I’m not the only one to see the non-contrast:
This is on the Referee, per IFAB:
- Colours
• The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other
and the match officials
• Each goalkeeper must wear colours that are distinguishable from the other
players and the match officials
• If the two goalkeepers’ shirts are the same colour and neither has another
shirt, the referee allows the match to be played
Agree that the jerseys weren’t sufficiently distinct for wide shots (images, not shots on goal 
). You’d think this would be easy to figure out.
The Belgian players seemed to have no problem.
OK, Infantino says Iran is participating. “No Plan B”
I’m guessing there is a Plan B, since this could happen at any World Cup. Guessing there is a “first alternate” should any team need to bow out last minute. I mean, that is what I’d do were I in charge.
I would guess Plan B is that other country that starts with the letter I that is now out of the WC.
Much sadness in the huge Italian community in Toronto as their team will not be playing a match there after all.
CAN gets a small break, thanks to BIH.
I agree. Playing in Toronto would have been like a home game for the Italians. Bosnian supporters will be minimal.
I believe the host for the final of each pathway was determined by a random draw, whereas the semifinal was by ranking. Italy were thus the away team (against a much-lower ranked opponent) and the crowd was a mere 9,500. A miserable way to go out.
It’s nuts that Italy has missed 3 world cups in a row. A generation of players won’t get the chance to play in one.
And they didn’t deserve to.
Everyone knows the process to qualify
What ITA really need to do… is host.
They did win that smaller tournament - the Euros - during the drought. But yes, they’re rubbish.
So after six hours in the queue today, I was able to buy tickets but didn’t: the prices were much more for all the Vancouver and Toronto games. C$500+ for NZ/Egypt versus the C$195 I paid during the lottery phase. Higher even than on the resale sites.
Since I waited so long in the queue I looked at ticket prices in Atlanta and LA for the less popular matches and they were a fraction of the comparable Vancouver matches. If folks in those cities wanted the experience of going to a game they could do it for under US$150.
I may go back to the site in a few weeks in case prices go down a lot.
If they can find chumps to buy at those prices, more power to them. it means they were right about the prices.
Prediction: There should be a few available, even the day before. I think they are wrong about the volume of interest.
I mean, just check all the open seats in ATL. Those lower-bowl prices were probably sky-high and didn’t drop, and didn’t sell (or, they did sell and people just decided not to show up?). Sure, it was a “friendly” and it sure sounded as if there were plenty of opponents’ fans there.
Whose “Rankings”?
One website’s?
I’ve seen others, again by dubious “experts.”
“That can win”
Yeah, they are all in the tournament and in theory could win the whole thing. That tells me nothing about reality.
Prediction:
Winner will be from the top 10. The rest are just there so the better teams have teams to play against.
Here is another one:
Here is yet another one:
Assuming any of them have a modicum of expertise connected to them, the winner will be a team in the Top Ten of all of these experts.
So:
ESP
ARG
FRA
BRA
NED
ENG
POR
And, to make a real bold prediction: it’s gonna be one of the top three ESP, FRA, ARG.
Rooting for ENG, though. And if any upstarts (not in the top 3) crash the final, I’ll be rooting for them, too.
I’d take your 7 over the field unless I got absolutely great odds on the field.
The only obvious one missing is Germany - who are sixth on the line of betting. They are the last team to win in The Americas and along with Spain, the only European teams to win a World Cup outside of Europe.
I always root for Spain but this year it would be extra special as Trump would get super annoyed by it.
