The Football Topic (Page 44 of 52)

Conspiracy theory Rick!

Love it! Now, if the protests get violent and people start getting killed / jailed with out trial etc, then The WC in Brazil becomes the new Bahrain a la F1.

I mean they wheeled out Pele who mealy mouthed some words in the vein of  "C'mon guys, forget the appalling poverty, the police corruption and sponsored murders, the rape of the country's wealth by the few, the lamentable infrastructure, the polictical inaction.......football can cure all life's ill's....."

Is there any evidence to suggest that South Africa has radically improved since it held the WC. Everything I see and read suggests not. Just another country with a huge and widening wealth divide.

As we have seen in recent times, there are few countries that are able to financially justify these huge events which is why they have been shared in Europe. Given the state of development and the stage they are at there it should be no surprise that certain groups are seeing the opportunity to use these events for political and social gains.

Wow, now they have a whole year to hold the country to ransom. Could Brazil default on the WC? and who would get it then? Have to be somewhere in Europe wouldn't it?

I can see it Rick. Spain losing for the greater (FIFA) good.

Now what other sport can be as dirty as football? Ah yes, there it is...........must tune in and see how it is going...The Tour de France. Another portion of cynicism and chips please...........!

not sure that you could class Brasil as 3rd world, - it is developing world, and has 6th largest GDP in the world. When I was last there I could not believe the state investment going on, a massive port built out of almost nothing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suape_port  - Okay personally I think it may be about to go into recession because its hunger for imported goods was scary and they have an enormous debt being built up by a lot of people who just cannot pay it back, - you walk into every shop in Brasil and can pay with post dated cheques, - you can even buy property in the same way - it is unsecured borrowing at a massive level.

- yet actually as a Country it could be self sufficient, which not many could do.

- The problems in Brasil are not about the football, or the cost of the stadiums, - they are deeper than that and these protests around teh confed cup are just a justification or focus point. - They are for may reasons but essentially I believe linked to the corruption of Government, National and Local and also police, the corruption that goes on and is visible every single day, - the backhanders, the favours, the roads that go unsurfaced despite the plans in the town hall telling you otherwise because some politician has taken the cash for himself rather than spending it with the contractor.

Brasil's divisions are lined to wealth as opposed to race, - the divisions are huge, with (almost) no way of moving between favalla and employment or at least a good job. Combine that with a supply of guns and you have a recipe for problem. - There is little racism as the country is so diverse, the blonde haired blue eyed German heritage in the South to people from the slave background in teh likes of Salvador.

You are right the only way to move from favella to wealth is football, and it is a sport where rich can mix with people from very poor background, - Rich - Kaka, poor - Rivaldo. Actually Rivaldo is an interesting case as he comes from a district within my wife's home city, Recife and I have seen the favela that he came from, and mud pitch that he played football on as a kid. Footbal in Brasil does bring people together, it is the common language, but probably at the expense of other sports, - Brasils performance in the olympics is awful given their population, - but most of not all sports other than football are very elitist.

this incident may have nothing to do with the sport from what I have read, - perhaps something else was going on? - the referee had already stabbed somebody, - it has a very violent minority in this country sadly but then so do others. If it was related to just the game with people completely losing it then it has more to do with the wider problems within the country. I understand that this was an amateur game, - so again pressure to escape a life in a favala means that it is just not a game to some. Whatever it is very sad.

just edited my post Rocket after reading a bit more on it. I would agree with you it is gang warfare, - the gang situation in Brasil is on a scale with the USA with mindless murder going on every day. That is what happens when a sector of society is segregated and given no hope of working their way out to a better life. The problem is not insignificant, - but as in the USA it is a small minority that make the headlines.

could n't agree with you more Rocket. Does make you wonder where it will all lead. The capacity for some to inflict on others is shocking to the extreme.

Dangerous to grab one incident and tag a sport, a country, whatever. From what I read this young referee gave a red card to a player for an offence. He player refused to leave the field and assaulted the referred, who then produced a small knife and stabbed the player.
Friends and family of the player then stoned the young ref to death before dismembering him.

The circumstances of this event are extreme, but sadly all too believable. However, for every single event like this there a million positive events that the sport of soccer brings to the world.

Of course, I can understand Americans not wanting to fully embrace a sport that invokes such high passions given the proliferance of weapons available in the country. But lets not get into that.

Every day it is possible to learn of a new horror. If someone tomorrow uses a car to wipe out as many people as he can are we going to advocate not driving them any more?

The sport is not to blame. It is people. Ignorant, uneducated evil people. Every country has them. Root them out and you get a better world.

"The second pause is the ridiculous theatricks on the soccer field.  Americans prefer that kind of hooey in hilariously entertaining "professional wrestling"

No need to apologise Rocket. Good points and thoughts. I like this comment above as well.

The 'theatrics' indeed thoroughly spoil the show these days. How I wish football players were more like the real men that play rugby, where such players and their antics would have scorn heaped by the truckload on them.

Funnily enough, I don't blame the players any more. They are whining sheep with limited intelligence levels and and only an ability to kick a ball around.

No trainers, coaches and managers bear the brunt of my ire. They could enforce a proper code and train it effectively into their players, but they won't.

Contracts could be structured topenalise players repeatedly getting booked, sent off or suspended, costing the teams points and the availability of their services. Any manager worth his salt would train players accordingly because, surely, it makes no sense to have a player missing for 10 or more matches per season through penalty suspensions.

Players should be coached on the rules of the game and should have at least a full understanding of the referee's view of the game.

I would train players to accept ANY referee's decision without question, withdraw the required distances when instructed. Referee's are human and when they see that MY team accepts decisions without dispute or question the thought will reside in their mind that MY players don't cheat, and when they are fouled they will likely get the benefit of any doubt.

2 or 3 valueble penalties every year that might not have been given will be awarded or should I say rewarded. I'll never understand why clubs and trainers have not yet latched onto this.

I long for the day when players can be looked upon as 'sportsmen' instead of the pansie prima donna's we know today. I'm not harking back to 'the good 'ol days' because they were not always good.

As a race, humans, Mensch, we should actually be striving for something better. I think every club should have a 'standards' officer role. Whether it be a player or offical. Somebody who ensures the code of conduct on and off the field is observed.

Of course, there should be a deterrent or penalty. 6 weeks working in refugee camp somewhere in the world should do it...........................