Doyle: I think most pundits expected Argentina to cruise past Germany seeing as the Germans have had a suspect defence in recent matches. Argentina’s superior attackers should have given the opposing goalkeeper a lot more of a test.

Hibbert: Typical German efficiency and organisation which constantly see them hitting above their weight. On paper, you would not have expected Germany to reach the Semi-Finals but as with previous competitions, you just can’t rule out the Germans, ever.

You have to admit though that they do have some star players like Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger and the little heard of Thomas Müller.

Doyle: All great players but compared to the skills of Lionel Messi, Carlos Tévez and Gonzalo Higuaín, they are not in the same league. Argentina should have won.

Langton: You forgot to mention the young star Mesut Oezil. Brilliant player who has been the revelation of the whole tournament rather like Michael Owen back in the 1998 World Cup. A wonderful story of Germany’s modern and multicultural society. Kevin-Prince Boateng is another of these success stories.

Hibbert: Think you’ll find that it’s Jérôme Boateng, Kevin-Prince’s younger brother. Kevin-Prince Boateng actually plays for the Ghanaian national team. Apparently he decided at the last moment back in 2007, that he didn’t want to play for Germany and would instead play for Ghana. The two nations actually played one another in the group stages of this World Cup, with the two brothers facing one another on opposing sides. First time in World Cup history that this phenomenon has ever happened.

Langton: Sign of the times and a welcome one at that. Nations evolve and change and this should be seen as a good thing. Mesut Oezil of Turkish descent will soon become one of the greatest German players ever.

Pilcher: Yeah, just a shame he doesn’t care for the German anthem and recites the Koran instead.

Langton: Perhaps he can’t sing and your Islamaphobia is doing nothing for this discussion.

Doyle: Going back to the match. I was expecting Argentina to make a comeback in the second half but that never materialised. Germany in fact repeated the feat they carried off against England, where they made use of counter attacks, pace and highly functional team play. Three times in one World Cup tournament where they have scored four goals in one match. They have got to be favourites now, right?

I should think so but I still fancy Spain to finally reach the summit.

Langton: Can’t see it. This is Germany’s year. No doubt about it.

Hibbert: It’s not a game for everyone. The game is also known as Rummy-O or Rummycube and was invented by Ephraim Hertzano, a Romanian-born Israeli. Kodkod is the company that sells it and the most intriguing part in all this is that Spain was in fact the host nation of last year’s Rummikub World Championship.

Admin: A manager of the Abacus chain told a Spanish newspaper:

“We carried the game until now because it is very interesting from a pedagogical perspective … but as a cooperative, we see what is going on, and we must be sensitive to the social situations.”

Doyle: The stores say they removed the Rummikub games in order to replace them with a cheaper Chinese version of the game known as ‘Rummy’. Naturally, they deny that pro-Palestinian groups were part of the equation when deciding to change from an Israeli supplier to a Chinese one.

Hibbert: One should note that the Israeli version will still be sold by Abacus in the company’s catalogue and also be sold directly to schools which regularly use the product as part of lessons. What one should read into this, I don’t know.

Admin: In economical terms I can just about understand it but if this is indeed a move, as suggested by the Abacus manager’s words, then the moral and ethical abyss which Spain faces is gargantuan. China is one of the worst human rights violators on the planet.

Hibbert: You can say that again. Political freedoms in China are severely restricted and the treatment of religious minorities, including Christians, Muslims and Buddhists, is nothing short of diabolical. More people are executed in China each year than the rest of the world combined. Death is the punishment even for some white-collar crimes such as embezzlement and tax fraud. Then there’s the treatment of rural workers, ethnic minorities and forced abortions and sterilizations.

Dijkstra: Like swapping products made in Britain for products made in Iran?

Admin: Yes.

News story: Spanish stores boycott Israeli game.

Admin: Indeed. The interesting fact in all this is the rise in the number of men seeking help at specialist units set up for just such problems. Approximately 65% more calls were made to the FMU (Forced Marriage Unit) this year than the previous. The young men are often forced into marriage because their family suspect or know that they are homosexual.

Doyle: That means the family’s honour is at stake which is an extremely important aspect of many South Asian societies. So much so, that many would prefer their children to be killed than reveal a secret that we in the West would barely bat an eyelid to.

Dijkstra: I guess this is a big issue and rallying point amongst British lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people?

Admin: No.

Read more: Specialist unit reports more male forced marriages. (BBC)