South Africa Soccer world cup thread!

[Pilotasso]

USA played for the shirt. Not much of that going on in Europe anymore.

[Lucas_From_Hell]

Way to go, Ghana, congratulations :)

 

Looking forward for today's matches and F-1 :D

 

For tomorrow, a quick look on all Brazil x Chile matches after 2006, just a curiosity:

 

Brazil 4 x 0 Chile, Brazil 3 x 0 Chile, Brazil 6 x 1 Chile, Brazil 3 x 0 Chile, Brazil 4 x 2 Chile.

 

Anyone sees a pattern? :music_whistling:

 

As long as Brazil respects Chile, we can once again put at least 3 in the back of their net :D

 

But hey, who cares, Germany vs. England ahead - bring in the drinks and snacks :beer:

[Pilotasso]

I'm off for the rest of the day so Ill drop a message here before going.

 

Good luck England. Your going to need it. Lots :D

[winz]

Referee weakest part of the game....again.

[Lucas_From_Hell]

What happened to the British defence there? :huh: I couldn't recognize them during those two goals (and it wasn't three by a narrow margin, a good catch by James).

 

And poor Lampard, he and England deserved that goal. The referees on this World Cup are doing some terrible mistakes, that's very bad for both teams and the tournament as a whole :(

 

When a player finally overcomes the 'mystic' jabulani and its unpredictable flight, the refs don't see the goal... :doh:

[X-man]

That was so retarded.... :doh:

 

Edited June 27, 2010 by X-man

[topol-m]

Wow Germany vs England was almost like Portugal vs North Korea :D

Edit: But something must be done for giving the referees enough info in order to take the right decisions. An option for rescinding wrong decisions also could be considered.

Edited June 27, 2010 by topol-m

[Lucas_From_Hell]

That ball just changed the whole game.

 

It does make a f*ing big difference to end the first half losing 2 x 1 and end it tied up.

 

I feel sorry for England, they got so close, and they deserved to win...

 

Their only mistake was in the defensive side. They seemed to be sleeping the whole time. Four goals. Not one, but four easily avoidable goals that no serious defence would have suffered.

 

Better luck next time, England... :cry:

[Pilotasso]

Just got back. 4-1 damn I first thought they lost on penalties again :D

 

But yes, that disallowed goal was scandalous...

 

Having said that, I do believe England shortcomings would still end the same way. Most Europe teams suffer from the same, in more or less pronounced way. And it includes Portugal and Spain. Germany only confirmed to be an exception to this rule, and they deservingly go forward for being much better team, not a collection of stars with a bad coach.

 

Also Argentina is heading the same way as Germany. I don't doubt the final will be Argentina VS Germany.

[Lucas_From_Hell]

They're already playing against each other on the next round for the quarter-finals.

 

It's sad to have so many big teams kicked out so early. I'm not talking about France and Italy (although they fit it as well), but the fact that, as happened today, England having to go so Germany can get through, the same's going to happen with Portugal or Spain, either Brazil or the Netherlands (or even both) will leave on the quarter-finals (same for Argentina or Germany and Portugal/Spain), while Uruguay or Ghana will reach at least the semi-finals...

 

It's not that I don't like to see some new names coming through, it's just that I wasn't expecting it to happen the way it happened.

 

Might have to do with this stupid ball (seriously). What a ridiculous and childish idea to make such a crappy ball just to have more goals... Well, here's the result :doh:

[Pilotasso]

I don't blame the ball. I repeat again. Europe's teams don't take this championship seriously. Players are tailored towards their local league in the continent and clubs pay enormous amount of money that creates primma donnas that are hard to conciliate. Sometimes Coaches are driven by the players instead of the opposite. Theres a huge crisis of values and that is out there to see for a long time now. Korea Japan 2002 was another alll too evident case. Euro 2008 was weird. This Championship is going to reinforce this. But I do think people will continue to bury their heads on the sand for a few more until the collective of those players sease to function outside their leagues altogether. France and Italy were just the first casualties.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Pilotasso

[Feuerfalke]

That was so retarded.... :doh:

 

 

 

Let me just answer with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrqLo5WJzlA

 

And you should note that THIS goal DID make the difference between winning and loosing the game. ;)

 

(Not saying that I find either decision understandable nor a sign of professionality of FIFA or the current referee-system)

[asparagin]

Imagine what scandal it would have been if Germany won with 2:1..

The referees are really sleepy.. also in Argentina vs Mexico - the first goal.

[Pilotasso]

Anyone would like to take a wager on taday's games?

 

IMHO both predictable. :)

[Feuerfalke]

Imagine what scandal it would have been if Germany won with 2:1..

The referees are really sleepy.. also in Argentina vs Mexico - the first goal.

 

IMHO with Argentinia vs Mexico it was MUCH worse. While the others goals (or not) were a question of centimeters the offside was a matter of meters, the referee hat a clear view and the situation was not done in a split-second.

 

And even worse: The replay on the stadium-screens clearly showed it was an offside-goal, but the referees refused to listen to the players and review the scene on the big screen. This really is a scandal and a confession of failure of the current referee-system. I'd really like to hear the discussion between those referees and what their reasons were to give that goal. :doh:

[sobek]

Not the same game but the same referee

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjlBUDgGSbs

 

hilarious

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhpqcyDS3G4&feature=channel

 

Subtitles are German only, sorry for all non-natives :(

Edited June 28, 2010 by sobek

[Lucas_From_Hell]

Feuerfalke, there were two serious mistakes there. First of all, and most importantly, the completely offsided goal, and after that, actually showing the replay.

 

For safety reasons (both in and outside the field), there should be no replays of any polemic plays that might show the referee made a big mistake at all. That can turn the players and, specially, the crowd against the referee, and that may end in trouble.

 

And as far as I know, they cannot judge a play using the stadium screens. FIFA's policy of making everyone from the British Premier League to the Zimbabwean 3rd divison equal disallows such advanced methods to be used.

 

Football must be a popular and accessible sport for everyone, so it's a fairly reasonable decision. The solution is not to rely on technology to do your job, but raise the standards of the referees.

 

It's the same thing I see happening with music (guitars specially, my other hobby) - when creativity is gone, instead of looking for more inspiration and improving your capabilities, people just add and rely too much in effects pedals, adding tons of reverbs, chorus, delays, tape echoes, phasers, fuzzes and overdrives, just to mask the lack of creativity.

 

Technology should always be the last resource. When the referees' performances are optimized and there's really nothing else you can do to improve it, then you add technology.

 

Tennis has done that already. The referees don't do so many polemic and/or wrong decisions as in football (partly due to the size of the square and the position he stays at), but sometimes, due to the speed, it's just impossible for a human to get everything right, so they've introduced modern and accurate ways of helping the referees - that's what it's all about: technology should help, but never replace a human. If you can do it without high costs, problems or risks, putting technology to do it is just pure laziness.

[Feuerfalke]

Not the same game but the same referee

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjlBUDgGSbs

 

hilarious

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhpqcyDS3G4&feature=channel

 

Subtitles are German only, sorry for all non-natives :(

 

:doh:

 

LOL - Awesome, thanks for sharing.

[sobek]

Lucas, referees are clearly overburdened already. Just look at todays decisions, reknowned referees making terrible decisions.

 

The referees that get to manage a game of this magnitude are top notch, to say they are shitty and not doing their best would by comparable to telling a tennis referee to train his eyes to get accustomed to the fast moving ball, instead of gving them the technological opportunity to correct their mistakes. It clearly isn't possible to see everything.

[sobek]

:doh:

 

LOL - Awesome, thanks for sharing.

 

The whole film: http://www.myvideo.at/fussball/7557388

 

It's a feature documentary.

[Lucas_From_Hell]

Poor Karagounis:megalol:

 

The guys trying to get the English going in the second video is just priceless :D

 

Some memorable quotes there :music_whistling:

 

"It's not my problem... shut up!" :lol:

 

"Ivan, tell me... cazzo" :P

 

Thanks for sharing :thumbup:

[Lucas_From_Hell]

The referees that get to manage a game of this magnitude are top notch

 

No, some of them are not. I don't follow all leagues in the world so I won't comment on anyone else, but if you take as example the Brazilian referee on the World Cup, Carlos Alberto Simon, you can see he's anything but top notch.

That guy is famous for being a crappy ref in the Brazilian 1st Division, for heaven's sake. No one knows why he's in the World Cup (and that's not his first), when there are loads of better choices. Stuff happens on the backstage, I guess...

 

I'm not saying the referees have to see everything, that's clearly impossible, but such incidents as the English and Argentine goal are totally unacceptable on such competitions. Alright, fine, no one will blame you because someone dived and you believed on it, or you missed a 20 centimeters offside, those are acceptable mistakes. But the mistakes that happened yesterday (and been happening since the beginning of the tournament) are very serious mistakes, and mistakes no World Cup referee could afford to make.

 

Those mistakes have changed important results. It's not just another free kick, but a goal that could have changed a 1/8-final match, that means a lot. Who can guarantee they won't do it in the final?

 

Well, in any case, good luck to the referees, that's anything but an easy profession, I wish a good and fair match for them and for the teams :)

 

EDIT:

 

To avoid posting yet again... :D

 

Edited June 28, 2010 by Lucas_From_Hell

[Feuerfalke]

No, some of them are not.

 

Yes, they are.

 

But that raises the question about how bad the others are or rather on what standards they are measured. ;)

 

IMHO the job of the referee has become much harder. Todays games are captured by dozens of high-resolution and high-speed cameras, live-editing and blending in of offside-lines and stuff like that. But FIFA regulations still forbid the referees to judge by video-evidence!

 

On the other hand, I have to concur with a German ex-Profi soccer-player who noted, that all this needs to be in the worldcup, because it's played by people, it's refereed by people and both make mistakes. But, he stated, that is what makes this sport so dramatic and exciting.

 

This argument certainly has something to it as well. Why was Wembley one of the most discussed soccer games in Europe so far? Why is exactly this game so much of a myth that it helps attracting people to todays games?

[winz]

And as far as I know, they cannot judge a play using the stadium screens. FIFA's policy of making everyone from the British Premier League to the Zimbabwean 3rd divison equal disallows such advanced methods to be used.

 

Football must be a popular and accessible sport for everyone, so it's a fairly reasonable decision. The solution is not to rely on technology to do your job, but raise the standards of the referees.

Thats why they use radio to communicate between each other? Are you realy sure a 3rd division in Zimbabwe use that as well?

Ofc not.

In my country, regional divisions games are often played with only one referee, and noone realy cares.

Saying that the same rules must be used in all games around the world is just a stupid FIFAs excuse. They are not, and never were.

 

On the other hand, I have to concur with a German ex-Profi soccer-player who noted, that all this needs to be in the worldcup, because it's played by people, it's refereed by people and both make mistakes. But, he stated, that is what makes this sport so dramatic and exciting.

Do we want footbal to be a competitive sport? If so, then players must decide the outcome, not poor judging by referres, no matter how exciting it might see to someone.

[topol-m]

Such mistakes are unacceptable IMO. In the The England vs Germany that mistake didn`t decide the outcome of the match but in another situation a mistake like that might just be the difference between wining everything and loosing everything. The referee is not there to create an alternative reality. It`s absurd everyone to know in a certain situation that there is a goal, and the referee to be the only person not to know that. That`s like the judge sentencing you to death for a murder because 1 guy (the referee assistant) says you committed it while all the other evidence materials point that you didn`t. Come on, we are not in the Medieval Ages...