I don't watch football for level or quality of it.

I watch it for drama, excitement and emotions involved in it.

I guess it depends why you were drowned into the sport at the first place.

And it's all cute acting socialist being World Citizen, but the reality is different. Everyone has bonds and ties with some nations more than others no matter how hard one tries to deny it.

sportsczy wrote:WC generates 10000x more money than CL.  It's an absolute cash cow.

You do realize that advertizers pay based on eyeballs, right?  If you want, i'll dig up the revenue figures.

It's widely know that WC sponsorship, advertising and TV rights are the most expensive of any entertainment event in the world, not just sports.

Thanks for playing though guys.  See you next week

loli'm talking about club football vs nt football, not cl vs wc

Again...who was money? what would players choose? Which is better quality...

once again...


Sports pls

Players would choose WC every day of the week. Ribery said it just yday too... he would trade every personal or club trophy he had if he could win the WC. Said it on TV.

Every player says it too. You think the France players who were on NT from 1998-2000 are remembered and revered because of their club trophies? They are demigods in France ffs.

I totally love international football, both in men's and women's football. Of course I'm somewhat spoilt as I'm German, but then, I have a weak spot for the Swiss team, too. (But it seem as if they get annoyingly successful lately, too XD). ^^

free_cat wrote:International football sucks and what you mention are just pathetic expressions of nationalism that I can't wait for them to disappear in this world populated by just one human species.

tell me more about that, free catalonia

Natalie Portman wrote:I don't watch football for level or quality of it.

I watch it for drama, excitement and emotions involved in it.

I guess it depends why you were drowned into the sport at the first place.

And it's all cute acting socialist being World Citizen, but the reality is different. Everyone has bonds and ties with some nations more than others no matter how hard one tries to deny it.

No acting . I will support my country in any major competition obviously , but that's just it. I will still enjoy it the same , whatever the final result , or even if miss participation for that matter. Obviously i would like for the nt to do as best as possible , but i don't trully care if they don't . Nor i will care if we miss out in the first place , i really won't . International football is important to me as far as the sporting aspect goes. I don't expect stuff other than pure entertainment and i won't cry me a river when/if Greece is going to suck balls in Brazil.

I feel like explaining more , but i don't think it's necessary. I would like for Greece to do as best as they can , sure , but if they don't , it won't change my world and it definitely won't change my view or desire about the competition . It's football i want to watch , above all , and the drama , excitement and emotions you mentioned , all that only with regards to the sporting aspect , all the rest mean absolutely fk all to me.

free_cat wrote:International football sucks and what you mention are just pathetic expressions of nationalism that I can't wait for them to disappear in this world populated by just one human species.

There will never be a borderless world with only one country.

Better be a realist than a idealist. Wake up and smell the coffee

I bet your Barca heroes (Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol etc) were absolutely devastated when Spain won all those tournaments in the last few years

sportsczy wrote:Players would choose WC every day of the week.  Ribery said it just yday too...  he would trade every personal or club trophy he had if he could win the WC.  Said it on TV.

Every player says it too.  You think the France players who were on NT from 1998-2000 are remembered and revered because of their club trophies?  They are demigods in France ffs.

Sports again, club football vs NT football. But who would play bills?

Natalie Portman wrote:

free_cat wrote:International football sucks and what you mention are just pathetic expressions of nationalism that I can't wait for them to disappear in this world populated by just one human species.

There will never be a borderless world with only one country.

Better be a realist than a idealist. Wake up and smell the coffee

I bet your Barca heroes (Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol etc) were absolutely devastated when Spain won all those tournaments in the last few years

Pique doesn't identify himself as Spanish u mad? "we have won your league and we will win your trophy"


Piquito to Iker the terrible

lol he would trade his trophies for the world cup, he would never trade in all his money he has earned, not in a million years
sports plz.
I've said it before, players like Tevez, Ronaldo, Thiago Silva, etc would never give up their income for a stupid gold trophy that doesn't even go in their shelf.

I don't know where u guys get all this "barca fans hate NT football" from, but I for one love international football. Even with the hate friendlies get, I can't say I dislike seeing a FIFA matchday coming up because we don't see NTs enough, which is ironically another reason why these matches get so much hate in the first place.

That said I just wanted to address sports over the CL/WC debate which we've actually had before and I think it can be summed up as such:

We all know the WC is more glamorous, lucrative, anticipated, celebrated and overall bigger than the CL. However it is also pretty widely accepted that the CL itself is a tournament of higher quality, especially from the R16 and on. That is the one aspect in which CL>WC, but that's it. And it's not by an incredibly wide margin either, but I just wanted to state my opinion in this matter which is shared by many, many other figures in the sport much more famous than myself.

And this has nothing to do with the Messi argument btw, or Pele vs. Messi or any of that as that is another debate which has been had. I just wanted to address sports and clarify that not all Barca fans hate NT football, despite the opinion here.

VAMOS COLOMBIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh how little you know Ribery... he still describes his best moments as a player was when he played in the WC2006. Still gets goose bumps thinking about it according to him.

Money is money and club is club... but playing for one's country and playing the WC is and will always be the height of a pro footy player's career.

Most fans agree too considering the audience numbers i posted above lol. 3.2 billion audience for WC final compared to 360 mil for CL final is a massive, massive difference.

Oh i agree that CL football is better quality... namely, you have 90% of the best players in the world concentrated in about 10-15 teams + they play together all the time. That will make it better quality football.

But the WC and NT football is much more unpredictable imo and the odds aren't as good for the top teams to make the last 4. Much easier to knock off the top teams in NT play and i like that parity.

sportsczy wrote:Oh i agree that CL football is better quality... namely, you have 90% of the best players in the world concentrated in about 10-15 teams + they play together all the time.  That will make it better quality football.

But the WC and NT football is much more unpredictable imo and the odds aren't as good for the top teams to make the last 4.  Much easier to knock off the top teams in NT play and i like that parity.

I definitely agree about the unpredictability which adds lots of excitement to a tournament which already has the world on the edge of its seats, even non football fans. Nothing else can do that.

The world cup has lots grandeur and filled with emotions and viewers for plenty of reasons, but one thing i don't agree with is people thinking that you need a world cup to be considered in another tier per say.

One of the Silliest types of classification out there  , valdano spoke truth about messi...

"Messi is Maradona every day. It is June 1986 for 5 years now. The last 5 years, Messi is the Maradona of the World Cup in Mexico."

Only reasoning for peeps is "oh but WC is the biggest..." Too many counters to even need to list them ffs.

Natalie Portman wrote:I don't watch football for level or quality of it.

I watch it for drama, excitement and emotions involved in it.

I guess it depends why you were drowned into the sport at the first place.

And it's all cute acting socialist being World Citizen, but the reality is different. Everyone has bonds and ties with some nations more than others no matter how hard one tries to deny it.

My closest links are England, Malta and Portugal in that order.

England play disaster football which I cant enjoy watching, Malta are terrible and have no chance to make any international tournament and Portugal have maybe my least favourite player.

You can imagine that I support none of these.

Nothing to do with "acting socialist", im not that complicated, trust me. I just really dont care.

My hate for Suarez started in WC 2010... so that you all know where it stems from. He's done nothing since to help me forgive him.

sportsczy wrote:My hate for Suarez started in WC 2010... so that you all know where it stems from.  He's done nothing since to help me forgive him.

I find that weird. I'm a United fan and I don't even hate him. What has he done? Only people that hold footballers to some exalted standard would be offended by them.

No sport in the world can emulate the emotions of international football. Absolute unbelievable stuff last night, watched the USA/Panama/Mexico live, damn.

jibers wrote:

sportsczy wrote:My hate for Suarez started in WC 2010... so that you all know where it stems from.  He's done nothing since to help me forgive him.

I find that weird. I'm a United fan and I don't even hate him. What has he done? Only people that hold footballers to some exalted standard would be offended by them.

 Africa has never sent a team to the WC semis in its history.  This was the first ever WC held in Africa and Ghana was on the verge of getting there...  everyone in Africa, not just Ghana, was behind them.  Suarez cheated a continent from its defining moment in footy.  It was awful...  the moment that will remain etched for people won't be a goal or a game or anything that makes the game great... it will be an act of cheating by Suarez.

And he was completely unapologetic about it too.  I can understand that you do things in the spur of the moment.  But at least have the decency to be ashamed about it even if you can't take it back.

sportsczy wrote:

jibers wrote:

sportsczy wrote:My hate for Suarez started in WC 2010... so that you all know where it stems from.  He's done nothing since to help me forgive him.

I find that weird. I'm a United fan and I don't even hate him. What has he done? Only people that hold footballers to some exalted standard would be offended by them.

 Africa has never sent a team to the WC semis in its history.  This was the first ever WC held in Africa and Ghana was on the verge of getting there...  everyone in Africa, not just Ghana, was behind them.  Suarez cheated a continent from its defining moment in footy.  It was awful...  the moment that will remain etched for people won't be a goal or a game or anything that makes the game great... it will be an act of cheating by Suarez.

And he was completely unapologetic about it too.  I can understand that you do things in the spur of the moment.  But at least have the decency to be ashamed about it even if you can't take it back.

Suarez cares about his nation, team and himself do you think he cares about Ghana or what the whole of Africa and the neutral fan thinks? He wanted Uruguay to progress like any man would want for his country.  It wasn't ideal, but in the heat of the moment do you really think he cares? He was sent off and deservedly so, Ghana were awarded a penalty and they missed.

Footballers want there team to win and they want to win, they don't care about what the opposition and others think.

Suarez vs. Ghana was an act of god.

Ghana's freekick was a dive at the first place and 2 of their players were offside.

Suarez' handball was just another way of fouling a player. A professional foul within the context of the game.

Next time a player is 1 vs. 1 and the keeper takes them down to get a red card, is it cheating as well ? No it isn't.

Handball = A foul. Taking a man down = foul. no difference for me.

Suarez has done a lot of disgraceful stuff in his career, but that act vs. Ghana was reflexive and not cheating at all. I'd do it for sure as well for my country and wouldn't give a rats ass about Africa.

sportsczy wrote:

jibers wrote:

sportsczy wrote:My hate for Suarez started in WC 2010... so that you all know where it stems from.  He's done nothing since to help me forgive him.

I find that weird. I'm a United fan and I don't even hate him. What has he done? Only people that hold footballers to some exalted standard would be offended by them.

 Africa has never sent a team to the WC semis in its history.  This was the first ever WC held in Africa and Ghana was on the verge of getting there...  everyone in Africa, not just Ghana, was behind them.  Suarez cheated a continent from its defining moment in footy.  It was awful...  the moment that will remain etched for people won't be a goal or a game or anything that makes the game great... it will be an act of cheating by Suarez.

And he was completely unapologetic about it too.  I can understand that you do things in the spur of the moment.  But at least have the decency to be ashamed about it even if you can't take it back.

Why should he be ashamed? He gave his country a chance to go through and saw a red for what he did. He got the deserved punishment. Players have done much worse. Do yo hate Pepe even though he tried to gbh a player?

Suarez should be ashamed he gave his country the opportunity to go to the WC semifinals (and then potentially farther), which they did? Oh deary me...

The Franchise wrote:

Natalie Portman wrote:I don't watch football for level or quality of it.

I watch it for drama, excitement and emotions involved in it.

I guess it depends why you were drowned into the sport at the first place.

And it's all cute acting socialist being World Citizen, but the reality is different. Everyone has bonds and ties with some nations more than others no matter how hard one tries to deny it.

My closest links are England, Malta and Portugal in that order.

England play disaster football which I cant enjoy watching, Malta are terrible and have no chance to make any international tournament and Portugal have maybe my least favourite player.

You can imagine that I support none of these.

Nothing to do with "acting socialist", im not that complicated, trust me. I just really dont care.

you may be like that but most of people aren't .

I think the major reason people get put off by international football is that those meaningless friendlies come when your club team is gaining some momentum in the league and players are playing well. All of a sudden they represent their country and pick up and injury or get fatigued and pick up an injury in the next match for their club.

Or the players come back from international break and that momentum is lost and suddenly your team starts losing.

Or you're from a country without a national team or your country have a really shit national team.

Everyone can support a club and feel comfortable but not everyone can support a country and feel comfortable or feel "part of it". If I was from San Marino, for example, and I wanted to pick a national side to support I wouldn't necessarily feel "part of the group" if I picked a Spain or a Germany or even a Belgium.

I also think people would be more accepting of it if the quality of football was better.

Basically, passion & emotion >>> quality of the game in international football.