French Scam Goal

[robertrinaustin]

I thought the French were the better team today and deserved the victory, but the card and free kick awarded on the foul to Henry that led to the Viera goal was horrible. When you see the reply, you clearly see Henry lean into the guy and then throw his hands up like he was fouled. I think that was the worst I've seen this WC. It is one thing to fall with little or no contact, but to fall after you intentially initiated the contact is the worst sham of all.

Maybe one day FIFA will actually restore some integrity to the game by stopping all the shinanigans (sp?). If they would actually review some of the questionable plays after the game, they could address these incidents.

[thomasng]

Yeah, that free kick to the French was pure [censored]. I have never seen such bad sportsmanship by faking a foul.

But even if we can strike that goal off, they still won on Zidane's goal anyways, and that's some consolation.

[By-Tor]

Yeah, typical. But still nothing compared to the fiasco yesterday in the Italy-Australia game. Bad free kick (from 35 meters) is much smaller fiasco than a bad penalty. Spain penalty today was very light as well.

They need to get video refs to these games (like in hockey). Sepp Blatter and FIFA are to blame... these FIFA dinosaurs have been against the use of all new technology for decades. Quite retarded if you ask me.

Game has gotten so much faster and players are much better actors these days...so the refs just can't keep up with their stunts anymore. Too many games in this world cup have already been decided by bad referee calls.

Actually, it has always the same song: In 1966 England's questionable goal, 1982 Schumacher's outrageous attack on Battiston, 1986 Maradona's "Hand of God", 1990 totally ridiculous penalty awarded to the Germans which decided the championship (in the final against Argentina), etc. etc.

Edited June 28, 2006 by By-Tor

[cornerstone]

I think this World Cup will lead to some sort of video replay experiment; if not perhaps for every free kick, then perhaps for red cards and penalty decisions.

And then, like Golden Goals, they will probably abandon it!

[cwai02]

France is still going to win anyway, and they actually played better than Spain.

I am happy that "That black [censored]" team kicked Luis Aragones ass. Stupid racist.

[thomasng]

But still, this doesn't compare to how ridiculous the Penalty kick against Australia though.

[jonthebhoy]

Puyol still fouled Henry. He ran across him to take him out and thought of the ball second.

Henry's reaction was a disgrace, but it was still a foul.

JTB

[jkerouac]

Only go to video review of penalties if it can be implemented better than in American football. Otherwise you end up with several 5-minute "review" delays per game. And American football suffers from too many time-outs as it is. The efficient flow of the game is one of soccer's great pluses.

[ekhunter]

Only go to video review of penalties if it can be implemented better than in American football. Otherwise you end up with several 5-minute "review" delays per game. And American football suffers from too many time-outs as it is. The efficient flow of the game is one of soccer's great pluses.

Like I've said many times before, too many yellow cards. They need to give out more Academy Awards to some of these guys. What wimpy actors they are, with all of these free kicks. I love watching soccer, but it's not big here in the States, and the slow pace of the World Cup, with a yellow card every 2 minutes, I don't think it will ever catch on. Let these guys play. A foul is a foul, but not because someone acts like they were fouled. LET THEM PLAY! England is still going to take it all.

[By-Tor]

LET THEM PLAY! England is still going to take it all.

Yeah...as usual.

[docblackrock]

Ah bollix to it, here's my tuppence worth....

The first thing that struck me was how the French just stifled the flow of the match. No doubt fearing the flair and easy-on-the-eye passing game of the Spanish, they just stuck 8 men in defensive midfield positions as a barrier. It was negative, ugly, but highly effective. Spain's goal from a penalty came out of nowhere, a rash challenge. The French equaliser, whilst well taken, again made a farce of the offside rule with Henry miles off but supposedly 'non-intefering' (tell that to both Spanish centre-backs who were tracking him!).

As for the second French goal, I can honestly say that I watched in absolute disgust . No foul, no obstruction, a 50-50 challenge in which neither player came off better IMO. Yet, Henry's theatrics a la Rivaldo won the match. Until very recently, Henry was a player I admired both as a player and a person. Then came THAT post-match interview after the CL Final in Paris - a whingeing complaining unprofessional and slightly paranoid rant, in which he said Barca were crap, Ronaldinho and Eto'o were crap, Puyol had kicked him all night (obviously a score to settle there), the ref was a cheat, and that maybe he should learn to dive in future (crash course was it Thierry?). I now think he's the worst of the worst, a disgrace to the game and to his country.

thomasng's point about Zidane's 3rd goal doesn't really pass muster, as had Spain not been chasing the game in the last minutes and throwing caution to the wind, there's no way in hell that space would have been left for Zidane to be played in and score. I am pleased though for ZZ personally as he will get his swansong vs Brazil, a fitting way to end such a glorious career.

cwai - whilst I share your deep disgust of Arragones' remarks, vilifying his squad and wanting them to lose because of it is just wrong. Spain are out and the tournament is poorer for it, just as with Holland and Ghana. Yet the likes of Ukraine have hung on in there. So after a bright start, this WC for me has lost a lot of its promise in football terms, with only Argentina left now to light the way.....and I'm not even going to mention England

[thomasng]

England is still going to take it all.

By playing ugly football nonetheless...........