Just so Chelsea fans know, when opposition fans chant "It's just like watching Brazil" at you next season, it's NOT a compliment.
The rules are in favour of the cheats We all say "great tackle, he won the ball" but just because you win the ball, it doesn't mean a foul cant be given. Anyway, the Croatian defender practically man handled Fred and pushed him to the ground. This is football, not UFC. (BTW I've picked Brazil to win the tournament)
Actually the more you read the rules of the game, it makes you more aware of why players dives, not just because they are able to trick the ref, but they know the rules are in their favour. By law, a player shouldn't have to go to the ground to win a foul. A defender could just shove a player or use force, the attacker could stay on his feet, but the laws of the game say a foul can be given, if the ref deems it to be "careless, reckless or using excessive force". ....But if Fred had stayed on his feet, no foul would be given, even if he was man handled wink as most referees don't have the bottle to give a foul or penalty unless a player goes to ground, so in many ways the refs are encouraging players to dive.
Of course the refs are causing this by enforcing rules that have been introduced to protect forwards and goalkeepers. Let's not blame the refs when it is the rule makers who are responsible.
How lucky is Fred to be in that squad? Very average. When you consider the players that got left out in different positions, it's amazing that there aren't more top notch Brazilian strikers around.
The referees have to take some blame as they don't enforce the rules correctly, not claiming they should 100% (as thats unrealistic) and its a difficult job, but the rules clearly state a foul can be given without a player going to ground, but the reason players go to ground easy, are two reasons 1. They are cheats and know the rules are in their favour. 2. They know the Referee is unlikely to award a foul unless they go to ground. So the Referees have to take part of the blame.
THat is take no account of the severe pressure refs are under from media anylsis. In fact if anyone is to blame it's the media who just wait and salivate over errors and produce whole programmes devoted to it. They love diving because it enlivens what is often a boring game. I just think we attack refs too much already Boss and they are the people who earn the least on this gold plated gravy train. I'd prefer crowds to be attacking Euefa and Fifa and the media, than guy out in the middle
The ref's taking some stick today and I think that he got the penalty badly wrong, but he was under massive pressure. Opening game of the World Cup featuring the hosts who are also a media favourite, when he's used to taking charge of Kashima Antlers v Shimizu S-Pulse. It's a big step up for him and maybe one that was a little too much for the guy. An experienced European official would've made more sense, though that's certainly not a guarantee that the decisions would've been any better.
Goldie Looking Chain say what we're all thinking: [video=youtube;skNc9RFBAek]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skNc9RFBAek[/video] NSFW.
A couple of old Spurs starring at the moment. Dos had a goal wrongly disallowed, Beni skinned two defenders and whipped in a perfect cross, only for Eto'o to miss the goal. My working theory on refereeing is that the rules are written badly intentionally, and poor referees are hired intentionally, presumably to make match fixing disappear into the swampland of bad decisions. I can't begin to explain how bad the refereeing is otherwise. Two real decisions into the biggest football tournament in the world, and both of them horribly wrong. Couldn't we have a virtual coin flip instead? I'll grant that the ticklish nature of key decisions (pen/dive/no pen & offsides) are such that the only way to get them right consistently is with technology. What a surprise it's not allowed. Wow. Another Dos goal disallowed for offsides. Wrongly, I believe, but this one needs a frame-by-frame look to be certain. Dos wasn't offside, as he got the ball on a deflection from a Cameroonian, but it's possible the call was on another Mexican player for affecting the play, which is somewhat plausible. See above.
...And the **** officiating continues. Mexico have two goals and a one-on-one with the goalkeeper denied by a linesman who's having a nightmare. Terrible decisions and this is just in the first 30 mins!
And now Dos is unfairly denied a penalty. This is astonishing. Looks like the boys with influence have got some money riding on Cameroon. Dos has been absolutely superb, as two wrongly denied goals and a wrongly denied pen would indicate.
And the second nailed-on yellow/possible red for Cameroon gets nothing. We know who Sepp's money is on!
A perfect through ball from Dos, but the ref doesn't have to raise his offsides flag wrongly, since Perralta screws it up. And now Dos is scythed down. Strange the Cameroonian doesn't get at least a yellow. So surprising really. We are living in the Giovanni dos Santos era of international football. The highest scorer on the gold medal winner looked set to lead Mexico to the cup as well, if not for a dastardly conspiracy to stop him. "The referee wants nothing to do with cards today." "Nor goals." My two Mexican (American?) commentators continue to be a breath of fresh air.
I swear I'm seeing the Giovanni dos Santos of pre-season friendly vs Norwich 2008 fame (I thought he looked great that game and was waiting years to see it again. Even last WC when many said he was good I thought he did very little). And I love the fact that I appear to be talking to myself on this thread.
