By JOHN BOSCHINI
Two employees of a Swiss television station have been released after being detained in Qatar while filming a story on the 2022 World Cup.
Reporter Christophe Cerf and cameraman Yvan Thorimbert were handcuffed and interrogated at police stations before being fined and released with their camera confiscated 10 hours later.
The Swiss television station said Qatar had granted the pair media credentials but according to The Peninsula,Qatar has denied the station's claims, saying they entered on tourist visas. Cerf and Thorimbert were filming in a permitted area when they were arrested.
The camera was returned and the pair were allowed to leave the country after the Swiss ambassador in Kuwait intervened. This incident comes after Qatar, who sits in 121st in Press Freedom Index, made assurances as part of its World Cup bid that restrictions would be eased on members of the press.
Here are some more stories to keep your Tuesday going.
REAL SALT LAKE FOCUSING ON HOME WIN IN CONCACAF FINAL
Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis is focusing on the team's home leg of the CONCACAF Champions League and has conceded that a one-goal loss would be an acceptable result.
"A win would be spectacular," Kreis told the Mexican media. "Even a one-goal loss, if we're able to score a goal, would have to be viewed as a positive result."
Real Salt Lake takes on Monterrey on Wednesday before returning home to Rio Tinto Stadium on April 27. Real Salt Lake has not lost at home since May of 2009 but Kreis will take on Monterrey coach Victor Vucetich, who has not lost in seven finals appearances.
RANGERS’ DIOUF SAYS HE “ADMIRES” GHADAFI
Never one to shy away from controversy, Two-time African player of the year El Hadji Diouf has expressed public sympathy for Libyan leader Moammar Ghadafi.
“He is a man I have always admired,” the Senegalese striker told an Algerian newspaper. “The situation must be very hard for him and his family.”
Diouf said that he was not familiar with the political situation in Libya but that he knows the Ghadafi family and considers them friends.
INIESTA FACES POSSIBLE SUSPENSION FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta could face a one-match ban and miss next week’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid. The Spanish international was booked during Barcelona’s match with Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
UEFA will make a determination Wednesday on whether or not the booking was intentional. Barcelona released a statement saying it did not anticipate a ban being leveled.
Barcelona's chances were given a boost with the news that captain Carles Puyol would be fit to play against Madrid.
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What do you think of today's stories? Concerned about press freedom at the 2022 World Cup? Confident Real Salt Lake can win at home? Upset with Diouf over his controversial comments?
Share your thoughts below.
I still am trying to figure out how to spell Blatter, FIFA or Qatar with a dollar sign or euro. Is there any way this 2022 decision is all just a bad, bad dream? When they decided to award two WCs at once we should have known the money-grab was the play all along. Bastards.
No, a racist is when one thinks their race is superior to another. In other words, the other race is inferior. Unfortunately, there are groups that instill, hate, violence and use other races as scapegoats…, which magnifies what a racist is. The comment the person wrote was based on the Arabic culture not the race, which is a prejudice comment but not a racist one. I can go on and on, but I’ll leave like as it is.
When I read your all caps should I assume that is you screaming in a lispy voice?
Political agenda? Let me guess, you’re one of the 15 people that watch that dude that looks like Mary Lou Retton on steroids on MSNBC. I hope you enjoy your angry life of minimal success.
That’s exactly why I made fun of you.
No, I use ninnies because you sound like five year old girls.
Opinions rooted in ignorance should be exposed, not be tolerated.
Yes, that is fair. We are one of the fattest countries on Earth.
It is just as fair to say that Arab nations have so little respect for women that they have institutionalized their second class status.
In Saudi courts, the testimony of one man equals that of two women. In many nations, married women must have their husbands’ written permission to travel abroad,or even within the country. In surveys of some Arab countries, 1 in 3 men ADMIT to beating their wives.
Become educated on topics before speaking like a child.