🚨🗣️New: Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Vinicius Junior refusing the mandatory halftime interview with FIFA at the World Cup:
“People are shocked that Vinícius walked away from a halftime interview. I am shocked that anyone thinks he should have stopped in the first place.
Halftime is not a television studio. Halftime is not a podcast. Halftime is not a red carpet. Halftime is the heartbeat of a football match.
For 45 minutes, players are warriors in a storm. They run, they fight, they suffer, they bleed. Then they get 15 precious minutes to recover, to breathe, to listen, to think. And FIFA wants to spend part of that time chasing soundbites? That is like pulling a Formula 1 driver out of his car during a pit stop and asking him how the race is going.
And FIFA’s idea is to shove a microphone in the player’s face and ask, ‘How do you feel?’
How do you think he feels? He’s exhausted.
This is modern football’s biggest disease. Everything is content. Everything is sponsorship. Everything is television. The match hasn’t even finished and they’re already trying to manufacture headlines.
They tell us they care about player welfare. Really? Then why are players playing more games than ever? Why are tournaments expanding? Why are injuries increasing? And now they want halftime interviews too? The hypocrisy is unbelievable.
Halftime is sacred. It belongs to the players and the coaches. That’s where games are won. That’s where tactics change. That’s where injuries get treated. That’s where leaders speak. It is not a media circus.
And don’t tell me this is for the fans. Fans want better football, not a tired player giving a robotic 20-second answer because somebody sold another broadcast package.
Vinícius understood that. He chose football over public relations.
The funniest part? They threaten him with a fine. A fine. As if that changes the principle. If I were there, I’d pay it too. Because some things are worth more than money.
If FIFA really had their way, they’d put microphones in the dressing room and call it innovation.
Football should come first. Not content. Not commercials. Not corporate greed.
For once, a player pushed back. And that’s exactly why so many people are angry.”
The Canada supporters group, the @thevoyageurs announce that the March to the Match on Thursday v Qatar won’t be on the Granville strip/Robson like a Whitecaps march.
They’ll start near Science World and march the last mile to the main fan entrance for BC Place.
Blue bags up.
Japan 2, Netherlands 2 — an absolute thriller in Arlington. And then the real show started.
The Japanese end pulls out thousands of bright blue bags. First they wave them like flags, bouncing and chanting until the whole section is one giant wall of blue. Then — same bags, new mission. They fan out across the stands and scoop up every bottle, wrapper and cup till the seats look brand new.
And who's right in the middle of it, grinning with a bag in his hand? Jameis Winston. Giants QB. Heisman winner. Out there cleaning up with the Samurai Blue like it's the best gig of his summer.
No chore. No lecture. Just a party that cleans up after itself.
Best fans on the planet. 🇯🇵💙
This is all so insane. We found this when we got back to our room. And then someone even sent cupcakes to our room. I genuinely don’t understand how it got to this point. We’re just normal World Cup tourists.😭😭
Japanese fans have samurai blue trash bags they bring to FIFA games so they can pick up trash after the game. The level of respect these people have is so inspiring. 🇯🇵 ⚽️
@Aussie_Undies Haha walked alongside some Aussies last night, and the were Turkiye supporters on the other side of the street, and the Aussies were chanting "your shit...but your hair replacement is good"
@ActuFoot_ You need to understand that there is BARELY any Canada soccer merch with names. You can't get your favorite player's jersey. There is ONLY Davies, and so people just wanting to support "Canada" buy whatever they can find. Most people just buy "red" and "Canada soccer".