[Football] Who’s not watching the World Cup?

[Badger Boy]

Ultimately, this is a football tournament. The teams who have qualified have done so on merit (apart from Qatar) and it is a proper World Cup, albeit at an improper time of the year. The World Cup in Russia wasn't greatly popular and neither was the World Cup in Brazil, given their economic problems at that time and all the people made homeless in order to build the required infrastructure to host the tournament. Ultimately, all the negative chatter subsides once the football starts and what will be remembered are the games. Hopefully hosting this event will lead to some evolution of their culture but who are we to tell them how their culture should be?

I'm crazy for human rights and think that's how the world should be, but who am I to tell Qataris what they should and shouldn't think? The prat who claimed being homosexual was a disability in the brain was mental and his opinions have been rightly slaughtered, but he's entitled to his stupid and wrong opinion.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Ultimately, all the negative chatter subsides once the football starts and what will be remembered are the games.

I dunno. You may be right. It doesn't feel like that now. Which is a shame for the players, who have reached the pinnacle of their careers.

 

[Swansman]

Ultimately, this is a football tournament. The teams who have qualified have done so on merit (apart from Qatar) and it is a proper World Cup, albeit at an improper time of the year. The World Cup in Russia wasn't greatly popular and neither was the World Cup in Brazil, given their economic problems at that time and all the people made homeless in order to build the required infrastructure to host the tournament. Ultimately, all the negative chatter subsides once the football starts and what will be remembered are the games. Hopefully hosting this event will lead to some evolution of their culture but who are we to tell them how their culture should be?

I'm crazy for human rights and think that's how the world should be, but who am I to tell Qataris what they should and shouldn't think? The prat who claimed being homosexual was a disability in the brain was mental and his opinions have been rightly slaughtered, but he's entitled to his stupid and wrong opinion.

I agree with most of that and they can do whatever the f*** they want down there in the desert, the problem is really the decision to go there and participate in their dirty little PR party.

 

[herecomesaregular]

Sods Law we'll win it

 

[Badger Boy]

I dunno. You may be right. It doesn't feel like that now. Which is a shame for the players, who have reached the pinnacle of their careers.

I'm pretty confident that ultimately people will remember the games. It won't be remembered as a great World Cup because of all the noise around it, and the travesty of how it came to be awarded to Qatar in the first place. But history will remember the games and the winners. It's a proper World Cup but I think it needs to really take off on the pitch quickly to change the narrative. If there's an avalanche of goals it could be a classic, if there are bore draws after bore draws it might be different.

I agree with most of that and they can do whatever the f*** they want down there in the desert, the problem is really the decision to go there and participate in their dirty little PR party.

I think the nations are competing in a World Cup tournament. Everyone has spoken out against the human rights problems and backwards views on a number of social issues, there's been plenty of talk and it's clear that the bribery was outrageous. Now it's (almost) time for the football to begin, get the tournament played and we can all move on and look forward to USA/Mexico/Canada 2026.

 

[US Seagull]

At least it's some small way to stick it to the Qataris:

US use rainbow logo at Qatar World Cup in support of LGBTQ community

The US men’s team are showing their support for the LGBTQ community by way of a rainbow-themed logo at their training facility in Qatar

www.theguardian.com

“As a result, locations that we will manage and operate at the Fifa World Cup, such as the team hotel, media areas and parties, will feature both traditional and rainbow US Soccer branding.”

 

[drew]

And yet because the world cup is in Qatar considerably more attention has been drawn to the state of affairs there that wouldn't have been had it been held elsewhere.

I don't agree or condone anything that the Qataris get up to but I'll still be watching.

 

[The Fifth Column]

Women attending the WC in Qatar are being strongly advised to adopt a covered up conservative dress code to avoid offending the locals. Forget about images like these of women enjoying themselves then, and these are the fairly covered up ones! So people can't be themselves and have to hide their sexuality, women can't dress how they want to since according to the Qataris its flaunting themselves and unacceptable. Maybe the first match will have an old school streaker painted in rainbow colours?

 

[rippleman]

So virgin have announced today they are flying our brave heroes over to Qatar.

They are sending over a plane with an LGBT+ flag on it as if that somehow undoes them taking money for Qatar which goes against their so called values

Well, yes. Except that Virgin has told staff on that flight that the newly (September) gender-neutral uniform policy does NOT apply to staff on that particular flight in case it upsets the Qataris. FFS Virgin.

And stuff a rainbow flag; wrap the entire plane in a rainbow and stick it to the homphobic bastards.

 

[Happy Exile]

Sods Law we'll win it

Harry Kane cheating his way to lifting the World Cup in Qatar while the England brass band plays in the background.

 

[Brovion]

I notice the BBC (certainly on Gabby Logan's article) have a strapline of 'Reporting not Supporting' which is fair comment IMO. It IS on, and the BBC do have a duty to report it as it is a big 'thing' and they can't ignore it just because they don't like it. Hopefully all their reporting will be as if they've just trodden in dogshit, i.e relaying the facts whilst not sounding enthusiastic.

The nearer it gets the more 'anti' I'm getting. Half-empty stadiums will be brilliant, anything to embarrass the Qataris.

 

[Easy 10]

Why does it make any difference to you what your fellow Albion fans think about watching the World Cup ? These are unchartered waters and it seems like now it is here everybody is adjusting to what they feel comfortable with. Of course it should all simply be a celebration of the beautiful game. But of course this time it isn't just that.

If people decide they won't watch this World Cup because of the human rights issues then I have absolutely no issue with that. Its a solid principalled stance I would not argue with.

However, I just find the constant agenda against Southgate et-al incredibly tedious now. Anyone who mentions he's done a half-decent job in the last couple of tournaments is instantly buried underneath the rubble of how "lucky" we were with the draw, his shit game management, his favourites etc etc. Fine, he's far from the perfect tactician, he's selections are questionable (as per the case with EVERY ENGLAND MANAGER EVER), and the armchair critics and Captain Hindsights always seem to know exactly what should have been done to get us over the line. Blah blah.

Personally, cheesy as it sounds, I'm excited and ready to support England in this World Cup simply because I just want to see us play well, and do well. It will almost certainly go wrong as it always has done in my lifetime, but I'm not going to sneer, castigate and slag off Southgate and the players before a ball has been kicked in anger. We couldn't always take tournament qualification for granted in my lifetime, so being there again is a start at least. Now I just ant to watch it unfold.

The euphoria of the last two tournaments when we went deep was a really fun ride, even though it ended in disappointment. I'd take a semi-final again this time if we can entertain on the way. The aftermath when we go out will have the predictable recriminations obviously, but some people are already GAGGING write the obituary right now for when we get knocked out, so we an all see how "clever" they were when they said all along we'd fail to win the World Cup again.

Boring.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I'm crazy for human rights and think that's how the world should be, but who am I to tell Qataris what they should and shouldn't think?

Bit of a contradiction there. If you're so crazy for human rights then you are a person to tell Qataris what to think - i.e. not to think it's OK to persecute people for being LGBT+. Besides, it's not their thoughts that are a problem if kept private, instead it's when their thoughts lead to action against the LGBT+ community for example being sentenced to death. I hope it's the biggest failure of a World Cup in history and that enough people boycott watching it that the TV companies think "Hmmm ..... next World Cup we'll look at getting cut price rights from FIFA".

 

[Rogero]

Come on Ecuador !

 

[Simster]

I just think it's a pity all those twunts who threw bottles on the beach near Marseille, got pissed up and fought in the stands in Spain, or made life a misery for Italians in 1990 aren't going to Qatar.

Seeing some of that scum locked up for 10 years in a rat-infested Arabic jail would have been mildly satisfying.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Taking the chance of the mid-season break to spend 2 weeks cycling around Kerala in India. If there's a game on when I'm sat in a bar then I'll watch but I'm not going to miss anything in India to watch TV footie.

 

[Icy Gull]

Slightly off topic but I didn't realise this - Albion are in the money!! USD 10,000 per day per player

How much money will players receive at the 2022 World Cup?

There are only ten days left until the 2022 World Cup kick-off on Sunday, October 20 at 17:00 CET, when Qatar will face Ecuador in the opener. Footballers will be the central char

www.marca.com

 

[Badger Boy]

Bit of a contradiction there. If you're so crazy for human rights then you are a person to tell Qataris what to think - i.e. not to think it's OK to persecute people for being LGBT+. Besides, it's not their thoughts that are a problem if kept private, instead it's when their thoughts lead to action against the LGBT+ community for example being sentenced to death. I hope it's the biggest failure of a World Cup in history and that enough people boycott watching it that the TV companies think "Hmmm ..... next World Cup we'll look at getting cut price rights from FIFA".

I don't think so. I have the right to comment on their culture, but not to force them to change. I can't influence that at all, it's not for me to determine how they should think and behave but I absolutely will voice my opposition to their views on gay rights, for example. Ultimately, I don't think anyone should go anywhere and dictate how their hosts should behave. If you don't like it, do not go.

There's always hysteria before World Cups, remember the media hype about trained gangs in Russia? All the threats of gang violence in Brazil? The difference this time is the hosts are very clear on what they do and don't want to see in their country.

 

[Springal]

I don't think so. I have the right to comment on their culture, but not to force them to change. I can't influence that at all, it's not for me to determine how they should think and behave but I absolutely will voice my opposition to their views on gay rights, for example. Ultimately, I don't think anyone should go anywhere and dictate how their hosts should behave. If you don't like it, do not go.

There's always hysteria before World Cups, remember the media hype about trained gangs in Russia? All the threats of gang violence in Brazil? The difference this time is the hosts are very clear on what they do and don't want to see in their country.

Yes and don’t forget before Ukraine Euros being warned about the nazi racist gangs and Sol Campbell going on the BBC telling us someone will be going home in a coffin

Sol Campbell warns fans to stay away from Euro 2012 - BBC News

Former England footballer Sol Campbell warns that racism in Ukraine and Poland could endanger fans travelling to Euro 2012.

www.bbc.com

I was in Donetsk when this happened, very funny. Probably one of my favourite tournaments

'You're wrong Campbell, we'll do what we want': England fans protest Sol Campbell's Ukraine violence warning with masks and painted coffin - shocking pictures

Before Euro 2012 the former England defender warned supporters "you could end up coming back in a coffin" and told them to avoid travelling to Ukraine because of fears over violence

www.mirror.co.uk

Also don’t forget the organised gangs of car jackers in South Africa… etc etc

 

[jakarta]

I'm going to give EXACTLY 2 tenths of f*** All to the whole sorry mess.

Won't watch a minute and don't give a Flying one who wins it.