World Cup 2006

[Clawson]

Americans just want players to play rather than have all this stalling and tactical suffocation.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Clawson

[TheArsenal]

It's a good point. American football and baseball are two of the slowest progressing games in terms of stopping and starting.

[AJ]

The most recent article I've read on Zidane/Materazzi:

Italian defender Marco Materazzi last night denied calling Zinedine Zidane a "terrorist" as the controversy over the Frenchman's World Cup final dismissal intensified.

On a day when Italy's players should have been revelling in celebrations to mark their triumphant return to Rome, they instead found themselves batting off allegations of racism as the world searched for answers to the mystery of why Zidane lost his cool.

The 34-year-old Real Madrid midfielder, playing the last match of his distinguished career, was sent off in shame in the 110th minute of Sunday's final after ramming Materazzi in the chest with his head.

Despite his disgraceful exit, Zidane was still being hailed as a hero on the streets of Paris yesterday as French president Jacques Chirac hosted a reception for the country's players following their heartbreaking defeat on penalties by Italy.

Instead, the focus was on the Italians' behaviour and what Materazzi could possibly have said to provoke Zidane into such a violent attack. In the immediate aftermath of Sunday's final, there were suggestions that the Inter Milan player made a racist remark but yesterday, in his first interview, he claimed he made no such comment.

"It is absolutely not true," he was quoted as saying by an Italian news agency. "I did not call him a terrorist. I'm ignorant. I don't even know what the word means. The whole world saw what happened on live TV."

Earlier in the day the Paris-based anti-racism group, SOS Racisme, released a statement claiming they had been told by well informed sources that Materazzi had called Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, a "dirty terrorist".

"It's for this reason that SOS Racisme asks in a determined fashion for Fifa to shed light on this altercation and that sanctions laid out in the official rules be applied, should this be the case."

In England the anti-racism group, Kick It Out, released a statement calling for the French Federation to make a formal complaint to Fifa. "If this allegation is proven to be true then Materazzi should face severe sanctions for such a vicious and hateful comment," said a spokesman.

"Fifa and ourselves, as part of the Football Against Racism in Europe network, have worked hard to ensure that the platform of the World Cup was used to promote a message against this type of behaviour.

"We would urge the French Federation to make a formal complaint if this allegation is true, as, by ignoring it, they would be accepting it as being part of the game.''

But further claims emerging from France last night suggested Materazzi had not racially abused Zidane but had insulted his mother who, it is understood, became ill on the morning of the final. There is no suggestion that Materazzi knew this at the time.

It is certainly true that, during France's World Cup campaign, Zidane gave interviews to French television channel Canal Plus in which he spoke of his affection for his mother. In fact it became something of a joke between the player and former French stars such as Bixente Lizarazu, who was working as a pundit for the broadcaster during the finals. Sources in France say Zidane is extremely protective of his family and if Materazzi had directed a jibe at his mother it could have been the spark which caused the 1998 World Cup winner to snap.

Zidane maintained a dignified silence on the row yesterday although his agent, Alain Migliaccio, hinted that he may reveal all in the next few days. He confirmed, however, that it was something Materazzi said rather than any physical provocation. ''He was very sad for everything that happened, but this is life," Migliaccio said. "He is a human being not a god.

"I know Zizou [Zidane] well and even though he hasn't told me exactly what Materazzi said, I know that he was provoked. Materazzi said something very grave to him, I don't know what it was. I know Zizou well and he will not reveal what Materazzi said, but he will in one or two days' time explain why he had such a reaction.

"When he is calmer, he will speak. When I saw him at 2am he was very sad; he didn't want to end his career like this. He is a person that doesn't say much but bottles it up and then one day explodes."

For his part, Materazzi's agent, Claudio Vigorelli, leapt to his defence, saying: "I've known Marco for a long time and I don't think he is capable of provoking a player, he is a good boy."

It will have provided little consolation to Zidane, as he reflected on the ignominious end to his career, to learn that he had been voted player of the tournament. Despite the embarrassment to Fifa, international journalists awarded him the Golden Ball, but voting forms had to be submitted by midnight on Sunday, meaning many reporters filled them out before the butt.

The mystery over the role played by television in Zidane's dismissal also grew yesterday with Fifa strongly denying suggestions that the fourth official, Luis Medina Cantalejo, had seen a TV replay before alerting the referee, Horacio Elizondo.

Elizondo and his linesmen had clearly missed Zidane's violent attack on Materazzi, but after a lengthy delay the Argentine consulted Cantalejo before showing the Frenchman the red card.

Fifa said Cantalejo, a Spanish referee, would not have had access to TV replays, although there is a monitor on the officials' bench where the fifth official, in this case another Spaniard, Victoriano Giraldez Carrasco, was sitting.

The purpose of the monitor is to allow the fifth official to double check substitutions, bookings and red cards with Fifa media officers before the details are released. Fifa insist the monitor is not used to check refereeing decisions but the delay between Zidane's attack and the red card has led to suspicions that this was the first time TV evidence was used to help a referee.

But Fifa spokesman Andreas Herren said: "The fourth referee saw the incident with his own eyes and told the referee and the assistant referee directly though their headsets."

I bolded my favourite part.

As far as the discussion on USA and Football go. I agree entirely with damshow, it's just what we've been brought up with. How you can even think about linking it with stoppages is rediculous. I've tried watching Basketball, American Football, they stop play maybe every fifteen seconds. Quite often going back to the studio for pundit's views during the game.

[alldaws1]

You all suck and should embrace both country's sports like me >_>

[TheArsenal]

World Cup official 'shot himself'

Berlin's top World Cup official shot himself in the head just hours after the tournament ended and is now fighting for his life, police say.

Juergen Kiessling, 65, was rushed to hospital from his house in Reinickendorf, a suburb of Berlin, after a neighbour heard the shot.

The motive for the apparent suicide attempt is not yet clear.

German media report that he left two suicide notes - one for his daughter and one for his family.

Berlin hosted the World Cup final on Sunday, when fans watched Italy beat France on penalties.

Mr Kiessling was known as "Mister WM" (Mr World Cup) by colleagues in Berlin.

The tournament was widely seen as a great success for the host nation.

[9 to 5]

Any clue why the hell he would do that?

[TheArsenal]

No motive has been reported as of yet.

[AJ]

You all suck and should embrace both country's sports like me >_>

I'm into Basketball and I watch as much of it as I can. NBA, College, BBL and local amatuer leagues. I'm just saying that you can't say Americans don't like our Football because of the stoppages, as American Sports have constant stoppages.

[Guest Ringo Hates Divers]

So I was on a bridge yesterday, saw a guy in an Italian kit, and told him this was the perfect place to dive, he wasn't too pleased >_>

[Herr Matzat]

http://users.livejournal.com/golgotha_/

[Liam]

You all suck and should embrace both country's sports like me >_>

I do that, but Football still > all

The team that I think have come out of this World Cup the best.....Germany.

[therockbox]

Germany were awesome to watch, a month ago I'd never have thought I'd be sat there wanting the Germans to do well, after the second round I actually found myself supporting them (even more so after England went out).

In what was really a shit World Cup, they were one of the few bright points.

[oldskool]

The reason I personally am not a huge soccer fan is not the stoppages, but the slow, methodical style of play.

Football, baseball, and basketball do have regular stoppages (moreso than soccer in some cases), but that's balanced out by the feeling that something BIG can happen at nearly any moment. It only takes one pass or one missed tackle to turn a mediocre football play into a monster gain or even a touchdown. Any swing of the bat can lead to a homerun in baseball, and basketball is usually a few seconds away from a big block, a line-drive pass, a slam dunk, etc.

Soccer is more methodical, getting everyone set just so and running one play from a free kick/corner kick for one chance, and if it doesn't work then it's about a 50/50 shot at a rebound and American excitement, or a big long clearing kick and "Aw...." while we wait for another team with 2 guys on offense to get through the 8 defenders to take another shot on goal.

[Liam]

The reason I personally am not a huge soccer fan is not the stoppages, but the slow, methodical style of play.

Football, baseball, and basketball do have regular stoppages (moreso than soccer in some cases), but that's balanced out by the feeling that something BIG can happen at nearly any moment. It only takes one pass or one missed tackle to turn a mediocre football play into a monster gain or even a touchdown. Any swing of the bat can lead to a homerun in baseball, and basketball is usually a few seconds away from a big block, a line-drive pass, a slam dunk, etc.

Soccer is more methodical, getting everyone set just so and running one play from a free kick/corner kick for one chance, and if it doesn't work then it's about a 50/50 shot at a rebound and American excitement, or a big long clearing kick and "Aw...." while we wait for another team with 2 guys on offense to get through the 8 defenders to take another shot on goal.

Pretty much every sport has that, though I do get some of your other points.

[Grounded Wingman]

The reason I personally am not a huge soccer fan is not the stoppages, but the slow, methodical style of play.

Football, baseball, and basketball do have regular stoppages (moreso than soccer in some cases), but that's balanced out by the feeling that something BIG can happen at nearly any moment. It only takes one pass or one missed tackle to turn a mediocre football play into a monster gain or even a touchdown. Any swing of the bat can lead to a homerun in baseball, and basketball is usually a few seconds away from a big block, a line-drive pass, a slam dunk, etc.

Soccer is more methodical, getting everyone set just so and running one play from a free kick/corner kick for one chance, and if it doesn't work then it's about a 50/50 shot at a rebound and American excitement, or a big long clearing kick and "Aw...." while we wait for another team with 2 guys on offense to get through the 8 defenders to take another shot on goal.

[Farmer Reil]

I guess i can see why Americans think football is boring. Like GW said, in Basketball the ball is pretty much constantly on it's way to one of the hoops. In American Football, you can be guaranteed some interesting action during plays. Whereas in football we four or five goals in one game is considered a rareity, and the ball spends far more time in the middle of the pitch. So if you've been brought up on Gridiron, I can understand why all the passing and tackling would be boring to someone who isn't used to it (or at least, hasn't grown up watching it).

I must admit though, even I've got no fucking clue why anyone likes Baseball. It's upside down cricket.

[The Third Dukes]

oldskool said what I meant to say but didn't -- no, don't ask why what I said came out, I don't know either.

It's the same reason hockey and basketball declined in the 90s -- coaches became so obsessed with tactics and running set plays (don't get me started on the evils of the offside trap) that the players were being stifled. I mean, if you had a national football team with so much class at every position, would you insist they do 5 behind the ball, offside trap, 4-5-1, slow building play? Or would you say "I have the best athletes and the best players" and just let them go nuts? (Careful, Stevie Mac, your future may ride on your answer.)

Meanwhile, from the "maybe this game is catching on in the US" department:

NEW YORK (AFP) - Sunday's World Cup final in Berlin scored big with US television viewers, with nearly 17 million tuning in for the clash between France and Italy -- topping audiences for the NBA basketball finals.

According to preliminary data released by Nielsen Media Research, 11.9 million people watched live coverage of the final on the ABC network, while another five million chose the Spanish-language broadcast on the Univision channel.

The total represented an increase of more than 150 percent over the 2002 final, which was shown early in the morning, and around 30 percent over the 1998 tournament decider.

In a country where football is still considered something of a minority sport, Sunday's viewing figures compared favourably with those for high-profile US sporting events.

It was four million more than the average audience for last month's NBA finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat and not far away from the average 17.1 million that watched last year's baseball World Series.

[Guest muddatrucker]

Maybe its different in real life but from playing AF games theres so much more tactics involved at far more regular intervals than any other sport I have EVER seen.

In football you can have a 4-4-2 at the start of a match and finish with a 4-4-2 at the end of the match, theres not too much tactics to take in to be honest.

[therockbox]

Football, baseball, and basketball do have regular stoppages (moreso than soccer in some cases), but that's balanced out by the feeling that something BIG can happen at nearly any moment.

[Guest muddatrucker]

We don't have timeout's either.