Andrew McBride

Passionate about an inclusive and tolerant Australia. Standing up for journalism standards. Retweets don't = endorsements. Views my own.

[Melissa Reddy @MelissaReddy_]

Gianni Infantino, we know what you are

[Craig Foster @Craig_Foster]

Thanks to Infantino and Trump, the World Cup is now caught in a maelstrom of conspiracy theories, consistency is non-existent, and perceptions of favoritism and bias rampant.

Balogun’s red card was explicitly classified as serious foul play following VAR review. However, the Disciplinary Committee not only failed to impose the additional match penalty, it suspended implementation for one year on probation, after Trump called the FIFA President.

In contrast, England’s Quansah received the minimum two-match ban for serious foul play against Mexico.

We now have more controversy, a complete lack of consistency and integrity, new precedents, widespread criticism and scepticism, and overt politicisation of on-field decisions.

And this comes after the VAR ruled out an Egyptian goal in their round of 16 match, then failed to apply exactly the same process for a penalty for Egypt, fuelling further perceptions of bias.

Unfortunately, once one nation is given special treatment, the supposed independence of the process is fatally undermined, every decision thrown into doubt, and trust erased.

The beautiful game deserves far better.

[Francis Awaritefe @FrancisAwartefe]

“The Socceroos aren’t just a team. We’re a reflection of modern Australia.”

A desperately needed message for Australia, and Australians of all hues and backgrounds.

Bravo @Socceroos!!! 👏🏾 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE @Protect_Wldlife]

Why does the world still allow trophy hunting?

We've done so much harm already. RT if you think there should be a worldwide ban on this barbaric practice.

Nature is amazing. Protect it.

Trophy hunter Tess Talley poses with a rare Black Giraffe.

"Prayers for my once in a lifetime dream hunt came true today! Spotted this rare black giraffe bull and stalked him for quite awhile,'' Talley gushed. 😡

[Andrew McBride @mcbridea_]

@whiteryan30 The win gave us all great joy and pride in our team, hopefully more to come. When you're done being a whinger, hop on board bro!

[Mukhtar @I_amMukhtar]

Big up, Uncle Ian Wright for speaking up, and he's 100% correct.

Look how Qatar got dragged when they were hosting the World Cup.

[Andrew McBride @mcbridea_]

@____PM1O No knock on Robbo at all, but these events are all staged. He 100% would have already read it and agreed to read it on camera (also likely with Rute Cardosa's permission).

[Josh Barzon @JoshuaBarzon]

You just won a 2-week, all-expenses-paid vacation. But there’s a catch: you have to stay within one region the whole time. What are you picking?

[Human☮🇺🇸🇺🇦🇺🇸🌊 @4HumanUnity]

If you’re white, working class or middle class and still cheering for Trump, ask yourself one honest question: is your life actually better?

Are your wages higher? Are groceries cheaper? Is health care more affordable? Are your kids’ futures more secure? Is your town stronger? Or are you just angrier?

The people on Fox and the paid right‑wing influencers telling you to worship this man got richer while you got culture wars, higher bills, more fear, and the wrong people to blame.

They handed themselves massive tax breaks while ordinary Americans drowned in higher costs, weaker protections, attacks on unions, cuts to services veterans rely on, and nonstop incompetence, grift, and chaos.

And every time you started asking where your money went, they pointed at immigrants, minorities, trans people, or imaginary “elites” so you wouldn’t notice who was really emptying your pockets.

You were never part of their club. They wanted your votes and your outrage, then forget about you, putting you dead last.

You deserve better than being used as someone else’s grievance army. Join the majority of your fellow Americans this November and let’s vote out the people who are looting our country and finally hold them accountable to the law so we can break this vicious cycle.

[Andrew McBride @mcbridea_]

@Trudgin He played his last LFC game today. Legend.

[Ori Goldberg @ori_goldberg]

Andy Robertson... my favorite Liverpool player. The beating heart of the Reds, come rain or come shine. Take the Tartan Army to glory in the summer, Robbo. Football needs you. You will be missed.

[James Pearce @JamesPearceLFC]

The real Andy Robertson by those who know him best. So many tales of kindness, generosity and setting the standards professionally on a daily basis.
Includes tributes from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tom Werner, John Achterberg and more…..

(Free to read)

https://t.co/kThAshyoNi

[Antifa_Ultras @ultras_antifaa]

Eric Cantona:

“Modern football means nothing to me. What bothers me is this: from past to present, football was played by the working class, by the poorest sections of the working class. And those people can no longer afford to buy a ticket. Football is learned by watching it in the stadium, not on television.”

[The Figen @TheFigen_]

In Nazaré, Portugal, surfer Sebastian Steudtner rode a 26.2-meter wave, setting a new world record for big wave surfing.

An unbelievable feat!

[Mike Levin @MikeLevin]

This is truly insane, and it should be front page news across America. 

Denmark secretly deployed soldiers to Greenland prepared to blow up airport runways to stop a U.S. invasion.

They brought blood supplies to treat the wounded. France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden quietly coordinated against us.

This was not a drill.

This was our closest allies preparing to fight Americans.

Let that sink in. NATO allies. Countries whose soldiers have fought and died alongside ours for decades. They looked at this president and decided they had to prepare for the worst.

Fewer allies does not make America great. It makes us more isolated, more vulnerable, and it hands Russia and China exactly what they have always wanted: an America abandoned by its friends.

The American people deserve to know how badly this president has damaged our standing in the world.  https://t.co/lxQD3X8jaM

[Chris Murphy 🟧 @ChrisMurphyCT]

$1.5 BILLION. Let me say it again - a $1.5 BILLION BET.

Bigger than any futures purchases made at the time.

5 minutes before Trump's post.

Who was it? Trump? A family member? A White House staffer?

This is corruption. Mind blowing corruption.

[Andrew McBride @mcbridea_]

Bloody marvellous! Father and son amateur cricketers combine for mammoth partnership of 590 @GuardianAus https://t.co/wkmlMNqV5g

[Craig Foster @Craig_Foster]

Football is all over the place.

This is the result when any pretence of consistent rules and equal justice is abandoned.

Russia was suspended in 2022 for its illegal invasion.

On that basis, given the attack on a participating country by the hosts in violation of international law, discussion shouldn’t be about who is able to attend, but the right of the US to host.

FIFA has subordinated its governance obligations to Trump.

In 2017, Infantino stated that if any qualified team’s supporters couldn’t enter the host country, ‘there is no World Cup.’

And Trump wrote to FIFA in 2018 assuring that “all eligible athletes, officials and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States without discrimination” — that letter was cited in FIFA’s bid evaluation.

The US then did the opposite.

FIFA Statutes include a stated commitment to international law.

Yet Trump, who was recently lauded with a specially created prize by FIFA, refuses to support it, is in no way bound by it, prosecutes and attacks those who administer it, and is doing his utmost to destroy it.

A long way back for football, from here.

[James Melville 🚜 @JamesMelville]

"The goal is an endless war, not a successful war."

~ Julian Assange