iancognito Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 I wouldn't call it a boycott, I'm just choosing not to watch the matches. It'll be pretty difficult to avoid the whole shebang of individual results and reports because of the coverage on all the radio & tv channels and i'm hoping Madders gets some game time so I'll look out for that. In years gone by Qatar vs Ecuador would have had me creaming my underwear in anticipation but I've got too many issues with the whole thing. There's no buzz around it, the atmosphere is manufactured, its a dud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bovril Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 28 minutes ago, Detroit Blues said: I understand choosing not to watch the world cup on moral grounds. But like many other big/systemic issues, I don't think the responsibility should be on the individual to fix it. In fact, I find it often things like boycotts to be counterproductive because it gives the illusion that if enough people did boycott it, that it would change. Thus not enough people care so it shouldn't have to change. The responsibility of this mess is directly in the hands of FIFA, who made a nakedly corrupt decision to award the world cup to qatar, when by their own metric for choosing a host nation, they were not even close to the other bids. Failing that, the next group that it falls on are the confederations. If UEFA pulled out of the world cup, you're damn sure it would not have taken place. But these regimes, and people with real power decided not to do the right thing, because it was hard, and keeping the status quo was easy. So it's left up to the players, to forgo their life's dream, to play in a world cup? It's left to the people, who only get to enjoy this world cup every 4 years (or less in the case of nations like Wales/Canada that make the world cup far less than that.) I find that this narrative of boycotting the world cup diffuses the responsibility on the people who actually had power to change anything. It's not just about change or trying to fix things though. Sometimes it just feels like debasing yourself to watch and enjoy a spectacle that is so clearly massively corrupt. I feel the same way about most top level football and a lot of American sports, even though I do usually want to watch them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FerrisBueller Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 I’d love to to be honest, but I’d also love to boycott about a million things, I just don’t have a backbone when it comes to things like football. I’ll grow one tomorrow, we can have backbone and ball stew all Boxing Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox92 Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 (edited) Of course I’ll be watching. Been excited for ages. I'm watching now. Love the World Cup and they only come around every 4 years. Edited 20 November 2022 by Fox92 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozleicester Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 (edited) Watching the opening....I didnt realise that there were no women in Qatar... amazing really Given their stance on homosexuality... it must be a confusing place Edited 20 November 2022 by ozleicester 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuna Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 Yeah of course I'll be watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgfualol Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 Not going to watch as many games as usual, but going to watch selected games and prepared to feel guilty about it. Just wish it was taking place somewhere normal so I could get excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingsX Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Finnegan said: I'm obviously pretty conflicted. I'm obviously somewhat holier-than-thou (shocker right) and would normally be first in line to boycott. But it could also be the only time I ever see my country at a World Cup, which is intensely bitter-sweet. I'm going to watch Wales' group games and, lets be honest, we probably won't get further than that anyway. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. I imagine I'll watch a lot less of it than I normally would. What I would say though is that I'm not entirely sure how much of a protest not watching it ACTUALLY is. They're not hosting it to generate money from advertising revenue, they've spent hundreds of billions hosting it, the whole thing is an acceptable loss, they don't give a shit. They're hosting it for obvious sports washing and the cost is considered reasonable. They want the legitimacy and prestige that hosting this gives. Sure, there's some minor potential for embarrassment if the BBC or ITV report that viewing figures are lower than normal but I think that's pretty much a drop in the ocean. If people want or wanted to actively protest then I think that's the point, it needs or needed to be ACTIVE protest. Not just turning off. Whole nations needed to refuse to go, players needed to refuse to go, people needed to be in the streets protesting demanding their countries pull out. And the wider issue generally is our governments pandering to these regimes because there's something in it for us (allies in the region, oil, etc.) Of course all of this could be me internally justifying my non-action to make myself feel better but I do think that a generic "boycott" (ie, not watching it from your armchair and doing fvck all else) is really just a "protest" for you to feel good about yourself more than one that's actually going to bring any change. This, pretty much exactly. Infantino is just a low-rent Mafioso, but weren’t his predecessors pretty much the same? Mind you, I will watch anyway, entirely in the hope that USA take down Wales No plans to watch the other groups. Edited 20 November 2022 by KingsX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royston. Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 Looking forward to it, probably wont see many games but thats more down to work commitments than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Facecloth Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 23 minutes ago, Fox92 said: Of course I’ll be watching. Been excited for ages. I'm watching now. Love the World Cup and they only come around every 4 years. 4 and half years 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVIE B Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 I’ll be watching as many games as possible, l love tournament football. We all know it shouldn’t be I Qatar, but it was ‘chosen’ a decade ago. We all make personal choices. I respect the views of those who choose to blank this WC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royston. Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 35 minutes ago, FerrisBueller said: I’d love to to be honest, but I’d also love to boycott about a million things, I just don’t have a backbone when it comes to things like football. I’ll grow one tomorrow, we can have backbone and ball stew all Boxing Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickyblueeyes Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 32 minutes ago, ozleicester said: Watching the opening....I didnt realise that there were no women in Qatar... amazing really Given their stance on homosexuality... it must be a confusing place What are you watching on ? The BBC have had an interview with a member of the Qatari woman’s team. Pictures of fans outside the stadium included men but also Qatari woman in head scarfs waving the flag. I wonder what the number of woman will be inside the stadium. I’ve seen a couple with face paints too. The fans park had a good mixture too. a couple of the officials that walked past were women too - some wearing the headscarf. A good number of the mascots are little girls too. I think it would be a struggle to exclude both sexes and that would be called out very quickly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Oxlong Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 I’ll watch some of it. Good excuse to get out of doing jobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozleicester Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 6 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said: What are you watching on ? The BBC have had an interview with a member of the Qatari woman’s team. Pictures of fans outside the stadium included men but also Qatari woman in head scarfs waving the flag. I wonder what the number of woman will be inside the stadium. I’ve seen a couple with face paints too. The fans park had a good mixture too. a couple of the officials that walked past were women too - some wearing the headscarf. A good number of the mascots are little girls too. I think it would be a struggle to exclude both sexes and that would be called out very quickly. i was watching the performers...didnt see a female Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickyblueeyes Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 18 minutes ago, ozleicester said: i was watching the performers...didnt see a female I am almost certain that the person singing to Morgan Freeman is a woman. And there is a clear mixture of male and female dancers in that group ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trav Le Bleu Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 3 hours ago, Finnegan said: I'm obviously pretty conflicted. I'm obviously somewhat holier-than-thou (shocker right) and would normally be first in line to boycott. But it could also be the only time I ever see my country at a World Cup, which is intensely bitter-sweet. I'm going to watch Wales' group games and, lets be honest, we probably won't get further than that anyway. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. It makes you a Welsh hypocrite. Which is worse! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozleicester Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 14 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said: I am almost certain that the person singing to Morgan Freeman is a woman. And there is a clear mixture of male and female dancers in that group ? Are you referring to Jungkook?... If so, do not go to qatar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickyblueeyes Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 3 minutes ago, ozleicester said: Are you referring to Jungkook?... If so, do not go to qatar No mate - the local culture part. Just before the sword dance. Performers as well as the singer were female. Anyway, it’s quite clear that the opening ceremony was not just all men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daggers Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 3 hours ago, Finnegan said: I'm obviously pretty conflicted. I'm obviously somewhat holier-than-thou (shocker right) and would normally be first in line to boycott. But it could also be the only time I ever see my country at a World Cup, which is intensely bitter-sweet. I'm going to watch Wales' group games and, lets be honest, we probably won't get further than that anyway. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. I imagine I'll watch a lot less of it than I normally would. What I would say though is that I'm not entirely sure how much of a protest not watching it ACTUALLY is. They're not hosting it to generate money from advertising revenue, they've spent hundreds of billions hosting it, the whole thing is an acceptable loss, they don't give a shit. They're hosting it for obvious sports washing and the cost is considered reasonable. They want the legitimacy and prestige that hosting this gives. Sure, there's some minor potential for embarrassment if the BBC or ITV report that viewing figures are lower than normal but I think that's pretty much a drop in the ocean. If people want or wanted to actively protest then I think that's the point, it needs or needed to be ACTIVE protest. Not just turning off. Whole nations needed to refuse to go, players needed to refuse to go, people needed to be in the streets protesting demanding their countries pull out. And the wider issue generally is our governments pandering to these regimes because there's something in it for us (allies in the region, oil, etc.) Of course all of this could be me internally justifying my non-action to make myself feel better but I do think that a generic "boycott" (ie, not watching it from your armchair and doing fvck all else) is really just a "protest" for you to feel good about yourself more than one that's actually going to bring any change. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 Do you eat meat? Do you shop at amazon? Do you drive a petrol car? Do you buy said petrol from BP or shell, ever? Do you buy nestle products? Do you have a smart phone, shopped at primark, ever got anything made in China? Been in a Catholic church? Where do you draw the line? I'd love to be a moral shopper but I'm far too skint and not got enough time to sift through the history of companies and their practices. If a company is hugely successful its a near 100% guarenteee they are scum. So either i crawl up in to a ball, cry and eventually die, or just shrug and get on with my life. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nalis Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 (edited) I'm not as excited about it as other world cups. No idea if thats the venue, that its on during the winter, that I'm older and have other growing priorities in life outside football. Probably a combination of all 3 and probably more weighted toward the latter 2 if I'm being honest. Saying all that, I'm watching Qatar v Ecuador so you know... Edited 20 November 2022 by Nalis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manley Farrington-Brown Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 9 minutes ago, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said: If a company is hugely successful its a near 100% guarenteee they are scum. So either i crawl up in to a ball, cry and eventually die, or just shrug and get on with my life. There is a middle option! You can't do everything about everything, but you don't have to. Anything is better than nothing. It's ok to pick one thing you're concerned about and take some steps in that area, or one company you're particularly opposed to and stop buying from them. And it doesn't make you a hypocrite to - for example - stop using Amazon but carry on driving your petrol car. It just makes you human. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koke Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 I'll watch it. People watched Russia 4 years ago with all their issues, and they'll watch USA 2026 as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raj Posted 20 November 2022 Share Posted 20 November 2022 Not watched any build up or the 1st game and wint really watch many games maybe until the later stages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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