FIFA World Cup 2010

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

Gotchya. strategic indeed. I prefer they are eliminated early.

 

Holland is the team.

 

Hey Bob, how is the Afrikaaner support for the Dutch team in South Africa?

[Jacpher]

 

 

 

Kelly: Cheating pays off at the World Cup

 

CAPE TOWN

 

The playwright Sophocles had this to say on the subject of cheating: “I would prefer to fail with honour than win by cheating.”

 

No wonder Greece hasn’t won a World Cup.

 

Cheaters are prospering here. Doing better than that. They’re winning.

 

Luis Suarez’s handball save at the goalmouth — the one that Ghanaian Asamoah Gyan could not convert via penalty — is the most egregious example.

 

Australia’s Harry Kewell was sent off for a similar play earlier in the tournament. He instinctively moved his arm away from his body as the ball approached, ironically also against Ghana. That wasn’t cheating, per se. It was instinct.

 

Suarez, on the other hands, looked as if he was playing volleyball, deflecting a shot away from his net with extended palms. As the should-have-been goal took place at the very death of added-extra time, it was quite literally a game saver.

 

After winning on penalties, the Uruguayans showed themselves completely clueless as to the requirements of decency. Instead of leaving quietly, they carried Suarez off on their shoulders. The Cheater-in-Chief.

 

A day later, a tone-deaf Suarez rubbed salt in Ghana’s wounds.

 

“The Hand of God now belongs to me,” Suarez said. “I made the best save of the tournament.”

 

Classy.

 

While Suarez was braying like a jackass, FIFA unholstered its big finger and began wagging. First, they threatened to ban him for more than the compulsory one-match period a red card necessitates. Later in the day, they decided one was enough. Let that be a lesson to you. Or not.

 

Suarez’s mockery of sportsmanship is only the most flagrant of the cheater’s clinic being put on here.

 

There have been other examples, though none so pivotal to a result.

 

Ivory Coast’s Kader Keita simulated a facial injury after being bumped in the chest by Brazil’s Kaka. It wasn’t so much enraging as it was sad, watching an in-his-prime professional athlete roll around on the ground, peeking out every once in a while to see if his trick had worked.

 

Ditto Spain’s Joan Capdevila, who got Portugal’s Ricardo Costa sent off in similar circumstances.

 

Back to Ghana. What is it about these guys and handballs? They won their match with Serbia owing to a penalty shot after Zdravko Kuzmanovic reached out and handled the ball in the Serb area. It was a bang-bang play.

 

To watch Kuzmanovic’s reaction, you’d have been convinced that he hadn’t been within a mile of it. I was. Replays clearly showed the contact. Where’s that honour Sophocles talked about? It’s absent on the pitches of South Africa.

 

After Suarez’s blatant cheat, former Uruguayan international *** Poyet twisted himself in logical knots trying to explain it for everything but it what it was.

 

“I was a little bit disappointed with some people talking about cheating. I think that is absolute rubbish. That is taking one for the team,” Poyet told BBC.

 

Let’s stop and pause for breath here, before we start screaming.

 

“You are telling me the player had to let the ball go in?”

 

Well, yes.

 

“Is that football?”

 

According to the rules, yes.

 

“I think you’re missing something really important here.”

 

Probably not.

 

“I think you call it cheating when you try and score a goal with the hand, to take advantage when the referee cannot see that. Everybody saw that. The referee saw that. He gave the red card to (Suarez). (Gyan) had the chance to score the penalty and didn’t. We are missing something really important. When you are naïve, you don’t win football games.”

 

Well, there you have it. The old ends and means argument. That’s about the only place you can lay your hat, though it’s a filthy spot.

 

FIFA’s taken a proper raking this tournament for its general intransigence and willful blindness. But when speaking about the sport’s place in a general context, FIFA has got it exactly right.

 

The Fair Play code of football’s ruling body states: “Winning is without value if victory has been achieved unfairly or dishonestly.”

 

Is there any grey area here? It’s not about Suarez’s punishment. It’s about giving back to Ghana what’s been stolen from them. That’s impossible. It’s also impossible to ignore.

 

Forget philosophy. This requires poetry.

 

“Honour is like an island, rugged and without shores, once we have left it, we can never return.”

 

Too many here are already floundering in that wretched sea.

 

ckelly@thestar.ca

[Allamagan]

Spain will be another doner kebab for the hungry germans on Wednesday, so Gernamy will be in Final waiting for their always-high neighbor. Uruguay had its chance and luck this time no more. They are more than happy with #4 spot on the table.

 

So here is my prediction:

 

[Oz]

Relieved the ESPANA boys won.

 

I just wonder if it'll be the reverse to the norm. Usually it's the Germans, or the Italians, that labour till the later stages and then knock out the team that's been hammering everyone. Germany beating Argentina at the last World Cup for example.

 

And it's usually Spain or Holland that get knocked out after flying starts, whereas both have already got further than usual without playing the sort of football they usually do. Other than Holland's second-half showing yesterday, anyway. So a Spain-Holland final?

[Dhagax-Tuur]

I was hoping this World cup wouldn't go to Europe. Hope no hope, it was.

 

Now, how about Uruguay taking this home? Even though, the eff-ers cheated us of a win.

[NGONGE]

Bring on the Germans. La roja played well against (yet another) defensive minded team and finally got their reward. The Germans will also defend but, against Spain (unlike England & Argentina) they will face two holding players plus Xavi and Ineista all congesting the middle of the park and keeping Swinetiger ( ) busy with extra defensive duties rather than playmaking. With Muller suspended, Podolski having to track back against the forward running Ramos and Klose being closely watched by the excellent Pique, the only German threat is likely to come from bloody Ozil. If Spain don't concede first (like England, Argentina and Australia) I comfortably believe that they'll win this game with goals to spare. But if the Germans are given a head start I can see this being a very close encounter.

 

Viva Espana.

[N.O.R.F]

^Agree.

 

Brining on Fabregas and Pedro was a very good move tonight.

 

The Germans are a good side, on the counter. They're yet to be tested by going behind to a decent team.

 

Maradona got it wrong by not playing Veron.

 

A&T ya arkay? lol

[Prinz]

England were somehow better. Scored a consolation and got another one disallowed. Argentines defence was a total failure, mac ay kugu tahay daroogiste for leaving Cambiasso n Zanetti. @Nuune and all Spaniards fans, kafantiina sii diyaarsada wale Joechim boys an la celin karin, xisaabtana ku darsdada that Spain dabada iney ka jilcan tahay I mean their defense isn't that perfect + they play a soft ball. Time for 2008 Euro finals revenge, 4tiina sugta..

[Prinz]

England were somehow better. Scored a consolation and got another one disallowed. Argentines defence was a total failure, mac ay kugu tahay daroogiste for leaving Cambiasso n Zanetti. @Nuune and all Spaniards fans, kafantiina sii diyaarsada wale Joechim boys an la celin karin, xisaabtana ku darsdada that Spain dabada iney ka jilcan tahay + they play a soft ball. 4tiina sugta..

[NGONGE]

^^ hadana iyagoo daba jilcsan they won the 2008 Euro final, guess against whom?

 

 

Norf, Veron would have been outnumbered in the middle. Maradona got it wrong by playing three up front. This would have been a perfect game for Milito (ala Inter style). Should have gone for 4-5-1 and surprised the Germans. Ghana did it well in their final group game. Did you see how Haguain and Messi hardly made any tackles in that game? Poor Tevez ran about and chased things but gave up in the end.

[BOB]

Any team but Spain and the Scum PLEASE

 

 

Breaking News:

 

The African Withcraft Union better known as A.W.U has vowed to make Luis Suarez pay for breaking african people's already broken heart. they did not specify what exactly that they were going to do but they promised that he'll regret it as long as he lives.

 

 

Peace, Love & Unity.

[Somalina]

Originally posted by Jacpher:

NinaNC:

You're bragging about winning a game by cheating deliberately. That ain't wining nor sportsmanship. What a low expectation there.

Suarez's cheating is no different than Henry's(2009) or Maradona's(1986) just to name a few football greats who used the "hand of God", so put a lid on it pleaseeeeeh! Did you give the same speech when Ireland lost their qualifying spot in this WC to France, or England lost to Argentina in 1986 qf? I guess not! enough said!

Btw, the Ghanaians lost that match fair and square, and they only have themselves to blame.

 

Uruguay are 2 time WC champions, whereas the diving Dutch have never known the joy of wining the WC.

Give it a rest will you! scum ku lahaa! just enjoy the WC people.

[Somalina]

Enjoy!

[Che -Guevara]

^N tomorrow you will be posting picture Ishnaadar when Farlaon is shown the door.Give it rest your Argens get b*tch slapped.Don't glory hugger

[Somalina]

Too bad so sad! lol is marjiya Ghana fans...

 

p.s. did you just predict a Uruguay-Germany final?...good for you...you are a true fan!