World cup football rocking all over the world!

[laxman]

Hey!
What's up? you guys about world cup Football 2010 fever is going all over the world.

[Rolland]

I'm not a big soccer fan and with the horns droaning on, don' t find it too appealing to try and watch, so just catch the scores, etc online on in the newspaper.

Rolland

[floatinghat]

Not a huge soccer fan, but I love the competition.  The ZUZU's don' bother me at all, I think they add to a "local" flavor.

The ref's on the other hand, I have some questions.

[mdsalemi]

The President of FIFA said something to the effect of [specifically when commenting on the foul call in yesterday's Slovenia/USA tie game]

that the subjectivity and banter after a game, adds to the overall game...

so the use of things like video replay etc, or even explaining things like why there was a foul in that game (nobody seems to know why and the Referee isn't talking) will not happen.

Hey, even I've seen offsides ignored...but it all "adds to the flavor of the game" I guess.

[JamesL]

FIFA is in the dark ages as far as technology and replays is concerned. It really is.

But then, so is baseball I understand

FIFA however is corrupt as all get out

[jacovdw]

...The ZUZU's don' bother me at all, I think they add to a "local" flavor...

So local in fact, that even the suburbs are reverberating with the sound of the vuvuzelas.

Not following the games myself, but you get a pretty good idea when a game is on TV when the kids in the neighbourhood start blowing their ZUZU's...

[mdsalemi]

ZUZU local indeed.

It was reported today that over the weekend, Coca-Cola supplied a Japanese football (soccer) match with branded zuzu's...nobody blew them. 

[jacovdw]

...that is probably because Coca-Cola's TV ads here don't have a catchy slogan.

If you look at MTN's (second largest mobile phone operator in SA) "Ayoba" catchphrase, then you can understand why their branded products are everywhere...

[al_lieffring]

Many years ago I discovered the annoying musical properties of a plastic transmission funnel.

[Witt]

.....I am allmost ashamed to ask........: can someone please explain the "offside-rule"....... everyone I ask has a different opinion and/ or does not admit to not knowing....

CHEERS !
WITT !   

[66andBlue]

Easy! 
Until you look at the details!! 
See: http://www.offside-ref.co.uk/laws/11-offside-rule/detailed/

[mdsalemi]

Alfred,

  Clearly you left out the real offsides rule and most important.  Add the following line as the last line to any explanation or definition:

...and only when called by the referee.

One of the things young soccer players have to learn here is to CONTINUE PLAY until the whistle blows!  FORGET when the offsides is so obvious that you stop yourself.  It isn't offsides until called.

[66andBlue]

Quite correct Michael .. here are the complete rules:
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html
You'll get one day to practice (http://www.fifa.com/flash/lotg/football/en/flash/start.html) and then we'll test you!

The problem with these rules is that not all referees are at a level to apply them correctly and consistently at a world cup match.  The top referees from Europe and South America are used to handle such games but someone from Mali or the Seychelles is year in year out involved in 3rd league games and not much better.  By letting those fellows blow the whistle it assures the FIFA brass that they get reelected again.  Its politics and not policies.

PS Don't forget to vote: http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=12986.0

[mdsalemi]

Sorry Alfred--I can't study or take the test.  It might conflict with my attempting to understand the rules (we don't call them laws!) applying to the local leagues my daughter plays in! 

Then there is the fun indoor soccer--where there is no offsides!

[Witt]

Thank you guys......I had no idea that that rule is so complicated, flexible and controversial.....and a decision is made in a split second by the rev, right or wrong....

CHEERS !
WITT !

[cynewan]

  ...Saturdays game will be fun to watch . USA vs. Ghana  ( my adopted land versus my motherland )hmmmm who do i support ? Love you USA, but my $$ is on Ghana . lets repeat what we did to USA in 2006 again ..

[66andBlue]

Hi cynewan.
It was fun to watch! What is your prediction for Ghana's next game? How far will they go?

[mdsalemi]

...and for anyone confused about the "offsides rule" and my comment about "only when the referee sees it" only needed to watch the Mexico/Argentina game.

And as for abysmally poor refereeing, England/Germany as well.

While experts will tell you "the better team won" in both cases, that isn't the point.  There is nothing to take the wind out of your sails than calls like those two.  You cannot predict what can happen after a game is tied.  Upsets do occur.  Underdogs do win sometimes, but not when they are subject to such actions.

When the first-base umpire (that would be baseball) missed the call in Detroit about the perfect game some weeks back, at least everyone apologized.  The unabashed arrogance of grossly incompetent refs in the world cup is simply astounding.

Why is it that when ANY contact is made with the Argentinian [football team], they fall down and stay down for some time, writhing in feigned pain?  Are they looking for some kind of sympathy?  Man up, for goodness sake.  I was watching at least part of the game with some 11-year old soccer players, and the comments were "What a bunch of WEENIES!".

[cynewan]

  Well done Ghana . Talk about the pressure of being the continent's only hope in the world cup.... You made Africa proud ..... Uruguay, move out the way , Ghana's going to the semi finals .

England ! What kind of game was that ? ......You call that World class soccer ? Please go back to the drawing board . I am beginning to think that its the foreign players that make your league interesting .
  Go Ghana ! YAY ! I lost my voice, but it was worth it . Prediction for next game  Ghana 1, Uruguay 0 .

[Cees Klumper]

I'm not much of a soccer fan either. But my colleagues (probably 30 or so nationalities among the 120 total staff) are keeping me reasonably updated; it seems like The Netherlands won again today, 2-0 against ??. When Switzerland was doing well (they may be out of the race by now, I'm not sure) you saw lots of Swiss flags popping up on homes, cars and buildings, even treetops! Good for the flag manufacturers.
When living in the US I noticed how much effort was going into making soccer a popular sport. I always figured it had no chance; in Europe, the no 1, 2 and 3 most popular games are soccer, soccer and soccer. In the US, you have baseball, basketball, football and even ice hockey in winter time. No room for a fourth/fifth major sport, right?

[mdsalemi]

Soccer in the USA:

Cees, it is pretty funny.  You are right in all you say.  However, the Parks and Recreation Departments of all the local towns around here have very large soccer programs.  The park for my city (pop 50,000) in Novi, MI, has dozens of teams; starting at age 3.  The girls and boys play together up to 1st grade.  Then they separate, and it is a separate league for each age group; generally about 4-6 teams per age group, 12 on a team.  My daughter plays in "U12", next year in U13.  All day long on Saturday, there are games on the 8 fields (or pitches as you might say) from 8AM until 7PM.  Tuesday and Thursday evenings are the other game times.  Other days are practice, but not on the same fields.  Soccer probably has greater participation across age levels than any other sport here.  Costs about $250 per child per season to play here.  Not everyone does it forever, but everyone does it at least once.  My daughter has simply continued in two seasons a year since age 3.

Those serious about it play club soccer, that's a bit more professional and quite costly; about $2,500 per year NOT including all the travel to tournaments.  Coaching is more professional, not just your weekend dad or mom...players end up playing on high school or prep school teams and maybe college.  This club stuff has practice/games 5 times per week, 11 months out of the year.  Tournaments are up to 700 miles away, generally on holiday weekends.  The though of driving to St. Louis for a tournament over 4th of July does not appeal to us; neither does the registration fee!

Interesting note: in every game at the level my daughter plays in, there are 3 referees on the field.  One in the action, and two on the lines.  They are not perfect but clearly do a better job than the idiots doing the world cup.  They don't need instant replay, or anything like that--just a few more people with eyes on the lines!  It's the World Cup, for goodness sake!  During the baseball World Series, they even throw a few more umpires on the field to try and get it right the first time.  Not perfect, but they are trying!

[JamesL]

This may help some domestic conversations..... Vital info for upcoming World Cup. The offside rule explained for girls:



You're in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you must have.

The 'opposing' female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire.

Both of you have forgotten your purses.

It would be totally rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.

The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.

Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma.

She prepares to throw her purse to you.

If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes.

At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and, *whilst it is in flight* you could nip around the other shopper,
catch the purse and buy the shoes.

Always remembering that until the purse had *actually been thrown* it would be plain wrong to be forward of the other shopper.

[Cees Klumper]

We had a funny piece of advice floating around the office just before the games started, it was about preparing our better-halves for what was about to come. It contained very specific, detailed tips, but they can be exemplified by just one of them: "don't expect me to respond to anything you say while a game is in progress, unless it is to inform me that the house is on fire"

[mdsalemi]

Love it Tosh...

you should add that if you are Argentinian, you fake injury, call in a stretcher, writhe and moan until they take you out of the store.  Then you simply get up and walk away...

[JamesL]

Love it Tosh...

you should add that if you are ArgentinanPortugeseGhanaianSpanishItalianGreek, you fake injury, call in a stretcher, writhe and moan until they take you out of the store.  Then you simply get up and walk away...

Tried to fix that for you and gave up, but you get the picture