World Cup referee slammed by Lionel Messi at centre of fresh controversy — irishmirror.ie — 5 January 2023 (LINK)

Lionel Messi lifted FAKE World Cup trophy in most liked Instagram photo of all time — irishmirror — 4 January 2023 (LINK)

Swiss advertising commission opens proceedings against FIFA — swissinfo — 25 December 2022 (LINK)

Uruguay stars facing massive bans over 'incredibly ugly' World Cup incident: 10-15 match suspensions for club and country: Uruguay players were captured getting in the face of match officials and even following one down the tunnel — foxsports — 23 December 2022 (LINK)

Qatar expects $17bn in FIFA World Cup revenue — middleeastmonitor — 21 December 2022 (LINK)

Lionel Messi's World Cup-winning photo is the most-liked Instagram post in history: 55.9 million likes in just over 24 hours, surpassing the previous 55.95m record set by an image of an egg in January 2019, which had set out to overtake the record at the time of 18 million likes for Kylie Jenner. — sportbible — 20 December 2022 (LINK)

— Cristiano Ronaldo is still the most-followed person on Instagram with a staggering 519 million followers, compared to Messi’s 401 million.

Lionel Messi sleeps embracing the World Cup trophy, shares other pics too — hindustantimes — 20 December 2022 (LINK)

Argentina were forced to complete Buenos Aires World Cup victory parade in helicopters — goal.com — 20 December 2022 (LINK)

World Cup 2022: How media around world judged Qatar tournament — BBC — 20 December 2022 (LINK)

World Cup prize money 2022 table: How much will each country earn? Argentina $42m, Morocco $25m, England $17m, Switzerland $13m, Qatar $9m — NBCsports — 19 December 2022 (LINK)

The football in Qatar was great but Fifa had a stinker. It must do better for 2026 — The Guardian — 19 December 2022 (LINK)

— Fifa, who announced it made $1bn more revenue than anticipated from the tournament, has still not set up a migrant workers remedy fund, instead announcing a legacy fund which includes no provision for worker compensation. During the tournament there was controversy around LGBTQ+ issues, the OneLove armband and people having rainbow hats confiscated, but did Fifa do anything to highlight those issues? Absolutely not.

Argentina Wins FIFA World Cup 2022, But Fan Token Dumps Hard: Falls By More Than 40% In 24 Hours — bitcoinist — 19 December 2022 (LINK)

Elon Musk was spotted with a sanctioned, pro-Putin Russian TV presenter at the World Cup final in Qatar — Business Insider — 19 December 2022 (LINK)

Gareth Southgate to continue as England manager after World Cup exit — The Guardian — 18 December 2022 (LINK)

Argentina’s Goalkeeper Angers Qatar With ‘Haram’ Gesture — dmarge — 18 December 2022 (LINK)

— According to some reports, FIFA slapped Martínez with a fine for the disrespectful act – but it’s not clear how much that fine was. "I did it because the French were booing me," Martinez said (LINK)

The Genius of Lionel Messi Just Walking Around — newyorker — 17 December 2022 (LINK)

One Soccer Fan Token, for Argentina, Defies the Crypto Winter — dailycoin — 16 December 2022 (LINK)

— The Argentine Football Association Fan Token (ARG) is priced at $6.78, signaling an enormous increase in the last 24 hours. The national soccer token of Argentina has skyrocketed by 34% since yesterday while also recording 153% gains in the last seven days.

Geneva has long been Qatar's target in efforts to burnish its reputation — thegenevaobserver — 16 December 2022 (LINK)

Morocco Is Demanding World Cup Semi-Final Rematch vs. France After Filing Protest With FIFA — totalprosports — 15 December 2022 (LINK)

France Soccer Players Dropping Like Flies As Illness Spreads Ahead Of World Cup Final vs. Argentina — totalprosports — 15 December 2022 (LINK)

FIFA, UEFA win EU court adviser backing on rules contested by Super League — ground.news: 83 sources — 15 December 2022 (LINK)

● FIFA to re-think 2026 format as they face spoiling winning recipe — torontosun.com — 14 December 2022 (LINK)

Boy killed in Montpellier amid clashes between France and Morocco fans — ground.news: 54 sources — 14 December 2022 (LINK)

Security guard dies after fall at stadium set to host World Cup final — ground.news: 126 sources — 13s December 2022 (LINK)

Algerian TV director fired for broadcasting Morocco's World Cup victory? — africanews — 13 December 2022 (LINK)

— Argentina's record scorer at the World Cup, clear of Gabriel Batistuta on 11 goals. He also now holds the record for most assists by an Argentine at the World Cup: nine, one more than Diego Maradona. A third record: he has now scored and assisted in four World Cup games — the first ever player to do so. And the final record is that Messi is now the ALL-TIME record appearance maker at the World Cup: 26, having played in every game on the way to the final, eclipsing the previous record of 25 held by German Lothar Matthaus. Messi had already set a new record in Qatar before the Croatia game when he became Argentina's record appearance maker at the World Cup: Maradona had 21, but Messi needed just the Saudi Arabia and Mexico games to overtake him.

The four records Lionel Messi broke for Argentina vs Croatia.. and the two he can still add to the haul this World Cup — thesun.co.uk — 14 December 2022 (LINK)

Spanish court acquits soccer star Neymar in fraud trial — ground.news: 85 sources — 13 December 2022 (LINK)

Gio Reyna’s USA World Cup absence explained as fuming teammates held vote on KICKING OUT ex-Rangers ace Claudio’s son — thescottishsun.co.uk — 13 December 2022 (LINK)

Europe's elite clubs deal blow to FIFA as they reject proposal to launch new Club World Cup in 2025 — dailymail.co.uk — 12 December 2022 (LINK)

Neymar reveals the FIVE players in the world who he says have more technical skill than he: Lionel Messi, Real Madrid flop Eden Hazard, Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, PSG teammate Marco Verratti and Liverpool midfielder Thiago — sportbible — 12 December 2022 (LINK)

World Cup 2022: Victor Gomes returns from Qatar! It now remains to be seen if Gomes will indeed retire from refereeing after he was reported to have made a decision not to blow his whistle again after this World Cup — source — 12 December 2022 (LINK)

Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence on 2022 FIFA World Cup exit and rubbishes claims that he turned his back on Portugal — portskeeda — 11 December 2022 (LINK)

Referee Wilton Sampaio 'had an absolute nightmare' in England's World Cup loss to France, says Gary Neville — ground.news: 6 sources — 11 December 2022 (LINK)

● FIFA Charges Argentina for Disorder At World Cup Match — bloomberg — 10 December 2022 (LINK)

FIFA World Cup — "Can't Give A Referee Like That A Match Of This Importance": Messi Fumes After Quarter-Final Win Over Netherlands — afp / ndtv — 10 December 2022 (LINK)

How Argentina vs Netherlands descended into chaos – taunts, tantrums and tears — theathletic — 10 December 2022 (LINK)

Tite steps down as Brazil manager after World Cup exit — 90min — 9 December 2022 (LINK)

FIFA in 'legal disputes' with Qatar's World Cup organisers — relations turn sour after 'last-minute U-turn' on alcohol promise — football365 — 9 December 2022 (LINK)

— According to reports, FIFA are 'embroiled in a series of legal disputes' with Qatar's World Cup organisers and relations are now at an 'all-time low'.

Spain fires manager Luis Enrique after upset loss to Morocco: Luis de la Fuente new coach — upi — 8 December 2022 (LINK)

Benched Ronaldo's reality check as replacement bags hat-trick in SIX-goal slaughter — afp / foxsports — 7 December 2022 (LINK)

AP/U.S. News & World Report: Ronaldo a Solitary Figure After Being Benched at World Cup (LINK)

At the World Cup, the Arab world rallies to Palestinian cause — washingtonpost — 6 December 2022 (LINK)

World Cup 2022: Spain's Gavi (18) becomes youngest knockout stage starter in 64 years — fourfourtwo — 6 December 2022 (LINK)

Eagle-eyed fans spot Neymar pulling off insanely rare Lionel Messi skill move against South Korea — sportbible — 5 December 2022 (LINK)

Pelé responding well to treatment for respiratory infection — ground.news: 69 sources — 4 December 2022 (LINK)

What gets missed in the angry debate over Qatar's World Cup: how true are the human rights charges? — washingtonpost — 4 December 2022 (LINK)

Kylian Mbappe racking up World Cup fines as France pick up the bill for latest tantrum — express — 4 December 2022 (LINK)

Lionel Messi's drool-inducing WC dribble underlined his GOAT status — planetfootball — 4 December 2022 (LINK)

Kounde forced to remove gold chains during World Cup match — AP — 4 December 2022 (LINK)

10 things we learned from the group stages in the Qatar World Cup — The Guardian — 3 December 2022 (LINK)

World Cup: Uruguay player 'faces 15 match ban' after ugly scenes mar exit — yahoo — 3 December 2022 (LINK)

Fans call World Cup exit 'karma' for racist gesture against Asians — asamnews — 3 December 2022 (LINK)

Serbia outraged by another Xhaka provocation — besoccer — 3 December 2022 (LINK)

Built to disappear: World Cup stadium 974 — mountainviewtoday — 3 December 2022 (LINK)

Spain deliberately lost to Japan to avoid Brazil in World Cup quarter-final, says Hugo Sanchez — sportbible — 2 December 2022 (LINK)

Qatar TV brutally mocks Germany after World Cup protest: 'Rattled' — yahoo — 2 December 2022 (LINK)

Netherlands face World Cup chaos as flu outbreak hits squad ahead of USA last-16 clash — express — 2 December 2022 (LINK)

Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar scores late winner against Brazil, takes shirt off, high-fives referee... then gets sent off — yardbarker — 2 December 2022 (LINK)

Watch: Uruguay players went after referees following World Cup loss — yardbarker — 2 December 2022 (LINK)

Turkish commentator sacked during Morocco vs Canada game after saying 'forbidden name' — sportbible — 2 December 2022 (LINK)

France's World Cup defeat to Tunisia could be OVERTURNED as it is revealed referee broke rules — thesun — 1 December 2022 (LINK)

Video: Japan Scores Most Controversial Goal Of The World Cup — thespun — 1 December 2022 (LINK)

Who Made Your World Cup Jersey? Garment workers in Myanmar earn less than $3 a day to produce soccer apparel for Adidas — thespun — 1 December 2022 (LINK)

Some say they were fired after asking factory owners for a raise.

FIFA says rainbow items are allowed at World Cup stadiums— ground.news: 16 sources — 30 November 2022 (LINK)

Mexico booted from the World Cup as their fans insist on chanting a gay slur in Qatar— outsports — 30 November 2022 (LINK)

Cristiano Ronaldo will 'become the highest-earner in sport with a MAMMOTH �172.9m-a-year deal with Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr' — dailymail — 30 November 2022 (LINK)

Senegal under investigation for breaking World Cup rules on pressers ahead of England clash — irishmirror — 30 November 2022 (LINK)

Wounded hero Pulisic lauded for getting US into last 16 — rappler — 30 November 2022 (LINK)

Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana sent home from World Cup 'for disciplinary reasons' — lapresse — 29 November 2022 (LINK)

France star Kylian Mbappe 'is set to receive a fine from FIFA' after forward TWICE refused to speak to the media post-match... despite receiving Player of the Match awards against Australia and Denmark — dailymail — 29 November 2022 (LINK)

Top Qatari official puts worker deaths for World Cup 'between 400 and 500' — ground.news: 84 sources — 29 November 2022 (LINK)

This is the side of the World Cup that Qatar would prefer you ignore — independent — 29 November 2022 (LINK)

World Cup hit by 'disgraceful' scandal over dressing room photo showing the Serbian flag with a map of Kosovo superimposed on top — independent — 29 November 2022 (LINK)

How the World Cup's AI instant replay works — vox — 29 November 2022 (LINK)

Host nation Qatar eliminated from World Cup after Netherlands and Ecuador draw — yahoo — 26 November 2022 (LINK)

Oops! Cristiano Ronaldo not the first player to score at Five World Cup editions — iol.co.za — 25 November 2022 (LINK)

Qatar World Cup bans English soccer fans from dressing as medieval Crusaders — NBCnews — 25 November 2022 (LINK)

World Cup 2022: Cristiano Ronaldo's controversial penalty against Ghana makes him the first man to score in five World Cups — yahoo — 24 November 2022 (LINK)

FIFA charges Ecuador over homophobic fan chants at World Cup opener — ground.news: 38 sources — 24 November 2022 (LINK)

Brazil's Neymar left in tears on bench after an<kle injury against Serbia — espn — 24 November 2022 (LINK)

Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said Neymar sprained his right ankle. He declined to speculate on whether he would be available to play in the team's next match against Switzerland on Monday. Neymar was fouled nine times in the match against Serbia, four more than any other player so far at this year's World Cup.

Cameroon begin World Cup campaign with defeat tWo Switzerland by Cameroonian-born player — ripplesnigeria — 24 November 2022 (LINK)

Argentine TV reporter robbed on air during FIFA World Cup in Qatar — ground.news: 19 sources — 21 November 2022 (LINK)

BBC pundit Alex Scott appears on air wearing the OneLove armband following FIFA warning — ground.news: 28 sources — 21 November 2022 (LINK)

European teams say won't wear 'OneLove' World Cup armband, citing the threat of disciplinary action from FIFA — ground.news: 68 sources — 21 November 2022 (LINK)

FIFA revenue hits record $7.5B for current World Cup period — ground.news: 51 sources — 21 November 2022 (LINK)

Gary Lineker begins World Cup coverage on BBC with damning monologue, he didn't hold back — sportbible — 20 November 2022 (LINK)