Latest news with #Fifa
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
He spent three horrific years in a Doha jail, now Abdullah Ibhais wants justice from Qatar and Fifa
Now that Abdullah Ibhais sits happily in Oslo, enjoying the cool air, he can calmly reflect on the moment he realised his life was changing. The former 2022 World Cup worker – described by Amnesty as a Qatar whistleblower – had been going through the state's legal process following his November 2021 arrest, and was at that point optimistic there had just been some misunderstanding. Ibhais describes how, in the middle of the process, one Qatari official came out with the following. Advertisement 'You think you can fight the state?' Ibhais couldn't do anything but laugh in shock. 'At that moment, I realised how deep the issue was.' The Jordanian national was finally released on 11 March 2025, having served his full sentence. In July 2024, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions declared he had been a victim of arbitrary detention and urged Qatari authorities to release him immediately. Human rights groups, such as FairSquare, believe his case serves as a prism for the story of that entire World Cup. Ibhais wasn't just a worker in the preparations for the most-watched sporting event in the world, he was a media manager. Consequently, his case involves the long and controversial build-up, the migrant workers, the media coverage, how Qatar spins, and how Qatar works. Ibhais's version is that he went to investigate complaints over workers' rights, stood up for them by advising the Supreme Committee to acknowledge its role, and found himself the subject of a malicious prosecution. FairSquare say Ibhais provided plenty of evidence for his case. Advertisement The version from within Qatar points to Ibhais's April 2021 conviction for 'bribery', 'violation of the integrity of tenders and profits' and 'intentional damage to public funds'. Ibhais's conviction was upheld on appeal, although his sentence was reduced from five years to three years. FairSquare says there was almost no evidence for this, other than Ibhais's confession, which he later retracted and said was coerced. The human rights body says his allegation of coercion is highly credible. The UN working group's finding that he was a victim of arbitrary detention is also highly significant, especially in light of Fifa's refusal to comment when contacted by The Independent. He now wants to go further than just fighting the state. He wants to try to sue both Qatar's Supreme Committee and Fifa, for negligence. 'They couldn't even follow their own guidelines,' Ibhais says of Fifa. 'I'll try every possible avenue, either in Switzerland, the US or any country where they have jurisdiction or bilateral agreements with Fifa.' Abdullah Ibhais wants to try and sue both Qatar's Supreme Committee and Fifa, for negligence (Abdullah Ibhais/Human Rights Watch) Fifa did previously repeat the line 'any person deserves a trial that is fair and where due process is observed and respected', but FairSquare describes this as meaningless. The Independent covered Ibhais's case during the 2022 World Cup, and speaks to him now in the Norwegian capital, the night before he takes part in a series of events at the Oslo Freedom Forum. It is the first time Ibhais has left Jordan, as well as his wife and two young children, since he was deported from Doha after his release. The timing is apt, given this is five days before Saturday's Champions League final in Munich, where Qatar could enjoy their next great sporting moment. The state-owned Paris Saint-Germain could finally win the competition they are desperate for. Advertisement The discussion turns to Qatar's previous great sporting moment: the hosting of that World Cup. Ibhais says he couldn't even watch it. Such obstinacy took concerted effort, given that the prison guards apparently rolled huge TVs into the mess hall for all 29 days, with prisoners not allowed to change the channel from BeIN Sport. 'During the World Cup was the worst,' Ibhais says. 'It felt like total defeat. 'OK, it's hard to be cut away from your family, but the feeling of injustice was the hardest thing to cope with. They got what they wanted, here it was, you're there, no one cares, and there's nothing you can do. Life goes on, yours doesn't.' The Qatar World Cup was controversial from the outset (Getty) It is shortly into telling this story that Ibhais offers what he feels is a crucial caveat. Advertisement 'I accept I am biased.' How could he not be, given his experience? Ibhais was eventually detained at a prison that was closest to the Khalifa International Stadium, which hosted England's opening 6-2 win over Iran. He later alleged he was 'physically assaulted by the prison guards', before being subjected to 'complete darkness in solitary confinement … with temperatures near freezing as the prison's central air-conditioning was used as a torture device' so that he couldn't sleep for 96 hours. 'That was all true,' Ibhais says, 'because they were so worried I was going to do something before the World Cup. They felt like teaching me a lesson.' Advertisement Ibhais adds that the conditions in the prison were completely unhygienic. He hasn't gone to a doctor since his release, something a little surprising given that he chose to see a therapist before he was even arrested. 'I was having panic attacks because I realised what I was part of, and I couldn't live with it,' Ibhais says. 'That realisation was worse than prison. It is shocking. Prison, I expected. This, I didn't.' Ibhais has now been released from jail (Abdullah Ibhais/Handout) It's at this moment that Ibhais feels a point needs to be stressed. Throughout the entire 2022 World Cup cycle, Qatar's persistent narrative was that a young state was going through a journey of development, especially as regards the issue of migrant workers. The plea was for understanding, amid reference to necessarily gradual reforms. Advertisement Ibhais knows this well, since his job was to push that narrative. 'They couldn't care less,' he says. 'Forget about how they address the whole issue. Listen to how many Qataris talk to their own workers. It is depressing, the way they yell at them, the way they more or less think of these men and women as slaves. 'Even the most progressive, when they're angry, there's zero respect. Maybe they'll apologise later.' Ibhais says this even extended to prison, where detained Qataris essentially 'hired south Asians to clean for them'. He agrees with the analysis that all reforms were 'superficial'. 'They think they are right and moral, just because they are rich. It took me so long to understand they are bad people. I really believed for so long. Even when they actually detained me, even when they forced me to sign a confession that was already printed – even after all of this – I still believed they can't be so bad. Advertisement 'I was under the impression mid-level officials decided this, and the trial couldn't be swayed.' It's why he says that one sentence from an official – 'You think you can fight the state?' – suddenly made everything so clear. Building the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was a massive undertaking (AP) Against that, there nevertheless remains so much mystery to the case, from the motivations to how high it went. Ibhais believes the reason he was detained cuts to the very nature of the state. 'It was the concept of whistleblowing. It was not what I exactly said,' he explains. 'They didn't like that someone can challenge the way they are doing things. 'They are positioning themselves as leaders of change, and all that trust lies with the Supreme Committee. So if you tolerate such behaviour and the Supreme Committee is discredited, you discredit everything. And if you're paying $250bn for this reputational campaign…' Advertisement Tellingly, Ibhais was mostly housed with 'state security prisoners' and political dissidents. 'They have so many layers of classification, but the most important is 'state security' and people they want to isolate from the world.' One question brings a reference to 'people they're afraid of', to which Ibhais interjects. 'They're not afraid of anyone. It's people they want to silence.' He says those first six months were 'extremely hard'. 'I basically lost my life. Feeling helpless and away from my family was devastating. Then I thought, 'this might take a long time', so I had to find a way to deal with this.' Advertisement Ibhais started writing to anyone he could think of, from Amnesty to the media. That started to bring some peace of mind, aided by the knowledge his wife could still work in Doha, so their two children – now aged six and eight – could be looked after. He says that 'this was part of the deal with the public prosecutor when I signed the confession'. 'Thank God we managed. Of course, all our savings evaporated. I always had hope someone, somewhere, would recognise what was done.' He didn't find that recognition at Fifa, which is one major reason he wants to take action. Despite supplying Fifa with all of his material, Ibhais says he was essentially 'ghosted'. Ibhais says he provided Fifa with all of his material but was essentially 'ghosted' by the organisation (Getty) That was just over a year before the World Cup, and Ibhais believes that Qatar felt he was 'low enough that people would forget'. Advertisement 'There's a hierarchy. There are original Qataris, then from Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, then the Westerners, then other Arabic people, then you have Bangladeshis, Indians… I am in the middle. That's why they thought it would be easy to make an example of me.' Ibhais says his treatment greatly eased once the tournament ended. He was even allowed to speak to his family for 15 minutes every week. When he was eventually free with them in March, it was 'like coming back to life'. 'I still feel I am in that moment. It still feels great.' *** There is another element to Ibhais's story. As a World Cup media manager, he had to deal with journalists like those at The Independent. He outlines how such a state handled such criticism, but also how it influenced him. Advertisement 'I believed you were being racist,' Ibhais reveals. 'I believed that the US, the UK and Australia were just pissed off because they lost to Qatar.' If that sounds familiar to anyone who has followed the public discussions on 2022, what follows will be even more familiar. 'The whole media strategy that unfortunately I was part of is called 'drop by drop' – feeding a countermessage. We start by letting you say whatever you want, then plant the seeds of doubt. 'What if it's this? Or maybe this…?' 'Have you checked yourself?' 'How about you come and see for yourself?' 'So a journalist like you would say whatever he wants, but if you add a quote from us, we are part of the conversation. Advertisement 'If someone critical gets an interview, it's only with top people highly trained with key messaging. 'At the same time, we generate as much positive content as possible. So, your content will appear, but also ours, and then we work on the search engine optimisation to gradually rise step by step. 'We called it 'flip the pyramid'. And because English-speaking media were so critical, we bypassed them for other languages.' Ibhais smiles. 'I put that in place… and then suffered from it for a long time.' Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup in Qatar as Argentina triumphed (PA Archive) So what does Ibhais think about Saturday, and Qatar's PSG potentially becoming European champions? 'At this point, I don't care. Qatar is much more powerful. If I can hold them accountable for what they did to me, it will end there. It's a big fight and there's a lot going on in the world, Ukraine, Gaza… who cares about [Gianni] Infantino?' Advertisement The final mention is instructive, as it indicates where much of his anger lies. 'Fifa should take most of the blame. They knew what they were getting into, but stood by it. Fifa's policies open the door for any future hosts to do the same as Qatar. They got away with it, and saw how all the negative attention in the world will not be able to touch them.' Ibhais hopes that this can change through legal action, but his own story now has a positive note, at least. He can hug his family, just as he dreamed of in that Doha cell. Qatar's Supreme Committee has been contacted for comment
Observer
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Observer
Oman's Fifa qualifier squad confirmed by coach Rasheed
MUSCAT: With just five days remaining before the decisive final rounds of the Fifa World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers, Oman national team head coach Rasheed Jaber announced officially the final 28 man squad that will represent the national team in the remaining two critical fixtures against Jordan on Thursday in Muscat and Palestine on June 10 in Amman city in Jordan. The finalised list saw inclusion of Tariq al Saadi, the promising forward currently playing for UE Sant Andreu SC in Spain, who impressed during the preparatory friendlies. His selection reflects the coaching staff's focus on injecting new talent into the squad to strengthen the attacking line. However, the squad did not feature Abdulsalam al Shukaili, the top scorer of the Omantel League this season. Despite his domestic form, the coaching team opted for a lineup they believe fits best within the strategic framework and tactical plans for the upcoming qualifiers. Oman's Fifa qualifier squad confirmed by coach Rasheed The announcement of the squad follows Oman's 1-0 victory over Lebanon in a closed-door friendly match which took place on Wednesday night at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Essam al Subhi scored the lone goal in the 4th minute, showcasing sharp form and helping the Red Warriors maintain momentum following an earlier 4-1 win over Niger. After a well-deserved one-day rest on Thursday, the national team reported back to the training sessions on Friday night at Seeb Stadium. The coaching staff, led by Rasheed Jaber and his assistant Yaqoob al Sabahi, are expected to intensify preparations in the remaining five days leading up to the pivotal home match against Jordan on Thursday in a game that falls just one day before Eid Al Adha. Oman's Fifa qualifier squad confirmed by coach Rasheed This match is seen as a do-or-die fixture for Oman, who currently sit fourth in their group with ten points from eight matches, trailing leaders South Korea by six points. A victory against Jordan could revive the team's qualification hopes and set up a dramatic finale against Palestine. With team harmony building, defensive solidity proven and attacking options sharpened, Red Warriors enter the final stretch with determination and belief, ready to deliver for the nation on football's biggest stage. Oman Squad: Fayez al Rushedi, Abdulmalik al Badri, Ahmed al Rawahi, Khalid al Buraiki, Ahmed al Khamisi, Thani al Rushedi, Majid al Saadi, Ghanim al Habshi, Ali al Busaidy, Ahmed al Kaabi, Mulhem al Sunaidy, Hamed al Habsi, Harib al Saadi, Abdullah Fawaz, Arshad al Alawi, Musab al Shaqsi, Al Mundher al Alawi, Abdulrahman al Mushefri, Salah al Yahyaei, Hatim al Roushdi, Jameel al Yahmadi, Hussain al Shahri, Essam al Subhi, Mohsin al Ghassani, Zaher al Aghbari, Tariq al Saadi, Sultan al Marzooq and Mohammed al Ghafri.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Cloak-and-dagger games continue to cloud Fifa's Club World Cup
As European footballers take their post-season vacations, with the continent's southern beaches providing mental and physical havens, there comes the realisation that the club game will go global this summer. Looming on June 14 is the Club World Cup's opener, between Al Ahly of Egypt, and Inter Miami of the United States, Africa versus North America. By little coincidence, the latter team feature Lionel Messi, who celebrates his 38th birthday during Fifa's new month-long showpiece. Messi's presence came via spurious means, his club granted entry after winning the 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) Supporters' Shield – awarded to the team with the best overall record during the regular season. That Inter bombed out of the subsequent play-offs and eventual MLS champions LA Galaxy will be absent is just one wrinkle in the make-up of the 32-team finalists. Red Bull Salzburg, 34th in this season's 36-team Uefa Champions League, winning just a single match, take their place, by virtue of a complicated coefficient which restricted countries to two entries. The Austrian side qualified by being the 18th best team over four years of the Champions League, after featuring in the group stages up to 2023-24 and making the round of 16 in 2022. There will be 12 European teams in the United States and yet this season's champions of England, Liverpool, and of Spain, Barcelona, will not be present, unable to take advantage of the potential €100 million (S$146.6 million) prize bounty on offer. For a club like Chelsea, teetering financially, and involved in all sorts of financial chicanery to pass profit and sustainability regulations, such a bonus competition is welcome. They qualify by dint of winning the Champions League under the previous ownership of Roman Abramovich in 2021. As curious as all that might be, there should be no confusion over the point of this competition – Fifa's attempt to gain hold of the club game from Uefa, and maybe Conmebol, the South American equivalent. Why? Simply, the club game is where the real money is, as Fifa president Gianni Infantino is all too aware. That the trophy has been sat in Donald Trump's Oval Office show the hard politicking that Infantino involves himself in. That the broadcast partner will be Dazn, a British streaming platform which just happen to have had a recent US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion) Saudi investment, news of which arrived around the time Saudi Arabia was awarded the 2034 World Cup, is little coincidence. Infantino has also revealed that his brainchild may feature a special guest, Cristiano Ronaldo, available to the highest bidder – or any bidder – who wants the 40-year-old to play for them. Ronaldo's status with his Saudi club Al-Nassr is unclear. That Ronaldo's availability was revealed by Infantino while appearing on YouTuber IShowSpeed's channel when he refuses interviews with mainstream media only adds to the circus quality of this summer event. Perhaps the world is ready for a global club event, and there would be many takers for fixtures like, say, Real Madrid versus Boca Juniors, but it may take some time for the suspicions of motives and machinations to wear off. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Embarrassing defeat and bizarre parade - inside Man Utd's troubled trip
"As a player, and I have been there, they probably need this like a hole in the head".Hong Kong coach Ashley Westwood was blunt and to the point when speaking about Manchester United's post-season tour of a former FA Youth Cup winner with United in 1995 - and someone who worked for the club's in-house television channel MUTV during a recent pre-season trip to Perth - Westwood has an understanding of the pressures and demands associated with being a player for the 20-time English publicly United's players talked up their post-season trip to Asia and privately officials have praised the way they carried out a mountain of commercial demands, Westwood says no-one should be in any doubt about the reality of the situation."No-one says it on the record because they can't, but fans and sponsors pay wages and this trip is all about revenues," he half-time in Hong Kong, as United trailed 1-0 to the national side currently 153rd in Fifa's rankings, the tour looked to be going from bad to youngsters signed from Arsenal this season, striker Chido Obi and defender Ayden Heaven, scored the second-half goals that brought a below-capacity crowd at a rain-soaked Hong Kong stadium to life - and at least allowed United to head into the summer on a winning the trip itself was a success is another matter. A trip focused on commercial partnerships United estimate they will generate around £10m from their 14,000-mile, six-day expedition. The payment is not connected to ticket sales, so it is a time when their focus in pre-season - both commercially and from a player preparation perspective - is on the United States, where they will go for the third successive summer in July, United's presence in the region also allows them to 'service' existing big-money sponsorship deals with the likes of banking partner Maybank, airline partner Malaysia Airlines, beer partner Tiger and tyre partner evidence was needed for the real purpose of United's trip, it comes from the knowledge that Andre Onana, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot had been substituted and were heading for the airport as their team-mates were being booed by a large percentage of a 72.550 crowd following their surprise 1-0 defeat to a South-East Asia select XI on trio were boarding a private plane to Mumbai, where they would spend Thursday on a packed commercial programme arranged by Apollo, before getting home a day earlier than those who had gone on to Hong Kong for the second Westwood said, United's players had been given little choice about being on the immediately after the final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa meant there was no opportunity to back out. Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt was present, even though he was not fit enough to play. United wanted Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof there too but both had personal reasons to Ruben Amorim's squad opted to make the best of it. Unlike a focused and driven pre-season tour, it is fair to say their approach to this event was 'relaxed'.The scenes on the flight from Manchester to Kuala Lumpur were said to be like a party, with loud music and drinks. Some players and staff members were seen at a club on the Monday, immediately after their arrival. There was also a chance to wind down after Wednesday's game. In the wake of their defeat in Kuala Lumpur, there was gallows humour among the squad when it was pointed out somewhat ironically that after the season they just had domestically, they had now managed to get booed by fans 6,600 miles away from striker Joshua Zirkzee nipped out - accompanied by security - to get some late-night food because room service was not to his taste. Amad Diallo, Heaven and Alejandro Garnacho tried to take an e-scooter ride, only to discover they did not have the money to pay for does not appear to have been an enthusiastic following Amorim's return from a post-Europa League final summit with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and other club executives in Monaco he could find a new club in the summer, the young Argentina winger remains popular among supporters, as evidenced by the raucous cheers for him in both there is evidence of a lack of the ASEAN All-Stars defeat, Garnacho went straight past opposition captain Sergio Aguero, a 31-year-old Argentine-born naturalised Malaysian, despite promising him his shirt from the game. The damage was rectified by a United kitman, who grabbed Garnacho's shirt from the dressing room and handed it brought more negativity as pictures emerged on social media of Amad Diallo making a one-fingered gesture to a fan as he was leaving the team subsequently said he was responding to abuse against his mum. He accepted his reaction was wrong but at the same time did not regret specific behaviours raise an eyebrow or can be excused, from a corporate perspective, some of United's decisions have also been context is clearly different but having ruled out having a parade if they won the Europa League final in Bilbao, to see a group of players, including Zirkzee, embark on a bus parade through Kuala Lumpur was bizarre. Some fans did turn out - and there remains enthusiasm for United in this it is not on remotely the same levels as their last visit to Malaysia, in 2009, when they were still Premier League champions, had the likes of Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney in their that time, they struggled to get around their hotel such was the constant presence of fans. Their first game attracted a crowd of 85,000 - and there were 30,000 at a second, arranged at 48 hours' notice after a terrorist attack in Jakarta, where they were supposed to be was on that tour too and the Portuguese winger was part of a three-man team of 'legends' along with Wes Brown and John O'Shea who have been on this trip to push the club narrative. Amorim learns what being Man Utd boss means For Amorim, it has been another eye-opening crash course in what being a figurehead at United means. "More than a manager" was his assessment in Hong Kong on Thursday was introduced to the Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian prime minister, and a United fan, during his time in Kuala Lumpur. It is the kind of exposure you do not get at most clubs, even the size of his previous team Sporting in knows, stripped away from the sideshow, he must deliver in Malaysia, after a season in which he described his team as "probably the worst" United have ever had, his side managed to lose against a team made up of players from a region with no history of making an impact on the global stage. United were booed off, Amorim claimed his side were "chokers" and he had to implore supporters to buy tickets for the Hong Kong game. It was a plea that went unheeded judging by the numbers of empty arrived in Hong Kong to a huge thunderstorm and a deluge that raised concerns the final match of the trip might not take game went ahead, although it did so amid fresh speculation over the future of skipper Bruno Fernandes, who has been the subject of a huge offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal, who want the Portugal midfielder to be part of their squad at the Club World believes Fernandes will stay, but until the 30-year-old or Al Hilal specifically state otherwise, nothing is victory against Hong Kong was well received by the most of those there to witness Amorim accepts the trip was missing something pretty June and August 2011, market research company Kantar conducted a poll of "nearly 54,000 adults in 39 countries" and concluded United had 659 million global "followers".In this period of brutal cost-cutting, it seems doubtful Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be commissioning an update any time soon. On the evidence here in Hong Kong and Malaysia, it is hard to imagine United have close to that number once they dominated the Premier League commercially, now they trail Manchester City, who have generated greater prize money over the past are not the draw they once were, despite the red shirts on show this week, which, in fairness to Fernandes, Garnacho and others, they spent time signing for fans before leaving for Hong Kong airport and is not known when they will return to the region - but Amorim knows for certain what would make it a better experience than this one."We want to return but I would like to come back with better results," he said."The people are really lovely and respectful and we are grateful for everybody. But it would be so much fun to come here with titles."
The Sun
a day ago
- General
- The Sun
Why has Mary Earps retired from the England national team?
MARY EARPS shocked the footballing world after announcing her retirement from the England national team. Lionesses legend Earps, 32, was the goalkeeper for England's Euro triumph in 2022 and the World Cup final in 2023, in which she pulled off a stunning penalty save. 3 3 The former Manchester United ace was crowned a two-time Fifa Women's Best Goalkeeper, and also BBC Sport Personality of the Year in 2023. But just five weeks before the start of the 2025 Euros, 53-cap star Marps announced her retirement with immediate effect. Why has Mary Earps retired from international football? Mary Earps was in a battle with Chelsea's Hannah Hampton for the No1 spot in boss Sarina Wiegman's starting XI for the upcoming Euros in Switzerland. Hampton was picked in England's last three Nations League matches - against Spain and the double header against Belgium. And according to The Telegraph, Earps quit in a meeting after being told she was now back-up to Hampton. Earps said in her announcement: "I have taken the difficult decision to retire internationally. It has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life, to wear this badge, represent my country and play alongside such an incredible group of players. "I've spent a long time making this decision and it's not one I've made lightly. "For me, ultimately this is the right time for me to step aside and give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive. "Winning the Euros in 2022 was the best day of my life, and I'm rooting for the girls to do it again this summer." While in a cryptic Instagram post, Earps added: 'My journey has never been the simplest, and so in true Mary fashion, this isn't a simple goodbye – right before a major tournament. England stars celebrate historic Euro 2022 victory in dressing room after beating Germany 2-1 'Nonetheless, I know this is the right decision. "There are so many dimensions to this decision, the details of which aren't important right now, but what it boils down to is: it's now the right moment for me to step aside. 'This is a new era and a new England team, and I'm looking forward to watching them this summer. In the end, all you have is all you are – your character. "And I know that whilst this won't make sense to some who are reading this, you can trust that I would not be doing this unless I thought it was absolutely the right thing to do, as much as it hurts.' 3 The announcement sparked a furious response from Lionesses coach Wiegman. The Dutch coach said: "I had hoped that Mary would play an important role within the squad this summer, so of course I am disappointed. "Mary has been clear on her reasons why she has made the decision and it is something we need to accept. 'Mary has made a huge contribution to not only the team, but the whole of English football. 'We will cherish those memories and of course give Mary the tributes she deserves after the summer. "But for now the focus needs to be on the upcoming Uefa Women's Nations League fixtures and the Euros.'
