Brazil vs Belgium (QF) - 19:00 - 06/07/2018

[newbie]

If we meet again it'll be in the final, and I hope that doesn't happen. Not that I don't want England to get to the final, or Belgium for that matter. But a Belgium v England final will inevitably be called the Brexit final, with all the anti-Brussels/EU cliches ramped up to the max, and the likes of Farage milking the occasion for all it's worth. It would be excruciating - even more than the actual match.

unless England go out today it's pretty much inevitable that the future of the Brexit project will be affected by nationalist football fervour.

 

[newbie]

unless England go out today it's pretty much inevitable that the future of the Brexit project will be affected by nationalist football fervour.

wrong thread most likely, but other potential football related impact on real politics include the possibility of an England-Russia semi in the middle of the current Novichok lockdown in Salisbury.

 

[DotCommunist]

wrong thread most likely, but other potential football related impact on real politics include the possibility of an England-Russia semi in the middle of the current Novichok lockdown in Salisbury.

It will be like when rocky balboa fought the Russian bloke in the middle of the cold war

 

[newbie]

they say a good time for an incumbent government to call an election is immediately after a significant football victory, the feelgood factor spills over.

you read it here first.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

If we meet again it'll be in the final, and I hope that doesn't happen. Not that I don't want England to get to the final, or Belgium for that matter. But a Belgium v England final will inevitably be called the Brexit final, with all the anti-Brussels/EU cliches ramped up to the max, and the likes of Farage milking the occasion for all it's worth. It would be excruciating - even more than the actual match.

I've been thinking for a few days that a Belgium-England final would be my ideal final in many ways. Is so even more after Belgium's extraordinary first half performance last night. I don't follow the tabloids, but have they been doing this kind of thing? Thing is we know most of the Belgian players really well already, and in footballing terms I reckon most England fans would be supporting Belgium in the final if England are not there. I will be - if England don't win it, I want Belgium to win it.

It would be boring and crass to characterise that as anything to do with Brexit. Not that that means they won't, but I can't see it actually holding much water.

(fwiw I also think Belgium are likely to eat England alive if they turn up like they did against Brazil. They're clearly a better team.)

 

[girasol]

Oh that was a penalty for Brazil even the commentators said so!

 

[littlebabyjesus]

they say a good time for an incumbent government to call an election is immediately after a significant football victory, the feelgood factor spills over.

you read it here first.

That's never actually been tested in the UK, though. There's only been one significant football victory ever, and it came immediately after an election.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Oh that was a penalty for Brazil even the commentators said so!

It was. hey ho. The other two shouts were blatant dives, so my sympathy is a little limited. It was rather odd VAR didn't give it though.

 

[DotCommunist]

Psephlogical folk tales like rain is bad for labour

That one might be true tho

 

[newbie]

That's never actually been tested in the UK, though. There's only been one significant football victory ever, and it came immediately after an election.

well they've got to win the thing first (and Belgium were my tip from before they arrived in Russia) but if they do the canny politicians will be all over it.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

On the Brazil non-penalty, it did take slo-mo from a particular angle to establish that the ball hadn't quite gone out of play when first contact was made. If the ref didn't give it because he thought the ball was already out of play, it wasn't really such a bad decision as he had no way of knowing really - it was marginal in real time. Given that VAR's remit was to correct bad mistakes, perhaps that is why it wasn't given. I'm not so sure VAR should be used like that, mind. If you're going to have it, have it for all circumstances even marginal ones.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Psephlogical folk tales like rain is bad for labour

That one might be true tho

Well I had to look that one up to double-check it. I had thought that Wilson had called an election in 66 after the World Cup - sure I've heard that said. But he didn't - there was an election a couple of months before it. I think possibly quite a few people like me had thought the 66 election was connected to the 66 World Cup.

 

[girasol]

The abuse poor Fernandinho has been getting on social media is disgusting and extremely racist. I wish people who made those comments were arrested. Really sad and infuriating

 

[belboid]

That's never actually been tested in the UK, though. There's only been one significant football victory ever, and it came immediately after an election.

Wilson blamed his '70 defeat on Englands loss in Mexico.

I doubt a win in '96 could have saved Major tho

 

[Steel Icarus]

Well I had to look that one up to double-check it. I had thought that Wilson had called an election in 66 after the World Cup - sure I've heard that said. But he didn't - there was an election a couple of months before it. I think possibly quite a few people like me had thought the 66 election was connected to the 66 World Cup.

I think it's linked in with a whole societal shift and people trying to pinpoint the moment it started - of course there's never one moment, conditions have to be right and they take time to be in place, but 1966, Wilson, Beatles, flower power, Mary Quant, Youthquake, etc are all tied together, especially for people my age who weren't actually alive yet.