World Cup 2022 latest news LIVE: Sadio Mane ‘ruled out’, Reece James ‘devastated’
Sadio #Sadio
The World Cup begins on November 20. As it’s hard to keep up with all the news, we will have all the World Cup latest here – as every squad is announced, every injury is suffered and every key quote is uttered.
You can get all the World Cup squads information here and that will be updated as we get closer to the tournament.
November 9: L’Equipe are reporting that Sadio Mane is out of the World Cup after suffering a tibia injury in Bayern Munich’s clash against Werder Bremen on Tuesday night.
November 9: Chelsea and England right-back Reece James has reportedly been ‘left devastated’ as he has been told that he will not be going to the World Cup.
Gareth Southgate will announce his 26-man squad for the World Cup on Thursday.
Full story here.
November 8: Ecuador’s place at the World Cup has been confirmed after the Court of Arbitration for Sport delivered its verdict on claims made by Chile and Peru that Byron Castillo had been ineligible to play in the qualifying rounds.
November 8: Senegal talisman Sadio Mane went off injured 25 minutes into Bayern Munich’s match against Werder Bremen. He has waved goodbye down the tunnel. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
If he is out of the World Cup, Senegal are f***ed. No two ways about it.
November 8: Mexico will be without Jesus Corona due to an ankle injury and Argentina midfielder Gio Lo Celso – who is on loan at Villarreal from Tottenham – needs surgery.
November 7: Former England defender Gary Neville is not convinced Gareth Southgate will be able to trust “rash” Trent Alexander-Arnold in the heat of World Cup battle.
Southgate names his squad for Qatar on Thursday with a debate raging over his options at right-back as a result of the Liverpool man’s lack of form and injuries to Reece James and Kyle Walker, leaving Kieran Trippier in pole position.
Neville is a fan of Alexander-Arnold as an attacking force, but is not sure he could start in a knockout game when the stakes are at their highest.
Full story here.
November 6: Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has eased fears surrounding Son Heung-min by expressing his confidence that the South Korea star will be fit to feature at the World Cup.
The Spurs attacker sustained a fracture around his left eye on Tuesday during their 2-1 win at Marseille following a collision with Chancel Mbemba.
Full quotes here.
November 5: Chelsea and England defender Ben Chilwell is expected to miss the World Cup with a “significant” hamstring injury. The 25-year-old left-back sustained the problem in the Blues’ 2-1 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.
And a statement from the club on Saturday said: “Following the injury sustained in our recent game against Dinamo Zagreb, Ben has undergone a scan on his hamstring.
“Results show that Ben has suffered a significant injury and the defender is unfortunately expected to miss the World Cup.
“Ben will now begin a rehabilitation programme with the club’s medical department.”
November 3: Managers are reportedly asking clubs to rest World Cup-bound players before domestic seasons around the world pause.
Premier League clubs have rejected requests to rest players before they link up with their national teams. Furthermore, it is impossible to move the final games back a few days due to the Carabao Cup.
It is no surprise to see national managers panic after seeing the likes of Son Heung-min and Ben Chilwell pick up injuries.
November 3: RB Leipzig and Germany forward Timo Werner has been ruled out of the World Cup.
The former Chelsea man suffered a ruptured ankle ligament in Leipzig’s 4-0 Champions League win against Shakhtar Donetsk.
November 3: Chelsea boss Graham Potter has said it “doesn’t look positive” for Ben Chilwell after he hobbled off with a hamstring injury against Dinamo Zagreb.
Chilwell’s place in England’s World Cup squad is now under threat as he joins club and country team-mate Reece James on the injury list.
November 2: Brighton defender Adam Webster has reportedly been included in Gareth Southgate’s 55-man World Cup squad, joining teammates Danny Welbeck and Lewis Dunk. The full story is here.
November 2: Tottenham have confirmed forward Son Heung-min will undergo surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye, putting his World Cup in doubt.
This would be a huge blow for South Korea.
November 2: Premier League clubs will be united in their decision to turn down Argentina’s requests to leave their players out of the final round of matches before the World Cup.
MailOnline claim that one English club have already been asked by the Argentinian FA and told them where to go. Why should they rest Argentine players when other players from other countries will have to play?
November 1: England boss Gareth Southgate has reportedly included Brighton’s Lewis Dunk and Danny Welbeck in his provisional 55-man squad for the World Cup.
Every manager taking a team to this winter’s tournament was asked by FIFA to submit a longlist last month.
Southgate is expected to name his final 26-man squad on November 10, four days before the deadline.
Read the full story here.
November 1: Japan become the first nation to announce their 26-man squad.
Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has been included. The most notable absentees are Celtic’s Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi, as well as Vissel Kobe striker Yuya Osako.
October 31: Paul Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta has confirmed the France midfielder will miss the World Cup.
“Following medical review in Torino and Pittsburgh, Paul Pogba will still need recovery time from surgery. For this reason, Paul will not be able to join Juventus squad before WC break nor French National Team in Qatar,” Pimenta confirmed.
October 31: Kevin De Bruyne admits next month’s World Cup could be his last and he wants his kids to see him perform on the biggest stage.
The Belgium international remains relaxed ahead of the start of the tournament next month after scoring the winner in Manchester City’s 1-0 victory at Leicester on Saturday.
De Bruyne’s family will travel to Qatar for Belgium’s Group F games against Canada, Morocco and Croatia.
October 30: “Hopefully not,” Mikel Arteta replied when asked if Bukayo Saka was a World Cup doubt after leaving the pitch during the Gunners’ 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
“It was a bad kick. Right from the beginning he was limping, but I don’t see any further than that. Let’s see how he is in the next couple of days. He got kicked a few times and he wasn’t comfortable.”
October 28: Spain coach Luis Enrique has selected five keepers in his initial 55-man squad and none of them are Manchester Unites stopper David De Gea, according to reports in Spain.
The three stoppers expected to go to Qatar are Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon, Brighton’s Robert Sanchez and Brentford’s David Raya, and their two back-ups are named as Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga and Getafe’s David Soria.
The only other squad names to emerge are full-backs Alejandro Balde, Jordi Alba and Jose Gaya.
October 27: Australia has become the first World Cup finals side to release a collective statement from players criticising host Qatar’s human rights record.
Some 16 players, including ex-Arsenal and Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan, appear in the video in which they draw issue with the country’s treatment of migrants workers and the LGBTQ+ community.
“There are universal values that should define football. Values such as respect, dignity, trust and courage,” skipper Ryan said in his section of the statement.
“When we represent our nation, we aspire to embody these values.”
October 26: France centre-back Raphael Varane will be out of action until the World Cup. “Varane isn’t in the squad. He will be out until the World Cup,” Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag confirmed.
Asked whether Varane would be available for the World Cup, which gets underway in Qatar, Ten Hag said: “We have to see how he develops, how his rehab will develop.”
October 26: It was revealed last month that French defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara was ruled out for several months with a knee problem, but it appears that he is way ahead of schedule in his recovery. Kamara is doing individual work away from the first-team squad but will join up with them on Monday, claims L’Equipe.
This is not only huge news for the club, but for the player, who has aspirations to make France’s World Cup squad. A four-month injury to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante has increased Kamara’s chances of being on the plane to Qatar.
October 25: Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is hoping to make a late case for being included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup next month.
The 26-year-old started just 12 Premier League matches for the Blues last term but has already made nine starts out of a possible 11 this season.
And he is hoping his form could see him make a late push for the England squad.
Loftus-Cheek said: “It would be amazing. It would mean a lot. Going into the 2018 World Cup you see your trajectory go upwards and to be at the next World Cup if everything goes well. A lot has happened in that time and I am just happy and grateful that I am fit and healthy and playing football now consistently.
“If I go to the World Cup it would mean the world – but that is not at the forefront of my mind now. It would be selfish to think about my personal aspirations rather than the club at the moment.”
October 24: Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin has called on FIFA to replace Iran with Ukraine at the World Cup due to the Middle East state’s “participation in terrorists attacks” during the invasion of his homeland by Russia.
Palkin wrote: “While the Iranian leadership will have fun watching their national team play at the #WorldCup, Ukrainians will be killed by Iranian drones and Iranian missiles. Almost 250 such drones have already attacked peaceful cities of #Ukraine.
“Each of them was produced, delivered by the Iranian authorities, Iranian instructors and the military directly trained and managed the launches of drones that destroyed homes, museums, universities, offices, sports grounds and playgrounds, and most importantly, killed Ukrainians.
“Including children. Children who also dreamed of seeing their national team at the #WorldCup.
“#Shakhtar Football Club calls on #FIFA and the entire international community to immediately ban Iran’s national team from playing at the World Cup for the country’s direct participation in terrorist attacks on Ukrainians.
“This will be a fair decision that should draw the attention of the whole world to a regime that kills its best people and helps kill Ukrainians.
“The vacant place should be taken by the national team of #Ukraine, which proved that it is worthy of participation in the mundial [World Cup]. With unequal conditions with other national teams during the play-offs, they played with their heart.
“This decision is historically and sportingly justified. I urge everyone to join the pressure on the football bureaucracy. It is enough to repeat the mistakes of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, hiding behind the empty thesis about the apoliticality of sports.
“Facilitating the participation of terrorists in the World Cup is politics. It’s time to put an end to such a policy. #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine #FootballStandsTogether.”
October 19: Tottenham boss Conte says Harry Kane is completely focused on Tottenham and yet hopes this will be the last ever major international competition to occur during the season.
“I can tell you that Harry wants to play every game. A player that wants to play every game is not scared of injury or about missing the World Cup,” he said. “Harry, like the other players, is really focused on Tottenham. I like to see this commitment and this behaviour from my players.
“For sure we are talking about an important competition with the World Cup, but at the same time I can speak about my players and I trust in my players. I trust in their commitment. I know that they are really focused 100 per cent for our club and for me it is enough for this.
“In my opinion the whole football environment should have complained at the right time, not now. I think that after this experience should be good then we say, ‘we did it once now let’s continue to do it like the past’.
“What we did in the past was perfect for everybody. I was a player at the World Cup, I played European Championship and to repeat this situation again I don’t like.
“After we have seen so many problematic situations there should be no doubt about this. OK have the (winter) World Cup, then stop and go back to playing it in the summer.”
October 19: France and Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has been ruled out of the World Cup after undergoing an operation on his hamstring which will see him sidelined for four months.
The 31-year-old suffered the injury in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham back on August 14 and had surgery after suffering a setback in his rehabilitation.
October 18: Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Diogo Jota will miss the World Cup. “Not good news about Diogo, yes he will miss the World Cup,” said Klopp.
“Pretty serious injury of the calf muscle. Sad news for the boy, us and Portugal.”
October 18: Liverpool star Diogo Jota will reportedly ‘miss the World Cup’ having picked up an injury against Manchester City.
The former Wolves star was stretchered off in stoppage time at Anfield having helped his side to a 1-0 win.
And Portuguese outlet A Bola now claim the forward is set to be out for over a month, ending his chances of being selected by his national boss Fernando Santos for the World Cup in Qatar.
October 18: German winger Leroy Sane tore his left thigh muscle during Bayern Munich’s 5-0 win over Freiburg on Sunday. Bayern have not given a timeframe for Sane’s recovery, only saying they will be without the forward “for the time being”.
October 18: Lionel Messi has been talking about the favourites for the World Cup who could stop Argentina winning the tournament and he said: “As for the favourites, there are big teams like Brazil, Germany, France, England, Spain, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. But if I have to keep one or two, today I think Brazil and France are the two big candidates for this World Cup.”
October 17: Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says Richarlison is not in danger of missing the World Cup despite leaving the stadium on crutches and in tears on Saturday.
“I can confirm this: that the player is not risking to not play World Cup, absolutely,” said Conte. Phew, say Brazil.
October 17: Diogo Jota is now a World Cup doubt after being stretchered off during Liverpool’s win over Manchester City.
“We miss the next one with Diogo,” Jurgen Klopp revealed. “He felt real pain in that moment but I have no idea how bad it is. If Diogo stays down it is not good. I saw it on the side on the screen, I am the first who saw it.
“When I saw he goes down and there was not a lot of contact, you can see a little bit that somebody kicks his foot and maybe the muscle got overstretched, 96 minutes, that’s not good for the muscle.”
October 17: Chelsea boss Graham Potter revealed Reece James will be in a knee brace for a month in a further blow to his World Cup hopes.
The defender is expected to be out for eight weeks after suffering a knee injury in Tuesday’s Champions League win at AC Milan.
It means he will not be fit until after the group stage of the tournament in Qatar, which starts next month, with his prospects of being included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad fading.
Full story here.
October 16: Richarlison gave an emotional interview on Saturday after picking up an injury in Tottenham’s 2-0 victory over Everton in the Premier League.
The Brazil international sustained a calf injury in the 50th minute and needed to use crutches to walk after the match. It’s a devastating blow for Richarlison’s chances of representing Brazil at the World Cup next month.
ESPN journalist Joao Castelo-Branco described Richarlison as “inconsolable” as he interviewed the forward after the match against Everton.
An emotional Richarlison told ESPN Brasil: “It’s kind of hard to say because it’s so close to realising my dream [playing at the World Cup]. I’ve already suffered an injury similar to this, I hope it can heal as soon as possible. or less. I was stopped about two months at Everton.
“I know it’s hard to talk right now, but let’s see, I’ll recover. Monday. I have tests to do, but even walking hurts. Let’s wait.
“It’s all so close, it’s about a month to go, and we’ve been getting ready, working every day so that nothing serious can happen. Unfortunately, today I had this calf injury, but now it’s just a matter of waiting, doing the treatment every day so that I can recover as soon as possible.”
October 15: Reece James set to miss World Cup as Chelsea confirm eight-week layoff for England right-back…
October 14: Gary Lineker thinks it would be “amazing” if two gay Premier League players he knows chose to come out during the World Cup, as it would send out a strong message to host nation Qatar.
There has been a lot of controversy in the build-up to the World Cup with homosexuality remaining a crime in Qatar and punishable by up to seven years in jail.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, former England international Lineker said: “It would be great if one or two of them came out during the World Cup. It would be amazing.
“I know for a fact that some have been very close and contemplated it. There’s a couple I know, but obviously it’s not for me to say who they are.”
Qatar’s World Cup chief Nasser Al Khater recently tried to reassure LGBTQ+ supporters that they would be welcome at the World Cup.
Al Khater said: “All we ask is for people to be respectful of the culture.
“At the end of the day, as long as you don’t do anything that harms other people, if you’re not destroying public property, as long as you’re behaving in a way that’s not harmful, then everybody’s welcome and you have nothing to worry about.”
October 13: The head of the Qatar World Cup tournament has warned against it into a “platform of political statements” as Harry Kane and other European captains plan to wear rainbow armbands as part of an anti-discrimination initiative.
Kane is among those who are set to wear the multi-coloured ‘One Love’ armband in Qatar, where same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalised.
“From what I understand, there are discussions taking place about the different political messages that are going to be,” said Qatar World Cup chief Nasser Al Khater.
“This is a sporting tournament that people want to come and enjoy. Turning it into a platform of political statements I don’t think is right for the sport.”
October 12: Man Utd captain Harry Maguire feels ‘confident’ that he’ll be fit for the World Cup but he is unlikely to play before Gareth Southgate picks his squad. More on that here.
October 12: Will England have any right-backs in Qatar? It might just be Kieran Trippier at this rate, though it seems like Trent Alexander-Arnold will be available.
On Tuesday night Reece James came off the pitch as Chelsea beat Milan with a leg injury and Blues boss Graham Potter said: “Reece, we’re hoping he is OK but it is too early to say until 24-48 hours after.”
Meanwhile, Kyle Walker has undergone groin surgery and may or may not be back for the World Cup, while Trent Alexander-Arnold should at least be back in two weeks. Jurgen Klopp said on Tuesday: “It is always difficult to say. Shorter than a month; two weeks I heard but we have to see if that’s right.
“That is the information I got, I am not sure if I am allowed to say this, to be honest! Because I thought it is longer when I saw him after the game. But I take the two weeks easily. We will see.”
October 11: FIFA will distribute more than 200 million US dollars to clubs whose players participate in the World Cup in Qatar this winter.
The game’s global governing body confirmed details of its club benefits programme on Tuesday, announcing 209 million dollars (around £189million) had been set aside.
FIFA anticipates that the scheme will mean a payment of 10,000 US dollars (just over £9,000) per player for each day he remains with his national team at the World Cup itself and during the official preparation period.
The more participants a club have, and how far each of those players progresses in the tournament, will determine the final amount a club can claim. Any club that a player has been registered with in the two years prior to the World Cup will be eligible for a share of the daily payout.
According to this Premier League breakdown of stars likely to be called up, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United will be in line for the biggest payments.
October 11: England are prepared to wear an anti-discrimination armband at the World Cup in Qatar even if it results in being punished by FIFA.
The game’s global governing body has yet to give approval to the captains of nine European nations, including England and Wales, wearing the OneLove armbands in a country where same-sex relationships are criminalised.
The Football Association wrote to FIFA three weeks ago requesting permission to wear the armband at the World Cup, but has not yet received a response.
But we understand the FA is prepared to incur a fine or any other sanction FIFA may impose and let England captain Harry Kane wear the armband.
October 11: Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is likely to be left out of France’s World Cup squad amid concerns about his injury record, according to reports in France. He has played just 133 minutes of football this season and has not played for France in a year.
October 11: Gabriel Martinelli has had a brilliant season but former Arsenal man Emmanuel Petit says it is too early for him to go to the World Cup with Brazil, saying: “Brazil played against Tunisia and Ghana and won both games and of course Martinelli wasn’t in the squad. I think it’s too early for him as there are players with more experience who are more efficient than him.
“We’re in the middle of October and the list will be done in early November. He’s having a great season, but is it enough to go to the World Cup?
“This is Brazil. If he keeps on going in the form he’s in, he will be part of it but I think it’s too early.”
October 10: Gareth Southgate has been talking about James Maddison, who has only been capped once by the England manager but who has claimed five Premier League goals and two assists this season.
“The door is open, there’s no question about that,” Southgate told Sky Sports. “We have a lot of good players and whoever I pick there’s always going to be debate about who we don’t pick. Whoever we do pick, we’ve got to leave people out to be able to pick those ones, that’s the complicated thing.
“James is obviously scoring goals with his club and I know what Brendan Rodgers thinks of him. It’s an area of the pitch where there’s big competition for places and we’ve got to make the best calls that we possibly can.”
October 10: Brazil playmaker Lucas Paqueta has one eye on the World Cup but insists helping West Ham climb the table comes first.
“There’s no difficulty. This is preparation, I have to do my best for the club in order to get the call-up,” he added. “The priority is here, to work hard, prepare myself and do my best. The World Cup will be a consequence of my work. Yes, I’m thinking about it, but I have to think about what I’m doing here first.”
Paqueta was in the Brazil squad for the latest round of friendlies in September.
October 9: Argentine forward Paulo Dybala is likely to be ruled out of the World Cup after picking up a thigh injury during Roma’s 2-1 win over Lecce. “I say [Dybala is] bad, not to say very, very bad,” Roma manager Mourinho told Dazn. “Unfortunately, it is more very bad than [just] bad.”
When asked whether the injury will keep him out of the World Cup, Mourinho replied: “I’m not a doctor and I haven’t spoken to one, but from my experience, from what I understood from talking to Paulo, [it will be] difficult.”
Dybala scored on his last appearance from the bench for Argentine v Italy.
October 9: Gareth Southgate is braced for the “realistic” prospect of losing more of his England stars to injury in the month leading up to the World Cup in Qatar.
The mid-season tournament means the Three Lions boss faces an anxious wait to see how many of his players are fit to fly to the Middle East on November 15 right up until the weekend before.
Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker is already a doubt after undergoing groin surgery, and Southgate expects others could also miss out.
Indeed, a matter of hours after the England manager was speaking, Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered a twisted ankle in Liverpool’s defeat at Arsenal and he faces a scan to determine the severity of the problem.
“It’s not something we can control,” Southgate said after the Euro 2024 qualifying draw in Frankfurt on Sunday paired his team with Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta.
“I’ve said all along that I’ve never bought into the theory that it’s better for us to be playing in the middle of the season than at the end, because we haven’t had a problem with playing at the end. I always felt that was a bit of a myth.”