The Soccer Thread (Version 13) — Winter World Cup Edition

I wonder if Qatar is just going to buy out Budweiser.

 

The beer at the stadium thing is interesting. You can't drink in the stands in England during games (only at halftime in the lounge/concourse), and I'd assume that's pretty standard across Europe. So this may not have as much impact as one thinks.

 

Ban isn't just inside the stadium, it's anywhere inside security perimeter, that is, outside the stadium, too. But mostly, it indicates Qatar is going to break any promise it made to FIFA it feels like. This could get somewhat dicey if, say, security goons start roughing up fans with rainbow T-shirts, etc.

 

I think that it was going to be allowed in the perimeter areas but not in the stands themselves. Just odd that they have done all of this stuff in the last couple of days.

 

I hope this is as massive a non-violent clusterfuck as possible.

 

I just want the actual football to start so I can just concentrate on the games. I'm going in eyes wide open on how much of an utter shitshow that this is, but in my heart I'm still a massive fan of the game. Definitely having to do some compartmentalization here.

 

Couldn't be happening to a better organization.

 

Sepp Blatter has come out saying awarding the WC to Qatar was a mistake....
or in other words, he got his bribe and avoided jail, so don't blame him.

 

Meanwhile, ManU is working to cancel Ronaldo’s contract and might sue him for breach of contract.

 

This whole World Cup:

bait-and-switch
/bāt and,(ə)n(d) swiCH/

noun

1. the action (generally illegal) of advertising goods which are an apparent bargain, with the intention of substituting inferior or more expensive goods.
   "a bait-and-switch scheme"

 

But how will the Clydesdales survive in the desert heat?