The World Cup 2014 thread

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

And so to the semi-finals.

Brazil against Argentina, in the first semi, is of course the game that the whole continent - the whole world - has been looking forward to. Brazil's progress to the semi-finals has been as serene as expected, but will Lionel Messi be able to drag his team through one more match, after their controversial victory against holders Holland and the near-chaos of the conclusion of the match against the USA, where FIFA's new goal-line technology controversially ruled their winning penalty had - just - crossed the line, despite almost all TV camera angles seeming to prove otherwise?

And then to the second semi-final. And who could have predicted this, Mark? Russia, in their first semi-final since the days of the USSR, against "Alex's Army", Scotland! Sir Alex has certainly enjoyed his second tilt as Scottish manager, but not as much as Liverpool's striker, Stephen Fletcher, who with one more goal tomorrow could virtually wrap up the golden boot after that hat-trick against England in the quarter-final?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The World Cup 2014 thread

That's for Gero, for being so nice about my choice of username.

[Rojinegro]

The World Cup 2014 thread

It is still hilarious to recall the bizarre scenes at the Copacabana beach when hordes of international press and their cameramen fought running battles to get the best view of the required bikini-clad Brazilian women at the beach shot for their broadcasts.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The World Cup 2014 thread

And so before the semi-final kicks off, let's go over to the beach football Masters semi-finals - we've all grown to love this addition to the festivities, during this tournament. Not sure how England can possibly replicate this in 2018, Andy - will it be held at Margate, or on the cobbles at Brighton? So tonight it's Eric Cantona's France, against Robbie Fowler's England. And look, Gazza's starting the match off by pissing like a police horse behind the goal, like he did against Portugal! What a character!

[Gerontophile]

The World Cup 2014 thread

Thanks Rogindam, but Scotland qualifying would have been pisstake enough (heh).

Can I be the first to say 'THIS IS SPARTA!'

[Ray de Galles]

The World Cup 2014 thread

Has this been covered?

[Andy C]

The World Cup 2014 thread

The whole tournament has been spoiled for me by those incessant drums.

[Uosdwis R Dewoh]

The World Cup 2014 thread

Can't believe they're letting an Englishman referee the final after that indescribable cock-up in South Africa.

[Hot Orange]

The World Cup 2014 thread

What rotten luck for Micronesia - getting to the semi-finals against all the odds only to be forced to withdraw when the last of the islands was consumed by the rising sea and the nation therefore ceased to exist.

[Donnchadh Ghairdinéir]

The World Cup 2014 thread

World Cup 2014 Qualifying Process

EUROPE (53 entries, 6 places)

• Stage 1, 12 qualifying groups (7x4, 5x5). Winners progress to
• Stage 2, 3 qualifying groups (3x4). Winners and runners up progress to finals

AMERICAS (45 entries, 4 places)

• Stage 1, 11 qualifying groups (10x4, 1x5). Winners and best runner up progress to
• Stage 2, 4 qualifying groups (4x3). Winners progress to finals

AFRICA (53 entries, 3 places)

• Stage 1, 12 qualifying groups (7x4, 5x5). Winners progress to
• Stage 2, 3 groups (3x4). Winners progress to finals

AUSTRALASIA (53 entries, 3 places)

• Stage 1, 12 qualifying groups (7x4, 5x5). Winners progress to
• Stage 2, 3 groups (3x4). Winners progress to finals

Note: entry will be dependent on a willingness/ guarantee to complete at least six qualifiers. The supposedly all-inclusive 2010 World Cup included 35 teams who only played in one home and away tie (and quite a few of them had to forfeit a home game for political and/ or logistic reasons). Somalia were knocked out after losing their only game 1-0.

[Guest]

The World Cup 2014 thread

The last post makes no sense.
FIFA have done many many stupid things but 32 qualifiers for the World Cup Finals in recent times is one of their most sensible.

How many teams will quote to reduce their chances? None I suspect.

How else would Hellas and numerous other teams ever have the slightest hope of qualifying??
More that 16 for the Euros is probably madness given the far smaller number of teams.

[Kusal Flyer]

The World Cup 2014 thread

Bill The Greek wrote:

The last post makes no sense.
FIFA have done many many stupid things but 32 qualifiers for the World Cup Finals in recent times is one of their most sensible

I thought you were in favor of 33 teams?

How many teams will quote to reduce their chances? None I suspect

In almost every case, you'd be reducing their chances from fuck all to originally marginally less than that. Notice that I'm also suggesting a guaranteed increased number of games for the teams that get kicked out after a mere two-legged tie at present.

As I've previously suggested, the most likely way in which the World Cup might shrink (or the Euros remain at 16 teams) is if a future tournament 'fails' (eg by making a financial loss/ not selling enough tickets or ensuring transport to games/ ultimately losing the tournament before it happens). Ukraine and Poland are struggling badly at the moment, and Colombia had to give up on the World Cup in 1986.

How else would Hellas and numerous other teams ever have the slightest hope of qualifying??

You what? If they can win an entire tournament as in 2004, then in an equally good year they could get through two qualifying groups. Since the Euros expanded to 16 teams in 1996, 25 different European countries have been to finals.

More that 16 for the Euros is probably madness given the far smaller number of teams

If one's mad, then why not the other? Or indeed why not make the number of finalists directly proportional to the teams taking part? In which case there'd be 64 teams in the World Cup in Brazil. Which would clearly be impossible to organise. I think you just have to balance access for all, against ensuring it remains an elite competition. I've explained on the other 16 team thread why a 32 team finals isn't crucial to popularising the game outside Europe and South America, and how New Zealand gaining three creditable draws after a very weak quali group probably won't have a lasting effect there or anywhere else.

[Incandenza]

The World Cup 2014 thread

Really, those small countries should just be happy that they get a chance to play at all before the real teams we all want to see get down to business.

[Duncan Gardner]

The World Cup 2014 thread

Read the detail, sarky boy. I'm giving many of those smaller countries, particularly in CONCACAF a guaranteed greater number of qualifiers. Who says they wouldn't welcome that, even if America, Mexico and now probably New Zealand lose their almost guaranteed qualification. Tough titty, it's an elite competition.

[Incandenza]

The World Cup 2014 thread

I wasn't responding to you.

[Sam]

The World Cup 2014 thread

Harrie van Timmerman wrote:

Has this been covered?

Ah, more stereotyping of the way Brazilians play football. I do like Flavio MacFadden, though.

(And having just made a comment about stereotyping...) I met an English couple in Montevideo who'd been in Rio a couple of weeks previously and watched one of Brazil's games at the Fan Park there. At one point in the match a guy standing in front of them pulled a gun on the guy next to him and whacked him across the face with it. Cue several thousand people all legging it in the other direction. An example of why the World Cup shouldn't ever be hosted by etc and so on.

On a serious note here's hoping such scare stories turn out to be as inconsequential at the event itself as the ones in the last four years have been in South Africa (although to clarify, the tale I've posted above did actually happen, or at least if he was lying to me he also did so to everyone on his Facebook contacts list).