Supposing Denmark boycotts... and FIFA says OK Ireland you take their place... what should we do? (Personally, I'd be against.)
Supposing Denmark boycotts... and FIFA says OK Ireland you take their place... what should we do? (Personally, I'd be against.)
It's a really hard one. We had no issue playing in Putin's Russia or Qatar. With America, it's more the shock that in this new world, they are openly so bad - they always did bad things behind the scenes but were the so called protectors of democracy (weren't really) in public.Originally Posted by texidub
If we beat the Czechs and the North Macedonians, the lads deserve to play in the world cup and is it right to take that away from them?
My gut is that if the Germans boycott along with the Scandinavians, the Dutch, English, Belgians and French will follow. I think the FAI would be under serious pressure to boycott, but without a full UEFA decision that we all boycott, that's easier said than done for the smaller and medium sized nations like us. We haven't been in the world cup since 2002. The Scottish since 1998. The Czechs since 2006 and they have a great football pedigree. Equally, whether we like it or not, huge numbers of our workforce are dependant on American companies. It's much easier to take a stand against Israel or Russia, but ****ing off this lunatic, could put us in a serious recession because we aren't a huge economy like Germany. That's a nightmare for the FAI and the government by extension as well - I mightn't like either by the way but that's a proper headache - I guess the government would say it's an FAI decision and distance themselves from it but they would be asked to comment on it so they are going to be in the tailspin. We have a foot in both the US and Europe, but that's coming to an end in the coming weeks and months.
I can see real arguments both ways and maybe that makes me a ****** because if the US annexed Ireland, I would like to think all of the nations of Europe would boycott it.
The dream would be Germany or England (or both) hosting an unofficial world cup with the South Americans joining in, alongside random nations from Asia and Africa. Have a Greenland team as well just to **** off Trump. Make it a big **** off event with 60 teams. Really **** off FIFA as well.
It would be a mess alright. Another factor is that we would be punishing Mexico and Canada too. I have mixed feelings about the parasitic tech companies and their data centers that Ireland relies on - along with military flights through Shannon these associations and our dependence on them for financial reasons makes us complicit in a whole lot of bad stuff that's happening around the world - and for the worst reason of all - profit.
Do we also need to comply with a WC that's shaping up to be something like Hitler's Olympics?
I think there's too much powerful money in the world today for a boycott to work. Politicians won't change our reliance on America because we wouldn't like the economic result. And the 2034 World Cup is in Saudi Arabia - a complete ****hole, and a trouble-making ****hole at that. Do we boycott that too?
It's a pity the world has come to this, but we are a very selfish species and we don't work very well in terms of trusting others to follow our lead and get cl critical mass. If Denmark boycott and we boycott, North Macedonia might go and it'd be a huge event for them, and the Donald latches on to that
The parallels between Alaska and Greenland are interesting (and concerning). The US bought Alaska off Russia for its resources - Russia accepted ultimately because they knew they couldn't hold it militarily. It was too far away for one. The Russians in Alaska were left high and dry - still a fair few Russian Orthodox churches in the state.
Speaking of Alaska, Trump has troops there on standby to go into Minnesota. Posse comitatus, me arse.
Nothing puts me off football more than thinking for a few seconds about FIFA (and the ridiculous wages for players and coaches at big clubs). Too much money and corruption.
I remember as a kid I saw an old documentary about Cuba (maybe in the 70s, not sure) and the camera was following a man cycling to a stadium for a big baseball game in front of a huge crowd. He waved at a few people, plopped his bike down and jogged up some steps into the stadium. He wasn't a fan though. He was one of the star players. It would make you wonder whether places like that have their priorities right in some ways, while our priorities are upside down?
I wish I could say that politics should stay out of sport but even if I felt that way, infantino has already destroyed that premise. Maybe someone should set up a company called "Hands off Greenland" and all the EU countries could make them their sponsor.
There's a lot to be said for hordes of Europeans going to the US and making their voices heard about what he's doing. I did read earlier that the one thing protected from him is NATO and he would need congressional approval to make any changes to it. Attacking a NATO ally surely falls under that list so I'm back to thinking this is brinkmanship negotiating tactics and Europe just needs to stand firm until November. It's going to be a long, long 10 months before we get there though
The other likely outcome is that he rolls up with 10000 troops and references the 1951 treaty and the response from Europe just needs to be the same.
I lived in China for 7 years and there was always talk about the end of the American century. Little was I to know they would elect someone to destroy it in a 12 month period
It’s clear now that Infantino was told, or it was intimated to him, to give Trump an award.
Infantino desperate to have a smooth World Cup bent over for him.
I think a boycott of FIFA would be just as acceptable as a boycott of USA
I'd argue the opposite - there's a lot to be said for hordes of Europeans leaving the US and coming home. There's already noises that big companies are funding it harder to get qualified staff, so that's the real area to hurt him.
I cannot for the life of me see the attraction to living in the US these days, unless it's a misguided sense of "It won't happen to me"
I count never understand it anyway. Europeans work to live, Americans are pretty much forced to live for their work. Even leaving aside the lunatic running the place, it's not for me.
If there's one tiny positive to come from all this it's that Infantino has been made to look an even bigger tit than usual by Trump here, especially when you see the content of Trump's letter to the Norwegian PM that's been leaked this morning. Looks like the other FIFA officials are washing their hands of it and leaving Infantino by himself to take ownership of it as well.
Whatever he does from here, the Trump Peace Award is likely what he'll be most remembered for now.
Yeah couldn't agree more. He's up for election next year and hopefully this WC will be his undoing. Although I'm 100% convinced that whoever comes next will be as bad if not worse
Anyone have any idea how quickly Germany (or England) could host a 48 team tournament if there is a mass boycott? I think I recall hearing once that Germany would need two months for a 32 team one. They have the stadiums and the infrastructure.
I genuinely wonder whether Fifa would pick another host and knock the US on the head (realising a world cup without the major European nations and even countries like Norway (Haaland) is a finanacial disaster for them) or stick with them through thick and thin?
I don't think Mexico and Canada could jointly do it without the US, at this stage, but I might be mistaken. I imagine there are only a handful of countries that could like England and Germany. Even at that, they might look to spread it around a few countries like France, Holland and Belgium, given the short notice.
I can't see anything other than the US annexing Greenland right now. He wants the land and the minerals and the Greenlanders and the Danes rightly won't accept that. Europe is rightly standing with them - might change in a few months when the ordinary punter in Paris or London is impacted but right now that isn't the case.
Relax, even the guy's own defence secretary is doing the rounds today telling everyone it's not going to happen. It's a bargaining ploy and he will probably have some success with it in that respect unfortunately. In the end Denmark/NATO will make some concessions to the US to get him to **** off onto something else and he'll class that as a win.
That's the problem Greenland have offered him everything. But he still wants to invade. If he does, he might then be tempted to attack Iceland unfortunately, another defenseless country with no army. He's a tyrant
Vague talks of a boycott at semi-official levels. I guess this is how things start.
England LGBT+ fans group says they will not attend the world cup in USA
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTiY95YiP5y
I know UEFA have considerable flaws, but I would love to know would they break ranks with FIFA and support a full federation boycott? They don't exist without the big nations like Germany. I suppose they could do the classic "each to their own" and that way some European teams will play.
Well now he's openly saying that, as expected, he won't be invading through force. So this can probably be put to bed. I can't see there being a boycott over a trade war.
You seem very keen to suggest that this is a non-issue. I don't think anything is a non-issue with the Orange One. He says one thing one day and another the next.
I am, because I think too many people are too keen to fall for his shtick. When I see people posting things like "I can't see anything other than the US annexing Greenland right now" I think, you're doing exactly what he wants by thinking that. But the reality is that he has no track record of annexing anywhere. Or really following all the way through on almost any of the nonsense he spouts.
Much as he seems to be all over the place, it's actually really just the same play over and over. Go in ridiculously hard, put everyone on the back foot and then use that position as leverage to negotiate a favourable deal.
I think this, from Tim Marshall, is a better summation of how the Trump playbook really works.
https://timjohnmarshall.substack.com...dRedirect=true
Your post could easily be seen as positive towards him, his approach and how he's affecting the globe. Is it?
If I question Liam Scales ability to play intl football, refer me to this signature & his peformance at home at lb vs Port on Nov 13 2025.
Signed
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