Video footage has circulated around social media of construction workers in Qatar going on strike in response to the inhumane working conditions they have dealt with during stadium construction for the upcoming 2022 World Cup. The strike began on Sunday with thousands of workers protesting on the outskirts of one of their work-sites.
Gareth Bale came inches away from cashing in on his career and his profile as a big figure in the soccer world as he looked set to earn $1.22 million per week at Chinese club Jiangsu Suning. With that kind of money being offered, it makes you wonder where it all comes from.
Have you ever been disappointed going to see your sporting hero in person? Maybe they didn’t perform well, or they were hardly involved in the game. Well, some fans in South Korea are suing a sporting agency after Cristiano Ronaldo did not play in a preseason friendly while on tour in Seoul, South Korea.
After making his Chelsea debut as a 65th-minute substitute against Kawasaki Frontale on Friday, Christian Pulisic was handed his first-ever Chelsea start Tuesday as the Blues defeated Barcelona 2-1 in Saitama, Japan.
Well, what do we do now? Instead of, as the old saying goes, saving some for the real games, Harry Kane went and used up all the insane, last-second, match-winning goals from the halfway line allotted to us for the 2019-20 season during an International Champions Cup match in Singapore today.
Tottenham defeated Juventus 3-2 at the National Stadium thanks to Kane’s hammer drop in the 93rd minute, leaving Wojciech Szczesny buried in the net and giving Matthijs de Ligt an excellent memory on his debut for the Old Lady.
True to his word, Christian Pulisic began training with Chelsea FC on Tuesday, July 16, just nine days after the USMNT’s defeat to Mexico in the Gold Cup final. His decision to join-up with the squad in lieu of an extended holiday break earned praise from Blues boss Frank Lampard, and he now has three full training sessions under his belt following today’s open practice in Yokohama, Japan.
If you don’t believe me, just look at his feet.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is, on the whole, unfathomable. The mind boggles at an expenditure of $200 billion, while a current reported death toll of over 1,400 migrants is like combining the casualties of the Falklands War and 2011 Egyptian revolution. All this to kick that ball around.
It’s with great sadness that our summer of soccer 2019 draws to a close. The USWNT lifted the World Cup, Brazil triumphed on home soil at the Copa América, Mexico reclaimed the Gold Cup and we’re into the final week of the Africa Cup of Nations. Unless you’re eagerly anticipating the ICC, our glorious summer is at an end.
Vissel Kobe defeated Nagoya 5-3 in J1 League play on Sunday thanks to braces from Spanish legends Andrés Iniesta, age 35, and David Villa, 37. Villa opened the scoring with a fine solo goal, and then Iniesta restored Vissel Kobe’s advantage with this sensational long-range effort.
The Copa América has some unconventional participants this year. Due to the small size of the CONMEBOL (10 teams), additional invitees are required in order to create the tournament's typical 12-team structure.
Normally, these spaces would be filled by teams from CONCACAF, but because the Gold Cup is also this summer, CONMEBOL offered the spots to Japan and Qatar of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). So, while certainly unlikely, there is a possibility that Japan or Qatar will be crowned Copa America champion this summer.