October 6, 2022
The brief from today:
Berardi fined by Italian authorities
Sassuolo winger, Domenico Berardi, has received his punishment for an incident after his side’s first round Coppa Italia defeat to Modena two months ago. Following the 3-2 loss, in which Berardi was on the scoresheet, a Modena fan was alleged to to have abused Berardi and his family. In response, the 28-year-old chased the fan in the incident which took place in the square just outside the Stadio Alberto Braglia to confront him, only to be restrained by security and another supporter. Charges were later filed against the Italy international, to which he would enter a plea agreement for. As a result, the ruling has now been issued, and for his violation of Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the Sports Justice Code, he has been fined €3000. While there are sporting conduct rules and regulations in place, one has to wonder what sort of recourse the players can expect when fans have overstepped. Responding to such abuse in everyday scenarios would hardly result in such a fine for any non-footballer, but unfortunately for Berardi, his notoriety holds him to a different standard despite the insults.
Berardi has been fined for deciding to confront an abusive fan
Qatar getting creative to deal with World Cup crowds
Qatar made some announcements today that are meant to mitigate the effects of the influx of people expected for the World Cup. With traffic and congestion in mind, the Corniche highway, which borders the seafront and is the main city highway, will be closed to vehicles beginning November 1. This area is meant to be where one of the main fan zones will be constructed for the tournament. In addition to that, to further combat traffic the working hours of government employees, as well as school hours for students, will be cut down to reduce the vehicles on the road. For the period ranging from November 1 until December 19, only 20 percent of government workers are instructed to appear in the office, and even then would only be present for four hours per day. Meanwhile, schooling hours have been adjusted from November 1 through November 17 to only last from 7am until noon. Following that period, schools will be closed from November 18 until December 22. Qatar is expecting a million fans to attend the tournament, with the group stage matches expected to be the period where the majority will arrive. Logistics and space in Qatar have been some of the major concerns regarding this competition, but the tiny Gulf nation is confident they will manage any hosting challenges they are faced with.
The World Cup is fast approaching and Qatar are constantly making adjustments to be prepared