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FIFA revenue expected to break records

Coming back to FIFA World Cup 2022, a total of 32 teams from five confederations are competing in Qatar. As many as 64 matches will be played during the course of 29 days…reports Asian Lite News

With the formal kicking off of the once-in-a-four-year and much-awaited FIFA World Cup, football fever has gripped all across the globe.

The biggest extravaganza of football started on November 20 in Qatar and will be held till December 18. Eight stadiums across Qatar will be hosting the 64 matches of this showpiece event.

As global audiences set the stage for memorable sporting achievements on the field, off the field there are commercial and reputational opportunities across the entire technology, media and telecommunications sector, according to a new analysis by global financial information and analytics services provider S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Based on its analysis, it pegged that Qatar is expected to generate USD 6.5 billion, surpassing all previous tournaments and at four times the figure seen in Korea and Japan in 2002.

The federation FIFA operates as custodian of the game, with all income distributed back into the sport. Expenses consist of event-related costs, development payments to member nations, governance and other administration costs. During the 2018 football world cup in Russia, revenue worth USD 5.2 billion was generated, it said in its analysis report.

“Analysis of the last complete four-year World Cup cycle that led up to Russia 2018 shows that just under half of FIFA revenue came from broadcasting rights fees,” it said in the report.

“An additional 26 per cent came from marketing rights with sponsors signing contracts to associate with the event. Hospitality and ticket sales brought 11 per cent, illustrating that media exposure and a global affinity with the sport drive overall revenue,” it said.

Notably, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be the first time the event has taken place during the fourth quarter of a calendar year. The scheduling was reported to be due to the extreme weather conditions in Qatar during June and July, the months in which the tournament is typically held.

“This delayed scheduling means that matches will be taking place within the most lucrative TV advertising period of the year,” the S&P Global Market Intelligence report said.

Coming back to FIFA World Cup 2022, a total of 32 teams from five confederations are competing in Qatar. As many as 64 matches will be played during the course of 29 days.

The teams are hosts Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, the Netherlands, England, Iran, USA, Wales, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland, France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia, Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Morocco, and Croatia, Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon, Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.

Notably, the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament is the last with 32 participating teams, as the field will increase to 48 teams when Canada, Mexico and the United States will host the 2026 tournament.

France is the defending champion, having won their second title in 2018 after defeating Croatia in the final.

Most notably, it is likely the last World Cup tournament for Lionel Messi, the Argentina striker – who is considered one of the greatest ever footballers of all time. It is also highly likely that 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo will don the Portuguese colours for one final time.

This marks the first time the Middle East is hosting the event. It is also the first time the World Cup is being held outside the typical June-July window, in order to avoid the desert heat during the summers in Qatar. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Hosts Qatar lose on field

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Nora to perform at FIFA Fan Festival

Nora Fatehi.

She became the first Arab African female artist to reach 1 billion views on a single YouTube unit with her well-known song Dilbar…reports Asian Lite News

Nora Fatehi, Bollywood actor and dancing prodigy, will perform live on November 29 at the FIFA Fan Festival alongside other international celebrities. A true football festival will take place over the course of 29 days, bringing together football, music, culture, and lifestyle for fans from all over the world.

Al Bidda Park, which is in the heart of Doha, will host the free access festival. There will be 100 hours of live music, 64 big-screen FIFA World CupTM matches, special football matches with FIFA Legends and culinary delights. Three zones make up the Fan Festival: Live, Food, and Play.

Nora Fatehi is the most well-known Arab artist in the world on Instagram, with 43 million followers as of today. More than 7 billion people have seen her featured YouTube videos overall. She became the first Arab African female artist to reach 1 billion views on a single YouTube unit with her well-known song Dilbar. She made her singing debut in 2018, working with the Moroccan band Fnaire to produce and perform the Arabic version of Dilbar, which helped her build a sizable Arab fan base.

Keep an eye out for incredible experiences and performances!

ALSO READ-England kicks off campaign with thumping 6-2 win over Iran

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FIFA, a distant dream for Blue Tigers

The Blue Tigers perhaps enjoyed their golden years from late 1940s to late 1960s — during which they participated in four Olympics and won the gold twice in Asian Games. Since 1970, the Indian team has seen a steady decline in performance…writes Ishwar Nath Jha

With just a day left before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar (Nov 20 to Dec 18), the 32 best footballing nations are engaged in their final preparations, while their countrymen are praying for their teams to lift the prestigious trophy.

Like elsewhere, football fever has gripped India too with a majority rooting for all-time favourites Brazil, while the remaining seem to be divided between holders France and Lionel Messi-led Argentina.

When there is so much enthusiasm for the sport in India, the big question is: Why can’t a country that has started producing Olympic champions qualify for the football World Cup?

Every time a World Cup takes place after four years, Indian fans have precisely one question — when will India play in the game’s showpiece event?

And the answer is always the same — given the standard of the game back home, India will never play in the World Cup.

Maybe Indian football can benefit if the truth that is hidden behind this brazen answer is brought out.

Indian football officials probably do not allow this truth to come out. Even those who are critical of the plight of Indian football agree that the level of the game in the country is way behind world standards. Our players neither have that kind of skill, nor the fitness to compete in the spot’s mega event.

The Blue Tigers perhaps enjoyed their golden years from late 1940s to late 1960s — during which they participated in four Olympics and won the gold twice in Asian Games. Since 1970, the Indian team has seen a steady decline in performance.

What should be done?

With Kalyan Chaubey taking charge as the President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), there is a lot of talk about the roadmap for Indian football. After becoming the President, Chaubey during his first press conference gave an outline for the development of the sport in India.

On completion of 100 days in office, Chaubey told a group of journalists, “We will work to the best of our abilities to make it (roadmap) a success. Our aim would be to ensure that the state associations benefit from the infrastructural support of the Central government as well as the state governments. We also have plans to introduce more tournaments. If we can restart the U-21 national championship, it will benefit the India U-21 team.

“A uniform youth league will be introduced to get the best out of it. Former footballers in every state, maybe those who have played for more than a decade, would be roped in. Their expertise can be used as scouts in youth tournaments.”

At present, only a few states like West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, northeastern states and Delhi have their own leagues in different categories. There is hardly any such league football in big states like Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

How ISL and I-League are helping Indian football

The initial phase of the Indian Super League (ISL) saw big names of world football playing in it, including Robert Pires, Alessandro Del Piero, Roberto Carlos, David Trezeguet and Diego Forlan. But the critics of Indian football said that the national team is not going to get any benefit from the presence of superstars of yesteryears in the league.

Most of these foreign players were at the end of their careers and stayed here for relatively brief spells, but their presence set the base for Indian football. The signings of players like Tim Cahill, Asamoh Gyan and Francis Medina Luna added to the elite list of professional footballers to challenge themselves in India before retiring from the international stage.

Indian players have certainly benefited from the presence of these world-class professionals.

The journey from 2010 to 2020 has been one of the great changes for the national team. When there is a goal and an intention, the possibilities multiply enormously.

But, is this enough for the Indian team to play in the World Cup? Certainly not.

The Indian team is ranked 106th in FIFA rankings released on October 6. The Blue Tigers, who have qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, last played two international friendlies in September. They drew 1-1 with Singapore and lost 0-3 to Vietnam. The last time the Blue Tigers were ranked 106th was in March 2022.

The road to the 2022 Qatar World Cup also fell flat as the Indian team finished third in the campaign behind Qatar and Oman, which was also the joint qualifier for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Budding footballers often ask why India do not play in the World Cup. Their curiosity has increased a lot ever since they saw Sunil Chhetri’s picture with great players like Messi and Ronaldo. How to tell them that we still have a long, long way to go?

ALSO READ-Hosts Qatar lose on field

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Hosts Qatar lose on field

Fenerbahce forward Enner Valencia scored two first-half goals as World Cup debutants Qatar became the first host team to lose the opening match of football’s showpiece tournament…reports Asian Lite News

Ecuador manager Gustavo Alfaro said he was happy but not “totally satisfied” with his team’s 2-0 victory over hosts Qatar in their opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Sunday.

“The most important thing today was to win. I’m not totally satisfied because we know there are a lot of things we can improve, but we are all learning, including me,” the Argentine coach told a post-match press conference at the Al Bayt Stadium.

“It’s a great victory. All games in the World Cup are difficult but the opening match against the tournament hosts involves more tension. We didn’t know how our level would be because there was little time to prepare. We only had four days to get ready for this game. Added to that was the fact it was the opening match of the World Cup, and this is a young team,” he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Alfaro said his players needed to raise their game to another level in their remaining group-stage matches against Senegal and the Netherlands.

“Today we took an important step but it’s not decisive. There are teams that have won their first match of the World Cup and not advanced (to the knockout stage). But having said all of that, this victory is important and it will give us confidence.

“We were good in this match but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. We are in a period of construction. We know that what we achieved in the (South America zone) qualifiers isn’t enough. Here we are up against the best teams in the world. The times are short between each game.”

Playing in their fourth World Cup, Ecuador’s best ever finish in the tournament was a round of 16 appearance against England in 2006, which they lost after a trademark David Beckham free-kick.

“We have big hopes but it’s hard to say how much we can advance in the tournament. It will depend on how much we are able to improve and incorporate aspects to our game that we need to get better,” Alfaro added.

Meanwhile, Qatar manager Felix Sanchez admitted his team suffered from an attack of nerves during their 2-0 defeat to Ecuador.

Fenerbahce forward Enner Valencia scored two first-half goals as World Cup debutants Qatar became the first host team to lose the opening match of football’s showpiece tournament.

“Nerves got the better of us,” Sanchez told a post-match press conference. “We competed well but it’s a World Cup and we were playing in it for the first time. In front of our fans we weren’t able to be at the level we would have liked after a bad start.”

Sanchez vowed he and his backroom staff would analyze what went wrong and make any necessary changes ahead of their next match against Senegal on Friday.

“It wasn’t the game we’d hoped for,” he said. “We have to analyze the match and try to prepare for the next one, which will be as tough or even tougher than this one. We will look at how we can be more effective with the players we have available.”

“We have to congratulate our opponents. They were deserving winners. We can improve a lot and we know we haven’t shown our maximum level. Nerves got the better of us early. We started badly and that hurt us. We have to handle the pressure better and be more competitive in our next matches.”

The Spaniard, who has been Qatar’s manager since 2017, added: “We lacked precision at key moments and we weren’t able to string more than four passes together.

“We were also poor in transitions. When you play at this level if you make a mistake, you get punished. We will try to be stronger and more compact in our next match. We know that we have to move the ball faster and pass the ball better to be effective against teams in this competition.”

ALSO READ-Dreamy opening to FIFA World Cup with BTS’ Jungkook

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Dreamy opening to FIFA World Cup with BTS’ Jungkook

Legendary American actor said football unites nations. “Football spans the world, unites nations in their love of the beautiful game. What brings together nations, brings together communities,” said Freeman…reports Asian Lite News

One of the most popular faces in Hollywood Morgan Freeman and South Korean singer BTS’ Jung Kook stole the limelight during a glittering opening of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Al Bayt Stadium here on Sunday.

One of the non-musical performers was American actor Morgan Freeman. The 85-year-old narrated the event live and delivered a speech about the “emotions that connect us all now”. It spanned around 20 minutes and kept the audience all around the world glued to their screens.

Legendary American actor said football unites nations. “Football spans the world, unites nations in their love of the beautiful game. What brings together nations, brings together communities,” said Freeman.

However, besides Freedman, the real star of the nearly hour-long ceremony had to be BTS’ Jung Kook laying down his new tune “Dreamers” for the 60,000-capacity stadium. Surrounded by dancers, the international superstar and South Korean supporter set the standard for World Cup opening ceremonies to come.

The stadium was also packed as the glitz and glamour of the ceremony caught all the limelight. Some of the superstars of the world performed.

Among the famous faces in the crowd was former England captain David Beckham, who has been working as an ambassador for Qatar 2022.

One of the most colourful elements of the show was an appearance by all former World Cup mascots, including South Africa’s Zakumi and Footix from France 1998.

After the performances, His Highness The Amit, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani gave a speech.

“Welcome and good luck to all,” he said in English. His speech was followed by loud cheers by the crowd.

ALSO READ-Messi, Ronaldo first-ever joint ad pic break internet

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Qatar fuels Arab pride

Festive spirit bubbles over despite beer ban and other controversies. The Union of Arab Chambers, which is the official representative of the Arab private sector, has affirmed that organizing the FIFA World Cup 2022 by the State of Qatar is a source of pride for all the people of the Arab region…reports Asian Lite News

Football, fans and flags. These three words embody Qatar as a large number of international fans, expatriates and Qataris soak in the festive spirit of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 just more than 24 hours ahead of the grand event that begins on Sunday.

Groups of men and women carrying flags and in colourful jerseys could be seen around fan zones and places hosting festivities on Friday, the last weekend ahead of the tournament. The cyan and white jerseys of Argentina and the yellow and green of the Brazil squad have been the dominating colours as football revellers celebrate on Doha streets.

“We are lucky to be living in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup as so many fans from all over the world have converged here for the tournament,” said Mohammed Shahid, an Indian from Kerala who was dressed in a Brazil national team jersey at the Lusail Boulevard, which has been done up with flags and lights for the World Cup.

Enquiries at supermarkets and other stores selling flags and jerseys revealed that the offtake for Brazil jerseys and flags has been the highest. Amna Siddiqui, a girl from the Indian state of Karnataka, was found pleading with her father at a supermarket in Al Wakra to buy her the Brazilian standard.

“I have finally decided to yield to her badgering,” said her amused father as the 10-year-old Brazil fan emerged victorious from the shop located some 15 km from Doha.

The convivial spirit of the World Cup seems to have outshone a slew of allegations by international news outlets, especially those belonging to Western nations. A number of articles in international media have pointed the finger at Qatar, alleging human rights violations and abuse of workers’ rights as the country built eight advanced stadiums for the World Cup. Qatar denies the allegations and has pushed back against criticism.

The sale of alcoholic drinks at the World Cup has been hotly discussed in Western newspapers, with some criticising the price of beer to be sold as exorbitant. Until a few weeks before the tournament, it was still seemingly unclear if alcohol will be sold at match venues and fan zones in the conservative Muslim country where the sale of liquor is strictly regulated.

FIFA ended the speculation on Friday when it announced a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages near the eight stadiums where World Cup matches will be played in Qatar.

In a statement on its website, the world football body said: “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 perimeters.”

The announcement implies that alcohol will be sold at FIFA Fan Festivals, which will be held in designated places in the country where thousands of fans will congregate to watch matches on giant screens.

“…FIFA will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans,” the world football body’s statement added.

 ARAB PRIDE

The Union of Arab Chambers, which is the official representative of the Arab private sector, has affirmed that organizing the FIFA World Cup 2022 by the State of Qatar is a source of pride for all the people of the Arab region.

This was revealed at the closing statement of the 133rd board of directors meeting of the Union of Arab Chambers (UAC) held recently in the State of Kuwait.
The “Kuwait Summit for the Private Sector” statement also stressed that the World Cup opened broad horizons for Arab companies to implement more projects and gain more expertise.

HE Chairman of Qatar Chamber Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani led the Chambers delegation participating in the meeting which touched on many topics, including enhancing mutual investments between Arab countries and the most prominent obstacles facing the intra-Arab trade, in addition to upgrades in the global trade and opportunities available for Arab economies.

During the meeting, Their Excellencies the heads of unions and Arab chambers and members of the delegations praised Qatar’s organization of this tournament, assuring that it is a championship for all Arabs and that its economic gains would exceed all expectations.

The statement also called on Arab governments to achieve the four freedoms that enhance Arab economic integration, which are the freedom of movement of individuals, freedom of movement of capital, freedom of movement of goods, as well as the freedom of transfer of services by accelerating the adoption of the Agreement on Liberalization of Trade in Services among the Arab Countries.

The establishment of Arab value and supply chains through Arab ports and sea lines and logistics centers, and providing support for the multimodal transport, as well as the establishment of an Arab commodity exchange were among recommendations.

The meeting also stressed on encouraging the private sector to play its societal role in developing and supporting education, training, and entrepreneurship to create productive generations that keep pace with developments, with a focus on youth entrepreneurs.

It further called for empowering womens participation in economic activity, activating the PPP in all economic sectors, and activating the role of banks and funds Arab development in support of investments.

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The greatest show on earth begins

Qatar 2022: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan unveiled to the world in spectacular launch.

A top-of-the-table finish in Group G would likely see them face Uruguay in the Round of 16 with probably Germany in the quarterfinal…reports Asian Lite News

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar kicks-off today with the host nation kicking off the campaign against Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday.

Brazil are currently ranked No. 1 in FIFA Rankings and is the favourite to lift the trophy. It’s been two decades since they got their hands on the most prestigious prize in world football. Brazil had last won the World Cup in 2002 when it was hosted by Japan and Korea, beating Germany 2-0 in the final.

The Selecao are on a 15-match unbeaten run entering the World Cup, dating to their last loss at the Copa America final against Argentina. Neymar continues to show his dominant performance for Paris Saint-Germain with 11 goals and nine assists in Ligue 1.

After a disappointing end to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil due to injury, Neymar had a point to prove in Russia in 2018. However, things didn’t go down well for the forward as they crashed out in the quarterfinal against Belgium. The 2022 World Cup is some sort of redemption for the PSG player as some call it ‘Neymar’s year’.

The odds favour Brazil to clear the group on top with Switzerland and Serbia following suit. It wouldn’t be a shocker if they come out with three perfect wins in the group stage. The odds suggest that Cameroon would finish last in Group G.

As they are clear favourites to win the group, they are also in contention to glide through the knockout stage. They haven’t failed to qualify for the knockout stages since 1982, played in three finals and won two titles since then (1994 and 2002).

A top-of-the-table finish in Group G would likely see them face Uruguay in the Round of 16 with probably Germany in the quarterfinal. However, the World Cup is always full of surprises and anything can happen on the big stage.

Coach Tite has selected a strong side for the World Cup with the veteran Thiago Silva leading the line. They have two exceptional goalkeepers in Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and Manchester City’s Ederson. Casemiro and Fred provide a strong pivot in the middle of the park as Casemiro works as a sweeper and a touch to perfection in retaining possession.

In the front line, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli are in impressive form under Mikel Arteta in Arsenal. Vinicius Junior will be coming off the bench but the 22-year-old has been a force for European Champions Real Madrid in their run to the La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles last season.

WIth such depth and young players in form for the yellow army, Brazil have a shot at the World Cup and for Neymar to lift the trophy for the first time, and also his last as he suggests it to be the final World Cup before he hangs his boots.

‘Brazil win not guaranteed’

Dr Joshua Bull, an Oxford mathematician at the University’s Mathematical Institute, has done a modelling, which forecasts the likelihood of a Brazil victory in the FIFA World Cup finals stating today in Qatar.

Sharing his modelling, Dr Bull said: “So this is, you know, my prediction, my future in sports modelling on the line. And my model is basically saying that Brazil are definitely looking most likely to win, but by no means guaranteed.”

Describing himself as a ‘non-football expert’, Dr Bull uses what is called an xG tool, which is popular in football modelling circles. He has simulated every game in the tournament — the first ever winter World Cup in football — to arrive at a conclusion.

He calculates from predicted xGs for teams in a match to a likely score of the match by using what he described as ‘a Poisson distribution’. He also falls back on current ratings of teams as listed in eloratings.net.

Having gone through the modelling process match by match, he projects a Brazil versus Argentina final, with the former beating the Netherlands and the latter defeating France in the semifinals.

Dr Bull’s four other quarterfinalists are Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Denmark in the beautiful game’s greatest show on earth.

Four things to look out for in opener

The long wait for the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East is over as hosts Qatar and Ecuador prepare to raise the curtain on the 2022 edition of football’s biggest international tournament. Here are four things to look out for in Sunday’s match at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

ALMOEZ ALI THREAT

Almoez Ali has shown a penchant for performing well when it matters most. The 26-year-old striker was the top scorer at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, in which Qatar participated as tournament guests, with four goals in five games.

ALFARO IMPACT

Since replacing Jordi Cruyff as Ecuador’s boss in August 2020, Gustavo Alfaro has transformed a promising but erratic squad into one of South America’s most feared national teams.

An impressive World Cup qualifying campaign saw them finish fourth in the South American group, behind only Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and above teams of the caliber of Chile, Peru and Paraguay.

ECUADOR’S DEFENCE

Led by Bayer Leverkusen center-back Piero Hincapie and Brighton left-back Pervis Estupinan, Ecuador boasts one of the tournament’s most solid defences.

Ecuador conceded just 19 goals in 18 qualifiers and have kept clean sheets in each of their past five games.

ALSO READ-‘FIFA WC 2022 to change the perceptions’

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Lal’s musical tribute to FIFA World Cup

Mohanlal comes up with a musical tribute to FIFA Football World Cup

Sources say that Mohanlal will be in Qatar for the launch of the music video…reports Asian Lite News

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has come up with a musical tribute to the FIFA Football World Cup, which is scheduled to begin later this year in Qatar.

Aashirvad Cinemas, the production house producing actor Mohanlal’s first directorial venture ‘Barroz’, on Sunday made this announcement.

Taking to social media, the production house tweeted: “Releasing this October 30th 2022, from the people of God’s own country, a musical tribute for the Fifa Football World Cup 2022. All for football. Football for all.”

The song, which is to be released on Sunday, has been sung by Mohanlal himself. The musical video has been directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar while music for the tribute has been scored by Hesham Abdul Wahab.

Sources say that Mohanlal will be in Qatar for the launch of the music video.

ALSO READ-Mohanlal’s ‘Barroz’ first look poster out

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‘2022 FIFA World Cup will be Messi’s last’

The 35-year-old said that Argentina are always considered a candidate to win the trophy as they have a rich history…reports Asian Lite News

One of the most prolific footballers in the world, Lionel Messi has reportedly said that this year’s quadrangular tournament in Qatar will be the final World Cup of his career.

The 35-year-old announced the news on his future with the Argentina national team on Thursday. Messi is set to play in his fifth World Cup in Qatar – he has scored six goals in the previous four editions of the tournament.

“This will be my last World Cup – for sure. The decision has been made,” he told Argentine journalist Sebastian Vignolo.

Messi led Argentina to Copa America Trophy in 2021 after 28 years and the South American giants are one of the favourites to win the Qatar World Cup.

The 35-year-old said that Argentina are always considered a candidate to win the trophy as they have a rich history.

“I don’t know if we are the favourite candidates, but Argentina is always a candidate because of history, because of what it means,” he said.

Four of those came in 2014 when the PSG star led Argentina to the final where they were beaten 1-0 by Germany after extra-time.

He may have missed out on winning silverware with his country then, but he finally got his hands on an international trophy when he lifted the Copa America last year in Brazil.

Messi’s record for Argentina stands at 90 goals in 164 games, making him the third-highest goalscorer ever in men’s international football behind Cristiano Ronaldo (117) and Iran’s Ali Daei (109).

Messi announced his retirement from international football in 2016 after losing in the Copa America final against Chile, but he quickly reversed his decision and has remained the captain of the team ever since.

The PSG forward has been in great form this year with both club and country. Argentina are currently enjoying a 35-game unbeaten streak which started way back in 2019.

ALSO READ-Indian Super League to kick off on Oct 7

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Turkey to deploy troops to secure FIFA World Cup

Ankara : Turkish Parliament ratifies motion on launching cross-border operations in Iraq, Syria.(Xinhua/IANS)

The operation aims to “take necessary measures against various threats, especially terrorism, which may affect the security of the event…said official…reports Asian Lite News

The Turkish parliament has approved a motion on sending troops to Qatar to provide security assistance during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“Upon request from Qatar, a motion was submitted to parliament on Saturday to deploy soldiers in the country for six months to provide security during the football tournament in November,” the parliament said in a statement on Wednesday.

The operation aims to “take necessary measures against various threats, especially terrorism, which may affect the security of the event,” it added.

In addition to Turkey, the US, France, Britain, Italy and Pakistan will also provide security assistance during the World Cup in Qatar, according to Turkish media reports.

The reports said Qatar faces a shortage of security personnel as it gears up for the month-long FIFA football tournament, Xinhua news agency reported.

ALSO READ: Pakistan replaces Turkey in Qatar’s strategic calculus