Sepp Blatter

By Robin Adams in Middle East on June 27th, 2011
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

As all fairytales start...

Once upon a time - in Doha in the Middle East...

The sun rose, the birds were singing, traffic was free-flowing and Qatar was waiting to host the World Cup in 2022. 

There I was, minding my own business. When suddenly - dot dot dot dot.

Producer - please cue dramatic music!

I was searching for a second-hand laptop on the net, when suddenly...play dramatic music at full volume please.

Historical Football Blogger site for Sale!

That's what the ad read on a popular Qatar-based website.

It was just one of hundreds of items for sale. The advert was posted just minutes before it grabbed my attention.

The website's going price is 350,000 Qatari Riyals - about USD $96,000.

By Paul Rhys in Europe on June 1st, 2011
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

Sepp Blatter has just been speaking at the FIFA Congress in Zurich.

The FIFA president's words have been transmitted around the world, exiting TV speakers and entering the brains of listeners, where they cause blood vessels to rupture and steam to emit from the ears.

Sometimes I think I'm the only person who likes this guy.

Let's leave aside all the disease riddling football's world governing body, and the fact that FIFA delegates have voted overwhelmingly – 172 to 17 – to allow Blatter to stand unopposed in Wednesday's election.

Or rather, let's not leave it aside. Let's say that my fondness for the old fellow is nothing to do with the competency or incompetency of his stewardship. So let's take it as this.

By Paul Rhys in Middle East on January 30th, 2011

A beautiful piece of wing play, a pinpoint cross and a sumptuously-struck volley from Tadanari Lee won the Asian Cup for Japan against Australia but the story off the pitch in Doha painted an uglier picture.

With Qatar attempting to prove that it has the ability to host football's World Cup in 2022, thousands of fans were confronted by riot police and barred from entering the Khalifa Stadium up to an hour before Saturday's kickoff.

The official line is that 700 ticket-holders were denied access when 3,000 people showed up hoping to pay on the turnstiles.

By Andy Richardson in Asia on January 26th, 2011
Photo by AFP

 - The Asian Cup is still the least loved, or noticed, of all major continental tournaments, but less so. The Copa, the Euros and ACON have a huge edge, but the quality of the tournament is getting better with every edition.

- Blatter talked of India being a potential World Cup host. Their team though was way behind anything else on show in Doha. Until the basics needs of training facilities and a decent domestic league are in place India is destined to struggle.

- What exactly will Saudi Arabia do next? Their brief stay in the Qatari capital involved the firing of two coaches and King Abdullah organising the removal of the football federation's president.

- Qatar could yet qualify for a World Cup before 2022.

By Paul Rhys in Middle East on December 2nd, 2010
Qatari women celebrate on Doha's Corniche [Paul Rhys]

For a moment at least, the simple tearing open of an envelope on Thursday night made Qatar, with its 11,437 square kilometres of desert, the biggest country in the world.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter's announcement that the Gulf state of just 1.6 million people would host football's World Cup in 2022 was a sensational outcome that few could have foreseen when Qatar's bid was announced early last year.

It came just a few minutes after Russia - actually the biggest country in the world - was handed sport's greatest event for 2018.

But that news paled into insignificance when Blatter tugged at the envelope's contents to reveal the word 'Qatar' - and begin a night of celebration in Doha, the Qatari capital.

It's a good thing that the Qataris are teaming up with German transport experts to build a metro system for 2022 because, given the way Arabs celebrate, no-one will be going a

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