August 13, 2022
The brief from today:
Willian leaves Corinthians
Brazilian winger, Willian, has terminated his contract with São Paulo side, Corinthians. After leaving Arsenal last summer to return to his boyhood club, Willian wasn’t able to display the form he would have wanted. With 45 games, and just a one goal return, the fans began to turn bitter, and according to the player those protestations crossed a line. Following the quarterfinal Copa Libertadores defeat to Flamengo earlier this week, Willian disclosed the type of treatment he has been receiving from the supporters. The former Chelsea winger revealed that, “Whenever Corinthians lost and I didn’t play well my family received threats and insults on social media—my wife, my children, and recently they also started attacking my father, my sister.” These messages from the fans allegedly went as far as including death threats, and as a result Willian told the club he needs to move on out of fear for his family’s safety. Corinthians president, Duilio Monteiro Alves confirmed Willian’s departure saying, “We are sad not to have him anymore and also because it didn’t go the way we expected. But we have to keep those here that are happy.” As for Willian’s next destination, while nothing is confirmed yet, Fulham are very interested in acquiring him, and he is also inclined to move back to London having previously lived there for eight years.
Threats to his family from fans prompted Willian to terminate his contract with Corinthians
Flick critical of Qatar World Cup
Germany national team coach, Hansi Flick, has made some comments today that will surely unsettle some people. Speaking on the World Cup set to be staged in Qatar in November and December, the German manager said, “Basically, I think it is a shame that this tournament will not be a World Cup for fans. I have friends who would like to fly to Qatar, but choose not to for a variety of reasons. Football should be there for everyone. That is why I say it is not a World Cup for fans.” The upcoming World Cup has been mired in controversy for some time now, with the treatment of migrant workers—who built the stadiums and infrastructure for the tournament—said to be inhumane. In addition to that, Qatar’s laws toward the LGBTQ+ community are vastly different to those found in the Western world, and this has also drawn consternation from many. Women’s rights is another area of concern that has resulted in protests against the host nation. Then of course there is the scheduling of the competition, which falls in the middle of the club season, and not in the more conducive summer months when fans could potentially package vacation time with their trip to Qatar. For those that do have the ability to make the journey to the Gulf nation, lack of accommodation for fans is another challenge that is making plans to attend more perplexing. So while all these factors likely contributed to Flick’s need to share his thoughts, as a national team manager in charge of one of the global heavyweights, he does have to be wary when making such politically sensitive comments. He did attempt to make his stance purely about the fan experience, but even he should be aware that the well known backdrop means he is treading a fine line with such statements.
Flick gets vocal on his stance regarding the upcoming World Cup