Anil John

Despite being grouped with teams that feature regularly in the regional tournaments, Felix Sanchez said Qatar won’t have it easy in the FIFA Arab Cup to be held in December this year.

The FIFA Arab Cup 2021 in December this year will be a great opportunity to unite the Arab World through football besides testing Qatar’s operational readiness for the prestigious FIFA World Cup in 2022, the game’s global chief Gianni Infantino said on Tuesday.

“Europeans are the best” in football and therefore the Qatar team stand to gain a lot by playing as a guest team in the European qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said yesterday.

Guangzhou Evergrande and Suwon Samsung Bluewings scrapped their way to a goalless draw in their Asian Champions League clash between two former champions here yesterday.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has applauded Qatar’s “strong and continued commitment” to hosting an “unforgettable” World Cup in 2022 as the country today celebrates the start of the two-year countdown to the quadrennial football showpiece.

Qatar’s wealth of experience as a host of major international events, its state-of-the-art infrastructure and its impressive sustainability and legacy initiatives should make Doha the clear favourite in the race to host the Asian Games in 2030.

Nasser al-Attiyah reckons he would most probably be donning an ambassadorial role if Qatar gets to host the Asian Games in 2030 for which Doha is competing with Riyadh.

The 2020-21 QNB Stars League begins today – a week after the previous season ended – as sport continues to adapt to a changed world order forced upon it by the coronavirus pandemic.