It appears the woke mafia and indeed pretty much everyone in football/sponsors, etc too have condemned the beleaguered PSG player Idrissa Gueye for 'refusing' to wear a rainbow shirt - now whatever ones views on a person’s sexuality (and mine is live and let live provided its legal & consensual) - I do get worn down by these stances NOT because I'm a 'homophobe' rather around the sheer bare faced hypocrisy - the same football authorities who push rainbow laces/jerseys/captains armbands are allowing a World Cup to be hosted in the homophobic state of Qatar and a number of high profile clubs including PSG (oh the irony!) are de facto owned by states in which homosexuality is illegal then it does rather smack of hollow virtue signalling doesn’t it! it’s way past ‘do as we say not as we do’!

Tend to agree with you on this one. However. The matter opens up another debate. What about sporting people who by virtue of the club they play for, are expected to wear a shirt that advertises betting or any other product they disagree with. It’s a minefield and I suspect the Human Rights lawyers could have a field day.

That said, you have raised a very important specific point. Needs to be debated publicly.

pembsexile wrote: May 20th, 2022, 8:39 am Tend to agree with you on this one. However. The matter opens up another debate. What about sporting people who by virtue of the club they play for, are expected to wear a shirt that advertises betting or any other product they disagree with. It’s a minefield and I suspect the Human Rights lawyers could have a field day.

That said, you have raised a very important specific point. Needs to be debated publicly.

Think *some* players have been allowed to not wear a shirt bearing 'haram' sponsors (apologies for spelling or the word which I believe means 'sinful' or 'banned' in the context of Islam).

Totally agree with this. If players wish to make political statements then of course like the rest of us they should be allowed to do so. But not in the context of their football.
Hypocrisy? I'll wear a rainbow shirt to show I'm against homophobia and I'll take a knee to show I'm not a racist. However playing in a World Cup in a country that has allowed the deaths of migrant workers and imprison gays is okay because it enhances my earnings potential.
Do me a favour.

CathedralCounty wrote: May 20th, 2022, 8:27 am It appears the woke mafia and indeed pretty much everyone in football/sponsors, etc too have condemned the beleaguered PSG player Idrissa Gueye for 'refusing' to wear a rainbow shirt - now whatever ones views on a person’s sexuality (and mine is live and let live provided its legal & consensual) - I do get worn down by these stances NOT because I'm a 'homophobe' rather around the sheer bare faced hypocrisy - the same football authorities who push rainbow laces/jerseys/captains armbands are allowing a World Cup to be hosted in the homophobic state of Qatar and a number of high profile clubs including PSG (oh the irony!) are de facto owned by states in which homosexuality is illegal then it does rather smack of hollow virtue signalling doesn’t it! it’s way past ‘do as we say not as we do’!

Totally agree. The hypocrisy around Qatar is breathtaking.

A snippet below from an interesting article on this - https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why ... bow-shirt- - like with a lot in football you really could not make it up! If you don't wear a rainbow shirt/laces you face criticism/fines/bans/loss of sponsors - but if you/your team refused to play at a FIFA world cup or took a stance at [same world cup] played in a homophobic state or refused to play in the same league/tournament with clubs owned by homophobic states - you'd also face criticism/fines/bans/loss of sponsors?!!! So er are EUFA/FIFA anti homophobia or not?! [not] and I feel those ripping into Idrissa Gueye are picking on the wrong [soft] target.

Even Newcastle United players, who turn out each week for a club owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, wear rainbow laces. But how does this benefit the Saudi homosexuals facing the death penalty 4,000 miles away from St James’ Park? Do colourful shoelaces help Suhail al-Jameel, a gay Saudi social media influencer who was thrown into prison – and remains behind bars, nearly two years on – after he posted a topless picture of himself wearing leopard-print shorts?

As for Gueye, should we be angry at him for not playing in rainbow colours? Might it be better instead to direct our focus on his club, PSG, which is owned by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar? Male homosexuality remains illegal in Qatar and the death penalty hangs over Muslims who engage in same-sex relations. At least one gay footballer has spoken out over his fears of playing in the World Cup later this year, which will be hosted by Qatar.

So my view is that until football cuts ties with homophobic states/sponsors it shouldn't preach to fans or players on such matters - and while I get the two are not mutually exclusive the point is just lost when the hypocrisy is laid so bare one could compare it to [say] a real push against racism [a good thing] while allowing a high profile wealthy Klu Klux Klan member to buy and own a football club *(in fact it is just like that).

Ever since Qatar was drawn out of the hat ....Hypocrisy rules

mad norm wrote: May 20th, 2022, 9:42 am Ever since Qatar was drawn out of the hat ....Hypocrisy rules

I actually feel I've almost been robbed of a World Cup - my principles [stubbornness?] won't allow me to go to Qatar even if Wales do get through the play off and yet I'll still be faced with the 'rainbow' branded stuff throughout next season - sticks in the craw - I hope fans of any country who do go make their feelings on matters homophobia/human rights known especially to FIFA (as who are we to tell Qatar what laws to make? and no country is perfect - they have right to do what they wish but it is FIFA should not have even considered awarding a world cup to them nor any sports governing bodies any major events as they have been quite apart from the climate and the resultant timing of this world cup)

Agree with all of this. We, as a united group of nations can't celebrate a gay professional footballer coming out one minute and then play a tournament in a country where it's illegal to be gay. It's madness! But then we are currently living in an age where you're a woman if you say you're a woman whilst simultaneously no one can tell you what a woman is although don't forget we live in a patriarchy with things like gender pay gaps etc

Football is being used to promote and condem way to many things now just get on pitch and try and get 3 PTS all bit boring now. I go to football to take my stressful mind off everyday life sick of having things shoved in my face get on with talking and playing FOOTBALL

Mrp wrote: May 20th, 2022, 3:07 pm Football is being used to promote and condem way to many things now just get on pitch and try and get 3 PTS all bit boring now. I go to football to take my stressful mind off everyday life sick of having things shoved in my face get on with talking and playing FOOTBALL

absolutely and in this case its being used to condemn and promote conflicting things at almost the same time thankfully a lot of this hasn't trickled down to league 2

For a real insight into the awarding of the World Cup, The Dirty Game is a fascinating read. Corruption ouses from the whole event selection.

jonescmj1 wrote: May 21st, 2022, 3:49 am For a real insight into the awarding of the World Cup, The Dirty Game is a fascinating read. Corruption ouses from the whole event selection.

Thanks do like a good football book-“champagne football” is good book also about financial scandal at the Republic of Ireland FA

Controversy brewing about Newcastle's third kit next season - I haven't seen it - apparently resembling Saudi national kit.

CathedralCounty wrote: May 21st, 2022, 11:05 am

jonescmj1 wrote: May 21st, 2022, 3:49 am For a real insight into the awarding of the World Cup, The Dirty Game is a fascinating read. Corruption ouses from the whole event selection.

Thanks do like a good football book-“champagne football” is good book also about financial scandal at the Republic of Ireland FA

There's another scandal just breaking here now. Players and officials in Dublin and Limerick and alleged match fixing.

Not sure though that football is any more corrupt than any other sport. I remember as a child being transfixed of a Saturday if County were away. Switching between ITV and BBC. On the ball, football focus. Fixed. ITV 7. Horse racing just doping and pulled horses. Fixed. Harry Carpenter with fight of the week. Palooka takes a dive in the 7th. Fixed.

Thank goodness for Kent Walton and the wrestling. Okay it might have been fixed but they didn't try to kid you it wasn't.