6 minute read
Offside
OFFSIDE The not so serious side of the industry
England fans may face £9,000 per night
The eye-watering cost of attending the 2022 World Cup has been exposed by a new report, which claims England fans will have to fork out thousands of pounds to stay in Qatar.
An investigation by The Sun has revealed that supporters of the Three Lions could be forced to pay up to £9,000 per night for a hotel in the country during the tournament, which gets underway on November 21. More than one-and-a-half million fans are expected to travel to Qatar, which is only around the size of Yorkshire, and there are growing doubts over whether the country will be able to cope with the infl ux of visitors. Most hotels are already booked up, with the remaining rooms now soaring in price following Friday’s World Cup draw. A pint of Heineken costs £11.50, while a glass of wine is around £11. Alcohol will only be available in special zones around stadiums. I think I will stay at home and watch it in the pub!
Dog blocks goal
A fed-up amateur footballer joked he may have to “hang up his boots” after his goal was blocked by a runaway dog.
Ross Hamilton looked certain to score for Ferguslie Star against Vale of Leven AFC in a tense cup tie after homing in on goal with just the keeper to beat. But the 26-year-old was left gobsmacked when a cheeky off lead Golden Retriever - dubbed Alan Ruff - jumped inside the posts and defl ected the ball before it could cross the line. Despite a team mate battering it in just seconds later, the goal was disallowed by the referee - bringing about a change of luck for the Paisley team, who had been 2-1 up. The IT worker joked: “It was just unbelievable.”
As seen on social media ...
It snowed when Nottingham CCC were having their team photo taken today ahead of the new season!
When the assistant’s mowing messes with your head!
Recycling at its fi nest
Roberto Carlos plays for Shrewsbury pub
The Brazilian World Cup winner Roberto Carlos made an unlikely return to the game, swapping the yellow of Brazil for the red shirt of an English pub team.
The retired left-back made an appearance for Bull in the Barne United in the village of Hanwood, near Shrewsbury, after the team won a charity “Dream Transfer” raffl e on eBay. Although Carlos scored, Bull in the Barne still suff ered a 4-3 defeat at the hands of fellow Shrewsbury and District Sunday Football League side Harlescott Rangers, noted Irish sports site The 42.
An explosive start to the game!
A grenade was thrown onto the pitch during a Newell’s Old Boys game in Argentina.
The club were playing in the El Clasico Rosarino derby against arch-rivals Rosario Central. Kick off was delayed due to the grenade exploding and creating holes in the pitch. It’s somewhat surprising the game was even able to go ahead, as a grenade being thrown onto the pitch is surely a bit of a security scare! The groundsmen must have done an excellent job to repair the pitch in a short space of time.
DIARY DATES
5th- 8th: Golf - Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett, The Belfry, Sutton Coldfi eld (europeantour.com) 14th: Football - FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium (fa.com) 15th: Football - Women’s FA Cup fi nal, Wembley (fa.com) 16th-22nd: Golf - US PGA Championship, Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma (pgachampionship.com) 16th-5th June: Tennis - French Open, Roland Garros, Paris (rolandgarros.com) 18th: Football - 2022 UEFA Europa League fi nal, Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, Seville, Spain (uefa.com) 21st: Football - EFL League One playoff fi nal, Wembley Stadium (efl .com) 21st: Football - Scottish Cup Final, Hampden Park (hampdenpark.co.uk) 25th: Football - Europa Conference League Final (uefa.com) 27th: Rugby - 2022 European Rugby Challenge Cup fi nal, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (rugby- league.com) 28th: Rugby - 2022 Heineken Champions Cup fi nal, Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (epcrugby.com) 28th: Football - EFL League Two play- off fi nal, Wembley Stadium (efl .com) 28th: Football - 2022 UEFA Champions League fi nal, St Petersburg (uefa.com) 29th: Football - EFL Championship play-off fi nal, Wembley Stadium (efl .com)
2nd-27th: Cricket - England vs New Zealand Test Match Series (ecb.co.uk) 13th-19th: Golf - US Open, The Country Club, Brookline, Mass (usopen.com) 14th-18th: Horseracing - 2022 Royal Ascot (ascot.com) 27th-10th July: Tennis - The Championships, Wimbledon (wimbledon.com)
1st-17th: Cricket - England vs India ODis, Edgbaston (ecb.co.uk) 6th-7th: Industry - SAGE 2022, Sports & Grounds Expo, Malvern (sportsandgrounds.events) 6th-31st: Football - Women’s Euro 2022 (uefa.com/womenseuro) 9th: Tennis - Women’s Wimbledon fi nal Wimbledon (wimbledon.com) 10th: Tennis - Men’s Wimbledon fi nal Wimbledon (wimbledon.com) 14th-17th: Golf - The Open, The Old Course, St Andrews (theopen.com) 19th-12th September: Cricket - England vs South Africa Test (ecb.co.uk) 28th-8th August: Industry - TGA Summer Show 2022, Kinross, Scotland (turfgrass.co.uk) 28th-8th August: Ahtletics - Commonwealth Games, Birmingham (birmingham2022) “The build-up suggests we’re getting there. Of course, the longer you go, you can hear the crowd, ‘shoot, shoot, shoot’, you know, and that sometimes is a challenge for the players.” Manager Graham Potter tells
Brighton fans to stop shouting because it’s putting off the players.
“It was at that moment it slapped us in the face. We had to do something diff erent otherwise we’d win most games, but not the really important ones.” Australia’s Meg
Lanning’s team turned things around to beat England to the World Cup.
“There’s a captains’ agreement that every captain signs. I think actions speak louder than words. I’m fully committed to this, to be the captain, to deliver the best result I can with the team.” Swedish Henrik
Stenson is appointed as the next Ryder Cup captain.
“Is he basing his opinions and his public statements on what he has read? Somebody with a lot of infl uence such as Southgate, somebody with a big audience that listens to what he has said has got to pick his words carefully.” Qatar 2022 chief executive
Nasser Al Khater after the England manager voiced his concerns over the Gulf nation’s suitability to host the World Cup.
Meg Lanning
“I thought our physical eff ort was so intense that it probably made them look pretty ordinary and they are not. We have massive selection choices. We have invested a lot in the depth of the squad so we can have these problems.” Coach Simon Middleton
after an England win in the Women’s Six Nations.
“This is the weakest Mexican team I have seen in my life, this is a great opportunity to beat them at the Azteca Stadium. This Mexican team reminds me of the 2017 United States team, where a generation of players was coming to its end.” American
retired player quickly turned himself into the most hated man in Mexico ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
“We did not disinvite Phil. He made a personal decision and I don’t know anything beyond that.” Augusta chairman Fred
Ridley said Phil Mickelson is taking a break from golf after apologising for his criticism of Saudi Arabia’s regime.
“They are walking around the pitch. It’s nowhere near good enough. There can be no complaints. City have been absolutely outstanding. But as a Manchester United fan, it’s embarrassing.” Gary Neville blasts
