Italian Sportsmanship
<a href="http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-10481156,00.html"; target="_blank">http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-10481156,00.html</a>;
So now I get it. It´s only ok to tell the world how superior you are when you´re a "footballing nation". When you´re "just" Korea you just have to sit down and be quiet, even when you win.
Of course FIFA will not interfere. No, that would mean not acting like a corrupt bunch of so and sos for a change.
I was happy to see France go out but now I´m delighted to see Italy head home. May they never win anything again as long as this guy is alive.
It gets better...
<a href="http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,1-1054859,00.html"; target="_blank">http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,1-1054859,00.html</a>;
And here I was thinking refereeing errors are part of football. The Italians seem to have forgotten all the penalties they got by falling over at the slightest presence of a defenders leg. Cheats. <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
[ 06-20-2002: Message edited by: macvasco ]</p>
So now I get it. It´s only ok to tell the world how superior you are when you´re a "footballing nation". When you´re "just" Korea you just have to sit down and be quiet, even when you win.
Of course FIFA will not interfere. No, that would mean not acting like a corrupt bunch of so and sos for a change.
I was happy to see France go out but now I´m delighted to see Italy head home. May they never win anything again as long as this guy is alive.
It gets better...
<a href="http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,1-1054859,00.html"; target="_blank">http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,1-1054859,00.html</a>;
And here I was thinking refereeing errors are part of football. The Italians seem to have forgotten all the penalties they got by falling over at the slightest presence of a defenders leg. Cheats. <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
[ 06-20-2002: Message edited by: macvasco ]</p>
Comments
P A T H E T I C
- T.I.
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
<strong>And Europeans criticize American football fans... to think!
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
I don´t think "Europeans" criticise American soccer fans do "we"?
I think the US performed very well and played very impressively against Germany. I think a lot of people agree with me on that. I can even see the US maintaining this level at the next World Cup. It´s difficult to move on from being a quarter final team to a title contender.
This is the second tournament in a row where they have been put out by basic bad decisions. In every match they played in this world cup they have had atleast 3 bad offside decisions against them, this is just bang out of line. They lodged a complaint to FIFA after the second match they played, nothing got done about it.
This just rubs salt into the wounds after the made up 4 mins of extra time on Euro2000, where they would have won.
I dont think i have ever seen as many bad decisions made against one side in a tournament, and there should be a FIFA enquiry into how this came about.
However the south Koreans played very well, the italians shoudl giev them credit for the performance because it was just plain impressive.
As for the Perugia manager sacking his Korean player, thats bang out of line too. Infact Italian clubs just buy Oriental asian players because of the 30% increase in merchandise sales they get.
Luckily for the player he has shown how good he is during this world cup,alot of clubs will be after him, and he should be able to do alot better than Perugia anyway.
BTW im an England fan, im not Italian.
And i admire Englands performance during this world cup, getting past Nigeria,Argentina,Sweden and Denmark is no mean feat and in any other ordinary world cup this would have meant they would have won it.
Law suits by TV companies because Italy isn't in the finals? Firing a player because he played on his national team? It shows a real lack of perspective on the people's part. Pssst... hey guys, even when we lose in baseball we don't get this silly! Despite rumors you may have heard, 'tis only a sport.
<strong>
Of course FIFA will not interfere. No, that would mean not acting like a corrupt bunch of so and sos for a change.
I was happy to see France go out but now I´m delighted to see Italy head home. May they never win anything again as long as this guy is alive.
And here I was thinking refereeing errors are part of football. The Italians seem to have forgotten all the penalties they got by falling over at the slightest presence of a defenders leg. Cheats. <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
[ 06-20-2002: Message edited by: macvasco ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
The penalties they have got are just as bad as any other team during this tournament, every1 dives these days. Infact i have counted more acting from turkey and Brazil than the italians this tournament.
Rfereeing blunders are a part of the game, but to have as many as 3 every game + Euro200 injury time blunder is just plain ridiculous.
This amount of blunders against one team has not happened before, not even in Italia'90.
If FIFA would have sorted out **** linesmen earlier then this would never have happened.
<strong>I dont think i have ever seen as many bad decisions made against one side in a tournament, and there should be a FIFA enquiry into how this came about.</strong><hr></blockquote>I don't think FIFA would be the right people to look into this since they are responsible for it in the first place?
- T.I.
<strong>Yeah, the collective Italian reaction has been just a wee bit melodramatic, but that's what Italians are good at -- melodrama.
Law suits by TV companies because Italy isn't in the finals? Firing a player because he played on his national team? It shows a real lack of perspective on the people's part. Pssst... hey guys, even when we lose in baseball we don't get this silly! Despite rumors you may have heard, 'tis only a sport.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yeah, i hope for the Korean players sake he will find another and better club. Ashame that.
Only a sport? im afraid in England and Italy football is a religion, nothnig better than a packed congregation down the local pub errupting as England score.
FIFA though i think are responsible for improving the quality of referee, so maybe its their problem to sort out, i cant think of any1 else really.
The game is about playing soccer/football, not about refs. That is why I dont understand why tv replays are STILL not permitted. The refs, some, even said, the ADMITTED they made mistakes, that the game is just getting faster and faster.
But GUESS WHAT... the referee part of this WorldCup was given to, guess, the Koreans to handle. And what a fine job they did at it.
Italy, while I dont agree with the 'defense' strategy they have, played VERY well, especially against Korea where Italy deserved without a doubt to win.
Im sorry but this whole WC has been TOTAL disgrace for the reffing. Im sure the Spanish and the USA will have things to say about this too. Spain got called against for a outside ball that was perfectly in, and in the USA match, a VERY CLEAR handball wasnt seen.
Pathetic.
Until TV/video replay is permitted as in many other sports I would propose to ban FIFA Football. This World Cup was dictated by the refs, not by the best teams.
I mean, come on, do you think it would be worse to fire him because of a childish impulse or, if your intention was that of 'revenge', then have him come back and play in the Serie A and leave him to the hudreds of other pissed off Italian players to take care of?
You get my point.
He got sacked because, officially, he offended Italy and was an affront to the club in that in Italy he played mediocrely and instead in Korea he played extremely well.
I would get pissed off too. In any case, if it had been my decision, well, see the scenario I just described. He would have had hell a thousand times worse.
Also, its not the players who should be made to blame... the whole point of the game is to SCORE no matter who you are playing against. The problem, as a I mentioned before, were the refs. Especially that Equadorian prick who looked like he was on fvcking drugs and whatnot.
The only thing I revel in is that France got so humiliated that it hurt.. but even in that case Henry's expulsion was VERY contraversial. Otherwise, France's undoing was totally their own making. Heh.
In anycase, 2004 is around the corner for the UEFA cup and we'll start, hopefully, seeing some good football again.. not this crap.
This is worse than figure skating.
Here in the USA, widespread depression has envolped the country, our economy has crashed, and people are commiting suicide in the streets, and drug usage is at an all time high. ALMOST. The major news networks give about 30 seconds of coverage, and about, oh lets say, nobody cares. Most of the American citizens are to much into pansy *** baseball, that they dont notice how well thier soccer team does Although, the Italian reaction to the obvious mistakes in the refs judgment, isnt so wonderful either. At least the US did get away with one huge call (John O'Brian handball anyone?). The Italians didn't deserve any of that **** they got.
Italy got screwed. It would piss me off too.
Now we're seeing at best a mix of ineptitude and back-lash from said officials (against European squads) and at worst (with ever increasing suspicion) the results of a little back-room manouvering by the Koreans and Japanese. I wouldn't be too surprised to find some nice favors doled out to certain officials 6-12 months down the line.
Something stinks at this world cup. It's only saving grace, now, would be for Turkey and Germany both to reach the final so we can have at last one fairly (and competently) officiated match.
<strong>And Europeans criticize American football fans... to think!
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
??? That's bullshit. Never heard, saw that. The US team got respect even before the WorldCup (they did some good games, against Germany too).
PB
<strong>The major news networks give about 30 seconds of coverage, and about, oh lets say, nobody cares. Most of the American citizens are to much into pansy *** baseball, that they dont notice how well thier soccer team does...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well, people around here were pretty enthused. The USA team was the subject at the water cooler and plenty of people got up at 4:30 am to watch them. But even when we have seen unfair results in events past, in general at least, we don't get quite so stricken.
<strong>
??? That's bullshit. Never heard, saw that. The US team got respect even before the WorldCup (they did some good games, against Germany too).
PB</strong><hr></blockquote>
the only thing we blame americans for is trying to bastardise the game.
Its not called "soccer", its football.
it shouldnt have teams called "metrostars".
But apart from that we dont blame the US fans for much else.
Yeah they did well against Germany. But lets face it this is the worst German side in 40 years.
Considering how England put 5 past them not long back, americas performance was to be expected.
<strong>In regards to Perugia sending off the player, well, thats his own ideas and justified himself pretty well I believe.
I mean, come on, do you think it would be worse to fire him because of a childish impulse or, if your intention was that of 'revenge', then have him come back and play in the Serie A and leave him to the hudreds of other pissed off Italian players to take care of?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
The bad behaviour towards the Korean player would have lasted about a month, maybe less. The same thing happened When Gianfranco Zola scored for Italy against England in 1997, even his chelsea fans gave him **** for weeks. But after that they saw sense and now as he is about to retire he is a Chelsea hero.
And us English fans take the game just as seriously as the Italians.
It would be bad, but it would have faded.