Israel, a sore diplomatic point
Israel continues to be a sore point at the Qatar World Cup. But Qatar has, rather magnanimously, agreed to allow special direct flights from Israel that will be open to…
Qatar on a new change?
GOOD or not-so-good, Qatar is close to unrecognisable from the country it was 12 years ago when it won its historic bid to host the 2022 World Cup. Around US$220…
Row over “rainbows” in stadium
IF you’re wearing anything rainbow-coloured at the Qatar World Cup, you’re asking for unnecessary trouble. Several overseas fans reportedly said they were asked by security officials at Qatar 2022 to…
Big early boot for host Qatar
GETTING the early boot should not discourage host Qatar. Even before their third preliminary match, they’re out, in a rare first in the tournament's 92-year history. But the premature exit…
World Cup: Denmark Promises A Fifa debacle
Denmark, which plans to leave the world football governing body, is threatening a hellish time for Fifa because they are upset that their players cannot wear an armband to support…
Crowd figures at Qatar look suspicious
IS someone seriously tickling with crowd-figures as host Qatar appear not to be able to account for thousands of fans who appear to be missing from its official crowd numbers…
Canada coach backs Davies after penalty woe
By Rob Woollard (AFP) Canada coach John Herdman backed the decision to let Alphonso Davies take a crucial missed penalty after the North Americans suffered an agonising 1-0 defeat to…
Japan’s shock strategy fools Germany
JAPAN’S smartest strategy not to start with their European-based players against Germany significantly contributed to the sensational 2-1 win over four-time champions Germany, says Jita Singh. The award-winning Singapore coach…
Hot but Qatar cools the air
DESERT conditions are predictably hot, if you’re not used to it, but Qatar-inducted cooling technology kicks off as one of Qatar 2022’s major success stories. With innovation and sustainability, the…
Qatar 2022 now promises upsets galore
WORLD Cup history is full of memorable David versus Goliath wins, dramatic comebacks and defending champions suffering embarrassing defeats, as tournament dreams are made and broken. The 2018 World Cup…
World Cup fans: WE WANT BEER!
The whole scandal of the no-beer-zone stadiums in the Qatar 2022 World Cup has garnered a lot of attention from the press and fans on social media. Many non-Muslim fans…
There’s still an Asian-class football gap
By Suresh Nair YOU watched Sunday midnight’s opening World Cup between host Qatar and Ecuador? The 2-0 scoreline in favour of the South Americans showed an element of competitiveness but…
Graduate referee Taqi goes for Qatar World Cup
Suresh Nair THERE will be a graduate Singaporean in the heartbeat of Qatar’s World Cup, with Muhammad Taqi Aljaafari Jahari, making his debut as a VAR (video assistant referee). Congratulations! He…
Watch football without a beer in hand!
By Suresh Nair ONE of the special beauties of World Cup football is to enjoy some liquor as you watch the big matches. Holding a beer gives you a “high”…
Ready for the big Qatar show
By Suresh Nair THIS weekend onwards and for the next four weeks, you will be glued to their television sets for the first-ever desert World Cup – something unimaginable to…
Love for Football and for Argentina Bring Thousands to Qatar
It is for the love of football but fans are also pouring into Qatar from India showing love for Argentina in particular. Guess what? More than 5,000 Argentina fans, from…