Football

Yeah I detected the sarcasm. It's quite sad really how unenthusiastic people are simply because fifa are money grabbing twats. I know it's not all sunshine and rainbows for other world cups but this one is particularly bad. And the fact its in November makes it all just odd on top of the human rights issues.i know I'll watch some games but it all feels very grubby.

Don’t mention the rainbows!

Oh shit yeah.

Has Jonathan Wilson written an article about Ronaldo yet? Did enjoy Ronay's.

Best lines from Ronay's
"like having a concentrated blend of margarine, vanity, bile and preening self regard injected directly into your eyeballs by a team of expert sadists"

Ten Hag, who is basically a serious, careful person trying to do a serious, careful job has looked at this with a clear eye.

I think it's a thoughtful move by CR78 to provide the football industrial complex with some content to gorge upon in the barren week before the world cup starts.

I have a feeling everything he points out about the flaws of the united are very true. FFS Lee Grant was mentioned.

No top tier football until Boxing Day. What a crock of shit.

Knowing our luck the players that are fit enough to go to the WC will probably come back with long term injuries.

He even chucked the chefs under the bus. Mind the chefs had pointed out that in a high pressing game esp in a front 3 with a number 10 in the pocket Ronaldos lack of pressing meant the midfield was going to struggle and the only way to get round that is to have Rashford and martial as key front men as they had the ability and discipline to fill that role making Ronaldo redundant to Ten Haaaaag. So yeah he chucked the chefs under the bus too.

While we're talking Ronaldo, I'm going to drop this here. Ronaldo's own description is pretty upsetting.

https://www.spiegel.de/international/cristiano-ronaldo-kathryn-mayorga-the-woman-who-accuses-ronaldo-of-rape-a-1230634.html

Fucking hell.

Fucking hell.

Is right.

Another part that is so tragic about this, is that because her lawyer then used the hacked documents referenced in the Spiegel article, the case was dismissed this year. If I remember correctly they are currently appealing that decision.

It feels all wrong. For as long as I can remember, the week before the World Cup is akin to Christmas eve as a kid. I'd usually spend the whole time reading everything I could get my hands on about the teams, planning which games I could get away with watching instead of working/going to lessons, building and deconstructing a fantasy team etc.

But the appalling human cost, fact it's in November, and just general lack of atmosphere around the thing makes it hard to care at all.

Like you, I'm sure I'll watch a couple of games but it feels like this world cup will forever have an asterisk next to it, even if past world cups (Argentina '78, Brazil '14, Russia '18) haven't been a bed of roses either.

World Cup has started well huh.

Fake fans and news reporters being shut down.

https://twitter.com/FBAwayDays/status/1592485080349708288

Plastics.

Tremendous.

Glad this has had an update though. I didn’t fancy hearing the first two versions on repeat for another month https://twitter.com/wc22updates/status/1592842491564535809

I'm glad it's a shambles.

This level of cynicism is pretty shameful when this WC is going to bring a ceasefire in Ukraine.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/15/world-cup-ukraine-peace-fifa-infantino

Rent a crowd is pretty common for almost any type of event in the Middle East, same in certain parts of Asia tbh

With you 100%.

Fake fans is fake news, the Qatar authorities have confirmed that these are real fans. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/16/disappointing-and-unsurprising-qatar-2022-organisers-reject-fake-fan-claims?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Also the official licensed Danish news crew were apologised to after being threatened with having their camera equipment smashed up live on air.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

Swept very much under the mehedi