Football (Soccer) Thread

[Josephus]

Honestly if I knew about this program and was eligible for it....free trip to Qatar plus expenses... just say nice things about Qatar. I would have gone for it. Nothing pr reps don't do all the time.

And all my 7 instagram followers wouldn't care anyway.

[The Larch]

Shades of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, two years after the military junta took over. The German players were visited by exiled WW2 ace and nazi Hans-Ulrich Rudel, with the head of the German FA, Neuberger, saying rejecting his visit would be an insult to all German soldiers. He also criticized Dutch players who - in the finals - refused to shake hands with representatives of the junta.

Berti Vogts said after the tournament that Argentina was a country where there is order and that he hadn't seen a single political prisoner anywhere. Player Manfred Kaltz said that he wasn't bothered that people were being tortured in Argentina, stating that he was going there to play football and had other problems than that.

Remember that FIFA gave the go ahead for a match to be played in Chile's Estadio Nacional right after Pinochet's coup while political prisoners were being tortured in the premises.

[FunkMonk]

The myth that sport is somehow, by nature, apolitical, is pernicious and outrageously proven false every time representatives of the Olympics or FIFA open their mouths.

[Duque de Bragança]

Shades of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, two years after the military junta took over. The German players were visited by exiled WW2 ace and nazi Hans-Ulrich Rudel, with the head of the German FA, Neuberger, saying rejecting his visit would be an insult to all German soldiers. He also criticized Dutch players who - in the finals - refused to shake hands with representatives of the junta.

Berti Vogts said after the tournament that Argentina was a country where there is order and that he hadn't seen a single political prisoner anywhere. Player Manfred Kaltz said that he wasn't bothered that people were being tortured in Argentina, stating that he was going there to play football and had other problems than that.

Remember that FIFA gave the go ahead for a match to be played in Chile's Estadio Nacional right after Pinochet's coup while political prisoners were being tortured in the premises.

That comparison is flattering for Qatar: Argentina was a real football country, without any need to hire "pro" football foreign fans for make believe purposes, to which the tournament was attributed in 1966 before the military dictatorship took power in 1976.
So it's far from the same as giving the tournament to Qatar in 2010, already a wahhabi hellhole, no football culture, infamous for the treatment of cheap labour and so on.
Not to forget the whole bribing process, blatant for Qatar which has no conditions to organise the World Cup: summers too hot, no hotel capacity.

[Josquius]

It is worth noting there wasnt much of this sort of thing said at all last World Cup.

Sure Russia has considerably amped up the evil since then but that was already after the first invasion of crimea and all manner of domestic shenanigans

[Sheilbh]

I think Black Lives Matter has transformed the players' attitudes on activism - see also far more pro-LGBT statements in the Euros.

Plus I think there's maybe a sense of con me once with Russia.

[Duque de Bragança]

It is worth noting there wasnt much of this sort of thing said at all last World Cup.

Sure Russia has considerably amped up the evil since then but that was already after the first invasion of crimea and all manner of domestic shenanigans

Actually, Russia's WC was attributed in 2010, same as Qatar, so before Crimea, but was criticised as well for the authoritarian nature of the regime, plus some concerns about hotel capacity outside of Moscow, St-Petersburg, Sochi or major cities, as in Saransk (somewhat true I can say having watched a game there).

Plus, the whole scaremongering about Russian hooligans. Thing is, the Putin régime keeps a tight leash on them at home and prefers sending them abroad for trouble cf. France 2016.

OTOH, bribing to get the WC is more likely but so did France and Germany earlier, that's FIFA for you; Qatar just pushed it to extremes so it could host a tournament without good conditions, unlike all the mentioned above.
To be fair, there were some concerns about the use of North Koren labour "sold" by the local regime to work in Russia but far from the scale of neo-serfdom seen in the little Wahhabi sheikdom.

Putin's Russia in 2018 was a much better place to be for a football fan than Qatar will be, not just because it was way more affordable or that Russia, as most nations from the Soviet Union, is a reall football country (hello Yashin). I could also mention the greener WC in Russia (yes even there) with free train tickets to supporters and most stadia built or renewed not just for the World Cup, save for Saransk.

Classic apples and oranges, Russia and Qatar.
Of course, it was pretty expensive for Russia, made some oligarchs even richer, but as far as thing go for Russia, compared to what we have now it's a golden past and actually did some good to Russia.

PS: the closest thing to a Wahhabi ambient, would be Kadyrov's Chechnya, thankfully no games there and it was not necessary to go through it to watch games, say, in Sochi. Kadyrov did offer traditional hospitality to  foreign football fans however.

[Duque de Bragança]

I think Black Lives Matter has transformed the players' attitudes on activism - see also far more pro-LGBT statements in the Euros.

There were some concerns about LGBT whatever back then but nothing much happened, despite some scaremongering and Putin's posing.
As for the BLM circus, it has not changed much see the racism in UK against people like Cavani speaking in their own language (hello anglo racism thinly disguised as ethnocentrism) or knee taking used by pro-Bolsonaro casual racists as Neymar, in the French League (check his insults against Asians or Chinese/Chink as he would say in Portuguese).

The latter playing in a Qatari-owned club, no less.   

Plus I think there's maybe a sense of con me once with Russia.

It's FIFA so I don't really think so. Anyone willing to bribe his way to get the World Cup will get it, as long as they are willing to pay the price.
Be it Blatter and Platini, or Infantino.

[Zoupa]

Today's Leeds - Bournemouth match was quite something. 

[FunkMonk]

Chelsea/Arsenal. Only 1 goal but it was basically men against boys even though Arsenal are the youngest side in the league.

I predict Todd Boehly will try to sign at least two Arsenal players next summer. 

[Zoupa]

Spurs down to 4th, 8 points away from Arse and they have a game in hand 

The break can't come soon enough. No Son, no Richarlison, Kulucevski and Moura not 100 %...

[FunkMonk]

Spurs down to 4th, 8 points away from Arse and they have a game in hand 

The break can't come soon enough. No Son, no Richarlison, Kulucevski and Moura not 100 %...

Newcastle replaced you in 3rd. They are coming in hot this season. The Saudis are ahead of schedule 

[Duque de Bragança]

Champions' League round of 16 draw:

Lípsia - Manchester City

Club Brugge - Benfica

Liverpool - Real Madrid

AC Milão - Tottenham

Eintracht Francoforte - Nápoles

Borussia Dortmund - Chelsea

Inter Milão - FC Porto

PSG-QSI - Bayern Munique

Real Madrid v Liverpool: nice.

Well, not too bad for Porto, it's been a while vs Inter though the last round of 16 game between the two ended in defeat for Porto which does not fare too badly vs Italian teams. Balanced with Inter favorite.

Benfica got Club Brugge, the surprise of the group phase, could be a poisoned gift.

Man City - Rasenball has Man City favorite in the "plastic" club classic. 

Liverpool - Real Madrid: tough to say

AC Milan - Tottenham: AC Milan favorite Tottenham is far from impressive

Eintracht - Nea Polis: seems balanced a priori but Naples is on fire lately.

Borussia Dortmund - Chelsea London FC (PES) favorite but there is always hope for Borussia

PSG is a mess lately despite (thanks to ?) having Messin in pre-retirement so Bayern.

[Duque de Bragança]

Europa League draw, for those interested:

FC Barcelona, Esp - Manchester United, Esp

Juventus Turim- Nantes

Sporting - Midtjylland

Shakhtar Donetsk - Rennes

Ajax Amsterdão - Union Berlim

Bayer Leverkusen - Mónaco (not di Baviera)

Sevilha - PSV Eindhoven

Salzburgo- Roma

Barça v Man U Feels like the Champions' League 

Juventus, even in a bad spell as of now, should beat Nantes

Can Sporting can screw up again, à la vs Marseille, v Midtjylland?

Shakhtar Donetsk - Rennes Open, I'd say with Shakhtar, more experienced, but weakened by the war

Ajax v Berlin Union is in top form now, but not invincible (beaten by Braga earlier on) Ajax has been disappointing in the CL, in a tough group truth be said

Bayer Leverkusen v Monaco (not from Bavaria for Italians) Bayer seems better now and was not far from qualification vs Porto. Bayer favorite

Seville v PSV: Seems balanced but Seville is pretty good in the Europa League

Salzburgo v Roma: let's see if Mourinho can confirm the Europa League Conference (anyone interested?) win the previous season against the other RB club.

[FunkMonk]

United and Barcelona 

Anyway, FSG are saying they want to sell Liverpool. I wonder which oil state will buy them up?

PL will be oil state clubs finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd every season for eternity.