France, Portugal, Slovenia, Russia, Greece, Ireland, Ukraine and Bosnia-Herzegovina were the final eight European teams playing for four spots. The controversy resulted when Fifa "randomly" placed traditional powers France, Portugal, Russia and Greece in different games. The point is that if it were really random, then there probably would have been at least one matchup between the traditional powers and one of them would go home. The Irish, who were the most vocal concerning the controversy, ended up drawing France in the playoff.
France won the first game 1-0. The Irish tied the aggregate score by scoring first in the second game. What then resulted was possibly the worst no-call this year in sports. Thierry Henry, France's captain, so blatantly used his hand to stop a ball that it looked like he tried to catch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oBtyriW5-M. Henry even admitted after the game that he used his hand to guide the ball.
There are two reasons I am sad about Ireland not making the cup. The first is that they have not made it in so long that it would be great to see the way their fans react. The second is that it would be quite a sight to see the Irish pack the bars around the local area come World Cup time. Many fans revert back to cheering for their ancestral countries in the tournament and I cannot think of a country that more people would root for in the area than Ireland.
Portugal ended qualifying, erasing the fears, and hopes, of people around the world that Cristiano Ronaldo would not perform in the tournament. I can probably think of five people that I know that are fans of soccer because of Ronaldo alone.
There is no sporting event like the world cup, even for those not really fans of the game. The entire world is transformed for the month or so that the event goes on. The world cup is a place when war torn countries can actually have a month or so of pure and simple joy. Historic rivalries are played out when the games truly mean more than bragging rights for a year. You think Ohio State-Michigan is a rivalry with passion. A little more than 50 years ago, Germany invaded Poland and murdered millions of its citizens. They played each other in the World Cup in 2006. There is no joy like the joy of scoring a goal in soccer, especially for one's country. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc1JcYQvrZo&feature=related
Plus, having Shakira perform the opening song beats anything the Super Bowl has done for years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpr6ylT109I
i like the blog. and i am not even a soccer fan. but this is good stuff
ReplyDeletehonestly im not a BIG soccer fan, but i have a question for you, Why do u think that soccer hasnt made the mainstream in the US?
ReplyDeleteI like your blog. It has a lot of facts, but you also has some of your opinions and thoughts which is nice. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI was rooting for Ireland as well. The "random" placement of games clearly favored the traditional powers, making Fifa as hated as the BCS.
ReplyDeleteThe answer of why soccer is not popular in the U.S. cannot be answered in just a comment, but on my next blog I will try to answer that question the best I can. It's pretty interesting though, that soccer can be "loved" by the rest of the world and the U.S. can simply be disinterested.
ReplyDeleteIreland got screwed last night, no offense. Good blog
ReplyDeleteSammy
I love the world cup and the premier league doesn't get much coverage in the U.S. I would watch if it did. It doesn't matter if it wasn't random, Ireland still had to win to get in. Looking forward to your next blog.
ReplyDeleteThat hand ball was crazy. I feel bad for the Irish. Good post.
ReplyDelete