Gamesmanship or Cheating?

Last week, Ghana were knocked out of the World Cup owing chiefly to Luis Suárez handling the ball on the line preventing a last minute Ghananian(?) goal. The aftermath featured much gnashing of teeth, much lamenting the lack of some sort of penalty goal system and of course, much vilification of FIFA and Sepp Blater. Suarez himself seems to have gotten off lightly much to the chagrin of the internet (or at least the small part of the internet I observe).
Professional fouls such as that one have been around forever and permeate all levels of every sport. I remember being coached at age twelve to "take out" any players that were one-on-one with me when I was playing in goal. I have a particularly clear memory of tripping a player through on goal in a Cork County Under 16 Hurling Quarter Final, and I mean I just swung my hurley at the guys heels. I got away with that one, but even had I been sent off, it would have been an acceptable loss. In any sport, what counts is winning. In team sports, it's the team's results that count. Players are always taught to play selflessly; to pass to the player in a better position, to take the hits in the tackle, to run yourself into the ground in the name of the jersey. Add to this conditioning, the pride involved in playing for your country on the biggest stage in the world. Given these combination of factors, is it any surprise that Suarez did what he did?

There is a huge difference here between what happened here and Henry's handball and Maradonna's Hand of God. This is very evident in the popular psyche. Henry was vilified in his own national media following the game. The Hand of God follows Maradonna around to this day, and has firmly embedded itself in English football folklore. Suarez was treated like a hero; a modern day knight who sacrificed himself for the good of the country. In my view, rightly so. The guy didn't try to hide what he did. He shamelessly took the bullet for the team. It was the last minute of the game, there was literally nothing left to lose. Even if there was a penalty goal rule like that in rugby, I can guarantee you that he would have still done it. It was an instinctive reaction, borne out of those years of indoctrination into a team playing psyche. In those micro seconds all a player cares about is stopping a ball going into the goal.

The mental process involved with the Hand of God or the Hand of Frog is different. Those were calculated efforts to direct the ball in a specific direction. This may sound like something I'm asserting, and essentially it is. It's borne from personal experience. It just makes more sense. Unfortunately I can't seem to ba bale to explain it in any more precise fashion.

Despite this and all the other controversies that have dodged this World Cup, I can guarantee that there will be no goal-line technology, no video referees and no penalty goal rule. Why? Not just because Sepp Blater is as stubborn as a particularly bitter mule, but I get this feeling that FIFA want the controversy. They look at the way these injustices are manipulated by the national media in the affected nations, and notice how these are used as fuel to fire interest when those two sides next meet. This means huge interest in the sport, and in turn huge advertising revenues for the national FAs and FIFA. If you doubt me, just imagine what would have happened if France and Ireland were in the same group for the forthcoming European Championships Qualifying campaign; the tabloids would be frothing at the mouth, the Joe Duffy public would be baying for blood and the viewing audience would be HUGE.

Also, screw it. In sport, like in life, shit happens.

Damn Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys

This is not an anti-French rant. It is a lament. The events of that fateful meeting in Paris many months ago are not forgotten, but they are accepted. At the least, I accept them. In sport, as in life, shit happens. Shit happens at all possible levels. The standard of refereeing at the World Cup shows that in spades. Like many other Irish, I wanted to see the French get beaten in the same sort of way that we like to see the English get beaten. It's not that we hate them or that we're bitter; just that we latch onto any reason to support one side over another. That and we love a good complain. Particularly in the summer, when the weather isn't as terrible as it usually is, we need something to complain about. So, France are suffering our ire at the moment.

While I was rooting for Mexico against France, the French team's woeful display left me infuriated. The complete lack of effort, the lack of desire, the lack of any sort of passion or pride in the jersey seemed so out of place at the World Cup. Fair enough their team is managed by an incompetent astrologist, but what ever happened to individual pride, individual leadership and more importantly, national pride? Each player can only ever play in three World Cups barring a few extraordinary exceptions. This is the competition that every kid grows up dreaming about. At the very least you'd expect them to give it a lash. Much like the Irish did in 2002 when after losing by far our best player to a dispute, the team rallied, gave it a lash, and lo and behold made it to the last 16 and were a heartbeat away from the quarter finals. Without any doubt, even again lacking our world class player, Shay Given, the Irish lads would have been giving it socks and not giving up at all.

I'm reminded here of a West Wong quote:

Leo: You know, it was a screw-up. But I gotta say, I love the way he did it full speed, bam. Like there's a Sam Seaborn-shaped hole in the wall.

That's the attitude I expect from ALL teams at the World Cup. That was the attitude the Irish team showed that night in Paris. Playing away from home, against a team ranked over thirty places higher than them, facing a one goal deficit; the odds were heavily stacked against them. No one thought it could happen. They gave it a lash and it produced a highly entertaining and competitive match. Surely that's the kind of team you want at the World Cup?

When FIFA "clarified" the rules on the draw for the play-off matches, I have no doubt that a desire to see the big money teams of France, Portugal, Russia at the World Cup played a factor. This strategy has spectacularly back fired with the impotent performances of France and (so far) Portugal. Will a lesson be learned? You gotta be kidding me.

The Pleasure, The Pain, The Pageantry, and The Punditry: World Cup 2010

After four years of waiting, after no less than eight hundred and fifty three qualifying games, two thousand, three hundred and forty four goals, and a bucket load of controversies, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is finally upon us.

Regardless of how much fun I derive from the next month or so of over indulgence in sport, FIFA have come out of this World Cup campaign very tarnished in my eyes. I don't think Ireland should have gotten a replay of the infamous match in Paris as they were tied by the rules on that occasion. However, the staggering level of resistance to the introduction to video technology to aid the referee baffles me. I just don't understand why FIFA cannot implement some sort of workable system when practically every other major sport on the planet has. Not only that but the ruthlessness which FIFA approaches the World Cup as a marketing opportunity means that little or no benefit will be seen to most South Africans due to prohibitive sponsorship deals and it's ruthless defence of trademark. It has most certainly left a sour taste in my mouth anyway, but I'm sure I'll forget about it quickly enough like the unprincipled market slave that we are really are.

Anyway, onto the actual football. I have some shocking predictions that may shock and disturb you. You may want to sit down or guard them from any elderly relatives.

1. France will not get out of the group stage.
2. Argentina will not get past the quarter-finals.
3. The US will make the semis.
4. Brazil will win.

Just remember to tell them I told you so...

The Team that Refused to Die

The Prince and the Pauper headline is being over used in today's papers, albeit with very good reason. In a season which saw Portsmouth F.C. enter administration, aborted winding up orders, unpaid wages and on the weekend that brought confirmation of relegation, Portsmouth managed to book a date in the season's finale; the FA Cup Final. Their opponents in that final on May 15th will be Chelsea F.C, who are seemingly steamrolling their way to the Premiership title and owned by Mr. Moneybags himself, Roman Abramavich. The contrast could not possibly be starker.
This is the beauty of knock out competitions, which the GAA championships have lost a little of recently in my opinion. The idea that the little team can do it against all the odds, that David can conquer Goliath lives on. When Portsmouth went into administration, you could see the team pulling together a bit, and they began playing with heart; something that surprised this hardened cynic. Then they got thumped by 5-0 by Chelsea which effectively killed off the tiny glimmer of hope of survival in the Premiership. For this team of rejects and misfits to beat Chelsea in the final would come with a particular satisfaction after that humiliation in front of their own fans.
More than just the romance of the cup, getting the final also earned Portsmouth a place in the Europa league next year. However due to their financial difficulties, they were unable to apply for a UEFA club licence; which considering how much getting into Europe would boost their revenue, has a certain irony to it.

I'm not for any second considering that Portsmouth could actually beat Chelsea in the final. They won't. In all likelihood, they'll get trounced. The Chelsea team will have a nice kick around before they all jet off the South Africa and walk away with some extra bling to add to their collections. In their last, five meetings Chelsea have scored sixteen goals whereas Portsmouth scored one. No team has ever won the FA Cup and been relegated in the same season.

But still, there's a glint in Avram Grant's eye that says maybe, just maybe...