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The list for Golden Ball nominees was so pathetic, Ballack really didn't show much and Henry spent most of his time being off-side or diving. I think the world cup was pretty boring but Italy played the best and most offensive football throughout and deserved to win so I'm not too disappointed with the result. Hopefully McClaren will have a diifferent approach than Erikson.
CONGRATULATION for Virgil and all the Italiano fans...
better luck next time France... I was sad for them.
ScherQuote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
While my post did come after your response, I wasn't just criticizing your post. I hear the same comments (the play wasn't good enough) out of every tournament. It makes me wonder what would please people. There are people that are never pleased. The players are professional, as good in the world as they come. They played to the best of thier ability. I am sure it couldn't be outmatched by anyone else in the world today. The top players across the world played in this tournament. Italy won. No matter who would have won, I would be saying this. Notice how Sleepywitch criticized the German team. The German team finished third in the world. Obviously they are a great team, but it doesn't seem to matter to the critics who just take pot shots no matter how good a team finishes. Italy won; France finished second; Germany finshed third. They all deserve respect and admiration for their play.
This article just proves my point. I don't see anything positive written by journalist anymore. It seems if it's not to citicise then journalists have nothing to say. And it filters down and warps everyone's point of view. If they weren't happy with the play, who in the world would they be happy with? Who? Some fantasy players that can play like God? Well, they don't exist. The critics are just miserable people looking for negative things to say. These were the best players in the world. There is no one better. Appreciate it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
I just think that many players didn't play as well as they've been playing throughout the season (Ronaldinho, Lampard, Deco) because they're bruned out after such a long season. The WC should be organised just after Winter or something like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil
A pity that I could not watch the final because I was on the train at that time...
I wasn't on the site for a while, but I couldn't write nothing about the end of the WC :)
I liked the WC and think that it was definitely better than the last one- there was South Korea in the semifinal just because of outrageous referees. This WC almost all the best teams made it at least to the quaterfinals. For me Argentine-Germany was a really good game. Anyway, you can enjoy the game even if it ends 0-0- it doesn't matter. Lets say in 2000 I was enjoing Italian defense( Cannavaro, Nesta, Maldini, Panucci) more than any offense.
It's sad that maybe the greatest French player ever finishes his career that way, but he had couple of similar episodes before and in the finale of WC the real captain of the team can't do things like that. having said that, I'm sure that Matterazzi said something outrageous and players like that who are making provocations throughout the game make me sick, even if they are really good (as players) like Matterazzi.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...06/5198796.stmQuote:
Zinedine Zidane has been banned for three games and fined £3,260 for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final. Following an investigation by world governing body Fifa, Materazzi was suspended for two games and fined £2,170 for provoking Zidane.
A Fifa statement said: "Both players stressed Materazzi's comments had been defamatory but not of a racist nature."
Zidane's ban is academic as he retired from football after the finals.
However the 34-year-old will instead work with football's world governing body Fifa for three days.
Fifa added: "Zinedine Zidane has agreed to do community service work with children and youngsters.
"During the course of their hearings both players also apologised to Fifa for their inappropriate behaviour and expressed their regret at the incident."
Zidane spent 90 minutes at a private hearing on Thursday, while Materazzi appeared before the Fifa panel on 14 July.
Playing in the last game of his career, Zidane snapped during extra time of the World Cup final.
The Frenchman later claimed Materazzi had insulted his mother and his sister.
However, Materazzi maintained his comments were not "racist, religious, or political" and he added: "I also said nothing about his mother."
Despite the incident, Zidane went on to win the Golden Ball for the tournament's best player and despite suggestions to the contrary, Fifa has confirmed the Frenchman will be allowed to keep the award.
"It wasn't even discussed at the meeting," said Fifa spokesman Andreas Herren.
Here is a pretty funny Zidane-Materazzi link
http://h2.padonki.org.ua/~jedi/zidane/zidane_jackal.gif
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5234062.stmQuote:
Zinedine Zidane's infamous World Cup headbutt has inspired a song that, thanks to the internet, has rocketed to the top of the French pop charts. Just hours after the song's producers had e-mailed it to friends they got a flood of calls from the music industry and mobile phone companies.
The hit was written as a "joke... to entertain our friends," said Sebastien Lipszyc of La Plage Records in Paris.
The small studio e-mailed the song the day after France lost to Italy.
The French star, affectionately known as "Zizou" in France, was banned for three games and fined £3,260 for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final.
Fifa also suspended Materazzi for two games and fined him £2,170 for provoking Zidane, who was playing in the last game of his career.
Overnight success
Mr Lipszyc, whose company composes advertising jingles and sound-effects, said Coup de Boule (Headbutt) was written "in half an hour" and e-mailed to about 50 friends. That evening, he and his two colleagues heard it on Skyrock, a popular French radio network
Coup de Boule
"The next day, the major players rang us," said Mr Lipszyc, quoted by the French newspaper Le Figaro.
He said Warner made the best offer to distribute the song - an advance of 45,000 euros for the clip, percentages on the sales and a guarantee that La Plage Records would retain authorship.
The hit was distributed to 20 countries and a video clip was made at the Charlety stadium in Paris.
According to Warner Music France president Thierry Chassagne, "all this took two weeks - that's unprecedented in our industry".
The African-style song has become a tube de l'été (summer hit) in France, booming out at beaches, campsites and bars.
Zidane, il l'a frappé, la Coupe, on l'a ratée (Zidane hit him, the Cup - we missed it), the song goes.