Omnibus World Football Thread 2020-2022 (edited)

Any recommendations on a free service to run a World Cup pickem group?

Whoa - no booze at the WC.

It’s gonna be a bizarre WC. No beer adds to the bizzaro world of this tournament.

ETA: just read an article in a German news outlet, I think it was spiegel.de, that stated that Qatar stabbed FIFA in the back with this decision, after FIFA having made all kinds of concessions before to them. Qatar seems to have FIFA and the whole football world by the balls, especially the ones who hate FIFA anyway.

It’s too late to do anything about it now, at least for this cup. If it’s a breach of contract I suppose FIFA can fine them and/or ban them from competition for X years. I’m skeptical that would happen, especially since they might be able to bribe themselves out of that one too.

“Qatar is a mistake.”

  • Sepp Blatter, everybody’s favourite former FIFA foulard.

Cursing Discourse for the dot instead of dash.

Yeah, he should keep his yap shut, of all people.

Sepp Blatter is a…kerchief!?

Well, TIL - I ignorantly assumed a foulard was a foul person.
I’ll just opt, then, with brazenly autocratic, snivelling, petty criminal, instead.

ETA: not that he was a ‘petty criminal’, but rather a criminal who was exceedingly petty (and greedy).

This is really a fun tool for comparing goal scorers across various dimensions.

Tomorrows headlines “Leicester’s Defense a Faes.”

Ouch!

CR7 has signed with Al Nassr. Part of KSA wanting the 2030 WC I’m guessing.

Pretty unlikely to head back to the Arabian peninsula so fast, I think. Makes the money make more sense though. I can’t imagine they’re actually going to get that much more publicity.

Can I still post here in 2023 or would it be better to start a new thread?
I came to post this:
Gianluca Vialli has died today aged 58.

I’d be fine with just taking the years out of the title and keeping it rolling in this thread….

So we’re continuing with this thread, then?

Marseilles are stonerzzz!!! Rad.

Just now watching them play FC Lorient, and there was a shot of Marseilles players / VIPs / wives up in the (heh, darkened) stands.
Saw a flame - buddy was lighting something, then passed it over. :smiley:

Like I expected, Podolski’s goal won the Goal of the Month for November, and also the Goal of the Year for 2022 out of the twelve best goals of the year.

In shocking news, Manchester City is accused by the Premier League of financial misdeeds dating back to 2009:

Anybody taking bets on whether significant sanctions are handed down (by which I mean anything more than a fine or transfer ban)?

Interesting that City is being charged by the Premier League, not FIFA or UEFA. Because if it had been UEFA they would have had to charge PSG too to be coherent (yeah, I know…). As it stands now they only have to charge Chelsea.
I guess the Premier League will have to get points taken off City, the more the better, otherwise it will look like just a slap in the wrist again. But no, I would not take bets on the severity of the sanctions applied. Because precedents.

Since when have FIFA and UEFA cared about corruption and creative bookkeeping?