Tomi on 18/11/2022 at 20:22

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I just realised that the World Cup (football/soccer) is kicking off in a couple of days. I say "a couple of days" because I don't know when exactly that is, or who's even playing. I know I'm not the only one, it's all over the news, but I just find it hard to get excited about this year's tournament for many reasons.

I've watched every World Cup since 1990 and I don't think I've missed many games ever since. There are so many great memories and so much nostalgia. For me the World Cup every four years and the Euros in between are pretty much the only reasons to own a television. There's something very special about those events. Every game means so much and it's a great spectacle that lasts a whole month. My country never makes it to the final tournament, so I can watch most games without too much pressure so it's just kind of relaxing. Usually at this stage I've studied the lineups of all participating teams, made my predictions for what teams go through the group stage, bought a case (or two) of beer, and be hyped as hell! :D

But not this year. The wise men of FIFA have in all their wisdom decided to hold the tournament in Qatar this year. In late November. In Qatar, this great and traditional footballing nation. Which it isn't really, of course. The tournament is tainted by corruption and the blood of the thousands of workers who have died while making this thing happen. Thousands of dead workers, slaves really, and no one even knows the exact number - that's just goddamn tragic. On top of that the country respects no human rights, and this is all just like a sick joke to make the wallets of the corrupt FIFA officials fatter. They've ruined the World Cup for me and I'm not a happy bunny.

I'll just boycott the whole damn thing and won't watch a single match. Well, that's what I thought at first, but can I really ignore the whole tournament? I don't think so. :erm: It's still the World Cup, dammit, even if everything around it is an ugly mess, and it's the last chance to see some great players in action as well. Will I be glued to the television like before? Certainly not - this time I intend to only watch games here and there, whenever I have time and feel like it. Honestly! Maybe.

This year I really have no idea what even the first stage groups are like, but I'll have a look at those during the weekend maybe. Anyway, all you football fans of TTLG (I know there are like five of you out there), are you going to watch the games, and what are your thoughts?

Tomi on 19/11/2022 at 00:55

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You don't obviously care much about football, so it's easy for you to say! :D

I'm eager to see the stance of Finnish broadcasters on this whole mess. They've already stated that they're not sending any personnel to Qatar, and they're refusing to broadcast any official "propaganda clips" provided by FIFA and Qatar. I suspect that they'll try to raise awareness of the human rights issues and the corruption. Or will everything be forgotten once the first match kicks off? Am I a better person for ignoring the tournament altogether, or for trying to spread the word on those issues amongst my small social circle? "Both" isn't an acceptable answer! :p

Tomi on 19/11/2022 at 22:43

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That sums it all up quite well, to be fair. :D

My level of enthusiasm is still at zero, a day before the kick off. The FIFA president Gianni Infantino gives out stupid interviews every day now - I think his actual job is to try to catch the shit before it hits the fan. I gotta admit that he has succeeded in that so far. I never thought that the successor of Sepp Blatter would be just as bad or even worse, but at this stage nothing surprises me anymore. FIFA truly is corrupt to the core. More than the actual games I'm currently looking forward to seeing some sort of protests from the players, teams and fans. Qatar will obviously try to censor everything like that, but good luck trying to censor something like rainbow armbands on players and rainbow flags in the crowd. Hopefully the traveling fans won't get into too much trouble.

I finally had a look at the teams and groups in the tournament today. I'll post my half-arsed group stage analysis below.

Tomi on 19/11/2022 at 23:04

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Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Netherlands really should go through, and they're a personal favourite of mine as well. Qatar might well surprise if they get some dodgy referees on their side. I hope that Senegal gets the second spot, but I wouldn't mind Ecuador either.

Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
I'd love Wales to go through, but I have a feeling that they'll finish last. Iranians will be used to the hot conditions, they have some potential to surprise. England should win this group, I think the other three will have a tough fight for the second place. I've always quite liked the USA soccer team for some reason.

Group C: Argentina, Saudi-Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Argentina will win this, but they're always quite unpredictable. I've liked them ever since I was a kid, so I hope that they'll go far. Mexico and Poland seem quite equal to me. Saudis should have no chance, but on the other hand they're the last team to succumb to the extreme heat, so who knows...

Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
France are clear favourites here, but you never know about them either. Denmark are really tough and I like them, but it'll be too hot for the poor Danes. I think (and hope) that Australia will go through. Don't know much about Tunisia.

Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
Germany was a huge disappointment in the Euros, but I think they're back again. Spain are always strong. I like both Costa Rica and Japan but they don't have a chance I'm afraid.

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Come on Canada! (What are they doing here?) Belgium and Croatia both have the last chance to win something with their "golden generation" but I don't think that they're up for it anymore. One of them or most likely both will still go through, though. Maybe Morocco will surprise? Can't see Canada getting a single point or even scoring a goal, but I certainly hope that they prove me wrong! :D

Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Tough group this. I don't know much about the current Brazil squad, but they're always good. Serbia has huge potential and Switzerland always seem very consistent. I love Cameroon but they'll finish last here.

Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
Another tough group. Portugal has some big names in their squad, but if they're still building the team around Ronaldo's ego they're going to fail. Uruguay looks quite strong, I think they could win the group. Hopefully either South Korea or Ghana will snatch the second place. It'd be great to see an African nation go far in the tournament, but I doubt that Ghana can do that this year.

SD on 20/11/2022 at 02:31

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Of course you should watch the damned World Cup if you want to, it's not your fault FIFA awarded it to a scumbag despotate. You've no post hoc complicity in FIFA's corruption.

In a way it's a good thing this happened because it's shone a light on something many of us have known for decades, which is the moral bankruptcy of the football authorities. They'll not get away with pulling a stunt like this ever again.