lets not forget my country, Mexico, also protested at the World Cup for constantly losing the round of 16 by not making it past the group stage in the first place.
Each player could’ve worn 50 armbands a piece, up and down both arms, and it would’ve still paled in comparison to the courage demonstrated by the Iranian footballers, when they chose to NOT sing their anthem in the opening game.
"Football is a simple game, 22 men run around chasing a ball, and in the end, the Germans win. Unless they cover their mouths, then they lose, obviously." Gary Lineker's quote, I believe.
@@mats7492 when you are that weak you dont act that way . maybe france or brazil would have sent a message but am sorry this german team for years is playing worse than asian or north african teams and those are ranked 30 to 20 world wide . so yeah those who are weak but still have a big mouth do have a naming . even germans hated them for acting this why while being so weak on the pitch . it made peoples think they were ready to fight for a different cause but not for their national flag colors
@@LauftFafa, So you can't stand up for what you believe in because you're not playing good football? What do those things even have to do with each other? The issue they were protesting had to do with human rights. Not anything that went on on the pitch. The only relationship between the 2 is the location. That's it. Their skill is completly irrelevant to their protest. "It made it seem like they're willing to fight for other causes but not their national colors" They put their hands over their mouths for 5 seconds lol. On the other hand they played 3 games over 90 minutes long for their country at the biggest football competition on the planet. The former could be done by first graders and requires zero effort. The latter on the other hand, requires years of practice and sacrifice, and weeks of pre tournament preparation, as well as a ton of physical effort and being able to mentally cope with loads of preassure.
Germany did not get knocked out of the World Cup because of some minor protest gesture. They were knocked out because they were not good enough to advance. Anyone arguing something else it trying to get the situation to fit a narrative that fits their own views. I do agree that the captains of all the teams that were planning to wear the armband should have called FIFA's bluff and worn the armband anyway and walked off the pitch.
They are good enough to qualify comfortably, at least on paper. They have recent champions league winners in gnabry, muller, rudiger, neuer, kimmich, havertz, etc. And they have a manager who won the UCL. It’s the players’ attitude on the pitch that cost them. They started well enough against japan, but after scoring, they looked lazy, thinking the game was already won. Just look at rudiger mocking asano in the game against japan. They only started threatening after conceding the second goal. Then they managed to concede 2 goals against costa rica, who had a total of 2 shots in the tournament before facing them, before scoring the 3 goals. They have the quality, just not the right attitude.
These are the same people who keep saying politics and football shouldn't mix, yet they say Germany got knocked out cause of politics. Absolute flip floppers
True but it’s very possible that their focus on these issues distracted them from preparing properly. Also I am not convinced that every single player on the team wanted to do this because people have very diverse political opinions, so it was actually a bullying tactic of them to pressure them all to do this
What's funny is how football fans mostly have been so defensive of Serbia and Hungary's ultras bigoted behaviors as "minor occurances" and even free speech.. Yet they have been very very dismissive of human rights issues like lgbtq+ rights as "No politics in football". Like maybe just maybe. They do want politics in football. Just only those which they agree with.
like UEFA's bigoted behaviour against eastern european teams and nations? why are uefa referees so bigoted themselves? and then we're racists and a nation of racists when a romanian referee said "ăla negru" which means "the black one", and he was almost suspended because uefa can't fucking understand that other languages have different terms. very surprising that we're bigoted apparently against you when you are against us and give us all a bad name
I have nothing against the message that Germany was trying to send, but you really aren’t gonna get anywhere by protesting LGBT rights in a country like Qatar, it’s unfortunate but I don’t see that country changing anytime soon no matter how hard you protest. I’m more sad at the fact that these players and teams aren’t protesting for the migrant workers that died to build the stadiums they’re playing in
@@bababababababa6124 facts like what is the point of protesting it in the Middle East… I know there are LGBT people there but they probably make up about 0.0001% of those countries populations 😂most people there probably don’t even know what it means 9 times out of 10 you’ll just get mocked for it like Germany did
I have a theory about why Germany was eliminated: Japan's team just out-thought and out-fought Germany, defeating them on the pitch. Germany then found themselves unable to defeat Spain or sufficiently run up the score on a Costa Rica team that wasn't going to let it happen twice in 3 games, as any CONCACAF observer might have said ahead of time. I happen to love this generation of the German team; they're the first team I called as WC winners 4 years ahead of time, based on their youth and performance in 2010, and watching that show they put on against Brazil was among the 3 most astounding things I've ever seen on live TV (along with 1/6 & Lewandowski's 5 in 9).
My 4 years out prediction about Germany this time: Not sure about the team, but I will not be surprised if Joshua Kimmich gets a chip on his shoulder that drives him to get even better, thanks to his sub-par (for him) play in this tournament, and he comes back to win the golden ball in 2026.
man, why are people spreading conspiracy theories about on-pitch performance influencing football results, when it's clearly what the teams do during the team photo that is the defining factor.
@@1998Cebola Right?! Going around foolishly thinking that complex mathematical theorems predicated on numeric values ascribed to wins, losses and draws will ever be understood by the laypeople. Pffsh! It's like, dial it back a little, Pythagoras, do I look like Will Hunting to you? Just tell me which no-no words they said --- or didn't say --- and we'll get on with our lives.
@@abstraqtphilosophy7357 If you are watching only to whine and complain, them I question the logic of doing that? Where did I say he couldn't watch or didn't have the right to watch. Perhaps you should focus on comprehending English before commenting?
@@andyukmonkey Certainly true in America, they only care about football when its the world cup. I assume some people within the media elsewhere (England, EU, parts of africa and south america etc.) support teams and follow football it just depends on their role if they get to talk about it.
I am a huge Brazil fan so I was ecstatic when Germany got eliminated because of 2014 😬. But not once did it cross my mind that Germany’s performance would in any way be compromised because of a tiny protest they did. Enjoying a giant slaying in sports is natural but giving it such ridiculous reasoning like what some people are doing is just appalling. At the end of the day, players are human beings who have the right to have their opinions. High time people realize they are not robots
But what do footballers actually know about these issues? I bet if you actually asked them to articulate their thoughts all you would get is regurgitated cliches and lots of “eeerrrm” They should just focus on playing football and keep politics out of the game, they are footballers after all, not intellectuals
@@hmu05366 Not sure if you need to be an intellectual to think homosexuality shouldn't be a crime, or that women should be allowed to make decisions for themselves. People say keep politics out of sports but sports have always involved politics.
Germany had the biggest gap between xG for and xG against of any team in the groups. Their only failing was in desperately poor shooting, which is likely substantially luck over just three games but can also be blamed on playing without a proper striker a substantial amount of the time. It's not the disaster some would have you believe.
True... their only and fatal mishap were those 20 minutes where they allowed Japan to score twice and couldn't mount a comeback. The rest of their participation was fine and should've been enough to advance to the knockout stage.
They were pretty rubbish in the first game, after that they looked like a decent team. Don't think they need to panic, just need to grow a decent striker from somewhere...still gutted they pinched Musiala off us, he really does look like the real deal
@@bagpussmacfarlan9008 I disagree completely. They were superb in the first half against Japan, had a dodgy 20 minute spell, and finished just as strongly. They dominated most of the game, created a series of good to great chances, and just missed them all. It was probably their best performance, but for the awful shooting.
this is happening for 5 Years now This ain't luck anymore Musiala, Gnabry or anybody would have burried these chances for their clubs teams but for Germany they don't have to confidence anymore
Could we get a follow up on the reasons you think Germany actually went out I.E the weaknesses in the squad which resulted in a poorer performance than many expected or just how good are Japan since they did beat 2 European powerhouses. In term of protesting FIFA Japan's second goal against Spain might have been FIFA trying to knock Germany out by allowing the goal to stand but then I am cynical
Funny then, that Iran - a nation that was very vocal about its own government, being very political in the process - outperformed what was expected of them and was just a single goal away from reaching the round of 16. As for Germany's "protest": A team doing something together actually strengthens the team spirit and morale, so it's usually beneficial to do something like that.
It amazes me how Qatari's assume this WC was so great, chances are there wont be another world cup hosted there EVER regardless of the bribes due to the consistent lies and controversy
Agree. This discussion about One Love etc is ridiculous. It's here to divide the society. I have been socialized 40 years ago, we gave a shit about gay or whatever.
He thinks homophobia is wrong (which yeah, it is) yet fails to mention the elephant in the room: Islam and homophobia go hand-in-hand. His outrage feels fake AF until he states clearly that Islam and Western values are simply incompatible and clearly cannot co-exist.
Go outaide, alfie isnt laying out anything abnormal or groundbreaking. Once you see a couple of vids you realise its all colored and extremely biased towards his political/social/life views and its defenitely not TRUTH OMG HES SPITTIN FACTS
I watch about 90% of your videos and this one is one of my most favourite, as I respect nothing more than a huge smartass and this is the perfect video to represent this; let alone how informative it is about why I'm so disappointed that this was the location of the first World Cup that Canada qualified for since 1986.
I've loved your coverage of this World Cup, both in the build up to and during the competition. Personally, I haven't watched a single second (including the qualifiers), so being provided 20/20 vision to what is actually taking place and the narratives being driven alongside it has been invaluable to me. Thanks for your hard work, as always Alfie.
Germany lost against japan because they underestimated japan. Japan was great in that game, but germany allowed them to be. Look at rudiger clowning asano with that stupid run and then laughing about it. I like germany, but that attitude is unacceptable, and they rightly lost the game. The other players might not show it, but they were equally guilty of underestimating japan. Musiala was the only one who seemed to work hard in that game. I dont believe the hand in mouth thing caused them to lose, but if they’re preaching love, they should start by respecting their opponents.
As a Muslim I hope everyone saying “respect Qatar’s culture” will be okay with the hijab being banned at the next Olympics because well it’s France’s culture and my fellow Muslims who are defending Qatar will be hypocrites for criticising France
Holy crap, dude. I was already enjoying the content lately, but this video was just savage. How savage? I watch yt mainly on Xbox. I got out of bed, opened my laptop and came here to like, comment and subscribe. Thank you.
THANK YOU 😭😭 I hate when people say that about Germany it was a five second protest it didn’t cause any player to randomly play horribly so much excuses other TH-camrs have been saying that the hand thing literally caused the whole team to crumble 🤦🏾♂️
Gotta say I have been loving your handling of this World Cup. While it’s been a thrilling set of games and it’s so easy to just ignore the underlying reality and enjoy good football, at the end of the day we can’t just pretend like the pitch hasn’t been a stage used by fifa and footballers for political protest. Having that privilege taken away in favor of satisfying the ultra wealthy is honestly disgusting. Thank you for making this video.
“Haha Germany should have focused on football” Meanwhile fully focused on football homophobic countries like Saudi and Qatar made it to the next round right? Right?
@@ASK-ko9qxno that was supposed to debunk the point that a small act against discrimination is somehow the reason for Germany’s failure. Anyways Germany played pretty well, just bad at finishing. Were among highest in xG stats in the group stages even
German here. While it was not undeserved we are out (albeit kind of unlucky regarding the Spain:Japan match), it is funny how Qatar and Belgium (well, Hazard) made and make fun of the protest, while one team is one of the worst if not the worst performing host nation ever and the other is out as well.
Love that Hazard has to eat his words now. That was really assholish of him make such a dig against Germany especially Belgium performance getting knockout.
Qatar is bad team even qatari know that but compare this to germany who become literal fuilare Germany become a meme and laughing stoke espicially in eastern countries eastern europe even in w. europe and america 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Everything Alf said about the ridiculous allegations against Germany for their small protest was so correct, but especially what he said about the clowns at FIFA - the biggest clown of all of course being Infantino (doesn't his name mean "childish" ? Spot on, Karma!). Him cheerleading at rhe FIFA congress in Qatar, by demanding "Qatar, Qatar, Qatar" and "FIFA, FIFA, FIFA" from the delegates, was so unbelievably moronic I just couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing! Talk about selling your soul for money - he has sold his brain as well !
Absolutely! Players, teams and local FA's need to realise that they give FIFA the power that it wields against them. They have the upper hand in the long run.
There is news already about German players not welling to protest but they were pressured by Neuer and Goretzka Take it how you want but that German team was devided imo, specially against Japan. Also it doesn't help when the fans booing you every game.
What are you on about fans boo footballers all the time and given i suspect they were not expecting the crowd to be in the majority regardless of the opponent in qatar you are talking out your behind.... i guess you are right the fans booing England at the Euros did nothing to help them win the final....so you must be right, pull your head in numpty! LOL
@@caseycoggan Now read my full comment before you answer I said "it doesn't help" I didn't say it was the only reason. Why do we have home and away games then? You answer me 🤷🏻
What happened to freedom of speech when it came to ozil and being ostracised and criticised by team mates and national leaders the hypocrisy is honestly blinding
Ozil never sing the German national anthem while playing for Germany but when he was playing for a Turkish club he sing the Turkish national anthem. Ozil never saw himself as a German he just wanted to play for Germany because they are a better team. Ozil disrespected Germany many times but they took it as granted Ozil don't have a brain why he brings religion into football and there are other Turkish players like Gundogan and Khedira who never complaint about such things in Germany
@@ethandalton6480 going to a tournament with more focus on politics that football can... The proof u ask : Germany-Danemark-Belgium 3 nations considered favourites by many went to Qatar to preach their agendas.. Are out of the group stage
Ok I think I'm going to piss off most people on here, but - the right place and the right time to protest against quatar was when they won the bid. Now it's too little too late. Quatar perceives westerners, as was to be expected, as meddling outsiders who ostracize them. Which is counterproductive for genuine social change that has to come from inside the culture - as has been the case in Iran for the last couple months. "No politics in Football" also doesn't necessarily mean "no politics I dislike in Football" as you and other commentators try to insinuate. It Just means "talk about the Game, disregard everything else" .
I really enjoyed this, not just for exposing the trolling behavior of the Qatari government and journalists (and bad-faith Twitter types) but for how you brought it around to other athletes who want to use their power and popularity for more than just self-promotion.
I imagine many of them belong to a certain ideology of 'peace'. Judging from what I've seen online, most of the flack is coming from Muslims and African Christians, as well as Muslims/Arabs living in the West.
Middle Eastern right wingers when the Premier League aknowledges pride: "football should be football, no politics" Middle Eastern right wingers when Qatar refuses to let gay people show affection: "You have to respect the local culture"
In western media, I have seen more news about the LGBT flag invader than the Palestinian flag invader. I have seen less people in support with that too. It seems People really wants to drag politics into sports but only the things that they like it 🙄
@@gb2983 exactly, because for the west, lesbians and gays not being able to makeout in public and drink alcohol is much more important than children dying in plaestine for no reason.😂 Fucking hypocrites man😂😂😂😂
@@aligatore9214 I dont make the rules man. Lgbt rights is western culture. Being anti lgbt is an attack on that. Human kind throughout history (all of it not just the west) values its culture, generally above its people, and even moreso people outside of it. In that sense its only as hypocritical as everything anyone else has ever believed in over something else.
@@gb2983 Yea man, establishin the rights of 2 guys fukin each other is more important than people getting killed. Why y'all were so sympathetic with Ukraine then? Shakhtar Donetsk's owner even wanted Iran out because of their countries government. But the Iranian players gave the bravest protest in this World Cup
People who say they lost because of their protest are so dumb! Of course they came there to play football. They decided to also take the opportunity to protest against anti-human law, which some people call "culture". And it only took them like what? 5 seconds? Based on how many hateful comments I read after that gesture, I can only say that this protest made sense. Anyway, Germany's team is still work in progress. They need to rebuild after so many great players retired from international football. This is normal, it's what every great team must go through. But they already have promising players (Musiala!). Just wait and see. They will add another star to their jerseys;)
I find it hypocritical that Europeans tell migrants to follow their culture when they come to Europe yet they don't want to respect the culture of countries they go to. this has been an issue in the UAE for years. if you don't like it don't go there. it's called the world cup and you're not the only ones in it.
Agreed. Instead of talking about it so much, be true to your values and do t go to Qatar. Because everything else has just been empty words and protest. Nothing will change in Qatar
@@rexmfalme9781 but why do you even want to change someone culture to conform to yours ? that's my issues with those protests. all I kept hearing is them whining about gay rights and alcohol in stadiums while there was a lot of things wrong even by the cultural standards of Qatar like the treatment of the workers and corruption. it only make sense that if a place does not align with your values to keep away, not go and make them conform to you.
@@chawkichalladia1812 You're missing the point where you share a planet with the "other", so of course you want them to be more familiar. Alcohol I couldn't care less about but the other issues even if some were introduced by England and Christianity should be done away with like the kafala or completely criminalizing people who have no choice in what they are despite what some people would prefer.
Heck, I can understand the difficulty of changing a tradition based society to whatever its natural next step is, especially if your leaders are being propped up by the same people criticizing you. Ideally and the world is not ideal and never has been, accepting the existence of LGTBQ even while not in any way supporting or condoning it would make a difference.
@@phightinphil25 that only works if it's both ways. right now a women wearing a hijab can't find a job in a lot of European countries. also you can stay 3 weeks without the need for public sexual activities which is banned for everyone not just gays. if that's too much to ask then stay home the same way a lot of people don't go to other countries because they're uncomfortable with their culture or way of life. as for the kafala system, I already said that it was the real issue and they were put aside for rainbows and booze.
Another great video Alfie. FIFA are a completely corrupt organisation and the protests from the Iranian and German players should be applauded . The spineless responses of the National FAs to FIFA's sporting sanctions threat shows that words are cheap but "meaningful" actions (however minor) are too much to ask.
I think it’s shocking what Germany did. I bet they were practicing that for hours when they should’ve been training. Maybe then they might’ve made it out the group! For clarity, in case there is any doubt (which I would hope there isn’t), this was sarcasm
the attempt and failed protesting by certain UEFA nations was absolutely embarrassing. i dont know what else you can describe it as considering the noise that was made about making a statement in Qatar, even if I strongly supported it. 2026 will see players be able to freely protest if they choose to
Fifa threatened to ban them from the tournament easy enough to make the m behave with red cards for captains and yellows for players for wearing it and thats only whats come out
@@simplesimonhadapie the players and teams should have called FIFAs bluff and worn the armbands anyway. It would have made FIFA look even more of a joke than they already are if they were shown to be booking players for supporting the LGBTQ community.
@@ethandalton6480 thats what i was trying to get at. as correct as i think their stance was on these issues, they ultimately still buckled when actually faced real consequences. it just makes it look like they dont actually care and were just being pretentious
You listing down their campaign just made me realize, the Qatari NT has got to be one of the most forgettable teams (let alone host teams) at a World Cup.
One reason you did not mention was Spain throwing the game against Japan. You saw how they started running once Costa Rica was up 2-1 for a few minutes.
If Germany lost, it's simply because they didn't have the level to advance. But it's still a pleasure to see them lose in the first round. How dare they protest while : -they've done nothing to protect Ozil when he criticised China -they made a deal with Qatar to get gas. A real protest is one when you don't go at all. This situation makes Muhammad Ali still the best athlete of all time as he was banned from boxing during his prime for refusing to serve his country during the Vietnam War. There are fucked up things in football and we must act against it. Last night, Gary Neville said that westerners don't have perfect systems. He criticised things that happen in Manchester, UK as a whole or even Denmark as his former team-mate Peter Schmeichel was there during the post-game review of Argentina's game last night. He mentioned how football players are given responsibilities that are up to politicians to make.
Please inform yourself before spreading that bs. Germany has nothing to do with Özil criticising the Chinese regime. Arsenal released a public statement in which they distanced themselves from Özil. This happened in December 2019. But Özil’s career as a international already ended after the 2018 World Cup…
Özil criticised china after he’d left lmfao. He got criticised in German because he said Erdogan is his president while at the same time countless German journalists where imprisoned in turkey
The players protested, not Germany as a state. THEY THE PLAYERS did not make a deal with Qatar to get natural gas. THEY THE PLAYERS did not do nothing to protect Ozil. People are not their country's government and these players are not the DFB. You're asking how dare they protest as if Manuel Neuer was in Qatar negotiating geopolitical aims.
@@caesar-dynastysports I'm not talking about the players but many journalists as well. Unless it wasn't covered, I haven't seen protests about the gas deal and it's less than likely Germans won't use gas knowing it's from Qatar. I know countries who would rather die than giving up on their principles.
Your videos since world cup started skyrocketed in quality so much that you easily became one of my top favourite youtubers and the only one whose videos I am actually sharing with friends. Well done mate, keep it up 👌
I already wondered why I get this video recommended specifically after I've watched a video about the US becoming more and more facist. The first 1:30 explain a lot of things lol. Edit: As a German I'm actually quite glad we went out already. I was boycotting the WC either way, now with Germany out I at least don't even have to pretend I care. Also this was a nice reality check that not everything is sunshine and roses already, just cause we now have Hansi Flick instead of Löw, and a semi-young Squad. From here on out it can only go upwards, looking forward to 2024 when the Euros are here in Germany.
if human rights are their concern, then they will focus more on wearing armbands for child victims of war, victims of organ and human trafficking, or victims who threaten the lives of many people in all parts of the world
@@allesklar9127 If Human rights were their concern, they wouldn't show up to the tournament at all, they are nothing but virtue signallers I was laughing when they got knocked out of group stage, next time don't bring your politics to a football tournament and who knows maybe you'll perform better.
@@tomatoisnotafruit5670 Protest is in their natural right. Did you not think Qatar wanted to gain something politically from the World Cup? Football is never just football, you are a fool if you can't see it. From their use of modern slaves to going back on their words about treatment of LGBT attendance; every fiber of this WC is political.
@@bernardz1885 No it's not, if they really wanted to protest they should have done so by boycotting, once they agreed to go and got payed to be there, they no longer have a right to protest, so they can STFU and do what they are paid to do there.
What are you talking about? Germany took many Syrian refugees witht their children who got access to free schools, healthcare etc. How many refugess has Qatar ever welcomed to their country? Whataboutism at it's finest 😂.
I know Alfie is ranting here but; didn't he actually big up the Qatar team (not country) because of who they brought in and the training and all that stuff and said they might actually be okay. But you're letting anger get the better of you. You're just like the rest of, you've let your anger at this idiocy make you grief the footballers of that country. Yes, you're a hypocrite and so am I and everyone on the planet, but mate you're a public figure (to a certain extent) so you have to actually be careful about this stuff.
One of the things that people loves to see more than seeing an underdog rising, is seeing a Titan falling. Germany is the unfortunate one here, and probabbly their act of protest is going to be overshadowed by their failure in this worldcup, let alone, people overblowing the fact that they lost because they covered their mouths in protest (even thought that's a very stupid argument since Germany has been in the gutter for years when it comes to their NT performance). However... my respect goes to the Iran's player that refused to sing their national anthem while the Iran govertment was more than willing to harm their family members if they refused sing it again. Those guys has more bravery in their toes than the entire teams participating in this tournement.
@@soundscape26 Am bad at writing sarcasm, the comment was meant to be sarcastic. He's views are mostly European hypocrisy and frankly sound like they are being said by someone who knows nothing about the world except the one where his country are the morality police. yeah the righteous brits.
Alfie you're a legend mate. Love this kind of content. Far too many people on this platform are happy to just report what happens on the pitch. This game is powerful and corrupt. Keep up the good work.
@@jutsu1 sport, especially international sport, doesn't exist in a bubble. Sport has always been political. You must have hated it when Denmark won the Euros
I think people don't like the idea of children/teenagers developing self identity and sexuality. But people don't just develop sexuality at 18 believe it or not... Think about it, I'm sure you started fancing people aged around 8 or 9. Why would it be different for gay people?
U really need to attend some sort of psychology workshop or something to learn about psychosexual development. A quick research on the internet does the job too 😉
@@lollipopsaresmelly that makes sense. im not hating lgbt or anything. I've just never met anyone knowingly from the community. its not common where im from and not really talked about in a positive light. you are right you don't just develop overnight so I don't see why it'd be any different based on your sexual preference. thank you
I always come back to this point, won’t it be a better protest if the the countries didn’t show up to the World Cup and instead play friendly against each other or act like they’re no World Cup and continued their league system. It’s a bit idiotic to show up to the thing youre protesting. As Qatar wins, they wanted eye balls on their country for hosting the World Cup, imagine if country didn’t show up or refuse to play qualifiers, fifa would be more selective with their wc host. FIFA now knows if the select a controversial host, they will have to deal with little protest but the viewing numbers and fans engagement will be around the same levels. You can’t have it both ways, you hate watching something still counts as a view, it’s not like there’s a different category for hate watching or your view doesn’t count. The only way change happens if you let your money and time do the talking.
An awful lot of Qatari and Arab people are slamming Germany and using the argument that the local culture and laws should be respected. I can only assume these same people are more than okay if European countries implement laws to restrict the use of hijabs, niqabs and burkas, because in European culture it’s important to show one’s face and hair. Freedom of speech and expression is also part of the culture in many Western countries, so next time someone makes insensitive remarks about Islam, defaces a Koran or insults the Islamic faith in some other way, I don’t expect to hear a peep out of these people. If Middle Eastern countries want to host global events and be a part of the world, they have to accept the scrutiny which comes with it. My country, Australia, along with New Zealand will be hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year. No doubt some media agencies may run features on indigenous disadvantage and the plight of asylum seekers. As far as I’m concerned they will have every right to do so.
Western countries claim to be multicultural and have conceded any sense of "our culture" through their rampant colonisation. Qatar is a strict Islamic state that while having mostly expats (altho not citizens), does not acknowledge itself as a multicultural state. Hence it is stupid to ban such items of clothing.
i’ve never even thought about it like that, thank you. that’ll be an argument i’ll bring up when people try to justify their blatant homophobia by masking it with religion
@@cbh14 I am wondering why religions evolve in the ways they do and why certain religions always seem to get defensive about clearly wrong actions. Anti LGBTQ and womens rights for Islamic faiths and Invading everybody they view to be inferior and forcibly converting/demonizing other religions and peoples for Christianity.
The thing is half of the people in Western countries think their own rules are racist and shouldn't be respected. It's not a one to one comparison when the values of one culture are deliberately being undermined by idiots.
People seems to love saying the gesture are useless but that 5 second gesture lives rent free in their head and causing them so much distress lmao Who's actually "not focusing on football" now?
It is useless. Its more like a pat on the back for people who believe they should have rights. For the rest of the world they just see a heirchy of value and convenience. For instance it was more convinient for the Germans to protest in the the name of LGBTQ+ than the migrant workers. It is what it is.
My think it is not useless, but its fake, just a PR move, if the teams/players really support this, they wouldnt agree on the event with 12 years on advance, on even gain money with that, they dont care about, just want get 'good image' while doing the completely opposite
@@RoyMatzem Exactly. To alot of people, even if they are all for LGBTQ+ rights they just see selective outrage. Convinient outrages. Not saying gays dot exist in Qatar, or anywhere, but why did the Germans not do that for migrants instead. Its a hierarchy of victimhood based on convinience. Everyone just patting themselves on the back.
Wdym? German medias keep talking about this bullshit even after multiple days. Lmao they wanna make propaganda but idiots like you are too blind too see that. Germany will be enjoying that sweet Qatari oil tho 😂
Thank you for this video 👏🙏 Sadly, the narrative pushed by Qatari officials surrounding the protest are very much deliberate (They feel their Shariah laws are being mocked lol, the irony) and this is fuelled by far right extremists/ homophobics. And I say this confidently cause I am from Islamic background living in a muslim majority country and unfortunately, we can ignore even the most violent crimes but when it comes to LGBT issue, all hell break loose
It's not that they felt their Shariah laws were being mocked, its because they felt germany didn't respect thier laws by staging a protest, so they thought of sharing how they felt about it when germany got knocked out. I mean, wouldn't you feel offended if you thought someone didn't respect your way of living?
So in youtube there are a lot of videos with opinions regarding a range of different subjects. It is obvious that you are gonna have some videos which are just not good, in the sense that they don't present their message properly or they forget about an important fact or two and so on. But sometimes you come across a video that has such a bad take on something that you just have to talk about it. It is unfortunate that this video is one of these cases. The biggest problem with Alfie's perspective is, from what I gather, the misrepresentation of a lot points that are a part of an entire complex situation. There are several examples of this across his video like: making a strange comparison between Qanon and the people who are against Germany's posture before their game, saying that a demonstration in the most popular sporting event across the globe is "a small thing", that thousands of migrant workers died during the construction of stadiums and infrastructure when there's little proof regarding these figures, that fans that are concerned about how some teams seemed more concerned about political statements rather than getting results in the wc are somehow making the argument that the Germans only lost because they covered their mouths and etc. His entire argument, which ultimately is a protest against this cup being in Qatar, needs these sort of exaggerations to make sense, which, again, happen several times in this video. It is more unfortunate however that it's not surprising that this channel would have this kind of take on a serious discussion with a lot of depth and nuance. Because this type of attitude of not trying to hear the other side, a loose relationship with truth, offering only surface analysis of problems that are much more complex and bigger are nowadays very well described by the term "British journalist", which is what Alfie is.
It´s a HUGE shame! Qatar is a traditional, conservative muslim country! If you like it or not, dear Germans, but at least SHOW SOME RESPECT! It is absolutely right not to wear this "Armband" in a conservative-muslim country! Either you respect the traditions, values and religion of your host, or you stay at home! Period.
If they really honest about freedom of speech in football, it should go in both ways. They should allow pro lgbt protest as well as protest against lgbt. Since there are also lot of players not accepting lgbt.
You start putting out gestures like this during a tournament like the world cup and you are obviously going to lose your mental edge. Look at England taking the knee, even before the game starts they are already on their knees to their opponent. That has a massive mental effect during the game, which proved to be the deciding factor for that team.
Brilliant video. I'll have to remind everyone the only reason I'm not a professional footballer is because I care too much about other people, and not because I'm bad at football.
The German players where quite arrogant though in my opinion, like when Rudiger was trying to make fun of the Japanese. I didnt like this protest, because they only did it to get attention. It was not there right place or time to do it, and they should have understood that, instead of being so naive and silly. I was quite happy when Germang was out of this tournament, not gonna lie
Please... Rüdiger often runs like that and he explained already in Chelsea and Madrid why he runs like that sometimes. The only thing I can say as a german... is that the german medias were arrogant. They celebrated the draw against Spain like a win and they were almost sure they will reach round of 16, because "Spain will never lose to Japan". I'm sad that my country is not in the tournament anymore... but I hope that after this and the last WC, all people and players realize that you have to fight and give 90 minutes 110%... then you also can win dirty games like Algeria 2014... Hope the best for your Team. But please don't think Rüdiger is arrogant. Ps: sorry for my english
lets not forget my country, Mexico, also protested at the World Cup for constantly losing the round of 16 by not making it past the group stage in the first place.
Ha ha…I mean Ja Ja…yo también soy mexicano…y esta mamada me saco una carcajada.. 😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
So brave
Hahaha
Mexico should learn from Italy. Italy hasn't lost a match in the last 2 world cups 😎
Each player could’ve worn 50 armbands a piece, up and down both arms, and it would’ve still paled in comparison to the courage demonstrated by the Iranian footballers, when they chose to NOT sing their anthem in the opening game.
Sure, you have to be brave to support a foreign based coup agaisnt your own government...
@@rayden1387 yeah you do, what’s the point you’re trying to make 😂
@@rayden1387ah yes Iranians standing with the women against oppression is a foreign conspiracy
@@rayden1387 well duuuuuh. What you trying to prove?🤣
@@rayden1387 What an idiotic comment? Are you stupid? Why am I asking? Of course you are.
"Football is a simple game, 22 men run around chasing a ball, and in the end, the Germans win. Unless they cover their mouths, then they lose, obviously." Gary Lineker's quote, I believe.
In fairness Germany have a 0% success rate at world cups when they cover their mouths
its just a fact . their heads are clearly away
@@LauftFafa GEeman team has been absolute shit for 5 years at least
@@mats7492 when you are that weak you dont act that way . maybe france or brazil would have sent a message but am sorry this german team for years is playing worse than asian or north african teams and those are ranked 30 to 20 world wide . so yeah those who are weak but still have a big mouth do have a naming .
even germans hated them for acting this why while being so weak on the pitch . it made peoples think they were ready to fight for a different cause but not for their national flag colors
@@LauftFafa, So you can't stand up for what you believe in because you're not playing good football? What do those things even have to do with each other? The issue they were protesting had to do with human rights. Not anything that went on on the pitch. The only relationship between the 2 is the location. That's it. Their skill is completly irrelevant to their protest.
"It made it seem like they're willing to fight for other causes but not their national colors" They put their hands over their mouths for 5 seconds lol. On the other hand they played 3 games over 90 minutes long for their country at the biggest football competition on the planet. The former could be done by first graders and requires zero effort. The latter on the other hand, requires years of practice and sacrifice, and weeks of pre tournament preparation, as well as a ton of physical effort and being able to mentally cope with loads of preassure.
Germany bans protests & demonstrations that support Palestinians or criticises Apartheid Israel.
Ahh you see the problem is, what you’ve just said is bullshit 😂
@@osiand9328 I don’t care either way I think that conflict is stupid. I’m just stating the fact that is his comment is a crock of shite
@@wanderingartifact6087 no but why partial human rights?
Germany did not get knocked out of the World Cup because of some minor protest gesture. They were knocked out because they were not good enough to advance. Anyone arguing something else it trying to get the situation to fit a narrative that fits their own views. I do agree that the captains of all the teams that were planning to wear the armband should have called FIFA's bluff and worn the armband anyway and walked off the pitch.
They are good enough to qualify comfortably, at least on paper. They have recent champions league winners in gnabry, muller, rudiger, neuer, kimmich, havertz, etc. And they have a manager who won the UCL. It’s the players’ attitude on the pitch that cost them. They started well enough against japan, but after scoring, they looked lazy, thinking the game was already won. Just look at rudiger mocking asano in the game against japan. They only started threatening after conceding the second goal. Then they managed to concede 2 goals against costa rica, who had a total of 2 shots in the tournament before facing them, before scoring the 3 goals. They have the quality, just not the right attitude.
These are the same people who keep saying politics and football shouldn't mix, yet they say Germany got knocked out cause of politics. Absolute flip floppers
you are trying to reason with people that genuinly think that "sky man said in a book" is a legitimate political argument, you will never win
It is very simple: Germany went to Qatar with an agenda, not to play football.
True but it’s very possible that their focus on these issues distracted them from preparing properly. Also I am not convinced that every single player on the team wanted to do this because people have very diverse political opinions, so it was actually a bullying tactic of them to pressure them all to do this
What's funny is how football fans mostly have been so defensive of Serbia and Hungary's ultras bigoted behaviors as "minor occurances" and even free speech..
Yet they have been very very dismissive of human rights issues like lgbtq+ rights as "No politics in football".
Like maybe just maybe.
They do want politics in football. Just only those which they agree with.
^^
like UEFA's bigoted behaviour against eastern european teams and nations? why are uefa referees so bigoted themselves? and then we're racists and a nation of racists when a romanian referee said "ăla negru" which means "the black one", and he was almost suspended because uefa can't fucking understand that other languages have different terms. very surprising that we're bigoted apparently against you when you are against us and give us all a bad name
or maybe people and children especially don't want to know about two dudes taking it up the ass?
I have nothing against the message that Germany was trying to send, but you really aren’t gonna get anywhere by protesting LGBT rights in a country like Qatar, it’s unfortunate but I don’t see that country changing anytime soon no matter how hard you protest. I’m more sad at the fact that these players and teams aren’t protesting for the migrant workers that died to build the stadiums they’re playing in
@@bababababababa6124 facts like what is the point of protesting it in the Middle East… I know there are LGBT people there but they probably make up about 0.0001% of those countries populations 😂most people there probably don’t even know what it means
9 times out of 10 you’ll just get mocked for it like Germany did
I have a theory about why Germany was eliminated: Japan's team just out-thought and out-fought Germany, defeating them on the pitch. Germany then found themselves unable to defeat Spain or sufficiently run up the score on a Costa Rica team that wasn't going to let it happen twice in 3 games, as any CONCACAF observer might have said ahead of time.
I happen to love this generation of the German team; they're the first team I called as WC winners 4 years ahead of time, based on their youth and performance in 2010, and watching that show they put on against Brazil was among the 3 most astounding things I've ever seen on live TV (along with 1/6 & Lewandowski's 5 in 9).
My 4 years out prediction about Germany this time: Not sure about the team, but I will not be surprised if Joshua Kimmich gets a chip on his shoulder that drives him to get even better, thanks to his sub-par (for him) play in this tournament, and he comes back to win the golden ball in 2026.
What does 1/6 refer to?
man, why are people spreading conspiracy theories about on-pitch performance influencing football results, when it's clearly what the teams do during the team photo that is the defining factor.
@@thecrimsondragon9744 gonna guess he's referring to the Barcelona comeback against PSG
@@1998Cebola Right?! Going around foolishly thinking that complex mathematical theorems predicated on numeric values ascribed to wins, losses and draws will ever be understood by the laypeople. Pffsh! It's like, dial it back a little, Pythagoras, do I look like Will Hunting to you? Just tell me which no-no words they said --- or didn't say --- and we'll get on with our lives.
Alfie is one video away from being a wanted man in the gulf region lmao
as he should be,the guy is as annoying as thogden
Then why do you watch his videos gang?? Lmaoo
@@londonisforeverblue1022so why are you watching?
@@archstanton6102 because he has the right to watch whatever video he chooses to watch, you dummy
@@abstraqtphilosophy7357 If you are watching only to whine and complain, them I question the logic of doing that?
Where did I say he couldn't watch or didn't have the right to watch. Perhaps you should focus on comprehending English before commenting?
I am only 2 minutes into this and you are making MORE sense than any of the British media on this.
Probably the American media as well.
I doubt most of the media know anything about football anyway.
@@andyukmonkey Certainly true in America, they only care about football when its the world cup. I assume some people within the media elsewhere (England, EU, parts of africa and south america etc.) support teams and follow football it just depends on their role if they get to talk about it.
28 minutes of Alfie essentially saying "they're all effing stupid, they're all effing stupid, they're all effing stupid" will never get old
I am a huge Brazil fan so I was ecstatic when Germany got eliminated because of 2014 😬. But not once did it cross my mind that Germany’s performance would in any way be compromised because of a tiny protest they did. Enjoying a giant slaying in sports is natural but giving it such ridiculous reasoning like what some people are doing is just appalling. At the end of the day, players are human beings who have the right to have their opinions. High time people realize they are not robots
But what do footballers actually know about these issues? I bet if you actually asked them to articulate their thoughts all you would get is regurgitated cliches and lots of “eeerrrm”
They should just focus on playing football and keep politics out of the game, they are footballers after all, not intellectuals
greetings from germany! my money is on brazil in winning the cup this time!
👏👏
But germans are robots!
@@hmu05366 Not sure if you need to be an intellectual to think homosexuality shouldn't be a crime, or that women should be allowed to make decisions for themselves. People say keep politics out of sports but sports have always involved politics.
Germany had the biggest gap between xG for and xG against of any team in the groups. Their only failing was in desperately poor shooting, which is likely substantially luck over just three games but can also be blamed on playing without a proper striker a substantial amount of the time. It's not the disaster some would have you believe.
Maybe if they were homophobic they’d have scored their chances, totally it’s the lgbtq agenda that made them finish bad😤😤
True... their only and fatal mishap were those 20 minutes where they allowed Japan to score twice and couldn't mount a comeback. The rest of their participation was fine and should've been enough to advance to the knockout stage.
They were pretty rubbish in the first game, after that they looked like a decent team. Don't think they need to panic, just need to grow a decent striker from somewhere...still gutted they pinched Musiala off us, he really does look like the real deal
@@bagpussmacfarlan9008 I disagree completely. They were superb in the first half against Japan, had a dodgy 20 minute spell, and finished just as strongly. They dominated most of the game, created a series of good to great chances, and just missed them all. It was probably their best performance, but for the awful shooting.
this is happening for 5 Years now
This ain't luck anymore
Musiala, Gnabry or anybody would have burried these chances for their clubs teams but for Germany they don't have to confidence anymore
Could we get a follow up on the reasons you think Germany actually went out I.E the weaknesses in the squad which resulted in a poorer performance than many expected or just how good are Japan since they did beat 2 European powerhouses. In term of protesting FIFA Japan's second goal against Spain might have been FIFA trying to knock Germany out by allowing the goal to stand but then I am cynical
I can do it for you in 3 words.
No Center Forward
@@96wtfomg One word efficiency > Shite
but the goal stood because the ball didn't actually cross the line.................
Same reason why alot of teams were underwhelming this world cup.
Only 1 week of preparation because it is mid season
Lack of trust from the coach in Füllkrug and a very shaky defensive line
Alfie ............YOUR BEST VID and there have been many !!! greetings and merry Christmas from Portugal
Also funny is knowing that Germany national team could beat Qatar over and over whilst doing that protest.
Duh, armbands don't restrict blood flow
Thank you for pointing this out. It is too true that Germany would have been favorites to beat Qatar if they met in the tournament
Funny then, that Iran - a nation that was very vocal about its own government, being very political in the process - outperformed what was expected of them and was just a single goal away from reaching the round of 16.
As for Germany's "protest": A team doing something together actually strengthens the team spirit and morale, so it's usually beneficial to do something like that.
It amazes me how Qatari's assume this WC was so great, chances are there wont be another world cup hosted there EVER regardless of the bribes due to the consistent lies and controversy
2034 World Cup: Saudi Arabia
i genuinely don't think i've ever disagreed with anything in a hitc sevens video, best football channel by a million miles
I haven't either, aside from the part in this video where Alfie paints Japan's LGBTQ record a bit too favourably.
Agree. This discussion about One Love etc is ridiculous. It's here to divide the society. I have been socialized 40 years ago, we gave a shit about gay or whatever.
Maybe you are living in a social media bubble, just saying
He thinks homophobia is wrong (which yeah, it is) yet fails to mention the elephant in the room: Islam and homophobia go hand-in-hand. His outrage feels fake AF until he states clearly that Islam and Western values are simply incompatible and clearly cannot co-exist.
Go outaide, alfie isnt laying out anything abnormal or groundbreaking. Once you see a couple of vids you realise its all colored and extremely biased towards his political/social/life views and its defenitely not TRUTH OMG HES SPITTIN FACTS
I watch about 90% of your videos and this one is one of my most favourite, as I respect nothing more than a huge smartass and this is the perfect video to represent this; let alone how informative it is about why I'm so disappointed that this was the location of the first World Cup that Canada qualified for since 1986.
What rant! Shame that a huge stage like a World Cup is used to promote ANYTHING but sports.
I think the World Cup promoted football itself in the Middle East.
I've loved your coverage of this World Cup, both in the build up to and during the competition. Personally, I haven't watched a single second (including the qualifiers), so being provided 20/20 vision to what is actually taking place and the narratives being driven alongside it has been invaluable to me. Thanks for your hard work, as always Alfie.
Well, thanks for displaying your naivety. As a guy who in Qatar for eight days for the WC, I can confidently say that Alfie is full of 💩
Another banger Alfie. Your sarcasm is always on point.
A beautiful video. I say all this in my head when scrolling through Twitter.
World Trade Order???
@@smittenthekitteninmittens2679 nope, family initials.
Germany lost against japan because they underestimated japan. Japan was great in that game, but germany allowed them to be. Look at rudiger clowning asano with that stupid run and then laughing about it. I like germany, but that attitude is unacceptable, and they rightly lost the game. The other players might not show it, but they were equally guilty of underestimating japan. Musiala was the only one who seemed to work hard in that game. I dont believe the hand in mouth thing caused them to lose, but if they’re preaching love, they should start by respecting their opponents.
The sarcasm from 11:00 to 12:12 had me cracking up 😂 brilliant video Alfie!
People also say that Japan won through the power of anime and friendship. Why not make a whole video on that
It’s almost as if it was mocking because people expected Germany to win too.
lol, and you believe that do you?
@@kevinb9830 r/whoosh
Let’s be honest, most of the ones complaining about the protest were people with conservative or far right sympathies
your point?
As a Muslim I hope everyone saying “respect Qatar’s culture” will be okay with the hijab being banned at the next Olympics because well it’s France’s culture and my fellow Muslims who are defending Qatar will be hypocrites for criticising France
One of your best videos mate. Love the harsh cynicism and downright brutal analysis of these clownish arguments.
They protested so hard they left the World Cup early💀
Holy crap, dude.
I was already enjoying the content lately, but this video was just savage.
How savage? I watch yt mainly on Xbox. I got out of bed, opened my laptop and came here to like, comment and subscribe.
Thank you.
THANK YOU 😭😭 I hate when people say that about Germany it was a five second protest it didn’t cause any player to randomly play horribly so much excuses other TH-camrs have been saying that the hand thing literally caused the whole team to crumble 🤦🏾♂️
Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity Alfie
Gotta say I have been loving your handling of this World Cup. While it’s been a thrilling set of games and it’s so easy to just ignore the underlying reality and enjoy good football, at the end of the day we can’t just pretend like the pitch hasn’t been a stage used by fifa and footballers for political protest. Having that privilege taken away in favor of satisfying the ultra wealthy is honestly disgusting. Thank you for making this video.
You keep dropping banger after banger of a video. Never stop, Alfie!
“Haha Germany should have focused on football”
Meanwhile fully focused on football homophobic countries like Saudi and Qatar made it to the next round right? Right?
Lol is that supposed to be sarcasm. Because it was poor one . I mean Morocco, Senegal etc did qualify or are you dreaming ?
Germany : 4 times wold champions being compared to Qatar and Saudi Arabia... Stay off the weed
@@ASK-ko9qxno that was supposed to debunk the point that a small act against discrimination is somehow the reason for Germany’s failure.
Anyways Germany played pretty well, just bad at finishing. Were among highest in xG stats in the group stages even
I'm sorry to tell you pal but 80% of all countries are homophobic.
German here. While it was not undeserved we are out (albeit kind of unlucky regarding the Spain:Japan match), it is funny how Qatar and Belgium (well, Hazard) made and make fun of the protest, while one team is one of the worst if not the worst performing host nation ever and the other is out as well.
Love that Hazard has to eat his words now. That was really assholish of him make such a dig against Germany especially Belgium performance getting knockout.
The Nazis can now go back to Gaymany and suck anything they want. Nobody cares.. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 The rest of the normal world is happy you mentals are out.
@@theredlineonepiece9811 Very good, did you come up with that yourself or did your stepdad tell you this after he left your bedroom?
@@Namorat Sorry, but we are a normal family. I am not an abused gay like you.. Nyahahahahahah!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Qatar is bad team even qatari know that but compare this to germany who become literal fuilare
Germany become a meme and laughing stoke espicially in eastern countries eastern europe even in w. europe and america 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
How about wearing an armband that just says CAPTAIN on it? Just saying...
thats too normal for these weirdos,they rather prefer supporting two dudes taking it up the ass
That would be redundant.
Everything Alf said about the ridiculous allegations against Germany for their small protest was so correct, but especially what he said about the clowns at FIFA - the biggest clown of all of course being Infantino (doesn't his name mean "childish" ? Spot on, Karma!).
Him cheerleading at rhe FIFA congress in Qatar, by demanding "Qatar, Qatar, Qatar" and "FIFA, FIFA, FIFA" from the delegates, was so unbelievably moronic I just couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing! Talk about selling your soul for money - he has sold his brain as well !
Absolutely! Players, teams and local FA's need to realise that they give FIFA the power that it wields against them. They have the upper hand in the long run.
The best video on the internet, Alfie you managed to put all my thoughts into one video. Well fucking done.
There is news already about German players not welling to protest but they were pressured by Neuer and Goretzka
Take it how you want but that German team was devided imo, specially against Japan.
Also it doesn't help when the fans booing you every game.
What are you on about fans boo footballers all the time and given i suspect they were not expecting the crowd to be in the majority regardless of the opponent in qatar you are talking out your behind.... i guess you are right the fans booing England at the Euros did nothing to help them win the final....so you must be right, pull your head in numpty! LOL
@@caseycoggan Now read my full comment before you answer I said "it doesn't help" I didn't say it was the only reason. Why do we have home and away games then? You answer me 🤷🏻
What happened to freedom of speech when it came to ozil and being ostracised and criticised by team mates and national leaders the hypocrisy is honestly blinding
What about him?
Whataboutism
freedom of speech is not freedom of criticism, why do self proclaimed free speech warriors not get that?
Ozil never sing the German national anthem while playing for Germany but when he was playing for a Turkish club he sing the Turkish national anthem.
Ozil never saw himself as a German he just wanted to play for Germany because they are a better team.
Ozil disrespected Germany many times but they took it as granted Ozil don't have a brain why he brings religion into football and there are other Turkish players like Gundogan and Khedira who never complaint about such things in Germany
Well he was told not to bring politics into to football which is fucking ironic 😂😂
Nail on head stuff! Well played Alfie!
BOB MARLEY WOULD BE FUMING TO SEE HIS ONE LOVE SLOGAN BEING USED BY LBGTQ PEOPLE!!
Knocked out at group stage twice in a row, from a world champion to memes.
they won it 4 times...how many times your country won it?
Italy didn't even show up, so there's always worse.
Mate Germany obviously aren’t out cause of their protest and people know that. People are just happy there out cause they’re hypocrites.
So why are people saying "they should focus on football" then?
@@ethandalton6480 maybe bcs it's the World Cup which happens once every 4 years and u should go to play football not do politics
@@yacinetaibi5835 you can do both. Wearing an armband doesn't hinder your ability to play football
@@ethandalton6480 going to a tournament with more focus on politics that football can... The proof u ask : Germany-Danemark-Belgium 3 nations considered favourites by many went to Qatar to preach their agendas.. Are out of the group stage
@@yacinetaibi5835 nobody considered germany and Denmark favourites to win...
The true heroes are the likes of Italy, Chile and Colombia. Boycotting this corrupt tournament altogether
Two words…. Jeffrey Epstein. 👀
Ok I think I'm going to piss off most people on here, but - the right place and the right time to protest against quatar was when they won the bid. Now it's too little too late. Quatar perceives westerners, as was to be expected, as meddling outsiders who ostracize them. Which is counterproductive for genuine social change that has to come from inside the culture - as has been the case in Iran for the last couple months.
"No politics in Football" also doesn't necessarily mean "no politics I dislike in Football" as you and other commentators try to insinuate. It Just means "talk about the Game, disregard everything else" .
Yes! All that its just PR move, to win naive minds
I really enjoyed this, not just for exposing the trolling behavior of the Qatari government and journalists (and bad-faith Twitter types) but for how you brought it around to other athletes who want to use their power and popularity for more than just self-promotion.
German here. Sadly there are enough people in Germany who think the team wasn't just focused enough because of the protest.
I imagine many of them belong to a certain ideology of 'peace'. Judging from what I've seen online, most of the flack is coming from Muslims and African Christians, as well as Muslims/Arabs living in the West.
Which is probably true, to some extent.
@@thecrimsondragon9744 aswell as the AFD and adjacent scums, that are eager to implement their own version of sharia law in the west
It’s true though. Also they had a slogan “Diversity Wins”. Japan is far less diverse so how did they win?
@@Number1Camper No, it's not. Germany's world cup winning squad was just as divers. So how did they win back then?
Middle Eastern right wingers when the Premier League aknowledges pride: "football should be football, no politics"
Middle Eastern right wingers when Qatar refuses to let gay people show affection: "You have to respect the local culture"
And?
@@LoyalFan9383 He is calling out their hypocrisy, as you well know so quit being a bellend.
Western politicians: „You need our ideals and we need your oil 😈“
Yet they have no issue with Palestine flags being displayed or pro-Palestine songs being sung. So much for politics and football not mixing.
In western media, I have seen more news about the LGBT flag invader than the Palestinian flag invader. I have seen less people in support with that too.
It seems People really wants to drag politics into sports but only the things that they like it 🙄
Lgbt is a bigger topic in every day western world, than Palestine. Why wouldn't it get more attention?
@@gb2983 exactly, because for the west, lesbians and gays not being able to makeout in public and drink alcohol is much more important than children dying in plaestine for no reason.😂
Fucking hypocrites man😂😂😂😂
@@aligatore9214 I dont make the rules man. Lgbt rights is western culture. Being anti lgbt is an attack on that. Human kind throughout history (all of it not just the west) values its culture, generally above its people, and even moreso people outside of it. In that sense its only as hypocritical as everything anyone else has ever believed in over something else.
that wasnt even an lgbt flag, it was a peace flag
@@gb2983 Yea man, establishin the rights of 2 guys fukin each other is more important than people getting killed. Why y'all were so sympathetic with Ukraine then?
Shakhtar Donetsk's owner even wanted Iran out because of their countries government. But the Iranian players gave the bravest protest in this World Cup
People who say they lost because of their protest are so dumb! Of course they came there to play football. They decided to also take the opportunity to protest against anti-human law, which some people call "culture". And it only took them like what? 5 seconds? Based on how many hateful comments I read after that gesture, I can only say that this protest made sense.
Anyway, Germany's team is still work in progress. They need to rebuild after so many great players retired from international football. This is normal, it's what every great team must go through. But they already have promising players (Musiala!). Just wait and see. They will add another star to their jerseys;)
They have silenced Mesut Özil for standing up against Uyghurs, of course you don't mention this in the video
He's mentioned it in other videos
Maybe just maybe you can be critical of that while still being critical of Qatar's treatment of the lgbtq+,women & migrant workers.
Just maybe🤷🏻
@@bthunderbolt4101 he's never mentioned it in any title or thumbnail in his video or his twitter,quite hypocritical if you ask me
@@londonisforeverblue1022 he mentioned a few years ago about him being frozen out of arsenal and that being one of the main reasons why
Also how he was censored from pes as well as most of Chinese media
Holy crap, this video broke my sarcasm meter machine
I find it hypocritical that Europeans tell migrants to follow their culture when they come to Europe yet they don't want to respect the culture of countries they go to. this has been an issue in the UAE for years. if you don't like it don't go there. it's called the world cup and you're not the only ones in it.
Agreed. Instead of talking about it so much, be true to your values and do t go to Qatar. Because everything else has just been empty words and protest. Nothing will change in Qatar
@@rexmfalme9781 but why do you even want to change someone culture to conform to yours ? that's my issues with those protests. all I kept hearing is them whining about gay rights and alcohol in stadiums while there was a lot of things wrong even by the cultural standards of Qatar like the treatment of the workers and corruption. it only make sense that if a place does not align with your values to keep away, not go and make them conform to you.
@@chawkichalladia1812 You're missing the point where you share a planet with the "other", so of course you want them to be more familiar. Alcohol I couldn't care less about but the other issues even if some were introduced by England and Christianity should be done away with like the kafala or completely criminalizing people who have no choice in what they are despite what some people would prefer.
Heck, I can understand the difficulty of changing a tradition based society to whatever its natural next step is, especially if your leaders are being propped up by the same people criticizing you. Ideally and the world is not ideal and never has been, accepting the existence of LGTBQ even while not in any way supporting or condoning it would make a difference.
@@phightinphil25 that only works if it's both ways. right now a women wearing a hijab can't find a job in a lot of European countries. also you can stay 3 weeks without the need for public sexual activities which is banned for everyone not just gays. if that's too much to ask then stay home the same way a lot of people don't go to other countries because they're uncomfortable with their culture or way of life. as for the kafala system, I already said that it was the real issue and they were put aside for rainbows and booze.
Another great video Alfie. FIFA are a completely corrupt organisation and the protests from the Iranian and German players should be applauded . The spineless responses of the National FAs to FIFA's sporting sanctions threat shows that words are cheap but "meaningful" actions (however minor) are too much to ask.
I think it’s shocking what Germany did. I bet they were practicing that for hours when they should’ve been training. Maybe then they might’ve made it out the group!
For clarity, in case there is any doubt (which I would hope there isn’t), this was sarcasm
It's always a good thing when virtue signallers fail.
the attempt and failed protesting by certain UEFA nations was absolutely embarrassing. i dont know what else you can describe it as considering the noise that was made about making a statement in Qatar, even if I strongly supported it. 2026 will see players be able to freely protest if they choose to
Fifa threatened to ban them from the tournament easy enough to make the m behave with red cards for captains and yellows for players for wearing it and thats only whats come out
@@simplesimonhadapie the players and teams should have called FIFAs bluff and worn the armbands anyway. It would have made FIFA look even more of a joke than they already are if they were shown to be booking players for supporting the LGBTQ community.
@@ethandalton6480 thats what i was trying to get at. as correct as i think their stance was on these issues, they ultimately still buckled when actually faced real consequences. it just makes it look like they dont actually care and were just being pretentious
Fifa threatening to fine Mexico for homophobic chanting seems somewhat hypocritical.
They won't, will they?
Players "protesting" in the same WC they gain millions from it, Hyprocasy at best
You listing down their campaign just made me realize, the Qatari NT has got to be one of the most forgettable teams (let alone host teams) at a World Cup.
Nah I don't think we will forget about them, for better or worse
One reason you did not mention was Spain throwing the game against Japan. You saw how they started running once Costa Rica was up 2-1 for a few minutes.
If Germany lost, it's simply because they didn't have the level to advance.
But it's still a pleasure to see them lose in the first round. How dare they protest while :
-they've done nothing to protect Ozil when he criticised China
-they made a deal with Qatar to get gas.
A real protest is one when you don't go at all. This situation makes Muhammad Ali still the best athlete of all time as he was banned from boxing during his prime for refusing to serve his country during the Vietnam War.
There are fucked up things in football and we must act against it. Last night, Gary Neville said that westerners don't have perfect systems. He criticised things that happen in Manchester, UK as a whole or even Denmark as his former team-mate Peter Schmeichel was there during the post-game review of Argentina's game last night. He mentioned how football players are given responsibilities that are up to politicians to make.
Please inform yourself before spreading that bs. Germany has nothing to do with Özil criticising the Chinese regime. Arsenal released a public statement in which they distanced themselves from Özil. This happened in December 2019. But Özil’s career as a international already ended after the 2018 World Cup…
Özil criticised china after he’d left lmfao. He got criticised in German because he said Erdogan is his president while at the same time countless German journalists where imprisoned in turkey
- Özil protested China after he left the German
- The players have no say on who the German Government buy oil from, nor has any of them supported it.
The players protested, not Germany as a state. THEY THE PLAYERS did not make a deal with Qatar to get natural gas. THEY THE PLAYERS did not do nothing to protect Ozil. People are not their country's government and these players are not the DFB. You're asking how dare they protest as if Manuel Neuer was in Qatar negotiating geopolitical aims.
@@caesar-dynastysports I'm not talking about the players but many journalists as well. Unless it wasn't covered, I haven't seen protests about the gas deal and it's less than likely Germans won't use gas knowing it's from Qatar. I know countries who would rather die than giving up on their principles.
Your videos since world cup started skyrocketed in quality so much that you easily became one of my top favourite youtubers and the only one whose videos I am actually sharing with friends. Well done mate, keep it up 👌
I already wondered why I get this video recommended specifically after I've watched a video about the US becoming more and more facist. The first 1:30 explain a lot of things lol.
Edit: As a German I'm actually quite glad we went out already. I was boycotting the WC either way, now with Germany out I at least don't even have to pretend I care. Also this was a nice reality check that not everything is sunshine and roses already, just cause we now have Hansi Flick instead of Löw, and a semi-young Squad. From here on out it can only go upwards, looking forward to 2024 when the Euros are here in Germany.
Deutschland is the laughingstock of this World Cup 😂
One of your best Alfie.
if human rights are their concern, then they will focus more on wearing armbands for child victims of war, victims of organ and human trafficking, or victims who threaten the lives of many people in all parts of the world
Whataboutism
@@allesklar9127 If Human rights were their concern, they wouldn't show up to the tournament at all, they are nothing but virtue signallers I was laughing when they got knocked out of group stage, next time don't bring your politics to a football tournament and who knows maybe you'll perform better.
@@tomatoisnotafruit5670 Protest is in their natural right. Did you not think Qatar wanted to gain something politically from the World Cup? Football is never just football, you are a fool if you can't see it. From their use of modern slaves to going back on their words about treatment of LGBT attendance; every fiber of this WC is political.
@@bernardz1885 No it's not, if they really wanted to protest they should have done so by boycotting, once they agreed to go and got payed to be there, they no longer have a right to protest, so they can STFU and do what they are paid to do there.
What are you talking about? Germany took many Syrian refugees witht their children who got access to free schools, healthcare etc. How many refugess has Qatar ever welcomed to their country? Whataboutism at it's finest 😂.
If these woke nations felt so strongly about issues they should have boycotted the World Cup.
Exactly
or take that yellow/red card. Surely, if you care that much then a booking would be easy to take
What does "woke" even mean?
@@jbhoycelts1170 Cultural Marxism. But expanded to include race, gender identity, sexual preference etc…
@@sarahjackson1860 so you'd describe more equal nations as Marxist????
Thank you, that was necessary Great video!
I know Alfie is ranting here but; didn't he actually big up the Qatar team (not country) because of who they brought in and the training and all that stuff and said they might actually be okay. But you're letting anger get the better of you. You're just like the rest of, you've let your anger at this idiocy make you grief the footballers of that country. Yes, you're a hypocrite and so am I and everyone on the planet, but mate you're a public figure (to a certain extent) so you have to actually be careful about this stuff.
One of the things that people loves to see more than seeing an underdog rising, is seeing a Titan falling. Germany is the unfortunate one here, and probabbly their act of protest is going to be overshadowed by their failure in this worldcup, let alone, people overblowing the fact that they lost because they covered their mouths in protest (even thought that's a very stupid argument since Germany has been in the gutter for years when it comes to their NT performance).
However... my respect goes to the Iran's player that refused to sing their national anthem while the Iran govertment was more than willing to harm their family members if they refused sing it again. Those guys has more bravery in their toes than the entire teams participating in this tournement.
Lets here more virtue signaling from the morally superior and always right alfie.
Yes, his views are consistently good from a morality point of view.
@@soundscape26 Am bad at writing sarcasm, the comment was meant to be sarcastic. He's views are mostly European hypocrisy and frankly sound like they are being said by someone who knows nothing about the world except the one where his country are the morality police. yeah the righteous brits.
In Germany, you put people in jail for criticizing a government official online.. What part of free speech are you protesting?
11:33 I just want to imagine Flick telling Kimmich and Goretzka to watch Broke Back Mountain a night before the game
That whole sequence in the video was top sarcasm.
Goretzka was too busy doing steroids cause he's such an upstanding young man.
Germans too focused on "One Love" and get a "One two" then eliminated by a "One Two" too.. lol
Dead joke
@@OliverLivesey28 Keep crying gays 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Can't say I'm sad lgbt stuff isn't the main attraction at the world cup.
We'll have US and Canada for that in 2026.
Alfie you're a legend mate. Love this kind of content. Far too many people on this platform are happy to just report what happens on the pitch. This game is powerful and corrupt. Keep up the good work.
Belgium, Germany and Denmark all attempted protests and all had terrible world cups lol
Correlation doesn't mean causation
@@arturoflash exactly, but it is a funny coincidence you have to admit 😂
@@arturoflash keep politics at home.
@@jutsu1 pls shut your mouth when you don't know what you're talking about
@@jutsu1 sport, especially international sport, doesn't exist in a bubble. Sport has always been political. You must have hated it when Denmark won the Euros
Germany are signing a 15yr deal to buy energy from Qatar.
That’s all you need to know.
Why Germany discriminates the human rights by preferring LGBTQ rights OVER the rights of occupied territories of Palestine??
how can a child be lgbt? I don't really understand
I think people don't like the idea of children/teenagers developing self identity and sexuality. But people don't just develop sexuality at 18 believe it or not... Think about it, I'm sure you started fancing people aged around 8 or 9. Why would it be different for gay people?
U really need to attend some sort of psychology workshop or something to learn about psychosexual development. A quick research on the internet does the job too 😉
@@lollipopsaresmelly that makes sense. im not hating lgbt or anything. I've just never met anyone knowingly from the community. its not common where im from and not really talked about in a positive light. you are right you don't just develop overnight so I don't see why it'd be any different based on your sexual preference. thank you
I love your content Alfie
Please don’t ever stop🙏🏼🙏🏼
What I find most shocking is Japan losing to Qatar in the 2019 AFC Final.
Japan sent an Under-23 side to the Asian Cup.
@@paulorocky That explains it.
They did also beat South Korea to be fair, with from what I gather, was a full strength team, Son included.
I always come back to this point, won’t it be a better protest if the the countries didn’t show up to the World Cup and instead play friendly against each other or act like they’re no World Cup and continued their league system. It’s a bit idiotic to show up to the thing youre protesting. As Qatar wins, they wanted eye balls on their country for hosting the World Cup, imagine if country didn’t show up or refuse to play qualifiers, fifa would be more selective with their wc host. FIFA now knows if the select a controversial host, they will have to deal with little protest but the viewing numbers and fans engagement will be around the same levels. You can’t have it both ways, you hate watching something still counts as a view, it’s not like there’s a different category for hate watching or your view doesn’t count. The only way change happens if you let your money and time do the talking.
I agree completely, but I think most fans want to watch the matches no matter how much they don't like Qatar or any one individual issue.
This channel only gets better, keep up the good work mate.
An awful lot of Qatari and Arab people are slamming Germany and using the argument that the local culture and laws should be respected.
I can only assume these same people are more than okay if European countries implement laws to restrict the use of hijabs, niqabs and burkas, because in European culture it’s important to show one’s face and hair.
Freedom of speech and expression is also part of the culture in many Western countries, so next time someone makes insensitive remarks about Islam, defaces a Koran or insults the Islamic faith in some other way, I don’t expect to hear a peep out of these people.
If Middle Eastern countries want to host global events and be a part of the world, they have to accept the scrutiny which comes with it.
My country, Australia, along with New Zealand will be hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year. No doubt some media agencies may run features on indigenous disadvantage and the plight of asylum seekers. As far as I’m concerned they will have every right to do so.
Western countries claim to be multicultural and have conceded any sense of "our culture" through their rampant colonisation. Qatar is a strict Islamic state that while having mostly expats (altho not citizens), does not acknowledge itself as a multicultural state. Hence it is stupid to ban such items of clothing.
i’ve never even thought about it like that, thank you. that’ll be an argument i’ll bring up when people try to justify their blatant homophobia by masking it with religion
@@cbh14 I am wondering why religions evolve in the ways they do and why certain religions always seem to get defensive about clearly wrong actions. Anti LGBTQ and womens rights for Islamic faiths and Invading everybody they view to be inferior and forcibly converting/demonizing other religions and peoples for Christianity.
The thing is half of the people in Western countries think their own rules are racist and shouldn't be respected. It's not a one to one comparison when the values of one culture are deliberately being undermined by idiots.
People seems to love saying the gesture are useless but that 5 second gesture lives rent free in their head and causing them so much distress lmao
Who's actually "not focusing on football" now?
Perhaps guys like you. No one around me in my country even remember that cheap move by Germany lol.
It is useless. Its more like a pat on the back for people who believe they should have rights. For the rest of the world they just see a heirchy of value and convenience. For instance it was more convinient for the Germans to protest in the the name of LGBTQ+ than the migrant workers. It is what it is.
My think it is not useless, but its fake, just a PR move, if the teams/players really support this, they wouldnt agree on the event with 12 years on advance, on even gain money with that, they dont care about, just want get 'good image' while doing the completely opposite
@@RoyMatzem Exactly. To alot of people, even if they are all for LGBTQ+ rights they just see selective outrage. Convinient outrages. Not saying gays dot exist in Qatar, or anywhere, but why did the Germans not do that for migrants instead. Its a hierarchy of victimhood based on convinience. Everyone just patting themselves on the back.
Wdym? German medias keep talking about this bullshit even after multiple days. Lmao they wanna make propaganda but idiots like you are too blind too see that. Germany will be enjoying that sweet Qatari oil tho 😂
Thank you for this video 👏🙏
Sadly, the narrative pushed by Qatari officials surrounding the protest are very much deliberate (They feel their Shariah laws are being mocked lol, the irony) and this is fuelled by far right extremists/ homophobics. And I say this confidently cause I am from Islamic background living in a muslim majority country and unfortunately, we can ignore even the most violent crimes but when it comes to LGBT issue, all hell break loose
It's not that they felt their Shariah laws were being mocked, its because they felt germany didn't respect thier laws by staging a protest, so they thought of sharing how they felt about it when germany got knocked out. I mean, wouldn't you feel offended if you thought someone didn't respect your way of living?
So in youtube there are a lot of videos with opinions regarding a range of different subjects. It is obvious that you are gonna have some videos which are just not good, in the sense that they don't present their message properly or they forget about an important fact or two and so on. But sometimes you come across a video that has such a bad take on something that you just have to talk about it.
It is unfortunate that this video is one of these cases.
The biggest problem with Alfie's perspective is, from what I gather, the misrepresentation of a lot points that are a part of an entire complex situation. There are several examples of this across his video like: making a strange comparison between Qanon and the people who are against Germany's posture before their game, saying that a demonstration in the most popular sporting event across the globe is "a small thing", that thousands of migrant workers died during the construction of stadiums and infrastructure when there's little proof regarding these figures, that fans that are concerned about how some teams seemed more concerned about political statements rather than getting results in the wc are somehow making the argument that the Germans only lost because they covered their mouths and etc.
His entire argument, which ultimately is a protest against this cup being in Qatar, needs these sort of exaggerations to make sense, which, again, happen several times in this video.
It is more unfortunate however that it's not surprising that this channel would have this kind of take on a serious discussion with a lot of depth and nuance. Because this type of attitude of not trying to hear the other side, a loose relationship with truth, offering only surface analysis of problems that are much more complex and bigger are nowadays very well described by the term "British journalist", which is what Alfie is.
Gayship will never be more important than the World Cup and football. Just ask 75% of the world's population.
It´s a HUGE shame! Qatar is a traditional, conservative muslim country! If you like it or not, dear Germans, but at least SHOW SOME RESPECT! It is absolutely right not to wear this "Armband" in a conservative-muslim country! Either you respect the traditions, values and religion of your host, or you stay at home! Period.
Respect should be earned, not given. But I will agree that rules/laws of a country should be adhered to
Anyone who''s been watching Germany play these past 4 years won't be too surprised they didn't escape the group.
The first game went bad but all they needed was for Spain to at least draw with Japan.
If they really honest about freedom of speech in football, it should go in both ways. They should allow pro lgbt protest as well as protest against lgbt. Since there are also lot of players not accepting lgbt.
You start putting out gestures like this during a tournament like the world cup and you are obviously going to lose your mental edge. Look at England taking the knee, even before the game starts they are already on their knees to their opponent. That has a massive mental effect during the game, which proved to be the deciding factor for that team.
Brilliant video. I'll have to remind everyone the only reason I'm not a professional footballer is because I care too much about other people, and not because I'm bad at football.
I don't think that anybody actually believes that Germany lost because of the protest. They just want to be homophobic.
The German players where quite arrogant though in my opinion, like when Rudiger was trying to make fun of the Japanese. I didnt like this protest, because they only did it to get attention. It was not there right place or time to do it, and they should have understood that, instead of being so naive and silly. I was quite happy when Germang was out of this tournament, not gonna lie
Please... Rüdiger often runs like that and he explained already in Chelsea and Madrid why he runs like that sometimes. The only thing I can say as a german... is that the german medias were arrogant. They celebrated the draw against Spain like a win and they were almost sure they will reach round of 16, because "Spain will never lose to Japan". I'm sad that my country is not in the tournament anymore... but I hope that after this and the last WC, all people and players realize that you have to fight and give 90 minutes 110%... then you also can win dirty games like Algeria 2014...
Hope the best for your Team. But please don't think Rüdiger is arrogant.
Ps: sorry for my english
@@w0lfgang2812 At least Japanese people would have recognized Germans as arrogant people lol