The organisers of the World Cup in Qatar are paying groups of fans to travel to the tournament, saying they are asking them for positive comments on social media in return. The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) confirmed the policy of inviting groups of supporters to the finals as guests after reports by Dutch public broadcaster NOS, which said on Sunday that Qatar was paying f...Full Story »

France is set to defend their crown as top dogs on the international stage at the 2022 World Cup in just three weeks'time but will have to do it without mercurial star midfielder Paul Pogba. As confirmed by multiple outlets including ESPN's Julien Laurens, the player's agent made official the absence of the 28-year-old Juventus midfielder who has not yet fully recovered from an ongoing injury...Full Story »

France and Juventus star Paul Pogba has suffered a setback in his road to recovery from injury, according to reports. The season to date, of course, has proven nothing short of a nightmare for midfielder Pogba. This comes with the 29-year-old, since securing a return to Serie A with Juventus as a free agent, having failed to take to the pitch even once. Instead, a meniscus injury suffered dur...Full Story »

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United will look at David De Gea's contract situation during the break for the World Cup. The goalkeeper has a deal until the end of the season while the club also have an option to extend it by another 12 months. De Gea was instrumental in the 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, making three key saves in the second half, and despite speculation over his long-term fut...Full Story »

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe championed Callum Wilson’s World Cup dream after seeing him score twice in front of England boss Gareth Southgate.Southgate was among the crowd at St James’ Park as one of the men hoping to force their way into the squad for Qatar turned in a fine individual display in a 4-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa.Wilson’s nerveless penalty deep into first...Full Story »

Callum Wilson scored twice in front of England boss Gareth Southgate to boost his World Cup hopes as Newcastle romped to a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa.The striker converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time and then added a second-half header before Joelinton followed up his shot to make it 3-0.Miguel Almiron’s sixth goal in as many games wrapped up the scoring on an afternoon when th...Full Story »

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admits full commitment from his players ahead of facing Champions League opponents RB Leipzig. The Italian spoke about the approaching World Cup and the caution regarding the physical condition of the players, but sent a strong message to those players who are worried about injuries. "Injuries exist in the world of football. If you don't want to get injured,...Full Story »

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has admitted that going to the World Cup would be huge for him, but will not let a possible call-up distract him from club duties. WHAT HAPPENED? Loftus-Cheek was in Gareth Southgate's 2018 World Cup squad and started three games in Russia. A turbulent four years has followed, but the midfielder is finding form at just the right time ahead of the showpiece event next month ...Full Story »

ENGLAND ace John Stones is expecting a World Cup baby with his entrepreneur girlfriend. The Man City centre-back, 28, is expected to be named in the Three Lions squad for Qatar. A source said nothing would top the birth of their child, but winning the World Cup would be a way to celebrate It's unlikely that Stones's girlfriend will fly to Qatar, but he could be given permission to fly back fo...Full Story »

ENGLAND'S Wags aim to have a ball and shop for bling in Qatar while their fellas try to win the World Cup there. The players' partners have already eyed up a £40,000-a-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton's five-star Sharq Village and Spa in Doha. The Wags, including Sasha Attwood, plan to watch camels race on the sands Sasha is the glamorous girlfriend of England's Jack GrealishCredit: Getty ...Full Story »

Raphael Varane's injury is not as bad as first feared, with sources telling ESPN the defender is set to miss three to four weeks but he won't play for Manchester United again before the World Cup. Varane, 29, had an MRI scan on Sunday after leaving United's 1-1 Premier League draw at Chelsea with an injury on Saturday. However, the France international sees the diagnosis as a positive one in ...Full Story »

Raphael Varane faces a nervous 24-hour wait to discover his World Cup fate after suffering a hamstring injury in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea.United boss Erik ten Hag insisted club medics will need a day to assess the France defender, who was distraught at hobbling out of the game.Varane was left in tears, even punching the corner flag in frustration when leaving the field.€...Full Story »

Everton manager Frank Lampard believes striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will give himself a chance of making England’s World Cup squad if he can stay fit and in form.In the 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace the 25-year-old scored for the first time since the goal which kept the Toffees in the Premier League last May, coincidentally also against Palace and in front of the Gwladys Street end.It w...Full Story »

Lionel Messi has said Argentina do not fear any team at the World Cup but urged fans to stay calm with the tournament in Qatar less than a month away. Copa America champions Argentina are unbeaten in 35 games since 2019 and have been drawn with Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland in Group C as they look to win their first World Cup title since 1986. "Today we are doing well and people are excite...Full Story »

BELGIUM'S World Cup stars have been handed a boost... with their Wag's granted permission to give them a mid-tournament visit. The Red Devils will be locked away at a hotel during next month's finals in Qatar. Thibaut Courtois is engaged to model Mishel GerzigCredit: Getty Kevin De Bruyne will be joined by wife Michele LacroixCredit: Instagram @lacroixmichele But the Belgian FA has allowed t...Full Story »

Steven Davis’s early goal proved crucial as Rangers struggled past Dundee to book their place in the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup after a 1-0 win.Giovanni van Bronckhorst rang the changes for the visit of the Championship side and the Gers got off to an encouraging start when the veteran midfielder headed in after 10 minutes.However, the Light Blues’ play for rest of the gam...Full Story »

Aberdeen eased their way into the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Championship leaders Partick Thistle.In-form Luis Lopes opened the scoring and the game was over by half-time as two Hayden Coulson efforts were deflected into their own net by Thistle players Kevin Holt and Jack McMillan.The visitors pulled a goal back early in the second half as substi...Full Story »

Liel Abada scored twice and had a hand in another two goals as Celtic eased into the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals with a 4-0 victory at Motherwell.Abada was back in the team after making way for James Forrest to net a hat-trick against Hibernian and the winger scored either side of half-time after both sides had missed good chances.The 21-year-old then provided an assist for Reo Hatate to scor...Full Story »

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has said defending champions France and Brazil are the favourites to win the World Cup in Qatar as they have a core group of players who have played together for a long time. Messi said Brazil, Germany, France, England and Spain are always labelled favourites to win, but the 35-year-old forward feels France and Brazil are the best two teams going into the N...Full Story »

Stonewall is urging the global sporting community to “stand up and call out the criminalisation and persecution” of LGBTQ+ people in Qatar at the upcoming World Cup.The leading LGBTQ+ charity has made the plea at the launch of its ninth annual ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign.Same-sex relationships are criminalised in Qatar and Stonewall hopes issues can be highlighted while the ...Full Story »