The Football.....

[Beebo]

As excuses go, you can't beat this -

“Brazil was better when their players were womanisers, drunkards and slightly out of shape. In other words, when they were behaving like Catholics,” argued one account on X, describing itself as the “Institute for Hispano Studies” a “think tank”. It claimed that “evangelical Protestant sterilisation has flattened their ball, ruined their samba and obliterated their swag.”

Would the Pope be pleased with the description of catholics?

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Would the Pope be pleased with the description of catholics?

He'd be well aware of it.

 

[Legs]

Would the Pope be pleased with the description of catholics?

That's just the nuns!

 

[Pblakeney]

Scotland actually managed to score a goal and win a match, and other than everyone thinking their fans were good fun, didn't look like they actually belonged in a World Cup.

Something that has seemingly been forgotten, Scotland topped their group so would have qualified for any format.

 

[T4tomo]

Something that has seemingly been forgotten, Scotland topped their group so would have qualified for any format.

I think that comment was born out of sour grapes because Scotland finished above Denmark in said qualifying group.


re expansion / representation:

UEFA only got 3 of the extra 16 places on offer, which I think was fair, the whole point of expansion was to get more representation from the "minor" federations.

I think the African teams are getting stronger, good last 32 representation, less so last 16 but were 5 mins from having 2 quarter finalists.

Brazil are not the team they have been in the past hence only (just) 1 SA team in the quarters albeit 6 SA & CA teams in the last 16.

Asia bombed it with no-one in last 16 vs 2 in 2022.

Net result vs 2022 is there in one extra European team in the quarters at the expense of a South American one (Brazil) vs with Morocco / Argentina being the 2 non euro present at both.

Only England and France made the quarters of both 2022 and 2026, possibly showing European football is more competitive / harder to dominate (just ask Italy!)