Signing MoU with Qatar FA shows the English FA has lost its moral compass

English FA boss Greg Clarke signs a deal with Qatar FA chief Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani. (@Roadto2022)
Updated 16 February 2018
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Signing MoU with Qatar FA shows the English FA has lost its moral compass

LONDON: The English Football Association really is an astonishing body. Almost from the moment it was founded in December 1863, it has lurched from embarrassment to embarrassment, plumbing new depths.
The latest farrago is signing a memorandum of understanding with the Qatar Football Association.
The FA will no doubt seek to justify the decision by pointing out that the 2022 World Cup is in Qatar, so it makes sense to be on good terms with the country’s FA in the build-up to the tournament. There will be friendlies. Training camps perhaps can be arranged to get England’s players used to conditions there (assuming they qualify).
“We have a long history of collaboration with various national associations to share knowledge and experience to support the development of football,” said the FA chairman Greg Clarke. “For Qatar, developing the game across the country is a key objective as they approach the hosting of the Fifa World Cup in 2022.”
That Clarke remains in his job is remarkable. In October, he gave a humiliating performance in front of House of Commons select committee investigating claims of racism and sexism within the FA. It was his jitteriness that led to Sam Allardyce being forced to resign as England manager after vague allegations of not a lot were made in the Daily Telegraph.
The circumstances behind the dismissal of the England women’s coach Mark Sampson, meanwhile, remain baffling. It was justified on the back of a two-year-old internal report into his conduct at Bristol Academy, the club he had coached before England, but was instigated by the racism claims.
The process of finding a successor was protracted and the eventual appointment of Phil Neville mystifying given his lack of experience in the women’s game. But perhaps even more damning was that the FA did not anticipate the public skepticism; only very belatedly was there any attempt at explanation.
Clarke is by no means the first FA chairman to panic in the face of a potential media storm, but few have been quite so supine, and none surely has so misjudged the national mood as he did before the select committee when referring to allegations of institutional racism as “fluff.”
Any sense that the FA can stand as a moral arbiter, leading English football, has vanished; they blow with the wind as though incapable of independent thought, of determining for themselves a decent code of behavior.
But this link-up with Qatar feels like a new low. Clarke’s predecessor, Greg Dyke, after all, described the awarding of hosting rights for 2022 to Qatar as “the worst day in Fifa’s history.” That bid is still under criminal investigation in both the US and Switzerland. As the tournament approaches, there are only going to be more questions about the morality of playing a World Cup in a country with a questionable human rights record, especially when so many of those questions are being asked about the treatment of workers building the stadiums in which the World Cup will be played.
At around the same time Clarke was visiting Doha, a group of British MPs was meeting Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee. For what reason remains unclear but there must be a fear as Britain stares into an impoverished post-Brexit future that the need to do deals will increasingly outweigh ethical considerations. But even if that is not the case, how now can the FA criticize Qatar? How can it ask the right questions?
There was hope that the corruption allegations that blighted the campaigns to host both 2018 and 2022 might lead to a sweep that went beyond the resignation of a handful of officials and a few court cases in the US involving South American officials. One that actually led to a change of the culture within Fifa.
How can the FA pretend it cares, how can it pretend it wants to help clean up the game when it is prepared to do deals with an organization whose conduct in winning the World Cup bid remains dubious? What is anybody to think other than that the FA will deal with you if they think there’s something in it for them? And what sort of morality is that?


Why the US might finally start calling soccer ‘football’

Updated 21 sec ago
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Why the US might finally start calling soccer ‘football’

It is the world’s most popular sport and yet there is still debate over what it should actually be called.
Is it football or soccer?
US President Donald Trump waded into the topic while at the Club World Cup final in New Jersey last Sunday. He joked that he could pass an executive order to bring the United States in line with much of the rest of the world and ensure that from now on Americans refer to it as football.
“I think I could do that,” he said with a smile during an interview with host broadcaster DAZN.
It was a light-hearted comment, but at a time when the US is playing an increasingly significant role in soccer the question of why Americans continue to call it by a different name to the one by which it is most commonly known has been raised again.
“They call it football, we call it soccer. I’m not sure that change could be made very easily,” Trump said.
Soccer keeps growing in the US and so does its influence on the sport. It is co-hosting the men’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico next year — the third year in a row that it stages a major tournament after the 2024 Copa America and this summer’s Club World Cup.
Other factors are keeping soccer more often in the US consciousness — and perhaps they will make saying ”football” more commonplace in a tough sporting landscape.
One of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi, plays for MLS team Inter Miami; the popularity of the Premier League and Champions League is booming; and the documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham” about a low-level Welsh club co-owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has attracted new eyeballs.
Don’t blame Americans for calling it soccer
Despite “soccer” being widely associated with the US, it is commonly accepted that the word was actually coined in Britain, perhaps as far back as the 1880s.
The exact date when it was first used is not known, but it is believed “soccer” was derived from “association football,” which was the first official name of the sport.
The charity English Heritage says the nickname may have first been used by pupils at the iconic Harrow School to “distinguish the new association game from their older pursuit, known as ‘footer.’”
Numerous versions of football began to flourish, often involving handling a ball more than kicking it. One example dating back to the 1600s and still played today in England is Royal Shrovetide. Rugby is another example.
The English Football Association was created in 1863 and drew up codified rules for associated football to set it apart from other versions being played elsewhere in Britain and, from there, soccer as we know it was born.
Dr. Stefan Szymanski, a professor of sport management at the University of Michigan, co-wrote the book “It’s Football, Not Soccer ” and explored the origins of the name. In a lecture to the American University of Beirut in 2019 he said soccer was “very clearly a word of English/British origin.”
“And bear in mind that the name ‘association football’ doesn’t really appear until the 1870s,” he said, “so it appears really very early on in the history of the game and the word ‘soccer’ has been used over and over again since it was coined at the end of the 19th century.”
Soccer was a commonly used term in Britain
“Soccer” is not a commonly used term in Britain these days but that has not always been the case.
It was the title of a popular Saturday morning television show, “Soccer AM,” which ran from 1994 to 2023 on the Premier League’s host broadcaster Sky Sports.
England great and 1966 World Cup winner Bobby Charlton ran popular schools for decades, titled “Bobby Charlton’s Soccer School.”
And Matt Busby — Manchester United’s iconic manager who won the 1968 European Cup — titled his autobiography, which was published in 1974, “Soccer at the Top, My Life in Football.”
That book title suggests the terms “soccer” and “football” were interchangeable in British culture at that time.
Perhaps the word ‘soccer’ isn’t the real problem
Szymanski suggested the problem some people have with “soccer” isn’t the word at all. But rather that it is specifically used in America.
“It’s when Americans use this word that we get the outpourings of distress and horror, and one of the most popular thoughts that people throw at this is to say that American football is not really football,” he said in his lecture.
He argued that given the overwhelming popularity of the NFL in the US it makes perfect sense to differentiate between soccer and its own version of football.
Not just Americans call it soccer
The use of the word “soccer” is a bit more confused in other countries.
Australia, which has its own Australian rules football along with both rugby codes, commonly uses the term and its national men’s team are known as the Socceroos. It’s soccer federation, however, is called Football Australia.
It’s a similar situation in Ireland, where Gaelic football is popular. The term “soccer” is used but the national soccer team is still governed by a body called the Football Association of Ireland.
Canada, like the US simply calls it soccer, which clearly distinguishes it from the NFL and Canadian Football League.
The Associated Press stylebook says soccer is the preferred term in the US but notes that “around the world the sport is referred to as football.”


La Liga, Thmanyah sign partnership to boost quality of Saudi football broadcasts

Updated 36 min 13 sec ago
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La Liga, Thmanyah sign partnership to boost quality of Saudi football broadcasts

  • Agreement signed in London

LONDON: Riyadh Season announced on Thursday its sponsorship of a strategic partnership between La Liga and Thmanyah, the exclusive broadcaster of Saudi football competitions, in an initiative aimed at enhancing the audiovisual production standards of the Saudi Pro League.

The agreement was signed in London by Faisal Bafarat, CEO of the General Entertainment Authority, on behalf of Riyadh Season; Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga; and Abdulrahman Abumalih, founder and CEO of Thmanyah, a subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Media Group. The signing ceremony was attended by SRMG’s CEO Jomana Al-Rashed.

The agreement was signed in London by Faisal Bafarat, CEO of the General Entertainment Authority, on behalf of Riyadh Season; Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga; and Abdulrahman Abumalih, founder and CEO of Thmanyah, a subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Media Group. The signing ceremony was attended by SRMG’s CEO Jomana Al-Rashed. (Supplied)

Under the agreement La Liga will provide technical consultancy to elevate production quality across SPL broadcasts. Areas of focus include improved camera positioning, signal configuration, and audio systems, along with enhanced lighting distribution in stadiums. The collaboration will also develop a technical production manual and introduce modern broadcast workflows.

Another key element of the partnership involves training programs designed to upskill local production teams and ensure the sustainable transfer of knowledge. La Liga will also work closely with Saudi stakeholders to formulate a robust anti-piracy strategy to protect premium sports and entertainment content across the Kingdom.

Turki Alalshikh, the head of the GEA and Riyadh Season, described the move as a continuation of Riyadh Season’s commitment to extending its global footprint.

He noted that last year’s sponsorship of La Liga marked a key milestone in that journey, with the latest partnership further reinforcing the season’s impact across sports and entertainment sectors.

Tebas said: “We are pleased to join forces with Riyadh Season and Thmanyah to enhance the audiovisual production standards of the Saudi Pro League.

“We already have a strong working relationship, and we look forward to building on that to deliver world-class broadcast experiences. At La Liga we are committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise to support football’s global growth, and this initiative is an important step forward for Saudi football’s international visibility.”


Scheffler makes bright British Open start before McIlroy takes center stage

Updated 17 July 2025
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Scheffler makes bright British Open start before McIlroy takes center stage

  • Scheffler, though, is well-placed to launch his challenge for a fourth major and a first Claret Jug despite a series of wayward tee shots
  • McIlroy is the star attraction for the close to 280,000 spectators set to attend the four days of play

PORTRUSH, UK: World number one Scottie Scheffler made a fine start to the British Open with a three-under par round at a rain-swept Royal Portrush on Thursday before home favorite Rory McIlroy began his tournament in front of huge crowds.

Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, China’s Li Haotong and Dane Jacob Skov Olesen hold the clubhouse lead at four under par after enjoying the better of the weather conditions in early tee-off times.

Scheffler, though, is well-placed to launch his challenge for a fourth major and a first Claret Jug despite a series of wayward tee shots.

The American hit just three fairways but still produced one of the best rounds of the day thanks to his brilliant approach play.

“When it’s raining sideways, it’s actually, believe it or not, not that easy to get the ball in the fairway. Thank you guys all for pointing that out,” he told reporters.

Scheffler raised eyebrows with his pre-tournament comments that his is “not a fulfilling life” due to his relentless quest for more success.

He battled his way through the first 15 holes at one under thanks to birdies at the third, seventh and 10th before finding his touch with another birdie at the “Calamity Corner” 16th and nearly holing an approach for eagle at the 17th.

Scheffler is aiming to become only the second player to win the British Open when ranked the world number one after Tiger Woods, who achieved that feat on three occasions.

Shane Lowry, champion when the British Open returned to Portrush for the first time in 68 years in 2019, and two-time major champion Jon Rahm finished at one under.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele is one further back at even par as he seeks to refind his top form after a frustrating 2025 so far.

McIlroy’s attempt to win a second Open Championship on his return to Northern Ireland takes center stage in the afternoon action.

The world number two is determined to make amends for his disastrous start at Portrush six years ago when a quadruple bogey at the opening hole, on his way to a first-round 79, saw him miss the cut.

McIlroy is the star attraction for the close to 280,000 spectators set to attend the four days of play at the final major of the year and showed signs of nerves as a wayward tee shot at the first led to an opening hole bogey.

But he bounced back immediately to pick up a shot at the par-five second before birdies at the fifth, seventh and 10th took the Masters champion to three under with eight holes to play.

McIlroy’s charge, though, could be disrupted by warnings of thunderstorms set to strike the north Irish coast.

Earlier, Lee Westwood rolled back the years with an impressive 69 that promised even more until two bogeys on the final five holes.

The 52-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best players never to win a major, came through qualifying to make his first Open Championship appearance since 2022.

“I love the Open Championship and I love Portrush,” said the Englishman. “That’s part of the reason why I tried to qualify.”

Two-time champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland was handed the honor of getting the tournament underway with the opening tee shot at 6:35 am local time.

“The grandstand was full, the first fairway was full, the first green was full,” said Harrington. “Those crowds were spectacular at that hour of the morning. It was really great.”


Luka Modric won’t stand for the mediocrity that his new club AC Milan displayed last season

Updated 17 July 2025
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Luka Modric won’t stand for the mediocrity that his new club AC Milan displayed last season

  • “Milan cannot be satisfied with average,” Modric told Milan TV
  • “When I grew up, I used to watch a lot of the Italian league and Milan was my favorite team”

MILAN: Luka Modric grew up supporting AC Milan because his idol and fellow Croat, Zvonimir Boban, played for the club.

And because Milan in the 1990s were one of the strongest teams in Europe.

So now that the 39-year-old former Ballon d’Or winner has joined the Rossoneri after 13 seasons at Real Madrid, he won’t stand for the mediocrity that Milan displayed last season for an eighth-placed finish in Serie A that excluded the squad from Europe this coming season.

“Milan cannot be satisfied with average,” Modric told Milan TV. “They need to have (the) biggest goals possible, to win titles, to compete with the best teams in the world. And that’s why I’m here.”

Modric was shown a photo of himself wearing a Milan warmup suit as a child.

“When I grew up, I used to watch a lot of the Italian league and Milan was my favorite team,” he said.

“At the time in Croatia we followed Milan a lot because they were one of the most popular clubs in the world. And also because there was Zvonimir Boban who was my idol.”

On Monday, Modric signed a one-year contract with Milan that includes an option for another season.

“I wanted to stay in Europe, continue playing competitive football,” he said. “I had some other offers but when Milan showed up for me it was clear from the first moment … What also impressed me (was) how (sporting) director Igli Tare came to Croatia to present me the project.”

Milan rehired Massimiliano Allegri as the coach after last season, replacing the fired Sergio Conceicao. Allegri won the Italian league for the first time with Milan in 2011, then guided Juventus to five straight titles from 2015-19. Tare was also hired recently.

“What I want to bring there is to win, to help my teammates in every aspect, to work hard, to earn my place in the team,” Modric said.

“Nothing can come easy in your life. You have to work. You have to fight.”

With Milan winger Rafael Leão holding onto the No. 10 shirt, Modric will return to the No. 14 he once wore for Croatia and at Tottenham.

Leão was the Serie A MVP when Milan won the league in 2022 but has since performed inconsistently and clashed with the team managers.

“Leão,” Modric said, “is the present and future of Milan.”


Three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur announces break from tennis

Updated 17 July 2025
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Three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur announces break from tennis

  • Tunisia’s Jabeur has struggled with her form in recent months
  • “Right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first,” she said

TUNIS: Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur is taking a break from competitive tennis, the 30-year-old said in a social media post on Thursday.

Tunisia’s Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, has struggled with her form in recent months, failing to get past the third round of a major this year.

The two-time Wimbledon finalist’s campaign came to a disappointing end at the All England Club last month as she retired from her first-round clash against Viktoriya Tomova, unable to continue after a long medical timeout.


The former world number two suffers from asthma and experienced breathing difficulties at this year’s Australian Open.

Jabeur, often called the ‘minister of happiness’ for her cheerful personality, said she was not feeling truly happy on the court.

“For the past two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven’t truly felt happy on the court for some time now,” she said in a statement.

“Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living.”

Jabeur, married to former fencer Karim Kamoun, has also been open about her wish to start a family.

“Thank you to all my fans for understanding. Your support and love mean the world to me. I carry it with me always,” she added.