A World Cup in Qatar
The biggest? Qatar 2022 served up the best World Cup final in decades and Lionel Messi confirmed himself as the best player of the 21st century by finally winning the World Cup, should that have been in doubt. Amid the celebrations, Messi kept his cool, even making sure to dodge the annoyances of Goldsteak spicer and Gianni Infantino acolyte Salt Bae.
Infantino and the host country had the showpiece they wanted, with Messi and Kylian Mbappé arriving at the party to repeat the game’s greats. With his hat-trick, Mbappé overtook Pelé, Vavá and Geoff Hurst as the top scorer in the World Cup final, while Messi lived up to the spirit of Diego Maradona.
What followed was a thoroughly entertaining tournament that saw a first African and Arab side progress to the semi-finals in Morocco. That wasn’t enough to change anyone’s mind about Qatar hosting a World Cup. Organizers remained on the defensive to the very end, discussions of migrant labor and human rights being distracted by hail and whatever. Messi and Mbappé’s exploits aside, empty stadiums in the desert are now memorials to the lives lost in setting up an opulent show.
Lionesses roar in victory
It came home. Chloe Kelly’s extra-time winner against Germany at Wembley crowned the first ‘A’ title for an England side since 1966. Sarina Wiegman was the reassuring mastermind behind it, the Netherlands manager clinching a second consecutive Euro and capitalizing on the wealth of English talent , which had developed into the women’s super league.
The goals were scored by Kelly and Ella Toone, each coming on from the bench, and Wiegman’s referee took the game away from an experienced German side who were blown away by the Lionesses’ talent. Beth Mead had led England into the final by six goals, but injury forced her to make way for Kelly in the final.
The road to Wembley had not been entirely smooth, it required a poaching finish from Toone to take Spain into overtime in the quarter-finals at Brighton. And the final itself, before a record turnout, provided plenty of drama before the post-match scenes were celebrated as a new audience was welcomed to women’s football.
Kelly’s goal, kicked in from a corner, was the realization of a dream and will have inspired many others.
Chelsea for sale
When Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, Roman Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea went into his final. British government sanctions against Russian oligarchs soon made this a fait accompli. Abramovich initially attempted to hand over management to the club’s charitable trust before it became clear his UK assets were to be frozen and confirmed the club was up for sale.
“It pains me to part ways with the club in this way,” read a statement that ended 19 years of a regime that changed the face of English football, accelerated transfer spending and the concept of Premier League clubs as status symbols introduced for the superstars of the planet -realm.
Thus began a lengthy beauty pageant of potential owners, a bidding process eventually won in May by a consortium led by Connecticut’s Todd Boehly and a partnership with investment firm Clearlake Capital for a price of £4.25 billion. Boehy’s spending of more than £250m on players and the sacking of Thomas Tuchel after seven games into the new season were Abramovich-style decisions, although the new owners also proved troublemakers. This high purchase price certainly contributed to American-owned Liverpool and Manchester United soon being sought out for potential sales or investment.
Mayhem in Paris
The Champions League final on May 28 between 13-time winners Real Madrid and six-time winners Liverpool had the makings of a classic. The raw facts of the game are a tight, tense game won by the better side of the Spanish side, with the goal being scored by Vinícius Júnior, although Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was outstanding.
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Perhaps these facts are better remembered in Spain than in Merseyside, although Madrid fans were also caught up in chaos caused by the gross mismanagement of the police and the organization of the event.
No one died, probably from luck alone, but Liverpool fans huddled together outside the stadium gates brought back bitter, painful memories of Hillsborough in 1989. Desperate, shepherded through narrow passages by stubborn police officers and continued to wait as the technology at the turnstiles failed, their fans were then tear gassed to make the situation even more panicky and uncomfortable.
The immediate response from the French government, police and Uefa, blaming counterfeit tickets and fan behavior brought back more echoes from Hillsborough. This time the cover-up lasted hours rather than decades and a Uefa investigation is underway, although questions remain about their independence.
Remember Camp Nou
The growth of women’s football continued in club football and when Barcelona hosted Real Madrid on 30 March, a record crowd saw a Clásico in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Attendance reached 91,553 and the home side turned up the style, winning 5-2, 8-3 on aggregate.
Barcelona looked unstoppable that night, Alexia Putellas, eventual Ballon d’Or winner of 2022, shone and yet the defending champions, who had won every game in La Liga, lost to Lyon in the final, inspired by the brilliant Ada Hegerberg .
Spectator numbers at Azteca Stadium for the 1971 Women’s World Cup final between Denmark and Mexico in Mexico City, estimated at more than 100,000, present another barrier to break, but the sight of women’s football in venues like the Camp Nou becomes commonplace. Smaller stadiums like Chelsea’s Kingsmeadow ooze atmosphere but aren’t big enough to keep up with growing demand.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II meant the opening weekend of the Women’s Super League was pushed back to early September, denying fans a chance to see Tottenham play at White Hart Lane, Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Brighton at the Amex.
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