Posted on 06/25/2006 11:30:31 PM PDT by soccer_maniac
There was no dive just the sour taste of English bitters.
Save it, you'll need it when a decimated Portugal still triumphs.
American ESPN network announcers weren't too fond of it, either.
All I know is that FIFA has gotten their wish, so far 4 out of 5 teams through to the Final 8 are former Cup Winners, with certainly Brazil to join them, if not France as well.
And there is no way if it was an Aussie in the same position as Totti, that Australia gets that call.Well, I find it hard to believe that any ref would be actually biased like that. These are people with an extraordinary sense of justice; being unbiased is a way of life for them. Rigging a game to benefit their preferred team just wouldn't suit their character.
I think they're just making mistakes. Terrible, annoying mistakes sometimes, for sure, but just that: mistakes. Being a good ref is just extremely hard, simple as that. I sure am glad I'm not a ref myself; things happen so fast in a game, and you don't get to see any replays there but still have to make a decision, possibly making everybody mad at you. No thanks.
I don't think the US team played well enough to be rated 'terrible'...
Well, it will be quite an entertaining bronze game between Italy and Brazil :-)
Curses! Foiled again!
The Swedish "experts" need to spend some additional time working on their failed socialism and muzzie rapists. Then we'll listen more to their whining after they failed to get back into the match by missing a PK.
The penalty was lauded by the "biased defender" Marcelo Balboa here.
Here applauded the Italian run and slammed the defender undercutting for no reason and causing the penalty.
And Balboa leans to defenders and even says so.
It's the Federation of Intentionally Falling on your Ass.
England will be marching all the way to the final, playing fairly. Italy (who aren't on the shortlist for the Fair Play award) will need to step up their cheating if they are to even win their next match.
I don't know if it's blatant or sub-conscious. It's like when Michael Jordan played in the NBA, you know what he was capable of, so if he drives and somehow misses a shot, a ref thinks, the only way he misses is he had to be fouled, thus Jordan got the call.
Italy is better than Australia, so if an Italian player can't get the shot off in the box, the Aussie must have fouled him. Having skins on the wall definately works in your favor with referees.
Are you talking about the Marcelo who was supporting Italy...?
Could very well be Italy and Brazil in the third place game.
But the way this tournament keeps going, teams are being destroyed by ridiculous carding.
Today's red card should end that ref's World Cup today. Absurd.
Aussies did well but sadly have a tough taste left with the mistake at the end.
Right around half, and it had some similar elements. FIFA invariably starts screwing around with the game. If it isn't a rules change, it's telling the officials to be overly harsh. The only encouraging aspect is that whatever FIFA's latest screwup is seems to wear off over the tournament, and by the semi-finals we're back to football again. Here's hoping that happens again.
Well, the Norwegian head referee who was a guest in the Norwegian show thought the penalty call was right.
Still a very cruel way to exit the Cup for the Aussies.
If England plays fairly and advances to the final, I'll be the first to applaud them.
As it stands, Italy is where they are and deserves it. I have little doubt that elevation of play will continue to the semi-final if not the final.
They have the discipline few teams can match with enough talent to match.
But I don't want to see the advancement made due to stupid carding by the ref.
England will not beat Germany if they meet. But I don't think you'll need to worry, since Portugal will beat England.
That has happened before, in 1978..
I think we have seen the advancement of teams due to "stupid carding" by the ref. I think the PK could have been compensation for Italy's earlier red card.
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