Mark Hudson

Knows some stuff, about some things. Refuses to pay for carrier bags because I’m a bad lad.

[Tancredi Palmeri @tancredipalmeri]

Ahah this is fucking brilliant, but where the hell is Jonathan Banks as Totò Schillaci

[Mark Hudson @mrmark86]

@elonmusk @POTUS @FLOTUS Where’s your morals? You called him out. He’s clearly a nonce. You’ve been bought you sanctimonious dick head. You’re all going to “hell” if you believe any of that nonsense.

[Championship Rounds @ChampRDS]

This voice impressionist stole the show at the #JakeJoshua post-fight press conference 😂

(via @MostVpromotions)

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

The Adoration of the Maga. A few thoughts. It all felt a step too far by Gianni Infantino. The award of the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize felt more to do with its president’s desire to please powerful politicians as much as Donald Trump’s love of such glitzy, expensive offerings of loyalty last seen in medieval courts.

It felt more about politics than sport, a risky game for Fifa to play whenever it wants to bring a national association into line for perceived interference by government in the future. The Trump trophy weakens Fifa statutes. It also distracted from the real trophy, the World Cup, and the group-stage draw, traditionally a celebration about bringing countries together. Infantino took his eye off the balls.

A football draw designed to work out who plays who and (eventually) where and when is not the time or place for such politics. Infantino wasn’t speaking for the world in bestowing the Peace Prize, as he claimed. So presumptuous. So out of touch. Many probably agree that Trump has been a force for good in geopolitics, some might disagree. Most would probably feel such decisions should be left to experienced experts like the Nobel Committee and, please, can we get on with a football draw.

It’s spectacularly naïve or simply arrogant for Fifa to enter such non-football areas. It feels more and more that this was as much an Infantino initiative as Fifa’s. Infantino was supposed to drain the swamp when he arrived at Fifa in 2016 in the wake of assorted corruption scandals bedevilling the governing body of world football. How fitting that the nadir of Infantino’s propensity for self-aggrandisement as leader of what’s supposed to be a team game came in Washington. It was there that Trump promised to transform politics with his “drain the swamp” rhetoric, also in 2016.

The selfie moment was particularly cringe-worthy. Infantino forgets that football is the star of the show, not a 55-year lawyer. A senior football executive, who’s been at the heart of the English and European game for more than 20 years, messaged me during the drawn-out draw with his verdict on Infantino. “I feel revulsion, anger, shame, disgust – how has our sport been taken over by a Swiss ***** and turned into a total travesty???” He also pointed out that ensuring the leaders of USA, Mexico and Canada each somehow pulled out their own country’s name was not a good look for a draw based on chance.

Great for the cameras, though. Flash, bang, wallop, what a picture of Infantino's priorities. And who gets the next FIFA Peace Prize? And wouldn't Infantino have gained more respect had he used the money for the Trump trophy to subsidise excessive ticket costs? He's lost sight of what should be the real priorities for the leader of football. The game.

It's sad, really. Many sensible people work at Fifa, passionate about the game not their own ego, but it's alarming what happens to the leadership when they take power there. Even the great football manager Arsene Wenger has changed since becoming Chief of Global Football Development at Fifa. He now campaigns for more games, backing the expanded World Cup, which he would have railed against as a widely-admired, free-thinking club manager, fiercely protective of his players' well-being. "I believe that 48 teams is the right number." Arsene, just listen to yourself.

Many fans probably won’t lose much sleep that Wenger dances to Fifa's tune or that Infantino cosies up to Trump, Aramco and co. Some probably think Fifa’s a video game. Most just can’t wait for the football. The game’s about Mbappe and Messi, Haaland and Salah, Kane and Dembele, not Infantino and Trump.

The game’s about the Tartan Army, the brilliant Mexican following, the ever-hopeful English, the mobile carnival of Brazilians and the millions of other fans flocking to venue cities next summer, only a third with tickets. The USA is prepared for the party. I covered USA 94 and you couldn’t really tell there was a tournament on, certainly where I was in Detroit, Chicago and DC. You will this time, also in Canada. Mexico's total immersion was never in doubt given their passion for the game.

Infantino should remember this. He runs a great football organisation, not a political organisation. He needs to re-focus. Fifa is undeniably a force for good in many countries. The Fifa Foundation runs a new community programme that supports 154,924 people in 54 nations. Its new Digital Education Programme works on computer literacy amongst disadvantaged groups, helping them into the workplace. It’s easy to say it’s all about Infantino (Foundation board president), soft power and ensuring he keeps countries onside, voting for him, but the Foundation undeniably changes lives.

Infantino needs to look at his Adoration of the Maga and remember what he should be doing for football: serving it, not himself. #FIFAWorldCup.

[Cuckturd @CattardSlim]

A made up Peace Prize

The Village people playing the YMCA

A gold medal to put around his neck

Was this the FIFA World Cup draw, or a Special party for America's Special little guy?

[John Bishop @JohnBishop100]

As it's Valentine's Day next week we've decided to revisit one word that’s often been brought to us on the podcast...❤️

You can hear the reasons why Danny Cipriani, Arlene Phillips and Sir Ian McKellen all chose the word love on this week's episode of Three Little Words

[internet hall of fame @InternetH0F]

This husband kept track of every time his wife told him no 😭

[Oasis Planet @OasisPlanet_]

"The world is a great place, it’s just inhabited by c*nts, and it’s the internet’s fault"

- Noel Gallagher

[No Context Keane @NoContextKeaneo]

No way did Roy really go there 🤣🤣

[Mike & Vittorio’s Guide to Parenting @parentingboyz]

JK Rowling must be stopped

[Adam Schiff @SenAdamSchiff]

Donald Trump's first 100 days have been characterized by the most flagrant corruption imaginable.

Today, I want to talk about 10 of the absolute worst examples.

(Thread 🧵)

[First of His Name @__ShaneH]

#SinnersMovie

[FullofWonder @WithJiveNami]

EVERYONE pls go and watch #LoveOnTheSpectrum on Netflix. You will not regret knowing Connor🤣

[Bricktop_NAFO @Bricktop_NAFO]

This is still so good.

The fact that Bill Burr only calls him ‘The Twitter Guy’ is hilarious.

Oh, and ‘Laminated Face Cunt’

[Sgt Pepper @MzSgtPepper]

This is what Elon meant to say

[nazir afzal @nazirafzal]

Couldn’t explain it better than Stewart Lee

[bree 🇵🇸 @fontainesyaoi]

this is actually fucking insane

[Rab @rjgemmell5]

Folk saying this is comparable to YNWA.

This was written by a couple of Hibs fans, about the area in which the club are based. Unique to Hibs

YNWA was written by a couple of yanks for a musical and later covered by a Scouse band. Numerous clubs sing it.

They are not the same.