They actually did have a parade of nations at the first World Cup in 1930, and if they were going to do it again this would have been the year, with all the teams together in Doha. I'm not sure if the players would have wanted it. The Olympic athletes seem to love it, but they are generally younger than WC players, and for most of them it's their only chance for the folks back home to see them on TV.
I believe you are thinking of the Closing ceremonies. For the opening, most do march (but of course not 100%, especially in the last Olympics when some athletes were stuck in quarantine).
True, there is less incentive if you are older, made a career from this sport and already a multi-millionaire. And good point about the travel. Olympics are held in and around a single city so partaking in the opening doesn't add much travel for the involved athletes.
Has the government of Ecuador withdrawn it? If not then he should get to represent Ecuador. FIFA shouldn’t second-guess a country’s citizenship determination, even if flawed.
Don't look at FIFA: this was the CAS's call. Nevertheless, the specific point is that Castillo would need to get his passport corrected, and there's just not enough time.
Not sure if it has been mentioned, but having the opening (and only game of the day) be on a Sunday really blows. In the past 2 WCs the opening games were on a Thursday and we got the whole 1st weekend right away to watch games. F$%! you again FIFA.
The chilean NT team has never based its squad only on players from european top leagues. In fact, traditionally very few chilean players have played in top teams in Europe. Some of our best players from the past never played in Europe, unless it were in a WC played there. Most of chilean players play locally, and lately we´ve had more presence within diferent leagues in the american continent, being Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, our best destinations. Yes, it's worrying. But not more or less worrying than other qualifiers from the past, before any match has been played. At least that's how it has been for Chile, always.
True. Plus Qatar's weekend is Friday-Sat, which makes it more stupid that Qatar themselves open on a Sunday (a work day over there but weekend most everywhere else). At least next weekend is a 4-day weekend in the US.
What is going on in Qatar? Y todavía no empieza el Mundial 👀👀Esto pasó en la televisión danesa pic.twitter.com/WUqrHKSicf— Luis Omar Tapia (@LuisOmarTapia) November 16, 2022
Wow, US fans for hire: "Have vuvuzela, will travel". A board member from the American Outlaws, the biggest U.S. supporters group, agreed to take part, and then helped sign up fellow members and others. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/sports/soccer/qatar-fans-travel.html
Actually, any foreign government can deny entry to Castillo upon arrival. His Ecuadorian passport shows known falsified birth data. If you show up at any foreign port of entry, and your passport shows obvious identity inconsistencies, it is up to that nation's immigration officials to detain you / send you back. This is why Castillo fled US territory when CHI made public accusations about his falsified birth data. Castillo had joined the ECU squad for friendlies in US territory, and flew out like hell when shit hit the fan on sports media.
I'm picking Serbia as a dark horse to make it shockingly far; thoughts? Also, I'm a digital artist... check out this cool custom time zone world cup schedule I made... http://worldcup22schedule.com/
I don't know what others think but in my mind there are a number of data points that makes me think Qatar is nervous about hosting such a big event. For instance, why suddenly change the alcohol policy? Breaking News: Qatar abruptly reversed its beer policy for the World Cup, and will sell only a nonalcoholic option at stadiums, an official familiar with the plan said. The move will complicate FIFA’s $75 million sponsorship agreement with Budweiser.https://t.co/nh3ZApVzfS— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 18, 2022
I hope Budweiser sues FIFA. Its the only way FIFA will learn. They are letting Qatar renege on everything they promised from small things (like the start date of the WC) to quite significant things (like keeping the WC in summer). This is just another example of FIFA bending over for them. I wouldn't be surprised if they also cancel the sale of beer in FIFA fan zones soon after the tournament starts.
I'm interested in this discussion too. Does anyone here know, historically, when and how FIFA makes this kit information available?
No beer unless you're very rich, that is. But I can't wait to see the Qatari Government's reaction when all these drunk fans poor out of the FIFA fanfests.
Do you think this was actually responsive to my point about FIFA deferring to the passport as opposed to foreign governments? FIFA is not a government with an immigration policy.
Both of my posts mentioned passports, while you tried to steer the conversation into a citizenship red-herring. ECU FA was fined and sanctioned with -3 points in 2026 qualifiers because its NT player had falsified birth data in his passport. The sport tribunal did not rule against his citizenship, but against his falsified birth data. Remember that Castillo played the 2015 U17 WC while being 3 years older than his rivals, all thanks to his falsified birth data. A passport containing falsified data is a risk that ECU chose not to take into Qatar. No guarantee that the player won't be stopped in a foreign country, during his travel to Qatar.
Wow! What a speech by Infantino! Dude is so out of touch with reality it's embarrassing. For sure that speech will drive many people away from the WC, if not away from soccer altogether. Literally the opposite of the terms of reference of his job. If it wasn't so consequential it would be funny.