Thread: World Cup 2014

Originally Posted by cyrille

^Which shows why making predictions at this stage would only be done by people with little interest in soccerball.

Au contraire, the odds at this time are speculative and high and therefore worth a punt on that basis.

Note I said 'predictions'.

On an internet thread (obviously)

Not 'bets'.

A vbookie would be good. Shame that all got junked.

Well I still at this point think that Argentina will win based on past South American form and the quality of their players at the moment.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Well I still at this point think that Argentina will win based on past South American form and the quality of their players at the moment.

I had a hefty bet a few WC. tournaments back on Argentina, all was going nicely until your mate Bergkamp fucked it all up in the semi, never forgiven him since.

That was in the days when Holland played football, not rugby though.

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

Geez, Boo, ffs, pick a winner...

Argentina.

Though I'd like Paraguay to go all the way for the obvious reason...

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Au contraire, the odds at this time are speculative and high and therefore worth a punt on that basis.

Who do you think is over the odds Harry?

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Though I'd like Paraguay to go all the way for the obvious reason...

It's the jesters hat innit? Lovely post.
All the South American teams seem to have very nice lady supporters. Worth watching just for that.

Originally Posted by cyrille

Note I said 'predictions'.

On an internet thread (obviously)

Not 'bets'.

A vbookie would be good. Shame that all got junked.

Great Idea ,Wily to be in IC?

Brazil and Argies are current favs
3/1
Brazil
9/2
Argentina
11/2
Germany

6/1
Spain
14/1
Belgium
20/1
France

22/1
Colombia
25/1
England
25/1
Italy

28/1
Netherlands
28/1
Uruguay
33/1
Portugal

Who won?

Paraguay.

Longest sperm went to the Aussies, innit?...But it came from an extremely small penis...

Luis Suarez injures knee ahead of World Cup - Uruguay media


Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has injured his knee in training and could be a doubt for the World Cup, according to media reports in the country.

The 27-year-old Liverpool striker will have keyhole surgery on Thursday to repair damage to his meniscus, says Uruguayan broadcasters Tenfield.

Recovery normally takes between 15 and 20 days, adds the report.

Uruguay play England on 19 June in Sao Paulo after their Group D opener against Costa Rica on 14 June.

Suarez finished as the Premier League leading scorer this season with 31 goals, despite missing the opening five matches through suspension


BBC Sport - Luis Suarez injures knee ahead of World Cup - Uruguay media

Recent reports suggest it's going to be a disaster.
Unfinished stadia and infrastructure.
Riots in the slums...

Originally Posted by Necron99

Recent reports suggest it's going to be a disaster.

They pretty much always suggest it's going to be a disaster at this stage though, don't they.

Wembley still on standby though.

England with more youngsters in the squad than at any time since 1966...

Daring to dream?

Quarter Final July 4th
one game starts 11pm Thai time
other game am on 5th at 3am


fortnight to go
Will it be possible to see any on Thai TV?
I fear mst games will be at times when sports bars are shut

If not streams
Have used Sopcast hopless in day but speed seems ok at night.

All recommendations appreciated.

I hope to be in Central Mai (Duangtawan Hotel Loy kroi nr night market)
night July 4th after a few toasts with Ron Holly where's a good spot to see the games ? The Muay Thai plaza may be shut by curfew but would like to see the games in a sports bar envirnment

Same Question for Bangkok 5th,I'll be in Soi 11 and know a couple of bars but which likely to show a games playing beyond midnight please?

World Cup 2014: Wallchart Predictor Game - Telegraph

Qatar World Cup: '$5m payments to officials' corruption claim


Fifa is facing fresh allegations of corruption over its controversial decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

The Sunday Times has obtained millions of secret documents - emails, letters and bank transfers - which it alleges are proof that the disgraced Qatari football official Mohamed Bin Hammam made payments totalling $5m to football officials in return for their support for the Qatar bid.


Mohamed bin Hammam



Bin Hammam was initially banned from football for life in July 2011 after being found guilty of attempted bribery.

The allegations centred around bids to buy votes in the Fifa presidential election of that year.

However his ban was annulled a year later by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which said there was insufficient evidence to support the punishment.

Bin Hammam then quit football saying he had seen the "very ugly face of football".

Fifa issued him with a second life ban in December 2012 for "conflicts of interest" while he was president of the Asian Football Confederation.

In March 2014, the Daily Telegraph reported a company owned by Bin Hammam had paid former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner and his family more than £1m.

Payments were claimed to have been made shortly after Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup.



Qatar 2022 and Bin Hammam have always strenuously denied the former Fifa vice president actively lobbied on their behalf in the run up to the vote in December 2010.

But, according to emails obtained by the Sunday Times and seen by the BBC, it is now clear that Bin Hammam, 65, was lobbying on his country's behalf at least a year before the decision.

The documents also show how Bin Hammam was making payments direct to football officials in Africa to allegedly buy their support for Qatar in the contest.

Qatar strongly deny any wrongdoing and insist that Bin Hammam never had any official role supporting the bid and always acted independently from the Qatar 2022 campaign.

When approached by the Sunday Times to respond to their claims, Bin Hammam's son Hamad Al Abdulla declined to comment on his behalf.

Although the vast majority of the officials did not have a vote, the Sunday Times alleges Bin Hammam's strategy was to win a groundswell of support for the Qatari bid which would then influence the four African Fifa executive committee members who were able to take part in the election.

The Sunday Times also alleges that it has documents which prove Bin Hammam paid 305,000 Euros (£250,000) to cover the legal expenses of another former Fifa executive committee member from Oceania, Reynald Temari.

Temarii, from Tahiti, was unable to vote in the contest as he had already been suspended by Fifa after he was caught out by a Sunday Times sting asking bogus American bid officials for money in return for his support.

But the paper now alleges that Bin Hammam provided him with financial assistance to allow him to appeal against the Fifa suspension, delaying his removal from the executive committee and blocking his deputy David Chung from voting in the 2022 election.

The paper claims that had Chung been allowed to vote he would have supported Qatar's rivals Australia. Instead there was no representative from Oceania allowed to vote, a decision which may have influenced the outcome in Qatar's favour.

The paper also makes fresh allegations about the relationship between Bin Hammam and his disgraced Fifa ally Jack Warner, from Trinidad.




Qatar was announced as the 2022 World Cup host in December 2010</SPAN abp="533">


Although Warner was forced to resign as a Fifa vice president in 2011, after it was proved he helped Bin Hammam bribe Caribbean football officials in return for their support in his bid to oust the long standing Fifa president Sepp Blatter, the paper says it has evidence which shows more than $1.6m was paid by Bin Hammam to Warner, including $450,000 in the period before the vote.

The new allegations will place Fifa under fresh pressure to re-run the vote for the 2022 World Cup, which was held in conjunction with the vote for the 2018 tournament, in which England were eliminated in the first round with just two votes.

Fifa's chief investigator Michael Garcia is already conducting a long-running inquiry into allegations of corruption and wrongdoing during the 2018/22 decisions. He is due to meet senior officials from the Qatar 2022 organising committee in Oman on Monday.

But that meeting may now have to be postponed in light of the Sunday Times revelations which have raised important new questions about the link between Bin Hammam and the successful Qatari World Cup campaign

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

I don't think we'll make it out of the group.

I have us losing somewhat tamely 2-0 to the hosts in the quarter finals.


And English commentators asking 'Did Neymar mean to do that'.

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

Brazil and Argies are current favs
3/1
Brazil
9/2
Argentina
11/2
Germany

6/1
Spain
14/1
Belgium
20/1
France

22/1
Colombia
25/1
England
25/1
Italy

28/1
Netherlands
28/1
Uruguay
33/1
Portugal

Anyone want 33/1 England?