FIFA President Gianni Infantino concluded his first visit to Doha this year with a meeting today with the Amir of Qatar, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. Ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022™, the pair discussed matters of cooperation and the milestones achieved to date, as well as issues related to local football and development.

HH the Amir also chaired the third meeting of the Board of Directors of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) of 2020, in the presence of the FIFA President. The positive cooperation between host country and the Supreme Committee was discussed, as well as the overall preparations for the tournament and milestones passed thus far.

“The progress we saw yesterday at Al Bayt Stadium and when traveling around Doha is the result of the strong and personal commitment of the Amir himself to deliver an amazing FIFA World Cup in two years’ time. I would like to extend my personal congratulations to the Amir as well as to the State of Qatar at the remarkable progress they have made under his leadership,” said the FIFA President before leaving Qatar.

“That obviously applies to the government as a whole, as well as the Supreme Committee, providing FIFA with all the guarantees we need to say, even now, that this will be a unique and successful tournament, actually the best ever. Until then, we will continue to work closely with Qatar on preparing the stadiums, training sites and overall infrastructure. Together with our hosts here, we look forward to testing all these aspects at the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021, another key milestone for football in Qatar and in the Middle East.”

FIFA.com

• Bolivia are the rank outsiders in South American qualifying for Qatar 2022
• They start out with games against Brazil and Argentina
• FIFA.com recalls their upsets of those two superpowers

Bolivia will begin South American qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ as the rank outsiders. They finished in the bottom two in each of the region’s last four preliminary campaigns, while they are its lowest-positioned side on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

And if they already faced an uphill struggle, their opening two outings will surely leave them needing to climb Chacraraju in football cleats. Indeed it’s Neymar and Brazil in Sao Paulo on Friday, followed by Lionel Messi and Argentina in La Paz on Tuesday.

La Verde have, nevertheless, produced some major World Cup qualifying shocks against A Seleção and La Albiceleste over the years. FIFA.com spotlights five of them.

Bolivia 3-1 Argentina
Mexico 1970 qualifying

Argentina were the favourites to see off the challenge of an emerging Peru and seize Group 1’s ticket to the first World Cup outside Europe or South America. Bolivia were there, supposedly, to make up the numbers. In the pool’s first match, however, former Bayern Munich player Ramiro Blacut scored one and set up another as La Verde beat La Albiceleste 3-1. Argentina ultimately finished bottom. Bolivia losing 1-0 in a very tight game in Buenos Aires, and Peru grinding out a point there, ultimately saw Teofilo Cubillas and Co pip Blacut and team-mates to the prize.

Bolivia 2-0 Brazil
USA 1994 qualifying

Brazil had never lost a World Cup qualifier. At the 32nd time of asking, however, they finally slipped up… only not to Argentina or Uruguay as seemed the only plausibility. Marco Etcheverry craftily won a penalty but had it brilliantly saved by Taffarel, but ‘The Devil’ rebounded to open the scoring with two minutes remaining before Alvaro Pena sealed a stunning 2-0 victory over Cafu, Rai, Bebeto and Co. It ultimately helped Bolivia reach their first, and only, World Cup and left Brazil needing to beat Uruguay in their final qualifier, which they achieved with the help of reinstated bad boy Romario.

Bolivia 2-1 Argentina
France 1998 qualifying

Argentina cruised through the qualifiers, but they stumbled in 1997 in Bolivia. Marco Sandy put the hosts ahead and, after their guests equalised, another defender, one born in Argentina, Fernando Ochoaizpur restored the lead. Daniel Passarella threw on Juan Sebastian Veron and Ariel Ortega, but goalkeeper Carlos Trucco was in inspired form and Bolivia held out for three points.

Bolivia 3-1 Brazil
Korea/Japan 2002 qualifying

Brazil desperately required victory to stave off the threat of missing out on the World Cup for the first time, but a Julio Baldivieso brace inspired Bolivia to a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Cafu, Emerson, Rivaldo, Denilson and Co. It once again left A Seleção needing to win their final preliminary to go through, and helped La Verde finish a respectable seventh from ten in South America.

Bolivia 6-1 Argentina
South Africa 2010 qualifying

People could have been forgiven for assuming the scoreline was an April Fool’s Day joke, but ‘The Massacre of La Paz’ was truth on the first day of 2009’s fourth month. Javier Zanetti, Javier Mascherano, Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi suffered what remains Argentina’s joint-heaviest all-time defeat as Alex da Rosa, Joaquin Botero, Marcelo Moreno and Co ran riot to leave Diego Maradona’s side facing an uphill struggle to reach the World Cup.

FIFA.com

• FIFA President Gianni Infantino met tournament organisers at Al Bayt Stadium
• President Infantino played in seven-a-side match at the 60,000-capacity venue
• Al Bayt will host the opening match in 2022

FIFA President Gianni Infantino described preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ as “impressive” during a whistle-stop tour of the country this week.

President Infantino met with tournament organisers and took part in a seven-a-side match at Al Bayt Stadium, a 60,000-capacity venue designed to resemble a traditional Arab tent. The striking arena will be inaugurated in the coming months and has been confirmed as the venue for the opening game of the tournament.

“It is an absolute pleasure to play football at this amazing stadium, where on 21 November 2022, we will kick off the greatest FIFA World Cup ever,” said President Infantino.

“Al Bayt Stadium is incredible: a true football stadium. It has a real football feel and a local touch. The tented shape makes it truly unique, and the Arabic patterns in the roof are just beautiful. I am speechless.”

Preparations for Qatar 2022 have continued despite the pandemic following the implementation of stringent health and safety protocols to protect workers from COVID-19. Khalifa International, Al Janoub and Education City stadiums have all been inaugurated and are fully operational, with three others – Al Bayt, Al Rayyan and Al Thumama – in the final stages of construction. All eight venues will be completed well in advance of the tournament.

“I am very pleased with Qatar’s progress ahead of the tournament. We have seen the plans, but when you see the reality, it is even more impressive. Qatar has been able to continue to advance during the last six months while the world stood still – from infrastructure preparations to important developments such as the recent labour reforms announced by the government. If I was confident before, now I can say I am even more,” added President Infantino.

“In 2022, everything will be close by and fans from all nationalities will have the opportunity to gather in the same public areas and enjoy Qatar’s mild temperatures at this time of the year. It’s a World Cup like no other was or ever will be.”

H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, echoed President Infantino’s comments and said he was proud of the foundations laid by the country in the lead-up to the tournament.

“We are immensely proud to be hosting the Arab world and Middle East’s first FIFA World Cup in 2022.

“With that pride comes a sense of responsibility, and that factor has been enhanced since the world has had to come to terms with COVID-19. We are optimistic that by kick-off in November 2022, we’ll be ready to welcome fans from every continent here in Qatar to celebrate together, united by their shared passion for football.”

Al Thawadi added: “It was a pleasure to welcome President Infantino to Al Bayt Stadium today. Al Bayt is particularly meaningful to us as it represents the town of Al Khor as well as the culture and history of Qatar through its special design. We’re all looking forward to the first ball of the FIFA World Cup 2022 being kicked in this stadium two years from now.”

Nasser Al Khater, CEO of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, said Qatar was in excellent shape and looking forward to welcoming fans from all over the world in a little over two years’ time.

“When it comes to World Cup infrastructure, we’re in a great position, with construction nearing 90 per cent completion across all projects,” said Al Khater. “At this point on the road to 2022, our focus is now shifting from delivering infrastructure to refining and optimising the detailed operational planning and fan experience for the tournament. We are also now significantly stepping up our promotion of the tournament to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to attend and enjoy this unique World Cup.”

FIFA.com

• Richarlison discusses his desire to be a starter at Qatar 2022
• The Brazilian hails Neymar, Rodriguez and Calvert-Lewin
• He assesses his best position and Everton’s lofty targets

Do you remember where you were when James Rodriguez executed that mind-blowing chest, swivel and volley against Uruguay? The Brazilians who can nod affirmatively are not limited to those among the 74,000 eye-witnesses at the Maracana.

One 17-year-old was sardined into the dingy backroom of the amateur team he was on the books at, amid the funk of sweat and muck, glued to a small, archaic television set.

How things have changed. Richarlison is now team-mates with that FIFA Puskás Award-winning Colombian and he’s dreaming of doing what his new colleague did in the FIFA World Cup™. And James, if you’re reading, the Brazilian plans on celebrating with a more eye-catching dance routine than you performed at Brazil 2014 or, furthermore, that Roger Milla did at Italy 1990.

The 23-year-old chats to FIFA.com about the ‘Pigeon Dance’, his desire to be a starter at Qatar 2022, his best position, Neymar, Rodriguez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Everton’s lofty ambitions.

FIFA.com: Richarlison, what are your memories of the World Cup?
Richarlison: I was very young, but the memory that most stands out for me is the 2002 World Cup. That goal by Ronaldo, where Rivaldo let it run through his legs and Ronaldo controlled it and put it in the bottom corner. It’s an unforgettable memory for me. I’ve watched all the World Cups. Obviously the World Cup was in Brazil in 2014. I watched practically every game. I really wanted to go to a game at a stadium, but I was really young so I watched the games at the club I was playing for at U-17 level. I remember perfectly all the really beautiful goals. The [Robin] van Persie header, the [Arjen] Robben goal against Spain, the James Rodriguez volley. I was very happy that I could follow a World Cup in my own country. It was a really great tournament to watch.

You mentioned James Rodriguez. Can you believe you’re now playing alongside him?
(laughs) I’ve fulfilled so many dreams already that I’m so grateful for. Playing alongside James Rodriguez is another one. I dreamed of playing for the Seleção innumerable times since I was very little, and playing alongside Neymar, Coutinho, all the Seleção players is a big dream for me. Gabriel Jesus is another. We’re from the same age group and when I was in the youth national teams, he was already a star, already playing first-team football, so he was a source of inspiration for me.

On the subject of dreams, how much have you dreamed about playing in the World Cup?
So, so much. It’s a dream I’ve had since childhood. It’s the childhood dream of every Brazilian player. I love the World Cup. It’s an amazing tournament, it grips the whole world. I’ve watched every one as a fan of Brazil and of football, and I hope 2022 will be my first World Cup as a player. Obviously the Seleção have a lot to do beforehand. We have to get through the qualifiers and they’re not easy. We must prepare well and stay focussed. And I must do everything I can – work hard, look to learn – because I want to go to the World Cup in the starting XI.

You mentioned the South American qualifiers being tough…
When teams face Brazil they raise their game. Everyone wants to beat Brazil. This makes it more difficult. And there are a lot of strong sides in South America. It’s not just Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay anymore. It’s always different teams qualifying and look at how impressive Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Ecuador have been at recent World Cups.

Have you imagined doing the pigeon dance at Qatar 2022?
(laughs) It’s my trademark! Of course I’ve imagined doing the pigeon dance in the World Cup. The supporters really like it, it especially appeals to kids. I’ve done it for the Seleção together with Neymar, I do it for my club, and I want to score goals and do it many times at the 2022 World Cup.

On the subject of Neymar, what do you think of him?
This year I think Neymar and Lewandowski were the best two players in the world. I really want to see Neymar win the FIFA award. He’s more focused than ever. I know how much he wants to win the World Cup, and I know that in 2022 he will do absolutely everything to win this Trophy for Brazil.

Who do you think are Brazil’s biggest rivals for the Trophy?
France, Belgium, Holland. But the World Cup is very difficult – you have one bad game and you’re out. You simply can’t afford to slip up. We saw that at the last World Cup. We conceded two goals to Belgium and we were out. We are always trying to mature and improve so we can get to the World Cup in the best possible shape and avoid a slip-up.

What do you think is your best position?
At Everton [Carlo] Ancelotti likes to use 4-4-2. I play as a centre-forward. I’ve told Ancelotti that’s where I like to play. That’s where I played when I started out at America [Mineiro]. I feel at my best there. When I play on the left wing it’s usually because we have an injury. Look, I’ll give my all there – I’d give my all anywhere – but if you’re asking me where I prefer to play it’s as a centre-forward. I’ve already told professor Tite that’s where I like to play, but it’s up to him and Ancelotti to make the decision and the most important thing to me is to be playing and giving my all for the shirt.

What’s Ancelotti like to work under?
He’s a guy that’s won everything in the football world. He’s an inspiration for countless coaches. Professor Tite had some time with him at Real Madrid. It’s a huge honour to play for one of the best coaches in history. I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to learn from him at Everton, and I feel he’s improved me a lot. He also brings a very happy environment for the players to work in.

Another player Ancelotti has seemingly improved a lot is Dominic Calvert-Lewin…
Dominic’s development has been really impressive. He’s transformed into a complete striker. I remember when I got here he was nothing like the player he is today. It’s down to the work he’s put in. He’s in the gym every day, he’s always working on his finishing. And playing under Ancelotti he’ll keep getting better and better. He’s had a superb start to the season and without doubt deserved his England call-up. He must be a nightmare to play against and he has an incredible leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo.

James Rodriguez has also made a superb start to the season. What do you think of him?
He’s a very special talent. He’s the No10 for his national team, he’s got an outstanding pedigree – Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Porto. He’d walk into any team in the Premier League. I watch a lot of Premier League games – what team wouldn’t want James Rodriguez? He’s made a brilliant start at Everton, and I really hope it continues so we can achieve our targets this season.

What are those targets?
We want to win a cup. The supporters here are really passionate and they have been waiting for this for too many years. I think now that we have Ancelotti, and with the signings he’s made, we can win a cup and fight for a Champions League place. Obviously it’s difficult in England because you have the [big] six, but we’re a different team from last season. We had a lot of injuries then and we’ve signed quality players in the positions we needed. We’ve made a really exciting start to the season and Ancelotti is keeping us focussed and motivating us. I really believe we can qualify for the Champions League.

The Merseyside Derby will unfold on 17 October, exactly ten years after Everton’s last victory over Liverpool in any competition. How important is an Everton victory?
It’s a very important game, despite being worth three points like the other matches. The whole city stops to watch it and I want us to win to maintain our good form and give happiness to the Everton fans. I know it’s a game they are very excited to watch and it’s a special day for us too. Mainly because we’ll go into it on a good run and playing really well. We know that we’ll face great opponents, one of the best teams in Europe and one that was hurt in their last match. But we have to play our own game, try and impose ourselves on the game and get three points to stay top of the table.

Which things do you most like about living in England?
Football. I always tell me friends that I don’t want to leave here too soon because it’s the best football in the world. Some things are difficult – the climate is very different, the people don’t talk as much as they do in Brazil – but I love the football here.

What do you like to do off the pitch?
I love playing video games. I watch quite a bit of television too. I love war films. I’ve just been watching The Last Kingdom – it’s really good.

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