Football World Cup '22 may get caught in crossfire between Qatar & S Arabia

An influx of large numbers of fans, some of whom may be intent on getting drunk and fighting remains a problem among various others for a small country like Qatar with a population of just 3 mn

Most football fans will still be reflecting on France’s win, Germany’s failure, Messi’s frustrations, Harry Kane’s goals and the rest. Yet many of us who followed the off-field games just as closely will have found the World Cup a largely uneventful tournament. This was despite pre-tournament hyperbole that portrayed Russian president Vladimir Putin as the tyrannical leader of an evil empire. Once the football started, Putin largely disappeared from view and let his soft power fest roll out before the world’s eyes, thereby neatly avoiding public scrutiny.

Putin faces some serious domestic issues, though it is overseas where things could seriously