Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford reacts to Infantino
The first signs of a fall in Infantino’s speech came from Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford. Here’s what he has to say:
I had two thoughts when I heard these comments. First, I think there is a serious point in being prepared to revise our own history. Wales is an inclusive and outward-looking nation where people’s rights really matter to us. But it wasn’t always like that. In our own history, we’ve had times when things we’ve done, including things we’ve done in other parts of the world, wouldn’t measure up to the kind of beliefs and standards we hold ourselves to today. Therefore, taking a moment to reflect on our own stories is not a wasted moment.
The second thought I had hearing what was being said was to remind myself of Healy’s first law of holes. Some people will remember Denis Healey, the great Labor politician. And his first law of holes was when you’re in one, stop digging.
(via Reuters)
Updated at 09.41 GMT
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While we’re on club football… Chelsea welcome Tottenham to a sell-out Stamford Bridge in the WSL
and there is this…
That’s a decent statistic, albeit related to club football. Bale has only gone one season without a trophy since 2012-13, his loan spell with Spurs…
Gareth Bale interactive
Hello everybody. We’ll start with this good piece about Wales and Gareth Bale, who play their first World Cup match in 64 years against the USA on Monday night. Absolutely delicious.
That’s all from me – I’ll hand it over to my colleague Michael Butler for the foreseeable.
A minor historical moment yesterday:
Balloons in the national colors of Israel and Qatar adorned the departure gate of the first commercial flight between the countries on Sunday, authorized by Doha for World Cup fans despite the absence of formal bilateral relations.
The excitement of the passengers was mainly to be able to attend the soccer tournament – for which Israel did not qualify – with such surprising ease. But several also expressed hope that the temporary non-stop connections would pave the way for a more comprehensive détente between the Gulf emirate and Israel.
They were issued contact cards for a discreet Israeli consular delegation sent ahead to provide emergency support, a reminder of their current semi-recognized status in Qatar, which is close to Iran and has hosted leaders of Palestinian Hamas
“There were some concerns, I can’t deny that,” said Sagi Ashkevitz, who was traveling with three friends to his second World Cup. “But in the end, the idea of seeing Messi for the last time, together with the idea that we are really making history, overcame all concerns, and we are happy to be a part of it.”
(via Reuters)
File under “shocking and totally amazing”:
One thing the Dutch have got right about their goalkeepers is their squad numbers. Their three goalkeepers will wear the numbers 1, 13 and 23, the objectively correct formulation. Amazingly, they are one of only three teams in this tournament to have their goalkeepers counted as such. The other two? England and Spain. Now that’s a vision.
Updated at 11.27 GMT
oh dear…
We spent the night in a fan village near Lusail Stadium. Guests who check in slowly and find they can’t buy drinking water without a wristband. It’s 30 degrees. Closest shop an hour’s walk away. No one knows where the bracelets are. We are told that the festival will start at 18.30 pic.twitter.com/Fi7DPXqnrq
— Rhia Chohan (@rhiachohan) November 19, 2022
Qatar: beyond football
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This is a World Cup like no other. For the past 12 years, The Guardian has been reporting on the issues surrounding Qatar 2022, from corruption and human rights abuses to the treatment of migrant workers and discriminatory laws. The best of our journalism is collected on our dedicated Qatar: Beyond the Football home page for those who want to delve deeper into issues beyond the pitch.
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An interesting subplot from the always intriguing Dutch camp: who the hell will play in goal? Whoever gets the shirt against Senegal tomorrow will be very inexperienced after the shock of Jasper Cillessen, who most pundits assumed would be Louis van Gaal’s first choice. Instead, he picked three keepers with, wait for it, eight caps between them.
Ajax’s Remko Pasveer won his first cap against Poland in September. He is 39 years old. Justin Bijlow was used by Van Gaal in his first six games in charge, but has not used him in the nine games since, and has only recently become Feyenoord’s No.1. Uncapped Heerenveen’s Andries Noppert is the other goalkeeper in the squad.
(Information via Reuters)
Profile Pasveer Profile Bijlow Profile Noppert
Updated at 11.23 GMT
West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer feels vindicated by a move to the Premier League in a bid to secure his place at the World Cup.
“I wanted to have the best pace and be fully fit and competitive for the World Cup. That was a big reason for me,” said the player who has featured in every league game since joining PSG in the summer.
“So far it has paid off. It was a great challenge and that’s what I was looking for and it’s a very good preparation for the World Cup. I feel Hansi’s confidence [Flick] and you can see it in my play time. I will give everything to return that trust.”
(via Reuters)
@A_Hess Infant-ino indeed. He could have made a better fist of things instead of always making a false equivalency about his experiences of “bullying” as a child. And no one believes that he never had hair.
— TheFlyingPasty (@ToffeeDan) November 20, 2022 No need to drive by. Photography: HBO
Bad news for the Socceroos:
Here’s reader Michael Ohl on Infantino’s speech: “It’s not a binary issue. Yes, the West should look at itself and our historical abuses. But only because the West behaved as badly, if not worse , is not a good enough reason not to condemn the abuses that are happening in every country in the world, including Qatar. War, colonialism, subjugation of one nation to another nation, the state sanctioned to kill people, torturing people, discriminating against people or abusing people for any reason is wrong and has always been wrong, and this applies in all times and in all countries.”
Kurt Perleberg keeps things simple: “Is this FIFA World Cup becoming the worst sporting event of all time?”
Updated at 10.32 GMT
Fawad Azam writes: “I find the tirade against Qatar a bit hypocritical. We all know the Russia-Qatar award was fraught with problems. However, I agree that bringing the World Cup has put the spotlight on the Qatar’s problems and has forced some changes that would not have happened otherwise, such as banning the Kafala system and the minimum wage. Issues with migrant workers remain a problem in many parts of the Gulf where the British are more than we happily go on vacation every year, but we have no problem taking our selfies by the pool.
“We’ve had China hosting the Olympics with its human rights record and Russia hosting the last World Cup four years after it illegally annexed Crimea. Egypt is currently hosting COP27 with its human rights abuses humans. I don’t think such accommodation duties go to model countries. But then again, what is a model country? In the UK we have migrant fruit pickers who return home to Indonesia after only eight weeks of work all and that they are offered six months’ worth.They are now saddled with years of debt.
“I’m not white and I don’t drink alcohol. I’m going to the World Cup for the first time, some may mistake me as a fake fan! The “fake fan” accusations bring a whole new angle to the racism of what a “real fan” is.
“However, this is probably the only time I’ve felt safe and comfortable going to a World Cup without the fear of hooliganism and drunken behaviour. Previously, I would never have considered going to any other World Cup World as a brown England fan, I’d stay the wrong way around either side. So for me, Qatar hosting the World Cup has opened the door for people like me who otherwise haven’t able to attend”.
Diego honks! Here’s an excerpt from Diego Maradona: The Last Interview & Other Conversations, a 1992 discussion in which the mad genius discusses Baggio, Berlusconi and USA 94:
Ruben Neves knows which side his bread is spread on. Here’s the Portuguese midfielder on You Know Who: “From what I’ve seen in training, he’s in spectacular form. We are not worried at all, we as a team know perfectly well what we have to work on so that each one stands out on match day. If we are good as a team, Cristiano will be phenomenal.”
the boys Photograph: José Sena Goulão/EPA
Updated at 10.08 GMT
Antonio Rudiger believes Germany can go the distance. He would say that, right?
Rudiger player profile
Updated at 11.19 GMT
Meanwhile, back in the Northern Premier League:
61 | I just caught Thompson on his way back – looks like an away fan peed in his water bottle, and then when Thompson splashed it on this “fan” after he found out, they kicked him out. (0-0)
— Warrington Town FC (@theyellows) November 19, 2022
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford reacts to Infantino
The first signs of a fall in Infantino’s speech came from Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford. Here’s what he has to say:
I had two thoughts when I heard these comments. First, I think there is a serious point in being prepared to revise our own history. Wales is an inclusive and outward-looking nation where people’s rights really matter to us. But it wasn’t always like that. In our own history, we’ve had times when things we’ve done, including things we’ve done in other…