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  • Crowded fan zone turns thousands away before Qatar World Cup

    Crowded fan zone turns thousands away before Qatar World Cup

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    DOHA, Qatar — Authorities turned away thousands of fans Saturday night from a concert celebrating the World Cup beginning the next day in Qatar, showing the challenges ahead for Doha as it tries to manage crowds in FIFA’s most-compact tournament ever.

    Disappointed fans took being turned away largely in stride. Once away from the venue, Qatari police, security guards and others guided the thousands away with giant foam fingers, bullhorns and blinking traffic control wands.

    But the concert comes before the the 1.2 million fans expected for the tournament fully arrive in this nation on the Arabian Peninsula.

    And with Qatar deciding only Friday to ban beer sales from tournament stadiums, fan zones like the one on the corniche hosting the concert will be the only FIFA-associated area serving pints — meaning more fans could wind up there.

    “We know that what the police say here goes,” said a 30-year-old trucker from Mumbai, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals. He and his friends had got a rare day off from Hamad Port to walk 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) to the fan zone before being turned away.

    “We’re sad to leave because it’s too early,” he added. “There’s nothing we can do.”

    Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which oversees the World Cup, did not immediately respond to questions about the fan zone turning away crowds Saturday night.

    Qatar, home to 3 million people, will see its population swell as the tournament begins. Already, it has spent over $200 billion for improvements across this energy-rich country slightly larger than Jamaica.

    That includes a vast new underground metro system that can whisk fans from the airport to matches. It has even closed schools for the month and urged residents to work from home.

    But Associated Press journalists already have seen pinch points where a large number of people can be bunched together even before the tournament begins.

    In Doha’s Souq Waqif, a major tourist destination, a walkway between outdoor restaurants quickly filled shoulder to shoulder Friday night. Its nearby metro station saw long lines, with some pushing and shoving between orderlies and those taking the train.

    Saturday night, however, started much smoother as Friday is the mandatory day off for all workers in the country. Fewer people initially stood along the corniche as a massive fireworks show suddenly went off, illuminating its skyscraper skyline to awed passersby.

    Just after 8 p.m., however, crowds thronged the Fan Zone, hoping to attend a concert featuring Lebanese singer Myriam Fares and Columbian singer Maluma. But as hundreds stood inside a holding pen, thousands more were outside of the venue.

    At one exit, the crowd tried to argue their way inside, with a few spectators slipping past guards. At an entrance, one security guard with a bullhorn pleaded with the crowd: “For your safety, please go back!”

    Still, some stayed and waited, hoping for a chance to get in, like Ayman Awad, a geologist who flew to Qatar on Saturday from Sudan.

    “I won’t give up,” Awad said. “I hope it doesn’t stay this crowded.”

    Many foreign fans, aware of Qatar’s restrictions on free speech, were wary of criticizing the host country as they waited. A group of Saudi tourists who expressed disappointment at the situation to an AP journalist later retracted their quotes for fear of wading into “politics.”

    The Fan Zone at Al Bidda Park plans other major concerts as well during the tournament. But it has taken on new prominence after Friday’s decision to ban alcohol sales at stadiums: It will be one of the few places outside of hotel bars and private residences where fans can have a drink while partying in this conservative Islamic nation.

    On Saturday night, a quick set of calls to several bars in Doha’s West Bay, an area full of high-end hotels, found that all were fully booked the night before the tournament as the Fan Zone was shut. Yet the real test will begin from Sunday, as Ecuador faces Qatar in the opening match and the group stage follows behind — with the crowds to come.

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  • What is Bud Zero, the only beer Budweiser can sell at the World Cup? | CNN Business

    What is Bud Zero, the only beer Budweiser can sell at the World Cup? | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN Business
     — 

    In a surprise reversal, Qatar announced a ban of alcoholic beer at the eight stadiums hosting the World Cup. That leaves fans with just one “beer” choice — albeit one that isn’t boozy.

    Soccer fans will still be able to purchase Bud Zero, an alcohol-free lager that Anheuser-Busch says tastes similar to its best-selling alcoholic beverage.

    One serving of Bud Zero has 0 grams of sugar and 50 calories. The beer, which is Bud’s first ever zero alcohol beer, launched in the United States two years ago, targeting a growing trend of people choosing non-alcoholic beers.

    Non-alcoholic alternatives to booze have been around for a while, but the sector has been booming lately. The non-alcoholic trend started to pick up a year or two before the pandemic and has continued to grow at a rapid clip. Demand for non-alcoholic alternatives has been largely driven by younger consumers.

    Qatar is a Muslim country that is considered to be very conservative, and tightly regulates alcohol sales and usage. In September, officials said ticketed fans would be able to buy alcoholic beer three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match.

    “Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeter,” said FIFA, soccer’s governing body, in a statement Friday.

    FIFA noted that the decision will have “no impact” on sales of Bud Zero.

    Budweiser tweeted, “Well, this is awkward,” though the social media post was quickly deleted.

    “As partners of FIFA for over three decades, we look forward to our activations of FIFA World Cup campaigns around the world to celebrate football with our consumers,” an Anheuser-Busch InBev spokesperson said in a statement. “Some of the planned stadium activations cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control.”

    It is indeed slightly awkward for AB InBev, which is a major sponsor of the World Cup, and was planning to selling regular Bud. Just a few days ago, reports showed World Cup workers moving beer tents into less visible areas of stadiums.

    AB InBev paid $75 million for the sponsorship, according to multiple reports. So, the decision throws a bit of a wrench into their marketing plans since the decision dramatically reduces its presence for thousands of fans at the World Cup. However, arguably the bigger part — its TV advertisements with football royalty Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. — won’t be affected.

    “Qatar’s decision to ban all alcohol around the grounds for the upcoming FIFA World Cup just days before it begins presents an illusion that FIFA is not in control of its own tournament and risks alienating Budweiser—a key sponsor and long-term partner of the governing body,” said Conrad Wiacek, head of sport analysis at GlobalData, in an email.

    The decision could have ramifications for the future, Wiacek said, noting that Budweiser’s partnership with the World Cup expires after this year’s event.

    “However, Budweiser will be cautious to burn its bridges with the governing body, as the 2026 US tournament will be highly prized. Going elsewhere would open up opportunity for other alcohol brands in its wake,” he said.

    The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicks off Sunday and lasts until December 18.

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  • World Cup prize money disparity is an obstacle to Equal Pay

    World Cup prize money disparity is an obstacle to Equal Pay

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    World Cup prize money continues to be a sticking point for equality in soccer, despite the historic equal pay agreement between U.S. Soccer and its men’s and women’s teams.

    Earlier this year, the U.S. national teams decided to split prize money, which means that the haul from playing in the sport’s most prestigious tournaments will be distributed equally between players for both teams — after the federation takes a cut off the top.

    It was a landmark agreement, hailed as an important step for equality even beyond sports. But other nations haven’t followed suit.

    At the heart of the matter is the huge disparity in prize money between the men’s and women’s tournaments — and how it is eventually passed on by federations to their players.

    FIFA has earmarked $440 million in prize money for this year’s men’s World Cup. The winner in Qatar will take home $42 million.

    The U.S. women won $4 million from a $30 million pot at the 2019 Women’s World Cup. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed doubling the prize money for the 2023 event, but the field has expanded from 24 to 32 teams.

    That could change. FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura recently suggested that the final prize money total for the women could be greater.

    “Today, the men’s World Cup is the one that is funding all the FIFA competitions, including the Women’s World Cup. But we have seen new trends in terms of revenues,” she said at an event in Sydney.

    Some countries — including Australia, Ireland, Brazil, Norway and others — have made significant strides toward equal match and appearance fees, but an equal division of pooled World Cup prize money hasn’t been part of those deals.

    Brazil announced equal pay for its men’s and women’s teams in 2020 but the agreement pays the women a “proportionately equal” amount — or the same percentage — of World Cup prize money.

    In July, Spain’s federation also agreed to give its female players a percentage of bonuses equal to the men’s side, as well as earnings from sponsorships, image rights and improved working conditions. It did not reveal specifics.

    Lisa Delpy Neirotti, associate professor of Sport Management at George Washington University, said there is a three-pronged approach for equal pay: Public sentiment has to be for it, the women have to be unified in their demands, and the players needs allies, as in the case of the U.S. men’s team.

    That might be a tough ask in countries like France and Germany, both successful World Cup nations, because the men’s team would give up a lucrative payday. France, which won $38 million for winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia, distributed $11 million between the 23 players on the squad.

    In contrast, the U.S. women have been more successful than the men, winning the last two World Cups. The U.S. men failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia.

    “If the (U.S.) women continue to do better than the men, it’s not really hurting the men. Even though the men get more, the women can actually contribute just as much if they keep going,” Neirotti said. “But it’s not always the same economics in other countries — those other countries where the men go further in the tournament and thus generate a larger prize pool. So obviously the economics of coupling that with women would probably be more significantly hurting the men than the women.”

    Players like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn tirelessly campaigned for pay equity, spurring chants of “Equal Pay” at the World Cup final three years ago in France and gaining public support. Then the women worked with the men’s union to forge an agreement, securing both sides a larger share of the overall prize money after the federation’s stake.

    U.S. Soccer will take 10% of the money awarded to each team, then split the rest among the players on the two teams’ World Cup rosters.

    For the 2026 and 2027 tournaments, the USSF will take 20% and split the rest in a similar manner.

    Australia, which co-hosts the 2023 Women’s World Cup, has instead called on FIFA to equalize the prize pools. The Socceroos, as they’re known, will get a cut of the prize money if the team advances to the knockout round. But the federation also has plans to put the windfall into a second-tier women’s league and a national women’s competition.

    Canada’s men, currently in contentious contract talks with the federation, have asked for 40% of World Cup prize money, a friends and family travel package and an “equitable structure with our women’s national team that shares the same player match fees, percentage of prize money earned at our respective FIFA World Cups and the development of a women’s domestic league.”

    Canada’s women have said they do not consider an equal percentage of prize money as equal pay.

    “Canada Soccer has been engaged in ongoing discussions with our National Teams, which are and have always been anchored on our values of fairness and pay equity — addressing previously unbalanced standards. That means dollars, not percentages,” Canada Soccer said in a statement. The federation says there has been progress in the negotiations.

    For now, at least while FIFA’s disparities in prize money exist, getting men’s teams on board is what it will likely take for women’s teams to win equal pay, said Gina Antoniello, clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Professional Studies.

    “So how can we get that allyship? Because it’s the right thing to do. Because women’s rights are human rights,” Antoniello said. “It is, I think, a little bit of a delicate balance, to collaborate, but not be pandered to.”

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • David Beckham’s ‘status as a gay icon will be shredded’ if he continues as Qatar World Cup ambassador says British comedian | CNN

    David Beckham’s ‘status as a gay icon will be shredded’ if he continues as Qatar World Cup ambassador says British comedian | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    David Beckham’s “status as a gay icon will be shredded” if the former England captain and Manchester United star continues in his role as a Qatar World Cup ambassador said British comedian Joe Lycett on Sunday.

    In a video posted on Twitter, Lycett, a British comedian who describes himself as queer on his website, said he would donate £10,000 ($11,000) to charities supporting “queer people in football” or put the money through the shredder along with “Beckham’s reputation as a gay icon” if the former footballer did not cut ties with Qatar.

    Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy has recently told CNN that the 2022 World Cup will “be an inclusive, safe tournament” and said “everyone is welcome, regardless of race, background, religion, gender, orientation or nationality.”

    World football governing body FIFA referred CNN to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy for all comment relating to Lycett’s criticism of Beckham and Qatar.

    Beckham, contacted by CNN through his representatives, declined to comment on the criticism around his ambassadorship.

    CNN contacted the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy for comment but has not received a response.

    “Homosexuality is illegal, punishable by imprisonment and, if you’re Muslim, possibly even death,” said Lycett in an Instagram post.

    A report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) published in October documented alleged cases of beatings and sexual harassment. According to victims interviewed by Human Rights Watch, security forces allegedly forced transgender women to attend conversion therapy sessions at a behavioral healthcare center sponsored by the government.

    “Qatari authorities need to end impunity for violence against LGBT people. The world is watching,” said Rasha Younes of Human Rights Watch.

    A Qatari official told CNN that the HRW allegations “contain information that is categorically and unequivocally false.”

    World’s only openly gay active pro footballer is concerned for LGBTQ community ahead of Qatar 2022


    04:39

    – Source:
    CNN

    Lycett, however, is taking aim at Beckham.

    “You’re the first Premiership footballer to do shoots with gay magazines like Attitude, to speak openly about your gay fans,” Lycett said.

    “Now, it’s 2022. And you signed a reported £10 million ($11.7 million) deal with Qatar to be their ambassador during the FIFA World Cup.”

    Under Qatari law, homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison.

    Lycett said that Beckham has “always talked about the power of football as a force for good” and encouraged him to use his platform to campaign for LGBTQ rights.

    “If you do not, by midday next Sunday [November 20, 2022], I will throw this money into a shredder just before the opening ceremony of the World Cup and stream it live on a website I’ve registered called benderslikebeckham.com.”

    Lycett is not the first person or group to criticize Beckham for his ambassadorship. Adelaide United player Josh Cavallo, who came out as gay last year, told CNN Sport he would like to see Beckham using his platform to support the LGBTQ community instead of promoting the Qatari government.

    “If someone like David Beckham with his platform does get around us and becomes an ally that we are wanting him to be, it is really helpful.

    “If he could take that next step and show what he means to the LGBTQ community, that would be fantastic.”

    Beckham's fellow Qatar World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman told a German outlet that homosexuality is

    HRW has also recently highlighted “arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment” of LGBTQ people in Qatar.

    “There are just a few days until the World Cup kickoff, but that’s plenty of time for the Qatari government to end ill-treatment of LGBT people,” HRW said in a November press release.

    “Qatari authorities should publicly condemn violence against LGBT people and formally recognize that having same-sex sexual attraction is not a mental health condition.”

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  • Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador says homosexuality is ‘damage in the mind’ | CNN

    Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador says homosexuality is ‘damage in the mind’ | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador and former footballer Khalid Salman has said homosexuality is “damage in the mind,” in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Monday.

    The interview, filmed in Doha less than two weeks before the start of the tournament, was immediately stopped by an official from the World Cup organizing committee.

    During the interview, Salman was discussing the issue of homosexuality being illegal in Qatar.

    Salman told ZDF that being gay was “haram,” meaning forbidden according to Islamic law. “It is damage in the mind,” Salman said.

    As many people are expected to travel to Qatar for the World Cup, “let’s talk about gays,” Salman said.

    “The most important thing is, everybody will accept that they come here. But they will have to accept our rules,” he said, adding he was concerned children may learn “something that is not good.”

    Salman was a Qatari football player in the 1980s and 1990s.

    He took part in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and has been selected as one of the tournament’s host country ambassadors.

    Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 from November 20 until December 18.

    The awarding of the football tournament to Qatar has been strongly criticized due to the human rights situation in the Gulf state and the treatment of foreign workers.

    Earlier this month, football’s world governing body FIFA urged nations participating in the 2022 World Cup to focus on football when the tournament kicks off.

    FIFA confirmed to CNN that a letter signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the governing body’s secretary general Fatma Samoura was sent out to 32 nations participating in the global showpiece on Thursday but would not divulge the contents.

    “If Gianni Infantino wants the world to ‘focus on the football,’ there is a simple solution: FIFA could finally start tackling the serious human rights issues rather than brushing them under the carpet,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice.

    “A first step would be publicly committing to the establishment of a fund to compensate migrant workers before the tournament kicks off and ensuring that LGBT people do not face discrimination or harassment. It is astonishing they still have not done so.

    “Gianni Infantino is right to say that ‘football does not exist in a vacuum.’ Hundreds of thousands of workers have faced abuses to make this tournament possible and their rights cannot be forgotten or dismissed.

    The countdown clock for the World Cup during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar on December 15, 2021 in Doha.

    “They deserve justice and compensation, not empty words, and time is running out.”

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  • FIFA urges World Cup teams to focus on soccer over politics

    FIFA urges World Cup teams to focus on soccer over politics

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    GENEVA (AP) — FIFA’s top officials have urged the 32 teams preparing for the most political World Cup in the modern era to focus on the game in Qatar and avoid handing out lessons in morality.

    A letter urging teams to “let football take center stage” was sent by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura ahead of intense media focus on coaches and players when World Cup squads are announced next week.

    “Please, let’s now focus on the football!” Infantino and Samoura wrote, asking the 32 soccer federations to “not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.”

    Qatar being picked in 2010 as World Cup host sparked scrutiny on its treatment of low-paid migrant workers needed to build projects costing tens of billions of dollars and its laws criminalizing same-sex relationships.

    FIFA’s comments in defense of Qatar follows more strident targeting of critics in recent weeks by public officials, including the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as the Nov. 20 kickoff nears.

    The Emir two weeks ago denounced “fabrications and double standards” in what he has called an “unprecedented campaign” against a World Cup host nation.

    Eight European teams have committed to their captains wearing heart-shaped armbands — in breach of FIFA rules — to support an anti-discrimination campaign launched in the Netherlands, and Australia players took part in a video airing concerns about Qatar’s human rights record.

    Several coaches and federations, including the United States, have backed calls to create a compensation fund for migrant workers’ families. Denmark’s squad is taking a black team jersey as a sign of “mourning” for those who died in Qatar.

    The Dutch soccer federation pushed back at FIFA late Friday, restating its commitment to leave “lasting improvements in the situation of migrant workers in Qatar.”

    The Netherlands plays Qatar on Nov. 29 in Group A and the team’s officials pledged on Friday to press FIFA on creating a long-term resource center in Doha for migrant workers when world soccer’s 211 member federations meet hours before attending the World Cup opening game.

    Iran has also faced calls to be removed before it plays England in the second game of the World Cup on Nov. 21 in a group that also includes the U.S.

    Iranian fan groups want the federation suspended for discriminating against women, and Ukraine soccer officials asked FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup for human rights violations and supplying the Russian military with weapons.

    Infantino moved from Switzerland to live in Doha for the past year during preparations for what he has consistently said would be the best World Cup ever.

    “We know football does not live in a vacuum and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world,” the FIFA leaders wrote on Thursday in their letter that did not address or identify any specific issue.

    “At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs, without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world. One of the great strengths of the world is indeed its very diversity, and if inclusion means anything, it means having respect for that diversity.”

    Infantino and Samoura added: “No one people or culture or nation is ‘better’ than any other. This principle is the very foundation stone of mutual respect and non-discrimination. And this is also one of the core values of football.”

    They repeated long-standing promises made by Qatar, including by its Emir at the United Nations general assembly in New York in September, that all visitors to Qatar will be welcome “regardless of origin, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation or nationality.”

    In a separate in-house interview published on Friday by FIFA, Samoura acknowledged the perception of Qatar “as a conservative society, like my own country in Senegal.”

    “But let me tell you one thing — Qataris are the most hospitable people you can find on earth,” said the former U.N. official, who is also of Muslim faith.

    Frustration with the scrutiny on the first Arab host of the World Cup led at least two government ministers this week to suggest race as a motive.

    “Is such racism acceptable in Europe in the 21st century? Football belongs to everyone,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in an interview with French daily Le Monde published on Friday.

    Labor Minister Ali bin Samikh Al Marri said this week that calls to create a compensation fund for migrant workers were a “publicity stunt,” and cited a Qatari-backed scheme that had paid tens of millions of dollars.

    FIFA and Qatari officials have long insisted hosting the World Cup accelerated the modernizing of labor laws which Samoura said on Friday was accepted as a model for regional neighbors to follow.

    About 1.2 million international visitors are expected in Qatar during the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 tournament.

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sportsc

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  • Content Creation Trends We’ll See At Qatar 2022 World Cup

    Content Creation Trends We’ll See At Qatar 2022 World Cup

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    Soccer fans are counting down the days until the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. But off the pitch, content creators are busy preparing to flood social media with statistics, highlights, and graphics showing every aspect of the tournament. It’s not just Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe trying to win in Qatar; brands and sponsors will also be competing to have a successful World Cup.

    But while it provides a huge commercial opportunity, the 2022 World Cup has its unique challenges for brands looking to engage their customers. There is a need to be associated with the World Cup, while in some markets trying to avoid association with the hosts. There is a need to appeal to non-soccer fans, tuning in for the first time in four years rather than following a team every week. And there is a need to keep fans engaged once their team gets knocked out.

    Paul Every from Stats Perform says one way to keep casual fans engaged is through storytelling. Stats Perform has been using artificial intelligence to gather historical data from every World Cup since 1966. This allows them to work out statistics like the expected goals for that year’s final when England beat Germany, or how the Netherlands’ “Total Football” side of the 1970s compares to teams of today.

    From this data, Every says they’ve discovered some interesting trends, such as how the number of passes is increasing from world cup to world cup, the number of shots is decreasing, and shots are generally coming from closer to the goal.

    The use of artificial intelligence has made it easier to gather data and generate statistics. The data revolution in soccer might not be observable week-in-week-out, but the difference compared to past world cups is night-and-day due to the four-year gap between tournaments. Some metrics like expected goals were not really known a few tournaments ago, but are now commonplace.

    New metrics like line-breaking passes and pressures that lead to a turnover in possession or lead to a chance created will be seen more at Qatar 2022. Paul Every says that managers like Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have helped bring ideas like pressing to Premier League fans, but now it can be quantified more and used to create narratives.

    He also says the changes in the way fans consume content mean that speed is of the essence, especially with so many content creators all competing for eyeballs. “Snackable” content is a must, and programs that can use data to create graphics in seconds mean that content will be coming out almost live.

    More and more fans these days follow players rather than teams. This could be content creators’ secret weapon to keep fans engaged should their country get knocked out early. The ability to use AI to compare Lionel Messi to past greats like Diego Maradona, for example, makes it even easier to create narratives around the superstars of today.

    Gamification of soccer content, from fantasy World Cup games to competitions like OPTA Million, where fans predict where each team will finish, will also be used by brands to keep fans engaged.

    Everyone has their own predictions about who will win the World Cup. Stats Perform have built their own prediction engine, using OPTA’s artificial intelligence technology, to work out live how the odds of winning the World Cup change with every goal, from the very first group-stage game until Harry Kane’s winning penalty for England in the final.

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    Steve Price, Senior Contributor

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  • South Korea star Son Heung-Min suffers fractured eye and faces race to be fit for World Cup | CNN

    South Korea star Son Heung-Min suffers fractured eye and faces race to be fit for World Cup | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Son Heung-Min’s hopes of playing at the World Cup later this month are in doubt after Tottenham confirmed the South Korean star will need surgery on a fracture around his left eye.

    The 30-year-old suffered the injury during Tottenham’s Champions League win against Marseille on Tuesday and now faces a race to be fit for Qatar 2022 which starts on November 20.

    Son was caught in the face when challenging for a header with Chancel Mbemba and was treated on the pitch during a lengthy delay to the game.

    He was then helped off the pitch by the club’s medical staff but looked very disoriented as he did so.

    Tottenham went on to win the game 2-1 to secure top spot in the group and progression into the knockout stages of the competition.

    “We can confirm that Heung-Min Son will undergo surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye,” Tottenham said in a statement on Wednesday.

    “Following surgery, Son will commence rehabilitation with our medical staff and we shall update supporters further in due course.”

    The club stopped short of giving a time frame for Son’s return but there is precedent for players returning from such an injury within three weeks.

    Kevin De Bruyne suffered a fractured eye while playing for Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final and was back playing for Belgium at the European Championships within 21 days.

    South Korea begins its World Cup campaign against Uruguay on November 24 and will be desperate for its captain and best player to be fit in time.

    A host of other stars are also racing to be fit for the tournament in Qatar.

    England’s Ben Chilwell limped off the pitch with an apparent hamstring injury during Chelsea’s Champions League win against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday but the extent of the damage is not yet clear.

    It comes shortly after Paul Pogba’s agent confirmed he would miss the tournament through injury.

    The midfielder’s France teammate Raphael Varane is also a doubt after limping off in tears during Manchester United’s draw against Chelsea last month.

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  • Most Fans Won’t Be Watching Qatar 2022 World Cup At Pubs Or On Big Screens: Survey

    Most Fans Won’t Be Watching Qatar 2022 World Cup At Pubs Or On Big Screens: Survey

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    The World Cup may be a time for fans around the globe to watch games together and enjoy the “World Cup atmosphere”, but many people say they don’t intend to watch this winter’s World Cup, and most of those who are watching Qatar 2022 will be doing so from the comfort of their armchairs.

    Footage of fans watching matches on a big screen or at fan parks have been a feature of recent World Cups. FIFA has a few official fan parks around the world, and this year is holding official FIFA fan festivals in Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Dubai and London as well as in Qatar. Other big screens will be set up around the world, but they could be quieter this year than at previous tournaments.

    More than half of the UK population watched England’s loss to Italy in the final of the UEFA 2020 European Championships, but a consumer survey by adtech company LoopMe found that only 29% of respondents in the UK intend to watch the World Cup.

    The survey of more than 4,429 British consumers also found that 84% of those planning to watch the tournament planned to do so from home. Just 8% said they would watch games at a pub or similar venue.

    The cold weather might put some people off watching games at an outdoor screen this year. Usually in Seoul, for example, thousands of people watch South Korea’s games on outdoor screens around the city, but with temperatures there during the late-night kickoffs likely dropping to around freezing, watching outside is probably a less attractive option than usual.

    In the UK though, only 4% of those planning to watch the games at home said cold weather was the reason behind their decision. 25% of respondents though did say they preferred a summer world cup because of the weather, with 17% saying they were unhappy with the winter world cup interfering with other sports schedules.

    The cost-of-living crisis also only appears to be a minor factor behind British consumers staying home to watch the World Cup, with just 14% saying they were watching at home due to costs. Rather 58% of those watching at home said they planned to do so simply because it was more comfortable.

    The World Cup is less popular among consumers in the United States and in Singapore, with just 10% of U.S. respondents and 26% in Singapore saying they plan to watch the tournament.

    But they were more likely than UK respondents to get out of the house to watch the games.

    While 84% of UK respondents are planning to stay home, just 76% of respondents in the States and 68% of those in Singapore were going to watch the games from the comfort of their armchairs.

    The survey also found that 16% of U.S. respondents watching the tournament were planning to invite friends over to watch the games, while 30% of those in Singapore planned to have friends over. 4% of respondents from Singapore plan to watch the game at an outdoor screen, twice that of the U.S.

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    Steve Price, Senior Contributor

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  • Group of prominent Iranian sports figures calls on FIFA to ban Iranian Football Federation from World Cup | CNN

    Group of prominent Iranian sports figures calls on FIFA to ban Iranian Football Federation from World Cup | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A law firm has sent a letter to FIFA on behalf of a group of former and current Iranian sports figures urging football’s governing body to suspend the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) and ban it from participating at this year’s World Cup in Qatar.

    “Iran’s brutality and belligerence towards its own people has reached a tipping point, demanding an unequivocal and firm disassociation from the footballing and sports world,” a press released issued alongside the letter reads.

    “FIFA’s historical abstinence from political quagmires has often only been tolerated when those situations do not metastasize into the footballing sphere … Football, which should be a safe place for everyone, is not a safe space for women or even men.

    “Women have been consistently denied access to stadia across the country and systematically excluded from the football ecosystem in Iran, which sharply contrasts with FIFA’s values and statutes.”

    The letter says the actions of Iran’s football federation violate FIFA statues and regulations.

    CNN has contacted FIFA and the FFIRI for comment.

    In September, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after she was detained by the country’s morality police for apparently not wearing her hijab properly. Iranian authorities have since unleashed a brutal crackdown on demonstrators, who have united around a range of grievances with the country’s authoritarian regime.

    The letter sent by the Spanish law firm Ruiz-Huerta and Crespo is signed by, among others, Ali Karimi and Mehdi Mahdavikia – former captains of Iran’s national team – and former national team members Mehrdad Pooladi and Behshad Yavarzadeh.

    The World Cup takes place from November 20 to December 18. Iran faces England in its first match of football’s flagship event on November 21, followed by a game against Wales on November 25. The nation is also set to face the United States in its third and final group stage match on November 29.

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  • World Cup ticket sales top 90% of stadium capacity in Qatar

    World Cup ticket sales top 90% of stadium capacity in Qatar

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    DOHA, Qatar — Nearly 2.9 million tickets have been sold for the World Cup in Qatar, FIFA and organizers said Monday, leaving about 7% of seats still available.

    People living in the United States, Saudi Arabia and England topped the list of international ticket buyers, while Mexico was the biggest market outside Qatar for corporate hospitality sales.

    More tickets will become available before the tournament starts on Nov. 20, FIFA’s tournament director Colin Smith said at a news conference in Doha held with Qatari organizers.

    Tickets can typically become available late because stakeholders such as sponsors and FIFA member federations return them from their quotas.

    About 1.2 million international visitors are expected in Qatar for the 29-day tournament with extra accommodation still being added to avoid a shortage of rooms in the tiny emirate.

    Qatari officials said 2 million separate room nights have already been sold to fans — in hotels, apartments, cruise ships and some camping sites — with 30,000 room options now added to the capacity.

    Those new rooms added a total capacity of about 1 million room nights, said Yasir Al Jamal, director general of the Qatari organizing committee.

    Extra capacity was added last week with the hiring of a third, 1,075-cabin cruise ship to dock in Doha port as a floating hotel. Prices started at $470 each night during the opening two weeks when all 32 teams are still involved.

    Though 420,000 people worldwide applied to be a tournament volunteer working in Qatar, only 20,000 have been chosen, organizers said. A total of 11%, about 2,200 people, will come from abroad and 89% are from Qatar.

    Organizers said an innovation for this World Cup will be a central base for consular services with 45 countries represented by their embassy staff, in an exhibition hall in the downtown West Bay area.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • FIFA won’t sanction Indonesia over fatal crush, Widodo says

    FIFA won’t sanction Indonesia over fatal crush, Widodo says

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    JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s president said the country will not face sanctions from soccer’s world governing body after the firing of tear gas inside a half-locked stadium caused a crush at the exits, killing 131 people, including 17 children.

    Joko Widodo said FIFA President Giani Infantino wrote in a letter to him about potential collaborations between Indonesia and FIFA and the country will remain the host of next year’s U-20 World Cup joined by 24 countries from five continents.

    “Based on the letter, thank God, Indonesian is not sanctioned by FIFA,” Widodo said in a video posted on the presidential office’s YouTube channel late Friday.

    In its security protocols, FIFA advises against the use of tear gas in or around stadiums and recommends exit gates be unlocked at all times during a game. While those rules are considered a safety standard, they don’t apply to domestic or national leagues and FIFA has no authority over how local governments and police control crowds.

    Widodo toured the Kanjuruhan soccer stadium in Malang city on Wednesday and said several locked gates had contributed to the disaster that followed a league game between host Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya on Oct. 1. The national police chief on Thursday said the stadium did not have a proper operating certificate and criminal charges would be brought against six people, including three police officers.

    Indonesia’s national soccer association, known locally as PSSI, has long struggled to manage the game domestically.

    Gaining the right to host next year’s Under-20 World Cup was a major milestone in Indonesia’s soccer development, raising hopes that a successful tournament would turn around longstanding problems that have blighted the sport in the nation, home to more than 277 million people.

    The deadly crush at is a tragic reminder, however, that Indonesia is one of the most dangerous countries in which to attend a game.

    Since last week, the domestic league has been suspended. Widodo has ordered the sports minister, the national police chief and the soccer federation to conduct a thorough investigation into the deadly stadium crush.

    He said on Friday that Indonesian government has agreed to take collaborative measures with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to improve stadium safety to prevent another tragedy.

    “FIFA, together with the government will set a transformation team for Indonesian ,” Widodo said, adding that Infantino would also to visit Indonesia in the near future.

    He said that FIFA will be based in Indonesia during these processes to improve safety standards at all football stadiums across the country, formulate security procedures and protocols for the police based on international standards, take feedback from Indonesian football clubs and fans, regulate season calendar under risk-based considerations as well as to involve experts from various fields for advice.

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  • Spain stuns Portugal with late goal to reach Nations League finals | CNN

    Spain stuns Portugal with late goal to reach Nations League finals | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Spain secured a dramatic, late victory against Portugal to qualify for next year’s Nations League finals.

    Portugal had looked more likely to take the lead throughout Tuesday’s match in Braga, but Álvaro Morata’s goal with two minutes remaining handed Spain an unlikely victory – the country’s first win in Portugal since 2003.

    The 1-0 scoreline means La Roja narrowly topped Group A2 on 11 points – one ahead of Portugal and two ahead of Switzerland – and joins Croatia, Italy and the Netherlands in the finals.

    Portugal, needing only a draw to the top the group, came close in the first half when Diogo Jota was denied by a strong save from Unai Simón.

    The goalkeeper then denied Cristiano Ronaldo, who was put through on goal by Jota’s pass, from close range at the start of the second half before Rúben Dias saw his shot cleared over the bar by Dani Carvajal.

    As the match entered its closing stages and a draw seemed the likeliest result, substitute Nico Williams headed across goal and into the path of Morata, who hooked a shot into the open net to spark jubilant celebrations among the Spanish players and coaching staff.

    Portugal had one more chance to level and return to the top of the group, but Ronaldo once again had a shot blocked by the legs of Simón.

    “If we were knocked out, it had to be by leaving everything on the field and that’s how it was one more time for us,” Atlético Madrid’s Morata told reporters after the game, according to Reuters.

    “Every time that Spain have to show up in big games, we do it. That’s how we do it and tonight we did it again.”

    A surprise 2-1 defeat at home against Switzerland on Saturday seemed to have put qualifying for the Nations League finals out of reach for Spain before Morata’s late goal.

    The finals take place in June next year with the host country chosen in January.

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