Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
E ER...ENGLAND IS FOR F IS FEMALE REFS FOR Qatar heroes... & Qatar zeroes
A to Q of the biggest show on Earth
ROLL up, roll up, it’s nearly time for the greatest show on Earth to kick off.
The Qatar World Cup may be controversial but there is plenty to be excited about.
Get yourself in the mood for what promises to be a classic feast of football with our quirky A to Q of everything you need to know.
A ALCOHOL IS FOR
Many footie fans love a beer but Qatar is a Muslim country and officially dry. However, visiting fans will be able to buy alcohol at fan zones, hotels and outside stadiums. It won’t be cheap though. A bottle of lager will set supporters back 39 rials (£9.40) to 55r (£13.30) and half a litre on draught – a little less than a pint – could cost up to 64r (£15.50).
B BETTER FOOTIE IS FOR
Rather than tired-looking footballers who have just finished a gruelling season, we are more likely to be seeing our favourite players at peak performance. It’s widely accepted by experts that professional players are at the height of their fitness in the run-up to Christmas.
C CYMRU IS FOR
Gareth Bale and his Welsh team-mates will play their first World Cup finals since 1958, joining England, USA and Iran in Group B. They go head-to-head with England on November 29 and have been quietly tipped for success.
D IS DOS & DON’TS FOR
More WAGS than ever before are expected to head to Qatar but there will be no repeats of Baden-baden in Germany in 2006, where Coleen Rooney and co were panned. Current England stars’ wives and girlfriends including Jack Grealish’s partner Sasha Attwood have been given a list of dos and don’ts on how to behave in the strict country.
After the Lionesses’ incredible win at the Women’s Euros in July, all eyes are now back on the men’s team. They got to the final of Euro 2020, and could they repeat the same performance for the World Cup? They can dare to dream...
For the first time in a men’s World Cup finals, women will be officiating games. Among the 36 refs heading to Qatar are Stephanie Frappart of France, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita.
G GOOD XMAS TV IS FOR
In the run-up to Christmas, a load of boring old repeats of shows we’ve seen a thousand times are usually on TV. Now you’ll have the option of settling down with your Baileys to watch exhilarating football instead – much better... unless you hate it, that is.
H HUMAN RIGHTS IS FOR
Since it won the bid to host the tournament in 2010, human rights groups have criticised Qatar’s treatment of foreign workers. They say “thousands” have died or been injured. FIFA has pleaded with World Cup nations to “focus on football”.
I IRAN IS FOR
After widespread protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, many question whether Iran should be in the tournament. They face foes the USA in Group B on November 29 – but could they cause another upset like in 1998 when they beat them 2-1?
J JERSEY IS FOR
Every World Cup brings cool new football shirts. This year’s standout is Brazil’s bright yellow Nike shirt with a ghost jaguar pattern on it.
K IS FOR KANE
England expects skipper Harry to score goals. He hit his 51st for his country recently.
L LGBTQ+1 IS FOR
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, with the maximum penalty being death by stoning. A poll found six out of 10 Brits oppose Qatar hosting World Cup over this law.
M MATCH BALL IS FOR
The Adidas Al Rihla match ball won rave reviews for its stunning design after it was unveiled on social media. If you fancy a kickabout with one, the pro version costs £130.
N IS NEED THEM ALL FOR
It wouldn’t be a World Cup without Panini stickers. There are 670 but collecting them all could cost £883.80.
O OUT IS FOR
France’s Paul Pogba and Germany’s Timo Werner are on the injury list, while Senegal ace Sadio Mane is a doubt.
P PUBS IS FOR
Having world class football on TV will give you the perfect excuse to head to the pub. And landlords really need a boost.
Q GUESS WHAT? IS FOR
It is the first time a World Cup has been held in an Arab state. The games will be played at various stadiums, with the final taking place at the Lusail Stadium, outside the capital Doha. As host nation, Qatar will play in the first match, against Ecuador, on Sunday, Nov 20.
RIO FERDINAND has sounded the World Cup alarm bells by claiming England’s defence is their “weakest link.”
The ex-england defender, who played at the 2002 and 2006 finals, believes the biggest cause for concern is the lack of form and game time of Harry Maguire (above) which has left the Three Lions facing a “worstcase scenario” at the back.
Ferdinand believes any of the central defenders from his generation would walk into Gareth Southgate’s starting XI for Qatar.
They were blessed with the likes of Sol Campbell, John Terry, Ledley King and
Jonathan Woodgate while the current team are beset with injuries and no settled defence.
Former Manchester United favourite Ferdinand, who won 81 caps during a glittering career, said: “I’ve always thought if you’re going to win a tournament, you’ve got to have a good defence.
“Italy had experience, solid defenders to win the Euros. You can go down the years and see that – and that’s where we’re probably at our weakest right now.
“Even if there weren’t injuries or lack of form, I feel that is our weakest area anyway.
“Kyle Walker, our quickest defender, has been out. With Maguire, there’s an issue over form and injuries.
“When you’re looking at it, you’re thinking ,‘What are we going to do?’ Harry has been phenomenal for England, but his form has gone out the window for Man Utd. He’s not in the team, he’s got an injury as well.
“Going into a tournament, I couldn’t think of another worst-case scenario. I would be concerned about that. But Harry hasn’t let Gareth down. As a manager you’re going to go with what you know. He trusts him.
“The problem he’s got is it’s not like he’s not sitting there where he has four or five other candidates as there were in my generation where you’d be able to go, ‘He’s out of form’ or ‘he’s not playing’ or ‘he’s injured.’
“I had Sol Campbell, Jamie Carragher, Jonathan
Woodgate, Ledley King, the list goes on. All of those players could start today.
“There’s no one in there now that you go, ‘They jump out as the No.1 candidates.’ So it’s difficult. That could in the end be our Achilles heel.
“Is Trevoh Chalobah going to be ready? He’s playing really well. But last month it was Fikayo Tomori. Before that it was Marc Guehi. It’s a real worry.”
Ferdinand also warns that while Reece James (left) and Walker (top right) deserve to be first-choice players, it would be dangerous to take a fitness gamble on too many half-fit players.
“You can go in there with one, maybe, like that,” added Ferdinand. “But we’ve got James, Walker, Maguire, in the defensive line who are
potentially going to be going in there off the back of some injuries and a lack of form. That’s a lot of players to be doing that with.”
Ferdinand believes the England teams he played in arguably had more individual talent but the current squad’s strength is their togetherness.
However, he insists the ‘Golden Generation’ tag was unfair when you consider the teams they faced in previous World Cups.
Ferdinand said: “It’s weird everyone says we were the Golden Generation and we should have won, but you look at the teams we were up against, like Brazil.
“Look at their top five players against ours, they had Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cafu, Roberto Carlos. Kaka was sub. We had world-class players. But was Paul Scholes going to be much better than their players?
“Was Michael Owen going to be much better than Ronaldo? Was Becks going to be much better than Cafu or Roberto Carlos? They were a formidable team.
“There’s a real togetherness with this squad and he’s helped create a culture with England where it’s very much club-orientated.
“It’s more like a club than going away with an international team for the odd week. They all seem to enjoy each other’s company – which is probably the opposite of what we were like!”
Rio Ferdinand’s Tipping Point launches tomorrow exclusively on Prime Video.