World Cup in Qatar - is anyone interested in it?

[BahrainRover]

Was the politics due to the recently lifted blockade of Qatar by the rest of the GCC for supporting terrorist activities?

[BahrainRover]

Is the coverage of the Qatar and Abu Dhabi F1 like this? My guess is no as football is always subject to more criticism.

Don’t forget Bahrain

[Spud]

Was the politics due to the recently lifted blockade of Qatar by the rest of the GCC for supporting terrorist activities?

Yes, then about how the saudi head (I think) was invited into the Royal box for the opening ceremony.

[normal rules]

Was is it with these attendances. The Argentina Saudi game is 8000 over the capacity of the feckin ground. Wtf?

[BahrainRover]

Unbelievable Jeff

[normal rules]

The big question is, will Roy keane lamp souness before this tournament is over?

[DRFC_AjA]

That Saudi result, and seeing the stands now full of Tunisia fans, where arguably they'd had much less of a chance to travel if it had been elsewhere, show's it's doesn't matter one bit where in the world or at what time of day the world cup is..... finally, football as a spectacle is dong the talking

[DRFC_AjA]

I can only stomach watching the 90 mins of football itself and none of the punditry, which is something I've never done before at a tournament. It's just pure cringe and political

Like yesterday itv trying to make headlines out of someone getting banned from taking a rainbow hat into the ground, you knew that would happen before so just dont do it 

What an atmosphere in the stadium at this Arg Vs Saudi game

How about before this morning's game, they started telling a story of a Saudi fan who'd walked a thousand miles across the desert to watch his team? They went to their reporter on the story who instead talked about the politics between the two & other surrounding countries.

That's all the media do these days, segregate and divide. It still boils my p**s that those poor girls played their hearts out to win the euros only to be told they're too white.

[VivaRovers]

It still boils my p**s that those poor girls played their hearts out to win the euros only to be told they're too white.

This absolutely did not happen.

[bpoolrover]

It didn’t happen like that no, but there was still no need to question it in the first place

[Branton Red]

Is Lionel Messi the most overrated sportsman in history? Discuss.

Yes excellent in a club team built around him with teammates he trains with day in day out but he has never, ever justified the OTT hype the football media place on him at every World Cup he's played in.

Quite why myriad football pundits seemingly expected him to inspire a rank average Argentina team to a world cup win when he's close to 40 when he was never able to at his peak is beyond me.

As for the overhyping of Argentina (and Brazil) at every World Cup when neither as done owt for 30 years in Argentina's case (bar one final achieved in South America using defensive tactics) and 20 years in Brazil's case - again beyond me.

The best teams in the world are European and have been for 2 decades - only the baking hot climate at World Cups give any other teams any realistic chance of winning. British football pundits are clueless to a man (and woman).

[DearneValleyRover]

No, I’d give that honour to Neymar

[VivaRovers]

It didn’t happen like that no, but there was still no need to question it in the first place

There's absolutely every right to question it. That's how change happens. 'There are no non-white people in this England team, why is that?' was/is a perfectly reasonable question to ask. By asking it you can then see whether there are additional barriers being put in place that are preventing non-white women from progressing to that level. And if there are you can work to address them, and if it turns out that there aren't then great. But the only way you identify barriers to groups of people is by asking exactly these questions.

[DRFC_AjA]

It absolutely did happen like that, even literally at half time in one of their games when they were winning the beeb flashed over to a documentary about it with someone saying "I can't be inspired..."

To suggest that a white person can't be a role model for a non white person was and is nothing short of disgusting and divisive...two of my all time sporting hero's (as a white person) are Lewis Hamilton and Mo Farah. Imagine me saying they can't be because they're not my colour

It's childish, it's divisive and it's disgusting. There's been many many non white female players at international level but just because there happens to not be any now it's "racist". The pathetic default reaction.

 Oh well, they obviously chose the best players because they won

[VivaRovers]

It absolutely did happen like that, even literally at half time in one of their games when they were winning the beeb flashed over to a documentary about it with someone saying "I can't be inspired..."

To suggest that a white person can't be a role model for a non white person was and is nothing short of disgusting and divisive...two of my all time sporting hero's (as a white person) are Lewis Hamilton and Mo Farah. Imagine me saying they can't be because they're not my colour

It's childish, it's divisive and it's disgusting. There's been many many non white female players at international level but just because there happens to not be any now it's "racist". The pathetic default reaction.

 Oh well, they obviously chose the best players because they won

No it didn't happen like that. Not one person criticised the England players for being White. And no-one was suggesting that the best players hadn't been picked. I also don't recall anyone asking the questions suggesting that it was racist in anyway.

The question was why the make up of the current squad was so White when previous squads hadn't been. It's a reasonable question to ask, especially as the nature of women's football has changed so much in the last decade, because it then led to questions as to whether the WSL model had moved routes into top clubs away/out of reach from girls from poorer families.

No-one was suggesting that a White footballer couldn't be an inspiration for a non-White person. But if you're a young girl of, I don't know, let's say British-Pakistani origin, and you love football and you love the England team, of course you're going to love Mary Earps and Ella Toone, but at some point you're going to go 'why do none of these players look like me?'. Again, it's a reasonable question to ask. And by asking it you can identify if there are things preventing British-Asian girls from getting to that level.

[VivaRovers]

The Bristol City coach Anita Asante puts this across much better and most certainly with greater insight than me, here in this article.

A key quote within this piece being...
'There is clearly a problem – but it has nothing to do with Wiegman’s Euro 2022 team sheets and everything to do with the pathways leading players to the England squad.'

[BahrainRover]

Saudi have announced a national holiday for all sectors tomorrow in celebration for todays win.

[phil old leake]

DRFC. AJA
You’re 100% right. It’s all political and all about the pundits
I’ve found it all nauseating for ages.  Pompous self opinionated and full of it. I find most of the commentators are the same. I just wish there was an option to watch the games with just crowd noise and none of the mind numbing commentary
For me the worst is Martin Tyler.
Im quite sure that in years gone by the likes of John Motson, Barry Davies and Coleman were better than this lot. 
It’s actually spoiling football

[scawsby steve]

DRFC. AJA
You’re 100% right. It’s all political and all about the pundits
I’ve found it all nauseating for ages.  Pompous self opinionated and full of it. I find most of the commentators are the same. I just wish there was an option to watch the games with just crowd noise and none of the mind numbing commentary
For me the worst is Martin Tyler.
Im quite sure that in years gone by the likes of John Motson, Barry Davies and Coleman were better than this lot. 
It’s actually spoiling football

Dead right, Phil, and the greatest of them all was Kenneth Wolstenholme; "Some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over........"

You know the rest.

[normal rules]

All these glitzy half full stadiums. Got me reminiscing of some a little different.
Miss this old girl .

[belton rover]

I’ve never really understood Martin Tyler’s success. I thought he was crap when he was commentating for Yorkshire TV back in the 70s.

[wilts rover]

Amazing how many people who don't like politics in sport are making political comments about how sport should be covered and commented on...

...Jeff

[Pliskin]

The Bristol City coach Anita Asante puts this across much better and most certainly with greater insight than me, here in this article.

A key quote within this piece being...
'There is clearly a problem – but it has nothing to do with Wiegman’s Euro 2022 team sheets and everything to do with the pathways leading players to the England squad.'

The author says that there were only 3 non-white players in the squad of 23 and uses this as proof of a 'diversity problem'. As readers, it seems like we're supposed to just accept this without explanation.

But how many non-white players would one reasonably expect to see in an England squad? Based on demographics, it's probably around 4 or 5.

The author must've had a much larger number in mind to warrant declaring a 'diversity problem' in football on the back of there being only 3 non-white England players at one particular snapshot in time.

I don't doubt that there are problems, but this isn't evidence. It's ridiculous.

[SydneyRover]

The Bristol City coach Anita Asante puts this across much better and most certainly with greater insight than me, here in this article.

A key quote within this piece being...
'There is clearly a problem – but it has nothing to do with Wiegman’s Euro 2022 team sheets and everything to do with the pathways leading players to the England squad.'

The author says that there were only 3 non-white players in the squad of 23 and uses this as proof of a 'diversity problem'. As readers, it seems like we're supposed to just accept this without explanation.

But how many non-white players would one reasonably expect to see in an England squad? Based on demographics, it's probably around 4 or 5.

The author must've had a much larger number in mind to warrant declaring a 'diversity problem' in football on the back of there being only 3 non-white England players at one particular snapshot in time.

I don't doubt that there are problems, but this isn't evidence. It's ridiculous.

Pliskin, in your first sentence you are actually agreeing with the author, that it is not about the current team sheet. She then goes on to talk about the pathways for non-whites to get into the squad, you then hazard a guess about what the author is thinking and further you cast doubt on whether there are problems ............. bingo full house.

[phil old leake]

is anyone really suggesting that any top sports team manager like the woman’s football team manager purposely goes out to select white players over others. It’s a nonsense
Sport is all about success and that means that the best people are selected.  Look at the GB athletics squad. The best people are selected because they are faster stronger better at their sport.  No one cares about what colour they are or their background. Most people are happy that the relay teams and others are highly successful and win medals. Most football supporters don’t care who their players are as long as they play for their clubs and good enough 
If the very successful woman’s England football team squad was 50/50% would anyone have cared NO
most sensible thinking people were just happy to see an England or British team being successful
British sport would be knackered without non white sportsman and woman.  Look at the England football team.  Take away the non white players and the squad is at best average
Some people create issues when there really aren’t any and fuel problems

[SydneyRover]

''is anyone really suggesting that any top sports team manager like the woman’s football team manager purposely goes out to select white players over others''

Nope, absolutely not, zero, nil, never ever, where have you heard this phil?

[ncRover]

''is anyone really suggesting that any top sports team manager like the woman’s football team manager purposely goes out to select white players over others''

Nope, absolutely not, zero, nil, never ever, where have you heard this phil?

It’s obviously not true. But I think maybe when things like “the right pathways aren’t available” are said some people take it as that. This seems very vague and ambiguous statement to me.

We are a very tolerant and diverse country. Now that more funding and spotlight is on the growing womens game, people of colour will come in to it naturally. As they have done before.

What pathways are in place for people or colour in athletics that aren’t for football? I think the suggestion that every racial discrepancy is due to racism should be questioned.

We are pretty much a society that doesn’t see race now bar a few idiots.

[SydneyRover]

''I think the suggestion that every racial discrepancy is due to racism should be questioned''

Where have you heard that nc?

[ncRover]

''I think the suggestion that every racial discrepancy is due to racism should be questioned''

Where have you heard that nc?

I was just talking generally. The mens game has a lot more opportunities for people of colour because it is far bigger.

As the womens game gets bigger, more opportunities will naturally arise. It’s not necessarily because the system is designed to work against certain people as was insinuated by the original pundit’s comment. It doesn’t need to be made about race.

For example GB athletes in track and field are majority black but that isn’t because of some sort of systemic problem against other ethnicities.

When the issue is forced on stuff like this it brings out the discussion of race and the thought of division again, when we should be moving past that. Like I said, there are only a very small minority of actual racists in this country.

[Spilsby Red]

Souness said on tv as a pundit, the World Cup should not be here. Well Mr souness why are you there being paid as a pundit and getting free accommodation? If you don’t agree, don’t be there