Gianni Infantino put himself in front of the media on Saturday to defend the World Cup host nation, Qatar. But his bizarre comments gained traction for all the wrong reasons. As the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off today with Qatar playing Ecuador, the off-field issues continue to dominate and Aidan O'Hara and Dan McDonnell explain why. Ireland finish off their year with a game in Malta tonight and the Irish Independent is in situ for that too.

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