'It was an extension of how Argentina had acted for the past six weeks, committing the most fouls of any team and backing themselves to see off every challenge through sheer belligerence.
'How fitting that such a crude approach should finally be crushed by Spain, the consummate technicians, and that Fernández should play the fall guy.
'After all, this was not the first time the midfielder had behaved reprehensibly. It was not even the first time this week. Against England he had announced himself in the semi-final by whacking Elliot Anderson on the back of the head, before celebrating his goal with a gesture to suggest that his critics had too much to say. Topo Gigio, it is called in Argentina, where a player cups his hands behind his ears and invites his adversaries to keep talking.'
Except in Fernández’s case, as @oliverbrown_tel says, they arguably do not talk enough 👇
https://t.co/2jTZZ3gKgd
O maior erro da carreira do Messi foi não ter se aposentado em 2022.
Se ele pára ali, campeão do mundo, finalmente se igualando ao Diego, logo todo mundo ia se esquecer dos pênaltis mandrakes e da proteção da arbitragem.
"Você tem q parar no auge, quando todo mundo pede pra vc continuar" dizia o Pelé.
Se o Messi se aposentasse em 2022, seria uma despedida de Pelé.
Mas agora ele será pra sempre associado à manipulação da arbitragem, à proteção da Fifa e por liderar um time q jogou sujo e não soube perder.
Ninguém perdeu mais essa copa q o Messi. Perdeu o título, perdeu respeito internacional, perdeu a admiração de muitos.
Q desastre de relações públicas hein hermano?
When a South Korean player held up a political sign about his country's territorial dispute with Japan at the 2012 Olympics, FIFA decided to suspend him for two matches.
Will FIFA punish the Argentine players who waved a political banner after their match against England?
Imagine having enough power to genuinely help many people yet being so loathsome that millions of people celebrate your death. The very worst people rise to the top in American politics. Thus it has always been.
Lindsey Graham is Dead. It’s bad to speak ill of the dead, so I’ll just say while he was alive he was as horribly evil & as bloodthirsty as they come. A true demon & an enemy of humanity.
As a dead guy I’m guessing he’s no better, but it’s bad form to speak ill of the dead, so I won’t.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino personally went to Miami to publicly announce that Inter Miami had qualified for the Club World Cup. It was an arbitrary decision with no qualification criteria and the first time FIFA had ever announced a host club’s qualification in that manner for one of its own tournaments.
And people still tell us FIFA doesn’t favour Messi?
That insults our intelligence.
Argentinian spectators spray Egyptian fans with alcohol and raise the Israeli flag in support of Netanyahu to Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan
Is this what the spirit of the World Game looks like?
It's worth noting how Mbappe has the same number of goals as Norway's Haaland. Haaland has been catapulted to GQ covers. He seems nice as well as talented. Conversely, Mbappe is receiving global racial abuse even from politicians bc anti-Blackness is pervasive the world over.
Infantino must go.
No matter where it’s held, the World Cup belongs to the fans – not gangsters like Trump.
We need someone who’ll finally kick corruption out of FIFA.
Imagine the Anglo-American media reaction if the Kremlin had directly called FIFA during Russia 2018 asking it to review a card for a Russian player.
We’d still be getting Netflix documentaries about it.
UEFA has labeled FIFA's decision to allow Florian Balogun to play against Belgium at the World Cup "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable" 👀
I hear you, Lynn.
But Somalis, with all their wisdom, choose cash for a reason.
Others, with all their wisdom, choose M-Pesa for a reason.
There is no need to sensationalize or criticize the Eastleigh community over that.
People are free to accept the means of payment that is most convenient for their businesses.
• Some businesses prefer cash only.
• Others prefer M-Pesa only.
• Others accept both.
Cash is the only legal tender in Kenya. Digital money derive its value and legitimacy from cash.
Accepting cash is not illegal. Neither is preferring M-Pesa.
Different people have different money preferences.
KRA has had legal mechanisms and tools for taxing cash businesses since 1995. Long before M-Pesa even existed.
M-Pesa came the other day. It found KRA right here collecting taxes.
KRA should use those same mechanisms to tax businesses that choose to transact using Kenya's only legal tender.
Let us all, including KRA, support our only legal tender.
Even Hitler's Germany did not prevent athletes and officials from entering the country to take part in the 1936 Olympics.
This is pristine racism and @FIFAcom stands disgraced for allowing Trump to disfigure the beautiful game in this way.