๐จ๐ฃSteven Gerrard: "this fifa world cup in USA is becoming the worst tournament even before it get started! This is not how it is supposed to be, the weather in the US is terrible for players to play in, and we have news of the Somali referee Omar Artan who was appointed by FIFA denied entry, Iran saying FIFA has withdrawn fans World Cup ticket allocation, couple with funny security checks [Kevin Debruyne Belgium and Senegal players]
"I have to say it again this World Cup is starting to look like a mess, and the tournament hasn't even properly begun yet."
"Usually, before a World Cup, we're talking about the favourites, the star players, and the football. Instead, we're talking about travel problems, ticket controversies, and immigration issues."
"The Omar Artan situation is one of the most disappointing stories I've seen. FIFA selected him because they believed he was good enough to officiate at the World Cup, yet he was denied entry into the United States and will miss the tournament."
"Imagine working your whole life to become the first Somali referee at a World Cup and then being prevented from taking part for reasons completely unrelated to football."
"Then you have Iran's federation saying their allocation of World Cup tickets for supporters was withdrawn just days before the competition. Whether you agree with a government or not, supporters should not be the ones paying the price."
"I've also seen players and delegations complaining about the level of security checks and the delays involved. At some point, people stop feeling welcomed and start feeling like they're being treated as suspects."
"The weather is another concern. We're talking about matches being played in extreme summer conditions. The players are expected to perform at the highest level while dealing with heat that can completely change the rhythm of a game."
"A World Cup should be about bringing the world together. Instead, every day seems to bring another story that has nothing to do with football."
"The worrying thing is that these aren't isolated incidents anymore. When ticket disputes, entry restrictions, and organisational concerns keep appearing, people naturally begin questioning the tournament itself."
"I still hope the football saves the competition because the World Cup is bigger than any host nation. But right now, the headlines aren't making FIFA look good, and they certainly aren't making this look like the celebration of football it was supposed to be."
๐จ OMG. President Trump CUTS OFF and WALKS OUT of a Kristen Welker interview
He looks her in the eyes and tells her SHE'S A LIAR, then storms off!
"The elections are like a 3rd world country. YOU'RE CROOKED...let's call it QUITS. I've HAD ENOUGH."
WELKER: Please, I traveled all the way to Wisconsin!
TRUMP: "I've sat in the RAIN with you for an HOUR! I've given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press. You know what? A country can never be great with a dishonest press. Let's GO."
WELKER: *Whines*
BEST PRESIDENT EVER ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
"Dear friends, let's not kid ourselves. In a situation of injustice and oppression, there can be no neutrality. You have to take sides..." - Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Stanford University's Memorial Auditorium on January 21, 1986. Footage courtesy of Stanford University Archive.
A South African World Cup player got more MLS All-Star fan votes than Lionel Messi.
Meet Mbekezeli Mbokazi. The most popular player you might not have heard about yet.
https://t.co/kFBSc9YBYl
A deeply disappointing interview, replete with misinformation.
First, the claim that two Nigerians have been killed during the current wave of attacks remains entirely unsubstantiated by available information.
No Nigerian National
has been killed during the current waves of attacks in South Africa.
Second, it is untrue that five Mozambicans were killed. While there is an active South African Police Service investigation into the deaths of two Mozambican nationals, deaths we deeply regret, we trust that this matter will be thoroughly investigated, resulting in clear accountability and justice.
We once again convey our sincere condolences to the government and people of Mozambique.
We have cooperated fully with your High Commission to facilitate the necessary repatriation process.
It is therefore deeply strange that we are hearing for the first time, through this interview, that 15 Ghanaians are currently hospitalised. We have no information of that nature whatsoever. In fact, to date, the High Commissioner has not shared any information with us, not even regarding the single individual he previously discussed in media interviews.
Regarding what you have referred to as a โnuclear defaultโ against South African companies: this will not be triggered by the recent attacks. The truth is, mere months into the new Ghanaian administration, the operating conditions for a number of South African companies had already been made untenable. I was compelled to write to you, my dear brother, alerting you to these challenges.
Be advised: I am prepared to publish that letter if its existence is denied.
Third, we reiterate the findings of our Department of Home Affairs and the Border Management Authority concerning the 27 May flight of 300 individuals. Of these, 25 came from the our deportation facility, transported by the Immigration Inspectorate of the Department of Home Affairs.
The remaining 275 were brought by the Ghanaian High Commissioner. Following an intensive check-in process, the travellers proceeded to BMA Immigration, where approximately 90% were found to be undocumented.
Consequently, the Ghanaian Embassy was required to issue them Emergency Travel Certificates, single-page, one-way documents permitting a traveller to return only to their country of origin. Furthermore, most of these travellers were found to have overstayed their visas by more than 30 days, with some overstaying by a year or more.
Let there be no misunderstanding: we will vigorously defend any frivolous or baseless lawsuit emanating from Ghana against South Africa.
Our initial hope was simply to assist the Government of Ghana in repatriating its citizens in a humane and cordial manner. However, we will not continue to tolerate this public spectacles, characterised by incomplete information and outright misinformation devoid of any diplomatic decorum.
Make no mistake: the South African government remains committed to regional integration.
We are, and will remain, open to discussing the push and pull factors relating to migration at a bilateral level, the African Union or any multilateral forum but Let us be factual in our engagements and not pander to unnecessary public spacteclaces that are devoid of any diplomatic decorum.
Having been on both ends of violence and hostility directed at migrants, Ghana has invaluable lessons to impart. We are ready to learn from your wealth of experience in this regard, including how Ghana has managed social tension while protecting, exclusively for Ghanaians, the very sectors in which Ghanaians in South Africa thrive.
As we have stated on numerous occassions, violence directed at migrants is an affront to our constitutional order. Our democracy is founded on the principle that none shall suffer discrimination on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexuality. As we navigate this complex and fluid situation, we are determined to uphold this promise.
First, Ghana has been pursuing resource nationalism and indigenisation policies for years now, long before any recent xenophobia spike in South Africa and Engineers & Planners, the beneficiary company, has prior political connections in Ghana that predate this episode.
The idea of a โtragic own goal by xenophobesโ is a bit off base considering that *if* Ghana is acting in retaliation, the harm will fall on Gold Fields shareholders, not on any xenophobic groups in South Africa.
Then saying America is โpublicly cheering on Ghana and Nigeriaโ but then not holding those countries accountable for *their* role in carrying out imperial bidding is again, off. Calling for โan adult in the roomโ to resolve the situation offers no actionable analysis. Why is Ghana not adulting in the room instead of lashing out? Theyโre the ones with the grievance, and as you note that the SA state is watching and doing nothing. So, what are the Ghanaians and Nigerians doing outside being water carriers for the Empire, as you suggest?
Basically, you are invoking American influence and then you decline to examine what it means for those two countriesโ accountability. Itโs almost as if this is not a genuine argument.
Then thereโs old the trope of framing South Africans as welfare recipients. Typical continental disrespect and disdain for South Africans. No surprises there.
This rhetoric is common in a pan-Africanist commentary directed at South Africa, treating Black South Africans as either ungrateful or ignorant, while extending more generosity of interpretation to every other party on the continent.
Somehow you lead with an economic argument about corporate profits and diplomatic relations, and yet for some reason ordinary South Africans as uneducated grant recipients take centre stage as if thatโs whoโs leading anti-immigrant sentiment in the country. But, then again, thatโs that typical continental condescension.
This one @PhophiRamathuba isn't bad at all, She is just in a useless organisation called ANC @MYANC of @CyrilRamaphosa with a looting DNA and nepotism mentality. Surely these nurses employed here are kids and relatives of ANC corrupt leaders
Top 25 Friendliest Countries in the World ๐ซ
1. ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa
2. ๐ฌ๐ท Greece
3. ๐ญ๐ท Croatia
4. ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
5. ๐ธ๐ช Sweden
6. ๐ฆ๐บ Australia
7. ๐จ๐ฆ Canada
8. ๐ฉ๐ช Germany
9. ๐ช๐ช Estonia
10. ๐ง๐ช Belgium
11. ๐ช๐ธ Spain
12. ๐จ๐ฟ Czech Republic
13. ๐ฎ๐น Italy
14. ๐ฏ๐ต Japan
15. ๐บ๐ธ United States
16. ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands
17. ๐ต๐น Portugal
18. ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
19. ๐ต๐ฑ Poland
20. ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland
21. ๐ฆ๐น Austria
22. ๐ซ๐ท France
23. ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
24. ๐ญ๐บ Hungary
25. ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland
Source: Remitly, as of last updated till 2024.
INSTEAD OF WATCHING AN HOUR OF NETFLIX TONIGHT.
This 1 hour Stanford lecture by Joel Peterson will teach you more about negotiation and getting what you want than most people learn in years.
Bookmark it and give it an hour, no matter what.
According to Al Jazeera, the Iran deals includes unfreezing billions in Iranian funds, lifting U.S. blockade, pulling U.S. forces away, reopening strait of Hormuz though with tolls to Iran, and allowing Iran to keep its enriched uranium. This would be a total U.S. surrender.
Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fired Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, according to a statement read by the president's aide, a move that risks reigniting political unrest as the country grapples with a debt crisis https://t.co/ZpX8ozVw9A