World Cup Diary | Day Four

Day 4: Germany v Japan, Spain v Costa Rica, Morocco v Croatia, Belgium v Canada

You can't silence democracy. For FIFA and Qatar every day is a school day.

It could have been so easy. When I was asked by @Global's network of radio stations about the decision by FIFA to effectively ban the One Love armband, I hadn't given it much thought. To me, it was basically another fairly meaningless gesture in an avalanche of meaningless gestures.

How many t-shirts and campaigns and altered logos have we seen down the years? How much has any of the equated to real change?

In fact, banning the armband has highlighted and prolonged the conversation about it even more. In fact, this is the sort of petty spat that might just be the feather that broke the camel's back.

Charles Bukowski said it best, “it's not the large things that send a man to the madhouse... but a shoelace that snaps.. with each broken shoelace out of one hundred broken shoelaces..”.

If FIFA had just let the players wear the armband, that would have been the end of it, another gesture, another statement. The law in Qatar would not have changed. Now the European Football Associations are angry, exploring their options, considering suing FIFA.

Day four began with Germany v Japan. The German team lined up for the photo covering their mouths. These are the sort of things that can snowball, a single snowflake, yes, a snowflake, can cause an avalanche.

What would FIFA be without the European Football Associations? What a World Cup be without European nations?

Since FIFA gate, when an investigation into the International footballing body found the organisation to be riddled with corruption, a new President has been added, some things have changed. But has the organisation really changed that much?

In his first speech as President, Gianni Infantino said to the delegates and representatives of Footballs global associations, “FIFA's money is your money”. The presidency is up for election at the 73rd FIFA Congress, 16 March 2023, to be held at Kigali, Rwanda.

Our money is your money. Unopposed elections. I would forgive anybody for thinking that this is business as usual.

Remember the shoelace, or the snowflake? Denmark revealed that they have been thinking, along with other Nordic countries, of leaving FIFA altogether, since August. Now that would be a statement.

Revolutions don't happen overnight. It's a steady progression of escalatory actions from both sides of conflict. But it feels like this armband could be the domino that brings FIFA down.

And a prediction: I bet Infantinto wishes he had just let them wear the armband.

Now from one organisation that causes mess, to fans that clean up after themselves and everyone else. Japan.

Powerful images of spirit and passion as another World Cup upset brought this tournament to life and took the headlines, however momentarily, away from all the off-field drama.

Germany had 81% possession in the first half, 5 shots on target, 5 shots blocked. Japan had one shot. They were hanging on. A tactical switch at half-time and the momentum swung significantly. Germany still had the majority of the possession. But the chances created were even.

When Ritsu Doan equalised four minutes after coming on, the Japanese could sense a shock in the making, when another substitute Takuma Asano put them ahead 8 minutes later, they were in dreamland.

The Samurai Blue were not dreaming though, they were banishing memories. It was in this city, 29 years ago, that Japan lost a World Cup qualifier. The Japane...