November 13, 2022
The brief from today:
CAF joins CONMEBOL in FIFA support
Following FIFA’s letter to all the World Cup participants last week in which they asked all countries involved to focus on football rather than politics related to Qatar, South America’s governing body, CONMEBOL, recently lended their support. The attention being drawn to human rights issues in the World Cup host nation has resulted in plenty of negative publicity and protests, with the majority of that coming from European countries who have at least 10 nations aiming to stage protests in Qatar in support of LGBTQ+ rights. Africa’s governing body, CAF, has now also joined the fray, with their solidarity going towards FIFA’s message. CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, released a statement saying, “We recognize that football has over the years been an important tool for bringing together and uniting people from different races, language groups, and religious backgrounds. The FIFA World Cup is an important global sporting event that brings together people from different countries and continents for the development and celebration of football worldwide and the advancement of humanity.” Motsepe’s statements further display the widening chasm between the various football governing bodies, and how each choose to address the political issues in Qatar that have many feeling uneasy about the Gulf nation being tournament hosts.
CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, released a statement aligning with FIFA’s stance on the Qatar World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo speaks out
Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has had a difficult season thus far after being relegated to a marginal role as a substitute. Ronaldo, for his part, spent the majority of the summer attempting to orchestrate a move away from United as he desperately wanted to take part in the Champions League. Eventually a transfer never materialized, and he was resigned to playing on for United. Following the media frenzy surrounding his eventful summer, the Portugal international said he would eventually clear the air and reveal behind the scenes details. That time has now arrived as an interview he did with Piers Morgan illustrated his feelings about the club and some of its personnel. Ronaldo didn’t hold back as he made it clear that his relationship with new club manager, Erik ten Hag, lacks respect from either party, and along with the coach, two executives have been allegedly trying to force Ronaldo out of the club since the summer. The 37-year-old went on to lambast the club’s management since the retirement of his former coach, Alex Ferguson, in 2013 saying, “The progress was zero. Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed. He [Ferguson] knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be. He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don’t see that. It’s because they don’t want to see; they are blind.” Of course the release of such a damning interview taking place today is surely no coincidence as clubs will now go on break for the World Cup after this weekend’s matches. Once club football resumes in England, it will be less than one week until the January transfer window, and if Ronaldo failed to secure a transfer in the summer, this interview almost guarantees a different result in the new year.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s (center) interview revealed neither he, nor ten Hag (left), respect each other