Qatar has announced some rather questionable attendance figures following the opening games of the 2022 World Cup, as it’s clear that whoever’s done the totting up doesn’t understand maths.
The Gulf state confirmed their final attendance figures for the inaugural match between the host nation and winners Ecuador, professing that 67,372 people poured into the Al Bayt Stadium in Doha on Friday.
However, that would be quite an achievement considering the maximum capacity of 60,000. Hmmm…
Regardless of whatever Qatar are claiming to be their official numbers, it was clearly visible to anyone with eyes that thousands of seats were left empty during the game and even more so after half-time.
The attendance for Senegal vs. Netherlands was announced as 41,721.
The official capacity of the Al Thumama Stadium stadium in Qatar is 40,000.
Countless numbers were seen flooding out of the stadium after the home side conceded two goals in the opening 31 minutes — well, three if you count the speculative offside call that saw Enner Valencia’s tournament-opening goal ruled out. He should have had a hat trick.
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As if that wasn’t enough, Qatar also looked to have fudged the numbers for England‘s 6-1 win against Iran on Monday, stating that the total attendance was 45,334. However, once again, this clearly isn’t an accurate number given the stadium can only hold a max of 40,000.
In fact, it would seem that they’ve pretty much exceeded the stadium limit with every single match attendance so far:
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Qatar vs Ecuador – 67,372 (Stadium capacity: 60,000)
England vs Iran – 45,334 (Stadium capacity: 40,000)
Senegal vs Netherlands – 41,721 (Stadium capacity: 40,000)
USA vs Wales – 43,418 (Stadium capacity: 40,000)
Despite a clear effort to stretch the truth when it comes to attendances, journalist Melissa Reddy also highlighted other fan struggles, telling Sky Sports that many fans could not access the stadium due to problems with the ticketing app and were being advised to arrive as early as four hours before kick-off.
🏟 ❌ "There was a mass exodus at the 55th minute, the announcer said that there was 67,000 people in attendance, which is odd because the capacity is only 60,000."@MelissaReddy_ shares her experience from within the stadium during Qatar vs Ecuador pic.twitter.com/SKvqfY04mG
As she went on to explain, the “mixed crowd” that did turn up – even if they were part of the mass exodus or not – “weren’t really interested” in the game and it was clear that many didn’t have an allegiance to either team.
Qatar has already been accused of paying ‘fake fans‘ to come and pose as supporters of various nations both inside the stadiums and parading outside the grounds.
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While FIFA has denied the claims, with president Gianni Infantino suggesting that the allegations reflect the “racism” underlying much of the debate surrounding Qatar 2022, it’s clear
Featured Image — BBC Sport/Palácio do Planalto (via Flickr)
Sport
Two Manchester Basketball players have been named in the SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26
Danny Jones
A pair of Manchester Basketball players have been named in the latest SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26.
The most recent UK Super League Basketball (SLB) campaign is set to wrap up this month, with the playoffs taking place down in the capital, but there are other awards to be handed out before then.
It remains to be seen how ‘The Final Four’ phase will play out at The O2 in London on 17 May, but we can definitely take joy in moments like this.
Announced on Thursday, 7 May, Manchester Basketball confirmed that duo Max Jones and Jordan Johnson have joined the rest of the league’s roster of the best players this term.
As detailed on the club website, “Max has averaged 17.4 points in the SLB in 32 games – he’s been a starter for the franchise and was also named in the ENBL All-Star Five in Germany last month.
“Jordan averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 assists in 30 games in the SLB, had a stellar European campaign and hit 30 pts in just over 27 minutes in the SLB Cup Final.”
Commenting on social media, one fan wrote: “Both JJ and PJ have been so great at the PG spot all year. I feel this is a joint award for them both, but they can only fill one spot for the accolade. If we wanna be a serious club to build upon year on year, JJ also needs to be in an MCR jersey next year.
“We absolutely have the pieces to build around. JJ’s nerve is sooooo cool under pressure. You can just tell they wanna loft a meaningful trophy, and it’s gonna happen if we as a club plan and build the way we need to.”
Plenty of supporters have also stressed the importance of making sure that the board tie down the likes of Jones and other big talents this summer; the rest of the Molten All-League Team of the Season for 2025/26 can be found below.
It’s also worth noting that teammate Tim Adetukasi and women’s team star Irene Oboavwoduo have each been named in the SLB’s British Team of the Year in their respective divisions for 2026.
Writing in a club statement reflecting on a great week of recognition for the resurgent club, General Manager Dominique Allen said: “We are really proud to be a club flying the flag for British players.
Both Tim and Irene have made a real impact on and off the court. We’re really happy for both of them that they are getting some well-deserved recognition.”
Well done to all the MCR stars who are helping get the franchise back on its feet following such a major rebrand across the board.
Here’s looking forward to another promising and productive year for Manchester Basketball.
Manchester City win first Women’s Super League title in a decade
Danny Jones
After a decade of hope and hard work, Manchester City have finally won the Women’s Super League once again in a huge moment for the local club.
Lifting not just their first division title in 10 years, but only their second WSL trophy since the modern female football era began in 2010, it felt like only a matter of time to many supporters.
Ending a six-year Chelsea supremacy, this is also manager Andrée Jeglertz’s first at the helm of Man City’s women’s team, who arrived at the club with a strong silverware record at the start of this season.
These were the scenes at home base as one key result sealed their status as champions:
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) May 6, 2026
City Women secured the WSL title following third-placed Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton on Wednesday evening.
They even managed to do so with a game to spare and a six-point gap over the west London club, which has won so much over the past few years.
Speaking in an interview with club media after confirmation of the win, captain and Euro 2025-winning Lionesses defender, Alex Greenwood, said: “[It feels] absolutely incredible. “A moment – we as a team, me personally – us as a club has waited so long for”.
“An incredible moment, it’s an incredible feeling. I’m so glad we got to spend this moment together as a group. Just an absolutely incredible feeling.”
With fans watching both at home, along with the first team themselves, the celebrations have already begun as the team shared a look back at how they got here.
You can see the recap posted on social media in full below.
Commenting on his latest accolade, the Swedish head coach added in a full club statement: “There’s never been doubt about the talent in the group, but there is something else about talking about being winners and champions. We started that early, and we believed in that. That’s led us through this year.
“It hasn’t been easy; it’s been hard work every day, but we had a strong belief that we could be sitting here in May and be champions. That is the first thing, and we definitely deserve it.”
Congratulations to the Cityzens on a well-deserved and long-awaited WSL title; could this be the start of another sporting dynasty of dominance over in East Manchester? Only time will tell…
In other news around the Etihad Campus, the women’s, EDS and academy team stadium is also set to host the final of the FA Youth Cup later this month.
Danny Jones -
22nd November 2022 
