Final thoughts on the World Cup Final

I haven't watched it and maybe never will. I did watch highlights of the Argentina v Netherlands quarter final. It was a pulsating game full of incident and spite, but one thing will rankle with me forever (over and above my general Qatar ranklement). 

The world’s greatest player, Leo Messi, handballed deliberately in clear sight of the referee and did not get a yellow card.

He later did get a yellow, which if it had been his 2nd would have seen him sent off and miss next game. Argentina went on to win the game, putting them into a semi against Croatia which they won, thanks enormously to the not-suspended Messi.

On the other side of the draw, the heir to Messi's crown, Kylian Mbappe of France, helped his side beat Morocco in the other semi to set up a dream final, Argentina v France.

The evidence of my eyes, and the deeply contrived nature of this whole World Cup convinces me that referees were instructed to miss anything that might bring about suspensions to the superstars. I believe that the Qatar WC committee did what they needed to do to engineer the ideal final.

And – the final which played out has been described as the greatest final ever, maybe the greatest match ever. I have read a match report, it was certainly a ding dong battle. Played in a stadium that owes its existence to cheating and human rights abuses. 

This is probably the biggest win ever for sportswashing and a huge incentive to others with the cash to do the same. For me it's a dark day and another nail in the coffin of my love for international football and sport generally.

AITA on Facebook?

There’s a popular website called Am I The Asshole where people relate stories from their life to establish who, in the story, is the asshole. Invariably the teller of the story does not think they are the asshole but is open to the possibility that maybe they are, after all.

Now I am wondering AITA on Facebook. I have an account, I have Facebook Friends but I rarely read and even more rarely comment on what everyone is doing. My main purpose is checking to see if Sunday's kickabout in the park is on and confirming I'll be there.

To everyone that I have worked with, shared rentals with, and been to school with that’s on Facebook but who I am not in touch with – I hope everyone is doing well. We’re all pretty much in our fifties or older now and our parents are getting old and frail; our kids are getting their licences and moving out of home; our cats and dogs are reaching their natural life spans and leaving us completely legless with grief without their unconditional love.

Weirdly, I am happy to write about this stuff here. I'm happy to make a pissweak passing joke about it on Twitter to an audience of strangers, who have become friends over my 12-or-so years on there. But I just don’t have any urge at all to share it on Facebook. Am I The Asshole? I don't know.

2023 marks 40 years since my cohort finished high school. There’s a reunion but I don't have any real wish to be back there. High school was pretty horrible at times; although I found some amazing friends, and we have walked alongside one another ever since.

This is my Grade 7 soccer team from 1980. I remember the names of all these guys. If I bumped into any of them I’d drop what I was doing to spend time with them, and I'd help them out if they needed help. But there is no way I am walking into a room full of 90 people from high school 40 years ago.

And no, I don't know why the soccer team posed with a volleyball.

World Cup Boycott Exemption

I decided a few years ago I would have to boycott the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar. For all the reasons that are quite well-known. My main reason is that it was awarded fraudulently to a nation completely unsuited to hosting the event that was put out to tender. And all the other scandals, injuries and deaths that followed flow from that. 

Once awarded the summer World Cup, Qatar said "oh it will be too hot so we'll do it in winter" and FIFA said oh sure, we'll just get every league in the world to have a massive mid season break. So Qatar imported thousands of guest workers to build eight stadiums in their small country.

My boycott has been pretty hard, especially missing Australia's games - they have won two out of three (I expected one draw at best). I'm avoiding the football podcasts I would usually listen to, not reading about it; just denying FIFA my eyes and ears as much as I can.

Does this do anyone any good? It's just a line in the sand for myself really. The absence of this massive quadrennial event in my personal memory will be a reminder of what is important to me. Football has been very important since I started playing as a kid but integrity and human rights have to come before football. That's my personal standard and I do not mean to impose it on anyone else.

But – I have been imposing it on my family. Marcus is going away in March, and chances to do things together are precious. He has been watching Australia's games on his own; and now we have our biggest match since 2006 he wants to watch it with me. He went off and did some research on who is doing good work on human rights in the Middle East, and he suggested we both donate to Amnesty International, then watch the game.

So that's it, for as long as Australia continue in the World Cup I will be treating it as pay-per-view. We play Argentina on Sunday morning our time – go Socceroos!