And so the miracle the entire world had waited for transpired after all. No, France didn’t pull itself out of the pathetic, self-mocking off-field tantrums for which it had become a laughing-stock in recent days. And didn’t knock in enough goals to beat South Africa and sneak into the knock-out round as Mexico lost against Uruguay. …
Soccer
Budgetry Ball Blues: Why It’s Not Easy Being English
There was only one place to go to escape the misery enveloping England the day after the team’s dismal draw against Algeria: the movies. But even the big screen couldn’t disguise the malaise that continues to seep through the camp. And now, 24 hours before the crucial clash with Slovenia, we must deal with the new government’s …
A Fatal Loss of Face?
Portugal’s 7-0 massacre of North Korea got me thinking about death. Not the metaphorical kind. As I watched North Korea’s coach Kim Jong Hun prostrate himself for having abandoned the Winged Horses’ tight defensive posture in favor of an ill-fated offensive campaign, all I could think was is this guy gonna get executed when he …
Portugal Resplendent
The match isn’t over yet (well, it is; just time isn’t out yet), but Portugal’s 5-0-and-counting drubbing of North Korea is as impressive as Germany’s opening pounding of Australia was—and perhaps then some. Sure, it turns out Australia isn’t as bad as it looked in taking four unanswered German goals last week, while North …
And The Oscar Goes To …
You might have feared the worst for Ivory Coast’s Kader Keita after he dramatically fell to the ground during Sunday’s group game against Brazil, that deservedly ended in a 3-1 defeat. Was his career over, thanks to Kaka’s challenge? Replays immediately proved otherwise with the Brazilian playmaker’s nudge of his opponent leading to …
In Cameroon, Samuel Eto’o Reigns as Uncrowned King
Football fever grips the residents of the soccer star’s hometown Douala
For France, There’s World Cup Hope in a Player Rebellion
The news that France’s players had refused to train on Sunday in protest at the decision by those running the team to send home potty-mouthed striker Nicolas Anelka was widely interpreted as a sign that Les Bleus have imploded. Not so fast. I’d argue that the player rebellion is, in fact, the best thing that could have happened to this …
France: World Champion–Of Pathetic Controversy
Herewith an update to my earlier post about Nicolas Anelka’s obscenity-driven verbal assault of coach Raymond Domenech Friday night. It now serves as a perfect reflection of the incompetence and hypocrisy of the entire French Football Federation responsible France’s South African debacle on and off the pitch.
Cote D’Ivoire vs. Brazil: Africa Can’t Lose
Those who imagine Africa’s World Cup is about to get a lot less African (that means you, Bill) are forgetting something: Africa has won the World Cup five times, and we’re a good bet for a sixth. Never mind the fact that South Africa, Cameroon and Nigeria are all looking hopelessly subpar, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire have started well …
Why Twitter Is Not Transparency
The only thing more frustrating than the controversial late-game foul call by Malian referee Koman Coulibaly, which cost the U.S. a miracle comeback victory against Slovenia (the Americans settled for a thrilling 2-2 tie), might be FIFA’s failure to explain went wrong. Coulibaly refused to comment on the call after the game – in fact, …
Player Gives Domenech A Piece of France’s Mind
Now we know what it took for French coach Raymond Domenech to—finally—pull the utterly useless attacker Nicolas Anelka off the pitch in the hopes someone else might create something remotely resembling an offensive presence: Anelka lavishly insulting the previously adoring Domenech in front of the entire squad.
The Problem With England…
Watching today’s dire, dire performance by England, I was struck not only by the fact that the likes of Wayne Rooney and Gerrard failed to bring their blood-and-guts personas to the game — is there any site more pathetic than an England team bereft of passion? — but that England plays without the sense of organization and fluidity that …
England Couldn’t Overcome the Battlers of Algiers
In an attempt to get themselves amped up for their match against England, the Algerian side watched the seminal 1966 film, The Battle of Algiers. Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, an Italian communist, it’s a rousing, unflinching epic about the Algerian resistance to French rule, set in the winding warrens of the famous Casbah of Algiers. …