# World Cup 2022 - discussion, predictions, and thoughts **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [November 6, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476 "2022-11-06T20:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 85
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1681 "2022-12-11T00:55:01Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Right, as I learned it, a clearly intentional handball is an automatic booking, no matter where or how it happened. The thing is, according to the [FIFA / IFAB laws\*](https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules/laws/football-11-11/law-12---fouls-and-misconduct) handling the ball is only an offense if it is intentional so ALL handballs are intentional (all bolding mine): > It is an offence if a player: > > - **deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball** > - touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation. By having their hand/arm in such a position, the player takes a risk of their hand/arm being hit by the ball and being penalised > - scores in the opponents’ goal: > - directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper > - immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental Whereas “CAUTIONS FOR UNSPORTING BEHAVIOUR” describes when a player should be cautioned (yellow card) for a handball: > There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour including if a player: > > […] > > - **handles the ball to interfere with or stop a promising attack** So, according to the Laws, to be an infraction at all a handball must be intentional . But it is only a yellow (or possibly red) card under the above circumstance. > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Amazing defense. I thought the backup CB’s would surely have doomed them. Morocco now at over 840 minutes without allowing an opposing player to score. Yeah. Morocco’s keeper is the real deal. \*This link is to the English FA rules but this section is identical to the Laws of the Game ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1682 "2022-12-11T01:14:22Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > German TV showed Mbappé’s glee when Kane missed his second penalty kick. Disgusting. I hope he jynx’d himself with that. I am not sure what reaction you would expect from an opposition player in that situation. ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1683 "2022-12-11T01:15:11Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Will you still be in Argentina if it comes down to a Falklands Islands – I mean, an _Islas Malvinas_ – final match? No Malvinas rematch this time. I’m likely to be in Buenos Aires for the final, which could be beyond crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1684 "2022-12-11T01:42:19Z")
If you do (and Argentina reaches it) be sure to watch the match on a tv with TDA (digital over the air signal) if you watch it on cable you’ll learn about any Argentina goal through the vibrations in the building, the screams of all your neighbors and the sound of all the claxons in the city about 20 seconds before you see it on screen (about a minute before if you are watching on the internet instead of cable tv) ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1685 "2022-12-11T04:18:20Z")
I think you forgot someone. Kind of like Brazil did. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1686 "2022-12-11T04:27:11Z")
I see that a bet on a France-Argentina Final is at -162. Vegas is saying that the other 3 potential outcomes, combined, are far less likely. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1687 "2022-12-11T06:21:36Z")
You mean Croatia? Rest assured that the dark arts experts are hard at work on them too 😀. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1688 "2022-12-11T10:52:20Z")
I cheered. Smile, cheer with your teammates and fans but commiserate with you opponent. Be like Modric, not like the unsporting whining handballers, may they forever trip over their own feet. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1689 "2022-12-11T13:42:23Z")
> **[‘We are Rocky’: Regragui hails Morocco as world’s favourites after Portugal win](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/10/we-are-rocky-regragui-hails-morocco-as-worlds-favourites-after-portugal-win)** > > Walid Regragui said Morocco had learned to dream and that his team’s surprise run to the semi-finals had captured hearts across the world I mean, Rocky failed to win that first match, but sure. I do love the people are still referencing a 46 year old movie. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1690 "2022-12-11T14:08:08Z")
Kane might be the most complete England forward of the last fifty years. I hope this doesn’t define him. And Southgate is unquestionable the best England manager of my lifetime. His teams constantly have superb depth and pay week in tournaments despite being young. You could credit the former to the strength of the English leagues, but nobody else was able to do it as England manager. His only major mistake was going into a shell for 70 minutes in the Euro final, and even that nearly worked. His contract runs through Euro 2024, and I hope the FA give him another 4 years after that if he wants them. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1691 "2022-12-11T14:50:02Z")
To be fair, if this was the same shot as shown on US tv, then it was a still or super slow motion shot of Mbappe’s face the moment Kane’s ball sailed over. I actually predicted that people would think it was a prolonged expression of glee combined with mockery, which is what it looked like. Unless some other video emerges, I see it as an unfair depiction of Mbappe. Pictures sometimes do lie. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1692 "2022-12-11T15:32:13Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Kane might be the most complete England forward of the last fifty years. I hope this doesn’t define him. Kevin Keegan and Sherear say hi. It won’t. But, unless he finally wins a trophy, it will be used as one of the examples of his failure in big games. Like the 2018 SF, the 2019 UCL Final, 2021 Euro and now this. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > And Southgate is unquestionable the best England manager of my lifetime. His teams constantly have superb depth and pay week in tournaments despite being young. You could credit the former to the strength of the English leagues, but nobody else was able to do it as England manager. His only major mistake was going into a shell for 70 minutes in the Euro final, and even that nearly worked He also went conservative in the 2018 SF, again after going ahead early, against a technically superior team. And it failed. He would have done this again if he had gone up early, in a way conceding first made him be more tactically astute this time. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1693 "2022-12-11T16:37:27Z")
I thought England was incredibly dialed in yesterday and I give special note to the work the fullbacks put in against those fleet wingers in blue. I also felt that Foden’s work is a little underappreciated. But kudos to France, now well positioned to win a second consecutive Cup without its great midfield from the last one and down the reigning player of the year as well. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1694 "2022-12-11T17:12:34Z")
I’m really sad for Kane. I’m a Tottenham fan so it is inevitable he is going to get so much abuse from rival fans for the rest of the season. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1695 "2022-12-12T04:04:52Z")
So I am not the only one annoyed by the histrionics of John Strong. I’ve been watching with the sound muted for the past couple of days > ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1696 "2022-12-12T09:13:41Z")
Harry Kane can take up singing if this football gig doesn’t pan out. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SJSFZfaYkKI/maxresdefault.jpg "ENGLAND vs FRANCE 1-2 (World Cup 2022 Kane Penalty Miss Goals Highlights Quarter Final 2022)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJSFZfaYkKI) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1698 "2022-12-12T16:23:10Z")
It appears that some corruption took place recently to benefit Qatar’s standing in the EU. While this is not related directly to the World Cup, it is tangential because it implies, shockingly!, that Qatar relies on bribery for influence. > **[European Parliament acts on lawmaker accused in Qatar graft probe](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eus-borrell-belgiums-european-parliament-corruption-probe-is-very-worrisome-2022-12-12/)** > > The European Parliament moved on Monday to strip one of its members of her role as vice president after she and others faced criminal charges over allegations Qatar lavished them with cash and gifts to influence decision-making. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1699 "2022-12-12T17:12:13Z")
Controversial ARG-NET referee given red card [Slammed referee Mateu Lahoz sent HOME from World Cup after chaotic Argentina clash with Holland and Messi criticism | The Sun](https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/20725889/argentina-holland-referee-lahoz-world-cup/) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1700 "2022-12-12T17:13:49Z")
Have the refs for the semifinals already been announced? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1701 "2022-12-12T17:16:32Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Controversial ARG-NET referee given red card But the Brazilian ref of the ENG-FRA game who wasn’t much better is still in the pool for the final. I’ve read that the Argentinians are already complaining about probably getting a Brazilian ref. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476.md?page=84) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476.md?page=86)