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Post by betahat on Jul 2, 2010 18:15:20 GMT -5
Suarez's handball was one of the smartest plays ever in the history of football and not cheating like Maradona or Henry, since he didn't get away with it. Ghana did deserve to win the game based on how they played in the last 30 minutes, but you have to make your chances count. They might not even have made it out of the group stage without Gyan converting two penalty kicks. Not cheating in my opinion, though it would be interesting if they implemented something like the "goaltending" rule in basketball where instead of a penalty you get an automatic goal. The tricky part would be that sometimes it's not clear whether a ball would have been a clear goal or not due to a handball (current rules don't discriminate a "scoring chance in the box" from a "the ball would have 100% gone into the back of the net without the handball"). In this case it looks pretty clear but it's possible the ball would have bounced off of his face.
As for thug football, what Felipe Melo did was inexcusable but let's not pretend that the Robben/Van Bommel "Good flop/bad cop" act was anything different. Van Der Wiel got carded for diving but Robben should have gotten a yellow too at some point, as should have Van Bommel for his tackles. People always say that "Latins" like Italians and South Americans are the biggest floppers and dirty players but other European teams do exactly the same. Technically what the German keeper did on the Lampard shot was cheating too since he knew it was in when he scooped it out and hoped the referee wouldn't call it.
This Dutch team does not play beautiful football either - Van Bommel and De Jong are just two defensive midfield hackers, as much as Lucio or anyone on the Brazilian team. However they played a much better game in the second half and deserved the win.
I think only the Americans and Asians (possible exception - Tulio Tanaka) have a culture that is so adverse to flopping and dirty tactics that they won't use them to gain an advantage - and look where it gets them in terms of results!
Still hoping for an all-guay final but it never looked too likely and still doesn't.
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palavore
Full Member
I put my pants on just like the rest of you -- one leg at a time. Except, once my pants are on, I make gold posts.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
Posts: 298
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Post by palavore on Jul 2, 2010 19:07:11 GMT -5
I think only the Americans and Asians (possible exception - Tulio Tanaka) have a culture that is so adverse to flopping and dirty tactics that they won't use them to gain an advantage - and look where it gets them in terms of results! I second this. My philosophy on that red card is this: penalties aren't legitimate tactics. Robbing a bank, spending the cash, then going to jail isn't a legitimate strategy for getting ahead in life. The judge, jury, and society don't present their verdicts that way and neither should football fans. Anywho, I don't know why Uruguay is so eager to lose to Netherlands. I might understand the desperation if was the final match, but let the better team move on. The fans deserve to see a real competition. Anyway, it'd be interesting to see who gets FIFA's Fair Play Award. I'd rather see their models run naked across the field. One has already promised. And after those defeats, I'm apt to root against them.
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Post by betahat on Jul 2, 2010 19:27:52 GMT -5
They could consider upping the penalties for handballs. I'm not sure how you could make it more severe - award two penalty kicks and a double red card (two match suspension)? I agree that there is a "spirit of the game" that is distinct from the "letter of the law" and that there are some things - like taking out a star player at the knees deliberately, like Canada did against Russia in the famous Hockey summit series - that are completely against sportsmanship even if there is some official punishment.
But there is at least some onus on FIFA to enact rules that encourage the right "spirit" - it's not just on the players (and the media and critics) to ensure good behavior. If this means upping the penalties for hand balls, video review for flopping and harsh tackles after matches, etc. then by all means. I'm all in favor of a cleaner game, but when the stakes are so high, fans are so partisan, etc. you can't expect honor to win out over tactics that give you an edge and an advantage. I like how the NFL changes rules every year to adjust to new tactics and try to get the game played in the right way - the insistence on purity and tradition in football means that some kinds of tactics are unfortunately here to stay.
Uruguay wants to lose to the Netherlands for the same reason Paraguay wants to lose to Spain - making it a bit further earns a lot of respect and glory for your tiny, poor country which doesn't have much to live for and unlike the spoiled Brazilians, Germans, Italians, etc. will take whatever they can get, including a 4th or an 8th place finish. If only teams that expected to win the World Cup showed up we could just have an 8 team tournament and skip all the Asian, African, and North American teams.
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monroe
Junior Member
Fastidious Grunge Lover - a study in contrasts
Posts: 152
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Post by monroe on Jul 3, 2010 0:24:13 GMT -5
Uruguay wants to lose to the Netherlands for the same reason Paraguay wants to lose to Spain - making it a bit further earns a lot of respect and glory for your tiny, poor country which doesn't have much to live for and unlike the spoiled Brazilians, Germans, Italians, etc. will take whatever they can get, including a 4th or an 8th place finish. If only teams that expected to win the World Cup showed up we could just have an 8 team tournament and skip all the Asian, African, and North American teams. Great write-up. I remember the year Iraq won the Asian cup, folks there found something that had been missing for a long time, whatever it was. Wasn't long until bombs started going off again (did they stop?), but they had the Cup.
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Post by betahat on Jul 3, 2010 16:47:40 GMT -5
Paraguay played a great game today but a couple of chances just didn't break their way. Even I was surprised by how close it was though knowing this team well I certainly wasn't expecting a 4-0 smack down like what Germany did to Argentina. I never would have imagined that we would have three great chances like that, the first a marginal offside call, the second a missed penalty, and the third a one on one with the keeper for the tie. I guess all the neutrals will be happy to see Germany vs. Spain, but I can't help being a bit sad today even though my team played a great game and left it all on the field, hopefully earning some global respect along the way. Hold your heads up high and enjoy the celebrations when you get home boys!
As for Cardozo, he needs to join a support group with Gyan and Kamono for players who failed to score on crucial penalty kicks. Football can indeed be a cruel mistress. Though the whole Argentine team (not to mention country) might need a therapist right about now.
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Post by pandaroo on Jul 5, 2010 17:39:12 GMT -5
THIS WORLD CUP BULLs*** MAKES ME SICK!!!
I AM SO f***ING TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT IT!!!
HOW CAN YOU PEOPLE WATCH SUCH A SEXIST, DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE THAT GOES ABOUT SHOVED IN OUR FACE ALL THE f***ING TIME BY THE MEDIA, SOCIETY, PEERS, ETC. LIKE THEY JUST IGNORE THE FACT THAT WOMEN ARE ENTIRELY EXCLUDED FROM IT??!!
THEY'RE ONLY SPORTS PLAYERS YET THEY ARE WORSHIPPED LIKE IDOLS. AND THIS GAME ONLY ALLOWS MEN. f***ING MAKES ME SICK. THERE AREN'T EVEN FEMALE COACHES!! OH, OF COURSE, IT'S ABOUT INCLUDING EVERYONE RIGHT?? EVERY COUNTRY... SO f***ING WHAT. THEY LEAVE OUT HALF THE WORLD FROM IT. IT'S NOT THE WORLD CUP. IT'S THE SEXIST CUP IN WHICH YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PENIS TO PLAY A PART.
THEY DON'T EVEN GIVE WOMEN A CHANCE. AND HOW CAN PEOPLE SAY, OH IT'S SO BAD BACK WHEN WE HAD SEGREGATED SPORTS WITH WHITES APART FROM BLACKS. WELL WE HAVEN'T COME VERY FAR HAVE WE? LEAVING OUT FEMALES IS JUST WRONG.
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU HERE WHO WATCH THIS.
I'M BOYCOTTING IT AND STANDING UP FOR JUSTICE. MAY IT COME ONE DAY.
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Post by davidbleo on Jul 5, 2010 20:26:28 GMT -5
There is a Women's FIFA World Cup... and in every sport or at least lots of them, the men's version is more popular... I'm not sayin' it should be that way, but that's the way it is... but you don't see women playin' alongside men at the Super Bowl... or at the World Series... even Tiger Woods only play against other men... Lorena Ochoa is far better (and mexican =D)... so you should be so tired of basketball, baseball, hockey, american football, rugby, polo,... I guess, only in tennis women are as popular or even more than men... and you should be against sports that don't allow women at all, like sumo...
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Post by admin on Jul 6, 2010 11:34:44 GMT -5
THIS WORLD CUP BULLs*** MAKES ME SICK!!!I AM SO f***ING TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT IT!!! HOW CAN YOU PEOPLE WATCH SUCH A SEXIST, DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE THAT GOES ABOUT SHOVED IN OUR FACE ALL THE f***ING TIME BY THE MEDIA, SOCIETY, PEERS, ETC. LIKE THEY JUST IGNORE THE FACT THAT WOMEN ARE ENTIRELY EXCLUDED FROM IT??!! THEY'RE ONLY SPORTS PLAYERS YET THEY ARE WORSHIPPED LIKE IDOLS. AND THIS GAME ONLY ALLOWS MEN. f***ING MAKES ME SICK. THERE AREN'T EVEN FEMALE COACHES!! OH, OF COURSE, IT'S ABOUT INCLUDING EVERYONE RIGHT?? EVERY COUNTRY... SO f***ING WHAT. THEY LEAVE OUT HALF THE WORLD FROM IT. IT'S NOT THE WORLD CUP. IT'S THE SEXIST CUP IN WHICH YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PENIS TO PLAY A PART. THEY DON'T EVEN GIVE WOMEN A CHANCE. AND HOW CAN PEOPLE SAY, OH IT'S SO BAD BACK WHEN WE HAD SEGREGATED SPORTS WITH WHITES APART FROM BLACKS. WELL WE HAVEN'T COME VERY FAR HAVE WE? LEAVING OUT FEMALES IS JUST WRONG. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU HERE WHO WATCH THIS. I'M BOYCOTTING IT AND STANDING UP FOR JUSTICE. MAY IT COME ONE DAY. In the USA, there are co-ed softball leagues which have specific rules about gender composition and game play. www.ehow.com/way_5146779_asa-adult-coed-softball-rules.htmlThey could do something like this for soccer, basketball, etc., and I think it would be great. Whether or not the end product would be something sports consumers want or not I could not predict.
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Post by betahat on Jul 6, 2010 15:59:35 GMT -5
Some of my friends play co-ed intramurals, but gender discrimination is built into the game. You get 3 men and 3 women, but one of the men has to be the keeper and the two other men are not allowed more than three touches on the ball before they have to pass it or shoot. Women's soccer is quite high profile in the US, maybe less so elsewhere. Especially after the famous Brandy Chastain moment. But it's unlikely any of the women could compete with men at the top level. The best female hockey player ever did play professionally with men in the Finnish second division, but I don't know of any women who play in men's leagues in football.
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Post by davidbleo on Jul 7, 2010 15:42:53 GMT -5
Germany has fallen... too sad, but Spain was better during the whole match!!!
At least we will see a new champion on Sunday!! XD
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Post by LaFace on Jul 8, 2010 4:19:08 GMT -5
THIS WORLD CUP BULLs*** MAKES ME SICK!!!I AM SO f***ING TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT IT!!! HOW CAN YOU PEOPLE WATCH SUCH A SEXIST, DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE THAT GOES ABOUT SHOVED IN OUR FACE ALL THE f***ING TIME BY THE MEDIA, SOCIETY, PEERS, ETC. LIKE THEY JUST IGNORE THE FACT THAT WOMEN ARE ENTIRELY EXCLUDED FROM IT??!! THEY'RE ONLY SPORTS PLAYERS YET THEY ARE WORSHIPPED LIKE IDOLS. AND THIS GAME ONLY ALLOWS MEN. f***ING MAKES ME SICK. THERE AREN'T EVEN FEMALE COACHES!! OH, OF COURSE, IT'S ABOUT INCLUDING EVERYONE RIGHT?? EVERY COUNTRY... SO f***ING WHAT. THEY LEAVE OUT HALF THE WORLD FROM IT. IT'S NOT THE WORLD CUP. IT'S THE SEXIST CUP IN WHICH YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PENIS TO PLAY A PART. THEY DON'T EVEN GIVE WOMEN A CHANCE. AND HOW CAN PEOPLE SAY, OH IT'S SO BAD BACK WHEN WE HAD SEGREGATED SPORTS WITH WHITES APART FROM BLACKS. WELL WE HAVEN'T COME VERY FAR HAVE WE? LEAVING OUT FEMALES IS JUST WRONG. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU HERE WHO WATCH THIS. I'M BOYCOTTING IT AND STANDING UP FOR JUSTICE. MAY IT COME ONE DAY. Pandaroo, you may want to check this out before you get so angry at the world cup next time: www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/index.html
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Papa Alpha
Junior Member
Not all those who wander are lost
1/4 pirate, 1/4 ninja, 1/4 cowboy, 1/4 rockstar
Posts: 102
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Post by Papa Alpha on Jul 8, 2010 16:01:10 GMT -5
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU HERE WHO WATCH THIS. Just a little protester advice, throwing everyone who doesn't toe the line in with your enemies is more likely to make you more enemies than shock people into joining you. In this instance, it could make people roll their eyes whenever they hear someone complaining about sexism, which I agree, there are some huge double standards around still. Keep on keeping on, the world will see more clearly little by little.
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Post by admin on Jul 9, 2010 10:51:49 GMT -5
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Dirt
Junior Member
Historian
Posts: 154
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Post by Dirt on Jul 11, 2010 3:59:06 GMT -5
go go spain muahahah!!
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Post by betahat on Jul 11, 2010 16:51:03 GMT -5
Some brutal Dutch tackles and some ridiculous Spanish diving, as expected, and another grind it out 1-0 Spanish win. But congrats to Spain, they played better overall though if Robben had just chipped the keeper on one of those two breakaways, who knows. At least my team lost to the World Champions. Now there are no sports of any interest all summer - the only thing that holds any interest to me is the "which NBA free agents sign with Miami on a minimum contract" sweepstakes.
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