Tag: FIFA

FIFA President Gianni Infantino used a summit of soccer nations in Qatar to gather support for his mission to add 16 teams to the 2022 tournament — a move that would require the tiny, energy-rich nation sharing games in the region. Difficult probably," Infantino said. "Is it feasible to have a few games being played in neighboring countries? Well, maybe this is an option, of course. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. #ReadLocal "I'm not that naive not to know not to read the news and not to know what is going on. Infantino used a trip to Doha in October to ask the emir of Qatar if he would consider allowing matches to be shared with nations that are part of an economic and travel boycott against his country. Sports Highlights Up Next: Infantino - 48 teams 'possible' at Qatar World Cup Your video will play in: 5 seconds Infantino - 48 teams 'possible' at Qatar World Cup FIFA President Gianni Infantino used a summit of soccer nations in Qatar to gather support for his mission to add 16 teams to the 2022 World Cup - a m Play Video | 00:47 Your video will resume shortly. No compatible source was found for this media. "If there is something that I could do which is good for football worldwide, then we should look at it," Infantino said at a news conference in Doha before heading to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino used a summit of soccer nations in Qatar to gather support for his mission to add 16 teams to the 2022 tournament — a move that would require the tiny, energy-rich nation sharing games in the region. Difficult probably," Infantino said. "Is it feasible to have a few games being played in neighboring countries? Well, maybe this is an option, of course. Premium content for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. But now we are in football, we are not in politics, and in football, sometimes the dreams come true." Infantino used a trip to Doha in October to ask the emir of Qatar if he would consider allowing matches to be shared with nations that are part of an economic and travel boycott against his country. Sports Highlights Up Next: Infantino - 48 teams 'possible' at Qatar World Cup Your video will play in: 5 seconds Infantino - 48 teams 'possible' at Qatar World Cup FIFA President Gianni Infantino used a summit of soccer nations in Qatar to gather support for his mission to add 16 teams to the 2022 World Cup - a m Play Video | 00:47 Your video will resume shortly. 00:47 Infantino - 48 teams 'possible' at Qatar World Cup Soccer News | 00:47 00:47 Infantino - 48 teams 'possible' at Qatar World Cup Soccer News | 00:47 01:38 De la calle al estadio al acoso sexual: El fútbol femenino afgano en crisis Euronews Spanish News | 01:38 01:21 Zoran Mamic and Ismail Ahmed talk about Al Ain's chances at the FIFA Club World Cup FIFA World Cup | 01:21 00:26 When conceding on FIFA 19 is as painful for your player as it is for you No compatible source was found for this media.

But this World Cup has proven that the current state of world politics is something that can't be escaped, or ignored. Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri both made apparent Albanian nationalist gestures which imitate the Albanian flag. Many people in the former Serbian province of Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, identify with the red and black flag. Shaqiri was born in Kosovo, while Xhaka's parents are originally from Kosovo. Racist abuse against Durmaz Sweden's Jimmy Durmaz condemned racist abuse he received after the country's 2-1 loss to Germany. That's the biggest thing you can do as a football player. Iranian women finally allowed to enjoy football Iranian women have not been allowed to attend football stadiums to watch men play football in years past. The Prince/Putin handshake When Russia opened the scoring against Saudi Arabia in the World Cup opener, the focus quickly moved from the first goal of the tournament to the two most prominent spectators. Saudi King Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged a friendly handshake after Yury Gazinsky netted for Russia after just 12 minutes. LGBT flag confiscations An England fan has spoken of his frustration after he was told to take a rainbow flag down inside Nizhny Novgorod stadium.

Hours later, it emerged that one of the tournament’s most popular players, the Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah, was considering retiring from his national team in the wake of his interactions with a Chechen politician. FIFA’s political problems began when the Swiss players Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri both made the so-called double-eagle symbol with their hands after scoring in a 2-1 victory against Serbia. The gesture, made by linking the thumbs and fanning out the fingers on both hands, is a nationalist sign that many with ethnic Albanian roots make to symbolize the black eagle in Albania’s flag. In Serbia, however, the gesture was viewed as a provocation. Serbia’s soccer federation faced its own disciplinary proceeding, though, for a display of political messages by its fans during the game. Image Then came word that Salah, Egypt’s biggest star, was considering retiring from the national team once the World Cup ended after he was drawn into a political controversy related to his federation’s decision to live and train in Chechnya during the tournament. Salah has become one of the world’s highest-profile players over the past year, and he was the star attraction at Egypt’s training facility in Grozny, the capital of the Russian province of Chechnya. On the eve of the tournament, photos emerged of Salah alongside Ramzan A. Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, at Egypt’s first training session. If Serbia defeats Brazil and Switzerland loses to Costa Rica, the Serbs could advance ahead of Switzerland. Switzerland has no beef in this battle.” Others pointed to another hand gesture that has not yet been punished: the Serbian three-finger salute, which is seen as a nationalist symbol.

On the left boot’s heel was the flag of Switzerland. On the right, the flag of Kosovo. So after Shaqiri broke free of Serbia’s offside trap in the final minutes of the game and slid the ball with his left boot, his Swiss boot, under the onrushing Serbia goalkeeper, Vladimir Stojkovic, he peeled away and made a two-handed eagle gesture with his fingers. It is a nationalistic sign that many with ethnic Albanian roots make — Granit Xhaka made it after he scored Switzerland’s first goal earlier in the second half — to mimic the black eagle in Albania’s flag. “If he loves Kosovo that much and never misses a chance to flaunt the flag, why did he refuse a chance to play for their team?” the Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic said when asked about Shaqiri’s boots. “As I said a hundred times, let me say it for the 101st time,” Serbia’s Mladen Krstajic said before the game, “I am not into politics.” Yet politics was never far away on Friday, and Kosovo — even as it was not playing — remains a continuing issue. The punishment led the Serbian football federation to issue a statement urging fans attending the “high-risk game” on Friday not to display political banners. “We do have a lot of immigrants in our team, but Shaqiri and Xhaka are both Swiss and from Kosovo,” the Swiss supporter Andreas Podolak said. It was Shaqiri, who was booed every time his face appeared on the stadium’s video screen and every time he touched the ball. As the game ended, heavy rain began to fall, and Shaqiri gave a thumbs up to Serbian fans as he left the field.

What to look out for in this year's World Cup; Jonathan Hunt breaks down the favorites. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number…

This carried over into FIFA when it was established in 1904, sought to take control of the Olympic football competition and then organised its own professional World Cup. As one of the most politically charged World Cups gets set to kick off in Moscow, we look back at five other moments in history when politics did mix with football internationally. After Uruguay hosted and won the first World Cup in 1930, Mussolini was determined that Italy would do the same four years later. Argentina was denuded of star players who were “persuaded” to play for Italy, while Italy’s own players were threatened with immediate conscription into the army if they failed to win. Hungary fails to show, Soviets claim gold At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s and ‘60s, the Soviet Union was determined to make its mark through the game as well. If the Chileans could win the second leg at home, they would go to West Germany. The second match was never played. Argentina ended up beating the Netherlands in the final to become the fifth host to win the World Cup at home. (He was still trying to win the prize right up to his dismissal from the organisation.) His non-vote ended up sending the World Cup to Germany, but Blatter got his prized South Africa World Cup four years later.

Egypt’s qualification for this year’s World Cup like that of several other Arab teams cemented the role of soccer in Egypt and the other qualifying countries. In today’s modern world, soccer pitches, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, were frequently viewed as barometers of the public mood and indicators of political and social trends. The identification, through patronage and micromanagement, of modern-day Arab autocrats with soccer emulates the Romans’ use of games and sports to solidify their power. The Greens and the Blues and their fans in fifth-century-AD games were the Roman predecessors of today’s Middle Eastern and North African soccer fans who expressed similarly deep-seated passions. Arab autocrats, such as the toppled Egyptian and Tunisian presidents Hosni Mubarak and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, had no intention of risking a repeat of Justinian I’s experience. The soccer pitch, however, like the mosque, were venues for the deep-seated emotions they evoked among a majority of the population and could not simply be repressed or shut down. The fans’ claim positioned soccer as both a threat and an opportunity for Middle Eastern and North African autocrats. Autocrats in the Middle East and North Africa are about upgrading and modernizing their regimes to ensure their survival, not about real sustainable change. Much of the Middle East does not have a dream. James is the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog, a book with the same title as well as Comparative Political Transitions between Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, co-authored with Dr. Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario, Shifting Sands, Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa, and the forthcoming China and the Middle East: Venturing into the Maelstrom.