Winners and losers | The Press

(Doha) The first round is over. What do I remember? Huge surprises on the pitch and intense political crises behind the scenes. Who are the winners and losers so far? The envelope, please.

The winners

The viewers

FIFA has decided to fight timeouts. So every second lost by a player on the ground, a lengthening substitution or a stretching celebration is now compensated with action time, at the end of each half. It gave us the longest first round matches in World Cup history. Now, who will complain about five extra minutes of real play, instead of five minutes wasted on tataouinage? Neither you nor me.

The Japaneses

Defeating the Germans was already a feat. Beat the Spaniards too? It was unexpected. Even more incredible: in these two games, the Japanese hardly touched the ball. Only 26% of the time against the Germans, and 17% (!) against the Spaniards. This is the lowest possession rate of a winning team in a World Cup game. Not just this year. In the whole story. A lesson in opportunism.

Moroccans

One of the best defensive formations in the tournament. She conceded only one goal, and it was a cross deflected by one of her own players into her net. After the elimination of the Qataris, Saudis and Tunisians, the Moroccans are the last representatives of the Arab world in this competition. Their fanbase here is passionate, loud and intimidating. “The Moroccan fans were wild,” Canadian defender Alistair Johnston said after Thursday’s game. “It’s the craziest atmosphere in which I have evolved. Play at Azteca Stadium [à Mexico], it’s nothing compared to what we have just experienced. »

Stephanie Frappart

The French referee became, on Thursday, the first woman in history to lead a part of the men’s World Cup. It should be noted that for the Germany-Costa Rica match, she was also assisted by two women.

Losers

The Belgians

Lady Pagaille and Capitaine Twist have invited themselves to the Belgian camp, where the veterans spent the World Cup washing their dirty laundry in the middle of the souk. “I think we have no chance of winning, we are too old,” complained Kevin De Bruyne first. 35-year-old defender Jan Vertonghen, who surely felt targeted, replied: “I guess we attack badly, because we are also too old in front. Then Eden Hazard had to defend himself for having fought with Vertonghen, as the newspaper reported The Team. “There was a discussion at the hotel, but we didn’t fight. I’m not stupid either. He is taller than me ! Belgium, who bet on 12 players in their thirties here, beat Canada, but it was not enough to advance to the round of 16.

The Germans

“It is certainly the end of a great nation of football”, said the daily Picture, after the early elimination of Germany. “You don’t have to look too far to find the main culprits: the federation, the coach and the players. “That’s still a lot of people. The Germans have only two years ahead of them to perk up their program before hosting Euro 2024. It will be difficult, after what they have shown here.

Mexicans

For the first time since 1990, El Tri failed to qualify for the second round. “We are embarrassed and must apologize,” said one of the bosses of the selection, after the too short victory (2-1) against Saudi Arabia, an insufficient result to move on to the next round. The head coach, Tata Martino, has already left. “My contract ended as soon as the referee signaled the end of the game,” he said. Mexico, which will be one of the hosts of the next World Cup in 2026, had the second oldest formation in this tournament, after Iran. He has four years left to develop a succession worthy of his rich footballing tradition.

FIFA and human rights

Qatar, as you will have understood in recent days, is not the world champion of human rights. His repression of members of the LGBTQ+ community and the way migrant workers were treated on World Cup sites have earned him a tsunami of criticism from Western companies. Reaction of the President of the International Federation: “I think that after what we Europeans have done for 3000 years, we should apologize for the next 3000 years before lecturing others. In the days that followed, FIFA went on a war over the rainbow armbands captains wanted to wear in support of the ostracized LGBTQ+ community in Qatar. A gesture of crass hypocrisy, considering that the rest of the year, FIFA carries out awareness campaigns against discrimination against members of the same community. For its inconsistencies, its disregard for human rights and its servility towards autocratic regimes, FIFA deserves a red card.