That'll larn them furriners good!

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well, at least we know which regime is ACTUALLY in charge of the country.

The World Cup is being played in Qatar this year and for this trip to the middle eastern nation, US soccer has decided that instead of representing their country with the classic red, white, and blue on their jerseys they will instead feature the rainbow gay pride flag colors.

So, it's not enough for the United States to be an "accepting" country? It's not enough to proudly wear the colors of your country that you're proud of? No, these woke lefties have to push THEIR religion on a country that disagrees with them.

https://notthebee.com/article/the-us-na ... pride-flag

[Bicycle Bill]

Sorry, USA Soccer ... eschewing your national colors in favor of the colors of a social movement is just plain wrong.  If you wanted to show support, a patch or maybe stripes along a shoulder seam should have sufficed — although I suppose I should note that, to your favor, at least your organization opted to not to wear blue and yellow to show support of Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression.

Either way, I will not be too distraught if you make an early exit this year.

-"BB"-

[Joe Guy]

They're showing support for LGBTQ and sometimes Y, Butt there is the following line in the article:

"It is understood the crest on the team's kits on the field won't be changed, but the new colors will be shown off at their practice facilities."

[Big RR]

Exactly, it is not entire color of their uniforms, just a patch; and it will be used at practice. And if it's a stick in they eye to the repressive policies of the host country, all the better.

Meade--I don't see it as any sort of "religion", more like a celebration of freedom. And while there are some in our country who do not want "them" to be free, I think most are content to accept the LGBTQ community, even though there may be some disagreement about specifics.

[Burning Petard]

Heard on the BBC radio last night that the English team was planning on an armband, entirely separate from the uniform. It had all been checked out with FIFA who said there would be a substantial fine as a uniform violation if they did it. The team got togather and the team captain said we will wear 'em and I will pay the fine. Then FIFA changed their rules (sort of the way they treated Budweiser) and said the team captain would be disqualified after the first game if they did it, and anybody wearing it disqualified the second time.

Sunday I heard just the tail end of a radio interview with the author of a book about how the World Cup came to be at Qatar.I have no information about author name or book title. Total corrupt organization. The change of personnel at the top after the previous scandal only made it worse. New people all wanted to stuff pockets, with more greed. FIFA is beyond any ethics, morals. The mafia is more likely to honor a contract.

snailgate

[BoSoxGal]

Qatar wanted to host the World Cup so they could boost their tourism industry.

Who the hell would choose to vacation in a place that is stinking hot and sandstormy, where you can’t wear what you like or reveal your hair or drink cocktails and dance with your friends until dawn?

I can’t imagine anything that would entice me to voluntarily visit a repressive Islamic regime.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Having lived in three 'repressive Islamic regime' countries (Libya, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) I have a few stories I could tell. Curiously, at least while I was there in the late 70s, the least repressive was Gaddafi's Libya. I had Libyan women friends and although alcohol was forbidden, it was easy to buy grape juice and baker' s yeast and make passable wine. Or Biomalt, malt extract full of vitamins for growing kids, was easy enough to turn into drinkable beer. The local cops knew we made beer and provided we supplied them with an occasional bottle case, they could be kept onside. Two Polish companies who built roads and infrastructure - Budimex and Dromex - even had in their contracts with the government - you want our guys to work? - you'll have to allow them to make 'flash' - aka moonshine. Kuwait was similarly relaxed - although alcohol was forbidden (and is that any different than a country forbidding [say] abortion on religious grounds?) I again had women friends and the boss of the country's EPA, who I reported to, was a female marine biologist. Women could drive. Women tended to dress modestly - no burkas, very few niqabs (the full face covering with a slit for the eyes), mostly in hijabs (the loose scarf covering the hair).

The Saudis were the worst. I was there early 80s and again 2001 - 2004. They actually had a religious police - called the committee for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice - who made sure that everyone went to prayers at the allotted times and that women were 'suitably' covered up. I never met a Saudi woman in the five+ years I spent there. The Saudi men I knew were generally jovial and thought the whole 'women can't drive' thing was ridiculous. Many of them had been to schools in America or Europe and seen that the world did not come to an end just because women had jobs and drove cars; and besides, they had to employ a driver to take their wives to the supermarket. Of course Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the de facto leader and he is easing some of the more obvious restrictions like driving for women and has doubt calculated that the West will allow him the occasional murder in return.

[Gob]

Wales could only manage a draw with the USA. That's us fucked then.

Luckily I have no interest in the World cup.

[Big RR]

I was in Saudi Arabia in the mid 80s for 5 weeks, consulting for ARAMCO; it was a after the revolution in Iran, and the Saudis were very concerned about some sort of backlash against them by the Islamic community because they had Mecca and Medina in their country. They cracked down hard, even on the foreign compounds where many ARAMCO workers lived, having men and women times in public facilities and cracking down even more on things like drinking (although homemade win and homebrew were still kept by many, and liquor from Bahrain could be picked up for a price ( a fifthof Jack Daniels cost around $125, but then the workers there made a lot). women were also strongly urged not to go into town because of the religious police (I personally saw one hitting a woman with a stick because (my host explained) they could see her ankles in town (most western women would go into town, if they went at all, wearing the long burqua robes, but not veils). The men were pretty friendly to me, but I always felt like they were still in high school ; I do recall being pretty happy when I left (and I drank a lot on the flight back because I could--I didn't feel right drinking the expensive liquor, even when it was offered, esepcially since I knew I would be gone soon). It's not terrible, but It is a pretty tough place to live (which is why the paid the permanent workers so much (not as much for consultants).

BSG--I don't know about Qatar, but one of the things I enjoyed in SA is when we went skiing on the dunes(I never heard of that before); I also went to Al Hufhuf (an ancient city without the toursit feel we get from the in the west), which according to Arab lore, is the place Judaa went after he betrayed Jesus (these places do have their own charm ). Maybe Qatar is planning on liberalizing and trying to rival the Emirates for tourists? Sure it's hot, but then so is Greece.

I wouldn't choose to go there again,even if the restrictions were eased, but I can see how some would.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Wales could only manage a draw with the USA. That's us fucked then.

Luckily I have no interest in the World cup.

Not any more, anyway

[Gob]

[Crackpot]

I bet he cares less now.