JSoccer Magazine issue 32 is IN HAND!
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FIFA go from bad to worse... changed "rule" allowing fans to bring in plastic bottles (drinks) to stadiums (weather will be HOT in most, if not all, games).
Now have issued release stating NO pet bottles may be brought into stadiums.
Money-grabbing organisation, but u knew that!
On this week's pod @JSoccerMagazine chats about Japan's win over Iceland and Kobe thumping Kashima, then we round up the rest of the J1 playoff 1st legs and select the CEJLC west Best XI.
https://t.co/l1HxqmGnij
BREAKING - Yokohama F.Marinos will NOT renew manager Oshima's contract after this disappointing semi-season. He leaves the position after this weekend.
I believe we now have evidence of FIFA's World Cup ticketing shell game: FIFA is colluding with third-party resale platforms for its own supply management.
Look at this SeatGeek map (secondary market!) for Saudi Arabia vs Cape Verde. The circled areas are not random single resale tickets, but large, contiguous blocks of seats: entire rows and swaths in sections 101/102, 112/113, 119/120, 134–137, 139, ...
The blue circles appeared weeks ago, then the purple blocks suddenly showed up a day or two ago, and the red blocks seem to have appeared recently too.
That's not what ordinary fan or even commercial scalper resale looks like who resell pairs, fours, and scattered seats. Instead, this looks like inventory being dumped in bulk onto secondary markets, at prices below FIFA's official site.
Why doesn't FIFA just lower prices on its own site Probably because official price cuts could trigger refund demands, chargebacks, or consumer-protection headaches from fans who already bought at much higher prices.
Instead FIFA keeps official prices high, avoids openly admitting the market-clearing price is lower, and moves unsold inventory through third-party resale platforms instead.
NEW PODCAST: First for J-Talk patrons (free feed at 7pm), @JSoccerMagazine guests to chat about Japan's win over Iceland and Kobe thumping Kashima, then we round up the other J1 playoff 1st legs and piece together the west Best XI.
https://t.co/sqWVXe850t
In a totally unsurprising update, FIFA's official $375 "host city" t-shirts (looking very much like $10 polyester t-shirts from AliExpress et al) are still available in all sizes, in all shirts.
And they want to add $38 shipping!? My Two-decades-plus boycott of FIFA continues!
@mid_5@OneFootball Actually there seem to be 103 shirts overall. Is this ranking you mention just the home shirts?
All "rankings" are subjective. You can make your own :-)
The theory here is that TV broadcasts intentionally cut away from Asian players as they receive medal or lift trophy. Theory gaining ground. Here examples with Japanese and Uzbek players being intentionally ignored? It’s everywhere, I’ll share some posts.
Two stories making the rounds this week have caught me eye.
Tim Payne's new found fame, and a conspiracy theory that Asian players are being discriminated against in TV coverage of medal ceremonies.
Tim Payne's story:
https://t.co/A2ABRMBVBs
Next post for Asian player scandal.
After trying with two other Brazilian FWs and Ichimi, Fagiano Okayama settled on Werik Popo as their main battering ram of a starting FW for latter part of the season, and his own brand of bull-in-a-China-shop stuff worked at times. I believe a "bigger" club coming in for him.
As noted live, we saw new rules in actin last night in Japan v Iceland. A throw-in for Iceland, filed to Jaoan after taking too long, and an Iceland sub made to wait before coming in as outgoing player to slow. Japan scored while that player waited for entry!
Japan finally get their goal… Ogawa glances a header in off the post from an inswinging Sugawara cross.
Iceland were down a man due to that delayed leaving of the field by player coming off. Did it affect play? Interesting.