^*^ Qatar’s emir thanks Vladimir Putin for ‘great support’ over World Cup

• Emir says he is proud of relationship with Russian ‘friends’
• Qatar 2022 chief reacts to prospect of One Love armband

Qatar’s emir has thanked Vladimir Putin for Russia’s great support in organising the 2022 World Cup and said he is “proud” of the relationship between the two countries.

Russia has been a sporting and political pariah since the invasion of Ukraine but Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani went out of his way to praise Putin at a meeting between the men in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday.

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