David Beckham’s awkward reunion

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1:32FIFA World Cup meal. At participating McDonald's for a limited time while supplies last. All rights reserved. 2026 McDonald's at FIFA World Cup 2026. Wilkeman to the Upshot, the podcast about the funniest stories in sport this week. On the show today, hysteria and backstabbing as the big dogs crash out the World Cup. David Beckham's awkward reunion and Ben Stokes' big moment is overshadowed by a pundit shagging. And we are, of course, sponsored by Injury Lawyers for you. My name is Jack Hello Zach Hi Jack Hi JP Guten Tag fellas Yeah it's It's Schadenfreude corner today Yeah At Lee Mad night in the World Cup Big time And not just because of our live stream of Japan Brazil Which went down well Which was a lot of fun Yeah We had a good time But then I mean there were some Some mad games later on Germany out Netherlands out We should have just gone straight first Shouldn't we We should have done We did We did We did We did We did We did a 12 hour live stream Yeah We'll get on to the to the schadenfreude and the results but we should just say don't let it get to our hand because it could very much be England's turn tomorrow and I think that would be the bigger upset by Miles I think it would be one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever Dior Congo beating England and there's plenty of reasons to think it might happen including a resurgent Johanna Wieser yeah and the fact our defence is shit Thomas Tuchel said about Rhys James getting injured no one could have seen this coming he's like he's famed for set pieces and getting injured yeah he's managed him as well so surely you know his hamstring is like glass that was the one thing you could see coming in the next World Cup Bruce James getting injured we're in a right pickle on the fullback aren't we yeah but enough of that enough of the England anxieties let's talk about Germany I'm just going to give you a quote from the German commentator Jonas Friedrich who before the game against Paraguay said with all due respect Paraguay is no opponent they're a third class team it's like a cup game between a Bundesliga team and a fourth division side that's aged like a fine wine already he's overcooked that is just tempting fate doing a quote like that isn't it yeah the correct thing to do is panic like we are about the Arkonga yeah you know what do we say yeah Axel Twadzebe what a player they've got one of the soccer as well haven't they they've got they've got they've got yeah they have actually got some good players good to see we're all absolutely breaking it they're a top they're a top side the Arkonga I think we're going to lose.

3:58You heard it here first. I think we're going to lose. Yeah. However, Germany did, of course, lose to Paraguay on penalties. Yeah. Yeah. Stick it in my veins. Safe to say they're in meltdown mode. Yeah. This is Der Spiegel, the German newspaper. They called it the decline of a once great nation. Been declining for a while. Don't like that kind of talk out of Germany. It's been followed by quite scary themes. Could say the VAR stabbed them in the back. they did have a brutal Varkle but what I hadn't realised is that Germany have got the Man United dynamic going on in many ways obviously first part of the 21st century they were really good third place, runners up, winners and now the class of 2014 who won it are all pundits so it's just like the Man United thing history repeating itself so you've got your Schweinsteigers and your Thomas Mullers yeah, Mercer Sacker slagging everyone off and Jurgen Klopp as well he's one of the pundits and Jonathan Liu did quite a good article in the Guardian he was talking about it being there's this like nostalgia in Germany for the 2014 era because that was A they won the World Cup it was also the time when the Bundesliga was the best league in the world you had like the Champions League final was Bayern against Klopp's Dortmund Klopp just like at that 2014 that was when Klopp was just like everyone was obsessed with his gig impressing and German football was just like The pinnacle of the world, really.

5:26Look at me now. Because they all want Klopp now. There's like Germany, I think a poll said 90 % of Germans want Nagelsmann gone and Klopp in. And I got to say, Klopp has been playing a bit of an Andy Burnham to Nagelsmann-Stalmer. He's making some not too subtle comments. He had to apologise after saying, after the game, Julian Nagelsmann is picking the team for now. He's got a contract for two more years. He later apologised and called himself an idiot. you can really you can really said he's not going anywhere though didn't he after the game he's going you can picture Klopp saying that he's picking the team for now and then a real like toothy hearty yeah that gorgeous smile of his and he gave a very like I have a job at the moment kind of comment so I think it's done what is his job at the moment is he doing Red Bulls like head of fucking director because I was seeing Klopp at this World Cup I was thinking he's going to slot into the Arsene Wenger role yeah just sort of going upstairs into the sort of blazing.

6:24Because I saw him sat up in the stands with... John Terry. Yeah. Infantino. Little stat for you. None of the World Cup winners from 2006, 2010 and 2014 have won a knockout match since winning it. Although Spain are playing Austria on Thursday, so that stat might expire. But yeah, Italy, Spain and Germany. Pretty wild. I think I read somewhere this morning that it was the first time Germany had been knocked out by pens. Really? Yeah. Yeah, that obviously made it a bit. a bit sweeter Brazilians are loving it they absolutely despise Germany because of that one time they got humiliated by them but we were talking about this I don't understand why Germany sorry Brazil should hate Germany for that it's like they just got beaten it's not like Germany didn't do it in any sort of foul play they're quite passionate people aren't they it was just they just got absolutely spanked it's a proud nation so they take these things badly speaking of proud nations Paraguay give them their flowers big time certainly giving them themselves because they've announced a national holiday which I mean you're into the last six you beat Germany Fairfax but surely you want to just see how far they go yeah and then do it when you've lost or won the World Cup or just have a fuckload of bang holidays didn't Ecuador Ecuador did the same I think after beating Germany after beating Germany yeah I don't think you made it out of the group but I don't think that's national holiday territory Scotland got one for qualifying that's what I'm thinking do you think if Scotland had made the knockouts they'd have done another fucking bank holiday.

7:51Probably. They'd be off for the rest of the summer, I think. Scotland, 13 major tournaments never got out of the group. Oh, stingy. Yeah. I do, watching Paraguay, just keep thinking, Miguel Almiron and Andrew Lloyd Webber separated at birth. They look so alike. It's the eyebrow. Yeah, yeah. It's just a whole face shape. Could be a sum. I should say, Germany did get a very ropey VAR call, but you know, these things happen. We've all been there. And speaking of injustice, I think everyone agrees, Iran are the unluckiest team ever. they had a goal chalked off by VAR an extra time that would have taken them through.

8:25And then Austria scored a 96th minute winner, I think, to knock them out. Equalizer, yeah. So they had an equalizer, sorry. They had a tough old break. And I think most people feel sorry for them. Apart from the Department of Homeland Security Secretary in the Trump administration, a man called Mark Wayne Mullen, double barrel first name. He said, I'm just glad they're done and they're not coming back. I was so happy we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US. I might have sung a song and maybe even danced a happy dance and then he goes there wasn't a single team we had to spend more time dealing with than Iran because you didn't give a fucking BZ bastards because you were at war with them I did feel so bad for them having to fly in and out on every game and shit it was awful really yeah it was tough I'd love to have seen them go through there was one point when it looked like USA and Iran could be playing each other in the last 16 which would have been fucking hell that would have been nuts can you imagine Iran knocking out USA in New York or somewhere that would have been mental penalty defeat for the Dutch as well yeah Zach's just watched the entire game in full just started work at 11.30am today you got some time in lieu haven't you but I have after last night's live stream probably yeah I would say some of the most dog shit penalties you'll ever see with a couple of good ones there were some really good ones and some really terrible ones we were seeing a lot of like stuttery run ups Stardewry run-ups have had a bad World Cup in general don't like him Pierre Van Foydon do you remember him?

9:53he was saying like what's going on because Ronald Koeman was like a penalty specialist and he's like he never stuttered and he's saying why has he not got his players taking penalties like him properly yeah I think in that kind of high pressure environment you've just got to fucking whack it that's what you do yeah yeah just that's what I do the thing is if you miss and you've whacked it then no one feels too you don't look like an idiot really Yeah, or if you've tried like... I mean, if you blast over, maybe, but like you just look like a fool if you've done the level started run up. I was braced for some wild scenes in the Netherlands because they've got a large Moroccan population and the match kicked off at 3am.

10:32So you were kind of... Because you remember the 2022 World Cup, they beat... Morocco beat Belgium and there were riots in Belgium and the Netherlands from just like fans just losing it. So I was sort of hoping, maybe not riot, but some wild scenes, but it looked quite well behaved. I think when it starts that late, unless you've got some marching powder, you're not going to be, yeah. Which is around my presume. Never checked. Yeah. I mean, that is a tough way to lose as well. Game kicked off at 3am. So what are you like? I think you're getting up. You're setting your alarm and getting up to watch it.

11:06And then you go to bed, but then the game must've not finished till like 6am. So then it's just, you're out the world cup straight to work. Yeah. You just need a bit of rain just to really add to the fantasy. Yeah, quite brutal kickoff time. If we go through, we've got Mexico at 1am, which I don't think is a set your alarm job. No, no, no, you've got to stay up. Yeah, but just don't start drinking too late, I think. Too late? No, too soon. What's the deal? Will pubs be open? Because I was looking... Yeah, but they've got licenses, haven't they? Yeah, but not for 1am kickoffs yet, and they said we'll review it if England get one.

11:37So I guess this week... I'd be very surprised if they don't. Why aren't we allowed to have the big screens you get across Europe? It's bollocks. Yeah. every other country's just got like a big screen you can just show up yeah or just open up some of the stadiums yeah I don't want to have to go to box park anyway seemed quite good natured in the Netherlands and just finally I'm Ronald Koeman so he's getting criticism for playing five at the back and he replied the whole of the Netherlands asked to play with five defenders and then you play with five and you get criticism for it I don't care which I don't think you should manage in that fashion second guessing what the whole of the Netherlands wants yeah yeah yeah blaming everyone else not the only big sports tournament aren't you see Wimbledon kicked off big time I did actually yeah you're gonna watch that this afternoon I mean it's actually great now Wimbledon all day football all night it's perfect don't forget the day job mate do you see Bex was there he's fucking everywhere isn't he yeah with his mum which was nice was he having a big chalice of his red wine again I didn't see if he was on the booze actually I think he was more, you know, Beck's at Centacore.

12:46He's probably hoping to just, it's quite sophisticated, you know, he's hoping to nibble strawberries and cream with Elton John and David Attenborough. Instead, though, he was greeted by a less friendly face beside him in the posh seats. That was Catherine Jenkins, his old foe. So do you remember Catherine Jenkins? These, look at a picture of them. So Catherine Jenkins famously was slagged off by David Beckham when he was snubbed for a knighthood a few years back. He was, this was 2017 and he was snubbed once again by the honours committee and first emailed his PR advisor calling them unappreciative cunts.

13:27And then for some reason turned on Catherine or Catherine the opera singer who had just been given an OBE. and he said Catherine Jenkins OBE for what? Seeing her at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke fucking joke why has he gone in on her? don't know he was just pissed off that he hadn't gone so was she did she have a higher level than him? OBE is higher than M or whatever I don't know he was on before yeah was he just like I think he was just he was just pissed off plus taking coke old unappreciative cunts on the honours committee didn't go down too well with her she came out said it was hurtful I can see that and she also said that Bex never apologised to her and I presume he didn't yesterday either so they were don't think so she was the row behind him do you think someone's fucked that up and they didn't realise that there's a bit of ongoing beef or do you think people have done that to get their what was in the schedule because that's the royal box by the way yeah there isn't going to be that many yeah whoever booked them that day was like oh they was gone yeah that's why Beckham brought his mum she'd never say something she's quite tough actually I wouldn't fuck with her.

14:33Yeah. Famously went for Glenn Hoddle. Really? Yeah. Got an episode on him on Patreon this week. She, there were some rumours that I think turned out to be untrue about a romance between Bex and Catherine Jenkins, which I'm pretty sure are untrue, but never know. So is there some extra? Would explain why he maybe calls her out? I guess, yeah. I mean, anyway, it looked quite frosty. He's directly in front of her. Did they not exchange a word? I don't know. I don't know. I didn't have Bex come the whole game. Too busy watching everything else.

15:09I thought Bex was an American. John Terry's kind of nicked his role of being like... That's what I mean. I swear he was just in Miami yesterday watching a game. Did you see there was that thing online saying that Infantino was shown at two games at once? There were two games that kicked off at the same time and 10 minutes apart he was shown on screen but I think one of them turned out to be fake. Oh really? It's a shame. It got the conspiracy theories going. But yeah, John Terry seems to cover for Bex in the England legend role. Yeah. Got a lot in common, I suppose. Germany, Japan, Netherlands, they're not the only farewells this week because Ben Stokes, the England captain, England cricket captain, has fallen on his sword after 13 years.

15:45He's retired. Huge loss to England, slightly bizarre ends to his career. But I think all that, just like our field shit that we've talked about in the last few weeks has taken its toll where, you know, players, including him, got punished for being out late. All looking a bit unprofessional, but I think he got treated quite badly and I don't know it's a fucking mess really it was also because he introduced a midnight carfew and then instantly broke it yeah they just overreacted and they pushed him away yeah he did say I'm pretty tired and I did see a photo of him a few months ago that made him look pretty jaded I mean he looks like he'll suck for skag to be honest he's sucking cock for rock isn't he he's gone as fuck his eyelids are heavy looks seriously unwell yeah do you think he's just like absolutely I've had enough of the press have had enough of this bullshit he's still got enough in the tank being england captain comes with so much bullshit that he's just like fuck it but yeah i'll link to the photo of people who can't see it yeah i should say that photo was taken after he had facial surgery we're not implying yeah a ball smashed him in the face in practice while he was helping out with the academy at durham yeah yeah fucking sack it off pretty unlucky some teenager just whacked a six into his cheek.

16:57Which, yeah. I'll be honest, Ben, I think you could take that guy to the cleaners. No wonder he's retiring. Sue that fucker. And if you are going to sue them, probably sue Durham, not the teenage recruit, but I've got just the lawyers for you, Ben. Injury lawyers for you. Yeah. If you've had an accident at work that's left you looking like a gaunt smack head, then they will fight for you. Personal injury lawyers. Any accident that wasn't your fault, no win no fee I mean what what more is there to say about injury lawyers for you that hasn't already been said just no risk fill in the form guys you never know compensation calculator on their website so you can just put in your scenario yeah I actually think this is the most legit claim that we've come across so far what the Ben Stokes yeah because he's legit at work yeah he's at work it's an accident it's an accident it's suing a teenager considered yeah you just gotta teach him a lesson take him take the parents down was it Dennis Rodman or Scotty Pippin.

17:55Scotty Pippin sued a two-year-old for drawing crayons in the wall of his house that the kid's parents had rented. Yeah, B &B'd it. Did he go after the parents? Yeah, no, she was... The child was named on the lawsuit. Two or like six. I don't know. That's so American, isn't it? I love that. And we're just hoping to import a bit of that Sue Everyone culture with our sponsor. Get litigious, guys. Come on, it's American World Cup. Fourth of July soon. Yeah. Get in the mood by suing him. Lights and fireworks. Sue a friend or colleague. As for, so that's injury loss for you. I'll link to it in the show notes.

18:32As for Ben Stokes, I prefer to remember him in his prime, most famously his heroics at Headingley in 2019. Although that game was also the setting for a memorable incident at the Players Hotel, which almost overshadowed Ben's heroics. So after the third day of the match, in the middle of the night, the fire alarm went off. And in this hotel were all the England players, all the Australia players, and a massive media contingent of journos and commentators covering the game. And it was raining. So they all marched downstairs, middle of the night, stood outside in the pouring rain. It's not exactly great preparation for a day of elite sport.

19:06But the spirits of the group in the rain were lifted considerably when the fire exit doors flew open and out came a very popular and happily married sky commentator looking very sheepish. and then he was followed by a girl half his age who was completely naked apart from a bed sheet not gonna name him it's a very poorly timed fire alarm well I think I would have just sat in the room but I guess you're like what if this is a real fire why do they need to come out together surely just go out like two minutes apart and she must have come with clothes but I guess you're like fire I just need to do you really grab yourself in a bed sheet surely everyone else has managed to get guys put some fucking clothes on mate there must be some other people who didn't have much on who had time to just quick slip some trousers on I think under sort of fire safety regulations you are just supposed to go straight out she's done the right thing Zach I don't think she should be punished be rewarded if anything as for Ben Stokes I'm not really sure what happens next he said he's I think he'll be a sort of gun for hire for the random leagues around the world that no one likes watching but people bet on I'm a celebrity get me out of here oh that's a really good shout yeah he's that vibe yeah that's a really good oh do you think he's gonna go like Joe Marler yeah I reckon podcast bit of an in deck we'll see he's got the the gift of the gab he's gonna be spending a lot more time at home in Durham he bought his house from Adam Johnson the footy nonce is he still in prison no no he's been out for ages has he I never see he sold his house presumably he had some costs to pay yeah wasn't no win no fee he didn't win so that was and he sold his house to Stokes actually Stokes the wily bastard got 150 grand off the asking price yeah which I guess is what happens probably in a rush when you go down for noncing you're probably not in the strongest your neighbours want you out of the neighbourhood yeah it's not the best negotiating position yeah you know like people always say like if a house is supposed to be haunted you can get it on the cheap I guess if you've got a noncing house you can definitely get a bit of that off it does feel like you should get some money off chip the asking you should have that as a thing on Zoopla set your parameters filter for nonce seller generally I don't want to buy a house for nonce to be honest with you man for 150 grand off lovely garden as well it's a serious pad but yeah Stokes always compared to Ian Botham as a player I'm hoping he doesn't go beefy's full retirement route which is tweeting pictures of your knob and arguing with anti-hunt activists on a grass shoot you've got a lot of time on your hands but I was fucking shocked because people always compare them as these sort of like magical all-rounders with a party streak Beefy was on a pod last week and he was criticising Ben Stokes for going out boozing and suggesting that he was a diligent young player who like would just go out for dinner and then go to bed that's not that's not what I remember no I mean we did a pod on him I really recommend it he was a disastrous England captain briefly in 1980 but while he was England captain he also made 11 football leagues appearances for Scunthorpe, which is quite cool.

22:18That's good, yeah. What, simultaneously? Yeah, yeah. I think actually 11 games were over five years, but he played for them while he was England captain. What, would they just occasionally chuck him in if they needed a fucking right back? Yeah, centre back. What the fuck? Big lad. I mean, he's a good footballer. He must be a good player. Yeah, I think those days are over. But while he was playing for Scunthorpe, Football League Club, he went on their night out, the team night out for Christmas in Scunny, and some of the fans turned up and started giving lip to the team's goalkeeper, who's called Joe Noonan.

22:46This fight broke out and both them and Joe Newton, I'm sorry, Joe Neenan. And this fight broke out and both them and Joe Neenan ended up chasing these fans down the street, cornering them in an alley and Joe beat the shit out of them while Beefy sort of held them still. England cricket captain. He was acquitted in court of any wrongdoing. So I don't know if he held them or if he just chased them, but it's a bit of fun. Surely both of those things. All Ben Stokes did was dance in a nightclub while someone else had a fight. It's a bit fucking rich. But it's a bit fucking rich from Beefy who could not keep out of trouble.

23:20I was also looking back through our notes for that pod episode. He went on a tour of West Indies where every day after play, a cloud of weed smoke spilled out of the dressing room. They were boozing to the early hours before matches. And then he got accused of having a shag-a-thon with Miss Barbados. He was way more of a party animal. And even then, do you remember, he did these charity walks and everyone was like, what a good bloke. But he ended up punching a copper during one of them. Broke his knuckle on the guy's helmet, I think. Yeah, what was that? I can't remember why. The police wanted him to move on or something.

23:51He was being a dick, but he punched him. Surely you get Nick for punching a copper. Yeah, he did. I did. I think it's a bit rich of Ian Botham. Yeah, to suddenly have the moral high ground. Here is his criticism of Ben Stokes in England. The last place I would go is where they all are in the evenings. Just keep yourself to yourself. You might go to a nice restaurant. Have good food. a glass bottle of wine. That sort of thing, no one's going to worry about that. But when they see the team wobbling down the high street, and I'm not, you know, which I didn't see it all, but it certainly seemed pretty strange to me that you'd lose a test, the second test, you go 2-0 down, and we're going to fire.

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25:43It says you have standards. You don't cut corners. And you like your Jägermeister shots the way they're meant to be enjoyed. Ice cold. As for the frozen taquitos and mystery leftovers, we'll keep that between us. Drink it cold, or don't drink it at all. Jägermeister. Damn, that's cold. Drink responsibly. Jägermeister liqueur, 35 % alcohol by volume. Imported by Masked Jägermeister, US White Plains, New York. Days on the Razz. All right, now back to the World Cup. And it's safe to say that the cheery vibes are very much over. That period of the World Cup, you know, the group stage, there's rival fans doing each other's face paint, policemen doing kick-ups, Scotsmen teaching Colombians to play the bagpipes.

26:25Good vibes. That is well and truly over. and the ritual bloodletting and backstabbing period has begun. And nowhere more so than in Uruguay, who they were eliminated in the group stage, got a paltry two points. Fucking terrible. And did you see the interview that their manager, Marcelo Bielsa, did after the game? And, you know, Marcelo, he's a bit of a hothead at the best of times, but this really, really shows him at his best.

27:05I saw someone describe that bit as Bilbo Baggins asking to see the ring one more time. Apparently he's... He's so passionate, I do rate it, but... Have you ever seen him make eye contact with anyone? Yeah, he's a strange old cat, isn't he? So when he does that mad yell at the start, apparently he said, get on with it. Oh, he's all scolding himself. I thought it was like, fuck we lost no no no he's like he's scolding the reporter oh Jesus messing about um but yeah it was uh not a great tournament for Uruguay lost their lost their final game to Spain 1-0 they subbed off the keeper at half time legendary 40 year old Fernando Misleira who Bielsa had actually begged to to come out of retirement for the tournament uh then then yeah didn't go well so he let in three goals leading three three made three mistakes leading to goals which is a world cup record show uh including an absolute howler for spain's goal and bielsa then said that miznera had asked him at half time to to be subbed off oh well he'd lost his head i guess so yeah yeah it seems like the vibes in the uruguay camp are very bad so uruguay's fa they'd lined up a private jet to take him back after the tournament and they cancelled it and made the players get get commercial flights home do you think it'll be like do you remember Belgium had that at the last tournament or maybe it was the last world cup and they all flew on separate flights because they hated each other they were like in groups of three I would not want to be the Ryanair gate staff who had to tell Marcelo Bielsa that his baggage was overweight you're in 31 H by the box yeah so in that interview after the game Bielsa also he says what I gave Uruguayan football is nothing.

28:58If you ask how they're going to remember me, they will remember me as having left nothing. Which I'm not sure is strictly true because I think Uruguayan will remember Marcelo Bielsa as being an absolute bastard. So do you remember Luis Suarez retired after the Copa America two years ago it would have been and spilled the beans on the miserable life under Bielsa. So according to Suarez, Bielsa had banned employees at Uruguay's training complex from speaking to or eating with the players. So this is all the like, you know, chefs and whatever. The members of staff who generally are just like around the camp, nice relationship, not allowed to speak to the players anymore.

29:41He even made them use a different door to enter the building. He was also just openly rude to the players. They had to call a meeting to beg Bielsa to say good morning to the players when they came in because he apparently refused to even greet them. Just straight looking at the ground. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not even a nod. No, and Suarez said that he spent half-time of one match at the Copa America comforting a distraught of Darwin Nunes because Bielsa had made him cry with his half-time team talk. He strikes me as quite a sensitive soul, Darwin Nunes. It's quite a sensitive squad. Suarez is a big cryer, isn't he?

30:16Bielsa's not a good fit for that. It's not warm. I always feel like the Bielsa squads, they're either like completely obsessed with him it goes so well or it's just like completely fucked I mean looking at the way like Leeds fans and Leeds players talk about him he seems like this sort of butter wouldn't melt oh yeah I've got mates that are Leeds fans that have still got Bielsa shrines in their living rooms really he's like God they light a candle for Marcelo they've got like photos of him and stuff and like that's mental but Uruguay I think it's quite a difficult nation to manage they're quite emotional yeah apparently after after that Copa America Suarez and like some of the other senior players asked Bielsa if they could just have like a chat with him where they could outline all the issues that they were having.

30:59And they talked for five minutes to him and at the end he just replied, thank you very much. And just walked off. And he hadn't said anything. He didn't say anything. No response. Suarez said that some of the players were considering refusing to be called up back then. Sounds like quite a toxic work environment. Yeah. Yeah. They hated him. Yeah. Uruguay, not the only ones losing the plot though. after a group stage exit. So South Korea, they were also knocked out. And the nation has been in a state of hysteria not seen since K-pop heartthrobs BTS were called up for national service. So there was a bit of optimism because they started the World Cup with a win against Czechia, but then were beaten 1-0 by Mexico and South Africa, which was the real shock.

31:47After that, the South Korean president waded in, said that he was not just taken aback by this, I am totally baffled. And he's called for an official government investigation into the debacle. Seems like a lot of the anger is being funneled towards their manager, Hong Myung-bo. So some photos doing the rounds online of supermarkets and restaurants that have put posters up in their windows, barring Hong from coming in. Just in case he fancies a takeaway. wasn't planning on nipping in um and on south korean tv they blurred his face in the in the in the post-match press conference what does it say he's not there yeah what we've so looking at it so um apparently with public figures in korea if they've been involved in some sort of like national scandal that is going to invoke a lot of public anger and hatred they blur the person's face so to not to not like provoke provoke the public for his own protection yeah exactly i would say that's fighting the flames more oh yeah yeah we were talking on the live stream about why japan censors porn it's kind of the same thing they're trying to calm everyone down a bit weren't they yeah yeah yeah sorry let's not go down that route hopefully that's it hopefully didn't start flashing in the press conference.

33:13That's a Patreon only conversation. I thought it was kind of like don't look at him. It's sort of like wearing a guy's hat. I don't know. Maybe they just can't bear the sight of him. It was quite a controversial appointment in the first place because this is his second stint in charge of South Korea. Also led them in their dismal campaign at the 2014 World Cup when they also went out in the group stage. Only got one point that time and after they were knocked out in brazil to make matters worse hung and his staff were spotted out and about partying korean press said that they were seen with bottles of liquor and dancing with local women that's fucking amazing surely don't do that i guess you've got to blow off some steam yeah i don't see the problem to be honest yeah they're just partying they just went they probably just went out for a meal yeah see the real rio yeah i read um they They landed at like 4am to like try and avoid all the press.

34:11And there was like a thousand people at the fucking airport throwing like Korean sweets at him. It's quite nice seeing that other countries have the meltdowns that we do. This one's almost more mental. Yeah, this is... I don't remember Roy Hodgson's face ever being censored or being barred from restaurants. He's too lovely, Art Roy. Can't stay angry with Roy for long. No, no. But then they obviously gave him the job again. And he replaced Jürgen Klinsmann in 2024. when optimism with the Korean nationals at that point was actually quite high. Like they got to the last 16 at the previous World Cup.

34:44They had some good players coming through. It was like, this is the managers to take us on to the next step. And a few big name managers threw their hats into the ring. Jesse Marsh, David Wagner, Gus Poirier, going down the glamour scale. But they'd gone through like rounds of interviews, given presentations on the tactics that they'd do for Korea. their like vision for the team and after all that they just hired Hong again who hadn't even done any interviews or presentations because the Korean Football Federation had decided that Korean managers didn't need to do interviews, they just got him and after that all these whistleblowers came out saying that this hiring process had been biased and the Korean Football Federation apparently is infamous for being quite a like tight little inner circle of people who just like swap around these different high paid positions and Hong was very much part of that and they just like shoved him back in as manager and look how it ended time for change the Korean public was on his back right from the start and have been proven right so now he's real publication number one he has now resigned bowing to the reporters to be fair do you remember the North Korea manager in 2010 when they they like, because didn't they they only lost quite lightly to Brazil so there was like real optimism and they decided to televise a game live for the first time and they got smashed by Portugal 7-1 or something and the manager got he had to endure like a four hour public shaming where all the players went up to him and bollocked at him and then he just got sent to a labour camp.

36:25So it could be worse If you're only getting named and shamed in North Korea that's alright really isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is light, the Korean Peninsula. I'll take that, pal. Call me what you want. Was this their kind of golden generation? It's a bit of the like, this is the end of our golden generation. Son is not going to make another World Cup. I don't know if he's going to make another World Cup. They had Lee Kang in, the PSG player. Yeah. Kim Min-jae from Bayern as well. I really enjoyed. Do you remember when Kim Min-jae did his military service, which is mandatory in Korea, everyone's got to do it.

36:56But they let him, he was playing for Bayern at the time, so they let him do it online. How the fuck could you do military service? What are you doing like customer service on the front line? Just imagining the rest of his platoon like crawling through frozen bog land like dodging land mines in the DMZ and Kim just dials in on Zoom from his Bavarian schloss. She's tucking into a schnitzel and a glue vine. Private Min Jay reporting for duty.