FIFA s executive committee has agreed to set up a commission to look into moving the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The tournament has come under scrutiny ever since the host nation was confirmed, amid concerns that the scorching summer temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius will prove unsafe for both players and spectators.
And with calls for the tournament to be moved from its traditional June and July slot to a winter timetable growing pace, the world governing body has now agreed to formally look into a possible switch.
A commission will be drawn from across the major stakeholders including the Qatar 2022 organisers themselves although a decision on any potential change to the calendar will not be made until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
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Best odds: 20/21
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The Bundesliga s Matchday 22 will conclude on Sunday evening with Bayern Munich facing VfL Bochum at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.
Bochum, currently sitting in 14th place after 21 matches, will host a Bayern side that has faltered recently, slipping five points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen and aiming to halt a streak of two consecutive defeats.
VfL Bochum
With all respect to the home side, this fixture presents an excellent opportunity for Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel to uplift spirits within the camp. Bayern secured a 7-0 victory against the same opponents for the second consecutive year in September, which means it s a favorable matchup at this point for the Bavarians.
But from his point of view, Bochum head coach…
Best odds: 4/5
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With their aspirations of a treble dashed, Bayer Leverkusen aim to conclude an otherwise impressive 2023-24 season with a domestic double as they take on Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday at the Olympiastadion.
Xabi Alonso s side saw their record-breaking unbeaten streak end in Wednesday s Europa League final loss to Atalanta BC. Meanwhile, their second-tier opponents are chasing their third DFB-Pokal title.
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern, who once dominated the DFB-Pokal with victories in 1990 and 1996 and clinched their fourth Bundesliga title in the 1997/98 season, have been toiling in the 2. Bundesliga in recent years. However, they have a chance to recapture their former glory, if only for one night, in the …
In what was the definition of a must-win showdown in front of 12,000 fans on Tuesday night, Croatia secured their spot in the knockout stage and a second place finish in Group D thanks to a 3-1 win in Glasgow.
With the 2018 World Cup finalists opening the scoring thanks to Nikola Vlasic s strike with just 17 minutes on the clock, Steve Clarke s side managed to claw a route back into the game as Callum McGregor blew the roof off of Hampden with an equalizer five minutes before the break.
However, entering the break with just 21% possession to their name, The Tartan Army s European dreams came to a heart-breaking end as Croatia s biggest stars wrapped up the game with a dominant second-half display on foreign soil.
Failing to build off of that rugged performance a…
Barcelona offensive midfielder Andres Iniesta on Friday extended his current contract with the Spanish champions by one year to 2015, according to the club.
According to reports Iniesta, one of the most influential forward players in the Spanish league side, will now earn a reported seven million euros per year before taxes.
Barcelona emphasised their attachment to the 25-year-old by increasing the buy-out clause in his new contract to 200 million euros. Iniesta s previous contract was due to expire in 2014, and contained a 150 million euro buy-out clause.
Barcelona have also recently extended the deals of Argentine Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol and, earlier this week, Eric Abidal.
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Randal Kolo Muani has backed Kylian Mbappe to take centre stage once again for France ahead of Les Bleus semi-final clash with Spain at Euro 2024.
France needed penalties to edge past Portugal in the quarter-finals as Theo Hernandez capitalised on Joao Felix s missed spot-kick following a goalless draw.
However, the performance underlined France s struggles in front of goal as Didier Deschamps aims to find a solution ahead of their meeting with La Roja in Munich.
Excluding penalties and own-goals, France are yet to score in their five games at Euro 2024, attempting 86 non-penalty shots (7.25 non-pen xG) without scoring from one at this year’s competition.
Mbappe was the player to net that penalty in their final group game against Poland and is yet t…
FIFPro, in association with FIFA, has announced the final 55 players in contention for a spot on the 2015 World XI.
The 55 players have been selected by professional footballers worldwide, with a new record of almost 25,000 players from 70 countries participating in this year’s ballot.
The FIFA FIFPro World XI will be announced on January 11, 2016, at the Ballon D’Or ceremony in Zurich.
The 55-player shortlist: (home country/club)
Goalkeepers (5): Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/Juventus), Iker Casillas (Spain/FC Porto), David De Gea (Spain/Manchester United), Keylor Navas (Costa Rica/Real Madrid) and Manuel Neuer (Germany/FC Bayern Munich).
Defenders (20): David Alaba (Austria/Bayern Munich), Jordi Alba (Spain/Barcelona), Jerome Boateng (German…
European champions Spain beat Chile 3-0 at the Madrigal stadium in an international friendly here on Wednesday to finish a marvellous year with yet another victory.
A David Villa first half penalty, then goals after the break from Fernando Torres and Santiago Cazorla completed an emphatic win to cap a fantastic 2008 when they won the European title 44 years after their previous triumph in the competition.
Spain, without injured players David Silva and Andres Iniesta, also extended their unbeaten record to 28 against a tough Chilean side which had beaten Argentina 1-0 in World Cup qualifying in their previous match.
Chile, who played attractively in the second half, had not lost for more than two years. Their previous defeat came against Romania on November 15…
With both teams’ playoff hopes riding on a Week 16 victory, the Las Vegas Raiders will have a big advantage under center as Teddy Bridgewater is unlikely to suit up for the Denver Broncos who enter Sunday’s game as slight underdogs.
Can Drew Lock get over his generous nature and avoid costly turnovers? Can the Raiders cover for the eighth time in 10 attempts against their division rivals? Find out in our free NFL picks and predictions for the Broncos vs. Raiders.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts will both try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they meet at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday Night Football.
Matt Ryan was briefly benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger this season, but since Frank Reich was replaced at head coach by Jeff Saturday, Ryan has once again assumed command of the Colts’ offense. The results have not been too shabby lately, but he’ll need to be at his best against T.J. Watt and company.
Here are our three favorite Matt Ryan props for Monday, November 28.
You can also read our Steelers vs. Colts picks and predictions in addition to our best Monday Night Football prop picks.
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