Australia’s World Cup bolter Cam Devlin was stunned when Graham Arnold gave him the call to tell him he was heading to Qatar for the Worldf Cup.
Devlin was the biggest bolter in the team named by Arnie this week. While the fallout focussed on the big names who had been left out such as Mitch Langerak and Trent Sainsbury – much to the chagrin of the coach – Arnie spoke of the joy of telling players that they were in his plans for the tournament.
The Socceroos posted a video on their social channels showing Arnold talking to Jason Cummings, Devlin and Craig Goodwin.
Devlin, who plays for Hearts in Scotland, only made his Socceroos debut last month against New Zealand.
When Arnold calls him, Devlin says: “Oh god. Arnie you’re going to make me cry. Thank you so much.”
Arnold replies: ““you don’t have to thank me. It’s your work you’ve been doing at Hearts. That desire and that commitment, mate and what we need is that little kicking Cam Devlin at the World Cup that’s going to run like a lunatic for 90 minutes.”
Cameron Devlin in action during the International friendly match between the New Zealand All Whites and Australia Socceroos (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
But Devlin can barely process the news.
“The f—ing World Cup, Arnie. That is f—ing out of control. Best f—ing news I’ve ever had in my life,” Devlin says.
“That kicking Cam Devlin will be in full force, let me tell you. I’ve never felt more ready for something in my life.”
Arnold’s chat with Cummings – aka ‘the Cumdog’ due to a nickname he bestowed on himself for a wrestling bout – was less intense but included the newcomer singing Grease Lightning for his boss.
Germany have gone for a blast from the past in their 26-man squad named on Friday with Mario Goetze, scorer of the winning goal in the 2014 final back in the ranks.
“Mario Goetze is there. 2017 was the last time. Mario is totally happy and so are we to have him. It gives us many options,” coach Hansi Flick told a news conference.
Dortmund captain Marco Reus will miss out with an ankle injury.
Alongside Reus, there were several high-profile absences in the squad, including Reus’ Dortmund teammate Mats Hummels and Inter Milan wing-back Robin Gosens. Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner was ruled out in early November due to a leg injury.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has overcome recent shoulder issues to be named captain, while his veteran Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Muller has been included despite a back issue which has restricted his appearances since late September.
England coach gareth Southgate called up James Maddison and Callum Wilson for the first time in three years but couldn’t find a spot for Manchester United’s big-money youngster Jadon Sancho.
Sancho’s club teammate Marcus Rashford has been recalled for the first time since the Euro final loss.
But there was no space in Southgate’s Qatar selection for Roma striker Tammy Abraham, Brentford front man Ivan Toney or West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen.
Manchester City pair Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips were included despite a lack of match fitness, while Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been named in the squad despite his limited game time.
Versatile Arsenal defender Ben White has been brought into a group that has Luke Shaw as the only out-and-out left-back. Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori and Tyrone Mings are among those missing out.
Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher made the cut but Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse again just missed out on a major tournament squad.
Asked if his squad contained everything necessary to win a World Cup, Southgate said: “We’ve wanted to make sure the balance of the squad is right.
“I think the squad is more important than ever. With five substitutes you can have almost half the team changed during the game so you want different options for different moments of matches and stages at the tournament as well.
“We’ve had to cover a couple of players that aren’t yet fully fit, so having 26 available meant we were probably able to take a couple of risks that you might not have been able to with 23, but we think the balance is there and we’ve got cover in the positions we need.
“We’re lighter on depth in some positions than others but we think we’ve got everything covered.”
He’s had a tough season at club level but Cristiano Ronaldo is fired up for what is likely to be his final chance of World Cup glory with Portugal.
Portugal manager Fernando Santos has included 21-year-old striker Goncalo Ramos, the top scorer in the Portuguese top flight with Benfica, who has stepped into the shoes of Liverpool signing Darwin Nunez.
Santos said he is not worried about criticism aimed at captain Ronaldo, whose struggles at Manchester United this season have raised questions about whether his brilliant career is nearing its end.
“If we talk about momentum, Ronaldo has played the last four games with his club,” Santos said.
“So I’m not concerned. We’ll try to understand the best ways to boost all the players in our system, including Ronaldo.”
Ronaldo seems ready for one last shot.
“Once again we are ready to uplift the name of Portugal! There are 26 names in coach Fernando Santos’ list, but we are all called upon. Let’s go, Portugal!” Ronaldo wrote on his Instagram account.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has included injured striker Romelu Lukaku and playmaker Eden Hazard in his 26-player squad.
Lukaku has been suffering with a hamstring injury which, coupled with a thigh problem earlier this season, means he has played just twice since August and is currently sidelined for his club Inter Milan.
But Martinez has previously stated that as long as Lukaku could play in one of the team’s Group F games against Canada, Morocco or Croatia, he would take him to the tournament.
Hazard has been mostly on the sidelines at Real Madrid this season and has not played in LaLiga since September having fallen out of favour with coach Carlo Ancelotti.
However, he is a talismanic figure for Belgium and Martinez has set aside concerns with his match fitness and form.
Belgium, who finished third at the World Cup four years ago, start their 2022 campaign against Canada on Nov. 23.
Qatar has unveiled a 6,000-cabin fan village in an isolated lot near its airports, an offering for housing toward the lower end of what’s available for the upcoming World Cup, which is just days away from starting.
As journalists toured the cabins on Wednesday, desert winds kicked up sand at the 3.1 square-kilometre site, which housed a metro station, a bus stop, and a planned temporary restaurant and convenience store. The area could in theory hold as many as 12,000 people if booked at capacity, officials said.
Artificial green grass covered the walkways outside, with common areas filled with large bean-bag style chairs under a gray sky. Competing nations’ flags flapped in the strong desert wind, a large screen also present at the site for fans to watch matches. Workers milled about the site, checking on its final touches.
The brightly colored cabins, each with thin walls, are designed to hold one or two people with twin beds, a nightstand, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet and a shower inside.
Each will go for around $300 a night — $400 with board — as the tournament goes on. Some 60% of the cabins are already booked for the tournament, said Omar al-Jaber, the head of accommodation at Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for the tournament
There will be other rooms offered at $80 a night farther out than this site near Doha International Airport and Hamad International Airport, both of which will be seeing flights at all hours during the tournament. Planes rumbled overhead during Wednesday’s visit.
Those staying at the Fan Village can expect a 40-minute commute to stadium sites.
“Most of the fan(s) they prefer if it’s not a hotel, they prefer the apartment and villa,” al-Jaber said, noting those options are managed by French hospitality company Accor. However, those wanting budget accommodation will come to this site and the other for cheaper options, he said.
In the lead-up to the tournament, concerns about hotel room space and high prices for the rooms available have trailed Qatar, which lacks hotel capacity for all teams, workers, volunteers and fans at the World Cup. So Doha has created camping and cabin sites, hiring cruise ships, and encouraging fans to stay in neighboring countries and fly in for games.
The Danish Football Association (DBU) said that FIFQA had rejected Denmark’s request to train at the World Cup in shirts with the words “human rights for all” on them.
The DBU said in 2021 that their two training kit sponsors would make way for messages critical of Qatar while also minimising the number of trips to the country to avoid commercial activities promoting the World Cup hosts’ events.
Qatar has come under intense pressure over its treatment of foreign workers and restrictive social laws, leading many participating teams to raise concerns. The country has denied claims that workers were exploited.
“We have today got a message from FIFA that the training shirts our players were to train in, where it would say ‘human rights for all’ at the stomach [of the shirt], have been rejected due to technical reasons, which is regrettable,” Jakob Jensen, the DBU chief executive, told Ritzau news agency.
Fifa declined to comment. Its rules stipulate that any team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. “We believe the message ‘human rights for all’ is universal and not a political call, but something everyone can support,” Jensen said. Fifa wrote to World Cup teams this month urging them to focus on soccer in Qatar and not let the sport be dragged into ideological or political issues.
Hummel, the kit manufacturer, said in September it had toned down the details on Denmark’s World Cup jerseys and released a black kit as a protest against Qatar’s human rights record ahead of the tournament. Denmark play their first game of the World Cup against Tunisia in Group D on 22 November.
(With wires)
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