Russia 2018

[gotosy 493]

FIFA World Cup‏

 

 

Introducing the official #WorldCup poster for Russia 2018!

[Ikarus360 597]

Is that Lev Yashin? I can't have enough of the level of retro-ness of this Poster. 

[Ikarus360 597]

Draw ceremomy has just begun. Ew, hearing Infantino and Putin talking together. 

[Ikarus360 597]

We have our groups now

GROUP A

• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Egypt
• Uruguay

GROUP B

• Portugal
• Spain
• Morocco
• Iran

GROUP C

• France
• Australia
• Peru
• Denmark

GROUP D

• Argentina
• Iceland
• Croatia
• Nigeria

GROUP E

• Brazil
• Switzerland
• Croatia
• Serbia

GROUP F

• Germany
• Mexico
• Sweden
• South Korea

GROUP G

• Belgium
• Panama
• Tunisia
• England

GROUP H

• Poland
• Senegal
• Colombia
• Japan

 

[BTHarner 137]

That is actually Costa Rica in Group E, not Croatia.

Saudi Arabia vs Egypt and Morocco vs Iran make for some interesting all-Arab matchups.

Portugal vs Spain on day two.....sweet.

Nigeria has qualified six times and been drawn in Argentina's group five of the six.

Only two group phase rematches from the 2014 groups-Argentina vs Nigeria and Colombia vs Japan.

Funniest moment of the draw was when Gary Lineker stated that Diego Maradona, while mixing the balls, was good with his hands. 

 

 

[baron-pierreIV 1693]

Arriba PANAMA!! 

[JMarkSnow2012 386]

10 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Arriba PANAMA!! 

Belgium and Tunisia will be tough opponents, but they can be reasonably confident of beating England.

[Faster 545]

On 12/1/2017 at 5:31 PM, BTHarner said:

That is actually Costa Rica in Group E, not Croatia.

Saudi Arabia vs Egypt and Morocco vs Iran make for some interesting all-Arab matchups.

Portugal vs Spain on day two.....sweet.

Nigeria has qualified six times and been drawn in Argentina's group five of the six.

Only two group phase rematches from the 2014 groups-Argentina vs Nigeria and Colombia vs Japan.

Funniest moment of the draw was when Gary Lineker stated that Diego Maradona, while mixing the balls, was good with his hands. 

 

 

 

It is Morocco vs. Iran that could get political. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are friends.

[BTHarner 137]

I wasn't even thinking about the political connotations, just the rarity of all-Arab WC matchups. Probably comes from the fact that Saudi Arabia vs Morocco in 1994 is the only men's WC that I have attended. I think Saudi Arabia-Tunisia in 2006 is the only other one to have taken place.

[Roger87 201]

And again Mexico will face Germany and Brazil for one way or another.

Russia has the easiest group. If they can't pass...

[Rob. 2038]

Sense prevails:

 

Quote

 

Vitaly Mutko has stepped down from his role as chief organiser for next summer's World Cup in Russia, according to reports in the country's media.

It comes two days after he temporarily left his post as Russian Football Union (RFU) president.

Russia's deputy prime minister was banned from the Olympics for life having been accused of running a huge "state-directed" doping programme.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42495112?ocid=socialflow_twitter

[Ikarus360 597]

About time. Keeping Mutko around would had given the World Cup a lot of bad publicity. 

Not sure how clean Sokorin is, though. 

[reindeer 58]

On 2.12.2017 at 12:31 AM, BTHarner said:

That is actually Costa Rica in Group E, not Croatia.

Saudi Arabia vs Egypt and Morocco vs Iran make for some interesting all-Arab matchups.

 

 

 

It's not Iraq but Iran so there's no all-Arab connection really there, especially as Morocco is also quite far from the Middle Eastern nations both culturally and geographically.

[Chrishigh765 9]

Does anybody know a website where I can watch or download full past FIFA World Cup matches?

 

[thatsnotmypuppy 559]

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/sergei-skripal-fifa-world-cup-boycott-looms-amid-russias-spy-scandal/news-story/f60f604aaae5c03e32043489dde297ab

 

Well I can't say I'm surprised - but find it hard to believe it will take hold...

[Rob. 2038]

Russian Foreign Ministry on Skripal poisoning: "As we expected, the United Kingdom is especially active, being unable to forgive Russia for winning the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup in a fair struggle.”

Laughable.

I'm not sure how much good it would do but I wouldn't be that upset if we boycotted, including the team. Although it'd be a shame because he was meant to captain the side, Harry Kane could do with a summer off ready for next season.

Edited March 13, 2018 by Rob.

[Rob. 2038]

Trump isn't even pretending anymore is he?

Yesterday:

Rex Tillerson says Russia is 'clearly' behind spy poisoning and 'must face serious consequences'
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/rex-tillerson-says-russia-is-clearly-behind-spy-poisoning-and-must-face-serious-consequences-a3788166.html

Today:

Trump sacks Tillerson as secretary of state
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43388723

[Durban Sandshark 154]

Just because ESPN no longer holds the rights to the FIFA World Cup these days after Brazil doesn't mean the World Cup and Russia itself won't be forsaken. Matter of fact, this 12-part soccer-related episode series set along a train ride through many of its sites allows a look at Russia not seen since NBC's Sochi 2014 coverage. Or if you want to go earlier, the Roy Scheider-hosted Portrait of the Soviet Union 3-part series on Superstation WTBS back in the 1988, apparently airing on its 30th anniversary in 4 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin: 

http://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-air-12-episode-series-exploring-russia-visits-world-cup-sites.html

[Hightowerio86 6]

FIFA 18 by EA Sports will receive a free World Cup update featuring all venues: https://www.easports.com/fifa/news/2...d-cup-stadiums

This marks the first time a World Cup game is not released as a stand-alone however.

[Durban Sandshark 154]

Carries on a trend we're seeing with special events added just as a download. We've already seen Konami have EURO 2016 come not as a stand-alone but as DLC.

Some good broadcasting news in the USA: former US international Aly Wagner becomes the first woman to game analyze a men's World Cup game on US TV, 8 of the 12 World Cup commentators on FOX are American headlined by John Strong, John Paul Dellacamera, Stu Holden, and Tony Meola, 2 of those 12 will be Hispanic that are all-Mexican tandem (ESPN Deportes' Jorge Perez Navarro and Mariano Trujillo focusing on the Latin American teams like Mexico); studio set was built in Stuttgart, Germany and then taken apart before making its way to Moscow in trucks; Lothar Matthaeus, Alexi Lalas, Hernan Crespo, Guus Hiddink, Ian Wright and Kelly Smith are studio hosts with association from sister sports channels like SKY Sports, SKY Germany, and FOX Sports Latin America/Brazil; Vivana Vila will rep Telemundo's US Spanish TV coverage as an analyst; FOX will broadcast on-site quarterfinals onward.

Bad broadcasting news: on-location pairings in Russia from FOX with two are down from ESPN's 5 in Brazil (not to mention 13 at Rio's IBC), as the majority will cover them housed in FOX's Los Angeles studios--in contrast Telemundo will call the majority at stadiums with the rest at Moscow's IBC; Eric Wynalda, Brad Friedel, and Landon Donovan were originally part of the FOX team but left for differing reasons 

https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/04/25/ap-soc-world-cup-fox-2nd-ld-writethru

https://deadspin.com/fox-sports-is-half-assing-the-world-cup-1825544146

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2018/04/26/fox-prioritizes-world-cup-set-over-commentators/

Appreciate the technological advances that will allow them to call matches back home, but there's something about being in the host nation when it comes to a World Cup. I do also think the US not qualifying certainly had a lot to do with the makeup and format; had they did (and they should've! ), I think JP and Tony will cover all the Team USA games at least in group play that will automatically be on FOX along with the Russia-Saudi Arabia opener, for example, and a few more tandems will be on-location in Russia. And FOX will spend more. But the company been slashing its budget lately. You think as its maiden major men's World Cup broadcast, it will pull all the stops...    

Diego Forlan joins Telemundo's World Cup sportscasting team:

https://sputniknews.com/viewpoint-worldcup-2018/201804111063447656-diego-forlan-fifa/

Don't THINK I'm not through at all with my wrath on the Americans--it's coming soon! Just haven't yet got around back to it...

[Durban Sandshark 154]

Once again the BBC with the help of an ad agency creates a visually lovely World Cup TV promo presentation. It presents a Russian automated carpet machine weaving in animated iconic moments of past World Cups done in the Soviet-style design and colors, inspired by its working class, along present World Cup stars projected to appear like the Icelandic Vikings, Mo Salah, Neymar, Messi, Harry Kane, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Not to mention incorporating past England World Cup moments fans would like to forget along with that 1966 triumph as hosts because this is the BBC...

Song is Oche Cheryne (Dark Eyes). Performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra featuring Sir John Tomlinson. Arranged by Alex Baranowski. The lyrics are a love song and were actually written by a Ukrainian poet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBxwX1myxqc

Some news on the Canadian World Cup 2018 coverage from CTV and TSN: CTV, TSN4, and TSN5 will show the Russia-Saudi Arabia opening game live at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium at 9am Canada/US CT beginning with 30-minute pre-game coverage. Every game broadcast will each have its own pre-game and post-game programming along with a daily 30-minute primetime recap show and a Match of the Day encore presentation both nightly on TSN and sometimes on TSN2 for the latter. Together, both TSN and CTV will air all 64 games, culminating with the Final on July 15 in Moscow that both CTV and TSN will cover starting at 9am. Based on the schedule, CTV will simulcast usually on the weekends during the daytime save for the opener, the final, both semifinals, and the third place game. Preview show comes on at 6:30pm Monday, July 11. TSN's soccer-heavy Canadian on-air personnel will be Luke Wileman, Steven Caldwell, and Kristian Jack overseeing throughout the entire tournament, with Andi Petrillo hosting the nightly recap show. TSN Radio’s coverage features Gareth Wheeler and Terry Dunfield as hosts of pre-game, halftime, and post-game coverage, as well as a nightly recap show.

RDS and RDS2 will handle the French-language coverage of course. Details are coming soon.

Multi-platform tournament action for Canadian soccer fans can be found on across the TSN Radio network and iHeartRadio apps, TSN.ca (where up-to-the-minute news, insight, and analysis will be made available), and across TSN’s social media channels, and the CTV GO and TSN GO apps. French-language coverage is available exclusively on RDS, RDS2, RDS.ca, and through the RDS GO app:

https://www.tsn.ca/ctv-tsn-announce-2018-fifa-world-cup-russia-broadcast-schedule-1.1097994

https://www.tsn.ca/fifa-world-cup-on-tsn-broadcast-schedule-1.1095011

Coca-Cola serves as the primary sponsor of the Bell Media 2018 FIFA World Cup coverage (CTV/TSN) with its various flavor drinks prominent displayed and promoted throughout its coverage including the Canadian social media and digital platforms:

https://www.tsn.ca/coca-cola-announced-as-premier-sponsor-of-bell-media-s-full-spectrum-2018-fifa-world-cup-coverage-1.1094975

And this is the really nice TSN/CTV 2018 World Cup promo using calls and sound bites from apparently FIFA English broadcast feeds, if not the BBC's, from the 2014 World Cup and the "World Is Mine" rap track used as campaign slogan. Interest surely would rise there exponentionally had Canada somehow qualified for Russia. No doubt all of Canada's matches would've been shown on both CTV and TSN if that was the case:

https://vimeo.com/238639836

[Durban Sandshark 154]

 

[Durban Sandshark 154]

Manchester City and Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure joins an illustrious SuperSport 2018 World Cup team with Benni McCarthy, Gavin Hunt, Jay-Jay Okocha, Dwight Yorke,  Phil Neville, Italian maestro Gianfranco Zola, Samson Siasia, Shaun Bartlett, and Andre Arendse analyzing and previewing the World Cup games with the experienced foursome of Robert Marawa, Carol Tshabalala, Neil Andrews, and Andy Townsend as presenters, From Russia With Love lifestyle magazine anchors Minnie Dlamini with Thato Moeng and Charles Anazodo, Fan Fest's Julia Stuart, Matthew Booth, Lucas Radebe, Stanton Fredericks, and Crystal Arnold for the daily 1-hour World Cup SuperSport Blitz show.

Already there's two 24-hour World Cup channels on SuperSport shown across Sub-Saharan Africa with the second being on SS3, the usual soccer channel there, starting June 1 and running until July 15, that includes pre-World Cup friendlies, past World Cup highlights and games, and official films. Language options will be English, Portuguese, Pidgin English, Swahili, isiZulu, and SeSotho, though I wish Afrikaans could be included. But there's not much interest in soccer in the Afrikaner community:

https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/news/articles/international/categories/world-cup-2018/yaya-toure-joins-supersport-2018-fifa-world-cup-panel/295524

SuperSport's 2018 FIFA World Cup promo showing some of the best moments from the past with some of its commentators describing their feelings on this massive event that brings everyone together:

 

It won't be the National Public Television and Radio of the Ukraine televising the World Cup this month. That distinction belongs to Inter and NTN in the Ukraine:

http://mediasat.info/2018/05/30/2018-fifa-world-cup-2018-fifa-world-cup/

I enjoy this promo from Telemundo Deportes! Set in Los Angeles, a boy who narrates this and his friends, one of which wears a US Soccer T-shirt (not the jersey they were slated to play in, notice this) although they failed to qualify as a specific reminder of the American Spanish rights, many wearing the Spanish and Portuguese team jerseys for a game of night soccer with the new Telstar soccer ball, emulating their idols, but come hurrying back in the morning to watch the real, live World Cup action with neighbors, soon getting caught up in the action, on Telemundo, the holders of the US Spanish 2018 World Cup TV rights:

 

[Sagacious 17]

 

[Durban Sandshark 154]

Really without a doubt, Italy shockingly not being in the World Cup for the first time in 60 years is monumental for a blue blood force. Consequentially, I think this failure to qualify prompted national broadcaster RAI to opt out this time with the Azzurri's absence not giving an incentive to show their games on RAI 2. Not that I'm really sad over them because of how they "achieved" what they did in Germany over a decade ago. Call it karma, I guess. Thank you Sweden. Instead, Italians will get their (diminished) national interest to watch on former premier and AC Milan boss Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset channels Italia 1, Canale 5, and Canale 20 for all the matches with the radio coverage on the Radio 105 Network. This is the TV spot promoting their coverage, which also notes interest in Spain's World Cup coverage in the Mediaset division there:

And the just-released 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia broadcast intro is now in full, beautiful, and lovely effect! Definitely one of the best ones I've seen, utilizing the classier bits of Russia with the notable points of interest from the nation: