England

[Mike E]

56 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Give it resr RF99. 

Football decisions should be based on footballing issues and nothing else

What species do you think plays and watches football? Daleks?

Edited December 18 by Mike E

[RoverDom]

Saudi, where everyone is welcome to watch football, unless you're a woman or a gay. 

 

[RoverDom]

Also what are the football reasons  for it being in Saudi? 

Edited December 19 by RoverDom

[Silas]

1 hour ago, RoverDom said:

Also what are the to football reasons do for our being in Saudi? 

I swear there's a sentence in there somewhere if I rearrange the words. 

[RoverDom]

2 hours ago, Silas said:

I swear there's a sentence in there somewhere if I rearrange the words. 

Ha! Had a couple of bevvies.... I don't get out much these days... 

[chaddyrovers]

7 hours ago, RoverDom said:

Also what are the football reasons  for it being in Saudi? 

I'm sure FIFA will say its spread the game around the world and no other countries even bid for 2034 world cup. 

I wouldn't have gone to Saudi for footballing reasons. I would have held solely in South America given its the 100 years anniversary in 2030, then Europe(UK or Spain/Portugal/Morocco) for 2034. Then in 2038, I would look at Japan/South Korea or Australia/Indonesia/Singapore host. 

A Saudi world cup 2034 is likely to winter one again and wreck the footballing schedule again 

7 hours ago, RoverDom said:

Saudi, where everyone is welcome to watch football, unless you're a woman or a gay. 

 

Didn't people say similar things about Qatar? Did they stop these people attending? 

[Herbie6590]

12 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Shouldn't come into play. Separate issues. Football should be based on footballing issues and thats it. Other always want to bring in non football issues all the time into these situations 

“Well Mr Vader…about this 2038 bid…can you categorically confirm that Alderaan will NOT be destroyed if they were to knock you out in the last 16..?”

”Well…it shouldn’t come into play…”

”Oh…OK…in that case…Death Star 2038 it is…congratulations…”

[Jimmy612]

12 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Shouldn't come into play. Separate issues. Football should be based on footballing issues and thats it. Other always want to bring in non football issues all the time into these situations 

I don't think it can or even should be as simple as isolating football from other issues, they are inherently linked.  It's the global sport and probably the most accessible and inclusive on the planet. I can understand not using football as a political vehicle, but in my opinion that's a very different issue to completely ignoring fundamental human rights when selecting the stage for the biggest tournament in the world.  Where next, Russia?  If not, why not?

[chaddyrovers]

33 minutes ago, Jimmy612 said:

I don't think it can or even should be as simple as isolating football from other issues, they are inherently linked.  It's the global sport and probably the most accessible and inclusive on the planet. I can understand not using football as a political vehicle, but in my opinion that's a very different issue to completely ignoring fundamental human rights when selecting the stage for the biggest tournament in the world.  Where next, Russia?  If not, why not?

We been to Russia for a world cup just 7 years ago. 

I think we should have gone South America in full for 2030 world cup. Then Europe for 2034, then Asia like Japan/South Korea or Australia 

[Mattyblue]

No other counties bid because they knew FIFA and Saudi had carved it up between them for 2034 💰 💰 💰 

[DE.]

Indeed. It costs a fair wedge to put in a bid, and why bother wasting that money when you know Saudi are involved and FIFA are the decision makers? 

[Norbert Rassragr]

The 1936 Berlin Olympics were great. The events were so good the Swatsika banners, SS uniforms and Juden Verboten signs were irrelevant. The Germans were not pushing their ideology at all.

[Mattyblue]

Cecil Chadwick back in 1936, ‘that Owens should just focus on his running’

[speeeeeeedie]

On 18/12/2025 at 02:49, jodrell said:

For me I hope it's a complete flop and it's like that world club thing when they had to give tickets away.

Every game will be sold out. 

22 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

The tickets and visiting the US are so so expensive in the midst of a global cost of living crisis I do wonder if the whole character of the tournament will further deteriorate. Will it be mostly rich Americans, celebrities etc, and not many actual home fans?

I don't imagine too many empty stadiums, but I expect the atmosphere might be a bit muted and shit.

Managing to successfully hold the last 3 world cups in post-Crimean invasion Russia, human rights crushing Qatar, and now daylight robbery in Trumps America is a real hatrick of evil.

If I didn't live here there is no way I would travel to the USA for the World Cup. Prices for flights and hotels will be astronomical. Not to mention the hassle people will get from immigration wither at customs or wandering around. 

Atmospheres will be good, you'll be surprised with the amount of country fans live in the USA. Haiti will have loads. Some stadiums aren't set up to amplify it. Met Life in New York (well New Jersey but NY teams play there) is too open. Stadiums in LA, Dallas, and Atlanta will be good, as will Seattle. 

It's also a sad indictment of today's world that the USA is linked to Qatar and Russia. 

[Jimmy612]

12 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

We been to Russia for a world cup just 7 years ago. 

Haha, you’ve missed my point entirely.
Although, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if FIFA’s only reason for not considering Russia for a World Cup bid was because they hosted it in 2018…. rather than, for example, their illegal invasion of Ukraine and countless war crimes since.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

On 19/12/2025 at 09:44, Herbie6590 said:

“Well Mr Vader…about this 2038 bid…can you categorically confirm that Alderaan will NOT be destroyed if they were to knock you out in the last 16..?”

”Well…it shouldn’t come into play…”

”Oh…OK…in that case…Death Star 2038 it is…congratulations…”

I bet Jordan Henderson is still in the squad ahead of Adam Wharton for the 2038 Death Star World Cup.

[rigger]

9 hours ago, Tim Southampton Rover said:

I bet Jordan Henderson is still in the squad ahead of Adam Wharton for the 2038 Death Star World Cup.

More atmosphere than at Ewood.

[Upside Down]

On 20/12/2025 at 12:07, Jimmy612 said:

Haha, you’ve missed my point entirely.
Although, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if FIFA’s only reason for not considering Russia for a World Cup bid was because they hosted it in 2018…. rather than, for example, their illegal invasion of Ukraine and countless war crimes since.

No, that's entirely based on their desire to eternally degrade themselves for the US dollar. 

Interesting that Russia should be banned from the competition for invading Ukraine, a decision I agree with, yet the US & UK were not banned for their illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and Israel is still allowed in the competition despite them committing a genocide. 

The hypocrisy on display is frankly sickening. 

Let's also not forget that they hosted the world cup in fascist Italy also. FIFA has never had any credibility and has always just been a money go round.

[riverholmes]

On 18/12/2025 at 20:48, roversfan99 said:

Yes, a dreadful human rights record should play a part. The biggest football tournament should simply not be going to countries with human rights records like that.

Clearly you share a moral compass with the corrupt FIFA.

No country has a worse human rights record in modern history than the US. It can't be a general moral test, because we would fail.

In which case, probably, the key factors should be: will fans and participants be safe, are workers safe (or will there be meaningful and long-term progress towards their safety) and will it work as an event? That's leaving aside the commercial side, which, in the end, will trump everything.

 

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by riverholmes

[roversfan99]

And will everyone be welcome there?

Which Saudi Arabia and Qatar fail and the USA also fails.

[oneandycrawford]

3 hours ago, riverholmes said:

No country has a worse human rights record in modern history than the US. It can't be a general moral test, because we would fail.

In which case, probably, the key factors should be: will fans and participants be safe, are workers safe (or will there be meaningful and long-term progress towards their safety) and will it work as an event? That's leaving aside the commercial side, which, in the end, will trump everything.

 

 

 

I know there is a whole lot wrong in the States currently but 'no country has a worse human rights record in modern history than the US' - seriously? China, Russia, North Korea, DRC, Saudi, Afghanistan, Sudan - just for starters.

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by oneandycrawford
Correction in quote

[chaddyrovers]

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

And will everyone be welcome there?

Which Saudi Arabia and Qatar fail and the USA also fails.

did the Qatar world cup fail? 

why would USA world cup fail?