2022 Qatar World Cup

[ElJavi76]

Who you rooting for? Who’s your dark horse finalist or semifinalist?

The US team always suckers me into rooting for them even tho I know well they don’t have the kinda team to compete at a world level. Not to say that they’re not good but we’re not in par with the Brazils, Argentinas, or Portugals of the world. My second favorite team (more realistic pick) is Spain but even then I know that they might not have enough on that back line to defend against the powerhouse teams. They’re going young(er). No Pique. No Sergio Ramos. I’m a Real Madrid fan so I also root for Cristiano over Messi all the time. Some people are suggesting FIFA might have it so that we see a Portugal v Argentina final. It would be a great way to send both of those great footballers off, since neither of them have won the big one. I wouldn’t put it past FIFA. I’ve been enjoying a Netflix series called FIFA UNCOVERED and it’s very telling of how much of a business soccer has truly become, and how much fishy business has gone on over the years. 

First game on Sunday with host Qatar opening things up. Interesting how Argentina’s first game is on Tuesday at 5 am EST. You’d think a game like that would be left for a more prime slot. Australia gets to open against France. Good luck guys. 
 

Let’s chat it up!

[El Presidente]

Should Australia produce a draw against France it would be a dream result. They will go nowhere.

 

I would love to see an African side make the semi finals.   It would do so much for the spirit of 1.2 Bilion people.  Senegal is my dark horse for a deep run. 

 

[rjake100]

I hope Senegal doesn't put Sadio Mane in jeopardy by trying to playing him while injured.  Mane will probably join a list of stars that wont be fit for the World Cup.  This is the price we pay for having the tournament in the Winter amidst league play.

[Ken Gargett]

29 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Should Australia produce a draw against France it would be a dream result. 

 

australia are in the draw against France. and that was a dream result.

looking forward to seeing Saliba starring for France and joining the long and glorious list of world cup winners from the gunners. 

[westg]

If Australia score against France that would be a great result. I am hoping for an African country as well.

[ElJavi76]

No Benzema for the defending champs and they’re not even replacing him on the roster. They’re probably the squad most affected by injury. 
 

No lack of controversy so far. Qatar let FIFA know on Friday that they needed to go talk it over with Budweiser. 😂 75MM contract betweenFIFA and Bud and now no beer. The other piece of controversy (and I’m not posting this to politicize it or argue about wrong or right… I truly believe people have the right to chase their happiness whatever that happiness entails. Within the bounds of not hurting children I’d add) but the One Love patch is gonna be a no go. Rumors there were that any captain wearing the band would get a yellow card. That stopped that initiative real quick. I suppose FIFA didn’t want to allow for that display in a host country that isn’t exactly onboard. 
 

In the meantime, Qatar by no means a soccer powerhouse, became the first host ever to lose its opening match. Currently watching the three lions vs Iran. England not imposing their will just yet, 23 mins in. 

[JohnS]

The last minute change to the availability of beer and the no armband rule for captains means that Qatar is winning this World Cup thus far. Anyway, the football has gone to script thus far with the stronger teams winning easily.

In regards to freedom of speech at this World Cup, there's always going to be some fans that will succeed at getting their message across!

 

[Ken Gargett]

article on the english media this morning (i do think it a bit harsh to criticise only england as a few other nations quickly caved as well). this was all a bit telling.

 

"Would England ultimately defy the bloodless bureaucrats of Zurich and stand up for the cause they believed in, whatever it was? Well, of course not. As soon as the threat of “sporting sanctions” was brandished – no, please, not the sporting sanctions – England and their international comrades-in-arms simply quivered into line. An armband that was already a form of surrender was now being folded into a larger surrender. And although the official communication came from Fifa, the armband ban really comes from the same place as the 11th hour ban on stadium beer: a naked last-minute Qatari power move, an assertion of control and ownership, insubordinates being nudged into line with a bloody stick.

The argument is that condemnation should not fall on England’s players, who did not impose this ban and who bear no direct responsibility for the moral cost of this World Cup. And yet just across the halfway line, there was a very different concept of what it means to be an athlete for your country in 2022. As the Iranian national anthem played before the game, not a single word was sung by any of Iran’s players in defiance of the country’s brutal crackdown on protesters. Women are being beaten in the streets. Men are being dragged into police stations and killed. Human rights groups estimate that about 400 demonstrators have been murdered.

Not all of Iran’s players have spoken out against the violence. But those who have, including the star striker Sardar Azmoun, do so in the knowledge that sporting sanctions are the least of their worries. And really the true measure of activism is in what you are prepared to give up. Muhammad Ali protested against the Vietnam war even though he knew he would be arrested, stripped of his world titles, robbed of his prime years. Iran’s players have risked unemployment, humiliation, imprisonment, threats against their families from a depraved autocratic regime. England have shown that they are not even prepared to risk a yellow card."

 

I see also that some of the female welsh supporters had hats confiscated because they were considered to be 'rainbow hats'. 

hope these are indoor stadiums. or they could probably spend a fortune on 'official hats' telling everyone how great qatar is. 

meanwhile, any chance of a football game breaking out? 

[shokao]

I think that Brazil is one of the favorites alongside Argentina and France. People here are already celebrating like Brazil already won and that concerns me. Every single time that people behave like this, something bad happens. Everytime we are underdogs, we take the championship back home. These days I feel too disappointed with FIFA and international competitions, its politics and all the bs envolved. I do love football and I'll be watching most games but it's not like '94, '98, '02 or '06. I just don't care as much anymore. 

[Arabian]

Argentina, Mexico and Poland, what a group. a draw in every match will result in a national holiday.

[Fuzz]

12 hours ago, JohnS said:

The last minute change to the availability of beer and the no armband rule for captains means that Qatar is winning this World Cup thus far. Anyway, the football has gone to script thus far with the stronger teams winning easily.

In regards to freedom of speech at this World Cup, there's always going to be some fans that will succeed at getting their message across!

Simple solution for the no arm bands for captains.... all players wear the armbands. Lets see what FIFA does then?

[Ken Gargett]

1 minute ago, Fuzz said:

Simple solution for the no arm bands for captains.... all players wear the armbands. Lets see what FIFA does then?

fuzz, so you are hoping to coordinate 350 starting players, plus another 150 from the bench. and hope that they all agree. good luck.

that said, been wondering if the world tennis administrators are moonlighting as fifa. or does becoming a sports administrator require the removal of the spine. 

[Fuzz]

Well, you probably will never get all the players to agree, but I'm betting more than half will put on the arm band.

Qatar should never have been given the games to begin with, but you know what they say, money talks.

[Ken Gargett]

2 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Well, you probably will never get all the players to agree, but I'm betting more than half will put on the arm band.

Qatar should never have been given the games to begin with, but you know what they say, money talks.

they gave the previous one to russia. nuff said. 

[BettyHumpder]

fifa cares not at all, not one iota, about anything other than M-O-N-E-Y. and their gracious hosts this year have lots of it!

[benfica_77]

I'm cheering for Portugal since i'm Portuguese...do I expect them to go the whole way...unlikely if they go the whole way but one can hope. My prediction for the semi finals is Portugal vs England and Argentina vs Brazil.....Portugal vs Brazil in the finals....With Portugal winning? ....I clearly don't have bias lolll

 

[ElJavi76]

There’s two sides to this coin… there’s the part where an ultra conservative religion is at the fulcrum of all of this beer and armband fiasco. Misguided as they might be (please see your calendars… it’s 2022), they to have the right to be “wrong” at home. If we all got on our high horses and held the moral high ground against regimes that violated human rights… well you wouldn’t go many places or smoke cigars from a certain island. However, we do cause we choose and pick when it suits our wants/needs. (I find myself a hypocrite in that regard) 

On the flip side, who are you hurting by wearing an armband? Live and let live! On social media I see pictures of Iranian beaches in the 70s before the Revolution (*I know nothing about the revolution… who/what/when/where/why for the record). It all seemed like a regular place and nothing like the human rights violations we hear against women there today. I get that you respect a host when you visit them but I also get that you want to be as welcoming as possible to your guests. I agree with @Ken Gargett and England headlining the backing down. The lot of them took it back once the realized that yellow cards were at play. Interesting thing is that the yellow cards would  come directly from FIFA. @JohnS nailed it… Qatar gets the W. They’re owning FIFA in every aspect of these games. If FIFA countries hadn’t been busy selling votes to fatten their pockets maybe the WC would’ve been hosted somewhere else. This isn’t new btw… a PSG player refused to wear a pride kit not long ago. In MLB some 5 players from the TB Rays decided to not wear pride patches on the team’s pride night. I think these things should be optional. If you wish to show your solidarity with a community… wear it all year. If you don’t, then don’t. At the end of the day we’re present to watch these folks play a kids game and get paid handsomely to do so. 

[westg]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ck-Kc0UDXpx/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Australia has a new sharp shooter..Let the world be on notice . He is coming for you. 

 

[Puros Y Vino]

I somehow feel, that all this hoopla now, probably could have been nixed back when it was announced that Qatar had won the bid.  If the major players of every country said "I'm not playing" FIFA would have had to re-group.  Not one player, or country did.  And here we are.  FWIW, I like to think my team, Italy. Pulled a "quiet quit" on this years' tournament by not qualifying. 🤪

[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, ElJavi76 said:

There’s two sides to this coin… there’s the part where an ultra conservative religion is at the fulcrum of all of this beer and armband fiasco. Misguided as they might be (please see your calendars… it’s 2022), they to have the right to be “wrong” at home.

Bingo!

The argument was lost when soccer/football sold its soul and voted for Qatar to host. 

I don't particularly care but the time for armbands and protest from players was BEFORE the vote. Now that you have whored yourself out, it is of little use to play shy in the brothel. 

[DaBoot]

I think everyone involved in this year’s World Cup is getting what they deserve. Except the fans, obviously, as we always suffer. 
corrupt FIFA looks like a bunch of paid off thieves. The players look whiny for not being able to use their country’s uniform for their personal protests. And whatever country is hosting it, looks oppressive and from the Stone Age.

Sports without beer??? Come on Man !!!👍🏻. 

[shokao]

17 hours ago, Arabian said:

Argentina, Mexico and Poland, what a group. a draw in every match will result in a national holiday.

Looks like you're in for a national holiday 🤣

[dominattorney]

14 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Bingo!

The argument was lost when soccer/football sold its soul and voted for Qatar to host. 

I don't particularly care but the time for armbands and protest from players was BEFORE the vote. Now that you have whored yourself out, it is of little use to play shy in the brothel. 

I think LIV golf has fed into this issue too. I remember just basic rumblings against Qatar back when it was first announced and then it all just blew over. Despite reports that men were dying of heat exhaustion building the venues. 

Then some left-handed stick swinger signed a lucrative deal with the Saudi backed group and all of a sudden.... things got heated and people became upset about Qatar all over again. Still. No realistic boycott talk. I suspect if they had let the fans have their beer all would have been smoothed over in the name of WC solidarity. The people of Qatar, like everywhere else, are most likely lovely and not representative of what their government sanctions and endorses. Why should they not get to enjoy hosting the WC also?

As an aside, anyone else seen the videos of the fan zone tent accommodations? It looks like Fire fest part II in the desert. 

[shokao]

22 minutes ago, dominattorney said:

I think LIV golf has fed into this issue too. I remember just basic rumblings against Qatar back when it was first announced and then it all just blew over. Despite reports that men were dying of heat exhaustion building the venues. 

Then some left-handed stick swinger signed a lucrative deal with the Saudi backed group and all of a sudden.... things got heated and people became upset about Qatar all over again. Still. No realistic boycott talk. I suspect if they had let the fans have their beer all would have been smoothed over in the name of WC solidarity. The people of Qatar, like everywhere else, are most likely lovely and not representative of what their government sanctions and endorses. Why should they not get to enjoy hosting the WC also?

As an aside, anyone else seen the videos of the fan zone tent accommodations? It looks like Fire fest part II in the desert. 

Yeah, I saw a video saying it's 175 pounds a day and don't even have an AC in the freaking desert weather. Crazy.

[Arabian]

4 hours ago, shokao said:

Looks like you're in for a national holiday 🤣

They just announced that tomorrow is a holiday for both public and private sector 😄.

 

17 hours ago, ElJavi76 said:

There’s two sides to this coin… there’s the part where an ultra conservative religion is at the fulcrum of all of this beer and armband fiasco. Misguided as they might be (please see your calendars… it’s 2022), they to have the right to be “wrong” at home. If we all got on our high horses and held the moral high ground against regimes that violated human rights… well you wouldn’t go many places or smoke cigars from a certain island. However, we do cause we choose and pick when it suits our wants/needs. (I find myself a hypocrite in that regard) 

On the flip side, who are you hurting by wearing an armband? Live and let live! On social media I see pictures of Iranian beaches in the 70s before the Revolution (*I know nothing about the revolution… who/what/when/where/why for the record). It all seemed like a regular place and nothing like the human rights violations we hear against women there today. I get that you respect a host when you visit them but I also get that you want to be as welcoming as possible to your guests. I agree with @Ken Gargett and England headlining the backing down. The lot of them took it back once the realized that yellow cards were at play. Interesting thing is that the yellow cards would  come directly from FIFA. @JohnS nailed it… Qatar gets the W. They’re owning FIFA in every aspect of these games. If FIFA countries hadn’t been busy selling votes to fatten their pockets maybe the WC would’ve been hosted somewhere else. This isn’t new btw… a PSG player refused to wear a pride kit not long ago. In MLB some 5 players from the TB Rays decided to not wear pride patches on the team’s pride night. I think these things should be optional. If you wish to show your solidarity with a community… wear it all year. If you don’t, then don’t. At the end of the day we’re present to watch these folks play a kids game and get paid handsomely to do so. 

The other side of the coin is that they see themselves right and the other party is wrong. It’s a never ending cycle. The next World Cup is in the U.S. (along with neighbouring countries) you’ll have someone riding his high horse and start pointing at Guantanamo camp, Iraq, Vietnam. Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib prison, treatment of migrants and minorities…etc.

Where does it end?.