The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday – and it’s set to be the most controversial in the tournament’s history.
Concerns about corruption, migrant worker deaths and the country’s attitude towards LGBT+ fans have dogged the event before a ball has even been kicked.
And the timing of the tournament – with the final taking place a week before Christmas instead of the summer – has ensured it will be a World Cup like no other.
Here, Sky News looks at nine stories to watch out for at the event as the biggest stars in football gather in the Gulf state to compete for the famous trophy.
Will players protest?
WhileQatar has been criticised for its stance on same-sex relationships – with homosexuality illegal in the country – along with its human rights record and treatment of migrant workers, World Cup organisers FIFA have urged teams to “focus on the football”.
Their plea, however, appears already to have been ignored and players are expected to raise awareness of human rights issues during the tournament.
England captain Harry Kane will wear a OneLove armband in support of the LGBT+ community, even if it is banned by FIFA and risks fines from football’s governing body.
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‘We won’t stop’ supporting Qatar workers
Wales captain Gareth Bale has also confirmed he will wear the armband, saying the players can “shed a light on the problems” in Qatar.
Before the tournament, Australia’s players released a video criticising the “suffering and harm of countless” migrant workers in Qatar after reports of deaths, ranging from a few dozen to several thousand, during preparations for the World Cup.
Manchester United and Portugal star Bruno Fernandes has also voiced his displeasure at Qatar hosting the tournament.
He told Sky Sports: “We have seen the surroundings over the past few weeks and months, and about people who have died on the construction of the stadiums. We are not happy for that.”
How will LGBT+ fans be treated?
Concerns have been raised about the treatment of LGBT+ fans travelling to the World Cup in Qatar.
Just two weeks before the start of the event, an ambassador for the tournament, Khalid Salman, described homosexuality as “damage in the mind” while speaking to a German broadcaster, before the interview was immediately cut short by a press officer.
A report by Human Rights Watch warned that security forces in Qatar have arbitrarily arrested and abused LGBT+ Qataris as recently as September.
And last month, veteran LGBT+ activist and campaigner Peter Tatchell claimed he was “arrested” and stopped by police after he staged a protest in the Gulf state.
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‘Everybody’s welcome here’ – Qatar World Cup chief on gay fans
Qatar’s World Cup chief has insisted LGBT+ fans will not be discriminated against during the tournament, telling Sky News they can hold hands and are welcome to display affection and rainbow flags.
“All we ask is for people to be respectful of the culture,” Nasser Al Khater said.
However England LGBT+ supporters’ group, Three Lions Pride, says it will not be travelling to the World Cup over fears it could make the local gay community “vulnerable to systematic, institutional and potentially vigilante abuse”.
How will drunk fans be dealt with?
There have been questions over how boozy football supporters will be dealt with in Qatar, where it is illegal to be drunk in public.
The conservative Muslim country has had to open up more areas for the sale of alcohol – including outside stadiums and in fan zones – rather than it remaining restricted to hotel bars.
Image: Qatar’s Lusail Stadium will host the World Cup final
Mr Al Khater told Sky News that drunk fans will be sent to special zones to sober up.
“There are plans in place for people to sober up if they’ve been drinking excessively,” he said.
“It’s a place to make sure that they keep themselves safe, they’re not harmful to anybody else.”
What role will David Beckham have at the tournament?
The former England captain has been strongly criticised for agreeing to be an ambassador for Qatar to promote the World Cup, in a deal reportedly worth up to £150m.
Beckham had been hailed as a “gay icon”, having been the first footballer to appear on the front of Attitude magazine.
Three Lions Pride have expressed their disappointment with Beckham’s role with Qatar, while comedian Joe Lycett has threatened to shred £10,000 of his own money if the former midfielder does not end the deal.
It is unclear how prominent Beckham’s role will be at the tournament but having reportedly signed up to be “the face of the Qatar World Cup”, his appearance at the event is expected.
Can England end 56 years of hurt?
Having reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia four years ago, and the final of Euro 2020, hopes are high for Gareth Southgate’s squad despite their poor form in recent matches.
England haven’t won their last six games but are fifth favourites to win the tournament, according to bookmakers, behind Spain, France, Argentina and favourites Brazil.
They will be hoping to end the 56-year wait since England’s last World Cup win in 1966.
The Three Lions’ first game against Iran kicks off on 21 November at 1pm UK time, before they play the USA on 25 November at 7pm and Wales on 29 November at 7pm.
How will Wales fare at their first World Cup in 64 years?
When Wales last competed at a World Cup in 1958, the team made it all the way to the quarter-finals before losing to Brazil by a single goal scored by star striker Pele.
Rob Page’s team will be hoping for a repeat of Wales’ successful run at Euro 2016, where they reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Portugal.
Wales begin their World Cup campaign against the USA on 21 November at 7pm UK time, before playing Iran on 25 November at 10am and England on 29 November at 7pm.
Despite some bookmakers giving odds as high as around 400-1 for Wales to win the tournament, the country will be hoping actor Michael Sheen’s rousing motivational speech will inspire them to winning performances in Qatar.
Messi and Ronaldo’s last World Cup?
They are arguably the two greatest footballers in the history of the game but a World Cup win has so far evaded both players during their glittering careers.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are likely to be appearing at their last World Cup in Qatar, having both made their first appearances at the tournament in 2006.
Messi, now aged 35, has said that this will “surely” be his final World Cup as he captains Argentina in their bid for the trophy.
The Ukrainian football association asked FIFA to kick Iran out of the tournament over what it described as the country’s “systematic human rights violations” and “the possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine”.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter also called for Iran to be excluded from the event in Qatar following widespread protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained for alleged violations of the country’s strict dress code.
FIFA has not agreed to the calls to throw out Iran and they will play in a group against England, Wales and the USA.
Which new stars will emerge?
Image: England’s Jude Bellingham is tipped to star at the World Cup
While this year’s World Cup will star some of the most famous footballers on the planet, including Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the tournament usually sees lesser known stars establish themselves on the world stage.
England’s teenage midfielder Jude Bellingham is hotly tipped to be a potential breakout star in Qatar.
Aged just 19, Bellingham has already captained German side Borussia Dortmund and scored four goals in his first Champions League matches this season.
Barcelona’s teenage midfielder Gavi is also expected to have a big impact for Spain at this year’s World Cup.
The 18-year-old was awarded the Kopa trophy in October, which is given to the best player in the world under the age of 21.
Another 23 female potential victims have reported that they may have been raped by Zhenhao Zou – the Chinese PhD student detectives believe may be one of the country’s most prolific sex offenders.
The Metropolitan Police launched an international appeal after Zou, 28, was convicted of drugging and raping 10 women following a trial at the Inner London Crown Court last month.
Detectives have not confirmed whether the 23 people who have come forward add to their estimates that more than 50 other women worldwide may have been targeted by the University College London student.
Metropolitan Police commander Kevin Southworth said: “We have victims reaching out to us from different parts of the globe.
“At the moment, the primary places where we believe offending may have occurred at this time appears to be both in England, here in London, and over in China.”
Image: Metropolitan Police commander Kevin Southworth
Zou lived in a student flat in Woburn Place, near Russell Square in central London, and later in a flat in the Uncle building in Churchyard Row in Elephant and Castle, south London.
He had also been a student at Queen’s University Belfast, where he studied mechanical engineering from 2017 until 2019. Police say they have not had any reports from Belfast but added they were “open-minded about that”.
“Given how active and prolific Zou appears to have been with his awful offending, there is every prospect that he could have offended anywhere in the world,” Mr Southworth said.
“We wouldn’t want anyone to write off the fact they may have been a victim of his behaviour simply by virtue of the fact that you are from a certain place.
“The bottom line is, if you think you may have been affected by Zhenhao Zou or someone you know may have been, please don’t hold back. Please make contact with us.”
Image: Pic: Met Police
Zou used hidden or handheld cameras to record his attacks, and kept the footage and often the women’s belongings as souvenirs.
He targeted young, Chinese women, inviting them to his flat for drinks or to study, before drugging and assaulting them.
Zou was convicted of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offences relating to one victim, as well as three counts of voyeurism, 10 counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image, one count of false imprisonment and three counts of possession of a controlled drug with intent to commit a sexual offence, namely butanediol.
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Moment police arrest rapist student
Mr Southworth said: “Of those 10 victims, several were not identified so as we could be sure exactly where in the world they were, but their cases, nevertheless, were sufficient to see convictions at court.
“There were also, at the time, 50 videos that were identified of further potential female victims of Zhenhao Zou’s awful crimes.
“We are still working to identify all of those women in those videos.
“We have now, thankfully, had 23 victim survivors come forward through the appeal that we’ve conducted, some of whom may be identical with some of the females that we saw in those videos, some of whom may even turn out to be from the original indicted cases.”
Mr Southworth added: “Ultimately, now it’s the investigation team’s job to professionally pick our way through those individual pieces of evidence, those individual victims’ stories, to see if we can identify who may have been a victim, when and where, so then we can bring Zou to justice for the full extent of his crimes.”
Mr Southworth said more resources will be put into the investigation, and that detectives are looking to understand “what may have happened without wishing to revisit the trauma, but in a way that enables [the potential victims] to give evidence in the best possible way.”
The Metropolitan Police is appealing to anyone who thinks they may have been targeted by Zou to contact the force either by emailing survivors@met.police.uk, or via the major incident public portal on the force’s website.
An 11-year-old girl who went missing after entering the River Thames has been named as Kaliyah Coa.
An “extensive search” has been carried out after the incident in east London at around 1.30pm on Monday.
Police said the child had been playing during a school inset day and entered the water near Barge House Causeway, North Woolwich.
A recovery mission is now said to be under way to find Kaliyah along the Thames, with the Metropolitan Police carrying out an extensive examination of the area.
Image: Barge House Causeway is a concrete slope in North Woolwich leading into the Thames
Chief Superintendent Dan Card thanked members of the public and emergency teams who responded to “carry out a large-scale search during a highly pressurised and distressing time”.
He also confirmed drone technology and boats were being used to “conduct a thorough search over a wide area”.
He added: “Our specialist officers are supporting Kaliyah’s family through this deeply upsetting time and our thoughts go out to all those impacted by what has happened.”
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“Equally we appreciate this has affected the wider community who have been extremely supportive. You will see extra officers in the area during the coming days.”
On Monday, Kerry Benadjaoud, a 62-year-old resident from the area, said she heard of the incident from her next-door neighbour, who “was outside doing her garden and there was two little kids running, and they said ‘my friend’s in the water'”.
When she arrived at the scene with a life ring, a man told her he had called the police, “but he said at the time he could see her hands going down”.
Barge House Causeway is a concrete slope that goes directly into the River Thames and is used to transport boats.
Residents pointed out that it appeared to be covered in moss and was slippery.
Major developers will only deal with one regulator under planning reforms which ministers say will “rewire the system” to get Britain building – all while protecting the environment.
A review by former Labour adviser Dan Corry into Britain’s sluggish system of green regulation has concluded that existing environmental regulators should remain in place, while rejecting a “bonfire of regulations”.
But Mr Corry suggested there might be circumstances in which the government look at changing the wildlife and habit rules inherited from the EU, which protect individual species.
The government has now explicitly ruled out any such change in this parliament.
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Campaigners have questioned whether the changes go far enough and will make a major difference to the rate and scale of building in the UK.
Speaking to Sky News, Environment Secretary Steve Reed insisted that accepting nine of the recommendations from the Corry review would amount to wholesale reform.
The minister said: “We can get a win-win for economic growth and for nature. And that is why we are moving ahead with proposals such as appointing a lead regulator for major developments so that the developers don’t have to navigate the architecture of multiple regulators.
“They just work for a single regulator who manages all the others on their behalf. Simplifying the online planning portal.
“These are huge changes that will save developers billions of pounds and speed up decisions doing damage to the environment.”
Mr Reed insisted that there would be “no more bat tunnels” built, even though the Corry review suggests that more work needs to be done to look again at the relevant guidance.
It says: “Rapidly reviewing the existing catalogue of compliance guidance, including on protecting bats, will identify opportunities to remove duplication, ambiguity or inconsistency.
“Natural England has already agreed to review and update their advice to Local Planning Authorities on bats to ensure there is clear, proportionate and accessible advice available.”
The review will mean:
• Appointing one lead regulator for every major infrastructure project, like Heathrow expansion
• A review on how nature rules are implemented – but not the rules themselves
• Insisting regulators focus more on government priorities, particularly growth
Economist and former charity leader Mr Corry, who led the review, said it shows that “simply scrapping regulations isn’t the answer”.
“Instead we need modern, streamlined regulation that is easier for everyone to use. While short-term trade-offs may be needed, these reforms will ultimately deliver a win-win for both nature and economic growth in the longer run.”
However, Sam Richards from Britain Remade, a thinktank trying to get Britain growing, said that while the steps are welcome, the number of regulators that report to the environment department would remain the same before and after the review. He questioned whether this would have the impact ministers claimed.