World Cup

[CultureJunky]

What do people think of the football overall?
I have to admit I'm pretty disappointed by the level of it, it seems quite poor compared to other world cups that have been before.
There doesn't seem to have been one particular player that has stood out for me, the world cup always makes at least one star, and I've yet to see it.
There has also been only a handful of great goals, the two in Germany's first match, Maxi's goal for Argentina, Joe Cole's goal for England and Gerrards....other than that I have to say I'm quite disappointed.
It's also a shame the refereeing has been so dire! It's funny cause FIFA were on about the refs were going to be very good this tournament and they've been worse than I've ever seen!! Bring back Collina!
I am glad they're clamping down on the diving, but I have to say the ref bought the penalty against Australia and Italy cheated blatantly. So I am NOT rooting for Italy at all, I do not like cheats, if you can't beat the man, tough, you don't go down and cheat! grrrrrrrrrr.
My respect for Henry has gone down too when he cheated and covered his face against spain which led to the free kick which they then won the match.
I HATE people who cheat. If the players are so skillful and are worth the ridiculous amounts of money they're on, then show me already!!!!!

[beeniesmom]

I am glad they're clamping down on the diving, but I have to say the ref bought the penalty against Australia and Italy cheated blatantly. So I am NOT rooting for Italy at all, I do not like cheats, if you can't beat the man, tough, you don't go down and cheat! grrrrrrrrrr.
My respect for Henry has gone down too when he cheated and covered his face against spain which led to the free kick which they then won the match.
I HATE people who cheat. If the players are so skillful and are worth the ridiculous amounts of money they're on, then show me already!!!!!

You aren't biased at all I see.
If it was the other way around I'm sure you would have "seen" it differently.
Do you play soccer? How can you tell REALLY if someone is injured? Only that person knows. I HATE people who are so drammatic about sports. It's a game. Get a grip and get over it.

[Miss Z]

People, people! It's *only* a game!

(How many times have I said that and caused a riot)

I can see CultureJunky's point. If you can't play fairly, then why bother playing at all? It doesn't show skill and certainly doesn't do anything for character. But there are far more teams than Italy that have 'cheated' so far.

And everyone sees things differently. When Maradonna scored against England many years ago, there was huge uproar as they said the goal shouldn't have been allowed.
More recently, Peter Crouch scored for us against Trinidad & Tobago. We would say it was a great goal. Not long after the match, a picture emerged of the huge Peter Crouch holding down the Trinidad & Tobago defender in order to score his great header.

How could we have missed something we saw so clearly before, some might say.

[beeniesmom]

Ms. Z,
I, like you, think it's just great fun and a sport.
Gosh I remember the Maradona thing too and it was..... how many cups ago?
Wow, what a memory!

[Miss Z]

LOL, it was before I was born, 1986 I was just brought up on how it was 'an outrage'. From my dad's words 'the Hand of God my ar$e'

[beeniesmom]

I was 10!

[Killearn Kitties]

Gosh I remember the Maradona thing too and it was..... how many cups ago?
Wow, what a memory!

No, no, no. You misunderstand. Zara's memory is not that good (notwithstanding the fact that she wasn't born!), it's just that the English press still talk about that particular incident every time Argentina is mentioned!

And never mind 1986, they still talk about the time they won the World Cup in 1966 as if it were not only last week, but their rightful place to be.

[DIANESDOGS]

Hi Everyone,

I haven't been on in a while, but I knew there would be a thread on the World Cup somewhere. I just love the game and get caught up in the fervor. Although, I must admit I do not normally follow until now!

Help me out though, a I am a relative newcomer to the sport and as you all know (and as Bob's Dad seems to have riled up some), Soccer is not as big in the States - WHAT IS the Hand of God???

[Miss Z]

And never mind 1986, they still talk about the time they won the World Cup in 1966 as if it were not only last week, but their rightful place to be.

Ha ha, LOL, yes, it could be like yesterday by the way some people talk about it

Soccer is not as big in the States - WHAT IS the Hand of God???

'The Hand of God' is how Diego Maradonna described his goal against England in 1986. The ball hit his hand before going into the net, and the goal was counted, The English fans were absolutely gobsmacked and completely rebelled against this. Maradonna replied by saying his goal was allowed by the Hand of God

[CultureJunky]

Yes it's fun and it is a sport, and yes I have played football. Members of my family play football as we speak. Football is a sport that requires skill like any other, and I like to see fair play. It's more entertaining when players use their talents and play good attacking football with flair, that's entertaining to watch.
My point was that if the individuals are talented enough to play the game then they should use thier talent, instead of relying on innocuous challenges to gain free kicks/penalties. It brings unfairness into the game.
I dislike cheating in anything, not just sport.
The thing is if it's your country that is in it (mine Wales,incidently didn't qualify) and you loose because somebody fakes and dives to win a penalty and you're knocked out it would leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
Maradone may be a genius, but the fact is and will remain forever that he cheated when he handballed the ball into the net against England.
England fans will never forget that, it's still spoken about now!
So it is fun and only a sport, but it's supported with passion and passionate fans, and if you asked most of them, they'd want to see a good clean fair game played.

[Anita Cholaine]

It's funny that you still talk about the hand of God! I know it wasnt fair, but I don't think it should be taken so seriously. I mean, he scored it, the referee counted it, and that's all! It's all part of the game....
As a player, Maradona was awesome, but as a person, I don't like him at all. He's arrogant and selfish (this might be argentinians fault, for treating him like a "god") So that's why it doesn't surprise me that he cheated on that match...

Ok, let's move on... Argentina-Germany is going on now! Both teams are doing very well, and I have no idea how's it gonna finish... My favourite player is Tevez, he's just awesome.