla&nbsp;dominated the remainder of the first half and twice came close to levelling, with Ever Banega hitting the bar straight from a corner and Munir El Haddadi having a shot scrambled off the line by Yeray Alvarez.

Dutch striker Luuk de Jong then&nbsp;missed a gilt-edged&nbsp;chance&nbsp;to score but his side drew level a minute later with an own goal from Athletic defender Unai Nunez, who attempted to block a cross from Lucas Ocampos and diverted it into his own net.

Sevilla&nbsp;remains third in the standings on 35 points after 19 games, two behind&nbsp;Real&nbsp;Madrid who visits Getafe on Saturday and four behind leaders <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/la-liga-real-madrid-frustrated-by-athletic-and-fall-behind-barca-269641">Barcelona</a> who play at Espanyol.

Athletic are seventh on 29 points.

Sevilla squandered the chance to go level on points with second-placed Real Madrid in La Liga as they could only draw 1-1 at home to Athletic Bilbao on Friday in their first game back after a two-week winter break.

Sevilla squandered the chance to go level on points with second-placed Real Madrid in La Liga as they could only draw 1-1 at home to Athletic Bilbao on Friday in their first game back after a two-week winter break. The Basque side went ahead in the 15th minute after a bright start when Ander Capa pounced on a loose ball inside the area and slid it under Sevilla keeper Tomas Vaclik into the bottom corner. Sevilla dominated the remainder of the first half and twice came close to levelling, with Ever Banega hitting the bar straight from a corner and Munir El Haddadi having a shot scrambled off the line by Yeray Alvarez. Dutch striker Luuk de Jong then missed a gilt-edged chance to score but his side drew level a minute later with an own goal from Athletic defender Unai Nunez, who attempted to block a cross from Lucas Ocampos and diverted it into his own net. Sevilla remains third in the standings on 35 points after 19 games, two behind Real Madrid who visits Getafe on Saturday and four behind leaders Barcelona who play at Espanyol. Athletic are seventh on 29 points.

La Liga: Sevilla miss chance to catch Real with draw against Bilbao

The men's US national team has called off plans to go to&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;for a winter&nbsp;training&nbsp;camp&nbsp;following&nbsp;unrest&nbsp;in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-impeachment-row-us-senate-in-stalemate-over-how-to-proceed-272003">Middle East</a>,&nbsp;US&nbsp;Soccer&nbsp;said on Friday.

"Due to the developing situation in the region,&nbsp;US&nbsp;Soccer&nbsp;has decided to postpone travelling to&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;for the Men's National Team's scheduled January&nbsp;training&nbsp;camp,"&nbsp;US&nbsp;Soccer&nbsp;said in a short statement.

Iran's clerical and military rulers have threatened revenge for an American air strike at Baghdad airport on Friday that killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Quds&nbsp;Force and architect of its growing military influence in the Middle East.

US coach Gregg Berhalter had called up 25 players for the 20-day sojourn scheduled to begin on January&nbsp;5.

His side were to play closed door games at Doha's Aspire Academy before heading home to face <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/international-magazine-271883">Costa Rica</a> in Carson, California&nbsp;on February&nbsp;1.

That game will go ahead as planned,&nbsp;US&nbsp;Soccer&nbsp;said, and they are now working on an alternative schedule to prepare for that fixture.

"We are working with the&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;Football Association to find an opportunity in the near future for our team to experience&nbsp;Qatar's world-class facilities and hospitality,"&nbsp;US&nbsp;Soccer&nbsp;added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-mandzukic-joins-qatars-al-duhail-from-juventus-270107">Qatar</a>&nbsp;will host the World Cup in 2022 and the US kicks off its qualifying&nbsp;campaign in September. The US is desperate to qualify for the&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;tournament&nbsp;after&nbsp;surprisingly missing out last time in Russia.

The men's US national team has called off plans to go to Qatar for a winter training camp following unrest in the Middle East, US Soccer said on Friday. "Due to the developing situation in the region, US Soccer has decided to postpone travelling to Qatar for the Men's National Team's scheduled January training camp," US Soccer said in a short statement.

The men's US national team has called off plans to go to Qatar for a winter training camp following unrest in the Middle East, US Soccer said on Friday. "Due to the developing situation in the region, US Soccer has decided to postpone travelling to Qatar for the Men's National Team's scheduled January training camp," US Soccer said in a short statement. Iran's clerical and military rulers have threatened revenge for an American air strike at Baghdad airport on Friday that killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Quds Force and architect of its growing military influence in the Middle East. US coach Gregg Berhalter had called up 25 players for the 20-day sojourn scheduled to begin on January 5. His side were to play closed door games at Doha's Aspire Academy before heading home to face Costa Rica in Carson, California on February 1. That game will go ahead as planned, US Soccer said, and they are now working on an alternative schedule to prepare for that fixture. "We are working with the Qatar Football Association to find an opportunity in the near future for our team to experience Qatar's world-class facilities and hospitality," US Soccer added. Qatar will host the World Cup in 2022 and the US kicks off its qualifying campaign in September. The US is desperate to qualify for the Qatar tournament after surprisingly missing out last time in Russia.

Following an unrest in Middle East, US Soccer team cancels training camp in Qatar

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-gives-fifa-commitment-on-womens-access-to-matches-report-269399">FIFA</a> has&nbsp;banned Bahrain defender Sayed&nbsp;Baqer&nbsp;for&nbsp;10&nbsp;matches for 'discriminatory behaviour' in a World Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, soccer's world governing body has said.

Baqer, 25, was captured on video making a slant-eyed&nbsp;gesture&nbsp;in the direction of Hong Kong supporters after a goalless draw in the city on November&nbsp;14.

FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against&nbsp;Baqer&nbsp;last month and announced that the player had also been fined 30,000 Swiss francs ($30,549.90) and warned over his conduct.

The suspension follows the governing body's July announcement that it had doubled the minimum&nbsp;ban&nbsp;for&nbsp;racist&nbsp;behaviour to&nbsp;10&nbsp;games.

A number of high-profile&nbsp;racist&nbsp;incidents have marred the&nbsp;game&nbsp;this season.

The most recent involved the arrest of a Chelsea fan for allegedly racially abusing Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/mourinho-confirms-tottenham-appeal-against-wrong-red-for-son-269877">Son Heung-min</a> in a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/premier-league-chelseas-frank-lampard-savours-win-over-old-mentor-jose-mourinho-269624">Premier League</a> match in London on Sunday.

Chelsea defender <a href="https://www.wionews.com/search?q=Yes%C2%A0Bank">Antonio Rudiger</a> also alleged he was racially abused in the same&nbsp;game, prompting the Professional Footballers' Association to call for a government inquiry into the proliferation of&nbsp;racist&nbsp;incidents in English soccer.

Italy has also been front and centre this season with Inter Milan's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/were-going-backwards-says-romelu-lukaku-after-racist-abuse-at-cagliari-247197">Romelu Lukaku</a> and Brescia's Mario Balotelli being targeted by rival fans during Serie A matches.

In a separate ruling, FIFA ordered Indonesia to play one match behind closed doors without fans and fined the country's soccer association 200,000 Swiss francs over security failings during a World Cup qualifier with Malaysia last month.

Malaysia were fined 50,000 Swiss francs for the behaviour of their fans.

Sierra Leone have also been told to play one&nbsp;game&nbsp;behind closed doors and were fined 50,000 Swiss francs for a lack of order during a qualifier against Liberia in September.

FIFA has banned Bahrain defender Sayed Baqer for 10 matches for 'discriminatory behaviour' in a World Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, soccer's world governing body has said.

FIFA has banned Bahrain defender Sayed Baqer for 10 matches for 'discriminatory behaviour' in a World Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, soccer's world governing body has said. Baqer, 25, was captured on video making a slant-eyed gesture in the direction of Hong Kong supporters after a goalless draw in the city on November 14. FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Baqer last month and announced that the player had also been fined 30,000 Swiss francs ($30,549.90) and warned over his conduct. The suspension follows the governing body's July announcement that it had doubled the minimum ban for racist behaviour to 10 games. A number of high-profile racist incidents have marred the game this season. The most recent involved the arrest of a Chelsea fan for allegedly racially abusing Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-min in a Premier League match in London on Sunday. Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger also alleged he was racially abused in the same game, prompting the Professional Footballers' Association to call for a government inquiry into the proliferation of racist incidents in English soccer. Italy has also been front and centre this season with Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku and Brescia's Mario Balotelli being targeted by rival fans during Serie A matches. In a separate ruling, FIFA ordered Indonesia to play one match behind closed doors without fans and fined the country's soccer association 200,000 Swiss francs over security failings during a World Cup qualifier with Malaysia last month. Malaysia were fined 50,000 Swiss francs for the behaviour of their fans. Sierra Leone have also been told to play one game behind closed doors and were fined 50,000 Swiss francs for a lack of order during a qualifier against Liberia in September.

Football: Bahrain's Baqer gets 10-game ban for racist gesture

Lazio&nbsp;beat&nbsp;Juventus&nbsp;3-1, their second&nbsp;win&nbsp;over the Turin giants in little more than two weeks, to&nbsp;win&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/football/football-lazio-beat-juventus-3-2-in-dramatic-italian-super-cup-18950">Italian&nbsp;Super Cup</a>&nbsp;on Sunday, the annual meeting between the Coppa Italia&nbsp;winners and Serie A champions.

Second-half goals from Senad Lulic and Danilo Cataldi won the match which was being played in Saudi Arabia for the second year running.

Lazio&nbsp;also&nbsp;beat&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/juventus-inter-milan-return-to-serie-a-duel-as-napoli-try-to-snap-winless-run-265161">Juventus</a>&nbsp;3-1 in Serie A on Dec. 7, handing their opponents their first defeat under coach Maurizio Sarri.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/flying-cristiano-ronaldo-fires-juventus-top-as-buffon-equals-maldinis-serie-a-record-269078">Lazio</a>, the Coppa Italia victors, went ahead after 17 minutes when <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-manchester-united-sevilla-and-celtic-into-europa-league-last-32-260697">Sergei Milinkovic Savic</a> laid the ball off for Luis Alberto to fire into the net.

Paulo Dybala levelled for the Serie A champions at the end of the first-half from a rebound after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-cristiano-ronaldo-and-higuain-on-target-as-juventus-beat-leverkusen-2-0-267848">Cristiano Ronaldo's</a> shot was parried by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-roma-knocked-out-of-third-place-with-defeat-at-parma-261301">Thomas Strakosha</a>.

Juventus&nbsp;seemed to be in control in the second half and Ronaldo was close with a shot which went just over but they were caught out when Marco Parolo's cross flew across the face of goal and Lulic volleyed in at the far post in the 73rd minute.

Juventus&nbsp;had midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur sent off in stoppage time and Cataldi curled the resulting free kick into the net with the last action of the game.

The&nbsp;Supercup&nbsp;final is often played abroad and has also been hosted in China, the United States, Libya and Qatar.

Lazio beat Juventus 3-1, their second win over the Turin giants in little more than two weeks, to win the Italian Super Cup on Sunday, the annual meeting between the Coppa Italia winners and Serie A champions.

Lazio beat Juventus 3-1, their second win over the Turin giants in little more than two weeks, to win the Italian Super Cup on Sunday, the annual meeting between the Coppa Italia winners and Serie A champions. Second-half goals from Senad Lulic and Danilo Cataldi won the match which was being played in Saudi Arabia for the second year running. Lazio also beat Juventus 3-1 in Serie A on Dec. 7, handing their opponents their first defeat under coach Maurizio Sarri. Lazio, the Coppa Italia victors, went ahead after 17 minutes when Sergei Milinkovic Savic laid the ball off for Luis Alberto to fire into the net. Paulo Dybala levelled for the Serie A champions at the end of the first-half from a rebound after Cristiano Ronaldo's shot was parried by Thomas Strakosha. Juventus seemed to be in control in the second half and Ronaldo was close with a shot which went just over but they were caught out when Marco Parolo's cross flew across the face of goal and Lulic volleyed in at the far post in the 73rd minute. Juventus had midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur sent off in stoppage time and Cataldi curled the resulting free kick into the net with the last action of the game. The Supercup final is often played abroad and has also been hosted in China, the United States, Libya and Qatar.

Football: Lazio beat Juventus again to win Italian Super Cup

Hong Kong football fans booed as the Chinese national anthem was played on Wednesday before their team's clash with China in South Korea as the political turmoil that has gripped the former British colony spilt over to the sports world.

The Korea Football Association said it had taken steps to ensure there were no banners bearing political messages at the Busan Asiad Stadium, where nearly 200 Hong Kong fans chanted and banged drums to drown out a tiny pocket of Chinese supporters.

China won the game by 2-0.

Hong Kong has been rocked by six months of sometimes <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-needs-to-do-more-to-stop-violence-resolve-problems-government-268621">violent demonstrations</a>, with protesters angered by what they see as Beijing's stifling of freedoms despite a "one country, two systems" promise of autonomy when the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-should-stop-interfering-in-our-internal-matters-chinas-top-diplomat-266841">China rejects the suggestion</a> it is interfering in Hong Kong and blames Western countries for inciting the trouble.

Disrespecting the national anthem is a crime in China. Hong Kong has presented a bill that sets jail terms of up to three years for the same offence, a move critics say raises fresh fears over freedom of expression.

Hong Kong, designated the home side for Wednesday's match in the four-team tournament that also includes hosts South Korea and Japan, were dressed all in red and turned to face their bauhinia flag when the national anthem began.

The Chinese players, dressed in yellow, faced their flag and belted out the anthem as it was being played, while boos rang out from the Hong Kong fans.

After the game ended, the Hong Kong fans sang "Glory to Hong Kong," a song that has become a rallying cry for democracy.

Television coverage of the match in Hong Kong did not show the anthem being played, instead of cutting in as the players were shaking hands.

When Chinese Player Ji Xiang scored the first goal in the ninth minute, the Hong Kong fans booed and shouted in English: "Let's go Hong Kong, let's go!"

Chinese fans tried make themselves heard in the cavernous 50,000-seater stadium as Hong Kong supporters chanted: "We are Hong Kong" throughout the match.

University student Ben Wan, 21, said he flew in to watch the tournament and said the match had taken on a different edge due to the unrest back home in Hong Kong.

Wan, who was wearing a black mask, said: "I think the games against China are much more important than the previous because in Hong Kong there is political cleavage, it is becoming more and more serious."

Chinese fan Zhang Hui said he flew in just for this game.

"This particular competition, we think it’s between two Chinese teams, one country two systems, go China!" said the 37-year-old.

Hong Kong fans also jeered the country's national anthem during a soccer World Cup qualifier against Iran in September.

"I’m a bit disappointed about the score because we lost but the team performance was I think was good," a man who gave his surname as So said. "I’ve quite enjoyed the match because we got many friends here."

Hong Kong football fans booed as the Chinese national anthem was played on Wednesday before their team's clash with China in South Korea as the political turmoil that has gripped the former British colony spilt over to the sports world.

Hong Kong football fans booed as the Chinese national anthem was played on Wednesday before their team's clash with China in South Korea as the political turmoil that has gripped the former British colony spilt over to the sports world. The Korea Football Association said it had taken steps to ensure there were no banners bearing political messages at the Busan Asiad Stadium, where nearly 200 Hong Kong fans chanted and banged drums to drown out a tiny pocket of Chinese supporters. China won the game by 2-0. Hong Kong has been rocked by six months of sometimes violent demonstrations, with protesters angered by what they see as Beijing's stifling of freedoms despite a "one country, two systems" promise of autonomy when the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997. China rejects the suggestion it is interfering in Hong Kong and blames Western countries for inciting the trouble. Disrespecting the national anthem is a crime in China. Hong Kong has presented a bill that sets jail terms of up to three years for the same offence, a move critics say raises fresh fears over freedom of expression. Hong Kong, designated the home side for Wednesday's match in the four-team tournament that also includes hosts South Korea and Japan, were dressed all in red and turned to face their bauhinia flag when the national anthem began. The Chinese players, dressed in yellow, faced their flag and belted out the anthem as it was being played, while boos rang out from the Hong Kong fans. After the game ended, the Hong Kong fans sang "Glory to Hong Kong," a song that has become a rallying cry for democracy. Television coverage of the match in Hong Kong did not show the anthem being played, instead of cutting in as the players were shaking hands. When Chinese Player Ji Xiang scored the first goal in the ninth minute, the Hong Kong fans booed and shouted in English: "Let's go Hong Kong, let's go!" Chinese fans tried make themselves heard in the cavernous 50,000-seater stadium as Hong Kong supporters chanted: "We are Hong Kong" throughout the match. University student Ben Wan, 21, said he flew in to watch the tournament and said the match had taken on a different edge due to the unrest back home in Hong Kong. Wan, who was wearing a black mask, said: "I think the games against China are much more important than the previous because in Hong Kong there is political cleavage, it is becoming more and more serious." Chinese fan Zhang Hui said he flew in just for this game. "This particular competition, we think it’s between two Chinese teams, one country two systems, go China!" said the 37-year-old. Hong Kong fans also jeered the country's national anthem during a soccer World Cup qualifier against Iran in September. "I’m a bit disappointed about the score because we lost but the team performance was I think was good," a man who gave his surname as So said. "I’ve quite enjoyed the match because we got many friends here."

Hong Kong fans boo national anthem ahead of soccer match with China

Arsene Wenger has contradicted a claim by Bayern Munich that they turned him down for the vacant head coach's job and accused the defending German champions of a lack of discretion.

Bayern need a new coach after Niko Kovac was sacked last Sunday with former Germany assistant Hansi Flick appointed interim boss for Wednesday's win over Olympiakos and Saturday's home league game against Dortmund.

On Thursday, Bayern put out a statement claiming Wenger had called club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to express interest in replacing Kovac, but said the former Arsenal boss had been turned down.

However, Wenger, 70, rejected those version of events and criticised Bayern for leaking "rumours from everywhere".

"My name came out of nowhere," said Wenger in an interview with beIN Sports on Friday.

"On Wednesday, Rummenigge called me, I called back out of courtesy.

"We talked for four or five minutes, maximum, and he reported that they signed Flick (as interim coach) for the next two games.&nbsp;

"He asked me if I would be interested because they are looking for a coach."

Wenger says he told Rummenigge that he would think about it and "we decided together" to talk again "next week because I am in Doha until Sunday night. This is a true story."

After a decade as Bayern's president, Uli Hoeness will step down on Friday and Wenger said Bayern are at a "turning point" with Rummenigge also set to quit as chairman within the coming year.

Between them, Hoeness and Rummenigge have helped grow Bayern into one of the most successful clubs in Europe.

"It seems that the future is uncertain" at Bayern, said Wenger who added that the German club had always been "very discreet and direct" in the past, "but today (they are) very exposed with rumours coming from everywhere".

Wenger wished Bayern "good luck" in finding a replacement for Kovac.&nbsp;

Other candidates for the vacancy, Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel and Ajax's Erik ten Hag, already made it clear last week that they will not join Bayern before at least the end of the season. &nbsp;

Arsene Wenger has contradicted a claim by Bayern Munich that they turned him down for the vacant head coach's job and accused the defending German champions of a lack of discretion.

Arsene Wenger has contradicted a claim by Bayern Munich that they turned him down for the vacant head coach's job and accused the defending German champions of a lack of discretion. Bayern need a new coach after Niko Kovac was sacked last Sunday with former Germany assistant Hansi Flick appointed interim boss for Wednesday's win over Olympiakos and Saturday's home league game against Dortmund. On Thursday, Bayern put out a statement claiming Wenger had called club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to express interest in replacing Kovac, but said the former Arsenal boss had been turned down. However, Wenger, 70, rejected those version of events and criticised Bayern for leaking "rumours from everywhere". "My name came out of nowhere," said Wenger in an interview with beIN Sports on Friday. "On Wednesday, Rummenigge called me, I called back out of courtesy. "We talked for four or five minutes, maximum, and he reported that they signed Flick (as interim coach) for the next two games. "He asked me if I would be interested because they are looking for a coach." Wenger says he told Rummenigge that he would think about it and "we decided together" to talk again "next week because I am in Doha until Sunday night. This is a true story." After a decade as Bayern's president, Uli Hoeness will step down on Friday and Wenger said Bayern are at a "turning point" with Rummenigge also set to quit as chairman within the coming year. Between them, Hoeness and Rummenigge have helped grow Bayern into one of the most successful clubs in Europe. "It seems that the future is uncertain" at Bayern, said Wenger who added that the German club had always been "very discreet and direct" in the past, "but today (they are) very exposed with rumours coming from everywhere". Wenger wished Bayern "good luck" in finding a replacement for Kovac. Other candidates for the vacancy, Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel and Ajax's Erik ten Hag, already made it clear last week that they will not join Bayern before at least the end of the season.

Wenger contradicts Bayern's claim they turned him down

Vlatko Andonovski was vaulted into one of the most coveted positions in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/us-womens-team-fights-back-against-governing-bodys-pay-claims-254494">women's soccer</a> on Monday, taking the helm of the United States women's national team in the wake of their record-extending <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/us-women-footballers-win-world-cup-battle-but-still-fighting-for-equal-pay-234070">fourth World Cup victory</a>.

Andonovski, a coach in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), takes over from Jill Ellis who, after leading the team to a second back-to-back World Cup title in July, announced that she would step down.

“Vlatko is known for his deep understanding of the game, his unmatched preparation and his tactical flexibility," US&nbsp;Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro told reporters at a media conference announcing the appointment.

"Frankly, I can’t imagine a more perfect match than this coach for this team at this moment in time."

The Macedonian-born Andonovski, 43, told reporters that qualifying for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cold-comfort-tokyo-2020-tests-fake-snow-to-beat-the-heat-249360">Tokyo 2020 Olympic</a> tournament was "first thing on the agenda" and that he would mix the team's deep collection of veteran players in among new prospects.

"We have a very experienced team –- we have players that have been on the international stage, that have won big games, big tournaments, so we’re going to rely heavily on them, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to expand the roster," said Andonovski.

A former player himself, Andonovski had served as a head coach in the NWSL since 2013, a stint that included two championships, in 2014 and 2015.

Most recently, he coached Reign FC, working with current US&nbsp;national team member Megan Rapinoe, and taking the team to the league semi-finals, despite losing some players to injury and World Cup competition during the season.

National team General Manager Kate Markgraf said she had spoken to current and former players during the selection process and that Andonovski's coaching record "speaks for itself".

He joins the national team during a transformative year, months after the players filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against their governing body.

Asked about the issue of gender pay equity, Andonovski said he was "very respectful of the drive, of the push that the players have".

The team sued US&nbsp;Soccer in March and now awaits a May 2020 trial date after mediation between the two parties fell apart in August.

Vlatko Andonovski was vaulted into one of the most coveted positions in women's soccer on Monday, taking the helm of the United States women's national team in the wake of their record-extending fourth World Cup victory.

Vlatko Andonovski was vaulted into one of the most coveted positions in women's soccer on Monday, taking the helm of the United States women's national team in the wake of their record-extending fourth World Cup victory. Andonovski, a coach in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), takes over from Jill Ellis who, after leading the team to a second back-to-back World Cup title in July, announced that she would step down. “Vlatko is known for his deep understanding of the game, his unmatched preparation and his tactical flexibility," US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro told reporters at a media conference announcing the appointment. "Frankly, I can’t imagine a more perfect match than this coach for this team at this moment in time." The Macedonian-born Andonovski, 43, told reporters that qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic tournament was "first thing on the agenda" and that he would mix the team's deep collection of veteran players in among new prospects. "We have a very experienced team –- we have players that have been on the international stage, that have won big games, big tournaments, so we’re going to rely heavily on them, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to expand the roster," said Andonovski. A former player himself, Andonovski had served as a head coach in the NWSL since 2013, a stint that included two championships, in 2014 and 2015. Most recently, he coached Reign FC, working with current US national team member Megan Rapinoe, and taking the team to the league semi-finals, despite losing some players to injury and World Cup competition during the season. National team General Manager Kate Markgraf said she had spoken to current and former players during the selection process and that Andonovski's coaching record "speaks for itself". He joins the national team during a transformative year, months after the players filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against their governing body. Asked about the issue of gender pay equity, Andonovski said he was "very respectful of the drive, of the push that the players have". The team sued US Soccer in March and now awaits a May 2020 trial date after mediation between the two parties fell apart in August.

US women's national soccer team appoints Vlatko Andonovski as head coach

Leicester&nbsp;City recorded the biggest ever English top-flight away win by beating 10-man Southampton 9-0 at a rain-sodden St Mary’s to move up to second place in the Premier League on Friday.

The biggest margin of victory on the road previously was eight goals, a joint-record held by three clubs.

It was also the first time a team had scored nine away goals in the Premier League and equalled Manchester United's record 9-0 Premier League win achieved at home to Ipswich Town in 1995.

The 2016 champions&nbsp;Leicester&nbsp;moved to 20 points from 10 games, their best start to a Premier League campaign, that leaves them five points behind leaders Liverpool and a point ahead of Manchester City, who both have a game in hand.

Hat-tricks from Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy plus goals by Youri Tielemans, Ben Chilwell and James Maddison inflicted Southampton’s biggest home defeat in their 133-year history.

"I'm very proud of the team," said&nbsp;Leicester&nbsp;manager Brendan Rodgers. "To finish with nine (goals) was a remarkable effort away from home.

"We said at halftime... keep your tactical discipline, keep your speed in the game and we have to punish them. We have to do our job and score as many goals as we can and also keep a clean sheet."

Saints lost Ryan Bertrand to an early red card and were shambolic in defence as they slipped into the relegation zone on goal difference after taking one home point this season.

Southampton's heaviest Premier League defeat had been a 7-1 reverse to Liverpool 20 years ago, another unwanted record for their under-pressure manager Ralph Hasenhuettl.

"It was an embarrassing performance, the stuff of nightmares and especially playing at home," said Saints' forward Nathan Redmond.

"It just wasn't good enough and one of the poorest performances since I've been at the club and we’ll have to debrief that whole game from start to finish tomorrow."

Double blow

There was a double blow for the hosts after 10 minutes when Chilwell tapped home a rebound to give&nbsp;Leicester&nbsp;the lead after Vardy’s shot was only parried by goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

A check by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) showed a crude lunge by Bertrand on Perez in the build-up to the goal and the Southampton defender received his marching orders.

From there,&nbsp;Leicester&nbsp;was able to cut through their opponents at will.

Saints defender Yan Valery could only steer a poor clearance into the path of Tielemans to score after 17 minutes and two minutes later the latter turned provider for Perez to open his&nbsp;Leicester&nbsp;account.

He grabbed his second with a volley at the back post from Chilwell’s cross in the 39th, and the home humiliation was compounded when Vardy blasted past Gunn just before the break for a 5-0 lead.

Rampant&nbsp;Leicester&nbsp;added two more before the hour mark as Perez completed his hat-trick with a neat volley and Vardy was left unmarked to head home Chilwell’s cross.

Maddison added to the home misery with a 25-metre free-kick before Vardy completed his hat-trick with the last kick of the game via a penalty.

It was the biggest English top-flight win on the road since Wolverhampton Wanderers trounced Cardiff City 9-1 in the old First Division in 1955. Sunderland thrashed Newcastle United 9-1 away in 1908 while West Bromwich Albion beat Wolves 8-0 in 1893.

Leicester City recorded the biggest ever English top-flight away win by beating 10-man Southampton 9-0 at a rain-sodden St Mary’s to move up to second place in the Premier League on Friday.

Leicester City recorded the biggest ever English top-flight away win by beating 10-man Southampton 9-0 at a rain-sodden St Mary’s to move up to second place in the Premier League on Friday. The biggest margin of victory on the road previously was eight goals, a joint-record held by three clubs. It was also the first time a team had scored nine away goals in the Premier League and equalled Manchester United's record 9-0 Premier League win achieved at home to Ipswich Town in 1995. The 2016 champions Leicester moved to 20 points from 10 games, their best start to a Premier League campaign, that leaves them five points behind leaders Liverpool and a point ahead of Manchester City, who both have a game in hand. Hat-tricks from Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy plus goals by Youri Tielemans, Ben Chilwell and James Maddison inflicted Southampton’s biggest home defeat in their 133-year history. "I'm very proud of the team," said Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers. "To finish with nine (goals) was a remarkable effort away from home. "We said at halftime... keep your tactical discipline, keep your speed in the game and we have to punish them. We have to do our job and score as many goals as we can and also keep a clean sheet." Saints lost Ryan Bertrand to an early red card and were shambolic in defence as they slipped into the relegation zone on goal difference after taking one home point this season. Southampton's heaviest Premier League defeat had been a 7-1 reverse to Liverpool 20 years ago, another unwanted record for their under-pressure manager Ralph Hasenhuettl. "It was an embarrassing performance, the stuff of nightmares and especially playing at home," said Saints' forward Nathan Redmond. "It just wasn't good enough and one of the poorest performances since I've been at the club and we’ll have to debrief that whole game from start to finish tomorrow." Double blow There was a double blow for the hosts after 10 minutes when Chilwell tapped home a rebound to give Leicester the lead after Vardy’s shot was only parried by goalkeeper Angus Gunn. A check by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) showed a crude lunge by Bertrand on Perez in the build-up to the goal and the Southampton defender received his marching orders. From there, Leicester was able to cut through their opponents at will. Saints defender Yan Valery could only steer a poor clearance into the path of Tielemans to score after 17 minutes and two minutes later the latter turned provider for Perez to open his Leicester account. He grabbed his second with a volley at the back post from Chilwell’s cross in the 39th, and the home humiliation was compounded when Vardy blasted past Gunn just before the break for a 5-0 lead. Rampant Leicester added two more before the hour mark as Perez completed his hat-trick with a neat volley and Vardy was left unmarked to head home Chilwell’s cross. Maddison added to the home misery with a 25-metre free-kick before Vardy completed his hat-trick with the last kick of the game via a penalty. It was the biggest English top-flight win on the road since Wolverhampton Wanderers trounced Cardiff City 9-1 in the old First Division in 1955. Sunderland thrashed Newcastle United 9-1 away in 1908 while West Bromwich Albion beat Wolves 8-0 in 1893.

Leicester beat Saints 9-0 in record English top-flight away win

Nicolas Pepe spared Arsenal's blushes with two sublime free-kicks as they claimed a last-gasp 3-2 win over Vitoria in the Europa League on Thursday having twice trailed.

Unai Emery's side were heading for a demoralising defeat, three days after losing meekly to Sheffield United in the Premier League, but substitute Pepe's late intervention kept the Gunners top of Group F with a maximum nine points.

Vitoria led 2-1 thanks to first-half goals by former Tottenham Hotspur prospect Marcus Edwards and Bruno Duarte either side of Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli's leveller for the hosts -- his fifth goal in only his third start.

The home fans were becoming increasingly restless when Emery sent on Ivorian club-record signing Pepe from the bench in the 75th minute and five minutes later he curled the ball in left-footed from 20 metres after Matteo Guendouzi had been fouled.

He repeated the trick with what turned out to be virtually the last kick of the game to seal a seventh successive home win in Europe for Arsenal.

It was tough on Vitoria who played superbly until tiring late on and despite the win, it was a disjointed display by Arsenal who were booed by their own fans at halftime.

Pepe had only managed one goal in 11 appearances since joining from Lille but his sensational double against Vitoria could be the spark he needed, according to Emery.

"He can gain confidence from tonight. When he scores it's good for him and the team. He's getting better and he helped us tonight to win this match," Emery, who sent on Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos at halftime, said.

"Pepe is a very good player and we believe in him totally. We are very happy for him and us because he has two goals and two set-pieces which are perfect.

"He is improving and tonight he has two goals, which are important for us and for him. We didn't play as we wanted but we showed good spirit. It's a good victory."

Arsenal skipper Hector Bellerin admitted it had been a below-par display.

"There are lots of things we've got to improve as a team. We've got to keep the ball better, that's our trademark," he said. "When you give the ball away it doesn't mean you stop playing like that, it's in our DNA."

Until Pepe's dramatic arrival the headlines looked set to be about London-born Edwards, a player Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino once described as having a playing style similar to Argentine great Lionel Messi.

The tricky 20-year-old made only one League Cup appearance for Tottenham, however, and moved to the northern Portuguese club in the close season after a loan spell at Dutch side Excelsior.

He twisted inside two Arsenal defenders to fire his side ahead in the ninth minute -- celebrating in front of the home fans. He remained lively throughout until eventually being substituted with his side still leading.

Nicolas Pepe spared Arsenal's blushes with two sublime free-kicks as they claimed a last-gasp 3-2 win over Vitoria in the Europa League on Thursday having twice trailed.

Nicolas Pepe spared Arsenal's blushes with two sublime free-kicks as they claimed a last-gasp 3-2 win over Vitoria in the Europa League on Thursday having twice trailed. Unai Emery's side were heading for a demoralising defeat, three days after losing meekly to Sheffield United in the Premier League, but substitute Pepe's late intervention kept the Gunners top of Group F with a maximum nine points. Vitoria led 2-1 thanks to first-half goals by former Tottenham Hotspur prospect Marcus Edwards and Bruno Duarte either side of Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli's leveller for the hosts -- his fifth goal in only his third start. The home fans were becoming increasingly restless when Emery sent on Ivorian club-record signing Pepe from the bench in the 75th minute and five minutes later he curled the ball in left-footed from 20 metres after Matteo Guendouzi had been fouled. He repeated the trick with what turned out to be virtually the last kick of the game to seal a seventh successive home win in Europe for Arsenal. It was tough on Vitoria who played superbly until tiring late on and despite the win, it was a disjointed display by Arsenal who were booed by their own fans at halftime. Pepe had only managed one goal in 11 appearances since joining from Lille but his sensational double against Vitoria could be the spark he needed, according to Emery. "He can gain confidence from tonight. When he scores it's good for him and the team. He's getting better and he helped us tonight to win this match," Emery, who sent on Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos at halftime, said. "Pepe is a very good player and we believe in him totally. We are very happy for him and us because he has two goals and two set-pieces which are perfect. "He is improving and tonight he has two goals, which are important for us and for him. We didn't play as we wanted but we showed good spirit. It's a good victory." Arsenal skipper Hector Bellerin admitted it had been a below-par display. "There are lots of things we've got to improve as a team. We've got to keep the ball better, that's our trademark," he said. "When you give the ball away it doesn't mean you stop playing like that, it's in our DNA." Until Pepe's dramatic arrival the headlines looked set to be about London-born Edwards, a player Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino once described as having a playing style similar to Argentine great Lionel Messi. The tricky 20-year-old made only one League Cup appearance for Tottenham, however, and moved to the northern Portuguese club in the close season after a loan spell at Dutch side Excelsior. He twisted inside two Arsenal defenders to fire his side ahead in the ninth minute -- celebrating in front of the home fans. He remained lively throughout until eventually being substituted with his side still leading.

Football: Pepe spares Arsenal's blushes with sublime double

Barcelona&nbsp;paid out $101 million (92&nbsp;million&nbsp;euros) in collective&nbsp;bonuses&nbsp;to its&nbsp;players&nbsp;for winning the Spanish league and Super Cup titles&nbsp;last&nbsp;season, the club's annual report showed.

The bonus was two&nbsp;million&nbsp;euros less than the amount that was paid out in 2018. The figure was three&nbsp;million&nbsp;euros more than what the&nbsp;players&nbsp;received when the club won the treble in 2015.

The report revealed that the club spent a total of 541&nbsp;million&nbsp;euros on staff costs across all its sports teams, with 311.9&nbsp;million&nbsp;spent on first-team coaches and&nbsp;players.

While Barca won La Liga at a canter and lifted the Super Cup&nbsp;last&nbsp;season, they lost the Copa del Rey final to Valencia and were beaten by Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals.

Barca paid&nbsp;players&nbsp;89&nbsp;million&nbsp;euros for the 2014-15 campaign when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

They&nbsp;handed&nbsp;out 94&nbsp;million&nbsp;euros for the 2017-2018&nbsp;season when they won the Copa del Rey and La Liga titles.

Barcelona paid out $101 million (92 million euros) in collective bonuses to its players for winning the Spanish league and Super Cup titles last season, the club's annual report showed.

Barcelona paid out $101 million (92 million euros) in collective bonuses to its players for winning the Spanish league and Super Cup titles last season, the club's annual report showed. The bonus was two million euros less than the amount that was paid out in 2018. The figure was three million euros more than what the players received when the club won the treble in 2015. The report revealed that the club spent a total of 541 million euros on staff costs across all its sports teams, with 311.9 million spent on first-team coaches and players. While Barca won La Liga at a canter and lifted the Super Cup last season, they lost the Copa del Rey final to Valencia and were beaten by Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals. Barca paid players 89 million euros for the 2014-15 campaign when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. They handed out 94 million euros for the 2017-2018 season when they won the Copa del Rey and La Liga titles.

Barcelona players handed 92 million euros in bonuses last season

The contrast could not be starker. As Israel plays a dangerous game of US politics by restricting or banning visits by controversial Democratic members of Congress to seemingly please US President Donald J Trump’s prejudiced electoral instincts, the owner of a notorious Jerusalem soccer club draws a line in the sand in confronting his racist fan base.

The contrast takes on added significance as prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu woes Israel’s far-right in advance of elections on September 17 given that storied club Beitar Jerusalem has long been seen as a stronghold for his Likud party.

Netanyahu’s barring of Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar was as much a response to Trump’s tweeted suggestion that they should not be allowed to visit Israel as it was catering to his right-wing base that includes Beitar’s fans.

Beitar is the only Israeli squad to have never hired a Palestinian player. Its fans, famous for their racist slogans and bullying tactics, have made life impossible for the few Muslim players that the club contracted in its history.

Netanyahu and Moshe Hogeg, the Beitar owner and tech entrepreneur who founded social mobile photo and video sharing website Mobli and crypto transactions platform Sirin Labs, are both treading on slippery ground.

Netanyahu, who initially raised out of respect for the US Congress no objection to the planned visit by Tlaib and Omar, has ensured that Israel for the first time in decades can no longer be sure of bi-partisan support in the Congress and beyond and is likely to become a partisan issue in the run-up to next year’s US presidential election.

His pandering to Trump sparked rare criticism from the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC), Israel’s most powerful and influential lobby in the United States even though AIPAC agrees that Tlaib and Ilham support the Boycott, Diversification and Sanctions (BDS) movement that targets Israel.

"We disagree with Reps. Omar and Tlaib's support for the anti-Israel and anti-peace BDS movement, along with Rep. Tlaib's calls for a one-state solution. We also believe every member of Congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel first hand," AIPAC tweeted.

A breakdown of bi-partisan support for Israel may not be what Netanyahu wants, but it may be, in a twist of irony, what Israel needs. It would spark a debate in the United States with a potential fallout in Israel about whether Netanyahu’s annexationist policy and hard-line approach towards Palestinian aspirations serve Israel’s longer-term best interests.

Israel’s toughening stand was evident on Tuesday when police broke up an annual soccer tournament among Palestinian families in East Jerusalem on assertions that it was sponsored by the Palestinian Authority, which is barred from organising events in the city. The tournament’s organiser denied any association with the Authority.

In a dismissive statement, Israeli public security minister Gilad Erdan’s office scoffed: “We’re talking about scofflaws who lie and blame the agency that enforces the law when they know full well that the Palestinian Authority is involved in the event that Minister Erdan ordered halted.”

The incident was emblematic of an environment that prompted columnist and scholar Peter Beinart, writing in The Forward, a more than 100-year old, left-wing Jewish weekly, to argue that “The United States has a national interest in ensuring that Israel does not make permanent its brutal occupation of the West Bank and blockade of the Gaza Strip.

By taking on La Familia, a militant Beitar Jerusalem fan group that has driven the club’s discriminatory policy, Hogeg is going not only against Netanyahu’s policies that emphasise Israeli Jewish nationalism at the expense of the rights of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship as well as those subject to occupation.

Ali Mohammed is Beitar Jerusalem’s latest acquisition. The only Muslim thing about him is his name. Mohammed is a Nigerian Christian.

That wasn’t good enough for the fans who demand that he change his name. During Mohammed’s first training session fans chanted "Mohamed is dead" and "Ali is dead."

Unlike his predecessors, Hogeg seems unwilling to back down. He has threatened to sue the fans for tarnishing Beitar’s already battered reputation and demand up to $500,000 in damages. Lawyers for Hogeg have written to fans demanding an apology.

"They are very good fans; they are very loyal. They love the club and what it represents ... but they're racist and that's a big problem,” Hogeg said.

Convinced that the militants are a minority that imposes its will on the majority of Beitar fans, Hogeg takes the high road at a time that the likes of him threaten to become an endangered species.

"I was surprised to find that Mohamed is not Muslim, but I don't care. Why should it matter? He's a very good player. As long as the player that comes respects the city, respects what he represents, respects Israel, can help the team and wants to play then the door will be open. If those radical fans will fight against it, they will lose. They will simply lose," Hogeg said. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp;

The contrast could not be starker. As Israel plays a dangerous game of US politics by restricting or banning visits by controversial Democratic members of Congress to seemingly please US President Donald J Trump’s prejudiced electoral instincts, the owner of a notorious Jerusalem soccer club draws a line in the sand in confronting his racist fan base.

The contrast could not be starker. As Israel plays a dangerous game of US politics by restricting or banning visits by controversial Democratic members of Congress to seemingly please US President Donald J Trump’s prejudiced electoral instincts, the owner of a notorious Jerusalem soccer club draws a line in the sand in confronting his racist fan base. The contrast takes on added significance as prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu woes Israel’s far-right in advance of elections on September 17 given that storied club Beitar Jerusalem has long been seen as a stronghold for his Likud party. Netanyahu’s barring of Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar was as much a response to Trump’s tweeted suggestion that they should not be allowed to visit Israel as it was catering to his right-wing base that includes Beitar’s fans. Beitar is the only Israeli squad to have never hired a Palestinian player. Its fans, famous for their racist slogans and bullying tactics, have made life impossible for the few Muslim players that the club contracted in its history. Netanyahu and Moshe Hogeg, the Beitar owner and tech entrepreneur who founded social mobile photo and video sharing website Mobli and crypto transactions platform Sirin Labs, are both treading on slippery ground. Netanyahu, who initially raised out of respect for the US Congress no objection to the planned visit by Tlaib and Omar, has ensured that Israel for the first time in decades can no longer be sure of bi-partisan support in the Congress and beyond and is likely to become a partisan issue in the run-up to next year’s US presidential election. His pandering to Trump sparked rare criticism from the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC), Israel’s most powerful and influential lobby in the United States even though AIPAC agrees that Tlaib and Ilham support the Boycott, Diversification and Sanctions (BDS) movement that targets Israel. "We disagree with Reps. Omar and Tlaib's support for the anti-Israel and anti-peace BDS movement, along with Rep. Tlaib's calls for a one-state solution. We also believe every member of Congress should be able to visit and experience our democratic ally Israel first hand," AIPAC tweeted. A breakdown of bi-partisan support for Israel may not be what Netanyahu wants, but it may be, in a twist of irony, what Israel needs. It would spark a debate in the United States with a potential fallout in Israel about whether Netanyahu’s annexationist policy and hard-line approach towards Palestinian aspirations serve Israel’s longer-term best interests. Israel’s toughening stand was evident on Tuesday when police broke up an annual soccer tournament among Palestinian families in East Jerusalem on assertions that it was sponsored by the Palestinian Authority, which is barred from organising events in the city. The tournament’s organiser denied any association with the Authority. In a dismissive statement, Israeli public security minister Gilad Erdan’s office scoffed: “We’re talking about scofflaws who lie and blame the agency that enforces the law when they know full well that the Palestinian Authority is involved in the event that Minister Erdan ordered halted.” The incident was emblematic of an environment that prompted columnist and scholar Peter Beinart, writing in The Forward, a more than 100-year old, left-wing Jewish weekly, to argue that “The United States has a national interest in ensuring that Israel does not make permanent its brutal occupation of the West Bank and blockade of the Gaza Strip. By taking on La Familia, a militant Beitar Jerusalem fan group that has driven the club’s discriminatory policy, Hogeg is going not only against Netanyahu’s policies that emphasise Israeli Jewish nationalism at the expense of the rights of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship as well as those subject to occupation. Ali Mohammed is Beitar Jerusalem’s latest acquisition. The only Muslim thing about him is his name. Mohammed is a Nigerian Christian. That wasn’t good enough for the fans who demand that he change his name. During Mohammed’s first training session fans chanted "Mohamed is dead" and "Ali is dead." Unlike his predecessors, Hogeg seems unwilling to back down. He has threatened to sue the fans for tarnishing Beitar’s already battered reputation and demand up to $500,000 in damages. Lawyers for Hogeg have written to fans demanding an apology. "They are very good fans; they are very loyal. They love the club and what it represents ... but they're racist and that's a big problem,” Hogeg said. Convinced that the militants are a minority that imposes its will on the majority of Beitar fans, Hogeg takes the high road at a time that the likes of him threaten to become an endangered species. "I was surprised to find that Mohamed is not Muslim, but I don't care. Why should it matter? He's a very good player. As long as the player that comes respects the city, respects what he represents, respects Israel, can help the team and wants to play then the door will be open. If those radical fans will fight against it, they will lose. They will simply lose," Hogeg said. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Soccer woes: Israel plays a game of US politics

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo won't face criminal charges after a woman accused him of raping her at a Las Vegas Strip resort in 2009.

Criminal charges against Cristiano Ronaldo dropped by woman who accused him of raping her in 2009

Former coach and player Farouk Gaafar put his finger on Egyptian football's fundamental problem even if his call for the military to take over and run the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) with an "iron fist" amounted to inviting the fox into the chicken pen.

Gaafar issued his call after Egypt, once the undisputed king of African football, was knocked out of the African Cup of Nations that it is hosting in a bid to bolster its international image tarnished by systematic violations of human rights. Egypt’s government is headed by general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who initially came to power in a military coup.

Egypt’s bid has been marred by multiple events besides its poor performance in the tournament.&nbsp;

Fans exploited matches to honour legendary but controversial retired player Mohamed Aboutreika as well as the deaths of 94 fans in two separate politically charged incidents in 2012 and 2015.

World soccer body FIFA, in a legally controversial move, took over management of its Cairo-based affiliate, the corruption-riddled Confederation of African Football (CAF), on the eve of the tournament.

As if all of this were not enough, Egyptian midfielder Amr Warda was initially banned early in the tournament from further participation amid mounting allegations of online sexual harassment, but then under pressure from his teammates reinstated.

Like many fans and some executives, Gaafar, who managed the military’s Talaee el Geish (Army’s Vanguards) Sports Club for seven years, blamed Egypt’s poor performance in the African tournament as well as last year’s World Cup in Russia on the EFA’s lack of accountability.

EFA president Hany Abo Rida sacked Mexican national team coach Javier Aguirre and resigned together with the majority of the group’s board members hours after the Egyptian national team’s crucial defeat at the hands of South Africa.

“The state has done everything, but the football federation and the players have done nothing. There is nothing better than the discipline of the armed forces… football needs to be run with an iron fist,” Gaafar said on a pro-government television show.

There is no doubt that Egyptian football desperately needs deep structural reform. The problem is that the state of the sport reflects Egypt’s broader structural problems. The country’s military is as much part of the problem as it is part of the solution.

Add to this the fact that a military takeover of soccer would deepen problems because it would violate FIFA’s insistence on a fictional separation of sports and politics and likely lead to a suspension of the EFA’s membership of the world soccer body.

Alaa Sadek, a Qatar-based Egyptian critic of Al-Sisi, moreover, noted that Egypt had failed to qualify for the World Cup in the 31 years between 1936 and 1967 that it was headed by a military officer.

Sadek charged that Egyptian soccer had recently failed domestically and internationally because Al-Sisi since coming to office in 2013 had turned the EFA into an “army camp.”

Newspaper editor Gamal Sultan noted that the government and the military’s recent assault on the EFA ocurred only after Egypt lost its decisive match against South Africa.

“Only last week, the EFA was clean, acceptable and patriotic. They were received by Sisi and the minister of defence and celebrated only when their victories served the image of the regime. One week later, the EFA has become corrupt and wanted for investigations. These are the standards of justice in today’s Egypt,” Sultan said.

In a rare broad-based lifting of an eight-year-old ban on unfettered attendance of football matches by fans, Egypt’s defeat in the African Cup was witnessed by 75,000 mostly Egyptian spectators, many of whom have long accused the EFA of mismanagement and corruption.

Egypt has with brief exceptions banned fans from stadia since the first day of the January 2011 popular revolt that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in a bid to stop soccer from being a venue for the release of pent-up popular anger and frustration as well as anti-government protest.

The government has made exemptions for international matches so that it could not be blamed for weak national team performance and to avoid putting the ban on international display.

More recently, small groups of fans have been admitted to domestic matches but only after identifying themselves with their IDs and with approval of their club.

Fans, nonetheless, defied bans on political slogans and jerseys during the African tournament by chanting Aboutreika’s name in the stadium and in online videos that went viral.

A legendary player, Aboutreika, who was consistently public about his politics, retired in 2013 after helping Egypt clinch three African Cups.

He has since been forced into exile in Qatar after being accused of having been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political group that Al-Sisi has brutally tried to crush.

Aboutreika was sentenced to jail in absentia last November for tax evasion in what many view as trumped-up charges.

Fans also ignored rules imposed to prevent political expression by lighting up the stadium with their mobile phone flashlights during the South Africa match in commemoration of the 72 supporters that died in 2012 in a stampede and 22 others in another stampede three years later.

Many fans believe the incidents were instigated in an effort to intimidate fans and cut the most militant among them down to size.

Militant football fans played a key role in the 2011 uprising as well as subsequent protests, including against Al-Sisi’s coup that overthrew Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brother and the country’s first and only democratically elected leader.

The role of the fans highlighted the threats and opportunities posed to autocrats by soccer, the only thing that evokes the kind of deep-seated passion associated with religion.

As a result, stadiums as a public space that were contested and difficult to control threatened autocratic leaders’ grip on power. Yet, soccer’s popularity offered autocrats an opportunity to shore up their tarnished image by associating themselves with something that had immense public acceptance.

If anything, Egypt’s African Cup of Nations demonstrates that exploiting football&nbsp;for political purposes is a tricky business.

Tweeted journalist Karim Zidan under the trending hashtag ‘Team of sexual harassers:’ "Egypt's national team is…its national embarrassment ... Plenty of Egyptians are basking in the team's loss today."

Much like in the latter part of toppled Mubarak’s 30-year rule, Zidan was inferring that fans see the national team as Al-Sisi’s squad rather than Egypt’s.

In a country in which all expressions of dissent are brutally repressed, that is a clear rejection of Al-Sisi’s effort to polish his and Egypt’s severely tarnished image as it gets. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Former coach and player Farouk Gaafar put his finger on Egyptian football's fundamental problem even if his call for the military to take over and run the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) with an "iron fist" amounted to inviting the fox into the chicken pen.

Former coach and player Farouk Gaafar put his finger on Egyptian football's fundamental problem even if his call for the military to take over and run the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) with an "iron fist" amounted to inviting the fox into the chicken pen. Gaafar issued his call after Egypt, once the undisputed king of African football, was knocked out of the African Cup of Nations that it is hosting in a bid to bolster its international image tarnished by systematic violations of human rights. Egypt’s government is headed by general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who initially came to power in a military coup. Egypt’s bid has been marred by multiple events besides its poor performance in the tournament. Fans exploited matches to honour legendary but controversial retired player Mohamed Aboutreika as well as the deaths of 94 fans in two separate politically charged incidents in 2012 and 2015. World soccer body FIFA, in a legally controversial move, took over management of its Cairo-based affiliate, the corruption-riddled Confederation of African Football (CAF), on the eve of the tournament. As if all of this were not enough, Egyptian midfielder Amr Warda was initially banned early in the tournament from further participation amid mounting allegations of online sexual harassment, but then under pressure from his teammates reinstated. Like many fans and some executives, Gaafar, who managed the military’s Talaee el Geish (Army’s Vanguards) Sports Club for seven years, blamed Egypt’s poor performance in the African tournament as well as last year’s World Cup in Russia on the EFA’s lack of accountability. EFA president Hany Abo Rida sacked Mexican national team coach Javier Aguirre and resigned together with the majority of the group’s board members hours after the Egyptian national team’s crucial defeat at the hands of South Africa. “The state has done everything, but the football federation and the players have done nothing. There is nothing better than the discipline of the armed forces… football needs to be run with an iron fist,” Gaafar said on a pro-government television show. There is no doubt that Egyptian football desperately needs deep structural reform. The problem is that the state of the sport reflects Egypt’s broader structural problems. The country’s military is as much part of the problem as it is part of the solution. Add to this the fact that a military takeover of soccer would deepen problems because it would violate FIFA’s insistence on a fictional separation of sports and politics and likely lead to a suspension of the EFA’s membership of the world soccer body. Alaa Sadek, a Qatar-based Egyptian critic of Al-Sisi, moreover, noted that Egypt had failed to qualify for the World Cup in the 31 years between 1936 and 1967 that it was headed by a military officer. Sadek charged that Egyptian soccer had recently failed domestically and internationally because Al-Sisi since coming to office in 2013 had turned the EFA into an “army camp.” Newspaper editor Gamal Sultan noted that the government and the military’s recent assault on the EFA ocurred only after Egypt lost its decisive match against South Africa. “Only last week, the EFA was clean, acceptable and patriotic. They were received by Sisi and the minister of defence and celebrated only when their victories served the image of the regime. One week later, the EFA has become corrupt and wanted for investigations. These are the standards of justice in today’s Egypt,” Sultan said. In a rare broad-based lifting of an eight-year-old ban on unfettered attendance of football matches by fans, Egypt’s defeat in the African Cup was witnessed by 75,000 mostly Egyptian spectators, many of whom have long accused the EFA of mismanagement and corruption. Egypt has with brief exceptions banned fans from stadia since the first day of the January 2011 popular revolt that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in a bid to stop soccer from being a venue for the release of pent-up popular anger and frustration as well as anti-government protest. The government has made exemptions for international matches so that it could not be blamed for weak national team performance and to avoid putting the ban on international display. More recently, small groups of fans have been admitted to domestic matches but only after identifying themselves with their IDs and with approval of their club. Fans, nonetheless, defied bans on political slogans and jerseys during the African tournament by chanting Aboutreika’s name in the stadium and in online videos that went viral. A legendary player, Aboutreika, who was consistently public about his politics, retired in 2013 after helping Egypt clinch three African Cups. He has since been forced into exile in Qatar after being accused of having been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political group that Al-Sisi has brutally tried to crush. Aboutreika was sentenced to jail in absentia last November for tax evasion in what many view as trumped-up charges. Fans also ignored rules imposed to prevent political expression by lighting up the stadium with their mobile phone flashlights during the South Africa match in commemoration of the 72 supporters that died in 2012 in a stampede and 22 others in another stampede three years later. Many fans believe the incidents were instigated in an effort to intimidate fans and cut the most militant among them down to size. Militant football fans played a key role in the 2011 uprising as well as subsequent protests, including against Al-Sisi’s coup that overthrew Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brother and the country’s first and only democratically elected leader. The role of the fans highlighted the threats and opportunities posed to autocrats by soccer, the only thing that evokes the kind of deep-seated passion associated with religion. As a result, stadiums as a public space that were contested and difficult to control threatened autocratic leaders’ grip on power. Yet, soccer’s popularity offered autocrats an opportunity to shore up their tarnished image by associating themselves with something that had immense public acceptance. If anything, Egypt’s African Cup of Nations demonstrates that exploiting football for political purposes is a tricky business. Tweeted journalist Karim Zidan under the trending hashtag ‘Team of sexual harassers:’ "Egypt's national team is…its national embarrassment ... Plenty of Egyptians are basking in the team's loss today." Much like in the latter part of toppled Mubarak’s 30-year rule, Zidan was inferring that fans see the national team as Al-Sisi’s squad rather than Egypt’s. In a country in which all expressions of dissent are brutally repressed, that is a clear rejection of Al-Sisi’s effort to polish his and Egypt’s severely tarnished image as it gets. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Egyptian football desperately needs deep structural reform

President Donald Trump accused US women's World Cup soccer star Megan Rapinoe of "disrespect" Wednesday after she swore not to visit his White House.

In the latest of his public feuds with high-profile athletes and celebrities, Trump sent multiple tweets complaining about Rapinoe, whose short, dyed hair has made her one of the most recognisable faces of the mighty US team.

"Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her &amp; the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear," he tweeted.

In the same series of tweets, Trump announced he was inviting the US women's team to the White House and said "I am a big fan."

Rapinoe, however, "should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!" he wrote.

The president's outburst followed the broadcast of a video clip in which Rapinoe dismisses the idea of visiting the White House.

Such events are a longtime tradition for successful sports teams and athletes but have run into a political minefield during the controversy-filled Trump presidency.

"I'm not going to the fucking White House," the US co-captain exclaimed in the clip on Eight by Eight, a football magazine. "No. I'm not going to the White House."

The reigning world champions have swept aside all challengers so far in the World Cup and meet the hosts France on Friday for a quarter final that Rapinoe says she hopes will be "wild and crazy."

President Donald Trump accused US women's World Cup soccer star Megan Rapinoe of "disrespect" Wednesday after she swore not to visit his White House. In the latest of his public feuds with high-profile athletes and celebrities, Trump sent multiple tweets complaining about Rapinoe, whose short, dyed hair has made her one of the most recognisable faces of the mighty US team.

President Donald Trump accused US women's World Cup soccer star Megan Rapinoe of "disrespect" Wednesday after she swore not to visit his White House. In the latest of his public feuds with high-profile athletes and celebrities, Trump sent multiple tweets complaining about Rapinoe, whose short, dyed hair has made her one of the most recognisable faces of the mighty US team. "Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear," he tweeted. In the same series of tweets, Trump announced he was inviting the US women's team to the White House and said "I am a big fan." Rapinoe, however, "should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!" he wrote. The president's outburst followed the broadcast of a video clip in which Rapinoe dismisses the idea of visiting the White House. Such events are a longtime tradition for successful sports teams and athletes but have run into a political minefield during the controversy-filled Trump presidency. "I'm not going to the fucking White House," the US co-captain exclaimed in the clip on Eight by Eight, a football magazine. "No. I'm not going to the White House." The reigning world champions have swept aside all challengers so far in the World Cup and meet the hosts France on Friday for a quarter final that Rapinoe says she hopes will be "wild and crazy."

Trump tells US women's soccer star Rapinoe not to 'disrespect' country

It was on the soccer pitch that 2022 World Cup host Qatar definitively shrugged off the UAE-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf state as the crisis entered its third year with no prospect of resolution.

World soccer body FIFA’s abandonment of Saudi-United Arab Emirates-backed plans to expand the 2022 World Cup from 32 to 48 teams just days before the boycott’s June 5 second anniversary could not have come at a more opportune moment.

The FIFA decision came on the heels of Qatar’s unexpected winning of the Asian Cup and was followed by reports that the Gulf state’s sovereign wealth fund was negotiating the acquisition of British club Leeds United.

The acquisition would give Qatar a second top European team after Paris Saint-Germain and potentially take the soccer aspects of the rift to the English Premier League, home to UAE-owned Manchester City, at a time that soccer has emerged as a battlefield in the Gulf rift. So would a possible Saudi acquisition of Manchester United.

The soccer pitch has been one venue on which Qatar has been scoring points. Three years into the boycott, Qatar’s detractors – Saud Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt -- have failed to either force Qatar to accept demands that would have undermined its independence and sovereignty or convince the international community of the legitimacy of their approach.

On the contrary. Qatar is thriving economically, having with the help of Oman, Turkey and Iran compensated for the rupture in logistics caused by the breaking off of air links with its detractors and the closure of its only land border with Saudi Arabia.

Moreover, rather than being internationally isolated, Qatar has succeeded in deepening relations with the world’s major powers – the United States, China, Europe, Russia and India – and reinforced its position as a mediator or key player in conflicts ranging from Afghanistan to Gaza.

Ironically, Qatar has been able to turn the Gulf crisis into one of the few issues that the world’s rivalling powers agree on and fortify the cul de sac (dead end) in which its detractors find themselves. Washington, Beijing, Moscow, Brussels and Delhi all want the Gulf crisis resolved but have failed to convince Riyadh and Abu Dhabi that everyone would be best served by a resolution that allows all parties to save face even if it falls far short of the boycotters’ demands.

Those demands reflected a broader Saudi and UAE policy that aims to shape the greater Middle East, stretching from Central Asia to the Horn of Africa, in their mould and aims to force governments to tow a Saudi-UAE line that promotes autocracy, rejects political participation, opposes political Islam and violates human rights.

They boycotters demand that Qatar align its military, political, social and economic policies with those of other Gulf states, shutter its Al Jazeera television network and other Qatar-funded media outlets, end military cooperation with Turkey and close down Turkish military bases in the country.

In a rebuke of the boycotters who also demanded that Qatar revoke citizenship granted to political refugees from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, the Gulf state, on the third anniversary of the boycott, issued the region’s first asylum law.

The law applies explicitly to human rights defenders; journalists, writers and researchers; political, religious and ethnic minority activists; and former or current officials opposed to their government’s policies who are threatened by persecution.

To be sure, Qatar’s positioning of itself as a defender of human rights has holes in it that make it look like Emmenthaler cheese. Domestically, press freedom is non-existent. The government abruptly in May closed the Doha Centre for Media Freedom after firing its first two directors for taking the organisation’s goal literal. As free-wheeling and hard-hitting as Al Jazeera can be in its regional and international reporting, as careful it is not to cover Qatar’s warts or take reporting to wherever the chips fall when it touches on Qatari interests.

It took widespread criticism for Al Jazeera to suspend two journalists and pull a recent seven-minute, Arabic language video it posted to its social media channels that claimed Jews exploit the Holocaust and that Israel is the genocide's "greatest beneficiary."

To be fair, the network said the video "contravened its editorial standards" and mandated that all staff participate in a bias and sensitivity training.

The contradiction between Qatar’s advocacy of political change everywhere but at home is rooted on the one hand in the recognition that transition is inevitable, and that Qatar is best served by being in front of the cart rather than behind it and on the other the seemingly naïve belief that the Gulf state itself can remain immune.

And that’s what explains the crisis and the boycotting alliance’s demands.

If Saudi Arabia and the UAE strive to maintain region’s autocratic status quo to the degree possible by suppressing dissent and activism and projecting military as well as soft power, Qatar’s strategy embraces degrees of change but is wholly built on soft power.

It is a strategy that is built on diversified gas sales; maintaining relations with all parties to position Qatar as a go-to-mediator; projecting the Gulf state as a global, cutting-edge sports hub; situating Qatar as a transportation hub connecting continents with a world-class airline; turning the Gulf state into a cultural hub with dazzling museums and arts acquisitions; and investing in Western blue chips and high-profile real estate.

Alongside diplomacy, economics, media and football, gas is increasingly emerging not only as a battlefield but also as a driver of the Gulf crisis. Gas may also prove to be a gauge for the timeframe that Saudi Arabia supported by the UAE has in mind and one reason why they have so far refused to contemplate unconditional negotiations and compromise.

The significance of gas was highlighted when The Wall Street Journal recently disclosed that US officials had prevented Saudi Arabia prior to the declaration of the boycott from invading the Gulf states and seizing Qatar’s operations in the world’s largest gas field.

Taking control of Qatari fields would have not only forced Qatar, the world’s largest liquified natural gas (LNG) exporter, to effectively surrender but also turned Saudi Arabia into the world’s second-biggest exporter overnight.

If gas proves to be a major driver of the rift, then recently announced Saudi plans to become a major gas player suggest that the dispute could take at least another six years, if not a decade, to resolve.

Amin Nasser, the chief executive of Saudi national oil company Aramco said during the World Economic Forum in January that he expected $150 billion to be invested in the Saudi gas sector over the next ten years. Nasser envisioned gas production increasing from 14 billion standard cubic feet to 23 billion by 2030.

Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih said in April following the disclosure of recently discovered major reserves in the Red Sea that the kingdom may achieve its goal in five to six years.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia is pushing to become a major gas trader and marketer, primarily in the spot and short-term markets, by partnering with producers across the globe, including in the Russian Artic.

The kingdom has expressed an interest in acquiring a 30 per cent stake in Russia’s Novatek Arctic LNG project. Access to the project’s gas would allow Saudi Arabia to negotiate long-term deals and/or sell cargoes on the spot market or increase domestic supply.

Aramco agreed in May to a buy a 25 per cent stake in Sempra Energy’s Texas liquefied natural gas terminal in one of the biggest gas deals ever. The deal involves a 20-year agreement under which Saudi Arabia would buy 5 million tons of gas annually from Sempra’s Port Arthur plant, due to begin operations in 2023.

Qatar has partnered with Exxon Mobil Corp. in a $10 billion LNG plant in Texas and has plans to pour a total of US$20 billion into US oil and gas fields.

The Saudi Qatari gas rivalry is also playing out elsewhere.

An Aramco delegation visited Pakistan in April to discuss gas sales as a way of addressing the South Asian country’s energy shortage as it opens its multiple gas fields to foreign investors. Qatar responded by lowering the price of its offering in a move that appeared to give it an advantage despite the kingdom’s increasingly hefty investment in Pakistan.

The prospect that Saudi Arabia and the UAE may only be willing to seek an end to the Gulf crisis once the kingdom has secured its position as a major gas exporter would mean that their boycott of Qatar would still be in place when the Gulf state hosts the World Cup in 2022.

That, more than FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s unsuccessful ploy to persuade Qatar to agree to an expansion of the 2022 tournament from 32 to 48 teams, could prove to be a potential icebreaker.

The tournament puts Qatar’s detractors in a bind. It will be the first time that the world’s foremost mega sporting event is held in the Arab world, a soccer crazy region and even more poignantly, in the boycotting Gulf states’ backyard.

Yet, the boycott bans nationals of the boycotting states from travel to Qatar. Even if fans were to defy the boycott, they would have to go to greater expense and accept more complicated logistics because of the rupture in air and land links.

As a result, boycotting states, in a bid to cater to domestic demand and stave off potential protests, could be forced to breach their own embargo and potentially create an opportunity to put an end to the boycott.

For now, that may seem a long shot and much can change in the coming three years. But if the status quo remains unchanged, soccer could emerge as the Gulf’s best hope.

&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It was on the soccer pitch that 2022 World Cup host Qatar definitively shrugged off the UAE-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf state as the crisis entered its third year with no prospect of resolution.

It was on the soccer pitch that 2022 World Cup host Qatar definitively shrugged off the UAE-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf state as the crisis entered its third year with no prospect of resolution. World soccer body FIFA’s abandonment of Saudi-United Arab Emirates-backed plans to expand the 2022 World Cup from 32 to 48 teams just days before the boycott’s June 5 second anniversary could not have come at a more opportune moment. The FIFA decision came on the heels of Qatar’s unexpected winning of the Asian Cup and was followed by reports that the Gulf state’s sovereign wealth fund was negotiating the acquisition of British club Leeds United. The acquisition would give Qatar a second top European team after Paris Saint-Germain and potentially take the soccer aspects of the rift to the English Premier League, home to UAE-owned Manchester City, at a time that soccer has emerged as a battlefield in the Gulf rift. So would a possible Saudi acquisition of Manchester United. The soccer pitch has been one venue on which Qatar has been scoring points. Three years into the boycott, Qatar’s detractors – Saud Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt -- have failed to either force Qatar to accept demands that would have undermined its independence and sovereignty or convince the international community of the legitimacy of their approach. On the contrary. Qatar is thriving economically, having with the help of Oman, Turkey and Iran compensated for the rupture in logistics caused by the breaking off of air links with its detractors and the closure of its only land border with Saudi Arabia. Moreover, rather than being internationally isolated, Qatar has succeeded in deepening relations with the world’s major powers – the United States, China, Europe, Russia and India – and reinforced its position as a mediator or key player in conflicts ranging from Afghanistan to Gaza. Ironically, Qatar has been able to turn the Gulf crisis into one of the few issues that the world’s rivalling powers agree on and fortify the cul de sac (dead end) in which its detractors find themselves. Washington, Beijing, Moscow, Brussels and Delhi all want the Gulf crisis resolved but have failed to convince Riyadh and Abu Dhabi that everyone would be best served by a resolution that allows all parties to save face even if it falls far short of the boycotters’ demands. Those demands reflected a broader Saudi and UAE policy that aims to shape the greater Middle East, stretching from Central Asia to the Horn of Africa, in their mould and aims to force governments to tow a Saudi-UAE line that promotes autocracy, rejects political participation, opposes political Islam and violates human rights. They boycotters demand that Qatar align its military, political, social and economic policies with those of other Gulf states, shutter its Al Jazeera television network and other Qatar-funded media outlets, end military cooperation with Turkey and close down Turkish military bases in the country. In a rebuke of the boycotters who also demanded that Qatar revoke citizenship granted to political refugees from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, the Gulf state, on the third anniversary of the boycott, issued the region’s first asylum law. The law applies explicitly to human rights defenders; journalists, writers and researchers; political, religious and ethnic minority activists; and former or current officials opposed to their government’s policies who are threatened by persecution. To be sure, Qatar’s positioning of itself as a defender of human rights has holes in it that make it look like Emmenthaler cheese. Domestically, press freedom is non-existent. The government abruptly in May closed the Doha Centre for Media Freedom after firing its first two directors for taking the organisation’s goal literal. As free-wheeling and hard-hitting as Al Jazeera can be in its regional and international reporting, as careful it is not to cover Qatar’s warts or take reporting to wherever the chips fall when it touches on Qatari interests. It took widespread criticism for Al Jazeera to suspend two journalists and pull a recent seven-minute, Arabic language video it posted to its social media channels that claimed Jews exploit the Holocaust and that Israel is the genocide's "greatest beneficiary." To be fair, the network said the video "contravened its editorial standards" and mandated that all staff participate in a bias and sensitivity training. The contradiction between Qatar’s advocacy of political change everywhere but at home is rooted on the one hand in the recognition that transition is inevitable, and that Qatar is best served by being in front of the cart rather than behind it and on the other the seemingly naïve belief that the Gulf state itself can remain immune. And that’s what explains the crisis and the boycotting alliance’s demands. If Saudi Arabia and the UAE strive to maintain region’s autocratic status quo to the degree possible by suppressing dissent and activism and projecting military as well as soft power, Qatar’s strategy embraces degrees of change but is wholly built on soft power. It is a strategy that is built on diversified gas sales; maintaining relations with all parties to position Qatar as a go-to-mediator; projecting the Gulf state as a global, cutting-edge sports hub; situating Qatar as a transportation hub connecting continents with a world-class airline; turning the Gulf state into a cultural hub with dazzling museums and arts acquisitions; and investing in Western blue chips and high-profile real estate. Alongside diplomacy, economics, media and football, gas is increasingly emerging not only as a battlefield but also as a driver of the Gulf crisis. Gas may also prove to be a gauge for the timeframe that Saudi Arabia supported by the UAE has in mind and one reason why they have so far refused to contemplate unconditional negotiations and compromise. The significance of gas was highlighted when The Wall Street Journal recently disclosed that US officials had prevented Saudi Arabia prior to the declaration of the boycott from invading the Gulf states and seizing Qatar’s operations in the world’s largest gas field. Taking control of Qatari fields would have not only forced Qatar, the world’s largest liquified natural gas (LNG) exporter, to effectively surrender but also turned Saudi Arabia into the world’s second-biggest exporter overnight. If gas proves to be a major driver of the rift, then recently announced Saudi plans to become a major gas player suggest that the dispute could take at least another six years, if not a decade, to resolve. Amin Nasser, the chief executive of Saudi national oil company Aramco said during the World Economic Forum in January that he expected $150 billion to be invested in the Saudi gas sector over the next ten years. Nasser envisioned gas production increasing from 14 billion standard cubic feet to 23 billion by 2030. Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih said in April following the disclosure of recently discovered major reserves in the Red Sea that the kingdom may achieve its goal in five to six years. In the meantime, Saudi Arabia is pushing to become a major gas trader and marketer, primarily in the spot and short-term markets, by partnering with producers across the globe, including in the Russian Artic. The kingdom has expressed an interest in acquiring a 30 per cent stake in Russia’s Novatek Arctic LNG project. Access to the project’s gas would allow Saudi Arabia to negotiate long-term deals and/or sell cargoes on the spot market or increase domestic supply. Aramco agreed in May to a buy a 25 per cent stake in Sempra Energy’s Texas liquefied natural gas terminal in one of the biggest gas deals ever. The deal involves a 20-year agreement under which Saudi Arabia would buy 5 million tons of gas annually from Sempra’s Port Arthur plant, due to begin operations in 2023. Qatar has partnered with Exxon Mobil Corp. in a $10 billion LNG plant in Texas and has plans to pour a total of US$20 billion into US oil and gas fields. The Saudi Qatari gas rivalry is also playing out elsewhere. An Aramco delegation visited Pakistan in April to discuss gas sales as a way of addressing the South Asian country’s energy shortage as it opens its multiple gas fields to foreign investors. Qatar responded by lowering the price of its offering in a move that appeared to give it an advantage despite the kingdom’s increasingly hefty investment in Pakistan. The prospect that Saudi Arabia and the UAE may only be willing to seek an end to the Gulf crisis once the kingdom has secured its position as a major gas exporter would mean that their boycott of Qatar would still be in place when the Gulf state hosts the World Cup in 2022. That, more than FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s unsuccessful ploy to persuade Qatar to agree to an expansion of the 2022 tournament from 32 to 48 teams, could prove to be a potential icebreaker. The tournament puts Qatar’s detractors in a bind. It will be the first time that the world’s foremost mega sporting event is held in the Arab world, a soccer crazy region and even more poignantly, in the boycotting Gulf states’ backyard. Yet, the boycott bans nationals of the boycotting states from travel to Qatar. Even if fans were to defy the boycott, they would have to go to greater expense and accept more complicated logistics because of the rupture in air and land links. As a result, boycotting states, in a bid to cater to domestic demand and stave off potential protests, could be forced to breach their own embargo and potentially create an opportunity to put an end to the boycott. For now, that may seem a long shot and much can change in the coming three years. But if the status quo remains unchanged, soccer could emerge as the Gulf’s best hope. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Soccer emerges as a potential icebreaker in the Gulf crisis

The story of the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their coach who were trapped for two weeks in a cave in northern Thailand last year will be told by the United States-based media platform Netflix following a deal between several producers announced in Bangkok on Tuesday.

Netflix to stream story of Thai youth soccer team's dramatic rescue from cave

The US&nbsp;television audience for Sunday's Super Bowl on CBS Corp dropped about 5.3 per cent from last year, according to preliminary Nielsen data released by the network on Monday.&nbsp;

About 44.9 per cent of households in 56 major markets tuned in to watch the favoured New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a humdrum match that was the lowest-scoring game in the Super Bowl's 53-year history.&nbsp;

That is down from 47.4 per cent a year earlier when again viewership had lagged from the prior year.&nbsp;

"It suffered from not being a very good game," said Patrice Cucinello, a director at Fitch Ratings credit agency. "A 13 to 3 defeat with the Rams barely putting up a show didn't really help the numbers."

Even with a softer audience, she said, "it will still be a boon for advertising revenues for CBS."

Ad spots averaged $5.2 million for a 30-second slot.

The US television audience for Sunday's Super Bowl on CBS Corp dropped about 5.3 per cent from last year, according to preliminary Nielsen data released by the network on Monday.

The US television audience for Sunday's Super Bowl on CBS Corp dropped about 5.3 per cent from last year, according to preliminary Nielsen data released by the network on Monday. About 44.9 per cent of households in 56 major markets tuned in to watch the favoured New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a humdrum match that was the lowest-scoring game in the Super Bowl's 53-year history. That is down from 47.4 per cent a year earlier when again viewership had lagged from the prior year. "It suffered from not being a very good game," said Patrice Cucinello, a director at Fitch Ratings credit agency. "A 13 to 3 defeat with the Rams barely putting up a show didn't really help the numbers." Even with a softer audience, she said, "it will still be a boon for advertising revenues for CBS." Ad spots averaged $5.2 million for a 30-second slot.

Super Bowl audience dips from last year, early data shows

Emiliano Sala's sister pleads: 'Please don't stop the search'

Manchester United interim coach <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ole-gunnar-solskjaer-wants-manchester-united-job-on-permanent-basis-185699">Ole Gunnar Solskjaer</a> is confident his side can make up the gap with the top four in the Premier League, drawing on his own experience in a side where he used to come to the rescue off the bench late on.

The Norwegian enjoyed a dream start as caretaker boss after succeeding the sacked Jose Mourinho this week as United thrashed his former club Cardiff City 5-1 on Saturday.

The result, coupled with defeat for fourth-placed Chelsea, means that United sit eight points off the top four in sixth.

While the gloom under Mourinho this season meant United were drifting out of contention for a Champions League place, their emphatic win in Wales has started to bring them back in.

"We take one game at a time now. We've caught up eight or nine points before but we've got to go one step at a time," said Solskjaer, who memorably came off the bench to score a late winner for United in the 1999 Champions League final.

"I was proud and humble at the reception from the fans, it has been an emotional week. But it's a start and we move on."

Mourinho's tenure was latterly dominated by rows with midfielder Paul Pogba, who arrived from Juventus for a club-record 89 million pounds ($112.6 million) in 2016.

The mercurial Frenchman had been left out of the starting lineup in the Portuguese's final games but was restored to the centre of the pitch by Solskjaer and repaid his new manager's faith by creating two of the goals in a dominant performance.

"I think he (Pogba) brings what he can, he’s a quality player," Solskjaer said.

"But that’s the same with all of them. I’ve worked with Paul before and enjoyed the two days we’ve had and will enjoy working with him and the rest of them in the next four or five months."

With United hitting five goals for the first time since Alex Ferguson's last game in charge, a 5-5 draw with West Bromwich Albion in May 2013, supporters will be excited to see what the players can do at Old Trafford against Huddersfield Town on Wednesday.

Solskjaer, however, was keeping his feet on the ground.

"It’s a great start and we are going to enjoy the next couple of days but Boxing Day is coming and nothing in history is quicker than a football game, so there are still things to work on but they (the squad) grasped some of the ideas very quickly," he added.

"We’ll take it one game at a time but I’ll enjoy tonight."

Manchester United interim coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident his side can make up the gap with the top four in the Premier League, drawing on his own experience in a side where he used to come to the rescue off the bench late on.

Manchester United interim coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident his side can make up the gap with the top four in the Premier League, drawing on his own experience in a side where he used to come to the rescue off the bench late on. The Norwegian enjoyed a dream start as caretaker boss after succeeding the sacked Jose Mourinho this week as United thrashed his former club Cardiff City 5-1 on Saturday. The result, coupled with defeat for fourth-placed Chelsea, means that United sit eight points off the top four in sixth. While the gloom under Mourinho this season meant United were drifting out of contention for a Champions League place, their emphatic win in Wales has started to bring them back in. "We take one game at a time now. We've caught up eight or nine points before but we've got to go one step at a time," said Solskjaer, who memorably came off the bench to score a late winner for United in the 1999 Champions League final. "I was proud and humble at the reception from the fans, it has been an emotional week. But it's a start and we move on." Mourinho's tenure was latterly dominated by rows with midfielder Paul Pogba, who arrived from Juventus for a club-record 89 million pounds ($112.6 million) in 2016. The mercurial Frenchman had been left out of the starting lineup in the Portuguese's final games but was restored to the centre of the pitch by Solskjaer and repaid his new manager's faith by creating two of the goals in a dominant performance. "I think he (Pogba) brings what he can, he’s a quality player," Solskjaer said. "But that’s the same with all of them. I’ve worked with Paul before and enjoyed the two days we’ve had and will enjoy working with him and the rest of them in the next four or five months." With United hitting five goals for the first time since Alex Ferguson's last game in charge, a 5-5 draw with West Bromwich Albion in May 2013, supporters will be excited to see what the players can do at Old Trafford against Huddersfield Town on Wednesday. Solskjaer, however, was keeping his feet on the ground. "It’s a great start and we are going to enjoy the next couple of days but Boxing Day is coming and nothing in history is quicker than a football game, so there are still things to work on but they (the squad) grasped some of the ideas very quickly," he added. "We’ll take it one game at a time but I’ll enjoy tonight."

Solskjaer confident Man United can make up the gap with top four in Premier League

Paris St-Germain got back to winning ways in Ligue 1 on Saturday when a Kylian Mbappe goal gave them a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nantes and condemned the visitors to their 15th straight loss against the capital club.

Mbappe, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Thursday, got his 13th goal of the season midway through the second half when he turned home a deflected corner from Angel Di Maria.

The French champions won their first 14 league games but then drew their next two and the three points at home to Nantes enabled them to extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to 13 points.

Second-place Lille fell further behind when they let a first-half lead slip at home to Toulouse.

Rafael Leao put Lille ahead after 17 minutes but two second-half penalties from Max-Alain Gradel gave Toulouse only their second league win in 13 games stretching back to the first day of September.

The third and fourth-placed sides, Olympique Lyonnais and Montpellier, also fell back when they drew 1-1.

Captain Nabil Fekir put the visitors from Lyon ahead after 67 minutes but Ruben Aguilar, with his first Ligue 1 goal in 47 games, evened the score for Montpellier nine minutes from the final whistle.

PSG now lead Ligue 1 with 47 points, 13 clear of Lille, 15 ahead of Lyon and 17 in front of Montpellier. The capital club has played 17 games, two fewer than Lille, one fewer than Lyon and the same as Montpellier.

At the other end of the table, Guingamp boosted their survival chances when they won 2-0 at fellow strugglers AS Monaco.

Two goals in seven minutes midway through the second half from Marcus Thuram and Nolan Roux gave Guingamp their first league win in 10 games.

It was not enough to lift them out of the last place but they moved on to 11 points, two behind Thierry Henry's side.

Elsewhere, a brace from Jordan Siebatcheu helped Stade Rennais to a 4-0 win over Nimes, St-Etienne beat Dijon 3-0, and Strasbourg triumphed 2-0 at home to Nice.

Reims shared the points with Caen in a 2-2 draw and Olympique de Marseille drew 1-1 at Angers.

Paris St-Germain got back to winning ways in Ligue 1 on Saturday when a Kylian Mbappe goal gave them a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nantes and condemned the visitors to their 15th straight loss against the capital club.

Paris St-Germain got back to winning ways in Ligue 1 on Saturday when a Kylian Mbappe goal gave them a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nantes and condemned the visitors to their 15th straight loss against the capital club. Mbappe, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Thursday, got his 13th goal of the season midway through the second half when he turned home a deflected corner from Angel Di Maria. The French champions won their first 14 league games but then drew their next two and the three points at home to Nantes enabled them to extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to 13 points. Second-place Lille fell further behind when they let a first-half lead slip at home to Toulouse. Rafael Leao put Lille ahead after 17 minutes but two second-half penalties from Max-Alain Gradel gave Toulouse only their second league win in 13 games stretching back to the first day of September. The third and fourth-placed sides, Olympique Lyonnais and Montpellier, also fell back when they drew 1-1. Captain Nabil Fekir put the visitors from Lyon ahead after 67 minutes but Ruben Aguilar, with his first Ligue 1 goal in 47 games, evened the score for Montpellier nine minutes from the final whistle. PSG now lead Ligue 1 with 47 points, 13 clear of Lille, 15 ahead of Lyon and 17 in front of Montpellier. The capital club has played 17 games, two fewer than Lille, one fewer than Lyon and the same as Montpellier. At the other end of the table, Guingamp boosted their survival chances when they won 2-0 at fellow strugglers AS Monaco. Two goals in seven minutes midway through the second half from Marcus Thuram and Nolan Roux gave Guingamp their first league win in 10 games. It was not enough to lift them out of the last place but they moved on to 11 points, two behind Thierry Henry's side. Elsewhere, a brace from Jordan Siebatcheu helped Stade Rennais to a 4-0 win over Nimes, St-Etienne beat Dijon 3-0, and Strasbourg triumphed 2-0 at home to Nice. Reims shared the points with Caen in a 2-2 draw and Olympique de Marseille drew 1-1 at Angers.

PSG return to winning ways with triumph over Nantes

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

Iraq's star footballer Bashar Rasan was unaware of his mother's death when he was playing during <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/four-goal-argentina-too-strong-for-iraq-in-saudi-friendly-171010">Iraq's 0-4 defeat</a> to Argentina in a friendly clash in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

The team did not tell Rasan about his mother's demise to keep him focused, but he got the information when he was substituted out of the game in 70th minute.

As per reports, the Iraqi national team took away every player's phone so that Bashar won't know about the news until the end of the game.

However, after knowing about the sad news, he left the camp in Riyadh and it is expected that he will not feature for the game against Saudi Arabia, which is scheduled&nbsp;on October 15.

The 21-year-old stunned Argentine players with his moves in the first half of the game.

Watch the video:

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Showboating against <a href="https://twitter.com/Argentina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Argentina</a> - classy, Bashar Resan! 😎<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperClasico_in_KSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperClasico_in_KSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/qR4jeY6COg">pic.twitter.com/qR4jeY6COg</a>
— Soccer Iraq (@SoccerIraq) <a href="https://twitter.com/SoccerIraq/status/1050457609457848320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Bashar Resan's double nutmeg against Argentina 🔥<a href="https://t.co/SMbDEyqY5q">pic.twitter.com/SMbDEyqY5q</a>
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Argentina easily overcame Iraq with three players scoring their first international goals for the twice world champions while German Pezzella also found the net.

Defender Pezzella grabbed a third eight minutes from fulltime when he headed home after a flick-on at a corner and Franco Cervi added a fourth in injury time after a surging run from midfield.

"It wasn't easy opening them up but we managed it and we were patient and managed to score more goals," Pezzella said.

Iraq's star footballer Bashar Rasan was unaware of his mother's death when he was playing during Iraq's 0-4 defeat to Argentina in a friendly clash in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Iraq's star footballer Bashar Rasan was unaware of his mother's death when he was playing during Iraq's 0-4 defeat to Argentina in a friendly clash in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The team did not tell Rasan about his mother's demise to keep him focused, but he got the information when he was substituted out of the game in 70th minute. As per reports, the Iraqi national team took away every player's phone so that Bashar won't know about the news until the end of the game. However, after knowing about the sad news, he left the camp in Riyadh and it is expected that he will not feature for the game against Saudi Arabia, which is scheduled on October 15. The 21-year-old stunned Argentine players with his moves in the first half of the game. Watch the video: Showboating against @Argentina - classy, Bashar Resan! 😎#SuperClasico_in_KSA pic.twitter.com/qR4jeY6COg — Soccer Iraq (@SoccerIraq) October 11, 2018 × Bashar Resan's double nutmeg against Argentina 🔥pic.twitter.com/SMbDEyqY5q — Troll Football Media (@Troll__Footbal) October 12, 2018 × Argentina easily overcame Iraq with three players scoring their first international goals for the twice world champions while German Pezzella also found the net. Defender Pezzella grabbed a third eight minutes from fulltime when he headed home after a flick-on at a corner and Franco Cervi added a fourth in injury time after a surging run from midfield. "It wasn't easy opening them up but we managed it and we were patient and managed to score more goals," Pezzella said.

Iraq vs Argentina: Bashar Rasan leaves pitch after finding out about mother's death

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