Football (Soccer) Thread

[Duque de Bragança]

Local Brazilian health authorities, game was in São Paulo. No Health Maracanaço this time, sorry.
I wonder what is Mijairzinho Bolsonaro's take on the events. 

[Sheilbh]

Semi-related but just seeing tweets about it and the World Cup every 2 years is going to happen, isn't it?

Or if not FIFA will use it for leverage for - something, probably something corrupt.

[Josquius]

It would certainly help reduce the already declining importance of the world cup.
Could maybe see a step away from the world cup as an event countries spend billions on building new stadiums for too?- already we're hopefully seeing the end of the big event era of sport with the next Olympics being in a already well developed city using pre-existing infrastructure.
But yes. Dumb.

[The Larch]

Declining importance of the world cup? Don't be ridiculous.

[Duque de Bragança]

Semi-related but just seeing tweets about it and the World Cup every 2 years is going to happen, isn't it?

Or if not FIFA will use it for leverage for - something, probably something corrupt.

Say merci to Arsène Wenger. 

[Duque de Bragança]

Declining importance of the world cup? Don't be ridiculous.

If it were declining, countries would not waste bilions to organise it, better spent elsewhere (hello South Africa and Brazil).
OTOH, the once best continental tournament Copa América has taken a serious hit with tournaments every two years or more in recent years.

[Josquius]

The vast sums being spent on it are down to the era of big money sports business rather than the world Cup in particular.
As said however this seems to be waning. Qatar was the last straw with taking things to too high a ridiculous extreme. The future seems to be one of more moderate spending.

Once upon a time the world Cup was the top tournament in world football. All the top players from each country against each other? Yes please
Now though with the champions league you get all the best players in teams not limited by geography against each other. The quality is far higher and the world Cup is no longer indisputably the top tournament.

[Jacob]

Personally I don't give a shit about the Champions League, but do care about the World Cup... though every two years is going to lower my interest a bit.

[The Larch]

So apparently the four Argentinian players involved in the other day's fracas ended up being officially deported from Brazil. Two of them, the Aston Villa ones (Buendía and Martínez) have been released from national team duty so they can go back to Europe, as agreed with the club (Villa asked for them to be released for the last game of the tour) but they are not going back to the UK, but to Croatia, where they'll quarantine before going back to the UK, as apparently if they went straight back to the UK they'd have to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel, while if they come from Croatia they're not subject to that.

It also seems that at least the two Tottenham players (Lo Celso and Romero) will be fined by the club, as Tottenham consider that they left without the club's permission and ignoring warnings, giving as an example that Brazilian players in the Premier League didn't travel for the game, even if FIFA and COMMEBOL had given their ok.

What a weird situation.

Edit: Today's Squires' cartoon ends up... unexpectedly. 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/sep/07/david-squires-on-wenger-revenge-fifa-world-cup-qualifiers-cr7-england-hungary-brazil-football

[Sheilbh]

Not watching the game but every time I look at Twitter the Netherlands have scored another goal about Turkey - and now Soyuncu's got a red card. I don't think the first half is over yet

Do not fully understand how Turkey got the exciting young team/dark horses hype at the Euros because they seem to be having problems...

[Liep]

Not watching the game but every time I look at Twitter the Netherlands have scored another goal about Turkey

Denmark is following along quite well, also on 4 - 0 now.

This is quite the team, definitely giving the Danish Dynamite of the 80's a run for the title of best ever.

[Valmy]

Kind of demoralized after the USMNT uninspired performance.

I hope that helps Canada qualify.

[Liep]

They kept the 0 and scored 5. I think that's some kind of record, 6 games played and won with 22-0 goal score.

[Josephus]

the World Cup is larger than the Champions League.
Yes, for football fans, the Champions League is the more interesting one.
But worldwide, for casual fans, the World Cup generates far more interest and media attention. And ask any player, their dream is to hold that golden trophy.

That said, for the football fan in me, it is getting watered down a bit by the sheer number of teams involved. I'm old enough to remember when it was a 16 team tournament.

And no, to a two-year cycle.

[Josquius]

the World Cup is larger than the Champions League.
Yes, for football fans, the Champions League is the more interesting one.
But worldwide, for casual fans, the World Cup generates far more interest and media attention. And ask any player, their dream is to hold that golden trophy.

That said, for the football fan in me, it is getting watered down a bit by the sheer number of teams involved. I'm old enough to remember when it was a 16 team tournament.

And no, to a two-year cycle.

I think it depends where you come from.
If you're from a country that actually gets into the world cup and has a shot its a lot more even.
But in Africa for instance its the champions league all the way- no born and raised African is going to lift the world cup any time soon, however they do have a good shot at the champions league.

Even putting aside which is the more important of the two- this just wouldn't be a discussion 30 years ago. There was no contest at all. That its even a question these days says something.