George Hamilton RTE on Twitter

17 comments

  1. Well done George. The absolute shambles made of the presentation and the sellout. Good comments underneath the tweet about Messi’s connections to oil money states.

  4. Messi didn’t win the WC, Argentina did. Obviously the arabs wanted to claim a bit for themselves, but you’re kidding yourself if you think this will be the photo he is remembered for. Also, total boomer take from George the auld hypocrite, but not surprising in the slightest. It’s funny how long it took him to say it though. I bet he even had to write it down on a piece of paper before he tweeted it lol.

  7. Was thinking it was odd he didn’t do the final, did he say something to piss off the Qataris. Maybe that was what the shiner was for.

  8. 1. Calling it a sponsors cloak is disrespectful. It’s a part of their culture.

    2. Saying it was to cover the shirt is not true, the shirt could still be seen.

    3. “Sport has gone to hell in a handcart” – then why did you go out there to Qatar and legitimise it? I didn’t hear Stephen Alkin who commentates on every world cup which makes me think he decided on moral grounds to boycott it. He was heard on a voiceover for Dunnes in the ad breaks.

    I hate these millionaires acting like they’re on the breadline and that they have to take the money for employment. They’re just playing both sides.

  9. RTE run a quiz competition that can best be described as a scam during the World Cup, stones and glasshouses.

  10. Well George, you all got a free trip to the world cup compliments of me, the last of the licence payers. I presume you will turn it all down in future given your outrage, and save RTE a few pound.

  11. everything feels so grubby nowadays.. maybe it’s always been like this.. it’s just they don’t give a fuck who sees anymore..

  12. Look, he’s not wrong, broadly speaking.

    But like it or not, we as a society have agreed to do business with these oil/Islamic states for decades now. And we are all stakeholders in their regimes, that’s the bitter pill no one seems ready to accept when this fools game of a debate pops up.

    We’re happy to pat ourselves on the back for appearing morally superior on social media, then nip out to fill the car up at the petrol station so you can collect the extended family from the airport in the morning. We don’t question ourselves when we consume the entertainment, tech, leisure, holidays and work for the MNC’s that they help fund. You have to accept that we are all complicit and arguing is pointless.

    This is an issue for Governments to settle with things like trade embargos etc. But that’s not going to happen. We want their money and resources. And unless you live off the grid, you want it as well to go about your daily life.

    The idea that Governments in the western world selling these states artillery or lobbying them for investment is fine, but said nation states buying/funding football clubs and players is the straw that breaks the camel’s back is insulting and disingenuous.

  13. I love the justification coming from many apologists that Messi was being “honoured by Royalty” – as if Royalty is something to be worshipped rather than an antiquated absurdity.

    The whole thing just summed up Qatar (and all other Conservative, authoritarian dictatorships) – they’re doomed to fail because they constantly promote appearances over substance. They scream discrimination when people rightly point out they ruined the trophy ceremony for a photo op, but they have absolutely no problem treating migrants/non-Arabs/non-Muslims as 2nd class citizens worthy of derision themselves. The lack of self awareness is mind boggling.

  14. He’s absolutely right. This would have been an appropriate gift to be given by the Emir in the dressing room but no, they wanted their symbol and reminder of Qatar to be enshrined in the most anticipated sports photo of the decade.

    It’s something we’ll have to get used to. KSA 2030 is almost a certainty at this stage.

Leave a Reply