The Iranian players, as opposed to those who conflate symbolism with substance, took the call not to sing their national anthem in support of widespread protests back home against the violent suppression of women’s rights as millions across the globe including their authoritarian government looked on, that true grit was on glorious display this Monday.
Closer to home, the football fever has just about begun, which promises to reach a crescendo, with Indian football fans eager to cheer for their favourite teams.
Qatar had originally been set to open their first World Cup campaign on Monday (November 21), with Group A rivals Senegal and the Netherlands scheduled to get the competition under way earlier that day.
The country's football federation (FRMF) said the decision was taken because of disagreements on how to prepare the Atlas Lions for the finals.
The Athletic and other media said that the world governing body FIFA is expected to grant a request from Qatar which would make the World Cup run from November 20 until December 18.
This comes after Wales qualified for the Qatar 2022 World Cup in his absence as he awaits trial for domestic violence-related charges. The 48-year-old is accused of controlling and coercive behaviour against his former girlfriend Kate Greville between August 2017 and November 2020.
"AIFF will be monitoring the situation of the coronavirus outbreak and decide on the fresh dates," the federation wrote in an official letter to state federations.
The Croatian added that the Blue Tigers have "no reason to fear" ahead of the encounter.
On January 10, 2017, FIFA Council unanimously decided in favour of expanding the FIFA World Cup to a 48-team competition as of the 2026 edition, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, the Xinhua news agency reported.
