An African team to win the World Cup ?

[Teddy Eagle]

Pelé predicted in the 70's that an African side would win the World Cup by 2000.
As great as he was as a player his forecasting was usually pretty wide of the mark. As Phil Scolari observed
to be successful you must, "listen to Pelé and then do the opposite".

 

[RubinsCube]

During the 'jack Charlton era" the Republic of ireland was composed of real irish players plus many engish or irish-descended Nigels who werent good enough to get into the England team.

Today the top plastic paddies have the same dynamic as top African players....they all play for england...Harry kane, declan Rice, jack grealish, harry mcGuire. So the little countries stay shyte....and a lot of top talent sits at home and watches the WC on telly. The WC fielded by a lot of second class countries with second rate talent.

Think about zinidene Zidane.....Africa (ALGERIA) will never win the WC until FIFA level out the playing field. France has enough big talent to replace him.

Imagine a World Cup without any shyte teams ? Now that would really be something.

How to fix it ? Somehow Incentivise all the Ezes/zahas to play for dads country. Maybe allow them to play for, say, ivory coast AFTER england got eliminated in the qualifiers ? As happened with Italy recently.

Interesting thoughts and I am just about old enough to remember in detail Euro88 where it was openly called "the finals". All finalists were good teams and every match was tough. From memory there were 4 teams in a group and only four groups, which would make 16 teams participating. Italia 90 had 32 teams.

Both were excellent tournaments.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

So allow a Zidane to play for both France AND Algeria ? And to hop back and forth between the two.

And also make it slighty tougher for a nation to qualify out of Western Europe. Its already very hard.

Thus you make a fairer & more competitive World cup.

 

[Teddy Eagle]

So allow a Zidane to play for both France AND Algeria ? And to hop back and forth between the two.

And also make it slighty tougher for a nation to qualify out of Western Europe. Its already very hard.

Thus you make a fairer & more competitive World cup.

He'd have busy World Cup anyway if they both qualify. As well as playing in both the Euros and Afcon.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

He'd have busy World Cup anyway if they both qualify. As well as playing in both the Euros and Afcon.

Zidane participating, good.

All these Tranmere Rovers type players ? Bad.


Both france & algeria in the same tournament ?
In the event of an ethnic, like Zidane, being eligible to play for both countries : he should be compelled to play for his fathers nation. Thus no more shyte African squads.
France-football would survive without zidane, algeria doesnt survive his loss.

 

[McAhuna]

So allow a Zidane to play for both France AND Algeria ? And to hop back and forth between the two.

And also make it slighty tougher for a nation to qualify out of Western Europe. Its already very hard.

Thus you make a fairer & more competitive World cup.

Sorry, but those are two terrible ideas.

We have too few qualifiers from Europe. And you can't separate Western Europe from the rest of Europe - UEFA is a single confederation.

Italy sat at home, while the likes of Haiti and Curacao enjoy the limelight. Its absurd.

 

[ASCPFC]

Sorry, but those are two terrible ideas.

We have too few qualifiers from Europe. And you can't separate Western Europe from the rest of Europe - UEFA is a single confederation.

Italy sat at home, while the likes of Haiti and Curacao enjoy the limelight. Its absurd.

And corruption is the reason. If Africa wants to win anything, they need to up their game on the corruption stakes.

 

[Linford]

Africa has produced some great players but it is a continent not a country. Unfortunately these great players tend to be spread thinly across multiple countries.

It will happen one day but not at this world cup.

I always felt like Côte d'Ivoire should have had enough to go far way back. Of course they didn't do anything of the sort, but it was a hell of a squad of individuals.

Copa
Eboue K. Touré Bamba Demel
Y. Touré Tioté
Gervinho
Drogba Doumbia Kalou

Angban
Meïte
Boka
Zokora
Romaric
L. Traoré
Koné

 

[Jimenez]

I always felt like Côte d'Ivoire should have had enough to go far way back. Of course they didn't do anything of the sort, but it was a hell of a squad of individuals.

Copa
Eboue K. Touré Bamba Demel
Y. Touré Tioté
Gervinho
Drogba Doumbia Kalou

Angban
Meïte
Boka
Zokora
Romaric
L. Traoré
Koné

Talking of Africa. I was in Midtown Manhattan making two deliveries earlier & as usual was expecting to see plenty of Brazil support which there was, but was surprised at how much Morocco support there was. Obviously very few problems with visas as everyone would have you believe

 

[Linford]

It would be just Zahas luck that the ivory Coast go onto win it.

As soon as he leaves us we bag 3 trophies and as soon as he doesn't get called up to the ivory Coast they go on and win it 😅

Hahahaha, then he will do TikToks about Pépé and Diomande...

 

[Linford]

Talking of Africa. I was in Midtown Manhattan making two deliveries earlier & as usual was expecting to see plenty of Brazil support which there was, but was surprised at how much Morocco support there was. Obviously very few problems with visas as everyone would have you believe

Maybe a certain portion of it is domestic? After their recent performances and also from long settled Moroccan New Yorkers?

There absolutely have been considerable visa issues, compared to most world cups at least. Different countries have fared worse than others though. I don't think Morocco have been hit particularly hard anyway. Whilst they come under the broader "MENA" label, it is those in the Middle East itself that have found it hardest. Also Somalians, who Trump has a weird vendetta against these days. There have been a few Brits too who struggled, funnily enough.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

Italy sat at home, while the likes of Haiti and Curacao enjoy the limelight. Its absurd.

I agree about Haiti etc.

However Italy were shyte in the qualifiers....they didnt deserve the WC finals.

Money has ruined football. Certainly for all the poorer countries.

 

[Jimenez]

Maybe a certain portion of it is domestic? After their recent performances and also from long settled Moroccan New Yorkers?

There absolutely have been considerable visa issues, compared to most world cups at least. Different countries have fared worse than others though. I don't think Morocco have been hit particularly hard anyway. Whilst they come under the broader "MENA" label, it is those in the Middle East itself that have found it hardest. Also Somalians, who Trump has a weird vendetta against these days. There have been a few Brits too who struggled, funnily enough.

I doubt it loads were pouring out & milling around the hotels & out of interest as I didn't know I googled how many Moroccan nationals lived in the Metropolitan area & it's only about 20,000 even the British who don't have a huge ex pat population total some 120,000. Moroccans by & large are fairly Westernised unlike those from lawless Somalia. There are also close to 100k Scottish & English supporters traveling to the World Cup so not surprising a few have had problems with visas

 

[Badger11]

Sorry, but those are two terrible ideas.

We have too few qualifiers from Europe. And you can't separate Western Europe from the rest of Europe - UEFA is a single confederation.

Italy sat at home, while the likes of Haiti and Curacao enjoy the limelight. Its absurd.

To make international football competitive FIFA needs to decide if they water down the competition or somehow strength the minor teams. For this world cup they have decided on the former and I predict lots of boring and meaningless games.

I would actually prefer if they strengthened the quality of the teams and go back to a 32 team tournament.

One way would be to identify countries that have small populations e.g. Andorra and relax the qualification rules for those no hopers by allowing a small number of players who wouldn't normally qualify.

 

[Teddy Eagle]

To make international football competitive FIFA needs to decide if they water down the competition or somehow strength the minor teams. For this world cup they have decided on the former and I predict lots of boring and meaningless games.

I would actually prefer if they strengthened the quality of the teams and go back to a 32 team tournament.

One way would be to identify countries that have small populations e.g. Andorra and relax the qualification rules for those no hopers by allowing a small number of players who wouldn't normally qualify.

Adopt the UEFA model and have a two tier competition.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

Adopt the UEFA model and have a two tier competition.

Typical fifa/uefa....rotten to the core.

The solution is very simple. Early in their career - aged 15, players 'declare for' whatever ancestry nations they may be eligible for. Zidane for Algeria. Olise for both Nigeria AND Algeria.

If the footballer becomes average, he plays for whoever will have him. If he becomes PSG/Arsenal standard ? For World cup ? then the Call to the ancestry nation OUTWEIGHS the draft to the England squad.

Thus we get no more african teams of taxi drivers & farm workers. Thus we have far less donkey teams in the early rounds , while waiting for the same old giants to get into the final 8 teams.

Its a travesty that African nations must watch fellas with African surnames ....their sons , always playing for the enemy. Same for the irish watching Harry kane& declan Rice....both had donned the ireland shirt before becoming World class & switching to the big England camp.

So Nigeria & ireland will always be shyte - with donkey players. Meanwhile a ton of amazing England players get to watch the tournament from the sofa.....like adam Wharton.

 

[BromleyMonkey]

African teams can sometimes lack discipline despite having talent. Morocco looked decent against Brazil in the first half last night, but could never see them even getting close to winning it

It’ll be one of the usual suspects to win it

 

[PalazioVecchio]

African teams can sometimes lack discipline despite having talent. Morocco looked decent against Brazil in the first half last night, but could never see them even getting close to winning it

It’ll be one of the usual suspects to win it

Yes but elite football is awash with african talent.
The world cup never won by japan ? Who cares. Never by Nigeria ? Thats unfair.

African nations have been dealt a bum deal by fifa.

 

[BromleyMonkey]

Yes but elite football is awash with african talent.
The world cup never won by japan ? Who cares. Never by Nigeria ? Thats unfair.

It’s why I’ve always loved the World Cup, seeing the different nations, the first World Cup I remember as a kid was 74 and England didn’t even qualify, but it was great. The great Dutch side with Cruyff.
Remember Zaire? Awful team, but part of my World Cup memories, even the jocks beat them 🤣

 

[PalazioVecchio]

Adopt the UEFA model and have a two tier competition.

Like the theirry henry handball cheating that got France to qualify ( even though they were shyte & soon got eliminated). Fifa have stacked the odds in favour of their buddies.
The algerians must have been livid seeing zidane raising the trophy for the old enemy.