Hello my good people…how’s it going? World Cup fever hit yet?
I must say, following the opener between Qatar and Equador it’s properly picked up.
There’s been a few brilliant games, not least Argentina v Saudi Arabia!
According to Nielsen, Argentina’s loss to Saudi Arabia is the biggest upset in World Cup history 🤯
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 23, 2022
Here are the facts, stats, and numbers you need to know 👇
WOW, what happened there? One of the pre-tournament fancied sides getting done by 1000/1 absolute no-hoper’s!
That was special… verrrry special.That game really showed us how the “bigger” sides who usually have the luxury of choosing the way they approach a game (from a patience/tempo/tactical perspective) have been undone by the tenacity, adrenaline and commitment by some of the “lesser” teams.
For some, each game on the world’s biggest stage is a cup final, where running as hard as possible for 90 minutes (or should I say 100 given Fifa’s directive on additional time) comes with the territory.
To be fair, my thoughts of passionless stadiums of fans have been proven wrong (slightly), there is a buzz at some of the games and by all accounts, most people attending seem to be enjoying themselves (beers or not).
The funniest report I’ve seen (look it up, it’s all over social media) are the three Scousers on tour with England out there looking for a drink. To cut a long story short they ended up at “Azis’s palace” complete with “wild animals, Lamborghini’s and Bentley’s”.
What a story, and one that will live around Goodison Park pubs for years to come! So yeah, unlike many of the completely cynical, I’m concentrating on the football and looking forward to the latter stages as things really heat up.
I was, however, amazed at some stats regarding the cost of putting this tournament together. I mean, it’s bum-clenching to say the least.
Here goes… the 2022 edition has cost an estimated 60 times what South Africa spent in 2010. Let that sink in… 60 times!
In real dollar numbers, we spent $3.5-billion, compared with the $220-billion that’s been ploughed in to Qatar. That is a phenomenal number.
Around R4-trillian (R4000 billion).
Guys… surely, whatever the aim or benefit is of hosting the World Cup, that is an obscene and unjustified amount of money.
I can’t help putting that sh!t into perspective… it’s the same amount of money that bloke Elon from Pretoria is worth, or, more importantly, the kind of muller that could SOLVE food, water and disease issues for good across the African continent, with enough left over to give most electricity as well! That’s f****** barbaric!
Talking about huge sums of cash, looks like the ‘Glazers’ have eventually realised that it’s time to sell their biggest cash cow, Manchester United. The board announced: “We will evaluate all options. Throughout this process, we will remain fully focused on serving the best interests of our fans, shareholders, and various stakeholders.”
It’s likely that the sale price of the club would eclipse the $2.15bn market valuation implied by its share price on the New York Stock Exchange, with analysts predicting that could be anything from 5 – £9 billion!
It does appear that Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-telling interview with Penis Morgan was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Or should I say, the canapé that burst Avram Glazer’s belly.
It’ll be particularly disappointing for Liverpool, (who are also up for sale), because all the real money will be chasing United. The anti-Glazer brigade will be flying high at the moment!
Why are Man United, Liverpool both up for sale now?https://t.co/nTdqqImzVB pic.twitter.com/eBnzYV48yw
— Nation Sports (@Nation_Sport) November 29, 2022
But the reality is (barring Roman Abramovich) there’s no such thing as a benevolent billionaire.
A takeover doesn’t necessarily mean truckloads of cash to rebuild the side. Although the revamping of rusty Old Trafford would definitely be a priority. Anyway, as we all know, throwing money at a team doesn’t guarantee success, look at Manchester United. Hahaha… or Chelsea right now.
It takes a lot more than just a bunch of overpaid primadonna’s. Last week it was rumoured that tech giant Apple is considering buying the club. Perhaps the perfect fit? A state-of-the-art 21st century tech business, bringing their philosophy to upgrade a ‘tea and biscuits’ 1990s relic!
Chat next week… bye byeee.