Four years to next World Cup but will it be 32 or 48 teams?
Doha:wednesday marks exactly four years to the kick-off of the next World Cup in Qatar, which could yet be an instrument to help end regional tensions and the first 48-team tournament if FIFA president Gianni Infantino gets his way.
The head of world football’s governing body has been pressing in recent weeks for the 2022 finals to expand from the 32 teams in Russia this year to 48, even though it was previously planned that the expansion of the World Cup would happen when Canada, Mexico and the United States jointly host the 2026 finals.
Qatar have not yet responded to the idea but previously have sounded cautious about their capacity to go beyond a 32-team tournament. Organisers are building only eight stadiums for the one-month tournament.
DEMBELE NEEDS TO FOCUS: SUAREZ
BARCELONA: Barcelona’s struggling French forward Ousmane Dembele should follow the example of his more experienced club mates to work his way back into the team, striker Luis Suarez said on Monday.
Dembele was left out of the squad for Barca’s 4-3 defeat by Real Betis last Sunday after failing to turn up to training three days earlier and, according to Spanish media reports, failing to inform the club of his whereabouts for 90 minutes.
“Perhaps he needs to focus more and be a little more responsible in some areas. He’s very young and he can look up to the more experienced players that surround him,” Suarez said.
PELLEGRINI’ S AGENT DENIES UNITED MOVE
Milan:lorenzo Pellegrini’s agent on Tuesday dismissed speculation that the midfielder was set for a move from Roma to Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho’s United were reported to be preparing a January swoop for the 22-year-old, who has a €30 million release clause. “I’m sorry that rumours have spread about financial aspects relating to him and his teammates, that for Lorenzo have never been important,” Giampiero Pocetta told Corriere dello Sport.
SANTOS MUM ON RONALDO’S FUTURE
Lisbon:portugal coach Fernando Santos avoided directly commenting on Cristiano Ronaldo’s international future on Monday, saying only that the 33-year-old was “with the team”.
“If anyone has doubts about whether Ronaldo is with this team, they just have to look at his social media posts before and after the games,” said Santos. “Apart from that, I’m not going to go public with private conversations. It’s not good for the national team, nor for the country. It’s taking away some credit from players who achieved qualification in brilliant fashion.”