FiFA

[BillyStubbsTears]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1592486389668773888

Just. What in the name of almighty f**k?

"Could you please ignore the fact that a fascist dictator has invaded your country and killed tens of thousands of your countrymen? Just for a few weeks. Forget about fighting for your freedom, and use the example of obscenely paid young men  running round after a ball in a competition awarded by one corrupt organisation to another one to find a way to peace."

Jesus wept.

[tommy toes]

I don't think he thought this one through.
But if he did, he's a berk.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Unbelievable Jeff and just shows how this organisation is out of touch and so aloof from reality.

[Colin C No.3]

All together now…

‘I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony,
Grow apple trees, sink to your knees, while a bullet passes….’

[phil old leake]

BST absolutely you’re right in this one.  What a complete pillock

[BillyStubbsTears]

I think Infantino is now clinically insane

He's just given a 90 minute monologue which basically boils down to "Some kids once bullied me for being a ginner, therefore we shouldn't criticise Qatar for locking up gay people."

I'm almost pining for Blatter. At least hewas just openly corrupt without trying to dress it up in false equivalence make up.

[tommy toes]

I think we ought to look into Infantino's ginner claims.
How many Italians have ginger hair?
Very few I'd guess.
And he's got black eyebrows.
This could be a Ginnergate moment for him.
Maybe our resident conspiracy theorists should look into it.

[scawsby steve]

F*cking hell, I've just seen and heard his rant. The guy seriously needs sectioning.

[ravenrover]

Crikey my hair was that bright ginger my nickname was Carrots. Nobody bullied me because of it nor did anyone else with ginger hair get bullied that I knew. The man is talking boll0cks and is kowtowing to the Qataries

[tyke1962]

FIFA giving lessons in morality .

You couldn't fecking make it up .

[scawsby steve]

Crikey my hair was that bright ginger my nickname was Carrots. Nobody bullied me because of it nor did anyone else with ginger hair get bullied that I knew. The man is talking boll0cks and is kowtowing to the Qataries

Yes, I remember your red hair, Raven. I'll bet it's no longer red nowadays though.

My daughter and 2 granddaughters all have red hair, so I have a bit of fondness for it.

[River Don]

Infantino seeks to play on European guilt about the  Atlantic slave trade. The truth is the East African slaves trade the Arab sultanates engaged in was every bit as despicable.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_NoWIZv96KU

[ravenrover]

Too right SS but stil plenty on top

[BobG]

Infantino seeks to play on European guilt about the  Atlantic slave trade. The truth is the East African slaves trade the Arab sultanates engaged in was every bit as despicable.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_NoWIZv96KU

And, RD, the Arab slave trade predated that of the Western Europeans by millenia.

BobG

[ravenrover]

Agreed Bob the North African Moors constantly raided the Med and certainly up to the British Isles.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Slavery has never been about race. It's about the unconstrained use of power. Sometimes one race is more powerful than another. Few races are fundamentally "better" or "worse" than others.

[Branton Red]

Slavery has never been about race. It's about the unconstrained use of power. Sometimes one race is more powerful than another. Few races are fundamentally "better" or "worse" than others.

Please explain which races you believe are fundamentally "better" or "worse" than others and why?!

[BillyStubbsTears]

I don't. The point of my post was that I don't believe races are fundamentally better or worse than each other. But I worded it poorly. I should have said "No races".

[Branton Red]

I don't. The point of my post was that I don't believe races are fundamentally better or worse than each other. But I worded it poorly. I should have said "No races".

OK fair enough.

[scawsby steve]

Agreed Bob the North African Moors constantly raided the Med and certainly up to the British Isles.

Bloody hell, Raven; don't let Christopher Walken hear you say that. He'll blow your brains out.

Especially if you call him half egg plant.

[River Don]

Agreed Bob the North African Moors constantly raided the Med and certainly up to the British Isles.

They would occasionally raid the south coast, they found the wreck of a North African pirate ship somewhere off Devon I think.

If we're going back 3,000 years as Infantino suggests then the Romans were taking N Europeans and Brits back to Italy. A century or more after that the Vikings were doing a roaring slave trade out of Britain.

Interestingly it was Wiliam the conqueror who banned slavery in Britain. Probably the First Nation on earth to do so.

[wilts rover]

It may be that William the B*****d banned slavery in Britain but he didn't end it. There are probably more people in slavery in the UK today than when he died.

Although offical figures are naturally hard to come bye, there are thought to be around 136000 people in slavery in the UK. Referals to the National Crime Agency rose 20% between 2020 and 2021, and are showing a similar rise this year.

That's the UK, today, 2022.

https://www.abi.org.uk/news/blog-articles/2022/05/on-your-doorstep-modern-slavery-human-trafficking-and-the-insurance-industry/

https://www.antislavery.org/slavery-today/slavery-uk/

[BillyStubbsTears]

This is brilliant by the Germany team today.

https://twitter.com/DFB_Team_EN/status/1595405792957562880?s=20&t=4p5CsBERGilOLxc9CkJ6vg

A big "f**k you" to the craven bas**rds in FIFA.

[Branton Red]

This is brilliant by the Germany team today.

https://twitter.com/DFB_Team_EN/status/1595405792957562880?s=20&t=4p5CsBERGilOLxc9CkJ6vg

A big "f**k you" to the craven bas**rds in FIFA.

I'd have been impressed if they'd worn the armband and taken the yellow card - could have substituted their allocated captain after 30 seconds given how many subs are allowed in the game and had little impact on their match prospects.

I'd have been even more impressed if they'd have boycotted the tournament - if done well in advance in conjunction with other top players/teams such an approach could well have forced FIFA's hand in moving it elsewhere.

But no the German FA and their players are complicit in the World Cup and football's reputation being tarnished and the advancement of Qatar and it's abhorrent regime. Same for England.

They'll make a public stand but will stop short of doing anything that will remotely impact on their £million careers - even taking one measly yellow card.

They're not brilliant - frankly they're pathetic.

[ravenrover]

Should have handed the armband round the team after 1st booking and had all 11 booked if they felt that strongly about it, sadly.......

[BillyStubbsTears]

I don't get this binary approach that this issue seems to bring out in so many people

This "Go the whole hog or you are a hypocrite".

FIFA ha put footballers in an impossible position of being told that, if they exhibit their principles, they will be penalised in their professional role.

The German players found a perfect way to turn that on its head. They demonstrated the principles they support while showing their contempt for the thinking that underpinned the FIFA/ Qatar stance.

[phil old leake]

BST I don’t think the authorities put footballers in impossible positions. They put themselves in impossible positions by forgetting the first priority is to play football
Theirs more talk about what they’re doing outside football than what they’re doing with the ball
It’s taken over. The media frenzy either way is ridiculous

[Branton Red]

I don't get this binary approach that this issue seems to bring out in so many people

This "Go the whole hog or you are a hypocrite".

FIFA ha put footballers in an impossible position of being told that, if they exhibit their principles, they will be penalised in their professional role.

The German players found a perfect way to turn that on its head. They demonstrated the principles they support while showing their contempt for the thinking that underpinned the FIFA/ Qatar stance.

I don't get your high praise for this fig leaf diplomacy.

OK let me give you an analogy.

You're on a £10m salary. Your boss asks you to go to Qatar to negotiate and hopefully complete a high profile business deal. If completed this deal will benefit your company but also benefit and raise the profile of Qatar and it's regime. You'll get a bonus relatively insignificant to your salary.

If you don't go you don't lose your job - just the bonus, some kudos within the business and the potential to enhance your future career prospects.

If you don't go there is the potential (not guarantee) that the deal itself doesn't go ahead.

What decision would you make in this scenario?

a) Don't go
b) Go
c) Go but for the media photo shaking hands with a Qatari official wear a One Love armband (in the knowledge again there will be no repercussion on your job)

[BillyStubbsTears]

Branton.

You are comparing passing up ymthe opportunity of making a humdrum deal with passing up the opportunity of playing in the World Cup Finals?

Really?

Do you want to rethink your analogy and have another go?

[Branton Red]

Branton.

You are comparing passing up ymthe opportunity of making a humdrum deal with passing up the opportunity of playing in the World Cup Finals?

Really?

Do you want to rethink your analogy and have another go?

The answer I'd hope most decent informed people would give is don't go.

Clearly you believe that your principles are for sale to the highest bidder i.e. how you'd act depends on the scale of the reward you'd get not the moral implications of the said actions.

Lets keep it really simple for you then.

Would you participate in the Qatar World Cup if you were a professional footballer?

For the record I would not. My principles are not for sale to the highest bidder. That is why I will not be praising these highly paid individuals who are complicit in advancing the cause of the Qatari regime for wearing armbands or covering their mouths in a photoshoot.