The World Cup is over and the worldwide hangover has begun. My withdrawal symptoms will be nothing compared to what South Africa must be going through. I hope the positive energy they harnessed and amplified during the last month stays with them as they tackle more meaningful challenges. As both Spain and the Netherlands return home, there is worldwide commentary on the match. I've been harsh about the Dutch tactics, but my comments are nothing compared to the statements from Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. Some of his comments are as hard hitting as the Dutch tackling during the Finals.
I had the fortune of playing soccer as a kid but only for a couple of years. I spent my formative years of 4 to 7 living in London during which time I developed a love for soccer and chocolate. I only played two years at my school and even those years were on our "B" team. But even with my limited experience -- augmented by a return onto the pitch during grad school for pickup matches -- I can recall the feeling of running on that wide open pitch, trying to account for all the movement and trying to get that circular object to behave properly.
There were a few moments of inspiration.
Dribbling through two midfielders, hearing the crowd cheer and passing it through to one of our strikers. During the grad school days, scoring off a corner kick by striking the ball one time while it was still in midair. And running around the track in high school (I became a runner after my soccer ambitions ended), hearing the call of "help", turning without hesitation and making a perfect pass back to the coach of the girls team. He would speak with me the next day asking why I didn't play soccer. Surprised, shocked (and more than a little flattered), I asked him why he would ask. His response that my pass at full speed was perfect caught me by surprise. I told him that was the exception. He said something that I have never forgotten: "Sayeed, practice is what makes the exceptional the norm. If you don't have talent, no amount of practice will create it. But even with talent, you need to practice to perfect it."
I was crushed when I did not make my high school soccer team. In many ways, I am only now feeling the loss and realize that watching soccer is one of the ways I cope. But I do remember the joyous feeling of those fleeting moments of excellence. And I wish I had continued to practice instead of giving up. One of the most bonding aspects of soccer, football, futbol is that anyone at anytime can experience this joy. All it takes is a round object and an open space. If you want to add some intensity, invite a few friends and make up some goalposts. Pele and Maradona both grew up in poverty and learned to play soccer in the most modest surroundings. There is a wonderful article about Jessica Hilltout, a Belgian born photographer who made a journey across Africa capturing special moments or scenes. The photographs are poignant. Yet even amidst the apparent sadness, there are powerful images of poetic motion, camaraderie, ingenuity, hope, even joy. For a moment, anyone can be Andres Iniesta scoring the World Cup winning goal.
Soccer is called the beautiful game. I believe that soccer is a beautiful game only when it is played with joy. By teams that genuinely enjoy making great passes, that appreciate when their teammates make incisive runs to create space, that move the ball in flowing patterns. They dance. Sara Crompton, the arts editor and a dance writer for The Daily Telegraph, described Maradona's Argentina team in terms of the tango. Argentina played with joy. As did Spain. Brazil diminished its joy for efficiency and the Germans seemed to do the opposite. There was so much made of poor management when Argentina lost. It's probably true that Maradona made mistakes. But does anyone think Fabio Capello is a poor manager? Germany beat England as badly as they beat Argentina. And when people question why Argentina would want Maradona to return as a manager, they underestimate his standing within his homeland but they also don't recognize that many fans appreciated his joyful approach to the game. And maybe, just maybe, they don't value winning above all else.
There are teams without enough talent to compete against the world's best. And as that coach said to me years ago, no amount of practice will create talent. I understand why Greece and Switzerland adopt such defensive postures in their matches. But it's disappointing to watch a team like Brazil or Portugal or the Netherlands not play freely. They suppress their joy in the relentless pursuit of victory.
For me, the final match asked the fundamental question of soccer: Do you win by expression or do you win by suppression?
And even by the standards of teams who suppress, the Dutch violence on the pitch was reprehensible. Blaming the Spaniards for retaliation and blaming the referee only makes matters worse. The Dutch criticized the Germans for not challenging the Spaniards during their semi-final encounter. It's interesting to note that Spain defeated both the Netherlands and Germany by the same result. Anyone who wants to see the difference between expression and suppression need look no further than the juxtaposition of Spain's matches against these teutonic neighbors. There were *NO* fouls for the first 25 minutes of and few fouls throughout the Spain v. Germany match. If you want to make sure the referee doesn't dominate the proceedings, try not fouling each other. For another point of comparison between the Netherlands and Germany, consider the comments of another soccer legend from the 1970s. Franz Beckenbauer may have been wrong about Germany winning the finals, but he certainly appreciated the joyful approach of the Germans.
I'll keep reflecting on the loss of joy with my own soccer journey. Some day I'll embrace that joy I might experience now is fundamentally no different than the joy I experienced on the pitch or maybe even the joy that Iniesta felt when he scored the winning goal. I'm not there yet. Until I get there, I'll keep experiencing vicariously through Spain's victory.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
2010 World Cup Final Thoughts
The 2010 World Cup is over. My final random set of observations and thoughts:
- We have a new champion -- only the eight nation to join an exclusive club. I am really glad Spain won the World Cup. It's rare that the winner, best team and most elegant team converge in this manner. The Netherlands played a negative game which is unfortunate. They possess a great deal of talent. After criticizing the Germans for letting Spain play too freely, it seems that the Netherlands ended up with the same outcome. Referee Howard Webb should have given De Jong a red card for his foul -- or should I say assault -- on Xavi Alonso. But Webb called the match fairly and after some disruptive fouls and yellow cards, it seemed that Spain dominated again. Robben caused havoc especially against Puyol but Robben either ran out of gas or Spain adjusted well seemingly playing a man behind and another in front of him. They also forced him to play with his right foot which he's clearly not comfortable doing. Casillas' save against Robben was huge but Ramos missed an open header as well. In the end, the better team won and positive soccer won.
- At times Arjen Robben looks like Patrick Stewart. Perhaps Robben could take acting lessons from Stewart so that he doesn't look so silly and irritating when he fakes an injury. Why do some of the world's most talented soccer players insist on such ridiculous theatrics?
- South America did so well in the opening round and second round yet ended with a whimper. The finals featured two European times and this Cup marked the first time Europe won outside their continent. The 2006 Cup also featured two European finalists. The last (and only other) time this happened was during the 1934 and 1938 World Cups. Surely this won't happen again with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Right?
- Did Diego Forlan just peak late? He seems like a new man since he left Manchester United. Apparently Alex Ferguson believed in him but Forlan struggled at United nonetheless. Not so anymore. And based on his personal life, it seems that Forlan possesses both talent and character.
- How 'bout them kiwis? Spain becomes the first team to win the World Cup after losing its first match. The Netherlands were hoping to match the amazing run of the 1970 Brazilian team by winning all their qualifiers and World Cup matches. With the Netherlands losing to Spain, the only team to leave South Africa without tasting defeat was....New Zealand.
- Why is this happening to me? I think Italy's backup keeper Federico Marchetti may have made one save. Otherwise, he spent his time reaching into the back of the net to retrieve the ball and wonder why Buffon had to get injured.
- The youth movement. Too much may have been made of youth vs. experience but it's not a coincidence that some of the younger teams fared so well. The World Cup is an endurance event and younger legs recover more quickly. Italy was cited as the team that didn't balance youth and experience. But no scene exemplified the contrast of pace more than Gareth Barry lumbering toward Mesut Oezil only to see Oezil blow by and set up Mueller for Germany's fourth goal. Ghana featured the youngest team in the tournament and Germany possessed the second youngest team. I can't wait to see them in four years. It's also worth noting that many of Argentina's players are under 25 but if Maradona resigns as manager who knows how the next manager will choose his squad.
- Best goal of the tournament: Wes Sneijder's swerving shot against Japan? Carlos Tevez's rocket against Mexico? Both were surpassed by Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's absolute stunner from long-range against Uruguay. What about Forlan's response in the Netherlands match? I'm going with Siphiwe Shabalala's opening goal against Mexico. Maybe not the best goal technically but a historic goal that marked the happiest moment for the host nation. Works for me.
- Best save of the tournament: Stekelenburg against Kaka. Not only was it a great save with textbook technique, it prevented Brazil from tying the match. That save probably altered the overall course of the World Cup more than any other single save.
- Most surprising player: Thomas Mueller is being hailed as the big surprise. No doubt he announced himself on the world stage in impressive manner as Golden Boot winner and best young player award. But a young German who plays at Bayern Munich excelling at the World Cup isn't surprising. My vote goes to Robert Vittek. If he had kept his composure against the Netherlands, he might have equalized for Slovakia and made that match interesting indeed. Vittek plays in Turkey. And he doesn't play for Galatasaray or Fenerbahce but rather Ankaragucu. No disrespect intended but I suspect Vittek will be playing somewhere else soon enough.
- Unsung Hero: Too much is made of goals. Some players certainly carry their teams on offense (think David Villa) but other goal scorers are beneficiaries of others' heroic efforts. If you add up the total distance of Klose's and Higuain's goals, it's probably about 100 feet. The unsung heroes who set up others do not get enough recognition. Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger was critical to their overall play and indirectly responsible for multiple goals. But he did get recognized to the extent of making Germans forget about Michael Ballack (until he argued with Lahm about the captaincy). My unsung hero is Dirk Kuyt. He also set up goals for the Netherlands, but perhaps more importantly he worked tirelessly and creatively to create space and opportunity for others -- without resorting to rough play. Only one goal but much greater impact in other ways.
- Most disappointing player: It certainly wasn't Lionel Messi's World Cup. He hit the woodwork more than once and created some havoc that freed up his teammates but his overall performance made me yearn for more. How about Cristiano Ronaldo whose only goal was a comical effort against a completely overwhelmed North Korea. Otherwise, he seemed most eager to stare at himself on the giant TV screen as he lined up for free kicks from as far away as 50 yards. Del Bosque brought back Torres too soon after surgery hoping for a moment of inspiration that never came. Given his injury, it's probably not fair to pick on Torres. I'll have to go with Wayne Rooney. I think he hit the post once in the match against Slovenia. But did he have any impact? Granted his entire team was stunned by Germany but by the end of that match, he was even't making runs at defenders and was making rather tame passes.
- Referees: Like the South Americans, the refs had a good opening round but then dropped off in performance. There are so many choices for absolutely horrible calls. Goals disallowed for no good reason. Goals allowed that should not have been. And Frank Lampard's "phantom" second goal against Germany. How could the refs miss something that the fans in the stadium and the TV viewing audience see so easily? FIFA's response included asking the stadium authorities to refrain from showing replays. Now that's an inspiring reaction.
- Fair Play Award: Spain wins the traditional award measured by number of cards. If FIFA awarded a Positive Play Award, I think it should go to the South Koreans who not only entertained but also refrained from diving, acting, cheating and complaining. If they hadn't taken their foot off the gas after scoring Uruguay, who knows how that match might have turned out. I'm eager to see more of them in the 2014 World Cup.
- Unfair Play Award: While there's been a lot of attention on Suarez, it's worth remembering the Ivory Coast's Kader Kaita's ridiculous ploy against Kaka. Not only did it seem that Kaka was basically defending himself, Kaita's face grab after there was clearly contact on his chest was pathetic. Sadly, it was also effective in sending Kaka off. But for sheer consistency of obnoxious play the dubious distinction must go to Mark Van Bommel. I can not understand how he wasn't ejected in every game he played. He didn't even get yellow cards for his obvious fouls. I understand the value of an enforcer. As an Arsenal fan, I can sense the difference given Patrick Vieira's departure. But while Vieira was an enforcer, he also played soccer. Van Bommel seemed to focus on fouling other players, diving and yelling at refs. For a single act, I think De Jong's assault on Xavi Alonso was even worse than Suarez's handball.
But the ultimate unfair play award has to go to FIFA itself which seems to revel in the controversy. FIFA seems to celebrate the extra attention. The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. Even in the US, interest in the World Cup peaked with each disallowed US goal. It took ESPN's obsessive coverage of Lebron James self-indulgent "The Decision" to knock World Cup coverage out of the picture. Thank goodness LeBron didn't make his decision during the World Cup finals. FIFA protect its refs, refuses to use technology and misses real opportunities to remove the game of negative elements. It's almost enough to make this soccer fan wonder why I spend so much time watching the World Cup.
Hey, I just noticed that FIFA has unveiled the official emblem for the 2014 World Cup ;-)
- We have a new champion -- only the eight nation to join an exclusive club. I am really glad Spain won the World Cup. It's rare that the winner, best team and most elegant team converge in this manner. The Netherlands played a negative game which is unfortunate. They possess a great deal of talent. After criticizing the Germans for letting Spain play too freely, it seems that the Netherlands ended up with the same outcome. Referee Howard Webb should have given De Jong a red card for his foul -- or should I say assault -- on Xavi Alonso. But Webb called the match fairly and after some disruptive fouls and yellow cards, it seemed that Spain dominated again. Robben caused havoc especially against Puyol but Robben either ran out of gas or Spain adjusted well seemingly playing a man behind and another in front of him. They also forced him to play with his right foot which he's clearly not comfortable doing. Casillas' save against Robben was huge but Ramos missed an open header as well. In the end, the better team won and positive soccer won.
- At times Arjen Robben looks like Patrick Stewart. Perhaps Robben could take acting lessons from Stewart so that he doesn't look so silly and irritating when he fakes an injury. Why do some of the world's most talented soccer players insist on such ridiculous theatrics?
- South America did so well in the opening round and second round yet ended with a whimper. The finals featured two European times and this Cup marked the first time Europe won outside their continent. The 2006 Cup also featured two European finalists. The last (and only other) time this happened was during the 1934 and 1938 World Cups. Surely this won't happen again with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Right?
- Did Diego Forlan just peak late? He seems like a new man since he left Manchester United. Apparently Alex Ferguson believed in him but Forlan struggled at United nonetheless. Not so anymore. And based on his personal life, it seems that Forlan possesses both talent and character.
- How 'bout them kiwis? Spain becomes the first team to win the World Cup after losing its first match. The Netherlands were hoping to match the amazing run of the 1970 Brazilian team by winning all their qualifiers and World Cup matches. With the Netherlands losing to Spain, the only team to leave South Africa without tasting defeat was....New Zealand.
- Why is this happening to me? I think Italy's backup keeper Federico Marchetti may have made one save. Otherwise, he spent his time reaching into the back of the net to retrieve the ball and wonder why Buffon had to get injured.
- The youth movement. Too much may have been made of youth vs. experience but it's not a coincidence that some of the younger teams fared so well. The World Cup is an endurance event and younger legs recover more quickly. Italy was cited as the team that didn't balance youth and experience. But no scene exemplified the contrast of pace more than Gareth Barry lumbering toward Mesut Oezil only to see Oezil blow by and set up Mueller for Germany's fourth goal. Ghana featured the youngest team in the tournament and Germany possessed the second youngest team. I can't wait to see them in four years. It's also worth noting that many of Argentina's players are under 25 but if Maradona resigns as manager who knows how the next manager will choose his squad.
- Best goal of the tournament: Wes Sneijder's swerving shot against Japan? Carlos Tevez's rocket against Mexico? Both were surpassed by Giovanni Van Bronckhorst's absolute stunner from long-range against Uruguay. What about Forlan's response in the Netherlands match? I'm going with Siphiwe Shabalala's opening goal against Mexico. Maybe not the best goal technically but a historic goal that marked the happiest moment for the host nation. Works for me.
- Best save of the tournament: Stekelenburg against Kaka. Not only was it a great save with textbook technique, it prevented Brazil from tying the match. That save probably altered the overall course of the World Cup more than any other single save.
- Most surprising player: Thomas Mueller is being hailed as the big surprise. No doubt he announced himself on the world stage in impressive manner as Golden Boot winner and best young player award. But a young German who plays at Bayern Munich excelling at the World Cup isn't surprising. My vote goes to Robert Vittek. If he had kept his composure against the Netherlands, he might have equalized for Slovakia and made that match interesting indeed. Vittek plays in Turkey. And he doesn't play for Galatasaray or Fenerbahce but rather Ankaragucu. No disrespect intended but I suspect Vittek will be playing somewhere else soon enough.
- Unsung Hero: Too much is made of goals. Some players certainly carry their teams on offense (think David Villa) but other goal scorers are beneficiaries of others' heroic efforts. If you add up the total distance of Klose's and Higuain's goals, it's probably about 100 feet. The unsung heroes who set up others do not get enough recognition. Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger was critical to their overall play and indirectly responsible for multiple goals. But he did get recognized to the extent of making Germans forget about Michael Ballack (until he argued with Lahm about the captaincy). My unsung hero is Dirk Kuyt. He also set up goals for the Netherlands, but perhaps more importantly he worked tirelessly and creatively to create space and opportunity for others -- without resorting to rough play. Only one goal but much greater impact in other ways.
- Most disappointing player: It certainly wasn't Lionel Messi's World Cup. He hit the woodwork more than once and created some havoc that freed up his teammates but his overall performance made me yearn for more. How about Cristiano Ronaldo whose only goal was a comical effort against a completely overwhelmed North Korea. Otherwise, he seemed most eager to stare at himself on the giant TV screen as he lined up for free kicks from as far away as 50 yards. Del Bosque brought back Torres too soon after surgery hoping for a moment of inspiration that never came. Given his injury, it's probably not fair to pick on Torres. I'll have to go with Wayne Rooney. I think he hit the post once in the match against Slovenia. But did he have any impact? Granted his entire team was stunned by Germany but by the end of that match, he was even't making runs at defenders and was making rather tame passes.
- Referees: Like the South Americans, the refs had a good opening round but then dropped off in performance. There are so many choices for absolutely horrible calls. Goals disallowed for no good reason. Goals allowed that should not have been. And Frank Lampard's "phantom" second goal against Germany. How could the refs miss something that the fans in the stadium and the TV viewing audience see so easily? FIFA's response included asking the stadium authorities to refrain from showing replays. Now that's an inspiring reaction.
- Fair Play Award: Spain wins the traditional award measured by number of cards. If FIFA awarded a Positive Play Award, I think it should go to the South Koreans who not only entertained but also refrained from diving, acting, cheating and complaining. If they hadn't taken their foot off the gas after scoring Uruguay, who knows how that match might have turned out. I'm eager to see more of them in the 2014 World Cup.
- Unfair Play Award: While there's been a lot of attention on Suarez, it's worth remembering the Ivory Coast's Kader Kaita's ridiculous ploy against Kaka. Not only did it seem that Kaka was basically defending himself, Kaita's face grab after there was clearly contact on his chest was pathetic. Sadly, it was also effective in sending Kaka off. But for sheer consistency of obnoxious play the dubious distinction must go to Mark Van Bommel. I can not understand how he wasn't ejected in every game he played. He didn't even get yellow cards for his obvious fouls. I understand the value of an enforcer. As an Arsenal fan, I can sense the difference given Patrick Vieira's departure. But while Vieira was an enforcer, he also played soccer. Van Bommel seemed to focus on fouling other players, diving and yelling at refs. For a single act, I think De Jong's assault on Xavi Alonso was even worse than Suarez's handball.
But the ultimate unfair play award has to go to FIFA itself which seems to revel in the controversy. FIFA seems to celebrate the extra attention. The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. Even in the US, interest in the World Cup peaked with each disallowed US goal. It took ESPN's obsessive coverage of Lebron James self-indulgent "The Decision" to knock World Cup coverage out of the picture. Thank goodness LeBron didn't make his decision during the World Cup finals. FIFA protect its refs, refuses to use technology and misses real opportunities to remove the game of negative elements. It's almost enough to make this soccer fan wonder why I spend so much time watching the World Cup.
Hey, I just noticed that FIFA has unveiled the official emblem for the 2014 World Cup ;-)
2010 World Cup Best Eleven Team
Here's my best eleven 2010 World Cup team based on performance during the Cup. I'm lining up a 4-4-2:
Goalkeeper: Mark Paston (New Zealand). OK I'm having some fun here. If he had played in more matches, he probably would have been exposed and he had a laughable attempt at a clearance. But he did play well and he did not make mistakes that led to goals. Besides it's intriguing to even think of someone from NZ. There were relatively unknown goalkeepers who played very well (Stekelenburg, Enyeama, Kawashima) but each of them on one occasion seemed to lean the wrong direction as the Jabulani ball swerved. There were well known keepers who did well (Casillas, Cesar) but they made mistakes that led to goals and cost their teams (in Brazil's case catastrophically). I would choose Neuer of Germany though Stekelenburg was impressive. The overall goalkeeping was disappointing.
Defenders: How about choosing the entire back line of Spain? You could do a lot worse than Puyol, Pique, Ramos and Capdevila. They play well individually and play well as a unit. Spain conceded only 2 goals, one of which was the fiasco against Switzerland. Casillas seemed about 10 degrees off so it was especially important that the defensive line performed admirably. I suppose I wouldn't be too upset if Philip Lahm or Diego Lugano came off the bench to join the defense.
Midfielders: Not surprisingly, Spain enters the mix again with Andres Iniesta and and Xavi. Bastian Schweinsteiger has to be included though one could easily make the case for his teammate Thomas Mueller. But I'm going with unconventional choice (seriously) with Keisuke Honda (Japan). I know Wes Sneijder scored more goals than Honda but Sneijder was also surrounded by more talent. I also think midfielders need to possess and distribute the ball which Sneijder didn't do much. Honda had two goals but could have easily had three if had shot instead of passed during Japan's third goal against Denmark. Honda scored a beautiful goal from a free kick and orchestrated creatively from Japan's midfield. He looks like a worthy successor to Shunsuke Nakamura
Forwards: David Villa faded in the final games but he carried Spain's offense in the earlier matches. He tied for the lead in the golden boot contest but lost out on the tiebreaker of assists. I'm rounding out the best eleven with Diego Forlan who had an amazing tournament. His creativity, deft control, well placed corners, free kicks and candidate for shot of the tournament (against the Netherlands) were matched by his leadership and will to move his team forward. Also a scorer of five goals, he played with grace throughout the Cup. I wonder if Manchester United wants him back.
Goalkeeper: Mark Paston (New Zealand). OK I'm having some fun here. If he had played in more matches, he probably would have been exposed and he had a laughable attempt at a clearance. But he did play well and he did not make mistakes that led to goals. Besides it's intriguing to even think of someone from NZ. There were relatively unknown goalkeepers who played very well (Stekelenburg, Enyeama, Kawashima) but each of them on one occasion seemed to lean the wrong direction as the Jabulani ball swerved. There were well known keepers who did well (Casillas, Cesar) but they made mistakes that led to goals and cost their teams (in Brazil's case catastrophically). I would choose Neuer of Germany though Stekelenburg was impressive. The overall goalkeeping was disappointing.
Defenders: How about choosing the entire back line of Spain? You could do a lot worse than Puyol, Pique, Ramos and Capdevila. They play well individually and play well as a unit. Spain conceded only 2 goals, one of which was the fiasco against Switzerland. Casillas seemed about 10 degrees off so it was especially important that the defensive line performed admirably. I suppose I wouldn't be too upset if Philip Lahm or Diego Lugano came off the bench to join the defense.
Midfielders: Not surprisingly, Spain enters the mix again with Andres Iniesta and and Xavi. Bastian Schweinsteiger has to be included though one could easily make the case for his teammate Thomas Mueller. But I'm going with unconventional choice (seriously) with Keisuke Honda (Japan). I know Wes Sneijder scored more goals than Honda but Sneijder was also surrounded by more talent. I also think midfielders need to possess and distribute the ball which Sneijder didn't do much. Honda had two goals but could have easily had three if had shot instead of passed during Japan's third goal against Denmark. Honda scored a beautiful goal from a free kick and orchestrated creatively from Japan's midfield. He looks like a worthy successor to Shunsuke Nakamura
Forwards: David Villa faded in the final games but he carried Spain's offense in the earlier matches. He tied for the lead in the golden boot contest but lost out on the tiebreaker of assists. I'm rounding out the best eleven with Diego Forlan who had an amazing tournament. His creativity, deft control, well placed corners, free kicks and candidate for shot of the tournament (against the Netherlands) were matched by his leadership and will to move his team forward. Also a scorer of five goals, he played with grace throughout the Cup. I wonder if Manchester United wants him back.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Dissing Suarez?
Sepp Blatter and a couple of other FIFA executives shook hands with all of the starters from Germany and Uruguay prior to the 3rd place match. I might be imagining it but I could swear that Blatter basically dissed Suarez. He shook his hand and immediately looked toward Lugano. I think Blatter even stopped smiling. After the exchange, Suarez definitely looked toward Blatter with a less than pleased expression.
The crowd definitely dissed Suarez, booing him every time he touched the ball. ESPN's commentator Ian Darke seemed particularly upset by this treatment. He stated that "any professional" in the same situation would do exactly the same thing. I'd like to believe that isn't true. There are "professional fouls" that are deliberate attempts to take down a player prior to scoring. Michael Ballack missed the 2002 World Cup final match because of a professional foul. And it's true that defenders are instructed to make such fouls if the goal seems imminent. But pushing the boundaries of fouls -- a natural part of the game-- is different from deliberating handling the ball.
There are many instances where defenders do not actually follow through with professional fouls. There are many instances where players in the same situation as Suarez actually try to head the ball instead of becoming a volleyball player. And then there's Suarez's reaction. I have not read or heart a single account of him actually apologizing. Instead here's a quote from a Guardian article:
"The Hand of God now belongs to me. Mine is the real Hand Of God," said Suárez. "I made the best save of the tournament. Sometimes in training I play as a goalkeeper so it was worth it. There was no alternative but for me to do that and when they missed the penalty I thought 'It is a miracle and we are alive in the tournament'."
Does this sound like a guy who even feels a bit of remorse or guilt for what he did?
Darke seems to believe that egregious acts are excused when the circumstances are intense and the stakes are high. I wonder what he thinks of the original Hand of God goal? Maradona would almost certainly use the same line of "reasoning" that Suarez used with his act. Perhaps Darke (and others) believe that players are justified using their hands only when preventing goals?
The crowd definitely dissed Suarez, booing him every time he touched the ball. ESPN's commentator Ian Darke seemed particularly upset by this treatment. He stated that "any professional" in the same situation would do exactly the same thing. I'd like to believe that isn't true. There are "professional fouls" that are deliberate attempts to take down a player prior to scoring. Michael Ballack missed the 2002 World Cup final match because of a professional foul. And it's true that defenders are instructed to make such fouls if the goal seems imminent. But pushing the boundaries of fouls -- a natural part of the game-- is different from deliberating handling the ball.
There are many instances where defenders do not actually follow through with professional fouls. There are many instances where players in the same situation as Suarez actually try to head the ball instead of becoming a volleyball player. And then there's Suarez's reaction. I have not read or heart a single account of him actually apologizing. Instead here's a quote from a Guardian article:
"The Hand of God now belongs to me. Mine is the real Hand Of God," said Suárez. "I made the best save of the tournament. Sometimes in training I play as a goalkeeper so it was worth it. There was no alternative but for me to do that and when they missed the penalty I thought 'It is a miracle and we are alive in the tournament'."
Does this sound like a guy who even feels a bit of remorse or guilt for what he did?
Darke seems to believe that egregious acts are excused when the circumstances are intense and the stakes are high. I wonder what he thinks of the original Hand of God goal? Maradona would almost certainly use the same line of "reasoning" that Suarez used with his act. Perhaps Darke (and others) believe that players are justified using their hands only when preventing goals?
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Winning at Any Cost
Uruguay has been one of the more positive sides during the 2010 World Cup but Luis Suarez's deliberate handball was deplorable. He turned what would have been one of the classic comeback stories for African soccer into one of the most heartbreaking "what could have been" exits from the World Cup. With the win at any cost mentality, Suarez's action was completely understandable. But with any other mentality, one can only hope that Ghana still feels very proud of what they accomplished -- with the youngest team in the tournament -- and that FIFA follows through with its threat to ban Suarez for two matches instead of simply one. At the least, Suarez should not be able to enjoy more matches during this tournament.
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