Quote:
Originally Posted by TheRiddick
Although most of us want and expect improvements I am not sure we're on that road just yet.
Take today's Spain game, for example. Some replays were forbidden from being shown, this is how Blatter plans to "improve" things in the future and we had our first glimpse. Blatter resisted technology/extra refs for some time now, he will simply wait for things to calm down and carry on as before. Only because he stated a few days that the sport needs improvements in regard to officiating doesn't mean he will actually do something. "Masking" bad calls, as they did today, is Blatter's way of "improving" things.
Besides technology, they need to ban any and all refs from Third World leagues, but there is a fat chance of that since these leagues are the only reason Blatter has been elected time and again. He is not going to cut his own throat...
|
Until FIFA wants to enter the modern world by allowing video technology, expect and enforce both compete/fair ref'ing AND fair play without all this pansy diving and acting for advantage (read: cheating and dishonourable play) soccer is just going to continue on being more and more of a joke. That's why I say the member nations need to step in. If you have the major soccer nations of the world coming out and publicly saying they won't participate in test soccer until FIFA pulls it's act together then they'll be forced to act. Blatter may be kept in power by pandering to the 3rd world nations, but the money is still in Europe and parts of South America and a boycott by France, Brazil, England, Argentina, Spain, Germany, etc will send the message really quickly.
The reality is that would never happen, but it really needs to if test level soccer wants to retain any legitimacy as a real sport. Either way, this World Cup does serve a purpose.... it's something to kill time and talk about at work, and something to take the piss out of the World Cup starts in 13 months.