Word Cup 2022 Day 1: Qatar v Ecuador

[Sideshow Bob]

Group A. 4pm kick off. Roll on the World Cup…

 

[IDFD]

I am not buzzing for this at all. Haven't even bothered booking tomorrow off to watch the England game. Will just watch it at home whilst working.

Hopefully once the games start coming I'll be up for it a little more.

 

[IDFD]

Plenty of rumours on social media about bribes being handed out to Ecuador players today.

I have a soft spot for Ecuador as one of my closest friends is from there. Hopefully they can make it to the knockout stages. The big game will be Senegal for them.

 

[jsp]

Would be quite funny if Ecuador players had clearly took bribes and just rolled over for Qatar.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

 

[Mr C]

Wtf is that offside decision all about? It's all about the money money money

 

[RVN]

Wtf is that offside decision all about? It's all about the money money money

Absolute joke, no infringement of any kind.

 

[SuperRash]

As expected, Qatar look pretty woeful. Obviously it could be nerves and they could get better, but at the moment Ecuador are going to walk this at a canter.

 

[jsp]

Think they technically got it right but the communication was poor.

Qatar look rubbish.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

Finished 2-0 for Ecuador. Qatar look way off the pace.

 

[RVN]

It was interesting to see the Qatari fans leaving the stadum from half time. You've bigged yourself up to host the tournament and don't even bother to watch the whole game.

 

[jsp]

I think attendances will be quite poor during the group stage games.

As for Qatar they were very poor especially the goalkeeper, looked to me like Ecuador just held them at arms length second half. Saved their legs for the remaining games.

 

[RVN]

Gianni Infantino: FIFA president hits out at Qatar World Cup criticism in extraordinary speech ahead of tournament

Infantino: Today I feel Qatari, I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel gay, I feel disabled, I feel a migrant worker.... For what we Europeans have been doing around the world in the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons

www.skysports.com

I'm simply stunned by his speech. I think he now feels untouchable as he has been re-elected unopposed. He appears to have new paymasters.

 

[O-Dog]

I had Ecuador to win to nil, Valencia to score and more than four bookings at 25/1. Nice little earner.

 

[Sapper]

I am not buzzing for this at all. Haven't even bothered booking tomorrow off to watch the England game. Will just watch it at home whilst working.

Hopefully once the games start coming I'll be up for it a little more.

Don't even know whether I will watch it yet as corrupt a tournament as you will get

RIP the thousands who died building the stadiums actually shocking

 

[Mr C]

Did you watch the last one? After Russia annexed Crimea
USA were up for this one, death penalty in some states, women can't have a say over their bodies in others. A gay night club attacked last night.

At least there has been a spotlight on Qatar, a lot more people know about this country and their rules than they did this time last year

I'll be watching the football, and I'll be taking my new found knowledge of Qatar into the future and hope there is a change.

 

[Justin Cider]

As expected, Qatar look pretty woeful. Obviously it could be nerves and they could get better, but at the moment Ecuador are going to walk this at a canter.

Why as expected? Qatar won the most recent Asia Cup beating Japan 3-1 in the Final of a competition that also features South Korea, China and Australia.

 

[SuperRash]

Why as expected? Qatar won the most recent Asia Cup beating Japan 3-1 in the Final of a competition that also features South Korea, China and Australia.

Granted they did but that maybe says more about the quality of the opposition and not Qatar. They did a great job beating South Korea and Japan but this was a step up in class and they looked woefully out of their depth.

Obviously this was a huge occasion in front of their own fans and nerves may have got the better of them. Let’s see how they fare against the other teams in the group but I doubt we will be seeing them register a point - or maybe even a goal.

 

[jsp]

Not sure how true this is but apparently the stadium announcer gave the attendance yesterday as 67,000 which is very impressive for a stadium that only holds 60,000 people.

Qatar have had to come a very long way in a very short period of time I don't think anyone expected much from them and they'll do well to avoid a two further defeats in the next two games.

 

[Justin Cider]

Granted they did but that maybe says more about the quality of the opposition and not Qatar. They did a great job beating South Korea and Japan but this was a step up in class and they looked woefully out of their depth.

Obviously this was a huge occasion in front of their own fans and nerves may have got the better of them. Let’s see how they fare against the other teams in the group but I doubt we will be seeing them register a point - or maybe even a goal.

Drat, I nearly mention Saudi Arabia as a team that also featured in the Asia Cup ....

No they definitely froze, and their nearest neighbours sensational win today puts even more pressure on them for their remaining games, can't see them recovering in the group now which is a shame as it's always nice to see the hosts get out of the group stage.

Wouldn't be surprised if they don't register a point, or score a goal either now.

So that's a tenner on them to beat Senegal then

 

[Cruella ne Ville]

To be fair, the hosts making a deep run is exciting because of the atmosphere and belief that overtakes the entire nation, especially when the hosts aren't one of the pre-tourney favourites. When the hosts sod off the opening match by halftime, it kinda ruins the effect.

 

[jsp]

Qatar is a country of about 3m people.

Of that 3m only 10% are Qatari’s the rest are immigrants most who’ve moved to Qatar to build their new stadiums and infrastructure.

I doubt the migrant workers are going to get behind the host unless they’re getting paid a shift.

 

[Justin Cider]

Qatar is a country of about 3m people.

Of that 3m only 10% are Qatari’s the rest are immigrants most who’ve moved to Qatar to build their new stadiums and infrastructure.

I doubt the migrant workers are going to get behind the host unless they’re getting paid a shift.

The dead ones won't, that's for sure.

 

[jsp]

The dead ones won't, that's for sure.

Maybe they're counting them in the attendance figures? Would explain why some games have achieved higher attendances than the listed stadium capacity.

 

[Justin Cider]

Maybe they're counting them in the attendance figures? Would explain why some games have achieved higher attendances than the listed stadium capacity.

They've tried to explain that, so many of the Worlds media and sponsors haven't taken up their free tickets and those tickets have been made available to fans to buy, and if you don't believe that you will be taken to the nearest desert, buried up to your neck in sand, and local scallies will stone you to death, for giggles.

 

[jsp]

They've tried to explain that, so many of the Worlds media and sponsors haven't taken up their free tickets and those tickets have been made available to fans to buy, and if you don't believe that you will be taken to the nearest desert, buried up to your neck in sand, and local scallies will stone you to death, for giggles.

Saw another one where they've now changed the stadium capacity from the original media provided by FIFA from 40,000 to 44,000.

It's actually quite funny seeing FIFA be on the back foot with an organiser. For years they'd role into town and basically tell the host nations they were basically in charge for the next month. Now they're being told by the host we'll do and say whatever we want and you have to back everything otherwise we'll expose all your secrets about how we got this in the first place.

 

[Justin Cider]

Saw another one where they've now changed the stadium capacity from the original media provided by FIFA from 40,000 to 44,000.

It's actually quite funny seeing FIFA be on the back foot with an organiser. For years they'd role into town and basically tell the host nations they were basically in charge for the next month. Now they're being told by the host we'll do and say whatever we want and you have to back everything otherwise we'll expose all your secrets about how we got this in the first place.

Think all the stadium are designed along the lines of the Olympic Stadium and the Etihad in England where there's scope to seriously increase/decrease the capacity after the event they were built for.

Think we all know how they, and Russia before them got the Finals, and who is now calling the shots.

 

[jsp]

Think all the stadium are designed along the lines of the Olympic Stadium and the Etihad in England where there's scope to seriously increase/decrease the capacity after the event they were built for.

Think we all know how they, and Russia before them got the Finals, and who is now calling the shots.

Yeah think I read a couple are being dismantled completely and being taken to other countries. Having 8 world class stadiums in 1 city that close together is pretty pointless as they'll never get used.

Well the method of getting the tournament were long established it's always been a pay for votes policy there were allegations of foul play back in 2006 when Germany won the right to host it.

As those involved in the selection got more comfortable it just totally got out of control and doing a double round of bidding all those old farts saw it as the chance for one last haul.