Ok, that is your lot from me today. Scott Murray has all the action coming up for England v Iran. Do join him …
England coach Gareth Southgate has just been interviewed on the BBC and asked about the armband situation. He told viewers:
A lot of discussion has been going on without me involved, because I’ve been focused on the game. We are wearing the Fifa armbands. That was decided by the collective federations overnight I believe. We are in the middle of that, we’re just really trying to focus on the game, frankly,
PA Media have interviewed some England fans about the armband ban, and the verdict of at least one was that the FA have “bottled it”.
England fan Steve Wright, 43, from Derby, when informed of the decision, told the PA news agency: “I disagree with that. They’re just bowing to the oppression of the Qatari government.”
Qatari sources have told the Guardian that this was entirely down to Fifa, and not the hosts.
Shaun Rowland, 56, from Hertfordshire, also speaking outside the Khalifa International Stadium ahead of England’s game with Iran, said: “They’ve bottled it, haven’t they? Would it have made a massive difference? I don’t know, I think it’s a shame.”
Simon Hill, 55, from near Cambridge, added: “Focus on the football.”
Terry Woolf, 52, from Hitchin, said: “What a surprise,” in response to the decision. He added: “I think they’ve tried to sensationalise a lot of it when it was quite meaningless when they were going to do (it), it didn’t have any real impact.”
Shane Jackson, 33, from Malvern, Worcestershire, added: “They’re going to take the knee as well before the game, I think Harry Kane shouldn’t have the burden on him - of being booked, should I wear it, should we focus on the football. The political stuff should be left behind.
“I know they’ve put their thoughts out on it, but let the players concentrate on the football now.”
Jamie Jackson reports from the Germany camp in Doha:
Jamal Musiala has stated that the motto of “play with freedom” he learned when representing England’s youth teams remains his inspiration before Germany’s World Cup campaign.
The Stuttgart-born 19-year-old moved aged seven to London and he went to school there and played for England youth teams before deciding to represent Germany at senior level. The Bayern Munich midfielder is conscious of how vital his formative years were.
“In the England youth teams you learn different things than you do playing in Germany,” said Musiala. “I took home many messages. It was a different environment the England youth setup.
You can read more here: Musiala taking inspiration from England’s youth teams for Germany
The 3LionsPride group of England LGBT supporters have strongly condemned Fifa’s actions today in a statement, saying “Fifa are guilty of crushing the basic human rights to freedom of speech and of expression that everyone of us should have without question.”
They go on to accuse Fifa of silencing anti-discrimination work in the game and “giving a platform to hatred.”
A joint statement from us and @TheRainbowWall #NoPrideWithoutAll #WeBelong pic.twitter.com/5IFNFGEHry
— 3LIONSPRIDE 🌈🦁🦁🦁⚽️🏴🏳️🌈 (@3Lionspride) November 21, 2022
Here are the England and Iran teams for today. So I was wrong about them appearing at noon GMT, but correct that Grealish doesn’t start:
England: Jordan Pickford, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling
Iran: Alireza Beiranvand, Sadegh Moharrami, Ehsan Hajsafi, Milad Mohammadi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Morteza Pouraliganji, Mehdi Taremi, Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Ali Karimi, Majid Hosseini, Ahmad Nourollahi
Go on, be off and enjoy that with Scott Murray over here …
Joe Lycett has just revealed a little more about the stunt where he threatened to shred £10,000 unless David Beckham severed his relationship with promoting the Qatar World Cup. Worth watching with the sound up, this one.
🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/YuPYSQ2M6u
— Joe Lycett (@joelycett) November 21, 2022
Nathan Fisher writes to tell me that he is over 20% certain that he has a solution for Richard North’s iPlayer dilemma. [See 11.30 GMT]
Your man can open the link to the match on the BBC site just before kick-off, then leave it open in his tabs. When he’s ready to watch it, he can just press the “watch from start” button. I’m over 20% certain this will work. In the meantime, stay inside a lead-walled safe room to avoid catching the score anywhere.
In the words of Joe Lycett, “I think you’re reassured. I’m reassured.”
One place you will definitely find out the score is with Scott Murray over on our England v Iran MBM which is already underway. Here is Scott’s take on the game:
England should be too good for Iran. But then everyone said the same about Scotland in 1978 and the USA two decades later. At the last two World Cups, Iran gave Argentina, Spain and Portugal a game. More pertinently, Carlos Queiroz’s 2022 version have recently beaten hipster-dark-horses Uruguay and African champions Senegal. They don’t concede too many, so given England’s recent net-finding travails – plus the Three Lions’ habit of starting World Cups slowly – Iran may fancy their chances of opening Group B by springing a surprise. Kick off is at 1pm GMT, 4pm at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
My own expectations of today’s matches, for what it is worth, is a narrow uninspiring win for England that raises more questions than answers, an entertaining draw from the Netherlands v Senegal who will surely both assume they will each win their other two games. And I’m afraid I’ve got Wales v USA down as a 0-0.
Incidentally Fifa have given this reasoning for the OneLove armband decision: “This is in line with Article 13.8.1 of the FIFA Equipment Regulations, which state: ‘For FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each Team must wear the captain’s armband provided by FIFA.’”
It remains entirely unclear why they did not make that point back in September when the nations wanting to show their support of the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar and beyond wrote to Fifa to say they were planning to wear the armbands and got no response.
Do you remember club football? I think we were still doing that last weekend, weren’t we? Anyway, the board at Glasgow Rangers certainly do, and have decided they’ve run out of patience with Giovanni van Bronckhorst and have binned him off this morning, hoping nobody would notice because we are busy with the World Cup.
Excitingly we are now just thirty minutes from England naming their line-up for their opening World Cup match, which means we are about 31 minutes from “Why isn’t he playing Jack Grealish” trending on what is left of Twitter.
Richard North emails me, with the hope that the vast knowledge of the combined mass of Guardian readers will furnish him with an answer. He is –Likely Lads style – hoping to avoid the England v Iran score, and then watch it “as live”, but for some reason isn’t just going to tape it on the vintage VHS machine he surely has lurking up in the loft. He asks:
I’m planning to watch the game as live later this evening, but how best to do this given BBC’s frustrating lack of information as to when exactly the game will be available on iPlayer and just how long you can pause the live-channel watch option on iPlayer for (i.e. will it really just work as normal potentially five hours after you pause at kick-off??)
The answer is surely just to follow it on our minute-by-minute, and then flick through the highlights later? Or read our how to watch the World Cup at work guide? I am here for another half-hour yet, so if you do have any helpful suggestions for Richard’s conundrum, you can drop me an email at martin.belam@theguardian.com
Reuters has a little more from the France media briefing today. The defending champions start their campaign in Group D on Tuesday, looking to beat the Socceroos just like they did to kick off their 2018 journey in Russia in a 2-1 match that saw the first ever decision in a World Cup via VAR.
Captain Hugo Lloris insisted the team would cope with the late withdrawal of Karim Benzema, saying “We still believe in our chances, in our squad. The last-minute withdrawals, especially Karim’s, did not help. But I want to think that the team will move on.”
Coach Didier Deschamps is likely to start veteran Olivier Giroud as a lone forward. “Lately he’s been adored. France is delighted, I’m delighted and so is Olivier,” said Deschamps.
Deschamps said that centre back Raphael Varane has shaken off a hamstring injury and will be available for the reigning champions tomorrow. “He is doing well,” Deschamps said.
Amid the armband furore, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that today’s match against England is highly politically charged for Iran, coming against the backdrop of major protests in the country.
The BBC’s Iranian-born journalist Mani Djazmi reports that some Iranians at the game today plan to boo the national anthem.
As the first game of the day approaches, some Iran fans tell me they plan to boo the Iranian anthem. https://t.co/DxlACeT79C
— Mani Djazmi (@BBC_Mani) November 21, 2022
He interviewed some Iranian fans late last night in Qatar. One told him that “We used to use football to be happy, to find some sort of glory in the football. But nowadays, it makes no sense for us to be happy anymore.”
Another expressed disappointment with the stance of the Iranian team, saying “We are here to support just the people of Iran, not the soccer team, because we didn’t see any action from them to support Iranian people. We’re waiting for them at the first game to just do some actions to support the Iranian people. If they don’t do anything, we’re not supporting the Iranian team.”
Bryan Armen Graham is in Doha for the Guardian keeping a keen eye on the USA:
United States coach Gregg Berhalter while refusing to tip his hand, indicated that his team selection was “pretty much done” for Monday’s Group B opener at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, a renovated 44,000-seat venue roughly 10 miles west of Doha. After describing Wales as an “underrated” team with a wealth of difference-making players and experience in international competitions, he also intimated that his choices will reflect a proactive desire to play for the result, aware that only eight of 73 teams that lost their opening match at the previous six World Cups have gone on to reach the knockout stage.
“We’re looking at the game in its entirety and thinking about how we can be successful,” Berhalter said. “We want to be an aggressive team in this game. We want to be able to hurt them, but we also know that they have strengths and they have threats and we want to be able to take them away.
“So when picking a lineup, we’ve focused on guys that we think can execute it from the onset, but also keeping in mind that our [substitutions] are going to be really important in this game and throughout the World Cup. We know that it’s not just the 11 on the field, we’re going to need the solutions to come into the field and help this group get the win.”
You can read more here: Berhalter says USA will be ‘aggressive’ in World Cup opener against Wales
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) has issued a response to today’s developments with Fifa forcing European football associations to back down from wearing captain’s armbands with a supportive message for the LGBTQ+ community under the threat of issuing sporting sanctions rather than fines.
The FSA statement says “To paraphrase Fifa president Gianni Infantino - today LGBT+ football supporters and their allies will feel angry. Today we feel betrayed. Today we feel contempt for an organisation that has shown its true values by giving the yellow card to players and the red card to tolerance.
“Never again should a World Cup be handed out solely on the basis of money and infrastructure. No country which falls short on LGBT+ rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights or any other universal human right should be given the honour of hosting a World Cup.
“Since 2010 we have been raising questions about the suitability of Qatar as a World Cup host. Everyone could see this coming and it’s astonishing that, on the morning of England’s World Cup opener, Fifa are censoring players and the nine national FAs – including the FA and FAW – who wish to share a positive message.”
Away from armbands for a moment, Poland will open their World Cup campaign against Mexico tomorrow, and Louise Taylor has profiled the legend that is Robert Lewandowski:
“Playing for Poland definitely carries massive pressure,” agrees a striker hoping to guide his country to victory against Mexico in their opening group game on Tuesday. “I’m acutely conscious of the responsibility of meeting our fans’ expectations. They grow with every goal. No matter who we’re playing and what challenges we face, everyone expects me to score – but it’s not always easy.”
He will be shouldering the hopes of, among others, half the clientele of L’Autre, a Polish-Mexican restaurant in London’s Mayfair who know a win would appreciably enhance Czeslaw Michniewicz’s team’s chances of escaping the tournament’s group stage for the first time in 36 years. An evocative photograph of Argentina 1978 hangs proudly on L’Autre’s wall, depicting the scenes when the two countries last met at a World Cup and Poland won 3-1.
Given Lewandowski’s age, a repeat could offer him not merely a ticket out of a group also featuring Argentina and Saudi Arabia but an extended last hurrah on the global stage. “I don’t think this will be my last World Cup though,” says a player clearly minded to rage against the dying of the light. “I want to play in the next one too.”
Given that “Lewangoalski” has scored 18 times in 19 appearance for Barcelona this season and remains feted in Germany – where he played under Jürgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich – it would be unwise to doubt him.
Read more here: Robert Lewandowski towers over Qatar as he chases World Cup legacy
Andy Hunter reports from the France media briefing this morning in Doha:
France captain Hugo Lloris has said it was the responsibility of Fifa, not footballers, to decide whether the OneLove armband should be worn at the World Cup in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
England, Wales and five other European nations have backed down on wearing the armband following a threat of sporting sanctions from world football’s governing body.
Lloris never intended to wear a OneLove armband out of respect, he had said previously, for the culture in Qatar. And the captain of a country with close political and economic ties to Qatar said he would prefer to fall in line with Fifa’s instructions.
The Tottenham goalkeeper said on Monday: “Fifa is organising this competition and it is up to Fifa to put in play a regulatory framework. Us players are here to play football and represent our countries as best we can from a sporting front. I’d prefer to stay in my box, I’m a player and I’m here to play football. There are different causes that should be supported but it is up to Fifa to take decisions regarding the organisation of the tournament.”
Here is a reminder that only yesterday the England camp were still very much in favour of wearing the OneLove armband, which they, along with the other nations planning to wear it, have now been forced to back down on.
In yesterday’s media appearance, England’s captain Harry Kane said “We’ve made it clear as a team, and the staff, as an organisation, that we want to wear the armband. I know the FA are talking to Fifa at the moment and I’m sure by game time tomorrow they’ll have their decision. But yeah, I feel we’ve made it clear that we want to wear it.”
Coach Gareth Southgate said “There’s nothing I can add to what Harry said. I know there are some conversations going on. I think a number of the European countries have spoken, and we’ve made our position clear. So hopefully everything will be resolved before before the game.”
It has been resolved, and Fifa have forced the football associations into backing down with the threat of sporting sanctions. Instead the captains presumably will wear the Fifa-mandated message for matchday one – “Football unites the world”. If any of the nations reach the quarter-finals the Fifa-mandated armband message for that match is due to be #NoDiscrimination.
David Hytner, Ben Fisher and Nick Ames in Doha have pulled together this fuller report on the latest armband development:
England, Wales and five other European nations have confirmed they will not wear the OneLove armband at the World Cup in Qatar, saying Fifa made clear they would face sporting sanctions and that their captains could be booked or even forced to leave the pitch.
Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland were the other countries that had planned to wear the rainbow armband in a country where same-sex relationships are illegal. Fifa has ordered all captains to wear armbands that promote other social messages.
A joint statement from the seven football federations said: “Fifa has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in Fifa World Cup games.
“We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play.
“We are very frustrated by the Fifa decision which we believe is unprecedented – we wrote to Fifa in September informing them of our wish to wear the One Love armband to actively support inclusion in football, and had no response. Our players and coaches are disappointed – they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways.”
England and Wales back down on OneLove captain armbands after Fifa sanctions threat
England and Wales have backed down on wearing an armband supporting the LGBTQ+ community while playing in Qatar after the threat of sporting sanctions was raised by Fifa.
In a joint statement with Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, the football associations of England and Wales said:
Fifa has been very clear that it will impose sporting sanctions if our captains wear the armbands on the field of play. As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in Fifa World Cup games.
We were prepared to pay fines … however we cannot put out players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play.
The statement goes on to say “We are very frustrated by the Fifa decision which we believe is unprecedented” and that “our players and coaches are disappointed – they are strong supporters of inclusion and will show support in other ways.”
The national associations had written to Fifa about their intention to wear the armbands in September, but heard nothing back. The armbands were worn with little fanfare or reaction from Fifa in September’s Nations League fixtures.
Updated
A brief update on the armband situation comes from Sean Ingle in Doha. He has spoken to two Qatari sources who maintain this is purely a Fifa decision, and that there has been no pressure from their side regarding the rainbow armband.
Darren Chetty writes for the Guardian about the conflicting emotions of waiting all your life to see your team at the World Cup, but then it comes when the tournament is in Qatar:
I have mixed feelings about this tournament, as will a lot of people. Many have raised concerns for LGBTQ+ fans wishing to travel to Qatar for the tournament, given the country’s draconian laws banning homosexuality and the recent homophobic comments from a Qatari ambassador for the World Cup. I’ve seen far less written about the safety of gay players, however; perhaps this betrays the broader homophobia within the men’s game, which is still far from an environment where players can safely be out.
2022 qualification is shaping up to be a cultural moment for Wales. The camaraderie among the players and the close bond to the Red Wall, as the fans on the stands are known, has been building for well over a decade now, helped no doubt by an unprecedented period of success on the pitch, but also by the Football Association of Wales, which often feels like an extension of the fanbase. Frequent references to Cymru indicate a newfound pride taken in Cymraeg. Bucket hats, vintage shirts, Zombie Nation, Yma O Hyd; Welsh football fandom these days comes with its own look and its own sound.
Read more here: Darren Chetty – I’ve waited my whole life to see Wales in the World Cup. But now it’s in Qatar, it’s complicated
The Wales social media manager is getting in the mood.
This is a moment in history.
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) November 21, 2022
A moment we share together.
A moment that inspires the future.
🏴 #ArBenYByd | #FIFAWorldCup | #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/RVfrBYDBQe
Just a little more from the Cristiano Ronaldo media briefing – he said he had a “feeling” that Portugal will do well, but named four other favourites. He told reporters:
Brazil, Argentina, France, Germany are the teams that tend to have the most chances. However, at Euro 2016 nobody gave any thought to Portugal and we won. There may be surprises and I hope that this time there will be too.
It would be magical, a dream. Winning a World Cup would be a dream and we are here to achieve that goal. Everyone is here to achieve this goal.
Croatia’s Andrej Kramarić has been up in front of the media, and said he has been pleasantly surprised by conditions in Qatar and isn’t fazed by the World Cup being mid-season. Reuters quotes the 1899 Hoffenheim player saying:
The conditions here have been better than I expected, the conditions are a little bit windy. And considering the air conditioning in the stadiums, it will even get cold during the games.
Regarding the tournament’s timing, a winter World Cup, it’s great actually, we’re not tired and it’s not the end of the season. So I think we will see a burst of energy from a physical standpoint during this World Cup, which I think is going to be fiery.
Kramarić, who has 74 caps for Croatia, said he backed Brazil to win the tournament though he hoped that Lionel Messi would get a chance to lift the trophy.
“I think 95% of players would agree Messi is the greatest player to ever play this game, I don’t think we’ll see a player like Messi again,” he said – don’t tell CR7 – “So I’m cheering in that regard for Argentina, but I think Brazil will win.”
Updated
Nick Ames has this from the Denmark camp on the ongoing row over the OneLove armbands:
The Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand said he will protect his players from the decision-making process surrounding the rainbow armband controversy and will not ask captain, Simon Kjaer, to begin the competition with the disadvantage of a yellow card.
Denmark and Kjaer had, alongside the likes of England and Wales, planned to defy Fifa and wear the armband against Tunisia tomorrow but the suggestion that referees may be obliged to book players who do so may bring a rethink.
“First of all I think it’s not up to the players,” Hjulmand said. “Imagine going on the pitch with a clear yellow card to start with: that’s not possible and we have to make sure it’s not up to the players to make that decision.
“Sporting sanctions, not only economic sanctions but something that is to do with results – we can’t ask the players to go on the pitch with that. It’s the federation’s decision.”
Hjulmand said he expects a decision on the stance to take will be made collectively with the other countries concerned later today. He also made clear his bafflement at Fifa’s attitude given the armband was worn, with scant fanfare, during Nations League games in September.
“This is not something invented for this occasion, it’s something we’ve done before,” he said. “A One Love armband – I can’t see the problem to be honest. For me it’s also a big question mark.”
It is not just England in talks with Fifa over the OneLove armband, with Wales and the rest of the Football Associations planning for their captains to wear it in a show of support against anti-discrimination and for LGBTQ+ communities locked in talks with the tournament organisers.
Wales had maintained on Sunday that Gareth Bale would wear the rainbow-coloured armband as planned but it remains to be seen if they are spooked by the possibility of their star player being booked for doing so. Denmark, Germany and Switzerland are among the countries also set to wear the armband. A statement clarifying the situation is expected before England take on Iran.
Updated
Here is David Hytner with a fuller report on the latest developments with England, the FA and the OneLove armband:
The Football Association have confirmed that Harry Kane could be booked if he wears the OneLove armband in Monday’s World Cup opener against Iran and they are exploring other ways in which they could show support to the LGBTQ+ community.
The row with Fifa erupted on Sunday when it was suggested that referees could be left with no option but to show a yellow card to captains who wear the armband in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal. Fifa has ordered all captains to wear armbands that promote other social messages.
The FA met with Fifa this morning and they continue to seek clarity over the possible “sporting sanctions” for Kane, who has made it clear that he wants to wear the armband. The FA wrote to Fifa in September to outline their intentions only to receive no response. They had resolved to accept a fine if Kane wore the armband but Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, told BBC Radio 4 on Monday morning that the situation had now changed.
“It is a very live situation,” Bullingham said. “There are discussions that are carrying on. We are working through those issues right now. It is true to say that Fifa did indicate yesterday that there could be sporting sanctions. That’s obviously something that we have to work through.”
My colleague Jamie Jackson in Doha has a little more from that Cristiano Ronaldo media appearance:
Cristiano Ronaldo was speaking at his nation’s World Cup training base for the first time since the allegations he made against United that have caused the club to explore potential legal action against the forward.
Ronaldo described himself as “bullet proof” and denied there was friction with Bruno Fernandes, his United and Portugal teammate. A video of them together when joining up for the World Cup caused a view that there may be.
Ronaldo said: “I was playing around. His plane was late – I asked him: ‘Did you come by boat?”
Portugal play their first game against Ghana on Thursday and Ronaldo said he was “feeling great” and that Portugal, winners of Euro 2016, were capable of securing a first World Cup.
Former Welsh international Clayton Blackmore has been giving his thoughts on Group B on Sky News this morning. He is thrilled that Wales have qualified, having narrowly missed out himself on occasions. He told viewers:
We got close, but we just couldn’t get over the line. But it’s magnificent that they’ve got there, and they are there on merit. We’ve got some great players. Gareth Bale’s coming to the end of his career – he’s got a few years left – but we need our top players. And the young lads, we’ve got a really good blend of players, and I’m really excited about it.
Blackmore, who made 39 appearances for Wales, confessed that he would supporting England against Iran, saying “we need England to win their first two games”, adding of Wales’ prospect:
I think it’s really important today that the game against USA, they need to win it. It’s not the end of the world if they draw, or they need something out of the next two games, but we don’t want to go into the England game, you know, needing something.
One advantage of doing the World Cup live blog is that I can’t get into trouble for thinking about the World Cup while I am at work. Not everybody is so lucky. Josh Halliday presents this guide to watching the football on the sly while you are at work, which of course, the Guardian does not endorse.
FA chief indicates England may back down over armbands in face of 'sporting sanctions'
The FA’s chief executive has indicated that England may back down from wearing the planned “One Love” armbands in the face of potential sanctions from Fifa that go beyond a fine.
FA chief executive, Mark Bullingham speaking on BBC Radio 4, described it as “a very live situation”. He told listeners:
There are discussions that are carrying on. We are working through those issues right now. It is true to say that Fifa did indicated yesterday that there could be sporting sanctions, that’s obviously something that we have to work through. We have been clear that we want to wear the armband. It is important to us. But equally we need to work through all of the discussions right now and see where we end up. Is it a risk for Kane to wear the armband? That’s what we’re working through right now.
We’ve had meetings this morning with Fifa are there are discussions carrying on. As I’ve said we are very keen to wear the armband, we want to do it but obviously we would need to consider the implications. Normally in this kind of situation there would be a fine that would get paid and we’ve always said we’d be very happy to do that. Well, happy might be the wrong word but we’d be prepared to pay the fine because we think it’s important to show our support for inclusion. If the sporting sanctions threat is real then we need to look at that, we need to step back and work out if there is another way in which we can show out values.
If you were managing Portugal, you might be forgiven for being a bit terse about Cristiano Ronaldo blowing up your preparations with the huge row he has stoked with his club, Manchester United, over that interview. Ronaldo has been up before the media, and was pretty defiant about it. Reuters quotes him saying:
In my life, the best timing is always my timing. I don’t have to think about what other people think. I speak when I want. The players know me really well for many years and know the type of person I am.
It’s an ambitious group that is hungry and focused. So I’m sure [the interview] won’t shake the changing room’s concentration and focus. I’m feeling great, I’m recovered and I’m training well and ready to start the World Cup in the best way possible.
I feel that this Portugal squad has amazing potential. I think we can win for sure, but we need to focus on the next game. So, it’s focusing in Ghana, get a win and go from there.
Those of you of a certain vintage might remember Ben Elton dropping the phrase “little bit of politics” into his stand-up routines, and I am about to do that now, because this morning the UK’s immigration minister Robert Jenrick has been asked about the prospect of England and Wales players taking the knee or wearing inclusive armbands while they are out in Qatar. He told viewers of Sky News:
I’m fine with that. I think that’s a choice for Harry Kane and the team, as indeed for Wales as well. These are their choices. It is not for the government to tell them what to do. and I think when you’re playing in a country like Qatar which does have different standards in the way it treats for example the LGBTQ community, it’s perfectly legitimate for the England or Welsh team to make that stand.
That is quite a contrast to the approach before the last Euros, when the then home secretary Priti Patel described taking the knee as “gesture politics” and then prime minister Boris Johnson declined to criticise fans who booed it. One Conservative MP, Lee Anderson, even said he was boycotting watching England in the tournament over the issue – although it turned out once they reached the final he did say he would be checking the score on his phone.
Tuesday’s early kick-off sees Argentina start their Group C campaign against Saudi Arabia. Mexico and Poland are also in the group. Jonathan Liew writes for us that 2022 might just be Lionel Messi’s best shot at glory:
This is Messi’s fifth World Cup. And of course there has been a lot of the usual talk about whether he “needs” to win it for his legacy, a lot of the usual hot air and spume about his duel with Cristiano Ronaldo, football discourse reduced to the level of a pub debate. Within Argentina, however, something seems to have changed. After more than a decade of treating Messi as a vessel for their expectations Argentina are finally beginning to ask not what Messi can do for them but what they can do for Messi.
Perhaps the turning point in this respect was the 2019 Copa América campaign, in which Messi was an uncharacteristically vocal presence. He complained about the poor quality of the pitches, described the refereeing as “corrupt” and insisted that the “whole thing is set up for Brazil”.
Having been criticised early in his career for his meek rendition of the national anthem, here Messi sang it loudly and passionately. Nobody ever doubted how much Messi cared. But here, perhaps, was a recognition by him that it needed to be shown, not simply known.
You can read more from Jonathan Liew here: Lionel Messi’s World Cup swansong might just be his best shot at glory
If you fancy something to listen to in order to get in the mood, and you missed it last night, our Football Daily podcast discussed that opening fixture last night, as Max Rushden was joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and Troy Townsend with Jonathan Wilson chipping in from the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar. You can listen to it here.
Before we get into previewing today’s matches, there is some good news for Ecuador fans and anybody who immediately lumped some money on Enner Valencia for the golden boot after the 31st minute of yesterday’s match – he has said he thinks he will be fit to face the Netherlands.
Reuters is carrying a quote from the 33-year-old former West Ham striker saying “I have some discomfort in my knee and ankle. The doctors will assess and see how serious it is. I hope to play in the second game against the Netherlands.”
With his brace, Valencia became the fourth player in the last five World Cups to score twice in the opening game of the tournament, after Germany’s Miroslav Klose (2006), Brazil’s Neymar (2014) and Russia’s Denis Cheryshev (2018).
Preamble
Welcome to our live coverage of day two of the weirdest World Cup of all our lifetimes to date.
After an explosive start – including some baffling VAR – yesterday’s opening match settled down into a rather unambitious dull affair. Ecuador may ultimately regret not pushing harder to rack up more goals in a group where only two of the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador can progress.
We have got a busy day ahead. There should be media appearances from teams playing on Tuesday, which includes holders France, much-fancied Argentina, dark horses Denmark and the Socceroos.
And there is the small matter of three matches today. England kick off against Iran at 1.00pm GMT hoping for more of the spirit from the second half of that 3-3 Nations League draw with Germany at Wembley in September than the humiliating home thumping they got off Hungary during the summer.
At 4pm GMT Netherlands and Senegal face each other. You suspect that neither of them saw anything Sunday from Group A’s other teams to make them doubt they will ultimately both progress to the knockout stages.
And last, but very much not least, at 7pm GMT Wales kick off their first match at a World Cup finals since losing 1-0 to Brazil in a quarter-final in Gothenburg in 1958. They face the USA.
The main debate around those England and Wales games right now isn’t so much whether Jack Grealish will play and what formation Wales will set up in, as what Harry Kane and Gareth Bale will be wearing on their arms. As my colleague Jacob Steinberg reports from Doha, England’s players will take the knee before the game, but Kane must decide whether to support LGBTQ+ rights by wearing the “OneLove” rainbow captain’s armband the FA have been promising, or wear the Fifa-mandated armband message, amid fears that the gesture could earn him an instant booking. You can read more here.
This is Martin Belam in London. I have spent most of this year live blogging countless unnecessary deaths, human rights abuses, corruption and people struggling to get hold of the basics for life like drinking water. So for a complete change of scene, here’s the World Cup in Qatar.
