By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions. We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
This World Cup feels like a real shift in the power base towards Africa.
The Belgians could come back and win here of course but I fancied Senegal to win this and I fancied Morocco to do the Dutch. Morocco could go all the way.
Really feels like we’ve three serious footballing continents now.
This was Zaire in 1974. I remember this from the time.
They are now called Democratic Republic of the Congo and went toe to toe with England earlier today. An African team will win the World Cup in the near future.
Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.
I think 'a real shift in power' is probably a bit of a stretch.
They are undoubtedly more competitive and the added R32 has given a few of them a great opportunity to test themselves against some really good teams despite finishing third.
However in all likelihood it will still be just the one side who make it to the R16 and Morocco are hardly underdogs having turned over Portugal and Spain in 2022.
Certainly trending towards them getting much stronger though.
Except they do what African sides tend to do at major competitions, no matter how talented some of their players are, they bottle it, seen it twice in the last few hours. Pele said many years ago that an African side would win the world cup within 10 years, I said one would never win it in my lifetime. Well Pele got it very wrong. The other is still up for grabs! If anyone can beat France, they will certainly deserve it, African or not.
So you didn’t make the connection between thousands upon thousands being exterminated by GAS in Bergen-Belsen then? Have you a problem with certain sections of society?
As Rotten later said, it "was a very nasty, silly little thing... that should've ended up on the cutting room floor". And the less said about the Ronnie Biggs version the better.
So you didn’t make the connection between thousands upon thousands being exterminated by GAS in Bergen-Belsen then? Have you a problem with certain sections of society?
For clarity none of them were gassed. Deaths were from starvation, malnutrition, TB, typhus etc particularly towards the end of the war when Belsen was cut off from food supply
For clarity none of them were gassed. Deaths were from starvation, malnutrition, TB, typhus etc particularly towards the end of the war when Belsen was cut off from food supply
Fair enough it was over 40 yrs ago I visited when stationed near there! The fact however remains why does someone look at Belsen and then thinks of a song with gas in it with known links that gas had with killing millions in those camps! Very strange.
Except they do what African sides tend to do at major competitions, no matter how talented some of their players are, they bottle it, seen it twice in the last few hours. Pele said many years ago that an African side would win the world cup within 10 years, I said one would never win it in my lifetime. Well Pele got it very wrong. The other is still up for grabs! If anyone can beat France, they will certainly deserve it, African or not.
Bottling is a tad harsh .African countires are getting there, the AFCON competition is highly competitive and pressurised now and the sheer volume of African players playing at decent sides in Europe must help bridge the step up to World Cup level. What each African side has are a few star players but lack strength in depth. As the game develops further there that could change. What is for sure is that what African and African heritage players bring to the game is exactly what the current athletic requirements of the game wants. African countries might not be winning the World Cup yet, but African heritage players certainly are!
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
