[Football] 2034 World Cup and Saudi Arabia.

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Australia had an option for 2034 but they pulled out.

Why spend a fortune bidding for something you know you aren't going to win?

 

[Mellotron]

Ultimately Qatar was their soft launch for this and a world cup in Saudi Arabia was inevitable as soon as 2022 wasn't a complete disaster. For all the negative noise about it there were no major boycotts by teams, players or high profile media people and it'll be the same in 2034. They'll all follow the money just like all the players who have gone to their domestic league, boxing, WWE etc.

Saudi Arabia are willing to throw money at things that they want in order to "showcase" themselves to the world

As long as Emi Martinez is around as a useful idiot to undermine the whole thing.

 

[bhafc99]

Putting aside the pros and cons of Saudi Arabia 2034 for a moment...

Having been born in 1967, so just missing the 66 World Cup, it's looking increasingly likely I'll live my entire life without a World Cup being staged in England (or the UK).

I'd have to live to 2038, so 71 years old, just for it to even be a 'possibility' now.

Which makes me sad, tbh.

It seems ridiculous that, in all that time, there's not been a World Cup here.

 

[slartibartfast]

What depresses me most is that they aren't even trying to hide the corruption and lack of fairness with this decision now. At least in Blatter's day, we smelt corruption, but there were clumsy attempts to hold a vote ceremony - even he was shocked at Qatar winning, I understand. But - yesterday was a bloke standing there telling us basically that "the decision has been made, we aren't having a vote, we dont want to listen to any arguments about 'who is killing who" or any of that soft nonsense, and there is nothing that you can do about it".
It's almost Putin like in its brazenness. Weve moved beyond 'secretive envelopes stuffed with cash' , to just blatant 'what are you going to do it about it, punk?"

 

[peterward]

The game has gone....in fairness it went a long time ago.

Last week there was much made about 3 PL captains not wearing rainbow armbands to support our LGBTQ community, 2 refusing citing Muslim faith and Mark Guehi wrote he loves Jesus on his, for which he was reprimanded.

The very Next week the world's biggest football tournament and showpiece event is given to a country with medieval laws, limited human rights who will kill or jail the very same LGBTQ people the PL captains were asked to support.

#Hypocrisy

 

[peterward]

What depresses me most is that they aren't even trying to hide the corruption and lack of fairness with this decision now. At least in Blatter's day, we smelt corruption, but there were clumsy attempts to hold a vote ceremony - even he was shocked at Qatar winning, I understand. But - yesterday was a bloke standing there telling us basically that "the decision has been made, we aren't having a vote, we dont want to listen to any arguments about 'who is killing who" or any of that soft nonsense, and there is nothing that you can do about it".
It's almost Putin like in its brazenness. Weve moved beyond 'secretive envelopes stuffed with cash' , to just blatant 'what are you going to do it about it, punk?"

A friend just sent me this, exactly as you say..... its a corrupt stich up.

Infantino = Blatter

A vote without a vote: the Saudi World Cup is an act of violence and disdain | Barney Ronay

The shamelessness of Fifa’s process was fully on show in Zurich during a display of contempt for governance, democracy, love, hope and good sense

www.theguardian.com

 

[PeterT]

I went to the women's gold medal match at the Olympics. My abiding memory was Infantino walking past in his suit and white trainers waving to the crowd and getting nothing but abuse back. And that was for a women's game!