Not worthy of a thread - 2018 FIFA World Cup edition

[triggs]

1pm and 4pm midweek games

[cubaricho]

1pm and 4pm midweek games

 

6am, 9am, and noon here in Denver. You'll be alright.

[triggs]

World Cup 2026 decision tomorrow, Morocco or USA/Canada/Mexico joint bid

[Away Day Gadgie]

Is it rose tinted glasses or were the strikers in 1998 overall a different gravy to what's around now. Watching the 1998 World Cup film on History Channel and you've got Ronaldo, Henry, Batistuta, Shearer, Vieri, Kluivert, Salas, Suker, Bergkamp, Owen, Bierhoff, Klinsmann, Raul...

 

No.  I think the quality of forwards at that particular World Cup was higher than it’s ever been in my lifetime.  That list you gave is outstanding and it didn’t include the likes of Crespo, Del Piero, Stoichkov and Baggio. 

[RS]

Nigerian team travel wear:

 

https://www.rt.com/sport/429425-nigeria-suits-world-cup-russia/

[Paully]

Any reason why the opening match changed from featuring the previous winners to featuring the host nation at Germany 06?

[ponsaelius]

Any reason why the opening match changed from featuring the previous winners to featuring the host nation at Germany 06?

 

They made it so the holders had to qualify after 2002, so a spot in Group A wasn't reserved for them.

 

Why they did that exactly, is not really clear. IIRC Blatter pretty much just decided it on a whim before Korea/Japan.

[Greg]

Here we go.

 

[Greg]

Wullie going back in time?

 

[Wullie]

[Si]

Cheers for organising Wullie. World cup fever is setting in.

[Fedyan]

The Brazilians have landed in Sochi. Neymar is already spamming the web with photos of himself and his teammates having fun on the beach. The question of his fitness remains, but hopefully he gets into tip top shape as the tournament goes. A lot of people don't like him for whatever reason, but I think he is a hell of a footballer and could prove to be decisive. And personally, find the whole money-grabber accusation a bit thick. Football is plastered with the likes of Shaquiri and Oscar, who don't even pretend to be driven by anything other than money, purely a job for them. And people complain about Neymar. Whatever. I would much rather Brazil win then other forrin forrins. Although, I picked Colombia to support.

 

The Serbs arrived in Kaliningrad and started playing the old "brotha" song. Well, some of them did anyway. As if it would make them non-forrin somehow. For a whole variety of historical, political and religious reasons going all the way centuries ago, Serbia and Montenegro (Bulgaria as well, to a lesser extent) are viewed as brotherly nations due to them being Orthodox, Slavic and using Cyrillic alphabet by some of the God-fearing compatriots of mine. Me, I still don't get all the fuss over that Yugoslavia team at Italia90 (brilliant on paper, rather mediocre on the pitch) and thus don't get the whole sporting Yugo-love fest. Plenty of people here cheer on Croatia as well. Anyhow, they will sure as hell command a lot of support from the stands. But no matter the quality on paper, nobody can escape a good transfer saga. And with the window being shorter in England and Italy starting this summer, I can easily see how Sergej's stay or go mumblings will affect the entire team. The Switzerland game should be a banter-filled fun fest, that's for sure.

 

Panama will stay just outside of Saransk, giving so many avenues for creative jokes about a nothing team in a nothing town. But, evil sarcasm aside, their coach loves it there, probably still pinching himself for being at the World Cup. Two Panamanian fans that I know of (curiously - of Chinese and Cuban descent respectively) to this day can't explain how they made it. The way they put it - comparing them with Costa Rica is like comparing Brazil to Guyana when it comes down to football. Go figure.

 

Argentina are staying at a resort in Bronnizi, and the owner of the thing greeted the team with a huge picture depicting them as gladiators. Cristian Ansaldi (played for Rubin and Zenit a while ago, obviously) went ballistic on Insta. I don't share the enthusiasm, since the resort owner is obviously a Spartak fan, and they have no taste by definition. Some former Argie favorites who plied their trade in our league are also arriving - Fernando Cavenaghi (will never forgive him for ruining my birthday by being one of the goalscorers is a 1-5 derby defeat when he was with the pigs) and Hector Bracamonte (a bit of a cult figure here, learned the language, was very involved socially and who can forget that haircut). I also hope that Leandro Fernandez, who joined my club after winning the Olympic Gold in Beijing, will be a part of some TV setup. Gave us a good decade of peerless, no-nonsense service and remained loyal even when the likes of Lazio and Sevilla came calling. Ended up winning nothing, but boy was he a warrior. It is because of him that I found myself in agreement with Cesar Menotti's genius assessment of Argentinian football - the best are from Rosario. So true.

 

Croats have landed in St Petersburg, cue tons of rumors about Modric joining Zenit. As we love to say, there is something in the water there. But then again, I didn't believe that they would pull off Hulk and Witsel in one window, and they did. But FFP made sure that any rich club from Russia or Turkey is practically unable to go for real game-changers, so the virgin integrity of UEFA competitions will stay intact, irrespective of what some deluded hobo (affectional names for Zenit fans and players) journalist thinks. These will get a sizable amount of local support due to some of the above-mentioned reasons (even though they're Catholic) and quite a few fan favorites leaving a mark on local league. Like Stipe Pletikosa, who played for the pigs and then joined Rostov signing a contract that even a kid would deem dodgy (imagine agreeing to join a club that pays you a legal permitted monthly minimum income and provides the rest of your rather outlandish salary from a ton of separate sources, and then those sources opt out due to a conflict with the club's board) and went on national TV screaming bloody murder. As the old saying goes, not all footballers are smart. But, in fairness, I am in full agreement with him on Rostov-on-Don being a very special place. They might actually be decent. But because of Modric and Lovren (the whole lying in court thing) I am kind of indifferent.

 

The Swiss will stay in Togliatti and boy did it ever cause a steer among the many local Facebook standup wannabes. An industrial city (this is where the Ladas are made) known as Stavropol until 1964, when it was renamed Togliatti in honour of Italian communist Palmiro Togliatti who died the same year. A rather fascinating historical figure, absolutely hated the nazis and Duce. Anyhow, this is not exactly Wolfsburg or Leverkusen. Kind of like a smaller Detroit, sans the ghettos. A hockey-mad city (Alexei Kovakev, Viktor Kozlov, Ilya Bryzgalov, Alexei Emelin and Igor Grigorenko are local academy graduates among many others) and basically a huge suburb of Samara. Especially, if you ask someone who is from Samara. Granted, the Zhiguli mountains are fantastic and Volga is a short car drive away, but still a rather curious choice for stay. Used to be quite a newsmaker of a city, for all the wrong reasons, during the riproaring 90s. As they say - hipsters, cosplay enthusiasts and fancy rappers don't live here. For whatever reason.

 

If you thought that Nigerian retro kit was lush, just check out the suits they wore before departure to the World Cup. Man, and those hats! Proper African fashion that, unlike the kits (personally found them a bit meh) this attire is bloody brilliant. Styling and profiling, like.

 

That Golovin kid Rafa was linked with is in high demand. Napoli, Arsenal, Chelsea and Monaco are sniffing around and it is alleged that now Juve have entered the fray with an opening 17 million Euros bid. Some of their directors are visiting the tournament and a few of rather reliable ITKs suggest that they will meet with CSKA big shots before the end of the week to see if the deal can be done fast. Good luck with that, CSKA chairman Evgeny Giner is basically Levy and Oulas wrapped in one when it comes to transfer negotiations. Of course, a sceptic will name Zavarov and Aleynikov as failed replacements for a certain Michel Platini, but somehow I think he would flourish in Italy or Spain, and the said figures are from way back. A very smart kid, none of the fast cars, fast clubs, fast girls BS that seems to unite quite a few footballers world over, has the technical and tactical nous to succeed at the highest level. Hails from Novokuznetsk, a heavy industry city in Siberia, known more for a great youth setup in hockey (Dmitry Orlov just won the Stanley Cup with Washington, Sergei Bobrovsky needs no introduction to any hockey fan, both local boys) than football. I can understand perfectly why Rafa would be interested - imagine a slightly more technical Shelvey, but without the mental streak. We'll see. Too many talented youngsters failed before, for a whole variety of reasons.

 

I decided to finish my Panini album after the tournament, calmly exchanging the extra stickers with those that I miss with other sad adults who can't find a calmer hobby. If I see another Vardy, Cristiano or that Sliti lad, I will go to the Italian Embassy protesting the evil ways of those greedy coonts in Modena, like. I mean, this is getting ridiculous now.

[HawK]

Grr now I gotta check 2 boards rather than just 1, mumble grumble.

[Flip]

Fedyan is a 10 out of 10.

[54]

Fedyan is a 10 out of 10.

I really hope him and HTT don't get into an argument, well end up with a short novel by the end of it

[sbnufc]

too late to start a fantasy for money then?

 

I have no interest in FF usually and can never be bothered to carry on with it after I start, but the last 2 I've done were for money and were decent 'cause I won

[Wullie]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/jun/12/david-squires-on-the-world-cup-football-christmas-is-here

 

Tyldesley

[Fedyan]

Edmundo man, what a player he was, wasn’t he called the animal or something?

 

Is your country starting to really get hyped for the WC Fedyan and do you think there will be any problems of a hooliganism nature? I hope not.

 

Hopefully it will be an exhibition of football where the top players shine, new prospects emerge and there will be goals and incidents aplenty.

 

There is ton of enthusiasm and a never-ending stream of verbal sh!t directed at our national team. All at the same time

 

No, people are genuinely excited. Of course, a lot of questions about the costs and what made some believe that serious football clubs will occupy the stadium once the tournament is over. Kinda like in Brazil where a few stadium were built in the relative football wilderness. And who in the world would ever go to Saransk on vacation. Even people from Saransk don't argue with that. But, I am not rational enough to listen to people who still think that hosting Olympics, World a Cups and such is a bad idea. Call me a cynic, but the politicians and those who really matter in the business world will always find new and fun ways to get something dodgy done. And by that I mean - pretty much anywhere. I would much rather see some of the cities whose leaders would otherwise do very little or nothing at all, but serve their own economical interests, get refurbished and have infrastructural improvements this way. The kids who applied for volunteer positions (turns out there were far more applicants than FIFA and RSF ever had openings) can not wait, and don't even get me started on those in bar/restaraunt/nightclub business. I mean, it's the freaking World Cup.

 

As for the hooligan thing. As a serious fan, I plan my away trips months in advance and of course (as any honest away going fan will admit) you kind of bump into or just know someone in the know. Or know someone who knows someone in the know, if you get what I mean. The majority will leave Moscow and St Petersburg all together for the duration of the tournament. Those who were unable to get their vacation sorted will stay away at home or watch the games in a bar. Too many serious warnings from the police, a whole bunch of black lists, anyone with a single administrative fine for anything (like urinating on a fence; swearing at a police officer; wearing a Buzzcocks shirt; getting drunk in a public place, let alone rowdy behavior) near a football match during the last 15 years has been marked. I kid you not. But, you have to understand that this is mostly about Moscow and St Petersburg. People in, say, Kazan or Sochi wouldn't even understand what you're on about because the fan culture there is just a laid back one. You know, friends and families, older blokes who have been going for years having beer-influenced discussions on tactics,etc. Don't let some idiotic stickers in pub restrooms fool you.

 

I personally know a guy in his late 40s, who told me a story while we were waiting for our season tickets a year ago. He wanted to attend one of the Confederation Cup matches with his kids, bought the tickets, got the Fan ID done. And was just about to enter the stadium, when a steward checked his ID and requested a police officer to show up. The man in question was very politely asked if he has ever been to Volgograd in the summer of 1998. He said yes. He was then informed that since he is on file as having been fined for a drunk scuffle near the train station there on a day of Rotor Volgograd - Dynamo Moscow match wearing team colors, his name in marked in a football hooligan database and it is recommended that he leaves the premises immediately and will not be granted entry. And the said scuffle was actually among people who had a few too many beers and started (rather loudly and in industrial terms and expressions) discussing why our national team missed the World Cup that year. The guy is not a violent type at all, brags about having just one speeding ticket all his life, one of those Internet dudes. Never went away for over ten years. Is in no way involved with any our (admittedly) violent ultras groups. Yet, he will not be able to attend because of one incident 20 years ago. Some might consider this to be a bit extreme, but I am sure if you actually socialize with people on a consistent basis, you certainly know someone who may had a drunken fight in a pub, argued publicly about a girl, etc. To the best of my knowledge, this is also how the Britich police tackled hooliganism after Taylor report. Being unforgiving and ruthless. Even if a bit extreme sometimes.

 

Just this past spring, as I was enjoying a fantastic 1-1 bore draw (with -15 degrees Celcius outside, this being early March) away in lovely Ufa (another great city which would have been a fantastic host, far better than Saransk) and pondering my perhaps too enthusiastic night out before with some of the friendliest strippers I have ever met, I overheard a conversation of a few "proper hard lads" in our section who were discussing how they plan to take their lasses to Cyprus for the tournament because the OB "won't let you take a wank" (almost a literal translation) if you're anywhere near the stadium on matchday. I remember this not due to a rather strong hangover mixed with a feeling of slight guilt (man, those strippers know how to make you unusually generous) anyone over the age of 30 expreriences when you spend more than you originally planned, but due to the fact that I almost pissed myself laughing upon hearing all of this and was given a few "proper hard lad" looks as a result. They're like Bieber fans, only more violent and take this whole "game" thing far too seriously.

 

Now, I can't remember a single WC or Euro that went completely incident-free. Someday someone will have a drunken brawl. Somebody might get mugged. Some taxi driver will try to cheat. Someone will complain about crappy hookah in a strip bar (a global trend, by the looks of it). Somebody will whine about stewards or police allegedly or very likely not being competent enough. These things always happen, unfortunately. Large groups of very diverse people on vacation. What do we expect? 99 percent will come to have fun and socialize, 1 percent will always find an adventurous avenue for their arse, as we say.

 

But, there is always a but Personally, I am more concerned about (metaphorically speaking) chavs meeting chavs. Say, a chav from some Ruhr Valley outpost wanders in a working class residential area in suburban Samara and says something a local chav won't understand. Say, it's late night and they both had a few shots of some brain stopping juice. Say, they could either sing songs and communicate, or start a fight. Guess, what (and how) will be reported in the West if the German chav ends up defeated and injured? I hope, you understand what I mean. I've been to plenty of genuine working class (and downright poor) neighborhoods in quite a few countries, and in no way do I suggest that trouble is around the corner if you wander off a tourist route or end up somewhere far away from a city center. I mean, judging by what you guys write about Sunderland and Boro, a person without any sense would be sh!tscared of coming over to England So, in a nutshell, I think that any negative incidents will be about some drunken behavior, which will undoubtedly happen purely down to the amount of people involved. And will absolutely be front page "LOOK AT THOSE SICK ANIMALS" material, of that I have no doubt. As is the case with any trip abroad, common sense and logic usually spares a traveler of any trouble. Hopefully, I made myself clear and didn't offend any chavs. Have nothing against them, obviously

 

As for the long posts - I apologize if it is of any inconvenience. But it's an age old habit of me, not gonna change

[samptime29]

Don't apologise Fedyan - keep them coming.

 

I like reading and I like football. 

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Edmundo man, what a player he was, wasn’t he called the animal or something?

 

Is your country starting to really get hyped for the WC Fedyan and do you think there will be any problems of a hooliganism nature? I hope not.

 

Hopefully it will be an exhibition of football where the top players shine, new prospects emerge and there will be goals and incidents aplenty.

 

There is ton of enthusiasm and a never-ending stream of verbal sh!t directed at our national team. All at the same time

 

No, people are genuinely excited. Of course, a lot of questions about the costs and what made some believe that serious football clubs will occupy the stadium once the tournament is over. Kinda like in Brazil where a few stadium were built in the relative football wilderness. And who in the world would ever go to Saransk on vacation. Even people from Saransk don't argue with that. But, I am not rational enough to listen to people who still think that hosting Olympics, World a Cups and such is a bad idea. Call me a cynic, but the politicians and those who really matter in the business world will always find new and fun ways to get something dodgy done. And by that I mean - pretty much anywhere. I would much rather see some of the cities whose leaders would otherwise do very little or nothing at all, but serve their own economical interests, get refurbished and have infrastructural improvements this way. The kids who applied for volunteer positions (turns out there were far more applicants than FIFA and RSF ever had openings) can not wait, and don't even get me started on those in bar/restaraunt/nightclub business. I mean, it's the freaking World Cup.

 

As for the hooligan thing. As a serious fan, I plan my away trips months in advance and of course (as any honest away going fan will admit) you kind of bump into or just know someone in the know. Or know someone who knows someone in the know, if you get what I mean. The majority will leave Moscow and St Petersburg all together for the duration of the tournament. Those who were unable to get their vacation sorted will stay away at home or watch the games in a bar. Too many serious warnings from the police, a whole bunch of black lists, anyone with a single administrative fine for anything (like urinating on a fence; swearing at a police officer; wearing a Buzzcocks shirt; getting drunk in a public place, let alone rowdy behavior) near a football match during the last 15 years has been marked. I kid you not. But, you have to understand that this is mostly about Moscow and St Petersburg. People in, say, Kazan or Sochi wouldn't even understand what you're on about because the fan culture there is just a laid back one. You know, friends and families, older blokes who have been going for years having beer-influenced discussions on tactics,etc. Don't let some idiotic stickers in pub restrooms fool you.

 

I personally know a guy in his late 40s, who told me a story while we were waiting for our season tickets a year ago. He wanted to attend one of the Confederation Cup matches with his kids, bought the tickets, got the Fan ID done. And was just about to enter the stadium, when a steward checked his ID and requested a police officer to show up. The man in question was very politely asked if he has ever been to Volgograd in the summer of 1998. He said yes. He was then informed that since he is on file as having been fined for a drunk scuffle near the train station there on a day of Rotor Volgograd - Dynamo Moscow match wearing team colors, his name in marked in a football hooligan database and it is recommended that he leaves the premises immediately and will not be granted entry. And the said scuffle was actually among people who had a few too many beers and started (rather loudly and in industrial terms and expressions) discussing why our national team missed the World Cup that year. The guy is not a violent type at all, brags about having just one speeding ticket all his life, one of those Internet dudes. Never went away for over ten years. Is in no way involved with any our (admittedly) violent ultras groups. Yet, he will not be able to attend because of one incident 20 years ago. Some might consider this to be a bit extreme, but I am sure if you actually socialize with people on a consistent basis, you certainly know someone who may had a drunken fight in a pub, argued publicly about a girl, etc. To the best of my knowledge, this is also how the Britich police tackled hooliganism after Taylor report. Being unforgiving and ruthless. Even if a bit extreme sometimes.

 

Just this past spring, as I was enjoying a fantastic 1-1 bore draw (with -15 degrees Celcius outside, this being early March) away in lovely Ufa (another great city which would have been a fantastic host, far better than Saransk) and pondering my perhaps too enthusiastic night out before with some of the friendliest strippers I have ever met, I overheard a conversation of a few "proper hard lads" in our section who were discussing how they plan to take their lasses to Cyprus for the tournament because the OB "won't let you take a wank" (almost a literal translation) if you're anywhere near the stadium on matchday. I remember this not due to a rather strong hangover mixed with a feeling of slight guilt (man, those strippers know how to make you unusually generous) anyone over the age of 30 expreriences when you spend more than you originally planned, but due to the fact that I almost pissed myself laughing upon hearing all of this and was given a few "proper hard lad" looks as a result. They're like Bieber fans, only more violent and take this whole "game" thing far too seriously.

 

Now, I can't remember a single WC or Euro that went completely incident-free. Someday someone will have a drunken brawl. Somebody might get mugged. Some taxi driver will try to cheat. Someone will complain about crappy hookah in a strip bar (a global trend, by the looks of it). Somebody will whine about stewards or police allegedly or very likely not being competent enough. These things always happen, unfortunately. Large groups of very diverse people on vacation. What do we expect? 99 percent will come to have fun and socialize, 1 percent will always find an adventurous avenue for their arse, as we say.

 

But, there is always a but Personally, I am more concerned about (metaphorically speaking) chavs meeting chavs. Say, a chav from some Ruhr Valley outpost wanders in a working class residential area in suburban Samara and says something a local chav won't understand. Say, it's late night and they both had a few shots of some brain stopping juice. Say, they could either sing songs and communicate, or start a fight. Guess, what (and how) will be reported in the West if the German chav ends up defeated and injured? I hope, you understand what I mean. I've been to plenty of genuine working class (and downright poor) neighborhoods in quite a few countries, and in no way do I suggest that trouble is around the corner if you wander off a tourist route or end up somewhere far away from a city center. I mean, judging by what you guys write about Sunderland and Boro, a person without any sense would be sh!tscared of coming over to England So, in a nutshell, I think that any negative incidents will be about some drunken behavior, which will undoubtedly happen purely down to the amount of people involved. And will absolutely be front page "LOOK AT THOSE SICK ANIMALS" material, of that I have no doubt. As is the case with any trip abroad, common sense and logic usually spares a traveler of any trouble. Hopefully, I made myself clear and didn't offend any chavs. Have nothing against them, obviously

 

As for the long posts - I apologize if it is of any inconvenience. But it's an age old habit of me, not gonna change

 

tl;dr

[Kimbo]

World Cup 2026 decision tomorrow, Morocco or USA/Canada/Mexico joint bid

 

I hope Morocco wins it. Fuck off with yer 3 way world cup.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Only joking btw Fedyan, fascinating read and hopefully it will be a troublefree toyrnament with some cracking games.

 

I haven’t a clue about your national team, what’s the nation’s feelings about it in terms of how far they can go etc.?

[tgarve]

Can we make a too long to post in the not worthy of a post thread?

[Mike]

Edmundo man, what a player he was, wasn’t he called the animal or something?

 

Is your country starting to really get hyped for the WC Fedyan and do you think there will be any problems of a hooliganism nature? I hope not.

 

Hopefully it will be an exhibition of football where the top players shine, new prospects emerge and there will be goals and incidents aplenty.

 

There is ton of enthusiasm and a never-ending stream of verbal sh!t directed at our national team. All at the same time

 

No, people are genuinely excited. Of course, a lot of questions about the costs and what made some believe that serious football clubs will occupy the stadium once the tournament is over. Kinda like in Brazil where a few stadium were built in the relative football wilderness. And who in the world would ever go to Saransk on vacation. Even people from Saransk don't argue with that. But, I am not rational enough to listen to people who still think that hosting Olympics, World a Cups and such is a bad idea. Call me a cynic, but the politicians and those who really matter in the business world will always find new and fun ways to get something dodgy done. And by that I mean - pretty much anywhere. I would much rather see some of the cities whose leaders would otherwise do very little or nothing at all, but serve their own economical interests, get refurbished and have infrastructural improvements this way. The kids who applied for volunteer positions (turns out there were far more applicants than FIFA and RSF ever had openings) can not wait, and don't even get me started on those in bar/restaraunt/nightclub business. I mean, it's the freaking World Cup.

 

As for the hooligan thing. As a serious fan, I plan my away trips months in advance and of course (as any honest away going fan will admit) you kind of bump into or just know someone in the know. Or know someone who knows someone in the know, if you get what I mean. The majority will leave Moscow and St Petersburg all together for the duration of the tournament. Those who were unable to get their vacation sorted will stay away at home or watch the games in a bar. Too many serious warnings from the police, a whole bunch of black lists, anyone with a single administrative fine for anything (like urinating on a fence; swearing at a police officer; wearing a Buzzcocks shirt; getting drunk in a public place, let alone rowdy behavior) near a football match during the last 15 years has been marked. I kid you not. But, you have to understand that this is mostly about Moscow and St Petersburg. People in, say, Kazan or Sochi wouldn't even understand what you're on about because the fan culture there is just a laid back one. You know, friends and families, older blokes who have been going for years having beer-influenced discussions on tactics,etc. Don't let some idiotic stickers in pub restrooms fool you.

 

I personally know a guy in his late 40s, who told me a story while we were waiting for our season tickets a year ago. He wanted to attend one of the Confederation Cup matches with his kids, bought the tickets, got the Fan ID done. And was just about to enter the stadium, when a steward checked his ID and requested a police officer to show up. The man in question was very politely asked if he has ever been to Volgograd in the summer of 1998. He said yes. He was then informed that since he is on file as having been fined for a drunk scuffle near the train station there on a day of Rotor Volgograd - Dynamo Moscow match wearing team colors, his name in marked in a football hooligan database and it is recommended that he leaves the premises immediately and will not be granted entry. And the said scuffle was actually among people who had a few too many beers and started (rather loudly and in industrial terms and expressions) discussing why our national team missed the World Cup that year. The guy is not a violent type at all, brags about having just one speeding ticket all his life, one of those Internet dudes. Never went away for over ten years. Is in no way involved with any our (admittedly) violent ultras groups. Yet, he will not be able to attend because of one incident 20 years ago. Some might consider this to be a bit extreme, but I am sure if you actually socialize with people on a consistent basis, you certainly know someone who may had a drunken fight in a pub, argued publicly about a girl, etc. To the best of my knowledge, this is also how the Britich police tackled hooliganism after Taylor report. Being unforgiving and ruthless. Even if a bit extreme sometimes.

 

Just this past spring, as I was enjoying a fantastic 1-1 bore draw (with -15 degrees Celcius outside, this being early March) away in lovely Ufa (another great city which would have been a fantastic host, far better than Saransk) and pondering my perhaps too enthusiastic night out before with some of the friendliest strippers I have ever met, I overheard a conversation of a few "proper hard lads" in our section who were discussing how they plan to take their lasses to Cyprus for the tournament because the OB "won't let you take a wank" (almost a literal translation) if you're anywhere near the stadium on matchday. I remember this not due to a rather strong hangover mixed with a feeling of slight guilt (man, those strippers know how to make you unusually generous) anyone over the age of 30 expreriences when you spend more than you originally planned, but due to the fact that I almost pissed myself laughing upon hearing all of this and was given a few "proper hard lad" looks as a result. They're like Bieber fans, only more violent and take this whole "game" thing far too seriously.

 

Now, I can't remember a single WC or Euro that went completely incident-free. Someday someone will have a drunken brawl. Somebody might get mugged. Some taxi driver will try to cheat. Someone will complain about crappy hookah in a strip bar (a global trend, by the looks of it). Somebody will whine about stewards or police allegedly or very likely not being competent enough. These things always happen, unfortunately. Large groups of very diverse people on vacation. What do we expect? 99 percent will come to have fun and socialize, 1 percent will always find an adventurous avenue for their arse, as we say.

 

But, there is always a but Personally, I am more concerned about (metaphorically speaking) chavs meeting chavs. Say, a chav from some Ruhr Valley outpost wanders in a working class residential area in suburban Samara and says something a local chav won't understand. Say, it's late night and they both had a few shots of some brain stopping juice. Say, they could either sing songs and communicate, or start a fight. Guess, what (and how) will be reported in the West if the German chav ends up defeated and injured? I hope, you understand what I mean. I've been to plenty of genuine working class (and downright poor) neighborhoods in quite a few countries, and in no way do I suggest that trouble is around the corner if you wander off a tourist route or end up somewhere far away from a city center. I mean, judging by what you guys write about Sunderland and Boro, a person without any sense would be sh!tscared of coming over to England So, in a nutshell, I think that any negative incidents will be about some drunken behavior, which will undoubtedly happen purely down to the amount of people involved. And will absolutely be front page "LOOK AT THOSE SICK ANIMALS" material, of that I have no doubt. As is the case with any trip abroad, common sense and logic usually spares a traveler of any trouble. Hopefully, I made myself clear and didn't offend any chavs. Have nothing against them, obviously

 

As for the long posts - I apologize if it is of any inconvenience. But it's an age old habit of me, not gonna change

 

tl;dr

[Incognito]

World Cup 2026 decision tomorrow, Morocco or USA/Canada/Mexico joint bid

 

I hope Morocco wins it. Fuck off with yer 3 way world cup.

 

Especially as Mexico has held it twice since we have had it .