Wenger : Teams focused on World Cup, not politics, had easier passage to last 16

According to former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, the World Cup group stage results demonstrated that the teams that advanced without incident were those that were mentally prepared and were not preoccupied with political matters.

Speaking at a technical breakdown of the group stages by FIFA’s world governing body, Wenger noted the teams that prioritised football and got off to a strong start, like Brazil, France, and England, had an easier time advancing to the round of 16. He was making reference to the shocking eliminations of Germany, Belgium, and Denmark.

The teams with experience, they have results, and they played well in their first game, according to Wenger, who stated on Sunday. “When you went to the World Cup you know you have to not lose the first game,” he added.

“Teams that were mentally prepared and had the attitude to concentrate on the competition rather than political demonstrations,”

Teams have engaged in an extraordinary degree of political discourse during the World Cup in Qatar, with some expressing displeasure about the host nation’s treatment of migrant workers, its attitude toward LGBT rights, and FIFA’s threats to punish players for making political statements.

The German soccer federation was the most outspoken in demanding that players wear anti-discrimination “OneLove” armbands and claimed that “extreme blackmail” caused

Wales, England, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Denmark give up on wearing them plans.

The German squad posed for a pre-game selfie with their hands on their lips, alluding to their being hushed by FIFA, before their unexpected opening defeat against Japan.

Denmark also took a stance about the armbands, and last month they intended to employ training materials with pro-human rights slogans.

There had been rumours that Denmark might threaten to leave FIFA over the armbands, but its federation dismissed this as the result of media confusion.