World Cup 2018

[john12ax7]

Being in the US,  football (soccer)  is not such a big deal here.  But I've watched more than usual this year.

Was a good tournament but wow the final was total BS.  France gets a free kick from a total flop. Then a penalty shot on a handball reversed by replay,  which most agreed was a bad call.  Two gifts like that is absolutely huge.

Why is flopping (essentially cheating) and poor biased officiating tolerated on such an international stage? You should have multiple referees to increase the odds of getting calls right.  And if using replay teams should be allowed to challenge wrong calls.

 

[ubxf]

You are right and by the way there is never any wrong calls on baseball, basketball, hockey or football

 

[john12ax7]

You are right and by the way there is never any wrong calls on baseball, basketball, hockey or football

Of course there are  but that's why there is also more referees and a more refined replay system in other sports.  I would be fine with an electronic strike zone in baseball. But even with the current flawed system a missed call on a ball or strike is orders of magnitude less impactful to the outcome than a goal in soccer.

It might also be why I prefer baseball more these days.  The officials have less impact on the game than other sports.  Have seen some rather ridiculous American football and basketball games.

 

[ubxf]

Well if there was replay for all contested calls in soccer no one would want to watch the games
But they would have called the flop and the game would have probably been different .

 

[greenarcher25]

Congrats to France. I was rooting for Croatia, though.

 

[dmp]

Soccer (football) is defensive dominated and such has these problems.

If they made the goals bigger, for example, the scores would be higher, then they wouldn't need the silly shootouts and flops / penalty kicks would be less valuable. Of course, there are offensively dominated games as well, like tennis, where a break point is decisive.

 

[weiss]

At first i wanted france to win but the match turned unfair so in the end i changed my mind 
The video referees were long due. Bu they also should be allowed to correct the main referee's decisions if they were false.

But on the other hand that's the downside, yes

Well if there was replay for all contested calls in soccer no one would want to watch the games
But they would have called the flop and the game would have probably been different .

 

[shot]

My country unfortunately lost. French team was good, no doubt on that!
But yes, that foul that lead to penalty kick was really wrong call.
Maybe they should have  players hands restrained with handcuffs during whole game... dohhh... 

But still - 4.5million country in which absolutely everything is wrong ended second on the world cup!

Today there were estimated almost 500 000 people on the streets of Zagreb to welcome the football team.
Incredible! Underdogs won!


https://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/reprezentacija-se-vratila-narodu-ovo-su-slike-za-povijest/2011656.aspx
(ignore the text cause it's written in Croatian, but check the pics)



Luka

 

[abbey road d enfer]

France has won nothing, Croatia has lost nothing. A french team has won just one match against a croatian team. This is just about putting a ball in an opening. Just a kids game.
Now the rules may be questionable, but they are the same for all teams. Many things in life are about conforming to rules, even if it is not fair.
As a french citizen, I do not feel any pride, because I am not for anything in this joust. Do I need to mention I haven't watched any matches? I'm relieved that it's over.
Now, I wished live music received just 1% of the attention soccer has concentrated. And another percent on the commercial discussions between Russia and USA on one side, Europe and China on the other side.

 

[boji]

Just a kids game.

McCarthy:

“All other trades are contained in that of war.

Is that why war endures?

No. It endures because young men love it and old men love it in them. Those that fought, those that did not.

That's your notion.

The judge smiled. Men are born for games. Nothing else. Every child knows that play is nobler than work. He knows too that the worth or merit of a game is not inherent in the game itself but rather in the value of that which is put at hazard. Games of chance require a wager to have meaning at all. Games of sport involve the skill and strength of the opponents and the humiliation of defeat and the pride of victory are in themselves sufficient stake because they inhere in the worth of the principals and define them. But trial of chance or trial of worth all games aspire to the condition of war for here that which is wagered swallows up game, player, all.”

 

[abbey road d enfer]

It endures because young men love it and old men love it in them.

That's the opinion of a person that loves war, and thus thinks that everybody should love it too.
I don't love war, and though I know many do, I don't think everybody should. IMO war deters humanity from more important things.
I do not deny that some progress results from war, but I think there are other stimuli that can result in progress too.
War is such a waste of energy and resources.
Games as an exultory I accept, but I know that they are just an outlet for young people to release their overflow of testosterone and old people to compensate for their lack of testosterone.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Soccer (football) is like watching ice hockey but playing out in relative slow motion. That said the athletic demands of running for 90 minutes is not insignificant.

The game is universally popular because it can be played almost anywhere with little to no investment in gear... Don't have a ball, wad up some rags and kick that around.

I recently watched an old movie about POWs during WWII playing a game in France... (escape to victory). It was fictional but there have been a few forced games during that war in different countries (with less movie like endings).

JR

 

[pucho812]

When they had the World Cup in South Africa,  I was working at a studio that had a British style pub down the block showing the games in the morning.  We would go in and watch them.  I even got asked to leave once because I brought in a vuvuzela and was playing it quite loudly.

 

[greenarcher25]

My country unfortunately lost. French team was good, no doubt on that!
But yes, that foul that lead to penalty kick was really wrong call.
Maybe they should have  players hands restrained with handcuffs during whole game... dohhh... 

But still - 4.5million country in which absolutely everything is wrong ended second on the world cup!

Today there were estimated almost 500 000 people on the streets of Zagreb to welcome the football team.
Incredible! Underdogs won!


https://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/reprezentacija-se-vratila-narodu-ovo-su-slike-za-povijest/2011656.aspx
(ignore the text cause it's written in Croatian, but check the pics)



Luka

Still, congratulations to Croatia for showcasing their talent in the Worldcup. Hope to see more of the team in the international arena.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Being in the US,  football (soccer)  is not such a big deal here.  But I've watched more than usual this year.

less of a big deal when the US team does not make the cut.....  they better make it next time. 

Was a good tournament but wow the final was total BS.  France gets a free kick from a total flop. Then a penalty shot on a handball reversed by replay,  which most agreed was a bad call.  Two gifts like that is absolutely huge.

Why is flopping (essentially cheating) and poor biased officiating tolerated on such an international stage? You should have multiple referees to increase the odds of getting calls right.  And if using replay teams should be allowed to challenge wrong calls.

It is just a game but yes technology could improve call accuracy.

I have speculated about pressure sensitive jerseys so you could see evidence of contact. Simpler would be to put ink on everybody's hands so they would leave ink trails on everything they touch.  ;D

JR

 

[Script]

Is it over? Who won?

 

[Whoops]

Is it over? Who won?

Cristiano Ronaldo

 

[pucho812]

Cristiano Ronaldo

Final was France vs Croatia
Final score France 4  Croatia 2

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Is it over?

At last, yes.

Who won?

The FIFA and Putin.

 

[KrIVIUM2323]

It is interesting to read your point of view guys.
Coming mostly from US citizen (who are not crazy about this sport) your comments make sense about the unfairness of the rules/descision in football (soccer) game but there is a cultural issue about it.

There is few rules in this sport and most of them are fairly simple but it is accepted by players (and fans) you can cheat with them as long you don't get caught by the patrol!

This is part of the sport and is sometime refered to as being 'lifelike' (life is unfair) and is part of the game.

Some good example of that is the late use of video as an aid for referee (it was used for the first time in Russia this year!) and the fact that some players gained legendary status by being able to cheat coarsely ( Diego Maradona's "hand of god" is the better example you can find! Beside the fact that the guy was a genius with a ball and his feet he used his hands to score in past world cup).

All that tend to make myself not being a fan of this sport and i share Abbey view beside the fact our national team won this year (i only watch football every 4 years during world cup).

There is something special about this 'victory' though: like the first title won by France in 1998 it does have a profound effect on state of mind of people in France.

People are proud to be world champion and express theyr patriotism ( we are not as patriots as US citizen are usually) but at the same time it ll probably recess the racist feeling in the country (as in 1998) because  team players come from different origins and had been united and patriots during the cup.

This is great and will counteract the roten political climate we live in for some years now... at least for some month.