Silent Lonesome Man

On 20 February 2022, in the tourist islands-nation Maldives, two women's teams, both are less known to the world, marched into the pitch of Rasmee Dhandu Stadium in the capital Malé. That was no normal match however. It was a historic debut of the women's team of Saudi Arabia, the Middle Eastern Kingdom known for being strict and repressive toward women for decades. The opponents, Seychelles, is also a pretty less known African team, both in men's and women's level. In the end, the conservative met the unknown, and Saudi Arabia triumphed 2-0, courtesies by a corner kick strike from Al-Bandari Mubarak before Mariam Al-Tamimi doubled the lead. These ladies were the first-ever scorers for Saudi Arabia. 16 players were granted their historic debuts. Pelé, the greatest statue of international football, offered a congratulation on Twitter . When you get the congratulations from the Brazilian legend, it is certain that the country has won certification. Yet as CNN pointed out ...

A year after the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, the main character there, World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) officially issued that Russia will not be eligible to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup because of violation in doping regulation laws. This ban also extended to even the Russian Olympic Committee, meaning that Russia could not take part unless being designated as a neutral athlete organisation under Russian authorities and WADA. One goal for the WADA to do so is to completely dissuade Russia from joining the World Cup, at least if this is necessary to provide a clean space for sports. Hence, if Russia qualifies, they will just play as neutral team of the Russian Football Union sent to Qatar, at least. This should have a demoralising impact on Russia when they can't compete as an official nation. Overall, who else wants to watch their beloved national football team to play without a national flag and an anthem? However, after the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying phase, th...