Soccer twitter is great, I am sad I wasn't plugged into it previously. Fav a few tweets, share a few dumb opinions, and now my timeline is like:
Russell Westbrook and DK Metcalf could defeat Brazil's current squad with 6 months of training, particularly since Brazil is no longer a team of creative Catholic heathens; also the Americans have 11 Erling Haalands in every mid-size Ohio town but many of them will never make it because they have to pay club fees so they're instead forced to play power forward in the MAC, and America's loudest soccer voice is like "Shareholders see this as a good return on an investment, if you disagree you are woke."
"Part of the reaction by Belgium and the global soccer community is: We are now a legitimate threat... The uncomfortable truth is that we're really good. You can just watch."
@colincowherd on the reaction to FIFA suspending Balogun's red card
To summarise this thread: Europeans passively accept unfairness, while the American spirit refuses to let an injustice go uncorrected.😅
Watching Americans frame the LITERAL geopolitical blackmail of FIFA as a proud, patriotic stand for justice is incredible.
They are weaponising state power to cheat, & then writing poetic essays about their moral superiority.🫠
It's the exact same geopolitical narcissism that allows them to obliterate a country for natural resources, & then demand global sympathy via a 3-hour Oscar-winning film about the psychological toll it took on their patriotic invading army.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino:
“I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.
“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.
“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”
🤔🇺🇸 Donald Trump : "Je connais très bien le sport, et il n'y avait pas faute. Cet arbitre, qui est un peu suspect si vous regardez son passé, a pris une décision incompréhensible. Je ne savais pas ce que signifiait un carton rouge, je ne savais pas que la sanction était telle."
Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA?
Football must never become a playground for political power. #FIFA #WorldCup #GianniInfantino #DonaldTrump
Madame Celeste Amarilla,
Vous êtes une femme méprisable et indigne de sa fonction.
Vous ne représentez pas le Paraguay, ce pays qui a transpiré la passion et l’honneur tout au long de la compétition. Par votre inconscience et votre racisme décomplexé, le monde entier a déjà oublié le parcours et l’effort historique que vos joueurs ont réalisés durant cette coupe du monde pour laisser place à une dame incompétente donnant la pire image possible de son pays.
Je ne laisserai jamais aux gens comme elle, la liberté de laisser propager leur haine et leur racisme à travers le monde.
🚨🇩🇪 BREAKING: Jürgen Klopp as new Germany head coach, here we go! 💥
Klopp has accepted to take over; long term contract details, project and RB Group exit still under discussion, but he will be the new head coach.
RB considered Glasner as replacement but he signs at #NFFC.
Klopp is back.