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Exactly!
This will likely lead to player burn out, though I agree with getting rid of meaningless Internationals.
I kinda like this proposal from Arsène. The novelty of the tournaments taking place every four years will be missed, but you'd likely get to see players in their prime in two tournaments rather than maybe just one.
🤣🤣🤣
Goalies are funny....... :))
:)) Love it!!! :-bd
Tromso have asked the Norwegian football federation to consider boycotting the World Cup following an investigation by British newspaper The Guardian which claimed 6,500 migrant workers have died in work-related accidents since the tournament was awarded to Qatar in 2010.
https://www.espn.com.au/football/norway-nor/story/4345374/norways-haalandodegaard-take-part-in-qatar-world-cup-protest
I am all for protesting, but a boycott is basically senseless unless several other nations join in. Norway is not powerful enough alone to make FIFA care.
A.) The message isn't really that controversial. It's as uncontroversial as it gets. No mention of Qatar or 2022.
B.) Players like Martin Ødegaard and the Norwegian Football Federation don't want a boycott. If the players feel comfortable playing games to qualify for a tournament that has led to that many deaths since it was awarded to the host nation, it feels a bit pointless.
The claims that 6,500 migrant workers have died in work-related accidents since the tournament was awarded to Qatar in 2010 is TRAGIC if true.
According to The Guardian, 2,711 workers from India, 1,641 from Nepal, 1,018 from Bangladesh, 824 from Pakistan and 557 from Sri Lanka have died working in Qatar since 2010. The Guardian estimates that the actual death toll of migrant workers is "considerably higher" since the data it cites is limited to the listed countries.
The nation with a population of less than 3 million is depending on 2 million migrant workers to man its labor force. The Philippines and Kenya are among other nations to send migrant workers to Qatar, according to the report.
The listed causes of death include electrocution, blunt injuries due to a fall from height and suicide. Most of the deaths are listed as "natural" while citing heart or respiratory failure, according to the report.
Daytime temperatures in Qatar can approach 120 degrees during the summer. Normally played in the summer, Qatar's World Cup will be held in November and December because of the oppressive heat.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/report-more-than-6500-migrant-workers-have-died-during-qatars-world-cup-prep-043412847.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJWkPBjL04DjtMmt4xjjHJ3uHGe2c5jgQf3OaUeNehR2daLzICO8Hi_BIR2a-bo0D9HdzATp3AXIazmJuB5pvDyLAZqTdaVRb-1C0C2koHsH0rWB96eyaWC8udyVWDVetmKORSg2QBMmSEGYBXtPOEmIhrQgRnZWMCRcfvEXydpm
I wonder what other countries or fa's plan to do about it ?
I don't think fifa care about it ?
They should not have got the WC in the first place but allegations of bribes seem to have got them the hosting of the WC ?
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/mar/25/qatar-world-cup-moral-compass-norwegian-clubs-players
Yes, and we all know that. That is not the point.
The point is: What would little Norway boycotting the World Cup (if they eeven qualify...) help in the grand scheme of things? Absolutely nothing is the answer to that. FIFA would just give the spot to whatever nation Norway hypothetically beat in the qualifiers and cary on as usual. Now, if big footballing nations like England, Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina etc. joined in, now we would be talking! A united boycott could potentially ruin the competition. Who knows, maybe FIFA would have to find a replacement venue?
If Norway stand alone though, they would be much better off going to Quatar and make some kind of symbolic protest there. That is if they qualify. Last time they managed to was in 98...
Norway boycotting the World Cup could persuade other countries to boycott as well.
Yes, but it is regrettably very unlikely. Money rules in modern football.
If you were a football player would you feel comfortable playing in stadiums where claims that 6,500 migrant workers have died in work-related accidents since the tournament was awarded to Qatar ?
Would anyone else ?
I am not saying it should be this way, but it is the sad reality...
I'm not sure if he didn't go because of the political situation in Argentina or that he and his family had been the victims of a kidnap attempt in barca ?
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11833/12262932/erling-haaland-barcelona-president-joan-laporta-to-hold-talks-with-borussia-dortmund-stars-representatives
Because of Haaland's release clause surely Dortmund will sell this summer.
It's a curious case. On the surface it seems impossible for Barca to spend big this summer. However the interest is real, not just rumours. Laporta is apparently on extremely good terms with Mino Raiola (which is a rarity...) and Haaland has previously stated he would quite like to play in Spain. There are talks of wanting to sell both Griezmann and Coutinho to make money for the signing, although it seems unclear who the buyers will be and how much they can get for them.
To be fair although Barcelonas financial situation is bad, it is not insurmountable and it has to be said that most clubs these days have big debts. And no club earns as much revenue as Barca which will kick in once the pandemic is over. Therefore there are plenty of shareholders that have already invested in the club and have lightened the weight of the debt quite a bit. If Barca can get rid of some players on high wages that will help a lot, and the thing is that there is an incredible generation of young players already at the club who seem ready to take over, which means players can be sold without having to look for replacements. Haaland is seen by many as the icing on the cake that would convince Messi to stay. The signing is also seen as an investment in terms of revenue.
I would say it is a possible signing, but only if they are able to sell Coutinho and either Griezmann or Dembele for decent money and if Dortmund lower their asking price of 180€ to somewhere closer to 100. Considering the situation the market is in at the moment, tgat price is a bit ridiculous to be fair...
What sums could Barca realistically get for Coutinho, Griezmann and Dembele in the current market? I could see Coutinho being a target for english clubs, given how he played for Liverpool, and Dembélé is still young and promising of course.
Out of the PL clubs, you'd think Chelsea and City would have the better hand. Agüero is leaving City, so that would open up the space for another striker. Timo Werner has yet to show his best at Chelsea (though I imagine he has a lot more to offer), with only Abraham and Giroud as the other options. Giroud will no doubt be interested in getting a move soon, and Abraham might try getting more playing time elsewhere too.
Some pundits have speculated a Werner plus cash swap for Haaland though not sure that move would suit Werner.
I think Barca have long realized that they will not be able recooperate what they spent on Coutinho. But at this point they have no choice but to swollow their pride and sell him for what they can. I think a realistic fee these days for an injury prone player that still might have some good years left in him would be around 40-50. Maybe some teams in England or Italy would be willing to take a shot at that. We all know how good he can be potentially. The biggest problem are his wage demands and the fact that his dream is still to succeed at Camp Nou.
When it comes to Griezmann and Dembele their market pull shoild be pretty good. Griezmann is still a brilliant player, one of the best in the world in his position. The problem for him at Barca, put quite simplistic, has been that his position is occupied by Messi, and everyone will look mediocre in comparison to him... Where Barca really would need him to play is at nr 9, but that's been tried and not really worked. In the wide areas the team has plenty of options that fit the team better and are young and promising. Once Fati finally returns from that incredibly unfortunate injury, Griezmann's logical place will be on the bench, which sounds crazy but is the reality. People haven't forgotten how good he is though. I think at least 70 is a reslistic prize even in this market. He would strengthen basically every team in the world... except Barcelona 😅
Dembele I would prefer to keep if possible. He still has some incredible potential and some extraordinary traits that no other player has. I have never seen a player with such an incredible acceleration and he can change direction at pace in a way that looks superhuman! Adding to that he is more two-footed than any other. Most so called two footed players still have one preferred foot, Dembele hasn't. Playing as a striker he has demonstrated he can make very intelligent runs without the ball and his finishing is actually good too although for some reason he buckled under pressure against PSG in Paris when the chances he missed could ptentialy have kickstarted an unbelievable comeback for Barca. If Barca get the fees I was talking about for Coutinho and Griezmann, they might not have to sell him. But if a right offer comes they will hsve to consider it due to the situation, but I don't think he goes unless a really good bid arrives.
A problem for Barca with selling players though has been that most of the players want to stay. It is not an unrealistic scenario that let's say Chelsea put 70 mill on the table for Griezmann for him to say; "no, I want to fight for my chances here!". The problem with the ridiculous wage structure the previous board have left us with is that not all teams can match the wages players earn at Barca. Luckily Barca have other options to sell like Pjanic, Umtiti, Junior Firpo, Lenglet, Sergi Roberto, Brathwaite etc that can be sold with excellent, young replacements in the club already. Although each of those sells might not provide a fortune, put together they might add up to something, not least because of the wages that disappear.
What makes Haaland to Barca not just a utopian dream is the fact that Barca is in the quite unique situation where they can sell at least a dusin of players and sign only one in return. In an ideal scenario, Barca can buy Haaland and still come out of it with a better financial situation, simply because the combined wages of 6-7 players departing is much higher than Haaland's wages alone, especially if you include the monster wages Coutinho and Griezmann have into the equation.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1418021/Man-Utd-transfer-news-Chelsea-Erling-Haaland-meeting-Mino-Raiola-latest-gossip/amp
Depends if he wants back to Germany. Dortmund is not a bad club at all, but he might feel he's got a better shot at something big at a club like Chelsea.
Good points. It's a very fortunate situation to be in, having that many players to sell without necessary affecting the overall quality of the team – it's also a good example of the importance of academy players! Being able to get rid of some high salaries can make the world of difference to any club too; Arsenal have (and are) struggling with that very issue. Moving on Özil will make it easier for them come the summer transfer window, but the total wages are still ridiculously high compared to the quality of the team.
If Barca can do quite a bit of dealings in the summer, then Haaland might be tempted to opt for Camp Nou rather than anywhere else. I personally think Man City could be a likely option – and with a spot opening in the summer, Haaland must surely be their number one target.
Alf-Inge and Raiola aren't wasting any time, it seems! :))