HAITI….Haiti has been forced to change the design of its World Cup jersey after it was deemed too political by FIFA……just months after the Caribbean nation had to amend its Winter Olympic uniforms…..the jersey, by Colombian sportswear manufacturer Saeta, originally included a depiction of the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803 on its front….. the image was rejected during FIFA’s approval process……Saeta said in a statement Wednesday that it would comply with the ban even though the design was not intended as a political statement…..but rather as a “tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future”…..I mean come on…..politics in sports never works…..just ask Russia…..and FIFA rejecting Haiti’s jersey as being too political….and allowing the U.S. to host the World Cup….while denying visas, restricting entrance, banning Iranian players from staying in the country…..is a selective, targeted invocation of their neutrality policies…..such a double standard…..and then there are my down under friends…..

AUSTRALIA…..Gotta love ‘em…..they came up with their own drunk song to honor “STUPID”…. “The Aussie boys….we’re on a bender…..Donald Trump is a sex offender….He’s fat, he’s old….he likes them 12-years-old”….now let me tell you about…..

NORWAY….. In every World Cup tournament one country comes up with the coolest stuff…..Iceland had the “Clap”…..the same one fans of the Minnesota Vikings stole….and now USA World Cup fans are doing it…..Norway introduced “The RO”…..a fan stands with a horn and starts blowing…..kinda like a Nordic “YO!”……when the drummer in their crowd bangs on it twice….everyone acts as if they’re rowing a Viking ship and yell “RO”…..that’s so cool…..and to embarrass America even more….Norway shipped 2,200 pounds of food across the ocean to the World Cup….because they refuse to eat American groceries….and for the first time ever…..Norwegian athletes are treating American food like a biohazard…..the shipment included 300kg of salmon…..6,000 oranges and 116kg of brown cheese…..they wanted to ensure their players had a “familiar nutrition” during the tournament…..sudden changes in a diet can definitely disrupt sleep, digestion and concentration…..Norwegians doing the “RO” in Times Square after interrupting a yoga session….people are saying Times Square moved one kilometer that day……classic….those of you calling them……

VIKINGS….It’s no question Norwegians are down with that term…..but here’s a little lesson for you…… and I didn’t know it….until I used the word during a historical conversation in Denmark…..and I used the word during the conversation…..while I was explaining how much I admired the history….a history about people….with the determination to conquer, survive, thrive, explore…..not only what is now called North America and Canada….but all the way down to Sicily…..Africa…..have you any idea how far an Uber trip that would be for descendants of Nordic blood?….and recently, more and more of their ancestors are being unearthed…..in regions across the globe….amazing archaeology discoveries are being found….and I’ve always admired my Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Danish neighbors…..I’ve seen films, read books of their history…..I recently became friends with a really cool guy from Denmark…..and while having a beer together…..I started talking about all the shows on Netflix I watch…..how much I love them…..fascinated about his history…..then I used a word associated with his history…..and he dropped a bomb on me….something I never knew and was shocked to know…..during our conversation, I said….. “Man, I admire the strength of Vikings over the course of history”…..and when I said that, his face changed…..and I noticed it…..and then he said….. “We really don’t like that word”….. “What?”….. “VIKINGS”……I was so shocked by his response, I don’t remember exactly why it was so offensive…..but I do remember a time when Nicole and I were having a conversation with a guy in Copenhagen…..and his entire mood changed when I mentioned the “V” word…..I saw it…..but it didn’t click with me until my friend and I had basically the same conversation…..I apologized and felt so bad….for using a word I thought…..was one used to categorize a group of Northern settlers…..for them, in Denmark according to these two…..who are from Denmark…..using the V-word to describe someone…..is almost the same as using the N-word….to describe a Black person…..I’m serious, it’s not a word many Northerners like to be associated with…..crazy isn’t it?….so, you pond jumpers who want to enjoy visiting the beautiful scenery of the north…..learn their cultures and history…..remember to leave the “V” word out of your conversations.

AMERICANS….freaked out over Japanese fans cleaning up the stadium after the game….I’ll assume you didn’t watch the last World Cup in Qatar?……they did the same there…..as for the Japanese team cleaning up the locker room after the game….yep, did the same in Qatar…..one American said…. “Americans don’t know how to party……I went to a bar and it was literally sold out of beer….the Australians came and ransacked it…..and I saw that this also happened with the Scotland fans….they came and drank everything in Boston too….I don’t know what is in the water in other parts of the world…..but, the U.S. can’t even come close…..we can’t even compare”……a Tartan Army guy pointed out something true….. “Is “USA-USA” the only cheer you have?….we have like over a hundred….you need to get creative because that’s boring…..and stealing the Iceland clap…..seriously mate?”…..most Americans aren’t interested in seeing the games…..but you should be…..many want to hangout and party with the visitors…..and you should…..that right there is the World Cup experience…..

 CURACAO….Eloy Room….15 saves on shots on goal….a World Cup record performed without the game going into overtime…..that game will be remembered for years to come…..and to score their first goal against Germany…..one of the best teams in the tournament…..even German fans screamed loudly while they made history…..the team didn’t advance to the knockout stage….after their last game…..but the players sat midfield and enjoyed the memory…..

NETHERLANDS….Brought their “Left-Right Dance”…..and here’s another great group of I’m definitely going to wake up with a hangover people to hang out with…..everyone marching to the game together and dancing…..something you’ll never forget….it was even cool to see the King and Queen of the Netherlands dancing…..and the “Orange Wave” always travels with their Dutch Orange Bus….pumping out music and making us “Go Left-Go Right!”…..back to the King and Queen….they went into the changing room of Curacao to celebrate with them after their draw with Ecuador….it’s a constituent country of the Netherlands….they then went into the national team locker room and took pictures with them……tellin’ ya,…..you need to party with the Dutch one day…..fans singing “Deep In the Heart of Texas”…..classic….too bad they lost to Morocco…..party over!…..book a vacation to the Netherlands…..when they’re celebrating a “Royal Day”….you’ll see what I mean when it comes to hangin’ out.