If I were that referee, I'd avoid any vacations in Holland for the rest of my life.

Why Robert

The game was very bad tempered throughout, mainly due to the poor and unsporting play by the Dutch team. The 14 yellow cards were testimony to the bad tempers, with the largest portion to the Dutch team (which I think was uncharacteristic of them).

The main thing was the ref was firm, and never lost control of the game (despite the bad temper).

The Dutch play should have had at least 3 red cards and that number of players sent off.

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It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

Is it all oveR yet? Can I come out now?

Pssssst. It's over ;)
You now have a choice of cycling and cricket to hide from.

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Carola
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I'm multilingual - I can misunderstand people in several languages!

Is it all oveR yet? Can I come out now?

Pssssst. It's over ;)
You now have a choice of cycling and cricket to hide from.

Probably missed by most of the world, but the Canadian Football League started last week. Hockey can't be far behind.

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Is it all oveR yet? Can I come out now?

Pssssst. It's over ;)
You now have a choice of cycling and cricket to hide from.

Probably missed by most of the world, but the Canadian Football League started last week. Hockey can't be far behind.

I wonder what Paul says about that.

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The Glory of Spain

An article from the Sports Illustrated---> by Joe Posnanski

The best article I have found so far about the match and the performances of the spanish team in English speaking newspapers/magazines.
Very good.

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I think the real winner is South Africa. Go Mandela!
Tullio

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I think the real winner is South Africa. Go Mandela!
Tullio

Very correct!

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It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

Thankfully, its all over now, for another four years. In that time, I doubt that many men will view things in perspective. Besides, I hate football. How men can become so absorbed by such a silly game, is quite beyond me.

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Don't take life too seriously, as you'll never come out of it alive!

It's a good excuse for having a beer while watching or for having a beer after playing. LOL

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I do not fight fascists because I think I can win.
I fight them because they are fascists.
Chris Hedges

A riot is the language of the unheard. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

If I were that referee, I'd avoid any vacations in Holland for the rest of my life.

Why Robert

The game was very bad tempered throughout, mainly due to the poor and unsporting play by the Dutch team. The 14 yellow cards were testimony to the bad tempers, with the largest portion to the Dutch team (which I think was uncharacteristic of them).

The main thing was the ref was firm, and never lost control of the game (despite the bad temper).

The Dutch play should have had at least 3 red cards and that number of players sent off.

I didn't see it that way at all. I thought the Dutch played their normal game and were doing nothing differently than they had throughout the tournament.

The majority of yellow cards should have been simply free kicks.
I think the bad tempers started coming from frustration at the number of calls that seemed one sided.

I can't say anything bad about the play of Spain. They deserved a win because of their superior ball control, but I can understand the feeling players get when they think they are under a microscope.

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I do not fight fascists because I think I can win.
I fight them because they are fascists.
Chris Hedges

A riot is the language of the unheard. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

If I were that referee, I'd avoid any vacations in Holland for the rest of my life.

Why Robert

The game was very bad tempered throughout, mainly due to the poor and unsporting play by the Dutch team. The 14 yellow cards were testimony to the bad tempers, with the largest portion to the Dutch team (which I think was uncharacteristic of them).

The main thing was the ref was firm, and never lost control of the game (despite the bad temper).

The Dutch play should have had at least 3 red cards and that number of players sent off.

I didn't see it that way at all. I thought the Dutch played their normal game and were doing nothing differently than they had throughout the tournament.

The majority of yellow cards should have been simply free kicks.
I think the bad tempers started coming from frustration at the number of calls that seemed one sided.

I can't say anything bad about the play of Spain. They deserved a win because of their superior ball control, but I can understand the feeling players get when they think they are under a microscope.

I bought some Heineken beer before the match because it is a very good type of beer,
but after this final World Cup (not WC match) match I think I will not drink/buy it again----->la patada tipo Taekwon-do a Xabi Alonso
This Dutch player should have been banned right away for a permaban!
As the german reporter/speaker said, the referee showed him a yellow card because he saw the foul, but it was a foul for a red card.

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As a neutral spectator I would say that the Dutch deserved more red cards.
Tullio

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As a football fan, the World Cup as regards good football & sportsmanship, ended after the 2nd round.

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Well I know the USA was robbed of a goal or two by bad calls by officialdum.

Modern technology has the ability to allow referees to receive mobile live playback of any match incident within seconds, and from a number of angles. The reason it is not done is that too many millions of dollars are riding on any one match outcome. The truth is not wanted, too many people will lose big money.

International professional footballers are past masters at perpretating outrageous fouls and making sure that the referee doesn't see them. Linesmen can be bought 10 a penny.

Well It would have been nice If the Refs in the World Cup would have used that.

Something like the "Hawk eye" in Tennis, for example.

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I remember some serious sports writers predicting doom and the End Of Hockey As We Know It when the refs started using instant replays. If anything, it has calmed down a lot of the old bad blood that would persist long after a questionable call. Today, when things look tough and the ref heads over to the phone to talk to the replay guys, everybody relaxes and fetches a beer. When the final announcement is made, most people just say"well that's settled", and the game moves on. I think it was huge improvement.

I expect it has made life easier for the officials as well. They can freely admit "I really didn't see it" and then let somebody else get the facts and make the decision.

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yes and it's important to mention that the Hockey replay is used for Goal situations only.

Besides in Football/Soccer the Players spend about 3-4 minutes harping on a bad call. If the official had replay he could end that in about 30 seconds and move on with the game

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

Good points Skildude.

I think the hockey officials have a much easier time for calling rough play - 4 sets of eyes on a much smaller playing area. As a result, hockey players know that writhing in fake pain on the ice isn't going to earn them anything (except for scorn from the fans). A soccer player can buy some breathing time for his mates with a bit of play acting, in hockey there are lots of other (more or less legal) ways to bring an end to play.

Still, the hockey players do work with the rules they are given. I have to chuckle every time I see a player checking for blood after a hard hit, and looking so disappointed when they can't find any. (For non hockey fans, drawing blood can turn a two minute penalty for your opponent into a 4 minute penalty, and might convince a ref that an otherwise legitimate hit deserves a penalty.)

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