FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 (Promo)

Football's claim to being the global sport has strong merits. FIFA is an international organisation with more members than the United Nations, and the football World Cup is one of the top two most watched sports events in the world. Even the national leagues in England, Spain, Germany and Italy are enormously popular outside their borders. The chequered football made of sewn black and white pentagons, despite its relatively late adoption in 1970, is recognisable to any child anywhere in the world who has a notion of what sports is. But when you realise that it took 92 years and 22 tries for the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup, it makes you want to examine this "global" sport.

Morocco may as well have been the first non-European and non-South American country in World Cup semi-finals, but that credit goes to a distinct anomaly. USA finished third in 1930, in the first ever football World Cup. In more modern days, it was last done by South Korea in 2002, in their own backyard. Success in the global sport seems to be universal in two continents out of six, leaving others in relative irrelevance. Why is that?

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Well, of course, it has everything to do with who came up with the sport and who ran it. Professional football developed in Europe and exploded in South America. FIFA has only ever had European men as presidents, other than the one Brazilian (also a man) who ran it for 24 years. That is concerning, given FIFA's (admirable, on the face of it) policy of allowing every member to have one vote in elections, regardless of footballing prowess or tradition. The Netflix documentary FIFA Uncovered explains how this international governing body for the sport exploited this situation, morphing into a cartel of sorts where power is held onto as long as possible, where votes are bought and sold with money.

This money is most often disbursed to lower ranked teams from poor countries as "development funds." But money ill-begotten is often ill-spent, and seldom do these funds make their way to the grassroots. This process powers a toxic cycle, where poor nations with lower FIFA rankings tend to stay there, while the people representing these nations line their pockets, and FIFA keeps on being corrupt. The European and South American nations with rich footballing traditions generate their own revenue to keep the sport alive and well in their own countries, and it's nigh impossible for anyone else to emerge.

But this doesn't change the fact that football really is the global sport, because it's loved globally. Every country has football fans, if not a proper football league or a national team, and each and every one of those fans dreams of seeing their nation represented on the global stage. Most live and die without ever seeing that dream realised.

But Morocco did it; they found a way, and the way they did it may just be an inspiration, if not a template, for other teams outside of Europe and South America. Morocco's 26-man squad has 14 players born in foreign countries, including some of their best players. Hakim Ziyech and Sofyan Amrabat were born in the Netherlands, Achraf Hakimi in Spain. Defender Roman Saïss and even the coach, Walid Regragui, were born in France. They all have ancestors who were from Morocco, and they chose to play for the North African country. Clearly, they chose well. The Dutch crashed out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, Morocco knocked out Spain themselves, and now they line up to face France in a semi-final, for a chance to play Argentina in the biggest game of all.

The brand of football Morocco played to get here has had European flavours as well. They have been tactical, nullifying opposition threats, and taking their own chances to score, as opposed to previous African teams who would play exciting football to go out in a blaze of glory. Contrary to Spanish midfielder Rodri's claim that "Morocco offered absolutely nothing," Morocco have actually offered a lot. The tactical know-how of beating technically superior teams is an invention of the Italians of the distant past, or the Portuguese Jose Mourinho in modern times. Morocco applied their own spin on it, based on the players they had and the challenges in front of them, and look at them now!

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If you look at FIFA and football administrators at the top, I think their interpretation of why football is the global sport would be that it makes money globally. But if you asked players and fans, I think they would say that it's global because it's played globally, because the truth of football being accessible to anyone with a round thing to kick and a stretch of grass to run on applies to all nations across the world. If that is the case, why should the story of non-European and non-South American success in the World Cup be so limited?

It's clear that Morocco have found their method, their way forward, and football's universality and global appeal – as a sport and not a business – ensures that other nations will too.

Azmin Azran is editor-in-charge of SHOUT, The Daily Star's weekly youth supplement.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic stated outright what he felt regarding the controversial penalty call following his side’s 4-2 defeat to France in Sunday’s World Cup final, saying : “You don't give a penalty like that in a World Cup final.”

A debatable penalty awarded with the use of FIFA's new video replay system proved a turning point in the World Cup final on Sunday as debate focused on erronous referee calls.

France and Croatia were level at 1-1 in an evenly contested match when Argentine referee Nestor Pitana was alerted to a possible handball ten minutes from half time and, after checking the off-field screen, he decided Croatia's Ivan Perisic had handled. While there is no doubt that the ball did hit the Croatian’s hand, the focus will remain on whether the handling of the ball was intentional.

Antoine Griezmann converted the penalty and France went on to win 4-2. Even after the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, it remained a highly contentious call. Many former players called the awarding of the penalty a dubious decision with former England and Liverpool defender perhaps rightly suggesting that ‘It’s the referee’s mistake, not VAR! VAR is just the replay of an incident.’

The decisions proved to be a turning point in the match as France’s influence grew following their second goal. Dalic said he thought such a decision had no place in a game of such magnitude.

“We played well but the penalty knocked the wind out of us and after that it was very difficult," Dalic said after congratulating France on their victory. "I just want to say one sentence about that penalty: You don't give a penalty like that in a World Cup final.”

The Croatia coach conceded that his team had let in two ‘soft goals’ but lamented the fact that things did not go their way when they were in a good position to fight for the match.

“We wanted to win the World Cup so much, but that's football," he said. "The French did not surprise us; we let in two soft goals coupled with an own goal and a penalty.

“What we had in terms of luck in this tournament, we lacked today. When you concede four goals, you cannot expect to win the game.”

Neverthless, Dalic went on to congratulate France and praised his team’s effort after they gave a vastly talented French side a run for their money.

“I congratulate France on their title. We played well in the first 20 minutes, we controlled the game. Then there was an own goal from a set play. We came back to life, dominated and then the penalty was given,” Dalic said.

“I have to congratulate my players, it was maybe the best game we played in this tournament; we controlled the match but we conceded. Against such a strong side as France you must not make mistakes. We are a bit sad, but we have to be proud as well for what we’ve done.”

France captain Hugo Lloris has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 36, three weeks after his country lost the World Cup final on penalties to Argentina in Doha.

"I have decided to stop my international career, with the feeling that I have given everything," Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Lloris said in an interview with French sports daily L'Equipe published on Monday.

"I think it is important to announce this now, two and a half months before the start of Euro qualifying."

Lloris, who made his international debut as a 21-year-old in a friendly against Uruguay in November 2008, bows out after becoming France's most-capped player during the World Cup.

He overtook previous record-holder Lilian Thuram's mark of 142 appearances and finished with his 145th cap in the final, which France lost 4-2 on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw at the end of extra time.

"I have really been thinking about it since the end of the World Cup, but there has been something deep inside of me for maybe six months now and which grew during the competition, leading me to make this decision," Lloris said.

Former Nice and Lyon goalkeeper Lloris captained France to victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He played at seven major tournaments in total, including Euro 2016, when France lost in the final to Portugal as hosts.

France's back-up goalkeepers at the World Cup were 37-year-old Rennes veteran Steve Mandanda and Alphonse Areola of West Ham United.

However, the replacement for Lloris as France's starter is set to be the 27-year-old Mike Maignan of AC Milan, who missed the World Cup due to injury.

- 'Go out at the top' -

"There comes a time when you need to step aside. I have always said the French national team does not belong to any one person," Lloris said.

"There is a goalkeeper who is ready (Maignan), and I need a bit more time for me, for my family and for my children.

"To have been the France goalkeeper for 14 and a half seasons is a big deal, but it is also mentally exhausting and I hope clearing some time for myself will allow me to keep playing at the highest level for a few more years."

He added: "I prefer to go out at the top, having helped France get to a World Cup final."

Lloris' decision comes after coach Didier Deschamps -- in charge since 2012 -- signed a new contract to remain in the position through to the 2026 World Cup in North America.

"I must, we must, respect his decision even if he still had his place in our team, as he demonstrated during the last World Cup," Deschamps said in a statement.

"A great servant of the France team is bowing out and I want to pay tribute to his exceptional career.

"Beyond all the records that his talent and professionalism enabled him to break, beyond the essential role that he played in our greatest victories ... Hugo is a remarkable person on a human level."

The next assignment for Deschamps and France is the qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany, which begins at the end of March with a double-header against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland.

They will also play Greece and Gibraltar in Group B, with the top two teams advancing to the finals which will take place from June 14 to July 14 next year.

Ivorian ex-Fifa executive Jacques Anouma has told the BBC that he did not accept a $1.5m (£1m) bribe over Qatar's successful 2022 World Cup bid.

His denial comes amid a criminal investigation by Swiss prosecutors into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

Anouma said that justice should now be left to run its course.

The Swiss investigation follows the indictment of seven top Fifa officials in May, accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m.

Anouma also said that $2m paid by Qatar to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) in 2010, ahead of the final World Cup vote, did not oblige African members to vote for the Gulf nation.

Negotiations with Qatari officials for the $1.5m bribe are alleged to have taken place in a hotel in the Angolan capital Luanda, during the Caf annual Congress in 2010.

But Anouma said there was no way he could have been involved as he wasn't even in the country at the time, having instead stayed behind in Ivory Coast.

Qatar denies any allegations of bribery in relation to its 2022 World Cup bid.

Some moments perfectly capture the ups and downs of the feelings football fans experience and make us fall in love with the game all over again. No other sport can truly elicit such a wide range of feelings from its followers at every turn of the clock. The game's capacity to change tears into joy and vice versa at each move is what makes these moments historical. 

Here are 5 iconic moments in football history. 

Diego Maradona's 'Hand of 'God' goal

This is one moment that almost everyone has heard of even if they are not a football fan. About 36 years ago, in Mexico, Diego Maradona stunned the entire world with his act of audacious sportsmanship and breath-taking skill. Six minutes into the second half of Argentina versus England's 1986 World Cup quarter-final, Maradona scored by punching the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton and into the net. Maradona later credited the 'Hand of God' for the goal, giving this moment its name.

This goal is so iconic and infamous today that the ball used in the 'Hand of God' was auctioned off in the United Kingdom in November 2022 by the referee from the match, Tunisian Ali Bin Nasser. The eventual hammer price was a staggering $2.4 million!

While the goal is controversial and Maradona's personality has been scrutinised from time to time, there is no denying the 'Hand of God' from the recognition it deserves in history pages. 

The Manchester United Team boarding their ill-fated flight

The plane carrying the 1958 Manchester United all-star squad known as "The Busby Babes" crashed in Munich, killing nearly all of the players. They were renamed 'Flowers of Manchester' after the tragic incident. 

In 1958, Europe's Manchester United had a young team stirring excitement across the continent. The team was filled with youthful exuberance and taking the football game by storm. The crash came just when the team was going into its most exciting stage and the players were at the peak of their careers. 

The players, journalists, fans, and staff were all on United's jet returning home from a European Cup quarterfinal in Belgrade. They boarded the aircraft thrice on the final leg of the journey because the first two attempted take-offs failed. In its third attempt and with everyone on board, the aircraft struggled to take off because of the accumulation of slush on the runway. The United dream and a number of the Busby's Babes perished as the jet plunged through the airport's outer gate and into a neighbouring house. 

The phrase "The Flowers of Manchester" was coined in the folk song performed by the group The Spinners in 1962, referring to those who died. 

Andres Escobar's death 

In 1994, drug lords controlled Colombia. At the 1994 World Cup Escobar scored an own goal in the match against the United States, which contributed to the team's elimination from the tournament. On 2 July 1994, Escobar was murdered, reportedly as retaliation for having scored the own goal. Andres Escobar had ironically said in an interview following the World Cup defeat, "Life doesn't end here."

FC Start at The Death Match of 1942

This chapter in history is a little dark. With World War II raging across the borders, Major General Eberhardt of Germany had the idea of arranging a football match to placate the people of Kiev. With the Nazi-sponsored German national team, Falkelf and a team of former football players from Ukraine who were now prisoners of war, the FC Start. The 1952 Death Match had more political affiliations than any other football match in history. The fact that these underfed convicts continued to pummel Flakelf in every match and rematch was severe damage to the Nazi reputation.

Zidane headbutting Marco Materazzi at the 2006 World Cup

Zinedine Zidane will always be regarded as one of the all-time greats of the game, but his final match in the most successful of careers was tainted by a red card while playing for France against Italy in the 2006 World Cup final. After headbutting Marco Materazzi on the field at the age of 34, the legendary Juventus and Real Madrid player announced his retirement.

This moment is quite controversial. However, it is an example of trash talk being taken a little too far and emotions getting in the way. Upon replaying footgates, the two players were seen to be talking and at the time, there were rumours that Materazzi had said something disparaging about Zidane's mother. However, he consistently denied these claims and, in an effort to clear his name, won a libel case against the British media in 2009. It was in 2020 that Materazzi added more insight into what had transpired between the two and it was likely that a comment about Zidane's sister had set him off.