How will drunk fans be dealt with? Will Beckham take centre stage? Nine stories at Qatar World Cup to watch out for

Published

3 years ago

November 16, 2022

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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?

While Qatar 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.

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.

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.

However Budweiser was forced to relocate stalls selling beer outside stadiums after Qatari rulers wanted alcohol to be less prominent.

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.

And while Portugal captain Ronaldo, now 37 years old, has voiced an ambition to play at Euro 2024, the 2026 World Cup may be a step too far for a player currently struggling to get into the Manchester United team.

What reaction will be there to Iran’s involvement?

With Russia banned from the World Cup over its invasion of Ukraine, there have been calls for Iran to be thrown out of the tournament after the country allegedly supplied weapons to aid Vladimir Putin’s attacks.

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”.

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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?

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.

UK

Diogo Jota: Liverpool players join mourners as Premier League star and his brother Andre Silva buried in Portugal

Published

9 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Diogo Jota: Liverpool players join mourners as Premier League star and his brother Andre Silva buried in Portugal

Liverpool players past and present have joined the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva for their funeral in Portugal.

A service was held in the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in their hometown of Gondomar near Porto in northern Portugal on Saturday morning.

Mourners lined the streets and some in the crowd clapped as the brothers’ coffins were carried into the church.

The funeral – in pictures

Jota, 28, leaves behind his wife of only 11 days, Rute Cardoso, and three young children.

His younger brother, 25, was an attacking midfielder for Penafiel in the second tier of Portuguese football.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, captain Virgil Van Dijk and teammates including Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez were seen at the service.

Former teammates Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho were also there.

Van Dijk carried a red wreath with Jota’s number 20, while Robertson had a wreath featuring number 30, Silva’s number at Penafiel.

Some of Jota’s teammates in the Portuguese national side also attended, including Bruno Fernandes, of Manchester United, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, of Manchester City, Joao Felix and Renato Veiga, of Chelsea, Nelson Semedo, from Wolves, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio.

Ruben Neves was one of the pallbearers after flying in from Florida where he played for Al Hilal in the Club World Cup quarter-final on Friday night.

‘More than a friend’

In a post published on Instagram before the service, he told Jota he had been “more than a friend, we’re family, and we won’t stop being that way just because you’ve decided to sign a contract a little further away from us!”

Jota’s fellow Liverpool midfielder, Alexis Mac Allister, said on Instagram: “I can’t believe it. I’ll always remember your smiles, your anger, your intelligence, your camaraderie, and everything that made you a person. It hurts so much; we’ll miss you. Rest in peace, dear Diogo.”

Porto FC president Andre Villas-Boas and Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez were also in attendance.

‘With us forever’

Speaking after the ceremony, Martinez said the period since their deaths had been “really, really sad days, as you can imagine, but today we showed we are a large, close family.

“Their spirit will be with us forever.”

The service was private, but the words spoken by the Bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, were broadcast to those standing outside the church.

He told Jota’s children, who were not at the service, that he was praying for them specifically, as well as their mother and grandparents.

“There are no words, but there are feelings,” he said, adding: “We also suffer a lot and we are with you emotionally.”

The brothers died after a Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning.

No other vehicles are said to have been involved in the incident.

Liverpool have delayed the return of their players for pre-season following Jota’s death and players past and present paid tribute to him and his brother on social media.

Flowers have been left outside Anfield, where flags have been lowered to half-mast and all club shops, museums and tours have been closed until Monday.

UK

Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Published

12 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Rachel Reeves has hinted that taxes are likely to be raised this autumn after a major U-turn on the government’s controversial welfare bill.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill passed through the House of Commons on Tuesday after multiple concessions and threats of a major rebellion.

MPs ended up voting for only one part of the plan: a cut to universal credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

Initially aimed at saving £5.5bn, it now leaves the government with an estimated £5.5bn black hole – close to breaching Ms Reeves’s fiscal rules set out last year.

In an interview with The Guardian, the chancellor did not rule out tax rises later in the year, saying there were “costs” to watering down the welfare bill.

“I’m not going to [rule out tax rises], because it would be irresponsible for a chancellor to do that,” Ms Reeves told the outlet.

“We took the decisions last year to draw a line under unfunded commitments and economic mismanagement.

“So we’ll never have to do something like that again. But there are costs to what happened.”

Meanwhile, The Times reported that, ahead of the Commons vote on the welfare bill, Ms Reeves told cabinet ministers the decision to offer concessions would mean taxes would have to be raised.

The outlet reported that the chancellor said the tax rises would be smaller than those announced in the 2024 budget, but that she is expected to have to raise tens of billions more.

It comes after Ms Reeves said she was “totally” up to continuing as chancellor after appearing tearful at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Criticising Sir Keir for the U-turns on benefit reform during PMQs, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the chancellor looked “absolutely miserable”, and questioned whether she would remain in post until the next election.

Sir Keir did not explicitly say that she would, and Ms Badenoch interjected to say: “How awful for the chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she would stay in place.”

In her first comments after the incident, Ms Reeves said she was having a “tough day” before adding: “People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday.

“Today’s a new day and I’m just cracking on with the job.”

Sir Keir also told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby on Thursday that he “didn’t appreciate” that Ms Reeves was crying in the Commons.

“In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang,” he said. “That’s what it was yesterday.

“And therefore, I was probably the last to appreciate anything else going on in the chamber, and that’s just a straightforward human explanation, common sense explanation.”

UK

Diogo Jota and Andre Silva’s funeral in pictures

Published

13 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's funeral in pictures

The family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva have been joined by Liverpool stars past and present and other Portuguese players at the pair’s funeral near Porto.

The Liverpool forward, 28, and his brother died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday.

Pictures below show the funeral at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in the town of Gondomar near Porto. Click here for our liveblog coverage of the day’s events.