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

[Kinky Gerbil]

Just like the "Qatar have already won this 1-0" nonsense, I suspect this is complete bollocks.


*Alec

Well Fifa have banned the armband.

So, there clearly is something to the story.

 

[BadFish]

Surely the ref is only allowed to book someone for not following the laws of the game? And there is a process for changing those laws.

To introduce a rule to book people for something only in this tournament is insane. One of the VAR arguments before it was introduced was that the rules should be the same wherever the game was played. If they can't have cameras in Hackney Marshes they can't have them anywhere.

I doubt this will happen.

 

[Guinness Boy]

just watching a WSL game before I turn off the television set and go and do something else.

My first World Cup was 1978. I can’t really remember ‘74. Vague memories of the Cruyff and Muller, but the tournament I remember completely was 1978. Gemmill, Peru, the ticker tape final. In 1982, I sobbed when we failed in Spain and Keegan couldn’t rescue us. I’ve cried at many other World Cups. This is the first World Cup I will not experience. I feel robbed.

Just to be clear, in 1978 Argentina was run by a right wing military Junta who "disappeared" people at regular intervals, caused a war in the Falklands and are estimated to have killed circa 30,000 people in a seven year reign.

Spain hosted the World Cup in '82, seven years after Franco was ousted and, to this day, Catalans and Basques fight for the separatism they probably deserve.

In 2018 we were all ok with Russia hosting the tournament, despite the fact it had illegally been in Ukraine for four years or so. They are now attempting to start World War Three.

And only in 2021 the Euros took off around the whole of Europe despite a global pandemic and climate crisis, including, in Hungary, a country that treats LGBTQ+ people just as badly as Qatar, only more sneakily, and without the excuse of millennia of religious and tribal culture that very few in the West understand.

But this is your red line?

 

[Springal]

Well Fifa have banned the armband.

So, there clearly is something to the story.

UEFA also banned poppys from England shirts. They’ll just get fined I guess

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Surely the ref is only allowed to book someone for not following the laws of the game? And there is a process for changing those laws.

To introduce a rule to book people for something only in this tournament is insane. One of the VAR arguments before it was introduced was that the rules should be the same wherever the game was played. If they can't have cameras in Hackney Marshes they can't have them anywhere.

I doubt this will happen.

If they really wanted to, unsportsmanlike behaviour would cover it.

 

[Springal]

Surely the ref is only allowed to book someone for not following the laws of the game? And there is a process for changing those laws.

To introduce a rule to book people for something only in this tournament is insane. One of the VAR arguments before it was introduced was that the rules should be the same wherever the game was played. If they can't have cameras in Hackney Marshes they can't have them anywhere.

I doubt this will happen.

Law 4

5. Slogans, statements, images and advertising

Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer's logo. For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.

 

[BadFish]

Just to be clear, in 1978 Argentina was run by a right wing military Junta who "disappeared" people at regular intervals, caused a war in the Falklands and are estimated to have killed circa 30,000 people in a seven year reign.

Spain hosted the World Cup in '82, seven years after Franco was ousted and, to this day, Catalans and Basques fight for the separatism they probably deserve.

In 2018 we were all ok with Russia hosting the tournament, despite the fact it had illegally been in Ukraine for four years or so. They are now attempting to start World War Three.

And only in 2021 the Euros took off around the whole of Europe despite a global pandemic and climate crisis, including, in Hungary, a country that treats LGBTQ+ people just as badly as Qatar, only more sneakily, and without the excuse of millennia of religious and tribal culture than very few in the West understand.

But this is your red line?

Everyone has a red line. I think the problem with this world cup is the accumulative factor, it's not one issue that pushed it over the line, more the fact that it has so many problems.

I may have looked the other way from the corruption in getting the thing, the deaths and other problems in getting the thing built, the LGBTQI issues, the iffy human rights record or the lack of football culture (historical or potential). Add all these together and I just cannot find the motivation to get involved.

FWIW, I gave Russia the benefit of the doubt and believed in the power of football to make a difference. I was massively wrong about that. I may be wrong about this one too, only time will tell on that but we've all got to do what feels right for us, wherever that line is.

 

[BadFish]

Law 4

5. Slogans, statements, images and advertising

Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images. Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer's logo. For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.

I stand corrected.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Everyone has a red line. I think the problem with this world cup is the accumulative factor, it's not one issue that pushed it over the line, more the fact that it has so many problems.

I may have looked the other way from the corruption in getting the thing, the deaths and other problems in getting the thing built, the LGBTQI issues, the iffy human rights record or the lack of football culture (historical or potential). Add all these together and I just cannot find the motivation to get involved.

FWIW, I gave Russia the benefit of the doubt and believed in the power of football to make a difference. I was massively wrong about that. I may be wrong about this one too, only time will tell on that but we've all got to do what feels right for us, wherever that line is.

Football is never going to make a difference. That's a FIFA pushed, Coca Cola strap line. But Russia is a bigger threat to our existence than Qatar and the Argentina of the 70s and 80s killed more innocent people. That's just a fact.

Call it whataboutary if you want (and it is) but people only seem to care about the "political look" of a tournament when social media makes them make a public commitment.

This tournament is ridiculous. It's ridiculous because it's in a tiny country that's still hotter than a European summer in its winter, it's wrecked domestic league schedules and it's allowed in a pub team "supported" by robe-clad businessmen who can't spell football, possibly backed by corrupt referees and officials (we'll see). But to say Qatar deserves to be legitimised less than Russia or late 70s era Argentina is, I'm afraid, quite Islamophobic.

 

[BadFish]

Football is never going to make a difference. That's a FIFA pushed, Coca Cola strap line. But Russia is a bigger threat to our existence than Qatar and the Argentina of the 70s and 80s killed more innocent people. That's just a fact.

Call it whataboutary if you want (and it is) but people only seem to care about the "political look" of a tournament when social media makes them make a public commitment.

This tournament is ridiculous. It's ridiculous because it's in a tiny country that's still hotter than a European summer in its winter, it's wrecked domestic league schedules and it's allowed in a pub team "supported" by robe-clad businessmen who can't spell football, possibly backed by corrupt referees and officials (we'll see). But to say Qatar deserves to be legitimised less than Russia or late 70s era Argentina is, I'm afraid, quite Islamophobic.

I think your social media comment is disingenuous and dismissive of some pretty reasonable problems people have with this tournament (as listed in my previous post and added to in yours).

I am also not sure that my lack of interest in this tournament counts as being Islamaphobic or not legitimising Qatar as a nation, or are you referring to another post I may have missed?

 

[drew]

Everyone has a red line. I think the problem with this world cup is the accumulative factor, it's not one issue that pushed it over the line, more the fact that it has so many problems.

I may have looked the other way from the corruption in getting the thing, the deaths and other problems in getting the thing built, the LGBTQI issues, the iffy human rights record or the lack of football culture (historical or potential). Add all these together and I just cannot find the motivation to get involved.

FWIW, I gave Russia the benefit of the doubt and believed in the power of football to make a difference. I was massively wrong about that. I may be wrong about this one too, only time will tell on that but we've all got to do what feels right for us, wherever that line is.

I'm not sure I understand why you say you gave Russia the benefit of the doubt when it was only 4 years previously when they'd annexed Crimea! They didn't even give it back for the duration of the competition. In March of 2018 Russia attempted to assassinate Sergei and Yullai Skripal on British soil, only a few months before the competition.

 

[drew]

Just to be clear, in 1978 Argentina was run by a right wing military Junta who "disappeared" people at regular intervals, caused a war in the Falklands and are estimated to have killed circa 30,000 people in a seven year reign.

Spain hosted the World Cup in '82, seven years after Franco was ousted and, to this day, Catalans and Basques fight for the separatism they probably deserve.

In 2018 we were all ok with Russia hosting the tournament, despite the fact it had illegally been in Ukraine for four years or so. They are now attempting to start World War Three.

And only in 2021 the Euros took off around the whole of Europe despite a global pandemic and climate crisis, including, in Hungary, a country that treats LGBTQ+ people just as badly as Qatar, only more sneakily, and without the excuse of millennia of religious and tribal culture that very few in the West understand.

But this is your red line?

Have to say well put.

Putin showed his hand long before the world cup reached his shores but no one seemed too upset. I wonder how many taking a stand against Qatar also take a stand against China by ensuring they don't purchase products made there? Surely Russia, and for that matter, China, pose a greater threat to the world than Qatar.

Qatar seems to be a shitty sandy place, run by shit people who treat decent people like shit but on a macro level the threat to the world is Russia and China.

 

[BadFish]

I'm not sure I understand why you say you gave Russia the benefit of the doubt when it was only 4 years previously when they'd annexed Crimea! They didn't even give it back for the duration of the competition. In March of 2018 Russia attempted to assassinate Sergei and Yullai Skripal on British soil, only a few months before the competition.

Let's make no bones about it, it was because I was a f***ing idiot. There was certainly a time when I wasn't going to take an interest. All evidence pointed to the contrary but I was duped into believing the WC may be the catalyst to better international relations for and with Russia. If I am really honest and looking a little deeper it may have been that I was looking for reasons why it was okay to get excited about the world cup because that is what I have always done.
Maybe it just wasn't enough to stop me from looking the other way. Maybe it is also why I am not feeling like giving the benefit of the doubt to this one. Fool me once and all that.

 

[BadFish]

...

 

[dsr-burnley]

Just to be clear, in 1978 Argentina was run by a right wing military Junta who "disappeared" people at regular intervals, caused a war in the Falklands and are estimated to have killed circa 30,000 people in a seven year reign.

Spain hosted the World Cup in '82, seven years after Franco was ousted and, to this day, Catalans and Basques fight for the separatism they probably deserve.

In 2018 we were all ok with Russia hosting the tournament, despite the fact it had illegally been in Ukraine for four years or so. They are now attempting to start World War Three.

And only in 2021 the Euros took off around the whole of Europe despite a global pandemic and climate crisis, including, in Hungary, a country that treats LGBTQ+ people just as badly as Qatar, only more sneakily, and without the excuse of millennia of religious and tribal culture that very few in the West understand.

But this is your red line?

Not to mention the Chinese Olympics, and England cricket touring Pakistan early in the new year.

 

[drew]

Let's make no bones about it, it was because I was a f***ing idiot. There was certainly a time when I wasn't going to take an interest. All evidence pointed to the contrary but I was duped into believing the WC may be the catalyst to better international relations for and with Russia. If I am really honest and looking a little deeper it may have been that I was looking for reasons why it was okay to get excited about the world cup because that is what I have always done.
Maybe it just wasn't enough to stop me from looking the other way. Maybe it is also why I am not feeling like giving the benefit of the doubt to this one. Fool me once and all that.

Fair enough.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Just to be clear, in 1978 Argentina was run by a right wing military Junta who "disappeared" people at regular intervals, caused a war in the Falklands and are estimated to have killed circa 30,000 people in a seven year reign.

Spain hosted the World Cup in '82, seven years after Franco was ousted and, to this day, Catalans and Basques fight for the separatism they probably deserve.

In 2018 we were all ok with Russia hosting the tournament, despite the fact it had illegally been in Ukraine for four years or so. They are now attempting to start World War Three.

And only in 2021 the Euros took off around the whole of Europe despite a global pandemic and climate crisis, including, in Hungary, a country that treats LGBTQ+ people just as badly as Qatar, only more sneakily, and without the excuse of millennia of religious and tribal culture that very few in the West understand.

But this is your red line?

Whilst we're on the whataboutery, could add that in 1966 in England homosexuality was still illegal, gay people were persecuted throughout society and the majority of the country considered it an illness requiring treatment.

As with your examples above, societies change, people change, cultures change, but we're not necessarily all on the same timeline.

 

[Randy McNob]

Kane and whoever else wears the armband should rightfully be carded if those are rules. It also shows complete disrespect to the host nation and acheives nothing. Funny how fans would boo taking the knee when players take a stand against people being oppressed or marginalised but not so on this issue. Hypocrisy

 

[herecomesaregular]

If Harry Kane gets a booking for wearing a rainbow captains armband before a ball is kicked then we should all boycott the farce it’s becoming.

Hope he does, it brings more attention to it.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

What happened? Have we won it yet?

It's come home, but the latest immigration policy means it can't get into the country...