Silent Lonesome Man

A year after the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, the main character there, World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) officially issued that Russia will not be eligible to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup because of violation in doping regulation laws. This ban also extended to even the Russian Olympic Committee, meaning that Russia could not take part unless being designated as a neutral athlete organisation under Russian authorities and WADA. One goal for the WADA to do so is to completely dissuade Russia from joining the World Cup, at least if this is necessary to provide a clean space for sports. Hence, if Russia qualifies, they will just play as neutral team of the Russian Football Union sent to Qatar, at least. This should have a demoralising impact on Russia when they can't compete as an official nation. Overall, who else wants to watch their beloved national football team to play without a national flag and an anthem? However, after the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying phase, th...

I have written a previous article about Turkey and its switching affiliation between the AFC and the UEFA , given its geographical proximity. Yes, there are a lot of questions, but I guess when you wonder, the current campaign for Qatar 2022 may have provided insight. In particular, Vietnam suffered the most in this stage. You know, Turkey and Vietnam are not similar to each other. One is already recognised as a middle-sized power in European football, while one is just beginning to breathe the sky of the last round. The qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup between them is also different: Turkey belongs to the European front, while my country is Asian. Yet after seeing how the run in Asia worked after just two matchdays, one may conclude why the Turks have little optimism to join the AFC. Best seen with the situation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying in Asia were Vietnam's games against Saudi Arabia and Australia at home already. The first match against Saudi Arabia saw th...

Third-place. Third in a FIFA World Cup. You can imagine this in Turkey after the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. And more of irony: this is Turkey's just only second appearance. Most of the Muslim-dominated countries do have national teams that qualified for more than a World Cup, but only two appearances is a surprise. Yet Turkey achieved the unthinkable that still, no Muslim majority countries could: finishing in the last four. Ever since the Turks opted to join the European football family, the question has always lingered among the Turkish population that, should they have switched to the Asian football home instead, or stay in Europe for better football development. Many people question the same, why Turkey has little success in qualifying for more than two World Cups in spite of mad supporters? Turkey is a country with a rich history. It was conquered by the Byzantine and the Persians for various eras, then the Arab expansion before the Turks settled in Ana...

Only a few days ahead before 2 September 2021 - the day where all the World Cup qualifications began to restart, or kickstart. Every national team is hurried to summon its best, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic that has prevented fans from fully attending games. Of course, the World Cup is a lucrative matter - no one wants to cancel it. Yet perpetration is not that simple. In addition to having been safe enough, players must be gathered at full strength of having potential replacements. This is something Poland struggling to grapple over, somewhat darkly comical rather than a well-organised one. So what has led to this comical misery? Every evidence leads to the head, unsurprisingly, the blame lies mostly on the PZPN, which controlled Polish football since its inception in 1919. Then, the players are also at fault to judge. In the end, the wrong philosophies are also reasons to examine Poland's tragicomical affairs since the collapse of communist rule in 1989. To start with,...

If you're surely used to hear about Brexit from the European Union, then yes, there are several varieties, notably Hunexit (Hungary's exit from the EU) and Polexit (Poland's exit from the EU). Yet there is a looming threat, hidden one but is growing more relevant from time, that the UEFA may have not seen within: the exit of a potential member. This member doesn't gain so much attraction, but it is speculated that at least for the next 10 years, will be crucial to see if this country can make it greater, or just staying the same, or could be worse. This member is Kazakhstan, which joined UEFA in 2002. Kazakhstan has a long history of an ambitious project to join the UEFA. It sought to participate in the UEFA in 1996, citing that the Soviet-era helped bring Kazakh players to experience European football. Well, it was partially true, but the development of football in the USSR wasn't equal at all. The two biggest football factories the Soviets built were Ukraine and R...

The tournament had ended. Yes, the tournament's name didn't coincide with the year but created so many dramas. I still have a lot of strange feelings about it. Here is my personal thought, and only from my viewpoint. The ghost of 2007 AFC Asian Cup The European tournament held in 2021, a year late due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had offered some looks for us, but in the end, it was perceived poorly by the President of UEFA, Aleksander Čeferin. Little to know, the Europeans borrowed this from Asia - back in 2003, the President of the AFC, Mohammed Bin Hammam, proposed an idea of more than two nations to join hosts of the UEFA European Championship's equivalent - the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. It was endorsed and finally, in 2004, four Southeast Asian nations were approved as hosts (Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia). In the aftermath of the 2007 Asian Cup, Bin Hammam strangely changed his note, citing his disappointment and promised to never do it again. Bin Hammam would have...

Comparison in the most popular sport in the world appears not wrong overall. If you are a deeply passionate football lover, then football has no border. But even then, that doesn't make sense for me to not think about one of the most absurd comparisons. Yeah, the most popular comparison has to be taken, seriously - South America vs Europe, or... else? That's what I'm talking about. Why is it so absurd? I would rather address the reason for this comparison to be taken. Map of South America. Map of Europe. Already who learnt geography will be very clear about South America and Europe be like. South America is a bit special because it is a subcontinent within a continent: it is part of the Americas, the New World named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian merchant who discovered the continent. Henceforth the development. This was also what started the complicated situation. When it comes to football, South America has been, rather, treated like a separate continent...