LDOG

If the ban is just to "prevent internal propaganda" then yeah, i'm not for sporting sanctions. We're overestimating the importance of sport. It's not gonna be a deterrent for a tyranic government. As proven by North Korea or Cuba they can even tank massive economic sanctions for decades without giving a damn (and Russia is much bigger/self-sufficent), why would a ban from something as trivial as sport achieve any better results? It'll only affect the athletes themselves at the end of the day. Now, I think a better argument than the one about internal propaganda was the one dcro brought up, that ukranians cannot compete in equal conditions. Yet, if we want to be fully coherent with this criteria a good bunch of countries should also be banned for leaving others in "non competitive conditions" (Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, etc). I'm not necessarilly against banning Russia if we are fully coherent with this...

In a dictatorship you can be jailed or get blacklisted and never be able to find a job again for simple disent to an order like that, it's not comparable to getting fired by a company or from a state job in a democratic country. Btw systematic (and mandatory) state-sponsored doping has also been characteristic of dictatorships historically. In a democratic country if someone (eg. The coach) attempts to force an athlete to dope, the latter can always denounce the situation while having some degree of expectation that justice will be done. And I believe "publicizing the army" if you mean in an open way is on the border of breaking the regulations regarding political manifestation that many international sport competitions have. In theory shouldn't be allowed per se independent of this situation.

1) in a dictatorship everyone is a hostage, we can never be certain about the motivation of those athletes to appear at rallies. Maybe they genuinely support Putin, maybe they were told "come or you'll be homeless by tomorrow morning". Who knows. 2) a military athlete that is busy competing elsewhere is one that isn't in the battlefield. Isn't that good?

Based Simon

4pm

I don't think they are too aged other than Modric. Good replacements have appeared, just not in the striker position. It's not so much that I think Croatia has gotten worse but more that Canada is genuinely good and well oiled.

I can perfectly see Canada upsetting Morocco and Croatia.

I already know one thing: Qatar will be the last place with 0 points and at least -7 GD

With all respect, I think this was literally the easiest group we could possibly get.

Now that we are good again give me

Tunisia qualifies by beating Mali with a ridiculous own goal. Pain. Well, I guess we need a few more punching bags for pot 4 (or 3?).

Didn't you make a post shitting on him when the play-off draw was made? lol

My 3 cents: 1. Egyptian fans also used lasers all game during the first leg. 2. But not THIS many lasers. 3. No idea how the stupid ref allowed the PSO to be held just like that. Should have stopped it.

It was all prepared in order to boost the ratings of an otherwise forgettable ceremony with no standout movies in contention.

Yes, but Costa Rica has to beat them by 6 goals.

Mexico can still be in pot 1 if they win their last game, Netherlands doesn't beat Germany in a friendly and (most importantly) Portugal loses. Ofc the chance of Portugal losing is like 10% but it's still there.

I didn't watch it but just wanted to point out that literally nobody I know who watched it liked Licorice Pizza. Never seen so much concensus on one movie inside my social circle lol No clue if they are all being snobish or got bored or what (I vaguely know what the movie is about), just that fact caught my attention.

I watched so few of these movies.... Just the Almodovar one, the italian one, a bunch of the animated ones at home and Dune at the cinema ()

Please, anything but shooters earning a place due to placing 5th in one random world cup stage.

Canada is qualified dude, don't sweat it. There is simply no way Costa Rica can overcome the +9 GD lead you have over them.

Basically you need a shock elimination from one of Morocco, Nigeria or Portugal now. And to win the two remaining games against minnows so you don't drop further

Finally we have the same world cup appearences as Italy. And we even gave them a big handicap by withdrawing from 3 You're next, Germany (?)

Since I think this is one of the very few chances we have to make an "imaginary podium", I'm full team Pareto here despite the japanese is objectively the best in the category. Unlike several on the list Paula was also world champion and has an additional olympic bronze medal.

I would agree to the point he makes about collective responsibility if it was a democracy we were talking about.

Your move, fly_like_a_don. Time to one up with the human right abuses accusations.