WCQ: Third Round - Window 1 (September 2-8, 2021)

[El Diego]

2 hours ago, GasPed said:

Everyone knows the Brits are smarter.  Even I as an Asian know that.  😉

What bothers me about Dunfield is that he refuses to stand up to Wheeler's homeristic nonsense, e.g.:

Wheels: And so Osorio is coming off now after another excellent shift for Canada!  What did you think of his performance?

Dunfield: I thought he was really solid, just his work rate, his positioning, just really solid.

(Me:  Are you kidding me?  He alternated between invisible and pylon!  That's why he's coming off!!)

Wheels: ...And Doneil Henry clears another one into the stands - he has just been fantastic today!  What do you think?

Dunfield:  I think he's been really solid, just working hard, just his physical presence, just really solid.

(Me:  Are you kidding me?  The man is a walking red card.  He is soooo close to being sent off.  Sub him now!!)

Of course, I admit, to each his own...  ...but as the Brits might say, he's just not my cup of tea. 😉

Sweet as a NUT

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

39 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

Perhaps FIFA should allow "home" WCQ games to be played in Europe/UK

But then you have the problem of quarantining any player from or that play in red countries ie. Mexico would have a very tiny roster.  

[theaub]

Flying to Mexico City, London and Toronto seems like a tough turnaround in 8 days.

[narduch]

1 hour ago, king1010 said:

So La Liga just released a statement saying they won’t release players for Conembol wcq. FIFA is going to be all over this. They won’t stand for it. 

Wow.

They may have to consider canceling this round of matches 

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, king1010 said:

So La Liga just released a statement saying they won’t release players for Conembol wcq. FIFA is going to be all over this. They won’t stand for it. 

And so they should. The rules are clear La Liga, EPL or anyone else shouldn't be preventing players from being released. If they don't like it, they should be working with FIFA to petition the governments to find a solution.

Instead the leagues are at loggerheads with FIFA (again).

1 hour ago, Kadenge said:

Perhaps FIFA should allow "home" WCQ games to be played in Europe/UK

That's not a viable solution and sets a very bad precedent. FIFA and their partners should instead be pressuring the governments to loosen things up for the players/coaches/support staff.

Exceptions can be made for almost anything in life and this is no different imo

[Obinna]

6 minutes ago, narduch said:

Wow.

They may have to consider canceling this round of matches 

too late to cancel the games at this stage, barring some unforeseen natural disaster or the like. 

cancelling games because of a lack of cooperation is a nothing solution, anyhow. 

[JamboAl]

5 minutes ago, Obinna said:

And so they should. The rules are clear La Liga, EPL or anyone else shouldn't be preventing players from being released. If they don't like it, they should be working with FIFA to petition the governments to find a solution.

Instead the leagues are at loggerheads with FIFA (again).

That's not a viable solution and sets a very bad precedent. FIFA and their partners should instead be pressuring the governments to loosen things up for the players/coaches/support staff.

Exceptions can be made for almost anything in life and this is no different imo

This would likely fall on deaf ears with most governments.  

[narduch]

3 minutes ago, Obinna said:

too late to cancel the games at this stage, barring some unforeseen natural disaster or the like. 

cancelling games because of a lack of cooperation is a nothing solution, anyhow. 

Not allowing players to play is really stupid.

People may not like hearing this but perhaps the World Cup needs to be delayed 1 year.

[Obinna]

21 minutes ago, JamboAl said:

This would likely fall on deaf ears with most governments.  

Even if they aren't making headway, they have to keep badgering the governments. I don't see the benefit of letting up.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, as they say.

21 minutes ago, narduch said:

Not allowing players to play is really stupid.

People may not like hearing this but perhaps the World Cup needs to be delayed 1 year.

I mean, if it's stupid to not allow players to play (which I agree with), how is delaying the World Cup any less stupid? Think about it.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Obinna

[narduch]

6 minutes ago, Obinna said:

 

I mean, if it's stupid to not allow players to play (which I agree with), how is delaying the World Cup any less stupid? Think about it.

The event should be played when there are no restrictions on which players can play.

That's not stupid.

The stupid thing is banning players from traveling to South America when it's currently more dangerous to travel to the UK.

[Obinna]

1 minute ago, narduch said:

The event should be played when there are no restrictions on which players can play.

That's not stupid.

The stupid thing is banning players from traveling to South America when it's currently more dangerous to travel to the UK.

What if restrictions are still in place next year?

Do you push it back two years? three years?

What if restrictions are lifted next year but then come down again right before the tournament? 

You can see the problem with that approach, right?

Rightly or wrongly, restrictions are going to continue to evolve and remain fluid for the foreseeable future. You may not like it but that's how it's going to be in all likely hood. You just have to carry on as best you can.

If certain leagues are going against FIFA by refusing to release players for qualifiers or even the world cup, that's on those leagues.

It's not like there isn't a healthy amount of domestic talent in South America anyways...

And as far as WCQ, there is nothing preventing the teams from playing, they just won't be able to use their players of choice from Europe. That's not grounds to cancel the games. You see that right?

[JamboAl]

I will add Asia to this discussion.  Australia and China will play home qualifiers in Qatar.  Suspect the same will happen for other countries.

[narduch]

3 minutes ago, Obinna said:

What if restrictions are still in place next year?

Do you push it back two years? three years?

What if restrictions are lifted next year but then come down again right before the tournament? 

You can see the problem with that approach, right?

Rightly or wrongly, restrictions are going to continue to evolve and remain fluid for the foreseeable future. You may not like it but that's how it's going to be in all likely hood. You just have to carry on as best you can.

If certain leagues are going against FIFA by refusing to release players for qualifiers or even the world cup, that's on those leagues.

It's not like there isn't a healthy amount of domestic talent in South America anyways...

And as far as WCQ, there is nothing preventing the teams from playing, they just won't be able to use their players of choice from Europe. That's not grounds to cancel the games. You see that right?

So you don't care if Canada was forced to qualify with an all domestic side?

[nazzer]

9 hours ago, JamboAl said:

I think people are overreacting (I know it’s hard to believe on a forum) but without One Soccer, we would have been back to the old days of searching all over for a dodgy stream. And I still don’t think TSN bought exclusive rights to the away game if One Soccer already owned those rights.  For people attending games during qualifying, you will be paying at least $34 a ticket, paying $12 for a beer but yet, $9.95 a month is an issue?  

The price point isnt the issue.  Its the fact something was advertised and not delivered. 

If someone offera to sell you 14 things for $ 14 but then only gives you 7 things once youve paid, that aint right 

[Obinna]

15 minutes ago, narduch said:

So you don't care if Canada was forced to qualify with an all domestic side?

Of course I care. It would be terrible for our qualification chances.

I still don't see a strong case for cancelling though, taking off my Canadian hat of course.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Obinna

[CanadaFan123]

It’s ridiculous that this is happening 18 months into a pandemic. If anything it should be the clubs in these nations that suffer the consequences, not the national teams. That is the most direct way to pressure change. If foreign nations are complaining it will fall on deaf ears but if EPL clubs are the ones getting screwed over there will be changes. And they should suffer the consequences of their government just as everyone else has this past 18 months. 

Just so unbelievably dumb at this juncture. Test players as many times as you like and move on. Forcing a quarantine does nothing - it’s just a flex of power for no reason. These players can go out clubbing in the UK but can’t play for their national team it’s absurd. 

[Obinna]

11 minutes ago, JamboAl said:

I will add Asia to this discussion.  Australia and China will play home qualifiers in Qatar.  Suspect the same will happen for other countries.

That's interesting. That's advantageous to them because they can gain experience in Qatar, so I imagine that's part of it.

I am also curious why FIFA has allowed that when they wouldn't allow El Salvador to play in the USA. What's the difference?

[JamboAl]

7 minutes ago, Obinna said:

That's interesting. That's advantageous to them because they can gain experience in Qatar, so I imagine that's part of it.

I am also curious why FIFA has allowed that when they wouldn't allow El Salvador to play in the USA. What's the difference?

I don’t think it’s advantageous unless they qualify.  Australia is under a lockdown and even Australians aren’t allowed back home.  If they qualify, it’s unlikely they will have played a single game at home during the whole process.

[Obinna]

2 minutes ago, JamboAl said:

I don’t think it’s advantageous unless they qualify.  Australia is under a lockdown and even Australians aren’t allowed back home.  If they qualify, it’s unlikely they will have played a single game at home during the whole process.

And China? Same deal? I figured that was the case with the Aussies. 

Both countries have realistic aspirations to qualify. Of course, it wouldn't be advantageous if they don't qualify, but it's the best non-home venue they could have chosen, considering their aspirations. 

Edit: I guess that means no A-League players for WCQ. What a crazy mess going on down there. 

Edited August 24, 2021 by Obinna

[JamboAl]

3 minutes ago, Obinna said:

And China? Same deal? I figured that was the case with the Aussies. 

Both countries have realistic aspirations to qualify. Of course, it wouldn't be advantageous if they don't qualify, but it's the best non-home venue they could have chosen, considering their aspirations. 

Yep.  What’s extra interesting for Australia is that their FA  probably can’t select domestic A League players as they can’t leave the country (without government permission) or if they leave, may not be able to come back for months.

[Obinna]

1 minute ago, JamboAl said:

Yep.  What’s extra interesting for Australia is that their FA  probably can’t select domestic A League players as they can’t leave the country (without government permission) or if they leave, may not be able to come back for months.

Yeah I just thought of that right before your post came in. Crazy times...

[Shway]

21 minutes ago, JamboAl said:

Yep.  What’s extra interesting for Australia is that their FA  probably can’t select domestic A League players as they can’t leave the country (without government permission) or if they leave, may not be able to come back for months.

That’s weird, just looked at their roster for their upcoming WCQ and I see several guys attached to A league teams.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_national_soccer_team

Edited August 24, 2021 by Shway

[JamboAl]

9 minutes ago, Shway said:

That’s weird, just looked at their roster for their upcoming WCQ and I see several guys attached to A league teams.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_national_soccer_team

That’s interesting.  Wonder if they will all be able to travel or are already out of the country.  
 

https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/graham-arnolds-socceroos-september-squad-update

"A positive is that we are very fortunate that we've got a good 30 players overseas and they can get out of overseas and come and play wherever we are.

"They want to be in Australia and play in Australia. But if we had to rely on all players coming from Australia, then we probably wouldn’t be able to play because of the quarantine when we return.”

[SpursFlu]

Isn't Clown World a fun place to live?

[CanadaFan123]

Hypothetical question: if England were to play a country at home that was listed “red” would they except the visiting players or play at neutral ground? We all know the answer.