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Russia 2018 General Chat

onthetwo

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2006
4,583
3,407
Southgate says hes not listening to the Foreign Secretary.....he'd go if he were a fan....:censored::woot::greedy:
 

LSUY

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2005
24,010
66,826
Southgate says hes not listening to the Foreign Secretary.....he'd go if he were a fan....:censored::woot::greedy:

Bet he wouldn't be saying that if he were black, gay, or couldn't afford to attend venues with private security. The average England fan is going to face the real possibility of getting seven shades kicked out of them.
 

yankspurs

Enic Out
Aug 22, 2013
41,883
71,188
Still cant believe that after everything Putin has done and gotten away with the last 5 years, they still have the World Cup. I guess peddling a civil war in a foreign country, invading that sovereign nation for absolutely no reason, shooting down a commercial jetliner ober that country because apparently a huge plane is easily mistable for a small military jet then blaming it on that countrie gov’t trying to kill Putin, and murdering political opponents and spies on foreign soil isnt enough for Fifa to do anything. Insanity.
 
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Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,350
87,809
Still cant believe that after everything Putin has done and gotten away with the last 5 years, they still have the World Cup. I guess peddling a civil war in a foreign country, invading that sovereign nation for absolutely no reason, and murdering political opponents and spies on foreign soil isnt enough for Fifa to do anything. Insanity.
Not to mention criminalising homosexuality, decriminalising domestic abuse, and promoting hooliganism as an organised sport.
 

TheHoddleWaddle

Well-Known Member
Dec 13, 2013
11,289
20,289
Well, it's hardly surprising. Look at the Qtar slave labour and human rights issues. How have they still got it?

I can't think what the common denominator might be.
 

Marty

Audere est farce
Mar 10, 2005
39,885
62,554
I will absolutely love it if they draw Nigeria in the knockout phases and get humiliated.
I might love it even more if Egypt or the Saudis dump them out of the group. I know they aren't quite as overtly racist at Arabs as at black Africans but it would still be nice.
 

LSUY

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2005
24,010
66,826
For the first time in 80 years there will not be a British referee at the World Cup Finals.

Instead, there will be officials from French Polynesia, Uzbekistan, Zambia, and Bahrain. Surely officials should be taken from the strongest leagues in the world?
 

sherbornespurs

Well-Known Member
Dec 9, 2006
3,758
9,241
I'm looking forward to hearing the England fan's chanting;

"Who killed all the spies, who killed all the spies......".

Followed by the Russians:

"You're going home in a Bio-Chem ambulance".
 

cwy21

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2009
9,447
7,930
Instead, there will be officials from French Polynesia, Uzbekistan, Zambia, and Bahrain. Surely officials should be taken from the strongest leagues in the world?
The premilinary list was made two years ago. Clattenburg was England's top ref and was on the list. He left for Qatar and left England without a ref at the very top of UEFA.

UEFA gets 10 refs at the world cup and there isn't an English ref near the top 10. Oliver will be there soon but for now he's a Europa League ref for the rest of this season
 

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
16,985
30,494
Instead, there will be officials from French Polynesia, Uzbekistan, Zambia, and Bahrain. Surely officials should be taken from the strongest leagues in the world?

This is an interesting question. Should it be purely meritocratic (if yes then refs from these so called lesser countries will never be represented at a WC) or should they be given a chance? I guess reffing a top league doesn’t necessarily make you a better ref, more experienced certainly, but as we see week in week out some of the mistakes our refs make are pretty shocking.

Personally, it being a WC, I think it’s good refs from these so called lesser countries get exposure at the WC but I can see both sides.
 

cwy21

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2009
9,447
7,930
This is an interesting question. Should it be purely meritocratic (if yes then refs from these so called lesser countries will never be represented at a WC)

One of the best referees in the world during the past 10 years is from Uzbekistan.
 

Marty

Audere est farce
Mar 10, 2005
39,885
62,554
This is an interesting question. Should it be purely meritocratic (if yes then refs from these so called lesser countries will never be represented at a WC) or should they be given a chance? I guess reffing a top league doesn’t necessarily make you a better ref, more experienced certainly, but as we see week in week out some of the mistakes our refs make are pretty shocking.

Personally, it being a WC, I think it’s good refs from these so called lesser countries get exposure at the WC but I can see both sides.
It's a difficult debate because you can get refs like the Ecuadorian and the Egyptian who both basically gave South Korea wins over Italy and Spain in 2002 respectively, the Egyptian was allegedly bribed by Jack Warner and the Ecuadorian has since been done for drug trafficking (!).

But if you only select those who ref the top leagues you eliminate so many refs, like the Uzbeki cwy21 mentions, who have stellar reputations and are compromised by their country of birth.
 
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