The New Football Thread

[Smeagol]

How about asking Sarena Weigman? she seems to be pretty good, she could not do worse than most of the previous incumbents of the job and would likely be much better than the last one.

[Woody]

How about asking Sarena Weigman? she seems to be pretty good, she could not do worse than most of the previous incumbents of the job and would likely be much better than the last one.

Can you imagine the outcry from the mouth breathers, most of them can’t cope with female commentators, never mind a manager

[llondel]

OK, who can identify this pair?

Pic1.jpg (23 KiB) Viewed 820 times

Pic2.jpg (12.14 KiB) Viewed 820 times

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Mikel Arteta (of the evil Arsenal) and Captain Black (of the evil Mysterons)

You never see them at the same time - spooky.

I note that Phil Foden is the first man to score a hat-trick in the Manchester derby since Erling Haarland......9 minutes earlier

[Woody]

This is the kind of record that makes supporters day

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63540624

[tango15]

This is the kind of record that makes supporters day

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63540624

I see that the ref concerned will be blowing his whistle at the World Cup. He has form for issuing red cards, apparently. It should make for interesting watching - perhaps even more interesting than the football!

[Woody]

Thousands of spectators left the World Cup's opening match in Qatar early on Sunday as the host nation trailed Ecuador 2-0, AFP reporters in the stadium said.

The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, 50 kilometres (31 miles) outside of Doha, had been full for the opening ceremony before the match, with an official attendance of 67,372 given by FIFA.

Hundreds of fans began leaving once Qatar went 2-0 down in the first half.As the second half wore on, more and more spectators departed until the stadium was half-full by the final whistle.

Bit like Old Trafford then

[larsssnowpharter]

Can't believe that there has been such media criticism about the decision of the Qarari authorities banning sale of beere in stadia during marches. Beer sales are banned in stadia in England.

It was Budweiser anyway so probably doing fans a favour.

Award for idiot of the tournament ,(so far) the England fan complaining about the lack of beer while dressed as a Crusader! Clearly sensitive to cultural norms. Prat!

[Woody]

Beer sales are banned in stadia in England.

Not in the ground, but you can’t take a beer to your seat

[larsssnowpharter]

Yes. That's it. I don't know if it is still the case but all pubs around Twickenham used to closed for the Army v Navy rugby.

[PHXPhlyer]

FIFA App Crashes, Causing 2022 World Cup Ticket Issues for 'Thousands' of Fans

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/100 ... =editorial

Problems with the FIFA app have left thousands of fans scrambling at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

According to James Olley and Jeff Carlisle of ESPN, tickets "disappeared" Monday from the FIFA ticketing app, leaving United States fans unable to attend the team's opening match against Wales.

The app reportedly crashed, preventing those in attendance from either accessing their account or transferring tickets to others.

FIFA released a statement about the technological issue:

"Some spectators are currently experiencing an issue with accessing their tickets via the FIFA ticketing app. FIFA is working on solving the issue. In the meantime, fans who are not able to access their mobile tickets should check the email accounts they used to register with the ticketing app for further instructions."

The United States is scheduled to face Wales at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, which is 10 p.m. local time in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

Fans with issues were instructed to go to the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center to resolve problems, although Olley and Carlisle reported at least 500 people were lined up outside the building Monday.

England fans also experienced ticketing problems ahead of their 8 a.m. ET match against Iran, which the Three Lions won 6-2.

Reports stated some tickets disappeared from the app while others were sent to help centers. Delays getting into the stadium also prevented many from seeing the start of the match.

Organizers at the Qatar World Cup have faced significant criticism, from the ongoing construction at the tournament sites to the last-minute decision to ban alcohol sales at stadiums. On Monday, players were prevented from wearing "OneLove" armbands during games to protest Qatar's treatment of LGBTQ individuals.

Solution found:
Give all the affected free beer.

PP

[TheGreenAnger]

FIFA App Crashes, Causing 2022 World Cup Ticket Issues for 'Thousands' of Fans


Solution found:
Give all the affected free beer.

PP

It is just NOT soccer Carruthers!

[PHXPhlyer]

New incentive for World Cup participants.

We now know what Budweiser will do with the beer it can’t sell at the World Cup

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/22/business ... index.html

Qatar’s last-minute decision to ban alcohol at World Cup stadiums has left Budweiser with loads of beer left on its hands. The company has an innovative solution to offload it.

Budweiser will ship the unsold Buds to the country that wins the tournament, the company said in a tweet. The company confirmed the plans in a statement to CNN Business, writing that it “wants to bring this celebration from the FIFA World Cup stadiums to the winning country’s fans.”

“We will host the ultimate championship celebration for the winning country. Because, for the winning fans, they’ve taken the world. More details will be shared when we get closer to the finals,” an Anheuser-Busch InBev spokesperson said in a statement.


Last week — just a few days before the World Cup was set to begin — Qatar announced that the eight stadiums couldn’t sell alcoholic Budweiser, leaving fans with only one option for beer: non-alcoholic Bud Zero.

Qatar is a Muslim country that is considered to be very conservative, and it tightly regulates alcohol sales and usage. In September, officials said ticketed fans would be able to buy alcoholic beer three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match.

“Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeter,” said FIFA, soccer’s governing body, last week.

Budweiser tweeted, “Well, this is awkward,” though the social media post was quickly deleted.

“As partners of FIFA for over three decades, we look forward to our activations of FIFA World Cup campaigns around the world to celebrate football with our consumers,” an AB-InBev spokesperson said in a previous statement. “Some of the planned stadium activations cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control.”

AB InBev paid $75 million for the FIFA sponsorship, according to multiple reports. So, the decision threw a wrench into the company’s World Cup marketing plans, as the decision dramatically reduces its presence for thousands of fans at the World Cup. However, arguably the bigger part — its TV advertisements with football royalty Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. — aren’t affected.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will take place through December 18.

PP

[PHXPhlyer]

Cristiano Ronaldo to leave Manchester United with immediate effect

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/22/football ... index.html

Cristiano Ronaldo is leaving Manchester United with immediate effect, the English Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

In a brief statement, United said the decision, which comes a week after Ronaldo gave an explosive TV interview about his frustrations at the club, was made by mutual agreement.

“The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future,” the statement said.

“Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.”

Ronaldo is currently with the Portugal national team in Qatar for the World Cup and said on Monday that the timing of his recent comments about United wouldn’t affect the concentration of his Portuguese teammates.

In an interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV released just before the start of the World Cup, Ronaldo explained how he felt United had betrayed him and that he has no respect for manager Ten Hag.

It brings the 37-year-old’s second spell at the club to an acrimonious and disappointing end having scored just once in 10 Premier League appearances this season.

He has largely been used as a substitute by ten Hag and last month refused to go onto the pitch against Tottenham Hotspur, instead walking down the tunnel with minutes of the match still remaining.

This is likely to be Ronaldo’s last appearance at a World Cup, and beyond that it is unclear which club will sign him for the second half of the season.

PP

[llondel]

Qatar’s last-minute decision to ban alcohol at World Cup stadiums has left Budweiser with loads of beer left on its hands. The company has an innovative solution to offload it.

Budweiser will ship the unsold Buds to the country that wins the tournament, the company said in a tweet. The company confirmed the plans in a statement to CNN Business, writing that it “wants to bring this celebration from the FIFA World Cup stadiums to the winning country’s fans.”

Damn, now they've made a good start, I almost want Saudi Arabia to win it.

[Karearea]

I'm enjoying watching coverage on the Thogden channel on yt.
Discovered this young man a couple of years ago when hunting for coverage of an FA Cup Final, and then his European Cup comments last year, and he's in Qatar now with his "Thogdad".
Great fun to watch

[Woody]

Gary Neville football genius

[4mastacker]

After tonight's performance, the England team should stick to virtue signalling cos they ain't going to win anything in this competition.

[llondel]

After tonight's performance, the England team should stick to virtue signalling cos they ain't going to win anything in this competition.

By my reckoning they can lose to Wales by three goals and still go through. Wales will equal them on points but have an inferior goal difference, or fewer goals scored, and it's not possible for both Iran and the US to get four or more points. Or do they use the match between the two sides above goal difference as a points separator?

[PHXPhlyer]

Official 'no longer employed' at London's U.S. Embassy for supporting England in World Cup
Spokesperson Aaron Snipe was fired in the jokey video posted to Twitter ahead of the clash in Qatar.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/worl ... -rcna58803

An official “is no longer employed at the U.S. Embassy in London,” after he declared his support for England ahead of Friday’s World Cup clash with America.

Ahead of the goal-less draw in Qatar, the embassy posted a video on its official Twitter account, joking that their spokesperson Aaron Snipe had been fired before the game.

Above the tweet the Embassy said it was “sad” to announce his departure, “but some things are more important than diplomacy.”

In the video, Snipe can be seen walking into the office wearing an England scarf, where he receives disgusted looks from a couple of colleagues.

As he reaches his office which has England flags hanging up, someone has printed out letters spelling “traitor,” and stuck them up on the glass pane, alongside the Stars and Stripes.

A colleague then comes in and tells him that “HR called,” and they want to see him “now.”

The video then cuts to Snipe being told off.

“Look man, I don’t know why I need to be the one reminding you, but, you’re an American. You work for the U.S. Embassy. You cannot be rooting for England,” an unnamed man tells him. “I’m gonna need you to take those decorations down. Take that shirt off. And I don’t want to have to call you up here again.”

Standing up, Snipe replies: “OK. Good chat.”

Walking out, he takes off his England home jersey, only to reveal that he has an away jersey underneath.

A line then appears saying, “Aaron Snipe is no longer employed by the U.S. Embassy in London.”


Among those to respond was Dame Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the U.S. and the former president of the United Nations Security Council.

“He can be our new @UKinUSA sports attaché,” she tweeted. Jane Hartley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.K., replied, “You can have him.”

Some might argue the video was more entertaining than the game which the U.S. dominated but ended in a scoreless tie.

A well organized U.S. team pressed well and frustrated England and could feel disappointed in the end after creating the better chances in the game.

The United States, with two points after drawing twice, is in third place of Group B, behind England and Iran which earlier in the day scored a stunning victory against Wales.

The Americans end group play on Tuesday against Iran and a victory over Team Melli would guarantee no worse than a second-place U.S. finish and advancement.

PP