#gaggle of swedes

[sergeifyodorov]

Element 020 | Calcium | Borje Salming

Salming was one of the first European players to make an impact in the National Hockey League (NHL), for which he is often considered a trailblazer. Prior to Salming's arrival in the NHL, most North Americans considered European players too soft to play in the NHL.

About these "elements", Lavoisier reasoned: It is even possible that all the substances we call earths may be only metallic oxyds, irreducible by any hitherto known process.

for @simmyfrobby's series

[mariacallous]

MUSKO NAVAL BASE, Sweden—In a control room carved out of a mountainside near Stockholm, with seats four rows deep, Swedish Navy chief Ewa Skoog Haslum and a close gaggle of her staff look up at a giant monitor to see a troubling scenario unfolding in the Baltic Sea, almost in real time. Their ships are outnumbered. No one, it seems, is coming to help.

This is real life, not a simulation or a war game. It’s October 2023, some 17 months since Sweden launched its bid for NATO membership, and the country is still outside of the alliance. On a filtered maritime traffic map of the region projected above the sailors’ heads, several lonely Swedish and Finnish ships, marked in blue, make their way through the straits, gulfs, and thoroughfares of the eastern arm of the Atlantic Ocean. Without the help of the 31-nation alliance, they are dwarfed by red dots—Russian ships, some military, and others that the Swedes fear might have bad intentions—moving up and down the waterway.

Add Sweden to NATO, and the map changes completely. 

“Can we unfilter the picture?” one of Skoog Haslum’s aides asks. Dozens of green ships—NATO vessels—light up the map. The Russian fleet is vastly outnumbered. The tables have turned, Swedish officials said. Taking a shot at one of a handful of Swedish or Finnish ships is one thing. How are the Russians going to take a shot at the Swedish Navy when it has dozens of allied vessels at its back? Defense industry bigwigs, former generals, and think tankers visiting the maritime operations center at Musko Naval Base whisper in hushed awe. 

For the better part of 200 years, dating back to the time of Napoleon, Sweden was a neutral country, with its armed forces not venturing beyond its large archipelagoes. Sweden flirted with a defensive nuclear weapons program and mass conscription during the long years of the Cold War but formally stayed neutral. 

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 changed all of that. Fearing Russia’s expansionist impulses wouldn’t stop with Ukraine, Sweden, along with Finland, applied for NATO membership in a once-in-a-lifetime political swerve. “There is absolutely a before and after,” Skoog Haslum said last October. “We are more on our toes today.” Now, a step closer to membership in the alliance after Turkey moved to approve Sweden’s bid—but with the Hungarians still holding out—Swedish and NATO officials are hoping that swerve will give the Russians pause before causing problems on their northern border. 

The first thing you see when you hit the docks at Berga Naval Base, a short boat ride across the Stockholm Archipelago from the control room at Musko Naval Base, is the 230-foot-long gray camouflage hull of the HSwMS Helsingborg. It doesn’t look like any old U.S. or European ship. The carbon fiber-reinforced frame resembles a pyramid, pointing skyward, to hide from Russian radar. 

In a darkened room of computer banks on the ship’s bridge, sailors look at a sea of blue, green, and red ships, too. They are tracking anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 ship movements in the Baltic Sea every day. On screen, cargo ships such as the Marshal Rokossovsky, the Aleksandr Evlanov, and the Sparta II sail past the Baltic Sea inlets. 

If the sailors look nervous, they have a right to be. All of the Nordic countries—including Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden—are heavily dependent on the latter’s western port of Gothenburg for trade. Sweden is especially so: About 30 percent of the country’s foreign trade flows through the port. Shutting down that one port could wreak havoc on the entire region’s economy. 

And the screens on the computer banks are constantly changing. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian vessels have been moving out and staying away from the Baltic much longer. But the Kremlin is playing a bit of a shell game, Swedish officials said, switching bigger ships for smaller ones. By swapping out destroyers and frigates, which raise alarm bells for NATO countries, for smaller roll-on, roll-off vessels and maintenance ships that aren’t typically used in combat but can still be up-armed with cruise missiles, Russia can keep a foot on this vital chokehold without provoking suspicion. 

The Kremlin has also been running tests right in Sweden’s backyard. Russia has begun trials of St. Petersburg-class submarines in the Baltic Sea, conducting live-fire exercises in international waters near Gotland, an island off Sweden’s eastern coast. The Kremlin tries to mask the new submarines by navigating through rivers and internal lakes before unleashing them in exercises that are clearly visible to nearby ships. From a signals intelligence ship parked just outside Kaliningrad’s bay, Sweden has detected Russia test-firing missiles from the submarines.

It all sounds pretty ominous. But the Swedes had to deal with the Russian threat long before the United States even existed. The two sides fought 11 wars, mostly over control of the Baltic Sea, before Stockholm began its two-century drift under neutrality. And with assets such as the Visby-class corvette—a stealthy surface ship armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, named after the main city on Gotland—Sweden wants to be NATO’s eyes and ears in the region. 

Sweden can “be a very good NATO member,” Skoog Haslum said, including by providing targeting data for allies in the region.

The country has begun to field Link 22 command-and-control, a secure digital radio system that ties together NATO planes and ships. They are allowed to speak with other nations across those links but on a very low level, such as to point out unidentified or threatening vessels. It’s much easier for Skoog Haslum and her staff to call up Denmark and say hello than it was before the NATO bid, she said. 

There’s just one problem: Sweden doesn’t have access to NATO’s encryption. Sweden creates new lines of communication for exercises with NATO countries, but most of those lines go dark once the exercises end. There are no classified communications—yet. 

“When we join NATO, that would be on the screen all the time,” said Henrik Rosen, Sweden’s naval attache in Washington. “That is obviously a total game-changer for us.”

In almost every other way, the 31 allies are treating Sweden like one of their own. At NATO’s military headquarters in Mons, Belgium, officials point out that they have already built the flagpole where Sweden’s Nordic cross will eventually fly. At NATO’s official headquarters about an hour’s drive away, just about the only meetings the Swedes can’t get into are with the alliance’s nuclear planning group. 

“We act as though they are a member,” a Nordic military official said at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters, where reporters arrived on Jan. 23, the day of Turkey’s parliamentary vote on Sweden’s accession, to discover a flagpole had been built for the Swedes there, too. 

Although Turkey has finally, after months of foot-dragging, voted Sweden into the alliance, Hungary has not backed off its objections about Sweden’s NATO membership. Hungary wants Swedish opposition figures that are publicly critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s authoritarian leanings to shut up. (Orban came out publicly supporting Sweden’s bid after a call this week with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, but Hungary’s top lawmakers still had harsh words for Stockholm.) 

But even with the NATO bid still on hold, Sweden appears to be taking a victory lap. In December, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson traveled to the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California—an event full of national security high-rollers—and then on to Washington to sign a defense cooperation agreement with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that gives the U.S. military access to 17 Swedish military bases in the event of a regional war. 

Jonson said Sweden’s muscular new foreign policy will push the country past NATO’s agreed-on 2 percent defense spending mark. 

“This is the biggest shift in our doctrine for 200 years,” Jonson said in an interview at the Reagan Forum in the rolling southern California hills. “We will continue beyond 2.1 percent [of GDP].”

Where is the money going? Sweden is buying more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems. It is building a whole new fleet of Gripen fighter jets. It is building new Collins-class submarines and new corvettes. And it is arming its troops with British-made light anti-tank weapons that have torn up Russian tanks in Ukraine as well as fresh armored personnel carriers. 

If the name of the game is deterrence in Sweden, then it’s all hands on deck. 

“Just being a ship at sea, with maybe a rifle or something, that is not deterrence,” Skoog Haslum said. “Deterrence is to have all assets you can have. The sensors, the weapons systems—that is deterrence.”

Sweden stayed out of both world wars. And after the dust settled in World War II and the Iron Curtain came down, neighbors Norway, Iceland, and Denmark joined NATO. Sweden didn’t.

In secret, though, the Swedes were building up their defenses. During World War II, Sweden built emergency bomb shelters and landing strips as a fallback plan. In 1950, with the United States and the Soviet Union racing to test the first hydrogen bomb, the Swedish government began blasting 1.5 million tons of rock out of a mountainside on the island of Musko, about 25 miles south of Stockholm, to build a top-secret underground naval base. 

It took them 19 years. But by the time Musko was completed, Swedish sailors could service submarines and destroyers through a cavernous labyrinth of underground tunnels—and even hunt Soviet submarines. Sweden even briefly pursued nuclear weapons of its own, until officials realized they would cost too much.

After the Cold War, the threat had cooled down enough that Sweden began a widespread process of hollowing out its military, a downturn that lasted nearly 30 years. Sweden gave away most of its 2,000 fighter jets. It shed troops. It got rid of bases. 

By 2004, though Swedish troops were in Afghanistan and patrolling the coast of Lebanon, the Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament, was openly stating that the country faced no significant military threats and that it should pare down its defense capabilities to reflect that fact. Defending the homeland wasn’t a mission for the Swedish military anymore. 

“The political slogan was, Sweden is best defended in Afghanistan,” said Oscar Jonsson, a defense specialist at the Swedish Defence University. “That was the armed forces we had.” 

The only reason that the Swedish government didn’t get rid of Musko was because it would have been too expensive to scrub down the 12 miles of tunnels to make them safe for other uses. So the lights were kept on, but the massive facility was put on a strategic lull, with a skeletal staff. People still worked there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when the base was at its least active point, but civilian contractors came in to fill up the vacant shipyards, and tourists were even allowed in. 

“It was a little bit of a pity,” Jonsson said. “First of all, you make a secret naval base that can withstand nuclear weapons. Then, at the end of the Cold War, you declassify it. Then, all of a sudden, you realize that it actually needed to be classified again.”

In the Musko mountainside, in a conference room whose wood-paneled walls were made out of the remnants of an old Swedish destroyer, Skoog Haslum and her aides described the bruising effects of the belt tightening on the military. The first thing to go was personnel. The Army downsized from brigades, anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 troops, to singular battalions, about 1,000 soldiers apiece. Weapons were next. The Navy decommissioned all of its big warships, such as destroyers and frigates, in the 1980s, leaving only smaller ships. The Air Force cut planes. In the mid-2010s, Sweden bottomed out, spending only about 1 percent of its GDP on defense, down from 4 percent in 1963. 

But even though Sweden was still neutral, the irritations from Russia had started to pick up. Russian ships were aggressively maneuvering in the Baltic Sea, elbowing Swedish and Finnish ships out of their sea lanes. And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, biting off Crimea and pieces of the Donbas region, made it clear to the Swedes that they could also have a target on their backs. 

Sweden’s military budget began to grow in small steps. In 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, the Swedish naval staff returned to Musko. In 2020, the defense budget started to jump, to around $6.25 billion that year, or 1.2 percent of Sweden’s GDP.

Sweden decided to build two new submarines and four new surface ships with surface-to-air missile defenses, which hadn’t been aboard the pyramid-like Visby-class corvettes. Next year’s budget is getting boosted by nearly a third, bringing the overall defense tally to about $11 billion. Sweden is expecting to hit NATO’s 2 percent of GDP defense spending target by the time of the alliance’s Washington summit, which is penciled in for July. 

“The rise of the last 10 years of defense spending [has] been very, very steep,” said Rosen, the Swedish naval attache.

Still, Sweden is mostly building more of what it already has. Long-range land attack capability that could challenge Russia is not part of the plan yet. 

But Musko is buzzing again. The mess halls are full of Marines with the Swedish Viking emblem pinned to their lapels. The bike racks are full, too, with sailors dropping off their two-wheeled rides—unlocked—after cycling around the miles of tunnels to meetings and maintenance yards. 

Sweden’s defense industry is buzzing, too. The onetime carmaker Saab, which uses two of Musko’s drydocks to conduct maintenance on destroyers, has stopped building automobiles and is instead focusing on building Gripen fighter jets and diesel-electric submarines. Volvo builds a line of logistical trucks. Ericsson makes military telephones. 

“There is no other country of 10 million that can produce submarines, fighter aircraft, surface combatants, [infantry fighting vehicles], and very advanced artillery systems,” said Jonson, the defense minister. 

But unlike next-door neighbor Finland, which can mobilize nearly 300,000 troops from civilian ranks, Sweden faces the problem of getting enough people ready to man those weapons. The nation’s conscription model, which once could mobilize up to half of Sweden’s population, was cut down in the 1990s, tossed altogether in 2010, and has only recently been brought back. 

Stockholm is hoping to bring the mobilization number from the current cap of 60,000 to 100,000 conscripts by the end of the decade. Swedish officials are open about the growing pains. 

“We are growing, but it’s quite slow,” Skoog Haslum said. “It’s hard to grow, especially when you come from a capacity that is very, very short, actually.” 

The boyish-looking sailor had just two words for the group: Strap in.

This reporter soon found out why. Richard Cooke, the young Swedish Marine barking orders, and his driver Emil Munkve, proceeded to send the CB90 fast assault boat we were sitting in screaming through the Musko harbor at almost 50 miles an hour, putting the dozen or so American interlopers straight back in their seats. 

Sweden boasts more than 267,000 islands (though, according to the Swedes, an “island” is any piece of land you can stand on with two dry feet). 

And fighting here is not like fighting out in the great wide open of the Pacific Ocean. In fact, the U.S. Marines don’t have anything like the CB90. As it drives from Musko to Berga, islands and landforms pop out of the rock. But even in contested waters, the Swedish Marines can go almost anywhere in Stockholm’s island chain, dropping more than a dozen troops ashore at once. 

“As long as there aren’t rocks sticking up, we can go right up on the beach,” Munkve said. “We can go as far as the Swedish coast goes.”

Adding that 2,000-mile-long coastline to territory under the alliance’s protection will change NATO. It’s a vast region spanning the Arctic Ocean to the North Sea inlets to the Atlantic, with data cables that undergird much of global communication deep beneath the water’s surface. NATO will get Swedish bases in the north to contend with Russian troops in Murmansk and on the Kola Peninsula. 

The Nordic and Baltic countries can’t survive financially without keeping their archipelagoes and the inlets to the Baltic Sea open to maintain commerce through the region. And NATO will get another capable navy that can deal in shallow waters less than 200 feet deep dotted with gulfs, islands, narrow straits, and critical infrastructure.

“In our neck of the woods in the Baltic Sea region, the Western Sea, [and] the Nordic Sea, there’s a lot of infrastructure,” Rosen said. “There’s oil rigs, gas rigs, there’s underwater pipelines, there are underwater cables from communication to power. There are wind parks and windmills out at sea. And there’s a lot of traffic.”

There have been more NATO vessels in the Baltic Sea in the last two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And the Nordic countries have teamed up to follow Russian vessels across the sea with electric optical sensors and an encyclopedic ship base. Starting from Norway’s western coast, the Nordic countries track Russian ships all the way back to St. Petersburg, following them with fixed and mobile sensors, handing off country-by-country as the boats steam through the Baltic. 

The Kremlin used to harass U.S. ships in the region. Now the shoe is on the other foot. “[Russia] followed every American vessel that entered the Baltic Sea before,” Skoog Haslum said. “They really followed it. They can’t do that any longer.”

Now, the Kremlin’s game plan is to surround and show presence toward the United Kingdom, the door jam at the western gate of the North Sea. Russia is almost equally as paranoid about keeping trade lanes open through the Baltic and is heavily dependent on getting through it and on to St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, where the Kremlin has a great deal of its war industry, including shipyards for surface vessels and submarines, which can fire cruise missiles off their backs. 

But even though Russia’s Baltic Fleet is largely intact, most of the Kremlin’s troops and ships are tied down by the war in Ukraine. 

“Russia has now a long border with NATO … but doesn’t get more forces,” said Dutch Adm. Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO’s Military Committee. “If they want to invest in more forces, it will cost them.”

The Swedes have three watchwords for how they train to fight: Hide inside, run out fast, and hit hard. And they can make it tougher on the Russians by mining the narrow straits before raining missiles on the invaders. 

“We use the archipelago. We hide in the archipelago. We fire our long-range weapons from within the archipelago or from the open sea,” one Swedish sailor said. There are still 50,000 mines on the Baltic seabed from World War I and World War II, forcing ships to navigate tight corners laden with explosives.

Sweden’s geography also tightens the squeeze on Russia. Everything in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg will now be in range of NATO missiles. Gotland gives Sweden and NATO an opportunity to build out a logistical hub or block the Russian navy’s attempts to harass Western shipping lanes. The Bay of Bothnia is a lot closer to Russia’s northern sea bases than NATO’s borders currently sit. 

On the flip side, NATO countries will have to defend another big Nordic state that is entirely within striking distance of Russian missiles. And Russia has finally hit Sweden with the avalanche of disinformation and cyberattacks it expected when the country’s NATO bid was announced in May 2022.

But Sweden is not backing down. Though the military shift in the country has been gradual, the political shift has been frenetic. 

After two centuries of neutrality, a majority of Swedes only began to favor NATO membership in March 2022, one month after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. A month later, that number surged to nearly 60 percent.

In Brussels, NATO allies are ready to welcome them with open arms. But there is still a palpable sense of disbelief at how quickly the tectonic shift has taken place. 

“If I told you Finland and Sweden were going to join, you would have thought I was smoking something,” the Nordic military official said. “We are part of a different landscape. Now we have to think completely differently.”

[munsonmuses]

Razors and Tongues (Prince Paul x Reader)

Synopsis: Paul, much to the detest of his mother, has still been struggling to find a spouse, much less one that could carry an heir. And Catherine was desperate to end the war with the Swede’s. Why not kill two birds with one stone? That’s where the reader comes in. You, being in Catherine’s good graces, at least, enough that she won’t harm you, and treats you with a gentle hand, she decides to use you to push the narrative she holds. Unfortunately, you’re a bit vicious and viper-like in tongue, towards anyone but her. And although horrendous, absolutely detestable, and manipulative to the core, Paul can’t detach himself from the idea of you. Pursuing you like a pathetic puppy

Warnings: Cursing, mild gore, lots of references to breasts, reader is a female/has female anatomy, smut (incredibly rough, bratty, a prince gets what he wants smut)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The sound of the gun firing echoed, cracking through the quiet autumn air. Paul muttering bitterly to himself as he reloaded carefully. Aiming at the helpless buck and firing, watching it go down with a desperate cry.

“No, no I don’t want to marry some Danish Dunce of a woman, I have no clue who she might be, and I know she’s some air headed idiot-“ he told Andrey, aiming once more as he searched the wood for another helpless animal to suffer the consequence of his rage. “Or worse, she falls in line, within my mothers gaggle of vicious, barb tongued geese…” he muttered bitterly as he pulled back to look at Andrey.

Andrey shrugged lightly, looking him over carefully as he hummed to himself. “Well, nobody said you had to love her, or even like her. You merely have to fuck her.” He said as Paul scoffed, fixing his coat.

“If she’s that desperate for an heir I could fuck a common whore, we don’t have to go through all this work-“ he muttered bitterly as he stood, carefully packing away the firearm and beginning the trek back to the palace. Bitterly swallowing his detest in favor of his country, and the duty he was required to uphold.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You stared up at a portrait of the young prince, carefully swallowing the sweet peach wine within your glass. Eyes tracing every feature on his painted face. Catherine scoffing lightly.

“My son is…detestable, in appearance, to say the least duckling, but, he’s not awful. If you can overlook the weak chin, short neck, and pathetically flat cheekbones…he’s got my eyes. He’s cunning, vicious in wit, he’s gunning for the throne-“ she took a heavy sip, that would be better described as a gulp.

“-and he’s a bit of…a character. He falls relatively easy if he sees you as palatable. I know, that you don’t necessarily match that description, but he needs a strong woman to keep him in line.” Catherine mused, earning a curt nod from you.

“Don’t worry, I promise you I can provide an heir, and a placated prince…” you assured, before taking a peer at yourself in a mirror. The heavy and deep green of the dress you wore contrasting with the white lace that decorated your throat. The waxy red pigment on your lips, still in tact after your nursing of your glass.

“I can give you exactly what you-“

The doors flew open, cutting through your statement as his muddied shoes traipsed along the tile of the room. Stopping harshly and turning to look at you with a soft sneer.

Catherine, ever the diplomat, carefully approached you and took your hands, leading you over to Paul who looked you over with eyes filled with venom and malice. He expected a calm and docile sheep, desperate to please to look back at him. Instead, met with the eyes of a viper. Desperate to strike but searching for the optimal point. And for once, he felt mildly challenged.

“Paul, dear…I��d like to introduce you to the crowned princess of Sweden. Before you get smart with me, consider the opportunities it would create for our nation…” she insisted as he scoffed lightly. “There’s a month, between you both, to see how things go.”

His portrait didn’t do him justice, his face was much softer, sweeter. A soft jawline, and plush pink lips. His eyes soft, a forced hardness behind them.

“A suitable whore, a detestable wife-“ he said calmly as he looked you over.

“And you’re a pathetic excuse for a husband-“you retorted sharply.

And his breath caught in his throat, his face felt hot. But he wasn’t feverish in the slightest. He was being challenged by you, and it was ridiculously alluring. Oh good god…was he falling?

As you sauntered off, following Catherine and her close circle, looking back over your shoulder at him.

His body rigid, eyes frozen on you as you winked lightly and left. He had to have you…

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The following three weeks had been filled with stolen glances, teasing, patronizing the poor man. And he was coming undone at the seems, because good god, you were ravishing. He couldn’t keep it together.

Watching you socialize, how you would make ever so sure you were tilted far too forward, were eating precious pastries and allowing the creams inside to rest on your lips for seconds too long, and subsequently licking them off your plush lips. All while maintaining stiff and unrelenting eyecontact.

Teasing him...

Calling him...

Challenging him...

As you dismissed yourself from the table, unable to handle another second of cruel gossiping disguised under the notion of "keeping each other politically updated", you felt a pair of eyes trained on you. Looking up, the prince scowling down at you from one of the many windows and shoving the curtains shut.

Despite the disdain on his face, you knew you'd won. Carefully snatching a pastry off the tray and heading inside. Meandering what appeared to be aimlessly, up to his study, and allowing yourself inside. His back to you, but the grunt he let out signified him acknowledging your presence.

"I brought you something to eat, lord knows you need it. You lock yourself away up here..." you unceremoniously sat yourself upon his desk, and held the pastry out to him.

Though he was looking right past it.

at how your breasts spilled ever so slightly over the lace that lined the square collar of your peacock blue dress, one that matched the hue of his suit perfectly (especially since he'd had it made and sent, due to personal preference). How the whalebone of your corset cinched and pulled everything just the right way. How the gorgeous pendant that hung from your neck had made its home beautifully between your breasts.

At his refusal to take the pastry, you shoved it unceremoniously into your mouth as he scoffed loudly to himself.

"You disgust me, how you stuff your mouth, a-and you guffaw like a goose! You tease and poke a-and you pull my mind as-astray and I just-" he looked up to see if you were listening, and you weren't, unsurprisingly.

That was IT.

He yanked you towards him, his lips practically shoved onto yours as you dropped the final half of the pastry gracelessly onto the papers that had still lied upon his desk.

His kisses were feverish and rough, biting and sucking at your lower lip till it was practically puffy and raw. Pulling back, you went to look away, yet one of his hands roughly cupped your jaw.

"Aside from all those things I want you, you're to be my wife..." he said, eyes dark pools of want and unabashed need.

"Now, let's stuff that pretty mouth with something else-" before you could even get a thought out, he shoved you to your knees, his hands moving quick to rid himself of his trousers. His cock already desperately hard as he took your jaw in his hand once more, tugging gently. He was desperate, but he wasn't a monster. He'd allow you to put in your two cents, even if he couldn't outright ask.

His prayers were answered as he felt his breath catch in his throat, watching as your pretty lips left hot and warm kisses along his shaft, lightly cradling his balls as the kisses stopped at the head, taking him into your mouth.

His eyes fluttered as he slowly placed a hand on the back of your head, his fingers grasping desperately onto the ringlets upon your head, your jaw slackening as he pushed in, deeper and deeper till your nose was nestled against him, soft gags leaving you. The beautiful peach of your lipstick staining his cock as he groaned to himself, the warmth around him addictive.

"This..." he shuddered as he pulled back, "is going to be an incredible marriage..." he pushed all the way back in.

He set his steady pace, it apparent that he was somewhat unpracticed as he fucked into your throat. If this was how the stretch felt in your throat, how delicious would it feel in your sopping cunt. Moaning around him as you managed to work your hand under your mass of skirts and undergarments, cupping yourself and slowly working two fingers over your clit.

A harsh gag left you as he shoved deep, gently pinching your nose between his fingers as he looked at you. "No, you are an educated woman, not some common whore, although you look otherwise...you will wait, patiently." He ordered as you subserviently moved your hands up to his hips instead.

Allowing him to fuck your throat like a depraved animal, because lord knows he needs it...and he just looks oh so cute with his lip tugged between his teeth and lazily whimpering your name.

It wasn't much longer before he had you panting desperately as he came down your throat, pulling back slowly as it coated your lips between coughs.

"Good lord Paul, you have ridiculous stamina..." you commented, earning nothing more in reply than two strong hands lifting you, and throwing you upon the desk. Papers scattering beneath you.

"Paul what on earth are you-" He ripped a thick strip of your underskirt, shoving it into your mouth, scowling lightly. "You talk too much..." he chastised, making quick work of the rest of your skirts.

Eyes widening, he carefully pushed two fingers into your cunt. Already soaking wet at his previous ministrations. Carefully prodding, his own eyes as wide as yours.

Sure, he'd had sex before...but he'd never loved anyone he'd had sex with.

Oh shit he was in love

He looked up at you, slowly removing his fingers before disappearing into the crashing sea of cerulean and royal blue fabrics of your dress, slowly sitting yourself up...what on earth was he do-OH!

The feeling of soft kisses being placed along your slit, the warmth of his lips addictive as he stopped his kisses at your clit, taking it between his lips and suckling lazily while easing his fingers back in, slowly pumping them while working your bundle of nerves.

You gently squeezed his head between your plush thighs, your arousal soaking his hand and rolling onto his sleeves. Slowly pulling them back only to replace them with his tongue as you whined loudly. Immediately moving your gloved hand over his head through the fabric, holding his head in place.

Paul on the other hand, was eating like a man starved, sloppily sucking and lapping at your cunt, it running down his chin and pooling in a small puddle upon his desk as he laughed, sending vibrations through you. Earning a desperate moan from you, he only laughed harder.

And that was you undoing, crying out as you caught him like a vice between your thighs and came viciously hard. Panting as stars were the only thing you could see, vision clearing to reveal a both smug and wildly amused Paul.

"You talk too much, and moan not nearly enough..."

He roughly yanked you towards him once he was stood, grunting lightly as he carefully positioned himself and pushed in.

The both of you moaned in sync, the feeling of his cock sinking into you was heavenly. It was apparent he felt the same, by the twitching felt inside you. Neither of you were going to last long. with how well you'd been handling one another.

His hands took hold of your plush thighs, pressing your legs up beside your head, thrusts growing feverish and desperate as he panted and groaned loudly. The sounds of skin slapping, desperate moans, and panting for air, as Paul desperately rutted into your cunt.

Pulling the rag from your mouth, you tugged him to look at you.

"You are a bratty, brutish, villainous man...who has no use o his words...But you are also sweet, kind...a-and passionate! Y-You'll make a good husband!" You cried, pulling him down to kiss him.

That undid him, groaning into your mouth as hot ropes of cum filled you, earning a mewl from you as he let out a breathless chuckle.

"What a wonderful wife you'll be..."

--------------

Taglist: @punk-in-docs @mypoisonedvine

[codexandcompendium]

👶 Does your muse want children? (for ur swede!)

spicy and sweet headcanons || accepting

So, the funny thing is, is that Sweden has three micronations. Technically, he already is a father! But, he thinks children are marvelous little sponges and in his humanverse he would love a small gaggle of children filling his home with life.

[lihikainanea]

Tiger rarely getting in cuddly moods with people other than Bill, but one day she needed it badly and he had gone for a hike with some others on the vacation. She stumbled into Friend-boy, who was being cheeky as always, and ended up snuggled next to him on the couch. When Bill walked in, he felt that twist in his stomach as she laid against the other man’s chest, stretching when everyone entered as Bill pulled her towards his own.

Would she though? Because here’s the thing, I don’t HC tiger as being a particularly affectionate person with everyone, only with Bill. And it started because she mostly knew that he needed it, and eventually it also became something that she enjoyed.

But okay, you kind of got me with the whole Bill coming in, and pulling her to his chest because oh man…I love that visual. And this is probably what made it very official, that Friend-Boy was now on his shit list. 

Because look, tiger isn’t affectionate but maybe the Pina coladas were EXTRA strong that day and she was probably starving as everyone waited for Bill and the random group of Swedes he met to get back from their hike (”The beach is great but I need a FOREST,” he had explained the other night, and she rolled her eyes at his pure Sweden-ness). The sun was strong that day and she was feeling pretty damn good and pretty damn drunk.

So they’re a gaggle of friends all piled onto one of those gigantic outdoor patio sets and Friend-Boy plunks down beside her, does something lame like pretend to brush sand from her shoulder and just leaves his arm around her. Over the course of about half an hour eventually he somehow, very slowly, manages to get her leaning more and more on him which look like…tiger is drunk and feeling so good about everything and barely even realizes that this guy is full on trying to cuddle her.

Except then Bill comes back., his shirt off and hanging from the waistband of his shorts, saying goodbye to his new friends in that weird gibberish language of his and tiger giggles because god those aren’t even words, Bill. Except Bill looks over at her, and his face hardens. Because he recognizes that drunken glaze in her eyes, recognizes her dopey smile, and recognizes that Friend-Boy also noticed both of those things and was trying to take advantage of her. And that? That’s a solid fuck no for Bill, no matter what level their relationship is on. Nobody fucks with his tiger.

So he smiles at her, not seeing any need to alert her to his seething anger. And to his delight, she smiles back and actually make grabby hands at him which–did you hear that? It’s his fucking heart melting at the sight of her, sitting low on a patio set, reaching up at him while rapidly clasping and unclasping her fists with the biggest smile her face. So he swoops down, grabs her face, plants the wettest, noisiest, smack of a kiss on her cheeks and she laughs even louder. He pulls her up by the hands, crushing her to his chest, plopping another noisy kiss on her head.

“This what you’re looking for, kid?” and he scratches her head as she smooshes her cheek on his chest humming happily.

“I’m back now, you can have this for as long as you want,” he adds, just to rub it in.

[sergeifyodorov]

22-23 Season | First Half

[reportwire]

Album Review: DARKANE Inhuman Spirits

Album Review: DARKANE Inhuman Spirits

It’s felt like it’s been a couple hundred years since a gaggle of worryingly tall and blindingly blonde Swedes first dared to attach hyper melodicism to death metal. And while tedious repetition and limiting tunnel vision has worked to make the majority of melodic death metal feel like nerves have been frayed and patience tested for a lot longer than actuality, obviously multitudes of definitive…

[arcticdementor]

The best footballer’s autobiography of recent years is probably I Am Zlatan Ibrahimović. In it, the Swedish striker recounts his rise from an ethnic ghetto in Malmö to greatness. Zlatan (as he is usually known) is currently banging in goals for Paris St Germain.

…

Once you get past the obligatory snigger prompted by the phrase “footballer’s autobiog­raphy”, you can see that Zlatan’s book strangely resembles an earlier immigrant’s tale: Portnoy’s Complaint (1969), Philip Roth’s classic novel about growing up Jewish in 1930s and 1940s Newark, New Jersey. Each man’s story illuminates the other. Moreover, each illuminates the increasingly typical yet rarely heard immigrant experience. Most of the talk about immigrants comes from politicians pontificating about them. These books are wonderful first-hand accounts of what it’s like to grow up in an immigrant family. Though Zlatan and Roth are separated by an ocean and four decades, the overlaps are remarkable.

Zlatan’s book is a confessional autobiography; Roth’s, fictionalised confessional autobiography. Roth’s narrator Alex Portnoy is, like Roth, a Newark boy born in 1933. (Roth, who recently announced that he had given up writing, turns 80 on March 19.) Both Zlatan and Portnoy are angry prodigies looking back on the ghetto from early maturity – Zlatan narrates aged 28, Portnoy aged 33. And both books, in large part, are odes to the native blonde girl.

Like many children of immigrants, Portnoy and Roth grew up segregated from the native mainstream. Portnoy explains (the novel is told as a long session with his mute shrink, Dr Spielvogel): “In my cousin Marcia’s graduating class from Weequahic High, out of the two hundred and fifty students, there were only eleven goyim and one colored. Go beat that, said Uncle Hymie.” In short, the dominant American caste of the day – white gentiles – was almost wholly absent from Newark. As for Zlatan’s concrete ghetto of Rosengård, in Malmö: “It was crawling with Somalis, Turks, Yugos, Poles and north Africans, but there were no native Swedes.”

…

Like many immigrants, Portnoy and Zlatan grow up under the shadow of a disaster happening in the old country. For Portnoy, it’s the Holocaust; for Zlatan, the Balkan war. Both boys sense mostly unspoken anxiety. Zlatan writes: “The war was something strange. I was never allowed to hear about it. I was protected … I didn’t understand why my mother and my sisters went around dressed in black. It was totally incomprehensible, it was like a fashion trend.” But he does know that his father’s Bosnian village was massacred and ethnically cleansed by Serbs. Early in Portnoy’s Complaint, 1941 is mentioned as the quasi-innocent date when Portnoy’s family moves from Jersey City to Newark. Later, however his sister reminds him where he would be had he been born in Europe: “Gassed, or shot, or incinerated, or butchered, or buried alive.”

Portnoy is an intellectual prodigy just as Zlatan is a sporting one, but neither man’s parents have the nous to guide his life-path. Like many ghetto children, both boys are caught between an old country and a new one, in neither of which they belong. No wonder they grow up angry. “That extended period of rage that goes by the name of adolescence,” muses Portnoy. He expresses his anger with words, Zlatan with words and violence. “I was aggressive,” Zlatan writes. “I pulled down trousers and held boys tight.” As his former headmistress once told a journalist: “I’ve been at this school 33 years, and Zlatan is easily in the top five of most unruly pupils we’ve ever had. He was the number one bad boy, a one-man show, a prototype of a child that ends up in serious trouble.”

…

Both men spend their youth feeling awkward, unsure of how to behave. They are at ease only in one place: the sports field. Portnoy’s game is baseball, where he masters every mannerism of the center fielder, so that he looks like a pro even though he’s not very good. He asks Spielvogel: “It’s true, is it not? – incredible, but apparently true – there are people who feel in life the ease, the self-assurance, the simple and essential affiliation with what is going on, that I used to feel as the center fielder for the Seabees?” The novel’s famous ode – “Oh, to be a center fielder” – helps elucidate why, in both the US and Europe, so many of the best athletes come from ethnic ghettos.

…

Both Zlatan and Portnoy yearn with wonder for that incomprehensible being: the blonde native girl who, miraculously, feels at home in the place where she lives. To attain her would be to conquer this alien society. But she seems unattainable. Zlatan recalls “being at the Borgar School in Malmö and seeing chicks in Ralph Lauren polo shirts and practically wetting my trousers when I wanted to ask them out”.

Thirteen-year-old Portnoy skates around a frozen local lake behind gaggles of gentile girls, and marvels: “The shikses, ah, the shikses … How do they get so gorgeous, so healthy, so blonde?” He dreams of skating up and introducing himself as a goy named Alvin Peterson. (“I have to speak absolutely perfect English. Not a word of Jew in it.”) But he is sure his big nose will expose his origins. Similarly, Zlatan (equally anxious about his own big nose) admits that hard as he tried in adolescence to dress like a posh Swede, he always ended up looking “Rosengård from top to toe”.

Both men first encounter the dominant native class aged 17: Portnoy goes to college in Ohio, Zlatan becomes a professional footballer. Gradually, through the medium of blonde native girls, they start to integrate. During Portnoy’s freshman year at college, he spends Thanksgiving in Iowa with the family of his gentile college girlfriend. Unused to Wasp etiquette, he is astounded when her father greets him before breakfast with the words, “Good morning.” It’s a phrase never heard in the Portnoy household. “At breakfast at home I am in fact known to the other boarders as ‘Mr Sourball’ and ‘The Crab’.”

Compare Zlatan’s wonder at his future partner, the perfect Swedish blonde Helena Seger: “She came from a model family from Lindesberg, one of those families where they say, ‘Darling, would you please pass me the milk?’, whereas we at table mostly just hurled death threats at each other.”

To Helena, Zlatan is “a miserable Yugo, with a fast car and a gold watch … who played his music too loud”. She teaches him about fish knives and forks, and how to drink a glass of good wine. (It turns out you don’t down it in one like milk.) Portnoy briefly shacks up with a posh Wasp who “knew how to eat her dessert using two pieces of silverware (a piece of cake you could pick up in your hands, and you should have seen her manipulate it with that fork and that spoon – like a Chinese with his chopsticks! … )”

…

Just as a generation of novelists told the story of Jewish America, and music the story of black America, the arts are now creating a narrative for the European immigrant experience. Zlatan was given a podium because he is a brilliant footballer, but there must be countless other second-generation kids sitting in their bedrooms around the continent, aching to tell their version.

[abetheone]

Leo Borg follows in footsteps of famous father Bjorn Borg

Leo Borg follows in footsteps of famous father Bjorn Borg

[ad_1]

It’s an unusually large gaggle of snappers for this level, but that’s because the 16-year-old Swede is no ordinary tennis player.

He is the son of the legendary Bjorn Borg, the 11-time grand slam winner who became a global superstar in the 1970s courtesy of his movie-star looks, long blonde hair and stunning performances on the court.

An hour or so later, Leo’s Wimbledon hopes…

[ultrasfcb-blog]

World Cup 2018: All that you must learn about Sweden

World Cup 2018: All that you must learn about Sweden

World Cup 2018: All that you must learn about Sweden

Highlights: Sweden 1-Zero Switzerland

England v Sweden Date: Saturday, 7 July (15:00 BST). Venue: Samara Area, Samara. Protection: Watch the sport reside on BBC One, the BBC Sport web site and app. Pay attention reside on 5 reside, with reside textual content commentary on-line.

Sweden stand between England and a spot within the semi-finals of a World Cup for the primary time since 1990.

Janne Andersson’s facet arrived in Russia and not using a win in six video games, no objective in 337 minutes and with out nationwide hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But Sweden, 24th in Fifa’s rankings – 12 locations under England – discover themselves two wins from a primary ultimate since 1958.

We check out the Scandinavians as they put together to satisfy Gareth Southgate’s workforce in Samara on Saturday (15:00 BST) – Sweden’s first World Cup quarter-final since 1994.

How Sweden bought to the quarter-finals

That is Sweden’s first World Cup since making it to the final 16 in Germany in 2006, a marketing campaign which included a 90th-minute equaliser by Henrik Larsson in a 2-2 group draw with England.

They bought to Russia the arduous means.

Regardless of beating France, Sweden had been runners-up to Les Bleus of their qualifying group though they did end above the Netherlands.

They then beat four-time world champions Italy 1-0 over two legs within the play-offs to e-book their place on the World Cup.

In Russia, Sweden had been positioned in Group F together with world champions Germany, Mexico and South Korea but completed high with six factors earlier than overcoming Switzerland 1-Zero within the final 16.

What can England anticipate from Sweden? Evaluation by Shearer & Jenas

No Zlatan however beware Sweden’s ice-Berg

There was discuss Ibrahimovic – probably the most embellished and iconic gamers of the fashionable sport – may come out of worldwide retirement for this match.

“If I would like I’m there,” said the 36-year-old – scorer of 62 objectives in 116 video games for his nation – in March.

Ibrahimovic, who introduced his retirement after Sweden had been knocked out of Euro 2016, shouldn’t be a part of Andersson’s squad but Sweden are progressing properly with out the previous Manchester United striker.

In whole, they’ve scored 33 objectives in 16 video games in qualifying and at this match. Targets have come from all areas of the workforce. In qualifying, defenders Mikael Lustig, Victor Lindelof and Andreas Granqvist scored seven of Sweden’s 27 objective between themselves.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – watch the complete interview

Striker Marcus Berg was Sweden’s main scorer in qualifying with eight objectives in 11 matches, together with 4 in a single sport in opposition to Luxembourg, however has but to search out the web in Russia regardless of beginning all 4 video games.

Certainly, Berg has had 13 photographs with out scoring, probably the most of any participant to fail to attain at this World Cup.

Nevertheless the 31-year-old, who performs his membership soccer within the United Arab Emirates for Al Ain, did handle to win a penalty within the 3-0 group win over Mexico on 27 June.

Spot-kick kings

Sweden have netted six instances in 4 video games at this match. Nevertheless, solely half of these have been scored in open play by a participant in a Swedish shirt.

An personal objective helped seal their win in opposition to Mexico, whereas former Wigan Athletic participant Granqvist is the primary Swede to attain two or extra objectives in a single World Cup match since Larsson in 2002 after netting two spot-kicks in opposition to South Korea and Mexico.

Sweden additionally scored an additional 4 penalties in qualifying, with Granqvist getting three of them.

Penalties taken in a shootout are much less prone to discover the again of the web than these taken in common play, in response to analysis by Ben Lyttleton, soccer author and creator of a e-book on penalties

Sweden revelling of their underdog standing

Evaluation from BBC Sport’s Paul Fletcher, who watched Sweden beat Switzerland in St Petersburg

It has not gone unnoticed that BBC Radio 5 reside pundit Pat Nevin – a Scot, it must be famous – recommended the opposite day that 99 instances out of 100 England ought to beat Sweden.

Certainly, within the Swedish camp close to Krasnodar they’re completely delighted with this type of remark.

The gamers had been discussing it the day after their win over the Swiss and see it as an indication that the message they like to unfold is as soon as once more taking maintain.

“Properly, it’s enjoyable for England to have that type of confidence,” stated captain Granqvist. “Let’s simply see how the sport goes.”

France and Italy in World Cup qualification, Mexico and Switzerland right here in Russia – all have under-estimated Sweden, all misplaced. Germany had been minutes away from the identical destiny of their group sport.

Sweden know that they lack star high quality, they know that their power is that they’re a workforce within the true sense of the phrase; a gaggle of people working in the direction of a typical objective.

World Cup 2018: Mexico 0-Three Sweden highlights

The Swedish gamers assume they’ll frustrate the English by taking part in in a defensive, type of boring means. They wish to gradual the sport down, draw its sting.

Southgate’s workforce confirmed that they may keep cool and centered in opposition to opponents who tried to spoil and worsen in seeing off Colombia on Tuesday.

Now they have to present that they’ve the intelligence to recognise the Swedish plan and the persistence to beat it.

‘Lack of tempo and in need of concepts’

Evaluation by BBC Sport’s soccer knowledgeable Mark Lawrenson

Granqvist made extra clearances than anybody else in opposition to Switzerland however he’s their largest voice in addition to their stand-out defender.

Granqvist is the person who organises every part for them on the again, and he does an excellent job. That organisation is their apparent power – they had been actually compact in opposition to the Swiss and denied them any house between their defensive strains.

However regardless of Sweden’s spectacular defensive file in Russia, I can see England inflicting them a lot of issues in a means Switzerland couldn’t do.

With the pace and mobility of England’s attacking gamers, together with their full-backs, I feel they’ll transfer Sweden round in midfield in addition to defence.

Sweden are competing of their fifth World Cup quarter-final – they’ve progressed to the semi-final in three of their earlier 4 (1938, 1958 and 1994), dropping solely in 1934 in opposition to Germany

In the event that they make the pitch as massive as doable, and get Kieran Trippier and Ashley Younger bombing ahead, then I’m certain they may discover some gaps.

I do not see Sweden inflicting England many points on the different finish, although.

Tempo is one thing that Sweden do not have after they come ahead and so they appeared in need of concepts – they solely had a handful of alternatives in opposition to Switzerland and had just a little bit of excellent fortune with the deflected objective they scored.

I do know they’ve momentum however, to be brutally sincere, they do not actually appear to be scoring objectives.

Head-to-head

England and Sweden have met one another 24 instances, and issues are very shut with eight English wins, 9 attracts and 7 Swedish successes.

Nevertheless, England received six of the primary 9 matches, and have solely received two of the latest 15 video games – with each coming within the 2011-12 season.

England received 1-0 in a Wembley friendly in November 2011 with Gareth Barry scoring the one objective, earlier than England beat Sweden 3-2 in an exciting Euro 2012 group sport.

Andy Carroll scored a beautiful header to place Roy Hodgson’s facet forward, Sweden scored twice to take a 2-1 lead, earlier than objectives from Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck gave England the three factors.

Highlights: Sweden 2-Three England

England and Sweden have twice met within the group phases of World Cup finals, drawing 1-1 of their first match of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan after which drawing 2-2 in Germany four years later.

The one different time England and Sweden have met throughout a serious match got here again on the 1992 European Championships, which had been staged in Sweden.

Once more it was a gaggle match, with the winners going into the semi-finals. David Platt put Graham Taylor’s England forward early on, Jan Eriksson equalised earlier than Tomas Brolin linked up with Martin Dahlin to attain a late winner and seal a 2-1 victory to ship the hosts by and knock England out.

That sport was additionally Gary Lineker’s final for England. He wanted one objective to equal the then-record of most England objectives, which was held by Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 objectives, however with the rating at 1-1, Lineker was taken off after 62 minutes and changed by Alan Smith.

The final assembly between the 2 nations was a world pleasant in November 2012, which included an England debut for 17-year-old Raheem Sterling. Nevertheless, the sport noticed Ibrahimovic produce a shocking particular person efficiency as he scored 4 instances in a 4-2 Sweden win, together with a spectacular 30-yard bicycle kick.

‘England is England, now they assume they’re going to win the World Cup’ – Eriksson

Former England supervisor Sven Goran Eriksson expects his residence nation to win the match. He informed Swedish newspaper Expressen: “England will wrestle to attain objectives in opposition to Sweden. I feel will probably be a Swedish victory.”

In a later interview with Aftonbladet, Eriksson stated he thought the tie would at the very least go to additional time. “You may’t declare that both of the 2 groups line-ups have a lot of objective probabilities in open play,” stated the Swede, who was answerable for England from 2001 to 2006.

“There will likely be few objectives and a few element that determines the result of the sport. I will say draw after 90 minutes after which we’ll see how many individuals have cramps in every workforce.”

With Sweden’s Sven Goran Eriksson in cost, England reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006 earlier than dropping to Brazil and Portugal respectively

Regardless of the England gamers being dubbed ‘The Golden Era’ when Eriksson was in cost, England went out within the quarter-finals of each the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

“England is England, now they assume they’re going to win the World Cup once more,” added Eriksson. “Frankly, they’ve crushed Tunisia and Panama. It takes just a little extra to win the World Cup. They won’t get so many alternatives in opposition to Sweden.”

Former Sweden midfielder Hakan Delicate thought England will underestimate the Scandinavians. “England is simple to attain in opposition to”, Delicate stated in Goteborgs-Posten. “They assume they’re so rattling good. They aren’t.

“You hardly get terrified once you see the workforce. They’re spoilt youths who earn tens of millions. They do not have the full desperation required.”

Kennet Andersson, who helped Sweden end third within the 1994 World Cup, thought Sweden’s higher defence could be essential. “Sweden has renewed their defensive sport in such a means that the opponents cannot unpick it,” he told SVT.

“I feel there are various groups who do not wish to meet Sweden, as a result of they can not make their sport work in opposition to us. I do not perceive how England will have the ability to rating any objectives in opposition to Sweden.”

How they evaluate

Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen has saved three clear sheets on the 2018 World Cup, whereas England have conceded one objective in every of their 4 video games.

Nevertheless, England have extra objectives, extra photographs and corners than the Scandinavians.

Apparently, England’s ball possession at this World Cup is 53% in comparison with Sweden’s 38% whereas the Three Lions have tried 2,140 passes to their opponents’ 1,113.

England have additionally had 55 objective alternatives and coated 455.23 kilometres – that is 282 miles. Sweden haven’t coated as a lot floor. They’ve clocked up 419 kilometres or 260 miles.

Getting shirty – what the media is saying

Swedish paper Svenska Dagblade (SvD), stories that Sweden followers are discovering it troublesome to search out nationwide reproduction soccer shirts at residence because of the workforce’s World Cup success.

“Issues have gone a bit too nicely for Sweden”, a spokesman for Adidas informed SvD.

“We’ve been informed right here at customer support to inform the shoppers that there is no such thing as a level going to the retailers. The shirts are virtually fully gone,” a employee at Adidas’ buyer companies was quoted saying.

BBC Sport – Football ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/football/7709/

#Barcelona

[americanateurovision]

American “Experts” Weigh In

Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s annual selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, comes to an end on Saturday. Many Eurovision fans pay close attention to the happenings at Melodifestivalen, as Sweden is consistently a strong contender at the Contest. 

Your typical American doesn’t follow Melodifestivalen, or Eurovision, for that matter. But I am fortunate to have a small group of American superfans that spend their Saturdays with me, adhered to a broadcast of a Swedish television show.  

These American devotees share their thoughts on who should win Melodifestivalen this weekend, and go on to represent Sweden at Eurovision.

Lisa Ajax

I wish I could back Dinah Nah, but I simply cannot because of that pink shake-and-go wig she wore on stage. Granted, her recent legal woes probably kept her from having the time to find a decent lace front, but Dinah, honey, that wig cost you what would have been an inevitable victory! SO. This year's reigning supreme will be none other than the young ingenue, LISA AJAX. This girl is serving up everything I wanted from Melodi: a modern, catchy pop anthem, a bedazzled bra, simple staging, and an unnecessary raincoat. Lisa's provocative lyrics make a clear *STATEMENT* that stays with the audience and has the people singing along with her. Come on, Sweden, this is the moment that counts! #JusticeForLisaAjax -Sean Serluco

Charlotte Perrelli’s Broke Off, Dozed Off Air Guitar Playing

When the tens of American Eurovision fans heard the grande dame of schlager music was returning, we shrieked, "Props to ya, Mama!" When we heard she was doing an acoustic guitar ballad, it turned into, "Oooh, I have a thing during her performance"/ a convenient bathroom break. But those that gave up on her missed the true HERO of Melodifestivalen: Charlotte's immaculate guitar playing. 

Charlotte's song, "Mitt Liv" (translated: "Oh Dear God No"), was an artistic masterpiece. She must have been dreaming about pushing her hairline further up her forehead because her strumming did not even come close to matching the guitar in the song. She manages to strum three times slower than the guitar track and plucks only one string at a time, despite constantly changing multi-string cords with her other hand. Nothing says TRUE ARTISTE like faking instrumental talent. 

Some may criticize her for being so off, BUT THEY WOULD BE WRONG. It was a brave choice to interpret guitar-playing like she did, and the Swedes were simply not on her plane of existence. She was awarded dead last place in her semifinal, quite an accomplishment for a former champion. This result will surely go down as the worst outcome of voting in the past five years. 

No one else may want to, but TAKE ME TO YOUR HEAVEN with that guitar playing, Charlotte! -Sharif Shawki

Robin Bengtsson

As someone who generally orders food with an eye for the sides rather than the main, Robin Bengtsson’s “I Can’t Go On” is serving me up a pile of my favorite accompaniments on top of the open-mouthed cod entree that is Robin himself, and I am FEELING IT.

Robin has clearly learned from his first foray into Melodifestivalen last year that it’s going to take more than a harmonica to propel him to victory. 2016’s “Constellation Prize” and this year’s “I Can’t Go On” share some of the same catchy beats and themes, but the similarities stop there. “I Can’t Go On” is giving us MOAR on every level and hardly any of the improvements have to do with Robin as a human performer (aside from the fact that his prominent forehead line appears to have been quietly Botox’d away).

There are three major areas I’ve identified that make “I Can’t Go On” the standout entry of Melodifestivalen 2017, and the only deserving performance to move forward to the Eurovision competition in May.

Lyrics

Along with Lisa Ajax, Robin is breaking down barriers by throwing a couple casual “fuck”s into his mix. “Constellation Prize” gave us the standard fare of,

I'm breaking down the wall That you're a star But now I'm about to fall Because you are, 'cause you are beautiful Beautiful, babe

But “I Can’t Go On” goes edgy, with a tinge of porn, when he croons (open-mouthed and committed to continual emoji hands 👌 ),

I just can't go on no more, When you look this fucking beautiful Ooh hands down to the floor my love And I'm doing whatever you want

Staging

We get our first taste of the greatness to come when Robin and his gaggle of gays start walking it OUT towards a row of treadmills that will be their stage for the next three minutes. Immediately, they are posing, they are unbuttoning jackets, they are hair flipping, and they are giving us full and unadulterated crotch shots, all while constantly in motion.

The effect is incredible. The energy emanating from four queens feeling every oat on earth (plus Robin, I guess) is palpable, as they strut, swerve, and body roll their way through every rotation of the treadmill belt. Must be seen to be believed.

BACK. UP. DANCERS. 

Words cannot, and will never be able to, adequately describe how the addition of Daniel Koivunen to any performance elevates it into the realm of the supernatural. Daniel is 1/7th of Complete Dance Crew, but he may as well be the only dancer in all of Sweden.

While the other boys on stage do deserve some props, it’s difficult to see anyone else when Daniel winds it up and turns it out. All eyes are immediately drawn to his charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. Points of interest to the unseasoned viewer come at 1:25 (second from front), 1:48 (full on everything), and my personal favorite, 2:34 (far right, giving the most).  

We’ve seen Daniel before alongside Dinah Nah and Anton Ewald, but his spotlight stealing performance in “I Can’t Go On” is reason #1 why Robin Bengtsson must be advanced to represent Sweden in Eurovision. This national treasure deserves an international stage.

In conclusion, “I Can’t Go On” is the one to watch during the Finale this weekend. It’s gay, it’s straight, it’s fun, it’s gross, and it’s giving me everything I’m looking for. ONWARD TO EUROVISION. -Anna File

De Vet Du

I have discovered, through writing these opinion pieces for my friend’s Eurovision blog, that I have a problem. And that problem is called Hot Guys™. I have written for this blog in the past, and at the time, I went against my personal views of having English-only Eurovision submissions in favor of hotness. This year is no different. Allow me to make my case for De Vet Du as Sweden’s entry for Eurovision.

De Vet Du is basically Sweden’s Lonely Island, BUT with a super Hot Guy ™ named DJ Hunk, who only appears topless. Let’s also say that this is a subtle knock against The Patriarchy, because I’m pretty sure that Sweden is woke enough to pull that off too.  

So here’s the brass tacks: I have no idea what’s going on in this song because it’s not in English. However, it contains some great things:  

Falsetto singing

Totally bizarre back-up dancers

A Volkswagen bug

A HOT GUY™ WHO IS ALSO SHIRTLESS

Some sort of joke about NASCAR

A reference to the 1997 movie, A Night At The Roxbury

Key change

They have pizza on their jackets, and pizza is the best

I want to see the Eurovision audience salivate over De Vet Du, as I have been for six weeks. This, sadly, is impossible because they did not make the final. However, this weekend, I WILL be screaming for De Vet Du like a teenager, as I was in the arena for their live performance (the author of this blog will attest to the veracity of that statement). I will continue to show it to people I work with, who have no idea what Eurovision even is. And I will watch it every night before I go to bed for... another reason.

ALSO FUCK SWEDEN FOR NOT ADVANCING LOREEN TO THE FINALS. -Ali Carney

Not Wiktoria

All signs are pointing to Wiktoria being crowned the winner on Saturday. May I use this time to appeal to you, Sweden? This is not the correct representation of Sweden as a nation. It is a girl in a periwinkle bridesmaid dress who sings around and on top of a bed. This is not the best you can do.

Sweden, your musical artists, writers, and producers are responsible for some of the biggest hits of the last few decades. Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Ariana Grande are just some of the recent patrons to your vast musical export market. International superstar and Swedish native, Zara Larsson, is performing at the Melodifestivalen final, in the interval act. Is this to invite comparison? “Look at what we can do, world... And look at what we’re sending to Eurovision!” 

Yes, Wiktoria is adorable. She’s charming and sings (mostly) well. “As I Lay Me Down” is catchy (even though it’s basically the same damn song as her entry last year). And I get it, you just shelled out 125 million krona (around $14 million USD) to host Eurovision last year, so you’re not eager to do it again. But please, let me implore you, pick Robin Bengtsson and his squad of vogueing treadmill dancers. Choose Lisa Ajax with her bejeweled rain poncho and potty mouth. Or, please, pick Mariette, because that is a Eurovision-ready entry. Send something that will stand out among the competition. Not Wiktoria. 

[sergeifyodorov]

the sketchbook: swedes edition

[ultrasfcb-blog]

World Cup 2018:

World Cup 2018:

World Cup 2018:

Highlights: Colombia 1-1 England (3-Four pens)

2018 Fifa World Cup quarter-final: Sweden v England Venue: Samara Area, Samara Date: Saturday 7 July, 15:00 BST Protection: Dwell on BBC One and on-line; full radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 stay and textual content commentary and in-play clips on-line and on BBC Sport app

England’s gamers will solely be allowed to bask briefly within the afterglow of the historic victory over Colombia that despatched them into the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Gareth Southgate’s squad have elevated pleasure amongst England followers to fever pitch as they put together to face Sweden after their first knockout stage win at a significant event since 2006, and solely their second penalty shootout win in eight makes an attempt.

As soon as the mud has settled on a thunderous evening in Moscow, England should plot their subsequent step at this unpredictable, spectacular World Cup.

England come again all the way down to earth

England supervisor Southgate and his squad had been straight again all the way down to enterprise at their Zelenogorsk coaching base on Wednesday after that atmospheric evening.

And whereas an England squad that has impressed with its modesty and focus since its arrival in Russia is unlikely to get carried away by the win that despatched them into the World Cup’s final eight, Southgate will know it’s now a case of all eyes on Sweden on Saturday.

England have their finest probability to succeed in this sport’s most prestigious event for the reason that despair of shedding to Germany on penalties within the semi-final in Turin at Italia 90.

Sweden’s latest report confirms that complacency will likely be folly, however there may be additionally no escaping that this group of England gamers – who survived the hothouse of Moscow’s Spartak Stadium because the massed ranks of Colombian followers nearly took over the sector in a blaze of sound and fury – have been offered with what may be a once-in-a lifetime alternative.

Eight gamers, together with Marcus Rashford, skilled the day after England’s win over Colombia, with the rest of the squad resting on the resort

The subsequent 10 days in Russia may very well be a case of now or by no means.

The draw, make no mistake, has fallen kindly for England and at present solely Sweden, then Croatia or hosts Russia – all of a sudden driving a wave of nationwide fervour after being dismissed earlier than the event – stand between them and their first World Cup remaining since 1966.

England wouldn’t essentially be favourites to attain the feat, however their title goes alongside three groups they’ll genuinely really feel able to beating. And added intrigue comes with the very fact all of these groups will really feel equally the identical. It’s all up for grabs.

And whereas Southgate’s mantra will proceed to be ‘one sport at a time’, he’ll know that the nation is now daring to dream.

Southgate and his trusted backroom staff may have been sifting via the bodily and psychological toll of that taxing evening in Moscow, which even seasoned observers positioned alongside essentially the most tense England events they’d witnessed.

It was a rigidity gloriously launched as Eric Dier gave England victory having been agonisingly pegged again in added time on the finish of the second half.

Southgate prompt there have been loads of knocks when he likened England’s dressing room to a scene from the well-known American military hospital collection MASH.

He may have gamers with loads of bumps and bruises.

What he can even have is a gaggle of gamers who know that solely two matches stand between England and soccer’s final sport.

World Cup Catch-up: Wild celebrations as England finish penalty curse

England nonetheless have room for enchancment

Southgate is not going to solely take satisfaction from a win that happened in a fashion which defied England’s historical past, however he’ll know there may be extra to come back from his staff regardless of reaching the final eight.

England have nonetheless not hit high type in Russia – an statement some would possibly discover churlish, however one that’s supported by the proof of the 4 video games they’ve performed.

Tunisia had been cussed however restricted and England solely gained in damage time. Panama had been appalling. Belgium confronted England’s shadow squad – and there have been nonetheless instances after they drifted in what was an attritional, argumentative assembly with Colombia.

Harry Kane is the World Cup’s high scorer with six objectives, however as soon as once more it was a penalty that added to his tally. England’s captain has been excellent at this World Cup however he will likely be even higher with extra common service.

Dele Alli struggled and appeared wanting health in Moscow. He’s a category act who will give England what may be a significant additional dimension and risk if he kicks into gear.

And the Raheem Sterling enigma continues. No-one ought to ever query his perspective, effort, utility and pure presents nevertheless it merely is just not taking place for him within the attacking phases, along with his sequence now studying 23 video games with no objective for England.

Southgate, nonetheless, has big religion in Sterling and that’s unlikely to alter now. Certainly, he even questioned why folks had been debating his place in England’s staff earlier than the Colombia last-16 sport.

Southgate will know that if these two gamers of such undoubted expertise can flip the nook – and Sterling may want one second of luck to get the motor operating – England will likely be way more of risk than they’ve been up to now.

World Cup 2018: England’s historic penalty shootout win towards Colombia in full

Southgate’s key males step up

Southgate’s England choice is tailor-made precisely to match the necessities of the system – based mostly round a three-man defence and progressive wing-backs – he settled upon greater than 12 months in the past.

And, aside from his apparent delight at England’s advance into the quarter-finals, Southgate will take big satisfaction from how his key gamers carried out when the stress was on in Moscow.

Southgate selected Everton’s Jordan Pickford as his goalkeeper, the 24-year-old having youth, agility and talent on his facet – in addition to big confidence with the ball at his ft, a key element of the supervisor’s sport plan.

Pickford delivered beautifully at Spartak Stadium, with a very world-class save from Mateus Uribe that has been considerably ignored as a result of Colombia equalised from the ensuing nook, and that penalty save from Carlos Bacca.

Pickford suffered criticism after his show towards Belgium – together with solutions from Belgium and Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois that he was too small – however he was maybe ring rusty after being nearly unemployed towards Tunisia and Panama. Each query was answered in Moscow.

Harry Maguire is the type of central defender Southgate counts on – highly effective and harmful at set-pieces however with a willingness to deliver the ball out of defence within the method England’s method now calls for.

Moscow mayhem: How England v Colombia nearly boiled over

Maguire had his best sport in an England shirt in Moscow on an evening which was a take a look at of temperament for each participant. He can now take big confidence in his skill to thrive and really feel at dwelling within the World Cup setting.

And what extra will be stated about Kane?

Kane is the primary England participant to attain in six consecutive appearances since Tommy Lawton in 1939. And he will likely be determined to make it seven as he goes seeking the World Cup and the Golden Boot that he focused even earlier than England’s first sport.

Each staff wants their fundamental marksman to operate at a World Cup. England have that and extra in Kane – a dependable scorer, mature chief and a person with the good of temperaments, as proved by his penalties in open play and within the shootout.

All excellent news for Southgate as England transfer into World Cup territory that has been uncharted for 12 years.

England should beware the cool Swedes

What can England count on from Sweden? Evaluation by Shearer & Jenas

England now face a well-recognized foe in Sweden – a staff some could really feel have risen with out hint at this World Cup however whose latest report carries warning alerts and calls for full respect.

One long-time Sweden follower described this squad as humble, hard-working, beautifully organised beneath the astute coach Janne Andersson and absolutely united because the charismatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic affords his observations from the sidelines.

Sweden are defensively sound and often function a 4-4-2 formation. Andreas Granqvist is their captain and central defensive basis alongside Victor Lindelof, who has belied his struggles at Manchester United along with his performances in Russia, demonstrating why Jose Mourinho was so eager to accumulate him.

Additionally they have creativity from Emil Forsberg, however base camp for Sweden is a well-drilled and disciplined method that England will discover troublesome to interrupt down.

They’ve the arrogance of eliminating the Netherlands in qualifying and beating Italy in a play-off to succeed in Russia. It is a staff with out concern of enjoying the elite names of worldwide soccer.

Sweden’s weak point is a scarcity of punch in assault, the place 32-year-old Ola Toivonen is just not even an everyday at his membership Toulouse. Markus Berg, who performs his soccer within the United Arab Emirates, is erratic.

As ever, although, Sweden’s energy is the staff collective and, beneath Andersson, will current England with a critical problem in Samara.

BBC Sport – Football ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/football/7626/

#Barcelona

[ultrasfcb-blog]

World Cup 2018:

World Cup 2018:

World Cup 2018:

Highlights: Colombia 1-1 England (3-Four pens)

2018 Fifa World Cup quarter-final: Sweden v England Venue: Samara Area, Samara Date: Saturday 7 July, 15:00 BST Protection: Dwell on BBC One and on-line; full radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 stay and textual content commentary and in-play clips on-line and on BBC Sport app

England’s gamers will solely be allowed to bask briefly within the afterglow of the historic victory over Colombia that despatched them into the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Gareth Southgate’s squad have elevated pleasure amongst England followers to fever pitch as they put together to face Sweden after their first knockout stage win at a significant event since 2006, and solely their second penalty shootout win in eight makes an attempt.

As soon as the mud has settled on a thunderous evening in Moscow, England should plot their subsequent step at this unpredictable, spectacular World Cup.

England come again all the way down to earth

England supervisor Southgate and his squad had been straight again all the way down to enterprise at their Zelenogorsk coaching base on Wednesday after that atmospheric evening.

And whereas an England squad that has impressed with its modesty and focus since its arrival in Russia is unlikely to get carried away by the win that despatched them into the World Cup’s final eight, Southgate will know it’s now a case of all eyes on Sweden on Saturday.

England have their finest probability to succeed in this sport’s most prestigious event for the reason that despair of shedding to Germany on penalties within the semi-final in Turin at Italia 90.

Sweden’s latest report confirms that complacency will likely be folly, however there may be additionally no escaping that this group of England gamers – who survived the hothouse of Moscow’s Spartak Stadium because the massed ranks of Colombian followers nearly took over the sector in a blaze of sound and fury – have been offered with what may be a once-in-a lifetime alternative.

Eight gamers, together with Marcus Rashford, skilled the day after England’s win over Colombia, with the rest of the squad resting on the resort

The subsequent 10 days in Russia may very well be a case of now or by no means.

The draw, make no mistake, has fallen kindly for England and at present solely Sweden, then Croatia or hosts Russia – all of a sudden driving a wave of nationwide fervour after being dismissed earlier than the event – stand between them and their first World Cup remaining since 1966.

England wouldn’t essentially be favourites to attain the feat, however their title goes alongside three groups they’ll genuinely really feel able to beating. And added intrigue comes with the very fact all of these groups will really feel equally the identical. It’s all up for grabs.

And whereas Southgate’s mantra will proceed to be ‘one sport at a time’, he’ll know that the nation is now daring to dream.

Southgate and his trusted backroom staff may have been sifting via the bodily and psychological toll of that taxing evening in Moscow, which even seasoned observers positioned alongside essentially the most tense England events they’d witnessed.

It was a rigidity gloriously launched as Eric Dier gave England victory having been agonisingly pegged again in added time on the finish of the second half.

Southgate prompt there have been loads of knocks when he likened England’s dressing room to a scene from the well-known American military hospital collection MASH.

He may have gamers with loads of bumps and bruises.

What he can even have is a gaggle of gamers who know that solely two matches stand between England and soccer’s final sport.

World Cup Catch-up: Wild celebrations as England finish penalty curse

England nonetheless have room for enchancment

Southgate is not going to solely take satisfaction from a win that happened in a fashion which defied England’s historical past, however he’ll know there may be extra to come back from his staff regardless of reaching the final eight.

England have nonetheless not hit high type in Russia – an statement some would possibly discover churlish, however one that’s supported by the proof of the 4 video games they’ve performed.

Tunisia had been cussed however restricted and England solely gained in damage time. Panama had been appalling. Belgium confronted England’s shadow squad – and there have been nonetheless instances after they drifted in what was an attritional, argumentative assembly with Colombia.

Harry Kane is the World Cup’s high scorer with six objectives, however as soon as once more it was a penalty that added to his tally. England’s captain has been excellent at this World Cup however he will likely be even higher with extra common service.

Dele Alli struggled and appeared wanting health in Moscow. He’s a category act who will give England what may be a significant additional dimension and risk if he kicks into gear.

And the Raheem Sterling enigma continues. No-one ought to ever query his perspective, effort, utility and pure presents nevertheless it merely is just not taking place for him within the attacking phases, along with his sequence now studying 23 video games with no objective for England.

Southgate, nonetheless, has big religion in Sterling and that’s unlikely to alter now. Certainly, he even questioned why folks had been debating his place in England’s staff earlier than the Colombia last-16 sport.

Southgate will know that if these two gamers of such undoubted expertise can flip the nook – and Sterling may want one second of luck to get the motor operating – England will likely be way more of risk than they’ve been up to now.

World Cup 2018: England’s historic penalty shootout win towards Colombia in full

Southgate’s key males step up

Southgate’s England choice is tailor-made precisely to match the necessities of the system – based mostly round a three-man defence and progressive wing-backs – he settled upon greater than 12 months in the past.

And, aside from his apparent delight at England’s advance into the quarter-finals, Southgate will take big satisfaction from how his key gamers carried out when the stress was on in Moscow.

Southgate selected Everton’s Jordan Pickford as his goalkeeper, the 24-year-old having youth, agility and talent on his facet – in addition to big confidence with the ball at his ft, a key element of the supervisor’s sport plan.

Pickford delivered beautifully at Spartak Stadium, with a very world-class save from Mateus Uribe that has been considerably ignored as a result of Colombia equalised from the ensuing nook, and that penalty save from Carlos Bacca.

Pickford suffered criticism after his show towards Belgium – together with solutions from Belgium and Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois that he was too small – however he was maybe ring rusty after being nearly unemployed towards Tunisia and Panama. Each query was answered in Moscow.

Harry Maguire is the type of central defender Southgate counts on – highly effective and harmful at set-pieces however with a willingness to deliver the ball out of defence within the method England’s method now calls for.

Moscow mayhem: How England v Colombia nearly boiled over

Maguire had his best sport in an England shirt in Moscow on an evening which was a take a look at of temperament for each participant. He can now take big confidence in his skill to thrive and really feel at dwelling within the World Cup setting.

And what extra will be stated about Kane?

Kane is the primary England participant to attain in six consecutive appearances since Tommy Lawton in 1939. And he will likely be determined to make it seven as he goes seeking the World Cup and the Golden Boot that he focused even earlier than England’s first sport.

Each staff wants their fundamental marksman to operate at a World Cup. England have that and extra in Kane – a dependable scorer, mature chief and a person with the good of temperaments, as proved by his penalties in open play and within the shootout.

All excellent news for Southgate as England transfer into World Cup territory that has been uncharted for 12 years.

England should beware the cool Swedes

What can England count on from Sweden? Evaluation by Shearer & Jenas

England now face a well-recognized foe in Sweden – a staff some could really feel have risen with out hint at this World Cup however whose latest report carries warning alerts and calls for full respect.

One long-time Sweden follower described this squad as humble, hard-working, beautifully organised beneath the astute coach Janne Andersson and absolutely united because the charismatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic affords his observations from the sidelines.

Sweden are defensively sound and often function a 4-4-2 formation. Andreas Granqvist is their captain and central defensive basis alongside Victor Lindelof, who has belied his struggles at Manchester United along with his performances in Russia, demonstrating why Jose Mourinho was so eager to accumulate him.

Additionally they have creativity from Emil Forsberg, however base camp for Sweden is a well-drilled and disciplined method that England will discover troublesome to interrupt down.

They’ve the arrogance of eliminating the Netherlands in qualifying and beating Italy in a play-off to succeed in Russia. It is a staff with out concern of enjoying the elite names of worldwide soccer.

Sweden’s weak point is a scarcity of punch in assault, the place 32-year-old Ola Toivonen is just not even an everyday at his membership Toulouse. Markus Berg, who performs his soccer within the United Arab Emirates, is erratic.

As ever, although, Sweden’s energy is the staff collective and, beneath Andersson, will current England with a critical problem in Samara.

BBC Sport – Football ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/football/7626/

#Barcelona

[ultrasfcb-blog]

World Cup 2018: Will an African workforce attain semi-finals for first time?

World Cup 2018: Will an African workforce attain semi-finals for first time?

World Cup 2018: Will an African workforce attain semi-finals for first time?

No African facet has gone past the quarter-finals on the World Cup

“Once I first began to teach Ivory Coast I mentioned to Didier Drogba: ‘We’ve got some incredible gamers and we are able to go far within the World Cup.’ He mentioned: ‘No we will not’.”

Sven-Goran Eriksson is making an attempt to shed some mild on why Africa continues to be ready for a primary World Cup triumph greater than 20 years after Brazil legend Pele predicted a winner from the continent by 2000. By the tip of the 2010 World Cup, the Swede understood Drogba was not being detrimental – simply life like.

“The rationale why they do not do it? One phrase: organisation. It was whole chaos after I joined,” Eriksson advised BBC Sport.

At one stage, Pele’s prediction seemed prefer it may come to move. Nigeria got here prime of a gaggle that includes Argentina and Diego Maradona on the 1994 version, whereas the likes of George Weah and Jay-Jay Okocha had been making their mark in Europe through the 1990s.

But Africa, the second most-populated continent and a spot the place soccer is king, has nonetheless to supply a workforce to advance past the quarter-finals – not to mention raise the gold trophy.

Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia will compete in Russia later this month – however few imagine they’ll get close to the ultimate, together with former Cameroon defender Lauren.

“I might say we’ll have a workforce within the semi-finals however that is not the truth,” mentioned the two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner. “We’re nonetheless behind the highest groups.”

50 nice World Cup moments: Roger Milla’s well-known dance celebration

Energy shift in Africa?

Not one of the 5 heading to Russia are within the prime 20 of Fifa’s world rankings and Peter Odemwingie, the previous Nigeria ahead, claims African soccer has gone backwards.

“There’s undoubtedly been a decline,” mentioned the ex-West Brom, Cardiff and Stoke striker, who performed on the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

“Nigeria had among the best African squads on the 1994 World Cup. We had been knocking on the door. We gained the 1996 Olympics by beating Brazil and Argentina with all their stars.

“That interval was like, ‘sure, it is coming’.”

However Nigeria, who will likely be competing at their sixth finals in Russia, are nonetheless ready. Together with the remainder of Africa.

The three groups to make the quarter-finals – Cameroon (1990) , Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) – have come from sub-Saharan Africa.

However in Russia, there will likely be extra groups from the north than elsewhere on the continent, together with a first appearance in 28 years for Egypt and a return after 20 years for Morocco.

A variety of north African international locations have gamers who discovered their commerce at academies in Europe, however it’s Morocco who arrive at this World Cup with the most foreign-born players – seventeen of their 23-man squad had been born outdoors the nation.

Odemwingie believes those that play for the north African nations are “extra intelligent” at studying the sport and has additionally seen a bodily distinction.

“It is like Anthony Joshua combating Floyd Mayweather,” he mentioned on evaluating a typical participant from sub-Saharan Africa with one from the north. “The gamers within the north are a bit of bit leaner.

“They all the time begin free-kicks sooner, they’ve the psychological sport a bit greater than the sub-Saharan groups.”

Egypt are competing at their first World Cup finals since Italia 90, the place they drew with the Netherlands and Republic of Eire earlier than dropping to England

Bonus rows and boycotts

On the 2014 World Cup, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria all made headlines for the incorrect causes.

Ghana’s gamers boycotted training in protest at not receiving look charges owed to them in Brazil. It was solely settled when their authorities despatched greater than $3m (£1.8m) in money by airplane. In the meantime, Cameroon’s gamers arrived late in South America due to a dispute over bonus funds.

The Nigeria Soccer Federation (NFF) and the nation’s gamers signed an agreement final November in regards to the cost construction for the 2018 World Cup to keep away from issues in Russia.

Former Tunisia World Cup defender Radhi Jaidi believes the monetary disputes are right down to “damaged guarantees”.

“Gamers who come from Europe to play for his or her nation, these gamers receives a commission on time by their golf equipment, they get bonuses, however it may be completely different once they play for his or her nation,” Jaidi advised BBC Sport.

“Individuals promise issues and when they do not get them gamers get pissed off and conflict.”

But off-field controversies aren’t one thing north African nations have needed to fear about, primarily as a result of issues like bonuses are sorted properly upfront of the event, in response to BBC Africa’s Piers Edwards.

“They’re extra organised and there is larger accountability,” added Edwards.

In fact, World Cup rifts aren’t unique to Africa.

Eight years in the past, France’s gamers refused to coach following Nicolas Anelka’s expulsion from the squad for verbally insulting coach Raymond Domenech, whereas the Republic of Eire had been rocked by Roy Keane’s infamous row with supervisor Mick McCarthy in 2002.

Former Cameroon and Arsenal defender Lauren talks to the BBC’s Victoria Uwonkunda about Africa’s possibilities on the 2018 World Cup.

‘It is Africa, it is like this’

Eriksson was in control of Ivory Coast main as much as and through the 2010 World Cup.

He had loads of expertise at his disposal, together with forwards Drogba and Salomon Kalou, who had each simply won the Premier League with Chelsea, in addition to midfielder Yaya Toure.

But the previous England boss encountered “a complete lack of organisation” as he ready for group video games in South Africa in opposition to Portugal, Brazil and North Korea.

“We performed a pleasant in Switzerland and we went into the dressing room and there have been no shirts, no equipment, and it was one hour and fifteen minutes earlier than kick-off,” Eriksson mentioned.

“I requested the place the equipment man was and was advised he’ll come.

“One hour earlier than the sport – equipment man not there. Forty-five minutes [before], the equipment man got here with two enormous baggage and he put them on the dressing room ground.

“All of the gamers had been within the baggage in search of shirts that match them. All I might hear was: ‘This isn’t mine, that is yours’.

“Simply earlier than the warm-up one of many gamers got here to me and mentioned: ‘I am unable to play’. I requested: ‘Are you injured?’ He mentioned: ‘No, the equipment man forgot my boots.’ The lodge was distant so he could not play.

“Drogba mentioned to me: ‘Sven, it is Africa. It is like this.’

World Cup countdown: Suarez handball denies Ghana – 2010

The decision for higher organisation is acquainted to those that have performed and managed within the sub-Saharan area.

Patrick Mboma remembers Cameroon’s 2002 World Cup hopes just about finish earlier than the workforce even arrived in Japan.

“A very powerful factor while you’ve certified is that you’ve seven or eight months to organize,” mentioned the previous Paris St-Germain striker.

“However you have got some leaders who assume you may put together for a World Cup one month or two months earlier than. It is all the time too late.

“In 2002, I believed we might make it to the final 4. Then it took 46 hours to achieve Japan from Paris – so you may think about how troublesome it was.”

Tunisia’s preparations for a similar event had been disrupted by the sacking of Henri Michel shortly earlier than the event.

“They spent a few months deciding on who was going to interchange him. We did not win a sport in Japan,” recollects Jaidi.

Lack of home-grown nationwide managers

Of the 44 events African groups have competed on the World Cup come Russia 2018, 30 can have been managed by a non-African.

Cameroon, who as seven-time qualifiers are Africa’s most profitable World Cup nation, have been led by 4 Frenchmen, two Germans and one Russian on the event.

In Russia, Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria will likely be coached by an Argentine, a Frenchman and a German respectively.

Scotland’s James McRea, a participant with West Ham and Manchester United, set the tone for Africa’s World Cup outings when main Egypt in 1934. Followers needed to wait one other 44 years for a primary African World Cup coach, with Abdelmajid Chetali main Tunisia to the continent’s first win on the finals – a 3-1 defeat of Mexico.

It was not till 2002 that a sub-Saharan nation first travelled to the finals with their very own coach – Festus Onigbinde main Nigeria, Jomo Sono on the helm for South Africa.

With no African having taken his nation right into a World Cup quarter-final, these overseas appointments look set to proceed.

“European coaches are completely different as a result of they will provide much more than the matchday,” added Odemwingie.

“They’ll put together higher tactically slightly than simply counting on expertise, which is what our coaches did.

“Now soccer has gone to sports activities science, vitamin… these are issues a few of our coaches had by no means even heard about.

“We’re extra depending on skilled coaches however we have an issue as a result of we’re making an attempt to develop our personal managers and coaches.”

Senegal boss Aliou Cisse performed within the Premier League for Birmingham and Portsmouth

Eriksson believes groups would have higher success in the event that they adopted the examples of Senegal – making their first look at a finals since 2002 after appointing Aliou Cisse in 2015 – and Tunisia, who return to the event after a 12-year absence underneath Tunisia-born Nabil Maaloul.

“What some African nations do is have an area coach throughout qualification and if they’re profitable they then absorb an enormous identify from Europe or South America one or two months earlier than the event,” he added.

“They need to absorb a coach and hold them for 4 years.

“It will be significantly better as a result of, even when you’ve got nice gamers, to work with them for only one month at a World Cup is just too little.”

Gentle on the finish of the tunnel?

Morocco have certified for the World Cup for the primary time since 1998

Morocco is within the operating to host the World Cup in eight years’ time.

The North African nation is the one rival to a joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the US for the expanded 48-team 2026 finals. A choice is due on Wednesday.

Journalist and African soccer knowledgeable Mark Gleeson doesn’t assume it’s past the realms of risk that Africa will likely be celebrating a World Cup success sooner or later.

“You’ll all the time get these uncommon moments when every little thing clicks,” he mentioned. “Have a look at Turkey in 2002. It will have been a preposterous concept earlier than the event that they’d attain the semi-finals.”

And regardless of an absence of organisation, infrastructure and funds, Jaidi is assured concerning the future.

Current modifications have been made to refereeing constructions and training requirements in an try and bolster the possibilities of African sides and, for the continent to succeed globally, a transparent pathway to native success must be carved, in response to the previous Southampton defender.

“The issue is wider than simply: ‘Oh yeah, undoubtedly an African workforce will win the World Cup,'” mentioned Jaidi. “It is a complicated state of affairs. It is not only one problem or one downside.

“When African groups play on the World Cup, there’s all the time a thought in the back of the thoughts that we have now no likelihood.

“We have to construct a base that provides help to younger African gamers who are actually 10 or 15 years outdated to assist them to the very best requirements.”

Brighton and Cameroon defender Gaetan Bong mentioned even essentially the most fundamental services wanted to enhance in Africa.

“Generally you can not even play as a result of the pitch just isn’t adequate,” he mentioned. “We have to develop extra as a result of we have now numerous gifted gamers in Africa – however we do not have sturdy leagues.”

For all the issues he encountered with Ivory Coast, Eriksson hopes Africa will likely be celebrating a future World Cup triumph.

Requested how far an African facet is from being world champions, the Swede mentioned: “I do not know when however I believe Africa will win the World Cup in the end. Possibly later. It is a pity as a result of curiosity in soccer in Africa is big.”

Egypt’s World Cup Group A video games 15 June: v Uruguay Yekaterinburg 13:00 BST 19 June: v Russia St Petersburg 19:00 BST 25 June: v Saudi Arabia Volgograd 15:00 BST

Morocco’s World Cup Group B video games 15 June: v Iran St Petersburg 16:00 BST 20 June: v Portugal Moscow 13:00 BST 25 June: v Spain Kaliningrad 19:00 BST

Nigeria’s World Cup Group D video games 16 June: v Croatia Kaliningrad 20:00 BST 22 June: v Iceland Volgograd 16:00 BST 26 June: v Argentina St Petersburg 19:00 BST

Tunisia’s World Cup Group G video games 18 June: v England Volgograd 19:00 BST 23 June: v Belgium Moscow 13:00 BST 28 June: v Panama Saransk 19:00 BST

Senegal’s World Cup Group H video games 19 June: v Poland Moscow 16:00 BST 24 June: v Japan Yekaterinburg 16:00 BST 28 June: v Colombia Samara 15:00 BST

BBC Sport – Football ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/football/5690/

#Barcelona