Boycott the World Cup

In a recent post I have stated how disappointed and sad I am about this World Cup. You can now add the FIFAs pandering to politicians to the list. 

Folarin Balogun was given a red card against Bosnia-Hercegovina. According to the rules, a red card means an automatic suspension in the next match, meaning that the US top-scorer would not play  Belgium when the USA faces them in the next match. The US Secretary of State called for FIFA to lift the suspension, and lo-and-behold, today they lifted the ban on Balogun, getting a big thanks from the US President along the way.

FIFAs possible favouritism had already been announced while lifting a suspension on the Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo when entering the tournament, but this is the first time it has been lifted during an ongoing tournament and with such obvious interference.

So much is wrong with this tournament, and I sadly see no other option than to boycott it. By just watching it I feel that am condoning all the bad things about this World Cup; we are as guilty as FIFA by following it. Criticism is not enough, but something must be done to end this systematic destruction of the game that real football fans love.

So this will be my last World Cup 2026 post, and I strongly urge everyone to stop watching the World Cup, no matter who you support or how your team is doing.

Would you not want them to compete in a fair competition anyway...? 

No Sweat

The match between Brazil and Norway was a bit of a disappointment in terms of quality, but certainly had the correct winner: Norway, with two great goals from Erling Haaland, who is surely one of the best strikers in the world, if not the very best.

The match was slow. At times it appeared as if the players did not want to sweat too much; Norway passed the ball around slowly, with little pressure from the Brazilians, while the Brazilians were indeed more dangerous in their attacks, but generally also slow to recover the ball from the Norwegians. 

That said, the match could have been entirely different were it not for the inefficiency of the Brazilian attack. Bruno Guimaraes did not shoot like a Brazilian when he missed the penalty in the first half. A young and overrated Endrick, who truly added nothing to the Brazilian team, made a huge miss in the second half. Perhaps it would have changed the match, but Brazil appears to have forgotten that to win you need a striker as efficient and unforgiving as the great Norwegian.

Why does Brazil not produce players like Erling Haaland any longer?

In the end Neymar, coming in as a failed saviour managed to score on a penalty against the excellent Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, who laughed off Neymar's frustration in the dying seconds.

Probably last kick of Neymar in a World Cup... 

Norway may not become World Champions; they still have weaknesses in defense and depend greatly on Haaland, but they are now surely the darlings of the tournament as they deserved a victory against another hugely disappointing Brazil side that is again eliminated in the knock-out phase against a European side (they have always been eliminated by European sides since 2006), and against a tiny but great Scandinavian nation that they have never defeated... 

Big Cheers to our Norwegian friends! 

Brazil-Norway preview

I think that today's match between Brazil and Norway has the potential of being a great match. Norway has been playing some excellent football led in particular by the two stars Martin Ødegaard and Erling Haaland, while Brazil has shown the potential to get far, even as their name is not among the biggest favourites, with Vinicius Jr. as the main star so far. Norway's attacking prowess is without question, but their defense has more than once proven shaky during the tournament, something that Ancelotti has probably eyed. Raphinha still appears to be doubtful, but may be replaced by Neymar, something that could prove either a huge risk, or a huge opportunity. 

It is notable that Norway is one of the few countries in the world that has never lost to Brazil. They have only played four times, with two victories for Norway and two draws. In 1998 they faced one another in the group stages of the World Cup that France later won against Brazil in the final. Norway won 2-1 with two heroic goals within the last ten minutes of the match by Tor-Andre Flo and Kjetil Rekdal, after Bebeto had brought Brazil ahead. Brazil still won the group, but the victory meant that Norway advanced to the round-of-16, where they were eliminated by Italy.

So no matter what happens it will be history!

Another thing: after a disgraceful match with a team that refused to play football like Paraguay, I hope to see two teams of real sportsmen for whom fighting does not mean to be violent pricks (like Paraguay), but who will compete hard, as equals and with mutual respect. 

Good luck to both and may the best team win!

Do you even know where Cape Verde is?

I saw a clip from a Latin American TV show where someone asked "Cape Verde; where is that?", to which the good looking female commentator replied sweetly with a gorgeous smile: "In our hearts".

Truth is that Cape Verde's World Cup performance has not only caused a rise in support for this small team, but most notably exposed the ignorance of people who could not find the small African nation on a map before the tournament (and I doubt they can now...). 

I have already said what I think of Cape Verde as a football team, but I have in fact been to the incredibly lovely country; enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of Praia, walked the verdant hills of Santiago, and bathed in the clear waters of Sal. I have enjoyed a dish of cachupa and the lovely singing of Cesaria Evora. 

But I almost never met anyone who cared about Cape Verde's beauty and culture, so excuse me if I find many of you hypocrites now that you suddenly "have Cape Verde in your hearts", because they defeated a nation you dislike on a football pitch. It has just exposed your xenophobia and ignorance (basically the same thing). 

Civilized team versus Paraguay

In one of the worst matches in a this World Cup, Paraguay lost 0-1 to France on a penalty kick by Kylian Mbappe. 

Paraguay are the worst example of a football team, playing not just defensively, but played a destructive and filthy style; the type of style that does not deserve to be called football, and not a single of those Paraguayans belong on a football pitch. Neither does the referee Ilgiz Tantashev, who allowed every violent trick by the South Americans. Hope he never referees again.

What is VAR for!?

Paraguay will not be missed and hope never to see them in any tournament again.

France has been the best team in the tournament, and despite the difficulties in winning this match, this is one of the most important matches on their way to win the tournament, because they won a difficult match against an opponent that refused to play football.