Qatar’s final reckoning
Sunday’s World Cup final in Qatar features Qatar’s two most famous employees – Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Doha has the climax it paid $200 billion for.
Sport Sensemaker
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There’s more to sport than games and goals. How does it operate? Where does the power lie? How will sports evolve? What is their role in modern life?
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Le big match
England vs. France is more than Kylian Mbappe against Harry Maguire. It’s also a clash of financial models and cultures.
Fury follows fall of rugby giant
Doddie Weir’s death at 52 from motor neurone disease stirred anger as well as grief. Paul Hayward examines the slowness to unlock funding.
Hats off to the World Cup – or else
The story of former Welsh footballer Laura McAllister being ordered to remove her rainbow bucket hat in Qatar was the start of a new tailspin for this World Cup.
Rugby’s red flag
Rugby is caught in a bind – its referees are penalising players more frequently, but concussions are still occurring at an historic rate
Football’s desert winter
A unique selling-point of English top-flight football is that it slogs through December and January largely without pause – but this year is like no other
Rugby’s rich and poor
Rugby’s autumn internationals will see crowds flock to stadiums over the next month – but behind the earthy allure of England fixtures top-flight club rugby is at risk of collapse
Qatar parks the bus
Twenty-four days before kick-off to the 2022 World Cup, Qatar’s ruling clan are exasperated by the level of disapproval the tournament has received.
Oil on the pitch
Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco’s sponsorship of world cricket is the latest example of a petrostate exerting influence over sport. But resistance is growing from the athletes carrying their message.
Long-term goals
Cristiano Ronaldo’s domination on the football pitch at the age of 37 shows why longevity – not earnings – is the quality that sets the greats apart from the rest