REVEALED: Nominees for the Best FIFA Football Awards 2022

The shortlists for the Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 have been revealed, with prizes for the top players, goalkeepers, coaches, fans and the best goal. 

Candidates were chosen by two expert panels, one for women’s football and one for men’s football.

Public voting for the winners is now open on FIFA+, and you have until midnight CET (2am Doha time) on Friday February 3 to cast your vote. Three finalists will be announced for each of the seven categories in early February 2023, followed by an awards ceremony to decide the overall winners. Without further ado, here are all the nominees.

The Best FIFA Men’s Player

• Julián Álvarez (Argentina / Club Atlético River Plate / Manchester City FC)
• Jude Bellingham (England / BV Borussia 09 Dortmund)
• Karim Benzema (France / Real Madrid CF)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium / Manchester City FC)
• Erling Haaland (Norway / BV Borussia 09 Dortmund / Manchester City FC)
• Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain FC)
• Robert Lewandowski (Poland / FC Bayern München / FC Barcelona)
• Sadio Mané (Senegal / Liverpool FC / FC Bayern München)
• Kylian Mbappé (France / Paris Saint-Germain FC )
• Lionel Messi (Argentina / Paris Saint-Germain FC)
• Luka Modrić (Croatia / Real Madrid CF)
• Neymar (Brazil / Paris Saint-Germain FC)
• Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool FC)
• Vinícius Junior (Brazil / Real Madrid CF)

The Best FIFA Women’s Player

• Aitana Bonmatí (Spain / FC Barcelona)
• Debinha (Brazil / North Carolina Courage)
• Jessie Fleming (Canada / Chelsea FC Women)
• Ada Hegerberg (Norway / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Sam Kerr (Australia / Chelsea FC Women)
• Beth Mead (England / Arsenal WFC)
• Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands / Arsenal WFC)
• Alex Morgan (USA / Orlando Pride / San Diego Wave)
• Lena Oberdorf (Germany / VfL Wolfsburg)
• Alexandra Popp (Germany / VfL Wolfsburg)
• Alexia Putellas (Spain / FC Barcelona)
• Wendie Renard (France / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Keira Walsh (England / Manchester City WFC / FC Barcelona)
• Leah Williamson (England / Arsenal WFC)

The FIFA Puskás Award (aka the “most beautiful” goal award)

• Mario Balotelli (Italy): Adana Demirspor v. Göztepe Spor Kulübü [Süper Lig] (22 May 2022)
• Amandine Henry (France): FC Barcelona v. Olympique Lyonnais [UEFA Women’s Champions League] (21 May 2022)
• Théo Hernández (France): AC Milan v. Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, [Serie A] (15 May 2022)
• Alou Kuol (Australia): Iraq U23 v. Australia U23 [AFC U23 Asian Cup] (4 June 2022)
• Kylian Mbappé (France): Argentina v. France [FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™] (18 December 2022)
• Francisco González Metilli (Argentina): Club Atlético Central Córdoba v. Club Atlético Rosario Central [Primera División] (1 August 2022)
• Marcin Oleksy (Poland): Warta Poznań v. Stal Rzeszów [PZU Amp Futbol Ekstraklasa] (6 November 2022)
• Salma Paralluelo (Spain): FC Barcelona v. Villarreal CF [Liga F] (2 April 2022)
• Dimitri Payet (France): Olympique de Marseille v. PAOK Thessaloniki FC [UEFA Europa Conference League] (7 April 2022)
• Richarlison (Brazil): Brazil v. Serbia [FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022] (24 November 2022)
• Alessia Russo (England): England v. Sweden [UEFA Women’s EURO 2022] (26 July 2022)

The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper

• Álisson Becker (Brazil / Liverpool FC)
• Yassine Bounou (Morocco / Sevilla FC)
• Thibaut Courtois (Belgium / Real Madrid CF)
• Ederson (Brazil / Manchester City FC)
• Emiliano Martínez (Argentina / Aston Villa FC)

The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper

• Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany / Chelsea FC Women)
• Mary Earps (England / Manchester United WFC)
• Christiane Endler (Chile / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Merle Frohms (Germany / Eintracht Frankfurt / VfL Wolfsburg)
• Alyssa Naeher (USA / Chicago Red Stars)
• Sandra Paños García-Villamil (Spain / FC Barcelona)  

The Best FIFA Men’s Coach

• Carlo Ancelotti (Italy / Real Madrid CF)
• Didier Deschamps (France / French National Team)
• Pep Guardiola (Spain / Manchester City FC)
• Walid Regragui (Morocco / Wydad AC / Moroccan National Team)
• Lionel Scaloni (Argentina / Argentinian National Team)

The Best FIFA Women’s Coach

• Sonia Bompastor (France / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Emma Hayes (England / Chelsea FC Women)
• Bev Priestman (England / Canadian National Team)
• Pia Sundhage (Sweden / Brazilian National Team)
• Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany / German National Team)
• Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / English National Team)

The Best FIFA Fan Award

• Abdullah Al Salmi (Saudi Arabia): Abdullah journeyed by foot from his hometown of Jeddah to Qatar, hiking across the Saudi Arabian desert, to support his national team at the FIFA World Cup.
• Argentinian National Team fans (Argentina): Argentina fans travelled to Qatar in impressive numbers to provide incredible support for their team’s ultimately victorious FIFA World Cup campaign, and millions of fans then welcomed their heroes home to Buenos Aires and across the country.
• Japanese National Team fans (Japan): Japan fans earned worldwide recognition for their tradition of staying behind to help clean the stadium after World Cup games.

Check out The Safest Cities In The World For 2023

In news that is not a surprise to anyone living in Qatar, Doha has been named the second safest city in the world for 2023.

Doha regularly tops the rankings from Numbeo – most recently taking the top spot in 2020 – but faces fierce competition from fellow GCC countries. 

For 2023, Abu Dhabi came first, with three other cities in the UAE among the top ten: Ajman (fourth), Sharjah (fifth) and Dubai (seventh). 

Third place went to Taipei, while the rest of the top ten was rounded out with Quebec City in Canada (sixth), San Sebastian in Spain (eighth), Bern in Switzerland (ninth) and Eskisehir in Turkey (tenth).

Muscat in Oman also ranked highly in 14th place, while Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia were ranked 53rd and 63rd respectively. Kuwait City placed 81st. 

The rankings are based on surveys from residents living in thousands of cities, with sufficient data from 416 cities making up the safety index. 

Survey participants are asked questions like how safe they feel walking at night, how worried they are about being robbed, and about the change in crime levels over the past three years. 

In Doha, the perception of how safe it is to walk at night is very high, while the fear of having a car stolen, being attacked, or worries about vandalism are all very low. 

On the opposite end of the scale, Caracas in Venezuela has the highest crime rating, followed by Pretoria and Durban in South Africa.

PHOTOS: New entry & residence visa rules in UAE for Nigerians et al

The UAE cabinet has announced major changes to the UAE visa system, which offers many facilities, including the renewable 5-year Green Residence visa.

An updated visa system came into effect in the UAE on October 3, 2022, allowing several options to visitors and residents to apply for visas without the need for a UAE-based sponsor. The new system allows people who enter as visitors to stay for 60 days rather than 30 days at present. Parents can sponsor their male children until the age of 25, up from 18, allowing them to remain in the UAE after school and university. New visas require no host or sponsor, offer more flexibility, multi entry, 60 days validity and one unified platform to apply at. The new system for residence visas and entry permits offers new types of residence permits for investors, skilled employees, self-employment and family members. The new types provide customised benefits to each category.

Here is all you need to know:

Life will be different for Cristiano Ronaldo & Georgina Rodriguez after his move to Al-Nassr

Being a woman in Saudi Arabia is not easy and now Georgina Rodriguez will have to get used to all the rules they have to comply with in the country.

After the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo by Al-Nassr, a new life begins for the influencer and her children. Although women have gained certain freedoms in recent years, Saudi Arabia is still a very restrictive country, with fewer rights and freedoms than the West. 

The website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the European Union and Cooperation details certain rules that need to be followed for those who want to relocate to the country. 

Georgina Rodriguez's new rules.

She must wear the abaya in public. 

This is the dark-colored talar tunic. 

She must dress with "modesty and decorum". 

In other words, no more see-through, low-cut and tight-fitting clothes for her. The importation and consumption of alcohol and pork products is strictly forbidden. 

Nor may she eat, drink or smoke in public during the month of Ramadan, between March and April. As for tourism in her new place of residence, as she is not a Muslim, she will not be able to visit the Holy Cities, such as Mecca and Medina, as well as other natural sites and monuments. 

However, they will be able to do so by obtaining a permit.

Photos: Happy New Year 2023 TOYsters!

From Doha, Qatar with love.

Here is wishing y'all a very happy, prosperous, fruitful, blessed, peaceful, fun, remarkable and fabulous 2023!! 

I am still in Doha, Qatar post the Qatar 2022 World Cup project.

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A post shared by Toyeen B's World (@toyeenbsworlddubai)

These 16 countries reintroduce PCR tests for international arrivals as COVID-19 cases rise

Great, the UAE should also start this!

Some international travellers are facing renewed restrictions at airports as countries around the world are once again witnessing a steady increase in Covid-19 positive cases.

Some governments have reintroduced PCR testing for arrivals, while others have begun analysing swabs and conducting virus sequencing to help identify new variants of the virus. 

Here are the countries that have announced stricter measures for international arrivals: 

1. Australia 

Australia said on Sunday that travellers from China will have to provide negative Covid-19 test results from Jan. 5, joining a growing number of nations that have implemented similar restrictions as cases surge. 

The requirement will also apply to visitors from Hong Kong and Macau. The government is also considering additional measures including testing wastewater from airplanes and voluntary sampling at airports for arrivals. Citing a lack of epidemiological information and genomic sequencing data from China, Australian health minister Mark Butler said the government has decided out of an abundance of caution to require visitors to present a negative test taken within 48 hours of their departure. 

2. Canada 

Canada on Saturday said it will require travelers on Canadian-bound flights departing China to test negative for Covid-19. The requirements, which take effect at 12:01am ET on Thursday, apply to all travelers two years of age and older arriving on flights in Canada originating from the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong or Macao. 

Travelers will be required to provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test result, taken no more than two days before departure, to the airline prior to boarding. The temporary measure will be in place for 30 days and be reassessed as more data becomes available, the Canadian government said. 

3. Morocco 

Morocco will impose a ban on people arriving from China, whatever their nationality, from January 3 to avert any new wave of coronavirus infections, the foreign ministry said on Saturday. Several countries have imposed restrictions on travellers from China due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. Thousands of tourists visit Morocco from China every year. 

4. India 

In light of the increasing trajectory of cases being noted in some countries across the world, India has issued updated protocol guidelines for international passengers arriving in the country. The guidelines state that two per cent of passengers on incoming flights will undergo random testing for Covid-19 on arrival. 

Additionally, passengers displaying symptoms of Covid-19 during travel shall be isolated as per standard protocol. 

Children under 12 are exempt from the testing – however, if found symptomatic for the virus on arrival or during the self-monitoring period, they shall undergo testing and treated as per protocol. The country's Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also announced that RT-PCR testing will be made mandatory for international arrivals from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand. If travellers test positive or display symptoms of Covid-19, they will be put under quarantine. 

5. Pakistan 

International passengers arriving in Pakistan’s airports will undergo random testing for Covid-19. In a tweet, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority announced screening of 2 per cent of passengers arriving in Pakistan by international flights has started at country's major airports. 

“Owing to the Covid-19 situation in the region, screening of 2% of passengers arriving in Pakistan by int'l flights has started at country's major airports. 

Where needed, RAT and PCR tests are being conducted too,” the tweet said. The authority also urged passengers to keep their vaccination certificate handy while at airport. 

6. Japan 

From December 30, the Japanese government will reintroduce mandatory testing on arrival for travellers from China due to an increase in the number of confirmed cases there, the Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday. 

The measure applies to travelers from mainland China, and those who visited it within the past seven days, who will be required to take a Covid-19 test upon their arrival in Japan. Those who test positive will be quarantined for seven days. 

7. Taiwan 

Authorities have stated that Taiwan will test arrivals from China for Covid-19 from January 1, 2023, in response to a surge in cases there. Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre said all passengers arriving on direct flights from China, as well as by boat two two offshore islands, will be required to take PCR tests upon arrival. 

Health officials will conduct virus sequencing for those who arrive from China and test positive to track new variants of the coronavirus, it said in a statement. The measures, which will run until the end of January, do not include those arriving from Hong Kong or Macau. 

Those who test positive will be able to isolate at home. 

8. Italy 

Italy is making coronavirus tests for visitors from China mandatory following an explosion in cases in China, the health minister said Wednesday. 

"I have ordered mandatory Covid-19 antigenic swabs, and related virus sequencing, for all passengers coming from China and transiting through Italy," minister Orazio Schillaci said. 

The measure was "essential to ensure the surveillance and identification of any variants of the virus in order to protect the Italian population", he said. 

The Italian northern region of Lombardy introduced screening from Tuesday, a day before the measure was brought in nationwide. Lombardy, the first region to impose a lockdown when coronavirus hit Europe in early 2020, is testing arrivals from China at Milan's Malpensa airport at least until January 30, the foreign ministry said. 

Swabs collected at Malpensa in recent days are already being analysed by the national health ministry, to help identify any new variants. 

9. United States 

The United States will require negative Covid tests from all air travellers from China following the surge in coronavirus cases in Beijing, health officials said Wednesday. 

From January 5, "all air passengers two years and older originating from China will be required to get a test no more than two days before their departure from China, Hong Kong and Macau, and show a negative test result to the airlines upon departure," a federal health official said. 

10. United Kingdom 

The UK said on Friday that passengers arriving to England from China from Jan. 5 will need to show a negative Covid-19 pre-departure test, taken no more than two days prior to departure, according to a statement. 

11. South Korea 

South Korea said it would impose mandatory Covid-19 tests on travelers from China, joining other countries in taking new border measures after Beijing's decision to lift its stringent zero-Covid policies. 

South Korea will also restrict issuing short-term visas for Chinese nationals until the end of the next month and temporarily halt increasing flights from China, while using Incheon International Airport as the only gateway for any flights from the neighboring country, Prime Minister Han Duck Soo said. Effective January 5, travelers from China would be required to submit a negative result from a PCR test within no more than 48 hours or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours before departure, and undergo another PCR test upon arrival starting January 2, officials said. 

12.Spain 

Spain will require a negative Covid-19 test or a full course of vaccination against the disease upon arrival for travelers from China, the country's Health Minister Carolina Darias said. 

13. Malaysia 

Malaysia will screen all inbound travelers for fever and test wastewater from aircraft arriving from China for Covid-19, Minister Zaliha Mustafa said in a statement. 

14. Philippines

The Philippines should be "very cautious" when receiving inbound travelers from China, which is grappling with a sharp rise in Covid case numbers, the Philippine transportation minister said on Wednesday. 

The Southeast Asian country could impose measures like testing requirements on visitors from China, but not an outright ban, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista told reporters. 

15. Israel 

The Israeli health ministry said on Friday it will impose Covid tests on foreigners intending to travel from China, where coronavirus cases have surged. 

It was decided to order that foreign airlines only accept foreign citizens on a flight from China to Israel if they have tested (negative) for Covid," Health Minister Aryeh Deri said in a statement. 

16. France 

France will require travelers from China to provide a negative Covid-19 test result less than 48 hours before departure, the health and transport ministries said on Friday. The test will be required on all flights from China, including flights with stopovers. 

Travelers on airplanes arriving from China will also have to wear masks.

Photos: Ronaldo joins Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr Club

Awesome!

After much anticipation and speculation among football fans, it was finally announced that star football player Cristiano Ronaldo would be joining Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr club. 

A viral photo showing Ronaldo holding up his new jersey was posted on their Instagram account. 

The next few hours proved just how popular the Portuguese player is around the world, with the Instagram account gaining so many followers that the count tripled in number. 

“This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home,” the post said. 

News of a lucrative contract offer from the Saudi Pro League club initially broke during the World Cup, with Ronaldo said to be in line to earn £62million (€69.9 million) per season. 

"I can't wait to discover a new football league in a different country," said the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player.