>>10059

I recently learned the Aussie government once unanimously passed a eugenics bill that
>aimed to institutionalise and potentially sterilise a significant proportion of the population - those seen as inefficient. Included in the group were slum dwellers, homosexuals, prostitutes, alcoholics, as well as those with small heads and with low IQs. The Aboriginal population was also seen to fall within this group.
They never got around to actually enacting it because right after that passed they got involved in some sort of war on the other side of the planet that kept them busy. Some little tiff, I'm not sure what. Then afterwards they decided it might not be a good look any more. Mostly, anyway - the Eugenics society carried on until the sixties.

They also have an entire continent that's completely empty and they don't want to live in it, but when refugees from other countries show up asking to live in a tiny corner of Australia's endless desert, Australians won't even let them land. I remember I saw a question online once, asking how South Africa was perceived by other countries, and I was quite proud when I said it was seen as like a more racist Australia. But it really isn't that much more racist. I certainly shan't be listening to anyone who ever tells me it's offensive to wear a hat with corks on it for fancy dress.

>>10063

>aimed to institutionalise and potentially sterilise a significant proportion of the population - those seen as inefficient.

Bit harsh. But such was the social climate at the turn of the century before the Germans took that idea and absolutely ran with it. Eugenics and euthanasia were considered quite reasonable concepts by a certain subset of thinkers in the realm of sociology. And with a quite absurd sense of idealism, as they believed that weeding out inferior elements of society would actually improve the living conditions of humanity as a whole.

Coming home, innit.

>>10066
It's nice to have all of next week to build ourselves up into actually believing that before we get blacked dot com by France. England were shit against Senegal for a good half an hour. If we go a goal down early against France, and I suspect we might, we'll be chasing the game and the players will start to panic and it'll be an utter obliteration, like 4-0. It'll be like when we played Germany in 2010, but without the excuses.

>>10067

France are a tough match up, but it's far from impossible. According to the stats we've beaten them nearly twice as often as we've lost to them.

But yes, let's not get our hopes too high.

Spain really can't finish for shit.

No disrespect to Morocco (well, some), but I'd be more excited by a Portugal v Spain match at the WC.

>>10070
That's a good point. I will remember that next time I see speculation that the outcomes are scripted.

>>10070
Apart from the game against Costa Rica they have been really boring to watch. All that passing and no real goal threat.

It's coming home.

I expect Croatia to get battered, but the other quarter finals could go either way.

>>10073
I disagree. It's a Brazil-France final. Quite who Brazil and France will beat in their respective semi-finals, I don't know, but we're hurtling towards a replay of the 1998 final and I don't think anyone can stop that now. Maybe England, but no, not England.

Just so I've got this down in writing somewhere, I'm confident Croatia will get pulled apart like wet tissue paper by this Brazil team.

I'm still holding out hope for the South Atlantic derby.

>>10075
In 2018 all of their knockout games apart from the final went to extra time. They needed extra time to beat Japan and it feels like if they play like that against the Brazilians they'll get hammered, but they can be very difficult to play against and Gvardiol is a beast of a defender.

>>10077
>Gvardiol
I still can't accept this is a real footballer. His name sounds too much like some kind of alt-right DEUS VULT version of Pep Guardiola.

>>10078
Makes me think of the Red Army because "Gvardiya" is "Guards" in Latinified Russian.

Well, so much for my "wet tissue" prediction. These dancing dandies have made me look like a top arsehole in front of my imaginary computer friends.

>>10080
Told ya. Croatia specialise in taking it to extra time.

Specialists.

I feel like it's always worth betting on the underdog in a world cup. Unless they're England, obviously.

This has been one of the most exciting world cups in ages actually.

Is there somewhere I can stream the game tonight without signing up for ITV? I'll be at work but I want to put it on one of the computers in the background.

>>10084
ITV is the only place broadcasting it in this country. If you have a VPN you could pretend to be Australian as all matches are being shown free there.

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/sports-program/morocco-v-portugal-quarter-finals-live-stream-fifa/2071941699812

Croatia v. Morocco nil - nil final confirmed.

It's on then lads.

Predictions?

>>10087
It feels like it could go either way, but France have a more lethal midfield and attack. I'm expecting neither side to keep a clean sheet.

Shitting hell.

Dirty fucking French frog bastards.

One thing I've not liked about this WC, aside from the human and labour rights abuses, is the pointless stats that pop up from time to time.

This ref been bribed or what? Fucking hell.

>>10091
Why wouldn't you want to know total receptions?

Gonna have to change things up in the second half. It's understandable they're showing restraint because they're worried about the French counter, but they're taking too many passes around the box rather than going for a shot and there's little point trying to cross it when nobody will join Kane in the box.

Is ITV1 HD on a delay? I could hear my neighbour celebrating the goal before I'd even seen Kane kick the penalty.

This ref's... iffy.

>>10095
I've been watching on ITVX, people in my Discord were reacting to stuff a minute before it happened on my screen so I assume ITV is delayed.

Fine margins, but that went about as expected. I'd say France are the team that closest resemble England at this world cup, particularly in terms of line-up and how they play, but they're simply better and this is them without the likes of Benzema and Kante.

I think it's time for Southgate to go and to bring someone fresh in. He got it right to nullify Mbappe but he's still a bit naive and if he'd been a bit bolder by making substitutions earlier then it could easily have been a different result. Saka was starting to tire but replacing him with Sterling was baffling, especially after the robbery.

Messi's quite some player.

Whelp.

Legend.

>>10101
He's exactly the kind of shithouse you want on your side in a penalty shootout.

I'm kind of glad we lost to France because I think losing in a final to Argentina would be so much worse. Keeping Southgate in charge for Euro 2024 is a big mistake though.

I remember seeing on the news somewhere, presumably Qatari news channel al-Jazeera, that the World Cup final would take place at 7pm. I travelled across the country today to visit my family for the Christmas period, and planned it carefully to arrive a bit before 7pm so I could still watch the match. As the rest of you fucks know, but did not fucking tell me, that was 7pm Qatar time and it was at three o'clock. I missed it. I tried following online on the train, but it just wasn't the same.

My personal favourite part of how pissed off I am is every news report that claims it was the greatest World Cup final, and possibly greatest final in any tournament, of all time. Never mind 1950, or 1954, or 1966, or 2006; they all pale in comparison to Argentina vs France 2022, which I missed because I was on a train, which I only got because the trains were on strike yesterday. Dick, piss, balls, fuck, shit, fanny, bollocks, cock. Damn it.

Also, I really wanted France to win.

The chap doing the BBC News just pronounced it "Muh-bepp-ay".

>>10104

Is that not how you say it? I thought I was being a bit racist pretending you say it like "Mmmmm-bup".

>>10105
Mmm. Bappay.

The same way I always pronounced Mkhitaryan, but nobody else did, seemingly thinking he was a Scottish footballer called McItaryan. I think it's just a natural downside of an entire industry being dominated by illiterate ex-footballers, that nobody can pronounce any foreign names at all. Don't even get me started on Dirk Kuyt allegedly being Dirk Kowt even though the "uy" is pronounced the same as Johan Cruyff which everyone pronounces correctly.

>>10105


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHozn0YXAeE

>>10106

Well he wasn't that far off then was he. Closer than he deserved to be for a language as offensive as Fr*nch.

Is the Kenyan president being racialist here?

>>10109
A lot of French players will have African parents, but at this World Cup there's probably more players born in Europe representing an African team than the other way round.

For example, Tariq Lamptey was born in London but his parents are Ghanaian so he represents Ghana because he wouldn't get called up for England; Ghana definitely tried luring other English players eligible for them like Callum Hudson-Odoi with the opportunity to play at a World Cup. Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi both had a great tournament for Morocco but they're from the Netherlands and Spain respectively.

137 players represented nations they weren't born in.

>>10109
Yeah.