The Beautiful Game Thread 10/11

[Rodster]

Holding the WC in Qatar is like playing the Superbowl in Jacksonville.

[pk500]

So if the UK, Spain, US or Netherlands got selected, there would have been no corruption whatsoever?

If you're serious, then you know less about FIFA than I thought.

How many petrodollars do the UK, Spain, the U.S. and the Netherlands have to blow compared to Russia and Qatar? Give me one compelling reason, other than the "bringing football to the globe" Blatter blather, that Qatar should have been selected instead of the U.S. or Australia.

Qatar also has been widely rumored to have conspired with the delegation from the failed Iberian bid for 2018 to swing its votes to Qatar for 2022. Just pure politicking? Unlikely, especially when you're an oil-rich nation that can spend cash like a sailor on shore leave.

Of course there's corruption at all levels and by all nations. The entire process of World Cup selection is a beauty contest. But if you think for a second that Russia and Qatar didn't play the system and grease the pockets of FIFA more than other nations, come on.

As Dave T said, we now know why Putin didn't bother to show up for the announcement. He didn't have to. He knew Russia was a lock, and there's nothing pure and sporting about that.

[XXXIV]

So if the UK, Spain, US or Netherlands got selected, there would have been no corruption whatsoever?

If you're serious, then you know less about FIFA than I thought.

Sweet!!!...the humans strike back!

[wco81]

I'm not questioning that Qatar may have out-bribed everyone else.

So what?

FIFA is a private entity. Do they make any claims about transparency or integrity? Is it legally required to meet such standards?

If private golf clubs can exclude women or minorities to this day, why should anyone be surprised that FIFA's decision-making is rife with corruption, bribes, etc.?


I guess if you're a fan who goes to every WC, you might be annoyed that they picked Qatar, which is hot and has nothing to do. Most people who watch that WC will watch on TV so it won't affect them.

It's not as if most fans going to Russia for instance would be checking out the Hermitage between matches. They could swing over to Dubai, which for some reason is popular with some Europeans.

[RobVarak]

Gabrielle Marcotti made similar arguments in SI today, but I'm not sure that I buy them. Qatar in particular will have a negative impact on the football on the pitch and thus, the TV. Pardon my skepticism about as yet non-existent stadium air conditioning technology, but there is no way that the climate there will be conducive to a high level of play. Hell, even in more moderate climates summer soccer is generally dreadful.

That argument also ignores the fact that the atmosphere in the stadium has a huge impact on the quality of the telecast. The vuvuzelas were not the only lousy part of the games in SA. The lack of chanting and singing was noted by many viewers and generally created a more antiseptic atmosphere. I'm sure Qatar will say all the right things about welcoming the panoply of humanity that creates a great WC environment, but how many scantily-clad Brazilians and hard-drinking Scots, English or Germans are going to want to spend time in that country? (I was going to mention the Dutch too, and it occurs to me that they have essentially chosen Bizarro Amsterdam as the host. )

The plutocrats from FIFA and the various FA's and sponsors may find it a hospitable host, and the product on the field to be an acceptable facsimile of the game for them. To the fan at home however, it'll be a different story. They're going to see a lesser brand of football in a uniquely inhospitable and unfortunate setting.

[fsquid]

Holding the WC in Qatar is like playing the Superbowl in Jacksonville.

??

[Naples39]

I'm not questioning that Qatar may have out-bribed everyone else.

So what?

FIFA is a private entity. Do they make any claims about transparency or integrity? Is it legally required to meet such standards?

If private golf clubs can exclude women or minorities to this day, why should anyone be surprised that FIFA's decision-making is rife with corruption, bribes, etc.?


I guess if you're a fan who goes to every WC, you might be annoyed that they picked Qatar, which is hot and has nothing to do. Most people who watch that WC will watch on TV so it won't affect them.

It's not as if most fans going to Russia for instance would be checking out the Hermitage between matches. They could swing over to Dubai, which for some reason is popular with some Europeans.

FIFA is the sole governing body of the world's most popular sport. Comparing it to country clubs, which are created for the express purpose of being exclusive, is ridiculous. Obviously the UN deals with far more serious issues than sports, but the UN is a more natural comparison in that its a world body that is meant to be fair and inclusive. You really think FIFA has no obligation of integrity?

Also excessive heat will have a significant effect on the quality of play. That doesn't effect fans watching on tv, or the players who are very much participating in a once-in-lifetime opportunity?

And yes, many world cup traveling fans DO go see the local sights. For instance travel companies were selling travel packages that included safari excursions for the South Africa world cup.

Those are pretty silly defenses to the selection of Qatar.

[XXXIV]

To the fan at home however, it'll be a different story. They're going to see a lesser brand of football in a uniquely inhospitable and unfortunate setting.

Now there you go ruining the party. It sux when you guys bring common sense into a discussion.....Its so much more fun when idiots post their agenda driven bullshit.

[XXXIV]

To the fan at home however, it'll be a different story. They're going to see a lesser brand of football in a uniquely inhospitable and unfortunate setting.

Now there you go ruining the party. It sux when you guys bring common sense into a discussion.....Its so much more fun when idiots post their agenda driven bullshit.

C'mon Wco, that's a ridiculous post.

Par for the course....

The agenda is, always has and will always be pulling that bullshit driven wagon.

[wco81]

You could say the same thing about the IOC, which has also made indefensible choices (Berlin '36, Moscow '80, Shanghai 2008, maybe LA '84 if you're going to bring up the heat and smog hurting performance argument).

And I'm not defending the decision, just that it's understandable when you have the biggest spectacle in the world it shouldn't be surprising that it could go to the highest bidder.

Regarding the performance issue, is it always the best football at the WC, at the end of long club seasons with a lot of star players nursing injuries? Look at England, which dominated the qualifying rounds but then laid an egg at the big event. English fans were saying the EPL was too demanding, etc. There's no denying that many players whose clubs contended into May for the league and CL titles showed up at the WC in less than peak condition.

It's interesting listening to the BBC. The FA apparently backed Blatter's rival the last time the FIFA presidency was up for vote. They didn't expect that and all these exposes of FIFA in the UK press from blowing back on their bid?

[10spro]

Personally, I don't think we've heard the last word on the countries chosen to host the WC yet. The process of awarding the hosting rights to the World Cup is such an opaque, murky mess that it's precisely the environment in which corruption and bribery thrives. The voting process has to be simpler and more transparent.

Nothing new:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11841783

[Jimmydeicide]

There is heat and then there is 122 degree heat, come on if you have to do anything when its over 95 its a chore and that chore gets increasingly harder the hotter it gets, ive played golf in 120 but footy at around 100 is an absolute joke it severely hinders performance.
If you think 6 players on each team running towards the sideline on every stoppage to get some fluid or see players playing one handed because he has a bag of water in the other hand good tv then...

[MACTEPsporta]

Let's face it, it is a lot easier for a Middle-Eastern terrorist to blend into the crowd in Qatar than it is in England or Russia.

Have you been to England or Russia lately?

Macca, my performances in FIFA 11 are already threatening Ukraine's chances to host EURO 2012, so hush.

My favourite comment from yesterday's madness: "Sarah Palin is inviting everyone to watch the 2018 World Cup in Russia from her house"

[davet010]

There is heat and then there is 122 degree heat, come on if you have to do anything when its over 95 its a chore and that chore gets increasingly harder the hotter it gets, ive played golf in 120 but footy at around 100 is an absolute joke it severely hinders performance.
If you think 6 players on each team running towards the sideline on every stoppage to get some fluid or see players playing one handed because he has a bag of water in the other hand good tv then...

If the 2022 WC organising committee expect to hold this joke tournament outside of summer, clashing with the domestic seasons in countries which are actually important, then FIFA better have deep pockets...as clubs will be requesting fees for absence as well as huge compensation claims for anyone getting a serious injury.

Looks like the end of international football. Good.

[wco81]

You never know dave, England might field a competitive team that year.

Fans will just have to boycott those games. Don't travel there, don't even watch them, hurt them in the ratings, which shouldn't be hard for Americans, since those games will be on probably at some ridiculous hours.

That's the only way FIFA will be forced to reform.

[davet010]

You never know dave, England might field a competitive team that year.

Fans will just have to boycott those games. Don't travel there, don't even watch them, hurt them in the ratings, which shouldn't be hard for Americans, since those games will be on probably at some ridiculous hours.

That's the only way FIFA will be forced to reform.

I couldn't care less about England, haven't for years. The only way FIFA will reform is if England, Spain, Italy, Germany and Benelux pull out - that's most of their funding and a large chunk of credibility gone. Won't happen though for a number of reasons.

1. No one, but no one, will dare to do it first in case everyone else reneges.
2. You'd be ineligible for the WC.
3. As UEFA is a FIFA pet (thanks to Platini, Blatter's creature), you'd not only be ineligible for the Euro Championship, but it's possible that players in the domestic leagues would be deemed to be playing in unsanctioned competitions - and thus would rule themselves out of international competition if their home FA's hadn't withdrawn, so no Brazilians etc.
4. As point 3, but also problems with the CL.

They'd be better off clubbing together, buying a load of C4 and planting it underneath FIFA HQ. Be the only people ever to enter there with good intentions

[F308GTB]

Give me instant replay!!!

At least on possible goals. It didn't matter in the end for Juventus, but in the first half a ball went off the crossbar and ricocheted behind the goal line and bounced off the grass into the goalie's hands. Was not ruled a goal despite CLEARLY being over the line.

[rhymes450]

Give me instant replay!!!

At least on possible goals. It didn't matter in the end for Juventus, but in the first half a ball went off the crossbar and ricocheted behind the goal line and bounced off the grass into the goalie's hands. Was not ruled a goal despite CLEARLY being over the line.

I'm inclined to agree, though I think it has to go further than possible goals. The Real Madrid v Valencia match was nicely poised at 0-0 mid-way through the 2nd half when Albelda was given a second yellow for "handling" a ball that the replay clearly showed had played off his shoulder. If the ref had had access to that replay, he wouldn't have been sent off.

[pk500]

Fat f*ck Mike Ashley strikes again, firing Chris Hughton as Newcastle manager. All Hughton did was lead the Magpies to the Championship title last season and lead them back to the Premier League after just one year in the wilderness, restore some decency and stability to the manager's chair after buffoons like Sam Allardyce and keep Newcastle around mid-table or better this season.

But instead Fat Mike wants some retread with "more experience" like Alan Pardew or Alan Curbishley. What a f*cking joke.

Sometimes I wonder why I waste the energy and emotion to support this club, which makes "dysfunctional" look like a kind term. I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess.

[GB_Simo]

Just as the Newcastle United board looked set to go through a full calendar year without taking part in anything even resembling batsh*t insanity...

The mood up here among the natives is somewhere between bafflement and outrage. I don't think I blame them, or indeed you.

[toonarmy]

Getting rid of Hughton is a total disgrace. That fat f*** Ashley is a real asshat. I was not 100% sold on Hughton being a great long-term solution at Newcastle, but hell he deserved more of a chance than he got, especially considering what he has accomplished under less-than-ideal circumstances. That being said, Martin Jol would not be a bad replacement. It looks like he may be the man to replace Hughton.

On a side note, gotta love reports saying that Maradona will be the next coach for Iran. I'm pretty sure that is a marriage made in hell.

[10spro]

On a side note, gotta love reports saying that Maradona will be the next coach for Iran. I'm pretty sure that is a marriage made in hell.

I thought he had a really good chance to coach my and his beloved Boca Juniors next season, but I am going to say the marriage is over in 6 months.

[Naples39]

On a side note, gotta love reports saying that Maradona will be the next coach for Iran. I'm pretty sure that is a marriage made in hell.

That would be epic.

I can't possibly imagine a more bizarre idea, or a team I'd have more of a reason to root against. Them and the Yankees anyway.

[Macca00]

Martin Jol to Newcastle? I think he's a solid manager - bought Gareth Bale and Berbatov when he was at Spurs (don't tell that donkey Damien Comolli). Still shitty what that fat f*** did to Hughton though.

[fsquid]

I've always liked Jol. He can come manage Bayern if he wants.