[Football] Blatter admits awarding the World Cup to Qatar was a "mistake". FFS

[banjo]

Once a knob always a knob.

 

[BN41Albion]

I know it’s all about the corruption and where the money goes but what can the average fan do to show their utter contempt for it all………. just not watch the games hmm ?

Well yeah nothing more than that really as an average Joe!?

I'd love so much for countries to join together and wear Pride tops whilst warming up or something. The least they could do imo short of not turning up at all.

Will something like that happen though? Of course not ffs, cos that's the utter bullshit world we live in.

Watched Have I got news for you the other day with Gary Neville. When questioned on his decision to travel to Qatar to comment on the WC by Hislop, he said 'you have two choices, go and highlight the challenges and speak out about them, or don't say anything and stay at home'. Cue (rightly) ridiculing about when he was planning on speaking out whilst commentating on the WC, and why he can't not go and take Qatari money and instead stay at home and speak out.

It's all bloody sickening

 

[Springal]

d Have I got news for you the other day with Gary Neville. When questioned on his decision to travel to Qatar to comment on the WC by Hislop, he said 'you have two choices, go and highlight the challenges and speak out about them, or don't say anything and stay at home'. Cue (rightly) ridiculing about when he was planning on speaking out whilst commentating on the WC, and why he can't not go and take Qatari money and instead stay at home and speak out.

It's all bloody sickening

why not ? Isn’t that what the bbc is doing ? Panorama docs on the World Cup and how terrible it is, but going out there for a 4 week jolly in £400 a night+ hotels?

 

[Popeye]

He still got his piece of change so can still f*** off.

 

[BN41Albion]

why not ? Isn’t that what the bbc is doing ? Panorama docs on the World Cup and how terrible it is, but going out there for a 4 week jolly in £400 a night+ hotels?

Well yeah, another example of how shit/two faced/full of virtue signalling bollocks the world is. Of course they'll have some fancy opening sequence celebrating Qatari/middle Eastern culture with a catchy jingle, too.

I just highlighted Neville as an example.

 

[nicko31]

Is his admission supposed to make you us feel better about the tournament?

It won't bring the dead back for 6500 grieving families....

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

He's obviously made his money from the tournament and now tyring to make out he's innocent . Blokes a crook,always has been always will be

As pointed out above, Blatter didn't make money from the tournament being awarded to Qatar as he had been, er, 'persuaded' to vote for another bid. But I find it hard to disagree with your second statement.

 

[GT49er]

It wasn't so much an admission as a blatant attempt to dodge any blame. He didn't vote for Qatar - it was all the fault of that nasty Platini and his UEFA cohorts voting for Qatar.

Yeh, OK Septic Splatter, you're the symbol of everything that is good about football (but why the f**k was the choice set up as between Qatar and the USA (again!) in the first place? - two essentially non-footballing countries; yes, the US is a bit more football orientataed now, but that was because they had the WC a few years ago - that's why they got it!)

Australia would have been a good choice. Or somewhere in Europe (preferably someone who has not had it twice since England almost 60 years ago). Or even South America again (but Mexico should not ever get it three times!)

 

[Brovion]

why not ? Isn’t that what the bbc is doing ? Panorama docs on the World Cup and how terrible it is, but going out there for a 4 week jolly in £400 a night+ hotels?

The BBC are paying for the rights to screen it, rather than being paid to act as cheerleaders. But yes, I haven't heard of any individual highly-paid BBC presenters taking a moral stand and saying they don't want any part of it. And all the TV channels are being a bit too enthusiastic for my liking.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

It wasn't so much an admission as a blatant attempt to dodge any blame. He didn't vote for Qatar - it was all the fault of that nasty Platini and his UEFA cohorts voting for Qatar.

Yeh, OK Septic Splatter, you're the symbol of everything that is good about football (but why the f**k was the choice set up as between Qatar and the USA (again!) in the first place? - two essentially non-footballing countries; yes, the US is a bit more football orientataed now, but that was because they had the WC a few years ago - that's why they got it!)

Australia would have been a good choice. Or somewhere in Europe (preferably someone who has not had it twice since England almost 60 years ago). Or even South America again (but Mexico should not ever get it three times!)

In sheer numbers of fans, the USA is very much a footballing country. I know you can prove anything with statistics, but more people attended games in MLS in 2019 than in either France’s Ligue 1 or Brazil’s top division. But your point in trying to grow interest by moving the World Cup around is spot on, and Australia would have been a great choice, for the fan experience alone, or maybe a shared WC with New Zealand.

PS: Mexico isn’t in South America.

 

[Springal]

Not forgetting as well the USA have promised (and underwriting) a promise of $11Bn of additional revenue from the tournament to FIFA as part of their proposal. So that’ll be interesting (of course it was Trump that promised that)

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Well yeah, another example of how shit/two faced/full of virtue signalling bollocks the world is. Of course they'll have some fancy opening sequence celebrating Qatari/middle Eastern culture with a catchy jingle, too.

I just highlighted Neville as an example.

It would show a surprising amount of integrity and imagination on the BBC’s part if their opening sequence showed migrant workers toiling in the hot sun and the Qataris congratulating themselves at the announcement instead of the usual travelogue bollocks. But I won’t be holding my breath.

 

[A1X]

I've no particular desire to try and defend Blatter but I think Qatar was primarily driven by Platini during his time at UEFA. Which I'm sure had nothing to do whatsoever with the Qataris buying PSG and employing Platini's family members to senior, well-paid positions.

 

[AmexRuislip]

World Cup chief explains what will happen if people hold hands in Qatar

The chief of the World Cup in Qatar has spoken out

www.ladbible.com

Speaking to Rob Harris of Sky News, 2022 World Cup CEO Nasser Al Khater insisted that public displays of affection like holding hands would be tolerated for the duration of the competition.