ClockworkOrange said:

All other football codes seem to have this under control. You talk back to a ref or umpire you’re penalised further. You touch a ref or umpire you are either sent off or will be suspended later.
Just implement post game reviews. Anyone who argues a decision, delays play, simulates injury (including simulating contact to a different part of the body to the actual contact) or touches the ref can get a card (hence can miss a following game) or a lengthy suspension.
Geez, you get a red for possibly saying something nasty behind your hand, but you can dig up a penalty spot and get nothing.

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I wish football referees were as hard on dissent as rugby union referee Wayne Barnes was after Dylan Hartley talked himself into an early bath.

theFOOTBALLlover said:

Every individual is unique so everything I'm about to say is broad. What would you want the international rules to be? Should they feel any less Moroccan because they have never lived there but maybe both parents brought them up with Moroccan customs?

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So what about all the Moroccan kids growing up in Morocco right now? Why not pick players who were born in Morocco? Why must only Europeans make the Atlas Lions squad? Why can’t those players, if good enough, play for their home countries’ teams?

If they’re not good enough then fine, and plenty wouldn’t be good enough. But some are, like Achraf Hakimi, so what are they doing? It’s the same as when Australians reject Australia, only that our player pool is much smaller so it’s even worse here.

HonestSpursFan said:

So what about all the Moroccan kids in Morocco growing up in Morocco right now? Why not pick players who were born in Morocco?

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What about all the Aussie kids growing up in Australia, why not pick a CB born here instead of Souttar?

Monoethnic Social Club said:

What about all the Aussie kids growing up in Australia, why not pick a CB born here instead of Souttar?

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We have multiple other CBs. And as I added, he was simply never picked for Scotland. Achraf Hakimi would’ve absolutely been picked for Spain and would likely start for Spain.

HonestSpursFan said:

We have multiple other CBs. And as I added, he was simply never picked for Scotland. Achraf Hakimi would’ve absolutely been picked for Spain and would likely start for Spain.

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"Absolutely" and "likely" are subjective assumptions. Each national federation has the right (in my opinion) to operate within their means when it comes to talent acquisition and identification. And adding to that , being born in one country, doesn't tie you to it emotionally unless you allow it to.. Each if us has the right to exercise free will and self determination. If these Moroccans expats feel tied to their parents country of origin and both FIFA and their own country grant them citizenship then carry on I say.

HonestSpursFan said:

So what about all the Moroccan kids growing up in Morocco right now? Why not pick players who were born in Morocco? Why must only Europeans make the Atlas Lions squad? Why can’t those players, if good enough, play for their home countries’ teams?

If they’re not good enough then fine, and plenty wouldn’t be good enough. But some are, like Achraf Hakimi, so what are they doing? It’s the same as when Australians reject Australia, only that our player pool is much smaller so it’s even worse here.

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So you are saying you'd only pick players born in that country? Just a quick Google search on our national team. Souttar and Burgess born in Scotland, Irankunda born in Tanzania, Mabil in Kenya, Degenek in Croatia, Circati in Italy, Paul Okon in Belgium & Toure in Guinea.

theFOOTBALLlover said:

So you are saying you'd only pick players born in that country? Just a quick Google search on our national team. Souttar and Burgess born in Scotland, Irankunda born in Tanzania, Mabil in Kenya, Degenek in Croatia, Circati in Italy, Paul Okon in Belgium & Toure in Guinea.

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EXACTLY.....

theFOOTBALLlover said:

So you are saying you'd only pick players born in that country? Just a quick Google search on our national team. Souttar and Burgess born in Scotland, Irankunda born in Tanzania, Mabil in Kenya, Degenek in Croatia, Circati in Italy, Paul Okon in Belgium & Toure in Guinea.

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I think the difference is between a large majority of them being based outside of Morocco throughout their lives. The only one in our current squad that really fits that ideaology (spelling?) is Souttar. Boyle would be in the same boat probably as well.

theFOOTBALLlover said:

So you are saying you'd only pick players born in that country? Just a quick Google search on our national team. Souttar and Burgess born in Scotland, Irankunda born in Tanzania, Mabil in Kenya, Degenek in Croatia, Circati in Italy, Paul Okon in Belgium & Toure in Guinea.

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All of those except Harry Souttar are immigrants. They lived most of their life here and all of them but Cam Burgess have Aussie accents.

NicCarBel said:

ideaology (spelling?)

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Ideology.

NicCarBel said:

Boyle would be in the same boat probably as well.

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And he also wasn’t getting picked for Scotland. You think they’d pick him in a squad with Scott McTominay?

Punchanello said:

Well said. It's not just Scaloniesque (it is) as you say, but written into the DNA of Argentine football when played at its best. Combative, looking to control even when in defence, craft and creativity. The fan atmosphere around the Albiceleste is not just patriotism, it's joy in the embodiment of and identity through that aesthetic and mindset.

When the tackle from behind was outlawed, Argentina struggled for a decade at least and WC performances suffered. You could no longer defend as aggressively with the fall back of being able to make a clean tackle from anywhere backwards of the lateral line of an attacker's shoulders. But that rule has softened over time with the emphasis now on the quality of the challenge, and the Martinez/Romero partnership is a welcome return to some of that kind of defending.

It's probably unfair not to include Leandro Paredes in this conversation as well .

He plays that 5 position impeccably. I think Scaloni believes Paredes (and Alvarez) are in his A team and would have liked to have started both in every game so far.

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Yep....Your observation about the outlawing of the tackle from behind is a masterclass in tactical history.....

For years, that rule change forced a period of existential crisis for Argentine defenders. They had to transition from "hunters" to "systems-based obstructors." The fact that Martínez and Romero have mastered the current "grey area" of the rules where the referee allows a high-intensity, physical challenge if it is timed with technical precision is exactly why they feel like a throwback. They have reclaimed the right to be "hunters" within framework of the modern game.

Also....You are spot-on to bring Leandro Paredes into this. If Romero and Martínez are the sword and the shield, Paredes is the maestro of the match’s tempo. The 'Cinco' or number 5 and very much a "heartbear of the team" type of player...

I love the way he manages the game’s "rhythm." When Argentina needs to kill the momentum of an opponent, Paredes slows the play, recycling possession with short, precise passes. Conversely, when the gap opens, his long-range distribution can instantly bypass the opposition's press.

Scaloni’s trust in these players shows he isn't just picking the "best" players, he is picking the players who collectively embody that Argentine spirit.

Pub League Champion said:

You have a football blog! I’ll check it out

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Yeah, it's a bit amateur hour but French football is my guilty pleasure!!!

It's a league that often gets dismissed because of Paris Saint-Germain's dominance, but beneath that there's so much character...

Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais, AS Saint-Étienne, RC Lens, Stade Brest and others all have fascinating stories.

HonestSpursFan said:

So what about all the Moroccan kids growing up in Morocco right now? Why not pick players who were born in Morocco? Why must only Europeans make the Atlas Lions squad? Why can’t those players, if good enough, play for their home countries’ teams?

If they’re not good enough then fine, and plenty wouldn’t be good enough. But some are, like Achraf Hakimi, so what are they doing? It’s the same as when Australians reject Australia, only that our player pool is much smaller so it’s even worse here.

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People can be born in another country and migrate to another country, but still feel a strong connection to their home nation. Sometimes this comes with the idea of wanting to honour their parents, or give back, and in their way, playing for that country is doing that.

Whilst some of these players are born in Europe and play in Europe, they could be spending the rest of their time in Morocco, living normal lives there, running foundations or doing work there and contributing to the economy. If we start saying that players can only play for the country they were born in, this world cup would have quite a few players missing.

zimbos05 said:

People can be born in another country and migrate to another country, but still feel a strong connection to their home nation. Sometimes this comes with the idea of wanting to honour their parents, or give back, and in their way, playing for that country is doing that.

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You can be attached to your identity and still understand that you built your entire life in one country. Ale Circati cried after débuting for the Socceroos. That doesn’t mean he’s not allowed to be proud of his Italian background. He knows that while he was born in Parma, he grew up and spent most of his life in Perth. Same for Nestory Irankunda, he sacrificed a spot at Bayern’s highly prestigious academy so he could get more first team minutes and make the World Cup squad. He was born a Burundian refugee in Tanzania, but he grew up and spent most of his life in Adelaide.

zimbos05 said:

Whilst some of these players are born in Europe and play in Europe, they could be spending the rest of their time in Morocco, living normal lives there, running foundations or doing work there and contributing to the economy. If we start saying that players can only play for the country they were born in, this world cup would have quite a few players missing.

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My golden rule is being good enough. If they’re not good enough for their own country, then they can choose another. If they are, they should try and get capped by that country first. By “their own country” I mean the country they spent the most time in, where they were raised and grew up.

Michael Olise for example should be playing for England. He spent zero time in France, doesn’t even speak fluent French and spent his entire life in England (specifically London), only qualifying through his Algerian French mum. But, he picked France since obviously the Bleus are a better team than the Three Lions. In contrast, it doesn’t matter that Joël Piroe plays for Suriname because he’s clearly not good enough for the Oranje (and is mostly a sub at Leeds now that they’re in the Prem).

HonestSpursFan said:

You can be attached to your identity and still understand that you built your entire life in one country. Ale Circati cried after débuting for the Socceroos. That doesn’t mean he’s not allowed to be proud of his Italian background. He knows that while he was born in Parma, he grew up and spent most of his life in Perth. Same for Nestory Irankunda, he sacrificed a spot at Bayern’s highly prestigious academy so he could get more first team minutes and make the World Cup squad. He was born a Burundian refugee in Tanzania, but he grew up and spent most of his life in Adelaide.

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I think you just said what I said. People can be proud of their heritage, and that's why they choose to represent those countries.

HonestSpursFan said:

My golden rule is being good enough. If they’re not good enough for their own country, then they can choose another. If they are, they should try and get capped by that country first. By “their own country” I mean the country they spent the most time in, where they were raised and grew up.

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But that's not up to them though. Some players are good enough, but the football federation or the coach just refuses to pick them, and mistreats them., or maybe does something that doesn't align with them. So if that is going to happen, then why should they wait for that country.

HonestSpursFan said:

Michael Olise for example should be playing for England. He spent zero time in France, doesn’t even speak fluent French and spent his entire life in England (specifically London), only qualifying through his Algerian French mum. But, he picked France since obviously the Bleus are a better team than the Three Lions. In contrast, it doesn’t matter that Joël Piroe plays for Suriname because he’s clearly not good enough for the Oranje (and is mostly a sub at Leeds now that they’re in the Prem).

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I can see the point of pick and choose in the case of someone who has never ever spent time in that country, doesn't speak the language, know anything etc etc... - but just in saying that, Olise did used to travel to France as a kid a lot. he also represented their youth teams and Olympic side. However, I don't think you can tell a player that they have to wait to see if that country picks them because clearly they are good enough.

In some cases I think you have a point of players who pick and choose. Where I would be annoyed is with a player who does all their youth with a certain country and then decides to represent a different team because they may win more or something like that.

Barca4life said:

France too good, their attack is so scary as well how can you stop them from scoring is such a hard task.

For Morocco they should hold their heads held high, they are a inspiration for countries outside of Europe and how to create a team to go deep at a World Cup they will be strong at home World Cup in 2030 so they should continue to build.

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Morocco are current World Champions at U20 level, beating Argentina in the final (played in Chile) 2-0

theFOOTBALLlover said:

I thought Morocco would today but they didn't even lay a glove on them.

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As a mostly neutral I kept wanting Morocco to make a game of it. But the French never let them. Expect them to be World Champions and go down as one of THE teams in WC history. But come on England!

HonestSpursFan said:

All of those except Harry Souttar are immigrants. They lived most of their life here and all of them but Cam Burgess have Aussie accents.

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Careful mate you're straying into dangerous territory. Just get back to football. World cup supposed to bring people together

JS96 said:

One Moroccan player was only captaining a France youth side a few months back. I guess it's the suddenness and pickyness of it but if the rules allow it then they're going to do it.

The Moroccan team is simply much less Moroccan in a development sense. Australia have their own foreign developed players too but it isn't the scale that it's some European schooled select side.

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Curacao and Indonesia have a bunch of Netherlands born players. I have no problem with that. And anyway I'd bet Harry likes Vegemite