See australia put out a statement about it all. But still going to play. Yes it’s nice to say these words about it all, wear these rainbow armbands, but actions carry the most weight
I find it quite a difficult one tbh. Easy for us all to sit behind our screens and say all a sundry should boycott it, and it's very difficult to argue a case against it too... unless you're involved as a player. World Cups are the pinnacle of world football and most players are very lucky to get even one chance at playing in one. **** as it is, would you boycott your childhood dream for it? Obviously, non-players shouldn't be going. Easy decision unless your greedy for money.
Fifa have said shut up now and "focus on football" They have consistently covered up the corruption hat led to here and pallid off the USA by awarding next world.cup to them instantly. For 12 years this corruption has rotted football since Russias.fascist leader bought 2018 and Qatar oil bought 2022 They didn't need to kill 6500 people to build their white elephant stadiums in the desert over 12 years. They could have had the tiniest bit of care but now. They abused people and put then in endemtured servitude for want of another suitable terms for confiscating passports and forcing labour or punitive salary cuts being applied if some took a day off. Fifa = shame. Everyone going is tarnished. Everyone who has a choice not to go esp commentators (hint hint) and footballers doing punditry are lowest of low imo.
Klopp said in his weekend presser that the time to protest was 12 years ago when the WC destinations were announced. He said it's unfair for the media to be criticising players and managers now for taking part when something could have and maybe should have been done over the past few years before the stadiums were even built etc.
100% it should have been done years ago. And again when Blatter and co were removed. It's too late for players now but supporters, media, pundits, etc can still make a stance.
I agree and I won't be watching it. The situation was made more complicated by the FA allowing these murderous oil states to own clubs. Fans of the clubs involved and lots of neutrals, players, managers and pundits are all more than happy to praise Newcastle and city to the sky while mumbling (because none of them apart from Klopp, that I've seen, have been vociferous enough) about the WC location. I don't know how you separate the two. They are exactly the same principles involved.
I rarely disagree with Klopp but this is one occasion that I do - he's being far too equivocal here. That might have been a better time to have it stopped, but because it can no longer be prevented doesn't mean it's ok. It would be like watching a released suspect robbing a bank, shrugging your shoulders and saying "well the police didn't bang him up when they had the chance so just let it go". Not a precise analogy but you get the drift. Just because the best opportunity has gone doesn't mean we should now act like it's alright.
I'm not bothered about watching it but I'm not going to say I won't, we will all miss football when it's not on.
I don't know whether you watched his interview and maybe the part of it that I highlighted didn't get his stance across properly but he wasn't being an apologist about it. I don't think? I didn't get that overall impression. I think there was an element of protecting players and he does get angry with the press a lot but you could see that by his firm "no" when asked if he would be going and doing his best to state the case of the migrant workers etc. that for him personally it's morally wrong. Like you I admire Klopp very much so maybe I'm hearing his words differently because I want to hear them that way rather than allowing for the possibility that he's maybe not being clear enough or whatever.
Journalist: "Are you as enthused, as a football fan, about this World Cup as you would normally be?" Jurgen Klopp: “No.” "When it got announced that Russia and Qatar are the next places for the next two World Cups, I think it was the first time in history that they announced two in one. We all know how it happened and how you can still let it happen. No legal thing afterwards really led to a… , 'Now it's open, now everybody knows'. It was still hidden everywhere and you think, 'Wow, how could they let that happen?'. It's 12 years ago, and now it's coming. That's the situation, and it can just make you angry. How can you not? Again, I watch it from a football point of view and I don't like that players, from time to time, get in a situation where they have to send a message. You are all journalists, you should have sent a message. You didn't write the most critical article about it - and not because it is Qatar and things. No. About the circumstances, which was clear. And don't just put Gareth Southgate constantly in a situation where he has to talk about everything. He is not a politician, he is the manager of England. Let him do that. If you want to write something else about it then do it, but do it by yourself rather than just asking us and all these kind of things - 'Klopp said' and 'Southgate said' - as if it would change anything. We all, you more than I, let it happen 12 years ago."
From what I read he seemed to be trying to defend those who are going - like Southgate, who has been getting stick from some quarters - by saying that the responsibility lay elsewhere and at a different time. However, at that time many of the things that are being objected to hadn't even happened. I think he's torn between the very obvious moral standpoints he's demonstrated in the past and a desire to be supportive of others that he relates to - i.e, players and managers, as opposed to the football politicians. He's walking a tightrope on that one, imo. It can come down to the old advice about not mixing politics with sport, but that seems very much outdated now - with all the campaigns like Respect and taking the knee football has pinned its colours to the mast many times over with regards to human rights.
That's part of the transcript but not all of it. It misses out his words on human rights and a few other things. One journo asked was he not happy about it because of the timing or the other issues surrounding it.
He tried to walk a fine line because he knows that whatever he says will be blown up. If you have the time and can be bothered watch the YouTube video "We let this HAPPEN...." Jurgen Klopp's full epic rant. You get a better perspective.
Thing is..........if you want to get moralistic re. this WC (and rightly so)................you should also object to major sporting events in Europe and especially in the US...............but people generally won't.
