Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

He lost it a while back when he pretty much eliminated Chelsea versus Barca with his bad calls. Have no idea where FIFA finds these jokers. I predicted balls calls today 3-4 days ago when FIFA announced he would be refereeing USA game to "atone" for the Mali clown in last one.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

:r

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2496/malireferee.jpg

My apology for questioning FIFA referee selection process, they seem to be an equal opportunity employer after all. Mali ref at the USA Slovenia match...

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

goodbye Italy, who would have thought that before the WC?

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Interesting how a lot of the big European teams are doing poorly. France last in their group winless and Gone. Italy in trouble about to be Gone. Spain losing to the Swiss. Germany losing to Serbia. England tying the U.S. and Algeria. The big European teams are looking vulnerable. The only teams holding their own is the Netherlands and Portugal a team historically the most likely to fold up with dominant talent.

On the other hand South American teams are looking outstanding particularly Argentina. Still Brazil is Brazil, Uruguay looks tough, Paraguay is playing well, Chile is playing well and they are all leading their groups. Five of eight groups are lead by South American teams and the other three groups don't have a South American team.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Both Argentina and Brasil profited from obvious and blatant non-calls by referees (hand balls), but hey, who's counting. Once both are in knock out stages we'll see if they actually play better than EU teams. I wonder if FIFA will now institute a "Hand of God" trophy for the most inventive hand ball play...

The ref discussing Fabiano's hand ball with the player seconds after allowing it to stand (smiles and all) is the most disgusting moment of the WC so far. I am sure its not the last one, either.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

I agree...I can't believe that the media didn't make a bigger deal about that. There was barely any mention of it anywhere in the British media and was hardly mentioned in the media here either. Crazy!

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Fabiano handled TWICE on that same play. OK, maybe the 4 officials did not see one handball, but all four then missing a second one as well? What are the odds of that?

And then Fabiano and Maradona get into a verbal spat over whose was really the "hand of God" and FIFA still doesn't do crap.

It breaks anyone's mental and then physical state when you realize you are playing against a ref. Same thing happened to USA guys in Algir game, Dempsey's face said it all for the last 20 odd minutes and his body showed general dismissive/disinterested attitude, he simply moved with no emotion.

Had both Brazil and Argentine's first goals in both games not stood (correctly so, both being obvious hand balls instantly replayed on giant screens at both stadiums for refs to double check IF they wanted to), both games would most likely end on a different note, I am sure. Both opponents were playing pretty organized game up to that point and in both cases the game changed on the dime right after.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

are you sure that the images were replayed? As that is against FIFA regulations. Images of fouls, offside etc etc aren't allowed to be shown on the stadium screens.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

I am not absolutely sure, but you can see those in the stadium watching the screens right after goals. What do the screens show, then, save for ads and the crowd? Interestingly enough, we do not see the screen on TV, either.

Let's say I am wrong on this point, no big deal to me, do you agree with both goals being counted when we can clearly see hand balls on TV screens (on the plays themselves, not just replays) and all 4 officials not seeing both? I was saying "Handball!" to myself, before any replays were played, we're talking old, smallish TV screen here without high resolution.

And in case of Fabiano there is absolutely no doubt the ref has seen the handball as he gleefully discussed it with the player right after, smile and all. Who said bribery of refs is dead (in whatever shape/form it takes place)? Actually, Fabiano played handball twice to his advantage, on same play no less, as I pointed out above.

Ghana will be a tough game without a FIFA/ref playing favorites, but then again Ghana is the only African team left and something tells me the deck is going to be stacked yet again.

I just hope we get a decent ref tomorrow, for a change. Two in a row is brutal, 3 in a row is a kiss of death. FIFA is obviously stacking the deck against USA so far all the while claiming the sport brings people together? I guess only vodka does that.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Maybe you should tune into figure skating instead. :2

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Nice article and video I just read/watched. Pretty cool to see the reactions for around the country. :tu

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/wor...van062510.html

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Terrific. Thanks for posting this, Adam.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Do you really think judges there are any better? I am not the only one questioning FIFA's political correctness in allowing refs from non-soccer leagues (have no idea what else to call them) to be on the big stage. Ever see that in any other sport? Oh, right, figure skating...

I am guessing you never played organized soccer?

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Not only have I played but I've officiated for 12 years and taught introductory and intermediate referee classes.

But what the hell do I know?

My point is that if you are so disgusted and put off by it all, turn the sport off and go watch something else.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

Its World Cup, what do you mean turn the TV off?

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

It's all very subjective in terms of making the calls. FIFA's wording in a lot of the rules are purposely vague to allow discretion to be used in making calls. Sometimes a handball isn't a handball.

Re: Who's ready for the World Cup?
 

To which "rules" are you referring?