Qat_ar Qomplaint_s: The Elon Musk of Countries

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Ray Parlour > Qat_ar Qomplaint_s: The Elon Musk of Countries

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

Qatar conscripts civilians for World Cup security roles

Qatar has called up hundreds of civilians, including diplomats summoned back from overseas, for mandatory military service operating security checkpoints at World Cup stadiums, according to a source and documents seen by Reuters.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2022 13:05

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 16:23

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

https://twitter.com/NcGeehan/status/1577196432226136064?s=20&t=Ipjd2Hy94J8_FGIcOrPr4w

# ¿ Oct 7, 2022 21:42

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1583948638946234369?s=20&t=AfgHRYyEg7HyiGuZyTM6tQ

# ¿ Oct 23, 2022 00:09

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

Long thread on all the "football fans arriving in Qatar" and doing a parade through the streets.
https://twitter.com/RonnieHansen/status/1591438100328509440?s=20&t=dTSKTeCb3Zh6qJBq5k6yrQ

All of the fans look very Indian/Nepali and Sri Lankan and they're mostly wearing brand new jerseys, no old classics or team jerseys.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2022 17:18

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

gdi

# ¿ Nov 12, 2022 17:19

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

Loving Africa Chaps posted:

I'm curious how many people have actually gone there, I'm suspecting very little given there's plenty of tickets for games available at little over face value.

this is the one thing im curious about and might get me to watch a game or two, otherwise im firmly in the boycott and ignore bucket

# ¿ Nov 12, 2022 20:20

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

danish tv got interrupted doing a live report from qatar by security guards wanting to smash their camera for filming in a public place
https://streamja.com/62ky1

# ¿ Nov 15, 2022 23:34

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

Alctel posted:

I hope that all this poo poo helps shine an even brighter spotlight on how lovely the whole area is although I doubt it'd make a difference

i doubt it, considering f1 still went through with the saudi race after the houthis blew up some oil storage tanks like 5km away from the circuit earlier this year

# ¿ Nov 16, 2022 00:19

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

psyer posted:

https://twitter.com/seaningle/status/1592595985091682305

Loving Africa Chaps posted:

Chatting to a guy at work today who's from Kerala and says it's absolutely true that they have big groups of football mad fans who pick an international team to follow and even have fights during major tournaments. Doesn't explain the identical shirts though.

I don't doubt for a second that a lot of the SEA fans are legit ones, but Qatar shooting itself in the foot by doing that extremely weird "the fans are here" parade with a lot of immigrant workers basically just primed a western audience to discount the entire thing and say they're all fakes and (un)paid labour.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2022 14:56

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

norwegian tv2 struggled to fill their sponsorship slots for their tv broadcasts and only managed to land one, an electronics retailer, who just announced that they're backing out of the deal and giving all their prepaid slots to amnesty

# ¿ Nov 17, 2022 17:00

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

Jose posted:

she's a member of the aristocracy lol

its basically a requirement to get a column in the british press

# ¿ Nov 18, 2022 23:11

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

Gasmask posted:

How long before it emerges that guy has been paid millions of Qatar bucks lmao

Before or after the tournament kicks off

Infantino? He moved to Qatar earlier this year.

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1482483580982939652?s=20&t=JGgkimFc9MuXYJ1gu1CfNQ

# ¿ Nov 19, 2022 13:28

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

AceOfFlames posted:

Ok, this is probably going to sound like the stupidest question in the world: how do these people then deposit this money in the bank? Do they all have Swiss bank accounts (I guess since their HQ is in literal Switzerland). I ask because if I get a transfer from abroad (I still have some savings back home) my own bank immediately sends me an email asking me where I got this money and all but asking me if I am a money launderer. I can't imagine asking for a bribe and not getting caught thanks to the nature of banking.

All of your favorite banks love laundering money for dictators and criminals though.

quote:

Over 2,100 suspicious activity reports (SARs) covering more than $2trn (�1.5trn) in transactions were leaked to BuzzFeed News and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

These reports, and more than 17,600 other records obtained by the ICIJ, allegedly show how senior banking officials allowed fraudsters to move money between accounts in the knowledge that the funds were being generated or used criminally.

Five global banks were named in the investigation: JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank and Bank of New York Mellon.

Covering transactions between 1999 and 2017, the SARs were leaked from the US Financial Crimes Investigation Network (FinCEN), an agency which is part of the US Treasury and tasked with tackling money laundering.

Two weeks ago FinCEN warned that media organisations were preparing to publish a story on documents that had been obtained illegally, before last week announcing that it was seeking public comments on how to improve the anti-money laundering system in the US.

According to the ICIJ, the $2trn in suspicious transactions identified within the documents represents less than 0.02% of the more than 12 million SARs that financial institutions filed with FinCEN between 2011 and 2017.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2022 13:39

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

BIG FLUFFY DOG posted:

I am calling to pause the Swiss until we figure out what the hell is going on

helvetia delenda est

# ¿ Nov 19, 2022 14:05

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

Arivia posted:

So are the stadiums and training grounds air conditioned? Obviously the fan stuff isn�t

I believe it's supposed to, but...

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/qatar-world-cup-test-event-widespread-issues

quote:

The first event to be held at the stadium that the World Cup final will be held in Qatar was marred with widespread issues, according to Qatari media, including water shortages, a lack of air conditioning and long walks in 35-degree heat.

Over 77,000 people attended the Lusail Super Cup at Qatar�s Lusail Stadium on Friday night, which saw Saudi team Al-Hilal beat Egypt�s Zamalek in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.

The crowd was the biggest ever in Qatar. The 80,000 capacity Lusail Stadium will host the final of football�s biggest international tournament on 18 December.

But fans were left frustrated by disorganisation and �never-ending issues�, according to a report in Doha News, a Qatari news website.

Supporters told the outlet that some parking lots allocated for fans did not offer bus shuttle services to the stadium, leaving them walking for over 45 minutes in 35 degree heat to reach the venue.

Many dehydrated fans, including children, had their bottled water taken away from them once they reached the venue, due to the stadium�s rules. They then struggled to purchase food or drinks, which most vendors had run out of.

�There�s no water, no Pepsi, no food. Everyone is struggling to try to find anything to eat or drink,� said Hussain al-Ashaq, a prominent Qatari influencer who was in attendance.

�What will we do during the World Cup? I don�t want to even go anymore,� said one father who struggled to find water for his daughter.

Another spectator said she spent 20 minutes looking for the women�s bathroom, and that no one knew where it was, giving her false directions.

Several fans complained about a lack of air conditioning amid high temperatures and humidity levels.

This will come as a surprise to many, given that the World Cup, which starts on 20 November, is set to be the first to be played within air-conditioned stadiums.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2022 20:39

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

vyelkin posted:

I remember that back when they were trying to sell us this whole debacle, one of the selling points was that the whole country is the size of a single metropolitan area so all the stadiums would be within easy travel of one another and fans could attend multiple matches on the same day if they wanted to. I assume that, like everything else in the Qatari bid, this promise was founded on them inventing artificial clouds that would fly the fans across Doha gridlock from stadium to stadium, and once they won the bid they just forgot about it instead.

hold up. you mean to tell me that "please come by car" isnt a good solution for getting a load of people in and out of a venue quickly and frictionless?

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1594305248037928962?s=20&t=NKmQ0-0YHm0mz-Tc31eVdA

# ¿ Nov 20, 2022 16:11

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

im enjoying this fifa approved pride flag
https://twitter.com/LesDegommeuses/status/1593352781385142274?s=20&t=xcPwvixuvtFBtMdxKJyvDA

# ¿ Nov 20, 2022 16:25

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

whypick1 posted:

It's actually rather shocking there isn't a crypto sponsor for this event since the two seem made for each other.

crypto dot com pulled out of a 5 year deal with UEFA earlier this year

# ¿ Nov 20, 2022 17:31

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

https://twitter.com/GFFN/status/1594391715867131905?s=20&t=yVfwlC8jcF4NZqebKbuBdA

# ¿ Nov 20, 2022 19:24

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1594390187408490497?s=20&t=yVfwlC8jcF4NZqebKbuBdA

# ¿ Nov 20, 2022 19:26

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

BIG FLUFFY DOG posted:

He�s the absolute ruler. Why bother? The laws are just what he says they are

thats how you get palace coup'd

# ¿ Nov 21, 2022 21:55

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

german tv ratings are coming in cold and slow

Day 1

quote:

The TV ratings for yesterday's opening match between Qatar and Ecuador are in. The game, which was shown by public broadcaster ZDF, was the third-most watched program on German TV yesterday, with a viewership of 6.21 million (a share of 28.2%), losing to an episode of crime procedural Tatort which had 9.25 million viewers (29.8%). Source.

For context, the game was played by two teams that aren't exactly huge draws, but four years ago, a similar opening match (Russia - Saudi Arabia) drew 10 million viewers (a share of 52%, Source).

Also, the game was shown on a Sunday at a good time (5pm CET), so it wasn't competing directly with Tatort. At the WC in Russia, the average game without German participation had 9.3 million viewers (share of 43%; games in which Germany participates are +80%). 56 games were shown on the main channels in 2018, all of them had a higher share than this year's opening match and only 11 had less viewers (most of them due to being shown on a workday at 2:00pm) Source, p. 481.

https://www.dwdl.de/zahlenzentrale
https://www.swp.de/sport/fussball-wm/einschaltquote-wm-eroeffnungsspiel-2022-tv-zdf-67720979.html
https://www.ard-media.de/fileadmin/user_upload/media-perspektiven/pdf/2018/1018_Gerhard_Gscheidle.pdf

Day 2

quote:

So, the ratings are in and it's a disaster. USA vs Wales was the most watched game, with 4.35 million viewers at 8pm, with the two flagship news programs "Tagesschau" and "heute" taking the top spots and the direct competitor, an episode of Donna Leon's Comissario Brunetti (a weird show with German actors pretending to be Italians) coming in third (both with a share of ~16%).

For context, of the 56 games that were shown on the main channels of the 2018 WC, the lowest share had been England vs Belgium with 28% (8.01 million viewers, not counting an estimated 2.23 million at public viewing sites).

Interestingly, yesterday's England vs Iran had a similar share (28.3%, with Senegal vs Netherlands having 4.23 million viewers (23.6%). England vs Iran's 3.03 million viewers are less than the 3.79 million who watched the least watched game at the 2018 WC, Colombia vs Japan (which ran at 2pm on a Tuesday, with an additional estimated 1.23 million at public viewing sites).

Source for all 2018 numbers: https://www.ard-media.de/fileadmin/user_upload/media-perspektiven/pdf/2018/1018_Gerhard_Gscheidle.pdf, ignoring the 8 games that were only shown on small secondary channels (IIRC competing with other games in the main stations).

Source for yesterday's numbers: https://www.dwdl.de/zahlenzentrale

# ¿ Nov 22, 2022 16:30

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

https://twitter.com/HCeku/status/1596132884003241984?s=20&t=NYMoDivIwy8Dd3NyeG2keA

# ¿ Nov 26, 2022 15:15

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

the sex ghost posted:

The simplest way I can put it to new people who don't understand draws is that a draw where your team outplayed the opposition for 90 minutes is perhaps even worse than if you had lost, but getting a point when you had no right to do so is the greatest feeling in the world. Draws own and are bullshit at the same time

ive always enjoyed these paragraph from juan villoro

quote:

In his staggering report on hooliganism, Among the Thugs, Bill Buford commits a decisive error of judgment. He attributes a legendary brawl between two sets of fans to the preceding match ending 0�0. In Buford�s view, the tribe always needs a victor: the held tension had to come out in another way, and so unleashed this violence. But there is no such thing as a pure witness, and Buford�s judgment reveals where he�s from: the US, a place where sports never end 0�0. In an environment utterly conditioned by competitiveness (the fans there raise their index fingers to signal the thing they want to be: number one), having a certified winner (even if it happens to be the other side) is always preferable to coming out even. Uncertainty and triumphalism don�t mix. And yet all football fans have memories of great matches that have ended in draws. In his Italia �90 book All Played Out, Pete Davies dedicates a chapter to the 1�1 between England and Germany, which had to be decided on penalties. The chapter is entitled �The Beautiful Game,� in reference to what went on before the shootout (Germany went through). For a football fan, there�s absolutely zero dishonor in sharing the spoils.

You get ardent fans, melancholic fans, fans with heart problems, and nostalgic fans, but above all, and surprisingly enough, a fan is a person who resigns himself to things. A stadium, that cauldron of voices and flares, might not seem like an incubator for stoicism, and yet it very much promotes coolness in the face of adversity. The referee gets a lot of things wrong, the turf becomes slippery, the most accurate player on your team misses every now and then. A whole catalog of imponderables, all kinds of surprises, can happen in football to put a dent in our mood; no one goes expecting the sure thing. As much as he or she complains about the opposing opposing side, and sometimes about the not-opposing side, too, the spectator tacitly accepts that the unimaginable is what they�ve come to witness, and it won�t be pretty. The equivalent would be going to a concert where brawls break out amongst the orchestra, the violinists are off key, and only from time to time does the rare miracle of a bit of music occur. This is the way with football: it doesn�t happen, or half-happens, or happens just in the way you don�t want it to happen, but constantly teeters on the edge of coming together just right.

Certain crowds play their role of attentive extras better than others. I once went to the Buenos Aires cl�sico, Boca Juniors vs. River Plate. A man, noting my Mexican accent, wanted to check something he�d been told by some Argentine friends: �Is it really true that in Mexico a fan of a team like Boca can watch the match standing next to fans of a team like River?� I said yes, it was. �And they don�t end up murdering one another?� I admitted that, at least when it came to matters of football, we were fairly peace loving. �What degenerates!� came his unforgettable response. Usually, a football stadium is made up of thousands of people so utterly disappointed with what they have just seen that all they�re left to do is ruminate upon despair.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2022 17:56

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

lmao the turkish commentator that was covering the canada - morocco was fired at half time for mentioning hakan sukur

# ¿ Dec 2, 2022 11:33

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

the sex ghost posted:

Is sukur the one that basically got exiled to america and will be immediately arrested if he goes back to turkey

yeah, hes a gulenist who also happens to be the top scoring turkish national team player with 51 goals over 112 matches (2nd most capped), with the runner up having 22 goals over 80 matches. so he'll probably take down a few more commentators going forward unless they decide to erase his statistics

# ¿ Dec 2, 2022 11:44

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 16:23

Grimson: Dec 16, 2004

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1605909634849525760?s=20&t=f7h37N_zpyTqzQtXD1-VMA

# ¿ Dec 22, 2022 14:00

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