What language do these soccer players and referees speak to each other when they all speak different languages? I assume English.

I was right. It’s English. “English has rightfully or not, become the closest thing we have to an international language. Soccer referees for FIFA and UEFA, Europe’s soccer federation, may speak several languages, but English is generally the default.” sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-myst…

@ChrisDokish It makes sense. English is the Lingua Franca of the Western World.

@jbhammer @ChrisDokish I was in complete shock in realizing first hand how many people spoke English as a 2nd language across Europe in random bars and restaurants. I got by in every country I visited.

@JoeNiklas @jbhammer Yeah, in touristy areas around the world, they speak it pretty well. Even in places like Cambodia speak it very well. And a lot of young people. But older people, and away from the cities, it’s less so around the world.

@ChrisDokish @jbhammer My time in the navy I wasn't sent to touristy areas. Cherbourg, France and Kiel, Germany are rather random ports on the map. Roda, Spain I understood why it was spoken a lot, which was due to it used to being a US military base.

@JoeNiklas @jbhammer I just looked it up. 39% of people in France say they can speak English. 20% are fluent. In Germany it’s 56%.

@ChrisDokish @jbhammer I imagine the Dutch have a higher percentage than both. Poland may have been the hardest place to get by.

@JoeNiklas @jbhammer Yeah, The Netherlands is 90%. It’s practically the US.

@ChrisDokish @jbhammer Dutch bars accepted the dollar when I was there in 05. Can't imagine they do today.

@JoeNiklas @jbhammer They use American money in Cambodia, too, but that’s because their money is mostly useless. When I was in Prague they took US dollars, too, but it cost more if you used it.