The top organiser of the Qatar 2022 World Cup has hit back at the Norway Football Association following damning criticism by the latter during FIFA's Congress in Doha on Thursday.
Hassan Al Thawadi accused Norwegian FA President Lise Klaveness of inflammatory comments over the country's human rights record ahead of the tournament, which begins in November.
This year's World Cup has been the subject of criticism since it was awarded to Qatar in 2010, with issues ranging from the treatment of migrant workers to the safety of the LGBTQ+ community.
During the 72nd FIFA congress, Klaveness – whose nation failed to qualify last year and had mooted plans to boycott if they did so – launched a blistering argument against its organisers.
"In 2010, the World Cup was awarded by FIFA in unacceptable ways with unacceptable consequences," she stated.
"Human rights, equality, democracy, the core interests of football, were not in the starting XI until many years later.
"These basic rights were pressured on as substitutes, mainly by outside voices. FIFA has later addressed these issues, but there is still a long way to go.
"There is no room for employers who do not secure the freedom and safety of World Cup workers, no room for leaders that cannot host the women's game, no room for hosts that cannot legally guarantee the safety and respect of LGBTQ+ people coming to this theatre of dreams."
Thawadi, chief executive of the World Cup Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, refuted his counterpart's suggestions, and accused her of failing to open dialogue over her concerns.
"Madam president, you visit our country and made no request for a meeting," he added. "You did not attempt to contact us and did not attempt to engage in dialogue before addressing Congress today.
"I urge everybody, we have always been open for dialogue. We have always welcomed constructive criticism, criticism that is based on discussion, understanding the issues and understanding the context of the issues and the progress of the facts on the ground.
"We will always have our doors open for anybody who wants to understand the issues, who wants to educate themselves before passing any judgement."
Qatar will host the draw for this year's tournament on April 1, with 29 of the 32 sides set to compete confirmed ahead of final play-offs later this year.
Sporting director Ashworth leaves Manchester United
Dan Ashworth has left his role as Manchester United's sporting director just five months after joining the club.
United pushed hard for the highly rated Ashworth, who was in place at Newcastle United, and spent five months on gardening leave before officially starting with the Red Devils, who reportedly paid significant compensation to his former club.
His first day on the job came on July 1, but now just five months later, he has left Old Trafford by mutual agreement.
"We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future," a statement from the club read.
Ashworth led United's recruitment drive over the summer as the club aimed to back Erik ten Hag, who they subsequently dismissed at the end of October.
Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte were all brought in to boost United's senior squad.
United lost 3-2 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, as new boss Ruben Amorim suffered a second straight defeat, and his first at Old Trafford.
That loss left United in 13th in the Premier League.
Ancelotti confident Real Madrid are nearing their best
Carlo Ancelotti is confident Real Madrid are making their way back to their best after their 3-0 victory over Girona.
Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe were on target on Saturday, moving to within two points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona.
Since losing 4-0 to Barca at the end of October, Madrid have won four of their last five LaLiga matches, with their sole defeat coming against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
But Ancelotti feels his team are rediscovering their best form.
"Bellingham has scored his fifth goal in a row. He's back and in good form. Mbappe scored too," he said.
"We have to hang in there, little by little we're coming back.
"We had to hold on at the beginning because Girona pushed hard. We did a good job collectively, and then we handled the advantage well. The team had more clarity and more ideas. I think the second half went very well."
The Italian also praised Guler's performance after the Turkish youngster scored Madrid's second goal.
"He wasn't good in the first half but in the second half he scored a fantastic goal," Ancelotti said.
"What I want to highlight is his work. He runs a lot and helps the team. His goal takes a bit of pressure off him.
"He's a young player with a lot of pressure around him and it's good for him to take a bit of pressure off."
An injury to Bellingham was a cause for concern for Madrid, but Ancelotti allayed any major fears.
"[Bellingham] is fine, he is available," said the Italian. "We've had the muscle injury to [Benjamin] Mendy but the rest of it is just knocks, nothing more,"
Mbappe's goal brought up his 200th in the top five leagues, while Bellingham has scored in five consecutive league games in a single season for the first time.
Motta not satisfied as Juve draw again, admits tactical errors
Thiago Motta was far from satisfied with Juventus' performance as they drew 2-2 with Bologna on Saturday, though he did hail the Bianconeri's character as they recovered to remain unbeaten in Serie A.
Juve fought back from 2-0 down in Turin, with 20-year-old forward Samuel Mbangula scoring a stoppage-time leveller from outside the area.
The Bianconeri are the only side yet to taste defeat in the Italian top flight this campaign, but with nine of their 15 matches finishing level, they remain seven points adrift of leaders Atalanta.
"The positive point was the reaction. We pulled back a game which was in a very bad position," Motta said at his post-match press conference.
"We are not satisfied with the result or even with what we have done. I have to thank the guys for the heart and the courage that they showed."
Motta refused to criticise his players' attitude, instead acknowledging he made tactical errors as Bologna attempted as many shots as Juve (10) and won the expected goals (xG) battle, 0.93 to 0.87.
"No player went missing. It was a tactical problem and that's my fault," Motta said. "We were not able to overcome the pressure. Today was complicated and we went into difficulty, then we came back but we can't be satisfied.
"I repeat, we are not satisfied but this must make us stronger."
Motta knows the Turin giants need to start turning draws into wins if they are to climb the table, adding: "We have to improve to be in the position where we want to be, which is not the one we have today.
"We have to deal with this situation by moving forward and improving for the next game on Wednesday."
Manchester City visit Turin for a Champions League tie on Wednesday, with both sides on eight points and outside the automatic qualification places.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
