Qatar was the most exciting tournament in a long time, and from a match going experience was absolutely brilliant. Found it to be more enjoyable than Germany personally, although both were great.
I was actually at the Saudi Arabia v Argentina match, which had the best noise and atmosphere of any of the games I saw. Their team is regularly at the World Cup, so the regurgitated suggestion that it’s “not a proper football country” is wide of the mark IMO.
I plan to be at every tournament for the foreseeable and will happily go to Saudi and judge the experience for myself rather than what we’re told by those sitting at home 👍
Fill your boots, enjoy supporting a regime that executes homosexuals, allows men to shag kids and that regularly holds public executions in chop-chop square.
If you're lucky, maybe you can catch public execution while you're there 🙏🏻
Qatar was the most exciting tournament in a long time, and from a match going experience was absolutely brilliant. Found it to be more enjoyable than Germany personally, although both were great.
I was actually at the Saudi Arabia v Argentina match, which had the best noise and atmosphere of any of the games I saw. Their team is regularly at the World Cup, so the regurgitated suggestion that it’s “not a proper football country” is wide of the mark IMO.
I plan to be at every tournament for the foreseeable and will happily go to Saudi and judge the experience for myself rather than what we’re told by those sitting at home 👍
Fill your boots, enjoy supporting a regime that executes homosexuals, allows men to shag kids and that regularly holds public executions in chop-chop square.
If you're lucky, maybe you can catch public execution while you're there 🙏🏻
If someone is deemed “in support” of all those things for going to watch football on an a one off trip, then that’s your view.
An extreme one, but I guess that’s the way the world is now when someone has a keyboard in front of them.
FIFA rules say that a confederation can’t host two World Cups within three editions.
In the 2026 & 2030 editions, FIFA have covered North America, South America, Africa and Europe.
Leaving only Asian confederations available to bid.
There was some hope that maybe Australia & NZ might mount a serious bid but this process felt rigged from the get go so I’m not surprised they didn’t put a proper bid on the table.
It's bollocks, FIFA can change their own rules at any time. All this stuff about global expansion of football is a rouse, it's 100% about money and people are deluded if they think otherwise.
Which confederations are available for the 2034 World Cup.
Just OFC, who only really consist of New Zealand. My suggestion would be to play it in Antarctica, that's a genuine expansion of football.
Oh wait, give it to CONCACAF again, which is highly unlikely. Therefore FIFA will be forced to change their own rules.
It will almost certainly be CONCACAF again, or they'll make a exception for South America to host it as they'll argue the games in 2030 shouldn't count.
Some people have said that the Qatar tournament was better because players were at their fittest rather than knackered at the end of a season, dunno if that is true.
Love all the anti KSA chat, while we as a nation are and have been involved in all sorts that's lead to the deaths millions of others over the years.
Criticising one regime doesn’t mean you endorse another, the British colonial past has nothing to do with the 2034 WC
Past ? We are shipping weapons and have people all over the world right now.
Well sure but apart from the already brought up issue of selling arms to SA it’s still irrelevant in this instance
why, because we only hold others accountable ? 34 men executed in the US this year, we going to protest and fuss about 2026 too ? not sure its been mentioned once in the USA world cup thread.
Love all the anti KSA chat, while we as a nation are and have been involved in all sorts that's lead to the deaths millions of others over the years.
Criticising one regime doesn’t mean you endorse another, the British colonial past has nothing to do with the 2034 WC
Past ? We are shipping weapons and have people all over the world right now.
Well sure but apart from the already brought up issue of selling arms to SA it’s still irrelevant in this instance
why, because we only hold others accountable ? 34 men executed in the US this year, we going to protest and fuss about 2026 too ? not sure its been mentioned once in the USA world cup thread.
It should be, I haven’t read that one so can’t comment if it has or not. There are lots of issues in the USA and they should be highlighted. It just has no relevance to the 2034 WC.
I thought Qatar was a success both on and off the pitch, it was great to see fans of all countries mixing in the bars, restaurants and fan zones and they were all mixing in the grounds as well, segregation seemed non existent
If players in these countries keeps away all the hooligans and knob heads let’s keep it out there
Qatar was the most exciting tournament in a long time, and from a match going experience was absolutely brilliant. Found it to be more enjoyable than Germany personally, although both were great.
I was actually at the Saudi Arabia v Argentina match, which had the best noise and atmosphere of any of the games I saw. Their team is regularly at the World Cup, so the regurgitated suggestion that it’s “not a proper football country” is wide of the mark IMO.
I plan to be at every tournament for the foreseeable and will happily go to Saudi and judge the experience for myself rather than what we’re told by those sitting at home 👍
Fill your boots, enjoy supporting a regime that executes homosexuals, allows men to shag kids and that regularly holds public executions in chop-chop square.
If you're lucky, maybe you can catch public execution while you're there 🙏🏻
If someone is deemed “in support” of all those things for going to watch football on an a one off trip, then that’s your view.
An extreme one, but I guess that’s the way the world is now when someone has a keyboard in front of them.
I wouldn't personally go to Saudi Arabia, no way. Not even if i had a personal invite from Mohammed bin Salman.
Any visitors have zero integrity in my opinion. Folk cherry picking the best bits and turning a blind eye to the abhorrent behaviour committed by Saudi authorities. It's not an extreme opinion, these are facts.
Anyone making a comparison to colonialism is talking shite, shall we stop visiting Germany because of the Nazi party?
I'd love the big UEFA and CONMEBOL teams to boycott FIFA. They need us more then we need them. If you want to grow football, do it organically, don't just give the tournaments it to filthy rich companies with zero virtues.
Qatar is quite a different environment from Saudi. Much more western influence. It's been a long time (mid 90's) since I was last in Riyadh (Saudi Aramco business trip) but it wasn't a particularly comfortable environment and zero alcohol tolerated (suspect that is still the case) - so those wanting a few social occasions will find it very dry. That's in addition to the fact that the Saudi intolerance to LGBTQ and human rights should have been a no-no from the outset. Money talks and seems, sadly, to override everything.
Lived there for 2 years from 91 to 93. I believe it has moved on significantly since then and is less medieval albeit still atrocious compared to the freedoms we take for granted. Seems (from the outside) to be moving in the right direction albeit the sports washing and selling out we're complicit in is nauseating.
Still, being pragmatic it's progress in the right direction. It surprised me to learn that democracies are very much in the minority in the world and makes me very relieved to live where we do.
China has people including children literally in concentration camps based on Muslim ethnicity and has very questionable human rights.
But everyone still consumes Chinese products by the bucket load in the West and never seems to get raised.
Most of the world is ugly in this respect.
Hopefully change and progress can be made.
Hopefully the FA will also have the minerals to roll out the rainbow flags and laces they insist on patronising English fans with each season because if they don't when it is genuinely needed and warranted then it is nothing more than vapid corporate lip service doing it in Birmingham and London if you're not gonna do it in Saudi etc where it would genuinely be standing with persecuted homosexual people.
China has people including children literally in concentration camps based on Muslim ethnicity and has very questionable human rights.
But everyone still consumes Chinese products by the bucket load in the West and never seems to get raised.
Most of the world is ugly in this respect.
Hopefully change and progress can be made.
Hopefully the FA will also have the minerals to roll out the rainbow flags and laces they insist on patronising English fans with each season because if they don't when it is genuinely needed and warranted then it is nothing more than vapid corporate lip service doing it in Birmingham and London if you're not gonna do it in Saudi etc where it would genuinely be standing with persecuted homosexual people.
Although you're right to mention the Uyghurs, there is a world of difference between buying Chinese manufactured products (nearly everything) and attending the world cup in Saudi Arabia. Although no country is whiter than white, few are as blatant as the Saudis.
I plan to be at every tournament for the foreseeable and will happily go to Saudi and judge the experience for myself rather than what we’re told by those sitting at home 👍
Will you be judging what it's like to be tortured? Let us know how that goes
I’ll be going as a football fan with an open mind. Served me well in Qatar, as it did however many other hundreds of thousands of people who did the same.
Nice try though.
But you went during the glitzy World Cup when they had to be decent to everyone.
Do you have an open mind or rose tinted spectacles?
You seem very passionate about this. Tell us what you’ll be doing about it…
I don’t mean to preach to you about it. It would be hypocritical of me to do so seeing that I myself visited the UAE back in 2001. I was however naive before I went there but not so much by the time I had got back.
You suggested that you will judge for yourself but how is that possible? You can not judge by the welcoming smiles that you receive at the airport, by hotel room service, comfortable transport or technologically advanced stadia.
You have to see beyond that and yes, some of that is by ’what you are told at home’ by organisations like Amnesty International.
In the end it’s your choice to go but you should do so in full knowledge of how your experience there has been realised. If you’ve done that then I don’t judge and I’ve nothing more to say.
I plan to be at every tournament for the foreseeable and will happily go to Saudi and judge the experience for myself rather than what we’re told by those sitting at home 👍
Will you be judging what it's like to be tortured? Let us know how that goes
I’ll be going as a football fan with an open mind. Served me well in Qatar, as it did however many other hundreds of thousands of people who did the same.
Nice try though.
But you went during the glitzy World Cup when they had to be decent to everyone.
Do you have an open mind or rose tinted spectacles?
You seem very passionate about this. Tell us what you’ll be doing about it…
I don’t mean to preach to you about it. It would be hypocritical of me to do so seeing that I myself visited the UAE back in 2001. I was however naive before I went there but not so much by the time I had got back.
You suggested that you will judge for yourself but how is that possible? You can not judge by the welcoming smiles that you receive at the airport, by hotel room service, comfortable transport or technologically advanced stadia.
You have to see beyond that and yes, some of that is by ’what you are told at home’ by organisations like Amnesty International.
In the end it’s your choice to go but you should do so in full knowledge of how your experience there has been realised. If you’ve done that then I don’t judge and I’ve nothing more to say.
When did I say anything about judging for myself? I think you’ve mixed up posters. I’m not going, although I did go to Qatar on business before the WC22.
I asked what you’re gonna do about it because I’d imagine it’s as much as me….fuck all.
I won't judge anyone who wants to go to Saudi Arabia to see the World Cup. Football fans watch football, it's what they do. I don't think they should be denied that pleasure because of someone else's voice of venue. I think it's unfair criticising individuals for decisions based on morality, when it is the organisers that have demonstrated their complete lack of morals.
I most definitely do judge the officials of FIFA who made this decision in another cynical money grabbing move. They got it wrong with Russia, they got it wrong with Qatar and they've got it wrong again with Saudi Arabia. They ought to decide the venue on the basis sound criteria, mine would be something like this:
The ability to run a good, safe, tournament that does not conflict with long standing traditions of the game (for example, it should always be a summer tournament).
To help develop the game in places where there are large populations of people who are genuinely interested in the sport but who have historically struggled with funding or infrastructure.
To reward those countries that have a long tradition of the game.
To minimise unnecessary tournament/travel related pollution.
To promote societal improvements in countries that are willing to make positive changes.
Instead of such a framework, FIFA's decision making seems to be based entirely according to how much cash Gianni The Childlike and his chums rake in. Countries like Saudi Arabia are interested in the soft power that is invested in football. FIFA are literally selling that soft power to the highest bidder, regardless of their football traditions, capacity for development or openness to being a fair and just society. It absolutely stinks.
I plan to be at every tournament for the foreseeable and will happily go to Saudi and judge the experience for myself rather than what we’re told by those sitting at home 👍
Will you be judging what it's like to be tortured? Let us know how that goes
I’ll be going as a football fan with an open mind. Served me well in Qatar, as it did however many other hundreds of thousands of people who did the same.
Nice try though.
But you went during the glitzy World Cup when they had to be decent to everyone.
Do you have an open mind or rose tinted spectacles?
You seem very passionate about this. Tell us what you’ll be doing about it…
Good question. I've just started this. Please sign:
I plan to be at every tournament for the foreseeable and will happily go to Saudi and judge the experience for myself rather than what we’re told by those sitting at home 👍
Will you be judging what it's like to be tortured? Let us know how that goes
I’ll be going as a football fan with an open mind. Served me well in Qatar, as it did however many other hundreds of thousands of people who did the same.
Nice try though.
But you went during the glitzy World Cup when they had to be decent to everyone.
Do you have an open mind or rose tinted spectacles?
You seem very passionate about this. Tell us what you’ll be doing about it…
Good question. I've just started this. Please sign:
I hope all those who are so against Saudi Arabia hosting it, will also not watch any matches, don't comment on any matches and do not celebrate when we bring it home as that would be very hypocritical
If we politicized our lifestyle choices, we’d all be sat at home, consuming and doing nothing. It’s inescapable in this day an age. If the same lot that had bought Newcastle decided they wanted to waste their money on Charlton, it wouldn’t stop me going
I am not dismissing their human rights record, nor their zero tolerance policy for homosexuality, but as much as this is a power play and sports washing on their behalf, the WC is for the thousands of fans that just want to go and watch football.
One thing that I found a tad irritating re; Qatar, was the likes of Alex Scott being very vocal against their approach to homosexuality, but still reporting and working out there. If you’re going to go down that route (which is absolutely justified), then don’t undermine yourself when it comes to being paid. I do feel that it’s quite hypocritical to criticize but also take the money
You've pretty much hit the nail on the head here.
As I'm getting older, I realise I can't avoid being a hypocrite and doing the world harm etc just by living and enjoying myself.
Even down to the small things. Two of my favourite artists are Bowie and Elvis, growing up listening to them, you don't think about their character too much, then you hear their stories on documentaries etc, and think, well these blokes didn't sound great.
Do you stop listening? Protest by switching artists? Do you not enjoy their work anymore because of some shady decisions?
I know it's a bit off subject from the thread, but it's really difficult to navigate life without supporting something you may be against. I think in this instance, life is tough, and money talks.
Fen has a good point about representation there. If someone is going to go to these countries with questionable ethics, they should at least challenge them, I've got a lot of time for that. At least they're trying to do something and represent.
I also don't think anyone should be discouraged from going as the people who are, can make little impact regardless.
Basically, we're all dead in a hundred years anyway, fuck it.
Comments
If you're lucky, maybe you can catch public execution while you're there 🙏🏻
If players in these countries keeps away all the hooligans and knob heads let’s keep it out there
Any visitors have zero integrity in my opinion. Folk cherry picking the best bits and turning a blind eye to the abhorrent behaviour committed by Saudi authorities. It's not an extreme opinion, these are facts.
Anyone making a comparison to colonialism is talking shite, shall we stop visiting Germany because of the Nazi party?
I'd love the big UEFA and CONMEBOL teams to boycott FIFA. They need us more then we need them. If you want to grow football, do it organically, don't just give the tournaments it to filthy rich companies with zero virtues.
I'm sure Saudi will do the same.
Still, being pragmatic it's progress in the right direction. It surprised me to learn that democracies are very much in the minority in the world and makes me very relieved to live where we do.
But everyone still consumes Chinese products by the bucket load in the West and never seems to get raised.
Most of the world is ugly in this respect.
Hopefully change and progress can be made.
Hopefully the FA will also have the minerals to roll out the rainbow flags and laces they insist on patronising English fans with each season because if they don't when it is genuinely needed and warranted then it is nothing more than vapid corporate lip service doing it in Birmingham and London if you're not gonna do it in Saudi etc where it would genuinely be standing with persecuted homosexual people.
There are frequent injuries and deaths in Mecca with pilgrims making the Hajj
If they can't get that right after centuries what hope for an one off world cup?
1300 are believed to have died this year alone
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_during_the_Hajj
All for a game of bingo ffs.
You suggested that you will judge for yourself but how is that possible? You can not judge by the welcoming smiles that you receive at the airport, by hotel room service, comfortable transport or technologically advanced stadia.
You have to see beyond that and yes, some of that is by ’what you are told at home’ by organisations like Amnesty International.
In the end it’s your choice to go but you should do so in full knowledge of how your experience there has been realised. If you’ve done that then I don’t judge and I’ve nothing more to say.
I asked what you’re gonna do about it because I’d imagine it’s as much as me….fuck all.
I most definitely do judge the officials of FIFA who made this decision in another cynical money grabbing move. They got it wrong with Russia, they got it wrong with Qatar and they've got it wrong again with Saudi Arabia. They ought to decide the venue on the basis sound criteria, mine would be something like this:
- The ability to run a good, safe, tournament that does not conflict with long standing traditions of the game (for example, it should always be a summer tournament).
- To help develop the game in places where there are large populations of people who are genuinely interested in the sport but who have historically struggled with funding or infrastructure.
- To reward those countries that have a long tradition of the game.
- To minimise unnecessary tournament/travel related pollution.
- To promote societal improvements in countries that are willing to make positive changes.
Instead of such a framework, FIFA's decision making seems to be based entirely according to how much cash Gianni The Childlike and his chums rake in. Countries like Saudi Arabia are interested in the soft power that is invested in football. FIFA are literally selling that soft power to the highest bidder, regardless of their football traditions, capacity for development or openness to being a fair and just society. It absolutely stinks.https://www.change.org/p/demand-all-football-clubs-to-refuse-permission-to-their-players-to-play-in-2034-world-cup
As I'm getting older, I realise I can't avoid being a hypocrite and doing the world harm etc just by living and enjoying myself.
Even down to the small things. Two of my favourite artists are Bowie and Elvis, growing up listening to them, you don't think about their character too much, then you hear their stories on documentaries etc, and think, well these blokes didn't sound great.
Do you stop listening? Protest by switching artists? Do you not enjoy their work anymore because of some shady decisions?
I know it's a bit off subject from the thread, but it's really difficult to navigate life without supporting something you may be against. I think in this instance, life is tough, and money talks.
Fen has a good point about representation there. If someone is going to go to these countries with questionable ethics, they should at least challenge them, I've got a lot of time for that. At least they're trying to do something and represent.
I also don't think anyone should be discouraged from going as the people who are, can make little impact regardless.
Basically, we're all dead in a hundred years anyway, fuck it.