Official 2014 Brazil World Cup thread

[Senator Clay Davis]

If Qatar gets stripped, why wouldn't Russia? Both obvious cases of bribery, both countries with human rights issues. Doesn't make sense to strip one and not the other. I think Qatar will keep it. I also see a "joint bid" being Toronto and maybe Montreal but that;s about it. The US has a dozen or more 65,000+ seat grass stadiums to use, Canada has none.

[seattleflamer]

Originally Posted by Locke

Realistic. They weren't far off qualifying for this one.

Huh? Canada didn't even qualify for the Hex and hasn't since '98. Potential with resources and population has always been there but considering the quality of Concacaf has increased with only 3 spots plus the tie with OFC, 2018 would be a long shot.

[Arsenal14]

Originally Posted by seattleflamer

Huh? Canada didn't even qualify for the Hex and hasn't since '98. Potential with resources and population has always been there but considering the quality of Concacaf has increased with only 3 spots plus the tie with OFC, 2018 would be a long shot.

Agreed. We really didn't come very close this year, though if we had gotten into the hex I think we would have been competitive for a spot in the World Cup - it's really a big two (US/Mexico) followed by a bunch of teams that are fairly close: Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Guatemala and us.

The 2018 cycle will be tough as a lot of the players we have relied on in the past are going to be retiring and the younger kids lack the experience needed. 2022 is more realistic. Anything beyond that is tough to call - one or two top quality players can really change things. What is really hard will be convincing the top players to actually play for us - see Hargreaves, Begovic, Jonathan de Guzman, David Hoilett, etc.

[seattleflamer]

Capping Junior Hoilett would send a positive message about the state of the program.

The meat and potatoes of qualifying will still be the development of the homegrowns out of MLS academies like Carducci, Teibert, Henry etc.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

If Qatar gets stripped, why wouldn't Russia? Both obvious cases of bribery, both countries with human rights issues. Doesn't make sense to strip one and not the other.

- Politics don't really work like that.

- It's easier to move games that are 8 years away than games that are 4 years away. They also need someone willing to host the games. It's an expensive show, and few countries are flush with cash.

- Possibly one thing at a time?

Personally I think they should have already stripped Russia's right for World Cup, and think it's a disgrace that they haven't done it already.

I think Qatar will keep it.

Yup.

I also see a "joint bid" being Toronto and maybe Montreal but that;s about it. The US has a dozen or more 65,000+ seat grass stadiums to use, Canada has none.

Not all stadiums need to be so huge. Most South African stadiums were in the 40k range, German stadiums were mostly in the 40-50k range.

[darklord700]

Give the 2018 WC to US, they can be ready in 2 days. And re-select a new 2022 host will be the best for football fans.

[Itse]

Ran into this on FB. British humour, priceless indeed

[Locke]

Originally Posted by darklord700

Give the 2018 WC to US, they can be ready in 2 days. And re-select a new 2022 host will be the best for football fans.

I think they'd be better served by giving them to England. The stadiums are there. A few tweaks and renos and they're done.

[Gundo]

Suarez officially charged with biting by FIFA.

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=...z-2384766.html

[darklord700]

I can't understand what makes a man, bites another man, help me understand.

[_Q_]

The Sportsnet panel was discussing if Suarez could possibly be suspended the maximum amount for this which is 2 years. Any idea if FIFA has the balls to do that?

[rotten42]

"having Balls" and soccer don't go together in general.

[Bagor]

Sport Witness @Sport_Witness · 55m
Suarez will be represented by Alejandro Balbi, who says "Suarez did nothing wrong and we will show that."

Sport Witness @Sport_Witness · 1h
AS say that Uruguay will submit a defence on behalf of Suarez, claiming that there was no bite.

AS English @English_AS
Uruguay will tell FIFA that the Suárez ‘bite-photo’ was altered

The Uruguayan Football Association are working on Luis Suárez’ defence in respect of the allegations that he bit Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during yesterday’s decisive group D match. Video evidence appears to show the Uruguayan player biting Chiellini, and FIFA are investigating the incident prior to possibly sanctioning the player. One other piece of evidence against Suárez is a photo of Chiellini’s shoulder that appears to show clear tooth marks, however Uruguay are arguing that the photo was in fact digitally altered with the addition of the marks.
The Uruguayan Football Association believe the real photo to be the one on the left in the image accompanying this article, while the photoshopped version on the right has clear tooth marks.
FIFA have asked both the player and the Uruguayan Football Association to present their position in respect of the incident, along with any evidence they feel relevant , before 5pm on Wednesday 25 June (today).

http://as.com/diarioas/2014/06/25/en...29_880552.html




Seems like he didn't he learn anything from his racism conviction where his punishment took into consideration that he lied throughout the process? Smart move here would be to just own the action. Uruguayan FA starting to look a bit silly here.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by darklord700

I can't understand what makes a man, bites another man, help me understand.

One explanation.

London: Uruguay's volatile star Luis Suarez's propensity for biting opponents stems from his under-privileged childhood, a leading sports psychologist told the BBC.The 27-year-old Liverpool striker -- who has been banned for lengthy periods for two previous biting incidents -- is alleged to have bitten Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in their World Cup Group D game on Tuesday.
Governing body FIFA are investigating the incident and if found guilty of biting he could face a ban of up to 24 matches.
"The formative years of people's development do contribute to their personality. If you look at his history, Suarez had a fairly hard upbringing (he was one of seven children born into poverty), which would have been fighting for survival - he was streetwise," Dr Tom Fawcett from Salford University told the BBC on Wednesday.
Fawcett claimed that nobody should be surprised at the incident which has yet to be proven and which was not seen by Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez. TV images showed Suarez bending his head down onto Chiellini's shoulder and then immediately afterwards sitting on the ground fiddling with his teeth.
"If it's happened before, it'll happen again," Fawcett said. "Despite all the help, he's going to do it again."
Fawcett said that Suarez required more help than just spending some time undergoing therapy with people such as him as the problem was so deeply etched in his psyche.
"I would suggest he is hard-wired in this way," said Fawcett. "It's not something that's going to come out of his character with a few sessions with a psychologist.
"Despite working with Liverpool in fairly impressive rehab, he's relapsed and he's open to that."
Fawcett didn't offer up much hope that this problem would be resolved any time soon.
"It's in the man. I would think that in five years' time, if there was a certain nerve hit or chord rung with Suarez in a different situation, he would react in the same way."

http://sports.ndtv.com/fifa-world-cu...s-psychologist

[kaotik]

At least one guy came out ahead from Suarez biting someone:

http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup...s-suarezs-bite

[GirlySports]

Uruguay are so desperate, they'll say anything.
They are probably playing the 'we are the little guys who are getting picked on' card.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

They are probably playing the 'we are the little guys who are getting picked on' card.

Yup. It's an Anglo/Italian/Brazilian conspiracy. His lawyer on Uruguayan radio.

"We don't have any doubts that this has happened because it's Suarez and secondly because Italy was eliminated, "There's a lot of pressure from England and Italy. We're polishing off a defence argument."
"There is a possibility that they ban him, because there are precedents, but we're convinced that it was an absolutely casual play, because if Chiellini can show a scratch on one shoulder, Suarez can show a bruised and almost shut eye."
"You shouldn't forget that we're rivals of many and we can be for the organiser (hosts Brazil) in the future.
"This does not go against what might have happened, but there's no doubt that Suarez is a rock in the shoe for many."
"We're going to use all the arguments possible so that Luis gets out in the best possible way."

https://twitter.com/Masters_JamesD

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Bagor

Yup. It's an Anglo/Italian/Brazilian conspiracy. His lawyer on Uruguayan radio.

Good stuff. I especially like the bit about the eye.

[cam_wmh]

Birds of a feather:
------------------------------------------------
Joseph Barton @Joey7Barton · 1h
As a flawed genius myself I can relate to Suarez’s actions last night. But has he gone too far this time? http://www.joeybarton.com/suarez-scandal-serving-time/ …

Joseph Barton @Joey7Barton · 10h
Nobody's perfect...

Joseph Barton @Joey7Barton · 10h
He's a winner. If that means he occasionally steps over the line between right and wrong, than thats what comes with the territory...

Joseph Barton @Joey7Barton · 10h
All things considered I'd rather receive a bite than a leg breaking challenge. Whilst he should be punished, it is not the end of the world.

Joseph Barton @Joey7Barton · 10h
I love Suarez. I love his passion for the game. I would have him on my team everyday of the week. I am also aware you can't defend him here.

------------------------------------------------

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

Birds of a feather:

lol. "As a previous connoisseur of the dark arts of madness"

Is Joey suggesting that he now represents sanity?