You have to feel for the Ghanaian football team at the World Cup. They were eliminated in a penalty shoot-out this morning, but only after one of the most blatant pieces of cheating we have ever seen in a World Cup match - check this out ...
Ghana was awarded a penalty, and to the mortification of everyone except the Uruguayans, the kick hit the crossbar. Ghana subsequently missed two of their five penalties in the shoot-out, and Africa's last hope departed from the World Cup.
Sure; Ghana should have scored from the penalty spot with the last kick of the game. That they were then eliminated is, in our humble opinion, a travesty of justice. And we hope that FIFA has an attack of conscience, and that Luis Suarez is suspended for the remainder of the World Cup. He ought be remembered as a cheat, not Uruguay's saviour.
10 comments:
This is why I think Football is gay, and when I say gay, I mean it in the sense of something that is not what it claims to be, and why I don't watch it. There is no justice in the game.
Football needs the equivalent of Rugby's penalty try.
David
(and with a penalty from the spot in addition, for bringing the game into disrepute)
Without Video refereeing this carnival is a clown show. NZ was possibly done out of a last 16 spot by a holywood dive that registered about 2 on the ridiculous scale and today we had another hand ball that was right up there with "the hand of god and what sanction, Maradonna is coaching the argies.
All that investment for SA and for what they could have all stayed home and just had a hundred or so tosses of a double headed coin.
Using officials from lesser nations is admirable but with so much at stake I wonder why the players accept such a farcical tournament. If I was a professional player and my immediate income prospects were depending on a half baked system of refereeing I would want something a whole lot better.
FIFA is gaining nothing for the massive investment apart from an extended holiday in the republic for all the troughers and hangers on of world football.
I think a citing system may be appropriate.
Robbens dive this morning would in my perfect world result in him receiving a 2 match suspension (I hate diving).
The hand ball by the Paragayan, a ending off and undefended penalty for hand ball on the line.
and in a series of this importance, goal line technology to determine of the ball crosses the line is an esential system.
Sepp Blatter should step down as he isn't fit to be a pianist in a whorehouse
Suarez got exactly the punishment that the rules provided - a sending off, suspension for the next game, and what should have been a certain goal against his team. What more do you want? It's not his fault that the Ghana player was careless (yes, totally careless) and stuffed up his attempted penalty shot.
As for the refereeing, most of it in this World Cup has been excellent - despite several glaring mistakes. As for "using officials from lesser nations", the Japanese referee on show this morning was superb. Now if, instead, we could rectify the often appalling standard of rugby referees from Australia and Great Britain, that would be a worthy cause.
If that's the case Siena, then the rules are an ass. Suarez plainly cheated and prevented what would otherwise have been a match-winning goal by a deliberate hand-ball. FIFA should be able to impose an additional penalty where the offence warrants it, and Suarez's action was as cynical a foul as one can imagine. He should be ejected from the tournament.
Siena says: and what should have been a certain goal against his team. What more do you want? It's not his fault that the Ghana player was careless (yes, totally careless) and stuffed up his attempted penalty shot.
His (the Ghana players) first shot was adequate, I fail to see why he should have to repeat it because the opposition decided to deliberately cheat, and then the header follow through!, IMHO, that alone should constitute forfeiture of the game.
Suarez, like Thierry Henri did `what had to be done' to keep his side in the tournament.
While it is cheating the present laws allow `cheats to prosper' and I am sure Suarez will get a good bonus when the team is paid out after the tournament.
It is also what happens when sport is money driven and that is the era we live in. Money is applied to reward cheats and the techonology to uncover cheats is ignored due to ideology.
"If that's the case Siena, then the rules are an ass."
You're right in this limited instance. And remember that the circumstances here were freakish - the incident happened on the last kick of extra time. It's not as though there was plentiful precedent for the dilemma that arose.
The rules are the rules until they are changed through proper process. The time for consideration of any possible change is not mid-way through a major tournament. That should occur only after due regard has been given to all possible implications, not as a knee-jerk reaction to a single unforeseen incident.
Blaming the player involved or wringing one's hands because the popular underdog team was deprived of a win is a purely emotive reaction - what the trashy British tabloids tend to thrive on.
"The rules are the rules until they are changed through proper process. The time for consideration of any possible change is not mid-way through a major tournament. That should occur only after due regard has been given to all possible implications, not as a knee-jerk reaction to a single unforeseen incident."
Fair enough Siena; I would argue though that putting "Sepp Blatter" and "proper process" in the same sentence would result in the ultimate oxymoron!
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