FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Semi-Finals & Final

[Dirk]

Hopefully this was the last time a tiny country with no football history buys off enough FIFA people to get a World Cup.

I don't care about their laws and way of living. I just have an issue with buying a World Cup and blowing a gazillion dollars to whitewash whatever they're ashamed of (again, I don't care what they believe in), but I know why they blow money hosting the sports events.

I had an issue with how much money was burned on hosting this... since they're so small and have no sports history to speak of, so I imagine the stadiums or most of them will have little use.

Their team was embarrassing as well. And some games had empty seats because it's such a small country and expensive to travel to, so it didn't have the same atmosphere as some other big competitions.

Qatar will be forgotten. No one really cares about the country. People care about the competition. which had some good games and drama.

We're on to European Championships 2024 in Germany and then 2026 WC in the US/Mexico/Canada. Just typing those countries... you immediately feel like those are proper countries to host competitions in. Germany being an historical powerhouse, Mexico being mad about football and Canada/USA being huge markets that are still developing. That's the way.

Wow you sound like a clueless iPhone-using Westerner who's forgotten all the crimes Germany committed 80 years ago.

I think Germany is a great country. Yes.

Your comment has to be sarcastic. Hopefully.

[clyde21]

have no sports history to speak of, so I imagine the stadiums or most of them will have little use.

the stadiums that will not be used will be recycled and used by someone else.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

That's one stadium. What happens to the rest...

every single stadium that is not going to be played in is going to get repurposed, the one that Arg/Fra just played in for example:

Designed by architects Foster+Partners, the huge golden bowl will have most of its seats stripped away and be repurposed for shops, cafes and possibly a school and health clinics. The upper tiers will be transformed into housing, while the pitch will be used for community games.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2022/11/18/how-qatar-plans-to-breathe-new-life-into-its-stadiums-after-world-cup/

[clyde21]

Wow you sound like a clueless iPhone-using Westerner who's forgotten all the crimes Germany committed 80 years ago. Anyways, hope the next Euro and WC have as many great storylines as this one. Shame some of the all time greats won't be in them.

lol, you really think you have to go back to WW2 to find Western death and destruction? or have yall already forgot about Iraq? Syria? Libya? Afghanistan? Somalia? Sudan? Half of LATAM? u want me to keep going or u get the pic?

[Mamba81p]

Hopefully this was the last time a tiny country with no football history buys off enough FIFA people to get a World Cup.

I don't care about their laws and way of living. I just have an issue with buying a World Cup and blowing a gazillion dollars to whitewash whatever they're ashamed of. I had an issue with how much money was burned on hosting this... since they're so small and have no sports history to speak of, so I imagine the stadiums or most of them will have little use.

Their team was embarrassing as well. And some games had empty seats because it's such a small country and expensive to travel to.

Qatar will be forgotten. No one really cares about the country. People cared about the competition. which had some good games and drama.

We're on to European Championships 2024 in Germany and then 2026 WC in the US/Mexico/Canada. Just typing those countries... you immediately feel like those are proper countries to host competitions on. Germany being an historical powerhouse, Mexico being mad about football and Canada/USA being huge markets that are still developing. That's the way.

The expensive part was not an issue. Usually the fans that travel to World Cups are wealthy people. The lack of the hotels until 1 month to the world cup was a turn-off for a lot of people, including me. Tickets are bought with about 1 year before.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2022/12/08/soccer/world-cup/world-cup-attendance-goal/ The number visitors is quite low for a world cup .
I think in Russia only in Moscow there were over 2.5million people https://tass.com/sport/1012057

Fans go to world cup hosting countries not only for the games, but for fan fest too. There is no way Qatar could have hosted 3-4 million tourists at the same time

I think it will take some time before a country buys all the votes for a world cup. I think/hope that FIFA will be careful for a while not to make it this obvious. Lots of people were arrested for this, and I think they will tread carefully.

[ForeverTFC]

congrats to Messi, pretty much cemented as GOAT at this point.

we aint gonna see another one like him in a while

GOAT argentinean player? Perhaps

If he's the GOAT Argentinian then that also makes him the GOAT, given the consensus GOAT is another Argentinian.

[ChumboChappati]

Has more to do with the football played than the "hosting". You could have done this in Antarctica and it still would have been great. Glad Qatar is done now.

did not know you were such a loser; did Qatar steal your cow?

How does saying Qatar was not a great host make me a loser? One of the most, if not the most corruption/blood stained tournaments this already-dirty organization has seen and this is the greatest host ever? Football was great I won't deny

you go to your host's house, enjoy all the great things they offer to you, have a wonderful time, and then when you are done there, you badmouthed them; and you still think this is an acceptable behavior? I will be crucified if act like this

[ForeverTFC]

Every 4 years, I'm reminded that there is no cup greater than the World Cup. No Championship even comes close.

[Baphomet]

Just want to say it was nice chatting in here ,
Till the Euros friends

You're always welcome here, Pharm. Everyone else too.

This place is a fair bit harder to moderate with so many new voices but if people decide to stick around, we have some pretty lively discussion during the club season too. Mostly me going nuts when Spurs lose and vacillating between Conte being the truth and being a clown who should leave immediately.

[ChumboChappati]

Lots of babies will be born 9 months from now on Argentina... mark my words

do you think Argentina has a better chance to repeat next WC? they have the best young player and best goalie of this WC

[CalamityX12]

Like... how does the ref watch this stuff and not give him a yellow card on the spot.

Same antics he pulls in qualifier n copa

**** that dbag

[clyde21]

Just want to say it was nice chatting in here ,
Till the Euros friends

You're always welcome here, Pharm. Everyone else too.

This place is a fair bit harder to moderate with so many new voices but if people decide to stick around, we have some pretty lively discussion during the club season too. Mostly me going nuts when Spurs lose and vacillating between Conte being the truth and being a clown who should leave immediately.

are you ready for more 'X is exposed threads'?

[ForeverTFC]

Like... how does the ref watch this stuff and not give him a yellow card on the spot.

Same antics he pulls in qualifier n copa

**** that dbag

Have you guys played? Folks that have never played competitive soccer will never know the amount of cheap shots, trash talk, and dirty antics that happen on a pitch. 3/4th the players would get sent off if you're giving out yellows for this stuff.

And psyching your opponent out and making them uncomfortable is one of the most important skills a GK has in a shootout.

[Dirk]

the stadiums that will not be used will be recycled and used by someone else.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

That's one stadium. What happens to the rest...

every single stadium that is not going to be played in is going to get repurposed, the one that Arg/Fra just played in for example:

Designed by architects Foster+Partners, the huge golden bowl will have most of its seats stripped away and be repurposed for shops, cafes and possibly a school and health clinics. The upper tiers will be transformed into housing, while the pitch will be used for community games.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2022/11/18/how-qatar-plans-to-breathe-new-life-into-its-stadiums-after-world-cup/

Most stadiums will have seats removed I read. We will check in a few years what actually happened to them.

I am surprised you don't get irked with the massive spending to host a sports event in a country that actually has no real sports history: whenever I heard of Qatar in the past, usually was about recruiting foreigners to play for them in some sports.

You know it's not normal to build great new stadiums, only to then have to repurpose them after one month, right?

They must have lost a ton of money, but obviously can afford it. Although I guess they may say that the exposure was worth it.

Like I said, we all will forget Qatar because they have no sports history and we only hear about them when they sign old players from Europe that go retire there.

Football/Soccer and Qatar ended here. And this should be the last time a small country with no history should host this type of tournament.

Read on Twitter

I tried finding the average attendance in Qatar league games. Tweet is from 2019 (so not long ago).

Anyway, I never cared about the whole "human rights" 'issue'. My problem was a tiny country with no history buying the tournament and burning so much cash on it.

(This is my final post about this kind of thing. Qatar is over.)

[CalamityX12]

Like... how does the ref watch this stuff and not give him a yellow card on the spot.

Same antics he pulls in qualifier n copa

**** that dbag

Have you guys played? Folks that have never played competitive soccer will never know the amount of cheap shots, trash talk, and dirty antics that happen on a pitch. 3/4th the players would get sent off if you're giving out yellows for this stuff.

And psyching your opponent out and making them uncomfortable is one of the most important skills a GK has in a shootout.

I've played plenty n watched a lot more

There's more than 10x of that not happening for every instance it does

That keeper is s regular at it. Don't respect it

[CalamityX12]

Then he followed up with his trophy strout

Real classy


Glad your kid is hugging the same trophy you banged

[Baphomet]

Just want to say it was nice chatting in here ,
Till the Euros friends

You're always welcome here, Pharm. Everyone else too.

This place is a fair bit harder to moderate with so many new voices but if people decide to stick around, we have some pretty lively discussion during the club season too. Mostly me going nuts when Spurs lose and vacillating between Conte being the truth and being a clown who should leave immediately.

are you ready for more 'X is exposed threads'?

"Wow!? Kanye says he caught Harry Kane with Kim"
"Is Liverpool finna sign Mbappe?"
"Did Arsenal shatter Man City's swag?"
"Premier League: Should It Be Played Indoor?"

OGs will remember the swag shattering general board phase

[Dirk]

Like... how does the ref watch this stuff and not give him a yellow card on the spot.

Same antics he pulls in qualifier n copa

**** that dbag

Have you guys played? Folks that have never played competitive soccer will never know the amount of cheap shots, trash talk, and dirty antics that happen on a pitch. 3/4th the players would get sent off if you're giving out yellows for this stuff.

And psyching your opponent out and making them uncomfortable is one of the most important skills a GK has in a shootout.

What?

You really think keepers are out there throwing the ball away in front of the ref like he did? That's a blatant yellow card right there.

Keepers sometimes hold the ball. Or stand around the penalty spot and stuff, but blatantly throwing the ball away like that? That's rare.

I don't care about Martinez, he was a beast. But Calamityx12 is entitled to hate him being a clown there... for obvious reasons: you usually call out the dirty tricks.

Lloris should have done the same,but this guy is so soft that he'd never be able to pull it off.

[clyde21]

That's one stadium. What happens to the rest...

every single stadium that is not going to be played in is going to get repurposed, the one that Arg/Fra just played in for example:

Designed by architects Foster+Partners, the huge golden bowl will have most of its seats stripped away and be repurposed for shops, cafes and possibly a school and health clinics. The upper tiers will be transformed into housing, while the pitch will be used for community games.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2022/11/18/how-qatar-plans-to-breathe-new-life-into-its-stadiums-after-world-cup/

I am surprised you don't get irked with the massive spending to host a sports event in a country that actually has no real sports history: whenever I heard of Qatar in the past, usually was about recruiting foreigners to play for them in some sports.

i mean, they've got a lot of money to spend, why not spend on something that created and will continue to create an insane amount of jobs and stimulate not just Qatar's but economies of the entire ME.

from what I've ready, almost all the stadiums will be repurposed except two, and those will be brought down to about ~20K in size:

Ahmad bin Ali, Al Janoub and Al Thumama Stadium will all have their capacity cut to about 20,000 spectators post-World Cup, although even this may be optimistic given normal attendances.

Two of Qatar’s biggest clubs will make the former World Cup stadiums their home. Al Rayyan, eight times winner of the Qatar Stars League, will move into the Ahmad bin Ali, while Al Wakrah will make Al Janoub their home.

another stadium is going to be exclusively for University students:

Education City Stadium will also be cut from 40,000 to 20,000 capacity and, as the name suggests, will become a sports ground for university students.

the al-Bayt stadium will also be repurposed:

It, too, will radically change after the tournament. The upper tiers will be removed and replaced by a new five-star hotel, shopping centre and sports medicine hospital.

so the vast majority of stadiums are either getting recycled or repurposed and turn into housing, clinics, shops, student services and hotels.

did Qatar do everything right? of course not. but the idea that they should have the same labor standards that Western countries took DECADES themselves to fix/get right before Qatar has even had a chance to go thru that development process is just absurd, and the sanctimonious fingerwagging can't stop soon enough. THAT is what has been the biggest blemish on this WC.

and 200b doesn't seem to be a lot of money relatively speaking Tbh.

[G R E Y]

Like... how does the ref watch this stuff and not give him a yellow card on the spot.

Same antics he pulls in qualifier n copa

**** that dbag

But wait! It gets better. By which I mean worse. Expression and pose and dbaggery match.

Read on Twitter

[Sedale Threatt]

Like... how does the ref watch this stuff and not give him a yellow card on the spot.

Same antics he pulls in qualifier n copa

**** that dbag

Have you guys played? Folks that have never played competitive soccer will never know the amount of cheap shots, trash talk, and dirty antics that happen on a pitch. 3/4th the players would get sent off if you're giving out yellows for this stuff.

And psyching your opponent out and making them uncomfortable is one of the most important skills a GK has in a shootout.

On the Michael Jordan scale of gamesmanship and intimidation, that's about a 3 out of 10.