World Cup 2026

[Look-Up!]

Picture taken for the Barcelona club calendar in 2007.  Messi v that Baby on Sunday.

That's a very hairy baby

[weareros]

Thought this piece by John Laverty in BelTel yesterday worth a read, painful reminder of some Loyalist atrocities duribg two different world cups while other surreal going ons.

Impossible to forget: The Day a Troubles atrocity reached across the Atlantic to puncture World Cup joy in New York

oi, you northern lads — try keeping us off yer f***ing front pages now!" That was a grinning, bombastic Jack Charlton, barking at me, Jackie Fullerton (BBC) and the late, great Jim Gracey (Sunday Life) in the bowels of the New York Giants stadium after the Republic of Ireland's sensational World Cup win over hot favourites Italy.
Big Jack was suspicious of us "northern" lads in the group — and, indeed, Nordies in general — following the notorious 'Night in November' seven months earlier when Belfast's Windsor Park became a cauldron of relentless, hostile sectarian bigotry inflicted on his visiting team.
Now, however, his football heroes were surely destined for 'positive' headlines on Northern Ireland's front pages. But they didn't get close to it.
Word began filtering through about something terrible that had happened, 3,000 miles away in Co Down.
These were the days before smartphones and online news channels, but it soon became clear there'd been multiple casualties after gunmen had burst into a small, crowded pub where locals had been watching the big match on TV.
We'd eventually learn that Adrian Rogan (34), Patrick O'Hare (35), Eamon Byrne (39), Malcolm Jenkinson (52), Daniel McCreanor (59) and 87-year-old Barney Green — the oldest victim of our despicable, three-decade sectarian conflict — had been murdered by a UVF gang in Loughinisland that night.
(No one has ever been charged, but Special Branch, MI5, the local media and the dogs in the street know exactly who was behind this unforgivably evil act).
Back in the Meadowlands, New Jersey, it was as if someone had switched off the lights at the venue for this weekend's final between Argentina and Spain.
It was eerily quiet on the Republic's Orlando-bound charter plane a couple of hours later, with players clearly cognisant of respecting the victims from "back home".
We reached the team hotel after 2am — in Florida, that's too late for even a nightcap.
So, while Irish people continued to celebrate the stunning 1-0 victory over Baggio and Co elsewhere, their heroes were tucked up in bed.
This put the tin hat on one of the most surreal of weekends. What a mad day Friday, June 17, 1994 was, for starters.
First up, a million New Yorkers lining Broadway to see the Rangers hockey guys parade the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years.
Then came news that OJ Simpson — chief suspect following the gruesome murders of his wife and her friend — had failed to surrender himself to police at the appointed time.
The World Gay Games were beginning just across the river in Queens, and there was mounting excitement in Manhattan about that evening's Knicks v Houston Rockets basketball showdown at Madison Square Garden.
Us Nordies, meanwhile, were dining at our 'local' — Kennedy's on West 57th — which was packed with Knicks fans banging tables as their boys went 45-36 up in the second quarter.
Suddenly, the TV picture switched to a white Ford Bronco travelling very slowly along a freeway somewhere...
Never have so many angry Yanks bellowed "what the f**k?" in unison. Panicking, a barman reached for the remote, but no dice; CBS, ABC, Fox and ESPN were all showing the same thing.
It was like a sci-fi movie where the aliens had commandeered all broadcast networks in order to reveal their invasion plans.
(Indeed, that once-in-a-lifetime bar scene is brilliantly recreated in the multi-award-winning Netflix drama The People v OJ Simpson).
The following day, Saturday, June 18, we were in a sun-drenched crowd of over 75,000 in Noo Joisey — rubbing shoulders with Jack Nicholson, Liza Minnelli and John McEnroe.
It was my first World Cup tournament game as a football correspondent, and the last one would also be sullied by an atrocity back home.
July 12, 1998 — another surreal day, this time in Paris. Drama in the Stade de France prior to the showpiece final between hosts France and favourites Brazil, when official team sheets said Ronaldo wouldn't be playing.
The modern-day equivalent would be Lionel Messi suddenly — and with no explanation — being withdrawn from the game's biggest occasion. Utter bedlam ensued, with fellow hacks desperately attempting to ascertain what on earth was going on.
It ultimately transpired that 'R9' had earlier been rushed to hospital with a seizure; rumours have persisted ever since that the Brazilian superstar had been forced to play by the team's influential financial backers.
In any case, he was a shadow of the man who'd illuminated the tournament thus far, and the Brazilians were easily beaten 3-0.
We'd reached the era of 'brick' mobiles by then, and I texted the editor to suggest doing a separate piece on the Parisian drama.
His reply: "Don't bother, we're concentrating on the three kids murdered in Ballymoney this morning..."
Good God, I wasn't remotely aware of that.
The Quinn brothers — Jason (9), Mark (10) and 11-year-old Richard — had burned to death after a Drumcree dispute-inspired UVF firebomb attack at their home.
The following morning, I strolled to a kiosque à journaux to scan the front pages.
Not surprisingly, all except one featured delirious French folk jubilating an epic victory.
The outlier was the Daily Mail, which had pictures of three innocent young Northern Ireland children underneath the banner headline 'Sacrificed on the altar of hate'.

[Ronnie]

That's a great piece.  I remember all events vididly.   What a cesspit Norn Iron was then...... sometimes I wonder have we changed much....

[Armamike]

Couldn't believe England's tactics after they scored. Crazy to sit that deep with no out ball. Really poor from Tuchel and the players themselves who should have pushed up. Poor tactics and lack of confidence cost them. They needed to go for the jugular when they went a goal up rather than giving Argentina the freedom of the pitch. But they always come up short in tournaments. For a country their size they have consistently underperformed.

[tiempo]

Messi has a football IQ of 200, while England retreated he worked out the necessary hack and set about with the minimum of fuss, amazing how much he walks through a game, he's 5 steps ahead and doesn't expend energy he doesn't need to, amazing to watch

[Armagh18]

Messi has a football IQ of 200, while England retreated he worked out the necessary hack and set about with the minimum of fuss, amazing how much he walks through a game, he's 5 steps ahead and doesn't expend energy he doesn't need to, amazing to watch

Unreal. One of the commentators was saying he looked wrecked at one point when England were leading, I was thinking the man hasn't broke sweat yet he'll have a say some way.

[Milltown Row2]

That's a great piece.  I remember all events vididly.   What a cesspit Norn Iron was then...... sometimes I wonder have we changed much....

I was in France inter railing with the girlfriend, now missus. She phoned home one day to be told of the Quinn's murders, horrific..

Have we changed? Hmmm, the underlying sectarian divisions are still there, social media and it's agitators keep stirring the pot, they are being side tracked by this perceived alliance with catholics and Prods fighting against the 'Islamic invaders' which won't overtake the hatred for one another..

We'll get back to verbally hating each other, but thankfully never get back to the physical madness of the troubles

Is this a place where you'd like your children to grow up in? I thought for a while it was, but I'd rather they make a life elsewhere

[tonto1888]

The English fans meltdown has been glorious. Like a Huns and hearts meltdown combined

[imtommygunn]

Tuchel a very easy scapegoat. Ultimately they just aren't good enough. I think he is bang on with his football iq comments.

[quit yo jibbajabba]

A German managing the English national team? Where could it possibly go wrong 🤭

[tiempo]

Tuchel a very easy scapegoat. Ultimately they just aren't good enough. I think he is bang on with his football iq comments.

A few minutes before England scored Elliot Anderson played a great crossfield diagonal between the lines, across the ground to Gordon on the wing, proper football, after they scored they strung 5 passes together once, the players retreated, Tuchel's subs and tactical alterations compounded the fear and sense of a systems failure, players and manager both equally complicit, Kane was the anti-Messi for the last 20mins, had a front row seat of a game going on around him, the last 10mins looked like a 10v6 such was the control England willingly handed over

[Look-Up!]

Tuchel a very easy scapegoat. Ultimately they just aren't good enough. I think he is bang on with his football iq comments.

A few minutes before England scored Elliot Anderson played a great crossfield diagonal between the lines, across the ground to Gordon on the wing, proper football, after they scored they strung 5 passes together once, the players retreated, Tuchel's subs and tactical alterations compounded the fear and sense of a systems failure, players and manager both equally complicit, Kane was the anti-Messi for the last 20mins, had a front row seat of a game going on around him, the last 10mins looked like a 10v6 such was the control England willingly handed over

Yeah he has fixed nothing. He might be correct about the IQ thing but that's not the point nor does it give him a free pass. All his spiel beforehand about his squad selections, and how he picked a team to win against the top teams, just wait and see blah blah blah! Was all hocus pocus in the end. He has changed nothing from why the knighted one moved on. If anything he compounded the issue at the clutch moment. Got them to a semi final fair enough but look at the draw and the teams they got to play. Stephen Kenny would have got them that far TBF with the talent they have. Might even have kept the ball in patches.

[JollyGreenGiant]

Tuchel a very easy scapegoat. Ultimately they just aren't good enough. I think he is bang on with his football iq comments.

He has a lot to answer for though.

His game management after the first goal was a disaster area, and when he made the second suite of substitutions in the 83rd minute, he basically forfeited any flexibility in the event Argentina equalised. The number of defenders on the pitch, essentially in headless chickens mode, was probably more responsible for the winner than anything else, as it was a free header where everybody thought somebody was going to mark Fernandez, and in the end nobody did. The withdrawal tactics also freed up Messi, and taking off Rice meant that DePaul had the freedom of the park.

I don't believe England were going to win the World Cup. Spain would have caught them. But while Tuchel may be right about the footballing IQ, its easy to outsource blame, when he was the one who was responsible for the management of a 1-0 lead with 55 minutes to go. Gordon had actually been one of the few players causing difficulty for the Argentine defence, and Bellingham is suited to a more advanced position, which robbed England of any press when he dropped back.

Tuchel takes the majority of the blame for this one, in my view.

[BigGreenField]

His comments are correct for the players on the pitch, he had though Mainoo sitting kicking his heels, the one player who can actually play the game he wanted.

He left grealish at home, Englands one maverick. Even Maguire probably should have been there as a footballing centre half.

He has improved them however also gotten it wrong.

[thewobbler]

His comments are correct for the players on the pitch, he had though Mainoo sitting kicking his heels, the one player who can actually play the game he wanted.

He left grealish at home, Englands one maverick. Even Maguire probably should have been there as a footballing centre half.

He has improved them however also gotten it wrong.

Every World Cup produces an England player whose lack of game time sees his public perception outstrip anything he's actually ever done in the game.

In the search for the missing link, they'll do whatever they can to find one.

Mainoo is the clear winner of that award this time.

He's an absolutely nothing player. He carries the ball well, but cannot see a pass, cannot tackle, cannot read the game, cannot cross, cannot time runs into the box.

In many ways he's a bargain basement version of Jude Bellingham, and I do believe he'll be stinking the place out for West Ham or Fulham by next season.