Qatar 2022

[easley91]

I'll admit I haven't watched any of it, but is it too tinfoil hat to see Qatar owned PSG's two biggest stars in the final together?

Wonder how Neymar feels..

This was actually mentioned to me prior to France v Morocco as a funny theory, but with the nature of FIFA and Qatar, it isn't beyond the realms of possibility I suppose.

 

[Marty]

Have to say I’ve been thinking exactly the same thing. I’ve not watched any either, so I don’t know if there have been any dodgy decisions that have helped France and Argentina on their way.

Not really. The ref in France v England was a bit shit but hardly got a sense of corruption after it. Loads of people disagreed with the penalty Argentina won againat Croatia but I don't see how you can't give that, the striker pokes the ball past the keeper and they collide without the keeper touching the ball.

If you based your wall chart on the most likely winners of each group, you would've expected one of Argentina and Brazil to reach the final and that they would play each other in the semi. Brazil messed up but Messi or Neymar, same Qatar/PSG links. And on the French side, I would've expected the winner of France v England to also win the semi even if they'd played Portugal or Belgium or whoever. That's just how the draw worked out.


If any part of this was rigged, it would've had to be the group stage draw but you're still relying on those sides to win their groups and not screw up along the way. For me there's been some shit refereeing, there always is, but conspiracy is just ludicrous.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Wonder how Neymar feels..

This was actually mentioned to me prior to France v Morocco as a funny theory, but with the nature of FIFA and Qatar, it isn't beyond the realms of possibility I suppose.

No one cares about Neymar

 

[Marty]

We muat never lose sight of this. Best final ever but at what human cost?

The football has largely been very good, especially the biggest games, but I feel very guilty of having enjoyed the games.

 

[Gassin's finest]

We muat never lose sight of this. Best final ever but at what human cost?

The football has largely been very good, especially the biggest games, but I feel very guilty of having enjoyed the games.

Yeah, the whole trophy ceremony was a big crash down to earth, reminding us of the obscene pantomime it's all been glossing over.

 

[riggi]

 

[McFlash]

Yeah, the whole trophy ceremony was a big crash down to earth, reminding us of the obscene pantomime it's all been glossing over.

Yeah, as soon as I saw that bloke had nicked my mum's dressing gown and made Messi wear it, I switched over to last night's UFC.

 

[Serpico]

Great final but never must the WC be played again in Dec and especially given to a country as Qatar. They have manufactured this tournament in so many ways. I watched because I love football but it was never comfortable knowing Qatar was financing the ‘football theme park’ ,(AS) tournament .

 

[carmeldevil]

Awards:

Golden Boot: Mbappe

Golden Ball: Messi

Golden Glove: Martinez (Arg)

Young Player of Tournament: Enzo Fernandez

Fair Play Team: England

 

[LSUY]

Great final but never must the WC be played again in Dec and especially given to a country as Qatar. They have manufactured this tournament in so many ways. I watched because I love football but it was never comfortable knowing Qatar was financing the ‘football theme park’ ,(AS) tournament .

Having the WC played in Dec and in a country like Qatar has now created the precedent for future WCs to be allowed to move outside of summer and be held in countries like Qatar. The Qatar WC probably isn't a one-off but rather the future of football. There is nothing to stop FIFA from selling the WC to countries as unsuited to host as Qatar.

 

[carmeldevil]

Having the WC played in Dec and in a country like Qatar has now created the precedent for future WCs to be allowed to move outside of summer and be held in countries like Qatar. The Qatar WC probably isn't a one-off but rather the future of football. There is nothing to stop FIFA from selling the WC to countries as unsuited to host as Qatar.

Saudi Arabia in 2030 as co-hosts with Egypt. Can see this happening.

 

[DanoCanuck]

Saudi Arabia in 2030 as co-hosts with Egypt. Can see this happening.

No thanks! ?

In the end Qatar presented a decent show but there is no doubt it was Arab sports washing. I expect more of it too. FIFA opened the flood gates.

 

[Marty]

No thanks! ?

In the end Qatar presented a decent show but there is no doubt it was Arab sports washing. I expect more of it too. FIFA opened the flood gates.

I think sportswashing is the wrong word to use with regards to Qatar. They didn't have a reputation that needed to be washed, unlike Saudi Arabia. Qatar didn't have a reputation at all. Of course, now it does.

With Qatar it's all about geopolitics and an assertion of power, both global and more importantly regionally. Hosting global sport is a security against attacks from their Gulf neighbours.

 

[ralvy]

Great final but never must the WC be played again in Dec and especially given to a country as Qatar. They have manufactured this tournament in so many ways. I watched because I love football but it was never comfortable knowing Qatar was financing the ‘football theme park’ ,(AS) tournament .

So back when the world cup was held at both South Africa and Brazil (and I think also Russia) I remember everyone was also complaining that such countries shouldn't be hosting the world cup given the poverty rates among their populations, and how irresponsible it was for them to be spending so much money on their stadiums and WC infrastructure rather than their people, social programs, etc. But now that the world cup was organized by a country which could afford pretty much every level of it's infrastructure without it having any detrimental effects on its population, people are also complaining because they don't like the culture and apparent human rights track of such country (sure, like any country excels at the later)?

I think those of you who keep complaining should just come out and say point blank that you want every world cup from now on to only be hosted by western european countries, and maybe the likes of US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

IMO this was the best organized WC I've seen (along with Korea-Japan), probably because of the huge amounts of money they had.

 

[JCRD]

Take the whole Qatar issues before the world cup as read... im separating the football from everything else.

I thought the world cup was great, one or two iffy games but some good/great/competeitive games and overall enjoyable tournament. I think a lot of good games was down to it being middle of the season, players are fresher, theyre fitter and theyre just more on it.

Would I like another winter world cup? yeah I would, not each world cup but every third would be good... when the nights become longer etc its perhaps nicer etc. I would love a world cup in Egypt, but they just dont have the infrastructure fit enough for it and would certainly have some of the challenges faced in Qatar, although we are a bit more westernised there.

Anyways overall I enjoyed it and did like the winter type world cup but think the games in such a condensed period does take a toll on the players (I am sure that can be worked around i.e. starting the season earlier perhaps)

 

[dontcallme]

In terms of football, it has been a very good World Cup. Lots of great games, upsets and a superb final. I felt a lot of the officiating was poor though I don't believe it was corrupt.

 

[Gassin's finest]

The world cup is dead imo. Russia was the last proper one you'll ever see. This one has been a corrupt, disruptive farce, and the next one has 48 teams across an entire continent. May as well start up that ESL now, top level football has gone.

 

[Gb160]

The world cup is dead imo. Russia was the last proper one you'll ever see. This one has been a corrupt, disruptive farce, and the next one has 48 teams across an entire continent. May as well start up that ESL now, top level football has gone.

...and a happy new yeeeeeeear

 

[Gbspurs]

The world cup is dead imo. Russia was the last proper one you'll ever see. This one has been a corrupt, disruptive farce, and the next one has 48 teams across an entire continent. May as well start up that ESL now, top level football has gone.

This tournament has proved why sportswashing as a concept works so well. As long as the football is good (and it was very good) then people will forget the rest. The more time that passes, all that will be remembered is the sport and the legacy of the event will live on through sporting memories, not talks of corruption which will increasingly get waved off as xenophobia.

 

[Gassin's finest]

This tournament has proved why sportswashing as a concept works so well. As long as the football is good (and it was very good) then people will forget the rest. The more time that passes, all that will be remembered is the sport and the legacy of the event will live on through sporting memories, not talks of corruption which will increasingly get waved off as xenophobia.

Its nothing new tbf. FIFA love an autocracy. Argentina '78 was probably the most infamous before this one. What sticks in the craw about the Qatar world cup was the blatant-ness of it, the wholesale unsuitability of a desert location, and the subsequent disruption to host it in the middle of the season. But yeah, no one bats an eyelid anymore at the "cleansing" of neighbourhoods in South Africa and Brazil, FIFA mopping up all the profits and public spending and leaving those countries worse off; Or Russia hosting it while aggressively invading and occupying another country. Or Mexico being just "given" the 86 tournament after Columbia pulled out.

FIFA are at the root of the corruption. Just look at the way Blatter and now Infantino paw at the trophy, desperate for their limelight. Shitehawks, the lot of them.