2018 FIFA World Cup Megathread

[Fartsniffage]

Lets see who I'll go with...
Groups
A - Russia and Uruguay
B - The Iberian Peninsula
C - France and Aussie
D - Argentina and Iceland (Only slightly biased, he says with a Iceland kit in his closet)
E - Brazil and Switzerland
F - Deutchland and Mexico
G - England and Belguim
H - Colombia and Senegal

Skipping a few games, final four I have Deutchland, France, England, Argentina, with Germany repeating. Let's see how wrong I am.

I'm English and we're never getting to the last 4.

[Bombadil]

Speaking of which, do we have any data points on how good Egypt is without Salah?

I'm usually skeptical about one-man teams (unless I want to insult the Welsh, at any rate), by which I mean that I sincerely doubt it's just that one man. Else, you'd think that Finland would have qualified for, well, something when Jari Litmanen was around in the 1990s, so I'm less than convinced that Egypt is ded without him, but, you know...

Hard data would be neat.

The whole of their current squad combined has scored fewer international goals than Salah has individually.

They seem quite confident Salah will be back for the group stages though I hope they're not hurrying recovery to ensure he's in over longer term health..

[The Blaatschapen]

Lets see who I'll go with...
Groups
A - Russia and Uruguay
B - The Iberian Peninsula
C - France and Aussie
D - Argentina and Iceland (Only slightly biased, he says with a Iceland kit in his closet)
E - Brazil and Switzerland
F - Deutchland and Mexico
G - England and Belguim
H - Colombia and Senegal

Skipping a few games, final four I have Deutchland, France, England, Argentina, with Germany repeating. Let's see how wrong I am.

I'm English and we're never getting to the last 4.

I'm not English and you're still not getting to the last four.

[Tobiasia]

The moment I saw it I thought it was intentional.

I say it should be a 3-5 UEFA game ban. It was a shitty thing to do but not really any worse than a studs up over the ball challenge or a stamp.

I agree, it was definitely intentional, but here's my issue with a 3 game UEFA ban. It doesn't really punish Ramos. You're playing 6 group stage games, and Real Madrid is good enough to withstand even a 6 game UEFA ban on Ramos. And then, when the final comes again, Ramos can just take out another star. Such a ban would essentially encourage the same thing to happen all over again. If you're doing a UEFA ban, it should be for at least 8 games, so that Real Madrid can feel the impact. Otherwise, you're just giving him a free ride.

Ramos and Granit Xhaka would be best mates, except I think Ramos does it all deliberately to win whereas Xhaka is just straight in let’s break some ankles.

[Tobiasia]

Speaking of which, do we have any data points on how good Egypt is without Salah?

I'm usually skeptical about one-man teams (unless I want to insult the Welsh, at any rate), by which I mean that I sincerely doubt it's just that one man. Else, you'd think that Finland would have qualified for, well, something when Jari Litmanen was around in the 1990s, so I'm less than convinced that Egypt is ded without him, but, you know...

Hard data would be neat.

The whole of their current squad combined has scored fewer international goals than Salah has individually.

Egypt is still good without Salah, otherwise any opponents could just stick 3 defenders marking Salah and win the game. Elneny is pretty decent in midfield.

[Sharania]

Some food for thought for all of you who plan to "enjoy" this World Cup taking place in Russia.

The dark reality behind Russia's promise of an LGBT-friendly World Cup
‘The authorities will do everything to make sure the World Cup passes trouble-free, but when it does the discrimination, the homophobia and the laws will remain,’ says LGBT Sport Federation

For Alexander Agapov, 35, head of the Russian LGBT Sport Federation, the government has not always been an enthusiastic defender of LGBT rights.

He recalls being beaten by football fans as he waited for a bus – and how no proper investigation followed. He recalls the pressures organising LGBT football games in regional cities, only to see them cancelled at the last minute. He recalls the phone calls from security services, and numerous other such incidents.

But, according to Mr Agapov, the authorities have seemingly undergone a total conversion in time for this summer’s World Cup. Under the watchful eye of Fifa, Russia’s bureaucrats are, apparently, now fully signed up to the principles of tolerance and non-discrimination. For one month at least, Russia’s “traditional values” are being put to one side, and the most pernicious interpretations of a 2013 law banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors” forgotten.

Official statements have been bold enough. The Russian Football Union’s Alexei Smertin, a World Cup ambassador, said there would be no bans on rainbow flags or same-sex partners showing affection. “You can kiss all you like, and hug one another, within the bounds of normal reason,” he has said. Similar assurances have come from the organising committee.

The prospect of a gay-friendly competition taking place in Russia would usually provoke howls of derision from its ultraconservative voices. But not this time.

Russia’s most prominent anti-gay campaigner, Vitaly Milonov, the outspoken deputy of the State Duma, has built a career on homophobic remarks. But in comments to The Independent, he was strangely non-committal. He claimed that Russian supporters would never do such things as show rainbow flags in stadia. But it was not up to him to tell officials like Mr Smertin what the Russian policy should be. And he would not be staging any personal protest either.

Reverting to his usual discriminatory language, almost as an afterthought, Mr Milonov added: “We have never persecuted people on account of their Satanic sexual perversions.”

Piara Powar, director of the Football Against Racism in Euope (FARE) network, an equality pressure group working with Fifa, said the Russian guarantees for LGBT appear serious enough.

“We have been given forceful assurances that people’s safety in and out of stadia will be taken care of,” he told The Independent. “We are treating the assurances with caution, given past history, but Russia is in the spotlight and it does understand what is at stake.”

Nonetheless, Mr Powar said LGBT supporters would be wise to avoid displays of affection in public given the danger of random attacks.

Russia remains a difficult and dangerous place for sexual minorities. A vibrant gay scene exists in many of its major cities, and its younger generation is more tolerant. But several years of state-sponsored homophobia have had an effect on the general population. Since the controversial 2013 anti-gay law was passed, the number of recorded hate crimes has doubled. Polls also indicate a growing intolerance of LGBT communities.

In more lawless corners of the Russian Federation, the situation is uglier. Last year, credible reports emerged from the largely Muslim republic of Chechnya suggesting more than 100 men were tortured on account of their sexuality. At least three died; many are still missing.

Alexander Kondakov, a researcher at St Petersburg’s Centre for Independent Social Research, said the tournament has the makings of a toxic cocktail.

“You have a tournament celebrating hyper-masculinity taking place in a country where the government is actively supporting hatred with rhetoric and legislation,” he said. “Then you add alcohol into the mix.”

Violence against LGBT supporters was not only possible but likely, he added.

According to Mr Kondakov, Russian activists have welcomed the Kremlin’s discovery of LGBT rights. But there are few illusions that it will lead to a change in direction, or a new inclusive or positive agenda. “The rare positive steps we see usually end with the most ordinary of homophobia,” he said.

Indeed, far from providing a springboard for local LGBT rights, the World Cup has arguably played into anti-gay propaganda, said Mr Agapov.

“By emphasising the safety of foreign LGBT fans, authorities have managed to present homosexuality as something foreign, un-Russian,” he said. “Clearly, they will do everything to make sure the World Cup passes trouble-free, but when it does the discrimination, the homophobia, and the laws will remain.”

[Fartsniffage]

Some food for thought for all of you who plan to "enjoy" this World Cup taking place in Russia.

The dark reality behind Russia's promise of an LGBT-friendly World Cup
‘The authorities will do everything to make sure the World Cup passes trouble-free, but when it does the discrimination, the homophobia and the laws will remain,’ says LGBT Sport Federation

For Alexander Agapov, 35, head of the Russian LGBT Sport Federation, the government has not always been an enthusiastic defender of LGBT rights.

He recalls being beaten by football fans as he waited for a bus – and how no proper investigation followed. He recalls the pressures organising LGBT football games in regional cities, only to see them cancelled at the last minute. He recalls the phone calls from security services, and numerous other such incidents.

But, according to Mr Agapov, the authorities have seemingly undergone a total conversion in time for this summer’s World Cup. Under the watchful eye of Fifa, Russia’s bureaucrats are, apparently, now fully signed up to the principles of tolerance and non-discrimination. For one month at least, Russia’s “traditional values” are being put to one side, and the most pernicious interpretations of a 2013 law banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors” forgotten.

Official statements have been bold enough. The Russian Football Union’s Alexei Smertin, a World Cup ambassador, said there would be no bans on rainbow flags or same-sex partners showing affection. “You can kiss all you like, and hug one another, within the bounds of normal reason,” he has said. Similar assurances have come from the organising committee.

The prospect of a gay-friendly competition taking place in Russia would usually provoke howls of derision from its ultraconservative voices. But not this time.

Russia’s most prominent anti-gay campaigner, Vitaly Milonov, the outspoken deputy of the State Duma, has built a career on homophobic remarks. But in comments to The Independent, he was strangely non-committal. He claimed that Russian supporters would never do such things as show rainbow flags in stadia. But it was not up to him to tell officials like Mr Smertin what the Russian policy should be. And he would not be staging any personal protest either.

Reverting to his usual discriminatory language, almost as an afterthought, Mr Milonov added: “We have never persecuted people on account of their Satanic sexual perversions.”

Piara Powar, director of the Football Against Racism in Euope (FARE) network, an equality pressure group working with Fifa, said the Russian guarantees for LGBT appear serious enough.

“We have been given forceful assurances that people’s safety in and out of stadia will be taken care of,” he told The Independent. “We are treating the assurances with caution, given past history, but Russia is in the spotlight and it does understand what is at stake.”

Nonetheless, Mr Powar said LGBT supporters would be wise to avoid displays of affection in public given the danger of random attacks.

Russia remains a difficult and dangerous place for sexual minorities. A vibrant gay scene exists in many of its major cities, and its younger generation is more tolerant. But several years of state-sponsored homophobia have had an effect on the general population. Since the controversial 2013 anti-gay law was passed, the number of recorded hate crimes has doubled. Polls also indicate a growing intolerance of LGBT communities.

In more lawless corners of the Russian Federation, the situation is uglier. Last year, credible reports emerged from the largely Muslim republic of Chechnya suggesting more than 100 men were tortured on account of their sexuality. At least three died; many are still missing.

Alexander Kondakov, a researcher at St Petersburg’s Centre for Independent Social Research, said the tournament has the makings of a toxic cocktail.

“You have a tournament celebrating hyper-masculinity taking place in a country where the government is actively supporting hatred with rhetoric and legislation,” he said. “Then you add alcohol into the mix.”

Violence against LGBT supporters was not only possible but likely, he added.

According to Mr Kondakov, Russian activists have welcomed the Kremlin’s discovery of LGBT rights. But there are few illusions that it will lead to a change in direction, or a new inclusive or positive agenda. “The rare positive steps we see usually end with the most ordinary of homophobia,” he said.

Indeed, far from providing a springboard for local LGBT rights, the World Cup has arguably played into anti-gay propaganda, said Mr Agapov.

“By emphasising the safety of foreign LGBT fans, authorities have managed to present homosexuality as something foreign, un-Russian,” he said. “Clearly, they will do everything to make sure the World Cup passes trouble-free, but when it does the discrimination, the homophobia, and the laws will remain.”

You think gay people have it bad in Russia? Wait until it's held in Qatar....

[Sharania]

If someone thinks: "Hey, I'm safe - I'm not gay!", well, think again. Because Russian football fans do not differentiate when they beat up foreigners:

Feared 'Trouble Company' hooligan gang claim responsibility for cowardly attack on Liverpool fans - and threaten more to come
A terrifying attack by marauding masked thugs in the shadow of Kiev’s Olympic stadium has made Liverpool and Real Madrid fans wary

And locals confirmed that, in the video obtained by the Daily Mirror, police officers spoke to one suspect in Russian rather than Ukrainian.

Kiev has a population of around 13% Russian and has its own firms – such as the Trouble Company, from CSKA kiev, and the White Boys Club, who follow Dynamo.

But it raises fears that ultra firms from across the border travelled to Ukraine for a warm-up attack on British fans before the World Cup which kicks off in Moscow, 500 miles away, on June 14.

[Fartsniffage]

If someone thinks: "Hey, I'm safe - I'm not gay!", well, think again. Because Russian football fans do not differentiate when they beat up foreigners:

Feared 'Trouble Company' hooligan gang claim responsibility for cowardly attack on Liverpool fans - and threaten more to come
A terrifying attack by marauding masked thugs in the shadow of Kiev’s Olympic stadium has made Liverpool and Real Madrid fans wary

And locals confirmed that, in the video obtained by the Daily Mirror, police officers spoke to one suspect in Russian rather than Ukrainian.

Kiev has a population of around 13% Russian and has its own firms – such as the Trouble Company, from CSKA kiev, and the White Boys Club, who follow Dynamo.

But it raises fears that ultra firms from across the border travelled to Ukraine for a warm-up attack on British fans before the World Cup which kicks off in Moscow, 500 miles away, on June 14.

None of this is news to people who follow football.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ence-sport

[Idzequitch]

If someone thinks: "Hey, I'm safe - I'm not gay!", well, think again. Because Russian football fans do not differentiate when they beat up foreigners:

Feared 'Trouble Company' hooligan gang claim responsibility for cowardly attack on Liverpool fans - and threaten more to come
A terrifying attack by marauding masked thugs in the shadow of Kiev’s Olympic stadium has made Liverpool and Real Madrid fans wary

And locals confirmed that, in the video obtained by the Daily Mirror, police officers spoke to one suspect in Russian rather than Ukrainian.

Kiev has a population of around 13% Russian and has its own firms – such as the Trouble Company, from CSKA kiev, and the White Boys Club, who follow Dynamo.

But it raises fears that ultra firms from across the border travelled to Ukraine for a warm-up attack on British fans before the World Cup which kicks off in Moscow, 500 miles away, on June 14.

Breaking news: The world can be an ugly place where bad things happen to people who don't deserve them.

Look I get your concern, and even agree that Russia isn't an ideal host. Slowly, people are working on changing these things. But in the meantime, I'm going to watch a football tournament, and I will not feel guilty about it.

[MERIZoC]

Some food for thought for all of you who plan to "enjoy" this World Cup taking place in Russia.

I’m gonna enjoy us kicking Germany’s ass very fucking much

[The Archregimancy]

Some food for thought for all of you who plan to "enjoy" this World Cup taking place in Russia.

In 1966, FIFA awarded the 1982 World Cup to Franco's Spain; no one knew at the time that Spain would be well into a transition to democracy by '82.

In 1978, the World Cup was held in a country ruled by a murderous military junta best known for disappearing tens of thousands of its own citizens.



Rest assured that no one reading this thread is unaware that there are a range of potential controversies involving the hosting of the 2018 World Cup, the awarding of the 2018 World Cup hosting rights, or FIFA generally, and that a range of opinions on those controversies are represented in this thread. None of us are blind.

While none of us can rule out the likelihood that there will be isolated cases of criminal abuse in Russia this summer, the reputation of both Russia as a country and of Putin's government are on the line. The government will want to make sure that nothing untoward happens, which means temporarily keeping a lid on the consequences of certain widespread social attitudes in Russia until the tournament is out of the way. This won't turn Russia into a Western-style socially liberal woke paradise overnight, but too much is resting on the tournament being a success for too much trouble to be allowed to break out.

And writing as someone who's married to a Russian and who's worked in Qatar.... You think 2018 is bad? Just wait until 2022. Russia has nothing on Qatar when it comes to human rights abuses.

Though, frankly, when it comes to 2018 I'd be more concerned if I was black than if I was gay.

[Starblaydia]

Some food for thought for all of you who plan to "enjoy" this World Cup taking place in Russia.

This is not news, this was all understood at the time. The announcements of both Russia and Qatar's hosting rights came at the same gathering, in the wake of bribery and corruption charges against FIFA. How anybody in their right minds would vote for Russia and Qatar to host the crown jewel of the joyous, global, inclusive celebration of football is entirely beyond me.



Oh except for if they're bribed or corrupt. Lucky those are two words that have never been associated with FIFA or its delegates, no siree Bob.

[The Archregimancy]

If someone thinks: "Hey, I'm safe - I'm not gay!", well, think again. Because Russian football fans do not differentiate when they beat up foreigners:

Feared 'Trouble Company' hooligan gang claim responsibility for cowardly attack on Liverpool fans - and threaten more to come
A terrifying attack by marauding masked thugs in the shadow of Kiev’s Olympic stadium has made Liverpool and Real Madrid fans wary

And locals confirmed that, in the video obtained by the Daily Mirror, police officers spoke to one suspect in Russian rather than Ukrainian.

Kiev has a population of around 13% Russian and has its own firms – such as the Trouble Company, from CSKA kiev, and the White Boys Club, who follow Dynamo.

But it raises fears that ultra firms from across the border travelled to Ukraine for a warm-up attack on British fans before the World Cup which kicks off in Moscow, 500 miles away, on June 14.

Also, you don't need to be Russian or Ukrainian to point out that the Mirror's speculation here is unhelpful.

There are roughly 8 million ethnic Russians in Ukraine (the precise count depends on whether you choose to include Crimea or eastern Ukraine; an issue I don't propose to get into here). As the Mirror itself concedes, there are also ethnic Russian hooligan firms in Ukraine.

So it's not entirely clear why it requires 'ultra firms from across the border' to travel to Kiev for attacks by 'marauding masked thugs' to occur, or why Ukraine - which, you might have noticed, doesn't have the friendliest of relations with Russia right now - would either A) allow Russian ultra firms across the border or B) fail to heavily advertise that they were from Russia if that was indeed the case.

Your broader point about gay rights in Russia rests on firmer foundations, but this snippet didn't help your case.

[Torisakia]

Oh boy I'm excited to see how far the United States will get this time around. They might even make the quarters.

Oh wait...

[Shofercia]

I'm English and we're never getting to the last 4.

I'm not English and you're still not getting to the last four.

I'm Russia, and England's still not getting to the last four

[Neu Leonstein]

Germany continues its shitty run in friendlies with a 2:1 loss to Austria. Result doesn't really matter, obviously, but a few things were learned:

1) Neuer is fit and will probably start.
2) Reus is also fit and didn't get horribly injured, so that's nice.
3) Germany has a lot of depth, but not enough to just sub out the defensive midfield and expect things to continue smoothly. When that happened with the start of the second half, a very energetic Austria was able to force errors and win balls in dangerous areas, and they were much the more dangerous team through the whole half.

[Bombadil]

Germany continues its shitty run in friendlies with a 2:1 loss to Austria. Result doesn't really matter, obviously, but a few things were learned:

1) Neuer is fit and will probably start.
2) Reus is also fit and didn't get horribly injured, so that's nice.
3) Germany has a lot of depth, but not enough to just sub out the defensive midfield and expect things to continue smoothly. When that happened with the start of the second half, a very energetic Austria was able to force errors and win balls in dangerous areas, and they were much the more dangerous team through the whole half.

I think Germany tend to do this in friendlies leading up to WCs, and England tend to do well in such things.. only for England to crash out in the group stages and Germany to win.. so fear not, it's par for the course.

[Fartsniffage]

Germany continues its shitty run in friendlies with a 2:1 loss to Austria. Result doesn't really matter, obviously, but a few things were learned:

1) Neuer is fit and will probably start.
2) Reus is also fit and didn't get horribly injured, so that's nice.
3) Germany has a lot of depth, but not enough to just sub out the defensive midfield and expect things to continue smoothly. When that happened with the start of the second half, a very energetic Austria was able to force errors and win balls in dangerous areas, and they were much the more dangerous team through the whole half.

I think Germany tend to do this in friendlies leading up to WCs, and England tend to do well in such things.. only for England to crash out in the group stages and Germany to win.. so fear not, it's par for the course.

Did you see the England game? All a team needs to do is change formation and England is toast.

[Shofercia]

Germany continues its shitty run in friendlies with a 2:1 loss to Austria. Result doesn't really matter, obviously, but a few things were learned:

1) Neuer is fit and will probably start.
2) Reus is also fit and didn't get horribly injured, so that's nice.
3) Germany has a lot of depth, but not enough to just sub out the defensive midfield and expect things to continue smoothly. When that happened with the start of the second half, a very energetic Austria was able to force errors and win balls in dangerous areas, and they were much the more dangerous team through the whole half.

I think you guys should start Loris Karius.

[Neu Leonstein]

I think Germany tend to do this in friendlies leading up to WCs, and England tend to do well in such things.. only for England to crash out in the group stages and Germany to win.. so fear not, it's par for the course.

Yeah, the statistic that's being talked about now is that they haven't won a friendly in five matches... but you look at who they played and it was England, France, Spain, Brazil, and now Austria. I don't think they played a full strength team in any of them either, and one of the strengths of the German football association is that they do the tournament prep run-up very well.* So it's not exactly alarm bells going off.

This wasn't a full strength team either. More of a test match to give a few maybes a chance to make a case (Löw said that none really did).

My guesstimate of a full-strength starting line-up would still be significantly the same it's been for a few years:

FW: Werner
AM: Reus, Özil, Müller
CM/DM: Kroos, Khedira
D: Hector, Boateng, Hummels, Kimmich
GK: Neuer

* if you haven't seen it yet and are interested in what this tournament preparation looks like, there's a fly-on-the-wall, all-access documentary of the German team's campaign in the 2006 world cup. You can watch the whole thing on youtube with subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=266Qscc61AY

I think you guys should start Loris Karius.

Haha. Seriously though, even absent any recent drama, Karius is probably not one of the top 4 German goalies. More importantly, Löw values continuity a lot. Neuer will be number one choice until he's pretty much old enough that he's ready to quit - a bad season or a very good season from someone else probably won't change that. Ter Stegen will take over after him, but he might actually get a bit more time because he's a few years younger (not like Köpke, who was number 2 behind Ilgner and only got the one tournament in '96, or Lehmann, who was the number 2 behind Kahn and only got the one in '06). As for who comes after him.. who knows?

[The Archregimancy]

And now for something a little light-hearted:

All the 2018 kits (home and away) ranked.

I rather like Uruguay's home kit; it's a timeless classic that they've been sensible enough not to muck around with much. And - slightly to my surprise given I'm a bit of a traditionalist - I rather like Croatia's away kit.

I really dislike that Nigerian home kit, though. And what were Belgium thinking with their home kit?

[Idzequitch]

And now for something a little light-hearted:

All the 2018 kits (home and away) ranked.

I rather like Uruguay's home kit; it's a timeless classic that they've been sensible enough not to muck around with much. And - slightly to my surprise given I'm a bit of a traditionalist - I rather like Croatia's away kit.

I really dislike that Nigerian home kit, though. And what were Belgium thinking with their home kit?

I like the tasteful flourish on South Korea's white away kit.

Colombia's away kit looks nice enough, but is not very reminescent of Colombia.

I think Croatia's away kit is my favorite of the bunch.

[Starblaydia]

That choice for #1 is a travesty, it's a bloody terrible shirt design - at least the Argentina away version is in nicer colours, but on Colombia I hate it. Germany's throwbacks to 1990 make me happy though, I wish there was more colour on their home shirt.

Some very dull kits this year (says the guy who designed Sonic the Hedgehog 2's Marble Zone onto a kit for Kita-Hinode for funsies).

[Aboim]

Brazilian game has been really tense, not good. About Croatia... Ice ice Baby prepare the knees, Crackatia is coming. The match against Argentina will be fun.