Chindie Posted November 4, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted November 4, 2022 As if any more reason were needed to hate that **** band Ugh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 (edited) 15 hours ago, OutByEaster? said: This from Swiss media is a shocker if it's true. It's a long read, and a bit of a jaw dropper. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/-project-merciless---how-qatar-spied-on-the-world-of-football-in-switzerland-48022952 Jeez. You know deep down it is going on, but still makes for shocking reading. I can't for one second believe it isn't true, even though there are probably as many people with vested interests in shaming Qatar as there are those trying to back it. The first and last points in this slide are a real shocker. Nothing will come of it though. The first trying to make out like they're the good guys. The last then calling out the fact they actually know they're the bad guys and would want to be able to deny involvement. Edited November 4, 2022 by MrBlack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astondalston Posted November 4, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted November 4, 2022 1 hour ago, villa4europe said: lusail it was a village 10 years ago edit - i dont know if it has ended up looking like the renders but they've built the whole thing including the big speical piece of architecture that we will see a lot of during the WC I'm not sure if Lusail was built for the World Cup? The stadium for sure, but the rest of it Similar construction can be seen in any of the Gulf states or further afield. That's what development looks like.... I'm bemused by the amount of scorn and indignation that gets thrown in Qatar's direction. Whilst it is totally absurd that the WC is hosted in what is basically a City state, I would be interested to see the figures for deaths/injuries on construction sites in KSA, Egypt, UAE. Same practices in place here for a long time and barely get a mention in the bylines.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnkarl Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 I've decided to boycott the whole thing this year. Not going to watch a minute, not buying any merch, not going to bother. I'm done with FIFA and their greedy corrupt organisation until they do some serious reform. Infantino is synonymous for on the take. He lives in Qatar. I hope every TV-rights holder sends proper journalistic teams and starts digging around outside of the polished surface. We need to humiliate FIFA to the point where this never happens again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 21 minutes ago, astondalston said: I'm not sure if Lusail was built for the World Cup? The stadium for sure, but the rest of it Similar construction can be seen in any of the Gulf states or further afield. That's what development looks like.... I'm bemused by the amount of scorn and indignation that gets thrown in Qatar's direction. Whilst it is totally absurd that the WC is hosted in what is basically a City state, I would be interested to see the figures for deaths/injuries on construction sites in KSA, Egypt, UAE. Same practices in place here for a long time and barely get a mention in the bylines.. dont get me wrong i've "defended" football for the immigrant construction worker deaths and conditions, thats a problem thats magnified by football not caused by it, especially given the large involvement of international construction companies managing these projects, foster and partners are all over qatar and they might say they're only architects but they know better its them that should be doing something not FIFA, same goes for Arup, Vinci, Bechtel you name it they're all over there agree that we'll never really know how much of the £140bn in projects would have been done regardless and how many would have died, I think on the stadiums proper its around 3 deaths which is not out of the norm at all 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted November 4, 2022 Author Share Posted November 4, 2022 Wake me up when it's over. Lost World Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astondalston Posted November 4, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted November 4, 2022 39 minutes ago, villa4europe said: dont get me wrong i've "defended" football for the immigrant construction worker deaths and conditions, thats a problem thats magnified by football not caused by it, especially given the large involvement of international construction companies managing these projects, foster and partners are all over qatar and they might say they're only architects but they know better its them that should be doing something not FIFA, same goes for Arup, Vinci, Bechtel you name it they're all over there agree that we'll never really know how much of the £140bn in projects would have been done regardless and how many would have died, I think on the stadiums proper its around 3 deaths which is not out of the norm at all Speaking of larger international construction companies, and at risk of veering off topic, this is a good article on the choices made and the damage done before a shovel hits the soil "Architects working on the Neom mega-project in Saudi Arabia, including the 170-kilometre city The Line, must decide whether they are content to be complicit in an "ecological and moral atrocity", writes Adam Greenfield." https://www.dezeen.com/2022/11/02/neom-the-line-saudi-arabia-architects-opinion/#comments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunther Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 1 hour ago, astondalston said: KSA, Egypt, UAE. Same practices in place here for a long time Those are all backwards shitholes too though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mic09 Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 19 minutes ago, blunther said: Those are all backwards shitholes too though. I get criticising particular practices in certain countries, but calling them shitholes is verging on something not particularly cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnkarl Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 As much as I think these places are backward, the real issue is with FIFA. How they can keep giving tournaments to Russia, Qatar, allow cups to be played in Azerbaijan, Rwanda etc is beyond me. The aspiration of getting cups and tournaments should make said countries aspire to be better. They shouldn't get tournaments before they rank high on the freedom house list. The same goes for Olympic Games, world champs in all manner of sports etc. How could Qatar get the athletics world championships when they have ZERO interest in athletics. It's sports washing of the worst sort. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 It goes for all of sports and pretty much everything else in the world too. The people who runs stuff don't care where the money comes from as long as they get rich and influential. And us fans have to decide if we give up on stuff we love/enjoy because of it. Easy for me as a Swede to say I'm gonna boycott the WC when Sweden didn't qualify. Same for Italy or Norway or whatever. If Sweden were actually good and in contention for a medal I likely would watch thou. It's blood money that pays for the shiny stuff. F1 is especially hilarious where they pretty much have all the (rich) countries with the worst human rights records hosting races. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunther Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Mic09 said: I get criticising particular practices in certain countries, but calling them shitholes is verging on something not particularly cool. Nah, I don't think so at all. See the previous page for the article on gang-raping a bloke for being gay. **** backwards shithole mate. Verging on something not cool? Assume you're implying a racist element of sorts? You can shove that if so, frankly. If as a country you have a fundamentalist tendency to oppress, for a couple of examples, women or gays for being who they are, then you're a backwards shithole. same goes for Russia as it does for Saudi Arabia. Edited November 4, 2022 by blunther 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 30 minutes ago, blunther said: Nah, I don't think so at all. See the previous page for the article on gang-raping a bloke for being gay. **** backwards shithole mate. Verging on something not cool? Assume you're implying a racist element of sorts? You can shove that up your arse if so, frankly. If as a country you have a fundamentalist tendency to opress, for a couple of examples, women or gays for being who they are, then you're a backwards shithole. same goes for Russia as it does for Saudi Arabia. Built some great roads thou. Sorry, built some great stadiums. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 5 hours ago, sne said: It goes for all of sports and pretty much everything else in the world too. The people who runs stuff don't care where the money comes from as long as they get rich and influential. And us fans have to decide if we give up on stuff we love/enjoy because of it. Easy for me as a Swede to say I'm gonna boycott the WC when Sweden didn't qualify. Same for Italy or Norway or whatever. If Sweden were actually good and in contention for a medal I likely would watch thou. It's blood money that pays for the shiny stuff. F1 is especially hilarious where they pretty much have all the (rich) countries with the worst human rights records hosting races. I'm going to watch it even though I know watching England makes me unhappy, inevitably causes me to drink too much which makes my wife unhappy and all in all it will be a miserable month with a lot of moaning from me on here and arguing at home Honestly not a clue why I'll do it but I just know I will I think it is dead flat though, they've gone straight for the Christmas promotional stuff rather than the WC, feels like a lot less product placement, even the coca cola bottles have santa on them rather than football, if I walk round Bonn or even my local supermarket there is nothing for it, no products no promotions no flags nothing Did buy my boy a German kit to sit with his Opa and watch some games with though, he's got 5 grandkids and 4 of them are girls, my 4 month old being the 1st boy, even my 2 brother in laws have no interest in it so I'll get him down the pub at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon to watch the japan game and get him pissed mid afternoon like a WC should be, I hope it snows just for shits and giggles but that won't happen, beer all afternoon then on the gluhwein and schnapps while watching 3 games of football then walk home in the snow, that could make it a bit of fun and very different 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Rds1983 Posted November 5, 2022 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted November 5, 2022 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mic09 Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 1 hour ago, Rds1983 said: Wow. That's good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Quote Qatar World Cup: FIFA writes to teams and says 'focus on the football... not ideological or political battle that exists' Sky News have seen a letter from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and general secretary Fatma Samoura to all nations competing at the Qatar World Cup; they write "please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists" "Please, let's now focus on the football!" Infantino and Samoura wrote to the 32 football nations contesting the World Cup. "We know football does not live in a vacuum and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world. "But please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists." https://www.skysports.com/football/news/32461/12737790/qatar-world-cup-fifa-writes-to-teams-and-says-focus-on-the-football-not-ideological-or-political-battle-that-exists 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ml1dch Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 WSC's wall-chart is pretty lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshVilla Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Some lawyers are getting a Christmas party out of that 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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