​Former coach Arsene Wenger, now a FIFA official, said the results of the World Cup groups in Qatar showed that the teams that were most morally prepared and not distracted by political issues qualified for the round of 16.

>> Sunday matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar are LiveBlog on HotNews.ro.

Wenger said during the technical analysis of the groups, referring to the elimination of Germany, Belgium and Denmark, it was clear that teams that focused on football and started well, such as Brazil, France and England, reached the next phase more easily. competition.

“The teams that didn’t disappoint in the first leg are experienced and have results … they played well in the first leg. In addition, the teams mentally prepared themselves and focused on the competition, not on political demonstrations,” Arsene Wenger was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The World Cup in Qatar has been controversial, including among participants, with some expressing concern over the host country’s treatment of migrant workers and LGBT rights issues, including in the context of FIFA’s threats to sanction players for political statements or gestures.

The World Forum said “extraordinary blackmail” forced Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Wales, England and Switzerland to abandon plans for players to wear “OneLove” armbands.

Before the start of the match against Japan, the players of the German national team posed with their hands over their mouths, implying that they had been silenced by FIFA.

Denmark has also been adamant about the OneLove armbands and last month wanted to use human rights slogans on exercise machines, writes News.ro.

What happened on Saturday at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: The Netherlands and Argentina win in the round of 16 and will meet in the quarterfinals

The full schedule of the 1/8 finals and what matches await us in the quarter-finals of the World Cup 2022 Qatar