World Cup The World Cup Thread

[Carpy]

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[SwissYellow]

id argue one of Columbias biggest exports is marching powder? lol

I don't think its on their official taxable exports list....

 

[SwissYellow]

How do you know that Charlie wasn't referring to Switzerland and chocolate to Columbia? Huh? Who's the racist now?

me. Its the World Cup. Its acceptable to be totally racist during the tournament. Especially to the useless Jocks and the cheating Argies.

 

[Boris]

me. Its the World Cup. Its acceptable to be totally racist during the tournament. Especially to the useless Jocks and the cheating Argies.

And, in your case, to the arrogant limeys

 

[holdsteady]

Its going to be hard to be racist to the swiss, less personality than even the Belgians, least they have Tintin. Actually think I just managed it.

 

[Boris]

Its going to be hard to be racist to the swiss, less personality than even the Belgians, least they have Tintin. Actually think I just managed it.

You can't be racist to the Swiss, they're neutral, don't you know. It'd be like strangling a kitten

 

[unification]

Its going to be hard to be racist to the swiss, less personality than even the Belgians, least they have Tintin. Actually think I just managed it.

They can be racist back though.

Hoarders of Nazi gold and all that.

 

[Bitter]

People saying they are now ‘Anyone but Argentina’. I’ve been that since 1982.

 

[werthersoriginal]

You can't be racist to the Swiss, they're neutral, don't you know. It'd be like strangling a kitten

Aren't they just like Germans but less exciting and more expensive?

 

[Boris]

They can be racist back though.

Hoarders of Nazi gold and all that.

Although, to be fair, they didn't enable the Holocaust - any Jews that made it over the border into Switzerland were protected

 

[chuckbert]

Although, to be fair, they didn't enable the Holocaust - any Jews that made it over the border into Switzerland were protected

They did launder billions of swiss francs worth of cash for germany that was stolen from invaded countries and holocaust victims. They also exported up to a billion SWF worth of armaments to Germany too.

 

[SwissYellow]

We hoarded money from BOTH sides. We shot down planes from BOTH sides during WW2. Mostly Luftwaffe and USAF to be fair.

Axis violations of Swiss airspace​

Nazi Germany repeatedly violated Swiss airspace. During the Battle of France, German aircraft violated Swiss airspace at least 197 times.[7] In several air incidents, the Swiss shot down 11 Luftwaffe aircraft between 10 May 1940 and 17 June 1940, while suffering the loss of three of their own aircraft.[7] The most significant of these incidents occurred after the Swiss shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 on 4 June 1940. In response to this, Hermann Göring ordered an incursion by 32 Bf 110s. These were intercepted by 14 Swiss Messerschmitt 109s, leading to the loss of four 110s.[2] This resulted in a German threat of sanctions and retaliation, and on 20 June the Swiss government decided to order an end to interceptions of foreign aircraft in Swiss airspace on the 20th of June 1940, instead Swiss fighters began to force intruding aircraft to land at Swiss airfields. Anti-aircraft units still operated.[3] Adolf Hitler was especially furious when he saw that German equipment was used to shoot down German pilots. He said they would respond "in another manner".[7] Later, Hitler and Hermann Göring sent saboteurs to destroy Swiss airfields but they were captured by Swiss troops before they could cause any damage.[8]

Allied violations of Swiss airspace​

In 1943, the Swiss military began attacking Allied aircraft breaching Swiss airspace. Six Allied aircraft were shot down by Swiss Air Force fighters and four by anti-aircraft cannon, killing 36 Allied airmen. The first Allied aircraft to be shot down were two Royal Air Force bombers flying low over Swiss territory on the night of 12–13 July 1943, which were shot down by Swiss anti-aircraft fire over Valais. The first American bomber shot down over Switzerland was downed near Bad Ragaz on 1 October 1943, and only three of its crew survived.[9]

On 5 September 1944, American P-51 Mustangs escorting a damaged B-17 bomber crossed into Swiss airspace and were confronted by Swiss Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Not realizing they were over Switzerland, the P-51s attacked the Swiss Messerschmitts, shooting down one and killing its pilot, and damaging another one.[10]

Bombing incidents​

A Swiss Messerschmitt Bf 109, which served as the backbone of the Swiss Air Force during World War II. Swiss Bf 109s were regularly used by the Swiss Air Force to intercept Allied bombers flying over Switzerland
Allied planes accidentally bombed Switzerland about seventy times during World War II due to navigational errors or weather, killing 84 people.[11]

 

[Carlislehotdog]

Aren't they just like Germans but less exciting and more expensive?

Not all of it - some bits are like France, but less exciting and more expensive. Truly a land of contrasts.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

I've said my piece on this before, but yes - I do think that people have massively overrated the European sides in general. A lot of them are pretty slow and plodding and lack the athleticism to go far in a tournament like this. The Netherlands were actually the opposite in that they had pace and athleticism to burn, and were very dangerous on the counter, but didn't have the midfield playmakers you need to control possession against a very good side like Morocco (though they were obviously super-unlucky to win a tough group and then have to play them in the Round of 32).

We'll see with the remaining slate of Euro-Africa games:
England vs. DRC
Switzerland vs. Algeria
Norway vs. Ivory Coast
Belgium vs. Senegal

A European clean sweep and they'll be reasserting dominance. An African clean sweep would mean a real changing of the guard. I suspect it'll be somewhere in between (though I do think a European side is going to win the thing in the end.......)

Out of interest Tony, what are views now? Of the remaining 8 teams in the World Cup, 6 are European, one North African and one South American. Now it would not shock me if it was a Morocco vs Argentina final but even so, it is clear European teams are reclaiming dominance.

 

[SwissYellow]

They did launder billions of swiss francs worth of cash for germany that was stolen from invaded countries and holocaust victims. They also exported up to a billion SWF worth of armaments to Germany too.

And also sold a lot of precise machinery and weapons to the allies, a lot of Royal Navy ships were equipped with Swiss made instruments for anti-aircraft and depth charge deployment.

You're a little country surrounded by hell, what you going to do? Bunker down and be try to not get bombed.

Look up the Bank of England and Czechoslovakian Jewish gold - 1939 and then Barclays Bank freezing and stealing Jewish bank accounts and didnt own up to the theft of it tull the early 1960s.

The UK government still hasn't repaid over 80% of those claims, whereas Switzerland has paid over 105% of all Nazi gold claims.

I think the problem there is BANKERS, rather than nations.....

 

[tonyw]

Out of interest Tony, what are views now? Of the remaining 8 teams in the World Cup, 6 are European, one North African and one South American. Now it would not shock me if it was a Morocco vs Argentina final but even so, it is clear European teams are reclaiming dominance.

Well, it was a clean sweep (just) so yes, a reassertion of dominance. Since my post, only one European team has lost to a non-European team, and that was Bosnia (who were definitely one of the plodders).

It’s a little weird to say, but I actually think the difference between the good and bad teams has been much bigger from Europe than any other region (except CONCACAF). The gap between France and Scotland, or Spain and Czechia, is an absolute chasm.
Whereas all the African teams (bar Tunisia) had some competence……but their best sides (other than Morocco) are still clearly behind the best from Europe.

 

[mooro]

Thank us for knocking the last former Swindon Town player out the tournament last night, shocking that some Oxford fans wanted a Scummer to win.

We now have to beat FIFA and Argentina to get through. Hope we wind the Argies up and get a load of them sent off or injured. HOPP SUISSE.

Switzerland are brilliant, if you disagree you are a racist. Chocolate and clocks indeed...The stupid thing about this Charlie Vs the Chocolate factory joke is that Switzerland's largest export is pharmaceuticals i.e drugs and one of Colombia's is processed chocolate.

England's mountains are small bumbles, your skiers are all rich kids and a yodeler is way cooler than a maypole. Oh and William Tell kicks that Robin Hood twit into the brambles.

"...# Made in Switzerland #..."

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

There's a cemetery in Vevey, not far from Lake Geneva (on the Swiss side) which contains the graves of British aircrew that were either unfortunately shot down or flew their Lancasters into an Alp during WW2 (43&44) Nothing whatsoever to do with anything, but I thought it was mildly interesting.

 

[chuckbert]

They did launder billions of swiss francs worth of cash for germany that was stolen from invaded countries and holocaust victims. They also exported up to a billion SWF worth of armaments to Germany too.

The other thing this reminder me of. The best collection of impressionist and colourist paintings I have ever seen is in the Zurich art museum (Kunsthaus Zurich) - better than d’orsay. Some of the collections there however have interpretive elements text which addresses how finance amassed (eg owners of armaments factories) during the war was used to build art collections from “recently liquidated” art from across Central Europe.

Back on the main topic, Zurich also hosts one of the worst museums I’ve ever been to: the FIFA museum. It’s a simple money grabbing exercise.

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

The other thing this reminder me of. The best collection of impressionist and colourist paintings I have ever seen is in the Zurich art museum (Kunsthaus Zurich) - better than d’orsay. Some of the collections there however have interpretive elements text which addresses how finance amassed (eg owners of armaments factories) during the war was used to build art collections from “recently liquidated” art from across Central Europe.

Back on the main topic, Zurich also hosts one of the worst museums I’ve ever been to: the FIFA museum. It’s a simple money grabbing exercise.

I mistakenly tried to go to the Uefa "museum" in Switzerland.

I say museum, but it's more a collection of display cabinets (including all their trophies) in the reception of UEFA's offices in Lausanne.

The Olympic museum on the other hand (also in Lausanne) is very good indeed!

 

[m]

: the FIFA museum. It’s a simple money grabbing exercise.

@chuckbert , you're obviously a bright lad, erm, I don't know what to say...

 

[SwissYellow]

I recommend the Olympic Museum, even though its in Lausanne which is an utter scumtown. Its our (Geneva's) Swindon. We look down on them, they look up at us and hate the culture, fame and general everything that Geneva does better and are silly little jealous oiks.

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

I recommend the Olympic Museum, even though its in Lausanne which is an utter scumtown. Its our (Geneva's) Swindon. We look down on them, they look up at us and hate the culture, fame and general everything that Geneva does better and are silly little jealous oiks.

And Geneva has a fountain in the lake . . .Lausanne doesn't. I prefer Vevey anyway . . Charlie Chaplin lived there doncha know!

 

[holdsteady]

In other football news Bono saves Mbappes penalty, U2 joke in their somewhere.

 

[ubermeistervonmeat]

In other football news Bono saves Mbappes penalty, U2 joke in their somewhere.

Truly awful penalty - the arrogance of some of the star players in taking penalties is crazy

 

[unification]

Such a shame about this transfer embargo.

I fancied a sneaky bid for that Mbappe lad.

 

[unification]

France making this QF look like a group game.

Just too good for Morocco right now. I can’t see that changing.

 

[holdsteady]

France look a level above Morocco, given how competitive Morocco have been in the other games that’s slightly worrying. Spain could bore France to death though, that’s probably the only way they don’t win it (then England beat Spain in the final obviously).

 

[tonyw]

France look a level above Morocco, given how competitive Morocco have been in the other games that’s slightly worrying. Spain could bore France to death though, that’s probably the only way they don’t win it (then England beat Spain in the final obviously).

Men against boys this one. France's only weakness is a slightly dodgy keeper.....but that doesn't matter when your opponents are only good enough to get one long range shot on target all game!

Do agree, though, that Spain are the one team that could beat them, for the reasons you suggest. Death by 7,000 five yard passes.

 

[holdsteady]

Men against boys this one. France's only weakness is a slightly dodgy keeper.....but that doesn't matter when your opponents are only good enough to get one long range shot on target all game!

Do agree, though, that Spain are the one team that could beat them, for the reasons you suggest. Death by 7,000 five yard passes.

If Spain do it will be one for the purists, they are a hard watch unless you like the aforementioned 5 yard passes, but I fancy England to have more chance against Spain than France so if England get through Saturday night I will be supporting Spain, if not then I hope the French batter them, can’t watch their games.

 

[chuckbert]

Men against boys this one. France's only weakness is a slightly dodgy keeper.....but that doesn't matter when your opponents are only good enough to get one long range shot on target all game!

Do agree, though, that Spain are the one team that could beat them, for the reasons you suggest. Death by 7,000 five yard passes.

Like Argentina, their other weakness is their choice of penalty taker …