He may not get there with them, but if Qatar’s fast-improving squad do make a decent fist of their World Cup campaign in 2022, the host nation will have plenty to thank Felix Sanchez for. On the face of it, the amiable Spaniard has transformed the footballing fortunes of the oil-rich nation since taking over […]
Qatar’s Asian Cup triumph offers hope of World Cup 2022 respectability
Qatar running rampant to secure a maiden Asian Cup title in Abu Dhabi might have been the worst-case scenario for the hosts but it also offered hope for Gulf football that the 2022 World Cup might not now be a humiliating experience for the region. That was always a possibility when Qatar, whose team have […]
Australia PM urges Thailand not to extradite Bahraini player
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Asian soccer chiefs called on the Thai government to release footballer Hakeem Al Araibi as prosecutors in Bangkok on Tuesday acknowledged receipt of an extradition request from Bahrain. Bahraini Araibi, who fled to Australia from his homeland in 2014 and was later granted asylum, was arrested in November in […]
Kazan confirmed as World Cup graveyard of champions
KAZAN: Kazan’s official participation in the World Cup was coming to an end on Saturday as the Brazil squad made their way to the airport for the long flight home and their fans consoled each other over beers on the streets of the Tatarstan capital. The Selecao’s quarter-final exit at the hands of Belgium in […]
Upsets and tears, Asia makes an impact but little progress at WC
KAZAN: South Korea hammered the Germans, and Japan very nearly did the same to Belgium, but Asia’s representatives are once again heading home before the business end of the World Cup gets going. The Samurai Blue looked like providing the biggest shock yet of a tournament riddled with upsets when they led the richly talented […]