• This is a reminder of 3 IMPORTANT RULES:

    1- External self-promotion websites or apps are NOT allowed here, like Discord/Twitter/Patreon/etc.

    2- Do NOT post in other languages. English-only.

    3- Crack/Warez/Piracy talk is NOT allowed.

    Breaking any of the above rules will result in your messages being deleted and you will be banned upon repetition.

    Please, stop by this thread SoccerGaming Forum Rules And Guidelines and make sure you read and understand our policies.

    Thank you!

The other end of the World Cup spectrum

P

Psyatika

Reserve Team
This is actually an article from last month, but i only just saw it now, and thought i'd share...

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1987737,00.html

Originally a soccer celebration, like the World Cup is a festival where profits, fans and players go hand in hand; but a mini-Cup in Hamburg will focus more on the beauty of the game itself- pitting Tibet against Gibraltar.

World soccer’s largest stage doesn’t seem to have space for everyone looking to see what’s taking place. Using its position as judge and jury, FIFA can keep a firm grip on the world’s most popular sport.

Regulations keep fans clutching at their radios for a chance to win tickets to a game because there are no tickets left, while dust gathers on tickets that sponsors have in desk drawers. Players on the world’s biggest teams cash their million euro checks before jogging back to defend corner kicks while fans shell out a day’s wage hoping for a rare moment of honest excitement.

Organisers of a mini World Cup, however, aim to bring passion — from players and fans — back to the game by staging a tournament in Germany’s northern harbour city of Hamburg, also one of the 12 host cities for the summer’s “real” World Cup.

Tickets for the May 29 to June 3 tournament featuring Greenland, Gibraltar, Tibet, Zanzibar and Hamburg’s own FC St. Pauli — often in a class of its own when it comes to fervent supporters — will be on sale at the gate without fans having to give up any of the personal information or processing fees that FIFA demands.

All the teams playing in the tournament have been left standing on the sidelines when FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, chooses who gets to play. Legally an autonomous part of Denmark, FIFA doesn’t answer anymore when Greenland knocks — the icy island doesn’t have a grass field that meets international standards.

Part of the African Soccer Confederation since 2004, Zanzibar’s “Malindi Red Socks” wouldn’t be allowed to play in the World Cup if ever managed to qualify because FIFA does not recognise them as coming from an officially independent state. A reasoning the soccer body repeats for Gibraltar and Tibet.

Now, why do Scotland, England and Wales all get to (at least) compete for a space in the World Cup finals again?
 
P

Psyatika

Reserve Team
By the way, i did a little research, and there were six teams involved.

1. Greenland (autonomous portion of Denmark, but not permitted to compete in FIFA competitions due to lack of standard pitch)
2. Zanzibar (two islands off the coast of Tanzania, which Tanzania claims as theirs)
3. Northern Cyprus (Turkey recognises them independent, but the rest of the world doesn't, including FIFA. Also called "Turkish Cyprus")
4. Tibet (considered by FIFA as part of China, the government of Tibet is in exile and living in India. In fact, every player who represented Tibet is actually living in exile in India)
5. Gibraltar (tiny piece of southern Spain on the strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. However it is considered part of the United Kingdom by FIFA. Spain wants it back, but the natives refuse any transfer, so the UK keeps it for its own)
6. St. Pauli (okay, this is a club team in Hamburg. However they have an unbelievebly rabid fan following, and "The Republic of St. Pauli" was called into existence solely for this tournament)

Monaco and the Vatican were among the nations who did not qualify (this is the finals, after all)

I don't know the exact fixtures, but Gibraltar defeated St. Pauli in the third place match, and in the final...

Zanzibar met Turkish Cyprus, and drew 0-0 in regulation.

Turkish (Northern) Cyprus won the Cup on penalties in front of over 4,000 fans.


Photos from the event

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,5538,PB64-SUQ9MTQxMzgmbnI9MQ_3_3,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,5538,PB64-SUQ9MTQxNDMmbnI9MQ_3_3,00.html
 
L

Limberopoulos21

Senior Squad
TIBET!!!! I once knew a man who spent 7 days in Tibet, then bam!!! he was shot after watching a delightful episode of Growin up Gotti... true story. Poor guy died later that week, coincidently watching Growing up Gotti simultaneously with Becker. Even a proctologist can't handle that much crap.
 
E

Elber2k3

Senior Squad
It was shown on TV here. I liked the Gibraltar players who were drinking beer while sitting on the bench.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Top