The Official GRcade FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Thread: Someone check on Ronaldo, Argies win WC on pens

[OrangeRKN]

Gutted I'm going to have to boycott Crypto.com and Roblox

[mcjihge2]

They usually have football supliments booklets in the sunday newspapers - did anyone pick one up yesterday or are they out this next weekend?

[Dowbocop]

I'm not watching it and not betting on it. The LGBTQ/migrant labour problems had been sticking in my craw for a few months and a couple of weeks ago I just thought: strawberry float it, Ireland aren't in it, the process has been crooked from start to finish, I'd sleep sounder if I just sacked it off and watched telly with the wife.

[Robbo-92]

Doubt I’ll watch much of it, even the England games, probably end up watching the semis and final if any of it. For one it’s atrocious that’s it’s even being held in Qatar for reasons that are well known, secondly it just feels off holding a World Cup in November and mid season rather than at the end, thirdly I’ve got much better things to be doing with my week off work next week.

[Rex Kramer]

I've no intention of watching any of it. The whole process has been corrupt from the beginning and the migrant worker deaths coupled with the hosts backwards views mean I don't feel comfortable supporting it in any way.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

I'm actually not convinced England will get out of their group.

[Dowbocop]

twitter.com/TheIDSmiths/status/1592120376871604226

[Octoroc]

Some vacuous hand-wringing from Gaby Logan:

This time, we should remember the treatment of the migrant workers involved in the vast construction project for this tournament - including the gleaming new stadiums that will be seen around the world - and instead judge Qatar on whether some of the issues I have mentioned do change and get better in the future.

Yes, let's not judge Qatar on things they have done, instead let's judge them on things that haven't happened yet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63607874

[Tomous]

twitter.com/Wayne57072607/status/1592193450572742658

[Preezy]

I bet Rod Stewart wouldn't get out of bed for £1m, let alone fly to Qatar and sing some songs.

[Tomous]

Some vacuous hand-wringing from Gaby Logan:

This time, we should remember the treatment of the migrant workers involved in the vast construction project for this tournament - including the gleaming new stadiums that will be seen around the world - and instead judge Qatar on whether some of the issues I have mentioned do change and get better in the future.

Yes, let's not judge Qatar on things they have done, instead let's judge them on things that haven't happened yet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63607874

But as my colleague Gary Lineker has already said, the BBC will be in Qatar reporting, not supporting the regime there and elements of what they stand for.

Does anyone agree with this? In my opinion, if you're there to report on human right abuses then I agree. If you're there to report on a World Cup your complicit in sportwashing and therefore supporting the regime.

[Parksey]

Some vacuous hand-wringing from Gaby Logan:

This time, we should remember the treatment of the migrant workers involved in the vast construction project for this tournament - including the gleaming new stadiums that will be seen around the world - and instead judge Qatar on whether some of the issues I have mentioned do change and get better in the future.

Yes, let's not judge Qatar on things they have done, instead let's judge them on things that haven't happened yet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63607874

Look, lets be balanced here. Yes, we have thousands of migrant deaths, but at least they died making stadiums that were "gleaming" and "new". At least they didn't die making old, terrible stadiums.

[Red]

I would love to watch this, but I can wait until it's not being hosted by a country with such an awful record of human rights abuses. The whole thing is grim. Not going to judge those who do, though, although it would be nice to see some tangible backlash.

[Octoroc]

No uniform choice for Virgin Atlantic crew on World Cup flight

Virgin Atlantic has said its gender-neutral uniform policy does not apply to the crew on board the England team's flight to the World Cup in Qatar.

The airline announced a "fluid approach" to uniforms in September that it said allowed staff to choose their attire "no matter their gender".

But a spokeswoman told BBC News the crew for Tuesday's flight to Doha would not be able to choose their uniform.

Virgin said a plane displaying an LGBT icon would be used for the journey.

...The A350 plane, named "Rain Bow" and carrying the image of a man holding a union flag wearing shoes with a rainbow motif on its fuselage, flew Gareth Southgate's team to Doha.

...It is illegal to be homosexual in Qatar, and same-sex relationships can be punishable by death.

https://grcade.co.uk/posting.php?mode=reply&f=7&t=44887

[Preezy]

Some vacuous hand-wringing from Gaby Logan:

This time, we should remember the treatment of the migrant workers involved in the vast construction project for this tournament - including the gleaming new stadiums that will be seen around the world - and instead judge Qatar on whether some of the issues I have mentioned do change and get better in the future.

Yes, let's not judge Qatar on things they have done, instead let's judge them on things that haven't happened yet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63607874

But as my colleague Gary Lineker has already said, the BBC will be in Qatar reporting, not supporting the regime there and elements of what they stand for.

Does anyone agree with this? In my opinion, if you're there to report on human right abuses then I agree. If you're there to report on a World Cup your complicit in sportwashing and therefore supporting the regime.

I wouldn't call people reporting on the actual football as being complicit in sportswashing necessarily, much as I wouldn't label a reporter reporting on a military parade in Pyongyang as being complicit in supporting the Kim regime. Maybe not a perfect analogy, but things happen that people want to know about, reporters need to report etc.

I think for the UK commentators and punditry teams that are going over there, they should be allowed to comment on the football without drawing undue criticism. They aren't being paid by Qatar (unlike Gary Neville and the rest of the BeIN Sports crew, the knobheads) so aren't complicit. I mean it wouldn't hurt for them to highlight the more serious issues, and I'm sure they will, but I don't think it's realistic for them to mention that stuff continually - how do you even do that in general punditry?

It's going to be really interesting to see how it's all handled.

[Preezy]

Thinking about some more, if the commentators and pundits were waxing lyrical about how great Qatar has been as a host nation and "wow look at how awesome these stadiums are" then that should definitely be called out if they don't follow it up with some "but let's not forget the story behind that" kind of thing.

[Moggy]

I love the World Cup and have watched as much as I could of every single one since 1990.

But this one just leaves me cold. I can barely muster up any interest at all in it. Absolutely no chance of me buying anything World Cup related or stocking up on beer etc.

I'm not necessarily boycotting watching any of it, curiosity and love of football will probably end up making me cave.

[Vermilion]

Have built up a small collection of sticker doubles now so am up for trading if anyone is interested.

[The Watching Artist]

I wont be watching it. I'll follow the results and maybe watch some of the highlights on the BBC if I cant stop myself but I'll try not to. (dont touch ITV because its funded by ads and sponsers etc.)

Regarding Lineker and co. They are being paid by the BBC, which actually means we are paying them to do the sportwashing , and its an event which still needs covering. They have never seemed to turn away when fan behaviour needed to be reported on so I'm sure if anything noteworthy happens it will get mentioned. All it could take is one player making a gesture after all.

I will however throw all my morals out the window to see Ronaldo cry.

[Johnny Ryall]

I don't really like football anyway but this draws parallels to WWE (which I do ashamedly watch) doing shows in Saudi Arabia and I refuse to watch those because it's trying to legitimise regimes that are violent and curtail human rights. The female performers in WWE have to wear full bodysuits when they perform over there and try and justify that as progress!

Qatar is the same situation and if I was a fan I'd skip it.